Lois Ehlert
"I grew up in a home where everyone seemed to be making something with their hands. As far back as I can remember, I was always putting things together, cutting, stitching, pasting, or pounding."
-Lois Ehlert
Biographical Information
Lois Ehlert grew up in a house where "people were always making things." Her mother was a talented seamstress who gave her sewing lessons and bright pieces of leftover fabric. Her father was a woodworker who gave her scraps of lumber from his workshop in the basement. With this abundance of nontraditional art supplies, Lois became a resourceful artist with a love for bright colors and interesting textures. An old card table served as headquarters for her many art projects.
Not surprisingly, Ehlert went on to study art in college. After graduating from the Layton School of Art in Milwaukee, she worked in graphic design for a number of years. Lois began teaching art classes for children at museums and libraries. "I loved doing that,"she said. "I think that's where my love of collage began – I was always seeing kids cut and paste." She also worked with kids in a roundabout way, by doing illustrations for textbooks.
In 1987, Lois' dream came true with the publication of her first book,Growing Vegetable Soup (Harcourt, 1991), a book she'd been trying to sell for two and a half years. Ever since then, Lois has created a string of picture books, all featuring her distinctive artwork and text that's a mixture of fact and fancy. Take, for just one example, her book Feathers For Lunch (Harcourt, 1996). The story – a cat stalks birds in the hope of snaring one for his lunch – is told in rhymed verse, and one can't help smiling when the birds outsmart the cat. Tiny words tucked amid the text and artwork tell the names of the plants and animals Lois has depicted using paper shapes. The last four pages of the book present facts about all the birds pictured in the book. In book after book Lois serves up a good story, vivid artwork and real learning – a sort of literary "triple threat" – and makes it all look like fun.
In 1990, Ehlert's Color Zoo received a prestigious Caldecott Honor Award. In 2003, the Milwaukee Art Museum honored the Wisconsin native's original artwork with an exhibit entitled, "Handmade by Lois Ehlert: Art for Children's Books."
Today, Lois Ehlert cuts, paints, and writes from her home in Milwaukee. Through her own sense of innovation and discovery, she continues to create authentic books that both children and adults enjoy. "I don't want to be bored with doing things over and over," she says. "As an artist, I love to experiment, and I find that each book really has its own personality."
Watch the video below for a full interview with Lois to find out more about her artistic influences!
Not surprisingly, Ehlert went on to study art in college. After graduating from the Layton School of Art in Milwaukee, she worked in graphic design for a number of years. Lois began teaching art classes for children at museums and libraries. "I loved doing that,"she said. "I think that's where my love of collage began – I was always seeing kids cut and paste." She also worked with kids in a roundabout way, by doing illustrations for textbooks.
In 1987, Lois' dream came true with the publication of her first book,Growing Vegetable Soup (Harcourt, 1991), a book she'd been trying to sell for two and a half years. Ever since then, Lois has created a string of picture books, all featuring her distinctive artwork and text that's a mixture of fact and fancy. Take, for just one example, her book Feathers For Lunch (Harcourt, 1996). The story – a cat stalks birds in the hope of snaring one for his lunch – is told in rhymed verse, and one can't help smiling when the birds outsmart the cat. Tiny words tucked amid the text and artwork tell the names of the plants and animals Lois has depicted using paper shapes. The last four pages of the book present facts about all the birds pictured in the book. In book after book Lois serves up a good story, vivid artwork and real learning – a sort of literary "triple threat" – and makes it all look like fun.
In 1990, Ehlert's Color Zoo received a prestigious Caldecott Honor Award. In 2003, the Milwaukee Art Museum honored the Wisconsin native's original artwork with an exhibit entitled, "Handmade by Lois Ehlert: Art for Children's Books."
Today, Lois Ehlert cuts, paints, and writes from her home in Milwaukee. Through her own sense of innovation and discovery, she continues to create authentic books that both children and adults enjoy. "I don't want to be bored with doing things over and over," she says. "As an artist, I love to experiment, and I find that each book really has its own personality."
Watch the video below for a full interview with Lois to find out more about her artistic influences!
