The Error You are Making with Flat Stanley's Original Adventure

Everyone loves Flat Stanley!  He is so much fun to make and send off in an envelope to parts unknown!  People take pictures with him and send him back so that you can see all the amazing things he got to do-just like when Flat Stanley went on his adventure to California!  Great learning, right!  What if I told you that there was something you totally missed?  What if I told you that you made a major teaching error by just reading this book and sending Flat Stanley on his way.  Because you did, you missed something really remarkable in this tale! You made a teaching error...

Flat Stanley is much more than a paper doll you are sending out.  Teachers have missed a key opportunity to teach some amazing things through this book because we use it as a Social Studies opportunity and it is, well, fun! There is an entire world of literary wonder at just the right level for late first graders, second graders, and early third graders to learn about.  This book is written at a level that allows students to critically examine a text for elements they need to know about.  It is also written for them to have fun!  Why not combine the two and have a great book study!  Let's look at how! 

Comprehension

Although it doesn't look like there are opportunities for great comprehension, there is!  Each chapter packs a little bit of an opportunity to think about and comprehend what is in the chapter.  For instance, in the first chapter, (Grab the freebie here!) there are some interesting parent interactions!  There is also a chance to look at how this story is a fantasy.  And, it even has a chance for some fun measuring in your classroom to get kids ready for the deeper stuff.  

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Today we had so much fun finding things that measured the same as Flat Stanley! What kind of fun things do you do to integrate other subjects into reading? • • • #secondgradeteacher #secondgrade #secondgradefollowloop #secondgradetribe #secondgradeteachers #secondgradefun #secondgradesquad #secondgradeshenanigans #2ndgradeteacher #2ndgraderocks #2ndgradeclassroom #2ndgradeswag #2ndgradefun #iteachsecond #iteach2ndgrade #iteachsecondgrade #iteach2nd #flatstanley

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This continues throughout the rest of the book, building deeper and deeper meaning and thoughts expressed by the author.  All of this can be assessed through comprehension questions that help students build true understanding of the text.

Character Reactions

Students can have a different kind of experience with Flat Stanley by examining character reactions.  This can be done with a Wants and Needs Chart.  This chart is not the typical wants and needs we complete in the Social Studies Standards.  This looks at what character want and what they need to do to accomplish that want.  What happens when we examine characters in this way, we can look deeper at what the author's purpose is.  This, ultimately, leads the students to discover themes for each character and the book overall!  This is a priceless way to use Flat Stanley, because it exposes sibling rivalry to students who are always amazed at how much Stanley and Arthur have in common with their lives!  

Vocabulary

Although Flat Stanley doesn't jump to mind as a great vocabulary teaching opportunity, it is in there!  This story was written at a time period where different words were used.  Fragile, jostle, and rummage are examples of the strong words used by Jeff Brown in his authorship of this book.  

And More!  

There are even more opportunities packed into this text.  Looking at dialogue, character feelings, and more can be done with Flat Stanley.  Don't miss out on the opportunity to boost your students' skills with this great book AND this great product!  Everything you need for a great novel study is found inside!  

I'd love to hear what you have to say about Flat Stanley!  What have you done to get the BEST out of this study!  Drop me a comment or follow me over on Facebook or Instagram to share on a post!  I'd love to hear from you!  

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Book Clubs for Kids: 5 Tips for Grading Student Book Clubs

Book Clubs for Kids is one of the BEST ways to use real literature to build comprehension in students. Student choice and student jobs, or roles, are key components to success in Book Clubs.  But there is the question that teachers who want to start Book Clubs ask the most-How do I grade Book Clubs for kids?  Let's take a Look at some tips to grading Book Clubs!

Tip #1:  Use a Well Developed Rubric to Grade

Honestly, this is the BEST way to grade.  I spent years examining what my students were doing in Book Clubs for kids to adapt and change to meet their needs.  Once I created an area, I would try it out and see how it worked for a diverse number of students.  It was adapted and changed over and over again until I found the perfect combination of social interactions and academics.  I used this grading rubric with groups I sat through and groups I observed as I walked around.  It is a life-saver when it comes to scoring students.  

