LSE Reads Program

Frindle

By

Andrew Clements

Parents,

Our LSE Reads Program is starting today! Your student received this packet and a paper

back copy of Frindle while at school today. Please look through the following pages and

familiarize yourself with the contents. The packet contains a reading calendar, discussion

questions and vocabulary words to discuss while reading.

The calendar designates which chapter should be read each night. Students are

encouraged to read one chapter every two days with their family members and review the

discussion questions for that chapter as a family.

The list of discussion questions is given to help spark conversation between you and your

child, as well as give our school reading community common conversation items to talk

about and discuss. Please do not feel that you are limited to talking only about these items.

Stories come alive when we share them with others by making text-to-text, text-to-self, and

text-to-world connections. Our hope is that this event will be a very powerful experience for

all LSE families.

In addition, the chapter information for each reading will be shared on the morning

announcements as well as questions related to the readings.

Any questions can be directed to Mrs. Myers at tcmyers@carrollk12.org or

Mrs. Twery at tstwery@carrollk12.org or 410-751-3280.

Thank you for participating in this event.

Happy Reading!

LSE Reads 2020

By: Andrew Clements

Reading Schedule for LSE Reads

Your family’s copy of Frindle went home with the youngest family member at Linton Springs on Monday, January 27th.

Week One Monday, Jan. 27th 1. Nick Wednesday, Jan. 29th 2. Mrs. Granger Friday, Jan. 31st 3. The Question

Week Two

Monday, Feb. 3rd 4. Word Detective Wednesday, Feb. 5th 5. The Report Friday, Feb. 7th 6. The Big Idea

Week Three

Monday, Feb. 10th 7. Word Wars Wednesday, Feb. 12th 8. Mightier Than The Sword Friday, Feb. 14th 9. Chess

Week Five

Monday, Feb .17th 10. Freedom of the Press Wednesday, Feb. 19th 11. Extra! Extra! Read All About It! Friday, Feb. 21st 12. Airwaves

Week Six

Monday, Feb. 24th 13. Ripples Wednesday, Feb. 26th 14. Inside Nick Friday, Feb. 28th 15. And The Winner Is …..

Frindle

Fifth grader Nick Allen knows just how to make school more

cool. In third grade, he transformed Miss Deaver's room into a

tropical paradise with some paper palm trees and a sandy

beach. In fourth grade, he taught his classmates to mimic the

high-pitched calls of blackbirds. But now, in fifth grade, clever

Nick has come up with his most ingenious idea yet. After

learning about the origins of words, he decides to change the

word "pen" to "frindle." At first, it seems like a harmless prank,

a way to annoy his dictionary-obsessed teacher. Then the

whole class starts using the new word, and the joke spreads

across town like wildfire. Suddenly Nick finds himself in the

middle of a media frenzy over "frindle." Will Nick emerge from

the controversy a troublemaker or a hero?

Monday, January 27th

Chapter 1: Nick Meet Nick Allen. Discover how his ideas liven up his classrooms in third and

fourth grade. Can you think of an idea that your teacher would approve that would liven up

your classroom? Would you like to learn more about the red wing blackbird?

Use the World Book site Http://worldbookonline.com (Username: linton Password: springs)

to find out more information on red wing blackbirds. Listen to the sounds they make that Nick

and his friend Janet tried to imitate. Give it a try.

Troublemaker – a person who causes trouble

Pitch – the highness or lowness of a sound

Tropical – an area with warm weather all year

Promptly – to happen immediately

Delighted – made very happy

Experiment – a scientific test

Thermostat – a device that adjusts the temperature in a room

South Seas - areas of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans

Pounced – to jump on

Wednesday, January 29th

Chapter 2: Mrs. Granger Nick is introduced to fifth grade and his new ELA teacher, Mrs.

Granger. What scares or scared you about starting your fifth grade year at Linton Springs?

One thing Mrs. Granger loves is the dictionary. All her former students will forever remember

her famous battle cry, “Look it up! That’s why we have the dictionary.” Today most people

use an online dictionary. Have you ever used a print dictionary? Try looking up the following

vocabulary words from chapter two using a print or online dictionary.

You could use the Word Central site http://wordcentral.com/index.html.