Sources:
http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/ehlert#bio
http://www.essentiallearningproducts.com/lois-ehlert-shes-got-style-becky-rodia
http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/ehlert#bio
http://www.essentiallearningproducts.com/lois-ehlert-shes-got-style-becky-rodia
Style
While creating books may be fun for Lois, it's a lot of work, too. Before she lays out the collages for a book, Lois makes sketches, takes photos and prepares the papers she'll use. Lois also spends a great deal of time making "dummies" of each of her books. Authors and illustrators of picture books frequently make homemade "dummy" books to see how the text and pictures will look on a page. Lois' dummies tend to be very elaborate, complete with a binding that she sews herself. She creates each collage at the size at which it will appear in the book, periodically making color photocopies as she works, so she can see how her sometimes three-dimensional collages will look in two dimensions. Once the artwork for a book is completed, Lois sends it off to her publisher packed in boxes that she custom-builds herself, so none of the 3d pieces in the collages will be crushed:
"If you look closely at my books, you will see that I still use simple art materials-and that I'm still cutting and pasting. It's an art technique called collage: cutout pieces of paper, fabric, or objects glued to a backing. Sometimes I paint white paper with watercolor washes and then cut up the paper, and sometimes I use paper with just one tone or texture. I usually start out by making a dummy book with sketches. That way I can figure out what I want to illustrate on each page. Once I get that figured out, I start to really research my subject. I spend a long time checking my facts before I begin to paint. I guess I feel I can never know too much. After I decide what to illustrate, I start cutting out each little piece and gluing it on a board."
"If you are an artist or writer just like me, sometimes it is difficult to know just where ideas come from. That's a question people ask me all the time. Now that I'm grown-up I realize that I write and draw thing I know and care about. Yes, a squirrel really did sneak in through my window. Yes, I do enjoy gardening. Yes, I've made snow creatures, and each year I press beautiful maple leaves in my phone book. The ideas for my books develop as slowly as seeds I plant in early spring. Ideas and seeds both have to be nurtured to grow. I study, sketch...and sit and think."
"Then I begin to paint, setting the mood for the book. I'm messy when I work. When ideas are coming, I don't clean up my studio every day-I keep working. I know there will be days when I have no ideas, and then I will have plenty of time to clean up and empty my overflowing wastebasket. I splash pint on my shoes and get glues under my nails; scraps of paper lie strewn all over the floor and stick to the bottom of my shoes. I wear old clothes and a denim apron when I work, an idea I borrowed from watching my dad. I leave the paintings scattered around my studio; if I run out of space, I even use the floor. Then I begin to write. As you may have noticed, in most cases my writing complements my art. I work on writing for a while and then go back to the art-back and forth, until I get just the right balance. It takes me a long time to make a book, and it is difficult but enjoyable work. It looks so simple if you get it right."
In Lois' book Market Day (Harcourt, 2000), the collages were made almost entirely from artifacts and textiles she bought in Mexico and Peru. "I used to collect pre-Columbian art," Lois said. "But now it's against the law to take it out of Peru, because it's considered a national treasure. So now I study art history and look at cultures such as the Egyptians and the way they do flat patterns and profiles."
Lois also places great importance on the fact that some of her books feature the story in both English and Spanish, and she enjoys looking at the foreign-language editions of her books. "I can look at the Korean copy of Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf and not understand what it says," she explained. "That helps me understand how it must be for a young child to look at something and not understand it. It helps me to think of ways of bridging that gap."
Lois Ehlert's books certainly bridge gaps –in understanding, age and culture – and they do it with style.
Watch the video below to learn more about Lois' artistic process as she creates imaginative illustrations!
"If you look closely at my books, you will see that I still use simple art materials-and that I'm still cutting and pasting. It's an art technique called collage: cutout pieces of paper, fabric, or objects glued to a backing. Sometimes I paint white paper with watercolor washes and then cut up the paper, and sometimes I use paper with just one tone or texture. I usually start out by making a dummy book with sketches. That way I can figure out what I want to illustrate on each page. Once I get that figured out, I start to really research my subject. I spend a long time checking my facts before I begin to paint. I guess I feel I can never know too much. After I decide what to illustrate, I start cutting out each little piece and gluing it on a board."
