Seedfolks

By Paul Fleischman

A vacant lot, rat-infested and filled with garbage, looked like no place for a garden. Especially to a neighborhood of strangers where no one seems to care. Until one day, a young girl clears a small space and digs into the hard-packed soil to plant her precious bean seeds. Suddenly, the soil holds promise: To Curtis, who believes he can win back Lateesha's heart with a harvest of tomatoes; to Virgil's dad, who sees a fortune to be made from growing lettuce; and even to Maricela, sixteen and pregnant, wishing she were dead.

Thirteen very different voices -- old, young, Haitian, Hispanic, tough, haunted, and hopeful -- tell one amazing story about a garden that transforms a neighborhood.

Reading level: Grade 4 and up (some of the content might be for an older audience. Use your discretion. In my school the 6th graders were reading this book!)  Lexile: 710L

Suggested Delivery: 

Electronic Resources:

http://www.paulfleischman.net/ - Authors website, Here you can get information about the author, his books and contact information to get in touch with him. You can also see other works that he has written if you enjoyed Seedfolks.

http://www.harpercollins.com/browseinside/index.aspx?isbn13=9780064472074 Here you can read a sample from the book for free. You can use this to project some of the pages of the book on the board and have the students read along with you. 

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/seedfolks-lesson-plan This sight has some lesson plan ideas and information about the book.
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/tv/printables/harpercollins/seedfolks_rg.pdf Printable lesson plan with lesson ideas, reading strategies and discussion questions

There are so many great lessons and resources that can be found online for this book! I highlighted just a few of the many out there. 

Activities to Increase Comprehension:

Before Reading: Discuss society and cultures and how they integrate into communities. 

During Reading: Discuss the different character and create a character map after ever chapter to keep track of all the characters in the book (there are a lot of characters) 
This chart I found online and really liked because it makes you think about each character not only what they planted and who what are but that was their purpose in the story. 

After Reading: In the 6th grade at the school I work at, the students are writing their own chapter for the book. They can create another chapter for a character that already was mentioned or they can create their own new character to add to the book. (Relating to Language Arts)

I also thought that it would be a great idea for students to create a mural of the classroom garden after all the students create their own chapters. (Relating to Language Arts and Art)

Create a project where the students can think of the garden as a business. They can think about how much the seeds cost, how much water will be needed, how much time is spent on taking care of the plants and then how much the vegetable or flower would sell for and how much the profit would be. (Relating to Math) 

Have the students research what kinds of plants are prevalent in different cultures or parts of the world. (Relates to Social Studies and Science)

There are so many ideas that I can think of from this book. Its a simple book that you can really do a lot with.

The Book Thief

By Markus Zusak

"I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right."

It's just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . . Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak's groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can't resist-books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau. This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul. From the Hardcover edition.

This book is all about words. Their power. "The words. Why do they have to exist?" For Liesel they exist to enable her and others to survive. For the Nazis they exist to cause harm and persuade others. Words are the cause for Nazi Germany and the reign of Hitler as well as the savior for the people of Himmel Street. Through the eyes of Death we see human nature and circumstance pushed to the limits. Death is sarcastic, honest and the perfect narrator for a book set in a time of so much death and destruction. However he shows us the life of Leisel and how their can be hope in the darkest of times. 

This book is worded and written so beautifully you will find yourself falling in love with the words

Reading level: 12 and up; Grades 7 and up Lexile: 730L

Suggested Delivery: Independent Read

Electronic Resources:
http://zusakbooks.tumblr.com/ This is Markus Zusak's Tumbler/website. Gives information about Markus and his books. 

http://www.randomhouse.com/features/markuszusak/ Gives information about Markus and his books. 
http://www.thebookthief.com/ - This site is related to the movie that is coming out that is based on this book. This would be a great site to introduce the book and get kids interested or to follow up after reading.
http://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=925&a=1 Audio books, Lesson plans, Useful links, vocabulary lists, interviews with Markus (Great Resource for teachers!!)

Activities to Increase Comprehension:

Before Reading: Students can have a discussion about the Holocaust and what they know about it to get a bit of background knowledge before reading the book. 
Students can also watch the movie preview as a preview to the book and what they are about to read. 

