Westminster Community Charter School
Literacy

A great "small moment" to use in both primary and upper grades. The author does a nice job using words that students could use themselves, making it accessible to young writers.

A great book to model character development and descriptive writing for grades K - 8. Fits nicely into the Social Issues reading unit of study and also good for classroom community building, because it helps students understand about how to deal with some of their emotions.

Rob's first attempt to recommend biography...and it's a picture book about smiling horse! This book is beautifully crafted in a way that makes you want to read more. Could be read across grade levels, as upper grade students are expected to know how to read biography, and, as a picture book, it is an accessible way to introduce the genre to primary grades.

Crow Call
by Lois Lowry

A beautifully descriptive book that makes you feel like the rest of the world has faded away when you are reading it. It also helps students to understand that authors can write across different levels. It can be used for both Reading and Writing workshop, because it deals with social issues and demonstrates character development.

This is a book that can help build community and bond your classroom together. Beautifully written, it deals with the social issues of fitting in and making friends when you are a new student. It can also be used in the Authors unit of study to demonstrate different literary styles and techniques.

One of the best books to use in Writing Workshop (across grade levels) to demonstrate how to use descriptive language in your writing. It is also an excellent mentor text to help students better understand "small moments."

A very different book, it can be used across grade levels to help teach and understand how morals are used in literature.

A book that will change how you view the world and situations around you. It helps readers to ask questions like "What is a friendship?" and "Do I want to be friends with somebody who is different?" A great Read Aloud for upper grade classrooms.

Part graphic novel, part chapter book, this series book can be the gateway for reluctant readers. This book is also written in a way that can engage a number of different readers, whether they enjoy realistic fiction, fantasy, or humor.

This book helps students to understand what fables, folk tales, myths, and legends do and how they fit into our culture. Because they are short stories, they can be used across grade levels and the curriculum to discuss morals and character behavior.

This book is the type of memoir that students could model themselves after. While our students are not rock stars, most of the book is about Miley spending time with her family. This book will help students understand that memoir is about reflecting back on moments in your life with a new perspective. And because the book is written in vignetts, you can use parts of it to model how to "stay in the moment" with non-fiction writing.

Another memoir that students can model themselves after. It will help students learn to stay focused in their moments and to understand that your reflections can be funny or sarcastic. (Beware: students love this book enough to not return it!)