ABC+Projects

ABC Projects

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** ABC Books: Building Vocabulary and Engaging Students* ** ** IRA Chicago, IL - April 2010 **

Karen Bromley, Binghamton University, SUNY kbromley@binghamton.edu

Alphabet books have untapped potential for deepening and broadening student’s vocabularies. ABC books engage students in productive, fun, independent word learning across grade levels and content areas. They are also a perfect tool for differentiating instruction for students with diverse needs.

1) Enlist the help of your library media specialist to find ABC books and flood your classroom with them so children have good models. Share several ABC books with your class and point out the special features and formats of this genre.

2) Have your students create their ABC books using the plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish process to create a finished product of which they can be proud.

3) Collaborate with the art teacher to allow students to illustrate their ABC books with felt tip markers, colored pencils, collage, etc.

4) Have your students read their finished books to each other, other classes, and their families. Having a real audience makes this an authentic and meaningful activity.

Here are a few ideas to try with your students: e.g., //dolphin (deep diver)//, //tree (tall titan)// // The ABC’s of Inventions The ABC’s of Animals // // The ABC’s of Matter & Energy The ABC’s of Fractions //(or addition, division, etc.) // The ABC’s of Illinois //(or your state/city) //The ABC’s of Community Helpers//
 * Write and illustrate original ABC books called //The ABC’s of Me//
 * Rewrite an ABC book by creating a new sentence/s for each word in the published book
 * Use the dictionary to find other appropriate words that begin with each letter in the ABC book,
 * Make a //Word Opposites// ABC book, e.g., soft/hard, light/dark, up/down
 * Write an ABC books in two languages
 * Translate a published ABC book into another language, e.g., one spoken by a student/s in your class)
 * Create new ABC books that develop your curriculum:

“Two-Concept” ABC Books (e.g., //The ABC’s of Animals in Space)//
 * A- The //alligator// wanted to be an //astronaut//.
 * S- The //snake// wanted to //slither slowly// into //space//.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Other formats: Question, Question/Answer, 3 Sentences (? . !)

**ABC for Elementary School Students** *multicultural books

// Achoo! Bang! Crash! The Noisy Alphabet // by Ross MacDonald // Flora McDonnell’s ABCs // by Flora McDonnell // ABC Discovery! // by Izhar Cohen // Alphabet Under Construction // by Denise Fleming // The Graphic Alphabet // by David Pelletier // A is for Salad // by Mike Lester // The Racecar Alphabet // by Brian Floca // Toot and Puddle: Puddle’s ABCs // by Holly Hobbie // A was an Apple // by Etienne Delessert // Alpha Bravo Charlie: The Military Alphabet // by Chris Demarest // A is for Artist: An Alphabet // by Ella Doran // A Pioneer ABC // by Mary Alice Downie // ABC USA // by Martin Jarrie // Animal Antics: A to Z // by Anita Lobel // Superhero ABC // by Bob McLeod // *W is for World: A Round-the-World ABC // by Kathryn Cave // *Candle Time ABC // by Jennifer Blizin Gillis // *P is for Passport: A World Alphabet // by Devin Scillian // *ABC Kids // by Laura Ellen Williams // *The Alphabet Atlas // by Arthur Yorinks // *K is for Kwanzaa: A Kwanzaa Alphabet Book // by Juwanda G. Ford // *D is for Drinking Gourd: An African American Alphabet // by Nancy I. Sanders // *Vietnam ABCS: A Book about the People and Places of Vietnam // by Theresa Alberti // *A is for Asia // by Cynthia Chin-Lee // *D is for Dragon Dance // by Ying Chang Compestine // *Japan ABCS: A Book about the People and Places of Japan // by Sarah Heiman // *Costa Rica ABCS :A Book about the People and Places of Costa Rica // by Sharon Katz Cooper // *A is for Aloha: A Hawaiian Alphabet // by U’ilani Goldsberry // *A Jewish Holiday ABC // by Malka Drucker // *T is for Tortilla: A Southwestern Alphabet Book // by Jody Alpers // *N is for Navidad // by Susan Middleton Elya and Merry Banks // *Navajo ABC // by Luci Tapahonso and Eleanor Schick // ABC for You and Me // by Meg Girnis // S is for Sunshine: A Florida Alphabet // by Carol Crane // Alphabeep! A Zipping, Zooming ABC // by Deborah Pearson Alphaoops! The Day Z Went First by Alethea Kontis // Arches to Zigzags: An Architecture ABC // by Michael J. Crosbie // Found Alphabet // by Wojciech Graniczewski // Z Goes Home // by Jon Agee // The Z Was Zapped // by Chris Van Allsburg