"If you are an artist or writer just like me, sometimes it is difficult to know just where ideas come from. That's a question people ask me all the time. Now that I'm grown-up I realize that I write and draw thing I know and care about. Yes, a squirrel really did sneak in through my window. Yes, I do enjoy gardening. Yes, I've made snow creatures, and each year I press beautiful maple leaves in my phone book. The ideas for my books develop as slowly as seeds I plant in early spring. Ideas and seeds both have to be nurtured to grow. I study, sketch...and sit and think."
"Then I begin to paint, setting the mood for the book. I'm messy when I work. When ideas are coming, I don't clean up my studio every day-I keep working. I know there will be days when I have no ideas, and then I will have plenty of time to clean up and empty my overflowing wastebasket. I splash pint on my shoes and get glues under my nails; scraps of paper lie strewn all over the floor and stick to the bottom of my shoes. I wear old clothes and a denim apron when I work, an idea I borrowed from watching my dad. I leave the paintings scattered around my studio; if I run out of space, I even use the floor. Then I begin to write. As you may have noticed, in most cases my writing complements my art. I work on writing for a while and then go back to the art-back and forth, until I get just the right balance. It takes me a long time to make a book, and it is difficult but enjoyable work. It looks so simple if you get it right."
In Lois' book Market Day (Harcourt, 2000), the collages were made almost entirely from artifacts and textiles she bought in Mexico and Peru. "I used to collect pre-Columbian art," Lois said. "But now it's against the law to take it out of Peru, because it's considered a national treasure. So now I study art history and look at cultures such as the Egyptians and the way they do flat patterns and profiles."
Lois also places great importance on the fact that some of her books feature the story in both English and Spanish, and she enjoys looking at the foreign-language editions of her books. "I can look at the Korean copy of Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf and not understand what it says," she explained. "That helps me understand how it must be for a young child to look at something and not understand it. It helps me to think of ways of bridging that gap."
Lois Ehlert's books certainly bridge gaps –in understanding, age and culture – and they do it with style.
Watch the video below to learn more about Lois' artistic process as she creates imaginative illustrations!
Sources:
http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/education/kidlit/aom/janaom.html
http://www.essentiallearningproducts.com/lois-ehlert-shes-got-style-becky-rodia
http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/education/kidlit/aom/janaom.html
http://www.essentiallearningproducts.com/lois-ehlert-shes-got-style-becky-rodia
Awards/Honors
Caldecott Honor Book, 1989, for Color Zoo
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year for Snowballs (1995)
Booklist Editors' Choice (1997) for Cuckoo/Cucú: A Mexican Folktale
IRA Teachers' Choice and NCTE Notable Children's Trade
Book in the Language Arts (1990) for Feathers for Lunch
American Library Association Notable Children's Book and Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Award (1989) for Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Milwaukee Art Museum Exhibit, 2003: "Handmade by Lois Ehlert: Art for Children's Books"
Source:
https://sites.google.com/site/eshamah1220/honors-and-awards
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year for Snowballs (1995)
Booklist Editors' Choice (1997) for Cuckoo/Cucú: A Mexican Folktale
IRA Teachers' Choice and NCTE Notable Children's Trade
Book in the Language Arts (1990) for Feathers for Lunch
American Library Association Notable Children's Book and Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Award (1989) for Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Milwaukee Art Museum Exhibit, 2003: "Handmade by Lois Ehlert: Art for Children's Books"
Source:
https://sites.google.com/site/eshamah1220/honors-and-awards
List of Published Books
Online Resources/References
http://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?aid=1265&a=1
This website for teachers provides lesson plans, read-alouds, and information about Lois, interviews, book guides, and more for interesting and creative instruction.
http://www.pinterest.com/momto2poshdivas/lois-ehlert-books-fun/
This website provides a plethora of activities that focus on author study, artistic qualities, and innovative style of Lois. Teachers can find all types of lesson plans with additional activities here.
http://www.theeducatorsspinonit.com/2012/09/lois-ehlert-author-study-virtual-book.html
This website studies Lois' artistic abilities and offers teachers guidelines on how to foster art and science in the early childhood classroom.
http://creeksidelearning.com/2012/09/18/september-virtual-book-club-lois-ehlert/
This online resource provides teachers with lesson plans/activities that focus on scientific concepts through some popular books written/illustrated by Lois.
