Bridge to Terabithia

Jesse woke up early and worked all summer so that he could be the fastest runner at school. But then on the first day of school the new girl beat him! Jesse did not know who she was and at the time had no idea how great of a impact she would have on his life.

Teachers: Here are some resources to help you teach ..

Bridge to Terabithia This is Katherine Paterson's official website and my favorite part is the question/answers that give an insight into why she did certain things while writing the book.
Study Guide for Bridge to Terabithia This is such a great website with before reading, active reading and responding activities.


Vocabulary: Study Guide for Bridge to Terabithia Page 12 has a list of vocabulary words from the text.


Teaching Suggestions:

2. During Reading Have students make a web as they read about Jesse Aaron and what kind of person he is. Use the web during full class discussions.

3. After Reading Have the students write an essay about what made Leslie different than Jesse's other classmate.

Paterson, Katherine. Bridge to Terabithia. New York: HarperCollins, 1977. 

Attack of the Bandit Cats by Geronimo Stilton

After Mouse City's phone book is published with many mistakes Geronimo's best bet is to get out of town as quickly as possible. He takes a trip to the legendary island covered in silver. But shortly after arriving Geronimo and his family members are attacked by a ship of cats! Will they make it out with their lives or become dinner?

Teachers: Here are some resources to help you teach ..

Geronimo Stilton Since this is a book in a series this website maybe helpful if you need to take a look at the Stilton family tree or many other things.
Complete List of Series Here is a complete list of all the books in the series by Geronimo Stilton. If a student likes this one you may want to suggest others.

Teaching Suggestions:

1. Before Reading Before reading it may be helpful to go over the Stilton family tree and other information since this is a book in a series and all the children may not be familiar with it. 

2. During Reading While reading the students should write down the silly words that have been altered and replace them with the right words. Then as a class or in pairs discuss why the author decided to change the words and which way they liked it better.

3. After Reading Have the students pick another animal and ask them to write several clever sentences using their animal.

Stilton, Geronimo. Attack of the Bandit Cats. New York: Scholastic, 2004. 

My Name Is Maria Isabel by Alma Flor Ada

This is the story of a young Hispanic girl growing up in the United States. It goes through her struggle, that many minority students deal with, with biculturalism and self identity. The title comes from the struggle caused by her teacher calling her Mary in class. The teacher does not understand why Maria has such a hard time responding until the teacher reads her essay on "My Greatest Wish". 


Teachers: Here are some resources to help you teach..
My Name is Maria Isabel-Power Point This link will bring you to search results. Click on the first link which is a power point made by a teacher, Michelle Krill. This power point is so great because it provides vocabulary and prediction questions.
For this next resource ..I do not have a link. I went to google and searched "No Name-Calling Week Elementary Lesson Plans". The first PDF document that came up was very helpful. It is lesson plans from GLSEN and NAESP and it gave me the idea that this book could be used in conjunction with No Name Calling Week.


Vocabulary: Mrs. Taylor's Fourth Grade Class Website At the bottom of this page are five vocabulary words that should be covered so that students can better understand how Maria Isabel was feeling throughout the book.

Teaching Suggestions:

2. During Reading Change all the students names in the class for the day. Call them all by the different names. To make it easier you may want to make them wear name tags. After this experience, the next day, have them write an essay explaining how they felt throughout this day.

3. After Reading Quia Quiz Here is a quiz that you can give to you students after they have completed reading the book to test their comprehension.


Ada, Alma Flor. My Name Is Maria Isabel. New York: Aladdin, 1995.

Judy Moody Declares Independence by Megan McDonald

-Judy Moody takes a trip to Boston
-American Revolution
-independence, liberty, freedom


Teachers: Here are some resources to help you teach ..

Welcome to Judy Moody This website has all kinds of fun stuff for students to access from games and activities to the ability to read excerpts from several books. Students can become part of the Judy Moody fan club or learn more about Judy on this website. 
Megan McDonald The layout of this site is just as much fun as the previous site except instead of being focused around Judy Moody this site is focused around the author Megan McDonald.


