Reading Activities

l l -T h e m ed
Fa
Reading
Activity
KIT
K–5
Fall-Themed Reading Activity Kit
RESOURCES
Pumpkin Patch Phonics Game, Grades K–3

With the Pumpkin Patch Phonics Game students will need to correctly sound out short u and
short e words so they can progress forward on the game board. The goal is to read your way
out of the pumpkin patch!
Halloween Reading Resources, Grades 3–5

Harness the enthusiasm students have for Halloween and get them reading!
These Halloween language arts worksheets include a list of Halloween picture book
recommendations, a Haunted House Story Map, and a Pumpkin Template for taking notes.
Halloween Graphic Organizers, Grades K–5

Holiday-themed graphic organizers are an easy way to keep things new and interesting.
Download three Halloween Graphic Organizers that students can use to improve reading
comprehension.
and Sadlier ® are registered trademarks of William H. Sadlier, Inc. Copyright © William H. Sadlier, Inc. All rights reserved. May be reproduced for educational use (not commercial use).
Stellaluna Interactive Read Aloud, Grades K–5
Take advantage of the Halloween hysteria to teach students the different characteristics of
birds and bats with an Interactive Read Aloud of Stellaluna by Janell Cannon.
Mr. Turkey 5W’s & 1H Graphic Organizer & Poster, Grades 2–5
Use the Mr. Turkey 5W’s and 1H Graphic Organizer & Poster throughout the month of
November to examine the key points of a story.
Turkey Story Map Activity, Grades K–5

After your Thanksgiving reading activities ensure stu dents can recall the most important
parts of the text! The Turkey Story Map Activity helps students build reading comprehension
and to organize their thoughts.
Gobble Up A Good Book Activity, Grades K–5

Encourage your students to fill out the Thanksgiving-inspired book recommendation sheet
after reading a book that they want to share with their peers. With this simple Thanksgiving
reading comprehension activity students will write a brief summary of a book and an
explanation of why they are recommending the book to their classmates.
Molly’s Pilgrim Mini-Unit; On, Between, and Beyond the Lines, Grades 2–3
Use this mini-unit to help your students gain a deeper understanding of the book
Molly’s Pilgrim by Barbara Cohen. This mini-unit includes on, between, and beyond the line
questions that students can answer as you read sections of the text and an extension activity!
Milly and the Macy’s Parade Review Guide, Grades 2–5

Download a guide for reviewing comprehension reading strategies using the book Milly and
the Macy’s Parade by Shana Corey.
www.SadlierSchool.com • Toll Free 800-221-5175

FINISH
Read your way out of the pumpkin patch. Watch out for strong winds! 1) Roll the dice and move your marker the number of pumpkins forward on the
short u board. 2) sound out the word you land on. If you land on a rainbow pumpkin, move forward to the connected pumpkin. If you land on a windy pumpkin,
short e move back to the connected pumpkin.
and Sadlier ® are registered trademarks of William H. Sadlier, Inc. Copyright © William H. Sadlier, Inc. All rights reserved. May be reproduced for educational use (not commercial use).
cup vet
bug led
leg
cut nest
plug
red mess
pet
jug men
pup nut
bell yet hug

