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Using Jip: His Story As a Novel Study

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Jip: His Story was a book I stumbled upon in a Scholastic book order several years ago. It was on sale, so I ordered a set to do a novel group (I break my kids into groups of 4-6 kids per novel) and was looking for some fresh material. I had been using Katherine Paterson's Bridge to Terabithia , so I thought I'd give Jip a try, beings that it was written by a well-known and well-written author. This book exceeded my expectations. I enjoyed Bridge to Terabithia and enjoyed using it in my novel groups, but Jip, in my opinion, is a better-written book. Set in 1855, Jip is an orphan boy that lives on a poor farm in rural Vermont. His life isn't easy and he has to work hard to earn his keep. He befriends a "lunatic" that is mistreated by the residents of the poor farm and is surrounded by a large cast of characters. He later has to come to terms with his own identity as he discovers why he was orphaned and what it means for his future. This is a more challengin
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5 Reasons Why You Should Teach a Novel Unit Using Esperanza Rising

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Can I just say that I LOVE the book Esperanza Rising? Out of all the literature out there for kids, this one sings to me. Pam Mu ñ oz Ryan is a wonderful author and the character of Esperanza is such an evolving character, and the plot allows for rich discussion. I could go on and on about this book, but rather, I'll give you the rundown of the  5 big reasons why you should use this book  in a novel study.  1. Symbolism Teaching symbolism is so fun and kids are amazing at it. If you've ever done a poetry unit, you know what I mean. Kids are incredibly poetic and have such a unique perspective that it gives me goosebumps when I read their thoughts. This book allows for looking symbolically. Each chapter is a fruit or vegetable that is being harvested on the farm, but beyond that they represent something significant in the chapter and to Esperanza's evolution as a character.  Here are what a few of my sixth graders wrote on some of the chapters: " I think th
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