Teacher’s Guide Sampler
Welcome to Your Teacher’s Guide Sampler! The Byron V. Garrett Life and Literacy Skills Library is centered around five essential themes: Understanding Myself, Managing Myself, Respecting Others, Building Relationships, and Making Decisions. The Teacher’s Guide is designed to help you guide students and families toward academic achievement and personal success through whole-class, partner, and individual reading. The Teacher’s Guide supports educators with: • Strategies for using the five essential themes as springboards for reading and discussion • Suggestions for helping all learners build their language and literacy skills • Instructional supports for using take-home books as interactive read-alouds • Tips for encouraging families to engage and read with their children
The Byron V. Garrett Life and Literacy Skills Library Teacher’s Guide Sampler Table of Contents
Contents.................................................................................................... 3
Welcome Letter from Byron V. Garrett................................................ 4
Why This Collection?............................................................................... 6
The Take-Home Books in Your Classroom........................................ 8
Five Themes to Explore Life and Literacy Skills................................ 10
Using Your Library.................................................................................. 11
Website Resources................................................................................. 13
Teacher’s Guide Sampler 1
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2 Byron V. Garrett Life and Literacy Skills Library
Table of Contents
Welcome
4
Why This Collection?
6
Your Classroom Library Components
8
Five Themes To Explore Life and Literacy Skills
10
Using Your Library
14
The Take-Home Books in Your Classroom
16
Using the Read-Aloud Lesson
18
The Importance of the Take-Home Book and Family Engagement
20
Using the Read Together Book Prompts
22
Supporting All Learners
24
Using Your Website Resources
26
Assessing Life and Literacy Skills in the Classroom
28
Research Base
30
Bibliography
32
Teacher’s Guide • 3
Teacher’s Guide Sampler 3
Welcome
Dear Educator,
Being the youngest in a busy family, I often used reading books as a vehicle to experience the world by transporting my imagination to faraway places. It was then that I developed an appreciation for books and how the stories helped me to visualize what my future would be like when I was older. And, I can honestly say that I have traveled to cities and countries as an adult that
I imagined visiting while I was reading about them as a child. More importantly, I saw books in my house because both of my parents were in professions where they were reading all the time, in preparation for a sermon, for a case report, or just reading the newspaper. Thankfully, because of my imagination, which was fueled by a love of reading, my career and life goals were set and eventually realized. The Byron V. Garrett Life and Literacy Skills Library will inspire our students to read with greatness and success in mind. As educators of today’s young minds, you are invited to join me on this journey of empowering your students with literacy that gives them access right now to a world they can only visualize with their imaginations. For students, the texts and supports in this library will help them recognize the skills that serve people well throughout their lives and launch their futures, unlocking their minds to think of where they could be and what they can become. They will see and read books in the classroom and then be able to take a book home to read with their family/caregivers. It is essential to students' achievement that we engage family/caregivers so that reading becomes a consistent part of their daily routine.
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4 Byron V. Garrett Life and Literacy Skills Library
This guide will also help educators to lay the foundation for career development. When students begin to develop an understanding of themselves, respect others, self-manage, build relationships, and make good decisions, their chances for success in school and in the workplace will increase. And believe me, as one who has supervised employees at all levels, these “soft skills” are in need of improvement for many working adults. As a former K–8 school principal and a passionate advocate for education, I believe everyone has an obligation and an opportunity to serve the best interests of our nation’s most precious resource—our children. Let’s make a commitment to empower our students with literacy and use the Byron V. Garrett Life and Literacy Skills Library as the resource for igniting an appreciation for books, for reading, and for life-long learning.
Miles to go and promises to keep,
Byron V. Garrett
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Teacher’s Guide Sampler 5
Why This Collection?
