The more you read, the more you know!

Saturday, October 27, 2012

The Watcher

The Watcher

By James Howe

Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

A young girl spends her days watching a lost lifeguard and a confused boy on the beach. The young boy notices the girl is watching him and creates her story in his head. The lifeguard also notices the girl watching him, which isn't unusual for him, but this time it's different and he wonders what is going on with her.

Mysterious, Engaging, Complex, Deep, Unique

Reading Level/Lexile Level

6th Grade/890L

Suggested Delivery

Independent

Electronic Resources

http://books.simonandschuster.com/Watcher/James-Howe/9780689801860

This is the publisher page for the book, The Watcher. It has information about the book, the price, and other books James Howe has written.

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/contributor/james-howe

This is scholastic's biography page for James Howe. It has his bio, an interview with the author, and other books he has written. This website is useful for students who are interested more in the author.

Teaching Suggestions

1. You can use this book when teaching appearance vs. reality.

2. Discuss writing in different perspectives, first, second and third.

3. Use this book to talk about perspective, where what you see and know may be different than what another person see's and knows.

Vocabulary

1. Invisible

2. Third person

3. amidst

4. antiquated

5. Cancer

6. cyst

Before Reading

Before reading this story the teacher will discuss the set up of the book, this will prepare the students for what they will be reading. The book is set up in different perspectives but it doesn't specify when it shifts perspectives. The teacher will also introduce each character using their names so the students will be able to read with more understanding.

During Reading

While reading the students will keep a character map. This will help the students follow the story because they switch from one person to the other without any indication, so writing down information about each character may help them keep up with the book. The character map will include their names, important information, and certain characteristics about that character.

After Reading/Writing Activity

After reading this novel the students will choose one of the three characters and write a journal entry in their perspective. This journal entry needs to be in that characters voice and talk about the things the character is interested in.

Howe, J. (1997). The watcher. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Loser

By Jerry Spinelli

Published by Joanna Cotler Books

Zinkoff is a child with great enthusiasm, but his peers seem to find him odd. Zinkoff dreams to be a mailman one day just like his father, he loves school, he enjoys seeing people smile and most of all he loves making people laugh. You travel through Zinkoff's life from first to sixth grade, you see all of his triumphs and failures and how he strives to help others and become a hero.

Witty, Emotional, Insightful, Realistic, Eye-opening

Reading Level/Lexile
5th - 6th Grade/650L

Suggested Delivery
Read A Loud, Independent, Small Group

Electronic Resources
http://www.cape.k12.mo.us/blanchard/hicks/Loser.htm
This is a website useful for teachers who are reading or teaching the book Loser. It provides print outs, fun sites, discussion questions, and useful information and resources for the teacher.

http://www.jerryspinelli.com/newbery_001.htm
This is the author, Jerry Spinelli's, website. This website provides students and teachers with multiple links. It has a list of all the books he has written, teacher tools, events that are happening, a biography on Jerry and a question and answer section. This website is useful for students so they are able to explore more about this author and his books.

Teaching Suggestions
1. This book can be used to discuss first, second and third person.
2. They can use this book to relate text-to-text, text-to-self, text-to-world.
3. This book can be used as a group discussion that focuses on school environment.

Vocabulary
1. Loser
2. atwitter
3. Atrocious
4. Mediocre
5. Etiquette
6. Klutz

Before Reading
Before reading the teacher will talk about how the author writes in different perspectives, first, second and third person. They will talk about how these perspectives are written and come up with examples of different books they've seen written in different persons and how it affects the reader.

During Reading
The students will write in their writing journal after each section read that day in class. They will discuss something that happened to Zinkoff and how it made them feel and how it relates to their life, another text, or the world around them.

After Reading
Students will discuss in small groups how the story would've changed if it was written in another characters perspective. Each group will be assigned a different character to discuss. They will then share with the whole class how they think the book would be written differently in that characters perspective.

Writing Activity
After students read they will answer a question in their writing journal. "Do you see labels, such as 'loser' in your school? How does it make you feel? How can you relate it to the book." The students will write thoughtful responses that relate to the book and Zinkoff.

Spinelli, J. (2002). Loser. New York: Joanna Cotler Books.

Every Thing On It

By Shel Silverstein

Published by Harper

Every Thing On It is a collection of Shel Silverstein's most recent poems.

Quirky, Different, Entertaining, Captivating, Diverse

Reading Level/Lexile
3-6th Grade/530L

Suggested Delivery
Whole Class/Read aloud

Electronic Resources
http://www.shelsilverstein.com/html/home.html
This is the authors interactive website, it provides students with fun activities, information about his books, information about the author and useful information for parents and teachers. This is a useful website for students interested in Shel Silverstein's poem books and the poet as well.

http://www.squidoo.com/k12interactivepoetry
This website provides different resources for students who are struggling with creating poems of their own. It includes all types of information on all different types of poems.

Teaching Suggestions
1. Compare and Contrast different poems from the same author.
2. Compare the poems to other poems they have learned about.
3. Use the poems to emphasize description and adjectives to describe something.

