Hi! I am co-teaching a Lit co-op class for 6th-8th graders this fall and we are looking at books (with study guides is helpful). I am running across conflicting info though on some books and thought I would come to you guys! Some books say 5-8, but in some places the reading level is put at AGES 9-12, which would be too easy for most 7th and 8th graders. However, the content must be harder than the reading level to rate the 5-8 grade level, right? So, my question is two-parts: Do you have suggestions for books, and what do you think of these suggestions so far? (We have 12 weeks, so would like to do 3, possibly 4 books.) The Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler Call of the Wild Johnny Tremain Carry on, Mr. Bowditch A Wrinkle in Time Is Island of the Blue Dolphins challenging enough, or would that be better for 3-5th grade? Thanks for the help!! MT3
You may want to sneek a peak at Sonlight's suggested readings. The books are not all CHristain..in fact most don't seem to be. Depending on how much you focus on the book and what your goals are Island of the Blue Dolphins may be just fine. My dd is 11 and loved it. Right now we are reading The Master Puppeteer by Katherine Paterson. It is very interesting and not very long...perfect for the time frame you are looking at. This author also wrote Bridge to Terabitha (sp?). Anyway...I found a one of those Literature Unit workbooks...A Guide for Using The Master Puppeteer in the Classroom by Teacher Created Materials. It has plenty of interesting ways to dive into the book. A Wrinkle in Time is sure to be a hit!
Have you looked at Progeny Press? They have some excellent guides, written from a Christian view. I would also suggest "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe". Right now, anything Narnia is big, lol! Another book I REALLY enjoyed reading to my kids was "Shadow Spinner" by Susan Fletcher. "Black Beauty" might be another possibility.
Island of Blue Dolphins is an AMAZING book! I think the reading level is probably more towards the 6th grade end...but WHEW what you could do to study that one! It's based on a real person. We read it in 3rd grade (well, she'd read a chapter, I'd read a chapter, we looked up MANY words for her!), my daughter wants to reread it all the time! I do think that sometimes the reading/rating is based on content moreso than the actual language. For example Number the Stars by Lois Lowry is easy enough language for a 4th grader BUT contentwise - I think it would be an awesome 6-9th grade read (as would "The Giver" by the same author) both are absolute faves of mine. Number the Stars b/c it's a much different/less looked at view of that time period. The Giver b/c I love a good almost sci-fi thought provoking story. Hmmmmm.... Hope this helps some. I agree too, with looking at Sonlight, or even amblesideonline and seeing what books they have for those grade levels.
Johnny Tremain and A Wrinkle in Time would seem to me to be younger reading levels than 6th - 8th grades. Call of the Wild is borderline; it would depend on the actual reading level of your oldest students. I remember doing A Wrinkle in Time when I was in 5th grade, which is why I tend to think of that as a bit younger reading level. You might look at the Narnia series, The Hiding Place, The Giver, Where the Red Fern Grows, and The Witch of Blackbird Pond [although that's another one that, in terms of reading level, is probably more upper elementary]. The trick to teaching middle school ages is that there really is a pretty big difference in reading comprehension between a 6th grader and an 8th grader. So, you might err on choosing books that are easier to read [for the younger kids] but that might allow you to delve into deeper levels in terms of history and personal relationships [for the older ones].
Total Language Plus has a guide for The Witch of Blackbird Pond.....Progeny Press has some good guides too.
Thank you for the input so far!! It's funny- I read Number the Stars yesterday but put it down for the 3-5th graders. Most of the families have read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I thought of the Black Stallion, but cannot find any study guides for that OR Black Beauty. The Lit teacher for this semester did The Witch of Blackbird Pond (and Across Five Aprils and Treasure Island). We talked about Where the Red Fern Grows but I will seriously cry in that one! lol Oh, I forgot about The Hiding Place. I will look at Sonlight (do they have study guides with their booklist?), and also Ambleside. I forget about that site... Keep 'em coming!! MT3
Sonlight has HUGE Instructor Guides for their entire Cores which includes the readers, readalouds, and the history texts. They run about $75 for the year. They don't sell them for just the books individually.
Homeschooling Today had some good book suggestions in it when I was looking at it today and dang it if I didnt leave it in the car. I even thought of this post when I was looking at it!
I used Ambleside's list and got a good portion of the books for my son's age/grade to read next year. I think they have great lists!!
Would Number the Stars be a good read-aloud? I have Rachael reading "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok right now. A great book, but definitely for high school. Faythe is doing Anne of Green Gables (with a Progeny guide), and Phillip has The Mouse and the Motorcycle.
Only if you are able to read the following books aloud without crying: The Velveteen Rabbit Ballet Shoes Island of Blue Dolphins LOL My eldest sometimes does not like when we do read alouds b/c I'm WAY too emotional!!!! Number the Stars is a powerful story that can stir quite a bit of emotions.
Reading for older kids For some books with interesting and thought-provoking concepts, also have a look at: Boy Overboard by Morris Gleitzman (concept of refugees- Afghanistan etc..)- especially if you're interested in soccer. High interest, reading age from 10 yrs old up. The Cay (concepts of apartheid/racism); reading age 11-14. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt (concept of everlasting life), reading age 10-adult Danny The Champion by Roald Dahl (rdg age 10- adult) Animal Farm by George Orwell (concept: social systems, political hierarchies- through an animal story), r/a 12- adult Prescription Z by FW Tamminga (concept: healing a 'tough boy' 9rebellious) through being a bee- fascinating info about bees into the bargain). For ages 11-15. Short paperback. The Day of The Triffids by John Wyndham (concept: society, how we help each other). Science fiction, for advanced readers ages 12-adult. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque. Concept: war, humanity, friendship despite politics. The book shows the war's horrors and also the deep detachment from German civilian life felt by many men returning from the front. The novel was first published in November and December 1928 in the German newspaper Vossische Zeitung and in book form in late January 1929. It sold 2.5 million copies in twenty-five languages in its first eighteen months in print.[1] In 1930 the book was turned into an Oscar-winning movie of the same name, directed by Lewis Milestone. Advanced readers from age 12 to adult.
my dd just finished animal farm....she hated it, although we have ahd discussions about power, and satire, and the shared stories of our time which have all been valuable I think. She is doing home coming by cynthia voigt next, and then z for zachariah. an intro to shakespeare might be good for that age group too, or some poetry?
www.rfwp.com has some literature guides titled, What if the Wolf Were an Octopus? Each level comes with a large book list of titles it covers.
