Introducing Shapes

The Way I FeelThe Way I Feel

This is a good book to discuss emotions. – This full color book is filled with vivid, expressive illustrations that help children ages 2 to 8 describe their emotions and understand that feelings are a normal part of life.

The Listening WalkThe Listening Walk

This is a great listening book! Hear all the sounds as you go on a walk! We’re going on a listening walk. Shhhhh. Do not talk. Do not hurry. Get ready to fill your ears with a world of wonderful and surprising sounds.

Shape by ShapeShape by Shape

What am I?
I lived a long, long time ago.
I had round eyes…
lots of sharp teeth…

This new concept book from Caldecott Honor illustrator Suse MacDonald is sure to entertain children. As readers turn the brightly colored, die cut pages, shapes on each page come together to reveal a creature from long ago. Page by page, MacDonald’s bright, cut-paper, collage-style artwork transforms circles into eyes and triangles into scales until a familiar creature is revealed, with the aid of a large fold-out page, on the final spread.

Mouse ShapesMouse Shapes

What can you make with one oval, two circles, and eight triangles? Just ask three clever mice–who even find a funny way to trick a sneaky cat.
Ellen Stoll Walsh once again proves that she’s a master of concept books in this celebration of shapes, color, and innovation.

Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School ShoesPete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes

–Have fun dancing and signing with your class and Pete the Cat! Pete the Cat is back—and this time he’s rocking in his school shoes. Pete discovers the library, the lunchroom, the playground, and lots of other cool places at school. And no matter where he goes, Pete never stops moving and grooving and singing his song . . . because it’s all good.

Other Activities Included for Week 3: 

  • Things to do during literacy centers:
  • Writing Time
    • Draw details in your pictures
    • Listen to a story and draw details from the story – be very detailed!
    • Work on the “All About Me” book (included) – you can draw faces here too!
    • Use shapes to help you draw pictures (a circle for a face, or a sun), etc. Talk about how you can use shapes to help you.
    • Draw different ways a student feels by changing the expression on the student’s drawn face. (Use How I feel minibook included)
  • Story Time:
    • Talk about story setting. (Talk about where the story takes place. When?  Day? Night Season?)    (Read the book The Listening Walk, suggested above)
    • Read The Way I Feel Talk about drawing faces…and how the students can draw their feelings by changing how their face looks in your picture.
Madreen Karle and Meeghan Karle Mousaw
Madreen Karle is a master first grade reading teacher with over 30 years of classroom experience. She taught reading in a special needs and English as a Second Language classroom. After retiring she wrote a reading program to help others learn how to teach reading. She is a trusted educator and author of 5 books to help teach children to read and write. In addition to her books, she is a mentor for 3 websites that give reading teacher tips (Mrs. Karle's Sight and Sound Reading, Mrs. Karle's Reading Patch, and Mrs. Karle's Handwriting Patch). Through her teaching she learned that confidence was the key to learning to read. A child who is not confident at reading does not like to read and struggles to read. Mrs. Karle created "sunshine moments" to help teach children how to grow their confidence and learn to read.

Meeghan Karle Mousaw (Madreen’s daughter) has her Master’s in Special Education. She has 7 years experience teaching children to read online. In addition, she developed a curriculum to teach children handwriting called The Handwriting Patch. With the Handwriting Patch learning is fun because children learn to draw and learn handwriting at the same time. In 2019 The Handwriting Patch curriculum became an amazon best seller the first year it was released, helping thousands of kids learn handwriting with a unique, fun method. She is mom to 6 kids, each with differently learning abilities and struggles.

The Reading Patch was established by the creators of Mrs. Karle’s Sight and Sound Reading. Together they have been featured on the NBC media outlets. Over the last 7 years in their online platform, Madreen and Meeghan have worked tirelessly with teachers, homeschoolers and parents looking to help children learn to read to become a trusted authority in teaching children to read and advocating early literacy skills. They often partner with other educational experts to deliver the most current information to the Reading Patch community.