Reading Week Activities - Nevada Reading Week

Pick a Book from the Reading Garden 

An ABC of 

Schoolwide 

Activities 

A book is like a garden carried in the pocket. 

--- Chinese proverb


An Alphabet of 

School-wide Reading Week Activities 

Reading Week Ideas, Old and New, for Classroom and Library 

The Alphabet of School-Wide Reading Week Activities has been a part of the 

Reading Week Idea Book for many years. As in the past, this Alphabet is a 

mixture of new ideas and those from past years. You’ll see some familiar 

ideas and, I hope, find some new ones that you can use or adapt to your own 

library or classroom. 

AUTHOR VISITS 

Invite authors and storytellers to visit your school. Local authors and storytellers are often 

easier to book, and their schedules may be more flexible. Well-known authors will expect an 

honorarium and reimbursement for travel and lodging expenses… another reason to look for 

local storytellers. Children of all ages enjoy knowing someone from their own home town or 

state who has published a book....or books! Your local library may be able to help you locate 

authors who live nearby. Washoe County School District‘s Library Services, or the Library 

Coordinator‘s office, also maintains a file of authors, both local and national, who have done 

school visits. (See p. 19 for a more complete discussion of how to arrange and manage an 

author visit.) 

ADVERTISE A BOOK 

Students work in groups to create an advertisement for a book, a commercial that will 

encourage others to read. Create a jingle, write a script, act out a part or model the 

advertisement on familiar television advertising. (Is there a talking baby in your future) Use 

props as necessary. When the advertisement is complete, have groups of students perform for 

the rest of the class. Can be done in the classroom or in the library, and may be done in two 

sessions... one to plan and one to perform. 

This works especially well with students who have participated in literature circles, since 

they‘ll all have read the same book. 

BOOK SWAP 

Organize a used book ―book swap‖ event for teachers and students. For a given period of time 

(a week) readers bring in books they‘ve finished or outgrown. For every three books they 

bring, students receive two ―choice‖ tickets. This option insures that there will be enough 

donated books to go around, even if some are not in good condition or are not age-appropriate 

and must be discarded. 

On a given day (or two days, if the school population is large), students can visit the library to 

choose a ―new‖ book for each ―choice‖ ticket they have. In advance, the librarian can organize 

the donated books by reading level and replenish the tables as students pass through. Any 

leftover books can be donated to a shelter or literacy program. 

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This is a good Reading Week activity, but it‘s also a good end-of-year activity when the library 

is about to close for the year. It keeps students reading, and in keeping with the theme, is a 

good way of recycling books. (This works especially well in schools where teacher participate 

in Scholastic Book Clubs; even teachers may be willing to recycle some of the free books 

they‘ve received.) 

BINGO FOR BOOKS 

In preparation for playing the game, each student prepares one or more playing cards with the 

title, author, and a one-line description of a favorite picture book. Illustrations from the story, 

a drawing of a character, or a cover could be added. The librarian then prepares Bingo cards 

using the playing cards that students have submitted. On the Bingo cards, only book titles 

appear; when the game is in progress, the reader reads only the one-line description. Students 

will need to recognize the book being described to match it with the title. In keeping with the 

garden theme, give students lima beans to mark their cards. 

CANDID CAMERA CONTEST ~ PHOTOGRAPHIC BLOOMS! 

A picture‘s worth a thousand words, they say. Gather baby or childhood pictures from each 

member of the faculty and staff, or use candid pictures from the past. Create a bulletin board 

or a display (perhaps inside a display case where it can be seen by everyone in the school). 

Mount each photo on a flower or vegetable cutout. (Perhaps the principal could be the 

scarecrow in the garden!) Label each photo with only a number. Provide small squares of 

paper; encourage students to write their own name and a picture‘s number on the paper and 

try to identify the staff member, or provide a list of staff members and ask students and 

visitors to match the name with the photo. Collect the guesses in a box decorated with a 

sprinkling can or seed packets, and offer prizes for correct answers. Special recognition goes to 

the person who most often fooled students and staff. 

CULTIVATING CURIOSITY 

Adapted from an article by Carol Thompson, LibrarySparks, January 2009 

Let students explore their knowledge of video games and create an interest in research with a 

Curiosity Quest. Each morning during Nevada Reading Week, or once a week during your 

Nevada Reading Month, pose a question of the day on the school‘s intercom. Students can 

research answers and turn in the results; correct answers can be put into a drawing for end-ofthe-month 

prizes. 

To begin this project, choose a question to be answered during library time. Make sure that 

the question is not one that could easily be answered using general knowledge. Use this 

question to model ways of researching and using non-fiction and reference books (but not the 

Internet) to find an answer. 

Sample questions: 

• Using an almanac, find the best-selling video game of 2008. 

• What was the top selling game of 1997 

• Electronic games or video games are controlled by a tiny computer called a ______. 

• Besides relating to video games, what is another definition of the term arcade 

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As you devise your own questions on your own topic, make sure that questions have only one 

good answer, are challenging enough to require some research, and are easily found in the 

reference and nonfiction materials at hand in the library. 

DRESS-UP DAYS ~ Always popular! 

Dress-up Days can be scheduled for one day (usually the last day of Nevada Reading Week), 

one day a week for a month, or for every day during Nevada Reading Week. If you choose to 

make every day a dress-up day, choose a single item to wear (not a full costume). Examples: 

Hats Off to Reading Day, Scarf day, Crazy Sock day, Backwards day (shirts worn backwards), 

a Bad Hair day, or Twin Day, when students dress alike. Use colors; ask students to dress in 

red one day, blue another. Name the days with names of vegetables or fruits to go along with 

the theme; Orange Monday, Tomato Tuesday (red), Zucchini Wednesday (green), etc. Other 

suggestions: Slipper Day; Scarf Day; Workout Day (dress in sweats); Funky Friday 

(mismatched or outrageous clothing); Spots and Stripes Day. 

EARTH DAY ~ ENCHANTED LEARNING 

Try www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/earthday for suggestions for Earth Day crafts and 

games. Although this is a pay-for-access website, Enchanted Learning does provide a number 

of free resources. www.kidsplanet.org is a noisy, fun website for both kids and teachers with 

games, information, and a ―teacher‘s table‖ that includes four units – a wolf curriculum, a sea 

otter unit, a jaguar curriculum, and a Florida black bear unit. The Ranger Rick‘s Kids Zone: 

National Wildlife Federation, at www.nwf.org/kids, has lots of information and activities, 

including coloring pages, winter activities, and outdoor fun. 

Earth Day Books: 

• Cam Jansen and the Green School Mystery 

David A. Adler. Viking, 2008 

• Growing Green: A Young Person’s Guide to Taking Care of the Planet 

Christina Goodings. Lion Hudson, 2008 

• Kids Can: Keeping Our Earth Green 

Nancy Castaldo. Ideals Publications, 2008 

• Stuff! Reduce, Reuse, Recycle 

Steven Kroll. Marshall Cavendish, 2009 

• The Trouble with Dragons: A Story of Our Earth 

Debi Gliori. Walker & Co., 2008 

• The Green Kids: 100 Things You Can do to Save the Planet 

Kim McKay and Jenny Bonnin. National Geographic, 2008 

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EVERYBODY READS 

Create a variation on DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) with a garden theme called GROW 

(no acronym!). At a signal for GROW, everyone stops what they‘re doing to read for a 

specified time – usually from 10 to 20 minutes. The schedule can be prearranged to avoid 

breaking into specific instructional time, but should be varied so that it falls at different times 

each day. The principal, his secretary, the PE teacher, the art teacher, the music teacher, the 

librarian, the custodian, even parent volunteers present at the time -- Everybody reads! Plant 

an idea, and watch it grow to create a reader! 

GAME DAY 

Students bring board games from home; at a specified time, all students can play in their 

classrooms. In the library, pick up a selection of simple board games (watch for garage sales 

or after-Christmas sales). These make a good rainy-day pursuit in the library at lunchtime, 

too. 

GUEST READERS 

One of the most rewarding activities of Nevada Reading Week is to provide opportunities for 

students to listen to staff or community members read aloud from their favorite books. Invite 

your principal, school secretary, clinical aide, computer teacher, custodian, nurse, kitchen 

workers, counselor or other staff members to read from a favorite book or poem each day 

during morning announcements. Members of the community can read to large groups or visit 

classrooms. The librarian might help staff members to select an appropriate book, but it‘s 

more fun when the visiting reader selects a book he or she might have read as a child. 

Guest readers may come from various professions. Policemen, firemen, and others in the 

public eye may be willing to come in uniform. Fathers who rarely get a chance to come to 

school may be willing to make time to come to read. Members of the college basketball or 

football team, perhaps the Reno Aces or the Bighorns, political figures, or perhaps the TV 

weatherman might be willing. If your school has a Partner in Education, there may be staff 

members who would be willing to read. Be sure to make arrangements well ahead of time, 

schedule the visits carefully, and follow up with thank-you notes to participating readers. 

