Kinney, Jeff. (2007). Diary of a wimpy kid. New York: Amulet Books.
This fun, humorous book is about Greg Heffley who is starting middle school. Greg is a small, skinny boy in the midst of bigger, stronger middle schoolers. Greg and his friend, Rowley, approach middle school together and nervously. However, Rowley becomes popular, which Greg hopes to use to his advantage. Readers laugh along with Greg as he struggles with popularity, friendship, and middle school.
I thought this book would be great to use to teach diary writing, and the students could keep their own diary.
The language and set up of this book s very kid friendly and relatable. It is also in diary format.
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The video above is the trailer for the movie that goes along with this novel.
The following is the website for this novel: http://www.wimpykid.com/
Meister, Cari. (2010). Airplane adventure: My first graphic novel. New York: Capstone Press.
This book is a great introduction to graphic novels for young readers (Kindergarten to Second grade). The story is about Anna and Juan who are traveling to Mexico to visit their grandma. They are very excited to fly on a plane and to be in the clouds. This graphic novel is great because at the very beginning it has instructions on how to read a graphic novel for new readers. In addition, the end of the book has discussion questions and writing prompts.
I thought this book would be neat to do as a unit on graphic novels for young children. I thought each child could choose their own graphic novel from the "My First Graphic Novel" series, and then they could choose a writing prompt to do based on their story. Learning how to read graphic novels is not essential, but it is a form of literacy, so to help a child become flexibly literate I think they should be able to read such forms.
Students could also write a sequel to this graphic novel imitating the same form.
The language in this book is comic style, and it uses language that students use.
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Inside the Cover
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
McNamara, Margaret. (2012). George Washington’s Birthday: A mostly true
tale. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books.
This fun, picture book is about George
Washington. It begins with his childhood, on his 7th birthday. His
day is normal with nothing special about it. George still had to eat breakfast,
watch his sister, go to school, help his father, do chores, get into trouble,
wash himself, and have dinner. He is sad because he does not think that anyone
remembered his birthday, but he soon learns that his family had a celebratory
dinner for his special day. Each page has a little fact in small print about
George Washington as well. This book should have won the Young Hoosier Books
Award because of its creativity and engagement. The storyline within this book
is clever and amusing. Children can easily relate to a former president of the
United States, which is a hard relation to create. The ironic jokes within the
text provide humor as well, and I believe it gives students hope. For example,
his math teacher told him that he would never amount to anything, yet he became
our first president. In addition, he thought no one would remember his
birthday, yet we honor it every February 22nd. Finally, the
engagement of the pictures and the small fact texts creates a unique form of
children’s literature that all young students should be able to enjoy!
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DeFelice, Cynthia. (2011). Wild
life. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux.
This intermediate level book is
about a 12-year-old boy, Erik, who finally gets his hunting license. He gets to
go hunting with his friend, Patrick, Patrick’s dad, and their dog, Hot Spots.
However, his parents get deployed overseas, which forces him to move to North
Dakota with his grandparents. When Erik finds a dog, Quill, but is told he is
unable to keep her, he runs away. Throughout the story, Erik learns how to
survive on his own in the wild as well as the importance of family. This book
should have won the Young Hoosier Books Award because of its modern-day
survival and adventure twist to it. Oftentimes, survival and adventure books
are what captivate young boy readers’ attention and love for reading.
Therefore, it is highly important to have good quality books within this
category. The adventure and modern-day survival twist within the pages of this
book are relatable and engaging for young male readers. Hidden within such
adventure and fun are important family and moral lessons. Therefore, this book
should have won the award.
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O’Reilly, Bill. (2012). Lincoln’s last days: The shocking
assassination that changed America forever. New York: Henry Holt and
Company.
This middle-grade level book begins
with the spring of 1865 when President Lincoln travels through Washington D.C.
after winning the Civil War. During the celebration, he is dramatically shot at
Ford’s Theatre. The story continues with a dramatic recount of the search for
the murderer, John Wilkes Booth. The book is also set up almost like diary
entries because each chapter has the date, location, and time of the events
told within the upcoming chapter. This book is great because it is readable and
engaging for both adults and students. The text is understandable for all ages,
and the vivid pictures really put readers in the pages of the story. This book
should have won the Young Hoosier Books Award because of its dramatic recount
of a very important event in American history. The book is set up in a way that
creates a page-turner filled with action, suspense, detail, and art equipped
for all ages to enjoy and learn.
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Collins, Suzanne. (2003). Gregor the Overlander. New York: Scholastic.
This story is a bout a young boy, Gregor, who lives in New York City. When his mother leaves for work, Gregor takes care of his younger sister, Boots, and his grandmother. One day, his sister falls through the grates in their apartment, so Gregor falls in after her. They end up falling far into the Underland where strange humans, bats, rats, mice, and fireflies live. There is turmoil between the strange humans' city, Regalia, and the rats. In the end, Gregor finds out a prophecy involving him forces him to help the city survive.
I read this book as a 5th grade student and fell in love with the adventure within the pages. I absolutely loved this book and series, and I would recommend it to students for sure!
I think this book would be a great recommendation for teachers to give students to fall in love with reading, especially boy students.
