Experience the hardships of being the new kid and how to persevere in a discriminatory climate. The activities in this resource allow educators to customize their unit for individual student needs. Predict what will be revealed about the character Andy based on first impressions. Compare the different results from Jordan’s meeting with Maury and then with Drew. Recall events from the Secret Santa game in Jordan’s homeroom. Put events that take place during the holiday break in the correct order. Reflect on how you perceive others and how they perceive you. Play a game of “this or that” by comparing two different things and deciding which is better. Relate the plot or themes of chapter titles with their real-world counterparts. Aligned to your State Standards and written to Bloom's Taxonomy, our worksheets incorporate a variety of scaffolding strategies along with additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key. About the Novel: New Kid follows seventh grader Jordan Banks as he embarks on his first day at a prestigious private school. His mother’s attempts to prepare him for the real world has hindered his dreams of attending an art school. At Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan is just one of a few other students who look like him. His initial experience is wrought with challenges from fitting in to facing racism. Throughout these many struggles, Jordan manages to make a few new friends, but still struggles to fit in with his old ones. Trapped between two worlds, Jordan is faced with the realization that some people are blind to the discrimination around them. When Jordan finally has enough and sticks up for a friend, he sees some change for the better in the school environment. New Kid is a graphic novel that shows the struggle of one character’s experience being the new kid at school, and how he perseveres to grow into a new kid in life.

Imagine what it’s like when twins come of age and drift apart. This resource allows students to have a better connection with the story that they are reading. Answer statements about Josh and Jordan as true or false. Put yourself in the twins’ shoes and imagine ways to stay focused when trying to concentrate. Pretend to be one of the characters and write a first-hand account about a medical emergency that occurs. Find synonyms to key vocabulary words used in the chapters. Research foods that are heart healthy and display the information in a chart or diagram. Complete a Tanka poem, taking inspiration from the novel. Aligned to your State Standards and written to Bloom's Taxonomy, our worksheets incorporate a variety of scaffolding strategies along with additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key. About the Novel: The Crossover tells the coming-of-age story of Josh Bell. Him and his twin brother—Jordan—are the sons of a famous basketball player. So naturally, they excel at the sport as well. The two strive to win the championship this year, but Jordan’s interests seem to stray from his brother’s. Jordan starts spending all his time with the new girl at school, and Josh doesn’t understand why his brother is acting so funny. For the first time, Josh is beginning to feel what it’s like to be lonely. He misses his brother, and starts acting out. At one of his games, Josh does something that causes him to be suspended. At home, his mother is becoming worried with her husband’s failing health. Josh learns that his grandfather died of heart disease, and now his own father is showing the same symptoms. He becomes just as worried as his mother, who starts taking steps to make sure the family is eating healthier. But with Josh’s father’s aversion to doctors, it’s only a matter of time before the unimaginable happens, and Josh is faced with a heart-breaking reality.

Escape into the thrilling world of roller derby with Astrid, as she faces new experiences and the loss of a friend. The activities in this resource are geared for a mix of small group, partner and individual work, allowing teachers to determine student comprehension of the book’s content and vocabulary. Students make predictions about key plot points before reading the chapter. Answer multiple choice questions about Astrid’s time at roller derby camp. Determine the reason behind Astrid’s motives for lying to her mother. Identify synonyms of key vocabulary words found in the story. Imagine what it might be like for Nicole to be friends with Astrid. Put yourself in Astrid’s position and come up with a plan to apologize to Zoey. Describe and compare the different settings depicted in the story. Aligned to your State Standards and written to Bloom's Taxonomy, our worksheets incorporate a variety of scaffolding strategies along with additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key. About the Novel: Roller Girl tells the story of 12-year-old Astrid, who discovers that people change as they grow older. Astrid is best friends with Nicole. They do everything together. One day, Astrid’s mother takes the girls to a roller derby bout. Astrid falls in love with the sport, and suggests she and Nicole sign up for the summer camp. However, Nicole doesn’t want to do roller derby; instead, she wants to go to ballet camp. Because of this, Astrid and Nicole start to drift apart. Astrid has high hopes for roller derby, but soon finds out that it’s a lot harder than she imagined. As she practices day and night, trying to get better, she learns valuable lessons on managing expectations and friendships. In the end, Astrid learns that there’s nothing wrong with friends growing and following their own path. Roller Girl is a graphic novel depicting the journey every young girl finds themselves while growing up.

