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Lesson Plans and Teaching Resources for When You Reach Me

The cover for When You Reach Me Lesson Plans and Teaching Resources

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Use When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead to turn your read aloud or small group work into a time to improve comprehension and talk about the text in purposeful ways.

Miranda is unsure what to think when she starts to receive mysterious notes from an unknown source. These notes warn her that a friend is in trouble and, seem legitimate, because they correctly predict future events. The note writer also tells her not to share the messages with others; leaving Miranda to solve this mystery on her own. Author Rebecca Stead expertly weaves the clues to solving this mystery throughout the story elements, making this a perfect chapter book for a Book Club focused on making inferences. Expect to share many ah ha!" moments with students as they navigate this well-crafted mystery."

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Explore lesson plans and activities to help you teach with When You Reach Me in the drop down below.

Instructional Overview

The instructional overview includes instructional background for making inferences, instructional objectives for each of the Book Club meetings, and a list of the materials and preparation necessary to host the When You Reach Me Book Club.

Common Core State Standards Alignment

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

TEKS Alignment

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

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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

Mysteries, like When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead, are perfect for readers developing their ability to make inferences to deepen their comprehension. Prime students to make inferences to solve a mystery with a ready-to-use mini mystery game.

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Meeting 2

Throughout the When You Reach Me Book Club, readers will be making inferences to learn more about the characters of the story and to try to solve the mystery before the author reveals the answer. This meeting will provide the opportunity for students to look for details in the text that support predetermined inferences.

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Meeting 3

Building on the last meeting, students will now formulate their own inferences based on the details author Rebecca Stead included in When You Reach Me. Group discussion focuses on inferring information about the various characters that have been presented so far and a graphic organizer is used to help students track their thinking while reading independently.

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Meeting 4

Readers will begin to notice recurring themes in the inferences they are making. This When You Reach Me Book Club meeting focuses discussion on drawing conclusions when students make similar inferences over and over, and knowing when to dismiss an inference they made because there is not enough text evidence to support it.

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Meeting 5

Making inferences and making predictions can be tricky concepts to differentiate. As students approach the end of Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me, they will see how the inferences they made throughout the Book Club can inform their predictions of the solution of the mystery.

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Meeting 6

This final When You Reach Me Book Club meeting is full of "ah ha!" moments for readers. Now that the mystery has been solved, students can go back through the details in the story and see how they could have inferred the ending. The culminating activity encourages creativity as well as the demonstration of the skills related to making inferences that the students gained throughout their participation in the Book Club.

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

Vocabulary Connections with When You Reach Me

This set of vocabulary development resources for When You Reach Me 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 making inferences.

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Comprehension Assessment with When You Reach Me

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

Common Core State Standards Alignment

TEKS Alignment

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Running Record with When You Reach Me

Use this Running Record to assess oral reading fluency with When You Reach Me. 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

The cover for the book When You Reach Me

Title: When You Reach Me

Author: Rebecca Stead

Genre: Mystery

Themes: Friendship, Bullying, Award Winners

ISBN: 9780375892691

Publisher's Summary:

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead is a compelling middle-grade novel set in the vibrant world of late 1970s New York City. The story centers on Miranda, a thoughtful sixth grader growing up with her single mother on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Miranda's life is full of everyday challenges: navigating shifting friendships, helping her mom prepare for a spot on the televised game show The $20,000 Pyramid, and moving independently through the bustling city streets. What begins as a realistic coming-of-age tale soon takes a mysterious turn when Miranda starts receiving cryptic, unsigned notes that hint at future events and urge her to write a letter about things that haven't happened yet. The notes unsettle Miranda, especially as they seem connected to her life and to the enigmatic "laughing man," a homeless figure she passes daily.

As Miranda grapples with the fallout of her best friend Sal abruptly distancing himself, she forges new connections—with classmates like the thoughtful Marcus and the complex Julia—while trying to unravel the puzzle behind the mysterious messages. The novel skillfully blends themes of friendship, independence, and forgiveness with a unique twist of science fiction, exploring concepts like time travel and fate. Stead's storytelling beautifully captures the nuances of pre-adolescent life, family bonds, and the social landscape of 1970s New York. When You Reach Me invites readers to think deeply about empathy, perspective, and the interconnectedness of lives. This intricately crafted novel offers rich opportunities for classroom discussion and is especially valuable for lessons on character development, mystery, and the power of kindness.

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Lesson Plans and Teaching Resources for When You Reach Me