Index

Key:

Before, During, After Reading Comprehension Strategies: BDA 

Web 2.0: W

Infographic: I

Voki: V

Blabberize: B

Brown, M. T. (2014). In New York. Knopf Books for Young Readers.

• (W) A View on Cities
• (BDA) Vocabulary Cards, Fishbowl Discussion, Questioning the Author

Colfer, E., Donkin, A., & Rigano, G. (2009). Artemis Fowl. the graphic novel. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children.

Curtis, C. P. (2000). Bud, not Buddy. New York: Listening Library.

• (BDA) Word Wall/KWL, Reciprocal Teaching, Opinnionaire, SPAWN
• (B)
• (W) Split Page Note Taking Interactive

DiCamillo, Kate, and K. G. Campbell. Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures. Candlewick, 2013. Print.

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

Frankenhuyzen, R. S., & Frankenhuyzen, G. V. (2014). I love you just enough. Sleeping Bear Press.

Han, J., & Kuo, J. (2011). Clara Lee and the apple pie dream. New York: Little, Brown.

Konigsburg, E. L. (1996). The view from Saturday. New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

• (I)
• (BDA) RAFT

Krull, K., & Couch, G. (2009). The boy who invented TV: The story of Philo Farnsworth. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

• (V) 
• (BDA) Anticipation Guides/Adjunct Displays, Direct Note-Taking, Collaborative Conversations/Exit Slip

MacLachlan, Patricia. Fly Away. New York: Margaret K. McElderry, 2014. Print.

Pinkney, Andrea Davis. Let It Shine Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters. (2013). Turtleback Books.

Prelutsky, Jack, and James Stevenson. The New Kid on the Block: Poems. New York, NY: Greenwillow, 1984. Print.

Vanderpool, C. (2011). Moon over manifest. New York, NY: Yearling book.

• (BDA) Think-Pair-Share/Think Aloud, Question-Answer Relationship

Williams, M. (2006). The golden hour. Harry N. Abrams.

Winter, J., & Widener, T. (2013). You never heard of Willie Mays?! New York: Schwartz & Wade Books.

• (BDA) Text Impression, Generative Reading, Tossed Terms

You Never Heard of Willie Mays?!

You Never Heard of Willie Mays?!

By: Jonah Winter

Illustrated by: Terry Widener

Published by: Schwartz & Wade Books, 2013

Grade level: 3-5

Fountas and Pinnell: S

Lexile: 1010L

Accelerated Reader: 5.0

Suggested Delivery: Read Aloud/Individual

Illustrator: Terry Widener

Author: Jonah Winter

Summary:

This book tells the story about how young Willie wanted to be “the next Joe DiMaggio” and practiced VERY hard. When he was growing up, African-Americans were treated unfairly and weren’t allowed to play in the National League. They had to play in the Negro League. The thing is, a lot of the Negro League teams were better than the National League teams, but the African-American players weren’t allowed to play. Willie started to play in the Negro Leagues at age 15 with the adults until “the major leagues ended their stupid rule barrin’ black guys“. Willie was signed to play with the New York Giants and lead them to the World Series! He could do it all, bat, run, throw. He became the best player of his time and he was a nice person.

Key Words/Phrases to Describe the Book:

1. Baseball

2. Racism

3. New York Giants

4. Biography

5. Negro Leagues

6. Center Field

Key Vocabulary:

All-Star: a player who gets chosen for the annual All-Star Game, which takes place between two teams composed of the best players in the American League and the National League.

American League: One of 2 groups in Major League Baseball

National League: The older of the 2 groups in Major League Baseball

Batting Average: Hits divided by at bats

Double play: A play in which 2 players are put out.

Gold Glove: An award given every year to the best fielders at each position; it was started in 1957.

Resources:

Get to know author Jonah Winter better by visiting his webpage filled with other books he's written, facts about his life, and myths that have been created about him.

Learn more about illustrator Terry Widener by visiting his webpage filled with other book he's illustrated, a biography on his life, and awards he has won!

Teaching Suggestions:

• Read the front matter of the book (the Author's Note) to hook the students into the story about Willie Mays.
• Read the back matter about the radio broadcast quotes so students can decipher what's genuine and what isn't.
• Students can make a timeline following the life of Willie Mays, marking every significant date and event that was mentioned in the text. 

Comprehension Strategies:

Before: Do a text impression of the baseball terms introduced within the text.

During: Generative Reading can be implemented by having the students keep track of a time line of all the significant dates and events that occur within the biography. 

After: Tossed Terms is a great vocabulary unit to implement after the book has been finished of all the baseball terms that have been exposed to the students through the text.  Terms such as racism and segregation may also wanted to be integrated into this unit.

Writing Activity:

This book was told by a narrator who didn't speak grammatically correct.  Where do you think the narrator is from? Who do you think the narrator is? Does the narrator's characteristics have an affect on how the story is portrayed?  Using evidence from the text, draw conclusions on the above questions generated.

