Fiction Novel

Title: “Wrangler”

Author: Jerry Spinelli

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publication date: 1997

About the book:

In middle school I enjoyed reading Jerry Spinelli’s books. This one is about a dystopian town where on their 10^th birthday all the boys in town must participate in a traditional rite of passage ceremony where hunters shoot and injure pigeons and the 10 year old has to kill the pigeon. All the males in the town love this tradition and generally the ceremony is one of celebration. In the book 9 year old Palmer struggles with his secret that he does not want to kill the pigeon because if others found out he would not be accepted. I chose this book due to the aspect of peer pressure and friendships. Palmer desperately wants to be accepted by the other boys in his grade. They are a bad influence on him and he does not agree with their actions but goes along anyways to be cool. Palmer faces trials of growing up and fitting in. In the end he finds a healthy friendship with a girl Dorothy who had previously been a victim of the boys bullying. With the support of his mother and Dorothy, Palmer is able to stand up for what he believes in and stop hiding his feelings. While this book is about a kid younger than a middle school student students would be able to gain a deeper understanding of the theme of relationships and morality.

Social Studies integration 

I would integrate this book and lesson on healthy relationships with social studies. In middle school social studies and history students learn about Washington state history and ancient civilizations.

Activity:

Discussion Questions:

Why does Palmer feel like he can tell Dorothy about Nipper (his pet pigeon) but not “the guys”?

What are three reasons the boys in the neighborhood are not good friends for Palmer?

What advice would you give Palmer about choosing friends?

There is an activity for distinguishing warning signs of unhealthy relationships on KidsHealth where each student has a red flag and as scenarios are read they raise the flag when they hear a warning signs of an unhealthy relationship. There are great scenarios on Love is Respect that could be used. When students answer there could be a discussion on why this is a warning sign.

In order to integrate another subject with healthy relationships I would then do the same red flag activity but students would apply the basic concepts of what makes an unhealthy relationship, control, lack of respect, abuse, selfishness and apply those to historical facts. Scenarios on voting rights, the labor force for the transcontinental railroad and slavery would be given. For example, “In Washington state women did not have the right to vote. Women’s suffrage was denied by government in 1887 and 1888 partly because their vote would make selling alcohol more difficult.” Students then raise their flag when they hear a warning sign while listening. In order to further check for understanding students would choose a social justice issue or historical event from the activity and write a paragraph comparing a characteristic of an unhealthy relationship with that phenomenon.

 

Nonfiction book

Title: “Do this, not that: A Middle Schooler’s Guidebook”

Author: Todd Johnson

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Publication Date: 2016

About the book:

I chose this book because it is not aimed at a specific gender like a lot of the books I found on this topic were. The text is not difficult to understand and generally should not be a barrier to students in understanding the content. Also the text is aimed at middle schoolers specifically. It touches on topics from STD’s, abstinence, and pregnancy, to social media and talks about relationships with friends and families and significant others. The author also talks about how at this age not everyone may be ready for a relationship and middle school is a good time for building friendships and figuring out personal goals.

Follow up activity:

KidsHealth also has articles expanding on relationships and the difference between a healthy and unhealthy relationship that could be used for students to read or to discuss as a class and gain a deeper understanding of abusive relationships and how to build healthy relationships. For this book I integrate the science concept of energy transfer, specifically thermal energy with a follow up assignment

In pairs or groups depending on room available students will have a car on a track. The teacher reads scenarios involving a made up character involving relationships. Sometimes the character makes a good choice and sometimes a bad choice. The students as a whole determine if the choice was good or bad with teacher facilitation when needed to make sure student get the answer correct. When the character makes a good choice the students get to push the cart forward by flicking the cart with a rubber band. When the character makes a bad choice the students have to add a weight to the cart. As the cart fills it will be more difficult to move the cart forward with the rubber band. The goal is to get the carts to the end of the track. This demonstrates the concept of the transfer of kinetic energy and the relationship between mass and energy transfer.

Scenarios could be:

Micha recently made friends with a quiet girl in her English class Avery. Micha’s friends think Avery is weird and told Micha if she keeps talking to Avery they cannot be friends anymore. Micha does not want to lose her friends so she stops hanging out with Avery.

Darien and his girlfriend are arguing because he thinks she might be cheating on him. Darien knows he is getting angry and decides to take a break and walk away so he can talk to his girlfriend about how he is feeling when he is calmer.

WLAS Fiction book lesson plan:

• H4.So5.4 Demonstrate how to respond appropriately to bullying, harassment, and intimidation.
• H7.So1.8 Demonstrate ability to make choices that positively impact self-esteem.
  • H1.Se5.8a Explain how to build and maintain healthy family, peer, and dating relationships.
  • H4.Se5.7a Demonstrate communication skills that foster healthy relationships.
  • H1.SE5.7 Describe characteristics of healthy and unhealthy relationships.
  • H1.Se5.6a Identify ways to communicate effectively in a variety of relationships.

  Washington State Social Studies Standards: 

  • CBA history 4.2.2 Understands and analyzes how cultures and cultural groups in ancient civilizations contributed to world history.
  •  4.1.2 Understands how themes and developments have defined eras in Washington State and world history by: • Explaining how the following themes and developments help to define eras in Washington State history from 1854 to the present: o Railroads, reform, immigration, and labor (1889—1930).

   

  WLAS non-fiction book lesson plan:

  • H1.Se4.8a Summarize ways to prevent pregnancy and STDs.
  • H1.Se4.8c Compare and contrast potential outcomes of risk behaviors and protective factors.
  • H1.Se5.8a Explain how to build and maintain healthy family, peer, and dating relationships.
  • H1.Se4.6a Define abstinence and explain why it is the most effective method to prevent pregnancy and STDs.
  • H4.Se5.7a Demonstrate communication skills that foster healthy relationships.
  • H1.SE5.7 Describe characteristics of healthy and unhealthy relationships.
  • H1.Se5.6a Identify ways to communicate effectively in a variety of relationships.Washington stage science standards:
    

    MS-PS3-4.	plan an investigation to determine the relationships among the energy transferred, the type of matter, the mass, and the change in the average kinetic energy of the particles as measured by the temperature of the sample. (water melting, cooling and heating up .)
    MS-PS3-5.	Construct, use, and present arguments to support the claim that when the kinetic energy of an object changes, energy is transferred to or from the object.