Sarah+Ehlers

=-Book Summaries-=

=Sarah Ehlers - Historical Fiction=



**What is the book about? Give a brief plot summary in your own words.**
Though dramatically different from one another, the complicated lives of Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan, Aibileen Clark, and Minny Jackson become intimately entwined in Kathryn Stockett’s, //The Help//.

Skeeter, a white, twenty-two-year-old, college graduate and aspiring writer, has recently moved back home to live with her parents in Jackson, Mississippi. Little did she know that her southern belle lifestyle and relationships with best friends Elizabeth and Hilly would be forever changed by growing, but secret relationships with black maids, Aibileen, and Minny.

With Skeeter’s brave help, Aibileen, a nurturing maid and nanny, and Minny, a maid whose sassy nature has made it difficult to hold a job, record the stories of twelve black maids in Jackson, Mississippi. The stories reveal the hardships and joys of working with white families in the early 1960s.

How could a teacher use this book in the classroom? What instructional strategies might you choose to incorporate with this particular title?
This book could easily be used to help teach civil rights. It would be interesting for students to research the civil rights movement during the early 1960s and compare to the book. The book mentions several historical events/figures (Martin Luther King Jr., the first black student admitted to the University of Mississippi, etc.), but does not make them a focus. Students could research these topics in further detail. It would also be interesting for students to research the historical differences between life in Mississippi or other southern states and life in northern, “Yankee” states (compare and contrast).

Write three higher level thinking questions that you might use in a culminating discussion of this book.

 * Compare the parenting characteristics of Elizabeth and Hilly. In your opinion, who was the better mother?
 * Elizabeth who had clear parenting deficits, but better overall character, or
 * Hilly who doted on her children, but displayed and encouraged a villainous lifestyle
 * How much is personal character shaped by the people we’re surrounded by (our environment)? Will Mae Mobley’s character be forever influenced by the work of Aibleen as Skeeter’s was influenced by Constantine?
 * What do you think about Minny’s revenge on Hilly? Was her revenge justified?

= = =Sarah Ehlers - Science Fiction=



**What is the book about? Give a brief plot summary in your own words.**
In what was once known as North America, the nation of Panem is home to a cruel, but thriving Capitol and twelve highly controlled districts. In order to maintain power over the districts the Capitol annually holds what is known as the Hunger Games. Each year each district is required to send one girl and one boy between the ages of 12 and 18 into the games. It is a game to the death in which there can be only one victor.

Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year-old girl from District 12, bravely puts her own life at stake by volunteering to go into the Games rather than her 12-year-old sister. As a competitor in the Games, she is forced to make decisions between life, love, and defiance against the Capitol.

How could a teacher use this book in the classroom? What instructional strategies might you choose to incorporate with this particular title?
This book would be a great accompaniment to a government unit, especially when discussing dictatorships. A class could recreate Panem’s government first as it is in the book (dictatorship) and discuss the pros and cons of this type of system, and then recreate the government choosing a system they think would be more successful, ethical, appealing to live in, etc. Panem’s dictatorship could be compared to various other systems. Students could discuss how life in Panem would differ in each system.

Write three higher level thinking questions that you might use in a culminating discussion of this book.

 * How is Panem’s government different than our own? Are there similarities? If so, what are the similarities?
 * How might the story have been different if Gale had entered the Games instead of Peeta?
 * How does knowing they are on camera shape the tributes’ actions before and during the Games?

=Sarah Ehlers - Science Fiction=



**What is the book about? Give a brief plot summary in your own words.**
As Katniss and Peeta return to their lives in District 12, they are saddened to find that life for them will never be the same. Katniss continues to struggle with conflicting feelings for Gale and Peeta, but is forced to play the part the Capitol dictates. As word of rebellion against the Capitol spreads throughout the districts, Katniss, the symbol for the uprising, is forced to decide whether to flee or join the rebellion herself. Little does she know that the Quarter Quell Hunger Games will make this decision for her.

How could a teacher use this book in the classroom? What instructional strategies might you choose to incorporate with this particular title?
<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Paired with The Hunger Games, Catching Fire could also be used to discuss types of governments. More importantly, however, The Hunger Games trilogy is a great series to encourage the love of reading. For adolescents who have not yet learned the joys of reading, The Hunger Games trilogy could work wonders. The books could be read in read-alouds, used in Literature Circles, guided reading, etc. They are full of rich, figurative language, metaphors, similes, idioms, and other literary devices that could be taught along the way.

Write three higher level thinking questions that you might use in a culminating discussion of this book.

 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Do you think the rules and regulations for the Quarter Quell were determined in the past or after Katniss and Peeta’s victory? Explain why the rules would have been written after their victory? How does not knowing the answer to this question add to the experience of reading the story?
 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">How would the Quarter Quell have been different if Haymitch had entered the Games instead of Peeta?
 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Which type of danger would scare/effect/injure you more:
 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">the physical threats such as the fog, lightning, bloody rain, monkeys, etc. or
 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">the emotional threats such as the jabberjays?
 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Explain why you chose your answer.

=Sarah Ehlers - Contemporary Realistic Fiction=



What is the book about? Give a brief plot summary in your own words.
<span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 13.3333px;">Rosemary Goode, a small-town teenager from Tennessee, is overweight, unpopular, and tired of working at her mom’s salon, best salon in town or not. She’s tired of watching the pretty popular girls get ready for the next big dance. She’s tired of not having a date to the dance herself. She’s tired of her nagging mother and harsh aunt. She’s tired of the constant reminders from everyone to lose weight, particularly the treadmill sitting in her bedroom…her Christmas gift this year. It’s time to make a change! She may even find Mr. Right along the way.

How could a teacher use this book in the classroom? What instructional strategies might you choose to incorporate with this particular title?
<span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 13.3333px;">This book is full of lessons on self-esteem, self-image, goal setting, and self-confidence. It would be a great book to teach students the importance of not judging a book by its cover.

Write three higher level thinking questions that you might use in a culminating discussion of this book.

 * <span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 13.3333px;">Why is Rosemary so surprised to learn that Kyle is attracted to her?
 * <span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 13.3333px;">How do the strained relationships with her mother and aunt contribute to Rosemary’s weight problems and/or self-esteem issues? Could she have lost the weight earlier in a different environment? Explain.
 * <span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 13.3333px;">How did becoming friends with Kay-Kay help Rosemary? Did they both benefit from this relationship? Explain.

=Sarah Ehlers - Nonfiction=



What is the book about? Give a brief plot summary in your own words.
<span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">//The Last Lecture// is a true story by Randy Pausch, a man who has been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. As the father of three young children, Randy records his life’s memories and his last lecture as a message to his children and to everyone. It is a message of dreaming big, overcoming obstacles, and taking advantage of every moment. Randy’s life lessons are an inspiration! Stay positive! Be good at something! It’s all about the fundamentals! Never give up!

How could a teacher use this book in the classroom? What instructional strategies might you choose to incorporate with this particular title?
<span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">//The Last Lecture// could be used to inspire self-reflection, discuss dreams and goal setting as well as overcoming obstacles. Students could write about these topics and/or create action plans for their goals.

Write three higher level thinking questions that you might use in a culminating discussion of this book.

 * <span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">What would you paint on your bedroom walls if your parents let you? Explain.
 * <span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Consider the quote, “Complaining is not a strategy.” Do you agree? Why or why not?
 * <span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Do you consider yourself to be Tigger or Eeyore? Explain.