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As part of the sixth grade curriculum, we will be studying and discussing different themes and how they relate to the various genres of literature. Exposing children to various genres of literature not only introduces them to different types of literature, but also allows them the opportunity to apply similar skills and strategies in one specific genre. As we focus on a specific theme, we will do a shared reading in class. I will use the shared reading as a mentor text to teach important strategies and literacy concepts. The students will also be required to select another book from this specific genre, theme, or author that they will read independently at home or at times, in literature circles in class and complete a book project. I will be giving the students specific authors, and at times, specific books to choose from. I will send home a letter as we begin a new theme of study to inform you that it is time to select a book and when the book project will be due.
Theme 1 - Identity
Our first theme is Identity. Identity is the name or essential character that identifies somebody or something. As the class shared reading, I have selected Hoot by Carl Hiaasen. As an independent book, students must choose a book from the realistic fiction genre.
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
Roy Eberhardt is the new kid--again. This time around it's Trace Middle School in humid Coconut Grove, Florida. But it's still the same old routine: table by himself at lunch, no real friends, and thick-headed bullies like Dana Matherson pushing him around. If it wasn't for Dana Matherson mashing his face against the school bus window that one day, he might never have met tall, tough, bully-beating Beatrice. And if he had never met Beatrice, he might never have discovered the burrowing owls living in the lot on the corner of East Oriole Avenue. If he had never discovered the owls, he probably would have missed out on the adventure of a lifetime.
Theme 2 - Community
Our second theme is Community. Community is a group of people with a common background or with shared interests within society. As the shared reading, I have chosen Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. In Number the Stars, Annemarie deals with issues of community while trying to hide her best friend’s identity from the Nazi soldiers occupying Denmark. As an independent book, students must choose an award winning book and read it for the Food for Thought Book Project. They will tie their book into our theme of community. We are reading Number the Stars by Lois Lowry as a mentor text/read-aloud.
Awards are important in children's books. They tell publishers, writers, and illustrators, what is considered to be "the best," and thus the standards they must strive to attain. Many children's book awards, though not all, are selected by librarians. The library market is still important to many publishers, and the most prestigious awards not only bestow honors but lead to significantly increased sales. They are an important part of the business.
For writers and illustrators, getting to know the award-winning books is one of the ways to understand what is considered to be the best today, rather than 20 or 30 or 40 years ago, when we were children. We can't read every new book that's released, but we can make a point of finding the award-winners.
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
As the German troops begin their campaign to “relocate” all the Jews of Denmark, Annemarie Johansen’s family takes in Annemarie’s best friend, Ellen Rosen, and conceals her as part of the family. Through the eyes of ten-year-old Annemarie, we watch as the Danish Resistance smuggles almost the entire Jewish population of Denmark, nearly seven thousand people, across the sea to Sweden. The heroism of an entire nation reminds us that there was pride and human decency in the world even during a time of terror and war.
Theme 3 - Inquiry
Our third theme is Inquiry. “As one may bring himself to believe almost anything he is inclined to believe, it makes all the difference whether we begin or end with the inquiry, 'What is truth?'” Inquiry is the act of asking or requesting information. We will discuss the concept of inquiry as we complete a read aloud in class. As the shared reading, I have chosen Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements. In the book Things Not Seen, a teenage boy, Bobby, suddenly turns invisible. The story revolves around Bobby as he deals with his 'disease', tries to get back to normal, and even befriends a blind girl. The book won the 2005 California Young Reader Medal.
As an independent book, students must choose any series chapter book on their level. There are so many out there so be sure to pick a great one!
Theme 4 - Collaboration
Our last theme is Collaboration. “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.” As the read aloud, I have chosen Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson. This is the sequel to the book Chains. In the book Forge, the young soldiers at Valley Forge are suffering from hunger, cold, and the threat of the British army. Their newly forged bonds of friendship might be enough to help them survive. But the chains of Curzon’s past threaten to shackle him again.
As an independent book, students can choose any free choice book to read.