Interactive Whiteboard Activities, Book Resources
Flashlight Readers
Fun activities that let students go inside nine popular and highly-taught books.
- Grades: 3–5, 6–8, 9–12
Flashlight Readers is an interactive literacy experience that lets readers enter the world of books and communicate with their favorite authors. Each of the highly-taught, popular titles offers community-building learning activities, author chats, and slideshows, all while encouraging essential reading and writing skills.
Go directly to the activities:Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo |
Hoot by Carl HiaasenInkheart by Cornelia Funke The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins Author Blue Balliett |
Learn more about each activity:
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
Students can create a character scrapbook, navigate a maze using clues from the book, watch an author video, read early drafts of the book, and more
Explore the Because of Winn-Dixie activities >>
Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
Students can bring the book to life by creating a comic strip, meet the producer of the movie, see a slideshow of spiders, test their skills on verbs and nouns, and more.
Explore the Charlotte's Web activities >>
A Dog's Life by Ann M. Martin
Readers can choose their own adventure and create a story — both based on the book’s plots — browse photos of the author, and listen to audio with her.
Explore the A Dog's Life activities >>
Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan
Students can rewrite scenes from the book, write a journal entry as if they were Esperanza, and read a Q&A with the author.
Explore the Esperanza Rising activities >>
Holes by Louis Sachar
Includes a memory match-up activity and treasure hunt that test a student’s knowledge of the book, a Q&A with the author, and more.
Explore the Holes activities >>
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
The author discusses writing and what inspired him to write Hoot. Plus, students can create a personalized letter about a cause they care about.
Explore the Holes activities >>
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Peek into the author’s writing room, take a quiz on the book, write an editorial in a step-by-step workshop, “become” one of the book’s characters, and more.
Explore the Inkheart activities >>
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
Students help Hugo grab parts for his automata in a maze, build their own “Mechanical Men,” listen to exclusive audio with the author, and view his sketches.
Explore the Invention of Hugo Cabret activities >>
The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins
The author discusses the book, and students can create an Underland creature, help a character make his way through a labyrinth, and more.
Explore the Underland Chronicles activities >>
Blue Balliett, Author of Chasing Vermeer
The author answers questions and offers advice to young writers. Plus, students can follow clues to unlock a secret message, play pentominoes, and master two art challenges.
Explore the Blue Balliett activities >>
Learning Objectives
While participating in “Flashlight Readers,” students will:
- Offer observations, make connections, react, speculate, interpret, and raise questions in response to text
- Identify and discuss book themes, characters, plots, and settings
- Connect their experiences with those of the author and/or with characters from the books
- Support predictions, interpretations, conclusions, etc. with examples from text
- Practice key reading skills and strategies (cause-and-effect, problem/solution, compare-and-contrast, summarizing, etc.)
- Monitor their own comprehension
- Discuss ideas from the book with you, the author, and/or other students online
- Subjects:Reading Response, Communication and the Internet
