Sharing Books With Girls

Sharing Books with Girls

Activities to use with girls byEmily Meister, Lindsay Clapp, and Melissa Oldham

Sharing Books with Girls by Emily

An Appreciative AudienceAges: 0-2, 3-5, 6-8, Prereaders, beginning readersSummary: Since you can’t always drop what you’re doing every time an enthusiastic young reader feels like opening a book, help the child find another audience. Suggest that a few favorite dolls or stuffed animals listen to the child read instead.Materials: Dolls and stuffed animals. Seat this quiet audience at the foot of the child’s lap. Dolls and animals may like to join your regular read-aloud sessions. Bunnies will be all ear when you read The Tale of Peter Rabbit, and no teddy bear will want to miss an episode in the Little Bear series. When you can, find the appropriate animal or doll. Following the reading, you might help the guest expert answer all of the child’s questions


BookwormAges: 0-2, 3-5, 6-8, Prereaders, beginning readers, older readersSummary: Your children turn into bookworms themselves to make this bookworm grow. If it grows long enough, its tail may meet its head as it stretches around the children’s room.Materials: Construction paper, round object, scissors, felt pens, cellophane tape, thumbtack or masking tape. For every book they read, your children add a segment to a bookworm’s body. Tack or tape up the bookworm’s head on a wall, then attach segments to make the worm grow in one direction (left to right). Establish a goal: for example, to make the bookworm go around the room, or wind its way around the bookshelves. If two children are cooperating, one can begin at the bookworm’s head and the other at the end of the bookworm’s body, adding circles until the two sections meet. Give kids a pack of colored construction paper, a drinking glass or other round object to trace. And scissors to cut out lots of colored paper circles (at least a dozen to get started). One child draws the bookworms’ face on a circle, and maybe attaches some paper antennae. After finishing a book, the child chooses a paper circle, writes in the book’s title and author, then adds the segment to the bookworm’s lengthening body. The bookworm displays not only the number of books, but which books the children have read.


Category BingoAges: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, beginning readers, older readersSummary: Children read books covering all kinds of subjects before they can cover a row of squares on this special bingo card – a fun way to broaden their reading interests.Materials: Paper, pen, ruler. For each player, make a five-by-five-square grid on a piece of paper. Mark the center square with an X, or write something clever on this free space, like “Already Booked.” In the other squares, write a subject category – myster, sports, animal story, biography, science, fantasy or science fiction, history, and so forth. You can repeat categories. A child reads a book in one of the categories, then marks an X on the appropriate square. To get bingo – five in a row down, across, or on a diagonal – your child will have to read books in several categories. Encourage your kids to get bingo in several directions. Bingo prizes might include a new book or some new art supplies.


Climb the Beanstalk

Ages: 0,2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, prereaders, beginning readers, older readers

Summary: Show children how they can achieve great heights by reading: Give them a beanstalk to climb, just like Jack’s.Materials: Roll of green crepe paper, long green ribbon (or long strand of green yarn), masking tape, green construction paper, scissors, envelope cellophane tape. Take a strip of green crepe paper from the floor to the ceiling. Have the kids cut lots of green leaves out of construction paper. Store the leaves in an envelope in an easy to reach place. For every book children read (or books you real aloud to them), they write the book title and author’s name on a leaf and add it to their beanstalk, beginning a few inches about the floor and working their way toward the ceiling. By the time they’re halfway to the top, they may need a stepladder and your supervision to tape on their leaves. How long does it take for kid’s leaves to reach the top? You might want to write dates on each leaf.


