Peter and the StarCatchers Book Discussion

UPDATE #2: Initially I thought a Blogger blog would work as a book discussion but realized I need a threaded discussion with capabilities for teacher and student to comment on eveyone's posts. After searching around for an Web 2.0 stand alone application that would work, I decided to go back to my student's blog site. The children are familiar with the format and the accounts are already set up. You can see the forum for Peter and the Starcatchers here.

UPDATE #1: I realized I'd chosen the wrong tool for the job. I'm not going to be able to use Blogger for the book discussion for several reasons---"Comments" window doesn't have a WYSIWYG editor--my kids need spell check. I also need to be able to comment on the posts (which is the whole point)--what I need is a threaded discussion forum, so I'm moving the book discussion. The invitation is still open and I'll post the new location ASAP.

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Wanna join? I've put together a book discussion for my gifted 4th graders. Would you like to join us in discussing Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Berry and Ridley Scott?

Amazon Reviews say the book is appropriate for grades 5-9 but I would limit it to 4-6th, I think the questions are going to be hard for my 4th graders and they are smarter than I am.

I'm also creating another discussion for older gifted kids, 5-6th, maybe 7th. We will be reading Airborn by Kenneth Oppel.

Each child would need an email to log in and follow the "rules" of the discussion. The objectives are twofold-- analyzing the novel and writing in a "formal" way. Teacher would need to commit to being part of the discussion and comment often.

I think this would be a great opportunity to differentiate curriculum for a gifted reader(s)/writer(s). Let me know if you are interested, we read the book together (everybody has a book) and the students answer the questions in our classroom, their regular classroom and at home. We encourage parents to read the books and join in, we'll be starting @ Sept 15.

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Permalink Reply by Kevin H. on August 24, 2007 at 6:36pm

I love the Peter series (and co-written by Dave Barry, the Miami columnist who we miss sorely in our Sunday newspapers!
I have read all three Peter books with my own sons as read aloud and then, two years ago, I read the first one to my sixth graders. Let me think about whether I can read it aloud again this year and work some of your book discussions into the mix.
I may have to pass but I would recommend the books for the upper elementary grade level.
Kevin

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Permalink Reply by Nancy Bosch on August 24, 2007 at 6:42pm

Kevin--are you going to have 1-2 readers who could read it in lieu of grade level work and join us without reading it to the whole class? I didn't know there were three books. I actually have a folder in my file cabinet that contains all the Dave Berry's published in the Kansas City Star--I still drag them out and read them to my kids. I also have a folder called "Useless Information"!!. The joys of teaching gifted kids, or any kids for that matter.

If you want to use the blog later in the year I can reconstruct it for you. N

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Permalink Reply by Kevin H. on August 25, 2007 at 4:37am

I have to think about it, Nancy.
And I noticed at the book store the other day that Barry and his colleague have started to write other Peter-related books, too. One is about the Lost Boys, I think, and another, about Tinker Bell, I think. Interesting.
What I noticed is that when I told my sixth graders that we were going to read aloud a retelling and re-imagining of Peter Pan, they kind of groaned, but then the action and text brought them quickly into the story and we had discussions about the narrative threads at work, and the use of .... CLIFFHANGER (every chapter seems to end in one).

Thanks for the offer of the blog. I may take you up on it.

Or I may start the year with it as read aloud and see if any students are interested in your project as a bonus.
Kevin

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Permalink Reply by Nancy Bosch on August 25, 2007 at 10:37am

Since I teach gifted kids, many are gifted readers, my biggest challenge is finding stuff they haven't read. I love to have the whole class discover the book at the same time. So finding something they haven't read usually means brand new (or not found in elementary libraries) Since the books are usually really new I ask the kids to buy them, then all classes use them (we see different kids each day).

I've found some real gems. I blogged about some of them here The two, sitting on my self with "Do Not Touch" signs on them, we haven't read are Endymion Spring and The Valley of Secrets. I may use the Valley Of Secrets along with a study of the Mayas, it has a rainforest tie-in.

Endymion (n-dim-e-un) Spring is really good, it takes place in modern times when a kid goes to Oxford with his mom and in the time of the invention of the printing press. There is a D'Vinci Code type plot. Ending is a little week but I liked it otherwise.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret is brilliant, but not a read aloud. Half the 500 pages are pictures but not illustrations. The author just stops writing and the pictures take over---it's a cross between a graphic novel and a movie. Another thought, Phillp Pullman's Golden Compass is a movie opening in December. Three years ago we read Eragon and 60 of my students and former students went together after school to see the movie. It was great fun--I had to listen to all the kids say "that wasn't in the book" or "they left out the best part". Let me know if you want to get involved with either Peter and the Starcatchers or Airborn. Later, N.