The Thanksgiving Story- Alice Dalgliesh (Multicultural/International Literature )

Animoto

         

         After reading this book to the class, I would have them image that they came over to America on the Mayflower and they were writing to friends and family back in England. In this note they would be expected to describe what life was like in American and how the journey was on the Mayflower. They would also explain if they missed England or if they were glad they made the move and why. Once everybody was done we would come together as a class and the students would share their notes.



Cockroach Cooties by Laurence Yep (Modern Fantasy & Science Fiction)

             

           Teddy and Bobby are brothers who go to school in Chinatown, New York. They don’t really get along that much but they deal with each other. The only person who causes more trouble for the brothers than themselves is a boy named Arie who is in Teddy’s class. Arie is a big bully who is always looking for someone to pick on. When Arie decides to pick on the bothers on the playground Teddy and Bobby feel as if they have little hope of surviving. Little did they know the tiny surprise cockroach on Bobby’s shirt would scare Arie away. Now knowing Arie weak spot Bobby tries to learn all he can about cockroaches in hopes of keeping Hercules (there cockroach) alive until their problem with Arie is gone. With Hercules life coming to many close calls, Bobby and Teddy must work fast and be creative as possible in hopes of keeping Hercules alive so they are out of Arie’s line of bullying.

            After reading this book to the class, I would have them create a Venn diagram and compare cockroaches with a bug of their choice. I would allow them to research any bug they wanted to so they could learn more on a bug that interested them. After they were done completing their diagram I would have them draw the bug they choose. Finally, I would have each student share with the rest of the class their Venn diagram and the picture they drew.  

No Talking by Andrew Clements (Realistic/Historical Fiction)-Chapter Book

          

           Dave Packer is a fifth grade boy who believes girls talk more than boys. Dave feels that if girls stopped talking for just five minutes their heads would pop off. Lynsey Burgess, a fifth grade girl will not stand for what Dave is claiming. In order to prove who is right Lynsey and Dave decided to hold a two day “no talking’ contest that involves all the fifth grade students at Laketon Elementary School. At school they are only allowed to talk to a teacher, administrator, custodian, or any other big name person but they can not speak unless spoken to first and only answer in three words; any words over that will count against their team. To make it harder when they go home they are still not allowed to talk but if they do they must be honest and tell the team caption Dave (for the boys) and Lynsey (for the girls). With only forty-eight hours of no talking, who will win the contest; the girls or the boys? 

            After reading this book to the class, I would have them imagine that they were a group of students that are in the middle of a no talking contest. I would each put them in small groups and give them a topic they will have to teach to the class that day. I will give them fifteen minutes to research and then they have 3-5 minutes to present (still no talking). After everybody has had a chance to present we would come together as a class and reflect on the activity. We would discuss if the students felt like the got more or less work done and if their findings were the same as Dave and Lynsey’s.

Miss Malarkey Leaves No Reader Behind by Judy Finchler and Kevin O’Malley (Realistic/Historical Fiction)

     

            Miss Malarkey is a teacher who thinks reading is the finest thing a person can do. Each year Miss Malarkey promises her students that she will find them each a book they will love by the end of the school year. But something is different and special about this school year; this year the school is joining the “Everybody Reads in America” program. By participating in this program the school is supposed to read 1,000 books by June 12^th.  The school Principal Wiggins tells the students if they can read that many books then he will dye his hair purple and sleep on the roof of the school. The only problem is a group of Miss Malarkey’s students don’t enjoy reading. By December Miss Malarkey has passed out many book lists in hopes of grabbing her students’ interest but she hasn’t won many people over. Throughout the spring semester Miss Malarkey continues to give the students a new book with a different genre; but still not much luck. By the time June comes all but one of her students has started to enjoy reading. On June 10^th, the school has an assembly because they are just one book away from their goal. With only two days remaining can Miss Malarkey find a book for her last student to read so the school reaches their goal? 

            After reading this book to the class, I would have them work in small groups to create a list of books they enjoy reading as students. (This list would give the title, author and a short description of the book.) Once the students have had time to make their list we would come together as a class and compile/organize our list based on genre. After we have done this I would hang the lists throughout the room so the students can always use them as a reference if they want to read a good book. Therefore, my students will never have the problem like Miss Malarkeys’ students had. 

