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Sharing Winners Take All

With Your Class or the Whole Grade

For girls and boys in 3rd through 6th grade, (and their parents, teachers, and coaches too).

Why is this a good book to share?

Winners Take All is a suspenseful, fun-to-read baseball story about a good kid who makes a bad decision to cheat in a big game. The story raises some tricky kid-sized moral dilemmas that always trigger a lively debate. When kids consider the story and each other's views, they sort out their own thoughts and values. You can ask parents to read the book too. When you invite them to an evening book discussion, you provide families a unique and enjoyable opportunity to slow down and talk together in important ways.

SEE BOOK SUMMARY ON LEFT


CLASSROOM MATERIALS

Discussion Questions (62.9 KB)

Use these to jump-start the conversation

Writing Prompts (69.2 KB)

Chapter by chapter open-ended questions.

Step-by-Step Guide for Voluntary Program with Families (1.58 MB)

Everything you need to know from planning stage to culminating event


WHAT EDUCATORS ARE SAYING:

Ms. Shayne Russell, Library Media Specialist, Kenneth R. Olson Middle School, Tabernacle, NJ:

"I learned about the Winners Take All Community Read at an AASL workshop and knew immediately we HAD to do it! This was our first-ever Skype experience, and the Step-by-Step Guide to the Winners Take All Community Read made the planning effortless. Kids and their parents loved the book, and the discussion was lively and meaningful. It was so much like having Fred in the room with us that at the end of the program, our students wanted their picture taken with him! We will definitely do this again!"

Joanne Rowe, Digital Age Curriculum and Instructional Coach, Birmingham Public Schools, Birmingham, Michigan (excerpt from email to Fred Bowen):

"The whole experience of reading Winners Take All and Skyping with you has been deeply meaningful for our students! The conversation yesterday, blew us away; you tapped on many moral and ethical issues and sparked critical thinking in our students (as well as the adults in the room). I will share this Skype with the National Organziation for Character Education when they visit our school in May. Thanks for making a huge difference to our students. It meant so much to us all!"