Category: Snippets

Here we are sharing short little pieces of well-written texts. Our hope is that by regularing sharing great snippets with students we can entice them to read the text, the author, or about the topic.

Parts by Tedd Arnold

Parts is written and illustrated by Tedd Arnold. It is written in rhyme with watercolor illustrations and it is the first in a trilogy on the theme of body parts.  This book can be used for pre-k or kinder students, this way they understand all these things that are happening to them. Also, it can be used to introduce idioms. Students can use it as an example or can pick out the idioms themselves. Also since it is written in rhyme it can be used to introduce poetry, and how poetry can be created into a book as well. It is a very funny book with great illustrations. Below is a snippet of the book:

I just don’t know what’s going on or why it has to be.

But every day it’s something worse. Whats happening to me?

I think it was three days ago I first became aware-

That in my comb were caught a couple pieces of my hair.

I stared at them, amazed, and more Than just a bit appalled

To think that I was only five and starting to go bald.

Then later on (I don’t recall exactly when it was)

I lifted up my shirt and found this little piece of fuzz.

I started at it, amazed, and wondered, Whats this all about?

So You Want To Be President? by Judith St. George

This book by Judith St. George is a great book to introduce kids to Presidents, as well as history. Because the elections are coming up, I think this would be a great book to read to kids to share that information with them and to let them know how important being the president is. At the end of the book, there is also a list of all the presidents so far and some important details about them. This book provides great pictures by illustrator David Small and fun language for the kids to follow along with. There are funny parts to this book, but also gives the correct information about presidents. Below is a snippet of the book:

“There are good things about being President and there are bad things about being President. One of the good things is that the President lives in a big white house called the White House.

Another good thing about being President is that the President has a swimming pool, bowling alley, and a movie theatre.The President never has to take out the garbage. The President doesn’t have to eat yucky vegetables. As a boy, George H. W. Bush had to eat broccoli. When George H. W. Bush grew up, he became President. That was the end of the broccoli!

One of the bad things about being President is that the President always has to be dressed up. William McKinley wore a frock coat, vest, pin striped trousers, stiff white shirt, black satin tie, gloves, a top hat, and a red carnation in his buttonhole everyday! The President has to be polite to everyone. The President can’t go anywhere alone. The President has lots of homework.”

Cobblestone Magazine

Cobblestone Magazine is a great resource for social studies topics. Their articles are well researched and thoroughly reviewed before publication. In addition to numerous non-fiction articles, they have multiple features every issue that help with reading comprehension/checking for understanding. The best part about this magazine is the articles are geared toward kids which makes the articles easy to read.

September 2009.Volume 30.Number 7

In the particular issue listed above, there is an article called “A Historic Rediscovery” by Robin Chalmers. It describes the discovery of a cliff dwelling in Colorado that was once inhabited by pueblo families somewhere around A.D. 1200. The article explores the wonders archeologists and scientists have discovered through certain excavations of this ancient civilization. I highly recommend this article if your class is learning about ancient cultures, especially if you have a 4th grade class who is learning about American Indians as designated by the TEKS. This is a good article to spark your students on the subject!

Snippet:

“Richard Wetherill and his brother-in-law Charles Mason were searching for stray cattle on December 18, 1888. Through the falling snow, they saw “a magnificent city” built into the aclove of the mesa across the canyon.

Almost 600 years had passed since the ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellers had left Mesa Verde (Spanish for ‘green table’) in present-day Colorado. It is believed the Pueblo people lived in the area from A.D. 550 to A.D. 1300. Yet the two ranchers clearly saw the outlines of walls, towers, windows, and doorways. Awestruck by their discovery, the men decided to explore.”

Snippet: Holes

Holes
By: Louis Sachar

Holes is a fictional novel for children and young adults. This novel won the 1998 U.S. National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, the 1999 Newbery Medal for the year’s “most distinguished contribution to American literature for children”, and was made into a Walt Disney Pictures film in 2003.

Holes is a story about a boy named Stanley Yelnates who is cursed with bad luck. He has been unjustly sent to a boy’s detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the boys build character by digging holes everyday. Over the course of the novel, Stanley tries to dig up the truth about Camp Green Lake, meets a true friend, and tries to break his family’s curse.

As a teacher, you could use a snippet of this novel to introduce Newbery Medal winning books. You could also use this book to talk about imagery, figurative language, and other literary techniques. Overall, this book is exciting to read and difficult to put down. Regardless of whether you use this book in the classroom or not, it is still a must read and should be apart of your book collection! Below is a snippet from the book.

     Stanley was arrested later that day.

     He looked at the guard who sat slumped in his seat and wondered if he had fallen asleep. The guard was wearing sunglasses, so Stanley couldn’t see his eyes. Stanley was not a bad kid. He was innocent of the crime for which he was convicted. He’d just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

     It was all because of this no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather. He smiled. It was a family joke. Whenever anything went wrong, they always blamed Stanley’s no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather.

