Living BooksL Classroom Activities Overview

S O F T WA R E F O R E D U C AT I O N

Overview
for the
Classroom
Activities

Originally Published by

Activities for Teachers and Parents

www.wanderfulstorybooks.com

Permissible Use of Copyrighted Material

Throughout the materials developed to enhance the usefulness of Wanderful interactive
storybooks in the classroom, we suggest that you copy screens and images of the storybook
characters. We know you want to work within the copyright laws and have developed these
guidelines to help you obey the law while you make use of technology to the advantage of your
students.

You may make use of the text and images in the Wanderful interactive storybooks so long as the
use is not for profit and is used in your classroom for teaching. This includes making multiple
copies of material for classroom use SO LONG AS THE MATERIAL IS NOT OF A
COMMERCIAL NATURE and is not sold, NOR has effect on the potential market value of the
copyrighted work.

Proper attribution of material is appreciated: © 2012 Wanderful, Inc., under license from
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. This helps to inform users that the materials
you use and your intentions are legal.

© 2012 Wanderful, Inc., under license from
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................................................................................3
A BOOK LOVER APPROACHES THE COMPUTER................................................................................................................................. 5
LIFE IN MY CLASSROOM INCLUDES CHILDREN AND TECHNOLOGY.......................................................................................................8
CLASSROOM PRACTICE AND WANDERFUL INTERACTIVE STORYBOOKS
Reading ................................................................................................................................................ 11
Writing.. ........................................................................................................................................... ... 12
Technology .....................................................................................................................................................................................14
INTEGRATING WANDERFUL INTERACTIVE STORYBOOKS IN THE CURRICULUM
Thematic Units .......................................................................................................................................................... 15
Genre Study............................................................................................................................................................... 16

Author Studies .......................................................................................................................................................... 17
Dramatic Play ........................................................................................................................................................... 19
Cooperative Learning ............................................................................................................................................. 20
TECHNICAL TIPS AND TRICKS ......................................................................................................................................................................... 21
SELECTING BOOKS FOR CHILDREN ..........................................................................................................................................................................22
PROFESSIONAL BOOKS ......................................................................................................................................................................... 29

OVERVIEW Classroom Activities

INTRODUCTION
The Wanderful interactive storybooks Classroom Rebecca Ann Penso, Ed.D.,
Activities are designed to help teachers integrate these is a resource specialist
products, originally published as Living Books by and mentor teacher in
Broderbund software, into the curriculum. The Los Angeles. She is an
Classroom Activities are available for most of the expert in adapting
Wanderful interactive storybooks. technology to support
learning. Working with
The purpose of this Overview is to combine theory
at-risk students, she has developed highly motivating
with practice, concept with technique, broad stroke with
online and off-the-computer techniques to help them
fine detail, inspiration with nitty gritty tricks. Our goal is grow, not only in academic competency but also in
to link the exciting technology of these interactive
social skills. A classroom teacher for thirty-five years, her
storybooks running on tablets, mobile phones, and graduate work is in language devel-opment education. In
computers with the reality of classrooms full of addition to contributing to this Overview, she created
children and paper and books and bells. While
most of lessons in the Classroom Activities for each
technology will never replace the gifts of a committed
Wanderful interactive storybook.
teacher or the magic of traditional books, we hope the
technology exemplified by the Wanderful interactive story Bonnie Sunstein, Ph.D., is professor of English and
books and the activities and resources provided in the education at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa
Classroom Activities will support and enhance the where she serves as Director of Undergraduate Writing
learning materials and instructional units you provide for in English and Program Chair in English Education. She
your students. teaches courses in research, non-fiction writing,
American folklore, and English education. Her books
Contributors include What Works, Composing a Culture, Portfolio Portraits,
The writers who have contributed their ideas, expertise, The Portfolio Standard (all Heinemann). She is co-author of
and specific suggestions bring to this project a combined three editions of FieldWorking: Reading and Writing Research
total of more than one hundred years in the classroom. (Bedford St.Martins). She is a contributor to this
Immediately following this Introduction are two Overview.
personal accounts of their experiences that may help you
to see how these activities and bibliographies emerge from Lucinda Ray is the Educational Consultant and Editor
the rich and familiar context of real teachers and for the Wanderful interactive storybooks Classroom
children. Activities. She developed the concept for the original
Living Books Classroom Activities and Overview,
Marianne Saccardi taught in public and private elementary contributed to their writing, and served as editor for
schools for twenty years before teaching children’s that project. She has been a classroom teacher for thirty
literature in the graduate school at the College of New years, teaching language arts, reading, English, speech,
Rochelle and Early Childhood Department at Norwalk theater, and composition to middle and high school
Community College. A new edition of her book, Art in students, and composition at the college level. She has
Story, was published in 2006 by Libraries also developed and designed curriculum for a number
Unlimited/Teacher Ideas Press, and Books that Teach Kids of educational software products for Broderbund, The
to Write was published by the same press in 2011. She is Learning Company, Intellitools, Houghton Mifflin, and
currently working on a new book for Libraries Riverdeep. She holds two Masters degrees, in Theatre
Unlimited to be published in 2013. Her articles have Education and in English Literature.
appeared in School Library Journal, The Reading Teacher,
School Arts, Book Links, and The Constructive Triangle.

OVERVIEW Classroom Activities 3

Philosophy Additional reading
Three articles discuss the philosophical approach of This Overview concludes with two annotated bibli-
whole language in elementary classroom instruction in ographies, one suggesting guidelines and sources for
the areas of reading, writing, and the use of technology. selecting good children's books and the other recom-
These short articles represent the theoretical backbone mending professional reading.
and the informing principles of the many Classroom
Activities that accompany most of the Wanderful
interactive storybooks/Living Books titles.
Common Core State Standards
The support materials for each title are designed to No matter how engaging a learning activity may be, one of the
encourage children's natural love of language play and realities of teaching for most teachers and school systems is the
enhance the power of their language to explore, need to demonstrate that activities in the classroom are helping
express, learn, and communicate. children achieve the learning goals established by the
curriculum. To assist in this important task, Wanderful
One way children learn to read is through their own
interactive storybooks has aligned the Classroom Activities
writing. They also learn to read through continuing with the Common Core State Standards1.
opportunities to engage in both reading and writing.
Therefore the classroom activities provide support for For example, the Classroom Activities for The Tortoise and the
authoring and writing, for interacting and creating, as Hare support the areas below of the Common Core State
well as for reading. The activities are cross-curricular and Standards: CCSS’s Reading Foundational Skills and Language
are tailored for different age, grade, or reading levels. Standards in Grades K–5: Reading Standards for Literature
(RL), Speaking and Listening Standards (SL), Writing
Integrating Wanderful Interactive Storybooks in the Standards (W), and Reading Standards: Foundational Skills.
Curriculum
A set of five articles suggests ways you can integrate Common Core
activities around any Wanderful interactive storybooks Activity State Standards
with other parts of your curriculum and classroom Talking With the Animals RL K-3 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 10
organization. You will find discussions of Thematic
SL K-3 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Units, Genre studies, Author studies, Drama, and
Cooperative Learning. Like the many classroom Finish Line Festivities RL K-5 1, 2, 3, 7, 9, 10
activities that are included with each of the individual W 1-2 5, 7, 8
titles, these suggestions are intended as both quick- W 3-5 5, 8, 9
start support and as models for meeting your own Say It Again RL K-3 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 9
classroom and curriculum needs.
RL 4 3, 4, 7
Technology SL K-3 1, 2, 3, 4, 6
Technical Tips and Tricks is a compilation of techniques W 3-5 3
we used to put these Overview and Classroom Reading Along RL K 4
Activities materials together. We want to make sure you RL 2-3 7
know these short cuts and techniques as well. Consult
SL K-3 2, 6
this section for information about how to create RF K-2 3, 4
your own electronic or print materials from Wanderful
interactive storybook images. This is a sample of the level of detail provided in the
Classroom Activities for each title.

