Nate Rocks is about a ten year old boy whose imagination has no limits. However, you may be surprised to learn that the Nate Rocks books are not a graphic novel. In fact, other than the cover, there are no pictures at all. As the author, I wanted the reader to experience each of Nate’s adventures the same exact way that Nathan does – through the sole use of his imagination.
I hope you will consider using Nate Rocks in your classroom, as you encourage your students’ creativity through reading.
Creative/Language Arts:
--A Classroom Collection of Stories--
· Have the children read the first few chapters of Nate Rocks.
· Have each child draw a picture to represent his or her own adventure.
· Have each child write a short story to accompany the picture.
· Compile a book made up of the students’ stories and artwork – to be titled something like: “Mrs./Mr. ________’s 3rd Grade Class Rocks the World” or even better come up with your own title: "Mrs./Mr. __________'s 3rd Grade Class Rocks the _________." · Distribute a copy of the book to each student upon completion of reading Nate Rocks.
--A Student’s Collection of Stories--
· A variation on the above activity.
· Instead of a classroom collection, each student draws adventures and writes stories at different points while reading the novel.
· At the end of the book, each student will have their own book entitled “________ Rocks the World,” made up of his or her own stories and drawings or have the student make up their own title based on their story "__________ Rocks the __________".
· As another variation, the student could write one longer story during the course of reading Nate Rocks and draw several pictures to make up his or her own book.
--A Classroom Adventure --
· Have the children read the first few chapters of Nate Rocks.
· Provide the children with the first line of a made up adventure, by writing the sentence on the classroom blackboard.
· Have each child contribute one or more sentences to the story until an adventure is written with the help of all of the children.
· Have each child draw a picture to depict the adventure.
· Print out a copy of the classroom adventure for each child to keep upon completion of reading Nate Rocks.
Classroom Discussion Topics:
Teachers and Librarians can use Nate Rocks to initiate several discussions regarding topics important to children aged 7-12:
1. Sibling Relationships.
2. Building Self-Esteem.
3. Helping Others.
4. Friendships and Respect.
Above all, use the Nate Rocks books to prove to your students that reading is fun!
Karen would love to visit your school or library. Please use the contact form on this website for all inquiries.
