The Beast in Ms. Rooney's Room

Richard is a "stay-back" will he ever fit in?

When Richard "Beast" Best has to stay back and be in class with "babies" then finds out his old friends aren't interested in his friendship anymore, Richard isn't sure he's going to survive! But then it gets worse, he has to go to the special reading class. Will Richard be able to stay out of trouble and help his new class win the good behavior banner? Find out in Patricia Reilly Giff's The Beast in Ms. Roney's Room.

Reading Level: Guided Reading - M
                           DRA - 28
                           Lexile - 340L

Teachers... here are some resources for you...

Web Resources:

•  Reading A-Z: If your school district or you have a reading A-Z account, use this lesson plan and worksheets to help you teach with this book.
• Freebie from me. Enjoy these Comprehension Questions that I use with my reading group/club when they are reading this book.
• Richard is a perfect example of a character who changes throughout a story. Use the freebie from me for character development.

Vocabulary:
gigantic, wondered, banner, assembly, auditorium, poke, tough, asparagus, midget, silky, skidded, exception, faucet, remedial, clamped, cement, inched

Activities:

Before Reading:
Ask students to preview the book looking at pictures and reading the first line or 2 of each chapter. Then have students write down questions or predictions they have.

During Reading:
As helpful as comprehension packets are for reading groups and book clubs, sometimes it is SO much more telling for the kiddos to have a discussion. As a teacher, it's really hard not to jump in and correct or redirect, but after some practice, the kiddos can run their own book talks. Try introducing this conversation menu (based on 2nd grade CCSS, but can easily be applied to other grades) to help focus students' comments during discussion. Also use this "adding to comments" sentence starters to help students appropriately add to or respond to others' comments.

After Reading:
This book is GREAT to focus on how a character responds to major events and changes. Use the freebie above to organize the ways Richard changed throughout the story.