1Common Core State Standards © Copyright 2010. National
Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of
Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.


A BOOK LOVER APPROACHES THE COMPUTER
WITH SUSPICION THEN APPRECIATION
by Marianne Saccardi
The thematic units and annotated bibliographies for each of the
Wanderful interactive storybooks Classroom Activities were
developed by Marianne Saccardi, who directed the Fairfield-
Westchester Children's Reading Project in Greenwich, CT. Why
did she decide to help create these materials for electronic books
almost two decades ago? And why is she engaged in updating them
now? The following piece traces her reassessment of the potential for
computers to support enthusiasm for reading and writing. Her
experience demonstrates that children can be introduced to books
and encouraged in the reading and writing process through
technology. Since the students in both high school classes were
very reluctant readers, we knew that we had to attract
As a life-long book lover, I had always viewed the first-rate authors to the project. Fortunately, Sue Ellen
computer with suspicion. Didn't it, after all, claim hours Bridgers and Gary Paulsen, both award-winning writers
of our children's lives—hours that could be better spent of gripping novels for adolescents, agreed to join our
reading and writing? However, a special project soon pioneering efforts. Although neither of them had ever
convinced me that computers belong in the classroom, used a modem, they had a few months to learn, and we
not as drill masters or as rewards during free time, but as gave them whatever help we could. We teachers, too,
integral parts of reading and writing and whole language were new to electronic learning, and we began weeks
learning at its best. of fumbling trial and error as we sent messages back and
It all began with my colleague, Dr. Marilyn Jody, an forth to one another and to our two authors.
English professor at Western Carolina University, who Fortunately, computer personnel in all the participating
was teaching a short story course through her university's schools helped us enormously.
MicroNet electronic mail system. She discovered that the We met with the teachers a few weeks before our target
students in the course engaged in more candid and in- date to discuss our goals and plans for the three weeks.
depth book discussions on the computer, both with her While we were getting to know one another and
and with one another, than did the students she saw sharing methods and ideas, our students were busily
face-to-face every week. making videos introducing themselves to their partner
She and I decided to try computer book chats with classes. These videos were a great hit and helped the
elementary and high school students as well. We agreed students put faces with the names they would later see
to set up a small three-week demonstration in April to signed to letters.
determine whether a full-scale computer-literature
project would be useful. Called BookRead, the project Week 1
would link two middle school classrooms in The teachers and students read and discussed their
Connecticut and New York and two high school authors' books in class and in their reading journals. We
rooms in New York and North Carolina. The teachers wanted the children to begin focusing on ideas and
in these classrooms were already focusing on literature questions that they wished to discuss with their partner
with their students and agreed to give the project three classes on the computer. We also wanted the teachers to
weeks of their valuable class time. note how the classroom discussions went and to
compare them to the computer discussions that would
take place the following week.


The middle school students read and discussed the On the last day of the third week, the two high school
Paulsen books. Dogsong (Bradbury), Hatchet (Penguin), classes held a simultaneous online dialogue with Sue
The Winter Room (Orchard), The Voyage of the Frog (Dell), Ellen. Student representatives typed their peers’
The Crossing (Orchard), Canyons (Doubleday), The Night questions into the computer while the whole class
the White Deer Died (Doubleday), and Tracker (Penguin) viewed Sue Ellen’s responses as she typed them on the
were among the titles we presented to them. In addition screen from her home computer. They could witness
to reading some of these books, the high school her writing process as she paused to think and phrase
students could also choose books written by Sue Ellen her answers. As Chris Renino, one of the teachers, put
Bridgers Permanent Connections (HarperCollins), Home it, “The final live book chat between one of the authors,
Before Dark (Bantam), Sara Will (HarperCollins), and All my students, and those at North Buncombe High
Together Now (Bantam) were available. School in North Carolina, was outstanding.”

Week 2 The following Monday, the middle grade students had
The students talked to their partner classes about the their chat with Gary Paulsen. Again, students did the
books they were reading. Some wrote general letters. typing for their peers. The students were awed by the
Others, especially the high school students, wrote to fact that Gary’s extemporaneous writing was very much
particular individuals. like the writing in his books: it seemed to be a part of
him. These online conversations were a fitting
The high school students were more interested in talking conclusion to an incredible three weeks.
about themselves at first—their interests, activities, and
plans. They needed much more time to do this than Evaluation
we were able to give them, and their exchanges spilled At a wrap-up meeting, all of the teachers expressed their
over into the third week as well. Eventually, even the delight with what happened in April and their desire to
most reluctant readers were drawn by their peers into see the project develop and expand. Some teachers saw
conversations about books. the project as a powerful motivator for their reluctant
readers: “BookRead worked beautifully with my
When the younger students launched into book talk with
students. The program did not miraculously make them
their partners, we were amazed at their insights. They avid readers, nor did it lead them to an overnight
began to connect the various Paulsen books to one
change in their attitudes about books, school, or
another, to notice that the room in The Winter Room was
themselves. However, they did read. Everyone read,
very much like the room in Popcorn Days and Buttermilk and everyone read more avidly, in greater quantity, and
Nights. They compared Russell's learning the ancient more penetratingly than they had all year,” Chris Renino
ways of his people in Dogsong to Carley's leaving behind
said.
his city life in Popcorn Days and Buttermilk Nights. They
spoke with enthusiasm and conviction. They spoke as Deirdre Fennessey felt that having an audience made her
“insiders,” well versed in their author's style and ideas. students more conscious of trying to write well, while
John Gibson noted that the project “created a
Week 3 community of readers/writers engaged in a common
Our two authors kicked off the third week by writ- task ... it encouraged sharing of reading experiences
ing lengthy pieces about themselves and their work. which motivated readers to try books recommended
by others. They seemed interested in, and motivated by,
The students and authors then exchanged mail for the
interaction with other students their age from very
rest of the week. Sue Ellen answered individual high
different backgrounds and life experiences.”
school students while Gary wrote group letters in
which he responded to individual questions and
insights. All the students were struck by the authors'
honesty about themselves and by their different
views on writing.


Mike DeVito stated that “without a doubt the mystique Project BookRead was an exciting adventure into the
of using the computer to actually talk to students in world of books and computers—an adventure that was
other schools and to the author himself made my class successful even beyond our initial expectations. One
feel that we were participating in something special and seventh grader put it so well when she said, “The project
different.” was awesome! I got started reading Paulsen's books, and
now he's one of my favorite authors. I think that talking
Melody Eury from North Carolina had originally been
to an author over the computer is totally space age! It's
concerned that “not only were these students reluctant
really cool!”
readers: they were also ‘poor’ readers. My worries were
unfounded, however, because one of these ‘poor’ Wanderful interactive storybooks, of course, involve
readers read every single book that we had! One student different technology than online computer
who said he did not read a book at all last year read five conversations. And students today are using Skype,
this year.” iPads, podcasts, and other technological means not only
to communicate with authors and with one another, but
The teachers all agreed that their students did more
also to create programs of their own. However, Project
reading during this period than they otherwise would BookRead convinced Saccardi that online technology
have and that they broadened their reading experiences
offers new and exciting resources for readers. It is up to
by reading books they might not have chosen on their us as teachers to discover and use these and other new
own. They were also impressed by the way the technologies for our own student readers and writers
computer acted as an equalizer. Even shy children could
express their ideas freely. We saw this demonstrated
when we viewed a video Deirdre had made of a
classroom book discussion. One child did not speak
throughout the entire hour, but he sent and received
mail on the computer often throughout the
demonstration.
Based on the success of this limited demonstration,
Marilyn and I have expanded the program, and through
a state grant, conducted a weeklong training seminar for
teachers in North Carolina. We are currently seeking the
necessary funds to set up a program using the computer
to hook troubled teens in our inner cities on to reading.

