INDEX

Book Index in Alphabetical order by Title

                   Book Title                                                    Category                                    Date Posted

Criss Cross                                                                  Newbery Award                             January 18th

By Lynne Rae Perkins                            

Dead End in Norvelt                                                   Historical Fiction                           March 6th

By Jack Gantos                        

Drowned City                                                             Graphic Novel                                March 15th

by Don Brown                                   

*Infographic

Glory Be                                                                     Choice List                                     March 20th

By Augusta Scattergood
* Voki and Web 2.0 (podomatic)                             

I lived on Butterfly Hill                                              Text Reflecting Diversity                March 6th

By Marjorie Agosin          

Malala: A Brave Girl from Pakistan                           Nonfiction Text                              March 29th

By Jeanette Winter

The One and Only Ivan                                               Newbery Award                             January 13th

By Katherine Applegate

Out of My Mind                                                          Text Reflecting Diversity               February 8th                                                     

By Sharon M. Draper

Parrotfish                                                                     5th-6th Grade Read Aloud            March 29th

By Ellen Wittlinger

*Blabberize

Pay it Forward                                                             Choice List                                    March 28th                                                          

By Catherine Ryan Hyde

The President's Stuck in the Bathroom                        Poetry Collection                          February 8th

By Susan Katz

Secret Subway                                                              Nonfiction Text                             February 1st                                                           

By Martin W. Sandler

When You Reach Me                                                   Science Fiction                              March 19th

By Rebecca Stead

Wonder                                                                         3rd-4th Grade Read Aloud            March 8th

By R.J. Palacio

Wonderstruck                                                               Text Reflecting Diversity              February 8th

By Brian Selznick

5th-6th Grade Read Aloud: Parrotfish

Title: Parrotfish

Author: Ellen Wittlinger

Copyright: 2007

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers


Reading Level:

Fountas and Pinnell: Q

Lexile: 790 L

Accelerated Reader: 4.7

A gut wrenching, emotionally driven, sensational text that everyone can relate to on an emotional level. 

2 electronic resources to support/extend the text:

1. http://www.ellenwittlinger.com/parrotfish.html

      This is the author’s website for the novel. On her website she has links to articles that have been written about her book that provide clarification and discuss the major themes of the book. She also includes a discussion guide for the novel that teachers and students can use to monitor comprehension and discuss the sensitive themes and topics that are brought up in the book. There is also a book trailer and access to a trivia challenge that students can participate in with other students who have read the novel.

2. http://parrotfishblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/essential-question-4.html

      This is a link to a blog about Parrotfish. The blog includes a summary of the novel, a book review, a different book trailer than the one on the author’s website and essential questions from every chapter. Students can read all of the information about the novel but can also interact with other people who are reading the novel by commenting their answers to the essential questions and replying to other comments that people have made.

Key Vocabulary:

1. transgender- A person who changes their body to represent the sex that they 

       identify with because it was not the same as their biological sex.

2. Biological Sex- The reproductive organs that are represented by male or 

       female.

3. Gender Identity- The identity that a person behaves and acts like even if it is

       not their biological sex.

4. Transsexual- A person who emotionally and physically feels that they belong

       to a different sex or gender identity.

5. Diversity- A range of different ideas and identities.

6. Pretentious- When someone attempts to impress someone by acting with 

       more culture, talent, or importance than they actually have.

Before Reading Strategy:

      Before reading, it is a good idea to have a mini lesson about common terms and words related to the transgender community. It is important that students are aware of what being transgender or transsexual means before they begin reading. It is also good to give students background and have other resources about LGBT issues around the classroom that they can use for reference if they are ever confused or not understanding something. Watching a video that discusses important terms and concepts surrounding this topic would be a good introduction and will keep students more engaged than a lecture from their teacher.

During Reading Strategy:

      When the teacher gets about halfway through the read aloud, create a fishbowl discussion about what has happened so far in the book and anything else related to LGBTQ issues that students want to discuss but because of the sensitivity of these topics, it will not be a typical fishbowl. Instead of a few students sitting in the middle of the classroom, each student will have to create a blabberize video with their three questions and send them to the teacher.

      The teacher will then pick a few students to sit in the middle of the fishbowl and will randomly play blabberize videos of questions that the students in the fishbowl will answer and discuss. The teacher can act as a facilitator and ask comprehension questions that are not asked in the videos. The teacher can also create their own blabberize video with comprehension questions that need to be discussed.

       This activity will allow for students to practice their discussion and listening skills and give the class an opportunity to work together to create the discussion rather than answering questions directly from the teacher.

After Reading Strategy:

      After reading, it is important to debrief the content and information that was presented in this story. Some students may have never read literature with a transgender character or even a character who is not heterosexual. Give students time to think-pair-share about what they learned, thought was interesting, have questions about, or enjoyed. After students discuss, give them 3 post it notes. On one post it note, they will write one thing they learned from the text. On the second, they will write one question or comment that they still have. On the third, they will write what they really liked or really disliked about the text.

Writing Activity to Demonstrate Inferential Comprehension:

Have students research about parrotfish. Give them links to sources about what the fish look like and how they blend in, or not blend in, on the ocean floor. After students have researched about the fish have them write about why the author chose parrotfish as the title for this novel. Students should include:

      a) Explain what a parrotfish is with at least 3 details.

      b) Discuss the main character, Grady, with at least 3 details.

      c) Explain why the author used Parrotfish as the title and how they are  

           similar and different than Grady.