     Supposedly, he had a great-great-grandfather who stole a pig from a one-legged Gypsy, and she put a curse on him and all his decedents. Stanley and his parents didn’t believe in curses, of course, but whenever anything went wrong, it felt good to blame someone.

     Things went wrong a lot. They always seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

     He looked out the window at the vast emptiness. He watched the rise and fall of the telephone wire. In his mind he could hear his father’s gruff voice softly singing to him.

“If only, if only,” the woodpecker sighs,
“The bark on the tree was a little bit softer.”
While the wolf waits below, hungry and lonely,
He cries to the moo-oo-oon,
“If only, if only.”

Snippet: In My Family/En Mi Familia

by: Carmen Lomas Garza

This beautifully written book is very informative and full of important cultural traditions. Carmen Lomas Garza grew up in Kingsville, Texas, in a Hispanic household and community. Each page includes one tradition she remembers from her youth. The book is written in English but has a translation in spanish for each section. The spanish translation creates for a sense of openness for the Hispanic community. This story places Spanish culture in the limelight, which teaches children to appreciate all cultures. The second grade Social Studies TEK about culture fits perfectly here by understanding the importance of family and community believes, customs, language, and traditions.

Here is a short snippet of her work:

“This is my grandfather, Antonio Lomas. He’s shaving off the thorns from freshly-cut cactus pads, called nopalitos. My sister Margie is watching him work. Napolitas are called “the food of last resort,” because back when there were no refrigerators and your winter food supply would run out, you knew you could eat the cactus pads through the last days of winter and the early days of spring. My grandmother would boil the nopalitos in salt water, cut them up, and stir-fry them with chile and eggs for breakfast” (page 2).

“This is a Saturday night at El Jardin, a neighborhood restaurant in my home town. It’s the summer, so warm that you can dance outside. A conjunto band is playing–drums, accordion, guitar. and bass. This is the music I grew up with. Everybody’s dancing in a big circle: the young couples, the older couples, and the old folks dancing with the teenagers or children. Even babies get to dance. I learned to dance from my father and grandfather. This is where my love of dance started. To me, dance means fiesta, celebration. You have the music, the beautiful clothes, and all the family members dancing together. It’s like heaven. It is heaven” (page 13).

Snippet from Multiplying Menace: The Revenge of Rumpelstiltskin

Pam Calvert is an award winning children’s author of many nationally acclaimed picture books. She speaks to thousands of children every year, encouraging them to achieve their dreams and to love math through the use of literature. This book is a great way to introduce multiplication and problem solving. I would use this book for 3rd grade when starting a lesson on multiplication. TEKS: 1B, 3C, and 4E. These are just a few connections to the Mathematics TEKS.

Here is a snippet from the Multiplying Menace:

The castle was full of guests celebrating Peter’s tenth birthday.

“You have one gift left,” said his mother, the Queen. A big bouncy puppy ran out and licked Peter’s face.

“This is the best birthday ever,” Peter said as he ran his fingers over the dog’s soft fur. Just then, down the stairs came a thunderous rumbling and a cloud of smoke.

Peter watched as the smoke cleared. There stood a strange little man who said to him in a high, squeaky voice, “I have come for you.”

“Go away!” the Queen gasped. “I said your name ten years ago, and I will say it again. Rumpelstiltskin!”

“You can’t get rid of me so easily this time. Ten years ago, I turned your worthless straw into gold. Now I demand what you owe me.”

“Guards!” the Kind ordered. Ten guards rushed forward.

Rumpelstiltskin pointed his walking stick at them and muttered some words. There was a sudden flash and eight guards disappeared. Only their hats remained.

“By tomorrow you will see that the only way to save your kingdom is to give me the boy,” the little man cackled, and then he was gone.

 

Snippet: Just a Minute; A Trickster Tale and Counting Book

Just a Minute; A Trickster Tale and Counting Book
By Yuyi Morales

This beautifully illustrated picture book was the winner of the Pura Belpre Award in 2004 for its amazing artwork.

Just a Minute is a charming story of how Grandma Beetle tricks Señor Calavera into letting her have one more birthday.

As a counting book, it serves as a great introduction to counting in English and in Spanish. This book can also be used to build number sense by having students follow along with the counting sequence (TEKS connection – Mathematics A-3, PK-3rd grades). Additionally, I chose this book to help my bilingual Pre-K students draw connections between counting in English and counting in Spanish.

Another unique fact about this book is that every scene has Grandma Beetle’s cat in it. Sometimes she is hidden, sometime she is not. It can be quite fun for students to try to find the cat on every page.

Here is a snippet of writing from the first few pages:

When Grandma Beetle woke at dawn, she heard a know at the door. And, oh my, waiting outside she found Señor Calavera.
Señor Calavera tipped his hat. What a skinny gentleman! With a pass of his hand he signaled to Grandma Beetle. It was time for her to come along with him.

 

“Just a minute, Señor Calavera,” Grandma Beetle said. “I will do with you right away, I have just ONE house to sweep.”
Señor Calavera remembered he had extra time today. So he decided to wait.
UNO – One swept house, counted Señor Calavera and he rose from his seat.

