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.

The Golden Hour

The Golden Hour

By: Maiya Williams

Published by: Harry N. Abrams, 2006
Grade level: 5 and up

Fountas and Pinnell: W

Lexile: 740L

Accelerated Reader: 6.3

Suggested Delivery: Small Group/Individual

Author: Maiya Williams

Summary:

This book's setting is in the time period of the French Revolution. The four children in the book travel back in time become a member of a different social group of the time. Their attitudes towarad the events surrounding the French Revolution are very different; most interesing are their differing views of Queen Marie Antoinette.The book deals with children's loss of their mother. Rowan and Nina learn lessons about accepting loss and moving on with life.

Key Words/Phrases to Describe the Book:

1. time travel

2. French Revolution

3. accepting loss

4. different points of view

5. lesson learning

Key Vocabulary:

French Revolution: the revolution that began in 1789, overthrew the absolute monarchy of the Bourbons and the system of aristocratic privileges, and endedwith Napoleon's overthrow of the Directory and seizure of power in1799.

Social class: a broad group in society having common economic, cultural, orpolitical status.

Point of view: an opinion, attitude, or judgment

Alleviators: an airtight box, having a free liquid surface, forcushioning the shock of water hammer.

Enlightenment: a philosophical movement of the 18th century,characterized by belief in the power of human reason and byinnovations in political, religious, and educational doctrine.

Bastille Day: July 14, a national holiday of the French republic, commemorating thefall of the Bastille in 1789.

Resources:

Maiya Williams website is a great resource to use when trying to get to know the author more

French Revolution website can inform students of this time period and why the French Revolution occurred.

Teaching Suggestions:

• Identify and discuss difficult words, phrases, and concepts in the text.

• Focus attention on parts in a text that require students to make inferences

• Ask students to recall and tell in their own words important parts of the text.

Comprehension Strategies: 

Before: Ask students what they know about the French Revolution.   Go over who was involved, who were the leaders, the time period in which it happened, and why it occurred.

During: Ask students about social class and how it is affecting how the book's plot is unfolding.  What are the different kinds of point of view we are seeing in this novel?

After: Have students dress up as one of the characters that were mentioned from the 18th century.  Students will role play, exemplifying why that character was significant to the time period.

Writing Activity:

Since this is a story about time traveling, students must write a well-developed persuasive essay to a destination that they wish they could go back in history and visit.  Students will have time to research on that time period so they can create a convincing argument as to why that time period is the one to relive.  

Bibliography:

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

I Love You Just Enough

I Love You Just Enough

By: Robbyn Smith van Frankenhuyzen

Illustrated by: Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen

Published by: Sleeping Bear Press, 2014

Grade level: 3 and up

Fountas and Pinnell: M

Lexile: 740L

Accelerated Reader: 3.7

Suggested Delivery: Read Aloud

Author and Illustrator: Robbyn Smith and Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen

Summary:

This is a marvelously heartwarming story of Heather and Mr. Peet young children will love.  The tale flowed beautifully as we follow Heather and Mr. Peet through the summer when she fosters him.  It's a joyous adventure for Heather as she learns about the special responsibility of caring for another creature.  She also learns that there is indeed a time of letting go.  The full-page, full-color artwork is beautifully expressive and captures the love Heather has for her charge.  It's a summer with a little wood duck that will stick in the minds of all who hear this tale.

Key Words/Phrases to Describe the Book:

1. Heartwarming

2. Caring

3. Letting go

4. Little wood duck

5. Vibrant illustrations

Key Vocabulary:

Wood Duck: a North American duck that nests in trees.

Meadow: a tract of grassland used for pasture or serving as a hayfield.

Responsibility: the state or fact of being answerable, or accountable forsomething within one's power, control, or management

Hunt: to chase or search for (game or other wild animals) for the purpose of catching or killing.

Prairie: a tract of grassland; meadow

Nature: the elements of the natural world, as mountains, trees, animals, or rivers

Resources:

An I Love You Just Enough illustration preview can be found on this YouTube website.  Before reading, students can take a sneak peak of all the full-page, vibrant pictures they will encounter while reading this book.

Learn about the author and illustrator on this website.  On this website, you can also view more breath-taking illustrations by Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen.

Teaching Suggestions:

• Ask students what they think the book will be about based on the cover illustration and the title

• Have students write about a time when either they had to give up something for the better of someone else, or someone who loves them did that for them.  (can be as simple as sacrificing time to bring to a sporting event.)

• Have students come up 3 different themes present in the book and give examples of each how each theme is presented.

Comprehension Strategies:

Before: Ask students what they think the book will be about based on the cover illustration and the title

During: Have students come up with a theme that they see developing throughout the story. And have them give examples of why they believe that is a theme in the story.

After: Have students write about a time when either they had to give up something for the better of someone else, or someone who loves them did that for them.  (can be as simple as sacrificing time to bring to a sporting event.)

Writing Activity:

After discussing as a class about the various themes presented in this book--the animal life cycle, relationships among species, taking responsibility, and letting go--have students pick one of those themes that is most interesting to them and have them write a few paragraphs discussing what the theme they chose means to them and why it is so significant in the book and in the real world.

Bibliography:

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