set
fun egg truck

gum
stuff
hum
get
START
www.SadlierSchool.com • Toll Free 800-221-5175

My Favorite Halloween Picture Books
Having been a classroom teacher in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades, I have
acquired quite the varied level library. What a daunting tasking building a
classroom library is, and I did it four times! Of course some books could be
used across grade levels, but creating a well rounded classroom library is an
investment. I remember my first few years teaching, I would attend every
town’s library’s used book sale within a 25 mile radius… I remember the joy
of receiving a box of books from a retiring teacher. And I remember the thrill
of accumulating enough ‘bonus’ points to earn a bulk book purchase. Because
I’ve taught so many different grade levels when it comes to holiday books
and Sadlier ® are registered trademarks of William H. Sadlier, Inc. Copyright © William H. Sadlier, Inc. All rights reserved. May be reproduced for education use (not commercial use).
my collection ranges from easy to more challenging. These are my top ten
favorite Halloween Picture Books that I have collected over the years:
Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams
In the Haunted House by Eve Bunting
There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Bat by Lucille Colandro
Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
Bat Loves the Night by Nicola Davies
The Spider and the Fly by Tony DiTerlizzi
The Widow’s Broom by Chris Van Allsburg
The Pumpkin Book by Gail Gibbons
Series books such as:
Author’s Halloween by Marc Brown or
Franklin’s Halloween by Paulette Bourgeois
As you may have noticed some books are not specifically about Halloween
such as Stellaluna by Janell Cannon, Bat Loves the Night by Nicola Davies
and The Spider and the Fly by Tony DiTerlizzi, but all three books include
Halloween images such as bats and spiders. You can see my lesson plans for
these books in previous posts. The Pumpkin Book by Gail Gibbons is just one
of Gibbons many nonfiction books that can be read around Halloween.
I have my students record their three favorite pumpkin facts on the pumpkin
template after we read the book. I love the book Too Many Pumpkins by Linda
White because it is great for teaching character change. In the Haunted House
by Eve Bunting is good for discussing the importance of illustrations helping
to tell the story. Download my ‘Haunted House’ organizer to use with your
students as you read your favorite spooky stories throughout the month.
w
Date
Name
Beginning
Main Characters
Middle
Solution
Middle
Problem
Haunted House Organizer

End
Pumpkin Template
Name
What?
Who?
Where?
Title and Author
5Ws & 1H Web
Date
How?
When?
Why?
Name
Date
Pumpkin Venn Diagram
Settin
g
Main Chara
cters
Title
and A
uthor
Lesson
Story Web
Probl
em
Solution
Critical Thinking Interactive Read Aloud
(Grades K–5)
Mentor Text: Stellaluna
by Janell Cannon
Interactive read alouds are an important component of

a balanced literacy classroom. Research proves the value
of reading aloud to students of all ages, and that students
benefit from being read aloud to several times throughout
a week. Thoughtful planning of an interactive read aloud is critical for its success.
Teachers need to select a text that is both meaningful and engaging, and it is
important to consider how the text will support lessons, units or themes the class
is working on. Thought-provoking questions are essential to every interactive read
aloud. Using the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy Cognitive Dimensions is one way to ensure
students will take part in a variety of discussions from understanding the plot of the
story to analyzing the author’s message.
This lesson is an example of an interactive read aloud of a picture book that can be
modified to use with grades K-5. Text-specific questions are provided to ask during
the read aloud based on the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy Cognitive Dimensions to
promote higher levels of text discussion.
Title: Stellaluna
Author: Janell Cannon
Description: This is the heartwarming story of a fruit bat that makes a home
with a family of birds after she is separated from her mother. Kids will learn
about the different characteristics of birds and bats as they enjoy this story
about friendship, compromise, and acceptance.
Stellaluna can be enjoyed in almost any elementary classroom. Janell Cannon

has a wonderful way of teaching kids about animals without them even
realizing they are leaning. Her books often provide factual information about
the topic at the end of the book in the author’s notes to increase the readers’
understanding of the text. Stellaluna is a great text to teach students about the
strategy: activating prior knowledge.
Critical Thinking Interactive Read Aloud
Using the Revised Bloom’s Cognitive
Process Dimensions
Bloom’s Taxonomy Page Text* Question

Remembering “One night, as . . .” Why did Stellaluna fall into the forest?
Understanding “Many, many times . . .” Why didn’t Stellaluna want to eat what
Mama Bird was bringing her babies?
Why did she give in?
Applying “Stellaluna learned to . . .” What information could someone learn
about birds and bats from this page?
Analyzing “All the babies . . .” What are some themes in this book?
Evaluating “The next day . . .” Do you think the birds made the right
decision? What would you have done?
Creating What facts can you compile to show

how bats and birds are alike and how
they are different?**.
*This text is a picture book, and these words signify the start of the particular page referenced.
**Further Reading Articles: About Fruit Bats taken from: http://www.about-bats.com
Lesson
Title
Author
Solution
Fav
orit
e ev
Ma
ent
in c
Pro
b l
har
e m
act
ers
Setting
K–5
Lesson
Setting
Problem
Solution
Favorite event
Main characters
By
Your friend,
Dear Friend,
You have to read the book:
I’m recommending this book to you because:

Genre:
I’ll give you a brief summary without spoiling it:

