middle school books – KEITH GESWEIN

Black Brother, Black Brother and The Disaster Days: Must-Reads for Kids and Adults

What are some things you do that are good for your mental health?

For me, reading books that are written for grades 3-8 is the perfect way to calm my brain amidst all the craziness going on right now. I love it when authors can write about complex topics in a way that kids can understand. What an amazing talent to have!

Jewell Parker Rhodes and Rebecca Behrens certainly have this talent. I just finished books by these authors and WOW. Just WOW. I could type about 2,000 words to describe each book, but I’ll do my best to tell you about them without taking up your whole day.

Black Brother Black Brother Disaster Days Books

Black Brother, Black Brother, by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Brief Summary

Donte is a middle-school student at a private school in suburban Massachusetts. He is the only visibly black student who goes there. Donte’s mom is black and his dad is white. Donte’s brother, Trey, is light-skinned and is adored by everyone at their school. Students and staff often ask Donte, “Why can’t you be more like your brother?”

In the first section (this book gets right into it) the school’s headmaster has Donte arrested for an incredibly minor incident. Donte is handcuffed and led into a police car during dismissal, which means the entire school sees it. He has to spend an evening in jail.

Donte thinks of ways to get back at a classmate named Alan, who makes lots of racist comments to Donte and never gets in trouble for doing so. Donte often gets in trouble for things Alan does, like the one that had Donte in the headmaster’s office at the beginning of the book.

Alan is the captain of the school’s fencing team, so Donte imagines how great it would feel to humiliate Alan by beating him at a fencing bout. Donte has never played a sport before, but he is determined to put in the work.

It is amazing to read about Donte’s transformation as he learns to fence. He loves pushing himself to get in shape. He appreciates having amazing observation skills that help him anticipate moves that his opponent will do before they do them. He enjoys being challenged by opponents who see him as an equal. He makes incredible friends, including a former Olympic fencer who coaches him. By the end of the book, he doesn’t even care about beating Alan. He has made people see him as a smart, hard-working, athletic young man. He has forced people to SEE HIM. The word “see” is important to Donte throughout the book.

Teachable Moments

This book has so many important things for kids to reflect on. In the second section, when Donte’s parents arrived at the police station to get him out of jail, notice how Donte’s dad is treated compared to his mom. Later, when Donte has to appear in front of a judge because of the arrest, notice how the judge’s demeanor changes when he sees Donte’s dad and brother. Even though the complaint against Donte is dropped, Donte still doesn’t feel good about his first experience in a courtroom. Finally, I hope your students see the confidence that Donte gains in himself as he learns how to fence. Hopefully, it will encourage your students to try new things so they can discover talents they didn’t know they had. It’s an amazing way to gain self-confidence.

Things to Keep an Eye On

You may want to tell your students that if they try something new, they may not experience the success Donte had. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t try! Hopefully, your students notice how Donte felt after he lost his first bout — he felt great! He loved the challenge. The loss made him love fencing even more.

You may also want to make sure your students understand what’s happening during his court hearing because everything happens SO FAST. It is sad that a court hearing, which will have a major impact on Donte’s life, is an experience that happens in a matter of minutes. It’s also sad when the judge reads the complaint against Donte as if it’s 100% fact when it CLEARLY is not! That made me so angry.

Final Grade: A+

A must-read. Period.

Resources

Rhodes includes outstanding discussion topics at the end of the book, but if you need more, I’ve created resources that are available in my TpT store for $4.95. My 11 quizzes and 11 writing prompts are also available in a Google Form.

The Disaster Days, by Rebecca Behrens

Brief Summary

This book reminded me of Hatchet because it involves a young kid who is suddenly thrust into survival mode. Hannah, a 13-year-old girl, lives in a secluded area near Seattle. An earthquake that measures 9.0 on the Richter Scale hits when she is babysitting two kids. With no cell phone service, no electricity, and the threat of aftershocks that can happen at any moment, Hannah has to think quickly to keep everyone safe for several days. Since there are so few people who live in her area, and since transportation into the area isn’t possible, she has to do everything alone. Hannah works hard to keep the kids calm during some of the most stressful situations imaginable, like when a bear walks up to their tent at night. She also has to keep herself calm as she battles asthma attacks without her inhaler. By the end of the book, she has used every ounce of her strength and resourcefulness to lead them to a rescue boat that will get them help.

