Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion

By: Loree Griffin Burns
Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007
Reading Level: 8.5 (Accelerated Reader)
Read Aloud


Book Description: Non-Fiction, Boston Globe-Horn Book Award

A dead seabird found with a stomach full of plastic scraps.  A plastic laundry basket found resting in a coral reef.  These are just two examples of how the trash we dispose of may not end up where it was meant to go.  In Tracking Trash, follow Dr. Curt Ebbesmeyer as he attempts to track the movement of trash across the world's oceans and determine its impact on the natural world.  Author Loree Griffin Burns tells the story of how one man's research project caught the world's attention.

*Teacher Resources for Tracking Trash

Supporting Electronic Resources:
YouTube
This YouTube is a trailer for Tracking Trash and offers a brief introduction to the book.  Use this before reading to set the stage for the book.
Beach Combers
Explore Dr. Ebbesmeyer's website and read his newsletter.  Take a deeper look at some of his research projects and learn more about pollution and waste.
Loree Burns
Loree Burns' website offers a list of related books and hands-on activities to supplement Tracking Trash.  She has also posted pictures of the various research trips she took while writing Tracking Trash. 

Vocabulary:
beachcomber, convergence zone, downwelling, flotsam, gyre, jetsam, meridian, nurdles, windage

Teaching Suggestions:
-Have students practice working with an index to find specific content in the book.
-Demonstrate how to use a glossary to define unfamiliar terms.
-Use the introduction page to each chapter as an opportunity to set the stage for reading.  Introduce the topic, check for prior knowledge, etc.

Comprehension Strategies:
Before Reading-Use a KWL chart to see what students know about the destination of their trash, how it gets there, etc.  Also, determine what they would like to know.
After Reading- Create chapter summaries that highlight the key information from each chapter.  Also, use these summaries to answer any questions on the KWL chart.

Writing Prompt:
Have students create news articles that inform others of Dr. Ebbesmeyer's trash tracking research projects.

Family Reminders

By: Julie Danneberg
Illustrated by: John Shelley
Charlesbridge Publishing, 2009
Reading Level: 4.8 (Accelerated Reader)
Independent Read


Book Description: Realistic Fiction, Chapter Book

Mary McHugh is a young girl living in Colorado during the late 1800's.  While she goes to school, her father heads to the mines for a tough day of work and her mother tends to the house.  However, one day there is a serious accident at the mine and Mary's father suffers a terrible injury.  Everything in Mary's life changes at this point and she struggles to bring happiness back into her home.  Author Julie Danneberg and illustrator John Shelley tell a story of hope, struggle, and perseverance in Family Reminders.

* Teacher Resources for Family Reminders

Supporting Electronic Resources:
TeacherVision
The Teacher Vision website offers a printable teacher's guide for Family Reminders.  The guide includes comprehension questions, extension activities, and a list of other books written by Julie Danneberg.
Cripple Creek
The Cripple Creek website explores the mining history of Cripple Creek, Colorado.  Use this website as a before-reading source to discuss setting, story characters, and examine the town's heritage.

Vocabulary:
fripperies, trudge, deliberately, bleak, revert, listlessly, orneriness, exasperated, brood, flounce, linger, lilting

Teaching Suggestions:
-Use this book in conjunction with a social studies lesson on westward expansion.
-Discuss the role that flashbacks play in a story.  Why are they used?
-Explain the purpose of the author's note at the end of a story.

Comprehension Strategies:
Before Reading- Use the prologue to introduce the characters and setting.  Have students make predictions of what the conflict will be based on what they read in the prologue.
After Reading- Using the comprehension guide listed under the electronic resources, have a literary discussion based from the comprehension questions.  These questions focus mainly on inferential comprehension.

Writing Prompt:
Have students draw a reminder of their own.  Using this reminder, have them write a journal entry explaining what the reminder depicts and also have them explain why they chose to draw that specific reminder.

Never Take a Pig to Lunch

Selected and Illustrated by: Nadine Bernard Westcott
Orchard Books, 1994
Reading Level: 5.1 (Accelerated Reader)
Independent Read


Book Description: Poetry, Picture Book, Children's Choice Award

Never Take a Pig to Lunch is a collection of poems that all pertain to the thing we love most, food.  Weird foods, delicious foods, and even table manners are all topics in this collection of over sixty poems.  Arnold Adoff, Florence Parry Heide, and John Ciardi are just a few of the poets that make an appearance in Never Take a Pig to Lunch, arranged and illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott.

