Open Wide, Look Inside

Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes, is a story about a little mouse who loves going to school and always follows the rules. She even wants to be a teacher when she grows up! One day, Lilly comes to school with a purple purse, cute sunglasses, and shiny quarters, and when she is unable to hold in her enthusiasm a few consequences follow her actions.

"Throughout the rest of the day, Lilly’s purse and quarters and sunglasses were tucked safely inside her desk. She peeked at them often but did not disturb a soul.”

Curriculum Connections
Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse would be a great book to introduce the importance for having and following rules. Teachers can also emphasize other English concepts such as oral and writing skills by having students write or speak about a time when they did something that resulted in a bad consequence, or something which they regretted. Students should recognize that breaking these rules will have consequences. Teachers can also integrate math skills such as coin recognition into a lesson using this story.

Additional Resources

• Story recall activity: Students must color and cut out the items that Lilly had in her purse and glue them on the purse template.
• Students should write about a time when they did something that they regretted. What were the consequences of their actions?
• Read the story with your students the first week of school. Then, hand out the assignment for your students to create their own “purse” (bookbags for boys). Inside the purse should be a few selected items that reflect their uniqueness. Have students present their purses and bookbags to the class.
• Counting worksheet using items found in the book
• Coin recognition and value worksheet (also includes story recall)

Book: Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse
Author: Kevin Henkes
Illustrator: Kevin Henkes
Publisher: Greenwillow Books; 1st edition
Publication Date: 1996
Pages:32
Grade Range: K-3
ISBN: 0688128971

Zip, Zip…Homework written and illustrated by Nancy Poydar

Zip, Zip…Homework by Nancy Poydar tells the story of Violet – a young student with a new backpack.  Violet gets a new backpack just for homework with lots of pockets.  She practices zipping, snapping, and velcroing all the pockets in her backpack every night – just in case she gets some homework to put in them.  Finally, Ms. Patience, Violet’s teacher, assigns homework.  Unfortunately, Violet loses it and instead of admitting her mistake, she chooses to lie and gets caught.  In the end, Ms. Patience teaches Violet a valuable lesson about being truthful.

“When recess time came, Ms. Patience said, ‘Violet, the truth is more important than homework, you know.’  Violet never imagined Ms. Patience saying that.  ‘I kept the truth zipped up,’ said Violet.  ‘But did you lose the truth?’ asked Ms. Patience.  ‘No,’ said Violet, and she told Ms. Patience the truth.”

“That night Violet told her parents the truth.  It was her special homework assignment, and it was harder than the homework she didn’t do the night before.”

Curriculum Connections:
Zip, Zip…Homework is a great book to read to younger students when discussing some qualities of a good citizen – practicing honesty and trustworthiness, taking responsibility for one’s actions, and demonstrating self-discipline.  This book correlates nicely with the Virginia History and Social Science Standards of Learning for K.8, 1.10, and 2.10.

Additional Resources:
Trustworthiness lesson:  This pdf document provides an idea to teach younger students about trustworthiness by asking leading questions and having them draw pictures.

Honesty worksheet:   This link includes a free worksheet of questions about honesty.

Responsibility lesson plan:   This lesson plan encourages students to take responsibility for their actions instead of making up excuses.  There are some nice questions and discussion prompts included in this lesson.

Character Counts Values Jar:  This is an idea for a whole class incentive to be good citizens.  Anytime a teacher catches a student being trustworthy, honest, caring, respectful, responsible, or generally a good citizen, a color-coded marble will be placed in a jar.  Once the jar is full, the class will be rewarded.

General Information:
Book: Zip, Zip…Homework
Author: Nancy Poydar
Illustrator: Nancy Poydar
Publisher: Holiday House, Inc.
Publication Date: September 2008
Pages: 32
Grade Range: K-2
ISBN-10: 0823420906
ISBN-13:  978-0823420902

Wouldn’t our world be a better place if everyone treated each other as we would like to be treated? I think this is a very important concept that should be taught in our classrooms. The book, Albert the Fix-it Man, is a perfect introduction to the Golden Rule for students. 

 This book is about a selfless man, Albert, who loves to fix things. He takes great joy in helping others and “Albert’s always on the lookout for things to fix.”  He is someone that his neighbors can count on to be there for them. Throughout the book, Albert helps Auntie Miller, Mr. Jensen, Akiko, and Mrs. Peabody with various tasks.   One day, he wakes up in the morning with a cold. His thoughtful newspaper boy realizes that Albert is sick so “Sam tells everyone on his paper route that Albert the Fix-it Man is not feeling well.” Once Albert’s neighbors hear that he isn’t feeling well, they all pitch in to surprise him with a get well visit. “Albert starts to feel better the moment he sees all of his friends. After a meal of fresh beans, hot apple pie, and minty tea, he feels even better.” His kindness was rewarded with kindness. 

