Carol Ghiglieri

This book is all about creatures that use trees as their homes, whether it is to gather food from or to perch in and raise their young.
I like this book because it is a perfect example of what types of creatures live in trees, and all the different uses that trees provide too many different types of animals. It is geared towards 3rd grade, but It would be perfect for students who are behind in reading. They use a big font and although there looks to be a lot of words they are simple enough to understand the meaning behind them.… (meer)

Summary-

This was an easy reader biography. It was about the life of Helen Keller. She was a blind, deaf, and determined! She wasn't born deaf and blind. When she was a very young child she had a bad illness, with a high fever. After she recovered she had lost her vision and hearing. Her parents had adapted a way to communicate with Helen. As she grew, a teacher came to live with her to teach her how to communicate. This was a difficult task for the teacher but she prevailed and was able to teach Helen that everything had a name and how to spell it out. Helen went on to write books about her life, to give people hope.

Personal Reflection-
I can remember learning about Helen Keller in Elementary School. I always thought she was so strong and amazing. This book gives the important facts about her life and struggles. I think this was a great way to introduce Helen to children.

Classroom Extension Ideas-
1. We can learn more about Helen Keller and life in late 1800's.

2. I can ask the students to break into groups and answer questions:
What they think it would be like to be deaf and blind
What would it feel like?
what would they miss?
How would this effect their lives?

3. We could watch a video on Helen Keller. We can then discuss what students thought about it.… (meer)