Stuart Goes to School by Sara Penny Packer (Realistic/Historical Fiction) -Chapter Book

         

    It’s Stuarts first day of third grade and he already knows its going to be a bad day. For one the outfit his mother has picked out for him is painfully ugly; green plaid pants and a shirt with little cowboys on it. Secondly, he was at a new school and doesn’t know many people. Stuart is a worry wart who stresses about everything.            

            Once he gets to school he shares with the rest of his class the magical cape he made with a 100 ties but no one appreciated it alike he thought.  On the second day of school Stuart believes that he must have something so shocking for “Our Big Interesting World” time to make up for his cape. So Stuart got up at the crack of dawn and started digging looking for gold, jewels, or something unheard of. Sadly by the time it was time for Stuart to go to school he had found nothing. After Stuart was at school for a little bit there was a knock on the door. One of the big kids brought an emergency announcement. “Holes! Hundreds and hundreds of holes! Detectives and scientist have been called in.” People in his class begin to guess what it could be; Stuart suggests that it could be just a simple little kid but his teacher thinks that’s ridiculous. On day three Stuart and the rest of his class are learning about the number twelve. Stuart draws a picture of his twelve classmates and learns that his no ordinary picture; because his pictures comes to life. So, even though Stuart knows the truth can he convince the rest of his class that he has magic powers and that he is not that crazy?  Read more to find out what happens.

            After reading this book to the class, I would have them complete a double-entry journal. A double-entry journal allows the students to find three sections of the reading and relate/connect it to something that has happened in the world, them selves and in another text they have read. After the students have found their connections I would have them share with the rest of the class so we can see how they related to the text in their own way.

Finding Nemo (Graphic Novel)

            Nemo is a Clownfish who lives with his father Marlin in the ocean. It’s Nemos first day of school and his dad is nervous about letting him go. Nemo’s dad tells his teacher that he is not a good swimmer so he needs take extra precautions with Nemo when they are swimming.  Nemo becomes embarrassed so he tries to prove a point to his dad and classmates by swimming all the way out to a boat. As Nemo is swimming a scuba diver catches him in a bag to take him home. Marlin begins to chase the boat in hopes of saving his son. As he is swimming he runs into a fish named Dory. Dory is a nice blue fish who wants to help but she has a bit of a memory problem; so she sometimes gets off task which causes problems along the way. At one point throughout the search Marlin and Dory come across a snorkeling mask with an address on it. Marlin is sold that the address is where Nemo is; so they must get their quickly to save Nemo. Meanwhile, Nemo is being held in a fish tank at a dentist office until the end of the week when Darla (the doctors niece) has her birthday. This is terrifying for Nemo because the other fish in the tank have told him what happens to all of Darla’s fish- they die.  Nemo gets scared because his father is not there to help him so he knows he must take actions in to his own hands if he wants to live. So, can the other fish in the tank help Nemo escape before Darla’s birthday? Does Nemo ever meet back up with his father? Read to find out.

            After reading this book to the class, I would have them imagine they were Marlin and they were looking for their son Nemo. In order to find their son they needed to make a very detailed billboard with a picture and five adjetives and five nouns. After we they were done each student would share with the class and we would see how they described Nemo.

All-Star Fever by Matt Christopher ( Realistic/Historical Fiction) -Chapter Book

       

         Bus Mercer plays for a baseball team called the Peach Street Mudders where he plays the shortstop. For a while he has been hoping, dreaming and wanting to be on the county All-Star team but he knows only the best baseball players are picked. During his first baseball game of the season a representative from the All-Star team comes to watch Bus play. Sadly the representative was not impressed with the double-play Bus caused for the other team. Bus was sad but he knew the only thing he could do was work harder if he wanted to become a better baseball player. Little did Bus know that night when he got home his parents had a belated birthday gift waiting for him in the garage; a brand new bike.

