Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!

Laura Amy Schlitz

Candlewick Press, 2007

Awards: 2008 Newbery Award Winner

Suggested Delivery: Whole Class (Reader’s Theatre)

Reading Level:

• ·      Grade Level: 6
• ·      Fountas and Pinnell: Z 

Key Words:

1.   Medieval
2.   Class system
3.  Monologue
4. World History
5. England 

Vocabulary: friants (2), forge (6), anvil (9), dysentery (18), vanquish (18), valiant (35), frank (35), selfsame (43),

Summary: This book is constructed of a series of 17 monologues and 2 dialogues, spoken by various child characters living in 13^th Century, England. Speakers range from the Lord’s daughter and nephew, to the children of the town beggar and blacksmith. This witty and historically accurate collection creates an intriguing bridge to the people and places of medieval England.

Before: Prior to reading, the class will have a discussion on reader’s theatres.

• ·      Involves sharing literature by reading aloud and performing dialogue of assigned characters
• ·      Can be a more interesting way of learning material or becoming more fluent.

Additionally, we will discuss the use of monologues.

• ·      Definition: a long speech by one actor in a play or movie, or as part of a theatrical program
• ·      Used to exemplify the in-depth perspective of just one person.

Lastly, students will be assigned a role, and will briefly review their own poems, looking for words that need to be defined, or meanings that need clarification.

During: While the book is being performed as a class, students will record the following from at least 3 monologues, in addition to their own.

• ·      Setting
• ·      Main idea of the monologue
• ·      Mood of the dialogue
• ·      Character’s class
• ·      Favorite quote

     In addition, pause after the dialogue of Petronella and Jacob, and discuss the following:

• ·      In the Middle Ages, the characters of Petronella and Jacob would have been at odds with one another in society because of their religion. In reading their dialogue, are there are any real differences between the characters? What do you think of their societal separation?

After: Students will be combined in groups comprised of actors whose character’s belong to different social classes. There will be at least one noble, one middle class, and one peasant class character in each group. While discussing the character analysis facts they recorded, students will talk about the pros and cons of belong to one class over another. Questions to consider:

• ·      Which character lived the hardest/easiest life?
• ·      What did we learn about the Middle Ages?

Writing: Basing your responses on the characters we read about in Good Masters, Sweet Ladies!, which of their classes or lifestyles would you rather belong to?

• ·      Is any lifestyle better than the other, or are they simply different?
• ·      What are some pros and cons of belonging to either social class?

Electronic Resources:

·      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXf4ykz1sUs

o   Reader’s Theatre example

·      http://www.btsb.com/libcorner/lp/GMSLTeachersGuide.pdf

o   Teacher’s guide

Schlitz, L. (2007). Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village. Cambrige:             Candlewick Press. 

The Higher Power of Lucky

The Higher Power of Lucky

Susan Patron

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2006

Awards: 2007 Newbery Award winner

Suggested Delivery: Small Group

Reading Level:

·      Grade Level: 5

·      Fountas and Pinnell: V

·      Lexile Measure: 1010L

Key Words:

1.     Family

2.     Faith

3. Friendship

4. Values

5.  Running Away

Vocabulary: anonymous (1), ward (16), impression (21), contribute (21), burro (33), commodities (35), elegance (74), discouraged (107), cholla (112)

Summary: Meet Lucky, a ten year old girl, living in Hard Pan, California (pop: 43). After finding her guardian’s passport, Lucky is convinced she is doomed to be sent to an orphanage without her dog HMS Beagle. Having heard about “higher powers” from eavesdropping on the local AA meeting, Lucky needs to find her own in order to solve all of her problems…and fast!

Before: Students will review the concept of symbolism.

·          In literature, symbolism is the use of objects or symbols to represent ideas and thoughts.

•     What are some symbols we’ve seen in other books we’ve read this year?

Additionally, we will briefly discuss the question of, “What is a “higher power”?

During: Throughout the book, Lucky finds various symbols that represent a fellow character’s “higher power”. Students should be looking for these symbols and will record them as they read them. Some examples of “higher power” symbols include:

• ·      The town of Hard Pan
• ·      A colony of ants
• ·      The moon
• ·      Lincoln’s knot

While reading, students will also make predictions for the following questions:

• ·      On page 59, Lincoln suggests to Lucky that Brigitte should open a restaurant. What do you think will come of this idea?
• ·      What will Lucky’s higher power be? How will she find it?

After: When students have finished reading, we will have a class discussion on the symbols they found in the novel. As a class, we will make a t-chart exemplifying both the symbols found, and the evidence that supports them.

Writing: Throughout The Higher Power of Lucky, Lucky is desperately searching for her higher power. Do you think she found it? What was it? Think about your own life. Do you have a higher power?

