Science Fiction

                A 

Wind in the Door

Author: 

Madeleine L’Engle

Grade Level:

5^th and 6^th

This story has complicated vocabulary and themes which would be appropriate to introduce to this age group.

Summary:

The main character, Meg, is faced with the fact that her beloved brother Charles Wallace is very sick. A “cherubim” arrives and takes Meg, Calvin, and their principal Mr. Jenkins deep inside the mitochondria in Charles Wallace’s body. In the climax of the story Meg fights evil and hate inside the mitochondria and saves her brother’s life. Meg learns a valuable lesson in the end by learning to love and appreciate the goodness that is in everyone.

A Wind in the Door in the classroom:

          A Wind in the Door is a great choice book to offer students, especially those who loved A Wrinkle in Time. It offers exciting reading with a great plot.  It also introduces students to the genre of science fiction in a series of interrelated books.

          A great lesson for the whole class would be to split into groups and have the students do character webs on the main characters in this story, including Meg, Calvin, and Mr. Jenkins.

ESOL strategies for A Wind in the Door:

Science fiction can be tricky for ESOL students because of the scientific concepts and use of more difficult words. I think having an Audio version of the book for the student to follow along to would be helpful.

Art is also a great way to connect the ESOL student to the story. Having them draw what they think the setting and characters looks like helps to assess their understanding of the story.

Read Aloud:

I would read pages 59-66 aloud to the class. These pages offer an explanation of what Meg’s challenges will be in her quest to cure Charles Wallace of his mystery illness. Meg’s love for her brother and his wellbeing are illustrated in these passages. Also, a magical creature is introduced with the use of vivid adjectives which help to paint a picture of what a “cherubim” might look like.

Personal Opinion:

I never considered myself a fan of science fiction, but I loved a Wrinkle in Time and was inclined to read the next book in the series A Wind in the Door. I was not disappointed; this book was a wonderful and exciting read.  I love the character Meg, because I remember how I felt as a teenage with low self esteem and issues with my hair. Even though Meg saves her brother life in A Wrinkle in Time and A Wind in the Door, I am certain in A Swiftly Tilting Planet, the next installment in the series, that she will still feel like she is just an awkward teen with no special attributes.

As a teacher it is important to know what kind of genres your students like to read, but it is also important to introduce them to new genres as well. As I was reading both A Wrinkle in Time and A Wind in the Door, I was able to compare a lot of the themes and characters to the Harry Potter series. I would definitely recommend this book to students who fell in love with Harry Potter, read all the books, and are now looking for a new adventure series to get into.