Dear Reader,

When it comes to nonfiction, are your students confident readers? If the answer is no, then here’s help: This special edition of The Mailbox® e-newsletter, sponsored by Recorded Books, features FREE sample activities to use with three engaging titles from Dr. Janet Allen’s Plugged-in to Nonfiction. Plus we’ve included free audiobook excerpts that you can use right away. Simply click on the cover or link to listen online, or right-click and choose “Save As” to download the excerpt. Pair the print books with the audio recordings to increase fluency and comprehension. The collection is especially perfect for marking this month’s celebrations of black history!

Karen Brudnak
Newsletter Editor

PS: Be sure to visit http://www.pluggedintononfiction.com for sample lessons, audio, and more! Plus you can enter for a chance to win a copy of A Negro League Scrapbook. Do it today!

Vocabulary

Jesse Owens: Fastest Man Alive
by Carole Boston Weatherford

Featured in Plugged-in to Nonfiction Grades 4–5

As students listen and read, have them write down words or phrases they are unfamiliar with. Also have students note other words, such as German words or pop culture references, that the author deliberately chose to establish the setting. After listening, students define the words and phrases.

Extra credit: In the book, Jesse Owens learns "a few German phrases to charm the autograph hounds with." What does this mean? Have students list some of the German phrases he may have learned, along with their English translations.

Creative Writing

Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad
by Michael Martin

Featured in Plugged-in to Nonfiction Grades 4–5

In this book, the story of Harriet Tubman is told in a graphic-novel format. Discuss with the class whether or not they think this format is effective. Then have students translate the story of another famous slave into a graphic novel. If students don't want to draw, they can use magazine cutouts, clip art, or a Web site like http://www.toondoo.com to create illustrations. Possible subjects include Dred Scott, Frederick Douglass, George Washington Carver, Harriet Ann Jacobs, Phillis Wheatley, Sojourner Truth, and John Brown. As an alternative, students can illustrate and write the story of a fictional slave and his or her journey on the Underground Railroad.

Extra credit: Slaves often used songs to tell stories and send messages. Ask students to research to find a slave song. They should find out its meaning plus how and when it was used. Have students write about what they learned.

Prereading and KWL

A Negro League Scrapbook
by Carole Boston Weatherford

Featured in Plugged-in to Nonfiction Level 1 for Grades 5–7

Because this book is called A Negro League Scrapbook, have students predict what will be included in the book and why it is called a scrapbook. Also have students create a KWL chart by listing what they already know about the Negro League and what they want to know. Then, after listening, students list what they learned.

Extra credit: According to the book, the ban on black players in the major and minor leagues was not official until 1887. Have students research what happened before the ban was official and why the ban was instituted.

Extra credit: Have students investigate the use of simile, metaphor, and hyperbole in the book. Also encourage them to think about the players' nicknames.