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Middle Grade, Accelerated Reading Level 4.3, 10 Point Quiz, 670 Lexile Measure
Themes: Pirates, Coins of the world, King Tut, Homer and the Odyssey, Map-reading, Treasure-Hunting, How to read a Compass, Galileo, Basset hounds, Tortoises, Goats, Farm life vs. City life |
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Art Activities:
• Create a map of your school. Include a directional key. If you were going to hide a treasure at your school, where would you hide it? Mark that location on the map.
• Create a geocache treasure box out of a plastic tub or jar. Have your classmates bring a little object to put inside. Register your treasure and join the fun at www.geocaching.com |
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Science Activites (Courtesy of Janet McGillivray)
• Make Your Own Cloud
Materials: wide mouth jar, boiling water, ice cubes, popsicle sticks
Fill the bottom of the jar with boiling water. Make a grid on the top of the jar with popsicle sticks. Place ice cubes on the grid. Fog will develop between the boiling water and ice cubes making a cloud. (You might add googly eyes to the jar so it looks like a cloud with eyeballs.)
• Make You Own Compass
Materials: sewing needle, cup of water, magnet, one inch square of construction paper
Rub the sewing needle many times from top to bottom along the magnet. Be sure to go only in one direction. Place the construction paper on the water so it floats. Place the needle on the construction paper. The needle will rotate to point north. You can compare this to a store bought compass to verify the direction.
ALSO CHECK OUT:
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SMELLS LIKE TREASURE
Accelerated reading level 4.5, with an 11 point quiz. 680 Lexile Measure. Themes: Girl roles in history vs. boy roles, spelling bees, phobias, greed, sky-diving, riddles, secret societies, county fairs, taxidermy, fortune-telling, loyalty. |
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SMELLS LIKE PIRATES
Accelerated reading level 4.7, with a 10 point quiz. Themes: Girl pirates, submergibles, bio-fuel, hot air ballooning, celestial navagation, funerals, famous prison escapes.
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Middle Grade, Accelerated Reading Level 5, 8 Point Quiz, 77OL Lexile Measure
Themes: Ocean Life, Islands, Norwegian Culture, Vikings, Grief and Loss, Mythological Creatures, Secret Societies, What makes a person a hero? |
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Art Activities:
• Mermaids are part fish, part human. Draw a picture of your own fantasy creature. Name it and write a paragraph describing it.
• Draw a board game of Boom's adventure. Begin at his house on Fairweather Island, include stops at the principal's office, the pet store, the Viking Hall and end at Whale Fin Island. |
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Middle Grade, Accelerated Reading Level 4.6, 8 Point Quiz, 680L Lexile Measure
Themes: Poetry, The Environment, Global Warming, Sunshine, Rain, Marmots, Slugs, Elephant Seals, Factory Work, Family, Magic |
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Art Activities:
• In Fortune's Magic Farm, Isabelle encounters Cloud Clover, Floating Fronds, and Love Apples. Draw a picture of your own magical plant. Write a paragraph describing it.
• Give the gift of sunshine by planting sunflower seeds in a small container. Make a tag that says "Here's some sunshine for a rainy day." |
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Accelerated Reading Level 4.5, 9 point quiz
650 Lexile Measure
Letter from 14-year-old Brianna: "Dear Mrs. Selfors, Yesterday I finished reading your newest book Saving Juliet and I LOVED it! We are currently being forced to read Romeo and Juliet in Language Arts and your story brought a whole new light to it. It really brought the characters to life."
Saving Juliet was featured in the article:
Old Tales Made New Again: Shakespeare's Place in Young Adult Literature |
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Most 9th graders in the U.S. will read Romeo and Juliet. As a teacher, how do you convince your students that a story written in 1594, a story that contains no vampires, is worth their time?
How do you make them understand that before Bella and Edward took up residence in the damp forests of Forks, Wa, Romeo and Juliet were the two most famous teenagers in the world?
Some of your students will embrace Shakespeare’s language, and thank God for them. But many won’t. Many will think Shakespearean English sounds like Klingon and they’ll miss connecting to a couple of Italian kids who want the same things they want – to make their own choices, to not be ruled by their parents, to speak their own minds.
My book, Saving Juliet, is a fun way to introduce your students to Shakespeare’s play, either as an assigned book or as an extra-credit option. |
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Suzanne's school visits range from full-day events that include lunch with your students and special book-signing time, to half day events. The fee is 100% negotiable. Each year, Suzanne visits many schools at no charge, so don't let lack of funds discourage you. Contact her directly at mail@suzanneselfors.com.
 Skype visits are fun, too, and always free!
Testimonials:
"Suzanne was one of nine authors attending our Cavalcade of Authors event and she, hands down, was one of the favorites. Suzanne was extremely approachable and gracious. The kids loved her workshop and felt like they walked away from it with a working knowledge of how to get their work published. She didn't hesitate to autograph books for students in between sessions and succeeded in making our student writers feel special and important. She truly inspired those who attended her workshop and we look forward to having her back again."
-- Michelle Lane, Librarian, Richland School District
"What I really value about the presentation that Suzanne does with our students is how she personally connects with them as kids, students and writers. She encourages students to know that they all have stories to tell and shows them how the elements of her stories are inspired by her very real and familiar life. Suzanne's visit flew by because of her carefree style of presenting just the right amount of information, inspiration and group participation. We hope to bring Suzanne back to our school in the future."
-- Kathleen Pool, Teacher Librarian, Blakely Elementary School
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Workshop for High Schoolers |
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Lunch with students at Schirle Elementary |
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