HOT SEAT 

Hot Seat is a game, but it’s also a great way to increase comprehension by helping kids 

get “inside” a character. One student is chosen to take the “hot seat.” Without revealing 

who he represents, the student assumes the identity of any character in a book the class 

has read, and others in the class ask questions until his/her identity is revealed. The person 

in the Hot Seat must answer in character, drawing on his/her knowledge of the book. 

This can be done in a classroom or in the library, either at the end of a chapter or a section or 

at the end of a book. The technique makes both questioners and the person in the ―hot seat‖ 

think deeply about the book. One person can occupy the hot seat for a session, or several can 

alternate, taking the identity of different characters. 

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This will be more challenging if there are several titles that may have been read by the whole 

class or by literature circles, or it could be used in the library to review the six books in a 

Nevada Young Readers Award set. 

I SEE BY YOUR OUTFIT.... 

For a special event, try a day called ―I see by your outfit that you are a......‖ Children dress in 

costume, but don‘t reveal who they represent. At an appropriate time, the teacher chooses a 

child to come to the front. Playing a version of Twenty Questions, students can ask only 

questions that can be answered with ―yes‖ or ―no‖ while the costumed child answers in 

character. The person who guesses correctly becomes the next student to come to the front. 

For a version tied to reading, have students dress as character from favorite books. (Costumes 

need not be elaborate; a few props are often enough. Hats, vests, belts, scarves, and any 

accessories that would be appropriate to the character can create a costume.) 

JOURNAL WRITING 

Student journals serve many purposes. They allow students to write spontaneously, 

expressing their ideas without worrying about conventions or complete ideas. Try Corbett 

Harrison‘s WritingFix Random Daily Writing Prompt Generator for quick, creative writing 

ideas at http://writingfix.com/classroom_tools/dailypromptgenerator.htm. (Example: ―Whom 

did you hide from Write about a hiding place that you haven‘t used for awhile.‖ or "Why do 

you keep it Tell the story of a keepsake you own that cannot tell its own story.‖) 

Students can also respond to books they‘ve read or listened to, create double-entry journals to 

track their reading and comprehension, or write about experiences at school or questions 

posed by teachers or other students. 

Encourage students to include sketches and drawings in their journals. Sometimes a picture 

can express a thought, record a memory, or include an observation in ways that words cannot. 

Book connection: Read Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf (Jennifer Holm and Matt 

Holm) for letters and journals that tell a story with illustrations that work! 

KIDS GET CAUGHT READING - IN THE GARDEN 

Take pictures of students with their favorite book for a rotating display in the library or in the 

office. If the weather is good and the playground provides the setting, pictures could be taken 

outside, against the background of a tree or even on playground equipment. Mount snapshots 

on colorful construction paper against a garden background. Change pictures at least once a 

week, or replace pictures randomly so that there‘s always someone new included. A picture 

could be a way to reward a top reader, or randomly-snapped 

pictures might be a way of rewarding and encouraging a reluctant 

reader to choose a book and participate. Pictures could also be 

displayed at other places in the school—the library, a hallway, a 

common room. 

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LUNCH IN THE LIBRARY 

Especially for librarians - Invite one fifth or sixth-grade class at a time to join you for Lunch 

in the Library. While they eat, spend about 20 minutes reading aloud from a chapter book. 

(Mysteries with cliff-hanger chapter endings will keep them coming back.) Plan to have the 

same class come each day until you‘ve finished the book. They‘ll enjoy the book and still have 

time for recess. Repeat with another class until all classes at one grade level have enjoyed a 

book. Hints: Use rug squares, colorful towels, or large placemats for lunches if you have the 

class sit on the floor (recommended, even for 5 th or 6 th graders). Choose a suspenseful book, or 

one with exciting adventures to capture their interest. Keep the length of the book in mind; it 

should be short enough to finish within a week or so. You may want to choose different books 

for different classes, depending on their interests. Lunch in the Library for a single class could 

also be a reward. 

MASTER GARDENERS 

The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension service has a roster of Master Gardeners who 

have specific areas of expertise in gardening. (See www.unce.unr.edu or call 775-784-4848) If 

some are willing to talk with children about gardening, especially vegetable gardening, a visit 

with a Master Gardener could be an introduction to a classroom gardening project. 

MEET THE ATHLETE 

Get high school athletic programs involved. Work with the basketball, baseball, and 

cheerleading coaches to bring a group of players and cheerleaders to school for the afternoon. 

Have athletes eat lunch with the children. After lunch, they may do demonstrations in the 

gym or on the playground, then take the students in smaller groups to teach them some 

basketball or cheerleading moves, or work with students who are interested in pitching or 

catching. If there‘s time, the afternoon could end with a softball game between the teachers 

and the athletes. The afternoon will take some coordination and a willingness on the part of 

high school students to spend an afternoon with elementary students, and because both will be 

missing regular class time, it would be best to plan such an event close to the end of the school 

year (after the pressure of testing schedules is over). 

NEV ADA YOUNG READERS AWARD 

Encourage students to participate in the Nevada Young Reader's Award program. This 

statewide program is designed to encourage the involvement of students and teachers in the 

newest in popular children's literature. Nevada students nominate, read, and vote for their 

favorite books in grade level categories. Awards are presented to the winning authors at the 

annual Nevada Library Association convention. Information about 

this program is available from your school library or local Nevada 

library, or from www.nevadalibraries.org . See also the Conference 

handouts on your flash drive from Debbie Jacobs‘ NYRA 

presentation. 

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NATURE WALK 

It‘s easy to forget sometimes that many children, especially apartment dwellers, have little 

chance to explore the out-of-doors. A short Nature Walk on a pleasant day can be a real 

journey of discovery. 

Plan your nature walk at least a few days in advance. Walk the route yourself, and if you 

intend to go beyond the boundaries of the school grounds, be sure that you check with your 

school administration first. It may be necessary to secure permission slips from parents or 

inform them in advance if you decide to visit a park or other facility. 

As you walk, plan the things you‘d like students to observe. Leaves, trees, and plant life, of 

course... but perhaps you‘d like to integrate math by asking them to estimate how many feet of 

fencing it takes to enclose a pasture, or how much time it takes for flower to grow and blossom. 

Depending on the time of year, trees may be in bud, blossom, or full leaf; it‘s a good 

opportunity to observe and talk about changing seasons. Remember that children may not be 

good listeners while walking, so prepare them by talking about the things they will see before 

you go. 

Even if the walk is very short, ask children to observe one thing that they‘d like to draw or 

write about when they return to class; then use that as a culminating project, asking students 

either to write about their observations or to create a story using the object they‘ve observed. 

Complete the assignment with drawings. 

A comprehensive website with many links to teaching nature and natural history: 

http://www.rtpi.org/teaching-nature-web-links.html 

ONLINE RESEARCH 

Make use of the online research databases funded by the Educational Technology Commission 

and the Nevada Legislature. EBSCOhost (http://search.epnet.com) provides magazine and 

newspaper articles, pictures, and research possibilities for elementary students 

(Searchosaurus) through high school, and even includes professional resources for teachers. 

ABC-CLIO (www.socialstudies.abc-clio.com) provides both current events and past history and 

geography, including eight different categories and is especially appropriate for middle and 

high school students. Resources from Gale‘s have been expanded; 

(http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/nv_washoesd) provides students with access to the Science 

Resource Center, Student Resource Center, Kid‘s InfoBits, Informe (Hispanic magazines), and 

references for teachers. Grolier‘s Online Encyclopedia (http://go.grolier.com) offers access to 

several encyclopedias, including a Spanish version. 

PARTNERED READERS 

There are always children who would like to participate in Reading Month activities, but are 

not able to do so outside of school. Provide extra reading time during the school day. The 

children can be assigned reading partners. They can read to their partners and initial each 

other‘s in-class reading log, or fill out reading certificates. This allows each student to 

participate and feel a part of Reading Month. Teachers can also arrange extra reading time 

during recess and lunch times, perhaps with a pass to the library. 

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PICNIC IN THE PARK (or on the school lawn) 

As a culminating event, invite students who have reached their reading goals during Nevada 

Reading Week to a picnic. Nevada weather being what it is, the picnic may be planned for a 

date closer to the end of the school year, when it‘s certain that an outdoor event will be a 

success. Involve parents; you‘ll need volunteer help both to provide food items and to manage 

children. Plan to serve sandwiches, fruit and cookies or other easily managed foods, and keep 

in mind that food will need to be prepared in advance. (While you can have a picnic with food 

from the cafeteria, it‘s much more of a treat to serve something different, even if it‘s a peanut 

butter sandwich.) Gather a number of easily washed tablecloths to spread on the grass, and 

borrow large baskets – one for each ―table‖ – to fill with paperback books. This will become the 

centerpiece, but the books will become prizes for participating children to select when the 

picnic is over. 

It‘s a good idea to plan the picnic to begin at the end of the regular lunch hour, so that 

participating students will have the area to themselves without being surrounded by other 

students on recess. Because this will take class time, be sure to involve teachers when 

choosing a date. If you‘re lucky enough to have a park within walking distance, be sure to 

include enough time to make the trip easily. 

