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Lesson Plans and Teaching Resources for Wishtree

The cover for Wishtree Lesson Plans and Teaching Resources

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Use Wishtree by Katherine Applegate to turn your read aloud or small group work into a time to improve comprehension and talk about the text in purposeful ways.

Red is a 216-year-old Northern red oak who is home to many animals. Additionally, he is the community's wishtree which means he hears the secrets, hopes, and dreams of many, including the young girl next door. Samar is different from the others in the neighborhood, but wishes for nothing more than a friend. Red, with the help of his animal residents, sets out to make her wish come true! Author Katherine Applegate makes the non-human characters come to life with beautiful detail, making Wishtree an ideal text for a Book Club exploring figurative language.

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

Instructional Overview

The instructional overview includes instructional background for figurative language, instructional objectives for each of the Book Club meetings, and a list of the materials and preparation necessary to host the Wishtree Book Club.

Common Core State Standards Alignment

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

TEKS Alignment

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

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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

Author Katherine Applegate's use of figurative language throughout Wishtree makes the characters come to life for the reader. Throughout this Book Club, students will identify and examine various types of figurative language and explore the impact its use has on the reader's experience.

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Meeting 2

Readers will begin their exploration of the use of figurative language in Wishtree by diving into personification. Through this meeting's discussion, students will see how author Katherine Applegate helps readers connect to the non-human characters by giving them human characteristics.

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Meeting 3

This Wishtree Book Club meeting focuses on how similes help the reader to better understand what the author, Katherine Applegate, is trying to communicate. Discussion also includes what to do when you encounter a comparison (simile) that you don't understand.

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Meeting 4

When students take a closer look at the metaphors found in Wishtree by Katherine Applegate, they will see how comparing two things this way allows the author to use words to create vivid mental images for the reader.

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Meeting 5

Readers will connect to Red's use of common idioms; especially when he is "philosophizing". Students will enjoy making the idioms Katherine Applegate included in Wishtree come to life by sketching their literal meanings.

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Meeting 6

This final Wishtree Book Club meeting provides an opportunity for students to work collaboratively to showcase their learning related to figurative language. The culminating activity will provide a stunning visual representation of the knowledge that they have gained.

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

Vocabulary Connections with Wishtree

This set of vocabulary development resources for Wishtree 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 figurative language.

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Comprehension Assessment with Wishtree

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

Common Core State Standards Alignment

TEKS Alignment

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Running Record with Wishtree

Use this Running Record to assess oral reading fluency with Wishtree. 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: Wishtree

Author: Katherine Applegate

Genre: Fantasy

Themes: Friendship, Social Awareness

ISBN: 9781250233899

Publisher's Summary:

Trees can't tell jokes, but they can certainly tell stories. . . . Red is an oak tree who is many rings old. Red is the neighborhood "wishtree"—people write their wishes on pieces of cloth and tie them to Red's branches. Along with a crow named Bongo and other animals who seek refuge in Red's hollows, this wishtree watches over the neighborhood. You might say Red has seen it all. Until a new family moves in. Not everyone is welcoming, and Red's experience as a wishtree is more important than ever.

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Lesson Plans and Teaching Resources for Wishtree