Date:
Gobble Up A Good Book
Molly’s Pilgrim By Barbara Cohen
A mini-unit thinking: on, between, & beyond the lines.
Day 1
Why do you think we celebrate Thanksgiving?
What are some of the things you do to celebrate Thanksgiving?
Read an article about the first Thanksgiving. A suggestion is First Thanksgiving
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/content/kids/en_US/explore/history/first-thanksgiving/
Day 2
Pages 1–15
Why do you think a person might want to move to a new country?
Introduce the book: Molly’s Pilgrim by Barbara Cohen
On: Why doesn’t Molly like school?
Between: Why doesn’t Molly want her mother to talk to the teacher? What do you think about that?
Beyond: Imagine a student from another country that spoke a different language joined our class.
How would you welcome him or her into the school? What would you do if that student was teased
because of their differences?
Day 3
Pages 16–29
What do you think would be some of the biggest challenges if you moved to a new country?
On: What does Miss Stickley assign the class to do?
Between: Why does Mama make a pilgrim doll that looks like her?
Why was Molly afraid to take her project to school?
Beyond: What do Pilgrims symbolize even today?
Day 4
Pages 30–end
Explain how ‘courage’ is a theme in this book.
On: What does Molly’s teacher say about her Pilgrim doll?
Between: Why was Molly called a pilgrim in this story? Does it fit with what we think about pilgrims?
Beyond: What is the author’s message?
Day 5
Reflection
Describe Molly’s feelings and how they changed throughout the book.
What lessons do you think Molly’s class learned?
What lesson does Molly learn?
What can we learn?
Extension: Have the students create their own pilgrim doll.
C O M P R E H E N S I O N R E A D I N G S T R AT E G I E S
and Parade
the Macy’s
Milly
by Shana Corey
Strategy Page* Teaching Point

Noticing Author’s Craft “Woosh! She went . . .” Discuss with students the author’s craft
on this page and the next. Point out the
use of sound words, repetition and rich
language. Ask the students how and
why these words were effective.
Making a Connection “But some of . . .” Explain that when an author repeats a
word or phrase it is usually significant.
Ask students, “What word does the
author repeat on this page that might
be important?” Explain that being
homesick is an emerging theme in the
book.
Determining Importance “Still, being homesick . . .” The problem and solution in a text
are often the most important parts
of a story. Ask students, “What is the
problem in the book?”
Inferring “Milly gulped. Then . . .” Tell students that making inferences

about characters is something that
active readers are constantly doing.
Ask students, “What inferences were
you able to make about Milly, Mr. Macy,
and/or Mr. Snidely?”
Creating a Visual “When they got . . .“ Have students close their eyes and
create a mind picture of the parade.
Synthesizing “Everyone agreed that . . .” Together, summarize the story.
Questioning Author’s Note After reading a text that is “based” on

a true story or an event, the reader is
often left wondering which parts were
actual events (if any). Read the Author’s
Note to answer any questions.
* This text is a picture book, and

these words signify the start of the
particular page referenced.

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l l -T h e m ed

Pumpkin Patch Phonics Game, Grades K–3

Halloween Reading Resources, Grades 3–5

Halloween Graphic Organizers, Grades K–5

Turkey Story Map Activity, Grades K–5

Gobble Up A Good Book Activity, Grades K–5

Milly and the Macy’s Parade Review Guide, Grades 2–5

www.SadlierSchool.com • Toll Free 800-221-5175

bell yet hug

fun egg truck

www.SadlierSchool.com • Toll Free 800-221-5175

Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White

Haunted House Organizer

Pumpkin Venn Diagram

Interactive read alouds are an important component of

Stellaluna can be enjoyed in almost any elementary classroom. Janell Cannon

Bloom’s Taxonomy Page Text* Question

Creating What facts can you compile to show

You have to read the book:

I’m recommending this book to you because:

I’ll give you a brief summary without spoiling it:

A mini-unit thinking: on, between, & beyond the lines.

Strategy Page* Teaching Point

Inferring “Milly gulped. Then . . .” Tell students that making inferences

Synthesizing “Everyone agreed that . . .” Together, summarize the story.

Questioning Author’s Note After reading a text that is “based” on

* This text is a picture book, and

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