Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Swindle by Gordon Korman




Title:  Swindle (Korman, G. (2008). Swindle. New York: Scholastic Press.)
Author:  Gordon Korman
Copyright 2008 Gordon Korman
Published by:  Scholastic Press- New York
Reading level: ages 9-12, Grades 4-7, Lexile level 710L
Suggested Delivery:  Read aloud

Exhilarating, Entertaining, Delightful, Motivating, Captivating
Summary:            Swindle by Gordon Korman is a 4th to 7th grade fiction novel that captivates its audience with suspense as a group of elementary students devise a plan to take back what is rightfully theirs- a rare million dollar baseball card which was they were cheated out of when sold to a pawn shop owner.  The students lead the reader through their well thought out plan while they try to prove to adults in Cedarville, NY that kids are just as capable as adults when they work together and put their minds to it.  This novel is a great entertaining read while the pages keep the reader intrigued by the students plan to accomplish one of the most challenging burglaries in all the history of the quaint little town of Cedarville.

Electronic resources to support reading:
1.      http://www.gordonkorman.com/  the official Gordon Korman website.
a.      Here students can visit this website either before or during their reading adventures to learn more about the author who wrote Swindle.  Gordon Korman has a biography, guestbook, and reviews for the students to read to engage with the author.  This website will also lead children to other books in the series and provide them with the titles of book written by Gordon Korman.  It is also a good idea to teach students to become more familiar with the author, and Korman is known for his engaging texts, even for students who do not favor reading.
a.      This is a website for students to visit during or after reading Swindle.  By navigating through this website, students are able to read a quick summary of the text, answer questions to deepen engagement in the text, play games and participate in quizzes related to Swindle, and learn more about the author himself.  This is the most unique and helpful website I have found to encourage student engagement with technology.  Through the use of technology, students are able to use entertaining ways to further their literacy learning.

Teaching suggestions:
1.      Vocabulary:
a.      Illuminated
b.      Admonished
c.      Tantalizing
d.      Dilapidated
e.      Cadaverous
f.       Beseechingly
g.      Rapt
h.      Dubiously
i.       Flitted
j.       Trepidation
k.      Converged
l.       Malevolent
m.    Flanked
2.      Teaching suggestions:
a.      Before reading:  The teacher can have students imagine something that they value greatly in their possession.  Then have the students imagine that item was stolen.  The students can write a brief paragraph reflecting on what it would feel like to have their valuable stolen from them.  The students will be able to think about what emotions they may feel and what it means to have something stolen from them.  This is a great pre-reading activity because it encourages students to think about the moral aspect of stealing and encourages them to relate to the characters and emotions they may have felt throughout the story as they attempt to steal something that they feel was mischievously “stolen” from them.
b.      During reading:  Engage in oral questions throughout the text during read aloud.  Encourage all students to participate in these questions by randomly calling on students.  Questions for engagement:
                                                    i.     Pg 26:  Why would Palomino put the card in the safe?
                                                   ii.     Pg 41:  What should Griffin have done with the card?  What do you think he will do now?
                                                  iii.     Pg 51:  Why is Ben declining his faithfulness to Griffin?  What could he be afraid of?
                                                  iv.     Pg 73:  What made Griffin think Palomino was a Star Trek fan?
                                                   v.     Pg 117:  What do you think Ben is thinking?  What caught his attention?
                                                  vi.     Pg 181:  Where is Melissa?  Why does Logan think she is in the bushes?
                                                vii.     Pg 187:  What did Ben see?
c.      After reading:  Have students participate in a literature discussion by dividing the students into groups of 4-5 students. Give them specific questions to discuss, such as: What was the plot of the story?  Outline the characters and their job functions throughout the story? Describe Griffin and Ben’s relationship throughout the text.  Have each group tape record their discussion and provide a time limit of 20 minutes to discuss the story.  By collaborating with other peers who have also heard the story in the read aloud, students can deepen their understanding of the text.  One student should take notes for the group.  After the literature discussion each group will orally share their notes with the class to conclude with a whole class discussion lead by the teacher.
3.      Writing activity:
a.      Students will write a one page, three paragraph essay about how they might change the ending of the story.  This narrative writing assignment will provide students the opportunity to broaden their storytelling creative skills and practice their literary writing skills.  The students should provide a well thought out and thorough conclusion to the original plot of the text.

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