Dear readers,
This week I read a wonderful book called
Interrupting Chicken (2010). This is
a fictional picture book written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein. In 2011, Interrupting
Chicken was noted as a Caldecott Honor book, which means it was considered one
of the most distinguished picture books of the year.
Stein created vibrant illustrations
to complement his hilarious story about a little chicken who could not stop
interrupting her bedtime story. The characters of Little Chicken and Papa
really come alive through the illustrations. Several beloved classic children’s
books are featured within the story, but Papa can’t get through any of them
without being interrupted!
This is one of my favorite books to
read in the first few weeks of school. It encourages children to think about
interrupting and the effects it has on conversations and read-alouds. We always
have great discussions about some of the better choices than interrupting, and
it can be helpful to make an anchor chart of these. To get that discussion
going, you can ask questions like “What happens as a result of Little Chicken
interrupting?”, or “Turn and talk to your elbow partner about a better choice she
could have made.” This book also complements character education lessons on the
virtue of self-control.
I recommend reading Interrupting Chicken. It’s a fun story,
and is available in several different formats, including (my favorite) a big
book.
Happy reading!
Mrs. Ingersoll
Interrupting Chicken is one of my all-time favorite books! The kids love it so much as it keeps them laughing! I also love the lessons it teaches in self-control. This is a much needed lesson for my first graders! I love your mention of turn and talks. I implement this in my class daily! And I believe I get the most engagement with this strategy.
ReplyDeleteI love this book! It is such a great way to teach students about the rules of conversation. It is surprising to me how many students in today's world do not understand this. Even when two grown-ups are talking, they think it is ok to interrupt over trivial things. I have noticed that young parents never make them wait. They stop their conversation and answer them immediately. This is truly a skill they need to practice.
ReplyDeleteI laugh at the book. Having a poultry farm- its a great connection to giving personification to the characters. I like to tell my students that the chickens could be mine. I love to remind them of this story when we have interruptions.
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