This book is also great to suggest to students because if they fall in love with the boo, like I did, there are more books within this series for the students to enjoy.
The following is a link to questions for this novel: http://www.lwsd.org/school/wilder/PTSA/Enrichment-Activities/Documents/Classic%20Books/Gregor%20The%20Overlander.pdf
The video below is a book trailer for this novel:
Paterson, Katherine. (1977). Bridge to Terabithia. New york: Thomas Y. Crowell Company.
This book is about a boy Jesse, who struggles living on a farm with his four annoying sisters. After training all summer to be the fastest runner in his class, he is very upset when a new girl, Leslie, wins. They end up becoming friends and create an imaginary world where they are able to escape their problems. They name this place Terabithia. The two end up getting back at a bully, Janice, but they later regret their approach when they find her crying in the bathroom. in the end, Jesse finds out that Leslie ended up dying when trying to get into the entrance of Terabithia in the woods. There, Jesse forms a memorial to Leslie, and he later befriends May Belle.
I think this novel is a contemporary classic for students. I believe it is engaging for all students, so it would great to use as a class read aloud. It also is emotionally difficult for students, so it would be good to do as a whole class in order to discuss the heavy topic towards the end of the novel.
I think a neat activity would be for students to pair up and create their own imaginary world as well.
The following is link to a unit for this novel: https://www.livetext.com/doc/5930974
The following is a link to the Pinterest page for activities for this novel: https://www.pinterest.com/explore/bridge-to-terabithia/
The following video is a trailer that goes along with this novel:
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Clements, Andrew. (1996). Frindle. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks.
This book is about a young, 5th grade boy who is very creative. He begins to question where words come from. Later, he struggles with a new, demanding English teacher that battles him over an invented word. Nick ends up creating the word "frindle" for "pen." The story ends up being a power struggle with the teacher and largely society for this young boy. The new word gains national attention even causing more problems with Mrs. Granger. In the end, the grown Nick has become rich from the national new use of his creation, "frindle," and he makes amends with Mrs. Granger.
This novel would be great to do for a literature focus unit because I remember doing that in 5th grade. I enjoyed the unit so much that I needed up reading all of Andrew Clements's other books as well on my own. I would love to influence students in that way, and have his other books as reading suggestions.
I thought this could also be used for an author study on Andrew Clements since his books are so engaging for all students.
I thought students could do an activity or writing prompt in which they had to create their own new word for something and describe the process of inventing the word.
In addition, the class could explore where words come from and the meaning behind certain words.
The following is the link to a Pinterest page for this book: https://www.pinterest.com/explore/frindle/
The following is a link for help with guided reading for this novel: http://laurendesautels.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/5/3/19533695/frindle_guided_reading_unit.pdf
DiCamillo, Kate. (2004). Because of Winn-Dixie. New York: Candlewick Press.
This heart warming novel is a hit for all children. This book is about a young girl, Opal, who spends the summer with her father. The story begins with Opal going in to the Winn-Dixie store, and she ends up leaving with a dog! Opal takes in the dog and names him Winn-Dixie. Throughout the story, the preachers ends up revealing ten things to Opal about her mother that has passed away. In addition, Winn-Dixie helps Opal (a quiet girl) make friends throughout the novel. Later, Opal and a new friend end up creating a big party-thing, but a huge thunderstorm occurs that scares Winn-Dixie. Winn-Dixie runs away in fear. Opal and her father must find Winn-Dixie, and in the end, Opal learns about friendship and love. She also learns how to let go, but remember and honor.
This novel would be great for a novel study as well. It is also an engaging story that captivates many young readers' attention.
The following is a discussion guide for this novel: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/because-winn-dixie-discussion-guide
The following is a Pinterest page full of activity ideas for this novel: https://www.pinterest.com/gaildavidson/because-of-winn-dixie/
The following video is a trailer for the video for this book:
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Sachar, Louis. (1997). Holes. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
This book is about a boy, Stanley Yelnats, who is part of a family that has a curse on them, which causes him to have a lot of bad luck. Stanley is wrongly accused of a crime, and he is sent to Camp Green Lake juvenile detention center. He and the others boys there are forced every day to dig giant wholes in the dirt (where no lake is). He eventually learns that the warden is searching for something. The story continues with Stanley (and his new friend Zero) slowly discovering the curse placed on his family as well as the thing that the warden is desperately in search of. In the end, Stanley ends the curse, and he leaves the camp. This book would be a great book to do a literature focus unit on because many students enjoy this as a fun read. Therefore, it would be engaging to turn this book into a lesson with vocabulary words and discussion questions analyzing different parts of a much-loved book. The following is a link to worksheets, discussion questions, and other activity ideas for this book: http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/book-holes.html The following is Scholastic's guide for this novel: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/holes-teachers-guide The following video is the trailer for the move that goes along with this book:
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Lord, Cynthia. (2006). Rules. New York: Scholastic.
