Beginning in February, all 1,2,3 and 2/3 classes will dive headfirst into this year’s Newberry Award Winning Novel Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo. Two years in a row now I have planned a book study the second half of the year that
then won the Newberry! Last year all our 2/3 classes read and studied The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. Little did I know the secret powers I have (wink, wink).
We will surely look at different formats of literature (graphic vs. traditional), explore the super secret lives of squirrels (through both fiction and non-fiction) and even hone our compare and contrast skills using Ulysses, Incandesto and other famous superheroes. We will begin our unit with a couple of weeks of read alouds in order to prepare us for our more in depth study of the novel.
In addition, I have cleared a bulletin board in the library to place memorable quotes from our reading. I started with the most important quote from the first chapter titled “A Natural Born Cynic.” Flora Belle can’t stop shouting and thinking in tought bubbles “You’re going to vacuum up that squirrel!” I’ve already had three students ask me about the quote!