Albert the Fix-it Man is a wonderful book to use to teach civics to kindergarten, first and second grade classrooms. This book teaches students how to help others and treat others with respect (VA SOL 1.10a). It also describes actions that can improve the school and community (VA SOL 2.10c).  I really like how the characters in the book are diverse. This book truly is a great classroom addition.

Additional Resources:

• Here is a link to a lesson on teaching children to be helpful. I love how they introduced puppets to role-play how they can be helpful at home and in the classroom. 
• This is a lesson about Respect but it can also be altered to include the Golden Rule. I think this would be very helpful in teaching students to treat others as they would like to be treated.
• The Manner’s Club website includes a good manner’s pledge that would be a great addition to any lesson on respect. This site also has songs that can downloaded for a small fee.

Book: Albert the Fix-it Man
Author: Janet Lord
Illustrator: Julie Paschkis
Publisher: Peachtree Publishers
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 32
Grade Range: K-3
ISBN: 1561454338

Woodrow, The White House Mouse written and illustrated by Peter W. Barnes and Cheryl Shaw Barnes chronicles the presidency of Woodrow G. Washingtail.  The book follows President Washingtail and his family, First Lady Bess, and his children Truman, Franklin, Quentin, Kermit, Dolley, Millie, George and Art as they get to know the White House and the duties of  the President.  Woodrow, The White House Mouse explains  the duties of the president and the intricacies of The White House by using poetry on every page.  The illustrations in this adorable and cleverly written book highlight The State Room, The Oval Office, The East Room, The Red Room, The Green Room, and The Blue Room at Christmas.  The students will enjoy learning about the Departments of the Government and what it takes to pass a bill.  This is the perfect book for helping students understand the jobs and roles of the President and the different Departments of Government.

Here are a few excerpts from the book.

• “So on a cold winter’s day, with the most solemn respect, two presidents swore to preserve and protect, our nation, our freedoms, out flag see it wave- our land of the free and our home of the brave.” (pg. 3)
• “The President has a big job, you’ll agree- many places to go, many people to see.  In the great Oval Office, he does all his thinkin’- And Woodrow, they say, is as smart as Abe Lincoln!” (pg. 12)
• “The President is required to study each “bill”, that Congress delivers from Capitol Hill.  If he signs it, a bill becomes law-it’s approved.  If he gives it a “veto,” it’s rejected, removed.” (pg. 29)

Curriculum Connections:
Woodrow, The White House Mouse is an easy-read with wonderful illustrations to help students in kindergarten, first grade, second grade, and third grade to learn about civics. For kindergartners, this book will help them recognize the American flag and know  that the President is the leader of The United States. (VA SOL K.9)   First graders will recognize the symbols and traditional practices that honor and foster patriotism in the United States by identifying the American flag, and the Washington Monument. (VA SOL 1.1)  Second graders will explain the responsibilities of a good citizen, with emphasis on demonstrating self-discipline and self reliance, and practicing honesty and trustworthiness.  (VA SOL 2.10)  Woodrow, The White House Mouse will help third graders recognize the importance of government in the community, Virginia, and the United States of American by explaining that the basic purposes of government are to make laws, carry out laws, and decide if laws have been broken.  (VA SOL 3.10)  Furthermore, the book will help students explain the importance of the basic principles that form the foundation of a republican for of government by describing the individual rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; and equality under the law.  (VA SOL 3.11)

Additional Resources

• If you have access to a computer in your classroom, this slide show of concepts is a good way for students in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade to learn the basics about our government, specifically the Constitution, the executive branch, the legislative branch and the judicial branch.  You can also click on different categories and different age ranges for more information.
• If you are looking for another great book to help your students understand more specific information like The Bill of Rights or The First Amendment, or political figures like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Alexander Hamilton, then you should read The Bill Of Rights written by Norman Pearl.
• Scholastic offers several links to websites all aimed at helping students understand different parts of government.  Scholastic offers links to every topic from Presidents (past and present), to first ladies, to constitutional rights.  My favorite link is Seven Roles of One President.

Book: Woodrow, The White House Mouse
Authors: Peter Barnes and Cheryl Barnes
Illustrators: Peter Barnes and Cheryl Barnes
Publisher: Vacation Spot Pub.; 2nd edition
Publication Date: November 1998
Pages: 32 Pages
Grade Range: Kindergarten, First Grade, Second Grade, and Third Grade
ISBN: 978-0963768896

D is for Democracy, written by Elissa Grodin, is a creative alphabet story that highlights principle facts about our nation’s government, our rights as citizens in America, and important individuals who have made a difference in the history of our nation.  On each page there is a short text which reflects the letter of the alphabet as well as a beautiful illustration by Victor Juhasz.  On the side of each page there is a more in depth explanation about the topic described in the shorter text.  The short text gives a brief defintion of a term to the readers while making it fun to read with whitty, rhyming sentences.  At the end of the story there is a brief section where young readers are given suggestions as to how to become an active citizen in our democracy.