Teachable Moments

Behrens does a fantastic job of showing Hannah’s inner dialogue. There are several times when Hannah’s mind — understandably — starts imagining worst-case scenarios. “What if our parents were killed in the earthquake?” “What if there’s no way off the island?” She tells herself to “stop spiraling” and adjusts her thinking to things they can do, which is pretty remarkable for a 13-year-old in that situation.

Behrens also shows Hannah process the things she does wrong. At one point, Hannah thinks that she has been more dangerous to the kids than the earthquake has (insert broken-heart emoji here). Thankfully, she works on giving herself credit for the things she has done right, like getting the bear away from their tent in the middle of the night. Hopefully, your students will apply this same attitude when they are feeling critical of themselves. Sure, Hannah makes some mistakes, but she shouldn’t forget about ALL the brave things she does right in an impossible situation.

Things to Keep an Eye On

If any of your students have experienced an earthquake, this book may have some triggering scenes. If any of your students have had to scramble for basic necessities after a natural disaster, like a flood, tornado, hurricane, etc., you may also want to keep an eye on how they react to Hannah and the kids fighting for survival after the earthquake. It may be a good idea to give your students a heads up about some of the things they will read about in this book.

Final Grade: A+

Resources

I’ve created 11 quizzes and 11 writing prompts for this book. This resource is available in my TpT store for $4.95. Everything is available as a Google Form and PDF.

So much for keeping this brief! I hope you can read these books with your students or enjoy them on your own. Kids and adults can certainly benefit from reading books like these.

From the Desk of Zoe Washington (June 2021 Book Recommendation)

One of my favorite things about teaching in Florida was reading the books on the SSYRA list. Every year, the Sunshine State Young Readers Award Program compiles a list of 15 amazing books for students in grades 3-5 (and a separate list for grades 6-8). Near the end of the year, students across Florida vote for a winner. The kids get really into it!

I love it because the books are usually ones that have been published recently. It’s an excellent way to read some new material without having to Google “New Books for Elementary” and sift through ALL the titles that pop up. I hope you’ll check out those lists.

I just started reading the books for 2021-22 and, wow, we are off to a fantastic start! I recently finished From the Desk of Zoe Washington, by Janae Marks, (copyright 2020) and I’d highly recommend it.

The book is about a 12-year-old girl, Zoe, who returns from her birthday party to find a letter from her biological father in the mailbox. Zoe has never met her father, Marcus, because he’s been in jail her whole life. Zoe’s mom has never allowed her to contact Marcus because she doesn’t want her daughter communicating with a criminal. However, Zoe notices that Marcus seems nice in his letters. He likes cooking, just like she does. Zoe loves his music recommendations too.

One day, when Marcus writes to Zoe and says he’s innocent, Zoe assumes he’s lying. She wonders how a man could have been sentenced to 25 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. She decides to read more about this and is shocked at the number of people who are wrongfully imprisoned — most of whom are Black men. Zoe then dedicates herself to finding out as much as she can about her father’s trial, the crime he was arrested for, and a person who can help prove his innocence.

Zoe does all of this while interning at a bakery, proving she has the talent to appear on a kids baking TV show, and mending a friendship with a neighbor who she had been friends with for years.

I’ve created 12 quizzes and 12 writing prompts if you need resources to help you teach this book. The quizzes are perfect for quick comprehension checks. The writing prompts can be used to start discussions if you’d prefer. Everything is available in a Google Form and PDF. It’s available in my TpT store for $4.95.

I just started reading a second book on the SSYRA list, Charlie & Frog. I’ll write another post here with details about this book as soon as I finish it.

Thank you for all that you do for your students!

