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You are here: Home / freebies / Innovations Day 2: The Important Book
freebies, literacy, writing

Innovations Day 2: The Important Book

April 11, 2012

Today is the second day of my five-day series on using
innovations in your classroom during writing workshop. For today’s post,
I’m highlighting The Important Book
by Margaret Wise Brown.
 

This book is written by the same author as Goodnight Moon, and it’s another simple story. Familiar items (like apples or spoons) are highlighted in the book, but the details given about each object are the important parts. For example, “The important thing about a spoon is that you eat with it.” That’s obvious, but then Brown gives details. “It’s like a little shovel… It isn’t flat. It’s hollow… But the important thing about a spoon is that you eat with it.” That’s an abbreviated version, but you get the point I’m sure. =)


I like using this book for innovations because it has a
very simple pattern, but requires students to think a little deeper in
order to complete the writing with less obvious details. I usually model the pattern using familiar items in the classroom, like pencils or chalk. Then I send students off to create their own important books using a theme. They can select items from the classroom, the cafeteria, the playground, or even their own bedrooms. The circular structure of The Important Book makes this fill-in-the-blank writing easier to do than starting from scratch.

I use a simple bundle that you can grab here. I usually have students create their own books with several pages, but sometimes we compile them into a class book too. I included our cover if you want to make a class book instead. I also found some third grade examples over at WritingFix.

Be sure to check back for Day 3 of my Innovation Series.
Don’t forget we’re working our way toward a $25 Amazon
gift card giveaway for one randomly chosen follower if my blog reaches
250 followers by the end of this series on Sunday!
In the meantime if you decide to purchase this book for your classroom,
I’d love it if you used my link.

innovations resources writing minilessons
by Christi Fultz 

About Christi Fultz

wife • mom • teacher • writer • tech obsessed • sometime crafter • beach lover | Empowering entrepreneurs through branding & website design

View all posts by Christi Fultz

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previous post: Innovations Day 1: Fortunately
next post: Innovations Day 3: Bad Ideas

Comments

  1. KRISTA says: April 11, 2012 at 6:52 pm

    HI Christi!

    I am LOVING this series! Thanks for all of the great ideas and free resources. This is fabulous!

    Krista
    stellar-students

  2. Molly says: April 11, 2012 at 9:01 pm

    Hi Christi!

    I am really enjoying your innovations series! It's always great to find good book recommendations!! Also, to answer your question, the only pages that sometimes get torn around the holes are their letters to me because they are written on the thinner, lined paper. Usually we don't have a problem for any of the pages I printed on computer paper. Like you said though, it's nice to be able to move things around and add new things as we go! Hope that helps!

    Molly
    Lessons with Laughter

    • Christi at Ms. Fultz's Corner says: April 11, 2012 at 9:16 pm

      Thanks!

  3. Lori Rosenberg says: April 11, 2012 at 10:04 pm

    I agree…another great book for an innovation. Thanks for sharing your ideas!

    Sincerely,
    Lori (luvyorkies@gmail.com)
    Teaching With Love and Laughter

  4. Michelle says: April 12, 2012 at 2:04 am

    Christi,
    I'm so thankful you found my blog! 🙂 Hopefully while you were there you grabbed some freebies and/or entered in my NEW BLOG celebration giveaway! 🙂 Really enjoy the innovations posts! What great ideas! I'll have to keep checking back! 🙂 Swing back over anytime! Michelle @
    nomonkeybusinessmichelle.blogspot.com

  5. Abby says: April 13, 2012 at 11:39 am

    I love this book and these resources! 🙂

    Thanks!

    Abby @ Third Grade Bookworm

  6. Kellie says: April 13, 2012 at 4:43 pm

    Thank you 🙂

  7. Linda Nelson says: April 13, 2012 at 8:12 pm

    Dear Christi,

    I really enjoyed your post… and the whole series! Text innovations are a such great support structure for young writers. I love The Important Book – I used it with my first graders for writing about geometric shapes. "The important thing about a triangle is that it has three sides. It has straight sides. It's a polygon. (etc.) But the important thing about a triangle is that it has three sides."

    By the way, you did such a great job explaining the accordion book on your last post!!! Terrific video!

    Linda
    Primary Inspiration

    • Christi at Ms. Fultz's Corner says: April 13, 2012 at 9:10 pm

      I love the idea of using it for polygons. How creative!

  8. Confessions of a Teaching Junkie says: April 14, 2012 at 12:34 am

    Christie,

    I love using this book in the classroom. I will have to dig out my ideas and share them as soon as I can. Thanks for reminding me how much I love this book!

    Teresa
    Confessions of a Teaching Junkie
    Find me on Facebook!

