Miss. Swiney's Classroom Library

It's Pete the Cat's first day of school! In this story, we see Pete "rocking" his new shoes all around his new school. In my classroom, I would read this on the first day or during the first week. If I was teaching Kindergarten, I would take my class on a scavenger hunt to find all the places around the school and have a Pete cut-out waiting for them at each stop. If I was teaching a grade where the students were familiar with the school, I would have them do a scavenger hunt in our classroom. I think this would be such a fun beginning of the year activity! 

Fountas and Pinnell: K

This energetic and fun story tells us about a cat who takes a stroll down the sidewalk in his new white shoes. Along the way he encounters items that turn his shoes all different colors. This story has a repetitive structure and sing-along elements that will keep all students engaged. It would be wonderful to read as a whole group and discuss the colors that are shown in the story. I would also use this as a choral reading activity since it does contain many repeated lines. Once we have read it a few times as a class I would put it in my listening center. 

Fountas and Pinnell: K

The Very Hungry Caterpillar tells the story of a young caterpillar going through the stages of its' life cycle. It engages children in a way that gains and keeps their focus throughout the whole story, because they will always want to know what the caterpillar eats next. As well as explaining the events of a life cycle in kid-friendly language, it also introduces the concepts of counting, days of the week, and sequencing. In my classroom, I would use this book to introduce the life cycle of a caterpillar, which could then lead to the students recreating the life cycle on their own. I also would use this to help students sequence events in a story, by providing cut-outs of the food/days of the week and have students put them in order with their table groups. 

Lexile: 460L

Fountas and Pinnell: J

"Once there was a tree...and she loved a little boy." This begins a story with an unforgettable plot and story line. A young boy and tree form a bond that can never be broken, as proven by events in the story. This book offers an affective interpretation of the gift of giving and a glimpse of the ability of one's capacity to love. This story is a great read-aloud for all ages and offers children a unique perspective about relationships. This book would be fantastic to read and then facilitate a discussion on character traits that are seen in both the boy and the tree. The students could then compare and contrast the character traits using a Venn Diagram. 

Lexile: 530L

Fountas and Pinnell: N