The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, by Jacqueline Kelly: A Novel Study

This is a ready-to-use, custom made novel study for grades 5-8 as they read the 2009 Newbery Honor Book, The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, by Jacqueline Kelly. It includes a 23-page printable student booklet designed to reinforce essential reading, writing, and thinking skills for middle graders. Common Core Standards are supported in the skills and include summarizing, explaining, visualizing, connecting to the text, inferring, citing evidence from the text, general comprehension, understanding point-of-view plus author's purpose, and expanding vocabulary. An answer key is provided.

The student booklet divides the text into eight reading assignments (about 40 pages per assignment) with questions and activities that go with each assignment. Additionally, the buyer of this product has the option to use this packet as a digital product delivering it to students through Google Classroom rather than creating a booklet (see the Buyer Button on the screen). The booklet is designed to be independent work enabling students to work in the classroom while the teacher is meeting with another group or to work independently at home. Ideally students should meet once a week with teacher/aide/parent along with the other students reading the same book (a "book club meeting") to discuss the book and review the assignments.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate in a nutshell:

This is Jacqueline Kelly's first novel and it was awarded a 2009 Newbery Honor! This historical fiction story takes place in 1899 and provides the reader with a window on daily, small town life in Fentress, Texas at a time when the telephone and automobile are about to change lives dramatically. We learn how life was lived before the many luxuries that have become an integral part of life in the twenty first century.

Calpurnia is a lively, down-to-earth, nearly-twelve-year-old girl who is becoming passionate about science and nature in a way that most of her friends and family don't quite understand. Thanks to her grandfather, she is learning that she can become whatever she wants in life and is struggling to determine just what that is. The reader becomes so attached to this endearing girl that when the last chapter ends it is like saying good-bye to a good friend.

Appropriate for students in grades 5-8. Reading level approximately 6th grade. Challenging vocabulary.