Because of Winn Dixie tells the story of ten-year old Opal. She has just moved to Naomi, Florida with her preacher father. On an errand to the grocery store, Opal finds a large, ugly, homeless dog. Opal is immediately attached to the dog whom she names Winn Dixie after the grocery store where she finds him. Together they make friends with Otis, an ex-convict who runs the local pet store; Miss Fanny, the librarian who has a desk full of “Litmus Lozenges” a type of candy which her great grandfather invented; and Gloria Dump, the lady the local children think of as a witch because of her jungle-like yard. This book will make you laugh as Opal and Winn Dixie make friends with these very likable characters in this small southern town.
Teaching Ideas for the Book
Student Created Webpages
Approximately 14 years ago, a group of teachers from my school got together and wrote a grant for a computer lab. This was really a big deal because our school’s only computer lab at that time was equipped with Apple IIe computers. They were fantastic when the lab was first set up in the 1990s, but when the Internet came to our school system, they felt like dinosaurs. The new lab was incredible. The teachers who worked on the grant were given the first time slots in the new lab. I had a 45 minute slot of time each day. You can imagine the excitement I felt.Continue Reading
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.
Here are a couple sample pages from the book unit. Just click on the image below to download this sample in a pdf form.Continue Reading
Holidays are always more special if you have an activity that centers around the holiday. It is a double bonus if the activity practices a skill the class needs extra practice with. I hope this free mini lesson on homophones will be just what your class needs.Continue Reading
Island of the Blue Dolphins is based on a nonfictional story of a young girl who was stranded for 18 years on an island off the coast of California during the 19th century. The story was turned into a children’s novel by Scott O’Dell in 1960. For years students have enjoyed reading this fantastic tale of courage.
With this post, I have included some constructive response question samples. I hope you will enjoy them. At the bottom of this page, you can follow the link to find the full unit on Teachers Pay Teachers.Continue Reading
Tuck Everlasting is about ten year old Winnie who is stifled by the strict rules her family has set. She decides to run away into the nearby woods. There she finds the Tucks. This family is extremely different from her own. The anchor chart below helps students see some of these differences.
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