This realistic fiction book is about a young girl, Catherine, struggling with life with a brother who has Autism. The story revolves around Catherine trying to teach David rules that typical children understand, but David needs to be taught, such as, "No toys in the fish tank." This story takes place during the summer, in which Catherine's best friend is away. Therefore, Catherine has high hopes that her new neighbor will become her best friend. In the meantime, Catherine goes to the doctor with her mother and brother and waits in the waiting room with her mother. There, Catherine meets a boy, Jason, who communicates through a storyboard and is in a wheelchair. This unexpected friendship ends up teaching Catherine about acceptance and true friendship.
I used this novel for my novel unit in one of my education courses in college. I loved this book and think it would work great for a unit since I already have one created for it.
I had students create a journal just like Catherine keeps in which students draw or make collages of scenes from the novel.
Students also create their own storyboard using word wall words from the novel. In the end, students must use their storyboards to communicate with a partner their favorite part of the story.
This book could also be used to talk about disability awareness during the month of March.
The following is a link to discussion questions for this novel: http://www.cynthialord.com/pdf/rules_discuss.pdf
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Osborne, Mary Pope. (2006). Pompeii: Lost and Found. New York: Scholastic.
This nonfiction book tells the story of the buried town from the volcano eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The books tells about the daily life in the city of Pompeii before the eruption. It then goes through the dramatic eruption of the volcano. Finally, the book talks about the finding of the buried town about 1,000 years later. The unique illustrations within this nonfiction book give good visuals for students to experience the ancient frescoes found years later in Pompeii.
This book would be great for a brief history lesson on Pompeii because the story is very fascinating for students of all ages.
This could also be used for a science lesson to talk about volcanoes.
The following is a BBC video about Pompeii for older elementary students:
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Laroche, Giles. (2011). If You Lived Here: Houses of the World. New York: HMH Books For Young Readers.
This great, nonfiction book goes through houses all around the world. It shows and tells readers what their house may look like depending on where they lived, and it also tells readers how they might have lived in that part of the world. It talks about villages in South America, floating homes in the Netherlands, log cabins, caves, and many more! The book also explains why each house is built the particular way in that particular area.
I think this book would be great to introduce a geography unit because each different type of home is unique for a certain geographic location and purpose.
This could be great for a writing prompt for students to talk about their home and its uses/purpose in our particular geographical location.
This could also be great to turn into an art shoebox project, in which students choose one house/ place from the book to research more into and create a model of the home with a description.
The following is a link to activities and questions related to this book: http://www.rif.org/documents/us/If-You-Lived-Here.pdf
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Freedman, Russell. (1991). The Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane. New York: Scholastic.
This nonfiction children's book is divided into chapters to tell how the Wright brothers invented the airplane. The story begins with the brothers' childhood and interest in mechanical things, such as tinkering with toys. The book explains that neither brother finished high school or college, but they worked together in a printing press. They eventually started their own bike shop and created their own models, which led way to to their attempt to make a life size airplane. Eventually, they created their first glider. The book also explains that the brothers had many failures in the midst of their successes.
This book would be great to use for history of the Wright brothers and the airplane.
This book could also be used in science when students are going to be asked to make a machine, which was something that I had to do in 8th grade.
If the class is on a biography unit, this could also be used as a resource for any student that chose the Wright brothers.
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The video above is a video that students could view around this unit on the Wright Brothers.
Keller, Laurie. (1998). The Scrambled States of America. New York: Henry Holt & Company.
This fun, nonfiction book is about the 50 states who have become bored. Therefore, the states decide to have a party to meet each other and trade places. Throughout this story, students learn along with the other states about each state in a fun, silly way.
I think this book would be perfect to pull out for an introduction to a state unit.
Teachers can also read or suggest the sequel to this nonfiction book, which is called The Scrambled States of America Talent Show.
The following is the link to activities to along with this book: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Scrambled-States-of-America-Activities-to-go-with-the-book-755800
The following is a packet to go along with this book as well: http://www.dcmp.org/guides/10097.pdf
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Frank, Anne. (1947). The Diary of a Young Girl. New York: Doubleday & Company.
This book is a classic for all upper elementary students to read. This book is a diary of a young Dutch girl, Anne. The diary is kept from the two years that she is hiding while the Nazis are in control of the Netherlands. Within her diary she wishes for a best friend that she can share her secrets with. She begins the diary with a suiter whom she is not super fond of quite yet. During hiding she thinks that true best friend may eventually be Peter. However, it turns out that throughout her lifetime, her only true friend is her diary. Throughout Anne's diary, readers see her close relationship with her father, her distant relationship with her mother, and her admiration of her sister. As many students this age may relate, Anne becomes the chatterbox of her hideout. In the end, Anne dies in a concentration camp, and her diary was later found and published as a historical, nonfiction text.
This novel would be perfect to teach the history of concentration camps because it gives an insider's account.
This also could be used to teach diary writing and format.
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Monday, April 6, 2015
Silverstein, Shel. (1974). Where the Sidewalk Ends. New York: Harper and Row Publisher.
