March 2013 archive
28) Nightmare by Joan Lowery Nixon – spooky read aloud for my 5th period class
29) The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell – I’m glad I finally got around to listening to this one–much to think about.
30) The Always War by Margaret Peterson Haddix – lots of action and lots to think about. Thank you, Austin M., for recommending it to me.
31) Legend by Marie Lu – more than lives up to the hype.
32) Wicked Bugs by Amy Stewart – Do not read while eating. May make your skin crawl, but absolutely fascinating
33) 24 Hours That Changed the World by Adam Hamilton – a gift from my mother for Lent & Easter
34) The Red Pyramid (graphic novel) by Rick Riordan, adapted by Orpheus Collar – the fast action translates to dynamic pictures
35) Ungifted by Gordon Korman – funny and heartwarming
36) Zeus: King of the Gods by George O’Connor – graphic novel brings the first superheroes to life
37) Hera: The Goddess and her Glory by George O’Connor – who is the only god or goddess Zeus is afraid of?
38) Hades: Lord of the Dead by George O’Connor – To what lengths would you go to be with the one you love?
39) Athena: Grey-Eyed Goddess by George O’Connor – the three Fates share stories of Athena, my favorite of the Olympians
40) Teaching Literary Elements with Picture Books by Susan Van Zile and Mary Napoli – I now have more books I want to buy.
41) Blindsided by Priscilla Cummings – What would you do if you knew you were going blind?
42) QAR Comprehension Lessons (Grades 6-8) by Jacquelin H. Carroll, Taffy E. Raphael, Kathryn H. Au – surprisingly interesting passages
That’s 15 books for this month. My favorites included Legend, Wicked Bugs, and Blindsided. What were your favorite reads in March?
I’m taking part in the Slice of Life Challenge sponsored by Ruth and Stacey over at Two Writing Teachers. I hope to write every day for the month of March and then continue weekly each Tuesday. Join in yourself or head over to check out what’s happening with other slices. If you’re taking part in the SOL, leave a link to your post. I’d love to read it.
A month ago when I decided to take part in my first Slice of Life Challenge I thought I must be out of my mind. I didn’t tell anyone around me that I planned to do it (other than the people who read my blog for my first slice) because they would have told me I was out of my mind, too. I didn’t have time to write every day. Then I had to share that writing with how many other teachers? When would I find time to read and comment on the other slices?
Now that the month is over, I am amazed that I did indeed write every day for a month. I did find time to read and comment on the blogs of other slicers. Would I do it again? Absolutely. Here are some of the things I learned from this past month:
- I wasn’t sure if I could come up with enough ideas to write about for 31 days, but as I’m at the end of the month, I have ideas I haven’t written yet. The more I write, the more I notice to write about.
- It’s scary to put my writing out there in the world. Will anyone even notice? Will they like it? I now know better some of the fears my students feel when putting their writing “out there.”
- The feedback and comments from other slicers have been exhilarating and encouraging and inspiring. I have never been so excited to check my email and see that I have new blog comments.
- I have learned much from reading the blogs of other writers: reflections on teaching and learning, poems in all forms. glimpses of daily life, book recommendations, delicious recipes, and so much more.
- The community of teachers and learners. Some of the slicers I had “met” through GoodReads, the Nerdy Book Club, or other online groups, but after reading and commenting through this past month, I feel I know them better. I know I have teachers I can turn to with questions and for inspiration.
If you (like I did for months beforehand) have been watching and reading and wondering if you should jump in and take part, I encourage you to do so. I will be back, starting Tuesday.
I’m taking part in the Slice of Life Challenge sponsored by Ruth and Stacey over at Two Writing Teachers. I hope to write every day for the month of March and then continue weekly each Tuesday. Join in yourself or head over to check out what’s happening with other slices. If you’re taking part in the SOL, leave a link to your post. I’d love to read it.
It seems my TBR pile grows faster than I can read. Right now I have books stashed away in boxes and baskets at home. There is another box and a towering pile of books behind my desk at school. They are all books I want to read, but I keep finding more shiny, new books to pick up first. I vow that I’m not going to buy any more books until I read the ones I have, but then I flip through the book order I pass out to my students (If I buy just three more books, look at how many more bonus points I earn.), or visit the book fair in our school library (If I buy books at the book fair, the library can get more books, too.), or read updates from my friends at GoodReads (Look at what she’s reading. I have to add it to my list). You see how it goes. I suppose it’s a good thing there is not a bookstore in town, or my house would overflow with books.