Experience the hardships of starting over during the Great Depression. The activities act as a great jumping-off point for teaching in a student-guided manner. Students put themselves in Esperanza's shoes and describe her changing viewpoints as she becomes exposed to the lives of those poorer than she once was. Determine whether a strike will cause conflict later in the story based on what is already known. Put events in order as they happen immediately following the death of Esperanza's father. Make predictions on the outcome of Esperanza's attempts to get a job. Compare the mythological story of the phoenix to that of Esperanza. Compare the different settings of the book, from Esperanza's home in Mexico to the work camps in California. Aligned to your State Standards, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: Esperanza Rising tells the story of a young girl who's world gets turned upside-down, and must flee to America to start a new life. Esperanza Ortega grew up in luxury on her father's ranch in Mexico. She had servants, nice clothes and lavish parties. Her sheltered life comes crashing down when her father is killed by renegades while tending to a broken fence on his property. Their home is left to Esperanza and her mother, but the land is left to her father's stepbrothers. After their home is burned down, Esperanza, her mother and a few loyal servants flee to America to start better lives. Unfortunately for them, it's the Great Depression and their new lives won't be so great. Esperanza is immediately flung into poverty and struggles to adjust. When they make it to the States, Esperanza falls into a deep depression. When her mother becomes sick, Esperanza must grow up and learn to appreciate what she has. This riches-to-rags story shows that it's not what you possess that bring you happiness, but the people you share it with.

A family travels south in hopes of straightening out their misbehaving son, only to experience violence and racism that threaten their safety. The worksheets are laid out in a way that “makes sense” for students to follow along with the novel. Put events from the novel in the order they occur at Kenny’s school. Predict whether Kenny will be able to mend his friendship with Rufus. Explain why Kenny and his mother react a certain way to Byron’s hairstyle choice. Put yourselves into the author’s shoes and speculate why Kenny’s near-drowning experience was put into a certain perspective. Design a sign to post at Collier’s Landing to warn people that it is not safe to swim there. Identify elements of literature from the novel with a story elements graphic organizer. Aligned to your State Standards and written to Bloom's Taxonomy, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 follows Kenny and his family as they experience firsthand the violence and racism engulfing the South in the 1960s. Kenny is a fourth grader living with his family in Flint, Michigan. The winters are cold and the family must huddle together for warmth. At school, Kenny experiences bullying from his classmates, only saved by his brother—the biggest bully of all—who picks on Kenny at home. The two look after their younger sister as she starts to learn right from wrong in Sunday school. As Kenny’s brother’s behavior starts to get out-of-control, their mom and dad decide to send him down to Birmingham, Alabama to live with his grandmother over the summer. Hoping she’ll straighten him out, the family sets off in their “Brown Bomber” on the long drive down south. When they arrive, they experience fear, violence and racism that culminates in a tragedy that shakes them to their core. From this experience, Kenny must overcome his insecurities and deal with real world issues at a very young age.

Inspire your students with this brave story about racism and homelessness. The helpful journal topics offer extended writing activities and discussion prompts. Students come up with possible story ideas that could relate to the title, "maniac". Illustrate the scene between McNab and Maniac. Match quotes to the characters who said them. Students confront the idea of discrimination by identifying some of the ways people discriminate against other people. Find proof from the story to support the different qualities inhabited by Maniac and Grayson. Give meaning to expressions from the story. Identify each expression as a simile or metaphor. Identify a major and minor problem that Maniac faces in the story and explain each in a paragraph. Aligned to your State Standards, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: Maniac Magee is a Newbery Medal winning-story about a young homeless boy running through town and the different people he meets along the way. Orphaned at the age of three, Jeffrey Magee runs away from his Aunt and Uncle eight years later. He finds himself in Two Mills, Pennsylvania, where he realizes the town is split in half—the East End and the West End. Running his way through the town, Magee learns of the hatred and racism that separates the two sides. Along the way, he meets a wide range of interesting characters, and even develops a legend for himself, earning him the nickname "Maniac". He endures hardships while moving from place to place, eventually finding a home in a buffalo pen at the zoo.

Discover firsthand what it’s like for refugees entering the US in this coming-of-age story of one girl’s struggle to belong. This resource has everything you will need in one packet, from pre-assessment material, to comprehension questions incorporating vocabulary. Reflect on Hà’s mother’s decision of having to choose a different country to live in. Put the events that describe Hà’s first day of school in the order that they occur. Describe what Miss Scott shows to the class, and how Hà reacts to it. Predict whether the family will learn what happened to their father. Put yourself in Hà’s shoes and imagine what you would wish for during Têt. Explore the concept of language and how difficult it can be to learn by researching common idioms used in your language. Aligned to your State Standards and written to Bloom's Taxonomy, our worksheets incorporate a variety of scaffolding strategies along with additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key. About the Novel: Inside Out & Back Again follows 10-year-old Hà and her family as they struggle as refugees in 1970’s America. The story begins in 1975 Saigon. Hà’s father has been missing for years since leaving to fight in the war of Vietnam. The war is now over and the Americans are leaving. Communists from the North threaten the family’s safety and freedom. They come to the hard decision of leaving their beloved home to seek shelter elsewhere. They settle on America, and with the sponsorship of a kind “cowboy”, the family start their new home in Alabama. Their struggles don’t stop there, however. Their first task is to learn English. Hà struggles with this as she enters school in America. She is met with bullies and miscommunication in language and culture. With the help of a kind neighbor, Hà quickly learns how to survive in her new home. She begins to make friends at school, and her family begin to prosper as well. The day comes when the family must make the difficult decision regarding her father, but nothing will stop them from making the most of their new lives in America.