Out of My Mind

Powerful, Heartwarming, Hopeful, Inspirational, Engaging 

Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper 

Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, Copyright 2010

Eleven-year-old Melody has never spoken a word in her life – she can’t walk, talk, or even feed herself.  She is diagnosed with cerebral palsy. However, her condition doesn’t stop her from being the smartest kid in her school, but nobody knows it. She’s stuck in room H-5 at school sitting through preschool level alphabet lessons. It isn’t until one day when she discovers a machine that will finally let her have a voice.

Grade level: 4-5

Lexile Measure: 700L

Description: Realistic fiction 

Suggested delivery: Group read 

Electronic Resources:

Book Trailer

Students can watch this book trailer before they begin reading to spark interest in the book. It will also give them a little preview of what the book will be about. 

Author's Website

This a good website for both students and teachers to use. It includes a list of all of Sharon Draper’s books, a biography, an interview, and reading guides for some of her books, including “Out of my Mind.” It offers several discussion questions and activities to go along with her books. 

Teaching Strategies

Key vocabulary:

·         Limitation – something that controls what a person is able to do

·         Burden – something or someone that is very difficult to accept or deal with

·         Uproar – a situation in which many people are upset, angry, or disturbed by something

·         Inclusion – to make someone a part of something, to include everyone

·         Indignation – anger caused by something that is unfair or wrong

·         Anticipation – a feeling of excitement about something that is going to happen 

Before reading: Model a think-aloud to students while reading a summary of the book to them. This will show students how to make predictions and how to engage with the text while reading.

During reading: After reading the first chapter, have students make predictions about the narrator of the story, Melody, using techniques that were modeled in the think-aloud. 

After reading: Have students fill out an opinionnaire expressing their opinions/views on the different characters in the story and how Melody was treated. 

Writing activity: Have students write a journal entry written from Melody’s perspective describing a typical day in her life. 

 Draper, S. M. (2010). Out of My Mind. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. 

Outside the Box

Funny, Clever, Imaginative, Entertaining, Inventive

Outside the Box by Karma Wilson

Illustrated by Diane Goode

Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, Copyright 2014

This Shel Silverstein-inspired book is filled with hundreds of amusing and creative poems about everything imaginable, from puppies and hippos to aliens and vampires! 

Grade level: 3

Lexile Measure: NP

Description: Poetry

Suggested delivery: Independent read 

Electronic Resources:

Author's Website

This website includes information about the author and all of her other books that students can look at for more book ideas if they enjoy her writing style. It offers a teacher resource page with teaching activities for some of her other children’s books. There is also a place for kids to submit their own silly poem to the author.

Shel Silverstein's Website

This book is inspired by another children’s author, Shel Silverstein. His website has lots of resources for teachers including discussion questions, writing activities, and Poetry Month event kits with tons of activities for students. The website also includes some information on Shel and his books. 

Teaching Strategies

Key vocabulary:

·         Impenetrable – impossible to pass or see through

·         Obscene – disturbing or shocking

·         Flaunt – to show off something

·         Pillaged – to take things from a place by force

·         Bedeck – to decorate 

·         Abide – to accept and be guided by something

Before reading: Discuss and define the different characteristics of poetry such as rhyme, repetition, personification, and imagery. 

During reading: Have students mark in a chart the different characteristics that they find throughout the book with sticky notes and note topics that they might enjoy writing about.

After reading: Talk about how poems use a lot of details and description to help us visualize what the poem is about. Come up with a class word wall using https://padlet.com/  of good descriptive words to use that students can refer to while writing their own poem. 

Writing activity: Have students write their own poem using the style from the book. They should include at least two of the elements (rhyme, repetition, personification, imagery) that they learned in their poem. Once they have finished writing have students create a Voki of themselves (or a character that relates to their poem) reading their poems aloud. 

 Wilson, K., & Goode, D. (2014). Outside the Box. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books. 

Women Who Broke the Rules: Judy Blume

Inspiring, Important, True, Witty, Honest 

Women Who Broke the Rules: Judy Blume by Kathleen Krull

Illustrated by David Leonard

Published by Bloomsbury, Copyright 2015

Judy Blume faced many obstacles on her journey to becoming a writer, but that didn’t stop her from doing what she loved. She was determined to help kids feel comfortable confronting their everyday concerns and questions. In this biography, we learn her inspirations, beliefs, and struggles that she endured in order to become one of the most beloved and influential children’s author. 

