Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

This resource can be used as supplemental teacher material or as a primary basis for literature study to:

• Draw students into a text with pre-reading questions and warm-up prompts, maintain engagement with in-class analysis through free-writing or discussion, and assess knowledge and comprehension with quizzes.
• Ensure deeper understanding and enjoyment of the literature with activities for all learning types.
• Stretch students’ critical thinking and writing skills with differentiated essay topics.

Note to Teachers: To support lesson-planning, connections to the work’s primary themes are noted throughout this resource (The Dichotomy of Old and New, The Benefits of Creative Thinking and Open-Mindedness, and Fair Play Versus Cutthroat Competition).

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

Let’s check your library skills savvy! Can you brainstorm a list of the ten Dewey Decimal Classification System categories? Do you know any of the matching number labels? If not, what are ten category headings you would choose to sort books on nonfiction topics?

Teaching Suggestion: Many elementary and middle schools have been required to cut their library skills programming (not to mention librarian, media resource center, and library aide positions), so some readers may be unaware of the knowledge needed to “read” call numbers and find titles in a library.