* Teaching Resources for Never Take a Pig to Lunch

Supporting Electronic Sources:
EDSITEment
This website contains guiding questions, learning objectives, and extension activities that can be used with Never Take a Pig to Lunch.  There are also lesson ideas for both reading and writing poetry.
Scholastic
Scholastic offers a list of poetry collections recommended to readers in grades K-5.  Use this list to select other poetry collections based on grade level and interests.

Vocabulary:
cantankerous, writhing, famished, anemic, grudge, macaroon, vat, gristle, crude

Teaching Suggestions:
-Focus on the variation of poetry styles used in the collection
-Examine the use of poetic license in various poems throughout the collection

Comprehension Strategies:
Before Reading- Preview the setup of this poetry collection.  Some poems cover multiple pages, some pages contain multiple poems, and some poems are broken up into columns or other unusual forms.  Ensure that students are able to follow the words in each poem without getting confused.
During Reading- Encourage students to use illustration to determine unknown words and enhance their comprehension of a poem. 

Writing Prompt:
Have students write an ode to their favorite food.  They can use examples from Never Take a Pig to Lunch to determine how they would like to set up their poem.

Survival At 40 Below

By: Debbie S. Miller
Illustrated by: Jon Van Zyle
Walker Publishing Company, 2010
Reading Level: 5.8 (Accelerated Reader)
Independent Read


Book Description: Non-Fiction, Picture Book, Teachers' Choice Award

Autumn is coming to an end in Gates of the Arctic National Park and the animals are preparing for the harsh winter ahead.  While some animals hurry to gather food, others begin to slow down and enter into hibernation.  While each animal will face individual challenges in the months ahead, they all have unique ways of surviving the difficult winter season.  Debbie S. Miller and Jon Van Zyle describe a winter in the Arctic tundra in this Techers' Choice Award winning book.

*Teaching Resources for Survival At 40 Below

Supporting Electronic Sources:
Debbie Miller Alaska
This website contains further information on animals from the book and also lists related books and articles.  Use this source after reading for extension activities and materials.

Vocabulary:
 regal, tundra, cache, carrion, duff, torpor, pigment, metabolism, agile, dormant

Teaching Suggestions:
-Use this book to discuss certain types of conflicts in literature (character vs. nature, character vs. character)
-This book can be used in conjunction with a science lesson on animal adaptations
-Instruct students on how to use a glossary to look up unfamiliar terms

Comprehension Strategies:
Before Reading- Have students fill out an entrance slip that asks "How do animals survive in the winter?"  This will promote a connection to prior knowledge and will set the stage for the book.
After Reading- Have students select an animal from the story and summarize how the animal survives during the winter.

Writing Prompt:
Research an animal from an opposite climate such as a desert and summarize how this animal survives in its climate.  Compare this to how animals survive in the Arctic tundra.

Young Zeus

By: G. Brian Karas
Scholastic Press, 2010
Reading Level: 3.2 (Accelerated Reader)
Independent Read

Book Description: Picture Book, Mythology, Children's Choice Award

Young Zeus lives on an island in Greece, raised by a she-goat named Amaltheia.  However, Zeus is lonely.  He has no brothers or sisters to play with and does not understand where all the other gods have gone to.  When Zeus finds out that his brothers and sisters are being held captive, he undertakes a heroic mission to bring peace back to the heavens.  G. Brian Karas tells the tale of how Zeus came to power using picture book in Young Zeus.

* Teaching Resources for Young Zeus

Supporting Electronic Resources:
MythWeb
Use this site after reading to further research Zeus and examine his life as an adult.  This website can be used in extension activities.
PBS Kids
This website can be used before or during the story to map out Zeus's family tree.  Descriptions of each character can be added and students can map out the relationships of characters in the story.  Use this website as a comprehension tool.

