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4th Grade
Battle of the Books 2012-2013
Grade Battle of the Books List 2012-2013:
Unit 1: Tales of the Heart
This four-week unit invites students to explore the mixture of emotions that accompany the transition to fourth
grade, as well as to learn from informational text about the body.
Students examine emotions, beginning with a traditional favorite, Judy Blume’s Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, and
continuing with Sharon Creech’s Love That Dog, Grace Nichols’s poem, “They Were My People,” and the traditional
“Monday’s Child Is Fair of Face.” Harriet the Spy (Louise Fitzhugh) is the suggested read aloud for this unit because, just
as Harriet writes everything down in her journal, students keep a journal of what they learn throughout the year.
Nonfiction text about body systems is supplemented with nonfiction biographies of doctors. Students summarize fiction
and nonfiction texts, write informative/explanatory pieces, and engage in collaborative discussions—all skills that will be
used throughout the fourth-grade year. Finally, this unit ends with a class discussion and paragraph response to the
essential question.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
How do stories reveal what we have in common?
Suggested Objectives:
•Find similarities and differences in story characters, and how they change over the course of a story.
 Write a variety of responses to stories and poems using coherent paragraphs.
Batttle of the Books suggestions: Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea and The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davis
Ideas/Activities:
1. Use Edmodo.com for great discussions on any book or topic!!
What is Edmodo? Edmodo provides teachers and students a secure place to connect and collaborate, share content
and educational applications, and access homework, grades, class discussions and notifications. It’s easy and FREE to
sign up! Learn more at http://about.edmodo.com/
Because of Mr. Terupt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-FkV_DBrAg&feature=youtube_gdata_player
It's the start of fifth grade for seven kids at Snow Hill School. There's . . . Jessica, the
new girl, smart and perceptive, who's having a hard time fitting in; Alexia, a bully, your
friend one second, your enemy the next; Peter, class prankster and troublemaker;
Luke, the brain; Danielle, who never stands up for herself; shy Anna, whose home
situation makes her an outcast; and Jeffrey, who hates school. Only Mr. Terupt, their
new and energetic teacher, seems to know how to deal with them all. He makes the
classroom a fun place, even if he doesn't let them get away with much . . . until the
snowy winter day when an accident changes everything-and everyone.
 How does Mr. Terupt’s teaching style, activities he does with the students
remind you of one your teachers? Talk with a partner and share your ideas. Then,
write a short story about that teacher and share it with the same partner. Ask your
partner to tell you what they like and what could be improved (i.e., if a specific section
needs more details to be clear). Your teacher may ask you to type your story and
possibly draw and scan an illustration for publication on the class web page. (W.4.3a, W.4.3b, W.4.4, W.4.5) or
use Edmodo.

Have your students choose one of the students from the book. Create a two-column chart in their journal with
two headings: “Beginning of School Year” and “End of School Year.” Under each heading, list examples of the
things he/she does, thinks, and says in the beginning of the year compared to the end of the year. What do you
think that student can teach you about yourself? (RL.4.1, RL.4.3)

Have students research the Brain and how concussions affect it.

Students can choose a character and act out their behavior/thoughts throughout the book.

SHAPE POEMS Visual/Spatial and Verbal/Linguistic
Because of Mr. Terupt celebrates each child’s individuality, and so does this activity. Have students sketch a fullbody, self-portrait of themselves, on an 8x11 sheet of white paper. Next, ask each student to brainstorm twenty
descriptive words that describe themselves and write them around their silhouette. After you’ve checked the
spelling in pencil, have them trace their work with a Sharpie.

DOLLAR WORDS (Activity Sheet)
Each letter of the alphabet is worth a certain amount of cents. A is worth one cent, B is worth 2 cents, C is worth
three cents and so on. First, fill in the value of each letter. Then, create as many dollar words as you can. Who
will be the first person to find a dollar word? Who will create the most dollar words? All words need to be
spelled correctly and be school appropriate.

