MENTOR TEXT Linky~~ A MUST read!

Mentor Text Linky time with Collaboration Cuties....

The Scholastic Book Fair is currently underway at my school. Without fail, there is always a new one that I just MUST HAVE. Yesterday I came across that book. It's  Each Kindness  by Jacqueline Woodson.

 Here is the beginning:

The book continues on as Maya (referred to as "Never New" because her clothes are old) tries to reach out to the girls, but they continue to reject her and make fun of her. Chloe eventually decides to stop, but it's too late because Maya's family moves away. The teacher brings in a small stone and a bowl of water. She drops the pebble in and the kids watch the ripples. The teacher says, "This is what kindness does. Each little thing we do goes out, like a ripple, into the world." Chloe realizes that she missed her chance to show kindness to Maya.

This story is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! It teaches friendship, kindness, empathy, acceptance. It leaves so much to discuss since we don't ever learn of the damage or hurt done to Maya because she has moved. I promise this story will touch your students!

As I read it, it reminded me of this classic, The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes.

This book, published in 1944, tells the same story. A poor immigrant girl enters the school and the girls make fun of her because of her old clothes and strange culture. Wanda tells the girls she has a hundred dresses all hanging up in her closet. The girls, of course, don't believe her. Wanda eventually moves away, but she leaves a gift for the girls--her drawings of 100 dresses. Both books tell the same story and leave students with a very powerful message, as well as open up the door for some rich conversation.

I decided I will use both of these books to not only talk about the important themes of each, but as a way to teach comparison of characters, setting, and plot. Both are so similar even though they are written almost 70 years apart! You can also include a lesson on how the illustrations help convey the meaning and mood of both stories.

I created three graphic organizers to use as we read these stories. I will complete these with the students the first time and  later, they will use these as their rough draft for a reading response letter to me.

Click HERE to get this FREEBIE. Great to use with any book!

I hope you check out these two stories!