POET TEA 

To celebrate reading, have each child choose and practice reading two poems. Practice in the 

classroom, reading poems aloud to one another or to small groups. Older children may 

memorize a poem. Plan a Poet Tea for an afternoon, ask parents or volunteers to bring 

refreshments, and invite parents and other special adults to an afternoon tea. At the tea, each 

child reads aloud his/her poems. Vary the program with some choral reading, or with poems 

for two voices. (Try any of Mary Ann Hoberman‘s You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You series.) 

READ-A-RIDDLE 

Students read a riddle or a joke aloud first thing in the morning or after lunch. The riddle can 

be read over the intercom or in the classroom, with students taking turns. Alternately, 

students could read a quotation or a passage from a popular novel, one that would be easily 

recognized. (For familiarity, you might choose passages from books cited in the 

HoughtonMifflin reading program. For example, Hatchet by Gary Paulsen has an 

environmental aspect and would be familiar to most upper grades.) The first class to send a 

student to the office with the correct answer wins a point toward a weekly class prize. 

SCHOOL LIBRARIANS AND SUMMER READING 

School librarians can help their students keep up their reading by promoting your public 

library‘s reading programs. In Nevada, the Winter/Spring reading program, which lasts until 

April 30, 2010, is called ―Be Cool @ Your Library,‖ and it encourages children of all ages to 

read for fun and knowledge. 

To encourage your students to keep reading, give each student a stamped and pre-addressed 

postcard before school lets out for the summer. Ask them to send you the postcard and tell you 

what they‘re reading. It‘s especially fun if they send the postcard from some distant place 

where they‘ve gone on vacation or to visit relatives. When school starts, the postcards can 

become the focus of your first bulletin board of the year. 

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TEACHER JEOPARDY 

Use a large piece of poster board to recreate the Jeopardy gameboard. Categories might be 

grade levels, or you might use photographs of teachers. Create some trivia questions about 

each teacher (but be careful to avoid personal details). Trivia questions should be related to 

the classroom or to things that have happened at school. 

T-SHIRT TALLY DAY 

Everyone is encouraged to wear a t-shirt with writing on it. At recesses, lunch, or for a few 

minutes at appropriate times during class, students read the slogans on each other‘s shirts. 

As each person reads another‘s t-shirt, the wearer signs the reader‘s GREEN tally card. A 

contest is held to see how many t-shirts can be read by the end of the day. Every child who 

fills his/her tally card receives a small prize... a bookmark, a colorful pencil, or, if permitted at 

your school, a small piece of wrapped candy. 

VIRTUAL CHAT WITH AN AUTHOR 

Begin by researching authors‘ websites to find those who welcome communications from 

readers. Before you introduce the activity, email the author to see whether he/she would be 

willing to participate in a discussion with your students. It might involve a single email to 

which all students contribute a question, or several emails in an ongoing exchange, perhaps 

written as students read the author‘s book together. 

If you have instant messaging software downloaded, and if the author is willing, consider 

setting up a virtual chat using instant messaging. Have students prepare questions or 

comments in advance, and practice before the prearranged date and time. Note that there 

may be a fee for a virtual chat; be sure that such arrangements are made clear in advance. 

More and more, authors are proposing a ―virtual‖ author visit using webcams and Skype. If 

you would like to explore this possibility, contact the author directly by email. The usual 

charge for an hour‘s virtual visit is about $200. 

WHERE ONCE THERE WAS A WOOD 

Denise Fleming 

An environmental picture book, this simple story introduces wild creatures and plants that 

once thrived in a wooded area, now replaced by a housing development. In gently rhyming 

couplets, she describes an area that was once alive with activity. ―Where once there was a 

wood / a meadow / and a creek / where once the red fox rested and closed his eyes to sleep,‖ the 

flora and fauna have disappeared: ―Where once there was a wood, a meadow, and a creek / sit 

houses side by side / twenty houses deep.‖ What follows is information on how to make a 

backyard wildlife habitat---a way children can make a small but important difference. 

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WILD AND WACKY FACTS DAY 

Find a little-known fact, a mysterious or unexplained event in history, or an unusual detail 

about a famous person. (This event could be preceded by a time in the nonfiction section of the 

library for each class.) Write the fact on a folded piece of paper to keep in a pocket all day and 

share with other students at every opportunity. If you wish, use a tally sheet, much like the T- 

shirt Tally, to encourage students to participate. 

WORD WEAVING WITH STORYTELLERS 

Invite members of a local storytellers‘ group to come and weave their magic for your students. 

Local public libraries often have contact information for such groups, or contact . Or try your 

hand at storytelling. Choose a fairly short, repetitive tale to learn and practice it before trying 

it out on students. For stories that support the Garden theme, check the Garden Bibliography 

on your flash drive. 

Don‘t forget storytimes available at your local public library! In Washoe County, see 

http://libwww.washoecounty.us/kids/storytimes.html for a list of storytimes and locations. 

All links checked for connectivity as of February 20, 2010 

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Nevada Young Readers Award 

The following books, in four categories, have been nominated for the Nevada Young 

Readers Award for 2010. 

Picture Books 

Farley Found It by Bruce Van Patter 

The Perfect Nest by Catherine Friend 

Splat the Cat by Rob Scotton 

Wave by Susy Lee 

Chester by Melanie Watt 

The Gum-Chewing Rattler by Joe Hayes 

Prairie Christmas by Elizabeth Van Steenwyk 

Wolf! Wolf! by John Rocco 

Young Reader 

The 100-Year-Old Secret (The Sherlock Files) by Tracy Barrett 

Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell 

Medusa Jones by Ross Collins 

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo 

Phineas L. Maguire...Erupts! by Frances ‗Roark Dowell 

The Seer of Shadows by Avi 

Intermediate 

Airman by Eoin Colfer 

The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull 

Cracker! The Best Dog in Vietnam by Cynthia Kadohata 

The Otherworldlies by Jennifer Anne Kogler 

Paint the Wind by Pam Munoz Ryan 

Unwind by Neal Shusterman (mature readers) 

Young Adult 

Beastly by Alex Flinn 

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare 

Elephant Run by Roland Smith 

Gym Candy by Carl Deuker 

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 

Wake by Lisa McMann 

Create your own crossword puzzles based on Nevada Young Readers 

Award books. Generate a list of 10 to 20 words and clues; then create your own 

puzzle using Eclipse Crossword, a free puzzle software that can be downloaded from 

http://www.eclipsecrossword.com/ Or use Discovery Education‘s Puzzlemaker Online at 

http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/ . 

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READERS’ THEATER 

What is Readers‘ Theater It‘s a scripted reading, often based on a children‘s book or 

poem, which allows children to act out a script (reading their lines) with just a little 

preparation, a few props if desired, and a real understanding of the story. It works 

equally well in a classroom or in the library, with practice and preparation or with 

just a few minutes to prepare. 

Readers‘ Theater productions help sharpen children‘s oral reading skills, encourage 

them to respond to and interpret literature, and increase comprehension. As Judy 

Freeman says, ―your actors will not just have seen the book and heard the story and 

read the story. They will have lived the story.‖ Children read aloud with expression, 

fluency, volume, comprehension, and joy – they become invested in the plot, interpret 

their lines, and work together to see the story unfold. Additionally, it‘s a way to 

enhance presentation and public speaking skills, boost self-esteem, and to hone both 

reading and listening skills. 

Readers‘ Theater productions are more than just a chance to have fun with a 

children‘s book. While there are a number of sources for Readers‘ Theater scripts, you 

can also create your own scripts or have students create them. If children work 

together to decide how many speakers are needed, who will speak what lines, whether 

a narrator is required, and what props will be needed, they‘ll know the story far better 

than just reading it could ever do. Once the script has been prepared, whether you 

(teacher or librarian) simply retype the script from a picture book or make it a student 

project, students can practice reading and performing the Readers‘ Theater until 

they‘re ready to perform it for the class or for another class. 

If you choose to create your own Readers‘ Theater scripts or to have students create 

them, there are some guidelines that might help in the selection of a title: 

1. Poetry or song lyrics adapt easily to Readers‘ Theater scripts. 

2. Picture books that contain dialogue 

3. Stories that do not depend on the illustrations for meaning 

4. Choose stories that can translate to a Readers‘ Theater script that is no 

longer than three to five pages 

5. Lines should be as evenly distributed as possible among parts 

6. Reading level should be such that children do not struggle with words. 

When dividing the text into parts for readers, consider using more than one narrator; 

having repeated phrases read by a chorus of voices; or allowing some students to 

become part of the reading by providing stage directions. 

Sources of Readers’ Theater scripts 

There are books available containing Readers‘ Theater scripts by Caroline Feller 

Bauer, Toni Buzzeo, Anthony Fredericks, Aaron Shepard, and Judy Sierra. Some 

author websites also feature Readers‘ Theater scripts; authors sometimes write 

scripts for their own books. Margie Palatini‘s site, www.margiepalatini.com, and Toni 

Buzzeo‘s site, www.tonibuzzeo.com , are two. There‘s a Readers Theater section for 

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teachers at www.timelessteacherstuff.com, with more than eighty scripts, including 

many familiar stories. Monthly issues of Library Sparks usually include a Readers‘ 

Theater script. 