The Byron V. Garrett Life and Literacy Skills Library includes books for PreK through Grade 5. At each grade level, the library features lively, appealing books perfect for read-alouds, paired reading, and independent reading. The books in this library have been selected because they demonstrate the importance of key life skills such as persistence, creativity, problem-solving, collaboration, and more. These library books have been categorized into five distinct themes, with an additional Take-Home Book that encompasses all themes. By having the Byron V. Garrett Life and Literacy Skills Library in your classroom, you are providing children access to a classroom library and Take-Home Books that support their development as readers and members of communities in the classroom, the neighborhood, and eventually the workplace. “Survey employers and they will tell you that while technical skills are necessary, employability skills—including responsible behavior, interpersonal skills, and communication skills— are what they struggle to find, particularly in young workers.” Byron V. Garrett
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6 Byron V. Garrett Life and Literacy Skills Library
LIFE SKILLS IN THE CLASSROOM AND BEYOND The World Health Organization defines life skills as “abilities for adaptive and positive behavior that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life” (World Health Organization, 2020). Life skills enable a person to translate knowledge, attitudes, and values into actual abilities (Saravanakumar, 2020). Life skills can prepare an individual to better understand themselves and others, to make better decisions, and to handle internal and external pressures. By introducing life skills in the classroom through literacy and discussion, children can set themselves up for success in the classroom, and lay the groundwork for success in their future careers. According to a 2016 jobs report by the World Economic Forum, an estimated 65 percent of children entering elementary school will end up working in jobs that don’t yet exist (World Economic Forum, 2016). While it may be difficult to pinpoint the specific technical skills needed for these new jobs, there is a set of skills employers seek, year in and year out, even in this changing landscape. The life skills children can learn in the classroom and at home can translate into their careers as adults.
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The Take-Home Books in Your Classroom
The Take-Home Book for each grade is paired with a Read-Aloud Lesson (available digitally) that you can use with your class. This Read-Aloud Lesson is an introductory activity to get students thinking about how empowering life skills can be in a variety of situations. This discussion is foundational for thinking about the book being read, as well as other books in the library.
Rita and Ralph are the best of friends! But when something unexpected happens, their friendship is tested. Rita & Ralph’s Rotten Day shows children how to navigate their friendships during conflict and what it takes to maintain healthy relationships through rhythm, repetition, and text features. Danbi and her family recently immigrated to America. Danbi Leads the School Parade follows Danbi on her first day of school. Danbi’s excited but also very nervous! This book explores the uncertainty of learning the customs and routines in a brand-new environment. Danbi figures out how to celebrate her differences, bringing everyone together. Jabari is determined to build a fantastic machine that can fly across the whole backyard. He insists he can do it alone. But when his machine crashes and Jabari gets frustrated, his father teaches him ways to calm down and refocus. He also suggests that Jabari try working with a partner: his little sister, Nika. Jabari Tries is a gentle story about keeping calm in the face of a problem, and the good things that can happen when people work together. This inspiring picture book biography talks about the accomplishments of world-renowned Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo, by examining her relationships with her animalitos—her little animals—throughout her life. Through vibrant illustrations and text, readers will learn about Frida’s many admirable qualities, her use of self-reflection, and her determination to succeed and create art despite setbacks.
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8 Byron V. Garrett Life and Literacy Skills Library
On the playground one day, Jack tells his teacher, Miss Jane, all about the amazing school he would build if he were given the chance. Told in humorous rhyme, If I Built a School is a whimsical story about making decisions for the benefit of the group—and in the name of fun.
This inspiring picture biography talks about the accomplishments of Benjamin Banneker (1731–1806), who was born a free man in Maryland during a time when many African Americans were enslaved. Benjamin was very curious about the world around him. After examining a pocket watch, Benjamin decides he wants to build his own striking clock. Using his mathematical skills, his powers of observation and problem-solving, and the resources from his own backyard, Benjamin succeeds in building a clock after nearly two years of work. Ticktock Banneker’s Clock gives readers a glimpse into the life of a man who persevered despite setbacks and used his ingenuity and organizational skills to achieve a goal. From her first climbs at the age of six, Ashima Shiraishi has shown an extraordinary gift for rock climbing, and gradually gained fame and awards because of it. The way she “solves problems”—her way of thinking of a rock climb—makes it seem easy. But in this first-person narrative, Ashima describes the immense effort, imagination, and mental discipline that must be applied to each climb.
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Teacher’s Guide Sampler 9
Five Themes To Explore Life and Literacy Skills
The key ideas explored in this library are centered around five essential themes:
Understanding Myself
Managing Myself
Respecting Others
Building Relationships
Making Decisions
These themes provide springboards for reading and discussion, allowing students to connect to concepts that resonate with their lives. The themes provide a lens for reading both the books in the Byron V. Garrett Life and Literacy Skills Library as well as other books in your classroom library and beyond. On the following pages, read more about these themes and how to discuss them with students.