Realistic Fiction Mini Lessons outline based on Because of Mr. Terupt: Day one- Day 19, each day has page
numbers to read, Learning outcome or objective, mini lesson, exit ability, and corresponding standard
http://bernardston.pioneervalley.k12.ma.us/PVRSD%20Elementary%20Curriculum/Documents/Additional_RW_
Units/Because%20of%20mr%20terupt%20mini%20lesson%20outline.pdf
Lemonade War http://lemonadewar.com/
At the tail end of summer, Evan discovers that his younger sister, Jessie, who has
just skipped third grade, will be not just in his grade, but in his fourth-grade
classroom. Normally buddies, they find themselves at odds over trifles and
increasingly determined to earn more money than the other before school starts.
Lemonade stands, entrepreneurial schemes, and dirty tricks find their way into the
competition before Evan and Jessie fess up to the concerns that are really worrying
them. Each chapter begins with a business-oriented definition such as
"underselling: pricing the same goods for less than the competition, “and the book
ends with a poster entitled "Ten Tips for Turning Lemons Into Loot. “However, the
basics of economics take a backseat to Evan and Jessie's realizations about
themselves and their relationship. Davies does a good job of showing the siblings’
strengths, flaws, and points of view in this engaging chapter book.
Special Features:
• The title of each chapter in The Lemonade War is a business term or concept, with its definition just below (for
example, "Chapter 1: Slump slump (slump) n. a drop in the activity of a business or the economy").
• Economic concepts are defined throughout the book as Jessie investigates, researches, and develops her own
ideas.
• Each chapter contains examples of Evan's and Jessie's attempts to calculate sales, profit expenses, etc. Readers
may choose to study the math problems in depth, working them out on their own, or may choose to simply read
on.
• In addition to the math problems and definitions, the book contains some wonderful charts, diagrams, newspaper
clippings, and even a realistic sales receipt. This lovely touch engages the reader and fleshes out the Treskis' story.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
 In the book Jessie skips second and third grades and goes straight to fourth grade.
Skipping causes problems between her and her brother and makes the other kids in her
neighborhood think she is strange. Do you think skipping a grade or two is a good thing
or a bad thing and why? How would you feel being in class where everyone is one or
two years older than you? If there was a much younger student in your class, what would
you think about them?
 Both Evan and Jessie earn more $100 selling lemonade. Evan wants to spend his money
on an iPod; Jessie wants to donate hers to charity. What would you do if you had $100?
Spend it, save it, give it away? What would you spend it on or to whom would you give
it away?
 When Jessie is upset, reading Charlotte’s Web makes her feel better. Evan plays
basketball with his friends to lift his spirits. Is there something you like to do that makes
you feel better when you need to take your mind off of your problems? How does it help you? Is it relaxing – like taking
a nap or reading – or does it take energy, like playing
sports or doing a craft?
• Have you ever felt competitive with someone you are close to, like a sibling or a good friend? What was the
competition about? What did you do? How was it resolved?
• Evan is so angry with his sister he can barely stand it! Has Jessie consciously done anything to harm her brother?
Explain the root of Evan's anger.
• Jacqueline Davies chose to create Evan and Jessie as characters who don't fit the stereotype of boys and girls, in terms
of both their academic strengths and challenges and their social strengths and challenges. Do you think that such
stereotypes (girls as intuitive but not good at math, boys as good at math but not so good at reading people's feelings)
get in the way at your school?
• Even though Jessie and Evan are having a hard time with each other, they don't want their mom to know. Can you
explain why they are so careful not to show her they are quarreling? Have you ever felt like this?
• Evan is pretty sure that Scott Spencer stole the lemonade money he "borrowed" from Jessie. Why doesn't Evan
confront Scott? Why doesn't he ask for his money back?
• How do Evan and Jessie finally resolve the conflict — both their lemonade war and their personal war?
• Both children have to admit that they've done mean things to each other before they can move on. Have you ever
done something out of anger that you wish you hadn't? How did this play out?
Activities:
 Comment cards
After spending so much time together running a lemonade stand, Megan gives Jessie a
“comment card” telling her that she is a good friend with good ideas. Jessie keeps it in her money box as a reminder of
how much Megan likes her. Try it with your reading group…
If the kids in your group know each other, give them each an index card. Have them write something nice about the
person sitting next to them (or if you want the comments to be anonymous, have the kids draw names from a hat). Let