Grade level: 3

Lexile Measure: N/A

Description: Biography

Suggested delivery: Independent aloud 

Electronic Resources:

Judy Blume's Website

This a good website for students to visit either before or after they read the book to learn a little bit more about Judy Blume and her own books. The site includes a short biography, her views on writing and a list and summary of all of her books, and many more resources. 

Interview with Judy Blume

This interview is something students can read if they are interested in learning more about Judy Blume. She talks a lot about her books, her life, and how she comes up with her ideas. She also offers some writing strategies that students can use in their own writing. 

Teaching Strategies

Key vocabulary:

·         Stifling – not allowing something to be done or expressed

·         Outlet – something that people use to express their emotions or talents

·         Regulation – an official rule or law that says how something should be done

·         Oracle – a person who has a lot of knowledge about something and whose opinions and advice are highly valued

·         Squelch – to stop something from continuing by saying or doing something

·         Confide – to tell something that is secret or private to someone you trust 

Before reading: Ask students if they have ever read any books by Judy Blume and what they know about her and her stories. Introduce some of her books to students who may be interested. By having some knowledge about what she writes about, it will help students better understand some of the criticism she faced addressed in her biography.

During reading: Have students write down any comments, questions, or vocabulary words that they would like to have clarified in their reading notebooks.

After reading: Have students create a mock twitter account for Judy Blume which includes at least 3 tweets, a profile, and an image. 

Writing activity: Have students write a paper in the form of a diary entry relating to Judy Blume’s experience as an author. She continued writing and doing what she loved despite the constant criticism and disapproval that she received. Recall a time in your life where you faced a similar problem. 

 Krull, K. (2015). Women Who Broke the Rules: Judy Blume. New York, NY: Bloomsbury. 

  

Pandas and Other Endangered Species

Educational, Fun, Interesting, Informative, Helpful 

Pandas and Other Endangered Species by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce

Published by Random House, Copyright 2012

This Magic Tree House Fact Tracker book showcases tons of photos, illustrations, information, and fun facts as it explores some of the world’s most endangered animals. All of Jack and Annie’s questions about pandas and endangered species are answered in this nonfiction companion to Mary Pope Osborne’s “A Perfect Time for Pandas.”  

Grade level: 4

Lexile Measure: 880L

Description: Nonfiction

Suggested delivery: Independent aloud 

Electronic Resources:

Video Preview

Students can watch this short video clip to get an idea of the things they will read about in the book. It may help them decide if this book is something they would be interested in reading. 

Magic Tree House Website

This is a good website for students to visit if they are interested in the series. The site includes lots of information about the author and the books. They can preview some of the books and find a list of every book in the series if they want to read more. The website also includes a “Fact Tracker Showdown” trivia game on some of the nonfiction books in the series. 

Teaching Strategies

Key vocabulary:

·         Species – a group of plants or animals that are alike in certain ways

·         Conserve – to keep something safe from being damaged or destroyed

·         Habitat – places where certain plants and animals live

·         Pollution – the process of making land, water, and air dirty and not safe or suitable for use

·         Endangered – used to describe a plant or animal that has become very rare and could die out completely

·         Extinct – no longer existing

·         Hibernate – to spend the winter sleeping or resting

·         Omnivore – an animal that eats both plants and other animals

·         Nutrients – a substance that plants, animals, and people need to live and grow 

Before reading: Have students create a KWL chart either about pandas or endangered animals in general. They should fill out the “Know” and “Want to know” sections before they start reading.

During reading: Give students a list of important vocabulary words that appear in the book. As students read, have them fill out the definitions to create their own glossary for the book. Some definitions are clearly stated in the book while others must be determined using context clues or prior knowledge.

After reading: Have students complete their KWL charts by filling in the “Learned” section about pandas and endangered animals using information that they have acquired from the book. Put students in small groups and use the Socrative Student app to have students compete in a "space race" using vocabulary words from the book.
 

Writing activity: Sometimes animals become endangered due to changes on the planet or natural selection, but often their endangerment is caused by humans. Have students write an article for an environmental magazine about ways we can help endangered animals and prevent animals in the future from becoming endangered or extinct. They can use information from the book or do additional research on their own. There are several books and websites provided at the end of the book that may be useful. 

 Boyce, N.P., Osborne, M. P. (2012). Pandas and Other Endangered Animals. New York, New York: Random House.

