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Tangerine
Last updated Monday, November 9, 2009
Author: Edward Bloor
Date of Publication: 1997
ISBN: 015201246X
Grade Level: 5th (GLCs: Click here for grade level guidelines.)
Date(s) Used: Nov. 2009
Synopsis:
So what if he's legally blind? Even with his bottle-thick, bug-eyed glasses, Paul Fisher can see better than most people. He can see the lies his parents and brother live out, day after day. No one ever listens to Paul, though--until the family moves to Tangerine. In Tangerine, even a blind, geeky, alien freak can become cool. Who knows? Paul might even become a hero! Edward Bloor's debut novel sparkles with wit, authenticity, unexpected plot twists, and heart. The writing is so fine, the story so triumphant, that you just might stand up and shout when you get to the end. Hooray! From Amazon.com review.
| Note to readers: |
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Read the back cover of the book and the inside front jacket for a little background on Paul, the boy in the book, then start reading on the entry marked Monday August, 28th.
Vocabulary:
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lignite -- A soft, brownish-black coal in which the alteration of vegetable matter has proceeded further than in peat but not as far as in bituminous coal. Also called brown coal.
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sink hole -- Sinkholes are common where the rock below the land surface is limestone, carbonate rock, salt beds, or rocks that can naturally be dissolved by circulating ground water. As the rock dissolves, spaces and caverns develop underground. These sinkholes can be dramatic because the surface land usually stays intact until there is not enough support. Then a sudden collapse of the land surface can occur. (Wikipedia)
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muck fire --A fire that burns the organic material in the soil layer, such as peat or duff. (It's below the surface of the soil.) Because Florida has lots of swamps and frequent droughts, it dries the peat enough to be a fire hazard. The fires can burn for weeks or even months, traveling below ground and surfacing now and again at a hot spot, sometimes endangering structures built at the fringes of swampy areas.
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| Discussion topics for before reading: |
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What is Tangerine (fruit, a place, a color)?
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Can you play sports even if you wear glasses or have other physical disabilities?
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Can people play basketball without the use of their legs? Yes—wheelchair basketball is very popular
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| Discussion topics for during/after reading: |
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Do you play any team sports?
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How involved should parents be in their children's sports?
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What would it be like to live in Tangerine? What kind of place is it?
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Would you want to live there?
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| Craft ideas: |
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Make simple journals with construction paper and ribbon. see back of sheet for instructions. Encourage readers to decorate and personalize their journals.
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Write a journal entry inspired by the book.
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Have kids do a "blind contour" drawing of a friend or object in the classroom.
1. Choose an object to draw (a door, a book, shoes, window, plant etc.).
2. Pick a point on the object where the eye can begin its slow journey around the contour or edge of the object. Remember, the eye is like a snail, barely crawling as it begins its journey.
3. When the eye begins to move, so should the hand holding the pencil. At no time should you look at your hand as it draws. Try drawing the entire contour of the object without lifting your pencil form the paper.
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*Note: These craft ideas are just suggestions.
You can use them, but you don't have to use them.
You can expand upon them, or add your own twist.
Remember, though, that the focus of your time should
not be on the development and execution of a craft;
the focus should be on the read-aloud and the
enjoyment of the book!
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