lexi Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 I'm planning out my reading list for next year. I have some historical fiction, some cultural focused books, some modern fiction, some poetry and some classics....But I wanted a few more things to round out my list. I need a few biography or autobiography ideas I also need a couple non fiction books that would be fun to add in I would also love some suggestions for picture books. I would love to discuss various themes using longer picture books. So.....help me out please!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
historically accurate Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 My 6th grader has read or listened to the following for school books this year: Anne of Green Gables Hatchet Paddle to the Sea (picture book on the Great Lakes) Redwall Catherine, called Birdy The Sword in the Stone Tuck Everlasting A Hat Full of Sky Harry Potter 4 Esperanza Rising I am Malala I used this book for poetry: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385076967/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0385076967&linkCode=as2&tag=mamrex-20&linkId=XJIGURIRILPYOOU3 Book Club Books (through the library): Gregor the Overlander Gertie Leaps to Greatness Mrs. Frisby & the Rats of NIMH A Snicker of Magic Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library Wonder The One and Only Ivan The Penderwicks The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane Savvy She's also researched and done a speech on the following topics. She uses the internet, podcasts and non-fiction books for these. Castles Zebras Hurricanes Ruby Bridges Franklin D. Roosevelt Fetal Development Childhood Diseases Elements/Periodic Table Circulatory System I think I got most of them. I'm sure I'm forgetting a few. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 Biography ideas... I Am Malala, YR edition - gentler than the regular edition, but still compelling Charles and Emma - about Charles Darwin and his wife The Notorious Benedict Arnold - anything by Steve Sheinkin would be a good pick, really Brown Girl Dreaming - a memoir about a writer Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice - a civil rights biography Nonfiction ideas... Bomb by Steve Sheinkin - about the creation of the atomic bomb, really complex, compelling story Archimedes and the Door of Science by Jeanne Bendick - super easy read about science and philosophy in the ancient world The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, YR edition - great story about a young man who built a windmill for his village The Disappearing Spoon - about chemistry - a good challenge read some middle schoolers are ready for Packing for Mars - about the weird science of preparing to go to Mars - so well told and funny, but an adult level book Alternately, you could choose shorter nonfiction and choose several titles. The Scientist in the Field books are so good, for example. And there are a number of great shorter science books that are at a middle school level. Or history books. Picture books for older kids... Pink and Say by Patricia Pollaco - about the Civil War The Butter Battle Book or Yertle the Turtle or The Sneeches - a good age to introduce a more obvious modern world metaphors reading of Seuss Zen Shorts - about Zen and philosophy Stinky Cheese Man - playing around with fairy tales - could be good for going with a retellings assignment Henry's Freedom Box - about slavery Weslandia - about a boy creating his own world, about conformity The Three Golden Keys by Peter Sis - Prague legends Zoom and Re-Zoom - images that zoom in and out The Mysteries of Harris Burdick - story picture prompts ... I could go on with those... is that the sort of thing you're thinking of for picture books? This list has some good older kid picture book ideas: https://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/books/detailListBooks.asp?idBookLists=259 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmstranger Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 The Boys in the Boat (YR edition) Also, not sure if you want to tie the biographies to your history or not, but maybe something on a person from that time period? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 Here's the list for my current 6th grader (I doubt she'll get through all of them and I add options that look good all the time lol.) Madam How and Lady Why - 138 pages A Christmas Carol Tom Sawyer - 197 pages Galen and the gateway to medicine - 123 pages Rip van winkle - 172 pages The Drover’s Wife - 8 pages Little Men - 304 pages 20,000 leagues under the sea - 304 pages The Time Machine - 80 pages Edible History of Humanity - 242 pages A proud taste for scarlet and miniver- 201 pages The Vanishing point - 226 pages Rise and fall of mount majestic - 339 Freckles - 146 pages Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J&JMom Posted April 4, 2017 Share Posted April 4, 2017 (edited) Here is the list, so far, of the books read aloud to my 6th and 8th graders. The historical fiction and many biographies tie to their social studies programs: Ancient for 6th and Civics/US history for 8th. https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/3267647-nancy-zey?shelf=2016-17-read-alouds&utm_campaign=mybooksnav&utm_content=mybooks_cta&utm_medium=web&utm_source=homepage These are supplemented with independently selected and assigned reading as well as their literature anthologies (short stories, articles, excepts, and poems). Edited April 4, 2017 by J&JMom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted April 6, 2017 Author Share Posted April 6, 2017 Thanks!