Summer of the Gypsy Moths
by Sara Pennypacker
5th Grade Flight Time - Read Aloud with Accountable Talk - Tentative Schedule
Read the blurb on the back of the book and make predictions as a class. Begin a character anchor chart and add additional characters and traits as the story progresses.
April 1 -
- Watch Cape Cod Powerpoint and see what students notice in the photos to help set the stage for the story.
- Read Ch 1&2
April 5 - Read Ch 3 & 4
April 6 - Read Ch 5 & 6
April 7 - Accountable Talk Discussion Starters (if needed):
- What do Louise and Stella's mother mean when they say" Too much water under that bridge" (p.7)? What does that saying tell you about the relationship between Stella's mother and her aunt?
April 11 - Read Ch 7 & 8
April 12 - Read Ch 9 & 10
April 13 - Bundle text - Talk about what foster care is:
- Foster care is a temporary living arrangement for abused, neglected, and dependent children who need a safe place to live when their parents or another relative cannot take care of them. Often their families face issues such as illness, alcohol or drug addiction, or homelessness.
April 14 - Accountable Talk Discussion Starters (if needed):
- Why does Stella not call the police when she finds Louise dead? Why does she ask Angel to stay, and why do they lie to George Nickerson? Why isn't George more suspicious?
April 18 - Read Ch 11&12
April 19 - Read Ch 13 & 14
April 20 - Informational Video on the Wampanoag Indians that lived in the Cape Cod area: https://vimeo.com/51950273 (approx 17 mins.)
April 21 - Accountable Talk Discussion Starters (if needed):
- Talk about Stella's need to find connections between people- what she calls "real bonds" (p.2) What are some of the connections she is missing? Why are the blueberry bushes so important to her?
April 25 - Read Ch 15 & 16
April 26 - Read Ch 17 & 18
April 27 -
April 28 - Accountable Talk Discussion Starters (if needed):
- Why do you think Stella is so delighted with the cottages when she first sees the insides? Why is it important to her that they are all the same size, small, and neat? Why is cleaning the cottages so important to Stella? What is the importance of her file of "Hints from Heloise?"
And/Or
- Think about t the different stories of Stella's father and Angel's father. How do these stories affect each girl? What part does music play in the history of each of these girls?
May 2 - Read Ch 19-20
May 3 - Read Ch 21-22
May 4 - (catch up day on reading)
May 5 - Accountable Talk Discussion Starters (if needed):
- How do the girls react to the Fourth of July holiday? What does "independence" mean to Stella and to Angel? What does is mean to you? How does Stella feel about the families who check into the cottages?
- How do Stella and Angle become friends and learn to trust each other? Why is it so difficult for them? Think about this quote from C.S. Lewis: "Friendship...is one of those things that give value to survival." How does it apply to Stella and Angel/ How does it apply to your own life?
May 12 - Read Ch 23
May 16 Read Ch 24-25
May 17 Read Ch 26-27
May 18 - Discuss how Angel and Stella's friendship has grown
May 19 - Accountable Talk Discussion Starters (if needed):
- How does Stella know that the storm is approaching when she is babysitting at the beach? Do you think Stella acts older than her age? In what ways? What influences on her life have forced her to take charge of situations?
- What is the importance of the gypsy moths to the story? Why do you think the author chose to name the book Summer of the Gypsy Moths?
- Discuss the them of "belonging" in this story as it relates to property, to animals, and to people. Why is it important to make connections others and with places where you feel you "belong"? Where do you feel you belong?
May 23 Read Ch 28
May 24 Read 29-30
May 25 ---article or video on adoption
May 26 - Accountable Talk Discussion Starters (if needed):
- Why does Stella decide it's time to call the police and tell them about Louise? What makes her give up her fantasy of having her mother come back? Why does Angel decide not to run.
- Why does George decide to take Stella in when he moves back to his house? What has George learned about himself in the course of the story? What has Stella learned about herself? And what has Angel learned about herself?
- How do these themes represented throughout this story? (Honesty, Teamwork, Responsibility, Character, and Trust)