This week for Book Talk Thursday, I am also linking up with my friend Carla at Comprehension Connection for her Thematic Thursday. This week her focus is Gifts from the Heart, and what a perfect time of year to focus on that!
Last week I focused on one of my favorite books, The Trouble With Trolls by Jan Brett. You can read this post by clicking {here}. I thought it would be great to highlight another adventure with Treva. This week I am focusing on the book Christmas Trolls by Jan Brett.
Treva and her brother go out to find their Christmas things. Lo and behold, two trolls, Mig and Tig, have taken the things because they want Christmas. Treva shows the trolls how to have Christmas and even how to get along with each other. While Treva was showing the trolls how to have Christmas, the hedgehog took all of their items back to the sleigh.
Treva gives the trolls her prized possession, her red horse, to show them kindness at Christmas. Though she will miss the horse, the trolls have learned so much about Christmas. On Christmas Day, she receives a special gift from the trolls, delivered by the hedgehog.
This book really shows how gifts from the heart really do matter in this world. When we show people love and attention through what we do and say, that gift cannot be taken away.
After reading the book to my fourth graders, we began using one of Carla's products (actually 3 of them) ~ her partner scripts.
Before reading them, we talked about how we can use ideas from the book to understand each of them. We connected ideas to what each script. Then they filled in the thought provoking sheets to get them ready to read each script.
The best part has been listening to them read the scripts together. They will practice each day and then present the scripts to each other. I also love that they have question sheets and writing sheets to keep kids thinking even after they are finished reading the scripts.
Each Christmas season, we focus on having fun, and this is another way to have some fun and still incorporate some learning. And it's a great way to work on fluency, one of the things our fourth graders really need!
So, don't forget to give gifts from the heart this Christmas! And link up again this week here for Book Talk Thursday!
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Ah Andrea, you just made my whole month! I am so happy to see your kids enjoying the partner scripts and sharing their gifts back with you. Seriously, what a wonderful surprise to wake up to. :-)
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We just read Home for Christmas by Jan Brett, and now I know what we will read next! :-) Lauren
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