Helpful Resources
These resources were sent home with your book! Please feel free to print more trivia questions for each child in your family.
Info on All School Literacy Night on School Celebrations Link!
Things to discuss with your family as you read No Talking:
- This story centers around language and the power of words spoken in kindness. In the story, the boys and girls have a contest to see who can use the fewest words over two days. Can you think of ways you would communicate if you couldn't talk for two days?
- Who are the “Unshushables”? How do the teachers at Laketon Elementary feel about the “Unshushables”? Have you ever been part of a noisy group? Why do you think this was the case?
- Who is Gandhi and how does he get Dave Packer into trouble? Who helps turn Dave’s experiment into a grade-wide
- contest? What are the terms of the contest?
- Who is Mrs. Hiatt? List some of the unusual steps she has taken to try to handle the fifth-grade class. Have her efforts worked? Has she given up?
- What surprises Mrs. Hiatt at the fifth-grade lunch on the second Tuesday of November? How do Mrs. Marlow, Mrs. Akers, and Mr. Burton each react to the surprise?
- What challenges do the fifth graders encounter as they get through the first hours of the contest? What loopholes do they find that allow them to make noise? What are the differences between talking and noise?
- What does Dave decide is the right word for the contest? Why do you think he chooses this word? Would you choose this same word to describe the contest?
- Why does the author title Chapter 13 “Language Lab”? What experiment does Mr. Burton perform? What is the result of his experiment?
- What do the kids discover as they try to keep quiet at home? How do their parents react to the silence?
- How do the kids handle Mrs. Hiatt’s “Pledge of Allegiance” trick? Why do they do this? What happens when Mrs. Hiatt demands an end to their contest? What change is happening in the relationships between the fifth graders?
- Why doesn’t Mrs. Escobar mind that the kids have disobeyed Mrs. Hiatt? What happens in her math class? What happens in Science, Social Studies, and Language Arts? How do the kids handle their music class on the second day?
- How does Mr. Burton feel about Mrs. Hiatt’s efforts to stop the fifth-grade contest? What does Mrs. Hiatt do when she finds out that the contest is still going on at lunchtime? How does she confront Dave? How does Dave respond?
- How does Mrs. Hiatt feel about her actions? Can you understand why she acted the way she did? What happens when she asks Dave to her office?
- Do you think Lynsey did the right thing in the end? Explain your answer.
Why Read Aloud?
The benefits of reading aloud are well-documented! Here are some important things to remember!
*This is a great time to bond with your family! To laugh, talk, snuggle and enjoy an activity together!
*Reading aloud gives our kids access to material that they may not read on their own, and introduces them to strong new vocabulary. Don't underestimate the ability of young children to grasp and use more sophisticated vocabulary. They can learn and understand more than you may expect. Large vocabularies have a strong connection to academic performance!
*When you read aloud, you provide a strong model of fluency. Read with lots of great expression and excitement to show your love of reading.
*Spend time talking about the themes and lessons of the book and what the book can teach us about each other and the world.
*Kids are never too old to enjoy being read to! Even as adults, we still enjoying listening to a good story.
*Building habits of daily reading will lead to increased volume of reading long term, which also is predictor of academic success.
Jim Trelease, author of The Read Aloud Handbook, offers lots of great tips reading aloud at home, too!
