Graphic Novel: Modern Fantasy: Bone: Escape from Boneville (Book 1)

Escape from Boneville, or Book 1 in the Bone series, is a graphic novel that all children will enjoy reading. Since this book is a graphic novel, I think that an appropriate activity to do with the children along side it is to create a comic strip. By completing the comic strip, students will gain a higher appreciation for authors who chose to write graphic novels. Below is my example: 

Historic Sites and Monuments

Nonfiction:
The Rourke Guide to State Symbols: Historic Sites and Monuments 


The Rourke Guide to Historic Sites and Monuments is and informational, nonfiction text that goes through a national historic site found in every state of the US. For example, on page 9 the featured State is Colorado and the historic site that the book discusses is Mesa Verde National Park. It then goes on to describe each site. On the Mesa Verde, the book tells us that cowboys discovered the dwellings over 100 years ago, and that they were believed to be inhabited by the Anasazi Indian Tribe. Scientists say that some of the ruins are almost 1,400 years old. It does the same format for every state listed in alphabetical order. Other sites included in the book were Yosemite National Park, Saint Augustine, the French Quarter, Plymouth Rock, my favorite in the book the Replica of the Amistad, and many more. 
This book is very informational and a lot to take in all at once. If I were to teach this book in my future classroom, I would allow a child a day to read about one of the sites before lunch or during another awkward transition. At the end of the week, I would have all of the children write me a couple of sentences about what they learned about a national historic site that week. Towards the end of the year, or after getting all of the way through the book, I would allow each child to pick its favorite historic site and do more research on the topic. From their research they would make a poster describing what they learned about that site. 

Rapunzel

Traditional Literature:  Rapunzel by: Paul O. Zelinsky
Disney likes to bring a light-hearted approach to old fairy tales by turning them into princess classics. The movie is a box office success because of its eccentric characters, charming love interests, and happily ever after ending. This can be proven in Disney’s recent success of the movie “Tangled”. This unique tale of a Repunzelesque character defies the dangers of the wood and has a gorgeous and clumsy “prince” at her side. This tale of Repunzel will be the first that most children will be exposed to. I would teach this book so children could learn the “real” version of this cautionary tale.  Paul O. Zelinsky’s version has a happy ending, but it needs one to make up for the sad plot in the beginning until the end of the book. It is a cautionary tale of greed, lust and theft. Rapunzel and her Prince “Charming” do wind up together, but their tale ends in blindness.  On a lighter note, this book will always be a read aloud because of its beautiful illustrations. Everyone that I have discussed this book with has discussed how every page in this book belongs in an art museum. The illustrations bring life and emotion to this tale.  For an activity to go along with this book, I would like for my students to focus on the different characters and their roles in the tale. I would have the students placed in groups of 3or 4 and have them write and interview with one of the following characters: Rapunzel, the sorceress, or the prince. They have to retell the story in the eyes of the character of their choosing through this interview. The more creative and theatrical the interview the better the grade ☺ or at least response from me.