Al Capone Does My Shirts

By: Gennifer Choldenko

Lexile Reading: 600 L

Suggested Delivery: Independent Read

Adventurous, Friendship, Eye opening, History, Love between a sister and a brother

Twelve year old Mouse Flanagan moves to the island prison of Alcatraz. He moves their due to his Dad getting a job as an electrician and a guard. He has an older sister who is autistic. At first Moose does not like his new home, but he meets good friends, and realizes he has a never ending friendship with his sister. The famous Al Capone is a prisoner at Alcatraz and does Moose’s laundry. Al Capone helps Mouse’s sister on her way to getting educated.

Electronic Resources:

Meet me at the Corner

This is about a minute and a half long video introducing the book. It gives brief background information to help the students know the basis of the book before they start reading it.

Al Capone on Alcatraz

This website is great for your students to explore. It has information about the author. It also gives information on who Al Capone was and how he ended up at Alcatraz. It also describes about autism and what inspired Miss Choldenko to include Natalie in the story. Students can explore this website after they read the book.

Key Vocabulary:

This vocabulary should be taught before reading the book.

Alcatraz

Poison oak

Runt

Convict

Quarters

Laundering

Warden

Reading Strategies:

Before the student have read this book, students will complete an anticipation guide on the book. They will answer these questions by saying true or false.

Al Capone was arrested and put into Alcatraz. True

Alcatraz is not on an island. False

Families of the guard of Alcatraz live near the prison. True

After the students have read, they will create a timeline containing five significant events which occur in the story. They will do this in groups of five.

Writing Activity that demonstrates Inferential Comprehension:

Write a journal entry as if you were a child living in Alcatraz. How would you feel? What characters would be your friends? What would you do for fun?

Choldenko, G. (2004). Al Capone does my shirts. New York: G.p. Putnam's Sons.

Recommended by my 12 year old sister Erin

Savvy

By: Ingrid Law

Law, I. (2008). Savvy. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers.

Lexile Reading Level: 1070 L

Witty, adventure, love, magical, heart warming, something is not always how it seems

This is a magical story of a family with very special talents. This family is unique because they have all have savvys. The family can create thunder storms, create electricity, and be perfect. On Mibs thirteen birthday she finds out what her savvy is. Her savvy takes her on an adventure, where she makes new friends, and saves her Father’s life.

Suggested Delivery: Independent Read

Electronic Resources:

Wordle

Students will create a word cloud on a character of their choice describing them and their savvy. This will be done after the students read the book.

Flip Book

This is an interactive site, which guides the students step by step on how to create a flip book. It can be printed in color or black and white. It is easy and fun to use. Students can create a flip book as they read on the important events which happen in the story. They can write down notes on the important events in the book as they read that they would like to include in their flip book. Once they have gotten at least ten events they will create their flip book.

Key Vocabulary:

This vocabulary should be taught before reading the book.

Awkwardly

Sassing

Congregating

Sassing

Admiration

Concentration

Hickering

Reading Strategies:

Before the students read the book have them create a word wall with the vocabulary words from the list that need to be taught before they read the text. They will put the word, definition, and a synonym of each word.

While students are reading the book, have them write predictions using context clues what will happen to the characters in the bus and what will happen to Mibs’ Dad. They will do this in homogenous reading groups. They will write their predictions on one side of the T chart. After they have finished reading the book they will fill in the other side of the T chart with what really happeded to Mibs’ Dad.

Writing Activity that demonstrates Inferential Comprehension:

Students will write two paragraphs on their definition of a savvy. They must use examples from different character’s savvy in the book.
Recommended by my 12 year old sister Erin