“We live in an ever-changing world, so it’s our job as educators to prepare children to tackle not only current problems, but anticipate the dynamic landscape of our students’ futures.” —Byron V. Garrett
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Using Your Library
Explicitly teaching life skills as well as literacy skills increases children's self-awareness and self-confidence, helps them with decision-making, and helps them form healthier social relationships. Literature can offer a perfect tool for teaching these skills. Students can analyze complex literary characters, discussing character feeling, thought, decision-making, action, growth, and change throughout a story. Below are some tips for incorporating life and literacy skills instruction into your literacy block.
WHOLE-CLASS READING A whole-class read-aloud is especially effective for introducing a skill or concept that every student needs to learn. • Before reading, front-load with
information you want students to focus on. This could be vocabulary
words, a skill, a concept, a related text, a picture or video, a story element, or a character trait. • Differentiate between a character trait and a feeling. Have students practice identifying both!
• Have students evaluate character perspectives, motivations, and decisions. What could the character have done differently? At which point? Why? How would it change the story? • PreK and Kindergarten: After reading aloud, invite students to share what they admired most about the characters in the story.
THE IMPORTANCE OF BOOK TALKS A book talk includes the title, author, and enough information about the book to interest your students. An enticing “hook” can capture attention in the classroom. You may choose to hook readers by talking about the cover, sharing a quote from the book, or reading an intriguing opening passage. Ask students to discuss. Would they be compelled to pick up the book and read? What would they like to find out about the book?
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Teacher’s Guide Sampler 11
PARTNER READING Partner reading offers the opportunity for students to practice working together in pairs. This technique can be applied around midyear for PreK students who are learning about sharing and communicating with classmates. Older students can choral-read (reading simultaneously), echo- read (taking turns reading the same paragraph, page, or whole book), or alternate-read (taking turns reading alternate paragraphs or pages).
• Gather pairs of books and put students into groups of two. Have students look through their books together and help them talk about the themes. Encourage students to learn something new about their reading partners. • Play interview. One partner gets to pretend to be a character from the story; the other partner gets to interview him or her about his or her thoughts, feelings, and actions. Then they switch! • Opinion share. Students can share how they feel about a character with one another using evidence from the text and inference to support their points of view. • PreK and Kindergarten: Toward the middle of the school year, PreK students may be ready to work with a partner. Those PreK students and Kindergartners can meet in pairs to point out moments from the book when a character made a good decision or was able to solve a problem. INDIVIDUAL READING Individual reading offers students an opportunity to think about and internalize life skills. • While reading, write questions on sticky notes about a character’s actions and decisions. • Write a diary entry from the perspective of a character. • Examine a relationship between two or more characters. How did it grow, evolve, and change? • Write about a similar situation that has happened to you, or imagine you were in the story. Did you feel the same way as the character? Did you choose the same actions? Why or why not?
• Confer with students one on one. Ask students to share what skills they admire about the protagonist in the book they are reading. Ask students: What does this book make you think about? • PreK: Invite students to tell about the book and point out favorite characters or events. • Kindergarten: Draw a picture of a character from the book solving a problem or helping another character.
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12 Byron V. Garrett Life and Literacy Skills Library
WEBSITE RESOURCES Digital resources for this library include:
1 lesson per grade (written for each Take-Home Book) (PDF)
Read-Aloud Lessons
Annotated Grade-Specific Booklists
1 booklist per grade (PDF) This booklist organizes titles by theme, and each book's entry includes a short blurb and a Talk About It discussion question.
All-new short videos featuring Byron Garrett
Videos featuring Byron Garrett , including an introductory video and other short videos related to the collection’s themes
Family Letter with Read Together Book Prompts (English and Spanish)
1 letter and book prompts page per grade (PDF) While also available as printed materials, this Family Letter and Read Together Book Prompt component is included digitally in case extra copies are needed or you choose to share digital resources with families. 1 chart (PDF) While also available in this Teacher’s Guide, this assessment chart is a rubric designed to help assess students' life and literacy skills. 1 per grade (PDF) This page includes ten suggested writing activities (two for each theme) that prompt students to think about the themes of the library.
