If you are trying to teach skills found on standardized tests while
using the children’s literature you’ve grown to use, you’ll
want this book! Balancing traditional and literature-based instruction,
you can teach more than 150 skills commonly found in basal readers with
these creative lessons. From alphabetization to oral reading to parts
of speech, this book gives you lessons to teach strategies such as semantic
feature analysis, attribute charts, genre analysis, wordplay, and many
more. Grades 3-6.
FEATURES
- How to section
- More than 150 lessons for skills found in basal readers
- Strategies that can be transferred to other books
- Lessons that require minimal preparation and materials
- Related books for every lesson
REVIEWS
"Would be extremely useful to teachers and an excellent professional
library acquisition at a reasonable price. Recommended." - Appraisals:
(pc)
“Bridge the gap and teach grammar, vocabulary, literary elements,
genre wordplay, and word recognition." - NJEA Review
SAMPLE LESSONS
Literary Elements and Features: Narrative Order
Hausman, Gerald. How Chipmunk Got Tiny Feet: Native American
Animal Origin Stories. Illustrated by Ashley Wolff. New York: HarperCollins,
1995.
Grade levels: 3-4.
This collection of seven Native American stories concentrates on
explaining the origin of various features of animals. Readers can learn
from the following tales: "How Coyote Got Yellow Eyes," "How
Bat Learned to Fly," "How Lizard Got Flat," "How
Hawk Stopped the Flood with His Tail Feather," "How Horse
Got Fast," "How Possum Lost His Tail," and "How
Chipmunk Got Tiny Feet."
Activities
- Read the first story without telling the students its title. When
finished, ask them what they think the title should be. What do they
think the main idea is? Discuss the title of the tale. Does it convey
the main idea of the story?
- Repeat this process for each of the stories. The students will
probably become adept at predicting the titles because they all tell
how something happened.
- After reading all the stories, review each one individually. Discuss
an alternative title hat conveys the main idea as well. For example,
for the first story the students might decide that the main idea
is that Coyote should do good things instead of bad things. What
title might convey that concept?
- Have the students create a series of main idea questions based
on these stories. For example, for the first story, the students
might create the following:
The main idea of "How Coyote Got Yellow Eyes" is:
- That coyotes shouldn’t believe magpies.
- That coyotes should not steal or do bad things.
- That coyotes’ eyes are made of sap.
Discuss the possible answers and how to make good choices when dealing
with
these types of questions on standardized tests.
Related Books
Bruchac, Joseph. The Boy Who Lived with the Bears and Other Iroquois
Stories.
Illustrated by Murv Jacob. New York: HarperCollins, 1995.
____. Dob People: Native Dog Stories. Illustrated by Murv Jacob.
Golden, Colo.:
Fulcrum Publishing, 1995.
From Bridges to Reading Grades 3-6: Teaching Reading Skills with
Children’s
Literature. © Suzanne I. Barchers. Englewood, Colo.: Teacher
Ideas Press, 1999, p. 71.
Literary Elements and Features: Plot Conflict
Levine, Gail Carson. Ella Enchanted. New York: HarperCollins,
1997.
Grade levels 5-6.
In this fascinating novel, Ella has been cursed with obedience: She
cannot disobey a direct order. When her wicked stepsisters realize this,
they make her life miserable. Yet, Ella works hard at circumventing the
enchantment, finally finding her own way to break the spell.
Activities
- This rich novel will enchante students as well. Read it aloud, stopping
to discuss the conflict that occurs in each chapter. Plot the level
of the conflict by creating a chart that numbers the chapters from
1 and up along the horizontal axis. Have seven categories, from low
to high, on the vertical axis. Students can place an X from low to
high to rate the conflict for each chapter.
- Opinions may differ on the level of conflict. Discuss these differences
and reach consensus before moving on to the next chapter. It is important
to revisit the first four or five chapters of the book and revise the
chart if necessary. The story starts out dramatically and students
will need to decide how the conflict of the curse and the death of
her mother fit with the overall flow of the plot.
- Compare the book with traditional versions of Cinderella. How does
the book compare with other stories?
Related books
Farjeon, Eleanor. The Glass Slipper. New York: HarperCollins,
1955, 1984.
McKinley, Robin. Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the
Beast. New York:
HarperCollins, 1978.
____. A Knot in the Grain and Other Stories. New York: HarperCollins,
1982, 1994.
From Bridges to Reading Grades 3-6: Teaching Reading Skills with
Children’s
Literature. Englewood, Colo.: Teacher Ideas Press, 1999, p. 82.
