Book Club: The Magician's Elephant by Kate Dicamillo
In this book club, learners will read and discuss The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo! This will be a fun book club for your learner and a great way to strengthen their reading comprehension skills. #academic
Tristan - Book Clubs/Reading Comprehension
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:(403)
What's included
5 live meetings
3 hrs 20 mins in-class hoursHomework
1 hour per week. Reading Schedule: (Please do not read ahead of our schedule so that we can all enjoy the story together.) Prior to our meeting week 1 read chapters 1-4 Prior to our meeting week 2 read chapters 5-8 and answer journal question #1 Prior to our meeting week 3 read chapters 9-12 and answer journal question #2 Prior to our meeting week 4 read chapters 13-16 and answer journal question #3 Prior to our meeting week 5 read chapters 17-20 and answer journal question #4 **PDF file of journal discussion questions and schedule will be attached to the classroom after our first meeting. Please print or use separate paper to write answers down. We will share our answers with the group.Class Experience
US Grade 3 - 6
The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo is a great story about hope, faith, belonging, friendship, and empathy. An orphaned boy named Peter seeks his sister who might never have lived. He meets a mysterious fortuneteller one day and is full of questions for her about his sister. The fortuneteller says that the answer to Peter's questions will be found with an elephant. Peter feels that the fortuneteller is not telling him the truth until one day a mysterious elephant appears in the city. A ripple effect of unbelievable events begins. This magical story will quickly draw your child in and be one they won't want to put down. During our sessions, I will help learners dive a little deeper into our story by leading them through discussions and activities related to the chapters read. Learners will also have the opportunity to share their responses from the assigned activity. Learners will be asked to read 4 short chapters before each class (a total of 20 chapters) and complete the assigned activity that will be posted in the classroom after our first meeting. Class is appropriate for (𝐂𝐄𝐅𝐑: A2, B1, B2, C1, C2) This book club is a great opportunity for your child to sharpen their reading comprehension skills, gain insight from others’ perspectives, and have a fun time reading an unforgettable story. **Learners will need a copy of the book The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo. **PDF file of journal discussion questions will be attached to the classroom after our first meeting. Please print or use separate paper to write answers down. We will share our answers with the group. Reading Schedule: (Please do not read ahead of our schedule so that we can all enjoy the story together.) Prior to our meeting week 1 read chapters 1-4 Prior to our meeting week 2 read chapters 5-8 and answer journal question #1 Prior to our meeting week 3 read chapters 9-12 and answer journal question #2 Prior to our meeting week 4 read chapters 13-16 and answer journal question #3 Prior to our meeting week 5 read chapters 17-20 and answer journal question #4
Learning Goals
Predict story events.
Engage in learning dialogues with the teacher and peers.
Search the text to select appropriate information when answering questions.
Practice using story clues and prior knowledge (schema) to make inferences about the story.
Practice using context clues to discover the meaning of unknown words.
Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings).
Engage in critical discussion of shared texts.
Read for the sheer joy of it, learning to value one another as readers and learners.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
There are both a fortuneteller and a magician in this story, the focus isn't so much on magic and psychic powers as it is on the power of love and change and people being willing to help others.
There is a brief mention of Peter's mom dying in childbirth, a lady's legs are crushed by an elephant that mysteriously falls from above, and a brief mention of a man who has an almost near-fatal fall.
At times the vocabulary in this book may be challenging.
Supply List
Learners will need a copy of the book The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo. Ideas for finding the book include Amazon, Walmart, Target, libraries, audio, or used book store. All other materials will be provided in the Outschool classroom. **PDF file of journal discussion questions will be attached to the classroom after our first meeting. Please print or use separate paper to write answers down. We will share our answers with the group.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined April, 2020
5.0
403reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
Tennessee Teaching Certificate in Elementary Education
Master's Degree in Education from Harding University
Kate Kate DiCamillo is one of my favorite authors. I love teaching with her books because she does a great job of helping the reader to learn important life lessons.Reviews
Live Group Class
$60
for 5 classes1x per week, 5 weeks
40 min
Completed by 34 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 8-12
1-6 learners per class