the children keep the card written about them so they can be reminded of the nice things people think about them.
If the kids in your group don’t know each other, hand out the cards and ask them to think about someone they really
care about (a parent, a sibling, a friend, a teacher, etc.). Ask them to write something nice about this person and to give
that person the card the next time they see them. If you think the kids would feel comfortable, ask them to share who
they wrote about and why they chose that person.
If your class studies The Lemonade War at the end of the school year, set up a lemonade study in the classroom. To
help them learn from Evan's and Jessie's successes and mistakes, help your students create their own lemonade
stand(s). You may choose to divide the class into groups and have each group plan their own stand, designing posters,
advertisements, and other business schemes, as Evan and Jessie did. You may choose to have the entire class work
together on a plan. Children might sell lemonade during recess, or even set up in the cafeteria during lunchtime. Decide
together as a class how the money earned will be spent. Taking a leaf from Jessie Treski's book, children may want to
donate money to a charity of their choice or to school projects. They may choose to devote a certain percentage of their
profits to a culminating celebration in school — a pizza party or lemonade party, for example!
• Using the model described above, encourage the children to design and implement a store of some kind that relates
directly to your school's curriculum. For example, schools doing a neighborhood study may choose to study a local
grocery store and then set up a store of their own in the classroom for a day.
• Make copies of the math problems in the book for your students. As you read the book aloud, highlight the math
problems as a part of your students' experience of the book. Can they think of other ways to figure out the problems?
Are their methods more or less efficient than Evan's and Jessie's methods?
• Personal conflicts like Evan and Jessie's are often at the core of good works of fiction. As part of a unit of study on
realistic fiction or as a separate project, have your students write a story with a personal conflict at its root. You may
want to have your students write sketches of their main characters and an outline of the plot (including conflict and its
resolutions) as part of their writing process.
• Evan and Jessie win their local Rotary Club's annual Labor Day contest by creating a display that details their
entrepreneurial efforts with lemonade. Labor Day celebrates the many achievements, both social and economic, of the
American worker. If your class is studying The Lemonade War close to the beginning of the school year, challenge your
students to research and present a project related to the holiday. They may profile a particular business in your town;
they may research the history of Labor Day itself; they may interview people in their families about their work histories.
Challenge them to find their own unique ways to connect to the holiday.
Bibliography:
Massachusetts Center for the Book Awards, 2008. http://www.massbook.org/reading_guides/LemonadeWar_guide.pdf
The Lemonade War; A Teacher’s Guide, 2012.
http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/readers_guides/davies_lemonade.shtml#activities
Classroom Book of the Week, 2011. http://katenarita.blogspot.com/2011/02/because-of-mr-terupt.html
Realistic Fiction Mini Lessons based on the novel: Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea,
http://bernardston.pioneervalley.k12.ma.us/PVRSD%20Elementary%20Curriculum/Documents/Additional_RW_Units/B
ecause%20of%20mr%20terupt%20mini%20lesson%20outline.pdf
Common Core Curriculum Maps http://commoncore.org/maps/
Unit 2: Literature Settings: Weather or Not
This six-week unit invites students to explore geography as it relates to seasons and weather. Students discover how
these settings are represented in—and affect events in—literature.
Overview
Students read contrasting styles of poems about weather, including Carl Sandburg’s “Fog” and Robert Frost’s “Dust of
Snow,” and discuss how poetic techniques affect the interpretation of poems. Then students read informational texts,
such as “Kenya’s Long Dry Season” by Nellie Gonzalez Cutler, and apply the information learned to their appreciation of
the setting of Safari Journal by Hudson Talbott. Students learn about geography and weather through a variety of
informational texts. Class discussions will focus on the back-and-forth relationship between information gleaned from
the informational texts and the insights they develop from literature.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
How does the author's use of setting affect the plot of a story?
Suggested Objectives:
 Find similarities and differences in story settings, and note how the author’s use of setting affects a story.
 Explain how having factual knowledge of a topic (e.g. weather) can increase your appreciation of literature
about the topic.
 Track information and take notes on a topic studied over time (e.g., weather).
 Write a question-and-answer report that includes audio and/or visual aids to communicate research findings
