Sunday, July 7, 2013

Scaredy Squirrel - Must Read Mentor Text - Back to School




Hi!!

Today we are all about sharing must read mentor texts for language arts...and I'm going to slightly cheat.

I know Stacia shared back to school books last Sunday, but I have one that I want to share, and it does have to do with language arts, so maybe I'm kinda killing two birds with one stone???

Anywho, you've probably heard of this book:


Here is the synopsis from Amazon:  "Scaredy Squirrel never leaves his nut tree. It's way too dangerous out there. He could encounter tarantulas, green Martians or killer bees. But in his tree, every day is the same and if danger comes along, he's well-prepared. Scaredy Squirrel's emergency kit includes antibacterial soap, Band-Aids and a parachute.Day after day he watches and waits, and waits and watches, until one day ... his worst nightmare comes true! Scaredy suddenly finds himself out of his tree, where germs, poison ivy and sharks lurk. But as Scaredy Squirrel leaps into the unknown, he discovers something really uplifting ..."

I love this book for many reasons.  

#1- It has great vocabulary.

#2- It has great illustrations.

#3- It is about fear of the unknown and overcoming (mostly) your fear.

#4- It's just adorable!



This is a great book, regardless, but I like to use it at the beginning of the year because the first few days of school can be scary for kids.  (What am I saying?  It can be scary for teachers, too!)

Our classroom is unknown.  We are unknown to the kids.  This is a great book to just get it all out in the open at the beginning of the year and talk about fears they may have.

This is mainly how we use the book...but there is so much more you could do with the book...so...I made a unit to go with it...  :O)



So, how will I incorporate this into Language Arts?

Well, since I'll use this at the beginning of the year, we'll talk about literary elements.  We will also work on vocabulary (this will be a great time to observe how they attack words they don't know).

There are also several writing ideas (narrative and persuasive) to go along with the book.  Another opportunity to observe them at the beginning of the year!

I also included some skill pages for cause and effect and fact and opinion.  It's never too early to review!

And, since there is a schedule in the book, I threw in some elapsed time, just for kicks!  ;O)

In the book, Scaredy Squirrel has an emergency kit and an exit plan.  This would be a great time to go over procedures for a fire drill (or any other drills you may have).  It never fails that this is one thing I don't think of until right before we have our first fire drill, so this way, I may go over it ahead of time.  They can also take home a blank sheet and come up with a plan with their family in case of an emergency!

There are several more books in the series that are just as cute!


There is also an adorable website to go with these books!  http://scaredysquirrel.com/.  It has bunches of games and activities!

Aaaaand, Cartoon Network has a tv show about Scaredy Squirrel.  It looks like you can watch some of them online, but some are just clips.  It would be fun to compare and contrast the book with the tv show!

If you haven't read this book, I highly recommend it!


And, as you are reading this, we are on our way to the beach (hopefully!!)!  It will be the first time my littlest gets to go so we are super excited to see how he reacts.  I apologize in advance for pictures that are to come!  I may be later in responding to everyone's link up, but I'm excited to see what you link up and we really appreciate everyone who does link up each week!

Have a great week!!
Amanda
PS- this Scaredy Squirrel pack is on sale today since our July 4th sale goes through today!  :O)

Now, it's your turn!



(If you have never linked up before you can check HERE for more information.)







For the Linky- Please make yourself a SANDWICH!  Please comment on the person who linked up before you and the person that linked up after you.  I know everyone puts in a lot of time and effort to these posts and I want everyone to feel the love!!!  (Haha, see, you're a sandwich...you know...because you are in the middle of the comments...do you get it?)  ;O)

Next week's topic- Math

21 comments:

  1. I love Scaredy Squirrel!!! :) Have fun at the beach! xoxo
    Jivey
    ideas by jivey
    Follow Me On Facebook! :)

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  2. I love Scaredy Squirrel and Fireflies! I'm obsessed with picture books! I hope I did this right it's my first link! :0

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  3. I actually have NOT heard of Scaredy Squirrel. But I love the idea of using it to go over the emergency procedures. We need a book for everything. Have a great day!

