Adventure
Genre Study
The adventure genre is full of stories that tell tales of survival or spending life in the great outdoors. These stories are jam-packed with fun and exciting experiences. Adventure stories take students to a whole new world without ever leaving the classroom. The characters in these stories make bold decisions and often have to find themselves a way out of trouble. Students enjoy the risks that the characters take in these stories and often can't put the book down until they find out what happens next. The characters in these stories are likeable and you'll find yourself rooting for them as they put themselves in fast-paced and dangerous situations. Because the characters in these stories are often put into challenging situations, quick thinking and problem solving skills are used. These types of stories would be a good way to start developing these skills within your students. Adventure stories are also a great way to introduce social studies concepts. They can easily be tied into history and geography if you map out the adventure that the characters take. These types of stories also encourage a lifetime love for reading because they are engaging and relatable for students. The characters in these stories are often children close to their age that survive through crazy and dangerous circumstances without the help of parents or adults. That is inspiring to students and makes them want to take charge and make a difference in the world.
Awards
Authors
Genre Resources
Teaching Tools
Books I Recommend
Magic Treehouse Series
Reference information for accessing the text (APA Citation): Osborne, M., & Murdocca, S. (1992). Dinosaurs before dark. New York: Random House.
Grade level span where the book would be considered “complex text.”: 1st grade
Grade level span for use as a class read aloud: K-1
Major themes addressed in the book: Adventure. Time travel. Dinosaurs.
Qualities of the writing that are worthy of note: Short chapter book. Large kid-friendly font. Click Here to go to the Magic Treehouse website which includes lesson plans and other classroom resources. Many of the books in this series are translated into several different languages.
Connections to authentic local, national, or global issues: Each book covers a different topic and can be tied to a different issue. This book touches base on dinosaurs and how they went extinct. This can be tied to the global issue of animals (such as polar bears) going extinct.
Facets of the book that may be difficult for students and require support: These books are geared towards first graders, however, some first graders are not ready for such long chapter books. The length may overwhelm some students.
Support that may be needed by students because of the difficult components of the book: Use this book only with students of higher reading level or read sections of the book outloud to help students comprehend the story.
Flat Stanley
Reference information for accessing the text (APA Citation): Brown, J., & Ungerer, T. (1964). Flat Stanley. New York, N.Y.: Harper & Row.
Grade level span where the book would be considered “complex text.”: 1-2
Grade level span for use as a class read aloud: K-1
Major themes addressed in the book: Travel. Postal Services.
Qualities of the writing that are worthy of note: Updated from original version to be more eye-appealing and fun. Bright and colorful illustrations. Large font. Paired with Interactive Activity. Click Here for that activity that focuses on reading, writing, and geography.
Connections to authentic local, national, or global issues: Local/National connection by sending a flat stanley to family members who live in other parts of the country.
Facets of the book that may be difficult for students and require support: The book may be too hard for kindergarten or first graders to read independently. If doing the activity with young students, they may forget the directions or forget to do it as homework.
Support that may be needed by students because of the difficult components of the book: Use the book as a read aloud. Send a direction sheet home to parents or complete the activity in class.