about different aspects of a topic (e.g., a particular weather phenomenon).
 Identify similes and metaphors in texts read.
Battle of the Books suggestions: Star in the Storm by Joan Hiatt Harlow and The White Giraffe by Lauren St. John
White Giraffe Losing parents in a tragic fire and restarting life with an unwelcoming
grandmother would be overwhelming for most 11-year-olds, and Martine is no
exception. What’s worse, Martine has never met her grandmother, who presides over a
large game preserve in faraway South Africa. Even so, from the moment Martine steps
off the plane, she senses that her new home holds a special destiny, one that begins to
unfold when she learns about a legendary white giraffe. The beautiful creature appears
one day, and Martine, who is just becoming aware of her own mystical gifts, begins a
heroic journey that leads her to expose and prevent the destructive work of poachers.
Though the fantasy elements will probably be the strongest draw here, St. John nods to
the politically turbulent backdrop: at one point, a black employee of the preserve refers
to his difficult upbringing in an apartheid-era township. Magic realism, adventure, and a
well-realized setting combine in this appealing tale, which will resonate particularly with
conservation-minded children.
Lauren St. Johns Lauren St. John lives in London, England, and is a well-respected
biographer and sports journalist. She grew up in Zimbabwe, Africa, where she had a pet giraffe, along with
numerous dogs, horses, and warthogs.
Activities/Discussion Questions
 What country does Martine live in when the book begins? Where does her
grandmother live? (At the beginning of the book, Martine lives in England. Her grandmother lives in South Africa)
What are the differences between these two places?
 How does changing the setting affect the story?
 Have the students research Sawubona. Learn about the country and it’s weather.
 Imagine you have come to live at Sawubona for a while. What do you think you would enjoy most about your
life there? What would you enjoy least?
 Using both your imagination and what you read in the book, write a short history of the Secret Valley. Be sure to
consider Martine’s questions on p. 104. Who first discovered the Secret Valley? Have any other human beings
ever been there? Does anyone besides Martine know it exists?
 Imagine you are Martine and several months have passed since the end of the book. Write a letter to your
teacher in England, Miss Rose. Tell her what has happened in your life since rescuing the white giraffe. Be sure
to tell her about at least one important person in your life in Africa, such as Tendai, Grace, Ben, or even Jemmy.
Travel guide
• Remind children that before travelling to Africa, Martine didn’t know what to expect. Explain that they are going to
prepare a leaflet about the Sawubona game reserve and wildlife sanctuary that would help a visitor prepare for their
visit.
• Discuss the key elements of an information leaflet. Show children a range of examples from your local attractions and
make a list of the common features.
• Children make a plan for the leaflet showing how the information will be arranged.
• They could include some of the following: maps, pictures, description of the landscape, information on tours or
activities offered, list of wildlife they might see, information about the climate, facilities and safety advice.
• Children use the information in the novel and their own research to produce their finished leaflet. If possible allow
children to work on computer.
Newspaper report (Activity Sheet)
• Ask children to look at real life reports of people who have seen the rare white giraffe. (Articles are available from the
National Geographic website – see Useful Links).
• Then ask them to imagine they are reporters in Sawubona writing a story about Martine riding the White Giraffe
through the town (chapter 24).
• Before they begin, discuss the key features of a newspaper report and create a checklist of features. Children use the
checklist to help them create their report.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Star in the Storm A dog story in the best tradition of the genre: he’s enormous, under
threat, and will prove himself a hero. Sirius isn’t just any dog; he’s an enormous
Newfoundland who swims the breaststroke, hauls firewood across ice, locates a lost
brooch on demand, and faithfully follows his master’s commands. Maggie, 12, has just
heard that all non-shepherding dogs have been outlawed; if found, Sirius will be shot
on sight, even though he has never killed any sheep. Hiding her beloved dog in a cave,
Maggie eventually has to expose his existence to save the lives of 100 people trapped
aboard a capsizing steamer. Sirius’s ability to swim is required to exchange lines from
the boat to shore; using a pulley-and-chair system, every last passenger is brought to
land safely. Sirius is elevated to hero status and his future is assured. Readers will be
captivated by the scope of this story, which includes events of 1912, e.g., the sinking of
the Titanic, as well as Newfoundlander language and customs, facts about the dogs,
and details of the island, known as “the Beautiful Rock.”
Activities