This fun poetry novel is essential for every child to be exposed to at some point within his or her lifetime. I think the poems within this novel are good for 3rd grade and above in order for the children to understand its humor. The collection of poetry contains poems about many childhood concerns and just plain goofy poems. Whether it is read to students after recess or during library time, this novel should be read to all students. In addition, I think other poetry collections by Shel Silverstein should also be read to students. Therefore it would be beneficial to do an author study on Shel Silverstein. Or, I think it would be neat to read a new poem within this book (and others by Silverstein) every morning, after recess, or at the end of the day for a whole year with 3rd graders or above.
Besides a simple, fun read aloud, this novel could be used to introduce students to a unit on poetry. Students could learn to imitate the fun, free verse and rhyme Shel Silverstein uses within his writing.
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Daul, Roald. (1982). Revolting Rhymes. London, Jonathan Cape Publishing.
This goofy poetry novel is a parody of six classic folktales/fairy tales. Without giving any of the surprise, new endings away, Daul rewrites the endings with twists to the classic Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, and The Three Little Pigs.
Roald Daul books were always one of my favorites growing up, but I had never read this humorous, short novel until now. I think this book would be great for students, and I especially think young boys would enjoy the humor within this poetry book. I think this book would be a great, fun, and engaging way to start off a Roald Daul author study. Either that, or this book could be read to students in order to get them interested, and then I could suggest more of Roald Daul's great classics that many students would love. I think he is a great author to encourage the reading of young boys.
Another suggestion for this novel would be for students to choose a classic fairy tale or folktale not used within Daul's novel and have students write their own alternate ending!
The following is the video for one of the poems within this novel (The Three Little Pigs):
The video above is another video to go along with the novel for Jack and the Beanstalk.
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The video above goes along with Cinderella.
The video above goes along with Little Red Riding Hood.
Lear, Edward. (1871). The Owl and the Pussycat. Germany: AbeBooks.
This novel is written in poetry for children. This poetry stories contain four main characters, the owl, pussycat, pig, and turkey. This love story between the owl and the cat begins with the two traveling by boat, in which the owl serenades the cat. They finally land in a land full of Bong Trees. There, the owl and the cat find a pig who has a ring they buy off of him. Finally, the two are married by a turkey. This fun, heart warming novel of poetry is perfect for young students.
I thought this poetry book could be used for very young students since it is a classic. This happy poetry book could be used as a nap time story as students' first introduction to poetry.
The following is a teacher guide for nursery rhyme activities to go along with this poetry book: http://www.dltk-teach.com/rhymes/owl.htm
The following is another link to activities and questions for this poetry novel: https://docs.google.com/a/saintmarys.edu/document/d/1_r5u4ItB9DbXQxXG5SmcGBIUSwgFoYnLx0R9HdsW-zQ/edit
The following is a video of the poem being read:
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Milne, A.A. (1924). When We Were Very Young. New York: Penguin Publishing.
This fun loving book of poetry is a classic for younger students. This novel contains many poems written by the famous author, A.A. Milne. This poetry novel begins with young readers imagining who they are within the book. Perhaps they are Christopher Robin, or perhaps another character. The 38th poem within this novel was the very first introduction of Winnie the Pooh, who was first known as Mr. Edward Bear.
I thought this great novel would be great to use for an Author study on A.A. Milne for Kindergarten or first grade. I thought it would be a great introduction to poetry for young readers as well. Many of the poems within this novel are fun loving characters, so it may be fun to discuss different topics such as friendship, politeness, animals, and more features within this novel. In addition, many of these poems were written to go along with songs, so I thought it would be neat to try to find such music and incorporate it with the poetry reading.
The following is a video children can listen to of a reading of Winnie the Pooh's first appearance from this novel:
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Creech, Sharon. (2001). Love That Dog. New York: HarperCollins.
This humorous poetry book for students is about a boy who dislikes poetry in school. Each free verse "chapter" within this book is like a diary entry written by the boy, Jack. Throughout the poetry novel, Jack continuously dislikes his teacher's poetry assignments. However, as the novel continues, Jack becomes a better poetry writer, and readers can see his poetry develop. In the end, he just might begin to learn to enjoy poetry.
This novel is an easy read for older students, and it is a great entry into poetry for students. The humor within Jack's poetry is relatable to students that may find poetry daunting. As Jack grows, readers can grow in poetry writing as well. I thought a good activity for students with this novel would be to start their own free verse poetry diary just like Jack. I also thought another activity would be to analyze Jack's poetry progress throughout his diary entries since his writing progresses.
The following is a link to Sharon Creech's website: http://www.sharoncreech.com/books/love-that-dog
The following is is a link to a literature guide for teachers for this novel: http://teacher.scholastic.com/clubs/pdfs/lovethatdog_t.pdf
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Friday, March 27, 2015
Dixon, Franklin W. (1927). The Hardy Boys: The Tower Treasure. New York: Penguin Publishing.
This mystery is the first novel in the beloved series The Hardy Boys. This mystery begins with Frank and Joe Hardy almost being hit by a car with a man wearing a red wig. Later that same dying criminal says that his loot is being hidden in "the tower." Both towers in the mansion are searched, but they find nothing. The Hardy boys must find the clues to solve the mystery to find the loot and save the name of his friend's father.
This book should also be read as a read aloud because it is another classic mystery for young readers. This book would be great to introduce to young boys especially in order to get boys interested in reading early.