Monopoly - ________________________________________________________________________________

Reputation - _______________________________________________________________________________

Attendance - _______________________________________________________________________________

Universe - _________________________________________________________________________________

Essential - _________________________________________________________________________________

Friday, January 31st

Chapter 3: The Question It is the first day of school, and Nick finds out that his usual tricks

won’t work on Mrs. Granger. How does your first day of school compare to Nick’s? Have you

ever tried to sidetrack your parents or teacher, and how? How would you describe a

dictionary? Where do you think new words come from? How could Nick research his

assignment from Mrs. Granger? Learn more about dictionaries by going to BrainPop -

https://www.brainpop.com/

(User Name: lintonsprings Password: missymiss) and searching Dictionary and Thesaurus.

Acquainted – get to know

Procedures – steps to doing something

Sidetrack – to distract from the main subject

Cursive – a type of writing where letters are connected

Guarantee – a promise

Monday, February 3rd

Chapter 4: Word Detective Nick’s parents have a rule at their house – Homework First!! Do

you think this is fair? When do you do your homework at your house? Nick has to find out

where all the words in a dictionary come from, and then report back to his class. Nick reads

the introduction to the dictionary and thinks that it is like “trying to read the ingredients on a

shampoo bottle.” What do you think he means by that? He decides to make his report more

interesting. If you had to guess what idea Nick came up with that would make his report fun,

what would you say he was going to do? Watch this video to get an idea of where new words

come from: https://youtu.be/Ytr28t5VzAs.

Semester – half a year of classes in a school year

Etymological – related to the development of words

Origin – when something begins

Lexicographic – the making of a dictionary

Complex – having many parts

Wednesday, February 5th

Chapter 5: The Report Nick is nervous to present his report in Mrs. Granger’s class, and he

hopes that his time-wasting plan works. Has there been a time when you felt like Nick did,

that time was flying by too quickly? How do you feel when you need to present to your class?

Did Nick's time-wasting plan work? What do you think Mrs. Granger means when she says

“everyone in this class…school…town… state and country” decides what words mean and

which go into the dictionary?

Nick says Mrs. Granger’s class ends in a blur of “verbs and nouns…” Learn about these parts

of speech by going to Brain Pop Jr. - https://jr.brainpop.com/

(User Name: lintonsprings Password: missymiss) and watch the videos on “Verbs” and

“Nouns.”

Maximum – the largest possible amount Linoleum – a type of floor covering

Fluorescent – able to give off light

Adjusted – made to fit

Prim – correct and proper

Reputation – being known for something

Friday, February 7th

Chapter 6: The Big Idea Nick comes up with a plan to add a new word to the English

language. Three things happened to spark his idea:

1. His friend Janet found a pen.

2. He understood what his teacher, Mrs. Granger, was telling him about the dictionary.

3. He gave the pen a new name.

Do you think Nick’s plan will work? If you had to pick a new name for an object, what would it

be? Can you find out what a pen is called in other languages? Try using this kid’s translator:

https://kidssearch.com/KidsTranslator.html.

Concentration – thinking hard about one thing

Absorbed – taking up all of your thoughts

Squinted – to look at something with your eyes partly closed

Monday, February 10th

Chapter 7: Word Wars Nick and John launch their new word in Mrs. Granger’s class. Nick

says he can’t find his frindle, and John says he has an extra frindle that Nick can borrow. Mrs.

Granger talks to Nick at the end of class. Do you think Nick is smart to keep using the word

frindle when talking to Mrs. Granger? Would you have done the same? Mrs. Granger warns

Nick that he shouldn’t interrupt her class again. Do you think Nick is going to listen to Mrs.

Granger’s warning?

Mrs. Granger says that Nick and John have put on a performance for the class. A performance

is a play put on for an audience. Would you say that what Nick and John did was a

performance? Watch this actual performance of some Frindle scenes by other elementary

students - https://youtu.be/HiT4EzBqRCQ

If Linton Springs put on a performance of Frindle, who would you cast as Nick, Mrs. Granger,

and John? Launch – introduce to the public for the first time

Emphasized – stress when speaking

Bravery – having courage

Wednesday, February 12th

Chapter 8: Mightier Than the Sword Mrs. Granger announced that any students heard using

the word frindle would have to stay after school. Do you think that Mrs. Granger’s punishment

plan to keep kids late after school worked? Why or why not? Mrs. Granger tried to convince

Nick that he should use the word “pen” instead of frindle. Mrs. Granger showed Nick a letter

that she would mail to him once their “war” was over.

Mrs. Granger explained to Nick that the word pen comes from the Latin word “pinna.” Many

other words that we use also come from the Latin language. Match Latin words that we use in

English with what they mean. For help, use the Origin Of section of Dictionary.com.

