The Summer of the Swans - Literature Kit Gr. 5-6


Book Description

Spend the summer with Sara and the challenges she experiences while discovering herself. New ideas are provided for checking student comprehension of the novel. Set a purpose for reading by discussing the roles of family and the difficulties within. Describe how Sara sees her life as suddenly changing. State Sara and Wanda's differing opinions on Sara's haircut. Become a detective and determine whether Sara has sufficient evidence to accuse Joe of stealing Charlie's watch. Match vocabulary words from the novel to their synonyms. Step into the shoes of Joe and write a letter to an advice columnist about Sara and her rude behavior. List the problems faced by Sara and the possible solutions in a Problem-Solution Chart. Aligned to your State Standards, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: A classic coming-of-age story of fourteen-year-old, Sara, who lives in a small town in West Virginia. This Newbery Medal winning-story centers on Sara and her troubled relationship with her remote father, her perfect older sister, and Joe Melby—a boy from school. All of these problems are quickly placed on the backburner when Charlie, her mentally disabled brother, wanders out of the house in the middle of the night and goes missing. While resolving this serious crisis, Sara discovers a great deal of herself. When she and Joe find Charlie safe and sound, Sara comes to grips with the knowledge that she is comfortable with who she is and who she is becoming.




Through the Looking-Glass - Literature Kit Gr. 5-6


Book Description

Travel to a strange land and find out what it's like to be a piece in a chess game. A variety of question styles ensure students stay engaged with the novel and better enjoy the story. Compare Alice's movements in the mirror world to that of a pawn in the game of chess. Answer a series of multiple choice questions to show comprehension of Alice and the Queen's interaction. Using details gathered throughout the novel, draw a map of the looking-glass world. Become familiar with synonyms by finding words that mean the same as the underlined words found in the text. Compare the real world to the looking-glass world by describing events and actions that take place in both. Aligned to your State Standards and written to Bloom's Taxonomy, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: Through the Looking-Glass is a fantastical story about a mirrored world beyond the reflective glass. The story follows Alice six months after her adventures in Wonderland. This time, Alice climbs through the mirror on top of her mantelpiece and finds herself in an alternate world from her own. Alice soon becomes part of a large-scale chess game, where she meets strange and interesting characters through her journey. Traveling the land, Alice meets Tweedledum and Tweedledee, learns of the Walrus and the Carpenter, runs into the Red and White Kings and Queens before being crowned Queen herself. Through the Looking-Glass is a strange tale of chess, strategy, and imagination. A great companion to the Disney movie, Alice Through the Looking Glass with Johnny Depp.




Chasing Vermeer - Literature Kit Gr. 5-6


Book Description

Help find a stolen painting while solving clues that lead to a hidden message. The included answer key is easy to use, making this resource the perfect comprehensive tool for any novel study. Describe a series of coincidences that occur in the novel. Infer what Petra's father may be hiding based on his actions, and what you would do in the character's shoes. Number the events that occur in Ms. Hussey's class in the order that they happen in the chapter. Predict what Calder will do once he starts questioning Mrs. Sharpe's innocence. Take the book's theme of ancestry into the real world by writing a short fictional story about ancestors interacting with historical figures. Name and describe the key locations in the book and detail how the setting impacted the plot. Aligned to your State Standards, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: Chasing Vermeer is an action-packed story filled with mystery, danger and coincidences. Calder Pillay and Petra Andalee live on the same street, but they may as well be strangers. When a series of odd events take place, the two take notice and begin questioning the signs around them. A strange assignment from their teacher encourages them to look deeper into the works of Johannes Vermeer. When one of Vermeer's paintings is stolen, the pair team up in the hopes of solving the mystery behind the art theft. A series of coincidences lead the pair down a rabbit hole of clues that eventually lead them to solving two seemingly unrelated mysteries. Chasing Vermeer encourages the reader to follow along with the mystery to help solve a message hidden within its pages.