The following is the link to the Hardy Boys' website: http://hardyboys.us/
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Keene, Carolyn. (1930). Nancy Drew: The Secret of the old Clock. New York: Grosset and Dunlap.
This book is the very first book in the classic mystery series Nancy Drew. This mystery is about Nancy Drew having to help Mr. Crowly's friends, the Turners, find his missing will. They must find his will before the evil Topham family steals his inheritance. When Nancy goes to look at the summer home she finds that they have stolen the Crowly Clock. She gets trapped there, but when she escapes with the clock as evidence, she is mistakenly accused of stealing the clock. Can Nancy solve the mystery and save herself and the Crowly inheritance?
This novel is a classic for all students to read. I think it should be a read aloud because every child should be introduced to Nancy Drew.
The following is the link to a game site that teachers could buy for their classroom centers: http://www.bigfishgames.com/games/1297/nancydrewsecretoft/?pc
The video below is a trailer for the Nancy Drew film:
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Erickson, John R. (1996). Hank the Cowdog: The Case of the Kidnapped Collie. London: Puffin Books.
This mystery is the 26th book in the Hank the Cowdog series. This particular novel is about a typical, dark day for the beloved dog, Hank. Loper invited Hank's enemy Plato the Bird Dog over for quail hunting on the ranch. Then more disaster happens when Beulah, Hank's crush, ignores him to watch Plato in action instead! However, later Beulah gets caught by an evil cannibal, which gives Hank a chance to solve a mystery and save his crush!
This novel would be a great read aloud for younger elementary students.
It would also be a great way to introduce young students to the genre of mystery.
Korman, Gordon. (2005). On the Run: Chasing the Falconers. New York: Scholastic Inc.
This book is the first book of a mystery series that intrigued me as an elementary reader. This mystery is about two children, Aiden and Meg Falconer, who are their parents' last hope. Their parents are in prison. However, Aiden and Meg have a chance to follow some clue in order to prove their parents' innocence. One night, Meg and Aiden are able to escape the juvenile detention center that they are kept in. The two siblings end up on the run from the authorities and s vicious attacker who is after them. The two siblings find themselves traveling across country trying to escape the people after them as well as trying to solve the mystery proving their parents innocent.
Ernst, Kathleen. (2005). A Kit Mystery: Danger at the Zoo. Middleton, WI: American Girl.
This book is about the beloved American Girl character, Kit, who is growing up during the Great Depression. In this mystery, Kit finally earns a job at her local newspaper. She is in charge of the kid's column, and she finds some strange "monkey business." She is determined to find the mysterious story and solve an unknown mystery. As students read this book, they will become entranced as mysteries heighten and unravel.
This book would be a great recommendation for students that have fallen in love with the Kit character.
This would also be a good book for younger students to introduce the genre of mystery.
The following is an activity and discussion link for this novel: http://www.kathleenernst.com/cms-assets/documents/117979-5447.bookdangerzooteachers.pdf
The following is the link to the author's website: http://www.kathleenernst.com/book_danger_zoo.php
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Rowling, JK. (1997). Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. New York: Scholastic.
This all-time favorite novel is about a young boy, Harry, living with his unfriendly aunt, uncle, and cousin. As strange letters begin to come for Harry, other unexplainable things also begin to happen at the Dursley's. On Harry's birthday, an unknown, giant visitor comes to the Dursley's telling Harry that he is a wizard! The wizard, Hagrid, takes Harry to the wizarding school, Hogwarts, where Harry meets his new friends Ron and Hermione. However, he also meets hostile characters, such as Draco Malfoy and Severus Snape. Harry learns wizardry and also finds out his talent for Quidditch. In the end, Harry finds himself entwined in the infamous wizard villain's, Voldemort's, history.
This book could be used for a literature focus unit.
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This video below is the novel on audiotape for students to listen to as the follow along:
This video below is an interview with author, JK Rowling:
Card, Orson Scott. (1985). Ender's Game. New York: Tor Books.
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This Science Fiction novel is geared towards older elementary students. This book is about the government program that trains child geniuses to be soldiers in order to fight in future attacks from aliens. Andrew (Ender) Wiggins ends up getting picked to join the training, and e is forced to leave his parents, hostile brother, Peter, and his beloved sister, Valentine. Ender becomes a leader and is a one of the best child soldiers. The students are trained in mock battles in the Battle Room in zero gravity. In such isolation, violence, and competition Ender faces many psychological struggles as a young boy. In the end, the question is can Ender and his siblings fight off the Buggers?
This novel has a lot of controversial issues within it. However, it would be a great book to recommend for boy students as well as higher level, mature students since it has heavy topics within it.
The following is an activity pack for this novel made by the author himself: https://www.prestwickhouse.com/samples/205072.pdf
The following is a link to a unit plan for this novel: http://msanaknudsen.weebly.com/uploads/9/3/6/8/9368722/e.g._packet_2012.doc..pdf
The above is the trailer for the movie made from this novel.
Funke, Cornelia. (2000). The Thief Lord. New York: Scholastic.