During Reading: The book is broken up into ten parts within each part are chapters. Have the students look at all the chapter titles in the part they are about to read and have them make a prediction of what will happen in that part of the book. Have the students use background knowledge, context clues, and historically relevant information to make informed predictions. 

After Reading: Have the students write a story from the perspective of an emotion or inanimate state such as death, passion, love, greed etc. Have the students create a character map and think about what these characters would look like, how they would act, how would they see things.   

Mindblind

By: Jennifer Roy

Fourteen-year-old Nathaniel Clark lives in two worlds - the outside world of his family and friends and his own, special, inside Aspie world, where he's not forced to interact with people or worry about wearing his clothes right-side out. The world where he can solve mathematical problems that elude even the brightest graduate students. The world where he feels he can find his own inner truth. People say he's a genius, but Nathaniel thinks differently. According to a book he once read, a true genius uses his talent to make a contribution to the world. Nathaniel takes the definition literally, and begins his quest for genius status. "I will start, right after I wash the chocolate off my face. If I want to be seen as a genius, I should not look like an idiot."

I am currently applying to grad school to get a masters in Special Education. Having an interest in students with learning disabilities and Autism I thought that this book was really interesting. Not only does the reader get to learn a bit about Autism BUT you have the opportunity to get inside the mind of an Autistic child. Often we don't understand people that think or do things differently than we do. This book gets the reader to better understand Autism and realize that just because something is the normal to one person, doesn't mean that's normal for someone else. 

I enjoyed reading this book and learning about Nathaniel and how he perceives and interacts in the world around him and the world in his head. I think that students reading this book will have the opportunity to learn about Autism and to have a better understanding of people that are different than they are. 

Reading level: 6th and up Lexile:HL580L 

Suggested Delivery: Independent Read, Read Aloud

Electronic Resources:

http://www.jenniferroy.com/mindblind.html - This is the authors website, from this link you can find information about the book. http://www.jenniferroy.com/educational.html This link is also the authors website but is links you to other works that she has written that are instructional tools for teachers. Not only does this allow you to teach using her fiction books but you can teach using her methodology and resources. 

http://autismdigest.com/context-blindness/ This article clarifies Mind-blindness explaining that context is a key to explaining how people with Autism think. 

"It is assumed that mindblindness makes it difficult for individuals to relate to others. However, recent research on the social abilities of people with ASD is suggesting that mind blindness is but one piece of the intriguing puzzle about how individuals with ASD think and process the social world around them."

"On a conscious level context helps us think through how we should react and what choices, such as a birthday gift or a response, we should make. Context gives meaning to the stimuli our brains receive."

"Context blindness is when the autistic brain thinks in an absolute way, rather than a relative, contextually defined way"

"Example: When the doorbell rang, the mother of a seven-year-old boy with autism asked him to open the door. He opened the back door instead of the front. His reaction was logical, but his choice of door was out of context."

http://www.schooltube.com/video/43af9b2215b642f69ca9/MINDBLIND,%20by%20Jennifer%20Roy There is a trailer for the book on this website. Good way to introduce the book to students who are about to read it. 

Activities to Increase Comprehension:

Before Reading: This book is a great book to help learn about ASD but it would also be a good idea to discuss it a bit before reading the book so students don't get confused.

After Reading: Students can work on a presentation about the book including plot, characters, time line of events, setting. Using an interactive site like Prezi can be a fun was to get the information across- here is a basic example http://prezi.com/_q8qvnhuh7op/mindblind-by-jennifer-roy/
OR
Have the students research a learning disability and have them write a short story about a student with that learning disability. The students can also create a character map about their character. Have the students doing research and then becoming experts on their topic to which they are able to apply the information creatively are great skills for students to be building on. (This can also be done before reading)

OR

Students can write poems or song lyrics about subjects or topics that they are learning on school. Nathaniel wrote song lyrics for subjects that he found interesting. His songs inspired other students to enjoy and understand those subjects. Students might find this way of presenting information creative and helpful. 

Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed

By: Mo Willems

Wilbur is different from the other Naked Mole Rats in his Colony, because he wears clothes (and he likes it!). But what will happen when Grandpah, the oldest, wisest, and most naked Naked Mole Rat ever discovers Wilbur's secret?

Funnyman and three-time Caldecott Honoree Mo Willems exposes the naked truth about being yourself and wearing it well. - Barnes and Noble Overview

While browsing in Barnes and Noble I stumbled across this book and fell in love with the cover and the title. How clever? A naked mole rat that wants to wear clothes. Wilber is so cute and I knew this would be an awesome read. 

Reading level: Age 3-8 GradeLevel Pre-school to 3rd Lexile: 470L

Suggested Delivery:  Read Aloud

Electronic Resources:

http://www.pigeonpresents.com/teachersguides/molerat_event_kit.pdf Great Site that has lesson plans, games, activities, and facts about naked mole rats!!

http://www.clpgh.org/kids/storymaker/embed.cfm - This is a great website that allows students to create their own picture book. It's interactive and guides the students to build their own imaginative story. 

Activities to Increase Comprehension:

Before Reading: Have students make preditions about what the book will be about. Because the title is self explanitory the students will be able to use literal comprehension from the front cover to guess what the story will be about. To expand on this discussion, have the students discuss what will happen if the naked mole rat gets dressed and what the other naked mole rats will think. This question is more inferential but I am sure that there would be some pretty interesting and insightful respones. 

After Reading: Because this book is for younger kids it would be good to do a follow up lesson where you Cut-up sentences- This activity includes active learning about words as part of a sentence. Teachers prepare a sheet of simple sentences printed out with a large-size font. Students cut apart the words from a sentence, and then move the individual word cards around, manipulating the words to re-create the sentence in proper order. This helps encourage students to recognize that each word is a separate entity, has meaning, and is separated by a space within each sentence. - http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/concept_of_word/

Out of My Mind

By: Sharon M. Draper

Eleven-year-old Melody has a photographic memory. Her head is like a video camera that is always recording. Always. And there's no delete button. She's the smartest kid in her whole school—but no one knows it. Most people--her teachers and doctors included--don't think she's capable of learning, and up until recently her school days consisted of listening to the same preschool-level alphabet lessons again and again and again. If only she could speak up, if only she could tell people what she thinks and knows . . . but she can't, because Melody can't talk. She can't walk. She can't write.

Being stuck inside her head is making Melody go out of her mind--that is, until she discovers something that will allow her to speak for the first time ever. At last Melody has a voice . . . but not everyone around her is ready to hear it.

Sharon M. Draper

Reading level: Grade Level 4 and up Lexile: 700L

Suggested Delivery: Whole class read aloud, Independent, Group

Vocabulary: 

Electronic Resources:

http://sharondraper.com/bookdetail.asp?id=35 - Author website. Here their is an interview with Sharon Draper, she answers questions about this book and her writing process. 

http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/brain/cerebral_palsy.html-This website is great for doing research about Cerebral palsy and is kid friendly. 

http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/cp-famous.shtml- The book mentions Steven Hawkins, if you want to have your class to do research on famous people what have influenced the world and have disabilities, this website gives a list of people that made contributions to the world and have Cerebral Palsy. 

http://books.simonandschuster.net/Out-of-My-Mind/Sharon-M-Draper/9781416971702/reading_group_guide - Great for discussion topics

http://list.atpe.org/resources/Educators/bookclubfiles/11NovMSQuestions.pdf -Discussion questions

Activities to Increase Comprehension:

Before Reading this book i thought it would be really interesting to have the students come up with a topic, something that they are really interested in and create a presentation on that topic without saying anything. Melody, in "Out of My Mind" can not speak, having the kids realize the difficulty and creativity that comes into play when you have ideas that you can't verbally share will create interesting conversation and a great lead into the book. You can use Prezi (http://prezi.com/) which is a great website for kids to learn how to make dynamic and interactive presentations. and of course I love Voki (http://www.voki.com/)- especially for something like this where the presenter can't talk. Using a voki the students can see how it is to have an electronic device speak for you. 

