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Sunday, July 7, 2013

Picture Book Linky Party--Week 3: Character Education

I've been a bad bloggy host.  I have been so busy with my "other" job, that I haven't had time to go back and read all the great book suggestions that you all made for the math books.  I hope that life slows down this week.  I mean it's summer.  It's supposed to be wind down time, right?
Anyway, on with the show.....

This week's linky is for picture books to teach character education.
I have taught in a few schools that have a character education program.
You'd teach a trait a week/bi-monthly, etc.  You'd work on activities, etc. 
Yes, that's important.  VERY IMPORTANT....
but it's so hard to find time to get everything else in sometimes.

Currently, I teach in a Leader in Me School/District.
We're fortunate enough to have someone teach our students once a week, but we are still to incorporate it into our daily instruction when possible.  That's where picture books come in.
I am going to tie my character ed books to the 7 Habits.

Habit 1: Be Proactive
 There's a LOT of books that could be shared here.

Personally, one of my favorite ones is the Little Engine that Could.  I love how the little Big idea is "I think I can, I think I can"  I tell my kiddos that "I can't" is a bad word in our room.  :)
  I also like to use this as one of my first days of school books. I wrote a blog post a LONG TIME AGO with an old freebie on it too.  You can click HERE to see it.

Habit 2:  Begin with the End in Mind (Have a plan)

One of my favorites, Click Clack Moo. 
It's humorous for my firsties, and it does teach to have a plan. :)

But on a more serious note with this habit,  Whistle for Willie is a great story.
The plus side, it's in our Treasures basal.
 My kiddos relate well with this story and see how the habit is tied into the story.

Habit 3:  Put First Things First

 The Little Red Hen is a great example.  
She knew all the things that she needed to do to get her bread made.  
I also love to hear my students responses when I ask if they would share the bread with the other characters. :)

There are also other versions of this story---one is in our Treasures Basal as well. 
The Froggy series books are also great for this.  
 
Habit 4: Think Win-Win
 One of my favorites for this habit--Rainbow Fish.
I love to let my students make a rainbow fish craft too.  We use coffee filters, and markers.  They color the coffee filter (they can even scribble it), in bright colored markers.  I spray them with a spray bottle and we let them dry.  Then they make fish scales out of the coffee filter, and glue onto a fish pattern.  The last thing we add to it is a tin-foil scale.  They love this activity. :)

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand then to be  Understood

Have you read this little book?  It's a perfect example.
It's a cute book on how the wolf tries to fatten up the chicken for a tasty meal, but come to find out, the surprise is on him and he has a change of heart. ;)

Stellaluna is also a good story for this habit as she has to seek to understand the birds' habits in order to survive.  My students LOVED this story every year I've read it!!!
 
Habit 6: Synergize

What better teamwork than in the story Swimmy?

I am adding this one to my Amazon cart.  I love the variations of stories.  (Hmm, another picture book linky perhaps)....anyway--this book looks real cute (and I do LOVE sweet potatoes).  Would be a fun fall activity to cook, measure, etc. in the classroom with this book too. 


Habit 7:Sharpen the Saw

A perfect book for my firsties, as they love Mo Willems books...


Again, on a more realistic approach--The Snowy Day.  I love Ezra Jack Keats!  
Peter illustrates what being balanced is all about--from playing in the snow, using his imagination, to taking his warm bath at the end of his day.   Balance feels best when you take care of yourself!

There are many more picture books that tie into character education.  I chose to reflect on the ones that I'm currently using, or have used for our district wide program-The Leader in Me.  
If you liked the 7 Habits posters, you can click the picture below to 
grab all 7 posters from Google Docs.


If you'd like to share your favorite picture books feel free to leave a comment, OR link up.
How to link up
1) Grab the image below.  
 2) Post it to your blog post and link back to this post.
3) Share your favorite picture books to character education.
4) Return to this post and share your link with inlinkz.  
Remember to use the exact URL of your blog post so that others can find your great book choices!
Perhaps, you could also take time to comment on others posts. 
I'm sure they would love some new followers/comments! :) 

19 comments:

  1. You've got some great books on your list!!

    :) Tamra and Sarah
    First Grade Buddies

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  2. Deanne, thanks SO much for this awesome and informative linky. I LOVE learning about new books and remembering the classics.
    -Jen
    That First Grade Blog

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  3. These are awesome books! I have all but the potato one and never thought to use them the way that you do! :)
    Sara
    First Grade Funtastic

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  4. I just linked up! I'm very excited to find another Leader in Me teacher. I am now a follower on Bloglovin. :-)

    Renee J
    Growing a Teacher

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  5. I really like the idea of picture books as a Linky Party! I found you thanks to the TBTS K-2 Cross Promotion List and I'm your newest follower :)

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  6. This is such a great resource. I'd forgotten about Stellaluna! I'll have to dig it out and read it again when school starts. Thank you!
    Susanna
    Whimsy Workshop

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  7. Thanks so much for sharing!!! I also teach in a Leader in Me school and my classroom is jungle! The posters are perfect! I use most of the Helen Lester books to teach the Habits. (Tacky the Penguin, Hooway for Wodney Wat, and her other books) Thanks again for sharing your talent!

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  8. Thanks for sharing! You have some great books on this list. I love the cute habit cards with the jungle critters.

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  9. Thanks for all the great ideas! I'm new to this Linky thing, but I love love LOVE all the new picture books I'm learning about. My husband should be worried about the new books I will be bringing home soon :)

    mrsplemonskindergarten.blogspot.com

    Jessica

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  10. Love all the book ideas! Who can resist the pigeon books? Thanks for the great linky party!
    Lori
    Conversations in Literacy

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  11. I am moving to a new school and I have Leader in Me training next week. I had never heard of it before but I am excited about the program and I love your little posters. They are giving me some ideas for my new room.
    Thanks

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  12. I am so loving this linky you have devised. Have you got a schedule devised?
    Paula from Paula’s Place and iSURF Maths

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  13. Hi! I can not resist a good book so I love this linky! I joined up yesterday and am back to go check out some of the other linkers! Thanks so much for putting this together - GREAT idea!

    Laura ~ First Grade Spies

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  14. Excellent blo posting!! THANK YOU SO MUCH! What a terrific way to make the connection to books we love to read! I 'am going to look at the other posts now, but really appreciate your beginning this meaningful exchange!

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  15. Oh, and I LOVE the posters (which just so happen to go with my room decor~~whoop whoop!!

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  16. I need more information about the Leader in Me program and love this cute idea. I sent your link to my Principal. Thanks.

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  17. " WOW! Bookworm Central book fairs must be WAY different than ours. The books that we get at our Bookworm Central Book fair quite varied & we had many positive comments from both faculty & parents. I can't speak for your school, but as far as our school is concerned, Bookworm Central prices are very comparable to other book fair companies. Bookworm Central has an unmatched business model in the book fair industry”

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  18. My school is just starting The Leader in Me program. I am so excited to put up the habits posters that go with my jungle theme! Will you be adding the 8th Habit?!

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First Grade and Fabulous

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