The Perfect Book for Teaching Growth Mindset

Teaching growth mindset with Hatchet

Hatchet is the perfect book to help students understand the benefits of developing a growth mindset! The story is about a 13-year-old boy, Brian, who survives a plane crash. Then through sheer will power and determination, he survives in the wilderness for months until he is rescued. Reading Brian’s story of survival gives you plenty of ways to teach your students growth mindset because Brian never gives up. He forces himself to keep trying even when he fails. The author does a brilliant job of illustrating how Brian talks to himself as he wills himself to accomplish tasks. Brian is the perfect character for your students to read about as you teach them to develop a growth mindset.

In this blog post, I’ll give you three ways your students can learn why it’s important to develop a growth mindset after reading Hatchet. After that, you’ll see three discussion topics that you can use with your students after they read Hatchet to reflect upon the growth mindset lessons they learned from Brian that they can apply in their lives.

Growth Mindset Lessons

Brian is never successful at first when he tries something new. But the harder Brian works to achieve something, the more pride he feels when he accomplishes it.

Brian finds berries to eat within a few days after crash landing. Then he figures out how to catch fish. But nothing compares to the pride he feels when he cooks his first bird and eats delicious meat. Several chapters give details about Brian building tools to catch animals. Then he improves those tools over and over again until they work. In chapter 15, Brian starts craving meat. So he figures out a way to finally catch birds that he calls “fool birds.” It takes him a long time to figure out how to catch one. Brian fails the first several times he tries to catch a fool bird. But he never gives up. When he finally catches one to cook, he says the meat tastes better than anything his mother has ever cooked. Brian feels tremendous pride because he worked so hard to catch it. The author does a brilliant job of illustrating all the work that went into catching a bird and the immense pride Brian felt when he was eating it. This is a tremendous example for your students to see that nothing compares to the satisfaction of working hard to accomplish something.

Brian is a normal kid, but he learns a lot about surviving in nature because he is willing to learn from his mistakes.

The text is clear that Brian is not a genius or expert outdoorsman. Brian is used to living in the city. He had problems doing simple bike repairs before the plane crash. He survives because he keeps trying to learn new things and realizes that failure is part of learning. In chapter 14, a skunk sneaks into Brian’s shelter at night and steals food. Brian realizes he was foolish to bury them in the ground where any animal can get it. After this failure, Brian realizes he needs to store his food in a high place where animals can’t steal it. He finds a place, then he has to use tree branches to build a ladder for him to reach this place. Once he has his food out of reach, he feels extremely proud. He never has any more food stolen for the rest of the book. It’s an outstanding example of Brian learning from a mistake. There are MANY scenes like this where Brian fails, then learns from it.

Facing problems head-on becomes a habit for Brian.

The story is full of challenges for Brian. But instead of getting discouraged by them, he always forces himself to think of solutions. In chapter 16, Brian was attacked by a moose. Later that night, his shelter was destroyed by a tornado. But the next morning, Brian started thinking about how he would rebuild his shelter. He realized he was “tough in the head” because he had gotten so used to facing problems rather than getting discouraged by them. It had become a part of who he is. This is an outstanding lesson for your students. Just like working out can make you stronger physically, forcing yourself to solve problems rather than getting discouraged can make you stronger mentally.

Discussion topics:

In chapter 18, Brian retrieves a huge bag of supplies from the plane that crashed into the lake. The bag is full of incredible things that will help Brian tremendously. But the text in chapter 19 said the pack “Gave Brian up and down feelings.” Why would Brian feel “down” about the contents of this bag?

Possible response: Brian had spent about two months surviving on his own in the wilderness. Other than his hatchet, he built everything on his own. He figured out everything on his own. These supplies are like a bunch of shortcuts. Nothing about the last two months has been a shortcut for Brian. Students may also think Brian is sad that he didn’t have these supplies at first. But I feel like most of the text evidence suggests that Brian is not fond of using supplies that will make things like hunting, catching fish, and starting fires, a lot easier.

At the beginning of chapter 8, Brian is attacked by a porcupine in his sleep. Besides the pain of the needles in his leg, why does he start crying? Then what makes Brian realize that crying accomplishes nothing and how does that help him during the rest of the story?