Research the setting of Newfoundland, Canada
Learn more about the Titanic and how/why the weather affected the disaster.
Learn about icebergs and how the weather affects them. Go on a tour of iceberg chasing
http://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/TheLatest/NewsArticle/132
Compare Kentucky’s weather to Newfoundland, Canada
Research Project Option: Write a Weather Forecast. Read at least two informational texts, in print or online, about a
specific season in a geographical region of choice. Watch a meteorologist presenting a weather forecast online or on TV,
and outline what makes that style of presenting unique. Then, write a weather forecast that describes at least two
aspects of weather. Be sure to edit your work for modal auxiliaries, order of adjectives, and commas and quotation
marks (see Standards for more details). Your teacher may ask you to type your forecast, and possibly even record it as a
podcast or using a video camera, for publication on the class web page. (RI.4.1, RI.4.3, RI.4.4, RI.4.7, RI.4.9, W.4.2, W.4.7,
SL.4.4, SL.4.5, L.4.1a,c,d,g; L.4.2a, L.4.2b)

Travel guide-same as The White Giraffe, but focus on Canada
Bibliography
Newfoundland Labrador Canada, 2012 http://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/
Common Core Curriculum Maps http://commoncore.org/maps/
USEFUL LINKS for White Giraffe
www.laurenstjohn.com
Animal issues:
www.bornfree.org.uk – working to keep animals in the wild:
www.allaboutanimals.org.uk/SK-Issues.asp – good for discussion about animal hunting
www.kidsplanet.org
www.iucnredlist.org
Giraffes:
www.bbc.co.uk/nature/species/Giraffe
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/giraffe/
Real White Giraffes:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyid=4961893
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/09/0913_050913_whitegiraffe.html
Unit 3: Animals are Characters, Too: Characters who Gallop, Bark, and Squeak. This eight-week unit invites students to
compare how horses, dogs, and mice are portrayed in fiction and nonfiction.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How do we portray animals in writing?
Battle of the Books Selections:
The Tale of Despereaux: being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool
of thread by Kate DiCamillo:
Despereaux Tilling is an unusually small mouse who was born with his eyes open, in the
light. He likes to read, listen to music and is in love with Princess Pea. After breaking the
strictest of Mouse Rules, he is sentenced to death in the castle dungeon by the Mouse
Council. In the dungeon he earns his life back by telling a story to Gregory, the jailer.
Roscuro, a rat from the dungeon, loves light so much that he leaves the dungeon to live
in the upstairs of the castle. He frightens the Queen to death when he falls into her bowl
of soup. When his heart is broken by Princess Pea who looks at him in disgust, he goes
back to the dark dungeon and vows revenge. .
Miggery Sow, a slow-witted serving girl wants to be a princess. She is taken to the castle but has problems learning to do
her tasks. While in the dungeon giving Gregory, the jailer, his dinner she meets Roscuro who persuades her to help him
kidnap the princess so Miggery can be princess instead.
A story of love, revenge and heroism . . .
Websites for lesson plans:
http://www.candlewick.com/book_files/0763617229.btg.1.pdf
Activities:

