Literature Based Reading Activities

1. Engaging Students
with
Children’s Literature

2. Book Discussions . . .
1.promote “grand conversations;”
2.help develop or activate background
knowledge;
3.provide opportunities for reading, writing,
speaking, and listening;
4.promote higher level thinking;
5.allow for heterogeneous groups;
6.involve english-language learners.

3. Pre-reading activities

4. Anticipation Guide
It is OK to hurt one
person to protect many.
______________________
You should never do
something that your
parents have forbidden.______________________
It would be
wonderful to live
forever.
Disagree
__________
Agree
____________

5. Opinionaires/Questionnaires
What words best describe a bully?
___ heroic ___ wise guy___ mean
___ conceited___ unloved___ spoiled
___ babyish___ poor ___ wealthy

6. Listed below are a few incidents that make
some people feel bad. Which of them make
you feel bad?
___ When someone you love is ashamed of
you.
___ When people call you names.
___ When people act as if they are better than
you.
___ When you are punished for something you
did that you should not have done.

7. Contrast Charts
Good Day
1. Had a good lunch
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Bad Day
1.Forgot my lunch
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

8. Immigrants
Problems Traditions
Ethnic Groups

9. KWL Chart
What we learnedWhat we want to
know
What we know

10. Preview/Predict/Confirm Chart
bronco
Cattle
Boots
Hat
Clothes
Horse
cowboy
Appeared in text?
No
Appeared in text?
Yes
Word Predictions

11. Book Boxes
Book Bits
Visuals/Web Sites

12. During the Reading

13. Literature Maps
Questions
Will the baby bird find his mother?
Will the baby bird get hurt?
Will the baby bird get lost?
Possible Mothers
Kitten
Hen
Dog
Cow
Baby Bird
Breaks out of shell
Leaves nest and falls
Can’t fly
Wants to find his mother
Mother Bird
Cares about her baby
Goes off to find food

14. Character Map
Wilbur
Pig
Planned his day
Lonely
No friends
Wants love
Templeton
Rat
Likes to eat, spy,
hide
Not a merrymaker
Crafty
Wants to be
Friends
rude

15. Character Webs
Doctor
DeSoto
cautious
Puts pole in fox’s
mouth to keep it open
Usually won’t
treat dangerous
animals

16. Character Perspective Charts
Main Character: Frances
Problem: Her mother
is serving foods
other than her
favorite bread and
jam
Main Character: Mother
Problem: Her
daughter won’t try
new foods

17. Double-Entry Journal
Interesting
information
The strongest
animal is an ant.
It can carry five
times its weight.
Response
I can’t believe the
ant is such a
strong animal! I
watch them in my
yard. They do
carry pretty big
things.

18. Reading Log
Does anything in this chapter remind you
of something that’s happened to you?
I guess I’m really lucky. I have been
going to this school since
kindergarten. I can just imagine how
awful it would be to leave your friends
and move to a new place.

19. Partner Journal
Dear Journal Partner:
This book is so cool! I have a diary, but I’m
not very good about writing in it. Do you
suppose someone will want to publish it . .
Dear Partner:
I don’t know who the phantom is. The
book tells about bound boys who
should . . .

20. Character Journal
Student entry:
I can’t stand it. Dad’s making me take
this dog back to that mean Judd
Travers. Poor dog. I can tell he ain’t
been treated right.

21. Feelings Chart
Scared
Frightened
terrified
Scared
Afraid
Panid
Afraid
Hopeful
Thankful
The huge tidal wave
strikes the beach.
Excited
Surprised
Unlucky
Anxious
Puzzled
Curious
Awful
Bad
Sad
Ojiisan sets fire to the
rice fields.
Thankful
Secure
lucky
Glad
Happy
playful
Content
Satisfied
Happy
The water was calm and
the village children
played in the gentle
waves.
VillagersTadaOjiisanEvents

22. Contrast Chart
Reasons why Ira should
take his teddy bear:
He’s never slept
without it.
They’re going to tell
scary stories.
His friend’s house is
very dark.
Reasons why Ira should
not take his teddy
bear:
His friend will laugh
at him.
He’ll think Ira is a
baby.
His friend will laugh
at the bear’s name.

23. Post-reading Activities

24. Polar Opposites
Ferdinand is
HappyX____sad
He seems to be very happy as long as he can sit and smell
flowers.
HealthyX____unhealthy
He is big and strong which means he must be healthy.
Fierce____Xtame
Ferdinand likes to sit. He is not interested in fighting.

25. Quotation Shares
•Each student selects passage to share
•Practices reading aloud
•Shares with group
•Tells why he/she chose the passage

26. Literary Report Card
Omri spent too much time
thinking about Little Bear.
CAttentiveness in school
Omri took excellent care of
Little Bear.
AResponsibility
Omri solved many problems such
as how to feed and provide
shelter.
ACreativity
Omri valued the Indian as a real
person with real feelings.
ARespect for others
Omri constructed a beautiful
tepee for the Indian.
AArts and Crafts
CommentGrade
Omri
Area

27. Plot Organizer
The war
ends.
Annemarie
learns
Uncle
Henrik
explains
the
Resistance
Peter visits
after
curfew and
tells the..
Calm
Running
from home,
Ellen, Anne,
marie . . .
Interesting
Exciting
Annemarie
is stopped
and
questions . .
WOW!

28. World Wheels
Hopscotch
India
Throw and kick
the Puck
Drawn in soft red
clay
China
“one foot flying
Machine”
Great Britain
In the shape of
A wheel
5 pebbles used
France
In the shape
of a snail
No puck
used
Trinidad
Called jumby
or duppy
Use jumby
beans

29. Venn Diagrams
Fruit Bats
Sleep hanging by feet
Like to eat fruit
Can’t land on feet
Sleep during day
Can see at night
Birds
Sleep in nest
Like to eat bugs
Land on feet
Sleep at night
Can’t see at night
Animals
Can fly
Eat
sleep

30. Book Charts
It is important to
keep your word.
The magistrateMargaret LeafEyes of the
Dragon
Don’t just stand
by when other
are doing cruel
things.
MaddieEleanor EstesThe Hundred
Dresses
War isn’t fun.
War doesn’t
solve problems.
PeterRobert K. SmithThe War With
Grandpa
LessonCharacterAuthorTitle