Vision

A couple years back I was blessed to attend a training by Penny Kittle for our secondary English teachers. I was inspired by how she had built a community of readers through intentionally building personal relationships with students that included a deep understanding of their reading lives. As we are starting to think about the new school year, I've been collecting texts that will help me set a strong vision for the upcoming years. This led me to start a journey through Kittle's novel Book Love yesterday, and before I finished the introduction, I developed a substantial brain crush. She is so skillfully able to put into words what I have been discovering about meaningful language arts instruction. I have a feeling I may go through several pens before I finish this one.

There are so many meaningful quotes in this book that depict what an authentic, student-centered reading workshop model should feel like. One I found to be a strong mission statement for me as I start thinking about next year. "There is nothing casual here. Understanding the habits, interests, and challenges of individual readers becomes a central part of teaching. This reading-life pedagogy elevates the role of conferences. We have to pull in close to our readers and listen. The pedagogy requires all we have, but it engages all kids, and that is always worth fighting for" (Kittle, XV).

One of the challenges I love so much about upper elementary and middle school is rekindling a love of reading. I was that student sitting through advanced English classes counting the minutes until it'd be over. I was the student who abruptly stopped independent reading when my assigned reading of classics took up all my time and made me forget that reading was meant to be enjoyable. It was in 7th grade that I had a clear vision of what I wanted to do in life. I wanted to help students like me. I saw them all around me, students who had developed a sour taste for reading, and they all had different reasons. For some it was skill gaps. Reading was hard, and it was only getting harder. For others it was other things filling their time: friends, extracurricular activities, caring for siblings, and so much more. I didn't become an avid reader again until college. There were so many years missed, so many literary experiences that could have helped me through such a confusing and tumultuous time in my life. I want to help my students not miss out on what reading has to offer - an experience, an escape, a companion, a growth tool.

I love how Kittle talks about books as half of a love story. The other half? The kids. As preteens and adolescents, life is tough. Trying to live up to expectations from parents, teachers, and friends is exhausting. As their educators, we have such an incredible opportunity to influence them at a time where they are making choices that define who they are for the remainder of their lives. I often have to remind myself of that, of the gravity of this time. As English teachers, we are given an even greater gift. Reding and writing brings out our personal experiences, our vulnerability, and allows us to connect on a very personal level. I've found that teaching this content area has connected me with my students on such deep levels. I know their most proud moments and their most tragic, and they know mine. What a gift I've been given to be a teacher of language arts!

A Rebirth

An unimaginably awesome event has occurred for Kim and I, and we owe it completely to Kim's proposal writing skills. We have been selected to present at the North Texas Visioning Consortium Conference in July. We will be presenting on the power of feedback in reading and writing workshop models as a means to develop stronger readers and writers. This is a topic near and dear to both of our hearts, and preparation is underway! I'm sure on this journey we will uncover new treasures as we sift through our old favorite professional development books and go broke purchasing those on our wish lists. What a great excuse, right?

It reminds us how excited we are for the possibilities of this blog. My goal is to be transparent and relatable, so I will be taking a more reflective, journaling approach. I'll show you what worked for my kiddos right along with what didn't. I hope you will find your time spent here with us as worthwhile and encouraging, and I hope you reach out and connect with us through the site, email, or Twitter. After all, we're all in this wonderful, crazy world of educating young minds together.

Kimberly: BC02 - Classroom Organization (#BC20)

There is probably nothing I get more excited about than classroom organization. Books are probably the closest competition that "organization" has, and I am thinking that I get just as giddy about organizing things as I do about books.

At one point in my life, I wanted to grow up and live inside The Container Store. Seriously... I would just sleep in the back and work in the front. You know you have thought about it before. Don't lie. I understand.

So, it is no surprise that moving into my new classroom this year called for an overhaul of all my organization strategies and materials.

One of the things that works the best for me is having two filing cabinets where my kids can store their
English materials. Each student has a hanging folder with their name on it. Inside their hanging file, they store their portfolio (see right), notebook, and any books they do not want to lose. It works great, because I also use it as a mailbox. When I grade papers, I, or an innocent student aide, can just slip the papers in their folder for the students to file away the next day. This saves TONS of class time on passing back papers.