Possible response: At the end of chapter 7, Brian falls asleep feeling more content than he has since the plane crash. He has a shelter and he’s full from eating a lot of berries. But in the middle of the night, a porcupine gets into Brian’s shelter and shoots several sharp needles into Brian’s leg. The pain is bad, but Brian feels terrible because he hasn’t figured out how to make fire yet. He wonders what will happen if a larger animal gets into his shelter at night. Then he feels like he will never be able to survive and starts sobbing uncontrollably. When he’s done, the text states, “Later he looked back on this time of crying in the corner of the dark cave and thought of it as when he learned the most important rule of survival, which was that feeling sorry for yourself didn’t work. It wasn’t just that it was the wrong thing to do, or that it was considered incorrect. It was more than that — it didn’t work.” When Brian had problems later in the book, he didn’t cry. He just kept thinking and trying new things until he found a solution.

After the rescue plane flies away in chapter 12, Brian feels like all hope is lost. Then in chapter 13, the text states, “In measured time, forty-seven days had passed since the crash. Forty-two days, he thought, since he had died and been born as the new Brian.” Summarize what this means. How has Brian become “the new Brian?”

Possible responses: The rescue plane came a few days after Brian’s initial crash. After Brian watched it fly away, he realized no one was coming for him. He felt incredibly depressed and tried to kill himself. But he didn’t. The text states Brian returned to his shelter that night and realized, “He was not the same. The plane crashing changed him, the disappointment cut him down and made him new. He was not the same and would never be again like he had been. That was one of the true things, the new things. And the other one was that he would not die, he would not let death in again.” This flashback that Brian has in chapter 13 happened 42 days earlier. Students could also point to the fact that Brian never even thinks about quitting and never stops until he has figured out a way to accomplish what he sets his mind to.

I have created quizzes and writing prompts to help you teach Hatchet. The prompts are excellent ways for your students to connect with the events in the book. The quizzes are a quick way for you to ensure your students are comprehending the story. Click the image below to see the novel study in my TpT store!

I hope your students enjoy this book and become more determined to get “tough in the head” just like Brian did!

The Key to Extraordinary — A Book That Will Spark Amazing Discussions

The Key to Extraordinary Discussion topics

Be warned: You will pause many times while you read The Key to Extraordinary to ponder the words that you’ve just read! I’ve never read a children’s book where I’ve stopped so many times to write down an awesome quote.

In this post, I’ve pulled out 10 excerpts that will lead to incredible discussions, or make excellent writing prompts, that are ideal for students in grades 4-7. You’ll find PLENTY more as you read The Key to Extraordinary!! I hope this post encourages you to read the book, which was published in January 2016!

Quick synopsis: The story is about a 12-year-old girl named Emma whose family owns a business. When Emma’s grandmother is forced to sell the business, Emma becomes determined to find a way to help keep it in her family. Emma, like every other woman in her family’s history, has a dream that gives clues as to something extraordinary she will do in her life. Emma is an extraordinary character, but she doesn’t realize how until the end of the story.

Here are some incredible excerpts for you to discuss with your students. I’ve included the page number and the character who said it:

“In the eyes of many people, I may never live an extraordinary life. But I will love in extraordinary ways. And I hope I choose to always see the best in people.” Emma, page 225

“Every creature in the world needs to be reminded that they aren’t alone. That somebody cares about them. That they have a friend to lead them out of the present mess.” Emma, page 193

“Every day you live is a day for dreaming. Every day is a day for adventuring. And every day is a day for sharing with people you love, because love’s all that lasts. It’s the only thing we carry out of this world. It connects us all, in the end.” Emma, page 224

“I think it’s kind of a cool way to live — to find something to celebrate every day.” Emma’s friend, Cody Belle, page 111

“Fear is just a flashlight that helps you find your courage.” Emma, page 42

“I think about how nobody knows how long they have in the world. And how we only get a certain number of words to say and share. I’d hate for the last words that come out of my mouth to be mean ones. I don’t want my words wasted.” Emma, page 95

“My mama used to say that everybody you meet is a walking, talking broken heart. Some people put the pieces back together better than others.” Emma, page 113

