The City of Ember

The IMA 4th graders started The City of Ember weeks ago and our 3rd graders started this amazing novel just this past week.  Mrs. M and I are sharing this story from 11:30-12:00 each day during our class read-aloud time.  The story directly supports our current Community Unit and allows the children to view another society as they construct Imaville and live their daily lives.

The children are intrigued with this novel and the discussions would rival any book club hosted by adults.  The third graders are using the novel to discuss choices, challenges, and the way each character deals with conflict. We are also discussing the idea of "truth" and the idea of truth as a static or dynamic idea.  The children discovered how the students of Ember were given textbooks, but the IMA students questioned the truth or the accuracy of the facts found in these books. 

Parents are asking how they can support their child's experiences with this novel.  Our first request:  we beg you NOT to see the movie until after we finish sharing the novel.  Our second idea: if you would like to read and discuss the book with your child at home, we highly recommend this for home reading.   The characters, their city, and the challenges each character faces in the novel would make excellent discussions at home.  Ideas like community, a future career, character traits, and citizenship qualities are just a few of the topics you could discuss.  We just ask that you do not read ahead so we can all make predictions and discover the surprises together as a class.

If you decide to read, The City of Ember, at home, let us know if you need help getting a copy of the book. The children are captivated by this novel, so join the fun and read it at home. We promise-you will not be disappointed.