Insiderstep1_SErdman

Looking over my student’s surveys that they had filled out last week the main topics that they both share is a very high interest in sports and participates in sports outside of school. Both of the students admitted to not reading too much outside of school. If they do read it’s for their homework assignments, texting, reading emails, or reading their video games. While reading over both of the students surveys I took notice to the fact that both students show some difficulty when spelling words that they do not use on a day to day basis such as powoms (poems), right (write), misterey (mystery), noware (nowhere), and several others. This was important to keep in mind when I was choosing books for them to read because I need to pick a book that challenges them when reading but not too much that they have difficulty understanding the story. All of the summaries of the books I had chose are from Amazon’s website.  When choosing books I also took into consideration the Lexile of each book. The average level for 5th graders is 565L-910L and the average level for 6th graders is 665L-1000L. Taking into consideration the spelling errors and how some of the students sentences were set up I shot for a Lexile level between 650-750.

__Book List: __  By: Carl Deuker
 * 1) Heart of a Champion (Lexile level 650L)

Summary:  Jimmy Winter is a born star on the baseball field, and Seth Barnam can only dream of being as talented. Still, the two baseball fanatics have the kind of friendship that should last forever. But when Seth experiences an unthinkable loss, he's forced to find his own personal strength--on and off the field.

 By: Edward Bloor
 * 1) Tangerine (Lexile level 680L)

Summary:  Though legally blind, Paul Fisher can see what others cannot. He can see that his parents' constant praise of his brother, Erik, the football star, is to cover up something that is terribly wrong. But no one listens to Paul--until his family moves to Tangerine. In this Florida town, weird is normal: Lightning strikes at the same time every day, a sinkhole swallows a local school, and Paul the geek finds himself adopted into the toughest group around--the soccer team at his middle school.

 By: Carl Deuker
 * 1) Gym Candy (Lexile level 710L)

Summary:  Mick Johnson is determined not to make the same mistakes his father, a failed football hero, made. But after being tackled just short of the end zone in a big game, Mick begins using “gym candy,” or steroids. His performances become record-breaking, but the side effects are terrible: Mick suffers ’roid rage, depression, and body acne. Gym Candy’s subject matter is just as hard-hitting as its football scenes. You’ll find yourself unable to look away as Mick goes down a road that even he knows is the wrong one to travel.

 By: Matt de la Pena
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Mexican WhiteBoy (Lexile level 680L)

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Summary: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> DANNY’S TALL AND skinny. Even though he’s not built, his arms are long enough to give his pitch a power so fierce any college scout would sign him on the spot. A 95 mph fastball, but the boy’s not even on a team. Every time he gets up on the mound he loses it.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> But at his private school, they don’t expect much else from him. Danny’s brown. Half-Mexican brown. And growing up in San Diego that close to the border means everyone else knows exactly who he is before he even opens his mouth. Before they find out he can’t speak Spanish, and before they realize his mom has blond hair and blue eyes, they’ve got him pegged. Danny’s convinced it’s his whiteness that sent his father back to Mexico. And that’s why he’s spending the summer with his dad’s family. Only, to find himself, he might just have to face the demons he refuses to see right in front of his face.