**ABC Books for Middle School Students** // Antics // by Cathi Hepworth // Hieroglyphs from A to Z // by Peter Der Manuelian // Butterfly Alphabet // by Kijell Sandved // A Walk in the Rainforest // by Kristin Joy Pratt // A is for Angry // by Sandra Boynton // The Alphabet from Z to A // by Judith Viorst // Alphablocks // by Kat Anderson // Geography from A to Z // by Jack Knowlton // Ashanti to Zulu // by Margaret Musgrove // ABC of Ecology // by Harry Milgram // We Read: A to Z // by Donald Crews // Q is for Duck // by Mary Elting & Michael Folson // ABCedar // by George Ella Lyon // Wild Animals of America ABC // by Hope Ryden // Alligator Arrived with Apples // by Crescent Dragonwagon // Anamalia // by Graeme Base // Illuminations // by Jonathan Hunt // The Amazing Animal Alphabet Book // by Roger and Mariko Chouinard // Aardvarks, Disembark! // by Ann Jonas // Gretchen’s ABC // by Gretchen Simpson // The Handmade Alphabet // by Laura Rankin // A is for Amazing Moments: A Sports Alphabet // by Brad Herzog // S is for Save the Planet: A How-to-be-Green Alphabet Book // by Brad Herzog // D is for Dinosaur: A Prehistoric Alphabet // by Todd Chapman // P is for Pilgrim: A Thanksgiving Alphabet // by Carol Crane // Yankee Doodle America: The Spirit of 1776 from A to Z // by Wendell Minor // G is for Googol: A Math Alphabet Book // by David M. Schwartz // Waldorf Alphabet Book // by Famke Zonneveld // Q is for Quark: A Science Alphabet Book // by David M. Schwartz // Earth Day: An Alphabet Book // by Gary Kowalski // A is for Anaconda: A Rainforest Alphabet // by Anthony D. Fredericks // B is for Battle Cry: A Civil War Alphabet // by Patricia Bauer // V is for Venus Flytrap: A Plant Alphabet // by Eugene Gagliano // The ABC Book of American Homes // by Michael Shoulders // I is for Idea: An Inventions Alphabet Book // by Marcia Schonberg // Amelia to Zora: 26 Women Who Changed the World // by Cynthia Chin-Lee

**ABC Books by Jerry Pallotta [|www.alphabetman.com] (high interest/science facts)**

// The Bird Alphabet Book The Underwater Alphabet Book // // The Icky Bug Alphabet Book The Freshwater Alphabet Book // // The Ocean Alphabet Book The Construction Alphabet Book // // The Flower Alphabet Book The Beetle Alphabet Book // // The Yucky Reptile Alphabet Book The Boat Alphabet Book // // The Frog Alphabet Book The Jet Alphabet Book // // The Furry Alphabet Book The Airplane Alphabet Book // // The Dinosaur Alphabet Book The Spice Alphabet Book // // The Extinct Alphabet Book The Butterfly Alphabet Book // // The Desert Alphabet Book The Skull Alphabet Book // // The Victory Garden Vegetable Alphabet BookUS Navy Alphabet Book //

**ABC Books - References**

Brabham, E. G. & Murray, B. A. (2006). Reading alphabet books in kindergarten: Effects of instructional emphasis and media practice. //Journal of Research in Childhood Education//, //20//(3), 219-234. Bradley, B. A. & Jones, J. (2007). Sharing alphabet books in early childhood classrooms. //Reading Teacher//, //60//(5), 452- 463. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify;">Bromley, K. (2002). //Stretching Students’ Vocabulary.// New York: Scholastic). Evers, A.J., Lang, L.F., & Smith, S.V. (2009). An ABC literacy journey: Anchoring in texts, bridging language,  and creating stories. //The Reading Teacher, 62//(6), 461-471.  Leeper, A. (2008). C is for culture: A look at multicultural alphabet books. //Multicultural Review//, //17//(4), 38-44.  Perry, N. (2001). A is for . . . what? The function of alphabet books. //Journal of Early Childhood Literacy//, //1//(3),  235-253.  [|www.readwritethink.org] (ABC book characteristics sheet, ABC book checklist, ABC book rubric)  Warner, L. & Weiss, S. (2005). Why young children need alphabet books. //Kappa Delta Pi Record//, //41//(3), 124-  127.