            The next day when Bus rode his bike to practice he felt like the king of the world. After practice Bus and his friend T.V. rode their bikes together to the batting cage to improve their batting skills. As the boys are practicing at the batting cage a storm approaches them without their knowledge. In hopes of making it home before the storm the boys take a short cut that involves them riding on a main road; something Bus’s parents told him that was not allowed.  When Bus got home he is greeted by his parents at the front door who were worried sick about him. His parents decided to overlook his disobedience this one time but it makes Bus feel even guiltier. For Bus’s next two baseball games the All-Star scouts were there watching him play.  Bus knows he must play his best games but his guilt from a few days ago begins to make him play bad. During the first baseball game Bus makes many mistakes causing the team the game. Bus knows he only has one more chance to make the All-Star team. In hopes of becoming guilt free he tells his mom what he did, but is that enough to make him play his best game yet so he can make the All-Star team?

         After reading this book to my class, I would have them change one of the choices Bus made at the beginning of the story and write about how it might change the ending of the story. I would leave the ideas endless for the students because I would want them to learn how one small action can change the outcome completely. After the students were done writing their story, I would have them come together as a class and explain how and why their action would change the story.

Cosmo and the Robot by Brian Pinkney (Modern Fantasy & Science Fiction)

            Cosmo best friend is a kind and caring robot named Rex. Sadly one day Rex hit his head and began to act like a monster, so he had to be taken away. Cosmos parents saw that Cosmo was no longer happy like he use to be when he had Rex in his life so they gave him a Super Solar System Utility Belt. With the tools that came with this utility belt he could put anything together and take anything apart. There were no limitations, anything was possible! 

            Soon after Cosmo got his belt he and his sister Jewel set off to find the best rocks. As they were looking Cosmo becomes fascinated with an old terrain rover. His sister did not feel like waiting around as Cosmo took apart this old terrain rover so she went off to go find the best rocks but promised to come back soon. Before Cosmo knew it, it was getting dark and his sister was not back yet. Getting worried Cosmo began to look for his sister. As he was searching he heard his sister yelling for help. He quickly realized that Rex was chasing Jewel and she needed help. With the daylight quickly diminishing, can Cosmo save his sister from the monster Rex with his new tools? 

            After reading this book to the class, I would have them imagine that they are a news reporter, reporting on the courageous and heroic actions Cosmo made when saving his sister. I would then encourage the students to use their imagination and creativity when making their news report. Once the students were able to prepare and practice their report a few times they would be expected to record their breaking news on a flip camera. When everybody is done recording I would compile all the videos and we would watch them.

How the Camel Got His Hump by Rudyard Kipling and Lisbeth Zwerger (Traditional/Folk Lit)

           

            Long ago, there was a Camel who didn’t want to help man kind work.  In hopes of getting out of work he lived in the middle of the Howling Desert where he ate sticks and brush. Whenever the camel was asked by the other animals to help them work the camel would always respond by saying “humph’. Over the next three days the camel refused to work when he was asked by the horse, dog, and ox; because the camel didn’t help the three animals had to work double time to make up for the camels’ slack.  In hopes of making the camel work the three animals told Djinn (who was in charge of all deserts) about the lazy camel who was living in his desert.  After hearing the animal’s point of view the Djinn decided that he must fix this problem by talking to the camel. The camel didn’t want to hear what the Djinn had to say so the Djinn preformed magic on the camel’s back; in hopes of teaching the camel a lesson. The Djinn explained to the camel that because he refused to work for three days he was given a humph that would store his food up to three days. Now it is impossible for the camel to have an excuse to work because he had his hump.

            After reading this book to the class, I would have them create a story of why an animal (of their choice) looks or acts the way they do. Once everybody has written their story, I would have them draw a picture that describes their explanation. After each student has had time to complete this assignment we would then come together as a class and share our short stories and pictures.

Helen Keller: Her Life in pictures by George Sullivan (Non-Fiction)

           

          Helen Keller is a lady who became famous throughout the world for simply being herself and helping others all while being blind and deaf. At a young age Helen became very frustrated because she knew she was different than others. In hopes of controlling Helen her parents hired Annie Sullivan to be Helen’s teacher; each day they would work together learning how to communicate with each other through sign language.  After years of schooling Helen graduated with honors from Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Once Helen completed college she decided to make it her goal to bring peace to humanity by traveling around the world by speaking to crowds. While traveling she focused on people who were hurt or blinded from the wars that were going on. Throughout Helen’s journey she touched and changed many people’s lives making her a heroic figure to all. Even though today, Helen Keller is no longer with us, she is still changing lives through the organizations that were created in her memory to help stop blindness and malnutrition.  

