Follow the journey of four students, whose lives are intertwined both personally and academically. Perfect for monitoring comprehension and discussing vocabulary. Students express what they already know about turtles prior to the reading. Explain what Ethan lost and gained at Julian's tea party. Complete a paragraph from the story with the missing words. Find synonyms to difficult words used in the book. Make a prediction of what will happen to the characters at the conclusion of the novel. Conduct an interview with one of the members of The Souls for the evening news. Complete a story map using details about the setting, characters, problem, plot, and resolution. Aligned to your State Standards, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: The View From Saturday is a Newbery Medal winning story about four gifted students and their life-altering journeys. Noah, Nadia, Ethan and Julian make up the four members of The Souls, a group of 6th grade students competing in the Academic Bowl. Led by Mrs. Olinski—their teacher who has become a paraplegic after a serious car crash—the group must face challenges that will shape their lives as they move through the competition. The story progresses through different perspectives given from each of the four members of The Souls. Each story, told in the first-person, describes an event that relates to a question they were asked in the Academic Bowl finals. Will The Souls successfully rise through the ranks to become state champions?

From the Newbery Medal–winning author of the beloved classic From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler comes four jewel-like short stories—one for each of the team members of an Academic Bowl team—that ask questions and demonstrate surprising answers. How had Mrs. Olinski chosen her sixth-grade Academic Bowl team? She had a number of answers. But were any of them true? How had she really chosen Noah and Nadia and Ethan and Julian? And why did they make such a good team? It was a surprise to a lot of people when Mrs. Olinski’s team won the sixth-grade Academic Bowl contest at Epiphany Middle School. It was an even bigger surprise when they beat the seventh grade and the eighth grade, too. And when they went on to even greater victories, everyone began to ask: How did it happen? It happened at least partly because Noah had been the best man (quite by accident) at the wedding of Ethan’s grandmother and Nadia’s grandfather. It happened because Nadia discovered that she could not let a lot of baby turtles die. It happened when Ethan could not let Julian face disaster alone. And it happened because Julian valued something important in himself and saw in the other three something he also valued. Mrs. Olinski, returning to teaching after having been injured in an automobile accident, found that her Academic Bowl team became her answer to finding confidence and success. What she did not know, at least at first, was that her team knew more than she did the answer to why they had been chosen.

Find out what it's like to be the middle child and what it means to be able to stand out and feel special. Students gain a deeper understanding of their own mind to visualize what makes them unique. Sort words from the story as short a or long a vowels. Complete quotes from the story with their missing quotation marks. Recognize whether Freddy practiced for his part before or after he showed how well he could jump. Students draw their own interpretation of Freddy's costume for the play, and explain how it fits and some of its important details. Brainstorm things that would make a good play and things that would make a bad play. Students compare themselves to Freddy in a Venn Diagram graphic organizer. 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: Freddy Dissel feels trapped between an older brother and younger sister. As the middle child, he feels neglected by everyone around him. He lost his room to his younger sister, and now shares with his older brother. He doesn't get new clothes of his own, but instead wears his brother's hand-me-downs. He is too young to play with his older brother, but too old to play with his younger sister. One day, Freddy learns of a school play and decides to try out for it. The only problem being, it's only for the fifth and sixth graders. But that doesn't stop Freddy. He lands a special part as the green kangaroo. Now Freddy can shine out front, no longer stuck in the middle.

The Great Depression is the setting for this tale of overcoming hardships. This resource is designed to help struggling readers understand the book. Make predictions about Billie Jo’s future playing the piano. Put events in order as they happen to Billie Jo and her classmates. Students imagine making the same decisions Billie Jo faces regarding her future. Identify the metaphor Billie Jo uses for her father and what it means. Compare and contrast your own holiday traditions with the ones celebrated by Billie Jo’s community. Explore key sequences of events from the story on a plot train graphic organizer. 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: Out of the Dust tells the story of Billie Jo as she struggles during the Great Depression while living on a farm in Oklahoma. Billie Jo lives with her parents on a small farm with very little money and insufficient crops. Drought rages across the country. With no water, nothing can grow and soon the ground turns to dust. Dust is everywhere. It’s in their food, their clothes, their beds, their mouths, and even their eyes. There is no break from it. The only good thing is Billie Jo’s love of playing the piano. She inherits this from her mother, who soon allows her to start playing at shows. However, things get worse for the family when tragedy befalls their small farm. An event causes Billie Jo to lose her mother and unborn brother. She also injures her hands so severely that she can no longer play the piano. Billie Jo and her father soon drift apart. It’s only a matter of time before Billie Jo must decide whether to leave the farm for a better life, or stay and watch her farm and father be swallowed in dust. Told from her perspective, Billie Jo’s voice is evident as she retells the hardships her and her family have endured while trying to survive, living among the dust.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Rise up and fight against injustice. This resource aligns perfectly with the novel and is a great source to gage what students are comprehending. Predict whether Luke will stay hidden after the woods are cut down, based on what you know of him so far. Detail the difference between Luke’s bread and his mother’s. Identify statements about Jen’s life as either true or false. Write a journal entry from Jen’s point of view detailing her preparations for the rally. Match the synonyms to key vocabulary words found in the novel. Perform a tableau of your favorite scene from the story. Create a coat of arms detailing one theme 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: Among the Hidden focuses on the dystopian world of Luke Garner, where having more than two children is illegal. Unfortunately for Luke, he’s the youngest of three brothers. Therefore, he must stay hidden to avoid detection from the US government. At some point in the past, the US government enacted a Population Law to help fight against food shortages. However, some believe that this is simply the government’s way of controlling its citizens. One of these people is Luke’s neighbor, who’s also a third child. Jen comes from a well-off family. She has access to the Internet and books, something Luke does not. Jen explains to Luke that she wants to start a revolution. She’s in communication with other third children, and is organizing a rally to be held outside the Whitehouse. When things go wrong, Luke finds himself in danger and must make a choice: risk being found, or assume a new identity and leave his home.

Gain a fresh perspective of the migration of the Navaho people through the eyes of a young girl. Unique and varied materials supplement a study of this novel. Students are asked to describe what they already know of the Navaho people. Write the name of the character next to each quote from the story. Identify the cause or effect of each event in the book. Finish off sentences with vocabulary words found in the novel. Explain how Rosita was able to adapt to life in a town whereas Bright Morning was not. Students do some research to find the meaning and origin of their name. Gather facts and complete a character analysis of Tall Boy. Aligned to your State Standards, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: Sing Down the Moon is a Newbery Honor-winning story told through the perspective of a young Navaho girl. Fourteen-year-old Bright Morning takes her family's sheep to graze one spring day. While tending to the flock, she is captured by Spanish Slavers and sold into service. Fortunately, she is able to escape and return home. Unfortunately, her home is promptly taken from her as her tribe is forced out of their canyon in Arizona and relocated to Fort Sumner in New Mexico. The long walk of the Navaho people is described through the eyes of Bright Morning, who sees the migration as the end of her people.