This wonderful children's novel is about two brother, Prosper and Boniface who ran away to Venice, Italy. They end up living with a group of abandoned children in an old movie theatre who are led by Scipio. Together they steal items and sell them to Barbarossa. Victor, a detective, begins to search for the missing brothers and are on their trails. It turns out that Scipio is actually the old movie theatre's owner's son. The Thief Lord is asking for the lion wing, which has the ability to change people's age. The children go on a journey in search of this enchanting item for the Thief Lord.
The following is a link to activities related to this novel: https://multcolib.org/thief-lord
I thought this novel would be a good time to talk about crime and law.
The following is the trailer for the movie for this novel:
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Funke, Cornelia. (2003). Inkheart. New York: Scholastic.
This was also one of my favorite books growing up. This novel is about a young girl named Meggie. One night, her father, a bookbinder, reads aloud from Inkheart. When he reads, something magical happens, and an evil ruler, Capricorn, from the story comes alive leaving the pages into their living room. A strange man, Dustfinger, comes to Meggie's home, and the next day Meggie, her father, and Dustfinger go to Meggie's aunt's home. Later, Meggie's father is captured by a strange group of people taking along Inkheart with them. Meggie is later taken to where her father is captured at Capricorn's. Meggie actually has the real copy of Inkheart. Meggie learns the story of what is happening when her father tells her that he used to have a special gift in which she good bring stories to life as she read them. However, when something came out of the story, someone else went in. The story continues with fight and confusion, and in the end, Meggie has to learn how to control the magic released through her father's storytelling.
The following is a link to a unit plan for this novel: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/inkheart-teachers-guide
The following is the link to a video in which students can listen to a passage from the book: http://www.scholastic.com/inkheart/index.htm
The following is a link to activities for this novel: http://librarysparks.com/pdf/librarysparks/2008/lsp_april08__ll_inkheart.pdf
The following is a movie trailer for the film made off of this novel:
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Funke, Cornelia. (1997). Dragon Rider. New York: Scholastic.
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This was one of my favorite books in upper Elementary years, and I still enjoy rereading it today! The books begins with a worried group of dragons fearing that humans are going to take over their land. The wisest dragon of all, Slatebeard, warns them all to go to the Rim of Heaven in order to stay hidden from humans, but Firedrake is the only dragon who takes him seriously and begins a journey with his brownie companion, Sorrel. Along his journey, Firedrake must find Gilbert Graytail to collect the map, but in the city he must hide away. Here Firedrake finds a young orphan, Ben. Ben wants to help Sorrel get the map. Sorrel is a little leery and sour towards "the enemy kind" like Ben. From then on, the three companions continue on the journey together encountering many characters along the way. Nettlebrand, the villain, and his worker, Twigleg, find out the boy has two of Nettlebrand's scales. In the end, the three companions must discover the secret destiny to save the dragons.
This novel could be used for an upper elementary novel study, in which students perform character evaluations and study the plot. A fun activity that I thought would be good for this novel would be to rewrite a part of the story through the villain's, Nettlebrand's, perspective.
The following is a link to 4th grade discussion questions for this novel: https://multcolib.org/dragon-rider
Monday, March 23, 2015
Hesse, Karen. (1997). Out of the Dust. New York: Scholastic.
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This novel is about a girl, Billie Jo, living in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl years of 1934-1935. The beginning of the story focuses on her father's wish for a son, but is stuck with loving her, a daughter. The family also is affected by dust storms that harm the family farm in which Billie Jo lives on. A big fire happens from a kerosene lamp, in which Billie Jo tries to help by throwing it out of the house, but she accidentally hits her mother. Her mother is saved from the fire, but she does not ever look like herself again. Later, both her mother and newborn baby brother, Franklin, die from childbirth. As Billie Jo begins to suffer separating herself from her father, she ends up leaving "the dust." Billie Jo learns her lesson of family and belonging from a man she meets while hitchhiking. In the end, she returns home and calls her father "Daddy" for the first time since her mother's death. The dust storms end, and her and her father begin to gain closeness again.
This story would be perfect to teach about the hardships of the Dust Bowl years. It is a subject not often taught or discussed within Elementary Education, so I think it would be neat to use this novel to discuss life during these years. It would also be good to incorporate a discussion on family importance and belonging. Another thought I had would be to teach this around Thanksgiving and teach children that even within the hardest of lives, we can find something to be thankful for.
The following is an example of a 6th grade unit for this novel: http://www.louisianabelieves.com/docs/default-source/teacher-toolbox-resources/unit-plan-english-language-arts-grade-6-sample-out-of-the-dust.pdf?sfvrsn=7
The following is an example of a history lesson for this novel (I like this because I can learn along with my students): http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/lessons/dust/index.html
Hansen, Joyce. (2006). I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly: The Diary of Patsy, a Freed Girl, Mars Bluff, South Carolina, 1865. New York: Scholastic Inc.
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This book is about a young, handicapped girl, Patsy, living as a freed slave after the Civil War. She is upset when she realizes her former master, Davis, does not keep his promises of money, land, and education for his former slaves. She begins to learn new chores, such as cooking from other former slaves. Later, Patsy ends up teaching other former slaves since Davis did not keep his promise of providing his former slaves with an education.