Assessing Life and Literacy Skills in the Classroom
Theme-Related Writing Activities
GRADE 1
READ TOGETHER
Making a flying machine can be frustrating, but a partner and a little patience just Might help Jabari’s invention SOar.
Jabari Tries by Gaia Cornwall
GRADE 1 BOOK LIST
Gaia Cornwall THE CREATOR OF JABARI JUMPS
Cover illustrations copyright © 2020 by Gaia Cornwall This edition is available for distribution only through the school market.
ISBN 978-1-338-81005-9
GRADE 1
9 781338 810059
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Dear Family,
Reading together is a wonderful way to spend quality time with your child. Reading together and talking about what you read aerward give you the chance to explore and discuss your child’s thoughts and ideas on a variety of topics. Reading Jabari Tries Jabari Tries is the story of a young boy who is determined to build a machine that can fly across the backyard. He insists to his father and sister that he can do it all by himself. But Jabari’s machine keeps breaking and crashing! Jabari’s father teaches his son some strategies for calming down when he is feeling frustrated. These strategies, combined with working as a team with his younger sister, leads Jabari to success.
Dear Educator, The Byron V. Garrett Life and Literacy Skills Library offers books for PreK to Grade 5. At each grade, the library features lively, appealing books perfect for read-alouds, paired reading, and independent reading that have been selected because they demonstrate the importance of key life skills. These library books have been categorized into five distinct themes, with an additional take-home book that encompasses all themes. Your Grade 1 Library includes: 1 Take-Home/Whole-Class title per grade, 31 copies of each, and 20 high-interest trade books, 2 copies of each.
The book you’re receiving today is your child’s Take-Home Book from our classroom’s Byron V. Garrett Life and Literacy Skills Library . We recently read it as a class, and now it’s yours to keep. On the following Read Together page you’ll find some helpful suggestions for talking about the book as you read. The books in this collection were selected with themes related to academic development and well-being in mind, with a focus on building skills for success. Building these skills happens in school and at home with great books and meaningful conversations. Reading together and talking about books oer great ways to support the learning your child is doing in school and to have fun. Enjoy reading and talking about this Take-Home Book!
Theme-Related Writing Activities Use these theme-related writing activities to help extend students’ thinking about the themes, the books in the library, and life skills. There are two suggested writing activities for each theme.
Take-Home Book
ENGAGE • I heard you read this book in school. What would you like to tell me about it? • Now let’s read it together.
Jabari Tries written and illustrated by Gaia Cornwall
Building Relationships
Jabari is determined to build a fantastic machine that can fly across the whole backyard. He insists he can do it alone. But when his machine crashes and Jabari gets frustrated, his father teaches him ways to calm down and refocus. He also suggests Jabari tries working with a partner: his little sister, Nika. Jabari Tries is a gentle story about keeping calm in the face of a problem, and the good things that can happen when people work together. This book relates to all five library themes and is supported by both a Read-Aloud Lesson resource for teachers to use in the classroom as well as a Read Together resource for families to share with children at home. Talk About It: What special advice does Jabari’s father give him?
EXPLORE While reading the book, you may like to pause to ask these questions. (Note: This book does not have page numbers. The first page with text is page 3.) p. 9 Jabari thinks about famous inventors like Lewis Howard Latimer and Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson. He thinks about how they used their creativity to solve problems. How do you think Jabari feels about these famous inventors, engineers, and scientists?
Superhero Saves the Day Draw a comic strip of your own made-up superhero saving a person, place, or pet. This comic strip should have the superhero noticing the trouble, swooping in to save the day, and then posing at the end of the crisis. (Narrative) A Friendship Award Work with a partner to write and draw friendship awards to give to each other. Focus on the qualities that make your partner a good friend. (Informative/Explanatory)
Words To Know excellent (p. 6) extremely good concentrating (p. 8) focusing on a particular activity or object creativity (p. 9) the use of imagination and original ideas frustrated (p. 21) feeling distressed or annoyed
Building Relationships Boy + Bot
p. 21
Jabari’s father gives Jabari advice to help when he’s feeling frustrated. He tells Jabari to gather up his patience, take a deep breath, and blow away his mixed feelings. Why do you think this advice will help?
