Lesson Notes
Book of the Month
Brachio
When the moon was hanging in the sky like a giant yellow ball, the night was right for the dinosaur boogie.
Dinosaur tails went flick, flick, slap!
Dinosaur teeth went snip, snip, snap!
Dinosaur legs went jump, jump, thump!
Dinosaur bodies went wiggle, wiggle, bump!
Wiggle, wiggle, bump!
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, bump!
So begins Brachio, an engaging and heartwarming read-aloud by Jill Eggleton.
Support for language, reading, and social skills
Imagine your students moving and grooving with the dinosaurs at the dinosaur boogie. Then imagine how they’ll feel when the littlest dinosaurs are forced out because the big kids…er, dinosaurs…are having all the fun.
This story presents situations students can relate to, leading to rich discussions about characters, story problems and solutions, and inferences — along with plenty of fun words and actions that get children engaged and participating while building oral language and vocabulary.
Brachio also provides safe and authentic opportunities for social-emotional learning when students develop empathy for the characters, talk about why the characters act the way they do, and explore strategies for dealing with bullies and extending kindness to others.
Teacher support built in
Built-in lesson notes inside the front and back covers make it easy (and prep-free) to:
- Engage the listener with a tantalizing book introduction,
- Enhance the reading with voices and sound effects,
- Encourage participation with tips that make the reading interactive,
- Enjoy the story while thinking aloud and modeling what good readers do, and
- Extend the experience with post-reading discussions and activities.
The post-reading response activities include writing about characters, creative dramatization, partner talk with guided prompts, acting out ‘wow’ words from the story, repeated reading in the reading and listening center, and a social-emotional learning mini-lesson on kindness and consideration.
Brachio is part of the Grade K Whole-Class Resources kit but can be enjoyed by children and teachers of all ages!
Sign up or log in to read the book and to download the lesson notes and response activities from the Related Resources section below.
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Bonus Book for National Bullying Prevention Month: Green Feathers
Green Feathers is a short but powerful book about a chick who becomes a target of bullying because his green feathers make him look different from the other chicks in the henhouse. The story provides many opportunities to support social-emotional learning by talking about bullying, kindness, and the importance of appreciating differences of all kinds. This Take & Teach Book with built-in teaching panels can be used for small-group instruction for students at a Level F reading level or as a read-aloud for students at other levels.
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Last Month's Book (login required)
Check back next month for a brand-new JillE Literacy book to share with your students!
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