For a variety of scripts for Readers‘ Theater, many with a holiday or folklore theme, 

check Aaron Shepard‘s website at http://www.aaronshep.com/rt/RTE.html Aaron 

Shepard also has a valuable link to a number of Readers‘ Theater resources and 

articles supporting the value of Readers‘ Theater (especially in promoting fluency) at 

http://www.aaronshep.com/rt/index.html#Tips . 

(Disclaimer: Reader’s Theater Editions are free scripts for reader’s theater (or readers theatre) 

adapted from stories written by Aaron Shepard and others—mostly humor, fantasy, and world 

tales from a variety of cultures. A full range of reading levels is included, with most scripts 

aimed at ages 8–15. The scripts may be freely copied, shared, and performed for any 

noncommercial purpose, except that they may not be posted online without permission.) 

Another website with a wealth of information and links to Readers‘ Theater and other 

connections: 

http://www.literacyconnections.com/ReadersTheater.html 

Once the book is chosen, begin by reading the book aloud. Read with expression, and 

stop occasionally to talk about what is happening. You might want to read the book 

again on a second day, then introduce the Readers‘ Theater concept. 

The first experiences in Readers‘ Theater may be more successful when done in small 

groups. This also allows every child to participate, performing within their groups. 

It‘s helpful to color code scripts, highlighting a different part on each copy, so that the 

child can easily identify his/her part. If the script calls for it, you might want to 

provide simple props or costume details... hats, scarves, or similar props that might 

suggest a character. Allow students to read and practice the script several times, 

until they are reading fluently. You may want to change characters occasionally, 

giving everyone in a group an opportunity to become familiar with all aspects of the 

script. 

When students have practiced several times, take the opportunity to allow them 

to perform for other students. In the library, invite students from one class to 

perform for a younger class, or even for one another. 

13


The following script appeared in the April 2008 issue of Library Sparks. Adapted by 

the author, the script is based on The Gold Miner’s Daughter: A Melodramatic Fairy 

Tale by Jackie Mims Hopkins (Peachtree Publishers, 2006). 

Like all melodramas, this one invites audience participation. Within the story, four 

rebuses appear: The Mustache (put an index finger above your lips and say ―Boo, 

Hissssss‖); The Teardrop (put a hand on your forehead dramatically and say ―Oh, 

dear‖); The Hand (point a finger in the air and say ―AHA!); The Balloons (clap your 

hands and say ―Hooray!‖). For the Readers‘ Theater presentation, enlarge each rebus 

and mount it on a sturdy piece of poster board for durability. Four students are 

chosen to hold up each rebus at the appropriate time, encouraging the audience to 

participate. 

The Gold Miner’s Daughter: A Melodramatic Fairy Tale 

Jackie Mims Hopkins: illustrated by Jon Goodell 

Roles: 

Pa 

Gracie Pearl 

Mr. Bigglebottom 

Fiddlesnopskin 

Narrator One 

Narrator Two 

Goldie Locks 

First Little Pig 

Second Little Pig 

Third Little Pig 

Golden Goose Owner 

Sleeping Beauty 

Rebus Sign Holders 

Mustache / Boo, Hiss 

Teardrop / Oh, dear 

Hand / Aha 

Balloons / Hooray 

Rapunzel 

Narrator One: Deep in the heart of gold minin’ country lived an old miner and his 

daughter. Pa and Gracie Pearl had always enjoyed gold minin’ but alas, hard times had 

come upon them. 

Pa: Any luck yet,, Gracie Pearl 

Teardrop: Oh, dear! 

Pa: Don’t you worry your pretty little head, daughter. We’ll think of something. 

Gracie Pearl: Well, we’d better think of it quicker’n a cockroach when the lights come 

on, because that old buzzard’s chuggin’ up the hill right now. 

Mustache: Boo, Hiss! 

14


Mr. Bigglebottom: Good afternoon, Gracie Pearl. You’re looking lovely as usual. Tell 

me, my sweet, do you have any gold for me 

Gracie Pearl: You know I haven’t found any yet. This mine’s as worthless as weevils in 

cornmeal. 

Pa: Mr. Bigglebottom, if you can give us more time, we’ll find a way to pay you. 

Mr. Bigglebottom: How will you be able to pay me later if you can’t pay me now 

Gracie Pearl: Pa’s right, we’ll find a way to pay you if you’ll just give us a little more 

time. 

Narrator Two: The greedy banker twisted his oily mustache and eyeballed Gracie Pearl. 

Mr. Bigglebottom: I’ll give you till sunset, but if you can’t pay me, I’ll take back the land 

and your house… and I’ll take your daughter for my wife! 


Gracie Pearl: NO! I will NEVER marry you! 

Mr. Bigglebottom: We’ll just see about that. I’ll be back this evening and I’ll expect my 

payment … or my bride. 


Narrator One: Once the banker was out of sight, Gracie Pearl threw one heck of a hissy 

fit. 

Gracie Pearl: His bride I’ll be his bride—when hound dogs fly! I’ll never marry that 

nasty man and we’ll never find anything in this useless mine. I’m going into town to see 

if I can find gold some other way. 

Hand: Aha! 

Narrator Two: Gracie Pearl unhitched Sassafras the pack mule, and headed into town. 

It wasn’t long before Gracie Pearl caught a glimpse of a blonde girl barreling across the 

road. 

Gracie Pearl: Excuse me, I’m in a real mess and I need your help. I’ve got to get ahold 

of some gold before sunset. Do you know where I can find some 

Goldielocks: Sorry, lady, I don’t have time to stop and chat. I’ve got troubles of my own. 

How was I to know I was eating Mr. Bigglebottom’s porridge He sicced his bears on me 

and they’re hot on my trail. 


Gracie Pearl: B-B-B-bears They’re not much better than Mr. Bigglebottom. Thank you 

kindly, just the same. 

Narrator One: Gracie Pearl urged the mule on. When they reached the outskirts of 

town, she spotted something just ahead. As they trotted closer, she realized it was three 

pigs tied to the railroad tracks. 

15



Three Little Pigs: (Yell together) Help! Help! 

Gracie Pearl: What happened 

First Little Pig: We borrowed money from Mr. Bigglebottom to build our houses, when 

we couldn’t pay him back, he tied us to the tracks. 

Second Little Pig: He said he was going to make piggy pancakes out of us. 

Third Little Pig: Our mother warned us about the big bad wolf, but he’s a puppy dog 

compared to Bigglebottom. 

Gracie Pearl: I know what you mean. I’ve got to get ahold of some gold before sunset. 

Would you happen to know where I might find some 

First Little Pig: Sorry, if we knew where to find gold, we wouldn’t have been tied to 

these tracks. 

Second Little Pig: Thanks for untying us, though. 

Gracie Pearl: You’re welcome, glad I could help. 

Narrator Two: Gracie Pearl made her way into town and stopped at the Golden Goose 

café. 

Golden Goose owner: What will it be, ma’am 

Gracie Pearl: I’ve got to get ahold of some gold before sunset … or I’ll be in big trouble. 

Golden Goose owner: Well, once upon a time, I had a goose that laid golden eggs. 

Hand: Aha! 

Gracie Pearl: Really…. Do you still have her 

Golden Goose owner: Unfortunately, I don’t. Mr. Bigglebottom took her. 


Golden Goose owner: The joke was on him, though, because she stopped laying eggs. 

Gracie Pearl: I don’t suppose you still have any of her eggs, do you 

Golden Goose owner: Sorry, he took those, too. But check around. I seem to 

remember hearing about someone spinning straw into gold. 

Hand: Aha! 

Gracie Pearl: Thank you , sir. I’ll keep that in mind. 

Narrator One: Gracie Pearl went next door to Spinning Wheels Unlimited and found the 

beautiful clerk asleep at the counter. Gracie shook her awake. 

16


Gracie Pearl: Do any of your spinning wheels spin straw into gold 

Sleeping Beauty: No, (yawning) but if you prick your finger on this one, you won’t be 

awake for long. 


Gracie Pearl: do you know of anyone who can spin straw into gold 

Sleeping Beauty: I do recollect hearing about someone who lived out west of town 

aways. Now what was the name (yawning) I think the name began with an R. 

Hand: Aha! 

Gracie Pearl: Much obliged. 

Narrator Two: Gracie Pearl and Sassafras set off toward the setting sun. When Gracie 

Pearl got to Hope Street, she saw a mailbox in front of a looming tower. 

Hand: Aha! 

Narrator Two: She hurried over and read the name: Rapunzel. Someone had posted 

instructions on a signboard that said: To contact resident, yell “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let 

down your hair!” So, Gracie Pearl hollered at the top of her lungs. Pretty soon, down, 

down, down, from a window high above, tumbled a long, golden braid. 

Gracie Pearl: Are you the one who can spin straw into gold I’ve got to get ahold of 

some gold before sunset. 