Teaching Suggestions:

1. Before Reading Before students start reading this book it may be a good idea to cover certain key terms such as liberty, independence, American Revolution, etc.
2.During Reading Judy Moody Activities taken from this site.. Responsibility In Judy Moody Declares Independence, Judy wants to be just like Sybil Ludington — responsible and independent. Discuss what it means to be responsible. What things does Judy do to prove to her parents that she is responsible? What kinds of things can and should kids do to act responsibly? 
3. After Reading Chatterpack On this page is a suggested idea from Megan McDonald and a print out that the students can use during this activity.

McDonald, Megan. Judy Moody Declares Independence. Cambridge : Candlewick Press, 2005. 

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

This is the story of Sayuri Nitta, who grew up in a poor fishing village until at nine years old her father sold her. She gives us a look into a world where appearance is held above all else and love is an illusion.


Teachers: Here are some resources to help you teach ..
Teacher's Notes Here is a resource that has teacher's notes chapter by chapter along with a summary and a great deal of discussion questions. It also has some during reading activities as well as extra activities if you have extra time.
Memoirs of a Geisha This is a link to the Memoirs of a Geisha movie page. The maybe helpful to visually show clips depending on your activities. It may also be helpful to discuss the differences between a book and film and the importance of text.


Teaching Suggestions:

1. Before Reading Dictionary definition of Geisha Before beginning to read the book it is important that the students know what the title means. Here is a link to the Dictionary.com definition of a geisha.
2. During Reading Book Club Questions Here are some more questions that can be used to guide discussions while reading to further understanding. The first teacher's resource also has a good number of really excellent discussion questions.

3. After Reading After completing the reading of the book students can watch the movie as a class (if appropriate for age level and parents approve) and they can write a compare/contrast about the differences between the book and film.

Golden, Arthur. Memoirs of a Geisha. New York: Random House, 1999. 

Monday with a Man Genius by Mary Pope Osborne

-Jack and Annie adventure
-second of four secrets of happiness
-Renaissance time period
-Leonardo da Vinci


Teachers: Here are some resources to help you teach.. 
Magic Tree House-Random House This website had activities and a page about the author along with lesson ideas.


Vocabulary: Magic Tree House-Google This is actually something you can find in the back of the book but this link brings you to the book online. It has vocabulary words and breaks them down to the Latin roots in them.

Teaching Suggestions:

1. Before Reading Before the students begin to read as a class you should flip through the picture in the book and see if you can get an idea of what information you can gather.

2. During Reading While reading you should do some research either individually or as a class on the Renaissance time period so that the students have a better understanding.

Osborne, Mary Pope. Magic Tree House #38: Monday with a Mad Genius. New York: Random House, 2007. 

House Rules by Jodi Picoult

The hallmark signs of Asperger's Syndrome; tics and twitches, avoiding eye contact. These are the very behaviors that get the police's attention pointing to Jacob Hunt as the prime suspect in his tutor's murder investigation. This book takes a look at our legal system, it's flaws, and how autism affects a family.

Teachers: Here are some resources to help you teach..

Jodi Picoult's website This website is very helpful to get an insight into the author. It also has book club discussion questions and background information on Asperger's Syndrome.
Your Little Professor This website has lots of information on Asperger's Syndrome that can not only help you understand but help you help your students learn more.


Teaching Suggestions:

1. Before Reading Have the students beginning a KWL on what they already know about Asperger's Syndrome.

2. During Reading Have them research about Asperger's Syndrome and not only fill in their KWL chart but also create another graph with two columns, in one column place traits that are common for people with Asperger's and in the other have them list Jacob's traits.

3. After Reading When the students have completed reading the book have them list all the reasons they thought Jacob was the prime suspect and then write ways that these misconceptions could be avoided.

Picoult, Jodi. House Rules: A Novel. New York: Washington Square Press, 2010.