Vocabulary:
enchanted, Titan, underworld, banish, murky, radiant, bicker, reign

Teaching Suggestions:
-Use this book to introduce mythology
-Have students create character maps for various characters in the story

Comprehension Strategies:
Before Reading- Introduce the characters in the book using the cast of characters page in the beginning of the book.
During Reading- Use the online family tree to map out Zeus's family tree and identify characteristics of each family member.  This will help students understand how one character relates to another.

Writing Prompt:
Create a poem for two voices using Zeus and Cronus.  Students can compare/contrast Zeus and his father using the poem.

Granny Torrelli Makes Soup

By: Sharon Creech
Joanna Cotler Books, 2003
Reading Level: 4.2 (Accelerated Reader)
Independent Read


Book Description: Realistic Fiction, Chapter Book

Granny Torrelli seems to always have the answers.  When Rosie gets into a fight with her friend Bailey, who struggles with a problem of his own, Granny Torrelli seems to know how to fix the problem.  When a new girl moves into the neighborhood and threatens Rosie's relationship with Bailey, Granny Torrelli uses her words of wisdom to offer comfort.  Award winning author Sharon Creech focuses on the importance of family and friendship in Granny Torrelli Makes Soup.

*Teaching Suggestions for Granny Torrelli Makes Soup

Supporting Electronic Sources:
SharonCreech.com
Sharon Creech's personal website offers during and after reading questions.  In addition, Sharon shares connections between events in the book and memories from her childhood.
Scholastic
This website offers literary circle questions as well as extension activities and vocabulary words that should be reviewed before or during reading.  Suggested answers to literary questions are also available.

Vocabulary:
Italian- eccola, molto, bambini, bene, piccolino, cavatelli, niente
English- ghastly, nuisance, mutter, enchanting, impulse, Braille, mangle, slosh, assess

Teaching Suggestions:
-Discuss how to determine the theme(s) of a story using information and key events from the text
-Examine conflict and resolution, focusing on the relationship between Rosie and Bailey

Comprehension Strategies:
Before Reading- Review both the English and Italian vocabulary words before reading the story.  Students will need to know these words in order to independently read the story.
After Reading- Use a conflict-resolution chart to examine the main conflict in the story and determine how it was resolved.

Writing Prompt:
Pretend you are Rosie and write and apology letter to Bailey.  Mention how you feel about the situation and defend yourself as to why you wanted to learn Braille.  Offer some resolution strategies that could possibly make the situation better.

César: Sí, Se Puede Yes, We Can

By: Carmen T. Bernier-Grand
Illustrated by: David Diaz
Marshall Cavendish, 2004
Reading Level: 4.3 (Accelerated Reader)
Read Aloud


Book Description: Poetry, Multicultural Literature

For many Mexican-Americans living in the United States during the 1900s, making a living as an agricultural could be an extremely difficult task.  Wages were unfair, hours were long, and living conditions were terrible.  However, César Chávez fought for the rights of immigrant workers and challenged unfair working conditions.  Using poetry and illustrations, Carmen T. Bernier-Grand and
David Diaz chronicle the legacy of human rights activist César Chávez in César: Si, Se Puede Yes, We Can.

*Teaching Resources for César: Si, Se Puede Yes,
We Can

Supporting Electronic Sources:
Teacher's Guide
Use this website before or after reading to find poetry lesson plans.  There are lesson plans which introduce poetry as well as lessons which focus on specific types of poems such as acrostics, Haikus, and diamond poems.
Reading To Kids
This website contains before, during, and after discussion questions as well as additional teaching strategies that can be used for this book.

Vocabulary:
English- Aztec, humbly, dignity, pension, pesticide, legacy
Spanish- chavalos, guitarrón, contratista, dicho, manzanilla, mayordomo, Pachuco, peregrinación, raitero

Teaching Suggestions:
-Use this book to discuss human rights and immigration
-Discuss the elements of poetry
-This book can be used for bilingual education

Comprehension Strategies:
Before Reading- Read pages 44-45 of the book, which offer a brief summary of the life of César Chávez.  This will help students comprehend the meaning of the poems, which all pertain to various events in César's life.
After Reading- Use a before and after chart to contrast the lives of Mexican-American workers before and after the work of César Chávez.

Writing Prompt:
Have students create an acrostic poem for Chávez.  Focus on characteristics, accomplishments, and key events in his life.