.


LIFE IN MY CLASSROOM INCLUDES
CHILDREN AND TECHNOLOGY
by Rebecca Ann Penso

Some kids just learn to read. You show them books,
help them decipher words, and inspire or prod them
with thought-provoking questions. They just read.
And then they just write. They easily copy strokes to
make letters and remember the letter sequences to
form words. Soon they are creating sentences and
paragraphs. These are not the children I teach.

My students
I work with youngsters with who face a variety of spective. Students had their own folders and knew
challenges among them learning and language exactly where to find and store the many materials they
disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, attention and used each day.
motivation problems. These kids, no matter how hard
they try, struggle with deciphering words and sentences. I was an inveterate grant writer and collected several
Letters are a jumble of lines and are, all too frequently, a computers, including some that I bought and some
nightmare to copy. My students have great ideas, but they donated by friends. A printer was networked to the
lack the skills to translate them into written work. Many computers.
are easily distracted and prone to spend more time
Students came to my classroom and I tailored
watching their classmates than focusing on lessons. They
curriculum to their abilities and needs. Some focused
have all the 'smarts' they need but their deficits and
on the most basic of readiness skills while others created
limited attention thwart their academic success.
several paragraph stories either with a pencil or a word
When I was lucky, I identified those in-trouble processor.
youngsters early on, in first or second grade, before they
develop the host of coping-with-failure behaviors that The bell rings. . .
create yet another roadblock to learning. Technology is Second and third graders galloped in almost as the first
a vital part of my program. bell rang. Three grabbed their pair of disks to begin
ten to fifteen minutes of a talking typing program that
My context incorporates phonics with the beginning elements of
Education has undergone dramatic change during my word processing. Others worked on identifying and
career. In the 80s and 90s there was no map for dealing sequencing beginning sounds, and then moved on to
with kids with special needs. I was free to transform that typing.
room in the back of the schoolyard to an inspiring
By 8:30, the first graders fluttered in. I gathered them
learning place. My classroom was crowded with guinea
together to review their special sets of vocabulary. One
pigs, bookracks, folders of student materials, an art
day’s focus added food words (using an exploratory
center, bulletin boards full of student projects, and fast
early learning software program) to our lists of colors,
growing silkworms. Carrots and radishes pushed out in
verbs, and vehicle words. I used lots of clues, including
clear plastic containers. We had picture books, reference
riddles and beginning sounds to guide these students to
materials and a rack of student-authored books.
remember the vocabulary.
My classroom was not state of the art. But it was
extremely well organized from my children's per-


Next children moved on to interactive software. Recess?
Perhaps they printed out an image. Perhaps they explored My language arts enthusiasts often need extra help
an interactive story on a CD-ROM. Occasionally they memorizing and using information. So just before
used a paint program to design and draw a favorite recess, many challenge each other with games
scene. Beginners dictated a sentence or two to an adult emphasizing vocabulary math facts, and problem
who added the words that described the drawing. solving. Somehow lots of kids just linger on and never
Later children used paper and pencil, working on make it into the yard.
partially dictated sentences and using picture
dictionaries. Ultimately, they wrote their own captions. Round Two
After recess, my older students enter. Some completed
Meanwhile, other students read in pairs or individually,
the typing-phonics program. Others concentrated on
either with me or with my assistant. Youngsters
mastering keyboarding, enabling them to make the most
usually read from either standard readers or chose core
of a talking word processor. They'd even made a cursory
literature selections within the range of their skills.
acquaintance with the spell checker. Direct instruction
Children loved to express themselves, both orally and in was increasingly curriculum-based. We used software
writing. Each child had his or her own picture dictionary programs as a springboard for ecology and animal
to which we added personal vocabulary. As students exploration, extending our knowledge using the
finished first drafts, they were helped to reread creations Eyewitness series of books as well as others. We
with an adult, and then with a friend. Reading aloud explored the weather, using an online encyclopedia as
provides a check on accuracy and communicative skill. well as picture text materials. My students used literature-
In guided individual work and lessons, I helped them based CD-ROM stories as inspiration for their own
read their writing slowly, observing words that retellings. In addition, students worked together to
somehow were misplaced or never made it off the recreate favorite tales or develop their own, completing
end of the pencil. work with drawings and captioning then, linking scenes
to make slideshow.
They brought finished products to me for word
processing. The students read their stories as I typed Moving right along
them. We discussed confusing elements as they read, In last decade computers
and they decided on modifications. While I did correct have entered nearly every
their spelling and punctuation, I tried to avoid modifying child’s home. Not just
the language of my story creators. (The children read to parents but many young-
me what they meant to say. They stumbled when sters have their own cell
work was over-edited.) My writers illustrated their phones. Education has
finished products, then pasted them into their very own changed too. Today the
storybook. We recorded stories for later sharing at mainstream classroom is the designated setting for
home and with peers. These storybooks and recordings nearly all youngsters, including those with special needs.
became a treasured resource as children brought them Every child works with grade level texts and materials.
home to share with their families. Children with disabilities receive most of their support
In addition to this work with the computer and with within the general education setting. Resource specialists
the teacher, my students also reviewed vocabulary in and general education teachers collaborate to optimize
their reading material and in their personal stories by learning, planning lessons as a team. Together we create
writing sentences, working with word cards, and creating a learning environment for all children to thrive.
structured written work.


Swimming in the Mainstream we can imagine: international pen pals, virtual journeys
In the mainstream classroom I help small groups and to other countries, under the sea or other worlds and
individuals. With modifications, youngsters partic-ipate more.
with their peers. I preteach vocabulary, posting rebus Today’s children grow and learn together. We no longer
charts for difficult words. I preread stories and written have those special isolated children. They, like their
assignments, explaining challenging concepts, peers, are enveloped in technology. It permeates every
paraphrasing directions and checking for under- part of their lives. It’s amazing how much students
standing. I introduce many of the same techniques I know and how well they can progress with the right
have used in previous years, not only to those with kind of support. Every child must become proficient at
disabilities but also for those who need just a bit of using word processing and exploring the Internet. Be it
additional assistance. Much of the support is similar to making a Powerpoint presentation or creating a traditional
what I used when special education was isolated. By report, technology has given access to a world of
finding free and inexpensive online programs, I organize excitement. The school day is too short, Teachers can’t
computer stations so that, in spare moments, students do it all. Every family needs to provide those
can reinforce skills. In spare moments, children are also experiences that link schoolwork to real life.
able to delve into simplified books and alternate
activities.

