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By MARISSA DESPINS Updated Feb 21, 2024 If had to choose, I would award Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet the prize for the best book to hook reluctant readers. It is a story of…
By MARISSA DESPINS Updated Feb 21, 2024 If you have been following the blog for a while, you already know how wildly passionate I am about novel studies. Sharing a whole class…
By MARISSA DESPINS Updated Feb 9, 2024 If you have read my previous post all about The One and Only Ivan, you already know how much I love this beautiful novel. I…
By MARISSA DESPINS Updated Nov 22, 2023 Wonder Novel Study Activities for Upper Elementary The message behind R.J Palacio’s novel Wonder is all about choosing kindness – an essential and important concept…
By MARISSA DESPINS Updated Nov 28, 2023 The Dystopian genre has long been a favorite with my middle school learners. The overarching themes of survival, governmental control, and loss of individual freedoms…
By MARISSA DESPINS Updated April 07, 2024 During the 20 years I spent in the ELA classroom, the middle school novel study was something that was always central to my teaching ….