For the past several school breaks, I have taken part in the #bookaday challenge started by Donalyn Miller and others from the Nerdy Book Club. I may not completely burn through my TBR pile, but reading nine books in nine days (for spring break this year) helps me make progress…at least enough I can restock at the school book fair next week. You can see from the picture, I spent some of the time catching up on graphic novels. I love the Olympians series by George O’Connor. I also read some professional development books and a few good stories than ranged from hilarious to heartbreaking. I’m still working on the latest nonfiction by Steve Sheinkin, but I have two days left of break to finish it off. I’m also listening to The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks while I run and clean, but it will last beyond spring break. Who knows? I might even sneak in one more.
I’m looking forward to sharing these titles with my students when we return to school on Monday, and hearing what they read over break. I bet they have some good book recommendations to add to my stack! What good books have you read lately?
I’m taking part in the Slice of Life Challenge sponsored by Ruth and Stacey over at Two Writing Teachers. I hope to write every day for the month of March and then continue weekly each Tuesday. Join in yourself or head over to check out what’s happening with other slices. If you’re taking part in the SOL, leave a link to your post. I’d love to read it.
Yesterday in the mail I found my invitation to take part in the Summer Institute for my local National Writing Project site at IUS. I am already looking forward to reconnecting with some of the best teachers I’ve ever met, collaborating with them to improve my own lessons, and learning from Tom Romano, our guest at our annual summer conference. In addition to jazzing up my teaching of research, we are going to discuss Tom Newkirk’s Holding on to Good Ideas in a Time of Bad Ones.
I first got involved with the National Writing Project about eight years ago (dates never stick with me for long). Every time I read another professional development book, I kept encountering mentions of this great experience called National Writing Project. Every teacher writing professional development from Nancie Atwell to Carl Anderson to Georgia Heard, recommended it. I knew I wanted to experience it for myself, but how? Thanks to my friend Google, I searched the website for the National Writing Project and discovered two sites close to me.
I needed to be nominated by either a Teacher Consultant (I didn’t know any) or a principal (I did have one of those). I went ahead and printed off nomination forms for both sites, just to double my chances of being accepted at one. I filled out everything but the principal’s signature and marched down to his office. After explaining what little I knew about the National Writing Project and how much I wanted this opportunity, I asked him too sign both forms and sent them off. Next I filled out the applications from both sites and sent those off as well. Then I waited.
Finally a letter arrived from Dr. Kevin Sue Bailey, inviting me to join the Summer Institute. That month of June transformed my professional and personal life in ways that I will always be grateful for. I wrote. I developed demo lessons and learned from the demo lessons of fellow teachers in all grade levels and subjects. I researched to learn best practices. Best of all, I learned that I am not alone in teaching. No more would I close the classroom door and try to do it all myself. I had colleagues I could learn from. We encourage and support each other to teach to the best of our abilities. We insist that our students get the education they deserve, with rich reading and writing experiences.
We know what good teaching looks like and sounds like in a real classroom with real students. We support our students to achieve excellence in reading and writing, and there is a wealth of research and data to back it up. Why is no one asking us how to improve our schools? We could tell you. I am looking forward to this summer when we will unite our voices and teach our communities and schools and political leaders what makes for good literacy instruction.
If you have never taken part in a Summer Institute for the National Writing Project, look for a site near you and see how you can get involved. If you are in southern Indiana, join us for a day with Tom Romano on Thursday, June 20. You will be glad you did.
I’m taking part in the Slice of Life Challenge sponsored by Ruth and Stacey over at Two Writing Teachers. I hope to write every day for the month of March and then continue weekly each Tuesday. Join in yourself or head over to check out what’s happening with other slices. If you’re taking part in the SOL, leave a link to your post. I’d love to read it.
Nonfiction is one of the book gaps I have been trying to fill this year. Graphic novels are another gap. It has been harder for me to fill this book gap. It’s not because there aren’t quality graphic novels out there. There many, with more coming every day. It’s not that my students don’t read them. They do, especially the groups I have this year. My graphic novel shelf is usually empty, or nearly so. No, the problem is with me as a reader. I forget to slow down and look at the pictures. Since half the story is told through the pictures in a graphic novel, I miss a lot until I remember, “Look at the pictures before you go to the next frame.” I wonder if that’s how some of my students feel when reading a text novel if they haven’t learned to visualize while reading. No wonder they don’t enjoy it.
During spring break, I’m catching up on graphic novels that I can take back to share with my students. They are going to love these even more than I did.