Vocabulary
1. Poetry
2. Rhythm
3. Aliteration
4. Assonance
5. Figurative Langauge
6. Free Verse

Before Reading
Before students read the poetry book they will write a journal entry about what they do and do not like about poetry and parts of poetry they are uncomfortable with. Then as a class they will have a discussion on some of the things the class doesn't like about poetry or the parts of poetry they don't feel comfortable with. They will then create goals to overcome these discomforts.

During Reading
As students read, they will come across words that they haven't seen before. Therefore they will keep a vocabulary journal. This will broaden their vocabulary and potentially help them expand their vocabulary for their own poems.

After Reading/Writing Activity
After reading the poetry book, each student will pick one poem that they enjoyed and draw a visual of what the poem was describing. They can use clip art, pictures from the internet, their own drawings and magazines to create their visual. After creating the visual the students will have to create their own poem based on the visual and using the Shel Silverstein version as a resource. They will have to use different words and adjectives to describe their visual.

Silverstein, S. (2011). Every thing on it: poems and drawings. New York: Harper.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Anything but Typical

Anything but Typical

By Nora Raleigh Baskin

Published by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers

Jason Blake was diagnosed with autism when he was in third grade, and every since then his family and life have been different. Jason used to play baseball, he used to get along with everyone, he used to get invited to birthday parties, but since he has been seen as different he doesn't do any of those things. He just writes, and one day "PhoenixBird," a girl, writes to him on his blog. They start to talk through their stories and he is excited to have a friend, until he finds out he may meet her in person and he knows she wont like him anymore.

Relatable, Complex, Powerful, Engaging, Informative

Reading Level/Lexile
5th grade/HL640L

Suggest Delivery
Small Group

Electronic Resources
http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism
This is a website focused on the disability, autism. It explains what autism is, how often it is seen, what causes it, and much more. This is a beneficial website for students when they write their expository essay and for students who are unfamiliar with the disability and would like to know more.

http://www.norabaskin.com/a_little_more....html
This is the author, Nora Baskin's, website. This website provides information about the author, information on her books, where she will, and new books she is publishing. This is a good website for students interested in this author's writing style.

Teaching Suggestions
1. A teacher can use this book when discussing first, second and third person, but focusing more on first person.
2. A teacher can use this when focusing on diversity in the classroom.
3. This book can be used to discuss autism.

Vocabulary
1. Autism
2. Neurotypicals
3. confluence
4. chromosome
5. gene
6. hormones

Before Reading
The teacher will introduce the disability autism to the class. She will explain the disability and how it affects students in the classroom. She will then introduce Jason Blake to the students and give a quick overview of Jason's specific disabilities on the autism spectrum. She will also review the concept of first person, and how it effects a story.

During Reading
After each chapter the students will reflect on how they felt after that chapter in their writing journal. This will be a brief reflection, 2-3 sentences.

After Reading
As a class they will talk about how the book would've been different if it was written in a different person. They will talk about if it would've been as effective written as second or even third person. They will then discuss how effective it was written as first person.

Writing Activity
The students will research the topic, autism. They will find out information about the disability, how it affects students in the classroom, and then compare it to the novel, Anything but Typical and then they will have to write an expository essay using the information they researched.

Baskin, N. R. (2009). Anything but Typical. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Smile

By Raina Telgemeier

Published By Scholastic, Inc.

This comic book style book follows Raina's obstacles in becoming a teenager and entering high school. It starts with her getting her braces, getting teeth pulled and her braces off, getting her braces put back on, puberty, losing friends, and getting new ones. Finally she figures out that the only way to be happy in your life is to be happy with yourself.

Believable, Real,Life-like, Memorable, Comforting

Reading Level/Lexile
4th grade/410L

Suggested Delivery
Small Group

Electronic Resources
http://graphicnovelreporter.com
Graphic Novel Reporter is a website that focuses on graphic novels for all ages, adults, teens and kids. It also has multiple resources for students who are interested in graphic novels, such as featured stories, videos, blogs, and information about the authors and illustrators.

http://goraina.com
This website is the authors website, which is beneficial for students who are interested in the character Raina, because the website features the books Raina stars in. The website also has another series of books written by Raina, the author, called Babysitters Club. This website would be beneficial for students who are interested in this author's books.

Teaching Suggestions
1. Introduce or decipher between different types of novels, nonfiction, fiction, graphic, historical, etc.
2. Involve text-to-text, text-to-self, and text-to-world connections.
3. While looking through the illustrations, the students can use questioning skills to predict what may happen.

Vocabulary
1. Graphic Novel
2. Root Canal
3. Novocain
4. Comic Strip
5. Negligence
6. Humiliated

Before Reading
Before reading the teacher will introduce graphic novels, and more specifically a comic book. The teacher will explain how a comic book is set up a little different and the content is almost all dialogue.

During Reading
While students are reading the book they will make a t-chart, one side will include a book of their choice and the characteristics they notice, for example if they use a nonfiction book it is broken into chapters, it has dialogue along with description, and no illustrations. Then the student will put the novel, Smile, in the other column and write the characteristics of the graphic novel, keeping in mind the other novel chosen.

