jpklehm Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 I'll be teaching a Lit Class for grades 4-6 for our co-op, and I need to compile a list of about 9-10 classic chapter books for us all to read. What are some of your favorites? I have many, many ideas...far too many, in fact...and I want to get some specific recommendations from all of you! So what do you say? Will you give me a few recommendations so I can finish my Course Description and get reading? :D Thank you so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chepyl Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 Island of the Blue Dolphins Secret Garden Stuart Little Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughing lioness Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 What's the focus of your group? I'm the theme queen and would probably orient it around a defining them of some sort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpklehm Posted March 31, 2012 Author Share Posted March 31, 2012 Island of the Blue DolphinsSecret Garden Stuart Little I forgot about Island of the Blue Dolphins! Thanks for the suggestions, I really appreciate them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpklehm Posted March 31, 2012 Author Share Posted March 31, 2012 What's the focus of your group? I'm the theme queen and would probably orient it around a defining them of some sort. Honestly, I don't have a theme. I really want to focus on some of the classics (A Wrinkle in Time, Island of the Blue Dolphins, My Side of the Mountain?, The Trumpet of the Swan), with perhaps a couple "just for fun" ones (Lemony Snicket?) thrown in. My vision is for our class to have some discussion time (I want to lead the discussion around Deconstructing Penguins ("Books are like puzzles..."), helping the students to grasp some of the subtleties of the stories), and having some fun hands-on activities to go along with them. Take 2-3 weeks to read the story and then on the last week for that story, finishing our time with a fun activity, snack, or something along those lines. I'm just now formulating this in my mind, so if anyone has done this before and/or has some suggestions, I could use all the help I can get! Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 I've been running book clubs (using ideas from Deconstructing Penguins and Teaching the Classics) the past couple of years - this year I started one for my 5th grader. This club is all girls, so the selections do skew a bit girly. This was our list this year: The Secret of Platform Thirteen The Wolves of Willoughby Chase The Jungle Book The Black Stallion Five Children and It The Wind in the Willows Ella Enchanted Next year these are ones I'm thinking of choosing from (still have to narrow it down more): Anne of Green Gables True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle The Star of Kazan Witch of Blackbird Pond The Penderwicks House of Arden Secret Garden Wrinkle in Time Caddie Woodlawn A Long Way from Chicago The Magician’s Nephew Twenty One Balloons The View from Saturday or From the Mixed-Up Files… Rascal The Call of the Wild Tiger Rising Pushcart War Paint the Wind Misty of Chincoteague Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuovonne Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 I'm just now formulating this in my mind, so if anyone has done this before and/or has some suggestions, I could use all the help I can get! I've been running book clubs (using ideas from Deconstructing Penguins and Teaching the Classics) the past couple of years - this year I started one for my 5th grader. :bigear: I'd love to hear more ideas. I'm trying to get a book club for 4th - 5th graders next year. I've never done anything like this before, and don't want to fall flat on my face. Could you tell more about how you've run your book clubs? What works? What doesn't? Do you start with prepared questions? What background research do you do on the books? How long to allow for discussion? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2_girls_mommy Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 My girls' book club just did: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. It was an excellent book and they enjoyed it a lot. I would add it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpklehm Posted April 2, 2012 Author Share Posted April 2, 2012 My girls' book club just did: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. It was an excellent book and they enjoyed it a lot. I would add it. This book sounds fantastic. I will add it as Historical Fiction. Thank you for the suggestion! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy2BeautifulGirls Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 White Fang and Swiss Family Robinson. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmrich Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Here is my list for next year. It is inspired by Deconstructing Penguins. The highlights from this year were: Heidi, The Jungle Book, Anne of Green Gables, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, The Call of the Wild (although the girls did not like the dog abuse),Bully For You Teddy Roosevelt, All of a Kind of a Family, Mary Poppins (loved it!), and our next one is Number the Stars. Next year:ugust: The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg September: The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster October: White Lilacs by Carolyn Meyer November: The Great Turkey Walk by Kathleen Karr December: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens January: Babe by Dick King-Smith February: Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor March: Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell April: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle May: The Secret Garden by Frances H. Burnett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpklehm Posted April 6, 2012 Author Share Posted April 6, 2012 Here is my list for next year. It is inspired by Deconstructing Penguins. The highlights from this year were:Heidi, The Jungle Book, Anne of Green Gables, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, The Call of the Wild (although the girls did not like the dog abuse),Bully For You Teddy Roosevelt, All of a Kind of a Family, Mary Poppins (loved it!), and our next one is Number the Stars. Next year:ugust: The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg September: The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster October: White Lilacs by Carolyn Meyer November: The Great Turkey Walk by Kathleen Karr December: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens January: Babe by Dick King-Smith February: Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor March: Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell April: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle May: The Secret Garden by Frances H. Burnett Great list, thank you! I have many of these on my list but you're the second poster to recommend Number the Stars, so I'm going to add that. I also like how you simplified your list by organizing it by month. I've been thinking about how to know how long it will take to read each book but this way, we have enough time to read each book as well as have group discussions and possibly a fun activity for each. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wee Pip Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
besroma Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 (edited) All on a Mountain Day by Aileen Fisher Edited April 8, 2012 by besroma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber in AUS Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Check out which of the books on your list are Newbery Medalists that may help you narrow it down. Great idea by the way, my DD has been asking about a kids book club for a while because I'm in one. I really should do something about that :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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