Coraline written by Neil Gaiman

Coraline
Neil Gaiman
740L

            Coraline’s family just moved into a new home that has 14 rooms. One of the doors to a room doesn’t work, after finding a way behind the door Coraline is transported into another world. While she has her issues with her family, the family she finds on the Other side are everything she could ever want. Everything about the Other world are fantastic and perfect for her. Unfortunately, she finds out her Other mother and father aren’t exactly what they appear and she must find a way back to the real world.

Publishers Weekly Best Book
Book Sense 76 Pick
Child Magazine Best Book of the Year
New York Public Library's "One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing"
Amazon.com Editors’ Choice
ALA Notable Children’s Book
ALA Best Book for Young Adults
New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age
IRA/CBC Children's Choice
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award Masterlist (Vermont)
Bram Stoker Award for Best Work for Young Readers
Hugo Award for Best Novella
School Library Journal Best Book

Learning Activity:
The student will read the book Coraline and go through the scenes introducing Coraline’s mother and the Other mother. Once the story shifts into the Other world, the student will compare how Other mother provides exactly what Coraline wants and how it is unlike what her real mother does for her. The student will write about the differences between the two characters and why think they the Other mother is so inviting for a child like Coraline. They will present their findings to the class in a few sentences summation.

Standards:
CCSS.ELA-L.RL.6.3 - Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.
CCSS.ELA-L.RL.6.5 - Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot.

Goal:
The student will read the text and analyze the two mother figures and how they each interact with Coraline. The student will write up their thoughts on the Other mother and why think they Coraline first preferred her to her actual mother.

Objective:
Cognitive -
            The student will write 2 paragraphs about the interactions between Coraline and her mother compared to her interactions with Other mother.
Affective -
            The student will write a paragraph about why they think Coraline chose to enter the Other world and what makes Other mother so appealing.
Cognitive -
            The student will present their findings to the class, short explanation on what they think makes Other mother better than mother when first introduced in the story.

Outcome:
The student will write 3 paragraphs on the characters of mother, Other mother, and Coraline and what makes the mother characters different from one another. The student will present their findings to the class.

Medusa Jones, by Ross Collins

Collins, R. Medusa Jones. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books, 2008.
Lexile Level: 740L

Themes from the book:

1. Physical characteristics of protagonist:  

• Medusa Jones resembles Medusa from Greek mythology; she is a young girl with snakes for hair.
• The supporting characters are Mino, a minotaur, Chiron, a centaur, and Cerberus, a three-headed pet dog.

2. From whom do they seek acceptance:

• The trio of friends seek acceptance from The Champions, a group of 3 students who are classic looking and perfect. They are Theseus, Perseus and Cassandra.

3. Emotional obstacles:

• Medusa suffers from embarrassment that her hair is made of snakes.
• Medusa is envious of a woman who got a fantastic haircut fashioned to look like a monkey on a bicycle, because she realized she could never have that style in her own hair.
• Her friends feel anger towards those that bully them.

4. Physical obstacles:

• Medusa struggles to tame her hair.
• SPOILER ALERT (highlight to reveal): In a pivotal moment, it is the Champions who are revealed to not be strong enough to save themselves.

5. Types of adversity they face:

• The three friends are called freaks, and ridiculed constantly for looking the way they do.

Selling Tool:

Color Your Own Poster

Medusa Jones, By Ross Collins

Check it out and find YOUR power!

Artwork Credit: http://www.netart.us/manga-drawing-medusa-coloring-page/

Learning Activity:

Read the myth of Medusa and Athena, here: http://www.dltk-kids.com/world/greece/m-story-medusa-and-athena.htm

Compare the novel, Medusa Jones, with the myth above. Record your observations in a Venn diagram. As a group we will discuss the two stories, and any preferences for one over the other.

Learning Standard:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.1
Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

Learning Goal:

Students will compare Medusa Jones with The Myth of Medusa and Athena.

Learning Outcome:

Students will fill in a Venn diagram showing the differences and similarities between Medusa Jones and the Myth of Medusa and Athena.

Learning Objective:

Students will fill in a Venn diagram showing the differences and similarities between Medusa Jones and the Myth of Medusa and Athena, making reference to specific parts of the texts provided.

A Wrinkle In Time

Graphic Novel 5 - 7

A Wrinkle in Time - adaptation by Hope Larson original work by Madeleine L’Engle

740L

Summary - Meg Murry is worried that things are getting odd in her life, her father has disappeared and their seems some strange characters in her town. Charles Wallace, her brother, has befriended one of them, Mrs.Whatsit who comes to their house at night and starts explaining odd things to them like the tesseract, which is a wrinkle in time, also seems odd to Meg. On their way home from school one day Charles and Meg run into a new friend named Calvin. From this point on the three travel around the 5th dimension with Mrs.Whatsit, Mrs,Who and Mrs.Which, all friends in the same way our three main characters are. We follow them on a journey to retrieve their lost father and to become better friends.

Selling Tool - Classic stories are all around us, they are in TV and movies and we don’t even realize that they are there. This is one of those stories. A Wrinkle in Time, the graphic novel version, is one of the most used and talked about stories of the past 50 years, and graphic novels are the best introduction to these types of stories, and Hope Larson’s illustrations are an enhancement to an already amazing story that stands the test of time.

