The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes, 2014 Newbery Honor Book

Billy Miller is a typical second grader with many of the favorites, fun, problems, friends, school, and family experiences that your kids have. The story of his second grade year begins with a near-tragic accident that becomes a thread to trace all the way to the ending celebration. In between, Billy concerns himself at school with the chopsticks in his teacher's hair, Emma Sparks (the pain in his side), poetry writing, and his best friend Ned. At home, Billy's little sister Gabby eeks her way into his heart, Papa's artistic talent in junk-art begins to take form, and Mama provides the topic of Billy's poem.

Kids' Wings is pleased to present a literature guide for an easy Newbery Honor Book The Year of Billy Miller that invites students in grades 1-3 to dive into a longer novel that is pleasantly manageable by being divided into four parts (for the four special people in Billy's life), each with five chapters. It gives them the opportunity to relate moments in their own lives to those of Billy Miller, to understand his experiences at school, and in his sweet nuclear family unit that provides a foundation for his character building, his strength, his loyalty, and his perseverance. Billy's experiences stage the simple moments in life which are recognized for their profound importance.

The Year of Billy Miller is written in four parts: TEACHER, FATHER, SISTER, MOTHER. Each part contains five chapters about the predictably familiar topic. This unusual organization helps younger readers in their first long chapter book to feel comfortable as they "eat the elephant" in smaller bites. Admittedly, challenging words abound, but our Kids Wings vocabulary lists and activities pave the way for mastery before each of the Four Parts.

The Year of Billy Miller and the Kids Wings download interdisciplinary literature guide have long been needed for our tween kids in grades 1-3! But, the simple, familiar themes in the novel invite older students who often have difficulty finding something to write about to recall their own favorite, simple moments in growing up. The Year of Billy Miller offers an easy format for the writing their own biographies.

The Kids' Wings "easy" literature guide invites youngsters to participate in group discussion, problem solving, research, skill building, authentic writing, printable/projectable group activities, and a culminating interactive Jeopardy-type game. The Year of Billy Miller will become a welcome addition to every classroom and library.

The Kids Wings literature guide for THE YEAR OF BILLY MILLER comes to you in PowerPoint (for whole-class projection/instruction) and PDF (for faster printing) formats. The activities by master teacher Suzy Red include:
Pre-Reading Discussion Cards
Individually Projectable Discussion Cards (in the PowerPoint format)
2-Page Readers’ Theater Introduction
Character Maps
Part 1
Vocabulary List
Play with the Words
Tic-Tac-Toe with the Words
Chapter Questions: Prereading Predictions
Research: Mt. Rushmore
Chapter 1: Do I Understand?
Individually Projectable: Do I Understand? (in the PowerPoint format)
Crossword Puzzle
Visualizing the Text: Words to Pictures
Part 2
Vocabulary List
Prereading Predictions
Do I Understand?
Individually Projectable (in the PowerPoint format): Do I Understand?
Teacher-Led Logic Puzzles
Fill-in-the-Blanks Comprehension
Short Story, A Summary
Billy's Gigantic Teacher-Led Crossword Puzzle
Part 3
Vocabulary List
Prereading Predictions
Do I Understand?
Individually Projectable (in the PowerPoint format): Do I Understand?
Short Story, A Summary
Creative Corner
Visualizing the Text: Words to Pictures
Part 4
Vocabulary List
Discussion Cards
Individually Projectable Discussion Cards
Prereading Predictions
Do I Understand?
Individually Projectable (in the PowerPoint format): Do I Understand?
Short Story, A Summary
Poetry Forms: Couplets and Haiku
Poetry Forms: Limericks
Poetry Forms: Acrostic Poetry
Poetry Frames for Your Finished Poetry
Answer Keys

Plus, an interactive Jeopardy-type game in PowerPoint format!

PLEASE NOTE: Kids Wings materials are written by highly experienced master teachers. We hire professional proof readers who are also master educators. We do our best to be sure each of our literature guides is top quality and error free, and classroom tested, but if you think we can do better, we welcome your input. If you find an error in our materials, please email us at suzy@suzyred.com so we can make corrections. After it is revised, we will invite you to download a newly polished copy and will probably attach a surprise to our reply as a thank-you!

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