In 1990 i began trying to write a picture book about a boy who makes up a new word. Andrew clements 19492019 was the author of the enormously popular frindle. When his newest idea catches on like wildfire, nick surprises his teachers, his school, and even himself. The word spreads to the city, nation and world, and clements big al fastforwards the story by 10 years to show that frindle has made it into the dictionary. And then i said, no, really if enough other people start to use our new word, then in five or ten years, frindle could be a real word in the dictionary. Noun a pencil as defined by andrew clements book, frindle, in which a boy adds the word frindle to the dictionary to replace the word pencil. The title of the book is frindle and this is the new word nick has created for a pen. The main character, nick, asks his teacher one day who invents. The book shows that a boy named nick allen invented a word called frindle as for pen. Be sure to read the chosen section of the book carefully, paying attention to details. Other kids like him, trust him, are inclined to follow. I just made up the word frindle, and they all laughed because it sounded funny. If you want to hear about the rest of this story read this fabulous and great book frindle. This novel unit for frindle by andrew clements can save you hours of prep for your literature circles or book clubs.
Inventing a new word and frindle by andrew clements by nnwp. Frindle was his first book for middlegrade readers. This book shows free spirit and trying too sneak your way out of homework. Read aloud chapter 6, which reveals how nick changes the word for pen to frindle. Nick had invented the word frindle to test the theory that if everyone agreed on the meaning of the word, then it becomes a word. She feels it is a disruption and her opinion becomes more adamant as time goes on.
The genre of the book is realistic fiction, and in the story the word frindle winds up in the dictionary. According to clements, the book originated from the thought, what would happen if a kid started using a new word, and other kids really liked it, but his teacher didnt. From now on, a pen is no longer a pen its a frindle. Nick has just started fifth grade and his language arts teacher is ms granger. This is nothing new for nick, who has made a career out of wreaking creative havoc in school. When given an extra assignment on how new word entries are added to the dictionary, nick comes up with a brainstorm which is sure to annoy his teacher to no end. Granger started a war with the kids and nicholas about the word frindle. Tpac education is made possible in part by the generous contributions. Frindle by andrew clements, brian selznick, paperback. Before reading this book, had you ever thought about how words are created. But when nick learns an interesting tidbit about words and where they come from, it inspires his greatest plan yet. Print the frindle literature circle questions printable. His teacher wants nick to put an end to all this nonsense, but the funny thing is frindle doesnt belong to nick anymore. But i guess that if the latin word for feather had been frindilus instead of pinna, then you probably would have invented the word pen instead.
Precocious ifthgrader nick challenges his teacher by inventing a new word, frindle. The principal asked nicks parents to tell nick to stop using his made up word. Any 90s kidsorry, 90s adultwill remember andrew clements frindle, the classic middle grade tale of a defiant boy who invents a word just to spite his bythebook english teacher. Is it believable that frindle took off and became so well known. Use these questions and the activities that follow to get more out of the experience of reading frindle by andrew clements. And then the lincoln elementary school was not happy about it.
This word was first used in the book frindle by andrew clements. Soon the school is in an uproar, and nick has become a local hero. Is the word frindle from the book frindle actually a real word. Frindle summary from litcharts the creators of sparknotes.
Sep 01, 1996 on the surface, frindle is a cute childrens book about a creative kid who makes up a new word right out of the blue, and causes quite a stir in school and in his community by getting a lot of other kids to use itand provoking opposition from his teacher mrs. Students summarize a selected piece of text from the book frindle. The grizzly bear family book houghton mifflin grade 5 the golden lion tamarin katies trunk james forten plays book trailer reading rubrics see unit plan frindle invent a word character 20study use page 2 frindle discussion frindle skills frindle advertisement frindle invent a word frindle journaling by chapter frindle newspaper articles. They write a summary paragraph by creating a story web and using the process. Frindle by andrew clements the power of an idea the. Grangers ban on the word frindle makes it all the more appealing to the students. In the book frindle by andrew clements, nick allen enters into his fifth grade classroom knowing hes about to face the toughest teacher at lincoln elementary school. Get a classroom copy of frindle by andrew clements.
To irk his tough teacher, he invented a word frindle, and convinced everyone this is a real word. Granger disapproves, the word catches on with the students. It started to become our word pen because quills made from feathers were some of the first writing tools ever made. Your 5th grade summer reading assignment is frindle by andrew cl ements. Granger, who stands by the letter of the law of the dictionary. Granger comes with a twist, she provides enough resistance to nicks idea to balance the scales. There was a boy in the back of the room who didnt believe me. Climax nicks dad sells the rights to the word frindle to set up a college fund for nick. Andrew clements is a passionate advocate for books and.
The book name is frindle the author is andrew clements. A vocabulary list featuring frindle by andrew clements, chapters 15. Even though the events in this books did not happen, they could happen. It doesnt take long for frindle to take root, and soon the excitement spreads well beyond his school and town. It was the winner of the 2016 phoenix award, which is granted by the childrens literature association to the best englishlanguage childrens book that did not win a major award when it was published twenty years earlier. Nick had invented the word frindle to test the theory that if everyone agreed on the meaning of the word, then. Granger, who halfheartedly punishes the students for using frindle. Granger seems upset by the frenzy caused by nicks invented word. When nick decides to call a pen a frindle, he creates a new synonym for a word that has few. Like our protagonist nick, author andrew clements has a passion for language and selects his words carefully when. Nick called a pen a frindle because he questioned why a pen was called a pen. Nick gets the idea for inventing a new word partly from a word he used as a baby, gwagala his word for music. Starting with a brief introduction to the guided reading process, the class goes on to read the.