• “E is for Elections- We’re guaranteed this right.  It often gets exciting counting votes all night.” (pg. 8 )
• “S is for the Senate that helps communicate the needs of all the people from every single state.” (pg. 25)
• “Ask family members if they know the three R’s of being a good citizen: the Right to have and express your own opinion, Respect for other peoples’ rights, and the Responsibility to protect the rights of every citizen.” (pg. 35)

Curriculum Connections:

D is for Democracy would be a great introduction to a unit on government.  Many of the vocabulary words used in a government lesson or unit are found in this story so reading some of these terms would help familiarize students with their definitions.  The story also portrays many influential people in our nation’s history so it would benefit the students to know who they are and what their contributions were.  D is for Democracy would work hand- in- hand with Virginia SOLs 2.10, 3.10, and 3.11 for civics in which students recognize the responsibilities of a good citizen, the importance of government, and the importance of the basic principles that form the foundation of a republican form of government.

Additional Resources:

• This lesson plan takes students on a tour of their school and forces them to take a good look at the rules that are enforced.  They then compare these rules to the “rules” built into the U.S. Constitution.
• In this activity, students learn about the landmark First Amendment case Tinker vs. Des Moines.  They read about it, reflect on the case, and then act out the case during class.
• Students will make a Class Citizenship Tree in this lesson by completing the sentence, “I can help others by doing…”  After compiling a class list of good citizenship, each student picks an act that he or she will complete over the next couple weeks.

General Information:
Book: D is for Democracy
Author: Elissa Grodin
Illustrator: Victor Juhasz
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Publication Date: August 1, 2004
Pages: 40
Grade Range: 3- 6
ISBN: 9781585362349

Introduction
America: A Patriotic Primer is written by Lynne Cheney.  This book gives a great over-sweep of American history by going through each letter of the alphabet and giving a word or phrase for each letter.
Summary
This book begins with “A” is for America and continues through all 26 letters of the alphabet.  The book introduces a variety of topics as it contains information about different people, places,and  abstract ideals and values.
Here is what it said for the letter “F”:

“F is for Freedom and the flag that we fly”

It then continues to have an excerpt from the “Pledge of Allegiance” as well as a diagram on how to fold a flag.
I would recommend this book for the students to look through because there is a lot for the students to look at; not only is there the central letter and a depiction, there are quotes around the outside, different maps, pictures with labels, etc.  It would be good for the students to look at on their own time.

Curriculum Connections
This book is probably most suitable for younger primary grades such as K-2.  It is a good basic introduction of several different documents, people, topics, etc and how they are related to America’ history.  This can be linked to VA SOL 1.10, and 1.20.

Additional Resources
1.  This is link to a similar type of “introduction o American history” as the America: A Patriotic Primer book.  Ben Franklin will take you through all the letters of the alphabet simply by just clicking.
2.  This website has several different categories in which students can “meet amazing Americas, jump back in time, and explore the states”
3.  Here is a list of topics for lesson plans for all different ages and categories

General Information
Title: America: A Patriotic Primer
Author: Lynne Cheney
Illustrator: Robin Preiss Glasser
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing
Publication #: May 2002
Page: 40 Pages
Grade Range: K-2
ISBN #: 0689851928

The book The Flag We Love is a great introduction for young children on learning about one of the important symbols of the United States, the American flag. This book discusses why it’s important, where it originated, and places where the American flag is seen.  It has beautiful pictures and is a rhyming book. There is extra information about the American flag at the bottom of each page that can be used with older children. With younger children the simple rhymes on each page can are sufficient enough to learn the basic concepts.

Curriculum Connections:

The Flag We Love can be used as a great introduction to the important symbols of our country. It can also be incorporated around holidays such as Memorial Day, Flag Day, and Veterans Day. This book can cover VA SOLs K.9 and 1.11.

Additional Resources:

• Scholastic has a good lesson plan idea for children to learn about the American flag and recite the book as a class for parents.
• Pam Munoz Ryan has a page devoted to math activities that can be used with the book The Flag We Love
• Apples4theteacher has some great pages devoted to the American flag. This page includes many different American flags that can be colored online and then printed easily by children.

Title: The Flag We Love
Author:  Pam Munoz Ryan
Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing
Publication Date: 1996
Pages: 32
Grade Range: K-1st
ISBN:9780881068450