The Best Part of Me (Wendy Ewald)

 Join me as I share a wonderful book written by children for children of all ages!  The "Best Part of Me" by Wendy Ewald is fast becoming a classic favourite in classrooms.  There are so many wonderful ways you can teach and learn with this collection of stories/poems.  Need to set up a new bulletin board or display for a teacher night?  This book leads well into an activity that is quick to do and makes for a beautiful expression of thoughts by the children for the children.  FREE student templates are attached for your project.  I think you'll agree that "The Best Part of Me" is a story for everyone and a definite must-have for any classroom teacher's library!

The Best Part of Me
Book Cover:	Author/Illustrator: Wendy Ewald Amazon Purchase Link	Character Ed. Focus: -body image -self-esteem/image -diversity
	Magic Story Treat: -blank scrapbook -template page -class camera	Read Aloud Link: link coming soon
Science of Reading Possibilities: It is my practice to read the story more than once throughout the week.  I like to focus on the language of the book first and then reread for meaning and comprehension. r-controlled vowels (ar, ir, er, ur, or) As you are reading, have the children listen and look for words with r-controlled vowels.  Record the words in the following chart.  Brainstorm other words that the children know with r-controlled vowels.  Look for patterns and post on your sound wall. Don't forget to keep a list of words that don't follow the rules.  I think it is better to just record them and then afterwards, have the students look for reasons and patterns. er ir ur ar or her smoother permanent covers over brothers bird circle picture surprise turn part are sharp aren't barettes Barbie word forehead Secret Story Connection: introduce and point to the card on the wall the cars with squealing brakes introduce and point to the card on the wall the pirate for <ar> introduce and point to the card on the wall Indecisive Sam for <or>		Vocabulary: In late second grade, third grade and above, students need to build a more sophisticated vocabulary for their speaking, reading, and writing. mosquito beautiful heritage smoother permanent barettes Barbie Often, I print a vocabulary card for each word and distribute the cards to students before I read the story.  We discuss each word and the student with the card is responsible for listening and pointing out when the word occurs in the story.  As much as possible, I try to pick some vocabulary that is thematic and some with our Science of Reading focus.
Story Introduction: As always, I hang the Magic Story Bag on a hook somewhere out of reach of the students but in full view so that some excitement can build about the story. This is one of the only stories where I take out the special story treat before reading.  I do this to get the children thinking about why they would have a book and what they think they might need to put in it.  I often have disposable or inexpensive cameras for the children in the bag so they think about a photo album of their year.  I often tease with an idea that they can create their own books and invite children to share if they've ever made books or would like to. I lead a discussion talking about some of the following questions and we record our answers and thoughts on a chart. Who can be an author?  Why? What does an author look like? What does an author do? What does an author need to know before writing a story? What can we write about that others might want to read?
Comprehension Focus: main idea and supporting details
Bloom's Taxonomy Comprehension: Choose questions according to the focus or scatter a question from a few areas.  Ensure that you are moving beyond remembering and understanding. Remember: Who is one student you remember from the story?   What part of their body did they like about themselves? What do you think "best" means? Understand: Why do you think _______ liked that part of their body best? What is the main idea of this Magic Story?  How do you know? What is the evidence or supporting details of the story that confirm your main idea? Apply: How can you use the reasoning that the other children used to decide on the best part of you? Create: How can we help others to build a better body image, self confidence? How can we judge others less harshly and encourage others to do the same? Evaluate: Many people struggle with the image of their body.  How can doing an exercise like this help with your body image? Are there any parts of you that shouldn't be the best parts of you? Analyze: What form do the students write in?  Do you notice anything in their writing? What parts of the body were most common choices for the students?   Who do you resonate with in the story?  How are they different or the same as you?
Post Story Activity: Provide students with the template for doing their own "Best Part of Me" paragraph. Take photos of each student's best part. Have each student decorate their own page in the scrapbook before putting it together.		Grammar Focus: paragraph structure
		Writing Idea: paragraph writing
Lasting Impression: My Usual Timeline: end of September Leaving A Centre: Leave copies of the template and a classroom camera at a centre table.  Encourage students to create a "Best Part of Our Classroom" book.   Repeat the same activity in the middle of the year and at the end of the year to see writing improvement and changes. How You Know The Story Made An Impression: students showing greater confidence in their strengths students asking for help when they need it students judging each other less Related Books: Stand Tall Mary Lou Lemon, by Patty Lovell I Am Enough, by Grace Meyers You Are Special, by Max Lucado
Student Rating:	My Rating:	Your Rating: Please comment or email (themagicbackyard@gmail.com) me to let me know how the story worked for you with your class.