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The War That Saved My Life: Book Club

A WWII historical fiction book club with writing response component.

Meredith L. Nickson

Average rating:

5.0

Number of reviews:

(57)

What's included

12 live meetings

10 in-class hours

Class Experience

In this course students will come together to read and discuss “The War that Saved My Life” by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. Students will meet twice a week for 6 weeks to discuss events from the story and dig into a deeper understanding of how authors use historical moments to create rich character development. Throughout the course, students will be shown different methods for note-taking as well as given opportunities to take the lead in discussions they are excited about. I will share a framework for students to use to help them build their comfort and willingness to try and stretch as discussion leaders. 

** Writing component** For the final week students will be asked to write a response to the prompt: "Characters in novels grow through adversity. In a short essay (3-4 paragraphs), show how Ada has grown in this novel as a result of the adversity she faces in her life. Please use evidence from the story to support your response." 
Students will not be required to share the essays with the class if they don’t wish to, but they will be asked to submit them to me for a review and response. 

Student responsibilities for class: 
*Assigned reading completed for each session as outlined in your packet (provided when you sign up, generally 4 chapters per meeting)
* Keep notes on reading to help you reference sections in our discussion
*Enter the zoom class ready to share sections you found interesting and eager to discuss!

Live Meeting Outline:
10 min - Greetings, summary of sections, discuss student leaders for discussion
15-20 mins - Overarching review of reading, questions and hot topics
15-20 mins - Teacher-led “deep dive and discussion” - Here we will learn some of the history of the moments presented in the section and analyze how the characters are affected. 
5 min - Closing and homework review

Learning Goals

Goals: 
Reading comprehension
Verbal discussion and leadership skills
Written response support - using evidence to support

Other Details

Parental Guidance

I always recommend parents review the content of a book before enrolling your child. Commonsense.org has excellent book reviews and outlines.

Supply List

Students will be asked to us an e-reader or print copy of "The War That Saved My Life" by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. Audio copies will not be conducive to the discussion portion of the book club, as students will be asked to refer back to certain paragraphs to find evidence to support responses and opinions.

External Resources

Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.

Meredith L. Nickson

Joined August, 2019

5.0

57reviews

Profile

Teacher expertise and credentials

Hello there, and thanks for stopping by to check out my profile!
As a veteran public school teacher, I had the chance to work with some outstanding students and I saw, first-hand, the importance and "payoff" of creating a reading lifestyle. For many students, finding that book that will "hook" them on reading is still a crazy idea, but I've helped many students do just that. 
I believe that each student can enjoy reading and writing - it's just a matter of finding the material and medium that interests them. Students' interest should be valued and helped to grow in new and interesting ways. After all, if you're not interested are you really invested? 
I worked for 12 years in a great district before relocating with my family. I've taught Kindergarten, second and sixth grades; in both regular education positions and learning support positions. I earned my B.A. in English from Penn State (WE ARE!), and my M. Ed. in Instructional Leadership from Neumann University.