Rapunzel: No! People get the two of us mixed up all the time. In fact, Bigglebottom, 

that low-down dirty weasel, thought I was the one who could spin straw into gold, so he 

locked me in this tower with the spinning wheel. The man you’re looking for lives five 

houses down thataway. His name is Rumplestiltskin. 

Hand: Aha! 

Gracie Pearl: Thank you, ma’am. Sorry to have troubled you. 

Narrator One: Gracie Pearl knocked at the fifth house. An odd little lady answered the 

door. 

Gracie Pearl: Are you Mrs. Rumplestiltskin 

Fiddlesnopskin: No, I’m his sister, Fiddlesnopskin. 

Gracie Pearl: I’ve got to get ahold of some gold before sunset. I heard your brother can 

spin straw into gold. 

Narrator Two: 

Fiddlesnopskin led her out into the yard and showed her a large hole. 

Fiddlesnopskin: Some time back Rumplestiltskin came home all in a snit. He was 

furious because some deal he’d made hadn’t worked out. He roared something about 

Bigglebottom and gold. Then he stomped his feet so hard that the ground cracked open. 

He fell in the hole and hasn’t been seen since. 

17


Gracie Pearl: Oh, no, now I’ll never get ahold of some gold before sunset. I’m doomed 

and I’ll have to marry creepy old Mr. Bigglebottom. 


Narrator One: When Gracie Pearl got home she found her pa sitting outside the mine in 

deep despair. Before Gracie Pearl could give Pa the bad news, Mr. Bigglebottom drove up 

in his sputtering jalopy. 

Mustache: Boo, hiss! 

Mr. Bigglebottom: Well, well. Do you have that gold to pay me 

Pa: Not yet, but…. 

Mr. Bigglebottom: But, nothing! Now I will take Gracie Pearl for my wife! 


Gracie Pearl: (Screaming) NEVER! 

Pa: Can’t you give us just a little more time 

Mr. Bigglebottom: Time’s up, you old goat. Gracie Pearl is mine! 


Narrator Two: The dastardly banker grabbed Gracie Pearl’s arm and dragged her toward 

his jalopy. 


Narrator Two: Pa grabbed Gracie Pearl’s other arm and pulled her back. She struggled 

like a stuck mule. Her hollerin’ could be heard across three counties, the ground shook 

something fierce. She kicked and bucked and stomped her boots as hard as she could. 

Something black and gooey began to gush up from her boot heel. 

Hand: Aha! 

Narrator Two: As Gracie Pearl broke free from Mr. Bigglebottom’s grasp, a huge gush of 

the black stuff shot up out of the ground and blew that rotten scoundrel clean out of 

sight. Gracie Pearl and Pa watched as Mr. Bigglebottom disappeared into the clouds. 

Balloon: Hooray! 

Gracie Pearl: Eureka! 

Narrator One: Yes, indeed, Gracie Pearl had found her gold…. Black gold. Turns out, 

there was enough oil on that land to live happily forever and ever after. 

Balloon: Hooray! 

18


Chrysanthemum, by Kevin Henkes, is a perfect book to begin the school year or 

to begin a new season. Read the book aloud to begin, and talk a bit about names. Every 

child has a story about his or her name; allow some time to share stories and talk about 

how names are chosen. 

Chrysanthemum 

Written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes 

Roles: 

Narrator One 

Narrator Two 

Mother 

Father 

Jo 

Victoria 

Narrator Three 

Narrator Four 

Chrysanthemum 

Mrs. Chud 

Rita 

Mrs. Twinkle 

Narrator One: The day she was born was the happiest day in her parents’ lives. 

Mother: She’s perfect. 

Father: Absolutely. 

Narrator Two: And she was. She was absolutely perfect. 

Mother: Her name must be everything she is. 

Father: Her name must be absolutely perfect. 

Narrator One: And it was. 

All four narrators, together: Chrysanthemum. Her parents named her 

Chrysanthemum. 

Narrator Three: Chrysanthemum grew and grew and GREW. 

Narrator Four: And when she was old enough to appreciate it, Chrysanthemum loved 

her name. 

Narrator One: She loved the way it sounded when her mother woke her up. 

Narrator Two: She loved the way it sounded when her father called her for dinner. 

Narrator One: And she loved the way it sounded when she whispered it to herself in the 

bathroom mirror. 

All four narrators: Chrysanthemum, Chrysanthemum, Chrysanthemum. 

19


Narrator Three: Chrysanthemum loved the way her name looked when it was written 

with ink on an envelope. 

Narrator Four: She loved the way it looked when it was written with icing on her 

birthday cake. 

Narrator Three: And she loved the way it looked when she wrote it herself with her fat 

orange crayon. 


Narrator Four: Chrysanthemum thought her name was absolutely perfect. And then 

she started school. 

Narrator One: On the first day, Chrysanthemum wore her sunniest dress and her 

brightest smile. She ran all the way. 

Chrysanthemum: Hooray! School! 

Narrator Two: But when Mrs. Chud took roll call, everyone giggled upon hearing 

Chrysanthemum’s name. 

Jo: It’s so long! 

Rita: It scarcely fits on your name tag. 

Victoria: I’m named after my grandmother. You’re named after a flower! 

Narrator One: Chrysanthemum wilted. 

Narrator Two: She did not think her name was absolutely perfect. She thought it was 

absolutely dreadful. 

Narrator One: The rest of the day was not much better. 

Narrator Three: During naptime Victoria raised her hand and informed Mrs. Chud that 

Chrysanthemum’s name was spelled with thirteen letters. 

Victoria: That’s exactly half as many letters as there are in the entire alphabet! 

Mrs. Chud: Thank you for sharing that with us, Victoria. Now put your head down. 

Victoria: If I had a name like yours, I’d change it. 

Chrysanthemum: I wish I could. 

Mother: Welcome home! 

Father: Welcome home! 

Chrysanthemum: School is no place for me. My name is too long. It scarcely fits on my 

name tag. And I’m named after a flower! 

Mother: Oh, pish. Your name is beautiful! 

20


Father: And precious and priceless and fascinating and winsome. 

Mother: It’s everything you are. 

Father: Absolutely perfect. 

Narrator Four: Chrysanthemum felt much better after her favorite dinner (macaroni and 

cheese with ketchup) and an evening filled with hugs and kisses and Parcheesi. 

Narrator Three: That night Chrysanthemum dreamed that her name was Jane. It was 

an extremely pleasant dream. 

Narrator One: The next morning Chrysanthemum wore her most comfortable jumper. 

She walked to school as slowly as she could. 

Narrator Two: She dragged her feet in the dirt. 

All four narrators: Chrysanthemum, Chrysanthemum, Chrysanthemum, she wrote. 

Victoria: She even looks like a flower. 

Narrator Two: Chrysanthemum entered the playground. 

Rita: Let’s pick her. 

Jo: Let’s smell her. 

Narrator Four: Chrysanthemum wilted. 

Narrator Three: She did not think her name was absolutely perfect. 

Narrator Four: She thought it was absolutely dreadful. 

Narrator One: The rest of the day was not much better. During naptime, Victoria 

raised her hand and said, 

Victoria: A chrysanthemum is a flower. It lives in a garden with worms and other dirty 

things. 

Mrs. Chud: Thank you for sharing that with us, Victoria. Now put your head down. 

Narrator One: As the students lined up to go home, Victoria said: 

Victoria: I just cannot believe your name. 

Chrysanthemum: Neither can I (miserably) 

Mother: Welcome home! 

Father: Welcome home! 

Chrysanthemum: School is no place for me. They said I even look like a flower. They 

pretended to pick me and smell me. 

21


Mother: Oh, pish. They’re just jealous. 

Father: And envious and begrudging and discontented and jaundiced. 

Mother: Who wouldn’t be jealous of a name like yours 

Father: After all, it’s absolutely perfect. 

Narrator Two: Chrysanthemum felt a trifle better after her favorite dessert (chocolate 

cake with buttercream frosting) and another evening filled with hugs and kisses and 

Parcheesi. 

Narrator One: That night Chrysanthemum dreamed that she really was a 

chrysanthemum. 

Narrator Three: She sprouted leaves and petals. Victoria picked her and plucked the 

leaves and petals one by one until there was nothing left but a scrawny stem. 

Narrator Four: It was the worst nightmare of Chrysanthemum’s life. 

Narrator One: Chrysanthemum wore her outfit with seven pockets the next morning. 

Narrator Two: She loaded the pockets with her most prized possessions and her goodluck 

charms. 

Narrator Three: Chrysanthemum took the longest route possible to school. 

Narrator Four: She stopped and stared at each and every flower. The flowers seemed to 

say, 


Narrator One: That morning the students were introduced to Mrs. Twinkle, the music 

teacher. 

Narrator Two: Her voice was like something out of a dream, as was everything else 

about her. The students were speechless. 

Narrator Three: They thought Mrs. Twinkle was an indescribable wonder. 

Narrator Four: They went out of their way to make a nice impression. 

Narrator Three: Mrs. Twinkle led the students in scales. Then she assigned roles for 

the class musicale. 

Narrator Two: Victoria was chosen as the dainty Fairy Queen. 