A Penny for Your BooksAges: 0,2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, prereaders, beginning readers, older readersSummary: Pennies are the stepping stones to a special place on this homemade map, but it takes reading, not walking, to get there.Materials: Posterboard, crayons or felt pens, pennies, cellophane tape. With your children, draw a rough map of your neighborhood, town, city block, or other area that includes both your home or school and one or more reward destinations, such as a museum, park, or movie theater. Draw in a few landmarks along the way, but don’t worry about placing them exactly. For each book a child reads, tape a penny on the map on the direct route from your home or school to a reward destination (head for one at a time). When your child reaches the destination, make sure to take the children to that reward destination. The pennies, meanwhile, can go into a piggy bank to help purchase the next children’s book.

All Activities:NCTE/IRA 1, 2, 3, 8, 11Core Content for Assessment: RD-EP-4.0.1, RD-04-4.0.1, RD-05 5.0.1 Reading Is Fundamental. Activity Search. Retrieved from

http://www.rif.org/parents/activities/default.mspx?Query=&Category=158&Age=0-2&Age=3-5Age=6-8&Age=9-12&Age=13%2B

Sharing Books with Girls by Lindsay

Multicultural literature with strong female protagonists serves as the focus for e-mail exchange and classroom discussions. Students select and read 1 of 5 novels presented by teacher, and discuss the novel in exchanges with email pen pals and in classroom literature circles. Students then participate in an online literacy community where they can respond to questions and post reviews.

DeBlase, G. (2003). Acknowledge agency while accommodating romance: Girls negotiating meaning in literacy transactions. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 46(8), 624-635 ReadWriteThink.org

IRA/NCTE Standards 1, 9, 11


American Girl, TooStudents discuss the popularity of the American Girl Dolls and write a wish-list for a 9 year old girl. After reading an article about the American Girl, they discover the differences between this doll and Barbie. As a class, they brainstorm eras or point of view that have not been addressed by the doll company.

Lessonplanet.comGrades 6-12


Students will read three short stories about women, written in different historical periods. Students will read each story and discuss the development of female characters in a particular setting, the role of women, gender differences, and society’s expectations. Students will compare all women characters in the 3 stories and will try to bring them to life by having all the characters “meet” and discuss similarities and differences in their lives.

Stories: The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin Jury of her Peers by Susan GlaspellA Rose for Emily by William Faulkner

ReadWriteThink.orgGrade 3-5IRA/NCTE1, 2, 5, 8, 12


Students will read three short stories about women, written in different historical periods. Students will read each story and discuss the development of female characters in a particular setting, the role of women, gender differences, and society’s expectations. Students will compare all women characters in the 3 stories and will try to bring them to life by having all the characters “meet” and discuss similarities and differences in their lives.

Stories: The Story of an Hour by Kate ChopinJury of her Peers by Susan GlaspellA Rose for Emily by William Faulkner

ReadWriteThink.orgGrade 3-5IRA/NCTE1, 2, 5, 8, 12


The “Just for Fun” book club is a student-organized, student-driven reading experience that builds community in the classroom and encourages students to read independently, taking responsibility for their literacy learning. Girl groups of 3 or 4 decide what book to read. They get together every other day and discuss what they have read and decide how much to read next.

ReadWriteThink.orgGrade 3-5IRA/NCTE1, 11, 12

Sharing Books with Girls by Melissa

A book club, similar to Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club, where girls get together read the same book and discuss it afterwards or chapter by chapter.

3rd grade teacher LeAnna


The other idea is fashion magazines or teen magazines. There are so many geared toward girls

4th grade teacher Marcia


Create your own “coffee shop and reading book café” you wouldn’t really have coffee but you could have hot chocolate or something like that.

Melissa Oldham


Tea party with pink and purple balloons with streamers. “Fancy Nancy” books come to mind.

Melissa Oldham


“Fairy Tale and Fables” Jingo and “Nursery Rhyme” Jingo. It is a game played like bingo only with questions. It is a great review game after reading different fairy books and a variety of nursery rhymes.

http://www.teacherstorehouse.com/product_search.asp?term=jingo&gclid=CLDbisj51Z4CFU1M5QodJzjAqg

Melissa Oldham

Education

Sharing Books With Girls