            After reading this book to the class, I would have them write a descriptive poem that explains Helen Keller. After they were done writing their poem I would have them come together as a class and share. We would then discuss the positive characteristics posed which made her such a role model to people of her time. 

Brooklyn Bridge by Lynn Curlee (Non-Fiction)

      

Glogster

         After reading this book with the class, I would have them work in small groups to build the tallest bridge possible (without falling). There supplies would be toothpicks and marshmallows. Once they have had time to build we will come together as a class and see which group was able to build the tallest bridge. Next, I will have each group share the strategy they used and explain how and why there strategies worked and didn’t work. Finally, I will have them discuss how their thought process compared to the John A. Roebling and his son Washington Roebling.

Little Red Riding Hood by Jerry Pinkney (Traditional/Folk Literature)

            Little Red Riding Hood is a sweet, caring little girl who lives with her mother in a small cottage. One day, Little Red Riding Hood’s mother made some soup and muffins for her to take to her grandmother, who was feeling under the weather. As Little Red Riding Hood was walking to her grandmother’s house, she came across a wolf. This wolf was always hungry but didn’t want to eat Little Red Riding Hood with a woodcutter working nearby. So the wolf decided to find out where Little Red Riding Hood is headed to, in hopes of eating her there. As Little Red Riding Hood tried to get on her way, the wolf suggested that she collect some sticks for a fire to help warm her grandmother’s house. Little Red Riding Hood thought this was a wonderful idea and gathered as many sticks as she could. When Little Red Riding Hood got to the house, she was shocked to see her grandmother, because she looked so different. Little Red Riding Hood began to ask her “grandmother” questions because she is worried about her health. Quickly Little Red Riding Hood realized that the wolf did something terrible to her grandmother, but it was too late: the wolf jumped on Little Red Riding Hood and swallowed her whole. Fortunately, the woodcutter happened to be traveling by grandmother’s house and found it odd that there were fresh animal tracks leading to the front door. The woodcutter helped himself inside the house and came across a sleeping wolf with a LARGE belly. Knowing something was not right, the woodcutter killed the wolf with his ax and cut open his belly, allowing Little Red Hood and her grandmother to safely come out. From that day on Little Red Riding never talked to strangers again.

            After reading this book to the class, I would have them imagine that they were Little Red Riding Hood. Next, I would have them write a diary entry about that specific day. In their writing they will be expected to include discriptive details about what happened, what they felt and thought, and what they learned. After they completed their diary entries, I would have the class come together and discuss what they wrote. At this point we would be able to see how and what each student was able to take and learn from the story. 

Tiger Soup by Frances Temple (Traditional Folk Literature)

            While Tiger was minding his own business cooking down by the Blue Hole, a spider named Anansi smelled the fresh coconut, mango and nutmeg simmering in Tiger’s soup. Anansi really wanted some of the soup but he didn’t want Tiger to see him eat it. Tiger doesn’t swim a lot, but Anansi convinced Tiger that he should go for a swim while the soup cools. Tiger assumed that Anansi would be swimming with him, but Anansi had another idea: to quickly eat the soup. As soon as he finished all of the soup, Anasi ran away to Little Monkey Town, hoping that Tiger wouldn’t find him there.  While Anansi is in there, he taught the monkeys a new song. Before Anansi knew it, all the monkeys were singing and dancing to the song.  Eventually, Tiger showed up looking for Anansi. When Tiger heard the song that the monkeys were singing, he began to get angry. Tiger told the monkeys “you ate the tiger soup, and now, the tiger going to eat-you”. As Tiger prepared to roar, the monkeys got scared and quickly swung up into the treetop; and this is the reason that monkeys live in trees to this day.  

            Throughout most of the book, Anansi could be considered a main character. At the end of the book we don’t know what happened to him, we just have to make assumptions. So, after reading this book to the class, I would have them write an explanation of what happened to Anansi which they would then share with the rest of the class. The students can be creative and make up their own reasons as to why a spider might not be best friends with a monkey or tiger.

