A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff

Baking a perfect cake is not always easy, but Cady can make the cake of your dreams, even if you don't know what that cake is.  In a world where everyone has a special TALENT, strange and unusual things happen.  Children can hide in plain sight, people can knit effortlessly, some can tie all kinds of knots, and some even have a TALENT for stealing other people's TALENTS.  Cady is trying to find her perfect forever family, with the help of Miss Mallory.  When she ends up at the Lost Luggage Emporium, her "perfect" life isn't what she expected.  She doesn't understand the man who has adopted her, she has a building filled with strange neighbors and she's worried about the upcoming baking contest.  A charming story with an eclectic cast of characters.  Is Cady in the right forever home?  Will her friends figure out their TALENTS?  Will she win the baking contest? Find out in Lisa Graff's A Tangle of Knots
*Another book I thought was charming but not sure if kids would appreciate.

Flashbacks

So here's my power point on flashback.  It includes some great Youtube clips from Ratatouille and The Lion King.

http://www.slideshare.net/karinfinnegan5/flashback-32579740

I had the students write the word flashback on a plain piece of paper then they had to hold it up when the flashbacks occurred.  I also read Langston's Train Ride by Robert Burleigh, as it is full on flashbacks (even flashbacks within flashbacks)  Then the students had to highlight flashbacks in a couple of short stories I provided.

The Lost Boy by Greg Ruth

Nate has just moved into a new home in a new neighborhood.  When he discovers an old tape reel under the floorboards in his room, he is drawn into a strange world which is starting to move beyond the woods in his bau.  With the help of Tabitha, one of the local children, he uncovers buglings, killer trees, talking dolls and unsolved mysteries.  Will he ever find out what happened to Walt, the boy who made the recordings then dissappeared?  Will he be able to stop the evil in the woods?  Find out in The Lost Boy by Greg Ruth.

(I was a little worried because I did not love this book.  The pictures were fantastic but the story made me feel a little like "been there, done that".  After reading other reviews though, I found I was not alone.)

Foreshadowing

First put a definition of foreshadowing on the board, then discuss why an author might use foreshadowing.  I read a brief excerpt from a script of the Wizard of Oz foreshadowing the scarecrow's "not having a brain".  Then I read The Landlady by Roald Dahl.  Perfect for 5th grade (my students love spooky stories) and foreshadowing!  Then they completed this worksheet cooperatively.

http://www.beaconlearningcenter.com/documents/11612_5193.pdf

Plagiarism

This is a lesson on plagiarism for 5th graders.  I like this worksheet to explain the concept:

http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/school/plagiarism.html

Then, this is a great worksheet for them to work on together and discuss:

http://tinyurl.com/kqhaaz7

Then we play "The Plagiarism Game"

http://www.slideshare.net/karinfinnegan5/the-plagiarism-game

Have Fun!

Snowflake Bentley

This is a beautiful biography of Wilson Bentley "The Snowflake Man", who spent his entire life photographing snow crystals.




After a read aloud, we explore Bentley's photographs, then the students create their own virtual snowflakes, using the following website.

http://www.akidsheart.com/holidays/winter/snowflake.htm

Figurative Language

I love this website for teaching figurative language.  I use the worksheet (provided by Flocabulary) filled out with the expressions and we discuss each term and examples.  Then the students listen to the rap and fill in the different figurative language examples from the rap.

https://www.flocabulary.com/figurative-language/