Re: Books for 5th grade - Judy
Posted by: RD on 7/01/09
'Elijah of Buxton' is a beautiful book by Christopher Paul Curtis. May be
a tad difficult for 5th, but I'm not sure. I also loved his 'Bud, Not
Buddy'.
On 7/01/09, RD wrote:
> On 7/01/09, judy(almost)5ca wrote:
>> Wow, I feel so loved today! So far:
>> 1. Rules, Lord. All 5th grades have class sets and read this at the
>> beginning of the year to "build community."
>> 2. The Lighting Thief, Riordan. Again, class sets--this book is
>> beloved by both of the other 5th grade teachers and they say "the
>> kids LOVE it!" They read it aloud together to "illustrate MOT
>> comprehension strategies."
>> (I keep trying to convince myself to go along with my grade level the
>> first year, but it's killing me. Neither book has literary value
>> IMHO and the first is downright predictable. The second is engaging
>> and lots of fun but I think it should be independent reading--an
>> American Harry Potter really. And, worst of all, it's 350 pages
>> long--do you know how much instructional time that would be?)
>> 3. The Fighting Ground, Avi. Read this because I'm looking for text
>> that is literary AND connected to state standards. It was okay, but
>> I'm not in love. I'd definitely recommend it to kids, but don't
>> think it's a class read.
>> 4. heartbeat, Creech. Read this hoping for a replacement for Love
>> That Dog when I teach poetry. PERFECT! I love it!
>> 5. The Sign of the Beaver, Speare. I'm only halfway, but I'm
>> thrilled! Lots of meaty issues to explore AND connected to standards.
>> Soooo....2 out of 5. Any recommendations for how to deal with my
>> grade level?
>> Judy
>>
>
> 'Rules' is on my shelf, but I haven't read it yet. I don't have the
> Avi book. Now, I love the Creech, and it is a good replacement
> for 'Love That Dog' (and Hate That Cat), in that it's more for an older
> reader. Have you read 'The Wanderer'? by Creech? Beautiful book.
>
> 'The Sign of the Beaver' is one that I brought home to read this summer
> (along with another 100 or so books, poems and short stories). I'm
> thinking I'll read 'Touching Spirit Bear' before 'The Sign of the
> Beaver' because it's -supposedly - more meaty, for my age group.
>
>
> I'm going to think on which books you might like as class reads, Judy.
> I haven't taught 5th, so I'll have to think about the age level, the
> appropriateness . . ..
>
> Have you read any Korman? I loved 'Schooled'. How about 'Pictures of
> Hollis Woods' by Patricia Reilly Giff?
