Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle

A friendly blue truck gets stuck while trying to push a dump truck out of the mud. Not to worry! The farm animals he met along the way come to the rescue. Word Choice This book is a good model to use when working on word choice. The author creates concise rhymes on each page and utilizes onomotopoeia in the text as well. Lesson idea: As you read aloud, think aloud about how the author uses sounds to create the story. Begin a class list of words that make sounds (Honk!) to use as a resource during writer's workshop.

Amelia's Notebook by Marissa Moss

Nine-year old Amelia records her thoughts and feelings about moving, her new school and friends. Writers Workshop This is a great picture book to begin Writers Workshop. Writers notebooks/journals are a perfect place for students to keep topic ideas and snippets for writing. Before introducing writers notebooks/journals, read aloud this book and think aloud about the types of items that Amelia writes about in her notebook. Model for students by keeping your own writers notebook/journal and sharing it with them regularly. Voice This book can easily be used to model a lesson on voice as well. Written from the perspective of a nine-year old, many upper elementary students will be able to relate to Amelia. Think aloud about the ways Amelia keeps notes in her notebook and encourage students to follow suit in their own writers notebooks/journals. Professional Development For more information on writers notebooks/journals, an excellent resource is Wondrous Words by Katie Wood Ray.