Tag: Grades 3-6

The Polacco Series: Gratitude

Some of you, and maybe a lot of teachers, might be familiar with the name Patricia Polacco. As educators, I think her books are essential components of our libraries. Polacco is a truly gifted author, who uses her life experiences and cultural heritage to write immensely touching books that, if you were being honest with yourself, border on a “tear-jerker”. Not only is this very talented author a moving writer, she illustrates her books with emotional sketches and tugging colours. I have done countless read-alouds with my students where we discuss her choice of colour for specific artwork, coming to the conclusion that like her words, her drawings are also bursting with meaning.

One of my favourite books from Polacco is the ADORED Thank you, Mr. Falker

This book weaves a heart-rending story of a young girl, Trisha, who faces challenges in her learning. She has dyslexia, and none of the teaching staff at her school are able to pick this up. This challenge makes our young protagonist a target for name-calling and bullying. And, unlike other children, when Trisha welcomes the chance to move to another city and start over at a new school, her hopes are met with despair, as she painfully navigates yet another school system stuffed with bullies and teaching staff who do not seem to care. Until of course she meets Mr. Falker. Mr. Falker, like a lot of teachers these days who get into teaching despite its hardships, is the teacher who makes a difference in this girl’s life. He takes a gamble on her and his gamble pays off, leading to a moment, brilliantly narrated with emotion, that changes Trisha’s life forever. Based on a true story, this narrative is packed with feel-goods.

Perfect for  grades 3-6, and abounding in themes of gratitude, compassion, bullying awareness, self-confidence issues in children, learning challenges and their effects, this book should really be read to every child out there. If nothing else, it lets children know that they are not alone in their struggles, and that they can rely on that one teacher to make a difference in their lives.

 

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Michael Wade: Making Readers out of Non-Believers

And then it happened… is a Canadian Adventure Series taking young readers by storm! The books are full of imaginative ploys that pull in our mischievous side and leave us chuckling heartily.

Author, Michael Wade, came in for a visit today, and what a lot of people don’t know, is that being a writer is Mr. Wade’s second career. What he did before is something you will find out if you invite him to your school, but let’s just say that it isn’t at all what you might expect. What a fantastic time our students had! The students could barely sit still as he talked about his writing and his life experiences, infusing laughter into every single narrated event. For those of you who have not seen Mr. Wade before, he is quite a bit different than what one might imagine a writer to be. And that is where his central message of “Anyone can be a writer” rings poignant. Mr. Wade showed our students that writers are not people who always dress a certain way or enjoy only reading all the time. They are not people who rarely leave their home and find being around other people exhausting. And even though a couple of these things might ring true for some writers, a lot of writers share just one thing above all else, in common: their meticulousness with reworking their writing to achieve the best possible draft. Mr. Wade stressed on the importance of the power of words. He showed students that words can be used in signs to affect people’s behaviour, that they can be used to teach and even communicate powerful ideas. He showed them that anybody really, is capable of doing this, as long as he/she works hard at the rewrite process.

Now, I have read a lot of Mr. Wade’s stories – they are brilliant! Each one is well-thought-out with a plot that trots along with purpose until the main event is revealed; the And then it happened portion. Students remain riveted in their seats and often, even their breathing is inaudible as they hold their breaths to avoid missing the climax of the story. Mr. Wade’s stories are not just a great way to engage a lot of our young boys who are not specifically drawn to reading, but also our young girls who thrive on the adventures of kids their own age. His books are chapter books, and best suited for grades 3-6, with room for those of you teachers or children with strong readers in grade 2. What I like best about Mr. Wade is that he makes his books accessible to his audience. He uses ordinary words to turn everyday events into moments sparking with excitement and humour. And children love both of these!

So, if you have a selection of Mr. Wade’s books on your shelf, begin a read-aloud with your class for starters, then, sit back and watch the rest of that selection fly off the shelf! You’ll make readers out of non-believers!

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