Now, you see these awesome student portfolios? These bad boys really deserve their own post, and I am more than happy to oblige. Check back tomorrow for more information on these English Portfolios and how to keep your kids organized in the midst of all of the papers ELA comes with... :)

Kimberly: BC01 - Fahrenheit 451 in the Classroom (#BC20)

Hello, friends! Long time, no posts... Kristin and I thought that perhaps our blog should take a hibernation for the winter. With exam season upon us and the holidays, well... you know what happened. Shopping took over, and family took precedence over blogging and computers. (Look how cute my little family is... We were very blessed this year.)

With that being said, however, we are back and ready to continue our journey in finding excellent books and strategies to use on our 21st Century Classrooms!

While trying to find inspiration for our newest posts, I ran across this awesome 20-Day Blogging Challenge from the awesome blog by Kelly Hines, In the Trenches. She writes about all sorts of things, particularly challenges teachers (and normal people) face when embarking on a blogging journey to become better educators and communicators. She even inspired a hashtag (#BC20), which I think is pretty awesome.

Now, Kelly is rolling out a new blogging challenge at the end of the month, but I am only just now jumping on her Challenge Train, so I may be a few prompts behind. Never Fear, though, I am determined to make this a habit. How else am I going to ever learn something?

So, without further ado... Blogging Challenge 01: Tell about a favorite book to share or teach. Provide at least one example of an extension or cross curricular lesson. 

Inspired by my latest curriculum endeavor, the book that first came to my mind was the always thought-provoking Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. I'll be honest, I had never read the book in its entirety until about 2 weeks ago. In school, I skimmed the Spark Notes (*gasp*), and in college, I always tried to read it, but other books kept pulling me away.  I am definitely sad that I didn't read it in high school, however, I think it means so much more to me now.

I am eager to see how the students respond to Montag and his world, our world, our possible future. I just could not help but sit and laugh and cry at how frighteningly honest Bradbury was when describing the TV "families" and materialism. When I take a moment and look at the world around me, I am sad and scared at what we value and prioritize. How could Bradbury have known? How could he have seen the possibilities of what was transpiring in the 50's?

These are the very questions I am going to present my students with. We are going to begin next week looking at the context of the book. My kids are familiar with WWII, but I do not believe they have ever taken a good look at the inventions that came about in the 1950's. We are going to webquest Banned Books and view images of Levittown.

Once we gain some background knowledge of the fifties, we are going to concept map the terms "fifties", "science fiction", and "dystopia". My goal is that they discover connections and relationships between the three terms. This will then prepare us for a deeper understanding of F451.

Throughout our reading, I am going to urge students to add to their maps and see how they evolve. I am new to concept mapping, but a recent book, Making Thinking Visible by Ron Ritchhart, Mark Church, and Karin Morrison, has inspired me to give it a whirl. I will post results, and possible failures, soon :)


Until tomorrow,

Kim: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Publication: 2012 - Feiwel & Friends, Macmillen

Page Count: 387

Target Audience: Grades 7 and up

Themes/Topics: retold fairytale, future Earth, Cinderella, cyborg, moon, appearances vs reality, trust, courage

Summary: Set in futuristic Asia, Cinder revolves around a sixteen-year-old, talented mechanic named Cinder. Although Cinder is skilled and works hard, her adopted stepmother and older stepsister refuse to accept her for who she is, a cyborg. She does find friendship, however, with the family’s odd android servant and her younger stepsister. 

Tasked with making money for the entire family, Cinder works at the local market, fixing machines and androids. When the prince of New Beijing seeks out Cinder’s help in fixing his own personal android, Cinder is thrown into a time-sensitive mystery regarding the safety of the entire planet Earth, as well as her own past. Everything Cinder believed to be true turns out to be nothing more than a fairytale, told for her own protection. 

Now that she knows the truth, Cinder and Prince Kai must decide if love is worth an entire population. 

Review: I was taken aback by my enjoyment of Cinder. Honestly, it has been sitting in my TBR pile for months, and only after several students urged me to read it did I pick it up, and I am SO glad that I did. 