Narrator One: 

Rita was chosen as the spiffy Butterfly Princess. 

Narrator Four: Jo was chosen as the all-important Pixie - messenger. 

Narrator Three: And Chrysanthemum was chosen as a daisy. Thinking it was wildly 

funny, Jo, Rita, and Victoria chanted: 

Jo, Rita, and Victoria: Chrysanthemum’s a daisy! Chrysanthemum’s a daisy! 

22


Narrator Two: Chrysathemum wilted. 

Narrator Four: She did not think her name was absolutely perfect. 

Narrator One: She thought it was absolutely dreadful. 

Mrs. Twinkle: What’s so humorous 

Jo, Rita, and Victoria: Chrysanthemum! 

Jo: Her name is so long. 

Rita: It scarcely fits on her nametag. 

Victoria: I’m named after my grandmother. She’s named after a flower! 

Mrs. Twinkle: My name is long. 

Jo: It is 

Mrs. Twinkle: My name would scarcely fit on a name tag. 

Rita: It would 

Mrs. Twinkle: And… I’m named after a flower, too! 

Victoria: You are 

Mrs.Twinkle: Yes. My name is Delphinium. Delphinium Twinkle. And if my baby is a 

girl, I’m considering Chrysanthemum as a name. I think it’s absolutely perfect. 

Narrator One: Chrysanthemum could scarcely believe her ears. 

Narrator Two: 

She blushed. 

Narrator Three: She beamed. 

Narrator Four: She bloomed. 


Narrator One: Jo, Rita, and Victoria looked at Chrysanthemum longingly. 

Jo: Call me Marigold. 

Rita: I’m Carnation. 

Victoria: My name is Lily of the Valley. 

Narrator Three: 

knew it! 

Chrysanthemum did not think her name was absolutely perfect. She 

Narrator Two: Overall, the class musicale was a huge success. 

Narrator Four: 

Chrysanthemum was absolutely perfect as a daisy. 

23


Narrator One: Victoria made the only mistake: She completely forgot her lines as the 

dainty Fairy Queen. 

Narrator Two: Chrysanthemum thought it was wildly funny, and she giggled throughout 

the entire Dance of the Flowers. 

Narrator Three: Eventually, Mrs. Twinkle gave birth to a healthy baby girl. 

All four narrators: And, of course, she named her 

Chrysanthemum, 

Chrysanthemum, 

Chrysanthemum. 

24


Why My Library Book is Overdue: A Fairy Tale 

Curriculum area: Reading / Language Arts, Creative Writing 

Objectives: (Classroom or Library Media Skills) 

• Students will identify the elements of a fairy tale. 

• Students will identify the attributes of a character from a fairy tale. 

• Students will create a story of their own, explaining how the chosen character 

might solve the problem presented. 

Grade level: 3 – 6 

Instructional roles: 

Ideally, this should be a collaborative activity, with both the classroom teacher 

and the library media specialist involved. The library media specialist should select, 

introduce, and read an appropriate fairy tale. Either the teacher or the library media 

specialist can lead a discussion of the characteristics of a fairy tale and the attributes 

of the main character or of any character in the story. 

The teacher will reinforce the discussion of attributes and will monitor the 

writing assignment in the classroom. 

Activity: 

• Choose a picture book fairy tale in which the main character must perform a task, 

solve a problem (or more than one), or reach a goal. 

• What makes this story a fairy tale How is a fairy tale different from any other 

story 

• After reading the book aloud, ask students about the characteristics of the main 

character. Is he / she honest, deceitful, exaggerated, clever, lazy or industrious Is 

he/she inquisitive Does he search for clues What adjectives are used to describe 

the character 

• Now assume that the main character has, by some stretch, visited your library. 

What book or books might he/she check out 

• And how would that individual respond to an overdue notice from the librarian 

(Example: ―But my book was in the straw house when the wolf blew it down!‖) 

Library Media Center 

• Students visit the library to select a fairy tale of their own choosing. 

• Students will read the selected fairy tale and make a list of at least five attributes 

belonging to the main character. 

• Finally, students will write a fairy tale of their own, using the chosen book as a 

model. The character must solve the problem of an overdue library book – either by 

explaining what happened to it or by finding and returning it. Students need not 

use the same character, but they should use the list of attributes that they have built 

to define the main character in their own fairy tale. 

Read and perform The Gold Miner’s Daughter, a Melodramatic Fairy Tale, a Readers‘ 

Theater, found on p.39 - 43 of this Idea Book. 

25


Information Skills - Author search 

Vegetables in your reading garden ~ plant them, please! 

Begin by constructing eighteen ―seed packets.‖ Cut eighteen rectangles of tagboard, 

each about 5‖ x 8‖ or use index cards. Glue each one to a popsicle stick. Find a seed 

catalog, or use pictures online (try www.burpee.com ) and paste pictures of the 

following vegetables, one to a card: 

Corn 

Bell pepper 

Peas 

Broccoli 

Zucchini 

Brussels Sprouts 

Celery 

Carrot 

Cucumber 

Onion 

Leek 

Potato 

Lettuce 

Turnip 

Cabbage 

String Bean 

Radish 

Tomato 

Now make eighteen cards with the following authors‘ names: 

Ellen Weiss Kendall Haven Ruth Krauss 

Aliki Giles Reed Joseph Krumgold 

Joanna Cole Janet Wolf Alexei Tolstoy 

Dan Greenburg Jan Wahl James Howe 

Vicki Leigh Krudwig Linda Taylor Chris L. Demarest 

Toby Speed Arthur Yorinks Max Grover 

For students: 

Each of these authors wrote about a different garden vegetable. Using the catalog or 

OPAC in your library media center, locate titles written by each author. When you 

have found a vegetable about which the author wrote (included in the title), match the 

author card with the seed packet. 

If your library does not have a vegetable book by the author, ask your library media 

specialist to help you find out more about the author through other sources. A public 

library catalog, a book vendor (i.e., Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble), or the author‘s 

website may provide the information you need. 

26


Information Skills - Read My Mind! 

Adapted from School Library Media Activities Monthly, Vol. XXII, Number 3, November 2005 

Tired of teaching dictionary skills Add a touch of magic with a game that encourages 

students to ―read your mind‖ while using their dictionaries. Students will gain an 

understanding of the organizational format of their dictionary and will use guide 

words to find and ―read‖ target words. 

Each student will need an age-appropriate dictionary and a sheet of paper, on which 

they will number one through five. Tell students that they will be able to perform an 

amazing, mystifying, unbelievable task: they will read your mind with just five clues! 

Show the students a small square of paper on which you‘ve written the ―secret word.‖ 

Their job is to figure out what that word is, using the five clues you will give them and 

their dictionaries. The first clue is always the same: ―The word I‘m thinking of today 

begins with the letter _____.‖ 

Once students have opened their dictionaries to the correct section, they must write 

down their first guess---any word that can be found under that letter. (Writing down 

guesses keeps students participating and makes it easier to identify those who are 

lost or struggling.) Call on volunteers to offer their first guesses. 

The next clue gives students the first two letters of the word. At this point, model the 

use of guide words at the top of each page to help narrow down the selection process. 

Again, have students choose a word and write down their next educated guess. Ask a 

student to explain how he/she knows she‘s on the right page. 

Follow a similar routine, this time giving the first three letters, and possibly the first 

four. 

By the fifth clue, students should have a fairly close idea of what the word might be. 

This time, instead of giving a letter clue, provide students with a definition. You 

might say ―The word I‘m thinking of means.....‖ or ―The mystery word would fit in the 

following sentence ...‖ Once again, have students write down and then volunteer their 

guesses. If no one is correct, add another letter to your clues and a reminder of the 

definition, or as an alternate clue, a synonym. Once revealed, you can show students 

the mystery word or have another student read it aloud. 

Have two or three words at hand, and keep a list of possible words (and their 

definitions) easily available. Once students have played the game a few times, they 

can play in pairs or small groups. This also makes an excellent ―sponge‖ activity at 

the beginning of a longer session, and can be used in the classroom or in the library. 

27


A Garden of Stories for the Very Young 

Adapted from an article by Kimberly Faurot, LibrarySparks, May/June 2007 

Plan a springtime of stories with a gardening theme. If you have a storytime table, 

cover it with brown fabric, rumpled to represent the soil of a freshly cultivated 

garden. Display books you plan to read and others that you‘d like students to be 

aware of. Choose books that deal with plants, vegetables, gardening, weather, or with 

Earth Day and the environment. Include both fiction and nonfiction books, picture 

books and chapter books. 

Storytime props: a floppy gardening hat, garden gloves, perhaps a hoe or other 

gardening tool. Make a giant carrot, turnip, or other vegetable from construction 

paper, using tagboard or poster board to back it, making it stiff enough to move 

around during storytime. 