The Red Pyramid Graphic Novel (Disney Hyperion 2012) by Rick Riordan, adapted by Orpheus Collar
I loved The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan, but it’s hefty page count can be intimidating to some readers. This graphic novel version will pull in those readers looking for lots of action and danger. New dangers wait for Sadie and Carter Kane around every corner as they discover secrets of their family’s past and seek to reawaken the paths of the gods, the Egyptian gods. Along the way they have to rescue their uncle and stop Set from destroying the world in chaos. Did I mention the magicians who are trying to kill them, too? I enjoyed the vivid pictures and fast-moving panels, but I missed the voices of Sadie and Carter, who alternate telling the tale in the original.
I love George O’Connor’s Olympians series. So far I have four of them, and I just saw on GoodReads that the fifth one is out. There goes more money to a bookstore. Even though each book focuses on one of the Olympians, the stories include so much more that help draw connections between the Greek myths. A chart in the beginning of each outlines the family tree of Greek gods and goddesses. The author’s note in the back explains how O’Connnor chose his retelling. Each book also includes discussion questions and a fact sheet on each god or goddess. I like the modern connections given on each. The vivid drawings and fast-moving panels show these gods and goddesses as the first superheroes
Zeus: King of the Gods (First Second 2010)
Zeus’s story begins before his birth with the existence of Kaos, Gaea, and Ouranos. It continues with the birth of the Titans and the eventual battle between the Titans and the Olympians. Don’t worry, Zeus reappears many times in the later books as well.
Hera: The Goddess and Her Glory (First Second 2011)
Hera not only claims her place as queen beside Zeus, she is the only one who has any chance of keeping him in line. Her story is interwoven with that of Heracles, or “the glory of Hera.” Why would a goddess intent on punishing a human charge him with challenges that would lead to his immortality? Heracles and Hera may not have liked each other, but their stories are forever linked.
Hades: Lord of the Dead (First Second 2012)
The story of Hades cannot be complete without the story of Demeter and Persephone. I like O’Connor’s take on these stories. Maybe Hades is not completely a bad guy (even if he does rule over the dead). Maybe Persephone found good reason to remain in the Underworld for part of the year.
Athena: Grey-Eyed Goddess (First Second 2010)
Not only is Athena my favorite goddess, but this is my favorite book so far. The three fates oor Furies take turns telling stories of Athena, from her birth to her exploits as a warrior. Athena is smart, strong, and cool under fire. Not only all that, but we get to admire the hero Perseus as well, as he seeks to find and behead Medusa.
I’m taking part in the Slice of Life Challenge sponsored by Ruth and Stacey over at Two Writing Teachers. I hope to write every day for the month of March and then continue weekly each Tuesday. Join in yourself or head over to check out what’s happening with other slices. If you’re taking part in the SOL, leave a link to your post. I’d love to read it.
I am amazed at what my daughter, with help from Grandma, can create with a pattern and lengths of cloth. Somehow, she can walk among the bolts of fabric and pick out just the right ones that will create a complete outfit. She has done lots of sewing the last few days, and worked through much frustration as well. My job in all of this is simply to provide the checkbook. I learned my place in the sewing hierarchy long ago.
Just before I entered eighth grade, my mother gave me an ultimatum: I could either take a 4H sewing camp over the summer, or I could drop band to home ec at school. Since there was no way I was going to give up my flute, I grudgingly agreed to go to the sewing camp. I was sure it was going to be a disaster.
Things first started to go wrong when my partner took my measurements. According to the tape measure and the teacher, I should use a size 9-10 pattern. Keep in mind I was a scrawny kid. A size 9-10 is too big for me today, and I’m at least 30 pounds heavier than I was back then. My arguments fell on deaf ears, and I dutifully cut out the required size. I don’t remember much about the actual sewing other than the fact I didn’t want to be there.
I do remember modeling the shorts after I finished. They were a simple drawstring waistband. There was no need to retire to the dressing room to change.. I could easily pull the newly sewn shorts right over top of the shorts I was currently wearing. In fact, you could have fit three of me in these shorts pretty easily. Needless to say, I didn’t wear them often.
Fifteen or so years later, when I was pregnant with my daughter, I had the bright idea that I could dig out that old pattern and make a pair of maternity pants to wear. Some one should have stopped me. Actually, my husband and mother did try to talk me out of it, but I wouldn’t listen. I had a point to prove. After much frustration and many tears, I had used that middle school pattern to make a pair of pants. I could indeed fit into them when I was four months pregnant, bit I didn’t like them any better than I had the shorts all those years before.
Now I’ve learned my lesson. I leave the sewing to others. And I am grateful for those women–Grandma and Beth–who are willing to share their love of creating clothes with my girl. I just sit back and watch the fashion show.
My favorite project of the year is the author research project we do after Christmas break. I love watching my students discover new favorite writers and learn how an author’s life influences his or her writing. Even though some favorite authors are chosen every year, I still learn something new from the information my students discover. Here are this year’s chosen authors. Enjoy discovering little known facts that you never knew! And if you’re lucky,, you might find a new author to enjoy.
