Genre Study: Fantasy
Our current reading unit of study is focused on the genre of fantasy. Students will be able to choose any book within the genre to read. Here are some great resources for finding fantasy titles:
The culminating project for this reading unit will be a Literary Food Truck Festival.
- From Book Riot: 100 MUST-READ MIDDLE GRADE FANTASY BOOKS FROM THE LAST 10 YEARS
- From Brightly: All-Time Favorite Fantasy Books for Tweens and Teens
The culminating project for this reading unit will be a Literary Food Truck Festival.
Literature Circles: Books Focused on Social Movements
Here is a sneak peak at the books students will be able to choose from for our November literature circle unit. Students will work in a small group to set reading goals and discuss what they've read, and create a book talk presentation together at the end of the unit.
I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
Malala Yousafzai won the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 17. Two years earlier, the Taliban tried to murder her as she rode the bus home from school because she advocated for girls being allowed to go to school. In this inspiring memoir, Malala tells her story, and shows us just how much young people can change the world. |
They Called Us Enemy by George Takei
In this graphic memoir, George Takei tells his story of spending four years of his childhood in a Japanese internment camp during World War Two. This powerful book recounts the Takei family’s heartbreak at being treated as enemies in their own country, and how these events shaped the rest of their lives. |
Same Sun Here by Silas House & Neela Vaswani
This is the story of Meena and River, two middle schoolers with seemingly very little in common. The book is told through a series of letters sent between Meena, who recently moved to New York City from the mountains of India, and River, the son of a laid-off coal miner living in rural Kentucky. Over one momentous year, with climate change and immigration policy impacting their lives, Meena and River discover they might have more in common than they think. |
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
Delphine and her two sisters are sent to visit their mother, who abandoned them seven years earlier, in Oakland in the summer of 1968. Their mother says she doesn't want them there, and sends them to a Black Panther summer camp. As the girls learn about the Black Power movement, they also start to understand their mother. |
Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson
Six fifth-graders are asked to meet together after school, with no adults in the room. There, in the 'ARTT' room (A Room To Talk), they learn that it's a safe place to talk about what's bothering them. Their stories deal with deportation, racial profiling, and more, and the students start to learn that they can grow stronger and fight for their dreams. |
Showing Your Understanding: The One-Pager
A one-pager is a way to visually share key ideas and information from what you have learned. When you create a one-pager, you are trying to use both visual symbols and important words to clearly and concisely share your most important takeaways with someone else. We will be using one-pagers throughout the year to demonstrate your understanding of the books you are reading. Click the links below to find out more:
One-Pager Description
One-Pager Rubric
Examples of One-Pagers
One-Pager Description
One-Pager Rubric
Examples of One-Pagers
Resources for Choosing Books
While we will be reading books in class as part of our curriculum, I also highly encourage students to read for pleasure at home. They will be keeping track of this in a log in their Reader's Notebook, so that they (and you!) can reflect on how much reading they've done, what kinds of books they choose, and what books they've enjoyed over the course of the year. Below are some great resources for helping your child choose books. And if they're stuck, your local librarian is a great resource for recommendations!
- Scholastic - 17 Ways to Keep Your Middle Schooler Interested in Reading
- Ann Arbor Public Library - if you scroll down to the middle of this page there are links to lists of recommended books by genre
- Book Riot's section on Young Adult Literature - lots of fun recommendations here
- Book Riot's 50 graphic novels for middle grades
Resources for Talking about Books
When students read in class, they are encouraged to stop and reflect on their reading. In class students use a bookmark with these prompts on it:
You can use these same prompts to ask your child about what they are reading!
- Predictions about the plot
- Connections to other books or characters from other books
- Connections that you make personally to the book
- What do you wonder? What do you find confusing?
- Literary elements: Theme, conflict, setting, symbols, point of view, mood
- Comments on the author's craft: Why did they do what they did?
- Vocabulary
You can use these same prompts to ask your child about what they are reading!
Resources for HOOT by Carl Hiaasen
We are beginning the year by reading Hoot by Carl Hiaasen together in class. This environmental suspense novel centers Roy Eberhardt, the new kid in his Florida town. Roy becomes friends with Beatrice and Mullet Fingers, and together the three children, all outcasts in their own way, fight to save a colony of endangered burrowing owls from Mother Paula's Pancake House.
Common Sense Media's guide to Hoot
Carl Hiaasen interview with NPR
Common Sense Media's guide to Hoot
Carl Hiaasen interview with NPR
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