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Lesson Plans and Teaching Resources for Riding Freedom

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Use Riding Freedom by Pam Muñoz Ryan to turn your read aloud or small group work into a time to improve comprehension and talk about the text in purposeful ways.

This fictionalized story of the real life of Charlotte Parkhurst follows Charlotte from a young orphan to a landowner in the 1800s. Charlotte is unlike many girls of her time; happier in the stable than in the kitchen, has aspirations of working as a stagecoach driver, and a desire to own her own horse farm one day. Her determination, bravery, and toughness are traits that will not only have readers rooting for her, but are a great springboard for a Book Club focused on determining character traits and how they contribute to a story.

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Explore lesson plans and activities to help you teach with Riding Freedom in the drop down below.

Instructional Overview

The instructional overview includes instructional background for character traits, instructional objectives for each of the Book Club meetings, and a list of the materials and preparation necessary to host the Riding Freedom Book Club.

Common Core State Standards Alignment

TEKS Alignment

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Management Resources

The management resources include a Book Club Calendar, conversation prompts, Student Self-Evaluation forms, Reading Response Board (with optional Common Core alignment), and an Expectations for Book Club anchor chart.

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Meeting 1

As students begin to identify character traits for Charlotte, the main character in Pam Muñoz Ryan's Riding Freedom, it will be helpful to understand the time period in history that this story takes place in. The importance of Charlotte's determination, bravery, and grit becomes more apparent when students understand how unusual it was for girls to display these traits.

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Meeting 2

This Riding Freedom Book Club meeting explores identifying character traits that are explicitly stated as well as those that are inferred from the text. The use of a thinking map for character traits will help readers organize their thinking.

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Meeting 3

As readers dive deeper into understanding the characters in Riding Freedom by Pam Muñoz Ryan, they will be able to differentiate major and minor characters and identify the important role that each type of character plays in the story.

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Meeting 4

The focus of this Book Club meeting is for readers to use the character traits that they have identified for the major and minor characters in Riding Freedom to determine how the different characters impact the story. An interactive activity of "What If..." will bring this concept to life for students.

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Meeting 5

The final Book Club meeting for Pam Muñoz Ryan's Riding Freedom encourages readers to reflect on how determining character traits helped them as they read and exploring the role character traits have in identifying the theme of the story.

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Vocabulary Connections with Riding Freedom

This set of vocabulary development resources for Riding Freedom highlights the words that are most important for students to know and understand while reading the book. Through engaging in fun word games, matching words to definitions, and practicing how to categorize words, students will develop the vocabulary necessary to comprehend this story and many others.

Common Core State Standards Alignment

L.3.4a,L.3.5b,L.3.6

TEKS Alignment

3.7E,3.7F,3.3A,3.3B

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Focus Assessment and Rubric

Use this six-question assessment to determine whether or not students understand the key concepts associated with Story Elements.

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Comprehension Assessment with Riding Freedom

This 9 question Common Core aligned assessment can be used to determine students' overall comprehension of Riding Freedom and their mastery of the Common Core State Standards.

Common Core State Standards Alignment

TEKS Alignment

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Management Resources - Spanish

The management resources include a Book Club Calendar, conversation prompts, Student Self-Evaluation forms, Reading Response Board (with optional Common Core alignment), and an Expectations for Book Club anchor chart.

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About the Book

Title: Riding Freedom

Author: Pam Muñoz Ryan

Genre: Historical Fiction

Themes: History, Perseverance, Women's History Month, Friendship

ISBN: 9780590957663

Publisher's Summary:

Riding Freedom by Pam Muñoz Ryan is an inspiring historical novel that brings to life the remarkable journey of Charlotte Parkhurst, a courageous girl determined to live life on her own terms. Set in the mid-1800s, the story follows Charlotte from her early years in a New Hampshire orphanage, where she feels out of place and dreams of a future with horses. Despite the orphanage's strict rules and society's expectations for girls, Charlotte's resilience and deep connection with horses help her forge a path toward independence.

Charlotte's journey is marked by bold choices, including disguising herself as a boy to escape the limitations placed on women of her time. Adopting the identity of "Charley," she heads out West, where her skills earn her a reputation as a talented stagecoach driver. Through hard work and determination, Charlotte overcomes significant obstacles—both physical and societal—to pursue her dream of owning land and living freely.

Riding Freedom highlights themes of perseverance, identity, gender roles, and the pursuit of equality. The novel's vivid characters and engaging narrative invite students to explore questions about courage, self-discovery, and the power of following one's dreams. Charlotte's story, based on a real historical figure, offers rich opportunities for classroom discussion about history, women's rights, and personal resilience. This book is an excellent addition to any educator's collection, providing a meaningful and accessible way to inspire young readers to challenge expectations and believe in themselves.

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Lesson Plans and Teaching Resources for Riding Freedom