Twelve Rounds to Glory: The story of Muhammad Ali by Charles R. Smith Jr.

Smith, C. R., & Collier, B. (2007). Twelve rounds to glory: the story of Muhammad Ali. Cambridge : Candlewick Press.

Diversity, Coretta Scott King Honor Award  2008

AGES: Scholastic grade level equivalent 4.6

SUMMARY:

Charles R. Smith Jr. depicits the story of Muhammad Ali in a creative way through rap inspired poems, collage artwork, and quotes. These features allow the reader to really feel motivated to keep on reading to find out more about Muhammad Ali, such an important figure in our history. Charles R. Smith Jr. follows Muhammad through 12 rounds of his life depiciting him as a boy til  his life after boxing. His story is truly inspirational and decipicted in this way is a story that any reader would enjoy.

VOCABULARY:

Cassius Clay, performer, taunt, opponents, boxing, precipice, Sonny Liston, Malcolm X, Allah, Nation of Islam, hositility, George Foreman, Joe Frazier, supernova

TEACHING STRATEGIES: (small group instruction)

Before: Go over text structure, this is an infomational text but the story is portrayed through poems. Review the time period that Muhammad Ali grew up in, the 1960s, so students have an idea of were to place Muhammad Ali in history. Also, inform students that Muhammad Ali was born Cassius Clay.

During: Have students pay attention to each poem and write down the overall message of each. Have students add the main events in Muhammad's life as they read to a graphic organizer or timeline. Could also have students do a jigsaw and each focus on one of the chapters/poems of Muhammad's life.

After: Go through the novel and just pay attention to the quotes, have students try to piece together Muhammad's story just through them. / Have them analyze each quote and write expository text as to how that quote fits into Muhammad's story.

ONLINE RESOURCES:

http://www.charlesrsmithjr.com/activities-poems.htm#12rounds- hear the poems that make up Twelve Rounds of Glory

http://www.alicenter.org/Pages/default.aspx- Muhammad Ali Center, Teacher resources and information about Muhammad Ali

http://ali.com/legend_timeline.php- interactive timeline of Muhammad Ali's life

Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean by Sarah Stewart Taylor and Ben Towle

Taylor, S. S., & Towle, B. (2010). Amelia Earhart: this broad ocean. New York: Disney/Hyperion Books.

Graphic Novel

AGES: 1080L, interest level 8-12

SUMMARY:
Through graphics Sarah Stewart Taylor and Ben Towle are able to tell the story of Amelia Earhart through a young reporters eyes. Grace, the young reporter, is able to wittness Earhart's determination and amibtion as she tries for two weeks and then is successful at crossing the Atlantic Ocean. The novel then jumps to nine years later when Grace learns of Amelia's attempt to travel the whole world, through learning of this Grace continues to persue her dream of becoming a successful journalist. The illustrations combined with the narrative leaves students to really become inspired by Amelia Earhart' story.

VOCABULARY:
Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindbergh, Madel Boll, Thea Rasche, President Wilson, Ambition, Atlantic Ocean, Petrol, Telegram

TEACHING STRATEGIES: (small group instruction)
Before: Explain to students the text structure of a graphic novel, how it is set up like a comic strip. Also, go over the time period in which Amelia Earhart flew which was in 1928, so that students have a sense of when this was taking place.

During: Have students create a timeline of Amelia Earhart's journey. This will allow them to get a since of how much went into Amelia actually flying across the Atlantic.

After: Have students perform the book as reader's theatre.  This would be a great way for students to demonstrate understanding of the graphic novel through creating skits. You could also have students create their own comic strip stories.

ONLINE RESOURCES:
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/comic/- interactive comic strip maker from readwritethink.org
http://cdn2.dolimg.com/explore/PMPages/DCOM/books/catalog/Printable/Amelia-Earhart.pdf- discussion guide and projects related to the novel
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=25287- interview with author Sarah Stewart Taylor

Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen

Draanen, W. V. (2004).Flipped. New York, New York: Scholastic.