Using every moment Favorite web sites
School days are stuffed with mandated academic Starfall takes preschools and beginning readers to
instruction. Continually assessment requires a common sound/symbol work and talking,. The interactive books
curriculum with little time for hands-on experiences. http://www.starfall.com (free)
Every moment outside the traditional school day Public Broadcast System presents favorite book and
becomes precious. Before and after school, at recess cartoon friends in a variety of game challenges.
and at lunch, children nearly bang down my door to use http://pbskids.org/ (free)
programs and explore the web for images and articles. Writing Buddy, available as a smartphone app, offers a
talking word/singing processor. It is especially enticing for
Funding is tight, grants hard to come by. I found
beginning readers and writers.
another strategy for providing technology. Twenty-four
eMacs, castoffs were brought up to speed with eBay http://drpeet.com/Reading_Writing_Tools.html ($6.99)
purchased memory and newer system software. My Wacky Web Tales is a fill-in-the-blank story writer. Kids
room offers opportunities for growing and learning in a complete a list of nouns, verbs and adjectives. These are
placed in blanks to complete a tale for sharing and giggling.
student-directed environment. Shelves display
excitement: anole lizards camouflaging among the http://www.eduplace.com/tales/ (free)
leaves, silkworms gobbling up mulberry leaves and Enchanted Learning entices beginners and those with
transforming into moths, centers for illustrating stories nascent skills. A wealth of information for elementary
and a well stocked library of favorite books at all levels. youngsters, this program not only is fun for budding
When general education teachers find a few minutes, I explorers but also for children interested in sharing other
bring them hands-on experiences—planting seeds, languages. http://www.enchantedlearning.com/ (free and
viewing online videos—that parallel their classroom enhanced versions)
work. Online videos (often from YouTube) provide
stop motion plants cycling from seeds to flowers and
vegetables. The Internet invites glimpses into any area


CLASSROOM PRACTICE AND READING
Language-rich classrooms continue a child's natural
development of language
We teachers simply build on what our students’ parents
and caregivers have begun. We recognize that the
children who come to us have been successful language
users for several years and that we need to continue to
provide many opportunities each day for them to
expand and hone the skills begun in early childhood. We
know that we don't have to wait until they are ready to
read, that they learn to read as they learned to talk, by
plunging in and DOING it…very day, many times a
day. We know that children are uninhibited, enthusiastic
language users and learners, and so we give them room to
experiment and take risks without fear of failure.
Above all, we share with them the joy, the enrichment,
the new vistas that the world of books opens up to us.
We show them that reading is something we do
because we LOVE it, because it is actually FUN, language that is so natural to the young. They meet the
because it is an important way of connecting and unexpected—a door window suddenly becomes a car
communicating with others. We read to them daily; we windshield, a patch of flowers becomes a singing
share with them words, phrases, paragraphs from our group. The images and sounds and music embedded
own adult books that move and inspire us. We laugh, in every page of a Wanderful interactive storybook give
we wonder, we cry, we are silent along with them as a child an experience of the imaginative available in
we grow into a community of readers and writers. reading.
Children using Wanderful interactive storybooks get
Reading and Wanderful interactive storybooks inside the minds of the story characters; they can
One of the special gifts of reading, for those of us who listen in on thoughts not expressed in the text or see
love books, is that it engages our imaginations. Reading how another character reacts to an event. These
introduces us to characters and people who can interactions expand children's understanding of character
become as real to us as our own families, and allows us development and viewpoint, and help them see the
to experience events, times, and settings far from our varying interpretations readers make as they respond to
daily experience. Helping children make that stories. In The New Kid on the Block it is the text itself
imaginative leap from the sea of print on a page is one that stimulates the imaginative sound and
our greatest challenges and greatest rewards. animations. Children literally play with language in this
Wanderful interactive storybooks enable students to collection of poetry, experiencing figurative language
experience the joy of imaginative reading that is so and image in graphics and music.
important to establishing a life-long habit of reading for The wealth of related books and activities suggested
pleasure. The stories themselves are fun to read. And here in the Classroom Activities for each title provide
when the children interact with them on the screen, they many opportunities for real reading and writing
are engaging in that joyful play with throughout the day. We hope you will find resources
here to stimulate and support young readers both in
your classrooms and in their trips to libraries and
bookstores.


CLASSROOM PRACTICE AND WRITING
by Bonnie Sunstein In schools, we
hear so much
We want our classrooms to be sites for making jargon that the
knowledge with words, places where communities of words can lose
readers and writers work with their choices. Com- their power:
puters, tablets, and other technology enrich our “authentic,”
knowledge-making spaces because they integrate reader, “student-centered,” “writing process,” “critical
writer, and text. They blur the boundaries between thinking,” and even “literacy” itself. When we hear them
teachers and students. Texts and students can too often, the words disconnect from our classroom
become teachers, and we learn from what practices even as they find their way into new
students discover as they change words, sounds, materials and curriculum decisions. But whether we
and images. Computers and tablets invite us all to listen to the latest jargon or read the latest research
manipulate texts, share responses, revise continually, findings, we always know our students. As teachers,
and actually watch as our decisions blend with we know that we must ensure a diet of varied
what’s already there. writing and broad reading experiences, a community
of responders, and lots of opportunities for revising
Angie and Ricardo select an electronic storybook on
and writing about the reading they do.
their classroom computer or tablet. Together,
they’ve chosen Just Grandma and Me. They each read the Literacy development involves connecting to other
book several times. But this time, they explore its readers, to other writers, to other texts. It is both
text electronically. Critters have voices, images have cognitive and social. To control language, students
words which name them, and scenes come alive with need to choose what they say and then work with
verbal description. As their own new version of the their words. They need our confidence to trust their
story unfolds, Angie and Ricardo choose their competence as word-workers. We cannot offer them
focus. They spot a bird in a tree. They click. The bird single texts to read or empty structures in which to
speaks. They notice a little character on the beach fit their writing. Instead, we must offer them arrays
with his mother, click, and hear him complain. of choices.
They giggle when they discover that they can replay
the story—first in Spanish, then in English. A Visible Transaction
We want to make literacy “authentic,” but we
Are they reading? Of course. Are they writing? Yes. Are wonder. How do a reader's decisions enable her to see
they collaborating? You bet. Are they making herself as a writer? When readers manipulate texts
meaning? Absolutely. Reading, writing, thinking, as Angie and Ricardo do, they integrate
and responding are interconnected, complementary literacy processes in ways that are not possible with
acts. Growth in reading and listening enhances traditional books. The stories quite literally come to life
growth in writing and speaking. Each is a process of in Angie and Ricardo's hands. With each decision to
making sense and creating meaning through language, tap the screen or click the mouse, they read more deeply
personalizing the rules that govern and organize and clarify their version of the story they “write.”
thinking. Over the last thirty years in literacy
education, we’ve learned that students experience Reading and writing are continual transactions be-
these interconnections by talking about what they tween writer, reader, and text—sometimes visible,
read, writing and commenting about how they did it, sometimes not. In Wanderful interactive storybooks, as
and sharing their reading and writing with others. The Angie and Ricardo show us, the transaction between
more we research, the more we see that literacy learning the reader and writer becomes visible to
is a complex process, difficult to define and difficult to
measure.


