Companion to the Newbery Medal Winner "New Kid" The first page of this graphic novel by Jerry Craft makes the theme perfectly clear: Be kind. Be fair. Be you. While this sounds like a simple request, "Class Act" shows the struggles students face while navigating racial and cultural differences. The prestigious Riverdale Academy has students… Continue reading Class Act by Jerry Craft
Author: Kristen Coons
Kristen has been working in the Quabbin Regional School District for 31 years. She is currently a sixth grade ELA teacher at Hubbardston Center School.
The Elephant in the Room by Holly Goldberg Sloan
A wonderful book that explores the importance of friendship, acceptance and the bravery we must all face when dealing with life's challenges. Anna and Ailey setting up Padlet. Anna and Ailey read The Elephant In the Room together in a book club. They set up a Padlet to share their thoughts about the book. I… Continue reading The Elephant in the Room by Holly Goldberg Sloan
The Lion of Mars by Jennifer Holm
A great middle grade novel that teaches readers about the importance of friendships and having a community to support us through all of life's adventures. The Lion of Mars by Jennifer Holm tells the story of a United States colony living on Mars. The story is told from the point of view of Bell, a… Continue reading The Lion of Mars by Jennifer Holm
One Jar of Magic by Cory Ann Haydu
Teacher Thoughts As we began our fantasy/dystopian unit of study, I started the read aloud Eventown by Cory Ann Haydu while a book club read her new book One Jar of Magic. While Eventown, which can be read at many levels, is the perfect read aloud for sixth graders, One Jar of Magic is a… Continue reading One Jar of Magic by Cory Ann Haydu
Bloom by Kenneth Oppel
Looking for a middle grade science fiction series? Kenneth Oppel's Bloom trilogy is one your students will not want to put down. The first book in the series, Bloom will pull in your most reluctant readers and keep them coming back for more! Auguste and Owen read Bloom in their book club and loved the… Continue reading Bloom by Kenneth Oppel
The Lonely Heart of Maybelle Lane by Kate O’Shaughnessy
Kate O'Shaughnessy's first novel is one that touched the hearts of my students. The Lonely Heart of Maybelle Lane is the story of a girl who perseveres through hard times with the help of a kind hearted teacher and a boy named Tommy who has struggles of his own. Sixth graders Kate and Makenzie read… Continue reading The Lonely Heart of Maybelle Lane by Kate O’Shaughnessy
Saving Savannah
by Tonya Bolden There must be change! And if last night taught me anything, it's that I must be a part of that change! Part of making the world as it ought to be. -Savannah Robyn and Autumn share their thoughts about Saving Savannah by Tonya Bolden Saving Savannah by Tonya Bolden is a historical… Continue reading Saving Savannah
The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead
Sixth grade students use digital notebooks to track their thinking. When the school year started, I struggled with how to continue book clubs in our new, hybrid model of teaching. Paper was discouraged, we couldn't read notebooks unless they were "isolated" for 3 days, students were sitting six feet apart, in rows, with masks, facing… Continue reading The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead
The Star Outside My Window by Onjali Q. Rauf
As soon as one of my sixth grade book clubs finished The Boy in the Back of the Class by Onjali Q Rauf, they immediately took to the internet to find other books by the same author. When they found The Star Outside My Window, they begged me to order it right away! Student Thoughts:… Continue reading The Star Outside My Window by Onjali Q. Rauf
The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Before we left school due to COVID, one of my sixth grade book clubs had just finished a book that they wanted to blog about. If you are a fan of the Among the Hidden series, you will love the new Greystone Secrets series by Margaret Peterson Haddix. The first book, entitled The Strangers, will… Continue reading The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Conferring during Remote Learning
Week 6 of Remote Learning felt more like "assigning" and less like teaching: I knew in my heart that if I didn't change something, the next two months of remote learning were going to be painful. To get some conferring time in, I picked 3 topics I knew my students were working on, and divided… Continue reading Conferring during Remote Learning
Eventown by Corey Ann Haydu
*I would like to use this post to thank all the authors and publishers who have stepped up and allowed teachers to read their books online during this unprecedented time...We appreciate you! Teacher's Story: I leave school on a Friday, having started the first few chapters of Eventown, by Corey Ann Haydu. On Saturday, I discover that… Continue reading Eventown by Corey Ann Haydu
The Light in The Lake by Sarah R Baughman
Addie finds herself caught between science and magic, family and nature, and grief and hope. - The Light in The Lake Teacher Thoughts: The Light in the Lake was the perfect book to bridge our social issue and fantasy units of study in reader's workshop. Even my most reluctant readers could not put down this… Continue reading The Light in The Lake by Sarah R Baughman
One Big Heart by Linsey Davis
With Beverly Davis, Illustrated by Lucy Fleming A celebration of being more alike than different! Each Friday, my sixth graders pair up with a kindergarten buddy to read, do math, or work on a project. This week, we read One Big Heart and talked about the big idea of the book. Kindergarten students understood the message… Continue reading One Big Heart by Linsey Davis
The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Rauf
"The entire world is full of hearts searching for a place to call home. But refugees are different, because they don't just look for a home. They look for peace too. And because of that, they possess the most special hearts anyone could ever have." … Continue reading The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Rauf
A Drop of Hope by Keith Calabrese
This story starts with a wish and ends in a crime. The wish isn't granted, and the crime is never punished. Life is like that sometimes. But that isn't always a bad thing... -Keith Calabrese A Drop of Hope is a book that my sixth graders describe as "a very different kind of mystery," with… Continue reading A Drop of Hope by Keith Calabrese
Caterpillar Summer by Gillian McDunn
On a good day, Chicken liked to wander. On a bad day, Chicken would bolt. But no matter what, Cat loved him as wide as the Golden Gate Bridge, as deep as the sea floor, and as fierce as a shark bite. Sixth Grade Book Club Members Think... Caterpillar Summer is a wonderful, figurative language… Continue reading Caterpillar Summer by Gillian McDunn
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart
Every once in a while a book comes along that students and teachers alike can not put down. The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise is one of those books. The pages are filled with quirky characters, an interesting setting and one of a kind adventures that leave readers at the edge of their seats. I read… Continue reading The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart
Brave
by Svetlana Chmakova Teacher Thoughts… This graphic novel is a perfect way to teach older students about the challenges of middle school. Readers learn how being brave and using their voice can help change a negative school culture. Your students will love how Svetlana Chmakova compares middle school to a video game, mean kids to… Continue reading Brave
Shouting At The Rain
by Lynda Mullaly HuntTeacher Thoughts... Dive into this story by the same author as Fish in a Tree, to teach your students about the importance of family and friendships. Readers quickly learn that friends and family come in all shapes and sizes, and that support can come from the most unlikely places. The main character,… Continue reading Shouting At The Rain