There has been much dispute over the reading order of the seven books that make up the Chronicles of Narnia.The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was the first book published in the series. Due to this, a reader can pick up this book and not have to read background information to “catch up” with what is taking place in the story.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)
Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia (1951)
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)
The Silver Chair (1953)
The Horse and His Boy (1954)
The Magician’s Nephew (1955)
The Last Battle (1956)
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe tells the story of four siblings: Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. They have been sent to the English countryside to live with Professor Digory Kirke after World War II breaks out in London. The children discover a wardrobe in the professor’s home that takes them to the magical land of Narnia. Continue Reading
Bud, Not Buddy is a terrific choice for a class novel study for several reasons:
Bud, Not Buddy tells the story of a young boy living during the 1930’s Great Depression. Through this story students get a feel for this time in American history. The story tells of poverty, hardships, orphanages, hunger, soup kitchens, train hopping, and Hoovervilles.Continue Reading
For my January “Free Product of the Month,” I created Winter Figurative Language, four printable activities that focus on winter figurative language. Just click on the image below to download the file.
Maniac Magee is a great unit for teaching both theme and character change. Jeffrey Magee, later nicknamed Maniac, goes to live with Aunt Dot and Uncle Dan after his parents die in a trolley accident. After years of living with his aunt and uncle, who hate each other, Jeffrey decides he has had enough. Jeffrey simply runs away.
After a year of running, Jeffrey ends up in a fictional town called Two Mills. In this town, Hector Street divides the town between the East Side where the African Americans live and West side where the White population lives. Continue Reading
From the first line of the book . . . “It was a dark and stormy night,” until the last line. . . “But they never learned what it was that Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which had to do, for there was a gust of wind, and they were gone,” A Wrinkle in Time is an exciting story.
In this book three children, Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin, go on a rescue mission to save Meg and Charles Wallace’s father from the Darkness that has trapped him. The children are helped by three witches, Mrs. Who, Mrs. Whatist, and Mrs. Which who provide gentle advice through thoughtful quotes:Continue Reading
I love Christmas! The students’ excitement is magical
‘The TEST’
Early last year as I was listening to the requirements of our writing assessment . . . . read two informational texts . . . . compare and contrast . . . . write a narrative based on the texts . . . . I decided that I would use the magic of Christmas to practice for the test. After all, half the battle of students performing well on this type of assessment is to build up confidence levels. I thought, “Wouldn’t it be fun to compare the stories behind Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman?” I began researching. Wow! I hit a gold mine. I was surprised to discover that the story behind Rudolph is heartwarming, and there is definitely a connection between the two back stories.Continue Reading
Teachers should begin main idea lessons by explaining the basic structure of paragraphs.
EXAMPLE –A paragraph consists of a group of sentences that relate to a specific topic called the main idea or central thought. The main idea is expressed in a sentence called the topic sentence. The remaining sentences add details. These are called supporting details. When reading a paragraph look for transition words [but, however, etc.]. These often change the meaning of the paragraph. Readers can look for the main idea by asking ‘Who?‘ or ‘What?‘. Answers to ‘Where?‘ ‘When?‘ and ‘Why?‘ usually provide details to support the main idea.Continue Reading
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