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scbusf Posted April 6, 2017 Share Posted April 6, 2017 Can I ask a question along these lines? I have a current 5th grader, so I'm also planning for next year. What do you all do as far as discussions these books? Do you read the same books and discuss them? Do you plan out lessons or activities? Literature Guides? Language Arts is not my thing, so I struggle with what to do. DS loves reading, so that's great. Is just reading these enough? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmstranger Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 Can I ask a question along these lines? I have a current 5th grader, so I'm also planning for next year. What do you all do as far as discussions these books? Do you read the same books and discuss them? Do you plan out lessons or activities? Literature Guides? Language Arts is not my thing, so I struggle with what to do. DS loves reading, so that's great. Is just reading these enough? For most books, we just read and discuss, but I do add in lit guides sometimes. My 13yo only did one lit guide this year, and I have 2 planned for him for next year, but mostly it's just read and discuss. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 Most books she just reads and tells me about. Some books I read too and we have a casual discussion about it using the WTM questions. Every few weeks I get her to write a couple of answers to those questions, include some quotes, add a evaluation paragraph to conclude it and call it a literary analysis essay. These are less than a page of writing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 Can I ask a question along these lines? I have a current 5th grader, so I'm also planning for next year. What do you all do as far as discussions these books? Do you read the same books and discuss them? Do you plan out lessons or activities? Literature Guides? Language Arts is not my thing, so I struggle with what to do. DS loves reading, so that's great. Is just reading these enough? Reading is enough IMHO. I do think around this age, it's nice to start doing a little more. But "more" doesn't have to be a ton or dry or a whole program. Some things we've done in addition to "just reading" and "just discussing" have included... * everyone reading the same book to discuss at a special tea (somehow having a special sit down time for the discussion helps) * reading short stories and marking them up - we do one per month - it's a nice way to do more classic authors, harder themes, etc. * writing a reflection about a book - sometimes I'll ask open ended questions and have them freewrite about a book * lit guides - I like the Glencoe ones and they're free I like the way Lexi (the OP) apparently made a list that was purposefully chosen from different genres, time periods, etc. I think that's one of the best things you can do. A lot of the time kids who love to read end up reading a lot of one sort of book and don't get practice with other sorts. So it's nice to push them a little out of their comfort zone occasionally. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaraby Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 I'll second Steve Sheinkin. Ds read "Bomb" in 5th and we've listened to several of his books on audiobook. I think "The Notorious Benedict Arnold" was my favorite. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J&JMom Posted April 14, 2017 Share Posted April 14, 2017 (edited) We do it all. My kids are expected to: - participate in a language arts basal textbook (anthology of short stories, excerpts, poems, plays, articles, etc) which focus on a skill during our daily LA class. Tests are routinely given per story and Unit of study. - Novel study - read a teacher-selected novel with a literature guide over the course of the quarter. - Read Alouds - shared novel of the week (on average) and nonfiction books relating to content areas of study or interest. We discuss as we read. Average over 100 titles a year. - Independent Reading - set quarterly AR goals for time/level and they read what they what with no tests/etc. - A couple of times a year, I'll assign a nonfiction book to read and summarize. Such as, right now, their reading/writing assignment this week was to select, read, take notes, and compose a summary of what they read as it relates to the topic for their science "fair" project. The "fair" is only the two kids :) This has been the routine from fifth grade through eighth. In the younger grades, novels (chapter books) were covered more frequently. Edited April 14, 2017 by J&JMom 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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