Standard - CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.3.A
Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.
Goal - To better understand the characters of Mrs.Whatsit, Mrs.Who and Mrs.Which and how they relate to the story

Objective - Students will learn and be able to pull quotes, pictures and other evidence from the text to support a claim about a character, and to infer something about that character.

Outcome - Students will use the text to develop a story that explains how one of the three characters got their gifts. Students will be able to use the story of A Wrinkle in Time to enhance their idea of where the gift came from. In addition, students will use the other three main characters that received the gifts to explain why each one got them.

Refrences -
https://images.macmillan.com/folio-assets/teachers-guides/9780312367558TG.pdf#page=7
http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/7/

Coraline - Tanya Beers

Tanya Beers

IST571: Children's Literature Lit Kit

Book: Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Lesson Plan and Selling Tool:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GkF8sfICE4R-KjMf0QqAM_RBAWNn4WQqOxFh3d_y-fk/edit  

Tanya Beers

IST571: Coraline by Neil Gaiman - Lit Kit

Title: Coraline

Author:  Neil Gaiman

Lexile Level: 740L

Grade Level:  3rd – 7th grade

Age Range: 9 to 12 years

ISBN #: 0380807343

Coraline is a little girl who lives with her parents in an old house that has been split into two 
large apartments. One day, Coraline discovers a doorway in her living room that has a hallway 
behind it and it leads to another world. In that other world, there is a man and a woman who 
claim to be her other parents. At first, they seem odd but nice and she likes the attention that 
they give her. However, over time, their behavior becomes stranger and eventually becomes 
dangerous. They want to keep her there with them forever in their world and it becomes 
increasingly more difficult for Coraline to escape. Through her wits, bravery, and determination, 
Coraline must fight to get back to reality and her real parents!

Lesson for 5th graders:

Students will read the book Coraline by Neil Gaiman.

Students will then answer the following questions in a 2-page essay:

1. When do you think Coraline realized that the other world she lived in was dangerous?

2. Why does the other mother want to keep Coraline?

3. What other characters that Coraline meets in this other world are willing to help her and 
why?

4. Do you think that people are born brave or do they become brave when they are in a situation 
where have to be?

5. How does Coraline get rid of the other mother for good?

6. If you were in the same situation as Coraline, do you think you would be brave enough to 
challenge the other mother and get yourself and others to safety? How would being in Coraline’s 
situation make you feel?

Students will also do this Coraline word search activity (the only part of the lesson that 
isn’t mine): http://busyteacher.org/19913-film-coraline-2009-warm-up-and-first-part-activity.html

Learning Standards:

Common Core ELA Writing Standards K-5 (Grade 5).

5.1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and 
information.

a. Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure 
in which ideas are logically grouped to support the writer’s purpose.

b. Provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details.

c. Link opinion and reasons using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., consequently, 
specifically).

d. Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented.

5.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information 
clearly.

5.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are 
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Learning Goal:

Students will document their understanding of the reading and how they feel about the main 
character’s situation in a 2-page essay.

Learning Objectives:

1. Students will demonstrate, in an essay, how they feel about the main character’s situation, 
how they would feel about being in her predicament, and the choices they would make if they 
were her (Affective).

2. Students will write a 2-page essay based on the assigned questions demonstrating their 
knowledge of the reading. (Cognitive and Psychomotor)

Learning Outcome:

Students will depict their knowledge of the reading and how they feel about it in an essay.

Works Cited:

Busyteachers.org. (2009). “Movie Worksheet: Coraline”. Retrieved from http://busyteacher.org/
19913-film-coraline-2009-warm-up-and-first-part-activity.html.

Gaiman, Neil. Coraline. HarperTrophy, 2002.

New York State Department of Education. (2011). New York State P-12 Common Core Learning 
Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy. Retrieved from https://www.engageny.org/resource/
new-york-state-p-12-common-core-learning-standards-for-english-language-arts-and-literacy.

Selling Tool: Poster

From: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/572872015070827157

A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle

Author: Madeleine L'Engle

Genre: Science Fiction

Lexile Level: 740L

ISBN: 978-0312367541

Grades: 6-8

Award: Newbery Medal

Summary: This classic from 1963, tells a story of three kids: brother, sister and their friend going on a great and unusual adventure of time and space in a quest to find Meg’s and Charles’ dad, a scientist who disappeared while working on a government project.

Selling Tool: Poster 

Activity: Students will read the book and watch the movie of Wrinkle in time. The students will then look online for pictures and any reviews of either book or the movie ( by choice) and create their own poster, making sure to appeal to their audience in making them interested in reading the book or watching the movie. They will be able to use pictures from the web, from both book and the movie. The directions will be given to include a picture and a “hook”.

Standards:  

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3
Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.1.B
Support claim(s) with clear reasons and relevant evidence, using credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.

Goal: Students will know how to pick and present the main idea from the book or movie

Objective: Using the book and the movie, the students will create an advertising poster of the book or the movie, making sure to have a picture and a statement to interest the reading or watching audience.

Outcome: Students will learn how to pick out the main idea from the source and how to hook the audience to their advertised object.

Works Cited:

https://www.amazon.com/Wrinkle-Time-Quintet/dp/0312367546

L'Engle, Madeleine. A Wrinkle in Time. Square Fish, 2007.

They set on a long and unknown journey to find their dad: there are three women to help them along the way, but are they all favoring the kids? Are they going to find their dad,     or get stuck in time and space with no returning to their earthly home?