After Reading/Writing Activity
Students will create a comic strip of an event that occurred in their life. They will use the novel, Smile, as an example for their novel and how they would set it up. They will have to provide illustrations that go along with the dialogue.

Telgemeier, R. (2010). Smile. New York: Graphix.

Everything for a Dog

Everything for a Dog

By Ann M. Martin

Published by Feiwel and Friends

Everything for a Dog is told in the perspective of three different people, Bone, Charlie, and Henry. Bone was born a stray dog, along with his sister squirrel. The day his mother leaves him and his sister they have to somehow find a way to survive without her. Charlie is a young boy who has been through a rollercoaster of a summer and year, and doesn’t come to terms with the events until much later on. Henry is a young boy who just wants a dog for Christmas, but he can’t seem to understand why his parents keep saying no. He doesn’t understand until that Christmas with Aunt Sue when he is just eleven years old.

Engaging, Page-turner, Captivating, Heartbreaking, Inspirational

Reading Level/Lexile
Grades 3-5/ 890L

Suggested Delivery
Independent Reading

Electronic Resources
http://www.annmartinfoundation.org
This website is a foundation that was developed by the author, Ann M. Martin. This foundation focuses on providing financial support for organizations that focus on children and abused and sheltered animals. I believe this will be interesting because the students will be able to explore more into the life of the author. Also the organizations that this foundation support may be of interest for some students as well.

http://www.audiobooks.com/book/145575
This website allows students to listen to the audiobook version for free. This will come into great use for children who are not reading at grade level or who lack in their ability to comprehend the text.

Teaching Suggestions
1. The teacher can use this book for literary discussions.
2. This book is useful when comparing and contrasting characters in a book.
3. This book can come into great use when explaining that your students characters in their own story don't necessarily have to be people, for example Bone.

Vocabulary
1. Perspective
2. Grieve
3. Sympathy
4. Dolefully
5. Ajar
6. Grimacing

Before Reading
This book is set up a lot different than books the students are used to reading, so the teacher can walk through the book with the students. Explain that each chapter is a different person's perspective, for example when it says "Bone" that is in Bone's perspective.

During Reading
While reading the students will keep a journal where they will ask questions when they have them and write down vocabulary they don't know. As they read they will keep in mind their questions, so they will see if there questions were answered or not.

After Reading
The students will participate in a fishbowl activity. The fishbowl activity will start off with one student asking a question they had or a comment about the book, that would spark discussion. The students will then participate in a discussion using examples from the text, their life, and other text they have read.

Writing Activity
I will have the students write a letter from Charlie to Henry. They will write this letter from Charlie at any age, so it can be from Charlie to his "future son" or at the time period discussed in the book, before or after they find Bone. Their letter will include discussion about a dog and about the accident.

Martin, A. M. (2009). Everything for a dog. New York: Feiwel and Friends.

Sunday, September 30, 2012

14 Cows for America

14 Cows for America

By Carmen Agra Deedy

Illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez

Published by Peachtree Publishers

14 Cows For America is about the Maasai village in Keyna. When Kimeli comes home to visit from America he tells the villagers of the story of September 11th. The villagers wanted to give the Americans something for their loss, so they decided to give them 14 cows because the cow represents "life." So the elders of the village invited the American diplomat to a ceremony where they presented him with the cows.

Fascinating, Heartfelt, Inspirational, Magnificent, Touching

Reading Level/Lexile

3rd Grade/AD540L

Suggested Delivery

Read Aloud

Electronic Resources

http://14cowsforamerica.com/index.html

This is the website that is focused on the book, 14 Cows For America. It has information on the writer, illustrator and Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah, the person that the book was written about. It also has information on the story, the tribe, and the cows as well. This will be an interactive way for the students to learn more about the story and the history of the Massai tribe.

http://carmenagradeedy.com/

This is the blog of the author Carmen Agra Deedy. It is run by her manager but it has multiple resources for students to use. It provides information on any awards or nominations she has received, it has her biography, information about books she has written, her contact information and also where she will be performing next. This will be an excellent resource for students who are interested in this author and would like to learn more about her.

Teaching Suggestions

1. Use this book as a read aloud on the day of September 11th.

2. Use this book when talking and comparing native tribes.

3. Use this book when teaching students about different cultures.

Vocabulary

1.Guava

2. nomadic

3. Injustice

4. provoked

5. Ritual

6. Remote (adjective)

Before Reading

I will start off by showing the students a short clip on the events that happened on September 11th. We will then discuss their reactions of this historical clip in a discussion circle.

During Reading

Students will take notes in their journals as the teacher is reading. They will write down how they feel with key words. They will also write down any questions or thoughts they have.

After Reading

After the teacher reads aloud the students will have a fishbowl discussion on how the story made them feel.

Writing Activity

Students will be asked to write a reflection about the book and the fishbowl discussion. This will be a one page reflection where they discuss how the story made them feel, they will have to cite at least one example from the book.

Deedy, C. A., Naiyomah, W. K., & Gonzalez, T. (2009). 14 Cows for America. Atlanta, Ga.: Peachtree Publishers.

Title from the choice awards list

Read aloud for 3-4th Grade