Bibliography:

Winter, J., & Widener, T. (2013). You never heard of Willie Mays?! New York: Schwartz & Wade Books.

In New York

In New York

By: Marc Brown

Published by: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2014

Grade level: 3-4

Fountas and Pinnell: NA

Lexile: 240L

Accelerated Reader: 3.7

Suggested Delivery: Read Aloud/Individual

Author & Illustrator: Marc Brown

Summary:

The story starts when the narrator (the author, Marc Brown) was eight years old, and one night his family boarded a train in Erie, Pennsylvania moving to New York City.  He is saying that as a child he dreamed of living there and now he does, in an old house near the Hudson River. The history of the city is briefly described, and Brown talks about all the stuff do to in New York City. The hand-drawn illustrations are filled with cheerful colors and lots of detail, and older children will have a lot of fun finding all the little things that the author hid on his cheerful looking pictures.

Key Words/Phrases to Describe the Book:

1. New York City

2. Travel

3. Times Square

4. Statue of Liberty

5. Full of possibilities

6. Empire State Building

Key Vocabulary:

Train: a series of railroad cars moved as a unit by a locomotive or by integral motors.

Subway: an underground electric railroad.

Empire State Building: a 102-story skyscraper located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City,

Statue of Liberty: a gift of friendship from the people of France to the United States and is recognized as a universal symbol of freedom and democracy.

New Amsertdam: a 17th-century Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island, which served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. 

Times Square: a major commercial intersection and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York (where the ball drops every New Year's Eve)

Resources:

A View on Cities is an interactive website of the different cities and locations of New York City.  There are in depth descriptions of any city you choose to click on and learn about.  This is a great tool to use after reading In New York to find the places that were mentioned in the book.

Watch this YouTube video of author and illustrator Marc Brown sharing his story of his life and how he came to be an author.

Teaching Suggestions:

• Give students a blank map of New York City and as you read have them locate and fill in the place on the map that is being discussed.
• Have students create a poem of a place created that was discussed-whether its the Statue of Liberty or Times Square.
• Have an open discussion about places that are discussed in the book. Maybe students have visited a place mentioned once before.  This will build schema. 

Comprehension Strategies:

Before: Present vocabulary cards of the places that will be discussed in the book In New York such as Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, and Time Square. Ask students if they are familiar with these places and if so, have them explain what all these places have in common (located in the city) and what their significance is to history.

During: Conduct a fishbowl discussion about New York.  Those who have been there before and know about the various places/locations will lead the discussion.

After: Have students question the author as they read. Since this a book written and narrated by the author, Marc Brown, this is a perfect kind of text to have students directly ask questions to the author that may pop when reading the book.

Writing Activity:

Have students pick a place/location mentioned in the book and research more about it.  They will be asked to write a short informational essay about the place they chose to research, and explain its significance to New York.  They must include a picture of the location.

Bibliography:

Brown, M. T. (2014). In New York. Knopf Books for Young Readers.

The Boy Who Invented TV: The Story of Philo Farnsworth

The Boy Who Invented TV: The Story of Philo Farnsworth

By: Kathleen Krull

Illustrated by: Greg Couch

Published by: Alfred A. Knopf

Grade level: 3-5

Fountas and Pinnell: M

Lexile: 860L

Accelerated Reader: 4.5

Suggested Delivery: Read Aloud/Small Group

Author: Kathleen Krull

Illustrator: Greg Couch

Summary:

The Boy Who Invented TV depicts the life and time of young Philo Farnsworth. Philo (or Phil) grows up on a farm with changing technology. While plowing fields one day he gets the idea of how to generate a television. He dedicated the next several years learning and developing his idea. His invention is finally introduced to the public. At the age of 22 Philo has achieved his goal of becoming an inventor.

Key Words/Phrases to Describe the Book:

1. biography 

2. inventor

3. creation of the television

4. determined

5. obsessed with television

Key Vocabulary:

Breakthrough: important advance

Captivated: influence by charm or skill catching your intention

Claimed: declared it as your own

Enthusiastically: act in a way that shows great interest

Envisioned: imagined good things will happen

Patents: papers that give a person or company the right to use or sell invention

Resources:

Students will create a voki as Philo Farnsworth.  Students must include at least 6 pieces of "gossip" that they found when reading the biography of Philo.

This YouTube video of Philo Farnsworth tells his story narrated by his granddaughter and talked about by his wife, Pem.

Teaching Suggestions:

• Teacher's can make anticipation guides for students and have them answer a series of questions about Philo Farnsworth before they read the book.
• Students will create a riddle that describes Philo Farnsworth
• After teacher does a read aloud of the book, students can have collaborative conversations about the Author's Note.  Why does invention and business go hand-and-hand? 

