Does your child love animal stories? They are sure to delight in this heartwarming story of Ivan, a silverback gorilla, and the power of friendship and compassion.  Read below to find a description of the book: 

"This unforgettable novel from renowned author Katherine Applegate celebrates the transformative power of unexpected friendship. Inspired by the true story of a captive gorilla known as Ivan, this illustrated book is told from the point of view of Ivan himself. 

Having spent twenty-seven years behind the glass walls of his enclosure in a shopping mall, Ivan has grown accustomed to humans watching him. He hardly ever thinks about his life in the jungle. Instead, Ivan occupies himself with television, his friends Stella and Bob, and painting. But when he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from the wild, he is forced to see their home, and his art, through new eyes.

In the tradition of timeless stories like Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little, Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create an unforgettable story of friendship, art, and hope.

The One and Only Ivan features first-person narrative; author's use of literary devices (personification, imagery); and story elements (plot, character development, perspective)."

   - from https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083Q5Y1MK?binding=kindle_edition&searchxofy=true&ref_=dbs_s_aps_series_rwt_tkin&qid=1665958064&sr=8-1

This course will provide students an engaging opportunity in an online book club over the course of 4 meetings as we discuss this Newbery Winner story. Author Katherine Applegate has woven an incredible story of friendship and compassion and readers will fall in love with Ivan as we join his adventure to find a life behind the walls of the Exit 8 Big Top Mall. 

The interactive book club means your child will be engaged in reading, writing, and social skills throughout the course. Your learner will have fun as we kick off our book club with predictions, connections, and reader responses during our read aloud of the book.  Please note, we will use a small portion of the class time to focus on reading excerpts of the book to work on fluency and expression; however, most of the time will be spent on interacting with the text. I will facilitate the book club with guided reading questions and students will be encouraged to share their thoughts and feeling about the story. This is a great opportunity for your child to practice their social and oral language skills.

Additionally, we will have time to utilize breakout rooms that will allow time for your reader to work together in partners or small groups, depending on class sizes. These breakout rooms will be used write, share, and engage on some "hands-on" fun about the story. We'll also have time to play some games to practice and strengthen reading comprehension skills. 

No reading is needed prior to the first meeting; however, students will need to approximately 100 pages each week to be ready for the next meeting. Each meeting we will discuss the chapters read and have time to do activities related to the book. Based on my expertise as a former classroom teacher and current librarian, all activities will focus on reading comprehension, character analysis, themes, and even writing skills such as summarizing. 

Whether your child has already read the book, is reading it, or has never read any of it, it's sure to be a good time for all! 

Meeting 1 -  introduction of class and the book 
                   read pages 1 -5  together and activities 
                HW: Read pages 6 - 107

Meeting 2 - Discuss pages 6 - 107 (the assigned reading)
                   activities based on those chapters: comprehension, sequencing, inferencing
                HW: Read pages 108 - 206
                 

Meeting 3 - Discuss page 108 - 206  (the assigned reading)
                   activities based on those chapters: comprehension, character comparison, inferencing, and predictions
                HW: Read pages 207 - 300

Meeting 4 - Discuss pages 207 - 300 
                  activities based on those chapters: summary writing/strategies, theme, reading response
                  final wrap up of the book club

Additionally, I will provide a weekly challenge activity at the end of each meeting. This is meant as an optional activity that will provide an opportunity for your child to respond, engage, or extend their work with the book. I like to provide this so that parents can have an option for additional work should they need it for a continuation of learning on the days that we are not meeting. All challenges should be completed outside of class time, should you wish for your child to complete them. Examples of challenges may be building something as related to the plot, drawing parts of the story, or writing/response activities centered around the story. Once completed, your child can share it with me via Outschool and I will provide personal feedback to your child. If your child wishes, he/she may also share the challenge with our classmates!

If you have any questions about the book or would like to know more, please feel free to reach out to me. I am always happy to tailor to specific reading standards or skills that may be needed for your child's course of study. If you have any questions or need additional information, please message me as I am always happy to answer questions.  

Also, if you do not see a time that is conducive to your schedule, please complete a schedule request so I can work to accommodate your needs. I also offer private sections for all my book clubs if you'd prefer that for your child. This means you provide 4 - 6 learners (your child and others he/she knows) and the class would only contain those children. Please let me know if you are interested in that!