Latin words that we use in English what the word means

bonus towards versus seize the day

et cetera and the rest carpe diem good

ego in another place alibi I

Secret agents – spies

Spark – look of excitement or anger

Furious – very angry

Oath – promise

Notice – written warning

Abruptly – quickly and without warning

Badge of honor – something to be proud of

Complain – tell that you are upset

Settled – sitting comfortably

Quills – pen made from the feather of a bird

Disruption – something that takes attention away from what should be happening

Friday, February 14th

Chapter 9: Chess

Lincoln Elementary School’s principal Mrs. Chatham visits Nick and his parents to talk about

the word frindle. Mrs. Chatham feels like the students are rebelling against their teachers.

Mrs. Allen explains that she thinks the whole thing is silly and that Mrs. Granger overreacted.

After Mrs. Chatham leaves, Nick agrees that he’ll be respectful of the teachers and explains

that the word frindle is bigger than him now. He couldn’t stop the other students from using it

even if he wanted to.

In this chapter, Nick compares what is happening to a chess game between Mrs. Granger and

himself. Mrs. Granger tried to use her queen to defeat Nick. Watch some or all of this video to

learn how to play chess - https://youtu.be/KlTEQZ5Sy4E.

Do you agree that Nick is playing a game of chess with Mrs. Granger?

Served – worked

Rebellion – group of people refusing something

Stiffly – the opposite of relaxed or friendly

Trailed off – got quieter and ended

Encouraging – telling others to do something

Defender – someone protecting you

Forbidding – not allowing something

Stumped – say something that no one else could respond to

Monday, February 17th

Chapter 10: Freedom of the Press Lincoln Elementary catches the attention of a newspaper reporter. The Westfield Gazette reporter Judy Morgan investigates the “secret code word” that the kids are using. Do you think that frindle is really a “secret code word?” Why or why not? Judy Morgan interviewed a very uncomfortable Mrs. Chatham who gave her permission to have a chat with Mrs. Granger. Mrs. Granger believes that this fad will fade. When do you think the fad will fade? Someone sent a picture of the 5th grade class, with a description of how to find Nick in the picture. Who do you think sent the picture? Why do you think they sent it? Use the following website:

https://picklebums.com/images/printables/picklebums_morsecode.pdf

to decode the message below:

_ .... .. … .. … .._. .._ _.

Occasional- sometimes

Phony- not real

Rowdy- rough or loud behavior

Prank- trick

Squirmed- twist around

Predict- to tell what will happen a head of time

Fad- an interest that is very popular for a short time Fade- go away slowly

Wednesday, February 19th

Chapter 11: Extra! Extra! Read All About It! Frindle makes the front page of The Westfield

Gazette. Have you ever seen a newspaper? What does the front page of a newspaper look

like? Is it special to be on the front page of a newspaper? The article calls the kids frindle-

fighters; what an interesting name! The reporter seems to really have people thinking. Do you

think that the way Judy Morgan shared the article makes a difference in how the readers feel?

People around town are upset, including the superintendent. Mrs. Chatham is worried that

she and Mrs. Granger might be fired. We still don’t know who sent the photo of the 5th grade

class.

Use the Encyclopedia Britannica site to find the video on how felt tip pens are made:

http://school.eb.com/levels Username: Linton Password: springs

Login - Select middle - Search “pen” - Select the video showing how felt tip pens are made.

Authority- a person in charge Identified- to figure out who (or what) someone (or something) is

Superintendent- the person in charge of all of the schools and the people that work there

Friday, February 21st

Chapter 12: Airwaves The middle and high school kids have caught on and are using the

word frindle instead of pen. Nick became famous in his town. This made him feel

uncomfortable. How would you feel if you were famous? Would you think it is fun or would it

feel uncomfortable? Bud Lawrence invested some money in selling plastic ballpoint pens with

frindle printed on the side. He sold over 3,000 frindles in the first week. Would you buy an

official frindle? A TV reporter found the frindle story and now Mrs. Granger and Nick were on

national news, on the Late Show with David Letterman, in People magazine and more!

The new word frindle was being used all across the nation. How do you think Nick feels about

all this attention? Bud Lawrence is getting orders for frindles from all over. The problem is

that he didn’t make the word up. Nick could sue Bud. So Bud had Mr. Allen sign over the rights

to use the new word. Bud will give the Allen family 30% of the profits from his sales. Would

you have agreed to sign over the rights to the new word?