  

One Crazy Summer

Diverse, Enlightening, Captivating, Unexpected, Cultural  

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

Published by Amistad an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, Copyright 2010

Sisters Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern, set off on an adventure to Oakland, California to stay with their mother for the summer—the mother who abandoned them when they were babies. As soon as they arrive they know they are not welcomed there. Cecile makes them eat Chinese takeout every night and sends them to a summer camp run by the Black Panthers. Despite her secretive behaviors and resistance to show love, Delphine and her sisters end up learning a lot about their mother than they thought they would.

Grade level: 5

Lexile Measure: 750L

Description: Historical fiction

Suggested delivery: Group read 

Electronic Resources:

Video of Author

Rita Williams-Garcia talks about her book, “One Crazy Summer” at Vermont College of Fine Arts in this video. She talks about how the story relates to her own life which may help students make their own connections. She also explains how she got ideas for the personalities of her characters and what she wants readers to get out of the story. This would be a good video to show students after they have finished reading the book. 

Black Panther Party Article

This is an article about the Black Panther Party from an encyclopedia made for kids. This would be a good resource for students to look at before they start the reading so they can acquire some background information that will help with comprehension. The article is written at an age-appropriate level and contains several links to information on important people that were involved and related topics.   

Teaching Strategies

Key vocabulary:

·     Scrutiny – the act of carefully examining something in a critical way

·     Infiltrate – to secretly enter or join

·     Riot – a public act of violence by an unruly mob

·     Militant – showing willingness to use strong or forceful methods to achieve something

·     Revolution – a drastic change in ways of thinking

·     Excursion – a short trip especially for pleasure 

Before reading: Since culture is the backbone to this story, have students do a little bit of research on the Black Panther Party and the civil rights movement before reading the book. Having this background knowledge will aid their comprehension as they read the story.

During reading: Have students separate into three groups to participate in a "jigsaw". Each group will be responsible for analyzing a different aspect of the story: characters, plot, and setting. Once each student has acquired enough information about their topic they will go to different groups and tech them the material.

After reading: Have students get into their small groups to practice and perform this reader's theater script:

 http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.oklibs.org/resource/resmgr/imported/Sequoyah_2013_RT_One_Crazy_Summer.pdf

Writing activity: Students should pay attention to ways they can relate to the story as they read. They should use either the text-to-self, text-to-text, or text-to-world model. Have students write a short paper going into detail about their connections. They should refer to specific examples from the story as well as specific examples from their life, other books, movies, etc. 

A Tangle of Knots

Whimsical, Imaginative, Surprising, Quirky, Charming  

A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff 

Published by Philomel an imprint of Penguin Books, Copyright 2013

Living in a world where everyone has a Talent, eleven-year-old orphan, Cady, meets several fascinating people after she moves into a room upstairs in the Lost Luggage Emporium. A series of seemingly unrelated events slowly come together like pieces of a puzzle. In an almost magical twist of fate, Cady discovers much about herself and the people around her. 

Grade level: 5-6

Lexile Measure: 840L

Description: Fantasy

Suggested delivery: Read aloud 

Electronic Resources:

Interview with the Author

This interview with the author, Lisa Graff, focuses on her book “A Tangle of Knots.” Students can read this interview to learn a little bit about the author and how the story came about. She talks about her inspirations to write the story and why she included several cake recipes throughout the book.  

Book Trailer

Students can watch this book trailer before reading begins to spark interest in the book and to get an idea of what the book will be about. By understanding the gist of the story, students will be able to focus their attention on making connections between the characters and events. 

Teaching Strategies

Key vocabulary:

·         Wield – to have and use

·         Guffaw – to laugh loudly

·         Conundrum – a confusing or difficult problem

·         Lore – traditional knowledge, beliefs, and stories that relate to a particular subject

·         Admonished – to speak in way that expresses disapproval or criticism

·         Dissipate – to cause something to spread out and disappear 

Before reading: Ask students to discuss what different talents they have. This will help them create meaningful connections to the text since almost every character in the story has a Talent, or is looking for one.

During reading: Facilitate a directed reading-thinking activity throughout the book. Read the chapter titles, recipes, and short passages from the book and ask students to make predictions. As the story progresses have students rethink their predictions and make changes if necessary. At the end of each reading session have students reflect on their predictions. Ask them what in the text made them change their predictions or what in the text proved them to be true. 

After reading: Have students create a character map, similar to a family tree, to show how each character in the story are related to each other.

Writing activity: What if Cady wasn’t adopted by Toby? What if she never found that perfect peanut butter recipe? What if Marigold didn’t accidently get her brother shipped off to New Jersey? Have students write a creative alternate ending to the book if fate hadn’t worked out the way it did in the story.