“But in the moment Cody Belle told me Earl was missing, I came to an important conclusion: My treasures weren’t just in the walls of that place. My treasure was the people I loved.” Emma, page 190

**You may want to delete the first part of that quote about Earl being missing if your students haven’t read it yet, as it does give away a dramatic event that happens.**

“I learned that courage and fear always come as a pair. If you’ve got one inside you, you’ve surely got the other.” Emma, page 200

In chapter 13, Emma reads a relative’s letter. This relative’s house was burned down by Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. The girl was blinded in one eye after the soldiers attacked her. People wanted the girl to speak about this attack, but here’s how the girl responded: “They wanted bloody details. But I talked about forgiveness and family. I talked about learning to rebuild a farm and a life, even though we started from ashes…sometimes, even doing the right thing will leave you with scars. But beauty comes from ashes, too. And I know that to be true.” Rachel Miller, page 138

Trust me, there are MANY MORE thought-provoking words in Natalie Lloyd’s book! I have eight more written down, but I didn’t want this post to go on forever!

I’ve created a novel study unit for this book because I want to make it easier for teachers to read The Key to Extraordinary with their class. The writing prompts give your students more ways to respond to the book, in addition to the excerpts in this blog post. The quizzes serve as quick comprehension checks after every two chapters. Click the image below to grab these resources.

I hope your students enjoy discussing what it means to be extraordinary!

Five Books About Determined Girls

Books about determined girls

I just finished reading five books that are awesome for the girls in your class! Each book’s main character is a young girl between 10-13 years old who shows incredible determination in accomplishing an important goal. These girls all overcome incredible challenges and don’t allow setbacks to keep them from accomplishing something they’ve set their mind to. Even though they are hurt when people say rude things to them, they don’t respond with anger. They are a great example of how to persevere when life gets difficult. This drawing (not my original idea!) summarizes what each girl faces:

Five books about determined girls

Fish in a Tree, by Lynda Mullaly Hunt (AR level 3.7)

Main character: Ally, who is dyslexic and a brilliant artist.

Problem: Ally gets teased often at school because she has problems reading. She does not like herself and gets in trouble often.

Ally’s class gets a new teacher, Mr. Daniels, in the middle of her sixth-grade year. This teacher helps Ally realize that even though she has trouble reading, she is talented at many other things. Ally starts to believe in herself a little more each day. She starts working harder in school. Mr. Daniels tutors Ally after school and uses many different techniques to help her learn to read.

Ally always assumed that her classmates hated her. But by the end of the book, it is clear her classmates have noticed how hard Ally has been working. They respect her artistic talents. They appreciate the way that she treats people kindly. By the end of the book, it’s clear that Ally is one of the most respected students in the class. She still struggles with reading, but she is getting better. Her determination has helped her gain new friends and a newfound respect for herself. She realizes she is a person who has many talents. She stops defining herself as someone who can’t read.

Serafina’s Promise, by Ann E. Burg (AR level 3.6)

Main character: Serafina, a girl who lives in Haiti.

Problem: Serafina desperately wants to attend school so she can become a doctor when she grows up. But her family needs her at home to help with the daily chores.

Problem #2: Once Serafina starts school, she starts to dislike it because they are required to learn French, a subject that Serafina feels is pointless.

Hopefully, your students will gain an appreciation for their ability to attend school every day after reading Serafina’s Promise! Serafina wants to attend school more than anything in the world. Serafina has to persuade her parents, but she also has to help her family rebuild after a life-threatening flood and earthquake. After she helps her family build a new home after the flood, Serafina learns how to plant an herb garden. Instead of complaining that her mother won’t let her attend school, Serafina becomes determined to use this herb garden as a way to earn more money for her family. Her parents eventually allow Serafina to attend school. Her mother says how impressed she has been that Serafina has earned extra money while keeping up with all of her other daily chores.

But once Serafina attends school, she gets discouraged because they have to learn French. I won’t ruin the story for you, but by the end, Serafina becomes determined to do her best during these French lessons because that will allow her to accomplish her bigger goal of becoming a doctor.