them. In this case they see the text change as they strategies as they read: to improve thought, negotiate
manipulate it. They decide to re-work the story in with others, and understand and name the language
Spanish, for example. It is a book they already know in features that make up a written text.
English, but in Spanish they hear subtle differences of
Revision is the key to better writing, but it is difficult to
sound and inflection. In another version, they forego
the story line and choose to focus on a few details— do and even more difficult to teach. Computers,
tablets, and word processors help us define and enact
the mailbox, the tree, a starfish, the contents of
the processes involved in writing: prewriting, drafting,
Grandma's purse—and they see that rich detailing
deepens a story. revising, re-drafting, editing, and publishing. With
programs like Wanderful interactive storybooks, our
All picture books integrate three texts: the illustrated text, students see themselves as readers and feel themselves as
the written text, and the text the reader creates when he writers, as they work and re-work texts. In The New Kid on
or she reads. Authors of picture books understand the the Block, for example, the voice of poet Jack Prelutsky
value of illustration; pictures hold more meaning than reads as students choose details, phrases and images to
readers sometimes realize. Illustrated text and written explore in his poetry. Angie and Ricardo stop to
text merge with each choice Angie and Ricardo make. investigate a detail of setting, and move toward
An important goal for students’ writing is to integrate reshaping the poem as they want it.
images and words, and that’s exactly what they do when
they explore inside a Wanderful interactive storybook. Seventy years ago, literary theorist Louise Rosenblatt
wrote that reading itself is a private transaction between
Writing and Revision writer and reader. A reader needs to understand herself
When Angie and Ricardo choose a language, a detail, or first, “achieve an inner center from which to view in
a narrative line to follow, they learn that writers compose perspective a shifting society.” And more recently,
by choosing. Good writers know they have options; they philosopher Maxine Greene observed that we do not
compose by deciding topics, organizing information, achieve real freedom until we have a forum in which to
fleshing out characters, exploring setting details, and speak. The freedom to grow, Greene writes, comes
nudging narratives along. Wanderful interactive when there is a “consciousness of possibility.”
storybooks illustrate the options writers have, and offer a As they explore Wanderful interactive storybooks together,
continual array of choices for writers as they revise. Angie and Ricardo discover a consciousness of
While Angie and Ricardo “write” their version by possibility. They negotiate decisions, giggle over words,
choosing options, they read. The more they read, the transform pictures into language and backgrounds into
more access they have to the choices the writer made. details. As they talk and listen, together and alone, they
As they re-work Just Grandma and Me, Angie and Ricardo try learn about their own power as readers and writers—as
alternative arrangements and name them as they go. shapers of meaning.
They watch the character ride an umbrella and snorkel Greene, Maxine. Dialectic of Freedom. New York: Teacher's Col-
on the beach, but then they decide to stop to watch lege Press, 1988.
his encounter with a starfish. When they revise their Rosenblatt, Louise. Literature as Exploration. New York: Modern
experience with the text, they re-envision language as Language Association, 1983.
well as thinking. ----. The Reader The Text The Poem: The Transactional Theory of
the Literary Work. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois
Writers re-think an idea from alternate points of view or University Press, 1978.
re-write it for an imagined audience. They read in order
to re-write, and in the doing, they name the feature of
language (grammar, usage, mechanics), the qualities of
organization (information, content, mode, genre), and the
purpose they wish to achieve (pattern, audience, tone or
“voice”). Thus, Angie and Ricardo employ writing


CLASSROOM PRACTICE AND TECHNOLOGY
“Mrs. Penso,” demanded Teresa. “Do you know what I
found out?” Teresa looked both amazed and smug as she
dashed in the classroom door last fall after summer vacation.
She looked around the room to see whether her teacher had loaded up
her bookracks yet. Spying the copy of Arthur's Teacher
Trouble she was looking for, she snatched it up and waved
it in Mrs. Penso's direction.
“Remember when we read this last year? Did you know there are
LOTS MORE BOOKS ABOUT ARTHUR?” Teresa
was enjoying her discovery immensely, but maybe not as much as
was her teacher.
Mrs. Penso smiled, remembering the fun her classes had had last Computer software is infinitely patient and forgiving. A
spring with Arthur's Teacher Trouble. The electronic child can have a word pronounced for her fifty times if
version had given rise to puppets, math stories, role playing, she chooses. Exploratory programs invite children to
and books children had written and illustrated in response to learn through discovery and experimentation. These
meeting Arthur. She looked at Teresa now, pleased to see her features enable teachers to individualize each child's
excitement. “I guess I did know that, but how did you find learning.
out?” she asked.
Technology also provides real opportunities for
“I found them at the library. There must be about ten of them and cooperative learning. Children work together to produce
I read 'm all!” Teresa's eyes sparkled. She jammed the book a multimedia project, or offer one another suggestions as
back into the rack in triumph and scooted out of the room they solve a technical or an academic problem.
into the playground.
Technology enters our schools in many ways. The
What is the role of technology in the classroom? Re- Internet is incredible, with worldwide connections to
search debates continue. Conferences and seminars information including videos, pen pal conversations,
showcase the ways teachers across the country are virtual experiences—so much more than paper and
incorporating technology into their classrooms. But pencil lessons. Portable projectors allow an entire class,
perhaps the most powerful voices are those of children even a whole auditorium to view presentations. Add an
like Teresa. They remind us that children learn and attached optical page reader and you can even enlarge
experience as individuals. Children learn in a variety of and project old-fashioned print! “Magic” whiteboards
ways and with a variety of media. The goal for us as feature interactive lessons without the chalk dust.
teachers is to foster Teresa's feeling of personal Ubiquitous smart phones catch photos and create
accomplishment and excitement in each child. videos. Even textbooks and encyclopedias are
interactive, with daily revisions. Fantastic new tools are
How can we offer youngsters learning experiences born every day, ready to inspire, educate and entertain.
that are well matched to their readiness and abilities as How can teachers prepare students? Fortunately,
well as interests. . . in our one teacher/thirty student technology invites us to help them think creatively so that
classroom? The language classroom offers reading with they can meet the challenges of a tomorrow we can
real books. And the technology-rich language barely imagine.
environment features multimedia experiences in a
language-saturated setting. Technology can offer The technology of an electronic storybook software
solutions that enable us to individualize some learning program inspired Teresa to seek out a library and design
experiences and provide cooperative opportunities for a summer reading experience for herself. Does
other projects. technology belong in your classroom?


WANDERFUL INTERACTIVE STORY-
BOOKS AND THEMATIC UNITS
Thematic units integrate all of the language arts— Sample Thematic
reading, writing, listening and speaking—and employ Unit: Shelter
other areas of the curriculum such as math, science, To study the concept
social studies, art, and music to help with the of shelter as a basic
investigation. Jeanne Machado, in Early Childhood need for all creatures,
Experiences in Language Arts, observes, “Most teachers human as well as animal, pre or emerging readers can
believe that using a thematic approach [in literacy begin by describing their own homes. They can draw
instruction] is an exciting challenge that is well worth pictures of their houses, discuss the differences in size and
teacher time and effort. They see this approach as one design, and talk about some basics of home construction.
that encourages child-teacher conversations and Children can explore animal shelters: the class fish tank,
consequently expands children's language usage and birds’ nests, shells, or dog houses. They can dramatize
knowledge” (190). It is important for children to work stories such as The Three Little Pigs in which finding and
individually and in groups, to learn research and note- keeping a home plays a prominent part. All the while, the
taking skills, to keep learning journals, to share their teacher reads daily from picture books about animal and
learning with the rest of the class, and to reflect on their human shelters and has an ample supply of books for the
learning each day. children to peruse individually and in groups. Books such
When teachers organize instruction around themes, their as Mary Ann Hoberman’s A House Is a House for Me
students become more invested and enthusiastic about (Puffin, 2007), Jim Aylesworth’s The Mitten (Scholastic,
their learning. They become a community of learners 2009), and Irene Kelly’s Even an Octopus Needs a Home
working for a common goal, courageous enough to take (Holiday House, 2011) can expand their concept of
risks, to delve into material that stretches their “home.”
capabilities. For these students, the curriculum is not Provide older students with picture books as well as with
something imposed on them but rather a course of more difficult works of fiction like Give Me Shelter edited
study they and their teacher work out together as they by Tony Bradman (Frances Lincoln, 2011) or Marianne
plan what they want to find out about a topic and what Malone's The Sixty-Eight Rooms (Random House, 2010),
kinds of research and activities they will pursue. Integrated and non-fiction books such as Building Green Places: Careers
learning enables students to see how a topic touches every in Planning, Designing, and Building by Ruth Owen
aspect of their lives and relates to the world around (Crabtree, 2009). They might study houses through the
them. Classrooms organized around theme cycles are busy, ages and in different cultures using books such as A
happy places where children are active participants in Picture History of Great Buildings by Gillian Clements
their own learning. (Frances Lincoln, 2008). Invite a local architect to speak
The Classroom Activities for the Wanderful interactive to the class about his or her work. Children can discuss
storybooks suggest many themes: sibling relationships, the materials needed to build a house they design and
school, bullying, grandparents, humor, the value of compute the cost of purchasing them and of maintaining
perseverance, etc. These themes can be successfully the house yearly. They can study the plight of the
integrated with your own curriculum and explored with homeless, collect food and clothing for homeless people,
any age group or ability level. Since literature is the or help at a soup kitchen. Students can explore animal
center around which thematic learning revolves, a shelters, re-search animals whose habitats might be in
particular theme can be adapted for any age student by danger, and build birdhouses and watch the National
adjusting the difficulty and content of the literature Geographic film Amazing Animal Builders available on
selected and the depth and extent of the activities YouTube.
chosen to aid the study. Good books, CDs, apps, interviews, podcasts, drama,
reading and writing, art, music, group and individual
projects are the ingredients which make integrated
learning a meaningful experience for any age group.