Laurie Halse Anderson captures the experiences of teens in the past and present.
Melody Carlson tackles difficult problems with faith.
- Angelica S –
- Bella B – “The Life of Melody Carlson”
- Shelby W – “Melody Carlson – An Open Mind”
- Kelsey B – “All About: Melody Carlson”
- Ashley P – “Melody Carlson: From a Rough Life to a Life of Success”
Suzanne Collins uses fantasy to explore war.
Sarah Dessen wraps up love and life.
- Avis M – “Sarah Dessen Unshelved”
- Kayla W – “Everything to Know About Sarah Dessen”
- Krystal W – “A Life Unknown: Sarah Dessen”
- Sydney T – “It’s All About Sarah Dessen”
- Raechel M – “Sarah Dessen’s Story”
Carl Deuker hits sports stories out of the park.
Sharon Draper inspires readers just as her students inspired her to write.
- Janette M – “Sharon Draper”
- Macey B – “Sharon Draper’s Wonderful Writing Life”
- Olivia M – “Sharon Draper’s Writing and Reading World”
- Hannah H – “Sharon Draper”
- Devin N – “Sharon Draper”
- Kelsey C – “Real Life Experiences: Sharon Draper”
Lois Duncan creates suspense and more with her books.
- CJ K – “Lois Duncan”
- John W – “Lois Duncan and Her Interesting Life”
- Xavier P – “Lois Duncan Research Paper”
- Jon G –
Ellen Hopkins is not afraid to tackle the tough issues facing teens today.
- Courtney D – “Everything You Need to Know About Ellen Hopkins”
- Kylia G – “Ellen Hopkins”
- Shelbie S – “Ellen Hopkins–Warning Uncensored”
- Carlee N – “Ellen Hopkins: An Author Like No Other”
Mike Lupica writes nonstop sports action that turns a spotlight on the kids.
- Brian G – “The Story of Mike Lupica”
- Kaleb S – “Mike Lupica”
- Logan A – “The Life of Mike Lupica”
- Sam C – “Always Predictable Mike Lupica”
- Dalton F – “The Inside Story of Mike Lupica”
- Garrett M – “A Sport’s Life”
- Duncan T –
Neal Shusterman writes many a dark and twisted story that will keep you spellbound.
- Carissa K – “Neal Shusterman”
- Carrly I – “Stepping into the Mind of Neal Shusterman”
- Katie S – “The Dark and Creepy Author”
- Lawson H – “The Fantasy World of Neal Shusterman”
- Tucker M – “Neal Shusterman: Dark and Twisted”
Nancy Werlin weaves tales of suspense.
- Makinsey Y – “The Amazing Life of Nancy Werlin”
- Adrian M –
- Carlee L –
- Kaci V –
I’m taking part in the Slice of Life Challenge sponsored by Ruth and Stacey over at Two Writing Teachers. I hope to write every day for the month of March and then continue weekly each Tuesday. Join in yourself or head over to check out what’s happening with other slices. If you’re taking part in the SOL, leave a link to your post. I’d love to read it.
Yes, it’s spring–even spring break–and I seem to be the only one not complaining about the nearly one foot of snow on the ground. It doesn’t matter how old I get, snow is an invitation to play. Here’s how I’ve enjoyed my past couple of snow days…in pictures.
I couldn’t let my husband have all the fun. I grabbed a second shovel and helped move snow off the driveway, or at least part of it. My father-in-law’s advice was, “God brought the snow. We can let Him get rid of it.”
Next, it’s time to warm up with a cup of hot tea and some good books. As you see, I’m working on increasing my graphic knowledge collection. I can’t wait to share these on Greek mythology with my students. These are a double whammy–graphic novels and nonfiction!
This morning I took care of replenishing the bird feeders. We can watch dozens of birds come to the feeder throughout the day. They don’t seem to be suffering too much. I’ve seen the plumpest robin.
The feeder says it is squirrel proof, but I think someone needs to design one that is deer proof, if the prints leading to the feeder are any indication.
I couldn’t talk anyone into building a snowman with me this morning, so I had to create this lovely fellow all by myself.
I’m taking part in the Slice of Life Challenge sponsored by Ruth and Stacey over at Two Writing Teachers. I hope to write every day for the month of March and then continue weekly each Tuesday. Join in yourself or head over to check out what’s happening with other slices. If you’re taking part in the SOL, leave a link to your post. I’d love to read it.
I have never tried any type of book brackets before, but when I first thought of having characters from different books face off in a March Madness bracket, I was excited. I hoped my students would be excited, too. They are excited.
