Another lesson plan

Friendship and decision making are common themes. On My Honor is an excellent book which shows value, carelessness, friendship, emotion, and decision making. We use this book as a start to the new school year. This book is especially effective because the two main characters are ten years old, which is the age group of my children. Although this book is written at a 3rd grade level, once the students start reading it, they don't want to stop. I introduce the book by talking about friendship, what it means, and what we do for our friends. Usually a great class discussion develops and I learn a lot about my students. During this discussion, I make a character web on chart paper which is hung in the classroom throughout the project. After the first two or three chapters we do a charachter analysis, describing each of the two main characters - comparing and contrasting their personalities. From here we make predictions based on the characters. As we continue reading the students journal their ideas and thoughts about each one and make connections to the characters and setting. As the book progresses the characters are called upon to make decisions, which become life changing. Again, class discussions are important. It always surprises me the connections the students can make, and how they identify with the characters and the problem that has risen. Throughout the book, the different themes are brought up and discussed and predictions are made. This is a great, simple book to use when teaching rising and falling action. At the midpoint I introduce this and we start our plot line, which they also put in their reading journal. This is added to as we continue to read the story. It becomes hard for the students to stop reading, although I ask them not to read ahead. After we have completed the book we revisit our character traits - the students then do a compare/contrast project of the two main characters and the changes they go through in the book. They also finish their plot line. For a final project, I have the students re-write the ending, starting from the point where the two main characters are at the river. Because the book itself is very simple and easy reading, most of the work is done at the end. To re-write the ending the student has to evaluate the situation presented and make decisions, based on their character trait comparison. I usually find the new endings are very reflective the of text-self connections that the student makes. The students love to read their endings to the whole class.