Once Upon a Time By Niki Daly (Multicultural/International Literature)

            Sarie walks a long, straight road every day to school. She doesn’t mind it because it is a time when she can dream. At school, she gets scared about having to read aloud in class because to Sarie, all of the words run together. When it is Sarie's turn to read aloud, some of the kids laugh at her, but her teacher, Mr. Adonis, encourages her and tells her to take her time. When Sarie gets home, she discusses her problem with her Auntie Anna who listens to Sarie and understands struggles with reading.  Sarie and her auntie usually just drive around and talk about what is on their minds, but one Sunday, they got tired of driving, Sarie found a book in the back seat of the car. Auntie Anna and Sarie read it together and by the time they finished reading the book, Sarie was proud of herself for finally being able to read. After that Sunday, Auntie Anna and Sarie read a book together every Sunday. As the Sundays pass, Sarie becomes less afraid to read to others and more assured of her ability. Finally, one day at school Sarie’s turn to read to the calss arrives again.  But this is a particularly bad day for Sarie to have to read aloud, because on this day the school principal come for a visit. Even though she is nervous, as Sarie reads, she silences the classroom with her flawless reading abilities leaving her classmates nothing to laugh at.

            After reading this book to the class, I would have them write an epilogue in which they will come up with he story Sarie tells at the end of the story when they drive into the sunset. I would have them start the story off with “once upon a time…” and then let the students take it from there. I would then have the students share with the class and explain how and why they wrote what they did. 

What’s Cooking Jamela? By Niki Daly (Multicultural/International Literature)

           

            Christmas is sneaking up on Jamela’s family and Jamela is in charge of helping her mom start planning and fixing the big meal. In order to prepare for the meal Jamela and her mom must buy a chicken so they can plump it up the way they like it and Jamela makes it her duty to care for this chicken.  However, the more time she spends with the chicken she has named christmans, she she begins to think of it as a friend rather than as a meal. Can she convince her mom to let her keep her new friend before Christmas day rolls around and the family will be expecting a chicken to eat?

            Many students do not understand the importance of planning before writing a story. In order to help my students see the importance, I will have them create a circular story map of “What’s Cooking Jamela?”. Once the students have had a chance to complete the map, we will discuss how they organized their map. At the end of the lesson I will explain to them that not planning properly can make a story confusing and hard to follow. By creating a circular story map of a well written book, they will be able to direct their attention to the story structure and seevhow planning properly plays an important role in creating a good story.

How the Rooster Got His Crown By Amy Lowry Poole (Traditional/Folk Literature)

                               

            Long ago, at one point in time there were six suns. The suns were wonderful because it brought light to the day and helped things grow along with the rain. One year, the rain never came as expected and everything died. The emperor of the time ask for his wise elders to come together to discuss how to fix this problem.  The ten elders decided the best option would be to shoot suns down with bow and arrows. The emperor found the best archers around to help him go about shooting the sun down. The archers shoot the best they could but the arrows just came down braking on contact with the ground. Next the emperor asked the very clever and skilled Prince from a near by village to help. The prince came to the conclusion that the suns were to far away to shoot with a bow and arrow but he could shoot them in a near by pond. As he shoots the suns reflections in the pond the suns one by one sink away into darkness. While the prince is shooting the suns the sixth sun realizes what is happening and hinds into a cave. The next morning when the village woke up they were shocked to see it was still dark. Once again the emperor met with his wise elders to find a resolution to this problem.  One of the elders suggested they use a tiger to beg the sun out of the cave. Eventually they have a rooster crow who manages to bring the sun out with his beautiful sound. The sun loved the sound so much that he brought light to all the land and gave the rooster a small red crown.

            Once I have read this book with the class, I would have the students record themselves on flip cameras reenacting a short scene from the book.  The students student’s will be encouraged to be as creative as possible by creating mask,  and/or props if they feel the need. Once each group has created their scene we would come together as a class and watch them; at this time we would guess what scene was reenacted and then we would discuss how each group interpreted the scene differently.   

