The Summer of the Swans - Literature Kit Gr. 5-6

By Nat Reed

Spend the summer with Sara and the challenges she experiences while discovering herself. New ideas are provided for checking student comprehension of the novel. Set a purpose for reading by discussing the roles of family and the difficulties within. Describe how Sara sees her life as suddenly changing. State Sara and Wanda's differing opinions on Sara's haircut. Become a detective and determine whether Sara has sufficient evidence to accuse Joe of stealing Charlie's watch. Match vocabulary words from the novel to their synonyms. Step into the shoes of Joe and write a letter to an advice columnist about Sara and her rude behavior. List the problems faced by Sara and the possible solutions in a Problem-Solution Chart. Aligned to your State Standards, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included.

About the Novel:
A classic coming-of-age story of fourteen-year-old, Sara, who lives in a small town in West Virginia. This Newbery Medal winning-story centers on Sara and her troubled relationship with her remote father, her perfect older sister, and Joe Melby—a boy from school. All of these problems are quickly placed on the backburner when Charlie, her mentally disabled brother, wanders out of the house in the middle of the night and goes missing. While resolving this serious crisis, Sara discovers a great deal of herself. When she and Joe find Charlie safe and sound, Sara comes to grips with the knowledge that she is comfortable with who she is and who she is becoming.

• Language: English
• Publisher: CCP Interactive
• Release date: Jan 9, 2008
• ISBN: 9781553198833

Book preview

A Literature Kit™ FOR

The Summer of the Swans

By Betsy Byars

Written by Nat Reed

GRADES 5 – 6

Classroom Complete Press

P.O. Box 19729

San Diego, CA 92159

Tel: [phone] | Fax: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

www.classroomcompletepress.com

ISBN – 13: 978-1-55319-448-4

ISBN – 10: 1-55319-448-9

eISBN: 978-1-55319-883-3

© 2009

Permission to Reproduce

Permission is granted to the individual teacher who purchases one copy of this book to reproduce the student activity material for use in his or her classroom only. Reproduction of these materials for colleagues, an entire school or school system, or for commercial sale is strictly prohibited. No part of this publication may be transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program (BPIDP) for our publishing activities. Printed in Canada. All rights reserved.

Critical Thinking Skills

The Summer of the Swans

Based on Bloom’s Taxonomy

Contents

Assessment Rubric

The Summer of the Swans

Teacher Guide

Our resource has been created for ease of use by both TEACHERS and STUDENTS alike.

Introduction

This study guide is designed to give the teacher a number of helpful ways of making the study of this play a more enjoyable and profitable experience for the students. The guide features a number of useful and flexible components, from which the teacher can choose. It is not expected that all of the activities will be completed.

One advantage