Dead End in Norvelt

Dead End in Norvelt
By: Jack Gantos 
Published by Farrar Straus Giroux
Copyright 2011 
2012 Newbery Medal Winner

Dead End in Norvelt is about a boy, Jack, who is grounded for "life" by both of his parents. But what he thought would be a boring summer turned into a very exciting and interesting one. His neighbor, Mrs. Volker, asked him to help her out because with her arthritic hands she was unable to write the obituaries for the town anymore. Soon after he started he noticed that the old people of Norvelt were dropping like flies and they could not figure out why, until the suspicions grew stronger and people of the town wanted to get to the bottom of it. 

Suspenseful, Historic, Funny, Descriptive, Different

Reading Level/Lexile 
6th Grade, 3rd month/920L

Suggested Delivery
Independent Read

Electronic Resources
  http://www.jackgantos.com/
This is the authors website which provides information on the book, Dead End in Norvelt, other books he has written and also information about the author himself. This website is very user friendly and will allow the students to research more about Jack Gantos and his other work.

http://www.biography.com/people/eleanor-roosevelt-9463366
This is a website that focuses on Eleanor Roosevelt, who was a main focus in the book. This website will allow the students to learn more about Eleanor and her accomplishments in history. This way they will be familiar with her as a person and they will be able to relate to the story a little more. 

Teaching Suggestions
1.  A teacher can use this book as an introduction to a history lesson on Eleanor Roosevelt.
2. A teacher can use this book for a book report.
3. A teacher can use this book as the last book of the year to talk about the summer.


Vocabulary
1. sinister
2. carnage
3. barter
4. feral
5. tirade
6. restorative

Before Reading
The students will have to research Eleanor Roosevelt and create their own biography on her life. They will use books at the library and some reliable internet resources. Their final project will have a hand drawn portrait of Mrs. Roosevelt, information about her life, and a works cited. This will allow the students to become familiar with Eleanor Roosevelt, because throughout the book she is referenced.

During Reading
The students will keep a vocabulary journal while they are reading the book. They will write down words that are unfamiliar, words that they have seen but aren't sure of the definition and other words they would like to learn the correct definition of. After reading the chapter they will use a dictionary and write down the definition in their own journal and write a sentence using the word. 

After Reading
After the students read this book they will discuss it within small groups. They will be given a few prompt questions but are expected to branch off those questions and create a discussion regarding the conflict in the book, character relationships and other topics. 

Writing Activity
The students will write about their own summer adventure. It can either be fictional or nonfictional and discuss an adventure they would have if they were grounded for the whole entire summer.    

 

Gantos, J. (2011). Dead End in Norvelt. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux.

When You Reach Me

 When You Reach Me

By Rebecca Stead 

Published By Wendy Lamb Books
Copyright 2009
2010 John Newbery Medal Winner


When You Reach Me is about a sixth grader, Miranda who lives in New York with her mother. Her best friend, Sal, and her are inseparable until the day he receives a blow to the stomach by a new student at school, and he pushes Miranda completely out of his life. Then Miranda starts to receive strange letters in weird places from someone who seems to know a lot about her life.
 http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/index.pperl

 
Intriguing, Interesting, puzzling, suspenseful, engaging

Reading Level/Lexile

4th Grade, 5th month; 750L 

Suggested Delivery

Independent Read

Electronic Resources

http://www.rebeccasteadbooks.com/ 
This is the author's website and may help the students with questions about the author or other books that she has written. On this website there is also a link to her blog, her contact information, and details on the various books this author has written that may be useful for some students.  

This is the link to the publisher's website. This has information on the book, When you Reach Me along with contests to win free books, games, and other interactive activities. This website also provides links to other books published by this company. 

 Teaching Suggestion

1. A teacher can use this text for a book report.
2. A teacher can use this book to discuss the mystery of time travel and the different beliefs.
3. A teacher can use this text to explore issues in school such as friendships and bullying.

Vocabulary

1. nags

2. omen
3. fundamental
4. scoured
5. obstruct
6. essential

Before Reading

The teacher will provide the students with the vocabulary they should know before reading. The teacher will also provide students with the definition and the synonyms for the words. The students will then have to answer questions regarding the word, such as "Do you have a friend that nags you often?" The students will then have to answer the question and explain why or how their friend nags them.

During Reading

 As the students read they will write down questions that they have regarding the story or characters. While they read they will see if they can answer their own questions.

After Reading

After reading the students will choose a character from the book to create a character profile. Using the details from the book they will create a picture of what they think the character looks like, they will come up with information about the character, such as their hobbies, favorite book, etc. 

Writing Activity

The students will be asked to come up with a time period they would like to travel to. They will then research that time period and write a short story of themselves in that time period. They will have to write about the type of school they went to, their house, their dress, their culture, and some of the hobbies they did in their spare time. They will also be able to add in illustrations to help show what the time period was like. 

Stead, R. (2009). When you reach me. New York: Wendy Lamb Books.