Comprehension Strategies: 

Before: Use adjunct displays by going through the pictures of the text before reading the book. Have students make predictions of what the book will be about by covering the title of the book and before reading the text. 

During: Guide students in direct note taking by providing them with questions as the read aloud or small group reading is taking place.  Such as where did Philo grow up? What was his job as a teenager?

After: Have students write an exit slip after the read aloud answering the question "What was the most interesting or surprising fact to learn about Philo?"

Writing Activity: 

Students will write a short essay summing up the Author's Note and how it plays a central role in Philo's creative life.  Student's should focus on the role of business and how it affected Philo's life.  They should include the word patent in their response and explain what a patent is as it is a vocabulary word.

Bibliography:

Krull, K., & Couch, G. (2009). The boy who invented TV: The story of Philo Farnsworth. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Bud, Not Buddy

Bud, Not Buddy

By: Christopher Paul Curtis

Published by: Listening Library, 2000

Grade level: 5-7

Fountas and Pinnell: U

Lexile: 950L

Accelerated Reader: 5.0

Suggested Delivery: Read Aloud

Author: Christopher Paul Curtis

Summary:

Bud, Not Buddy is a story about a ten-year-old African-American boy living in Michigan during the time of the Great Depression. Bud's mother passed away when he was six and over the past several years he has lived from orphanage to foster home to orphanage to foster home. After being locked in an old shed on the land of his current foster family, Bud decides that it's time he ran away and went on the lam to look for his father. Bud has never met his father but has a pretty good idea who it might be, a famous bass player and band leader by the name of Herman E. Calloway. Bud sets out on a journey to meet Herman E. Calloway and along the way learns a great deal about the country that he never knew before.
Bud, Not Buddy touches upon all sorts of issues that are both historical (the Great Depression, Hoovervilles, hobos) and current (racism, KKK), and is told from Bud's point of view.

Key Words/Phrases to Describe the Book:

1. Foster care

2. Great Depression

3. Racism

4. Road to discovery

5. Adversity 

Key Vocabulary:

Temporary: not permanent; not lasting

Glum: moody; sad

Commence: set in motion, cause to start

Twine: a lightweight cord

Vermin: an irritating or obnoxious person

Prodigy: an unusually gifted or intelligent person

Resources:

Bud, Not Buddy Chapter 1 teacher tube video is a read aloud of chapter one while a slide show of pictures are being shown that go along with the novel.

Learn about the author in Christopher Paul Curtis' biography 

Teaching Suggestions:

• Create a word wall of all the vocabulary words that will be focused on through the read aloud of this text
• Have students reciprocal teach by creating their own questions as the read aloud is taking place, and then break them into small groups and have the students lead their own small group discussions with the questions they created during the read aloud.
• Have students fill out an opinionnaire after the story is read.

Comprehension Strategies:

Before: Have students do a think pair share or KWL on the topic of racism.  Have them write about what they know about it, what it means to them, and how it affects their life.  Then have them discuss it amongst their peers, hearing other students point of views on the topic of racism.

During: Students will go on Split Page Note Taking Interactive on their iPads, and through the read aloud will take notes on areas of the story that are significant and heavily discussed about in class.

After: Have students create a blabberize as the character of Bud.  The blabberize should be at least 6 minutes long of the student discussing key parts of Bud's life and the tribulations he encountered.

Writing Activity: 

After the read aloud of Bud, Not Buddy, students must write a SPAWN.  This will check the student's understanding on the topic of racism, and what precautions they would take to get rid of it.  Since the novel is told from Bud's point of view, students will also write about the story from another character's point of view.

Bibliography:

Curtis, C. P. (2000). Bud, not Buddy. New York: Listening Library.

Moon Over Manifest

Moon Over Manifest

By: Clare Vanderpool

Published by: Yearling; Reprint edition, 2011

Grade level: 5 and up

Fountas and Pinnell: W

Lexile: 800L

Accelerated Reader: 5.3

Suggested Delivery: Individual/Small Group

Author: Clare Vanderpool

Summary:

Moon Over Manifest begins with rough-and-tumble, Depression-era stock heroine, Abilene Tucker, arriving in her father's hometown of Manifest, Kansas. She's used to hopping trains, poor living conditions, a rough life and being a little rough around the edges.  Her father has taken a railroad job in Iowa, and claiming that the situation isn't proper for a young lady, has sent her to spend the summer with his old friend, bootlegger-turned-pastor, Shady Howard. Looking for clues to her father's past, Abilene instead stumbles instead on a little tin filled with some keepsakes and letters, piquing her interest in a couple of young men named Ned and Jinx, and a spy called "the Rattler."