  9. Elizabeth says: April 14, 2012 at 6:17 pm

    Great book! I love your file download and saved it to use. One quick question-How did you get it to load onto your blog like that? It was a zipped file when I clicked on the "grab here" link. That seems so much easier than always loading freebies in TpT or TN stores. Can you give a quick tutorial in your spare time…hehehe?

    Elizabeth

    Fun in Room 4B

    • Christi at Ms. Fultz's Corner says: April 14, 2012 at 6:31 pm

      Spare time? Teachers have spare time? 😉 Your lucky because it's super easy to do. I have my own webpage hosted through tripod.com. I upgraded to a paid account because I also use tripod for my classroom website, but you can do it with the free one too unless you have a ton of traffic or really big files. They have a "file manager" that lets you store your files online (pictures, zips, documents, anything). It's literally like adding an attachment to an email, that's how easy it it. Then the file gets a web address that you can link to in your blog, email, anywhere. Easy as that!

Christi Fultz

wife • mom • teacher • writer • tech obsessed • sometime crafter • beach lover | Empowering entrepreneurs through branding & website design

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DIY Floral Wallpaper // Charlotte’s first big gi DIY Floral Wallpaper // Charlotte’s first big girl room is one of my favorite places in the house. We let the kids choose their own decor for the new house and Charlotte’s room is a purple and pink dream... no surprise there! 

The DIY wallpaper was probably a “once and done” experience for us and took about six hours for this 9 by 16 wall. More pictures and sources are on our family blog, also linked in bio: https://completelychristi.com/2022/02/diy-floral-removable-wallpaper.html

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I used the online design tool from @containerstorecustomspaces to create this DIY Classic Elfa system. It took about three hours to install and set up. I love how flexible the system is, which means we can reconfigure the layout as he grows. I’m also really proud of his label choices... maybe he inherited some of my organizational skills after all!

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#louisvilleky #momsoflouisville #louisvillemoms #louisvillemomcollective  #kentuckyblogger #kyblogger #louisvilleblogger #igerslouisville #derbycitymama #diyhomeprojects #diyhome #homedesigninspiration #homeinspo#homemakeover #diyinspo #makehomeyours #kidroomideas #childsroom #childsroomdecor #childroomdesign #kidsroom #kidsroommakeover #kidsroominspiration #kidsroomdesign
Farm Flowers // I absolutely love my monthly flowe Farm Flowers // I absolutely love my monthly flower delivery. It’s the perfect “pick me up” on a gloomy January day… or any time! As a momma, it’s easy to do all the things for your family. This is one thing I do for me! And since I work from home, it makes my space just a little happier every day. I was initially intimidated by the thought of arranging my own bouquets, but they provide tips and pictures to help. The best part? They arrive mostly in bud form and bloom in your home so you can enjoy each arrangement longer. ✨ Mine usually last 10-14 days. Link in bio to learn more.

#louisvilleky #momsoflouisville #louisvillemoms #louisvillemomcollective #kentuckyblogger #kyblogger #louisvilleblogger #igerslouisville #derbycitymama #momselfcare #freshflowers #thebouqscompany
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#louisvilleky #kentuckyblogger #kyblogger #louisvilleblogger #igerslouisville #diyhomeprojects #diyhome #homedesigninspiration #homeinspo#homemakeover #diyinspo #makehomeyours #homeorganization #homeorganizing #closetorganization #organizedhome #organizedcloset #walkincloset #closetgoals #closets #closetdesign #customcloset #closetmakeover
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#louisvilleky #momsoflouisville #louisvillemoms #louisvillemomcollective #bathroommakeover #homemakeover #kentuckyblogger #kyblogger #louisvilleblogger #igerslouisville #derbycitymama #momsselfcare
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As an experienced third grade teacher with a Masters in Elementary Education and K-12 reading license, I know educational resources need to be both inviting and engaging to capture students' interests. I am passionate about creating user-friendly resources to help all students learn while saving valuable prep for teachers. Read More…

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DIY Floral Wallpaper // Charlotte’s first big gi DIY Floral Wallpaper // Charlotte’s first big girl room is one of my favorite places in the house. We let the kids choose their own decor for the new house and Charlotte’s room is a purple and pink dream... no surprise there! 

The DIY wallpaper was probably a “once and done” experience for us and took about six hours for this 9 by 16 wall. More pictures and sources are on our family blog, also linked in bio: https://completelychristi.com/2022/02/diy-floral-removable-wallpaper.html

#louisvilleky #momsoflouisville #louisvillemoms #louisvillemomcollective #kentuckyblogger #kyblogger #louisvilleblogger #igerslouisville #derbycitymama #diyhomeprojects #diyhome #homedesigninspiration #homeinspo #homemakeover #diyinspo #makehomeyours #kidroomideas #childsroom #childsroomdecor #childroomdesign #kidsroom #kidsroommakeover #kidsroominspiration #kidsroomdesign
Kid Closet // Because we were so happy with our ow Kid Closet // Because we were so happy with our own custom closet, we decided to do my son’s too. We primarily use his closet for off-season storage and toys, but it was always a MESS! Then the mess spilled out onto his nightstand, desk, dresser, building table, and under his bed. He needed a system! 

