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Text-to-Self Connections-

  • Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco- How have you experienced rejection? Have you ever felt excluded because you could not do something others could do easily? Have you had a person who has "turned your life around"- a teacher or mentor who showed consideration?

    Text-to-Text Connections-

    Freedom Summer and Number the Stars-

  • How do the characters in both stories face adversity?
  • What is similar about the pairs of friends in the stories?
  • Which freedoms are taken away from the characters in both stories?
  • How do the stories end differently?
  • What could have been an alternative ending to the two stories?
  • Another book you can use for connections is The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen. How did that book compare with Number the Stars?

    Text-to-Text Connections-

    A Dog's Life, Listen! and Because of Winn-Dixie-

  • All three stories are about stray dogs. How are each of the dogs' experiences different?
  • How did the three stories end differently?
  • Which book appealed most to you, and why?
  • What were common themes among the three books? What were some differing themes?

    Author Study- Andrew Clements-

    A great author whom you can compare books is Andrew Clements. Nearly all his stories are humorous and relate to school.

  • What are some common themes among his stories?
  • How are his protagonists similar or different?
  • How is school an important factor in each of his stories?
  • Let your students know a little about Andrew Clements.

    School-related books for connections-

  • Dear Mrs. Ryan, Youre Ruining My Life by Jennifer Jones- This story is about a boy named Harvey with an extremely popular author for a mother. She comes in to his classroom every single year to speak to the class. She always seems to base her books on him, and he feels like the people at school know too much about his "goofy occurrences" over time. Harvey feels extremely embarrassed and shoves the "thank you" note he writes to his mom at the bottom of his backpack that says "Dear Mrs. Ryan, you're ruining my life." He and his best friend Seal come up with an idea to get his mom thinking about something else besides writing yet another book based on him- date Mr. Stevens, the school principal, yet that situation gets peculiar after a while, also, due to classmates Bart and Bethany as well as his relationship with his real father.
  • The Homework Machine by Dan Gutman
  • Phineas L. MacGuire... Erupts! by Frances O'Roark Dowell

    Immigration- Journey to Ellis Island (Picture Book) and Orphan of Ellis Island (Chapter Book)

    Vietnam War- The Wall by Eve Bunting (Picture Book) and Dear America- Where Have All the Flowers Gone?/The Journal of Patrick Seamus Flaherty

    Here are some websites to make more connections-

  • Picture essay of the Vietnam War
  • American Experience|Vietnam Online
  • Battlefield Vietnam

    Survival- My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George and Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

    Time-Travel Stories- Below I compiled a short list of stories that revolve around being sent back in time. This is a theme that has always fascinated me. How do these books have connections?

  • The Orphan of Ellis Island by Elvira Woodruff
  • The Doll in the Garden by Mary Downing Hahn
  • The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
  • Max and Me and the Time Machine by Gery Greer and Bob Ruddick
  • The Time Cavern by Todd Fonseca

    Quests/Adventures/Ghosts- There are many connections one can make between books that are based on quests or adventures.

  • The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
  • The Ghost's Grave by Peg Kehret
  • Dragon Rider/The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
  • The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood
  • The Chronicles of Narnia Series by C.S. Lewis

    Last, here are some themes of books from Read a Summary-

  • Memories of friendship can last forever. (Bridge to Terabithia)
  • Humor differentiates between humans and animals.(Dogs Don't Tell Jokes)
  • Investigation and analysis lead to knowledge. (From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler)
  • Sometimes we have to accept change even if we don't want to. (Julie of the Wolves)
  • Unity is a power. (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe)
  • Families are the basis of life in societies. (The Orphan of Ellis Island)
  • Not everything in life comes without price. (Shiloh)
  • Experiencing misery helps understand the real feelings of miserable people. (The Whipping Boy)

    Links-

  • List of EVEN MORE Books- From one of the most useful sites, the Mosaic of Thought listserv!
  • Great Picture Books to Teach Social Studies for Grades 4-6
  • Scholastic Teacher Book Wizard

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