The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman

5th-6th Grade Read Aloud Book
Author: Ben H. Winters
Copyright: Ben H. Winters, 2010
Publisher: Harper, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers

Reading Level:
     Ages: 11-14
     Grade Level Equivalent: 7
     Lexile Measure: 910L

5 Keywords/Phrases to Describe the Book:
Mysterious, determination, sense of community, secrets, musical

Suggested Delivery: read aloud for 5th-6th graders

Summary: Bethesda Fielding is a very conscientious student who always tries her best. So when Mr. Melville assigned his special project to solve a mystery, Bethesda was excited to find the best mystery she could find. This just happened to be Ms. Finkleman, the quiet and reserved chorus teacher that all the students thought was super boring. However, Bethesda thinks there's more to this music teacher than meets the eye, and makes it her personal mission to find out about Ms. Finkleman's secret life. When she figures out the mystery and reveals it to her class, and ultimately the whole school, Ms. Finkleman's life is turned upside down, and blames Bethesda for the chaos that ensues. Can Bethesda make it up to Ms. Finkleman?

Vocabulary:
1) Obscurity (page 2)
2) Ambiguity (page 7)
3) Impishly (page 10)
4) Trounced (page 16)
5) Appellate litigation (page 44)
6) Quixotic (page 53)
7) Emo (page 65)
8) Unyielding (page 91)
9) Picayune (page 98)
10) Consternation (page 120)
11) Inexorably (page 136)
12) Surreptitious (page 159)
13) Surfeit (page 177)
14) Ominous (page 200)
15) Culpability (page 207)
16) Festooned (page 226)
17) Mea culpa (page 240)
18) Incorrigible (page 244)

Electronic Resources:
Ben H. Winters - This is the author, Ben H. Winters', official website. Students, and adults, can go here to learn more about the author and his bodies of work. He has sections for children's books as well as his adult books. Viewers can see his new releases and look up where he will be making appearances. If students liked The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman, they can go here to read about Ben's second book that takes place at Mary Todd Lincoln School, that has been recently released, and decide if this second book is something they would want to read.

Hidden Objects Game - This is a game provided by the publishing company, Harper Collins, that correlates to the story. There are plenty of mysteries and hidden secrets throughout the story, and this game is no different. Students must find all the hidden objects in the classroom and rack up points before time runs out. This is a fun activity for students to do in their free time at home.

Comprehension Strategies:
Before: Students will participate in a Think-Pair-Share prediction about the book. They must predict what they think will happen in the story based off of the title and cover. What do they think is Ms. Finkleman's secret life?

During: Throughout the novel there are a multitude of other little mysteries, besides the big one about Ms. Finkleman, that aren't solved right after they are mentioned. Once a new mystery presents itself, stop reading and have students predict the result of this mystery in their writing journals and label it "predicted solution." Once the solution to the mystery is mentioned in the story, have students write the solution underneath their prediction in their writing journals and label it "actual solution."

After: Students will complete an exit slip centered around the question, "Why did Ms. Finkleman lie about being Little Miss Mystery? Could you forgive her for this if you were one of her students? Would this lie cause you to look at her differently?"

Writing: Have students research their own mystery for homework. They should write about what the mystery is, the steps they took to solve the mystery, and the solution they came to about the mystery.

Citation:
Winters, B. H. (2010). The secret life of Ms. Finkleman. New York: Harper.