Old Yeller - Literature Kit Gr. 5-6


Book Description

Discover the power behind the friendship of a boy and his dog. The easy-to-use format allows for lots of variety in activities to go along with the book. Enter the mind of Travis as he explains his feelings after shooting the deer. Identify statements about the novel as true or false. Describe how Travis' attitudes change towards certain characters from the story. Predict what will become of Old Yeller based on events from previous chapters. Conduct a study on women settlers and describe how you would feel if put in their position. Categorize the different dangers Travis faces throughout the novel on a graphic organizer. Aligned to your State Standards, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: Old Yeller tells the story of a boy, his dog, and the events that lead to their unlikely friendship. Travis Coates has no need for a dog, regardless of what his father tells him. Instead, he wants a horse. Travis’ father promises to bring one home for him if he is able to step up and take care of the farm while his father is away. The 14-year-old takes this newfound responsibility to heart and sets out to prove that he deserves the title of “man of the house”. A short time after Travis’ father leaves the farm, a stray dog wanders onto their property. The Coates family name him “Old Yeller” in part because of his filthy yellow fur. Travis wants no part of this nuisance dog. He comes to change his mind when Old Yeller saves Travis’ younger brother from a bear. From then on, Travis and Old Yeller become inseparable, leading to Old Yeller helping Travis keep up his duties on the farm. The story progresses in this manner until one task threatens the health of them both.




Bridge to Terabithia - Literature Kit Gr. 5-6


Book Description

Travel to an imaginary land to discover the true power of friendship and the heartache of loss. Provide open-ended application and journal prompts to excite students about the reading. Make a prediction on what the story will be about based solely on the front cover of the novel. Put events in order that led to the creation of Terabithia. Find the meaning of vocabulary words, then use each word in a sentence. Students describe how they would respond to someone bullying them. Then, students create their own imaginary place like Terabithia. Keep track of events as they happen month by month in the novel with an Events Calendar graphic organizer. Aligned to your State Standards, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: A dramatic and fascinating story of friendship! Jesse Aarons is a fourth grader who loves to run. Once the fastest and best runner at Lark Creek Elementary School in Virginia, until he was challenged by a girl—Leslie Burke. Leslie and her parents were new to this community, and they soon became best friends; their relationship was a strong one. Then, Leslie gets a great idea to create Terabithia, a secret place in the woods only for themselves. One day, while Jesse is not there, Leslie tries to cross the bridge to Terebithia, but falls in and drowns. When Jesse finds out, he is devastated. Soon after, the Burke family moves away, but Jesse believes that she has taught him something.




The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - Literature Kit Gr. 5-6


Book Description

Travel through a wardrobe to discover your destiny. The activity sheets are great for accountability of the information. Students put themselves in Peter's shoes and imagine how he feels about staying at the Professor's house. Get into the mind of Lucy and predict what she will do about what she learns of the wardrobe. Break down the conversation Peter and Susan have with the Professor to determine why it was so strange. Answer multiple choice questions about Narnia's history based on what was read in the novel. Create a map of the Witch's fortress. Draw and describe some of the creatures from the book. Aligned to your State Standards, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe mirrors the difficulties of war at home with conflict in a fantastical land. Lucy, Edmund, Peter, and Susan have been sent to live in the country to get away from the air-raids that are affecting London. They find themselves in the care of an old Professor in a large house. To spend the time, the children roam about the house, investigating every nook and cranny. In one particular room lies a large wardrobe filled with fur coats. It's inside this wardrobe that the children find themselves traveling to the magical land of Narnia. Here, the children are immediately plunged into a conflict between the inhabitants of Narnia and the Witch that have cursed them. The children learn that they are part of a prophecy that foretells two human boys and two human girls will defeat the Witch and bring peace to the land. The group meet up with Aslan before an epic battle that sees the children victorious and prosperous as the new Kings and Queens of Narnia. This magical tale allows children to gain control over their destiny and fight for the rights of others.




A Single Shard - Literature Kit Gr. 5-6


Book Description

Gain a sense of responsibility and knowing what it's like to have someone's fate in their hands. Our resource is great for quizzes, vocabulary and writing prompts. Predict what will happen between Tree-ear and Min, and whether Tree-ear will become a potter. Match characters to their actions in the story. Use words in a sentence to show its meaning. Describe how Tree-ear prepares the clay for Min, and how different the process would be today. Write the step-by-step instructions on Kang's new technique for making pottery. Compare Min and Kang's work in a Venn Diagram. Design a poster advertising Min's pottery. Find the cities from the novel on a setting map of Korea. Aligned to your State Standards, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: Set in 12th Century Korea, Tree-ear—an orphaned little boy—lives under a bridge with a disabled older friend and caretaker named Crane-man. Tree-ear is fascinated with a local potter named Min and dreams of creating his own ceramics. The trade of potter is unfortunately passed down from father to son, therefore Min can’t teach Tree-ear the trade. The Royal Emissary tours the village in search for a new potter for the palace. Min and Kang—another pottery-maker—compete for the honor. The emissary chooses Kang but tells Min that if he can create more work and bring it to Puyo, he will reconsider his choice. Now, Min’s fate rests in the hands of Tree-ear, who must deliver the pottery to the palace.




