Rules

By: Cynthia Lord

Realistic Fiction

(Chapter Book)

http://mewilli6.glogster.com/rules-by-lord/ 

Catherine is a 12 year old girl who just wants a normal life.  Her younger brother is autistic and her parents put her in charge of him more often than she would like, and her best friend is in California for the summer with her dad.  Catherine spends alot of time drawing in her sketch book and writing down rules for her brother to follow to try and get him to act "normal."  When Catherine finds out that a girl her age in moving in next door she starts thinking about all the things that they could do together over the summer.  Catherine also meets Jason when she goes with her brother to ocupational therapy.  They become good friends and she helps Jason have a more positive outlook on life.  Catherine also figures out that her new neighbor Kristi is not what she had hoped for.  Read this book to see the changes that Catherine goes through and how her views on some things seem to change.

I would read this book aloud to my students.  I would read a chapter or so at the end of the day, so that we could talk as we read about the things going on in this book, such as autism.  After we had finished reading the book I would have the students pair up and make 26 word cards like Jason has.  I would then ask them to use these cards and see how Jason and Catherine communicated with each other.  I feel that this activity would help students develop a greater appreciation for people that my be "different" for them and admire them for the way they accomplish things that we may take for granted, such as talking.

Potato

A Tale from the Great Depression

By: Kate Lied

Historical Fiction

During the Great Depression, Clarence loses his job in Iowa.  He takes his family to Idaho where there is work picking potatoes.  At the end of the work day, Clarence, his wife Angus and young daughter Dorothy are allowed to pick the leftover potatoes to keep for themselves.  After two weeks of picking potatoes, Clarence and his family go back home with a car full of potatoes.  Back in Iowa they trade their potatoes for groceries, clothes and even a pig.  Finally Clarence finds a new job and the family moves to Washington D.C.

I would read this book aloud to my students.  I would have the students do independent research on the Great Depression and the difficult times that people faced during that time.  Then I would have them write a report on what they learned and then present what their findings to their classmates.  Hopefully, learning about the Great Depression will help my students be thankful for the things that they have.

Number the Stars

By: Lois Lowry

Historical Fiction

(Chapter Book)

This story is set in Denmark during the Nazi occupation.  Annemarie Johansen is a ten year old girl who is friends with a Jewish girl named Ellen Rosen.  Since the Rosen's are Jewish they are in great danger of being captured and taken to a concentration camp.  Because the Rosen's are in such great danger, the  Johansen's take in Ellen in hopes that she can pass as their daughter until the Rosen's can safely leave Denmark and go to Sweden.  However, this is going to be hard since Ellen has dark hair instead of blond like Annmarie.  Read this novel to find out the great lengths one family will go to in order to help another get to safety. 

I would have my students read this novel individually inside and outside of the classroom.  After the students read the book I would have them do some research on the path that was taken to get the Jews from Denmark to Sweden, and then we would get out a map and try to trace their path.

Pink and Say

By: Patricia Polacco

Historical Fiction

Sheldon Curtis ("Say") is a Union soldier and has been shot in the leg, and left for dead in a pasture.  A colored Union soldier, Pinkus ("Pink"), comes along and carries him to safety.  Pink carries Say to his home where his mother takes care of Say.  Pink's Mother, Moe Moe Bay, takes good care of both boys but warns them that if they hear marauders they must hide in the cellar.  The day has come when the boys are getting ready to leave Moe Moe Bay and go back and fight, as they are getting ready to walk out the door they hear marauders and run for the cellar.  Moe Moe Bay tries to get rid of the marauders, but she is shot.  The boys leave and head back to the front line and are captured by confederates and taken to Andersonville prison.  Pink is hung at the prison, and Say was released some months later.

After reading this book aloud to my students I would discuss themes with them.  Then as a class we would talk about the themes that we read in Pink and Say; such as hope, friendship and war.  Then we would make a class list of events from the book that support the themes the students came up with.

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

By: Judi Barrett

Modern Fantasy



PowerPoint

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0Bw9rkxA8sN0UZTY2MzhiODctMjc2ZC00ZDg3LTlkNTktMzYxNzM5YmUwZWMy&hl=en&authkey=CMupmPYM

Among the Hidden

By: Margaret Peterson Haddix

Science Fiction

(Chapter Book)

Luke Garner is living in a time of famine.  Because of the shortage of food people are only allowed to have two children.  Luke is a third child so he must stay hidden from public view.  The government starts building houses in the woods behind the Garner's and Luke is forced to total isolation from the outside world.  From his attic Luke sees the face of a girl in a house that already has two children.  Luke runs to the house to meet this other third child named Jen Talbot.  Jen organizes a rally to support third children, but Luke refuses to go with her.  Luke doesn't hear from Jen for a week and finds out from Jen's father that she along with everyone else at the rally were killed.  Jen's father provides Luke with a "new" I.D. of a boy who was killed the day before.  Luke accepts it, but has to leave his family forever.

I would read this book aloud to my students, a chapter or two at the end of the day.  With reading this book aloud I would have my students interact with the text before, during, and after listening to each chapter that we read.  This would give the students a chance to talk about the characters, setting, plot, making inferences between each chapter and so much more. 

Running Out of Time

By: Margaret Peterson Haddix

Science Fiction

(Chapter Book)

Jessie is a thirteen year old girl who lives with her mother, father, and siblings.  The year is 1840, or at least that is what Jessie and her siblings think.  Jessie's mother ends up telling her that truth about their life.  It is actually 1996, and they are living in a historical village called Clifton where tourist watch them through hidden cameras.  The people in Clifton are brainwashed into believing that it is 1840 and are being held captive by the owner of the complex.  There is an outbreak of diphtheria in Clifton and the owner will not provide them with medicine.  This is why Jessie's mother tells her the truth, because she wants her to escape into the real world to get help.  In her adventure Jessie is almost drugged and killed, she talks to the local newspaper and media, and at one point she wakes up in a hospital.  In the end Clifton is closed down, but read this book to find out more about the struggles that Jessie faced along her journey.

I would have my students read this chapter book on their own.  I would provide each student with a copy and assign times inside and outside of class to read the book.  After every assigned reading from the book we would talk as a class about what the students read, and at the end I would give the students a test on the book to check their comprehension of what they read.