Teacher's Choice 2002

AGES: Scholastic Grade Level Equivalent 5.5; 720L

SUMMARY:
Wendelin Van Draanen has written a great book for teaching point of view. Flipped is written from the perspective of Bryce and Julianna, each chapter jumping back and forth. This novel takes you on the journey of their friendship in a fun and entertaining path. Van Draanen also has Bryce and Julianna learn to grow and change over the course of the novel in a way that seems so real. Great novel to use in any fifth or sixth grade classroom.

VOCABULARY:

sophisticated, branded, lunatic, catapulted, sycamore tree, edification, ornery, scoundrel, imminent, hors d'oeuvres, perpetual, condescending, accusations, caviar, mortification

TEACHING STRATEGIES: (small group intstruction)

Before: Discuss how this book is set up, that each chapter jumps between two different characters.

During: Pay attention to point of view and how each situation is different to Bryce and Julianna. Have students create venn diagrams as they read to keep track of the changes and similarities.

After: Have students write their own narratives from two different point of views. So that they understand that point of view really does change a story.  They could also create a poem in two voices, using the text to create their pieces. 

ONLINE RESOURCES:
http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/vandraanen/content/books.html- about author Wendelin Van Draanen
http://www.voki.com/- students can make a voki to show off the different perspectives
http://www.wakegov.com/NR/rdonlyres/FE8D5925-FC23-4BCF-BE45-E735B95A31F6/0/Flipped.pdf- discussion questions and author interview

The Forbidden Schoolhouse by Suzanne Jurmain

Jurmain, Suzanne. The forbidden schoolhouse: the true and dramatic story of Prudence Crandall and her students.. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2005. Print. 

Nonfiction

AGES: Scholastic age level equivalent 6.2, 920L

SUMMARY:
During the time of the Civil War, Canterbury, CT resident, Prudence Crandall, was schooling African American students. The Forbidden Schoolhouse combines primary sources in the form of newspaper articles, quotes, and pictures to create a book that outlines her dramatic true story. Suzanne Jurmain does a great job of relating Prudence Crandall's story to students, in her epilogue she discusses how Crandall's story has impacted schools today and writes about each of Crandall's students experiences as well. Great novel to use to showcase a piece of Connecticut history and to showcase Civil War issues. 

VOCABULARY:
prosecution, Canterbury, CT, Civil War, abolitionist, Quakers, telegram, Nat Turner, American Colonization Society, authorities, petition, prejudice, William Lloyd Garrison, Booker T. Washington

 TEACHING STRATEGIES: (small group instruction)
Before: discuss what primary sources are and why we use them/ discuss the Civil War and that students will be looking at a women's story from the Civil War time period

During: have students think about how they would feel if they were not allowed to go to school/ have students write out a timeline of Prudence Crandall's life as they read

After: Have them analyze the primary sources of the novel and write about how they fit in and tell Prudence's story/ Have them do further research to add more to Crandall's story and how it ties to the Civil War

ONLINE RESOURCES:
http://suzannejurmain.com/- all about the author, Suzanne Jurmain
http://www.ct.gov/cct/cwp/view.asp?a=2127&q=302260- learn all about Prudence Crandall and the Prudence Crandall Museum 
http://www.kids.ct.gov/kids/cwp/view.asp?a=2577&q=428212- interactive website about Prudence Crandall for kids

Punctuation Celebration by Elsa Knight Bruno

Bruno, Elsa Knight, and Jenny Whitehead. Punctuation celebration. New York: Henry Holt And Co., 2009. Print.

Poetry Collection

AGES: Scholastic grade level equivalent 3.4

SUMMARY: 
Great collection of poetry that gets students thinking about punctuation. Each poem is a fun way to understand the rules of each type of punctuation, comma, apostrophe, ellipsis, exclamation point, quotation mark, parenthesis, period, dash, hyphen, semicolon, colon, and question mark. Elsa Knight Bruno even put in example poems using each type of punctuation. Each page is also filled with colorful illustrations that help students to further understand the poems. Great poetry book to use as an aid to help students further understand punctuation as well!

