Frindle by Andrew Clements is the humorous story of a fifth grade boy. Nick comes up with the idea to start calling an ink pen a frindle. His teacher, Mrs. Granger, makes a huge deal when Nick and his classmates use the word frindle in class. Large groups of students begin to stay after school to write punishment sentences. This causes the principal to pay a visit Nick’s home. Excitement over the word spreads all over town. Before long, Nick has created a tidal wave that seems to keep growing. This is a must read book for upper elementary students.
10 Teaching Ideas for the Book
1 – Audio Version
Jeannie from Storytime with Miss Jeannie has recorded the entire Frindle novel in three chapter segments. The quality of these videos is excellent. This link goes to all of Storytime with Miss Jeannie‘s Youtube channel. At her site, you will also find recordings of Charlotte’s Web, James and the Giant Peach, The Great Gilly Hopkins, Sideways Stories from Wayside School, The Wizard of Oz, Fantastic Mr. Fox, No Talking, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The Witches.
2 – Scholastic Lesson Plan
This lesson plan provides instructions for how students can brainstorm to come up with a new word then create a dictionary entry for it including a pronunciation key, part of speech, word origin, and definition.
3 – Activities
Courtney from Polka Dot Lesson Plans provides a blog post with several teaching ideas. She includes photos of student work to help illustrate paper plate characters and a scene snap shot.
4-8 – Links on the Web
Check out the reading guide for Frindle at the resources page on the Author Andrew Clements Website. This seven page resource includes prereading activities, discussion questions, book activities, and vocabulary.
- 8 Fun Dictionary Activities from Rachel Lynette
- Vocabulary List for Frindle
- Reading is Fundamental’s Frindle Page has an online crosswords puzzle and word searches in three different levels.
- Frindle at Storyboard That
- Simon & Schuster Discussion Topics and Research Topics
9 – Free Printable Activities to use with the Book
If you would like to try out the Frindle Book Unit before you buy it, this download contains free samples including:
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Vocabulary Practice for Chapter 1 [thermostat and custodian]
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Comprehension Questions for Chapter 1
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Constructed Response Question for Chapter 1 – Cause and Effect
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Photos to Show What the Rest of the Unit Looks Like
10 – Book Unit Sample
Click here for a free novel study sample.
Here’s where you can purchase the full unit:
Frindle Book Unit contains graphic organizers for an interactive notebook and game activities. Vocabulary, comprehension, constructed response writing, and skill practice are all included.
Check out Boom Learning Task Cards, a self-scoring interactive tool, with Frindle Novel Study.
What is Boom Learning℠?
Boom Learning℠ takes task cards to the next level. They live in the cloud. Boom Cards can’t be printed. They play on most modern browsers, Android, iPads, iPhones, and Kindle Fires. It is a win-win situation.
Frindle Novel Study with Boom Learning Cards
This bundle contains 19 decks. Fifteen of these decks are vocabulary/comprehension checks for the 15 individual chapters in the novel Frindle. The remaining 4 decks practice language arts skills. The bundle contains a whopping total of 286 cards.
Each deck offers a variety of question types including multiple choice, multiple select, drag-and-drop, and fill in the blanks. After students read a chapter from Frindle, they complete a deck. These decks average 11 cards making them quick way to check comprehension.
How many times have you wanted to throw away the large stack of papers your students have turned in to grade? Boom is paperless. Did I mention these are not only interactive but self-grading as well?
Four language arts decks are also included. These decks practice spelling words that end in -ing correctly, shades of meaning, progressive verbs, and context clues.
There’s More – Printable Vocabulary File
Boom Learning℠ offers downloadable printable files to use along with the interactive decks. My Frindle materials in this packet may be used to introduce the words before students complete the practice exercises.
This printable resource includes the following:
- a word list with definitions and sample sentences
- bookmarks
- word cards
- end of the unit vocabulary test
Let me know if you have questions. Here again is the link to Frindle Novel Study at Boom Learning.
Click here for a free sample of the printable unit.