My Havana: Memories of a Cuban Boyhood

By: Rosemary Wells with Secundino Fernandez
Illustrated By: Peter Ferguson
Candlewick Press, 2010
Reading Level: 4.2 (Accelerated Reader)
Independent Read

Book Description: Nonfiction, Biography, Diversity, Chapter Book

Secundino Fernandez in a young boy living in Havana, Cuba.  He loves Havana and its beautiful sights but when his family moves to Spain, Secundino finds that being away from home is not very easy.  Using his drawing book to bring back memories of Cuba, Secundino dreams of being back home once again.  However, when Castro takes power the Fernandez family heads to the United States and despite a rocky start, Secundino eventually finds a new home in New York.  However, he will remember the beautiful sights of Havana forever.  Rosemary Wells tells the story of Cuban immigrant Secundino Fernandez in this beautifully illustrated book.

*Teacher Resources for My Havana: Memories of a Cuban Boyhood

Supporting Electronic Resources:
Scholastic
Use this website before reading to introduce the topic of immigration.  Use examples of childrens' immigration stories to talk about the challenges of moving to a new country.  Have students talk about how they would feel if they were emigrating to a new place.
Google Earth
Use Google Earth before and during the story to map Secundino's travels.  Google Earth allows you to zoom in on landmarks and even has information on key sites mentioned in the story.  This will give students a better understanding of the extent of Secundino's travels.

Vocabulary:
pastel, palacio, dictator, gallego, malachite, soot

Teaching Suggestions:
-Use this story in conjunction with a lesson on immigration
-Discuss the characteristics of a biography
-Focus on the differences between cultures

Comprehension Strategies:
During Reading- Sequence the events in the story to map out the places Secundino travels to.  Mention what Secundinoo experiences in the different countries he mentions.
After Reading- Predict what happens next to Secundino.  Does he forget about Cuba?  How does life turn out to be in the United States?

Writing Prompt:
Pretend you are Secundino writing to a friend back in Cuba.  What do you want to tell him or her about the United States?  What do you like or dislike?  What are some challenges you face?

Tales from Outer Suburbia

By: Shaun Tan
Arthur A. Levine Books, 2008
Reading Level: 6.5 (Accelerated Reader)
Guided Reading


Book Description: Fantasy Fiction, Graphic Novel, Short Stories

Things are not always as they appear and this is definitely apparent in Tales from Outer Suburbia.  This collection of short stories and illustrations by Shaun Tan is a thought provoking mix of open-ended tales that all take place in the suburbs of Australia.  Direction giving water buffalo, a finger sized foreign exchange student, and walking stick figures are all characters in this fable-esque graphic novel.

*Teacher Resources for Tales from Outer Suburbia

Supporting Electronic Sources:
ReadWriteThink
Use this website to find lesson plans on short stories and fables.  This hyperlinked lesson in particular combines illustrations, artwork, and short stories just as Tales from Outer Suburbia does.  Use this website either before or after reading.
Cooperative Children's Book Center
The Cooperative Children's Book Center offers a bibliography which lists hundreds of other graphic novels that may be interesting to children.  Focus on student interests and use this list to foster reading for those who enjoy graphic novels.

Vocabulary:
vacant, speculation, perplexing, weathered, dugong, bewilderment, cryptic, perilous, explicitly, sternly, sentinel, ballistic, mantra

Teaching Suggestions:
-Discuss the characteristics of a short story
-Have students respond to open-endings of the stories using information from the text
-Examine the importance of pictures in a graphic novel

Comprehension Strategies:
Before Reading- Look at the pictures in the story and hypothesize as to what the story will be about.  Mention how graphic novels contain many pictures and these pictures are used to tell a story.
During Reading- Use questioning while reading these stories.  Many of them contain messages that can only be obtained through inferential comprehension so use questions to judge how well students are looking beyond the literal meaning of the stories.
After Reading- For the stories that are open-ended, predict what will happen based on information from the story.  This will require students to use their knowledge of the story to make an educated guess.

Writing Prompt:
Have students create their own open ended short stories.

