Teachable Texts

1. Thank You Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco

June 27, 2009 at 9:01 am 3 comments

Retell: Trisha has a difficulty with reading.  Though admired for her artistic ability, she gets teased at school for being dumb.  That is until her teacher, Mr. Falker, stands up for her and teaches her to read.

Topics: bullying, honoring the different ways we’re smart, family relationships, death of a grandparent, importance of small group instruction

Units of Study: Personal Narrative, Character, Social Issues

Tribes: mutual respect, personal best, appreciations/no put-downs

Reading Skills: envisionment, inference,

My Thoughts: This is a read aloud classic.  Since I start every school year off reading this book to my class, I thought it was only proper to start my blog year with one of my favorite read alouds.  Thank You Mr. Falker is one of those books that kids have heard a thousand times but never get tired of it.  I usually refer to this book and reread parts of it in several units throughout the year.

Entry filed under: Picture Books. Tags: appreciations/no put-downs, bullying, character, envisionment, family, grandparents, inference, multiple intelligences, mutual respect, personal best, personal narrative, relationships, small group instruction, social issues.