I would use this novel to talk about slavery. I would use it to introduce the Civil War, and I would also use it to teach about what happened even after slavery was abolished.
The following is a Scholastic guide for teachers with comprehension questions, discussion topics, and activity ideas for this novel: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/i-thought-my-soul-would-rise-and-fly-discussion-guide
The following is the link to the "Dear America" website on Scholastic with more books within the series and activities: http://www.scholastic.com/dearamerica/
Denenberg, Barry. (2001). Early Sunday Morning: The Pearl Harbor Diary of Amber Billows, Hawaii 1941. New York: Scholastic Inc.
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This book is set up like a diary belonging to a 12-year-old girl, Amber, living in Hawaii in 1941. The story depicts her experiences throughout the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The story begins when she is forced to move to Hawaii because of her father's job. She is finally beginning to adapt to her new home, making friends and joining theatre. Her friend and her are even excited about a dance that is going to be on December 7. However, her new life is completely shaken with the Attack on Pearl Harbor in December 7. She recounts the horrific events and her life during and after the attack. She even has a friend, Kame, who struggles being Japanese in America after the attacks. in the end, she stays friends with Kame, but she is relieved to leave the devastation when her father says they are moving back.
This historical novel is perfect to incorporate teaching about Pearl Harbor. This could also be a good novel to begin a unit on the following war.
The following is a teacher guide containing discussion questions, vocabulary words, and student activities for this novel: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/early-sunday-morning-discussion-guide
Another great activity idea would be to teach about diary writing and have the students create their own historical diary. Teachers could simply teach diary writing and have students write their own diary (younger students), or for older students, teachers could have students create a historical diary for the current year, updating entries using current events in the news.
Tripp, Valerie. (2001). Meet Kit. Middleton: American Girl Publishing.
This beloved book is about a young girl, Kit Kittredge, growing up during the Great Depression in the 1930's. Her wealthy family is hugely affected by the bank crashes, which causes her family to adapt to such conditions. Her family ends up opening their home to be a boarding house. Throughout the series of Kit books, Kit continuously looks for different ways in which she can help her family during such hard times. In the mean time, she acts as a normal 9-year-old as she strives to be a newspaper reporter. Along with her dog, Grace, and friends Ruthie and Stirling, Kit experiences many struggles a typical 9-year-old may have experienced during the Great Depression.
I think this book series would be great to incorporate to teaching the Great Depression. These books would be relatable to compare students' lives now compared to a child the same age during the 1930's. Terms such as boarding houses, hobos and more could be taught.
In addition, Kit loves Amelia Earhart, so a lesson about her could be incorporated as well.
Similarly, Kit loves to write, so a lesson or activity in which students create their own class newspaper would be awesome to incorporate.
Finally, Kit loves to read, and her favorite book to read is Robin Hood. Therefore, a class read aloud of that would be great.
The following is a link to a resource containing discussion questions and much more for this novel: http://www.americangirl.com/corp/pdfs/Kit_OnlineCurric.pdf
The following is a book trailer for this novel:
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The video above is a trailer for the film inspired by Valerie Tripp's Kit books.
Curtis, Christopher Paul. (1999). Bud, Not Buddy. New York: Scholastic Inc.
This book is about a young boy who enters a foster home with the Amoses. Unfortunately, Bud encounters the Amoses's son, Tod, who teases him calling him "Buddy." When Bud fights Tod, he is punished. Bud escapes his punishment, gets revenge on Tod, and runs away from the Amoses home. He meets his friend, Bugs, and they leave together to go West. However, Bud is unable to hop on the train with Bugs, so he begins walking on his own journey. Throughout his journey to Grand Rapids to meet his father, Herman E. Calloway, Lefty Lewis assists him. Bud ends up discovering that Herman is actually his grandfather, and he is not very kind towards Bud. However, in the end, Bud receives a horn from his grandfather's band, which gives him great hope. He also finds out that his bed is actually the bed of his Mother who died.
This book is historical fiction. Therefore it would be great to implement in a classroom in order to teach the history within it. This book takes place during the Great Depression. It would be beneficial to do a unit using this novel in order to teach Social Studies on the Great Depression. Orphanages and foster care were very common in the 1930's, so conversation about that could be implemented during the unit as well. It might also be beneficial to discuss black relations during the Great Depression through this novel.
The following is a book trailer for Bud, Not Buddy:
Weeks, Sarah. (2005). So B. It. New York: HarperCollins.
This books won the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award in 2007 and the Parents Choice Award. This story is about a young, thirteen-year-old girl named Heidi who lives with her mother that is mentally-disabled and her neighbor, Bernadette. Because of her mother's disability and her neighbor's fear of going outside, Heidi has to do many duties beyond her age. One day, Heidi finds a camera hidden in a drawer that contains clues to her family's history. She goes on an adventure to New York to uncover more about her family's unknown history and to discover the meaning of the word her mother repeats, "soof." Throughout her journey to New York she meets kind and helpful characters as her "lucky streak" seems to continue. Once in New York she meets a man who also has a mental-disability, and he says her mother's word, "soof," to her also. While the man's caretaker is not helpful to Heidi, a friendly woman, Ruby, and her husband help Heidi investigate further. In the end, Heidi finds out that the man who repeated the word "soof" to her is actually her father! The story ends bitter sweet because her mother dies, but Heidi gains a father, grandfather, and many friends. In addition she learns the meaning of her mother's word, love.