WANDERFUL INTERACTIVE STORYBOOKS
AND GENRE STUDY
A genre study is a chance to pause, to stop the normal
flow of daily free-writing choices, and crawl inside one
particular kind of writing for several weeks. Teacher and
children together become researchers who collect as
many examples of the selected genre as possible; who
read in the genre aloud, individually and in groups; who
study it from all angles—form, content, images,
around the room, and copy favorite poems into a special
language. Finally, they try their hand writing their own
notebook. Record poems and make these as well as
pieces.
other poetry CDs available for individual listening.
Genre studies often bring about a kind of chain Memorize poems (See Forget-Me-Nots: Poems to Learn by
reaction that transforms students into better readers and Heart, edited by Mary Ann Hoberman, (Little Brown,
writers. When they are immersed in a genre over a 2012), dramatize poems, stage choral readings, and write
length of time, they grow to love it, even to become your own poetry.
passionate about it. That passion fuels the desire to read Introduce pre and emergent readers to the rhythmic
more and more in the genre and to write their own poetry of Mary Ann Hoberman using The Llama Who
pieces. When students understand how a particular kind
Had No Pajama: 100 Favorite Poems (Sandpiper, 2006) so
of writing works, it becomes easier for them to read they can begin playing with words. They can enlarge
with comprehension and insight. They notice features
their own poems, illustrate them, and create a class Big
they never noticed before. And when they turn to Book of poetry.
writing, what they produce is no accident, but the result
of a conscious effort to emulate works they have been Older students can study the genres within poems:
studying. narratives, ballads, cinquains, haiku, etc. They might also
enjoy exploring the poetry of popular song lyrics and
Wanderful interactive storybooks exemplify several writing their own songs.
different genres: picture books, poetry, and fables.
Because they are so much fun and make books “come ELL readers can study poets of their ethnic
alive” for children, they readily motivate students to backgrounds. Pat Mora's Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico!
explore these literary forms in detail. Children of all ages Americas' Sproutings (Lee & Low, 2007) provides
and abilities will profit from one or more in-depth information about fourteen popular foods that trace
genre studies during the year. their origins to the Americas, accompanied by
information with haiku sprinkled with Spanish words.
Sample Genre study: Poetry Mora's edited collection, Love to Mama: A Tribute to
Any genre study begins with a gathering of examples— Mothers, (Lee & Low, 2004) contains bilingual poems
as many as teacher and students can bring into the from thirteen poets of Puerto Rican, Cuban,
room. In a study of poetry, bring in books of poetry Venezuelan, and Mexican American backgrounds,
from the library, poems borrowed from friends and celebrating their bond with mothers. Danielle Wright’s
relatives, and personal favorites. “Marinate” the children Japanese Nursery Rhymes: Carp Streamers, Falling Rain and
in poetry by reading several poems a day to them, even Other Traditional Favorites (Tuttle, 2012) is an illustrated
using poems about math or other subject areas. collection of rhymes including a CD. Tap Dancing on the
Roof: Sijo Poems (Clarion, 2007) is a collection of poems
Project poems on an overhead projector as you read
written as sijo, a traditional Korean verse form. Chinese
them so that the children can see their form, where the
and English Nursery Rhymes: Share and Sing in Two Languages
white spaces are, where the lines begin and end. Have
(Tuttle, 2010) provides information about Chinese
children work in groups and in pairs to classify poems
culture in addition to the rhymes, and children can sing
into types (humorous, serious, poems about families,
along to the accompanying CD. Freda Bedi's Rhymes for
etc.), to hunt for figurative language, for words that
Rango (Random House India, 2012) is a collection of
convey images. Copy poems on charts and hang them
poems about India featuring various feasts and customs.


As literate adults, we often rush to the bookstore or the
library as soon as we become aware that one of our
favorite authors has published a new book. We delight in
reading everything that author has written, and we are
anxious to experience yet again words and ideas we
have come to love. We read his or her new work
anticipating the kinds of themes, the writing style, the use
of language we will encounter. We read with the
familiarity of someone who approaches her favorite chair,
knowing all the lumps and bumps and soft places.
When we spend several weeks of classroom time
engaging in an author study, we give our students the
opportunity to do what literate people everywhere do, to
join what Frank Smith (1988, Joining the Literacy Club)
calls the Literacy Club. Young readers and writers who the Baby (2011), Arthur Locked in the Library (2012), and
spend precious time walking around in an author's shoes Arthur Turns Green (2011). After enjoying the books for
come away with new insights about the craft of writing. In several days, make a list with the children of the things
coming to know that author's voice, they are better able common to most of the books. For example, many
to find their own voices when they write. books present a problem or issue the characters have to
solve. Keep the list up in the classroom throughout the
Sample Author Study: Marc Brown study.
The first step in any author study is to select a fine
The books Marc Brown illustrates for other authors are
author who has a large, varied body of work available and
especially suited to very young children. Because of
then to collect as many of that author's books as possible
their repetitive patterns and rhyme, students can
for classroom use. Living Books offer students
continue writing the stories following that pattern on a
wonderful authors for study. Because children enjoy
class chart, individually, or in pairs. Bind the individual
reading these books so much, they frequently ask about
or paired writings into a book for the class library. See
other books that author has written. This is the perfect
especially Dancing Feet by Lindsey Craig (Knopf, 2010),
opportunity for teachers to introduce an author study
and Eric Pinder's If All the Animals Came Inside (Little
quite naturally into the curriculum. Marc Brown, author
Brown, 2012). How are the illustrations in these two
of Wanderful interactive storybooks’ Arthur's Teacher
books different from those in the Arthur books? What
Trouble, is an excellent subject for such a study. Children
materials did Brown use? What are some of the ways
will likely be familiar with the characters in Brown's
Marc Brown makes us laugh when we see his pictures?
Arthur series because of the TV shows featuring them,
Judy Sierra's Wild About You (Knopf, 2012) is especially
and they will be eager to learn more about the author
useful for studying pictures since the text invites children
who created the characters they have come to love.
to look for animals in the illustrations.
They will also be able to study these characters more
deeply than they might by simply viewing their actions Older children can make a list of Brown's books using
on a TV screen. such resources as the library's online catalog. They can
also go online and visit the author's website at
What makes Brown such an interesting subject for study
http://www.marcbrownstudios.com/index.html and
is that he is both an author and an illustrator, and it is
decide which ones they would like to read.
instructive for students to consider how he does both.
Read several books in the Arthur series aloud for pre
and beginning readers. Some recent ones, all published
by Little Brown, include Arthur's Eyes (2009), Arthur and


List related books. If changes were made, why do the Several of the Arthur books have been published in
children think this was done? They can investigate who Spanish and children for whom Spanish is a first
tells the stories in the different books. Would the book language might enjoy reading them alongside the
be different if another character told the story? How? If English versions. All ELL students will benefit from
you can obtain older Arthur books, it would be useful reading the patterned books illustrated by Brown
for students to study those illustrations as compared to mentioned above.
the more recent ones. What is different about Brown's
By studying master writers, children can become “in-
use of color? His use of white space in each spread?
siders” in the writing process and become better writers
Use the Postcards from Buster book to launch a postcard
themselves.
writing activity.