City Across Time

By: Peter Kent
Kingfisher, 2010
Reading Level: 4.5 (Accelerated Reader)
Independent Read


Book Description: Non-Fiction, Reference, Timeline

From the Stone Age to the 21st century, Peter Kent's City Across Time highlights key events throughout human history.  Listed in sequential order, this pictorial timeline offers brief descriptions of key historical events in an easy-to-read fashion.  Each page contains side boxes which offer additional information and key terms are highlighted throughout the book.  This book is an interesting introduction to world history for younger students.

*Teacher Resources for City Across Time

Supporting Electronic Sources:
ProTeacher
This online chat room is available for teachers to both post and learn about timeline activities.  Since City Across Time is essentially a timeline, this website can be useful for introduction and extension activities.
History Channel
The History Channel website is a great after-reading source that can be used in conjunction with City Across Time.  Students have the opportunity to further research topics that interested them from the book and can explore articles, pictures, videos, and interactive games.

Vocabulary:
archaeology, barbarian, catacomb, pagan, persecute, plague, pyre, thatched, urn, winch

Teaching Suggestions:
-Use this book as an introduction to world history
-Review the different parts of non-fiction texts such as glossaries, side bars, etc.
-Focus on content specific vocabulary

Comprehension Strategies:
Before Reading- Preview the book and talk about the setup of non-fiction texts.  Look at the glossary, index, headings, pictures, side bars, and so on.  Since informational texts are very different from fiction texts, discuss how to approach reading City Across Time.
During Reading- Create a graphic organizer that sequences each event in the story.  Also, write a brief description of the event so that students can see both the order and the main idea of what the event was.

Writing Activity:
Have students work informational texts using research from the internet.  Ask them to select a historical topic from the book and have them research the topic on the History Channel website.  Ask them to write an informative piece that summarizes the event (where, when, key points, etc.)

Everything for a Dog

By: Ann M. Martin
Feiwel and Friends, 2009
Reading Level: 5.4 (Accelerated Reader)
Guided Reading

Description: Fiction, Chapter Book

Charlie, Henry, and Bone are three different characters who each have a problem to deal with in their lives.  Charlie is a young boy who has experiences a tragic loss.  Bone is a stray dog searching for some food and a family to care for him.  All Henry has ever wanted for Christmas is a dog and yet his parents refuse to get him one.  Although they each face a challenge, in the end these three will find that their lives intertwine in an unexpected way.  Ann M. Martin addresses the themes of friendship, loss, and resilience in Everything for a Dog.

*Teacher Resources for Everything for a Dog

Supporting Electronic Resources:
Teacher Guide
This guide to Everything for a Dog is a useful teacher resource that contains pre-reading discussion ideas, challenging vocabulary from the story, discussion questions, writing activities with related standards, and related websites.
Macmillan
Use this site as a post-reading resource to find ideas for discussion questions as well as narrative, persuasive, and expository writing prompts.

Vocabulary:
ajar, drowse, revere, dolefully, amble, forlorn, tromp, cajole, tentatively, lope, rehabilitation, eave, reprimand, incredulous, galvanized, grimacing, exuberant, skittish

Teaching Suggestions:
-Focus on the difference between first and third person writing
-Discuss the role that fate has in the outcome of the story
-Use this story to demonstrate how character comparison maps are used

Comprehension Strategies:
Pre-Reading- Discuss the layout of the book before reading.  Since each chapter switches from one character to the other, it can be confusing for students to keep track of what is happening in the story.  Also mention the differences between first and third person in writing.
After Reading- Use Make Beliefs Comix and have students create an online comic that summarizes the various characters from the story.

Writing Activity:
Pretend that you are Bone and write journal entries from Bone's point of view.  Mention how you feel, what you see and smell, and how you survive on the streets.

Sojourner Truth's Step-Stomp Stride

By: Andrea Pinkney
Illustrated By: Brian Pinkney
Hyperion Book, 2009
Reading Level: 4.2 (Accelerated Reader)
Read Aloud

Description:
Non-Fiction, Biography, Diversity, Multicultural Literature, Picture Book

Born into slavery, Sojourner Truth is treated unjustly and cruelty.  For years she has suffered under the oppression of slavery and having been denied her freedom for the last time, Sojourner escapes and gains her freedom.  However, that is not enough for this strong, outspoken woman.  Sojourner begins to travel the country, speaking against slavery and promoting womens' rights.  Sojourner Truth's Step-Stomp Stride is the story of how one powerful woman fought for social equality and changed the world.  Check out more information on author Andrea Davis Pinkney and award winning artist Brian Pinkney.