“Just a minute Señor Calavera”…

The Scrambled States of America by: Laurie Keller

The Scrambled States of America

The Scrambled States of America is one of many books that Laurie Keller has written about the states. This picture book is a humorous look at geography in the United States. It all starts with grumpy Kansas wanting to meet new states and try a different spot in the United States. The images and humor will certainly entertain and educate students of all ages. Although the story is entirely false, the book does a great job of explaining where all the states are and what the geography is like. It could be used to introduce the states in a third or fourth grade classroom (Social Studies TEKS 6) or to talk about the geography of the United States.

Here is a snippet from The Scrambled States of America:

Well, it was just your basic, ordinary day in the good old U.S. of A. States all over the country were waking up, having their first cups of coffee, reading the morning paper, and enjoying the beautiful sunrise. All the states, that is, except for Kansas. He was not feeling happy at all. How do I know this? Because he said, “I’m not feeling happy at all!”

“What’s wrong?” his best friend, Nebraska, kindly asked him. (Nebraska is a very kind state.) “I don’t know,” moaned Kansas. “I just feel bored. All day long we just sit here in the middle of the country. We never go anywhere. We never do anything, and we never meet any new states!”

“Hmm…” said Nebraska. “Don’t get me wrong, Nebraska. You’re the best friend a state could have. But don’t you ever want more? Don’t you ever want to see what else is out there?” “Yes! Yes, I do!” Nebraska said excitedly. “And now that you mention it, I’m sick and tired of hearing North Dakota and South Dakota bicker all the time!”

“I have a great idea!” exclaimed Kansas. “Let’s have a party and invite all the other states! You know, one of those get-to-know-you deals. Everyone can bring a favorite dish. We could have music and dancing…” “That’s a great idea!” shrieked Nebraska. “I wish I’d thought of it myself.”

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan Snippet

The image is linked to Amazon.com if you would like to buy a copy for you or your class. 😉

 

     The Lightning Thief is the first book in a series called Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Percy Jackson is a 12 year old boy on the verge of being expelled– again. But during a field trip that has promised to be boring, he finds himself confronted with mythological monsters and eventually the gods of Mount Olympus. Unfortunately,  when Zeus’s master lightning bolt is stolen he becomes the prime suspect.

I was first introduced to this book while working as an intern in a third grade classroom. The teacher would read this book to his students if there were a few extra minutes between transitions times, such as before being dismissed for the day or before going to specials. I, as well as the other children in the class, became fascinated by the book’s language and suspense.

 

Here is a Snippet from the first chapter:

     “Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood.
       If you’re reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is: close this book right now. Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life.
      Being a half-blood is dangerous. It’s scary. Most of the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways.
      If you’re a normal kid, reading this because you think it’s fiction, great. Read on. I envy you for being able to believe that none of this ever happened.
      But if you recognize yourself in these pages– if you feel something stirring inside– stop reading immediately. You might be one of us. And once you know that, it’s only a matter of time before they sense it too, and they’ll come for you.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

 

      My name is Percy Jackson.
I’m twelve years old. Until a few months ago, I was a boarding student at Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled kids in upstate New York.
Am I a troubled kid?
Yeah. You could say that.

    I could start at any point in my short miserable life to prove it, but things really started going bad last May, when our sixth-grade class took a field trip to Manhattan– twenty-eight mental-case kids and two teachers on a yellow school bus, heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at ancient Greek and Roman stuff.
I know– it sounds like torture. Most Yancy field trips were.

   But Mr. Brunner, our Latin teacher, was leading this trip, so I had hopes.
   Mr. Brunner was a middle-aged guy in a motorized wheelchair. He had thinning hair and a scruffy beard and a frayed tweed jacket, which always smelled like coffee. You wouldn’t think he’d be cool, but he told stories and jokes and let us play games in class. He also had this awesome collection of Roman armor and weapons, so he was the only teacher whose class didn’t put me to sleep.

I hoped the trip would be okay. At least, I hoped that for once I wouldn’t get in trouble.

Boy, was I wrong.”

Eileen C.

Snippet: A Pig is Big by Douglas Florian

This beautifully illustrated children’s book explores ‘what’s big?’ within our world.  Through rhyme, author Douglas Florian, weaves a silly and entertaining story about a chubby, pink pig as he travels around the world. The story highlights the comparison between the concepts of big, bigger, and biggest.  A math lesson where size comparison is investigated would be an ideal environment to use this book.

Here’s a snippet:

“What’s big? A pig is big. A pig is fat. A pig is bigger than my hat. What’s bigger than a pig? A cow. It’s bigger than a boar or sow. It’s bigger yesterday and now. What’s bigger than a cow? A car. It’s bigger than a cow by far. Inside a car a cow can squeeze. And drive a pig to town with ease. What’s bigger than a car? A truck. A truck can haul a car that’s stuck, that’s stuck in all the mud—bad luck. What’s bigger than a truck? (p. 1-10)”