Extra Credit By: Andrew Clements. Booktalk:

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Milo Howard
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1 Extra Credit By: Andrew Clements Library of Congress Summary: Three young middle-school-age children, Abby, Amira, and Sadeed, exchange letters back and forth between the prairies of Illinois and the mountains of Afghanistan and begin to bridge a gap across cultural and religious divides. Book Information: Time Period: current Setting /Location: Illinois and Afghanistan Genre: Contemporary fiction Booktalk: Author Information Pre-Reading Activities Pen Pal Students can get excited about this story by getting their own pen pals. Teachers may choose to have the students have inter-school pen pals or pen pals from different parts of the world. If teachers choose the inter-school option, students may write to students in another class or grade. This Land is My Land This book puts a large emphasis on the type of land that the characters live on (farmland, mountains, etc.). Students should talk about what type of land that they live on or what type of land that they would like to live on. They should then find

2 something that could represent the land (one of the characters finds a small stone that look like the mountains) and present it to the class. Chapters 1 & 2 Why did the headman want Sadeed s sister to write the letter? How does climbing the rock wall make Abby feel? Why is it so important that Abby make it to the top of the wall? Journal Topics: Pen Pals, rock climbing Chapters 3 & 4 How do you think Abby felt about getting left back? What are some of the things that Abby has to do to get promoted to the seventh grade? Journal Topic: Motivation, extra credit Chapters 5 & 6 Why did Abby decide to write to a student in Kabul, Afghanistan instead of another country? How is Sadeed s school similar or different from your own school? Journal Topic: Kabul, Afghanistan, mountains Chapters 7 & 8 What language do Sadeed and his sister speak?

3 Why do you think that Sadeed rewrote Amira s letter? Journal Topic: Bazaar, the outdoors Chapters 9 & 10 What are some of the things that Abby learned from the letter? How do you think Sadeed felt about his sister getting credit for his letter? Journal Topic: Poetry, foreign language, jealousy Chapters 11 & 12 How did Abby say hello at the beginning of her letter? Abby tells Amira and Sadeed all about her home. How is it similar/different from their home? What do you think Sadeed mailed? Journal Topic: What would you write to a student in another country? Chapters 13 & 14 What do mountains mean to Sadeed? What part of the letter that Abby wrote was talking to Sadeed? Journal Topic: Land, books Chapters 15 & 16 Why was the man who caught Sadeed so angry?

4 Why did Sadeed call the old woman who gave him water mother? Why must the letter writing stop? Journal Topic: Culture, misunderstandings Chapters 17 & 18 Why might Sadeed and Abby want to know how close their homes are to the equator? Why might the Afghan flag have made some students uncomfortable? Journal Topic: Seasons, farmland Chapters 19, 20, & 21 What are some things about the Afghan culture that Abby mentions in her oral report that are similar to things in America? How did Sadeed change how Abby viewed Illinois? Journal Topic: Afghan culture, Illinois Vocabulary Terms Bazaar a marketplace (pg. 7) Summit the highest point (pg. 11) Déjà vu the feeling that you have done something before (pg. 34) Raised-relief map a map that shows the elevation of the land with lines (pg. 39) Kebab a skewer with meat and vegetables on it (pg. 61)

5 Silhouette the shape of an object (pg. 89) Blog an online journal (pg. 109) Interdisciplinary Activities History Students can research the history of Afghanistan, the relations of America and Afghanistan, or pen pals. Art and Science Students can create a raised-relief map of where they live or where they would like to live. Language Arts Students can rewrite the end of the story. Students can write their own pen pal letters that talk about their lives, where they live, and things about their culture that people from other countries may find interesting. Other Works by Andrew Clements: Frindle, The Laundry News, The Janitor s Boy, The School Story, The Jacket, Things Not Seen, A Week in the Woods, The Report Card, The Last Holiday Concert, Lunch Money, Things Hoped For, Room One, No Talking, Things That Are, Lost and Found, We the Children, Fear Itself. Related Reads: Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis Alia s Mission: Saving the Books of Iraq by Mark Alan Stamaty Camel Bells by Janne Carlsson War Began at Supper: The Letters to Miss Loria by Patricia Reilly Giff

6 Related Websites Pen Pals these are websites that allow classes to find pen pals around the world Topographical Maps websites that will give you topographical maps to use as examples Lesson Plans & Activities for the book, Extra Credit: - quiz & flash cards - study guides for many of Clements books. - this is a subscription website, but you get 5 printables free. /reading_group_guide - study guide from the publisher Simon & Schuster

About the Book. Prereading Activities. A Curriculum Guide to. Lunch Money. By Andrew Clements

About the Book. Prereading Activities. A Curriculum Guide to. Lunch Money. By Andrew Clements A Curriculum Guide to Lunch Money By Andrew Clements About the Book Greg loves money. When he notices his classmates ready supply of change for lunchtime treats, he s sure it s the key to reaching his