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Lesson Plans and Teaching Resources for The Candymakers

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Use The Candymakers by Wendy Mass to turn your read aloud or small group work into a time to improve comprehension and talk about the text in purposeful ways.

Logan wants nothing more than to prove himself worthy of his family's candy making tradition, so he enters into a national candy making contest. His family's factory hosts three of the other finalists for a behind-the-scenes look at the process of making candy. Two days of fun turn into a suspenseful mystery filled with secrets, surprises, and hidden agendas. Re-told from each of the four contestant's point of view, this is an ideal novel for a Book Club focused on comparing and contrasting characters, settings, and events.

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

Instructional Overview

The instructional overview includes instructional background for comparing and contrasting, instructional objectives for each of the Book Club meetings, and a list of the materials and preparation necessary to host The Candymakers Book Club.

Common Core State Standards Alignment

RL.5.7RL.5.6RL.5.5RL.5.4RL.5.3RL.5.2RL.5.1RL.5.9L.5.4aL.5.6L.5.5W.5.9W.5.8SL.5.1cSL.5.1bSL.5.1aRF.5.4RF.5.3RL.5.10

TEKS Alignment

5.7D5.9B5.9A5.8D5.8C5.8B5.8A5.7G5.7F5.7E5.9D(i)5.7C5.7B5.7A5.6I5.6H5.6G5.6F5.6E5.10C5.13H5.13E5.13C5.13A5.10G5.10F5.10E5.10D5.6D5.10B5.10A5.9F5.9E(iii)5.9E(ii)5.9E(i)5.9D(iii)5.9D(ii)5.6C5.6B5.6A5.1D5.1A5.1C

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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

Kick off this candy-themed Book Club with a fun activity to introduce comparing and contrasting. Sampling some sweet treats and using the results to complete a Venn diagram preps students for the work they will do using Wendy Mass's The Candymakers.

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Meeting 2

Before students can begin comparing and contrasting the four contestants, they need to get-to-know each one. This The Candymakers Book Club meeting focuses on how to identify character traits using the thoughts, dialogue, and actions of the characters.

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Meeting 3

Now that students are familiar with each of the characters, they can begin to look for similarities and differences between them. The continued use of a graphic organizer to track character traits will keep student thinking focused while reading The Candymakers by Wendy Mass.

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Meeting 4

Author Wendy Mass created a variety of rooms in the Life Is Sweet Candy Factory that come to life for readers. As students compare and contrast the various settings in The Candymakers, they will see how the different details of each location help to support the plot and move the story along.

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Meeting 5

Told from four different perspectives, The Candymakers is perfect for focusing on comparing and contrasting story events. Discussion during this meeting explores the foursome's first meeting from each individual character's perspective.

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Meeting 6

Dig deeper into the relationships between each of the characters during this The Candymakers Book Club meeting. Through the use of a targeted graphic organizer, students will see how the similarities and differences among characters support the story.

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Meeting 7

As the fantastic foursome of characters works together to save the factory, students will discuss how author Wendy Mass used the commonalities and differences among the characters to affect the story's resolution.

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Meeting 8

This final The Candymakers Book Club meeting provides students with an opportunity to reflect on the comparing and contrasting work they completed. An interactive game allows students to put their learning into practice.

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The first page of Asking Questions with A Bad Case of Stripes

Vocabulary Connections with The Candymakers

This set of vocabulary development resources for The Candymakers 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.5.4a,L.5.5,L.5.6

TEKS Alignment

5.7E,5.7F,5.3A,5.3B

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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 comparing and contrasting.

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Comprehension Assessment with The Candymakers

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

Common Core State Standards Alignment

TEKS Alignment

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Running Record with The Candymakers

Use this Running Record to assess oral reading fluency with The Candymakers. Track meaning, structure, and visual accuracy using the first 100 words of the text to determine whether or not this book is a good fit for the readers in your classroom.

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: The Candymakers

Author: Wendy Mass

Genre: Mystery

Themes: Friendship, Relationship Skills, Decision Making

ISBN: 9780316180504

Publisher's Summary:

The Candymakers by Wendy Mass is a heartwarming and suspenseful novel that invites young readers—and their teachers—into the magical world of candy creation. Set in the enchanting Life is Sweet Candy Factory, the story brings together four very different twelve-year-olds: Logan, the factory owner's son eager to prove he belongs in the family business; Miles, a thoughtful boy coping with past trauma; Daisy, a mysterious and energetic girl with secrets of her own; and Philip, a seemingly aloof competitor with a hidden passion for music. All four are selected to compete in the Confectionary Association's annual new candy contest, where their challenge is to invent a delicious new treat.

As the competition unfolds, each contestant's unique background and motivations come to light. The novel explores how these children, initially wary of one another, gradually form friendships and learn the value of teamwork, honesty, and self-acceptance. Wendy Mass skillfully weaves together themes of resilience, the importance of being true to oneself, and the power of collaboration. The book mixes mystery and adventure with moments of humor and warmth, making it an ideal read for classroom discussion and activities centered on character development and ethical decision-making. With its rich cast of characters and imaginative setting, The Candymakers offers countless opportunities for teachers to engage students in conversations about empathy, creativity, and the rewards of working together.

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Lesson Plans and Teaching Resources for The Candymakers