Meyer authentically creates the characters throughout the novel, and I found myself caring for all of them (except Queen Lavana...). I was actually almost in tears when Cinder discovered Iko's remains. (Seriously? Yes. Seriously.) Cinder, Prince Kai, and even Dr. Erland seem real to me. Their emotions, back stories, and dialogue are natural and effective. 

The structure and plot development are terrific. I tend to steer clear of retellings, because I feel like I will already know how the story will end. With Cinder, however, the events progress naturally, and as much as I tried to guess what was going to happen based on my knowledge of Cinderella, Meyer was able to keep me on my toes and wanting to read more. She injects the traditional tale with a new narrative of space and a lunar battle. This second storyline is enough to keep readers moving and trying to figure it out before Cinder and the prince. 

The novel takes a few pages to introduce Cinder's futuristic world, and the technical lingo could be a stopper for some students, but in general, the action begins pretty quickly. After chapter 2, I was sold and on my way to the end...or onto Book Two.

This is definitely a 5-star novel and Meyer is an author to watch... 

Moments to Share:

1. Pages 28-29: “The cyborg draft...inside her head.” Cinder discusses the cyborg draft and the possibility of her being chosen. 
2. Page 179: “He hesitated...she would kill you.’” Dr. Erland reveals Cinder’s true nature and danger. 
3. Page 274-275: “The messenger stepped...from the disease.’” A messenger brings Prince Kai information about a possible cure to letumosis. 

Booktalk: Imagine a world in the far future, post WWIV. Robots and humans coexist and mingle on the streets of New Beijing, and a deadly plague is threatening most of the human population. In the midst of the hustle and bustle lives an extremely talented mechanic named Cinder. (Read beginning with “Cinder was the only full-service mechanic...” to “...next to her.” on pages 3-4) You see, Cinder’s gift was not just natural. It was a part of her. She is half human, half robot - a cyborg. One day, the prince of New Beijing approaches her to fix his personal android, and Cinder is thrown into a time-sensitive mystery that may very well place the safety of planet Earth in her hands. While working on the android, Cinder discovers secrets about Prince Kai, the Lunar Queen Levana, and herself. She must put the pieces together before it is too late. This is the first novel in the Lunar Chronicles, an intergalactic struggle of good and evil, all resting on the shoulders of Cinder. 

Book Trailer: http://www.marissameyer.com/book/book-one/ 

Discussion Questions: http://www.marissameyer.com/books/discussion-questions/

Related Works: 

1. Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire - Maguire has a knack for stepping into the unseen roles of secondary characters in fairytales. This title pairs well with Cinder, as readers attempt to draw the connections between the story of Cinderella and their respective book. Maguire also penned several other titles in this fashion. 
2. Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce - Pearce weaves extreme violence and fantastical creatures like werewolves nicely into this retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. 

Kim: Top Ten Books I'd Recommend to a Reluctant Reader

TTT is a weekly meme created and run by The Broke and the Bookish

Fiction Picks

1. I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga - Jazz grew up the son of a notorious serial killer and only wants to show people that he is a good kid. As copycat murders begin occurring in Jazz's town, he sets out to aid the police in their investigation and clear the name of his father. The only problem is the more he tries to be less like his father, the more he realizes that he may be just like him... (This is recommended for High School due to: Violence, Blood)

2. Ten by Gretchen McNeil - A modern-day And Then There Were None, McNeil updates this murder mystery with teens and a typical no-parents-around-so-I-have-the-house-to-myself party. Ten teens are invited to a party on a secluded island, and as the party wears on, they begin disappearing one by one. With the ferry unable to come back to the island until a storm passes, it is clear that the murder is one of them. (This is recommended for High School due to: Alcohol)

3. Tap Out by Eric Devine - Tony Antioch, a trailer park resident, dreams of doing something with his life. He finds himself invited to a MMA class and surprisingly liking it. With drugs, poverty, and gang life working against him, Tony may not be able to change his fate, or will he? (This is recommended for High School due to: Blood, Violence, Gangs, Drugs)

