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Patton Middle School teachers recommend two novels for sixth-grade core and extended-core instruction
Summary
Two Patton Middle School English teachers recommended The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle and Found (Book 1) for sixth-grade curriculum; the texts are slated for community review and a May board vote and would require class sets budgeted in the curriculum cycle.
Patton Middle School teachers on April 7 presented two recommended additions to the district’s sixth-grade English curriculum and asked the Curriculum, Instruction & Technology Committee to post the titles for community review before a May board vote.
Heather Spankake and Elise Jarman, identified in the meeting as Patton Middle School English teachers, recommended The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (Avi) as a whole-class read and Found (Book 1) (Margaret Peterson Haddix) for core English. Otterberg noted the items will be posted for community review and come to the full board at the May regular meeting; the district said class-set purchases for these titles had been budgeted as part of the ELA curriculum cycle.
Spankake described pedagogical reasons for selecting True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, saying it offers “a lot of opportunity for classroom [discussion] about gender roles and about how an author can develop and sustain suspense over the course of a novel.” She said the book’s historical setting and figurative language provide extensions for students at different reading levels.
On Found, Jarman described the book’s modern setting with a time-travel element and said its suspenseful chapter endings and character-driven plot should engage reluctant readers. “It’s almost like a choose your own mystery,” she said, noting the novel provides clear closure while offering additional series reading for interested students.
Teachers said their recommendation responds to a recent review of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (previously used as a shared text) and to classroom experience using these novels in literature circles; they emphasized that the recommended approach is a whole-class read (rather than lit circles) for the sixth-grade core and extended-core classes. Spankake clarified the district is requesting one classroom set per teacher, with books kept at school.
No vote was taken at the committee meeting; staff said the recommendations will be posted for community review for about a month and presented to the board at its May regular meeting. Purchase of classroom sets was described as budgeted work tied to the ELA curriculum cycle.