Compare the characteristics of Desperaux to those of a mouse in a non-fiction book that you find in your library.
Have students identify what characteristics are those of an actual mouse and what has been personified for the
animals in the story?

Have students pick out ten vocabulary words or phrases that they find in the story that help to personify
Desperaux. Have them explain why they chose those words. (He longed for his handkerchief. I picked this
because mice don’t carry handkerchiefs. p74)

Using a Venn diagram or other graphic organizer, compare the text and film version of The Tale of Desperaux.
(Create your own Venn Diagram: http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/venn/ )
Masterpiece by Elise Broach
Marvin is a beetle who lives with his family under the kitchen sink in the Pompaday
apartment in New York City. He discovers he is an artist when he uses James’ new
pen-and-ink set to create a special gift for James’ Birthday. When Mrs. Pompaday
discovers the drawing, she thinks that James was the creator linking Marvin and
James together in a journey that bonds them as friends despite their obvious
differences. When Christina, an employee at the Metropolitan Museum of Art,
discovers their work she commissions them to duplicate a piece by the artist Durer in
efforts to trap an art thief that she believes is trying to collect all four of Durer’s
Virtues collection. Marvin and James work together to recover these drawings.
Websites for lesson plans:
http://www.ilfonline.org/clientuploads/YHBA/10-11%20YHBA%20Resources/Masterpiece.pdf
Activities:

See and adapt activities located above for The Tale of Desperaux.

Have students write a journal entry from the viewpoint of a beetle. What aspects of our daily life would be
different or more difficult for a character that size?

Search for poems about Beetles or other insects. Identify whether or not the words describe the insect as found
in nature or if the descriptions personifies it.
Unit 4: Revolutionaries from the Past. This eight-week unit invites students to read historical fiction and poetry form
American’s past – including works from the time of the American Revolution.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION? What live lessons can we learn from revolutionaries in fiction and nonfiction?
Battle of the Books Selections:
Mr. Tucket by Gary Paulson.
It’s 1848 and Francis Tucket is travelling with his family in a wagon train on their way
to Oregon. His family surprises him on his 14th birthday with a rifle. As he is trying it
out he lags behind the wagon train and is captured by Pawnee Indians. He is held
captive in an Indian camp where he is mistreated and struggles to adapt to his new
situation. A mountain man, Mr. Grimes, rescues him from the Indians and teaches him
how to survive in the wilderness as they look for his family.
Websites for lesson plans:
http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780440411338&view=tg
Activities:

Pick an event in the book. Compare and contrast the viewpoint or behavior of Mr. Tucket and Mr. Grimes to
that event. How did their life experiences shape their choices?

Identify how Francis adapts to the various situations he encounters. How would you react if faced with the
same predicament?

Research Native Americans. How has their culture adapted to modern society.

Identify two Problems Francis encounters on his journey. How were these problems solved? Once students
have identified two on their own, have them work with partners and groups to expand their lists.
(http://homeschoolhelperonline.com/worksheets/problem_solution.shtm )
The Watsons go to Birmingham, 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis.
Ten-year-old Kenny Watson and his family live in Flint, Michigan during the early
1960’s. His parents take the family to Birmingham, Alabama to spend time with their
grandmother after his older Byron, gets into trouble AGAIN. They believe that
Granny’s firm hand will help Byron shape up. The family piles into the Brown Bomber
(car) with a fancy new Ultra-Glide (machine to play records) for the trip. Although the
trip is filled with family humor, many characters encounter racial discrimination
giving the reader a unique perspective on how things were in the south in 1963. In
fact, the family is in Birmingham when a local church is bombed to prevent
integration. This is a summer that no family member will forget.
Websites for lesson plans:
https://www.scholastic.com/kids/homework/pdfs/Watsons.pdf
Activities:

Describe one main character in the book before and after the church bombing. How did the church bombing
impact the character that you chose.
(http://freeology.com/graphicorgs/blank-3-column-notes-form/)

Working with a partner research segregation. Identify 8 key events that have impacted society that makes
events like the church bombing less likely today.
(http://freeology.com/graphicorgs/horizontal-timeline/ )
Unit 5: Stories of the Earth and Sky. This four-week unit pairs Native American stories with informational text about the
earth and sky.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION? How are the earth and sky portrayed in fiction and nonfiction?
Battle of the Books Selections:
Mr. Tucket by Gary Paulson
It’s 1848 and Francis Tucket is travelling with his family in a wagon train on their
way to Oregon. His family surprises him on his 14th birthday with a rifle. As he is
trying it out he lags behind the wagon train and is captured by Pawnee Indians. He
is held captive in an Indian camp where he is mistreated and struggles to adapt to
his new situation. A mountain man, Mr. Grimes, rescues him from the Indians and
teaches him how to survive in the wilderness as they look for his family.
Websites for lesson plans:
http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780440411338&view=tg
Activities:

Identify differences between the Indian and Wagon Train cultures. How did these differences impact events in
the story?