Key Words/Phrases to Describe the Book:

1. Depression-era

2. war

3. train

4. spy hunt

5. immigration

Key Vocabulary:

Carouse: lively festivities in drinking

Comeuppances: an outcome (good or bad) that is well deserved

Enterprise: a purposeful or industrious undertaking (especially one that requires boldness or effort)

Festering: a fluid product of inflammation 

Dysentery: an infection of the intestines marked by severe diarrhea

Dyspepsia: a disorder of digestive function characterized by discomfort or heartburn or nausea

Resources:

Watch the Moon Over Manifest video on TeacherTube as preview before diving into the book!

Watch a different video version of Moon Over Manifest on YouTube, narrated by a female who pretends to be Abilene. 

Teaching Suggestions:

• Use word maps when students come across key vocabulary words in their reading
• Use think-pair-share strategies to work on fluency and comprehension
• Use the idea of story sequencing to have student's keep of track of events that occur throughout the story

Comprehension Strategies: 

Before: Put students in small groups and have them do a think aloud before beginning the book

During: While reading, have students create an inquiry chart of questions they find throughout the book.

After: Have students use the question-answer relationship to respond to literal and inferential questions presented by the teacher after the book has been finished.

Writing Activity:

Students must make a timeline of all the events that occur over the period of time within the novel, while Abilene is on her adventures of decoding her father's past.  Events must include a general date of when it happened, and a description of where and what was happening.

Bibliography:

Vanderpool, C. (2011). Moon over manifest. New York, NY: Yearling book.

The View from Saturday

The View from Saturday

By: E.L. Konigsburg

Published by: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 1996

Grade level: 3 and up

Fountas and Pinnell: U

Lexile: 870L

Accelerated Reader: 4.8

Suggested Delivery: Read Aloud/Small Group

Author: E.L. Konigsburg

Summary:

"The View From Saturday" follows the lives of four sixth grade quiz bowl champs and their paraplegic coach/teacher. Alternating their final quiz bowl championship match with short stories about the different journeys each kid has had to make, the book is adept at distinguishing between each individual in the group. We begin by listening to a story told by Noah.  A bit of a nerd, but pleased with his own inventive thoughts and ideas, Noah becomes the best man at an old couple's wedding. Then we hear Nadia's story about staying with her divorced father and newly remarried grandfather (hence the Noah connection) in Florida. This flows nicely into Ethan's story. His grandmother married Nadia's grandfather, and he overcomes his reluctance to interact easily with others with the help of his new friend Julian. Julian is the least troubled of the bunch, a boy of Indian heritage who is coming to America after living on a cruise ship. Together, the four band together into a group called The Souls. They are selected by Mrs. Olinski (though for a long time she doesn't know why) as her newest Quiz Bowl team and work effortlessly together in a group as friends and teammates.

Key Words/Phrases to Describe the Book:

1. The Souls

2. Friendship

3. Overcoming the odds

4. 4:00 is tea time

5. P.O.V.

Key Vocabulary:

Decline: process of losing power, strength, beauty, health, etc. growing worse

Accustomed: usual, customary, used to

Rabbi: Teacher of the Jewish law and religion, leader of a Jewish congregation

Corsages: Small bouquets of flowers, worn on the shoulder of a woman’s clothes or on her wrist

Native: belonging by birth to a specific nation or culture

Former: earlier, past

Resources:

The View from Saturday video is a youtube clip that gives a little preview of what the book is about.  It might be a fun way to introduce the book!

The View from Saturday inform is a personally made online tool to help get a simple understanding of what the book is about before reading. 

Teaching Suggestions:

• Have students make inferences after reading a specific selection of the text
• Create a character map of each character to help understand the background of each character
• Go over vocabulary that will be viewed in that portion of text

Comprehension Strategies:

Before: Go over the formatting of the book.  Explain what the three stars above a new paragraph mean.  Explain who is speaking in each chapter; whose point of view we are getting in that chapter.

During: A listen, read, discuss (LRD) would be beneficial after each chapter of the novel to make sure students are understanding whose perspective we are reading and what we learned throughout the chapter.

After: Students must write a RAFT as one of the characters mentioned in the book. (Role of the Writer: Who or what are you as the writer? A pilgrim? A soldier? The President? Audience: To whom are you writing? A friend? Your teacher? Readers of a newspaper? Format: In what format are you writing? A letter? A poem? A speech Topic and strong verb: What are you writing about? Why? What's the subject or the point?) 

Writing Activity:

Students must write a RAFT as one of the characters mentioned in the book. (Role of the Writer: Who or what are you as the writer? A pilgrim? A soldier? The President? Audience: To whom are you writing? A friend? Your teacher? Readers of a newspaper? Format: In what format are you writing? A letter? A poem? A speech Topic and strong verb: What are you writing about? Why? What's the subject or the point?) They will pretend that there is another chapter to the book from the character they choose to write about's point of view.

Bibliography:

Konigsburg, E. L. (1996). The view from Saturday. New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.