Holiday Favorites

My holiday read-aloud favorites.

Kindergarten
What is Christmas without Gingerbread Men! There are a lot of great gingerbread books out on the market and they provide a great opportunity for the kids to compare and contrast the story. I also found a gingerbread man glyph. I enlarged the gingerbread man and then read the directions. It's a good listening and following directions activity.


Printable Glyph w/directions
http://www.kidzone.ws/thematic/gingerbread/index.htm


Favorite Stories
* Gingerbread Baby and Gingerbread Friends by Jan Brett (www.janbrett.com)
* Gingerbread Cowboy by Janet Squires
* Gingerbread Boy by Richard Egielski (takes place in the big city)
* Gingerbread Pirates by Kristin Kladstrup
* Gingerbread Girl and Gingerbread Girl Goes Animal Crackers by Lisa Campbell Ernst
* The Library Gingerbread Man by Dotti Enderle

First Grade
We are doing a Jan Brett author study and reading some of her gingerbread and winter books. I created a PowerPoint about her that I shared with the kids then showed them what books we have of hers. I also showed them how to identify her call number so that they could find her books on their own.


Fabulous Website - www.janbrett.com

Second Grade
I probably look forward to this set of books the most during December.


Favorite Books
* The Amazing Christmas Extravaganza by David Shannon (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this one!)
* A New Improved Santa by Patricia Rae Wolff.
* If You Take a Mouse to the Movies by Laura Numeroff
- I few years back I bought this with a CD. Jason Alexander, from Seinfeld, is the reader. It comes with 2 popular Christmas songs that have mouse related lyrics to them. Very cute!

I will continue the Jan Brett author study when we return from school and include second grade in the unit.