View From the 5th Grade Trenches - May 2011 - Get a Clue, 39 to be Exact

Here in the 5^th Grade Trenches we just finished a nail biting read-aloud. You might have heard of it, THE 39 CLUES, MAZE OF BONES (Book 1) by Rick Riordan.

The kids LOVED it. Amy and Dan Cahill, the pair of protagonists, are filled with the audacity and impulsivity that a middle grader can relate to. Dan is brash, and Amy shy. Every child in my class could relate to one or the other.

The humor was spot-on for the middle-grade brain, especially Dan’s one-liners. The villains may seem over-the-top and stereotypical to an adult, but the kids ate them up with a spoon.

As a teacher I loved all the curricular tie-ins that inspire a plethora of spin-off lessons:

History – The book is a Benjamin Franklin feast

Math – The magic square, overall number sense, and problem solving
Science - Chemistry and electricity

Language Arts – Anagrams

Technology – The fantastic online tie-in to the series where you find out which branch of the Cahill Family you belong to AND you have access to extra clues.

Best of all, the kids are grabbing for the rest of the series. I bought 3 full sets for my classroom alone, and we’ve stripped the school library as well. A different author writes each of the books, so the kids will be exposed to multiple voices and styles as they read on.

And there are the two words that are music to a teacher's ear – read on. 

Scholastic now offers the set in paperback. Dive. Dive.

View From the 5th Grade Trenches - January 2011 - Hooked on a Series

Here in the 5^th grade trenches we LOVE a good middle grade literature series.  My credit card is steaming from overuse as I fill our shelves with the latest installments of our favorites.  I get excited when a kid comes charging in the door waving a new series they’ve just discovered.  I’m a pushover.  I’ll make a beeline for the bookstore and grab up every piece of the series I can get my hands on.   

What hooks a middle grader on a series?

О   Characters – Who wouldn’t want Harry Potter for a friend? 

О   Adventure – It’s a blast to face obstacles, danger, or wonders we’ll never face in real life.  Let’s ride a dragon, fight the Minotaur, or live underwater.

О   Humor-Humor-Humor – Make us laugh and we’ll follow you home. 

О   New Worlds and Fantastic Places – We all voted here in Room 15 that we want to go to school in a castle like Hogwarts.

О   Relatability - Kids love seeing themselves in the situations and dilemmas they find in books.  It helps them understand similarities in their own lives and can be very validating.

О   Attachment – Readers, 5^th graders included, make emotional investments in stories that we follow over multiple books.  There is a sense of loss and sorrow when the path we’ve been sharing with our characters comes to an end.  How many of us took to our beds for weeks after finishing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, knowing it was the last time we’d break bread with Harry, Ron, and Hermione? 

The top three series being read in our classroom even as we speak are:

                        PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS by Rick Riordan

                        “It’s fun watching a kid have to make big decisions.”

Robyn, Kyle, Ilker, Fernanda

                        “Every page is heart pounding, exciting, and breath taking.

                                    Mark, Tyler, Sal, Caleb, Aryanna

                        HARRY POTTER by JK Rowling

                        “The Harry Potter books make you wish you had magic.  We would

like to have teachers like Mad Eye Moody, Dumbledore, and

Lupin.”

                                    Hazel, Kathleen, Pratik, Rylee

           

                        DIARY OF A WIMPY KID by Jeff Kinney

                        “It’s a funny look at facing challenges.”

                                    Melina, Jerry, Kait, Gage

HONORABLE

MENTIONS:             THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA by CS Lewis

                                    LAST DRAGON CHRONICLES by Chris D’lacey

                                    SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS by Lemony Snicket

THE 39 CLUES by Various Authors 

What are your favorites?