I used the online design tool from @containerstorecustomspaces to create this DIY Classic Elfa system. It took about three hours to install and set up. I love how flexible the system is, which means we can reconfigure the layout as he grows. I’m also really proud of his label choices... maybe he inherited some of my organizational skills after all!

#louisvilleky #kentuckyblogger #kyblogger #louisvilleblogger #igerslouisville #diyhomeprojects #diyhome #homedesigninspiration #homeinspo#homemakeover #diyinspo #makehomeyours #homeorganization #homeorganizing #closetorganization #organizedhome #organizedcloset #walkincloset #closetgoals #closets #closetdesign #customcloset #closetmakeover #kidroomideas #childsroom #kidsroom #kidsroommakeover #kidsroominspiration #kidsroomdesign
DIY Board and Batten Accent Wall with Display Ledg DIY Board and Batten Accent Wall with Display Ledge Tutorial // Carter’s room needed a punch of color and a place to display his favorite Legos. This weekend project was exactly what I had hoped for! Full tutorial and sources on my hobby blog, linked in bio. https://completelychristi.com/2022/01/diy-board-and-batten-accent-wall-tutorial.html 

#louisvilleky #momsoflouisville #louisvillemoms #louisvillemomcollective  #kentuckyblogger #kyblogger #louisvilleblogger #igerslouisville #derbycitymama #diyhomeprojects #diyhome #homedesigninspiration #homeinspo#homemakeover #diyinspo #makehomeyours #kidroomideas #childsroom #childsroomdecor #childroomdesign #kidsroom #kidsroommakeover #kidsroominspiration #kidsroomdesign
Farm Flowers // I absolutely love my monthly flowe Farm Flowers // I absolutely love my monthly flower delivery. It’s the perfect “pick me up” on a gloomy January day… or any time! As a momma, it’s easy to do all the things for your family. This is one thing I do for me! And since I work from home, it makes my space just a little happier every day. I was initially intimidated by the thought of arranging my own bouquets, but they provide tips and pictures to help. The best part? They arrive mostly in bud form and bloom in your home so you can enjoy each arrangement longer. ✨ Mine usually last 10-14 days. Link in bio to learn more.

#louisvilleky #momsoflouisville #louisvillemoms #louisvillemomcollective #kentuckyblogger #kyblogger #louisvilleblogger #igerslouisville #derbycitymama #momselfcare #freshflowers #thebouqscompany
Primary Closet // We had to empty our closet for t Primary Closet // We had to empty our closet for the bathroom remodel, so we decided it was time for an upgrade before it all back together. ✨ We worked with a designer from @containerstorecustomspaces and are so happy with the results!

#louisvilleky #kentuckyblogger #kyblogger #louisvilleblogger #igerslouisville #diyhomeprojects #diyhome #homedesigninspiration #homeinspo#homemakeover #diyinspo #makehomeyours #homeorganization #homeorganizing #closetorganization #organizedhome #organizedcloset #walkincloset #closetgoals #closets #closetdesign #customcloset #closetmakeover
Bathroom Makeover // We aren’t quite finished in Bathroom Makeover // We aren’t quite finished in here, but I’m pleased with the progress so far! We had plenty of room to turn our primary shower into a wet room with freestanding soaking tub. Shower glass is on the way, and I think we’ll tackle those mirrors too. The closet makeover is underway now, so check back for that next.

#louisvilleky #momsoflouisville #louisvillemoms #louisvillemomcollective #bathroommakeover #homemakeover #kentuckyblogger #kyblogger #louisvilleblogger #igerslouisville #derbycitymama #momsselfcare
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⁠
#momsaroundlouisville #kentuckyblogger #kyblogger #louisvilleblogger #louisvilleky #igerslouisville #derbycitymama #kyproud #ky #kentuckymom #kentuckychristmas #christmasinkentucky ⁠#louisville #locallouisville #louisvillelove #mylouisville⁠ #howwelou #louisvilleigers #momlife #instagrammom #momsofig #christmastime #festive #holidayseason #tistheseason #christmasspirit #holidays
Kentucky Christmas // It’s our second year home Kentucky Christmas // It’s our second year home for Christmas and you’ll catch me here by the fire all season. This is what dreams are made of. 

#kentuckychristmas #christmasinkentucky #louisvillechristmas #momsoflouisville #kentuckymom #christmasdecor #christmas2022 #merrychristmas

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