Native Americans viewed natural resources differently. How did their view of the earth impact their way of
life?

Create a character that would be traveling on the Wagon Train. Write a narrative from this character’s point of
view describing daily life.
The White Giraffe by Lauren St. John
Eleven-year-old, Martine’s parents are killed in a house in England. Martine is sent to
South Africa to live with a grandmother she didn’t know about. They live in a game
preserve. Martine has a difficult time adjusting to her new life. When she tells people
she saw a white giraffe most don’t believe her. This is a story of how she struggles to fit
in as she tries to save “her” giraffe, Jemmy from poachers.
Websites for lesson plans:
http://www.orionbooks.co.uk/media/files/the-white-giraffe-teachers-notes
Activities:

Compare and Contrast the climate in England and South Africa.
(http://www.havefunteaching.com/worksheets/graphic-organizers/compare-and-contrast/compare-andcontrast-graphic-organizer.pdf)

Locate Adjectives in the story that describes the setting. Use a thesaurus to identify similar terms and create a
poem about South Africa that would describe Matine’s first impression.

In the story the white giraffe is considered a myth until Martine comes face to face with it outside her window
on a stormy night. Create a timeline of events that describes her quest to find and protect this rare giraffe.
Unit 6: Literary Heroes. This six-week unit ends the year by looking at heroes, real and imagined.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION? Can heroism be conveyed in works?
Battle of the Books Selections:
True. . . Sort Of by Katherine Hannigan
Delly, (Delaware) Pattison likes to have fun, but her idea of fun gets her into trouble
with most adults. She is called “bad” so many times that by middle school she starts to
believe it. As she is trying to live up to her reputation she nearly gets sent to a school
for problem children. Delly tries to reform and befriends a new girl in town. Ferris who
looks like a boy doesn’t talk or allow anyone to touch her. It takes a special friend to
help Ferris.
Websites for lesson plans:
http://files.harpercollins.com/HCChildrens/OMM/Media/True%20DG.pdf
Activities:

What character traits does Delly have that would identify her as a hero? (http://www.minds-inbloom.com/2011/01/should-i-use-graphic-organizer.html)

How does the Delly’s character change and grow throughout the story?
(http://www.docstoc.com/docs/47592416/Character-Development-Story-Map)

Write a persuasive letter convincing Delly’s mother (Clarice) that Delly is a hero. Feel free to use words from the
Dellyictionary.
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
Jeffrey Lionel Magee has run away from home and ends up in Two Mills, a small
town in Pennsylvania that is basically divided into East and West (black and white).
Jeffrey Magee is called Maniac Magee because he is seen by other characters to be
both fearless and athletic. He befriends a girl named Amanda and finds temporary
residence with her family helping with chores and entertaining her younger siblings.
Due to racism and the fear of hurting this family he runs away again and finds refuge
in the zoo. Despite the clear racial boundaries between the east and the west side,
Maniac finds himself in a little bit of both worlds and becomes a local legend.
Websites for lesson plans:
http://www.carolhurst.com/titles/maniacmagee.html
Activities:

Identify and describe how the author uses reasons and evidence to characterize Maniac Magee as a hero.

Select 5 Adjectives to describe a Hero, 5 Adjectives to describe Maniac Magee and 5 Adjectives to describe Mars
Bars. Even though both boys do something heroic within the plot of the story, does one character stand out as
having more qualities that you would identify as heroic?
(http://freeology.com/graphicorgs/blank-3-column-notes-form/)