"Everyone Uses words to express themselves. Except me. And i bet most people don't realize the real power of words. But I do." - Melody

Before and During Reading: This book contains a lot of imagery, similes and metaphors and would be a wonderful book to use to explore how figurative writing can improve the quality and interest in a story. 

"Country is lemons- not sour, but sugar sweet and tangy."

"I plow through the crowds in my electric in my electric chair like a power mower in thick grass."

During Reading Because the book is told from Melody's perspective and you are inside her mind the whole time, this would be a great book to use to teach monologue or journal writing. Have the students participate in a writing workshop. In a writing workshop they will have the chance to choose multiple personal stories to write about. One after another they will be identifying various memories in their life and writing to get the ideas out of their minds

During reading you can also do Open mind where students Draw an empty head and inside of it draw any symbols or words or images that are bouncing around in the mind of the character of a story. Follow it up with writing or discussion explain and explore responses.

I LOVED this book!! I think that every student and teacher should read this book have empathy for people that may be different in some way. "We all have disabilities. What's yours?" - Melody. I fell in love with Melody and the way she would describe things and her feelings. Everyone faces challenges and unknowns in their life no matter what you look like, think like, behave like. Like Melody says "It's like somebody gave me a puzzle, but I don't have the box with the picture on it. So I don't know what the final thing is supposed to look like. I'm not even sure if I have all the pieces." We all feel this way at some point (I know I feel this way all the time). Read this book with your class or on your own and fall in love with Melody like I did. 

"Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change."

Stephen Hawking 

Harry Potter

By J.K.Rowling

http://www.jkrowling.com/en_US/

Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of a wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The main story arc concerns Harry's quest to overcome the Dark wizard Lord Voldemort, whose aims are to become immortal, conquer the wizarding world, subjugate non-magical people, and destroy all those who stand in his way, especially Harry Potter.

I have just finished reading the Harry Potter Series. Yes, I know I am behind with the times. Growing up in the generation of Harry Potter and having seen and loved all the movies I thought it was time to call myself a true fan and finally - read the books!!

While I read these books for enjoyment I realized that they were really creative and can spark some creative lesson plans and thoughtful conversations in the classroom. 

When I was younger I wasn't a reader. I will admit that I only read books that I was forced to in school and  I never found anything really interesting. Now I am older and can find more pleasure in reading but the difficult thing is finding the time to read. After reading each book in the series I immediately thought, When can i start the next one! After I finished the whole series I thought- is it weird if i read them all over again?

 I know that many people have these feeling about Harry Potter and that is why they are so popular. Some kids might love these books because they feel like they finally found something that interested them, like me. That feeling in itself is wonderful and worth the reading regardless of the educational connections.

Publisher: Warner Bros 998-2007

Reading Level: 

Book 1: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Age Group: 9 years and up. Published in October 1998. 
Accelerated Reader (AR): Level 5.5
Lexile: 880

Book 2: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Age Group: 9 years and up. Published in June 1999. 
Accelerated Reader (AR): Level 6.7
Lexile: 940

Book 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Age Group: 9 years and up. Published in October 1999. 
Accelerated Reader (AR): Level 6.7
Lexile: 880

Book 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Age Group: 9 years and up. Published in July 2001. 
Accelerated Reader (AR): Level 6.8
Lexile: 880

Book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Age Group: 9 years and up. Published on July 21, 2003. 
 Accelerated Reader (AR): Level 7.2
Lexile: 950

Book 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Age Group: 9 years and up. Published on July 16, 2005. 
Accelerated Reader (AR): Level 7.2
Lexile: 1030

Book 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Age Group: 9 years and up. Published on July 21, 2007. 
Accelerated Reader (AR): Level 6.9
Lexile: 980

Suggested Delivery:Independent

Vocab Because the characters in this book are wizards and witches they have their own wizarding world of vocabulary, Here is a helpful website that will help with any vocabulary questions that may arise. 

http://harrypotter.scholastic.com/glossary/

Electronic Resources:

http://harrypotter.scholastic.com/sorcerers_stone/ -This website gives a summary of each book and some fun activities that they can do. Students can answer 5 questions to figure out what their patronous will be!

http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Hogwarts_subjects - This site is all about Hogwarts and the classes that are taught there. This website will help with the after reading comprehension activity that I have.  

