Using Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe for Book Clubs/Classroom Lit Circles
Dr. Rayna L. Freedman
Ideas inspired by Dr. An Wren
Our 5th graders have been engaged in a Book Club with Jo Hackl’s Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe! The book is used for all readers, some groups reading independently while others read together with more direct teacher instruction. Here are some activities you could do in your classrooms with the book!
Beginning of the Story Ideas:
1. Students can write character bio poems of the protagonist, Cricket, on paper. We do this within the first 52 pages of the story. Then using a paper Instagram template design a post for a class Instagram bulletin board with their poem and illustrations. This can also be done digitally in a Google Slide Deck! They can even come up with a username for the character posting!
2. Students can design the setting on paper, imagining what is important to include in their drawings or sketches. This happens within the first 52 pages of the story. Then using Legos, they can build the setting and discuss the elements of the story they thought to include.
3. There are lots of research opportunities! Students can research Electric Mills Mississippi and discover Ghost Towns. They can also research the different birds mentioned in the book. They can also discover what a doogaloo is!
Middle of the Story Ideas:
4. Students can create a bookmark about an important event in the story. They select the shape of their bookmark to either be a traditional rectangle or something that reflects a symbol or a character in the book. The front of their bookmark illustrates an important scene. The back of the bookmark includes either a short summary of what has been read thus far or the student’s favorite part of the story.
5. Students participate in a prediction activity in the middle of the book, as they continue on their reading journey. They create three road signs on paper or using digital tools available to them. The first road sign includes the title of the book, the author, and the distance traveled so far (# of pages). A brief summary of what has occurred also goes in this section. The second sign is where students can explore conflicts happening in the story they think their main character will encounter as the story continues. The third sign describes where they think the book will take them when it ends. You can have your students design their three signs with reading strategies you are working on! They can also include signs for DANGER, HAZARDS, or DETOURS!
Ending of the Story Ideas:
6. Students create the front page of a newspaper featuring the book! They can write or draw accounts of events in their book that might have appeared in the news as if they occurred in real life. This can be done on large construction paper or using digital tools! The name given to the paper should reflect the setting of the novel. Students include a banner headline that depicts the most important or newsworthy event in the book. A main story using the 5W’s is written beneath the headline. Students can include advertisements and other snippets of stories on the front page of their newspaper.
7. Students can practice their narrative writing skills, either adding the next chapter or rewriting the ending. The choice is theirs!