             

Insects Are My Life By: Megan McDonald (Modern Fantasy &Science Fiction)

             

            Amanda Frankenstein is crazy about insects. When her brother catches them, she sets them free. It doesn’t matter what color, shape, size, or type the insect is; she loves them all. She even loves it when she gets mosquito bites and looks for them wherever she goes.  She even turns on her lights and opens the window at night to welcome the insects into her room. On the first day of school, she wore a shirt that said “Amanda Frankenstein: Friend of Bugs”. Unfortunately, when Amanda got to school she realized people in her class didn’t enjoy bugs quite as much as she did. Her classmates laughed at her and she was always getting in trouble. With the rest of the school year left, will Amanda be able to connect with at least one of her classmates?  

            After reading this book to the class, I would have them draw a picture and write an informational paragraph that explains one of their hobbies. Once the students have completed this, I would have them share their assignments and teach the rest of the class about their hobby and why they enjoy it.

My Dad, John McCain By Meghan McCain (Non-Fiction)

       

            John McCain is navy admiral who almost became the president of the United States in 2008. From a young age, John McCain knew he wanted to follow in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps; therefore, he knew he was going to join the Navy.  After high school, John McCain joined the Navy, where learned to fly planes. His military life was not an easy one. When a bomb hit the plane he was flying, he had to parachute out, breaking both of his arms and one of his legs.  Once he landed, he was captured as a prisoner of war for five and a half years. When the war ended, John McCain returned to America where he was presented with five awards that honored him for his bravery. Soon after, John McCain met his future wife, Cindy, with whom he has four children.  At this time in his life John McCain decided to enter politics.  He soon ran for and was elected as a congressman for Arizona. After a few years in congress, John McCain ran for president in 2000, but did not win the nomination from the Republican Party. Never one for giving up, eight years later John McCain ran for president again and this time, he won the Republican Party nomination. While he lost to Barack Obama he came close and knew he gave his best.

            After reading this book to my class I would take the students to the computer lab to have them research three of our thirteen of our North Carolina Congress men/woman. My students would then have to find specific information on the congress man/woman they were researching. Some of this information might be “What is the purpose of the congress and how are they different than the senate?”, “Do you have to have a military background to be in congress?”, “How can you contact/get in touch with your congressman/woman if you have a concern?” Once the students have had a chance to complete their research we could come back together and they would explain what they found and learned.

Talking Walls by Margy Burns Knight ( Non-Fiction)

Wordle

           

            After reading this book to the class, I would have them imagine that they are an artist who is creating a wall that explains who they are as a person. I would allow them to use whatever supplies they brought from home or found in the classroom to create their "wall". I would encourage them to use their imagination so we could really learn about them. Once everybody was done I would have them share with the rest of the class so we can learn how and why they created their wall the way they did.

The Butterfly by: Patricia Polacco (Realistic/Historical Fiction)

       
          Monique is a little girl who lives in Choisy-le Roi, France with her where everyone is on pens and needles because the Nazi’s are all around.  Recently in the middle of the night she has been waking up to see a ghostly figure sitting at the end of her bed. One night she gets a chance to talk to the ghostly figure and finds out that her name is Sevrine and she lives in a cellar at Monique’s house because they are hiding from the Nazi’s.  The girls start to become best friends but Monique isn’t allowed to tell anybody but her mother. At night time Monique brings a gift to Sevrine to help her remember what the outside world looks, smells and feels like. One night Monique brings Sevrine a butterfly. It makes Sevrine sad that she is not able to experience these gifts in the natural world but Monique reminds her that eventually she will be free just like that butterfly. As the girls are setting the butterfly free they realize a neighbor has seen them. Immediately, they have to tell Monique’s mother because someone has found out about Sevrine and her family. If fright of being caught by the Nazi’s everybody including Monique and her mother must flee the house. At this time Sevrine, Monique and her mother must split up from Sevrine’s parents in attempt to make it to Swiss border. Read more to find out if Sevrine and her family make it to the border to become free as a butterfly.

       After reading this book, I would explain to them how brave and trustworthy Monique had to be by having Sevrine live in her cellar. Then I would partner the students up with someone else in the classroom. I would have the students draw a picture of their partner and use adjectives to describe them. Once everybody had completed the assignment I would have the students share with the rest of the class the positive characteristics they found in their classmate.