http://classroomsandcraftrooms.blogspot.com/2012/09/lois-ehlert-book-study-and-art-activity.html
This link provides teachers with a detailed unit plan that focuses on many of Lois' books. The lessons reflect activities in science, math, art, and literacy.
http://ethemes.missouri.edu/themes/1864?locale=en-US
This site provides a variety of art and literacy activities based on Lois' books. It also includes an interview and many classroom designed videos.
http://www.lessonplanet.com/search?keywords=lois+ehlert
This site provides teachers with 199 various lesson plans that focus on Lois Ehlert children's books.
http://www.harcourtbooks.com/leafman/teacherguide.asp
This site provides teaching strategies during a guided reading of Leaf Man. The site also provides follow-up/extension activities before, during, and after reading.
This website for teachers provides lesson plans, read-alouds, and information about Lois, interviews, book guides, and more for interesting and creative instruction.
http://www.pinterest.com/momto2poshdivas/lois-ehlert-books-fun/
This website provides a plethora of activities that focus on author study, artistic qualities, and innovative style of Lois. Teachers can find all types of lesson plans with additional activities here.
http://www.theeducatorsspinonit.com/2012/09/lois-ehlert-author-study-virtual-book.html
This website studies Lois' artistic abilities and offers teachers guidelines on how to foster art and science in the early childhood classroom.
http://creeksidelearning.com/2012/09/18/september-virtual-book-club-lois-ehlert/
This online resource provides teachers with lesson plans/activities that focus on scientific concepts through some popular books written/illustrated by Lois.
http://classroomsandcraftrooms.blogspot.com/2012/09/lois-ehlert-book-study-and-art-activity.html
This link provides teachers with a detailed unit plan that focuses on many of Lois' books. The lessons reflect activities in science, math, art, and literacy.
http://ethemes.missouri.edu/themes/1864?locale=en-US
This site provides a variety of art and literacy activities based on Lois' books. It also includes an interview and many classroom designed videos.
http://www.lessonplanet.com/search?keywords=lois+ehlert
This site provides teachers with 199 various lesson plans that focus on Lois Ehlert children's books.
http://www.harcourtbooks.com/leafman/teacherguide.asp
This site provides teaching strategies during a guided reading of Leaf Man. The site also provides follow-up/extension activities before, during, and after reading.
Books to be Used in Author Study
Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf: Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf is about the journey a maple tree takes from seed to sapling to nursery to being planted by a family. Many years of enjoyment follow as they watch the leaves change colors, the helicopter-like seeds spin down and the birds come and enjoy food.
Click Here for a read aloud of the story.
Click Here for a read aloud of the story.
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is a rhyming story about all of the letters of the alphabet. Each letter tries to climb a coconut tree. They quickly realize that the tree is not sturdy enough for all of the letters, and they all come tumbling down.
Click Here for a read aloud/ interactive song version of the story.
Click Here for a read aloud/ interactive song version of the story.
Painting a Rainbow: Painting a Rainbow is an informational and enjoyable book that teaches young children about seeds/plants and growth in nature. All colors of the rainbow are represented in each flower of the story.
Click Here for a read aloud of the story.
Click Here for a read aloud of the story.
Color Zoo: Color Zoo is a shape, color, and animal books that allow children to explore various shapes that turn into many different animals with each turn of the page. Readers are able to observe animals on one side of the page and shapes on the other. The colors help to make the animals come to life.
Click Here for an adorable read aloud of the story with a father and son.
Click Here for an adorable read aloud of the story with a father and son.
Activities for Pre-K
Writing:
- After reading Painting a Rainbow, children develop vocabulary and meaning and use of print as they draw and label pictures about plants, seeds, nature, rainbows, leaves, etc.
- After reading Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf, children develop meaning and use of print as they explore drawing with colored pencils and develop vocabulary by talking about their ideas and the colors they are using.
