Upper Elementary - Literature Connections

In Upper Elementary, we always enjoy reading great stories and learning about our world through literature.  We have gone on many journeys this year through these stories.  We have laughed and cried along with the characters, learned about different cultures and time periods throughout history all while making connections to the present. 

Here’s what we’ve been up to….

Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo

Connections:  We read this story as a literature circle with discussion along the way.  We followed it up by watching the movie and learned about on-screen adaptations.

From:  https://www.katedicamillo.com/novels/flora_ulysses/ 

“It begins, as the best superhero stories do, with a tragic accident that has unexpected consequences.

The squirrel never saw the vacuum cleaner coming, but self-described cynic Flora Belle Buckman, who has read every issue of the comic book Terrible Things Can Happen to You!, is the just the right person to step in and save him. What neither can predict is that Ulysses (the squirrel) has been born anew, with powers of strength, flight, and misspelled poetry—and that Flora will be changed too, as she discovers the possibility of hope and the promise of a capacious heart.

From #1 New York Times best-selling author Kate DiCamillo comes a laugh-out-loud story filled with eccentric, endearing characters and featuring an exciting new format—a novel interspersed with comic-style graphic sequences and full-page illustrations, all rendered in black-and-white by artist K. G. Campbell.” 

Wish by Barbara O’Connor

Connections:  We approached this novel with a  literature circle read aloud, independent reading, written work for comprehension, spelling and vocabulary connections. 

From: https://barbaraoconnor.com/books/wish/                                                                               “Eleven-year-old Charlie Reese has been making the same secret wish every day since fourth grade. She even has a list of all the ways there are to make the wish, such as cutting off the pointed end of a slice of pie and wishing on it as she takes the last bite. But when she is sent to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina to live with family she barely knows, it seems unlikely that her wish will ever come true. That is until she meets Wishbone, a skinny stray dog who captures her heart, and Howard, a neighbor boy who proves surprising in lots of ways. Suddenly Charlie is in serious danger of discovering that what she thought she wanted may not be what she needs at all.

From award-winning author Barbara O’Connor comes a middle-grade novel about a girl who, with the help of a true-blue friend, a big-hearted aunt and uncle, and the dog of her dreams, unexpectedly learns the true meaning of family in the least likely of places.”

Bessie Coleman

Connections:  Our experience with Bessie Coleman started with a visit to Davidson Library for a lesson on finding appropriate resources, note-taking skills and how to cite sources.  We worked as a class and in small groups to take notes and write an organized biography of her life.  We wrapped up with a field trip to the Children’s Theatre of Charlotte to see the play, Bessie Coleman, Fearless and Free.  It was wonderful to come back to class and debrief how her life was interpreted on stage.

From:  https://ctcharlotte.org/Online/default.asp?BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::permalink=bessie&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::context_id= 

“Born into a family of sharecroppers, Elizabeth Coleman’s life took root in the field but ascended to unbelievable heights in the sky. One of 13 siblings, Bessie weathered segregation, racism, and financial barriers before cementing her place as a pioneer in the field of aviation. Far above the clouds, where “the air is the only place free from prejudice,” she blazed a path as Queen Bess, the first African-American woman and first woman of Native-American descent to hold a pilot’s license.”

Esperanza Rising  by Pam Muñoz Ryan 

Connections:  This beautifully written novel gave us so much to discuss as we read together in class. We were lucky that this year Children’s Theatre brought the book to stage. We were able to compare and contrast the novel to the play.  Students also created dioramas of a favorite scene from the story or a project called Book in a Box which displayed several representations from different parts of the book.

From: https://www.pammunozryan.com/esperanza-rising/ 

“Esperanza Ortega possesses all the treasures a girl could want: dresses; a home filled with servants in Mexico; and the promise of one day presiding over El Rancho de las Rosas. But a tragedy shatters that dream, forcing Esperanza and her mother to flee to Arvin, California and settle in a farm camp. There, they confront the challenges of work, acceptance, and economic difficulties brought on by the Great Depression.”

When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

Connections:  We are currently reading this graphic novel and enjoying the human connections.  

Learn more at:  https://www.victoriajamieson.com/new-page 

From:  https://mainstreetbooksdavidson.com/item/3bfSPEKfdTeelYkN5niIpg 

“A National Book Award Finalist, this remarkable graphic novel is about growing up in a refugee camp, as told by a former Somali refugee to the Newbery Honor-winning creator of Roller Girl.

Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is hard there: never enough food, achingly dull, and without access to the medical care Omar knows his nonverbal brother needs. So when Omar has the opportunity to go to school, he knows it might be a chance to change their future . . . but it would also mean leaving his brother, the only family member he has left, every day.

Heartbreak, hope, and gentle humor exist together in this graphic novel about a childhood spent waiting, and a young man who is able to create a sense of family and home in the most difficult of settings. It's an intimate, important, unforgettable look at the day-to-day life of a refugee, as told to New York Times Bestselling author/artist Victoria Jamieson by Omar Mohamed, the Somali man who lived the story.” 

Biography 

Connections: After reading a biography of the person of interest, students found two relevant resources from which to take notes on the topic, citing sources in MLA format.  Towards the end of the year, they will present their research in first-person at our Living History Wax Museum.

Our Living History Wax Museum will include:  Barack Obama, Simone Biles, Augusta Savage, Sitting Bull, Amelia Earhart, Alexander Hamilton, Cleopatra, Abraham Lincoln, Roald Dahl and Irena Sendler.