Introduction: 

Hold up a packet of seeds, or several of them. Say something like: ―We‘re going to 

plant some seeds today. They‘re not vegetable seeds, though, and they‘re not flower 

seeds. They‘re a special kind of seed---a story seed. We‘ll plant these seeds in our 

minds and imaginations, and maybe someday some of you will tell and write stories of 

your own.‖ 

Suggested Read Alouds: (PreK - Grade 1) 

• The Giant Turnip, by Aleksey Tolstoy and Niamh Sharkey (Barefoot 

Books, 1999). A traditional Russian tale - a farmer grows a turnip so big 

that it takes the combined efforts of him and his wife, six canaries, five 

geese, four hens, three cats, two pigs, one cow, and one little mouse to pull 

it from the ground. 

• The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss (Harper & Row, 1945) A little boy plants 

and tends a carrot seed, with fabulous results. 

• Sunflower by Miela Ford (Greenwillow Books, 1995 

• One Light, One Sun - sound recording by Raffi; ―In My Garden‖ by Alan 

Arkin and Jeremy Arkin 

• Grow, Flower, Grow! by Lisa Bruce, ill. By Rosalind Beardshaw 

(Scholastic, 2001). When Fran and her dog Fred find a tiny green tip 

growing ina flowerpot filled with soil, they try to help it grow by bringing it 

indoors and giving it some of their own favorite foods (ice cream, pizza, 

spaghetti, cookies, and one of Fred‘s bones). The tip stays tiny until Fran 

becomes disgusted and puts it out of doors. The rain falls, wind blows, and 

sun shines; the tiny sprout grows until one day Fran is surprised by a 

beautiful flower. 

Tell this story with props – a plush dog or puppet, a flower pot with a tiny 

green ―tip‖ protruding from the soil, a piece of plastic pizza, ivory yarn for spaghetti, 

plastic or felt cookies, a big plastic bone or a rawhide one. Have children help you 

create the wind with sound and arm motions, the rain and sun with hands and arms. 

Produce a pot with a beautiful flower, accompanied by lots of barking from Fred. 

28


Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! 

By Candace Fleming; illustrated by G. Brian Karas 

Candace Fleming‘s little book, Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! (2002), a great read-aloud 

for kindergarten through second grade, is Mr. McGreely‘s story of his dream of 

growing a garden. Delighted at the tiny sprouts that begin to emerge, Mr. McGreely 

doesn‘t realize that the very same sprouts are being carefully watched by three little 

bunnies. He resorts to all kinds of barriers to keep the bunnies out, but much to his 

surprise, just when he thinks the bunnies have finally been thwarted, he carries the 

bunny threesome over the wall himself in the basket he‘d planned to use to harvest 

his vegetables. The expressive, onomatopoeic language lends itself well to frequent 

rereadings. 

Extension Ideas: 

Education World features a lesson plan entitled ―Grow a Garden of Opportunity‖ that 

links gardening activityies to math, art, health, history and reading: 

http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr063.shtml 

The National Gardening Association‘s website has ideas to get started in gardening 

with children. The same site has a ten-chapter online primer for parents with lots of 

gardening hints, tips and ideas. Take a look at ―So You Don't Have Time & Space 

For Another Garden Five Projects You Can Do For An Hour Wherever You Are 

(Almost) by Cheryl Dorschner. 

http://www.kidsgardening.com/primer/primer1048.asp 

For kids: 

The children‘s gardening site from the National Garden Association includs activities 

and lots of information. Resources for educators include designing gardens and 

habitats, growing a business garden, and a school garden registry. 

http://www.kidsgardening.com 

For another favorite read-aloud, try Janet Stevens‘ Tops and Bottoms, a classic tale in 

which an ambitious and clever hare is able to outsmart a lazy bear. (The story 

provides a good springboard for discussion of vegetables and what parts of each plant 

we can eat.) 

A wonderful new picture book: 

Living Sunlight: How Plants bring the Earth to Life 

By Molly Bang and Penny Chisholm 

(Scholastic, 2009) 

29


A Recipe for Writing 

Begin by having students bring in copies of their favorite recipes, or borrow recipe 

books from your school library. Display I Eat Vegetables by Hannah Tofts for young 

children, or The Vegetables We Eat by Gail Gibbons, for a discussion about how 

vegetables grow and become food. Explore children‘s cookbooks for recipes featuring 

vegetables. Follow this with Lauren Child‘s I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato (also 

marketed as I Will Not Ever Never Eat a Tomato). 

Next, have students select two or three ingredients from their own recipes and find 

out where those ingredients come from. Are they grown locally Are they fruits or 

vegetables that must be imported from other areas (Can we grow pineapple in 

Nevada) How can you incorporate vegetables in a breakfast menu Our growing 

season in Nevada is very short; where do the fruits and vegetables in the supermarket 

come from, if they aren‘t in season If the cookbooks you‘ve provided contain a wide 

range of recipes, the variety of fruits and vegetables will be greater and the challenge 

will be more fun. If you have a large world map, children can mark the countries from 

which their ingredients come. When the research is complete, have each child write 

his own story modeled on Lauren Child‘s book, including how he/she might persuade a 

―picky eater‖ to eat his vegetables. 

Another resource for this activity might be John Segal‘s Carrot Soup, which includes a 

recipe for carrot soup, or The Giant Carrot by Jan Peck, about growing a huge carrot 

and getting it from the ground. This book also includes a recipe for carrot pudding. 

“Planting Seeds” - Sing to the tune of ―The Farmer in the Dell,‖ and mimic the 

actions suggested by the words. 

The children plant the seeds, 

The children plant the seeds, 

High-ho the derry – o, 

The children plant the seeds. 

Verse 2: The sun comes out to shine... 

Verse 3: The rain begins to fall... 

Verse 4: The seeds begin to grow.. 

Verse 5: The plants grow tall and bloom... 

Verse 6: The vegetables are ripe... 

Verse 7: We eat the yummy food.... 

30


Plant a Poem to Perform 

You can perform a poem for your classmates, your class, your friends, your family. 

Think of the nursery rhymes you know; they‘re the first forms of performance poetry, 

because they were meant to be spoken aloud, memorized, and passed on from one 

child to another. 

Just as you do when reading a story, allow yourself time to think about the poem. 

Who is the speaker Are there characters who appear in the poem Are they human 

or animal (Can inanimate objects be characters) Where does the poem take place 

(if anywhere); in other words, what is its setting Are there actions that you can 

perform as part of your poetry reading The better you know the poem and what it‘s 

about, the more easily you can perform it. 

If you choose to perform a poem with friends, you‘ll need to create a script. Look at 

the meaning of lines as you assign them to different speakers, not just the number of 

lines. If you‘re planning to perform the poem in front of an audience, you‘ll want to 

practice; it‘s much more important to get the timing right, and each reader should 

have a strong sense of the rhythm of the lines. 

You do not have to memorize the poem, but you should be very familiar with it so that 

there is no hesitation as you read. Don‘t hold your copy of the poem in front of your 

face. Begin by introducing yourselves, then the title of the poem and the author‘s 

name. Stand tall and speak confidently. 

Consider poems by Shel Silverstein, Jack Prelutsky, Arnold Lobel, Mary Ann 

Hoberman, James Stevenson, and many others who write poetry for children. 

“Growing Flowers” 

Make little ―growing flowers‖ using small paper cups and flower cutouts (see 

directions on next page ). Together with children, first individually and then chorally, 

read or perform the following poem: 

―Growing Flowers‖ by Kimberly Faurot 

(Hold the cup in one hand, with the flower tucked down out of sight) 

Plant some tiny little seeds, 

(Pretend to drop seeds into the cup) 

Water them and pull the weeds. 

(Make a tiny ―rain shower‖ with your free hand, then pretend to pull the weeds from the cup) 

Let the sun shine down below, 

(Make a sun ―O‖ circle with your hand above the cup) 

And little seeds are sure to grow! 

(Slowly pop up the flower so it gradually appears over the rim of the cup.) 

31


Tiny ―Growing Flowers‖ craft 

Supplies: 

8 oz. paper cups (not styrofoam) 

Flexible green straws 

Light green construction paper, cut into 1 ¼‖ squares 

Colored construction paper, cut into 2 ¼‖ squares, or sized to fit easily down 

into the cup 

Markers, stickers, or pom-poms to be used as the center of the flower 

Glue, scissors, scotch tape 

Poke or cut a drinking-straw sized hole in the center bottom each paper cup. For 

small children, it might work best if this is done by an adult, ahead of time. If you 

wish, make small copies of the poem ―Growing Flowers‖ to glue to the front of the cup. 

1. Give each child a green straw (stem); green construction paper squares (leaves); 

and colored construction paper (flower). Have children draw and cut out the leaves 

and flower and decorate them as they wish. A small pom-pom or other decorative 

item can be used as the center of the flower. 

2. Insert the end of the straw (the end furthest away from the flexible bend) into the 

cup and through the hole in the bottom. The straw should stop at the flexible bend 

and not go through the hole. 

3. Push the straw back up so there is just an inch or so sticking out of the bottom of 

the cup. Children can now attach the flower and leaves to the straw, gluing or taping 

each flower to the end and leaves to the straw below or near the flexible bend. Allow 

glue to dry completely, or reinforce with tape if necessary. 

4. To perform the poem, show students how to gently pull the flower down into the 

cup so the blossom is hidden from view. 

