May 2007 Children’s Books by the Month

Room One
by Andrew Clements, illustrated by Chris Blair
A shrinking school in a dying town. A face in the window of an empty house. Isolated events? Sixth grader Ted Hammond learns that they're not – and discovers that the solution of one mystery is often the beginning of another.

ACTIVITY
SOLVE IT
Using the website http://kids.mysterynet.com as a resource, teachers can find several short mysteries for students to solve. Before tackling any of these mysteries, discuss the observation, note-taking and problem-solving skills that helped Ted solve his big mystery. Follow up by asking students to read short mysteries for details that can be recorded on an event map or on a cause/effect map. After analyzing the details collected, ask your students to draw a specific conclusion.

Lunch Money
by Andrew Clements, illustrated by Brian Selznick
Greg Kenton loves money, but is not fond of his neighbor Maura. Together, however, they become comic book publishers, eventually fighting for the right to sell their books in school.

ACTIVITY
STEP BY STEP
At the start of the book Greg seems to think he can do almost everything better than Maura can.What makes him feel this way? Is this how he feels by the end of the story? Why? Is Mr. Z. good at being a teacher? How can you tell? Ask your students to discuss what it means to be good at something.What are some practical steps to different accomplishments? Are there steps that are common to every kind of accomplishment? Make a list of things that kids in your classroom are good at now, and what they hope to be good at in the future.

The Report Card
by Andrew Clements
Nora Rowley goes to great lengths to hide the fact that she is a genius. She just wants to be treated like a "normal" fifth grader.

ACTIVITY
COMPARED TO WHAT?
We all know that kids compare themselves to each other, and that schools compare kids by using tests and grades. Ask your students to think of other areas in life where people are compared to each other. How about in professional sports? Are some people better than others at mowing a lawn? How about running a business? Is being "the best" at something the most important thing in life? What are some qualities that are important for everyone to have? Is it possible to compare yourself to...yourself? Maybe someone would like to try comparing him- or herself now to the way he or she was then – this is a good activity for the teacher to try first!

A Week in the Woods
by Andrew Clements
Mark didn't ask to move to New Hampshire. Or to go to a hick school like Hardy Elementary. When the whole school heads out for a week of camping, nothing goes as planned. Through the ensuing events, Andrew Clements explores issues of first impressions, fairness, loyalty and courage.

ACTIVITY
USING A COMPASS
Since his compass convinced Mark that he was not lost, ask students to use a compass and determine the location of various areas of the classroom or the school building. For example, they could learn that the teacher's desk is on the north side of the room and the technology center is in the west end of the school. Using only the terms North, South, East or West, ask students to write directions with which a stranger could find several items in the classroom or areas of the building. As a good follow-up homework assignment, have students determine whether their home is N, S, E or W of the school.

Frindle: 10th Anniversary Edition
by Andrew Clements, illustrated by Brian Selznick
Nick Allen's curiosity about the origin of words has far-reaching effects. His creativity gains him notoriety; at the same time, it creates a power struggle between him and his teacher, Mrs. Granger.

ACTIVITY
RULES! RULES!
Periodically throughout the reading of Frindle, ask students if they think Nick is actually disobedient and creating problems for the school. Record these responses on a chart. At the end of the story, have students reflect on these thoughts and compare them to how they felt at the end of the story when Mrs. Granger's letter is revealed. This can be tied into behavioral issues that might apply to the class. Further discussion can focus on what causes problems for schools and why.

Also look for a BRAND-NEW Andrew Clements novel, No Talking, in Summer 2007!

www.simonsayskids.com

www.simonsaysteach.com

Download a pdf version here! PDF 419KB

To see the April 2007 Children's Books by the Month click here.

To see the March 2007 Children's Books by the Month click here.

To see the February 2007 Children's Books by the Month click here.

To see the January 2007 Children's Books by the Month click here.

To see the December2006 Children's Books by the Month click here.

To see the November 2006 Children's Books by the Month click here.

To see the October 2006 Children's Books by the Month click here.

To see the September 2006 Children's Books by the Month click here.

To see the August 2006 Children's Books by the Month click here.