*Teacher Resources for Sojourner Truth's
Step-Stomp Stride

Supporting Electronic Resources:
Sojourner's Speech for Equality
Use this resource as a post-reading activity.  This video is a reenactment of Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I a Women" speech and it can be used as an extension tool after reading. 
Sojourner Truth Institute
This website can be used before, during, and after reading.  The Sojourner Truth Institute website contains a brief biography, historical articles, pictures, speeches, and artwork pertaining to Sojourner Truth.

Vocabulary Words:
abolitionist, convention, master, plantation

Teaching Suggestions:
-Use this book in conjunction with a lesson on slavery or the abolitionist movement
-Read Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I a Women" speech after reading this book
-Base a discussion off the book that deals with thoughts and feelings about racial and gender inequality

Comprehension Strategies:
Before Reading- Preview Sojourner Truth's Step-Stomp Stride.  Look through the illustrations and introduce the main character.  Have students predict what the story might be about and draw on students' previous knowledge of slavery and injustice in the U.S.
During Reading- Question students as to how they would feel in if they were in Sojourner's shoes.  Would they be scared, angry, or motivated to make changes?  Try to make connections between the story and students' lives.
After Reading- Complete a character web of Sojourner Truth that focuses on her characteristics and accomplishments.

Writing Activity:
Pretend that you are an abolitionist living during the time of Sojourner Truth.  Write a persuasive speech that convinces others to put an end to slavery.  View Sojourner's "Ain't I a Women" speech to see an example of a strong persuasive speech.

Dear America: When Will This Cruel War Be Over? The Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson

By: Barry Denenberg
Scholastic Inc., 1996
Reading Level: 6.6 (Accelerated Reader)
Independent Read


Description:
Historical Fiction, Diary

Emma Simpson is a teenage girl living in Virginia during the civil war.  With her father and brother off at war, Emma and her mother must take care of their plantation by themselves, which poses many challenges in itself.  Although Emma is not a soldier, the war is never far from her home and she witnesses the horror and sadness that goes hand in hand with warfare.  Barry Denenberg offers a realistic glimpse into the glum world of the Civil War in When Will This Cruel World Be Over?  The Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson.

*Teacher Resources for When Will This Cruel War Be Over?  The Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson

Supporting Electronic Resources:
Scholastic (Teach Dear America)
Use this website as a pre-reading tool to introduce the Civil War era, preview various Dear America books, and give students a background on life during the Civil War.  Website includes an interactive timeline of American history as well as related activities, lesson plans, and books.
The Civil War - PBS
This website contains videos, interactive pictures, timelines, historical documents, and interactive maps pertaining to the Civil War.  There are also related lesson plans and discussion questions which apply to When Will This Cruel World Be Over?  The Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson.  This website can be used for pre, during, and post-reading activity ideas.

Vocabulary Words:
apprehension, supposition, dismal, Yankee, Confederate, melancholy, skittish, vex, consternation, quinine, smallpox, infatuation, deprivation, triviality

Teaching Suggestions:
-This book can be used in conjunction with a unit on the Civil War
-Discuss the characteristics of historical fiction as well as journals

Comprehension Strategies:
Pre-Reading- Before reading, start off with a KWL (Know, Want to Know, Learned).  Ask students what they already know about the Civil War and have them think about how a young girl like Emma must have felt during such a violent war.  Have them also list some of the things that they would like to learn about the Civil War during the reading.
During Reading- At the beginning of the story create a graphic organizer that is to be filled out throughout the story.  Organize important people, places, and events to help students keep track of the information that they learn about the Civil War.
Post-Reading- Complete the last part of the KWL chart by having students explain what they learned about

Writing Activity:
Have students pretend that they are young children living during the Civil War.  As a practice exercise in persuasive writing, ask students to write a letter to President Lincoln persuading him to put an end to the war.

