Reading & Literature

ABOUT BLACK BEAUTY

The bittersweet saga of the handsome colt that is wrenched from a happy country home and almost worked to death as a London cab horse is adapted for easy reading. Large type, short chapters, and expressive art make this a must for all animal lovers.

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Readers will meet Dox, who was the world's greatest canine detective; Grip, the dog who was a thief; Wolf and Barry, who devoted their lives to saving others; and Balto, the dog-hero whose statue stands in New York City's Central Park. 48 Pages Gades 2-4 Learn More

I'm off to Egypt! I climbed onboard a crabby old camel that would take me across the desert to the Great Cheese Pyramid. There, among mummies and hieroglyphics, I would learn the secret of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient Mouse World...

Who Is Geronimo Stilton? That's me! I run a newspaper, but my true passion is writing tales of adventure. Here on Mouse Island, my books are all best-sellers! What's that? You've never read one? Well, my books are full of fun. They are whisker-licking good stories, and that's a promise! Enter the world of Geronimo Stilton, where another funny adventure is always right around the corner. Each book is a fast-paced adventure with lively art and a unique format kids 7-10 will love

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Henry V by William Shakespeare is one of the Bard’s most well-known plays, featuring the famous St. Crispin’s Day speech. Our Student and Teacher Guides will increase the student’s vocabulary and reading comprehension. Learn More

Teacher Guides

Teacher guides provide the framework for the novel, including any background information necessary to prepare students for the text. Discussion questions help you delve into the novel's plot, conflict, theme, and character motivations/interactions. Plus, they're designed to elicit student thought, discussion, and participation!

Time-saving, inspiring lesson plans provide a comprehensive novel unit—created by teachers for teachers. The legwork is done for you. The chapter-by-chapter guides incorporate research-based, higher-order reading, writing, and thinking activities.

• 32+ pages
• Summary
• "About the Author"
• Character list
• Background information
• Initiating activities
• Vocabulary activities (Gr.1–8)
• Discussion questions and answers
• Graphic organizers
• Writing ideas
• Literary analysis
• Post-reading discussion questions
• Cross-curriculum extension activities
• Assessment Scoring rubric
• Glossary ( Gr. 9-12)

See also Student Packet10037 #

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The Bellmaker A TALE FROM REDWALL By BRIAN JACQUES

New York Times bestselling author Brian Jacques masterfully recounts more woodland adventures in the seventh epic in the Redwall (#1876) series!

It has been four seasons since Mariel, the warrior-mouse daughter of Joseph the Bellmaker, and her companion, Dandin, set off from Redwall to fight evil in Mossflower. Nothing has been heard of them since. Then one night, in a dream, the legendary Martin the Warrior comes to the Bellmaker with a mysterious message. Clearly, Mariel and Dandin are in grave danger. Joseph and four Redwallers set off at once to aid them. As they push over land and sea, they cannot know the terrible threats they face. Will the Bellmaker and his companions arrive in time to help Mariel and Dandin?

“This is storytelling at its best.”—School Library Journal

Paperback  | 352 Pages | 5-1/16 x 7-3/4 | Middle Grade (10 and up)

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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea By JULES VERNE Adapted by Judith Conaway

Part of A Stepping Stone Book(TM)

In this 1870 science-fiction classic, obsessed Captain Nemo and his prisoners descend beneath the sea in his secret submarine, the Nautilus, for nonstop adventure and suspense.

