Twelve Rounds to Glory: The story of Muhammad Ali

By: Charles R. Smith Jr.

Determination, Faith, Love, Hope, Injury
Suggested Delivery: Small Group Reading

This book tells the reader about Muhammad Ali’s life on a trip through twelve rounds of glory. It leads you through a journey through his childhood and to when he became a three-time champion. It also describes his struggle, but at the same time the blessings in his life.
Lexile Reading Level: NP

Electronic Resources:

Timeline

Students will use this interactive online tool to create a timeline on 12 events which are important in Muhammad Ali’s life. They will do this after they read the book.

Fast Facts

This is a website which gives general facts about Muhammad Ali. This can be used before they read the book, to get some background information about Muhammad Ali.

Key Vocabulary:

This vocabulary should be taught before reading the book.

Trained

Conqueror

Olympics

Heavyweight Champion

Soar

Protest

Eruption

Champion

Reading Strategies:

Students will complete a KWL chart before and after they read this book. Students will write down prior knowledge of Muhammad Ali on the board. As a class they will decide what they want to learn about Muhammad Ali. They will also write what they have learned from the book.

Writing Activity that demonstrates Inferential Comprehension:

Students will respond to the quote “bathed in Beautiful light” (Smith, 2007, p. 76). Have the students write what they believe the meaning of this quote is referring to Muhammad Ali in two paragraphs.

Twelve rounds to glory: the story of Muhammad Ali. Cambridge : Candlewick Press.

 

When Heaven Fell

By: Carolyn Marsden

Suggested Delivery:

Small groups reading
Lexile Reading Level: 710 L

Marsden, C. (2007). When heaven fell. Cambridge : Candlewick Press.

 Captivating, see Vietnam through different lens before and after the war, Innocence, Love, patient, the meaning of family, jealously, the grass is always greener

This is a captivating book about Vietnamese culture. This story is told by a 9 year old Vietnamese girl named Binh. Binh learns about American culture and she realizes it is different than what she thought. Her American Aunt comes to visit and learns a lot about Vietnamese culture and life.

Electronic Resources:

Cultural Facts

This website can be used before students read the book. It gives some basic information of Vietnamese culture and the definitions of the Vietnamese words which are used throughout the book. This website can be used before the students read to give them some background information about Vietnamese culture.

Wordle

Students will create a word cloud on a character of their choice describing them and their view on different cultures and how it changed throught the book. This will be done after the students read the book.

Key Vocabulary:

This vocabulary should be taught before reading the book.

Communist

Subtitles

Ba- father

Di-Aunt prounounced yee

Con-child

Non la- Vietnam- cone-shaped straw hat

Viet-kieu-Vietnamese who live abroad

Reading Strategies:

An anticipation guide will be used before  the students read a book. This will done in a true or false fashion. This will help the teacher see what the students know about the Vietnam culture and other important points made in this book.

In small groups have the students complete a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting Vietnamese and American life using examples of the book. This will be done after they read the book.

Writing Activity that demonstrates Inferential Comprehension:

Have students use the raft method to write a few paragraphs of the point of view on any character in this book which they can choose. Have the students compare and contrast their point of view to the characters.

One Crazy Summer

By: Rita Williams-Garcia

Lexile Reading Level: 750L

Garcia, R. (2010). One crazy summer. New York: Amistad.

Inspirational, courage, power to the people, hope, judgment, segregation, pride

This book is about three sisters who take the trip to California to visit their Mother. They learn about the Black Panthers and what they stand for. The sisters make new friends and learn how important it is to be themselves and stand up for what they believe in.

Electronic Resources:

History on Black Panthers
This website tells history about the Black Panthers and what they stand for. This website can be used while the students are reading to learn more about the Black Panthers that the three sisters meet.
Voki
This website allows students to create a talking avatar. Students can write a script and record their voice in order to create this avatar. Students can create a talking avatar based on the point of view  of

Delphine, Vonetta, Fern, or of their mother. The students can include how the character feels about an event that happen during their summer. This will be done after the students read the book.

Key Vocabulary:

This vocabulary should be taught before reading the book.

Black Panthers

Surging

 Towering

 Humiliation

 Claim

 Rightfully

 Clutching

Revolution

Squatted

 Queasy

Reading Strategy:

Students will create vocabulary cards on the words on the vocabulary list. On these cards they will include the definition, and a sentence using the word. Students should also draw a picture which describe the definition of the book. These will be created before they read the book, so they can better comprehend the text.

While Students are reading the book, they will do a think pair share. Students will read the assigned chapter. They will think about the significant events which occurred during the story. Then they will meet in small groups to discussion what events happened in the chapter that they believe are significant and why.

After the students read the book, they will create a Poem for Two Voices. They will use inferential comprehension along with explicit details from the text to create a poem. This will compare and contrasts two different character's point of view. This will completed in pairs.

Writing Activity that demonstrates Inferential Comprehension:

Students will write a journal entry as if they were Delphine or her mother. They will include how they  believe the character felt during a certain time or situation. They will use details from the book to support their answers.