This heart-warming story would be a great book to use for a literature focus unit. It has rich vocabulary, deep themes of friendship, family, love, and disability acceptance, and is a suspenseful page-turner for young readers. I think this book would be perfect for a literature focus unit.
Falconer, Ian. (2012). Olivia and the Fairy Princesses. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
This Goodreads Choice Award-Winning book is another story about the fun-loving and familiar pig, Olivia. Students will love this book if they have already previously read Olivia books and fallen in love with her. It is the 7th Olivia book in which the independent and high-spirited pig questions her identity especially when her father calls her "his little princess." Olivia questions why the princesses that girls often envision are pink; she challenges this idea with thinking about Indian princesses or African princesses.
While this book may seem to be a typical girly book like the familiar Fancy Nancy books, it, in fact, challenges such girly stereotypical notions of princesses. I think this book could be used for both boys and girls in a lesson. One idea I thought of would be to read this book, discuss alternative types of princesses and princes, and then research or study different types. This could be used as a Social Studies lesson for even the upper elementary grades to learn about other cultures and their royalty.
The following is a picture of another activity in which students would compare and contrast two princess books and how the princesses are portrayed:
Ormerod, Jan. (2010). Maudie and Bear. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers.
This book won the Children's Book Council of Australia's Early Childhood Book of the Year in 2011. This lovable story is about a young girl and her beloved friend, Bear. The story goes through their typical daily life together. An interesting aspect to this picture book is its use of chapters within a short picture book. The illustrations throughout this book depict Maudie and Bear's fun, daily activities through cartoon illustrations. The book simply goes through daily routines and actions that Maudie and Bear encounter, but it also has important themes of friendship and love.
The following is a link with teacher resources to go along with this book, in which contains author information, comprehension questions, and activities related to the book for young students: http://www.earlywords.info/maudie_and_bear.%20teacher%20notes.pdf
Henkes, Kevin. (2013). The Year of Billy Miller. New York: HarperCollins Publisher.
This John Newbery Medal winning book is about a second-grade boy, Billy Miller. The story begins at the end of his summer vacation when he falls and bumps his head while visiting the Jolly Green Giant Statue. While Billy's mom is worried that the new bump on his head will affect his upcoming school year, Billy overhears his father thinking that this year will be "the year of Billy Miller." From then on the story portrays Billy's twist and turns throughout his second-grade school year. He battles with a girl, Emma, and tries to prove himself to be a good, smart second-grader. Through his big art project and babysitting, Billy learns how to solve problems as well as loving his sister. The story ends with Billy having to memorize a poem about a person of his choice, and it truly ends up to be the year of Billy Miller because he proves to be a smart, kind boy. I thought students in second-grade would love this book because it is about a second-grader, and it is silly while at the same time teaches lessons.
The following is a link to other books by Kevin Henkes, information about the author, discussion questions for The Year of Billy Miller, and activity ideas for The Year of Billy Miller: http://www.kevinhenkes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Year%20of%20Billy%20Miller%20TG%20FINAL.pdf
Wiesner, David. (1991). Tuesday. New York: Clarion Books.
This Caldecott award-winning book is a twist compared to other popular children's picture books. This is a story with little text. There are a total of only 6 words in the entire story starting on the first page, "Tuesday evening, around eight," later in the story, "at 4:38a.m," and on the last page, "next Tuesday." The uniqueness of this book intrigued me. As I went through the story, even without text, I felt more involved in the story than I typically would for a picture book. From the beginning, the frogs in the story go on a journey from their pond homeland to the city and neighborhoods, in which they observe new scenes. At one point they almost get caught by a dog, but the dogs ends up joining them on their journey. The frogs go back home, but they left traces of themselves throughout the town. At the end of the story, it seems to be suggesting that the next adventure will belong to the pigs.
I thought this book would be great to use for young, emergent readers because invented storytelling could take place. Imaginations could run wild while reading this book because of the freedom of no text. Young students could perform a read aloud in which they read the story using their own words based off of the pictures.
I thought a good activity for older students would be to write text for the illustrations of the story.
Another option would be to have students writ a continuation of the story using their predictions of what they think the pigs' journey would be.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Zemach, Harve and Margot. (1986). "Duffy and the Devil" New York: Square Fish.
This multicultural fairytale is a Celtic version of "Rumpelstiltskin." This tale starts with a squire hearing a woman
beating her stepdaughter, Duffy, for “romping with the boys instead of knitting
stockings or spinning yarn.” The squire takes Duffy to his home in which she is
instructed to spin wool, which she hates. One night, a “manikin” comes to her
offering her a deal, and in the end, Duffy guesses the manikin’s name
correctly, Tom Tit Tot (A.W.T. and Clodd 1889). This could be used in the classroom when talking about a different culture's history, such as Irish (it may be good to do this around St. Patrick's Day). Students could learn about Celtic history before reading this.
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