Puzzles:
- Children develop alphabet knowledge as they match uppercase and lowercase letter cards in "Alphabet Memory Game." (Chicka Chicka Boom Boom)
- Children develop alphabet knowledge as they play "Alphabet Go Fish." (Chicka Chicka Boom Boom)
- Children develop alphabet knowledge as they match beginning uppercase letters with names of animals, flowers, colors, and shapes. (Chicka Chicka Boom Boom)
- Children develop alphabet knowledge as they fish for magnetic letters (using magnets tied to the end of fishing poles) in a container filled with water. (Chicka Chicka Boom Boom)
- Children develop alphabet knowledge as they sift to find magnetic letters in sand. (Chicka Chicka Boom Boom)
- After reading Color Zoo, children develop vocabulary and comprehension as they learn to identify common colors and shapes during color and shape bingo.
- After reading Painting a Rainbow, children develop vocabulary and comprehension as they learn to match color swatches with names and develop phonemic awareness as they learn to identify color words that begin with the same sound and end with different sounds.
- Children develop vocabulary and comprehension as they match pictures of plants, colors, shapes, and leaves during "Memory." (All books)
Dramatic Play:
- After reading Painting a Rainbow, children develop vocabulary and comprehension as they engage in pretend play focused on growing a garden of flowers and vegetables.
- After reading Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf, children develop vocabulary and comprehension as they engage in pretend play focused on the life of a tree.
Art:
- After reading Painting a Rainbow, children develop vocabulary as they paint with and mix primary colors to make new colors of the rainbow.
- After reading Painting a Rainbow, children develop vocabulary and comprehension as they use various tools to paint flowers including the ends of lettuce bundles, apples, potatoes, carrots, sponges, etc.
- Children develop vocabulary and comprehension as they paint rainbows and flowers.
- Children develop vocabulary and comprehension as they create collages using tissue paper, card stock, felt, feathers, tin foil, etc. (to look like Lois Ehlert's illustrations.)
- After reading Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf, children develop vocabulary and comprehension as they create drawings with dry leaves and crayons.
- Children develop vocabulary as they match colors of familiar fruits, vegetables, and flowers while making paper collage posters.
- After reading Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf and Painting a Rainbow, children develop vocabulary as they begin to experiment with simple materials to replicate something in nature: a nest, tree, leaf, plant, seed, garden, rainbow, etc.
Science:
- After reading Painting a Rainbow, children develop vocabulary and comprehension as they learn color names and how to mix primary colors to make new colors using food coloring and paper towels.
- After reading Color Zoo, children develop vocabulary and comprehension as they investigate and describe shadows through the creation of stained glass/shadow collages using tissue paper and glue.
- After reading Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf, children develop vocabulary and comprehension as they examine a bean seed and sprout one. They begin to understand that the seed will grow and change and these changes can be documented in drawing and writing.
- After reading Painting a Rainbow, children develop vocabulary and comprehension as they explore and draw the various colors in a kaleidoscope. They learn how the light makes reflections inside the small tool to create more colors/images.
Literacy Analysis:
- Read for enjoyment: Children develop an interest and enjoyment of stories, develop initial understanding of selected vocabulary, and develop comprehension of the story and related content knowledge.
- Read to reconstruct: Children develop an interest in and enjoyment of stories, deepen understanding of selected vocabulary, and develop comprehension of the story and related content knowledge.
- After reading Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf, children develop comprehension as they complete a story sequence for how the maple tree grew. The graphic organizer is in the shape of a tree.
- After reading Painting a Rainbow, children develop comprehension as they complete a graphic organizer that is represented by a blank rainbow. The children will fill out each part of the rainbow to indicate the sequence of the story.
Math:
- Children develop vocabulary, comprehension, and alphabet knowledge as they count the letters in their name. They will construct a class-wide bar graph to represent the highest number of letters in individual children's names. (Chicka Chicka Boom Boom)
- After reading Color Zoo, children develop vocabulary and comprehension as they explore various shapes. They will create works of art using shapes to represent different animals, pictures, scenes in nature, etc.
- After reading Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf and Painting a Rainbow, children develop vocabulary and comprehension by recording and graphing results of seed growth over a 2 month period.
Sources:
- Classroom experience
- www.myjumpstart.org
- After reading Painting a Rainbow, children develop vocabulary and meaning and use of print as they draw and label pictures about plants, seeds, nature, rainbows, leaves, etc.
- After reading Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf, children develop meaning and use of print as they explore drawing with colored pencils and develop vocabulary by talking about their ideas and the colors they are using.
