Author: Holly Goldberg Sloan
Date of Publication: August 29th, 2013
Publisher: Puffin Books
Summary: The book “Counting by 7s” tells the story of a girl who has trouble connecting with her peers and individuals around her. Through the story, her adoptive parents die in a car crash and she is forced to find new ways to cope, communicate, and connect in her life that has now been turned upside down. This is a chapter book, so it provides 6th graders with an opportunity to start reading more involved texts. This book also provides a great way to start talking about changing relationships, and how different individuals cope with life changes. This could be integrated into a social study curriculum about community and interpersonal relationships, as well as good reading material to jump off for a writing assignment. As a result, students are able to learn about healthy relationships while also tying it to a social studies standard.
Integration: I would integrate this book into a writing unit that helps students learn how to write informative and explanatory texts. Students will first read the book provided paying close attention to the main characters relationships and how they grow and change. Students will then write an essay about healthy relationships, drawing from the text to support their ideas. Students will explain the importance of healthy relationships, and what a healthy relationship is by connecting the story to their own personal experiences and how healthy relationships can benefit the community.
National Health Education Standards (NHES):
- 1.8.1: Describe characteristics of healthy relationships.
- HBO 1: Establish and maintain healthy relationships.
- 1.8.4: Describe healthy ways to express affection, love, and friendship.
- HBO 1
Common Core Standards – Reading/Literature:
- W.6.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.