Telling Time

Telling Time by Jules Older is an informational book that I think can be very useful when introducing the concept of time. It breaks it down to what time is and how to tell time. Although this was a picture book, it was almost set of like a chapter book for grades 1-2. It had short sections like when things happen, how long things take, why do we tell time, and how do we tell time. It describes time in big chunks. There are three kinds of little chunks: seconds, minutes, and hours.

I thought this book would be very helpful to use in the classroom because it even breaks down what a calendar is. It briefly explains the days: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Then it explains how a calendar has months and every month has its own name: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, and December. Using both days and months, you can now tell dates from a calendar.
It also explains how big chunks of time are days, weeks, months, years, decades, centuries, and millenniums.
The students can learn how to tell time from both digital and analog clocks from this book.

         


Digital clocks are broken down by minutes and hours and A.M. and P.M. Analog clocks are broken down by three hands: big hand, little hand, and seconds hand.
The book also includes a poem to remember how big each chunk of time is and how long things take.

I think this was a great informational book. It included a lot of detailed information that can be used to guide the students on how to learn about time. It's a great grab for younger grades 1-2!

A Bus Called Heaven is a very cute story about a girl named Stella who brings the people of her town together in an effort to restore an old, rickety bus known as Heaven. The bus, Heaven, seems to be useless and blocks part of the street. Stella looks past all the empty bottles and cans inside, and automatically falls in love with it. She sees the sparrows nesting inside the engine, and becomes determined to save it. Stella brings her neighbors together and it becomes a gathering place for them. They clean it up and start decorating it. Each person brings something to the bus to contribute and share with the others. Neighbors bring stuffed animals, a pet fish, a foosball table with one goalie, and other personal belongings. The bus becomes a very special gathering place to them where they have the best of times and create many memories.
One day the bus gets towed away for blocking traffic. Stella is sad at the thought of the neighborhood hangout being gone. Stella and the neighbors follow the bus to the junkyard to save it. Stella places a bet with the man working at the junkyard that if she wins at a game of foosball they get to keep the bus. Stella wins using the side with the missing goalie!
The neighbors push the bus into an open area behind Stella's yard. The place becomes live with music and games again. The neighbors dance and celebrate around the bus.
I think this would be a great book to use with your students because it teaches them about collaboration and teamwork. It shows the importance of diversity as the neighbors come and share a bit of their own lives with the community.

The Teacher From The Black Lagoon

The Teacher From The Black Lagoon was a really funny tale I remember reading in elementary school! My teacher had read it to us on the first day of school because we all expect the worst on first days. The boy in this story finds out he is assigned to Mrs. Green who he believes is monstrous and mean. He falls asleep and dreams that she is a monster with a tail and smoke coming out of her nostrils. She is very mean to all her students! When he wakes up he is so excited to see the real Mrs. Green that he gives her a hug. 

I wanted to share this book because I think it is a great read to share with our own students on their first day. You never know what your own students might be thinking! It teaches students to not believe all rumors and judge people before you get to know them. 

Too Many Tamales

Too Many Tamales is a very cute book about a Hispanic family by Gary Soto. Maria is helping her mother make tamales for Christmas dinner. The two share a very special moment as they prepare the masa. Maria feels like a grown up and tries on her mother's ring when she leaves the kitchen for a few minutes. Later after her uncles, aunts, and cousins arrive, Maria realizes the ring is missing. She panics, and gets her cousins to help find the ring. They eat all the tamales and find nothing! Maria finally decides to confess to her mother who, it turns out, has been wearing the ring all along. The family comes together and cooks up another batch of tamales.

This multicultural book shares how families have different joyful activities during the holidays, to Maria's family this is making tamales.  I think this book is a great way to connect what kind of different ways the students celebrate holidays. They can list food that are served at holidays in different families, and maybe even taste tamales or other ethnic holiday foods. It also shows the importance of telling the truth. It would be a great idea to ask the children how they think Maria should've handled the situation and why telling the truth is important.