The Allen Family lives in New Hampshire. Use Culture Grams to research the state of New

Hampshire to find out about where they live.

Check out CultureGrams:

http://online.culturegrams.com

Username: Linton Password: springs

Investment- money put toward something that will make more money

Editor- a person that chooses what is seen in newspapers, or on TV (and other things shared with the public)

Citizens- a person who lives in a city or town

Published- printed for public sale/ reading

Zip- interest, energy, life

In stock- in the store

Preliminary- something that is done to prepare for something more important

Trademark- a mark that is used to tell others that something legally belongs to your company (like the Nike swoosh)

Lawsuit- take a case to court

Profit- money made

Guardian- a person that legally takes care of another person

Royalty- money owed to a person that owns a thing or idea that has been used to make a profit

Monday, February 24th

Chapter 13: Ripples It seems as though frindle-mania was over in Westfield. Have you ever

seen something that is really popular slowly lose popularity? Do you think these things just go

away or do they just become a normal part of everyday life? What do you think will happen to

frindle? Will it go away or will it become part of the new normal? The word was still spreading

across the country and maybe overseas. Bud keeps making money and giving Mr. Allen royalty

checks for Nick’s college fund. Mrs. Granger has let it go, but Nick can’t stop thinking about it.

Imported- to bring goods into a country from another country

Habit- a way of behaving that is repeated often

Trust fund- a special savings account that can’t be used until a certain time

Mania- crazed over excitement

Wednesday, February 26th

Chapter 14: Inside Nick Nick still has good ideas, but he is afraid to share them. After a

conversation with Mrs. Granger, Nick returns to his normal self. Have you ever felt scared or

nervous about something because of what has happened in the past? Should these things stop

you from doing good things? Nick went on to do great and creative things in middle school

and high school. He didn’t hear about what happened to frindle until 10 years later. What do

you think Nick finds out about in 10 years?

Consumers- a person who buys and uses things

Clever- smart

Rascal- a mischievous person

Clamming up- refusing to talk

Commotion- noisy excitement and confusion

Friday, February 28th

Chapter 15: And the Winner Is….. Nick turns 21 and he can now use the trust fund that holds

the profits from the frindle sales. Mrs. Granger sent a package with a dictionary with the word

frindle in it. Have you ever received a package in the mail? How did you feel when you opened

it? Nick finally gets to read the letter from Mrs. Granger. Mrs. Granger admits to playing the

villain and apologizes. Nick believes that she was rooting for frindle all along and by playing the

villain she made its existence possible. What does that mean? Did Mrs. Granger somehow

support the word by making a big deal out of not using it? What do you think about the end of

the book? Did you expect the note that Mrs. Granger received on Christmas morning? Now

that you’ve finished the book, who do you think sent the class picture to the newspaper?

Endures- to continue in the same way Oblong- longer on one side than the other

Plucked- picked up

Scholarship- money given to a student to help pay for education

If you enjoyed this story, you may want to read some of the following books written by

Andrew Clements:

The Last Holiday Concert No Talking The School Story Lost and Found The Report Card The Friendship War

Extra Credit Room One: A Mystery or Two The Losers Club The Landry News

The Janitor's Boy Lunch Money The Map Trap Trouble-Maker

Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of the School series

About Average

About the Author “In 1990 I began trying to write a picture book about a boy who makes up a new word. That

book eventually became my first novel, Frindle, published in 1996, and you can read the whole

story of how it developed on the Frindle page of this website:

https://www.andrewclements.com/books/frindle

Frindle became popular, more popular than any of my books before or since—at least so far.

And it had the eventual effect of turning me into a full-time writer.

I’ve learned that I need time and a quiet place to think and write. My wife and I now live in

Maine—not far from where I spent my earliest summers. These days I spend a lot of my time

in a room attached to the far side of the garage—just far enough from the rest of our home to

make me feel like I’ve gone to work. The room is larger than the small garden shed I worked in

for almost twenty years, but it’s the same desk, same chair, same paper and pencils, same

keyboard and screen. And I’m grateful to say that the books keep coming.

Sometimes kids ask how I've been able to write so many books. The answer is simple: one

word at a time. Which is a good lesson, I think. You don't have to do everything at once. You

don't have to know how every story is going to end. You just have to take that next step, look

for that next idea, write that next word. And growing up, it's the same way. We just have to go

to that next class, read that next chapter, help that next person. You simply have to do that

next good thing, and before you know it, you're living a good life.”

See more at: https://www.andrewclements.com/