3.
Reading Corner
Enjoy some amazing books read by myself or others! Engage in the activities and post on my blog!
Be Kind
by Pat Zietlow Miller and illustrated by Jen Hill
​
When a young girl named Tanisha spills grape juice all over her new dress, her classmate wants to make her feel better and remembers that Mom always says, “Be kind.” But what does it mean to be kind?
​
Activities:
-
Think of a time when someone you know was upset. How could you have made them feel better?
-
Think of something kind you could do to make your family feel happy during quarantine and go do it! Write about what you did and how it made you and your family feel.
-
Create a kindness chart with a goal. Every time you do something kind, add to the chart until you reach your goal!
In My Heart
by Jo Witek and illustrated by Christine Roussey
​
Explore different ways we feel and how those feelings express themselves in our hearts.
​
​Activities
-
As you listen to the book, every time you have a connection with how their heart is feeling make chain links with your fingers or your best jazz hands.
-
How does your heart feel today? Can you draw how it feels? Explain how it feels? Why does it feel that way?
-
Choose a time where you heart felt _______. Can you remember why your heart was feelings that way?
-
Colour exploration: with a blank piece of something for your canvas, choose colours by how you are feeling. Place the colours wherever you feel they should be and see what you end up with! You can use paints or anything you have at home.
-
Is there something you don't understand? How can a heart be heavy like an elephant? Interview your family or video call someone and research what others think and feel.
I Am Canada
by Heather Patterson and illustrated by 13 amazing Canadians
​
Celebrate Canada with this book that shows a variety of different ways people ARE Canada.
​
Activities:
-
What does being Canadian mean to you? Draw it, write about it, create a film...
-
If you could write a page for this book, what would your page say? Illustrate it!
-
Choose a page in the book. What is that page saying about being Canadian? If that page continued what else might they say?
-
Interview your family, what does it mean to be Canadian to them?
-
If you aren't Canadian, or your family is, what does it mean to live in Canada? What does it mean to be a part of your country?
Be Who You Are
by Todd Parr
​
"It doesn't matter what colour you are, where you are from, or who's in your family. Everyone needs to be loved. Always love yourself and BE WHO YOU ARE! The end. Love, Todd."
​
Activities:
-
Before: Think about who you are, can you describe yourself? If someone was to ask about that cool kid _____, what would be said about you?
-
During: At each page, or certain pages that you prefer, pause and think about what it means to be you! Eg: what do you wear that makes you feel like the best YOU?
-
Are you silly? Brave? Do you like to dance? Learn? Read?
-
After:
-
What are your favourite things about yourself? Write or draw about them.
-
What are your favourite things about your family/friends? Tell them or send them a message telling them what you love about who they are!
-
The Most Magnificent Thing
by Ashely Spires
​
​
Activities:
-
Before: What makes something magnificent? What do you think the magnificent thing is in the book? What does that front of the book tell you? What is in their cart and why?
-
During:
-
What is tinkering? Is there something you can tinker with in your house? ​
-
Why does she get mad? Have you ever gotten frustrated when something doesn't work out how you want it to?
-
How did she create the most magnificent thing? What can you do to help others during this time?
-
-
After: ​
-
What junk do you have in your house, create something magnificent with it! Then take it apart and make something new! Do this until you make something you love. ​
-
can you make a magnificent drawing? Draw, then redraw, until you love your creation.
-
You Hold Me Up
by Monique Gray Smith
​
Activities
-
Before: What does it mean to hold someone up? How can you hold someone's heart up? What might this book be about? Who is on the front cover?
-
During: At each page ask how it feels when someone _________ (e.g. shares with you).
-
After:
-
What does it mean to hold someone up? Who do you hold up? Who holds you up? How?​
-
Think of all the ways you and your family hold each other up and write/draw them.
-
Re-write the story with the ways that you answered the question above.
-
Why did Monique draw the legs of the family as hearts? Can you add in secrete hearts to your story?
-
Have You Filled A Bucket Today
by Carol McCloud
​
Activities
-
Before: Ask students what might it might mean to fill a bucket? Are we talking about a real bucket?
-
During: Ask students to think about how to fill a bucket throughout the book. Ask them to take notice if they have done anything that a person in the book does.
-
After:
-
Ask students to create a plan to fill their families buckets and follow through with it. Have them write, illustrate or present how they filled their families buckets.
-
Have students write a story about a time their bucket was filled, they filled someone else's bucket, or when someone's bucket was dipped into.
-
Have students re-watch the story and take note of the emotions being portrayed in the book. How would filling a bucket feel? How would dipping into a bucket feel? What does a full bucket feel like?
-
Ask students to design their own buckets for their family (either with real containers at home or paper document attached to the left) and everyday add in a note or drawing to fill their families bucket with kindness.
-
The Rabbits
By John Mardsen and Shaun Tan
​
I created and ran this lesson in my practicum class and it went really well. Students were able to emotionally connect with the events in the book through the use of tableaus.
​
Read Aloud Online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_0KwV-qZ-4
​
Themes:
-
Colonialism
-
Treatment of Indigenous Peoples
-
Environmentalism
-
Human rights
​