After studying the Arthur books and making a list of
their subject matter and the elements that make up
these stories, the students could write additional
Arthur stories and send them to the author. Is there a
current school or community issue that could become
the subject of their stories?
Children of all ages will enjoy the information on
the Marc Brown Studio Page (see above) and a link
from there will take them to the PBS site, which is
filled with information, games, and challenges. They
can also view a film about his work on YouTube
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yNuBnNCA
kQ&feature=related ).


AND CREATIVE PLAY
Wanderful interactive storybooks encourage readers to
explore the reactions and differing points of view of
many characters in a scene. Since students already
interact with the characters on the computer screen,
dramatic play in your classroom encourages students to
expand those interactions imaginatively. Frequently on-
screen viewpoints and reactions suggest subplots that
can be developed through dramatic play. Dramatic play
comes in many varieties.
Creative dramatics doesn't include an audience or the
pressure of performance. Rather, it allows children to
understand and interpret a story through movement and
invention. It is particularly appropriate for younger
children or for exploring a conflict or an emotional
scene or event. Full scale productions, either newly written by your
Role playing allows children to take on a character's students based on characters in the books or adapted
attitudes and problems, to see the world from inside from the text of a Wanderful interactive storybook, are
someone else's skin. Activities involving role playing more major undertakings. The use of scenery, costumes,
encourage close attention to character and interpretation props, and even videotape can complicate your
of a book, but they also enable children to place classroom life. And yet they may be the most memorable
characters in new situations and use their own problem event of a unit or even a school year.
solving skills. Sample Dramatic Play: Creative Dramatics, Puppet
Reader's theater productions generally use the text of Productions, and Improvisation
the story itself, distributing dialogue and narration among a Pre and beginning readers, using creative dramatics to
number of readers. Because reader's theater is usually explore Just Grandma and Me, can reenact a day at the
unstaged, it enables your students to focus on the beach: spreading out beach towels, dropping and washing
interpretive range of their voices and of the language off hot dogs, building sand castles, and testing the water
itself. It also removes the necessity for scripts and temperature.
memorization, refinements that can delay or frighten
young performers. Middle level readers can listen to and write down the
additional dialogue they discover by clicking on
Puppet productions are another way to dramatize the characters in any Wanderful interactive storybook. This
events and play with the characters presented in dialogue can become the basis of puppet plays, using stick
Wanderful interactive storybooks. Your budding artists puppets made from the classroom activity resources.
can create stick puppets, scenery and stages, while writers
script new endings or subplots to Wanderful interactive Older readers might improvise the conversation
stories. Arthur and Little Critter have about bus rides. Or they
could improvise the story the hare tells to his relatives
Improvisations begin with a group of characters in a when he returns home from the big race.
setting, present them with a conflict, and allow them
to invent the play as they go along, spontaneously
working off the ideas each person improvises.
Improvisation can be similar to role playing in a larger
group, or it can focus on developing plot solutions to a
conflict.


AND COOPERATIVE LEARNING
Shared wisdom is always an asset. Kids working together Sample Cooperative Learning Strategies with
reinforce each other's enthusiasm, support and extend Wanderful Interactive Storybooks
individual ideas, and share a larger pool of skills and Computer explorations invariably are more productive
resources. You will find many opportunities to use for pairs or teams of students. Teams or small groups
cooperative learning strategies in the activities that increase the number of youngsters who can use
accompany each Wanderful interactive storybook. available equipment while at the same time sharing their
Students will learn from one another, both about how expertise. Nonverbal students, for example, may
to manipulate the features of Wanderful interactive emerge as technological leaders. Students with strong
storybook and about the learning activities in which they visual or tactile learning preferences may be able to
are engaged. contribute much to students whose strengths are more
verbal.
Cooperative groups will foster discussion about the
concepts being investigated and the skills being developed. For Pre-Kindergarten and primary students, tapping
Sometimes this discussion gets noisy, but it strengthens or mouse handling may present challenges that group
your students' participation in the exploration and in support can solve. Ask teams of students to locate and
the learning process. click on or touch a particular character on each page. One
child can locate the onscreen character on each page,
When forming pairs or teams, aim for mixed groups
such as the dragonfly in The Tortoise and the Hare, while
that include both boys and girls, different abilities, and
the other touches, or moves and clicks the mouse. Be
different ethnic groups. Make sure each student is
sure students take turns so each student gets practice
assigned a role: recorder, mouse handler or tablet holder,
with each skill.
spokesperson, encourager, reader, materials manager, etc.
You can help your students develop good Older groups of students may enjoy creating a detective
cooperative learning teams by going over ground game or treasure hunt, challenging other students to
rules such as taking turns, rotating leadership, fulfilling find particular effects (for example, all the car and
responsibilities to the group, and making positive rather truck sounds, all the insects, all the singing flowers, all
than negative comments. the periscopes) within any one of the Wanderful
interactive storybooks. An undertaking of this size
Set up a classroom environment conducive to team
will require the roles of observers and detectives, note
work. Arrange space for teams to work together. This
takers, clue writers, illustrators, game designers, and
may mean moving desks together into groups or setting
instruction writers.
up a schedule assigning groups to specific time slots at
the available computers or tablets.
Design assignments that call for group planning, team
writing, students helping students, group sharing. At the
same time, use portfolio assessment, involving individual
students in setting personalized goals and charting their
individual progress.


WANDERFUL
TECHNICAL TIPS AND TRICKS
Settings and Keyboard Commands
There are several settings and keyboard commands that
can simplify your use of Wanderful interactive
storybooks in the classroom.
1. If you tap the screen or click while the text that
Dynamic Page Selection begins each screen is reading, the reading will be
Click on or touch the top right corner of the screen and interrupted and you will advance the action on
select the page you want from a menu. any screen to the interactive portion.
2. Selecting the page number at the bottom of each
screen will take you back to the Home page,
where you can click Options to change
Settings.
3. On a keyboard, selecting the numbers 1 or 2
will immediately switch the language version of the
page that is currently displayed. 1 is the English
version.
4. On a keyboard, the letters R and P allow you to
switch between the Read To Me and the Let Me
Play options.

Duplicating Pages and Images
Pages and images from Wanderful interactive
storybooks have been included with the classroom
activities, as samples to get you started and as
inspiration for you to create your own custom
Dynamic Language Changing materials.
Click on or touch the top left corner of the screen and
select the language you want. The language will change You can duplicate and enlarge the materials included in
on the page immediately. these classroom activities, or create your own.
On an iPad or iPhone, you can create screen captures by
simultaneously pressing the on/off switch and the
center Home or Menu button. The screen capture will
be stored in Photos. From there you can email the
image to yourself.
On a Macintosh computer, you can print screens or
create screen captures (on a Macintosh, use
[Command+Shift+3] or [Command+Shift+4]).
By importing screen captures into drawing, painting, or
presentation programs like Kid Pix, Hyperstudio, or
Powerpoint, you and your students can place screen
images from Wanderful interactive storybooks in slide
shows and presentations.