5. Say the poem and ―sprout‖ the flower, pushing the stem upward gently with the 

palm of the hand. 

32


To make a difference to the Planet ~ 

The following is a quote from Lynne Cherry‘s website (www.lynnecherry.com): 

―Children convinced McDonald’s to use recycled cardboard containers instead of foam 

containers. Kids were responsible for getting the tuna fish companies to stop fishing for tuna 

in places where dolphins would get caught in their nets. Children helped to save Belt woods in 

Maryland. Children saved an old growth forest in Michigan and the oldest cypress swamp in 

Coral Springs, Florida. Kids, you can make a difference in the world!‖ 

~ Lynne Cherry 

These are some of Lynne‘s books, a good springboard to any discussion about how students can 

help their schools and homes to ―go green‖ and to make a difference. 

• The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest 

(Harcourt Brace, 2000) 

• How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate: Scientists and Kids 

Explore Global Warming 

(Dawn Publications, 2008) 

• Making a Difference in the World (Lynne Cherry‘s biography) 

(Richard Owen, 2000) 

• A River Ran Wild: An Environmental History 

(Harcourt, 2002) 

Books about Earth Day or Recycling 

Meyer, Mercer. It’s Earth Day! (Little Critter) HarperFestival, 2008 

Murphy, Stuart J. Earth Day – Hooray! (MathStart 3) HarperCollins, 2003 

Nobleman, Marc Tyler. Earth Day (Compass Point Books), 2005 

Kowalski, Gary. Earth Day: An Alphabet Book. Skinner House Books, 2009 

O‘Connor, Jane. Fancy Nancy: Every Day is Earth Day. HarperCollins, 2010 

Ross, Kathy and Sharon Lane Holm. All New Crafts for Earth Day. (K-5) First Avenue 

Editions, 2006. 

Martin, Bill (Jr.). with Michael R. Sampson. Photographs by Dan Lipow. I Love Our 

Earth. Charlesbridge Publishing, 2006. (Grades Preschool – 2) 

Asch, Frank. The Earth and I. Voyager Books, 2008 (Grades Preschool – 2) 

33


More books with an environmental theme: 

Adapted from a list appearing in LibrarySparks, April 2007 

Eco-fun - David Suzuki. (Greystone Books, 2001). Forty-eight activities designed to 

help children learn about the environment. Many of them are science experiments 

punctuated with games and offbeat options like ―Animal Yoga.‖ 

Evergreen, Everblue - Songs by Raffi (1990). An ―oldie but goodie,‖ this collection 

includes songs about respecting and caring for the earth. 

Hoot - Carl Hiaasen (Knopf, 2002). Roy Eberhardt is a middle schooler whose 

family moves a lot. He finds himself in the midst of the adventure of a lifetime, as he 

and two new friends attempt to stop greedy businessmen from developing land that 

houses a protected owl species. A ―must read‖! 

Recycle! A Handbook for Kids - Gail Gibbons (Little, Brown, 1992). Although 

this book is more than eighteen years old, it‘s still relevant. A classic nonfiction book 

for children, Gibbons‘ story provides a visual tour of a landfill and examples of 

recyclable garbage. Upbeat, interesting, with earth-friendly tips. 

Recycled Crafts Box - Laura C. Martin. (Storey Kids, 2003). Fun, artistic projects 

using cast-off items and examples of professional artists who work with recycled 

materials (printed on recycled paper!) 

A River Ran Wild - Lynne Cherry (Harcourt, 1992). A lovely picture book that tells 

the story of the Nashua River from nearly 7,000 years ago until the early 1990s, 

focusing on use, abuse, pollution and clean-up. 

Uno’s Garden - Graeme Base (H.N. Abrams, 2006). Uno loves the unspoiled forest 

and builds a home there. Others follow, and we watch as each added home causes 

problems for plant and animal life. Base shows the loss of balance that results and the 

lessons learned as the forest‘s occupants try to restore that balance. Base‘s beautiful, 

imaginative illustrations include a search for the timid Snortlepig. As always, his 

pages are rich with detail and possibilities for discussion. 

What Planet Are You From, Clarice Bean - Lauren Child (Candlewick Press, 

2002). Wacky illustrations, irrepressible dialogue, and the ever-ingenious Clarice 

Bean, as she opts to join her family as an ―eco-warrior‖ to save a neighborhood tree 

from being destroyed, rather than tackling a boring homework assignment. 

Window - Jeanne Baker (Greenwillow Books, 1991). Although nearly twenty years 

old, this book has become such a classic that it should still be available in libraries. A 

wordless picture book, we see the view through a window as a young boy grows up. 

The scene gradually changes from pristine countryside to the congested, paved-over 

city, until the boy, as a man, looks out another window with his son at a lovely rural 

view with a jarring developer‘s sign across the river. 

34


Windowsill gardening 

Select several fiction and nonfiction books about plants, seeds, and gardens to share with 

students. Talk about what plants need to grow, and why gardens are important to our world. 

(Do students realize where the food found in the grocery store comes from) Using clear 

plastic cups and potting soil, help students plant individual seeds of their own. (Beans or 

Lima beans are a good choice; they sprout quickly and are relatively easy to grow.) Clear 

plastic cups should allow a chance for observation; children should be able to observe root 

growth. Number the cups for easy reference. 

• What do plants need to grow successfully 

• Allow students to keep a daily journal (a five-minute write near the beginning of the day) 

in which they record their observations and conclusions about the sprouting plants (and 

anything else that might seem relevant). 

• Place some plants in various locations to observe how they grow. Create questions with 

students – students may come up with original questions, or you can ask some or all of the 

following: 

-- Will seeds grow well with very little sunlight 

-- Will seeds grow well if they‘re watered once a week 

-- Will seeds grow well if they‘re watered every other day 

-- Does the location of the plant make a difference in how much water it uses 

-- Which seeds sprouted first / last (Let students speculate on what make 

the difference... location, watering, sunlight, temperature) 

-- What part did the location in the classroom seem to play in the 

development of each seed 

-- On which date were the roots visible On which date were the leaves 

noticeable 

-- Which plants seem to be growing the least Why do you think this is true 

-- Allow a few plants to dry out.... that is, so that the soil is dry... and then water 

them before the plants begin to wilt. Allow these plants to almost dry out before 

every watering. Compare these with other plants watered at different intervals. 

Get the Green! 

March is a ―green‖ month. Create a matching game of green words and expressions: 

(Match the words or phrases on the left with their meanings on the right. 

1. Green thumb a. Jealous or envious 

2. Green with envy b. Permission to go 

3. Greenback c. A waiting room for performers in a theater 

4. Putting green d. A beginner 

5. Going green e. Something new or better 

6. Green Day f. U.S. dollar bill, money 

7. Greener pastures g. A rock band 

8. Greenhorn h. Good with plants 

9. Green light i. In golf, an area in which to practice putting 

10. Green tea j. Supporting the environment 

11. Green room k. A drink made from unfermented leaves 

35


All about You 

The autobiographical poem has appeared in many forms in many past Reading 

Week booklets. This version is a longer one, using many sensory details. 

Autobiographical poetry 

Title: (Your name) 

I am 

I wonder about 

I hear 

I see 

I want to 

I am 

Sometimes I pretend 

I feel 

I touch 

I worry about 

I cry when 

I am 

I understand 

I say 

I dream 

I try 

I hope 

I am 

(two special characteristics you have; use adjectives) 

(something you are actually curious about 

(a sound, real or imaginary) 

(an imaginary sight, something you recall or have seen) 

(something you‘d like to do) 

(the first line of the poem repeated) 

(something you occasionally pretend to do or be) 

(a feeling or emotion about something imaginary) 

(an imaginary touch, an object or something that has a 

unique sense of touch – rough, scratchy, soft) 

(something that really bothers you) 

(something that might make you sad) 

(the first line of the poem repeated 

(something you know is true) 

(something you really believe in) 

(something you dream about or wish for) 

(something that you make an effort to do or be) 

(something that you actually hope for) 

(the first line of the poem repeated) 

When students have written and edited their poems, have them copy the poem on 

chart paper and add illustrations around the border, illustrating each line. Post 

poems in the hall or classroom, perhaps with a class photo. 

Writing autobiographies can be a long-term project, or the subject of journal writing. 

You can include early childhood memories, places you‘ve lived, school experiences, 

family and friends, stories about favorite pets, stories of embarrassing moments or 

times when you‘ve felt proud of what you did, plans and expectations, or even plans 

for the future. 

36


Onion Snow 

By Bobbi Katz 

I wake to heavy quiet this April morning: 

A special weighted sound. 

Outside my window snowflakes fall 

softly, softly feathering the ground--- 

softly, softly bearding the daffodils. 

Grandma always called it onion snow. 

Arriving when wild onions have 

started to grow, 

those foolish fat flakes don‘t 

seem to know 

they are too late for winter 

and misfits in spring. 

―Come listen to that onion snow!‖ 

she would have said. 

―Have you ever heard such a silence‖ 

37

Reading Week Activities - Nevada Reading Week

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