1. The M&M’s Color Pattern BookMcGrath, B. (2002). The m&m’s color pattern book. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridg Publishing. Grades: Pre-kinder-3rd Nonfiction5715047625<br />Summary: With the use of M&M candies, students begin to explore colors, patterns, and mathematics. Starting with basic counting, this book offers students the chance to practice: following directions, color naming and recognition, color sorting, recognizing patters, creating easy to complex patterns, addition, multiplication, rows and columns, and creating non-linear patterns. Students will enjoy learning about these concepts with the hands-on element of M&M’s. The best part is eating them when you’re done!<br />Organization & Access Features: Illustrated examples, number labels, review page.<br />Tompkins Strategy: The “Collaborative Book” strategy lends a hand to this text well. Students will work in small groups, contributing one page to a “Color Pattern Book” that will be, ultimately, written by the entire class. They will use the writing process of drafting, revising, and to create their pattern page. This page will include instructions (with illustrations) on how to create their pattern with M&M’s or jelly beans. The pages will then be bounded and placed in the classroom library. Students will then hold demonstrations, leading the class on how to create their pattern.<br />Recommendation: Pre-cut or have students cut out different color shapes such as hearts, stars, circles, triangles, etc. Students will create their own row pattern in groups. These patterns can then be placed on a wall. Students can use these patterns in conjunction with “Read Around the Room,” where students walk around the room and point and recall words, names, colors, numbers, and shapes. <br />The Day-Glo BrothersBarton, C. (2009). The day-glo brothers: The true story of bob and joe switzer’s bright ideas and brand-new colors. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge Publishing.332422597155ColorHeller, R. (1995). Color. New York, NY: Putnam & Grosset. Grades: 4-6th Nonfiction57150125730<br />Summary: Colors are everywhere. We can color and paint with different kinds of mediums on different kinds of surfaces. This book explores color in terms of book and paper printing. How do printers create a color picture with only 4 basic colors? How are all the colors made with these primary colors? Color answers these questions and many more!<br />Organization & Access Features: Transparent pages, interactive color mixing, review at end. <br />Tompkins Strategy: “All About Books” is the reading strategy that will be used after reading both of the above texts. Students will write their own fiction book about a color that they created. Each page will include a paragraph with a corresponding illustration. Before writing their book, students will gather and organize their ideas. They will then conference with the teacher while writing their book; students will check and correct spelling, grammar, and sentence structure. Once the students have created their book, they will share it with their peers using the author’s chair. Once the author is done reading their work, the audience will have time to ask questions or to make comments. <br />Melissa-Marie GarciaRecommendation: Have students draft sketch a design for a t-shirt. Each student will create their design on a sheet of paper. Then, have students choose what colors they will use to decorate their design. Give students fabric paint in only primary colors. Have students explore mixing colors to get the color they initially wanted. Once t-shirts are dry, designate a day for all students to wear their designed shirts. Students can visit lower grade levels, explaining what they did to make different colors from only a few basic ones.<br />