SELECTING BOOKS FOR CHILDREN
Thousands of children's books are published every
year. In fact, many publishers have added a third
publishing season in addition to their winter and fall
lists. Add these to the huge body of work currently in
print, and it is clear that selecting just the right book
for a particular child or class can be a formidable task.
Knowing what to look for in a good book can make
that task easier. If you are familiar with some of the
wonderful books that have maintained the respect of
reviewers and have been beloved by children and
adults through the years, then you have models
against which to judge the new books you
encounter in your search.
When selecting fiction for children, it is
important to consider such elements as plot, setting,
theme, characterization, style, point of view, and
format (See Barbara's Kiefer's Charlotte Huck's
Children's Literature (2009). Here are some issues to
consider when evaluating a book in each category.

Plot
Is the plot new and original or contrived and predictable?

Setting
Does the setting have an impact on the characters and the story? Does the author do a good job of creating a lasting
impression of the setting without bogging the book down in details that are tedious to children? Is the setting
believable, even in a work of fantasy or science fiction?

Theme
Is the theme or message of the book handled subtly or is it didactic and heavy-handed?

Character
Do the characters stay with us long after the book is closed and the details are lost to memory? Are they real and
believable? Are their thoughts and actions in keeping with what the author has told us about them? Do the characters
grow and change, that is, are they well developed? How? Does their dialogue ring true?

Style
How does the author write? Is the language memorable or stilted? Do the words sing?

Point of View
Who tells the story—the main character, a third person narrator? Do we agree with the author's choice of point of
view?


Format
Is the book well designed? Is the print large enough, the white space in proper proportion? Particular kinds of
books need special consideration. In choosing picture books, of course, you need to pay particular attention to the
illustrations. Do they develop and enhance the story? Does the medium chosen convey the mood of the story? What
about color, line, space?

Genre
Non-fiction books should be judged on the accuracy and timeliness of their information and on how knowledgeable
the author is about the subject. Books of fantasy must be consistent and believable.
Above all, you must trust yourself. If a book comes alive for you, if it holds you, haunts your quiet moments, calls to you
to be read again and yet again, then that is a book you must share with the children in your lives. But how to find these
special books amidst the shelves and catalog pages? Fortunately, there are many journals that provide teachers with fine
book reviews and timely articles about using literature in the classroom.

Journals with Book and Media Reviews
Booklist
American Library Association.
50 E. Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611.
800 545-2433.
https://ssl.palmcoastd.com/17102/apps/-162720?iKey=INEW&
Includes two print magazines: Booklist with 22 print issues/year and Book Links with 4 issues/year.
Print subscribers and others have access to the online Booklist as well (http://www.booklistonline.com/) but
only subscribers can access full articles. Booklist contains over 8,000 recommended-only adult, youth,
reference, and media reviews each year and 135,000 reviews in a searchable online archive.
Book Links contains children's book recommendations arranged in themes.

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
The Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 North Charles Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21218-4363
Phone: 800-548-1784 Outside the U.S. and Canada call 410-516-6987
Fax: 410-516-6968
Online: www.press.jhu.edu/journals
Email: jrnlcirc@press.jhu.edu
Eleven issues per year. Excellent reviews of books for all age

The Horn Book
50 Roland Street, Suite 200
Boston, MA 02129
617-628-0225
877-523-6072
http://www.hbook.com


The Horn Book (continued)
Six issues per year. Selects only those books it considers worth purchasing. Also offers wonderful articles, at
least one of which is written by a children's book author.
Also publishes the Horn Book Guide twice yearly. The Guide provides 2,000 concise reviews in each issue.
The Horn Book Guide Online (http://www.hornbookguide.com/cgi-bin/hbonline.pl) contains 80,000
reviews. Non-subscribers can receive monthly issues of the informative Notes from the Horn Book.
To subscribe go to
http://www.hbook.com/notes-from-the-horn-book-newsletter/

Kirkus Reviews
Phone: .800.316.9361
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/subscription/add/
This magazine publishes reviews on the 1st and 15th of every month and subscribers have digital access as well
(http://www.kirkusreviews.com/issue/). Even non-subscribers can obtain free weekly email newsletters.
To subscribe, go to
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/subscription/register/?utm_source=kirkus&utm_medium=masthead&utm_campaign
=newsletter-sign-up

Publishers Weekly
P.O. Box 51593
Harlan, IA 51593
Phone: 800-278-2991 (outside US/Canada, call +1-515-247-2984)
Fax: 712-733-8019
publishersweekly.com
Email: PWYcustserv@cdsfulfillment.com
Publishes 51 issues per year with reviews targeted at publishers, booksellers, librarians and literary agents. Subscribers
have access to a digital version as well. A free daily email newsletter is available at http://publishersweekly.us1.list-
manage.com/profile?u=d684790bedf89afe76e7b9156&id=0f4bd0fb05&e=0b997bb5b5
Publishers Weekly Children's Book Shelf (ChildrensBookshelf@email.publishersweekly.com) is also a very helpful free
email newsletter.

School Library Journal
PO. Box 5881
Harlan, IA 51593-1381
Phone: (800) 595-1066
Fax: (646) 380-0756
Email: SLJcustserv@cdsfulfillment.com
Publishes twelve issues per year. Written especially to librarians, though very helpful to anyone interested in children's
books, this publication publishes over 4,000 reviews each year. It also has some feature articles about books in the library or
classroom. This is a key review source for schools and libraries. School Library Journal also publishes a free email newsletter
called Extra Helpings. Subscribe at www.slj.com.

The websites of all these publications are also wonderful sources of information about children's books.



Best Books Lists
All of the review materials listed above publish yearly lists of the best
books of the year:
All of these lists are available in the magazines as well as online for a
given year.
 Booklist - Editors' Choice: Books for Youth and one for Young
Adults
 Book Links - Lasting Connections
 Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books - Blue Ribbon List
 Horn Book - Fanfare The Horn Book also awards the prestigious
Boston Globe-Horn Book Award to a few select outstanding
children's books each year. See their website for winners.
 Kirkus Reviews - best books of the year lists
 Publishers Weekly - several best books of the year lists
 School Library Journal - a best books of the year list

The Children's Book Committee of Bank Street College of Education, NY, publishes five different Best Children's Books
of the Year lists for various age levels from under 5 years of age to 14 and up. Go to: http://bankstreet.edu/center-
childrens-literature/childrens-book-committee/

The Cooperative Children's Book Center publishes the Charlotte Zolotow book award list for outstanding picture books.
Go to http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/books/detailListBooks.asp?idBookLists=221

The Association for Library Service to Children of the American Library Association has established awards for the most
distinguished books of the year in different categories. These lists can be accessed by going to
http://www.ala.org/alsc/. These lists are among the most respected in the field and can serve as an excellent guide for
book choices, since they have been selected out of thousands of possibilities. These award lists are:
John Newbery Medal
The Newbery Medal honors the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.
Randolph Caldecott Medal
The Caldecott Medal honors the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award
The Arbuthnot award honors an author, critic, librarian, historian, or teacher of children's literature, of any country,
who then presents a lecture at a winning host site.
Mildred L. Batchelder Award
The Batchelder Award is given to an American publisher for a children's book considered to be the most outstanding
of those books originally published in a language other than English in a country other than the United States, and
subsequently translated into English and published in the United States


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