Welcome!

You have accessed the blog site for Choosing and Using Books for Children. Throughout the term we'll use our blog to record the books we read and the ideas we have for using them when we're teachers. By the end of March, our class will have read at least 280 books. Happy reading!

Two important protocol actions for EVERY post:
1. Underline or italicize all book titles (choose one formatting style and stick with it--underline OR italicize for all book titles)
2. Add your name in the "label" box before you post each documentation.

One important recommendation:
Create your documentations in a separate Word document, then cut and paste in a blog post.

Basic Documentation

Book Title:

Author(s):

Illustrator/Photographer/Artist:

Publisher:

Copyright Date:

Genre:

Brief Annotation:

Your Rating (1-5) and why:

Readers who will like this book:

Teaching Strategy from Tompkins or Yopp & Yopp (you'll link a strategy to at least 10 of your 40 books) :

Question to ask about this book before a read aloud:

Optional, but noted as extra effort:

1. Interest Level (age):

2. Grade Level Equivalent (grade):
Use book wizard to help with the previous 2 areas


3. List awards

4. Does this book have a book trailer? If so, cut and paste the web address here.

Monday, March 26, 2012

The Westing Game

Book Title: The Westing Game

Author(s): Ellen Raskin

Illustrator/Photographer/Artist: N/A

Publisher: Penguin Group

Copyright Date: 1978

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Brief Annotation: A mystery novel that begins when a group of diverse, and seeming strangers, are recruited by an unknown realtor to live in an exclusive lakeside condo. The story heats up when sixteen of the condo residents are named as heirs to a millionaire’s fortune and charged with finding his murderer. The sixteen heirs are paired off as directed in the will and the game begins.

Your Rating (1-5) and why: 4 – This book is great for readers because it is fast paced and has numerous, relatable characters and keeps the children engaged. It concludes in a way that ties everything together and is uplifting.

Readers who will like this book: Readers who like mystery and enjoy page-turning stories. Also, children who like stories written from multiple perspectives will like this book.

Question to ask about this book before a read aloud: Have you ever been in a situation where you were scared? Explain.

Optional, but noted as extra effort:

1. Interest Level (age): Grade 6

2. Grade Level Equivalent (grade): 6.1

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1 comment:

  1. Suzy Kaback & FamilyMarch 31, 2012 at 5:16 AM

    One of my favorite all-time books. When I used this mystery with 5th graders, we kept a "clue diary" as we read to try to figure out "whodunit". The kids loved this way of keeping track of the clues, although because the ending has such an unexpected twist, no one ever predicted quite correctly.
    The book is a challenging read (I think you were acknowledging this in your rating) because of the many characters and the way it's written, but because the content is so engaging, if your kids aren't ready to read it independently, The Westing Game is a wonderful read aloud choice.

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