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Confessions from the Principal's Kid
Last updated Thursday, September 1, 2022
Author: Robin Mellom
Date of Publication: 2017
ISBN: 0544813790
Grade Level: 4th (GLCs: Click here for grade level guidelines.)
Date(s) Used: Sep. 2022
Synopsis:
During the school day, fifth-grader Allie West is an outsider. Everyone knows the principal's kid might tattle to her mom! But after school, Allie is an insider. She's friendly with the janitor, knows the shortest routes around the building, and hangs out with the Afters, a group of misfits whose parents are teachers at their school. Although Allie secretly loves her insider life, she's sick of being an outsider - so she vows to join the Pentagon, the popular math team led by her ex–best friend. But can Allie change her status without betraying where she really belongs?
| Note to readers: |
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This is the first in-person reading club in a very long time. Be prepared for the kids to be extra talkative (or extra shy) being in the room together.
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As you can tell by the title, the main character, a 5th grader named Allie, is the daughter of her school’s principal. It has cost her a friendship and makes her a sort of outcast among the other students.
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Some schools will meet outdoors, so be prepared for distractions as well.
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| Discussion topics for before reading: |
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Read the paragraph above.
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Do you or any of your classmates or other students have a relative working at the school. It could be any one, a teacher, a janitor, a cafeteria worker and not just the principal. How do you think they feel about it? Do you think they are treated differently by the other students?
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How would you feel if you were the one with the relative working at your school?
Vocabulary:
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pentagon: a shape have five sides and angles. Also the name of the 5 story office building (considered of the largest in the world) in Arlington, VA (just outside of Washington, DC) it is the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense.
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clarinet: a woodwind musical instrument of the form of a tube with a single reed for a mouthpiece.
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eavesdropping: to listen secretly to a private conversation.
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dynamic: marked by continuous and productive activity and change.
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| Discussion topics for during/after reading: |
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You will want to finish this book to find out how it all turns out. Does Allie get into the math Olympiad? Does she make it up with Chloe? What about Graham?
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| Craft ideas: |
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Grandparents Day is Sunday, September 11th. Make a greeting card.
(Note: Grandparents Days was established by President Jimmy Carter in 1978 to acknowledge the special relationship between grandparents and their grandchildren)
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Draw a picture of something fun you did this summer: go to the beach, go camping, take a road trip, go to an amusement park.
Check our craft ideas on Pinterest!
https://www.pinterest.com/readingtokids/september-2022-back-to-school-fun/
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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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