No Talking

Clements, A. (2007). No Talking. Simon and Schuster: New York.

Realistic Fiction
Chapter Book

This story follows the fifth grade class at Laketon Elementary School as they compete in a "boys-against-girls no talking contest." Dave Packer, the ring leader of this contest, was reading about Mahatma Gandhi in social studies class and was fascinated by the idea that Gandhi did not talk for one day every week so that he could bring order to his mind. Becoming more and more aware of how loud others are while taking a day of silence, Dave bets Lynsey Burgess, the loudest fifth grade girl, that girls talk more than boys. This leads to the infamous two-day long contest in which the fifth grade girls and boys of Laketon Elementary School are to say as few words as possible. While many teachers are puzzled by this contest, it ends up being a wonderful lesson for the students and staff at Laketon Elementary School.

I would use this book when teaching students about the importance of making predictions while reading. The author, Andrew Clements, ends paragraphs and chapters by leaving the reader wanting more information. This book left me wondering "what will happen next?" quite often, therefore I believe it would be a great book for a whole-class read aloud in which predictions could be made daily.