Thank You, Sarah (Historical Fiction)

Sarah Hale is not only a hero of her time period but for Americans everywhere!  She insisted that Thanksgiving be a national holiday. After being denied by many politicians and waiting over 35+ years, Abraham Lincoln  finally passed the bill! Sarah was celebrated by all her family, friends, and fellow Americans.

I would use this book as a start of a mini-history lesson.  Sarah Hale made  a contribution to this country but isn't remembered as much as other heroes of this country. As a class, we would discuss the unforgotten heroes. I would introduce different people in history and tell them how each person contributed.

Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuoso (Non-fiction)

Ella Fitzgerald was a famous singer that was especially known for her talents back in the 1940s. After her discovery at a local talent show in 1934 she sang for the majority of her life.  A slick talking cat narrates and tells the ins and outs of her life and career.  This book is piece of art itself!  The illustrations are colorful and the language used is similar to the language they would've used in Harlem back in the 40s.

All the illustrations in this book were made by using types of scratch art. After reading and discussing the book with the students, I would ask them to make their own scratch art piece!  First, they would have to write about something that they found interesting about Ella Fitzgerald. Then, they would make a scratch are piece of Ella depicting any part of her life that was in the book.

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (Realistic Fiction)

Peter is a fourth grader who has a little brother called Fudge.  Typically, little brothers are enjoyable but in this story, Peter finds that life would be just a little better if Fudge wasn't always into things, breaking HIS things, getting lost, or accidentally killing his favorite pet. Peter thinks it's already bad enough that he's only in the fourth grade but his brother just makes his life worse. Even though peter is annoyed by his little brother, he comes to realize that he's not so bad after all.

I find that this book has material that most students can relate to.  So, I would ask the students to "talk back" to the story. They can relate to Peter, ask Fudge why he was always into things, or even help Peter scold Fudge for breaking his things!

The Witches of Worm (Modern Fantasy)

Jessica Porter is a lonely, mischievous girl who lives with her mother.  Her mother is divorced from her dad and rarely has time or energy to communicate or have fun with Jessica.  One day, Jessica finds a blind cat and she claims that the cat has power over her and makes her do bad things to her family and friends.  In the end, the book isn't clear on whether the cat actually had powers over Jessica of if she was making excuses for doing those terrible things that brought her so much attention. 

Since the story doesn't have a definite ending and it's left up to the reader's imagination, I would ask the students to write in their journals about their perspective of the story.  They would have to say whether they think the cat had powers or if Jessica was making excuses.  They must explain why and have supporting evidence from the story.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (Folk tale)

Minli is a young, bright, kind girl from a poor family in a china.  Most of her happiness comes from the stories that her father tells her at night.  Minli enjoys these stories so much that one day she decides to help her family by finding one of the characters from a story that her father told her.  She has to travel to and across to Never Ending Mountain in order to bring her family riches.  On the way she finds several new friends that help her get to her final, yet interesting destination.

This story is very similar to the American Version of The Wizard of Oz.  I would ask to the students to compare and contrast the two stories using any graphic organizer of their choice.

When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson (Non-fiction)

Marian Anderson had many talents as a child and adult but, because she was African-American, she was ignored and denied by many performing arts schools.  Even after may years of facing many  prejudices and racial barriers of America, Marian was very successful in Europe.  As the author incorporates some of her lyrics into the story, the book showcases her life, her struggles, and her many accomplishments.

Since this will most likely be the first time the students will be learning about Marian Anderson, I think this would be a great time to share some of her music with the class.  We will also discuss some of the things that Marian had to endure as an African-American during a time when African-Americans weren't accepted by many and  their feelings about the story.

The Jacket (Realistic Fiction)

This story is about about a boy, a black 6th grader, who gets accused of stealing another boy's, a white 8th grader, jacket.  The jacket originally belonged to the 8th grader but was given away to the 6th grader's grandmother who then gave it to him. This small misunderstanding lead to a thought-provoking, self-reflective time taught both boys a lesson prejudice and racism for both boys.

I would introduce the students to Wordle and ask them to make a word cloud about the emotions or main themes that were portrayed in this story. 

http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/3263118/The_Jacket-_Andrew_Clements

Follow the Drinking Gourd (Multicultural)

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Follow The Drinking Gourd is a story about the African American slaves in America during the times of slavery. Peg Leg Joe secretly helped the slaves to freedom by teaching them a song called "Follow the Drinking Gourd" that included the directions to help them to freedom.  The slaves have to endure a series of trials before they get to their destination but they have Peg Leg Joe's song to help along the way.

This story has some graphic pictures and it may be the first time that some students will be exposed to material about slavery.  I think this is a time for students to do their own personal reflecting.  I would ask students students to "talk back" to parts of  story to express their own emotions.  I would ask some students who are comfortable to share with the class.

Tippy Lemmey (Historical Fiction)

Even though this story was set in 1951 during the time of the Korean War, 3 kids are dealing with much bigger problems.  A dog with 2 first names, Tippy Lemmey, is causing problems in their neighborhood.  He always barks at them and tries to chase after them!  The kids really want him gone but they soon come to realize why he acts the way that he does and then come to find that he is a hero!

This book is mini-chapter book that introduces the Korean war and the effects that it had on this small town.  I would expose the students to some background information about that particular war and open discussion up for students that may have experienced some effects from wars that they have lived through. 

Aliens for Breakfast (Modern Fantasy)

Richard is just a regular boy in elementary school.  When a new boy comes to his class, he realizes how cool he is, how nice his clothes are, how popular he is, and most importantly, how beautiful and dazzling his smile is.  While Richard is trying to figure out how to be more like Richard, his mom introduces him to a new cereal,  Alien Crisp. When he begins to eat this cereal he is in for a big surprise.  A surprise that also has news about the new student in his class.

For this book, I would let have the students do a creative writing assignment in their journals about their experiences if they found an alien in their cereal box.

Freckle Juice (Realistic Fiction)

To introduce my students to Glogster, I would ask them to write a brief summary.  Afterwards, all the entries would be shared with the class.

http://jmr2012.glogster.com/freckle-juice/

No Talking (Realistic Fiction)

 Dave is a fifth grade student at Laketon elementary who is inspired to spend a day in silence in honor of Gandhi.  Although he had no problem accomplishing this goal, it caused quite a stir at his school.  In fact, it ended up being a competition of silence between boys and girls. Dave has to prove that he is better than the girls and prove that girls can't control their talking even if they tried!

After reading this book, I would have my students brainstorm what other projects they can do as a class to make a difference in the school.  I would then ask students to write in their journal about the specific project they would want to take on, why it's important to them, and how they would go about doing it.