The fascinating origins of 7 invented words bookstr. Granger imposes an after school consequence on anyone who uses the word frindle during class, which upsets quite a few parents. Andrew clements, a schoolteacher turned childrens author whose first novel, frindle about a mischievous fifthgrader who coins a new word for pen was an unlikely bestseller. It is a book about kids just like you, and has familiar settings like home and school. Ask your students how they would go about inventing a new word and checking to see that what they invented really is a new word. Frindle by andrew clements, chapters 15 vocabulary list. Unbelievably other strange things happen, with the use of the new word. Frindle is an american childrens novel written by andrew clements, illustrated by brian selznick, and published by aladdin in 1996. Which was not one of the groups who contacted nick. She even makes students stay after school for using it. Literature circle guide to frindle by andrew clements book summary. Although they feel the administration is overreacting to his use of the word frindle, they still urge nick not to be disrespectful. Like the velveteen rabbit, his wellworn word has become real.
His classmates love the idea, and soon the entire school plays along, much to the dismay of mrs. A 5th grader named nick is a little on the enterprising side mixed with mischievous, and the love for pushing his limits. Dec 16, 2019 andrew clements, a schoolteacher turned childrens author whose first novel, frindle about a mischievous fifthgrader who coins a new word for pen was an unlikely bestseller. But he may have met his match in his fifthgrade teacher, dangerous grangerous. What if he could invent a new word call an ordinary ballpoint pen a frindle. And when im writing this sentence it shows frindle is mistake. Nicks creative troublemaking brings his school to a standstill and causes a national uproar. Frindle by andrew clements, chapters 15 vocabulary.
Literature circle guide to frindle by andrew clements. Nicks turning his third grade classroom into a tropical island chapter 1. It will be due on the first friday of the 20172018 school year. Granger has a special surprise for the allgrownup nick, inventor of the word frindle. I recommend this book, because the characters are believable and funny. More than 10 million copies of his books have been sold, and he was nominated for a multitude of state awards, including two christopher awards and an edgar award. On the surface, frindle is a cute childrens book about a creative kid who makes up a new word right out of the blue, and causes quite a stir in school and in his community by getting a lot of other kids to use itand provoking opposition from his teacher mrs. Other national news people saw the frindle article. Granger and the school fought the students in this. The media covers nicks story, and he is a success, but he. Think of an object, a situation, or behavior that you think needs a single new word all its own. Things begin innocently enough as nick gets his friends to use the new word. The book frindle is centered around language, especially the word frindle.
When it is coopted and trademarked by someone else, it becomes a symbol of the many ways in which the business world sticks it. But many words, such as friend or attractive, already have several common synonyms. Frindle is a word nick makes up just to bug his fifthgrade teacher, whos a dictionary demon. Years later when the word made it into the dictionary, nick.
Bud lawrences sales pick up, though his lawyer explains to him that now that everyone in the country knows that nick invented the word frindle, theyll need to make a deal with the allen family to use the word. Have the students think of the celebrities that would be least likely to endorse a frindle and incorporate them into the ads. The word spreads to the city, nation and world, and clements big al fast forwards the story by 10 years to show that frindle has made it into the dictionary. Free printable frindle invent a word teaching writing, dictionary. According to clements, the book originated from the thought, what would happen if a kid started using a new word, and other kids really liked it, but his teacher.
Guide your class through a reading of the popular childrens book, frindle, with this comprehensive literature unit. What did you find interesting about the process of creating a word. In the book, frindle becomes an invented synonym for pen. Frindle isabout discovering the true nature of words, language. Please answer these questions in complete sentences on a separate sheet of white, lined, looseleaf paper. Frindle became popular, more popular than any of my books before or sinceat least so far. I loved this book and even laughed out loud at some of nicks antics. He manages to get the whole school to use the word and it rapidly spreads to the city, nation and the world. It tells the story of a young boy that events a new word for a word thats already been invented the pen and he calls it the frindle. And i think from now on im going to choose frindle. After nick had invented the word frindle, he raised his hand in class and told mrs.
Since this is obviously silly, madeup nonsense, the school intervenes to reinforce the notion that only the dictionary determines the proper use of language. Clements has supplied his idea of an invented word that gains a life of its own with an exquisitely obvious antagonist. Their battle over the word frindle that nick made up to replace the word. You will be graded on effort, completion, neatness.
If you have to write the same word over and over again as punishment, wouldnt you rather do it with a frindle than a pen. Published february 1st 1998 by atheneum books for young readers first published. The problem was that nicholas allen made a new word called frindle. How old was he when he started using the term frindle. When nick learns some interesting information about how words are created, suddenly hes got the. Personality traits smart and creative analyzes the english language and invented the word frindle. Are there words that you invented as a baby, before you could read and learn the actual words. Andrew clements, author of bestselling childrens book. 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. Frindle guided reading unit lauren desautels portfolio. I recommend this book to people who love words and grammar and those who dont. If you cant remember, ask your parents or brother or sisters. He manages to get the whole school to use the word and it. Discuss how the chapter introduces a new word for a common.