Get Talking: Frindle

Here are the discussion questions for Frindle.


Before reading this book, had you ever thought about how words are created? What did you find interesting about the process of creating a word?

Is it believable that "frindle" took off and became so well known? Why or why not?

"Every good story," Mrs. Granger writes to Nick, "needs a bad guy, don't you think?" Do you agree? Does every good story have a villain? Can you think of any that don't?

"School," the author writes in Frindle, "was the perfect place to launch a new word." Why? What makes schools such good breeding grounds for fads? Do companies or community organizations ever use your school for promoting products or services? How?

The frindle is just one of Nick's great ideas. Brainstorm about ways you could improve your own school. How can you turn your ideas into action?

Although Nick didn't know it until he turned 21, his new word earned him a huge amount of money. Do you think his parents were right in setting up a trust fund for him? What do you think he might have done with the money if he could have spent it earlier? What would you do if you suddenly had a lot of money of your own?

Do you think it's true that if you're good you'll make lots of money or that if you make lots of money, you can consider yourself good?

Years after he leaves Mrs. Granger's class, Nick finds a perfect way to show her how important she was to him. What's your teacher's idea of a perfect gift from a former student? Has he or she received it yet?




The meeting is on September 9, 2011.  I hope to see you there!


Gloria

Book Blurb: Frindle

Frindle

Nicholas Allen has plenty of ideas. Who can forget the time he turned his third-grade classroom into a tropical island, or the times he fooled his teacher by chirping like a blackbird? But now Nick's in fifth grade, and it looks like his days as a troublemaker are over.

Everyone knows that Mrs. Granger, the language arts teacher, has X-ray vision, and nobody gets away with anything in her classroom. To make matters worse, she's also a fanatic about the dictionary, which is hopelessly boring to Nick. But when Nick learns an interesting tidbit about words and where they come from, it inspires his greatest plan yet: to invent a new word. From now on, a pen is no longer a pen -- it's a frindle.

It doesn't take long for frindle to take root, and soon the excitement spreads well beyond his school and town. His parents and Mrs. Granger would like Nick to put an end to all this nonsense. But frindle doesn't belong to Nick anymore. All he can do now is sit back and watch what happens.

This quirky, imaginative tale about creative thought and the power of words will have readers inventing their own words. Brian Selznick's black-and-white illustrations enhance the humor in this unforgettable story.


About the Author
I found a lot about the author of Extra Credit, Andrew Clements, but the best biography I found was one he had written himself and posted on his website (it's also where I got the information about the book).  Here is the link to the page.  It was just a little too long to copy and paste.

http://www.andrewclements.com/bio.html

I hope you are enjoying the book so far.  I'm looking forward to discussing it with you!


~Gloria~

Meeting Notes: King of the Wind

Here it is Thursday and I'm just getting around to posting on my blog.  I'm sorry I haven't posted sooner!

As I was expecting, the meeting was a bit smaller than usual with the start of school happening the next Monday.  Still we had a couple of people.  We talked  about the book, but the main discussion was sidetracked to other books we were reading.  It was a shorter meeting, so I'll just get down to the important parts.  Lydia won the prize of two books, Black Beauty and Guide For Horse Loonies.  Next we picked the book for next month.  The two choices were:

Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary.  It's about a girl who doesn't get along with her younger sister very well.  Ramona is always bothering Beezus and ruining things for her.  Will Beezus ever learn to love her sister?

Frindle by Andrew Clements.  This is a story about a boy who has great ideas.  He clashes with his teacher over his invented word "frindle."  But has he taken it too far?

And the winner is....Frindle!  Pick up your copy today!  We will be discussing this book during our next meeting on Sept 9, 2011.  I hope to see you there!

Gloria

Super Woman Spotlight: Rosa Parks

I've been trying to think how I could get everyone more involved in the book clubs and I finally came up with the idea to have the girls write the Super Woman Spotlight.  Once a month the blog entry will be by them.  They can pick any woman they want to.  She can be someone famous, someone they know or anyone at all.  Just write a little bit about her and I'll post it.  Let me know if you are interested in writing it.

This first one is written by Lydia, age 9 and is about Rosa Parks.

In 1932, Rosa married a man named Raymond Parks.   He helped Rosa finish high school.  They lived in Montgomery, Alabama.   They became members of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People).  They worked for civil rights. They wanted all people, no matter what color, to be treated fairly.  Rosa worked hard at the NAACP.   She wanted to do something the civil rights.   

On December 1, 1955, Rosa made a very important decision.   She was going to take the first step to change things.  That day, Rosa left work feeling tired.   She had worked for many hours at a department store. She took a seat on the bus, she was not allowed to sit in the front of the bus the. White are the only ones to sit in the front.  She was allowed in the back only. Buses were segregated and in the south it was the law. Soon the bus was filling up.  The bus driver told Rosa and other blacks to move.   Rosa did not move as the law stated.  It was very un-life like for Rosa.

Rosa Parks was arrested and taken to jail.  She was told to pay a fine.  When she was released from jail, she decided not to pay the fine.  Instead she decided to fight the unfair bus law.  Many people were ready to fight segregation.  But Rosa took the first step.  Rosa and her friends did a boycott.  (A boycott is when many people come together and refuse to buy or use something.)  The black people that usually took the bus to work agreed to walk instead.  This meant that the bus company would lose money.

An important minister helped tell people about the bus boycott.  His name was Martin Luther King, Jr.   He told people to fight for what they believed in, but to do it peacefully.  

While the boycott was going on Rosa’s lawyers took her case to the Supreme Court.  (That was the highest court in the United States.)   Rosa should never have been arrested.  They said that segregation on the buses should be against the law because it treats all black people unfairly.  

The boycott lasted for more than a year!  Then on December 20, 1956, the city of Montgomery got an order form Supreme Court.  Segregation is not allowed, period on bus.   It was great victory.   But many restaurants, stores, and even hospitals were still not open to the blacks.  It took very many years, and lots of battles to end segregation.  Rosa Parks worked very hard for civil rights movement.   She has won honors and lots of awards for all that she has done.   But one right stands before them all- the right to be treated fairly and with respect for ever.

Thank you Lydia for telling us about Rosa Parks.  She really was an amazing woman.

I'll see everyone next week at the meeting!

Gloria