Puzzles:
- Children develop alphabet knowledge as they match uppercase and lowercase letter cards in "Alphabet Memory Game." (Chicka Chicka Boom Boom)
- Children develop alphabet knowledge as they play "Alphabet Go Fish." (Chicka Chicka Boom Boom)
- Children develop alphabet knowledge as they match beginning uppercase letters with names of animals, flowers, colors, and shapes. (Chicka Chicka Boom Boom)
- Children develop alphabet knowledge as they fish for magnetic letters (using magnets tied to the end of fishing poles) in a container filled with water. (Chicka Chicka Boom Boom)
- Children develop alphabet knowledge as they sift to find magnetic letters in sand. (Chicka Chicka Boom Boom)
- After reading Color Zoo, children develop vocabulary and comprehension as they learn to identify common colors and shapes during color and shape bingo.
- After reading Painting a Rainbow, children develop vocabulary and comprehension as they learn to match color swatches with names and develop phonemic awareness as they learn to identify color words that begin with the same sound and end with different sounds.
- Children develop vocabulary and comprehension as they match pictures of plants, colors, shapes, and leaves during "Memory." (All books)
Dramatic Play:
- After reading Painting a Rainbow, children develop vocabulary and comprehension as they engage in pretend play focused on growing a garden of flowers and vegetables.
- After reading Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf, children develop vocabulary and comprehension as they engage in pretend play focused on the life of a tree.
Art:
- After reading Painting a Rainbow, children develop vocabulary as they paint with and mix primary colors to make new colors of the rainbow.
- After reading Painting a Rainbow, children develop vocabulary and comprehension as they use various tools to paint flowers including the ends of lettuce bundles, apples, potatoes, carrots, sponges, etc.
- Children develop vocabulary and comprehension as they paint rainbows and flowers.
- Children develop vocabulary and comprehension as they create collages using tissue paper, card stock, felt, feathers, tin foil, etc. (to look like Lois Ehlert's illustrations.)
- After reading Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf, children develop vocabulary and comprehension as they create drawings with dry leaves and crayons.
- Children develop vocabulary as they match colors of familiar fruits, vegetables, and flowers while making paper collage posters.
- After reading Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf and Painting a Rainbow, children develop vocabulary as they begin to experiment with simple materials to replicate something in nature: a nest, tree, leaf, plant, seed, garden, rainbow, etc.
Science:
- After reading Painting a Rainbow, children develop vocabulary and comprehension as they learn color names and how to mix primary colors to make new colors using food coloring and paper towels.
- After reading Color Zoo, children develop vocabulary and comprehension as they investigate and describe shadows through the creation of stained glass/shadow collages using tissue paper and glue.
- After reading Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf, children develop vocabulary and comprehension as they examine a bean seed and sprout one. They begin to understand that the seed will grow and change and these changes can be documented in drawing and writing.
- After reading Painting a Rainbow, children develop vocabulary and comprehension as they explore and draw the various colors in a kaleidoscope. They learn how the light makes reflections inside the small tool to create more colors/images.
Literacy Analysis:
- Read for enjoyment: Children develop an interest and enjoyment of stories, develop initial understanding of selected vocabulary, and develop comprehension of the story and related content knowledge.
- Read to reconstruct: Children develop an interest in and enjoyment of stories, deepen understanding of selected vocabulary, and develop comprehension of the story and related content knowledge.
- After reading Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf, children develop comprehension as they complete a story sequence for how the maple tree grew. The graphic organizer is in the shape of a tree.
- After reading Painting a Rainbow, children develop comprehension as they complete a graphic organizer that is represented by a blank rainbow. The children will fill out each part of the rainbow to indicate the sequence of the story.
Math:
- Children develop vocabulary, comprehension, and alphabet knowledge as they count the letters in their name. They will construct a class-wide bar graph to represent the highest number of letters in individual children's names. (Chicka Chicka Boom Boom)
- After reading Color Zoo, children develop vocabulary and comprehension as they explore various shapes. They will create works of art using shapes to represent different animals, pictures, scenes in nature, etc.
- After reading Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf and Painting a Rainbow, children develop vocabulary and comprehension by recording and graphing results of seed growth over a 2 month period.
Sources:
- Classroom experience
- www.myjumpstart.org