I would like to do a book club for my sixth-grade students who are virtual learners this year. We have a cohort of students who are following a hybrid model (at school in-person every other day), while others have selected a virtual model of instruction. I would like to conduct a book club for these virtual students with the hope of using the book to start conversations, form friendships, and create bonds with this group of students in a year they might feel disconnected.
Middle school can be tough for everyone. It’s a time where finding your “tribe” can sometimes be a challenge. For many students this year, the task becomes even more challenging as they are learning through an entirely virtual model.
I selected the book You Go First by Erin Entrada Kelly for many reasons. The main characters, Charlotte Lockard and Ben Boxer, form a deep friendship from across the country initiated over an online game of Scrabble. Both characters are also working through family and personal issues and have been struggling to find a peer in their hometown to connect with. Charlotte and Ben exhibit many of the personality traits, friendship struggles, vocabulary, and interests I see in my gifted students year after year.
From Harper Collins Publishing Company says this is a, “Funny and poignant, Newbery Medalist and New York Times bestseller Erin Entrada Kelly’s national bestseller You Go First is an exploration of family, bullying, word games, art, and the ever-complicated world of middle school friendships. This middle grade novel is an excellent choice for tween readers in grades 5 to 6, especially during homeschooling. It’s a fun way to keep your child entertained and engaged while not in the classroom.
In a starred review, School Library Journal wrote that Erin Entrada Kelly can
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I would like to do a book club for my sixth-grade students who are virtual learners this year. We have a cohort of students who are following a hybrid model (at school in-person every other day), while others have selected a virtual model of instruction. I would like to conduct a book club for these virtual students with the hope of using the book to start conversations, form friendships, and create bonds with this group of students in a year they might feel disconnected.
Middle school can be tough for everyone. It’s a time where finding your “tribe” can sometimes be a challenge. For many students this year, the task becomes even more challenging as they are learning through an entirely virtual model.
I selected the book You Go First by Erin Entrada Kelly for many reasons. The main characters, Charlotte Lockard and Ben Boxer, form a deep friendship from across the country initiated over an online game of Scrabble. Both characters are also working through family and personal issues and have been struggling to find a peer in their hometown to connect with. Charlotte and Ben exhibit many of the personality traits, friendship struggles, vocabulary, and interests I see in my gifted students year after year.
From Harper Collins Publishing Company says this is a, “Funny and poignant, Newbery Medalist and New York Times bestseller Erin Entrada Kelly’s national bestseller You Go First is an exploration of family, bullying, word games, art, and the ever-complicated world of middle school friendships. This middle grade novel is an excellent choice for tween readers in grades 5 to 6, especially during homeschooling. It’s a fun way to keep your child entertained and engaged while not in the classroom.
In a starred review, School Library Journal wrote that Erin Entrada Kelly can
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