All Four Stars, by Tara Dairman (AR level 6.0)

Main character: Gladys, who is an incredible chef and a talented writer.

Problem: Gladys has parents who don’t want her to cook because they feel like that’s not something kids should do. Gladys also feels like her interest in food makes her an outcast at school.

Gladys is determined to write a restaurant review for a major New York City newspaper! She mistakenly receives an assignment from an editor. Even though she’s in sixth grade, Gladys feels like she’s talented enough to write this review. But Gladys feels like if her parents find out about this, they won’t let her write it. Gladys goes to great lengths to secretly get to this restaurant, but her plan hits lots of road bumps. Ultimately, her kindness toward a mean girl enables Gladys to get to the restaurant and write this review. By the end of the story, Gladys’s parents respect her culinary and writing talents and encourage her to cook more. There were several times during the story when Gladys could have given up her desire to cook and write, but her determination helped her achieve her goal.

Gabby Duran and the Unsittables, by Elise Allen and Daryle Conners (AR level 5.4)

Main character: Gabby, who is incredible with children and a talented musician.

Problem: Gabby must take care of a child whose life is in danger. Additionally, if Gabby can keep this job a secret, she will earn a lot of money that she can save to help her attend her dream college in London.

Gabby is a famous babysitter. Celebrities around the world send limos and private jets so Gabby can babysit their kids. But Gabby gets a unique job offer to take care of alien children. Gabby is excited because this job pays extremely well. She is being raised by her mother and knows the extra money would really help her family. It will also allow her to save some money so she can attend an awesome music college in London. But there’s one big catch — Gabby can’t tell anyone about this top-secret job of watching aliens.

This becomes even more challenging when Gabby is told to babysit an alien child during school. Thankfully, the child can change forms. But as the school day progresses, an evil person finds out and tries to hurt the kid. Gabby’s love for this child puts herself in several dangerous and embarrassing situations. But her determination to protect this child ends up saving the child’s life and helping Gabby accomplish her musical goals as well.

Half a Chance, by Cynthia Lord (AR level 4.5)

Main character: Lucy, who is an amazing photographer.

Problem: Lucy wants to use her photography skills to make a friend’s grandmother have a memorable final summer at their lakeside cottage.

Lucy’s family has just moved to a small cottage near a lake in New Hampshire. Lucy becomes friends with her neighbor, Nate, whose grandmother suffers from a mental disability. Lucy decides to enter a photo contest and donate the money to Nate’s grandma if she wins. But there are many challenges for Lucy to even enter this contest, much less win it. Lucy experiences many setbacks in her plan. But through it all, she remains determined to help Nate’s grandmother have happy memories during her final summer at the lake.

Florida teachers — These books were on the 2016-17 grade 3-5 SSYRA list!

My goal is to help teachers read quality literature with their students. I have created writing prompts and quizzes for all of these books. Click the image below to check them out!

Teaching Growth Mindset with Esperanza Rising

Students can learn so much more from novels than test-prep passages. I know you’re under a ton of pressure to get students to pass multiple-choice reading tests. But I hope you will find time this year to read awesome novels, like Esperanza Rising. In addition to teaching reading skills, your students can learn to face challenging situations instead of giving up.

Teaching Growth Mindset with Esperanza Rising

Esperanza Rising is a wonderful story of a young girl whose life changes dramatically after a terrible tragedy. The author, Pam Munoz Ryan, does a beautiful job of developing characters that students feel an immediate connection with. This can really help your students develop a growth mindset. I’ve taught so many students whose first instinct is to quit when faced with a challenging situation. I hope you teach your students that challenging school assignments can help them grow academically. Facing difficult situations in life can help them grow as a person. We all know students are far more likely to remember these ideas from characters they connect with during a story as opposed to us lecturing them. So here are three ways you can use the characters and events of Esperanza Rising to foster a growth mindset with your students.

1. You can learn a lot about yourself during difficult situations

Chapter one paints Esperanza as a nice, but spoiled, rich girl. Her father is a wealthy land-owner. Esperanza spends time with her father in the fields but never has to actually do any of the work. She has servants attending to her every need. She lives in a beautiful home and has very nice things. Esperanza has a wonderful, loving family. But that all changes when her father is murdered. Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave everything behind and flee to the United States.