The Egypt Game - Literature Kit Gr. 5-6


Book Description

Let your imagination run wild in a land that existed long ago, full of intrigue and mystery. Challenge students with higher-order questions, encouraging an understanding of literary elements. Complete sentences from the book with their missing words. Explain how statements from the text are examples of foreshadowing. Match vocabulary words found in the novel with their meanings. Use examples of personification from the novel to create a sentence where a car is described as a person. Write a message to a classmate using Egyptian hieroglyphics. Complete a sequence chart detailing up to six events from the story by stating what happened and how it was essential to the plot. Aligned to your State Standards, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: A lively adventure story, teeming with suspense and humor, and set in the vivid landscapes of ancient Egypt and modern-day California! April Hall is not your typical sixth grade student. She converts a deserted storage yard into the land of Egypt. Egypt is owned by the mysterious Professor, who turns a blind eye to the activities going on. Limited only by their vivid imaginations, April and Melanie create the Egypt Game, which grows more and more complex and interesting. At the novel’s conclusion, it is the Professor himself who comes to the rescue, saving April and Egypt itself. In the process, the Professor reveals his colorful past to the gang, and presents them with their own personal keys to the land of Egypt.




The Phantom Tollbooth - Literature Kit Gr. 5-6


Book Description

Meet Milo, a boy with a strong imagination and sense of adventure, as he travels to a fantastical world. Incorporate chapter questions with vocabulary and writing prompts for comprehension checks. Students contemplate who would send Milo the package containing the tollbooth. Predict what Dictionopolis will be like. Answer questions with the correct character from the book. Match idioms found in the story with their meanings. Complete sentences from the novel with their missing vocabulary words. Make a list of unpleasant sounds that Dr. Dischord and DYNNE can collect. Describe how the Dodecahedron felt when Milo said numbers aren't important. Identify all the instances where figurative languages were used in the novel. Complete a Cause & Effect Web with some of Milo's actions in the story. Aligned to your State Standards, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: The Phantom Tollbooth is a story of imagination and wonder. Milo is a very bored little boy. One day, he receives a make-believe tollbooth. When he goes through it, he is sent to a magical world. There, he meets Tock the watchdog. The pair make their way to Dictionopolis, one of the country's two capitals. Here they meet King Azaz, who sends them on a journey to Digitopolis, where the Mathemagician is holding the two princesses—Rhyme and Reason—in the Castle in the Air. On their journey, Milo and Tock meet many different people and places, all with their own adventures.




The Crossover - Literature Kit Gr. 5-6


Book Description

Imagine what it’s like when twins come of age and drift apart. This resource allows students to have a better connection with the story that they are reading. Answer statements about Josh and Jordan as true or false. Put yourself in the twins’ shoes and imagine ways to stay focused when trying to concentrate. Pretend to be one of the characters and write a first-hand account about a medical emergency that occurs. Find synonyms to key vocabulary words used in the chapters. Research foods that are heart healthy and display the information in a chart or diagram. Complete a Tanka poem, taking inspiration from the novel. Aligned to your State Standards and written to Bloom's Taxonomy, our worksheets incorporate a variety of scaffolding strategies along with additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key. About the Novel: The Crossover tells the coming-of-age story of Josh Bell. Him and his twin brother—Jordan—are the sons of a famous basketball player. So naturally, they excel at the sport as well. The two strive to win the championship this year, but Jordan’s interests seem to stray from his brother’s. Jordan starts spending all his time with the new girl at school, and Josh doesn’t understand why his brother is acting so funny. For the first time, Josh is beginning to feel what it’s like to be lonely. He misses his brother, and starts acting out. At one of his games, Josh does something that causes him to be suspended. At home, his mother is becoming worried with her husband’s failing health. Josh learns that his grandfather died of heart disease, and now his own father is showing the same symptoms. He becomes just as worried as his mother, who starts taking steps to make sure the family is eating healthier. But with Josh’s father’s aversion to doctors, it’s only a matter of time before the unimaginable happens, and Josh is faced with a heart-breaking reality.