VOCABULARY:
abbreviate, apropos, clout, clauses, essential, enrapture, congregate, precede, omitted

TEACHING STRATEGIES: (read-a-loud)
Before: Discuss what poems are and what they are used for./ Briefly discuss the form of punctuation you will be talking about today.

During: have students interpret each poem and write down the rules for each type of punctuation

After: Have students create own punctuation poem.

ONLINE RESOURCES:
http://www.free-teacher-worksheets.com/punctuation-worksheets.html- free punctuation worksheets and exercises
http://www.nationalpunctuationday.com/- Celebrate national punctuation day! September 24, 2011 
http://us.macmillan.com/author/elsaknightbruno- all about author Elsa Knight Bruno

Before John was a Jazz Giant by Carole Boston Weatherford

Weatherford, Carole Boston, and Sean Qualls. Before John was a jazz giant: a song of John Coltrane. New York: Henry Holt, 2008. Print.

Coretta Scott King Honor Award 2009, Diversity 

AGES: AD1090L

SUMMARY:
Before John was a Jazz Giant is a great novel to introduce the history of music specifically Jazz music into your classroom. This novel combines a great narrative with vibrant illustrations to create a story that could get anyone in the mood to study Jazz. This novel focuses on young John Coltrane who is a legendary jazz saxophonist who grew up in the 30s. Great novel to really get students to think about a time period that they have never really 
learned about.

VOCABULARY: 
Jazz, saxophone, ukulele, phonograph, scoutmaster, sermon, solo, soulful, warbling

TEACHING STRATEGIES: (read-a-loud)
Before: Ask them what they know about Jazz music/ Do they know anyone that plays Jazz music?

During: Have them pay attention to the pictures and how life was before John found Jazz music

After: Discuss how music changed John's life/ Research John Coltrane and focus on how the book ties to his life, have students write about the connections they find/ This novel can be used as an initiation to a lesson that focuses on the history of Jazz music or life in the 1930s or the history of a significant figure, John Coltrane

ONLINE RESOURCES:
http://www.johncoltrane.com/- All about the life of John Coltrane
http://www.last.fm/music/John+Coltrane- John Coltrane free radio, listen to songs about 
him
http://media.us.macmillan.com/activityguides/9780805079944AG.pdf- lesson on creating own Jazz music in your classroom

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

Lin, Grace. Where the mountain meets the moon . New York: Little, Brown and Co., 2009. Print.

Newbery Honor Book, Teacher's Choice 2011

AGES: Scholastic Grade Level Equivalent 5.4, 820L

SUMMARY:
In Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, Grace Lin is able to create a story of great adventure. With the use of Chinese folktales she is able to add new dimension to a traditional plot. Minli listens to this folktales and believes everything she hears and goes on an adventure to meet the Old Man of the moon, similar to The Wizard of Oz, and meets tons of interesting characters on the way, for example, a dragon and a fish. This novel is sure to spark an interest in any young reader due to the great amount of adventure and fantasy. 

VOCABULARY:
indignant, grueling, magistrate, infuriated, clamoring, exhaustion, emissary, mysterious, aglow, ignorant, imperial, decipher, ancestors

TEACHING STRATEGIES: (small group instruction)
Before: discuss Chinese folktales and why they were important to Chinese culture/ Read The Wizard of Oz to then compare with Where the Mountain Meets the Moon after reading

During: Keep track of characters in adventure, character map/ note the similarities that remind them of The Wizard of Oz

After: Act out the folktales/ Write own folktale based off the ones presented in the novel/ compare and contrast novel to The Wizard of Oz with either discussion or chart

ONLINE RESOURCES:
http://www.gracelin.com/content.php?page=wherethemountainmeetsthemoon- tv interview with Grace Lin, activities and reviews for the novel, background about the book
http://www.bookrags.com/lessonplan/where-the-mountain-meets-the-moon/- Lesson plans and activities for the novel
http://learningtogive.org/lessons/unit226/lesson5.html- lesson plan related to teaching about folktales, could take ideas or activities from lesson