Esperanza’s new home in California is tiny and dirty. She is thrust into a new life where she has to do many chores that servants had always done for her. Esperanza is miserable. Her father has just died. She is living in a strange place. She is going to have to work in a way that she’s never worked before. It would be really easy for Esperanza to quit.

Things get worse for Esperanza before they get better. One of her first chores is to sweep, and she fails because she’s never had to sweep before. Other girls laugh at Esperanza’s inability to perform such a simple task. She refuses to leave the house for a day because she is so humiliated. Later, she has to take care of babies. She feeds them plums, not knowing this would give the babies an upset stomach. She also burns food that she cooks. She has given these tasks an honest effort, but has failed. Again, it would be really easy for Esperanza to quit.

But Esperanza decides to ignore the taunts of others and continue cleaning. She continues looking after the babies. She continues cooking. Day, after day, after day. SLOWLY, Esperanza learns how to accomplish these tasks. I emphasize the word SLOWLY with my students to help them realize success does not happen overnight, as Esperanza finds out.

Later, Esperanza’s mother gets really sick. She has to stay in the hospital for several months. Now, Esperanza is forced to work in the fields. Esperanza promises her mom to take care of the family. I tell my students that Esperanza is probably not the best field worker, but she does well enough to keep her job and provide a little bit of money that her family needs to survive while her mother is sick.

The book ends one year after her father died. During that year, Esperanza has done things she never thought she could do. I have the students reread chapter one and think, “Would Esperanza have ever dreamed she could accomplish these things (cooking, cleaning, babysitting, farming, etc.) just a year earlier?”

Also, kids need to realize that there are times when life will be challenging. But it is possible to come out of these challenging situations a stronger person. Emphasize to your students that Esperanza went from a spoiled, helpless girl to a strong, determined woman who provided for her family – all in one year.

This is awesome for students who are adapting to a new school, city, or country. You can say:

“I know it’s hard adjusting to life in this new school/city/country. Remember Esperanza. She fought through lots of challenging situations and after a year, she started to feel better about her new home.”

2. Accept help

When Esperanza arrived in California, a young girl named Isabel greeted her. Isabel was in awe of Esperanza. Isabel had heard all about Esperanza’s extravagant life in Mexico before her father died. Esperanza, on the other hand, looked down on Isabel for being poor. Esperanza saw Isabel’s meager home and possessions. She wondered how Isabel could be so happy with so little.

SLOWLY, Esperanza realizes that Isabel is a kind girl. Esperanza also realizes that Isabel knows how to do things like clean and babysit. So Esperanza drops her ego and asks Isabel to teach her how to sweep and take care of babies, even though she thought Isabel was beneath her. Isabel is a huge help as Esperanza starts to learn how to tackle the day-to-day chores of her new life. Esperanza eventually becomes friends with Isabella.

This is an outstanding reminder to students that everyone needs to accept help. It’s also a good reminder that the people we look down upon may be the ones who can help us the most.

Tell a student:

“I know you’re struggling to learn this science vocabulary. And I know you’re not getting along with (insert name or names of students), but I think the two of you could help each other learn this vocabulary and do well on your quiz. Remember how Esperanza accepted help from Isabel. I think (name of student) could help you just like Isabel helped Esperanza.”

3. Remember the things you have to be thankful for

Esperanza hears her mother singing a few hours after they arrive at their new home in California. Esperanza is furious. How can her mother possibly be singing during such a terrible time? They have gone from living in luxury to living in poverty in a very short time. But Mama tells Esperanza to focus on what they do have. They have each other. They have a place to live. They have people there who can help them. And Mama has a job. Mama reminds Esperanza that Abuelita would want her to make the best of her new life instead of dwelling on all the negatives. Mama is not saying their new life is going to be easy. But she reminds her daughter they still have a lot to be thankful for.

