How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Title: How I Spent My Summer Vacation
Author: Mark Teague 
Illustrator: Mark Teague 
Publication Date: 1995 
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book 
Summary: Wallace Bleff stands up in front of the class to tell them about what he did on his summer vacation.  He tells of his crazy adventures with cowboys! 
What I Think: It makes me laugh when I see or hear about the predictable "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" essay.  I like how Teague puts a twist on it by spinning this fun tale of an adventure with cowboys.  I love stories about cowboys and this one would be great for building background knowledge and vocabulary about cowboys.  This story would be a great way to wrangle in the new school year or for a Wild West unit.  One thing I really love about this book is that it comes with activities that tie in the book on the inside covers.  There are ideas for expanding imagination, a science experiment, a musical instrument, and even a yummy snack!

Read Together: K - 3 
Read Alone: 2 - 4 
Read With: Don't Touch My Hat by James Rumford and other cowboy books
Snatch of Text: "The Cattle Boss growled, as he told me to sit,
'We need a new cowboy.  Our old cowboy quit.
We could sure use your help.  So what do you say?'
I thought for a minute, then I told him, 'Okay.'"
Reading Strategies to Practice: Activating Background Knowledge, Making Connection, Developing Vocabulary, Making Predictions 
Writing Strategies to Practice: Personal Narrative  
Writing Prompts: Write about an adventure you wish you would have went on during your summer vacation!   
Topics Covered: Cowboys, Adventure, Imagination, Vacation

Translated to Spanish: No