Becoming Critically Literate

  Description from the publisher (Picture Window Books):  " Deciduous forest ecosystems can be found on nearly every continent. Countless animals and plants live in them. So what difference could the loss of one animal species make? Follow the chain reaction, and discover how important gray wolves are." Text Features:  Nonfiction picture book "It's Critical" word boxes with additional explanation of keywords Diagram of a Temperate Forest Ecosystem Glossary, Learn More and Index sections Critical Literacy Suggestions: Read & Discuss:   BEFORE reading discussion ideas: Why might a whole book have been written exploring the title question?  What's an ecosystem? What's a temperate forest ecosystem? (After reading the blurb) What do think a chain reaction is? Ask children if they have ever seen a domino 'chain reaction' – this might help them infer the term's meaning! (if not, revisit this question after reading the book) AFTER reading discus...

  Description from the publisher (Reycraft Books):  " An orange horse is desperate to find his long-lost brother, but the only clue he has is one half of an old photo. The horse decides to advertise, but the answers he gets leave him feeling hopeless. Then, one day, the orange horse meets a brown horse and they immediately become good friends. Coincidentally, the brown horse also has one half of an old photo. Could he be the long-lost brother the orange horse has been searching for?" Text Features:  Fictional picture book Some bolded keywords (salient nouns and emotional vocabulary) Explores an expansive concept of family (and is great for introducing the concept of "chosen/found" family and what it means to really belong) Critical Literacy Suggestions: Read & Discuss:   BEFORE reading discussion ideas: What do you think the Orange Horse's family might look like? Why do you think that? Do you look like the people in your family? Why or why not? Why might som...