In my 14 years of teaching, I’ve taught many kids who have a difficult time focusing on the positives. This story of Mama singing is great for students to think about during challenges they face. Students need to know that it’s ok to get discouraged during challenging times. Don’t tell students that they have to be positive, happy, cheerful people 24/7. But Mama’s attitude helps kids remember that it’s possible to find a little bit of joy even during the gloomiest of situations.

Tell a student:

“Sure you’re struggling with this math problem. It’s really hard and that’s no fun. But think about Esperanza’s mom when they first arrived in California. Remember you have people around you who are here to help. Look at this as a chance to grow and learn perseverance.”

I really hope you can read Esperanza Rising with your students. You can use the story’s characters and events to teach reading skills, but the life lessons your students can learn are even more powerful. These three ideas can start some discussions with your students, but there are many more ways this book can help your students develop a growth mindset. I have also developed several activities for each chapter so you don’t have to worry about planning activities. Click the image below for more info.

Enjoy this book with your students and remind them of these characters throughout the year.

Teaching Growth Mindset With Wonder

Wonder is my favorite book to read with fifth graders! Students’ reactions during key moments are priceless. They pound their desks with frustration about Julian. They cheer when August wins an award at the end. Since students get so hooked on this book, my primary focus is to use the events in Wonder to teach important growth mindset principles. I teach many reading standards while we read this book, but I feel like those are secondary to the valuable life lessons kids can learn from the characters and events in Wonder.

Teaching Growth Mindset Using Wonder

1. Life is full of bad days, but I can get through them.

I’ve taught many students who get discouraged when tough things happen at school. I hate when students get a couple of assignments returned with low grades then immediately stop working. I feel bad for kids who get teased and feel like they will never make friends. When these things happen, I remind students about August. He wanted to quit school several times during the story. August felt horrible when he overheard mean things said by his best friend, Jack. August’s classmates would not touch him because they said he had “the plague.” August experienced so many challenging days, but he bravely marched to school every day and tried his best. Slowly (important word there), August’s classmates realized he had a great sense of humor. They saw the amazing way he handled the hurtful things people did to him. By the end of the book, August earned the respect of his classmates and teachers. He won an incredible award. He had several good friends. For the first time in his life, he didn’t think about his appearance. It took an entire school year to reap these rewards, so it’s a good thing August continued going to Beecher Prep, even on days he didn’t feel like it.

2. I will have arguments with my friends. But I will work hard to resolve these differences. Friendships with good people are worth it.

I love the story of Via and Miranda. Many of my students clap when Via invites Miranda over to her house after the play. I know students have arguments with their friends. I also know that I am probably the last person they would talk to about these arguments. So I periodically remind students about Via and Miranda. These two drift apart once ninth grade starts without ever having a big fight. Via feels awkward around her old friend because Miranda looks different and talks about different things. Miranda feels awkward around Via because she feels like Via is judging her. The girls never discuss these things and as a result, they spend most of the school year avoiding each other. During the school play, Miranda makes a huge sacrifice for Via and her family. After the play, Via realizes what Miranda has done and invites her over. Both girls realize how much they have missed each other. So I remind students that good friends are worth fighting for. Don’t allow unresolved issues to allow you to drift apart from a good friend.

3. I will think about the way I treat others.

Even the most reserved students show anger at the way Julian treats August. They can’t believe that Julian says rude things to August the very first time they meet. Kids can’t believe Julian would treat such a kind, funny boy like August so terribly. All kids realize that August’s appearance is no reason for Julian to say such horrible things to him. I remind students of their realization throughout the book. Eventually, I make the kids accept the harsh fact that they have probably treated someone badly at some point in their life. I ask them to reflect on that memory, and on Julian’s actions toward August. As fifth graders prepare for middle school, I remind them not to join a crowd of people who are teasing someone who is different. I remind them of their outrage over Julian as to why.

If you haven’t read Wonder with your students, I hope you will find a way to work it into your lesson plans. I know it’s challenging teaching novels because there are not always a lot of materials to use. So I hope these ideas have given you a few things to work with. There are MANY more events in Wonder that teach your students growth mindset. I’ve put together over 100 pages of activities that will help your kids connect with the incredible characters in Wonder.