    Jessica
    Literacy Spark

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  4. What a a great idea to use this to go over emergency procedures!! Our procedures changed for lockdowns last year after CT and it was a little nerve racking. Thanks for sharing and have a great day at the beach!! :)
    Holly
    Fourth Grade Flipper

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  5. I usually use this book in the fall when we are learning about the season and squirrels. I love the idea of using it at the beginning of the school year as a prelude to emergency codes. Great idea! Hope you are having fun at the beach! :0)

    Gwen
    Learning With Mrs. Brinn

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  6. I love Scaredy Squirrel! Our library has a subscription to Tumble Books and that is one of my student's favorites to watch.

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    2. Yay! Thanks for sharing that it's on Tumblebooks!

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  7. Scaredy Suirrel is precious! That grin is hysterical! My daughter has named the two squirrels in our front yard, Phil and Rebecca! They are always there! I want her to write a story about them!
    I'll have to share these books with her!
    We are heading home today, so I'll have to link up as soon as we get home!
    Fabulous Fifth Grade Fun

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  8. We love Scaredy Squirrel in our house! I just grabbed the camping one from the library this week and am excited to read it. We go camping every August with my family so it'll be great to get the kids pumped up about camping. This is my first time linking up! My blog is all about mentor texts so I'm glad to be joining in. I just realized I didn't get my little sticker/button made up but I'll work on it for next time. Thanks for hosting, girls! Happy reading!

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  9. Thank you for introducing me to this book. I teach at a private school where majority of the students have been together since Pre-K. Each year one or two students are new to our school and my classroom. I think this would be a great book for them. I am adding it to my to-buy-list. Thanks again for hosting this amazing linky.

    Foreman Teaches

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  10. I love Scaredy Squirrel but have never used it as a mentor text. Thanks for the great ideas. Your unit looks fabulous, I love that clipart from Ashley!!

    Hope your family has a great time at the beach!

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  11. I adore Scaredy Squirrel-I think I enjoy the books more than my students. I added your unit to my wishlist!

    Hunter's Tales from Teaching

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  12. I've never read this book before, so now I'm going to have to go check it out. Thanks for the great ideas!
    Courtney
    Polka Dot Lesson Plans

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  13. Thank you for another wonderful idea. Scaredy Squirrel is such a great book for students of all ages! I would love to join this linky party. (It would be my first one!) However, I don't know how to type text over the Mentor Text image. I tried saving it to Word, and I was able to type. However, when I pasted it back to my post, I only got the typing and not the image. I don't see any way to format the image when I drafting the post. I would greatly appreciate your help as I am trying to figure this whole blogging thing out.
    Thank you!
    Mary
    http://fittobefourth.blogspot.com/
    wingert2of10@gmail.com

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  14. My students love the Scaredy Squirrel books, and your unit looks fantastic! Lots of great ideas! I'm glad to know it's on Tumble Books, too.

    Jane
    Learning in the Little Apple

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  15. These books are great. I love seeing the "big kids" getting to use them transitioning into their new class. Thanks for all the great ideas.
    Have a good week.

    School Is a Happy Place

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  16. Lovin this linky, ladies! I just found you from "School is a Happy Place", and I'm so glad I did! Being a 1st grade teacher, I rarely get out of my primary box, and I could use a few more intermediate inspirations! I cant wait to link up to this fun linky (I <3 KidLit), and I would be so happy if you would check out my {first} linky on math word problem instruction. I would lve your take in how you'd like kiddos to come to with word problem knowledge!
    SynonymRolls&AntonymMoments

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  17. I also highly recommend Squaredy Squirrel. Last year, after I read the newest - Squaredy Squirrel Goes Camping - several of my third graders wrote picture books using the same techniques as Melanie Watt. For example, one was Squaredy Squirrel Plays Hockey. I was amazed by the kids' eagerness and creativity - I mean these were the last 2 or 3 days of school, and they couldn't wait to work on their books.

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  18. Its been pretty important for the students and other respective bodies to try all those ideas before they actually go to write something with addition to some possible provisions of prospects. sop for mba

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