Tip #2:  Grade their Meetings

Document everything!  It is key to keep track of what was said in Book Clubs beyond what the students provide.  When I first start Book Clubs for kids, I sit in on their meetings.  I also ask Higher-Order Thinking Questions. I take the time to write down what each child is saying.  What do I do with this?  I keep the papers so that I can tract their progress over the year.  I also examine these pages for strengths and weaknesses in students and to readjust groupings.  This also leads me to lessons I can teach to build our Book Club skills.  

Tip #3:  Grade their Book Club Jobs

In addition to using the rubric, I also grade the Book Club for kids jobs.  This is where I gain valuable grades, as you can either grade these separately or all together, depending on the level of skill your students have.  In the primary grades, I grade them as one grade.  In intermediate, I tend to grade these as stand-alone grades because of the amount of work it takes to prepare them.  You can also apply point values to each job and, then, add those up as one score in the end.  There are plenty of variations along the way to play with.  Try some out and pick what works best for you!  This is key!  

Tip #4:  Grade for Specific Skills

Book Clubs for kids can also be adapted for specific skills.  On top of the Book Club jobs, you can add open ended pages to the Book Club to target a specific skill you want to assess.  Be thoughtful about the amount of extra work though.   You don't want to add too much to their plate, as reading and completing the main tasks can fill a student's time.  

Tip #5: Grade with Expectations

Sometime teachers look at Book Clubs for kids as "fun work".  It is important to grade with the same expectations you would on any class assignment.  This is NOT "fun work".  Yes, kids have fun in Book Clubs, but their work should be taken as seriously as any classwork is.  Look at content, conventions, and anything else you would normally look for in student work.  This can take their work level to the next realm of learning!  Expect and they shall achieve!  

Need a great rubric for Book Clubs for kids?  Check out my two levels of Differentiated Book Clubs!  They have a variety of assessment pieces built in for you to use!  I'd also love to hear about your tips for assessing kids in Book Clubs!  Drop a comment and share your ideas!  Or, ask a question!  I'd love to hear them!  

Other Book club for Kids Posts to Read: 

Why I Don't Do Guided Reading:  Book Clubs Exposed

Student Choice in Book Clubs

The Secret of Getting the Best out of Student Jobs

5 Things You Should Look for During Book Clubs


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Why I Don't Do Guided Reading! Book Clubs Exposed!!!

I have lucky to be in on many innovative educational ideas.  I have seen the rise and fall of educational concepts.  It has been an interesting time.  One of the best ideas I have seen, and practiced, is the use of Literature Circles, or Book Clubs for kids.  It is also one of the most under utilized strategies with teachers.  Let's take a look at why!  

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This is how I survived my ELA block for the last few weeks before break!! I LOVE Book Clubs (Literature Circles) and so do my students!! It strengthens their understanding of character development and plot! Have you used Book Clubs in your class! Let’s hear about it!! #studentbookclubs #bookclubsforkids #literaturecircles #iteachela #iteachprimary #iteach123 #iteach234 #iteachgifted #teachingprimary #Igteachersrock #iteach2nd #iteach3rd #elementaryteacher #primaryteacher #teacherteam #teachersfollowingteachers #elementaryteacher #secondgradeteacher