Making Decisions
p. 24 Jabari and Nika think of ways to fix the flying machine. They work together to make better wings, and their flying machine is a success. Think of a time when you worked with a partner to solve a problem. What was that experience like?
Assessing Life and Literacy Skills in the Classroom This rubric is designed to help you (1) measure the development of your students’ life skills and (2) assess their understanding of these skills through literacy. Check off descriptions in the five categories that best reflect a student’s understanding of each concept through reading the theme-aligned books in this collection. You may want to meet to discuss specific books that the student has read.
written by Ame Dyckman and illustrated by Dan Yaccarino Boy and Bot meet in the forest and immediately become friends. They play and spend time together until suddenly Bot switches off. Boy tries everything he can think of, but nothing works, and eventually he falls asleep – which is when Bot wakes up and sees Boy shut down! This hilarious book about a simple misunderstanding will have readers grinning from ear to ear. Talk About It: How did the Boy try to take care of the Bot? How did the Bot try to take care of the Boy?
A Brand New Invention There are many different and new inventions coming out that help people in their daily lives. If you were an inventor, what is something you would make? Draw a completely new invention and then write about what it does, how it would be helpful, and what it would be called. (Informative/Explanatory) Reaching a Goal Think about a character in a book you read recently that worked to reach a goal. Draw and write a story about that character, the goal they wanted to achieve, and the steps they took to reach that goal. (Narrative)
EXTEND • A Story About Your Child: Share a positive story about a time your child managed his or her emotions. • Drawing Together: Together with your child, draw two pictures of Jabari: one picture when his machine did not fly, and one picture aer his machine flew across the yard. Themes
Emerging
Developing
Accomplished
Student demonstrates self-confidence and is self-motivated Student sets personal goals and noticeably strives to achieve them Student consistently demonstrates an awareness of his/her strengths and weaknesses Student identifies, understands, and can relate to characters’ feelings Student identifies characters’ goals and understands possible motives and intentions Student consistently displays impulse control Student consistently manages stress and emotions appropriately Student’s organizational skills are consistent and positively affect schoolwork Student identifies characters’ internal dilemmas and sees their connection to the characters’ actions Student identifies the external obstacles characters face, and understands how characters work to overcome these obstacles
Student demonstrates some self-confidence, but tends to lose motivation Student sets initial goals, but makes minimal effort to achieve them Student demonstrates some awareness of his/her strengths and weaknesses Student can identify characters’ feelings, but cannot relate to or understand them Student can identify characters’ goals, but does not fully understand characters’ motives Student sometimes displays impulse control Student sometimes manages stress and emotions appropriately Student’s organizational skills are erratic, but improving Student can identify characters’ internal dilemmas, but does not see their connection to the characters’ actions Student can identify the external obstacles characters face, but does not understand how characters overcome these obstacles
Student lacks motivation and shows minimal self-confidence Student does not make any effort to set goals Student does not have an awareness of his/her own strengths and weaknesses Student cannot identify or understand characters’ feelings Student cannot identify characters’ goals or possible motives for working toward those goals Student has little to no impulse control Student does not manage stress and emotions appropriately Student’s lack of organization negatively affects schoolwork Student cannot identify characters’ internal dilemmas and does not see their connection to the characters’ actions Student cannot identify the external obstacles characters face and does not understand how those obstacles can prohibit goal achievement
To read this letter and the Read Together page in Spanish, turn this page over.
Friendly Frenzy written and illustrated by Tedd Arnold
Student’s Own Development
Friends Buzz and Liz meet in the park with their pets, Fly Guy and Fly Girl. But when they meet a new kid named Carlos and his pet lizard, Fly Guy and Fly Girl go missing. Where could they have gone? Read along as the friends find out. Talk About It: How do Fly Guy and Fly Girl work together to keep Annie from eating them?
Understanding Myself
Life and Literacy Skills Development
Byron V. Garrett Life and Literacy Skills Library Grade 1
Page 1
Student’s Own Development
Managing Myself
Life and Literacy Skills Development
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Teacher’s Guide Sampler 13
For more information, visit scholastic.com/byrongarrett
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