A Year Down Yonder

       

By: Richard Peck
Dial Books for Young Readers, 2000
Reading Level: 4.5 (Accelerated Reader)
Guided Reading



Description:
Historical Fiction, Newbery Medal Winner

It is 1937 and Mary Alice is a fifteen year old girl living during the Great Depression.  While her parents remain in Chicago to earn a living, Mary Alice is sent to stay with her grandma in a rural, Illinois town.  At first, Mary Alice does not look forward spending a whole year with her tough, outspoken grandmother.  However, as the year goes by Mary Alice begins to see that there is more to her grandmother than meets the eye.  Written by Richard Peck, A Year Down Yonder is a Newbery Medal winning classic that examines family relationships, determination, and the American spirit. 

*Teacher Resources for A Year Down Yonder

Supporting Electronic Resources:
Scholastic
This website offers many extension activities such as a discussion guide, related classroom activities, lesson plans, and more about the author.
Teacher Vision
Teacher Vision is a great source for activities to support A Year Down Yonder.  Cross-curricular activities and comprehension tools such as Venn Diagrams, timelines for sequencing events, and discussion questions are all available on the website.

Vocabulary Words:
recession, quiver, trudge, vittle, transfix, deign, simper, repertoire, brazen, preen, capitulate, benediction, invocation, cobhouse, nuzzle, coronary, valedictorian

Teaching Suggestions:
-Use this book to compare/contrast urban and rural life in the U.S.
-Focus on the development and growth of the relationship between Mary Alice and Grandma Dowdel

Comprehension Strategies:
Pre-Reading- Preview A Year Down Yonder, looking at setting and time period in particular.  Discuss the difference between urban and rural settings as well as what life was like during the Great Depression.  This will help students to better understand how Mary Alice feels at the beginning of the story.
Post-Reading- Complete a story frame of A Year Down Yonder.  This story frame both sequences events and shows the progression of Mary Alice's relationship with Grandma Dowdel from the beginning of the story to the end of the story.

Writing Activities:
Have students pretend that they are Mary Alice and ask them to write two letters to their parents in Chicago.  The first should be a letter that explains how they feel when they first get to Grandma's house.  The second should be a letter that explains how they feel at the end of the year as they are about to return home to Chicago.  Ask them to focus on the differences in their emotions.

Bud, Not Buddy

   By: Christopher Paul Curtis
   Delacorte Press, 1990
   Reading Level: 5.0 (Accelerated Reader)
   Guided Reading

Description:
Historical Fiction, Newbery Medal Winner, Multicultural Literature, Diversity

Bud Caldwell is a young boy growing up during the Great Depression, a time of hardship for many Americans during the 1930's.  After the death of his mother, Bud is placed in an orphanage and eventually winds up in the foster care of the Amos family.  However, after a more than unpleasant stay Bud decides to run away and heads out to Grand Rapids to find famous musician Herman Calloway, who he believes to be his father.  The long journey ends with a surprise that changes the lives of both Bud and Herman Calloway forever.  Christopher Paul Curtis hits upon the issues of family relationships, racial inequality, and the struggles of life in this Newbery Medal winning story.

*Teacher Resources for Bud, Not Buddy

Supporting Electronic Resources:
Scholastic
This website offers a variety of pre, during and post-reading interdisciplinary activities as well as addresses vocabulary and major themes of Bud, Not Buddy.
Digital History
With letters written by children during the Great Depression, links to pictures, and an overview of the 1930's, Digital History is a great website to use during pre-reading activities.

Vocabulary Words:
Great Depression, Hooverville, Pullman, insinuate, companionship, copacetic, paltry, knickers, shun, porter, Commie/Communist, loathsome, Ku Klux Klan, moldering, fester, meddling, kin

Teaching Suggestions:
-Use this book in conjunction with a unit on the Great Depression
-Discuss poverty and racial inequality before having students read this book
-Use chapter grids to create short summaries after each chapter

Comprehension Suggestions:
During Reading- Map out Bud's journey as he travels to various places throughout the story.  At each location, make note of what Bud does and sees, who he meets, and anything else of significance. 
After Reading- Have students write a summary about Bud's journey.  In this summary they should make mention of main characters, places, and events.

Writing Activities:
Student can pretend that they are children living during the Great Depression just like Bud.  Have them create journals of what they see, feel, and experience in their everyday lives.