Fear and #BeBrave

    

 

 This week I'm going to start a literacy contract unit around the theme topic FEAR (perfect for Halloween week).  We're going to talk about what fear means and will be reading historical fiction novels (The Lions of Little Rock, Number the Stars, Fever 1793, Chains, Paperboy, Every Day After, Countdown, Titanic by Gordon Korman,  May B., The Liberation of Gabriel King, City of Orphans, and Glory Be) in small groups that deal with fear.  Lots of picture books will be shared with the concept of being brave or conquering fears.  In addition, we'll be reading nonfiction books related to fear.  Topics could include spiders, natural disasters, extreme sports, diseases, etc.  Students will also find an article, video, or infographic about fear and will share it with the class.  I'm going to begin our next read aloud The Real Boy by Anne Ursu during this unit because I think it deals with the concept of being brave and breaking out of your comfort zone.   If you're interested in reading more about this literacy contract, go to Choice Literacy's September 28th's Big Fresh.  Megan Ginther and I have been writing a series on monthly literacy contracts. Today I think I found the perfect video to kick off the unit.  It's an hilarious YouTube video gone viral and the epitome of what fearlessness looks like!  Enjoy!