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Scottish novelist, poet and essayist Robert Louis Stevenson dedicated A Child's Garden ofVerses to Alison Cunningham, the nurse of his early childhood years in Edinburgh—a time whose essence he strove to recapture in the sixty-four poems of this long-treasured collection. Here, in "The Land of Counterpane" and "The Land of Nod," and in such delightful lyrics as "My Bed Is a Boat," "Autumn Fires" and "Windy Nights," are rhymes and images children and their parents have cherished together since A Child's Garden of Verses was first published in 1885. Alternately humorous and whimsical, grave and fearful, courageous and determined, the poems touchingly voice the many moods and currents of a child's imaginings. All sixty-four poems are reprinted in this edition in large, easy-to-read type. New illustrations by Thea Kliros capture the magical spirit of this beloved classic of children's literature. Learn More

First published in 1885, Stevenson’s verses so truly reflect the feelings of young children–about being small, the bliss of going up in a swing so high, discovering one’s shadow, happiness and sorrow and dreaming–that they have never ceased to be an essential part of a child’s library. Robinson’s beautiful pictures originally appeared in 1896 in the first illustrated edition. Learn More

A Christmas Carol is one of Charles Dickens’ most loved books – a true classic and a Christmas time must-read.

Ebenezer Scrooge is a mean, miserable, bitter old man with no friends. One cold Christmas Eve, three ghosts take him on a scary journey to show him the error of his nasty ways. By visiting his past, present and future, Scrooge learns to love Christmas and the people all around him. With a light-hearted introduction by bestselling author Anthony Horowitz, creator of the highly successful Alex Rider novels, most recently Snakehead.

Charles Dickens (1812-70) is one of the most recognized celebrities of English literature. His imagination, wit, mastery of the language and huge creative output single him out as one of the few people who genuinely deserve to be called genius. He had a poverty-stricken childhood and was determined to improve himself. By his early twenties he found a job as a parliamentary reporter and in his spare time wrote sketches of London life for newspapers and magazines. The publication of Pickwick Papers (1836) brought him the fame and fortune he craved. He wrote many other famous books including Oliver Twist, Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities.Learn More

This resource is directly related to its literature equivalent and filled with a variety of cross-curricular lessons to do before, during, and after reading the book. This reproducible book presents an exciting approach to teaching well-known literature! It includes sample plans, author information, vocabulary building ideas, cross-curriculum activities, sectional activities and quizzes, unit tests, and many ideas for culminating and extending the novel.

5th - 8th Grades

48 pages

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This resource is directly related to its literature equivalent and filled with a variety of cross-curricular lessons to do before, during, and after reading the book. This reproducible book presents an exciting approach to teaching well-known literature! It includes sample plans, author information, vocabulary building ideas, cross-curriculum activities, sectional activities and quizzes, unit tests, and many ideas for culminating and extending the novel.

5th - 8th Grades

48 pages

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The Outsiders Literature Unit from Teacher Created Resources. Each book in this series is a guide for using a well-known piece of literature. Included are sample plans, author information, vocabulary-building ideas, and cross-curricular activities. At the intermediate and Challenging levels, sectional activities and quizzes, unit tests, and ideas for culminating and extending the novel are also included. 48 pages. Learn More

Growing up in California during the depression isn't easy for eleven-year-old Rinko. She desperately wants to fit in and be like everyone else, but instead she is ridiculed and made to feel different because she is Japanese. But when Aunt Waka comes to visit, and brings with her the old-fashioned wisdom of Japan, she teaches Rinko the importance of her Japanese heritage, and the value of her own strengths and dreams, in this warm and touching story. Learn More

Sara Crewe is a student at Miss Minchin’s fancy boarding school. She has the very best of everything. But when her rich father dies, she’s left without a penny. Now Sara lives in the school’s cold attic and works for crusts of bread. With some help from a secret friend and a touch of magic, Sara’s world is about to change in ways she never dreamed. An adaptation of the classic novel that’s just right for young readers! Gr. 1-4. 112 pages. Learn More

Meet The COBBLE STREET COUSINS Lily, who wants to be a poet Tess, who wants to be a Broadway star Rosie, who wants a little cottage with flowers by the door. Lily has a wonderful idea -- to surprise Aunt Lucy with a dollhouse that looks just like her flower shop. But first the girls have to buy a few things at The Olde Craft Shoppe, and with the Cobble Street Cousins, even a little shopping trip can turn into an adventure! Ages 7-10. 64 pages. Learn More

