Number the Stars by Lois Lowry is one of my favorite books. Not only is it an intriguing story, but it offers a wonderful opportunity to develop students’ background knowledge about World War II. Kids as young as fifth grade can read and enjoy this book, but it is essential to first develop adequate background knowledge about World War II. As you can imagine, most ten to thirteen year-olds have little knowledge of this era. That’s why it’s so much fun to build their background knowledge and watch how it enhances their comprehension as they read this historical fiction book. To this do, I use what I call “match-up” books.
Using match-up books has several advantages…
- Using match-up books encourages kids to read non-fictional material. With the advent of the Common Core standards, there’s been a huge push to get kids to read more non-fiction.
- Using match-up books enables kids to see the importance of activating their background knowledge when reading.
- Using match-up books is an easy, enjoyable way to help youngsters learn about a topic.
- When youngsters realize how much they have learned, it boosts their self-confidence and helps them to understand how reading can empower them.
Give it try with your kids this summer. Here’s how…
- Find a fictional book based on a subject that requires essential background information. Historical fiction or adventure stories set in unusual places often lend themselves to this.
- Search out informational books on the same topic in the children’s section of the library. You will want to choose short books, with plenty of pictures that will easily convey information.
- Before reading the books, talk with your child about what he already knows about the topic. For example, before reading Number the Stars, I brainstorm information with the kids and usually it’s obvious that there is a lot to learn.
- Introduce the information books. Read together or let your youngster read them independently but be sure that you discuss what he’s learned together so you can expand on his knowledge, clarify confusions and answer questions.
- Armed with adequate background knowledge, your youngster is ready to read and enjoy the fictional book.
- When he/she finishes the book, talk about all he/she learned to help your child appreciate the value of reading both non-fiction and fictional books.
Here are the “match-up” books I choose to use with Number the Stars. Look for more match-up possibilities in future posts and feel free to share your own. The bit of effort it takes to hunt down related books is small price to pay for the knowledge and motivation this strategy can offer your child.
Computers are great…when they work. A glitch in my WordPress account prevented me from posting last week. So today, take a look at some terrific book series that appeal to kids in the intermediate grades.
. For kids who love fantasy, enjoy wry humor, mystery and adventure, this series is sure to please.
On Monday, I took one of my granddaughters for a birthday shopping spree. The deal was that half of the allotted money would be spent on books and the other half on toys. Shannon, my granddaughter is entering first grade in the Fall. She already loves to read and finished the first five books in the Mercy Watson series. Once in Barnes and Noble, we headed right back to the book series section. Luckily, the sixth book of the series was in stock, but I also pulled the first book of about ten series and we headed over to a little table to look them over and decide which ones would make the cut.
In third grade, I met a new friend–a friend who would change my life! Her name was Nancy Drew. From the time I opened the first book in this series, I was swept up into Nancy’s world of adventure, mystery and even romance. Book after book, I happily journeyed with Nancy, her two best girlfriends, Bess Marvin and George Fayne, along with Ned Nickerson, Nancy’s tall, handsome, boyfriend. This classic book series gave me my first taste of “losing myself in a book”. This series led me to explore many other popular book series of the day.
When I met Cherry Ames and Judy Barton, I learned about the world of medicine and often imagined myself wearing the crisp, white uniform of a nurse.
The Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Lovelace Hart, took me to small town America at the turn of the century and helped me understand the value of close friends. The Ingalls family inspired me with their courage, independence and ingenuity as I traveled West right along with them in the series of Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.These were just a few of the book series that cast a spell and worked their magic, ultimately transforming me into a lifelong reader. My experience is not unique. Countless times in my teaching career, I saw reluctant readers transformed into avid readers once they discovered a series of books they enjoyed. At first, it does seem like magic, but when we peek behind the curtain, we can readily see the common factors which create that magical result…
I’m guessing that most of you can remember at least one favorite series of books that stole your heart. The right book series can spark the most reluctant reader. Monday’s post will explore the popularity and positive impact of book series. Wednesday’s post will suggest several book series appropriate for early readers and Friday we’ll explore series that may be just the ticket for fourth to eighth graders. Love to hear about your favorite book series and how they impacted your reading life.
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, and the Elephant and Piggie early readers both authored by Mo Willems will not disappoint. These award winning books will introduce you and your kids to this talented author and might just make you laugh out loud. If these are a hit, you can find scores of other awesome books by this author.
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
In April, “Pop-Pop” and I decided to give Patrick (our grandson) a shopping spree for his seventh birthday. We set an amount and told Patrick we would take him to Toys R Us and Barnes and Noble. He could spend half the money at the toy store and other half at the book store. Needless to say, it was an enjoyable adventure, offering not just a gift to Patrick, but the gift of time with Patrick to us.
Nurturing Literacy 