Electronic Resources:

·      http://www.susanpatron.com/index.html

o   Author’s Website

·      http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/18/books/18newb.html?_r=0

o   Information for Teacher: article on HPoL controversy and censorship

Patron, S. (2006). The Higher Power of Lucky. New York: Atheneum Books for Young             Readers

Just Grace Goes Green

Just Grace Goes Green

Charise Mericle Harper
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009

Suggested Delivery: Whole Class

Reading Level:
•     Grade Level: 5th grade
•     Lexile Measure: 950L

Key Words:

1.      Environment

2.      “Going Green”

3.      Conservation

4.      Recycling

5.      Humor

Vocabulary: stimulating (6), peon (7), passionate (18), endangered (23), conservation (50), “cooks in the kitchen” (83)

Summary: Lots of exciting things are happening to Grace and her friends. Most exciting of all, Miss Lois’s class is GOING GREEN! For their “green” project, Grace and Mimi aim to inspire their friends and classmates to conserve plastic bottles. But a far more important issue is that Gwen has taken a strong liking to Mimi’s favorite stuffed toy, Willoughby. Just Grace uses her empathy superpower to figure out ways to make her best friend feel better, and she makes a difference for the environment too!

Before: Class will have a discussion on what it means to “go green”.

·         What is “going green”?

·         Why is it a good thing?

·         What are some things you could do to “go green”?

During: While reading, students will record Grace’s going green tips and facts they learned about conserving the Earth. On this list, they will highlight or star some of the things she mentions that they already do, or could easily do in their own lives. Some tips include:

·         List on page 13

·         List on page 56

After: As a class, we will discuss which of Grace’s tips on conservation we could do in our own lives. Students will share the tips they highlighted with the class and discuss additional parts of their routine they could alter to help the Earth.

Writing: One of Grace’s assignments is to create a “going green” project is she passionate about. Using what you’ve learned from Grace, create your own project that will help save the Earth!

Electronic Resources:

·         http://www.hmhbooks.com/books/justgrace/tips.html

o   Author’s website w/ list of Grace’s tips

·         http://kidshealth.org/kid/watch/house/go_green.html

o   Additional information on environmental conservation

Harper, C.M. Just Grace Goes Green. (2009). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Anklet for a Princess: a Cinderella Story from India

Lila Mehta

Shen’s Books, 2002

Suggested Delivery: Whole Class Read

Reading Level:

·      Grade Level: 4^th  - 5^th grade

Key Words:

1.      Culture

2.      Cinderella

3.      Fairytale

4.      India

5.      Step-mother

Summary: A modern take on the classic fairytale, Cinderella, Anklet for a Princess follows Cinduri as she works tirelessly for her stepmother and stepsisters. As a ball with a prince approaches, Cinduri and her Godfather Snake use magic to allow her to go without being caught by her relatives. Will she meet the man of her dreams and fall in love?

Vocabulary: rippling, cholera, tantalizing, aarti lamp, marquee, maiden

Before: Students will have a discussion on the genre of fairy tales.

·         What are their elements?

o   Good/evil characters

o   Plo

o   Setting

·         What are some examples of fairy tales we have already read?

o   Cinderella

§  Good Characters: Cinderella, Fairy godmother

§  Bad Characters: Stepmother, stepsisters

§  Plot: Cinderella must get to the ball to meet the Prince of her dreams, without being caught by her step-relatives.

§  Setting: In a village

During: Students will create a Venn Diagram comparing elements of this fairy tale with those of the more well-known version of Cinderella.

·         Examples of important differences:

o   Types of chores

o   How stepmother came to be in charge of Cinduri

o   Item that belongs to Cinderella/Cinduri (anklet)

After: Students will have a discussion on culture.

·         What is culture?

o   A way of life

·         Students will make a t-chart comparing American and Indian culture using examples found in the text:

o   Examples of Indian culture:

§  Multiple wives

§  Food (rice, lentils)

§  Snake symbolism

§  Attire: anklet vs. glass slipper

Writing: Research another culture, and write a Cinderella story about individuals in that location.  

Electronic Resources:

·         http://www.astorybeforebed.com/books/469-anklet-for-a-princess-by-lila-mehta-meredith-brucker-and-youshan-tang

o   Electronic version of book

·         http://prezi.com/b44kcvdnfhur/an-anklet-for-a-princess/

o   Electronic Prezi presentation on culture and book summary

Mehta, L. Anklet for a Princess: a Cinderella Story from India. (2002). China: Shen’s Books.

The Hundred Dresses

The Hundred Dresses

Eleanor Estes
Harcourt Brace and Company, 1944
Suggested Delivery: Whole Class Read

Reading Level:

·         Grade Level: 5^th grade

·         Fountas and Pinnell: O

·         Lexile Measure: 890L

Key Words:

1.      Bullying

2.      Culture

3.      Friendship

4.      Courage

5.      Prejudice

Vocabulary: Apt (2), precarious (6), incredulous (15), stolidly (15), arithmetic (20), exclaiming (22), crimson (22), enveloped (28), casualness (50), disconsolate (61)

Summary: The Hundred Dresses follows a young Polish girl named Wanda, who goes to a school in an American town, where the other children see her as "different" and mock her. Told from the perspective of her classmate Maddie, readers will quickly realize that there is much more to a person than their name and how they dress.