Demetrius and Lysander both want Hermia but she only has eyes for Lysander. Bad news is Hermia's father wants Demetrius for a son-in-law. On the outside is Helena, whose unreturned love burns hot for Demetrius. Hermia and Lysander plan to flee from the city under cover of darkness but are pursued by an enraged Demetrius (who is himself pursued by an enraptured Helena). In the forest, Oberon and Titania (King and Queen of the fairies) are having a fight over a servant boy. Then, Oberon's head mischief-maker, Puck, runs loose with a flower which causes people to fall in love with the first person they see. From Oxford Press Learn More

An American classic and great bestseller for over thirty years, A Separate Peace is timeless in its description of adolescence during a period when the entire country was losing its innocence to the second world war. Set at a boys’ boarding school in New England during the early years of World War II, A Separate Peace is a harrowing and luminous parable of the dark side of adolescence. Gene is a lonely, introverted intellectual. Phineas is a handsome, taunting, daredevil athlete. What happens between the two friends one summer, like the war itself, banishes the innocence of these boys and their world. A bestseller for more than thirty years, A Separate Peace is John Knowles’s crowning achievement and an undisputed American classic. 208 pages. Learn More

Language ‏ : ‎ English

Paperback ‏ : ‎ 176 pages

Reading age ‏ : ‎ 9 - 12 years

Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 920L

Grade level ‏ : ‎ 4 - 7

Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.25 x 5 x 7.25 inches

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A Wrinkle in Time. It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger. Meg and Charles, along with their friend, Calvin, search for their scientist father. Traveling through space, they finally find him on the planet of Camazotz. How will they rescue him from his evil captors? 245 pages. Paperback.

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Travel to a faraway planet and discover what's in store for Meg Murry and her friends. Students will analyze the life lessons that Meg must learn on her dangerous journey to find her father. A Wrinkle in Time: An Instructional Guide for Literature supports the instruction of the Newbery Medal-winning book by Madeleine L'Engle. These rigorous, cross-curricular lessons and activities work in conjunction with the fictional text to teach students how to comprehend complex literature, and help them understand the significance of the story. This resource supports this classic children's novel, and is packed with tools to teach students how to analyze story elements in multiple ways, practice close reading and text-based vocabulary, determine meaning through text-dependent questions, and more. Add rigor to your students' explorations of rich, complex literature with this language arts resource.

Grades 4-8

From Teacher Created Materials

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Abraham Lincoln A NONFICTION COMPANION TO MAGIC TREE HOUSE MERLIN MISSION #19: ABE LINCOLN AT LAST (#6690) By MARY POPE OSBORNE and NATALIE POPE BOYCE Illustrated by SAL MURDOCCA.

Track the facts with Jack and Annie!

When Jack and Annie got back from their adventure in Magic Tree House Merlin Mission #19: Abe Lincoln at Last!, they had lots of questions. What was it like to grow up in a log cabin? How did Lincoln become president? What was his family like? Why did the US fight the Civil War? Find out the answers to these questions and more as Jack and Annie track the facts.

Filled with up-to-date information, photos, illustrations, and fun tidbits from Jack and Annie, the Magic Tree House Fact Trackers are the perfect way for kids to find out more about the topics they discovered in their favorite Magic Tree House adventures. And teachers can use Fact Trackers alongside their Magic Tree House fiction companions to meet common core text pairing needs.

Paperback | Published by Random House Books for Young Readers Dec 27, 2011 | 128 Pages | 5-3/16 x 7-5/8 | 7-10 years

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The unforgettable story of young Jethro Creighton who comes of age during the turbulent years of the Civil War. Written by Irene Hunt. Softcover 190 pages. Newberry Medal Honor book. Grades 6 and up. Learn More

Set in 13th century England, this Newbery Award winner tells of the adventures of Adam, the 11 year old son of a minstrel, as he travels around Southern England. His adventures include separation from his travelling companions and trying to reunite when an unscrupulous minstrel steals his dog losing track of his father in the process leaving him alone on the roads to take care of himself, using his harp and minstrel skills to gain food and shelter as he seeks his lost puppy and father. 317 pgs. Learn More