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Book Clubs for Kids

Literature Circles, or Book Clubs for kids,  have probably been around longer than we can imagine.  I can retrace my experience back to my first year of teaching.  I taught Fifth Grade and had this great idea from college to try out.  My peer teacher was extremely innovative and agreed to let me try them out.  She was a steady novel user herself-in fact, she still is a novel user! (More on that in other posts!) I had used novels right along with her, mainly to get the most band for the buck!  My Brother Sam is Dead is a great example of this most bang moment!  This amazing novel teaches the American Revolution from an amazing view point - that of a Revolutionist who also put his life on the line for his family, all told by his young brother who was not fighting in the War.  Great stuff - but I digress!  So, I gather the texts I wanted to use - The Secret Garden, Alice in Wonderland, The Jungle Book, and Huckleberry Finn.  These books were not a huge jump for my students - in fact, because of what we were reading, they fit right into our class.  I created a project too - they had to write a summary for each chapter and draw a picture to create a Big Book for a younger grade!  All was great - but I had NO IDEA what I was doing!  This was totally unstructured talk with a random project.  I would rotate and listen to them.  They would all write a summary!  Great, but with no real results.  No real ability to "see" what I needed to see from them.  And, so, like so many others, I gave up this very "innovative" idea and stuck to what I was learning from others - the use of really great literature with the whole class.   Until...

Balanced Literacy!

Yes, about ten years into my teaching career, Balanced Literacy was launched.  It was during this time that "Guided Reading" was introduced to us and it was quickly pushed aside by those that I taught with.  In fact, it was a somewhat verbal assault on the instructor of the course.  But, she would not be pushes aside so easy.  Over the course of our year's worth of classes, she began to make headway - with BOOK CLUBS for kids!  She quickly moved from the idea that small readers were for all students into reading novels with older kids.   This brought buy-in!  In fact, she brought us to the point that students in 2nd grade and beyond SHOULD be reading real literature in the form of NOVELS!  And that's where she found acceptance and understanding!  And that's why I don't do Guided Reading in my classroom - in ANY grade I've taught!  Instead, I do...

Book Clubs!!

Literature Circles, or Book Clubs for kids, soon became a big hit with my students!  Why??  Well, there are a number of reasons!  Here's some:

1. They offer student choice!  We all know that it is hard for teachers to give up the idea that students can choose their own books.  However, that is part of what Book Clubs for kids offer.  Choice gives a student more buy-in.  That means more time on task, a connection to social-emotional learning, a willingness to have cooperative behaviors, and just a better chance to have fun with their reading.  
2. They provide a chance for differentiation!  That's right!  You can offer a variety of reading levels and topics in one Book Club for kids.  Or, you can go with a theme and offer a variety of levels of reading opportunity!  The opportunities are endless!  
3. It provides a purpose for reading beyond the idea of taking a test!  YES!  It is real, it is engaging, it is opportunity!  Real literature is used.  Kids want to read when the book engages them-so pick quality with PURPOSE!  Understand what and why you have picked that text to use with them!  And, opportunity is present.  Opportunity to get students involved and loving a book for what it is and what it does for them as a reader! 

What Book Clubs for Kids are NOT! 

I shutter when I hear Guided Reading- for real, I do.  Because it has become what it should not be.  It is, in it's current form, Round-Robin Reading Groups.  Student groupings don't change, they are stuck in a cycle of boredom (and so is the teacher), and we are assessing everyone for fluency OVER AND OVER! (Why?? WHY?? If they are fluent-move ON!)  We don't boost their reading past what we "think" they should be doing!  Reading is NOT A LEVEL!  Therefore, Book Clubs are NOT Guided Reading!  

Book Clubs for kids are NOT a free-for-all either!  There is structure and planning in Book Clubs.  Students have roles and expectations- all of which they must be ready for.  It takes practice and work, but students can quickly learn the hows and whys when presented with opportunities to lead!  

Book Clubs for kids are NOT ungraded!  There are many ways to grade Book Clubs.  Be open to ideas for grading, even from the students.  They know what should and should not be going on in their groups and will be honest about their behaviors and reading.

Book Clubs for kids are NOT unguided.  I carefully scaffold my Book Club instruction.  I start the same for every grade, no matter what grade I have taught Book Clubs in, 1st through 5th.  When they learn the ropes, they learn quality Book Clubs!   

So, now that you are intrigued, I'd love for you to join me in learning more!  I'll be posting some Blog Posts and sharing some over on my Facebook Page!  Stop by and follow me there for my live discussions about Book Clubs!  And, let me know more about what you'd like to learn by leaving me a comment below!  

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Read the next article on Book Clubs for kids HERE!