STAR WARS: The Story of Darth Vader

by Catherine Saunders

A DK Reader, Level 3 (reading alone level)

So many children’s books are written for girls and so many girls naturally love reading or being read to that it is nice when a book is written for boys!  STAR WARS:  The Story of Darth Vader was interesting to me as I had seen the first three movies but when the prequels came, out I didn’t watch them.  So this book explained a few things like why Luke and Leia were brother and sister but raised on different planets.  And actually, I was expecting glory of war and villains, but the book has a satisfying resolution at the end that was news to me.  Maybe I didn’t know Darth Vader when to the light side at the very end of his life, but this book tells that part of the story and I am glad to know.  I remember driving around to garage sales to get all the Star Wars play toys for my son.  I also remember explaining to him that the movie was “trick camera” and not  true.  I wasn’t worried about him believing the story as we would also watch the “making of” movies shows once in awhile so I was sure he understood movies are staged.  The fun of all the toys and pretend play was the part that I liked.

Of course, I have to make everything educational, even Darth Vader.  So today’s free PDF is about patterns.  In kindergarten and first grade math classes, we discuss AB patterns and ABC patterns and so on.  For instance, during calendar time, teachers might use green numbers and orange numbers every other day on the calender and refer to it as an AB pattern.  Morning Math and Calendar Math programs include patterning as part of the daily routine, varying the colors and shapes of the number squares on a pocket chart calendar.  Children clap the patterns (clap, tap) and discuss their attributes.

Patterns PDF free pages, photo of most of the included pages

Below is a photo of one of the work pages included.  No pattern is just that, A pattern is one repeating object, and an AB  pattern is two alternating object repeating.  I asked  music teacher from Strings, Keys, and Melodies and in music one repeating note is just that, a repeating note!  An art teacher explained to me one object that repeats is an A pattern, just one repeating shape/object.  When people dress in shirts with an all dots that are the same and repeat, that is a pattern.  We often wear clothing with one repeating pattern.  Just look at Tacky the Penguin!  

a galaxy far away work page for patterns photo of page

Happy reading and learning, Carolyn