Before: Students will discuss the topic of character traits. Character traits are adjectives that can be used to explain the values, thoughts, and beliefs of a character. In order to give the discussion context, we will use a character we’ve read about previously to brainstorm some examples of character traits.

·         Important points to remember:

o   Traits do not include adjectives about their looks or the way they do something physically – they are about a character’s personality.

o   There must be textual evidence to support the traits assigned to each character

During: For the characters of Wanda, Maddie, and Peggy, students will record their important thoughts, actions and feelings, which may be evidence for character traits. They should include page numbers for later activities.

·         Potential events/thoughts to record:

o   Character descriptions on pg. 5

o   Maddie’s thoughts on pg. 18

o   Wanda’s dialogue on pg. 29

o   Wanda’s dialogue on pg. 52

After: Students will brainstorm a communal list of character traits for the three main characters of the story. When suggesting a character trait, students will need to justify their answers with the evidence they record during the reading.

Writing: Students will answer the following prompt –

·         Pick one main character from The Hundred Dresses. Which two character traits best represent the personality of this character? Provide support and evidence for your choices.

Electronic Resources:

·         http://www.zaner-bloser.com/media/zb/zaner-bloser/email_promo/2010-2011/100Dresses.pdf

o   Includes resource guide and assessment questions

·         http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/hundred-dresses-lesson-plan

o   Additional lesson plan ideas

Estes, E. The Hundred Dresses. (1944). San Diego: Harcourt Brace and Company.

War Horse

War Horse
Author: Michael Morpurgo
Published by Scholastic Press in 2007

 

Suggested Delivery: Small Group Read

Reading Level:

Grade Level: 5-6
Lexile Measure: 1090
Fountas and Pinnell: Z

Key Words:

1. War
2. Loyalty
3. Commonalities between opposing sides
4. Friendship
5. World History

Vocabulary: lunging (8), foreboding (18), peremptory (41), meticulous (50), finesse (50), Yankees (143)

Summary: Told from the perspective of a young English farm horse Joey, War Horse is the story of a young boy, Albert, and his beloved friend throughout the First World War. From early on, Joey is sold to the English Army to be used in battle. Throughout the novel, Joey serves as an inspiration for all who meet and ride him, including individuals from both sides of the battlefield, as well as Albert, who never loses hope that they will reunite once again. War Horse teaches readers about the brutality, and pointlessness of war, while showing that love and loyalty are universal values that can be found on both sides of any conflict.

Teaching Strategies

Before: Because this novel is set around the time of the First World War, students will need some background information on the conflict, in order to follow the initial layout of the story. For example, Albert tells Joey in the beginning of the novel,” Mother says there is likely to be a war. I don’t know what it’s about – something about some old duke that’s been shot at somewhere” (15). Students may be curious to know who that person is (Archduke Franz Ferdinand), and why his role is important to the causes of war. In general, students should have an idea of:

·  Alliances on each side of war (Italy, Germany and Austria-Hungary vs. Great Britain, France and Russia)

·  General reasons for fighting (territorial disputes, intricate alliances)

·  How the war ended (11 o’ clock armistice)

 

During: Throughout the book, Joey is exchanged between many owners, and eventually finds himself fighting for both the British and the Germans. Because of the intricacy of the web of owners and their personalities, students should make a timeline of Joey’s journey while reading. In their timeline, students should include where Joey is geographically, and information about who is taking care of him. More than simply recording names and dates, students should also write down personality traits and insights into the characters they meet, including both humans and horses.

After: As a group, we will review the timeline and compare and contrast Joey’s various owners. While making a list of similar character traits, students will discuss how each caretaker, despite being opposed to each other officially in war, is similar in how he/she has love and respect for each animal that they meet. To reinforce this lesson, we will discuss the scene in which the German and British soldiers speak civilly about which side will rescue Joey from the barbed wire.

Some pages to revisit and reread may include:

·  Pg. 64: Germans take Joey

·  Pg. 119: “I think if they would let you and me have an hour or two out here together, we could sort out this whole wretched mess. There would be no more weeping widows or crying children in my valley and no more in yours. If worst came to worst, we could decide it all on the flip of a coin, couldn’t we?”

·  Pg: 160: Discussion of commonalities

Writing: Throughout the novel, readers learn quite a bit about the personalities of other characters from Joey’s point of view. Instead, students should tell the story from Tophorn’s point of view. Who were Tophorn’s caretakers, and how did he get involved in the war? Upon meeting Joey, describe his personality.

Additional Teaching Recommendations:

·  Seeing how War Horse is set in war, teachers will need to consider how they want to handle the conversation about brutality and life loss that may come up. For a younger reader, teachers may need to be more adamant in delivering the inspiring qualities of Joey’s personality, over the physical consequences of battle.

Electronic Sources:

Video of World War One Information for Children:
o   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htyue8xRS7M
War Horse Trailer:
o   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRf3SfeMRD4
Includes additional lesson plans and related activities
o   http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/war-horse

Morpurgo, M. (2007). War Horse. New York: Scholastic Press.