Questions from Teachers Just Like You...
"Right now I am working on a literature unit for my reading class because we are sooo bored with our routine with the reading textbook. I've been reading Arthur, For the Very First Time by Patricia MacLachlan and want to make some fun activities and assessments to go along with it. Any ideas? I really want to introduce my students to wonderful books written by great authors! Any helpful hints or suggestions? Do you all read any chapter books as a whole class?"
I think our kids can get bored with the basal series too. Some of the stories just plain don't interest them. I personally do not teach any core reading, but I do have a supplemental reading class. My kids are the more advanced readers and so I have read a few chapter books with them. We are getting ready to start reading From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by EL Konigsburg. I read this with them last year and the kids really seemed to like it.
As far as fun activities and assessments go, I always find my best ideas through google. I found this site while looking for ideas for my class. Last year, I narrowed down some of these choices for my kids and let them pick for themselves. I had some pretty good diary entries from Claudia's point of view, a few homemade board games, and some really neat travel brochures the kids made by researching the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I also had a student make a really nice sculpture based on the Angel sculpture from the book. I wish I had taken pictures!
Do your kids suffer from Basal Boredom?? Please post any ideas you have used/found for using chapter books in your classroom!!
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