A Summer to Die

by Lois Lowry

Part I

Lowry, L. (2012). A summer to die. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.

 

Genre: Young Adult

Grade Level: 6-8

 

 

Part II

 

The title, A Summer to Die, alone sounds sad. Summer is happy and fun, death is the complete opposite. When I read the title I instantly thought, this is going   to be a sad book, and that makes perfect sense to me as to why it is a young adult novel. As I finished the book, I was pleased to find a happy ending. I wasn't sure because the young adult novels tend to end with questions and tears. I was really fascinated to find this novel having a circle of life theme and it will go my bookshelf in the future.

 

 Part III

This novel was a first person point of view, which personally is one of my favorites. For a young adult novel, I feel it is important to grab the reader because at the young adult age it is hard. The novel also discusses death, circle of life, personal growth, and many more issues that young adults faces more tragically then children and adults.



Part IV

Grade 8
Objective:

• Students will identify with the characters, theme, and point of view
• Students will respond to 2 of 3 essay questions
• Students will reflect their personal response to novel

 Discussion questions/Essay questions:

1. Personal identity was a main theme in this book. Where does this theme appear and how does its inclusion in the novel shape the course of the plot? Provide examples from the book.

2. Meg and Molly are two very similar people, yet they have some very notable and important differences. Write a compare/contrast essay about these two characters and use the text to cite examples to support your argument.

3. Why does the family move to the country and what changes occur in their lives because of this move? Provide specific examples from the book to support your essay.

Lesson Sketch:

1. Students will individually read A Summer to Die
2. Students will select 2 of 3 essay questions and respond to each
3. Students will personally respond to novel as a whole

Common Core Standards:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.3
Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.

Outside Sources:
http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/comparing-and-contrasting/ -How to write a compare/contrast essay
http://www.loislowry.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=67&Itemid=196 -Lois Lowry's personal website for learning more about the author
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/A-Summer-to-Die-Lesson-Plans-850157 -Teachers helping teachers create lesson plans- sign up is free

A Game for Swallows: To Die, To Leave, To Return

A Game for Swallows- To Die, To Leave, To Return

 

by Zeina Abirached

 

Part I

 

Abirached, Z. (2012). A game for swallows: To die, to leave, to return. New York: Graphic Universe.

 

Genre- Batchelder Award, Graphic Novel 

 

Grade Level- 6-8

 

Part II

 

This book really hit home for me. As I read through it I was amazed to hear such a vivid story in so few words. I absolutely loved this and I can't wait to use it in a lesson. I don't wish a tragedy like this on anyone, but if I were a teacher and something happened in a another area, this would be the text I would use to express the things going on to my students, so they could feel what others are feeling. This hit home to me because I thought of 911 when I was reading it. I remembered the hurt my family and friends were going through. My generation hasn't been through nearly as much as generations before me. This could be argued, but to stay on topic, 911 is one of the most tragic things in my generation and this novel really does a great job portraying the authors tragedy.

I really want to use this novel for a lesson that has students look into other stories that are informational and personal and make a video that shows the story. Their interpretation of the story could be through music that helps tell the story. Below I have the lesson sketched out.

 

Part III

 

The story is very powerful. I feel It would have a very strong effect on students because of the way the story is presented. Telling this story in a graphic novel was brilliant. I love the use of black and white because it emphasizes on the theme which brings out the style. The illustrations are done by the author and this brings more to the table in the way the novel is presented. I feel the drawing lighten the mood, and I feel it makes the tragedy lighter for the readers. The drawings done by the author make me, personally feel more in sync with the author. I feel she gave me a piece of herself.

 

Part IV

 

Grade 7

Objective:

• Students will identify the information the text is portraying
• Students will compare another informational text to the text
• Students will reflect their opinions in a video

Discussion Questions:

1. Where does this story take place?
2. What is going on in the story?
3. What makes this story different from others?
4. How did this story effect you emotionally?

 

Lesson Sketch:

1. Students will read A Game for Swallows in groups.
2. Each group will collaborate and chart the standards below that analyze the text.
3. Students will then, find another text to compare for better understanding of the informational text.
4. Students will choose A Game for Swallows or the text they used to compare and make a video like the one below.
1. The video must tell the story and use music to interpret what the group feels from the story.



 

 

Standards:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.5 Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to the development of the ideas.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.6 Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author distinguishes his or her position from that of others.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.7 Compare and contrast a text to an audio, video, or multimedia version of the text, analyzing each medium’s portrayal of the subject (e.g., how the delivery of a speech affects the impact of the words).

Outside Sources:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hsuy4cUJe9o - How to Make a YouTube Video
• http://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=informational+graphic+novels&search_type=books- A list of other Information Graphic Novels
• http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/game-swallows#cart/cleanup- Information about the author and other lesson plan ideas.