One of my favorite things about teaching second grade is introducing students to chapter books. It’s amazing how empowered those little readers become when they feel like you’ve handed them a key to a whole new world! I have so many favorite chapter book series, but today I’m here to focus on super-sleuth, Cam Jansen.
One of my favorite resources for Cam Jansen can be used with any of the books in the series (even the Young Cam Jansen books). You can spice up your reading group with these response booklets:
The camera response booklet will be a hit with your students! You can print the templates onto different colored paper to allow the students to design the camera their way. There are also two options for the title: Cam’s Snapshots or My Snapshots. This fun craft also serves an educational purpose – you can fill your camera booklet with a variety of reading response activities to meet the needs of your students.
There are two options for the pages you can include in the camera craft. One set of pages is already formatted with specific responses: characters, setting, problem/solution, case notes, favorite part, and a book review.
The second set of pages are more open-ended. These pages have full writing lines, half picture/half writing lines, or a full picture page to choose from. You can pick and choose how to use them as you read. I use these pages for vocabulary work, main idea, visualizing, summaries, and more!
If you don’t have time for crafts, you can print out the pages for these Cam Jansen flip books. You can either use the paper cutter to trim the pages or have your students cut them apart. Once they are cut you just need to stack & staple and you’re ready to go!
You can find all of these goodies in Cam’s Snapshots:
If you’re looking for something a bit more directed to monitor comprehension, I’ve started a collection of book companions for the series:
Each book companion contains comprehension questions for each chapter, vocabulary, a book quiz, and other reading response sheets. These book companions work well for guided reading groups, book clubs, partner work, and more! You can check out all of my Cam Jansen resources here.
I’ve also started a growing bundle of book packs. Right now, I have 14 book packs completed and will be adding more in time. The bundle will increase in price as more book packs are added. By purchasing now, you lock in a lower price and receive all future Cam Jansen packs at no additional charge! You can find the bundle here.
If your students can’t get enough of the Cam Jansen series, you should also check out these two resources:
This resource is created by Teacher Vision. It’s a 24-page PDF filled with resources for studying the mystery genre, suggestions for discussions while reading Cam Jansen books, and some fun activities, too!
Happy Reading!
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