Description
*PLEASE NOTE: This Picture book Lesson accompanies either Fireworks by Matthew Burgess or “Firework Poem” by Enid Blyton. You will need one or both of these to teach this lesson. Neither is provided with this lesson. “Firework Poem” is widely available online – I cannot provide it because it is not yet in the public domain.
THIS FIREWORKS PICTURE BOOK LESSON IS MADE ESPECIALLY FOR:
- elementary librarians on the Specials rotation
- elementary classroom teachers looking for lessons to accompany Fireworks by Matthew Burgess or “Firework Poem” by Enid Blyton
- public librarians looking for fun ways to promote picture books or holidays with fireworks (such as July 4th, as is in the story)
My Library Lessons and Library Storytimes are the lessons I would have wanted when I was a new, overwhelmed, and exhausted school librarian with two preschoolers of my own.
FAST FACTS ABOUT THIS FIREWORKS PICTURE BOOK LESSON:
- Recommended for: Grades 2-4
- Lesson Duration: 1 library lesson (about 25-30 minutes total)
- Formats: PPT or Google Slides; PDF
- Editable: YES, all text is editable
THIS FIREWORKS PICTURE BOOK LESSON COMES WITH:
- 31-slide PPT + Google™ Slides (31 slides that students see; there are actually 36 slides when you include directions and tips for librarians and teachers)
- two differentiated scavenger hunt activities (2 pages)
- answer key for the second scavenger hunt (1 page)
- two differentiated onomatopoeia activities (2 pages)
- list of 39 book-themed Recommended Reads (1 page)
- Let’s Talk About… Fireworks – Take-Home Extension Activities (2 pages)
- prep and set-up tips + notes page (2 pages)
- lesson plan templates (5 pages)
- complete, detailed instructions for all included pieces
- All printable pages can be edited in PPT, Google Slides, or PDF.
ACCESSIBILITY
All parts of this Library Lesson Mini are optimized for readability. Here’s how:
- uses only two fonts (Arial and KG Blank Space Solid)
- Arial font is one of eight accessibility fonts recommended by the British Dyslexia Association. It is also pre-loaded on most school computers.
- slides use primarily black text on a solid white background – some exceptions for captions in white text over a dark photo
- no cursive fonts, fancy fonts, or random capitalizations are included
- body text line spacing is 1.5
- minimal text on each slide
- lots of white space on each slide
- scavenger hunt includes two versions. One is images only and requires no reading. The other is for students who can read short text well.
- Onomatopoeia activity includes cut-and-paste activity and a write-in activity. This is the same activity completed in two different ways.
IMAGES
As a certified librarian, I am careful to use only legally-acquired images in my resources. Librarians can be assured that:
- All clipart in this resource were purchased for commercial use from human TPT clip artists (no AI-generated images)
- All photos are in the public domain.
- Every image is credited in the Slide Notes area of each slide.
- All images in this resource adhere closely to the artist or photographer’s terms of use. This is why they are all locked into the background and not editable.
In addition, all images in this resource:
- are high-quality, full-color images
- include captions (photos)
- complement the subject and text of each slide
PART I – FIREWORKS PICTURE BOOK LESSON MINI SLIDES:
This is a “Mini” Library Lesson, so the Part I slides are shortened from my full Library Lessons. Part I includes only 5 slides, which enables the librarian or teacher to get to the read-aloud more quickly.
The slides are:
- What are fireworks?
- making predictions based about Fireworks based on the title and cover art
- What is onomatopoeia and examples
- Predict: What onomatopoeia words might we hear in Fireworks?
These slides also work with “Firework Poem,” but you will need to edit the slides slightly to change the title from Fireworks to “Firework Poem.” All slides are easily-edited in PowerPoint and Google Slides.
PART II – SCROLLING SLIDES INCLUDE:
I take great care to thoroughly research all information in my Library Lessons. All resources are credible, authoritative references. Source URLs are included in the Slide Notes sections of some slides.
- Practice summer onomatopoeia words
- trivia questions about July 4th, firework history, and the setting of Fireworks
- Bastille Day, July 4th, and New Year’s Eve are all celebrated with fireworks
- Fireworks have different metal salts, which makes them different colors
- Why are animals are afraid of fireworks (and thunder)?
- How can we can help calm frightened pets during fireworks or storms?
- What are sparklers?
- sparkler safety tips
- “fireworks” in American Sign Language
- define fuse
SCAVENGER HUNTS
- differentiated (one is images-only; one is images + text)
- 2 pages, PDF
- Scavenger Hunt #1 is an images-only hunt. Students can complete this scavenger hunt without reading the text on the slides.
- Scavenger Hunt #2 includes both images and text. This one is for the students who are able to read the Part II slideshow. This scavenger hunt includes images and questions about the information in the slideshow.
- Scavenger Hunt #2 includes answer key
LIST OF RECOMMENDED READS
- picture books, fiction, and graphic novel titles for Grades 2-4+ (some fiction titles are better for Grades 4-5)
- all books have summer themes
- total of 39 titles
- titles are editable, so you can customize the titles for your classroom or library
- All titles were hand-selected by a veteran school librarian for quality, diversity, positive reviews, and currency.
- Every book on the list received at least one positive review on Titlewave. Several also received starred reviews and/or book awards.
TAKE-HOME EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
Some of my Library Lessons and Storytimes contain Take-Home Extension Activities, and this is one of them! You can download a free sample (Spiders) here.
Students love sharing their knowledge! With this 2-page “Fireworks” Take-Home Extension Activities Handout, students can:
- Short quiz over facts in the presentation (answers on back)
- List of 5 recommended picture books about summer
- “Fireworks” sign language
- Sound Scramble (unscramble onomatopoeia words)
- Fireworks vocabulary from presentation
- How to draw an ice cream cone
- Easy-to-make Firecracker “Pop”corn recipe
- 2 pages, text is editable in PPT, Google Slides, or PDF
MORE BOOK-THEMED LIBRARY LESSONS
SEE ALL PICTURE BOOK LESSONS
