May 13	Class Activities Options for in class poetry activities: 1. Make a study of a poet. How would you characterize her or his work in style and usual content? What can you find out about his or her background? How are these experiences reflected in the poetry? 2. Find a poem to go with a passage in a book or with your favorite picture book. Why did you choose it? 3. Make a cycle of poems about one particular subject --- for example friends, pets, secret places, food, families, colors. Share with class.
May 20	Class Activities Recording of To Be a Slave Julius Lester: http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/lester.htm In class activities: 1. Book discussion of To Be A Slave 2. Evaluate a set of non-fiction books, then develop a learning activity that will encourage critical reading of informational books. Focus on identifying authors' points of view, comparing authenticity of sources, and verifying facts and the like.
July 8	Class Activities In class activities: 1. Read folktales and myths from one country or one geographical or cultural region. Assume that these folktales provide your only basis for understanding the country. Chart what you might derive from these tales, using categories like climate, food, animals, customs, occupations, geography, values, expressions, and story conventions. 2. Compare variants of well known folk and fairy tales, including contemporary variations.
July 15	Class Activities In class activities: 1. Newbery discussion 2. Challenge