Tournament of Books: March Madness for the Classroom

Hello, friends!

It's Christmas break for me and I'm taking a few minutes to plan ahead for the new year!  Last year our first graders hosted a Tournament of Books and it was a huge success so we're getting ready to host one again this year!

The first thing I did was put up this huge bracket in the main hallway of our school.  It generated a ton of buzz around the school, especially before we shared any details about what we were actually planning!  The Brown Bag Teacher has bracket printables free on Teachers Pay Teachers.  They are perfect for getting your bracket ready.  To build the bracket, I started from the middle and worked out on each side, using black duct tape for the lines.  It wasn't a quick project, but it turned out perfectly!

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Favorite Black History Books for Primary

Hi, friends! It's Erin, from Very Perry Classroom! Today, I am sharing some of my favorite books to read to primary students during studies on Black History.... 

Andrea, a Punchie from Always Kindergarten, shared some of her favorites with me... We both love the "Ordinary People Change the World" series, and how kid-friendly does this one about Rosa Parks look?? Click the book cover to check it out on Amazon. 

Another favorite is Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King. I have this in Big Book form, and the kids really like the information presented in it. It's a great one to read as informational text, and to help with writing projects in January. 

For students in second grade and older, I really like this one about Ruby Bridges:

I remember being in the teacher education program in college, and we had many choices of a historical figure to create a lesson on. I chose to create a lesson on Ruby Bridges, using this book, and have loved her story since. It's a little too advanced for my kinders, but I have read it to second graders, and they LOVED it. 

On Epic! Books, I found a book that I have fallen in love with. It is called "Let Freedom Sing."

I love the way it explains the Civil Rights using dates and events in terms that students will be able to understand. 

Finally, I have a pack I created to do with students. I use the information about each historical figure as a close read, use the graphic organizers as a shared writing organizer, and then work with students in small groups for more independent writing. 

I love that there are both male and female figures to discuss as a class, and students are very engaged in the text. 

You can find my pack here

I hope you have a wonderful February! 

-Erin

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