We went through the first round of voting last week. I’d introduce one region of the bracket and then let students have the floor to make their case for our against any character involved. Let’s just say the discussion got quite heated at times. Then the voting commenced. Some of the results surprised me.
Region 1
There were no close contests here, so I must have seeded this bracket pretty well. No upsets, either, except for maybe Harry Potter v. Jason Grace.
- Jacob Black (Twilight) overwhelmed Ponyboy (not the toughest of The Outsiders, but my favorite) with 90% of the vote.
- Peeta Mellarck (The Hunger Games) overcame Kingsley (Harry Potter) , 70% to 30%.
- Jason Grace (The Lost Hero) called on the power of Jupiter to defeat the magic wand of Harry Potter, 70% to 30%.
- Lihn Cinder (Cinder) the cyborg handily took down Amy (Across the Universe) 65% to 35%.
Region 2
I did hear protests that all the superheroes were in one corner where they would knock each other out, but those made for some interesting debates.
- Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games) overcame Poison (Poison), 69% to 31%.
- June (Legend & Prodigy) edged out the Volturi (Twilight), 51% to 49%.
- Batman narrowly defeated Ironman, 51% to 49%.
- The Hulk pulverized Superman, 63% to 37%.
Region 3
I nearly made a fatal mistake in setting up this bracket. I thought Day would be a sure thing against Haymitch, but my Hunger Games fans sparked a rebellion, complete with petitions taped to my door. I was quite curious to see which great wizard would come out on top.
- Day (Legend and Prodigy) squeaked by Haymitch (The Hunger Games–really? He can’t even stand up without falling off a stage), 54% to 46%.
- Bilbo Baggins (The Hobbit himself) knocked down the wily Tom Sawyer (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer), 58% to 42%.
- Gale (The Hunger Games) outsmarted, outlasted, outplayed Uzumake Naruto (I thought the giant control was pretty cool), 88% to 12%. What can I say, manga has a loyal, but small, following in our school.
- Which wizard would win the duel of the great wands? Dumbledore (Harry Potter) slid past Gandalf (The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings).
Region 4
This region had some of my most diabolical match ups. I had no idea who would advance to the next round.
- James Bond (Silverfin and many others) had no problems getting past Elder (Across the Universe), 92% to 8%.
- Sherlock Holmes (Hound of the Baskervilles) outwitted Cole Matthews (Touching Spirit Bear), 84% to 16%.
- Edward, the sparkly vampire who can read minds (Twilight) used superhuman strength and speed to topple the Lunar Queen, who can control minds (Cinder & Scarlet), 61% to 39%.
- Eragon, the dragon rider (Eragon) defeated the evil Voldemort (Harry Potter), 53% to 47%.
The games will continue next week after we return from spring break. I can’t wait to see what happens as the competition gets tougher.
I’m taking part in the Slice of Life Challenge sponsored by Ruth and Stacey over at Two Writing Teachers. I hope to write every day for the month of March and then continue weekly each Tuesday. Join in yourself or head over to check out what’s happening with other slices. If you’re taking part in the SOL, leave a link to your post. I’d love to read it.
Tempted by warmer temperatures earlier this month, my husband and I planned our first cookout for this Sunday after church. We invited friends from church and stocked up on burgers, hot dogs, and buns. We aren’t ones to let a snowy forecast derail plans for food and fun, so the cookout became a cook-in. The crowd was a little smaller than usual, but we had plenty to eat and even more conversation.
We had first planned to head up to my in-laws late Sunday afternoon, but that snowy forecast caused us to change plans to an early Monday morning departure since the heaviest snow was supposed to fall while we would be driving. (This Southern girl does not drive in snow). Watching forecast over lunch caused us to change plans again. It seems the snow is going to arrive later than expected. We hurriedly cleaned up from the cookout and packed and off we went. We made it three hours north without seeing much snow at all and just in time for dinner.
Now we are all snuggled in the living room waiting to see if the gray sky will ever spill the promised snow. My daughter is wrapped in a blanket, sprawled across the middle of the floor with the graphic novel of The Red Pyramid. My husband is sharing facts from a book about the fifty states. (Did you know there are only 18 people per square mile in Idaho?) My father-in-law is stretched out under a blanket in his recliner. He and my husband are trading stories about places they have visited. My mother-in-law are both on separate iPads.
I’m glad to be settled in a warm house with a full tummy while we wait for the snow. Tomorrow my daughter will begin her 4H sewing projects with grandma’s help. I’ll tag along to bring the checkbook. While they sew, I look forward to reading the stack of books I brought with me.