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/unit/harry-potter-everything-you-need - This site offers some classroom and lesson ideas that relate to Harry Potter and the Harry Potter World. 

Activities to Increase Comprehension:

During Reading: Compare the books in the series together and have the students compare the change in the characters from book to book. The characters grow as the series goes on and that change in their behavior and attitude can be something that the students can relate to and analyse. 

After Reading: Hogwarts has so many classes that are available to it's students. Have the students pick which class they would want to take or teach and have them create a lesson or curriculum for that class. Have them so research on that class and really get interested in the subject. You can also have them connect this class to things in the Muggle world such as subjects that they have in school or professions. This activity can really relate to all the subject areas (LA,math,science, history and even art and gym)

EX: Flying

Students can research: rules, regulations, how to fly, types of brooms...

Students can come up with their own rules and tips based on what they know. 

Students can design their own broom

Students can relate it to driving class and compare and contrast

• connect to the school subjects:
• language arts (write a paper, course description or manual about each class). 
• history (connect to when rulers tried to take power and rule over others ex: Holocaust)
• science (chemistry, earth science, biology). 

Wonderstruck

By. Brian Selznick  

“This book was a joy, a challenge, and a puzzle to put together. I hope you enjoy meeting Ben and Rose, and joining them on their thrilling, dangerous and unexpected adventures in New York City.”

–Brian Selznick

Ben and Rose secretly wish their lives were different. Ben longs for the father he has never known. Rose dreams of a mysterious actress whose life she chronicles in a scrapbook. When Ben discovers a puzzling clue in his mother's room and Rose reads an enticing headline in the newspaper, both children set out alone on desperate quests to find what they are missing.

Set fifty years apart, these two independent stories — Ben's told in words, Rose's in pictures — weave back and forth with mesmerizing symmetry. How they unfold and ultimately intertwine will surprise you, challenge you, and leave you breathless with wonder. Rich, complex, affecting, and beautiful — with over 460 pages of original artwork — Wonderstruck is a stunning achievement from a uniquely gifted artist and visionary.

Reading level: About 4th grade and up Lexile: 830L

Suggested Delivery: Whole Class or Small Group

Vocabulary: Scavenged, Compartment, Lapped,Beckoned, Curate, Diorama, Cascading, Mesmerized, Archive and much much more!

Electronic Resources:

http://www.wonderstruckthebook.com/home.htm - This is the official website for the book!
http://www.scholastic.com/wonderstruck/index.htm - this site has great references and activities to incorporate when teaching/reading this book.
http://www.readingforcomprehension.com/wonderstruck/ - Brian Selznick has a lot of resources to look through and use that are located that this website!
http://quizlet.com/8112936/words-from-the-book-wonderstruck-by-brian-selznick-flash-cards/ - This site has pre made flashcards for all of the vocabulary words for this book. 

Activities to increase comprehension:

Before reading: this book could be connected to the Scott Foresman reading anthology story The Houdini Box also by Brian Selznick. Both stories have a vast amount of information just from the pictures and are great for teaching inferential comprehension. Before reading you could ask a question that bring up the importance of being able to tell a story and the different ways to do that (words, pictures, music, dance, sign language) how do people that speak different languages communicate? what about people that are deaf or blind. Because these things relate to the ending of the story, its gets the students thinking about these things in preparation for what is to come without giving away the end of the story. 

During reading: Have students make predictions about what will happen or how Ben and Rose are connected. 
After reading: Have the students write stories in only pictures. Give students pictures and have them write stories inspired by or based on the pictures. Compare and contrast different books from Brian Selznick. You can connect this book (narrative) to expository writing  have students research something they were interested in that was mentioned in the book and write an expository piece that connects to the book. 

There is really so much to do with this book and there are so mane great resources out there to use and incorporate. When I was student teaching I read The Houdini Box to my kids and was able to connect Wonderstruck to the unit and the kids loved it. I definitely would not hesitate to create a unit of study or connect this book to the curriculum again in the future!