4. The Hunt by Andrew Fekuda - Gene is chosen for a once in a lifetime opportunity to hunt the last remaining humans, Gene’s carefully constructed life begins to crumble around him. He’s thrust into the path of a girl who makes him feel things he never thought possible—and into a ruthless pack of hunters whose suspicions about his true nature are growing. Now that Gene has finally found something worth fighting for, his need to survive is stronger than ever—but is it worth the cost of his humanity? (Summary from Amazon) 

5. Darth Vader and Son by Jeffery Brown - Graphic novelist Jeffery Brown brings a lighter side to Stars Wars through this witty and quick read about what the world may have looked like had Darth Vader taken a more active role in the raising of his son, Luke Skywalker. STRATEGY BREAK: Fans of Star Wars, young and not so young, will love this! Create a community experience by using this as a shared text with your middle school or even high school students. Who doesn't love a good cartoon?

Nonfiction Picks

 

 

6. Angry Birds Space: A Furious Flight into the Final Frontier by Amy Briggs - Angry Birds meet Space. Space meet Angry Birds. This clever book sends students through space on a very important mission to save eggs the evil space piggies have stolen. Organized by levels, each section of the book teaches readers about the ins and outs of space, all while trying to complete their mission. Super fun read!

7. Seeing Red: The True Story of Blood by Tanya Lloyd Kyi - What is more gross to read about than blood? And reluctant readers love to read about gruesome things. Seeing Red dives into the symbolism and reality of blood, from its role in ancient sacrifices to its uses in modern medicine and forensics. (excerpted from Amazon)

8. Weird but True! Stupid Criminals: 100 Brainless Baddies Busted by National Geographic - Did you hear the one about the crook who broke into a vending machine and then left a trail of cheese curls all the way to his hideout? Or the burglar who left his wallet in an apartment he robbed, and actually went back to get it? Or how about the runaway criminal who got stuck in a drainpipe? Based on the successful "Stupid Criminals Busted!" column in National Geographic Kids magazine, this book is the newest extension of the blockbuster National Geographic Kids Weird But True franchise. This collection of chuckle-worthy stories about stupid criminals and the ridiculous ways they gave themselves away is illustrated with wacky collage art, and sprinkled with more than 150 weird-but-true facts about crime, including: funny laws; hilarious costumes criminals have worn while robbing banks; animal crimes and midemeanors; strange food crimes; great escapes; and more... (from National Geographic) 

BOOK TALK BREAK: Use this book trailer to promote this excellent book to your young readers!

9. Juvenile in Justice by Richard Ross - Richard Ross introduces his book by saying, "Juvenile In Justice documents the placement and treatment of American juveniles housed by law in facilities that treat, confine, punish, assist and, occasionally, harm them." The book is full of images of children in prison and their stories. They are engaging to read and try to image their day-to-day life - a real eye-opener for my all of my young readers who find themselves connecting with many of the children they are reading about. 

STRATEGY BREAK: For students particularly touched by this book or just interested in learning more about the incarceration of youth, invite them to visit the Juvenile in Justice website. There, they will find many different resources such as maps, statistics, laws, news articles, videos, additional images, and more related to the study done by Ross. Students could gather information and present it to the class as a social awareness project. Very powerful. 

10. The Science of Soldiers by Lucia Raatma - What does it take to be a soldier? Strength and intelligence both play a part, but soldiers need extra help to do their job of defending their country. Enter technology such as satellites, robotics, and computers. Learn all about these forms of technology and the scientific principles behind them. (from Amazon)

SUGGESTION: PAIRED READING - Use The Science of Soldiers and  I am a SEAL Team Six Warrior by Howard Wasdin and Stephen Templin as a paired-reading experience. Emerging and developing readers can focus on comprehension of an informational text and nonfiction text features with The Science of Soldiers, while dormant or active readers can enhance their understanding of military operations with a longer, more complex NF text such as I am a SEAL Team Six Warrior. Both books are powerful introductions to some of our nation's great heroes.

Kim: Hunger Games: Catching Fire Finds

Okay, so who is beyond excited to see the new Hunger Games movie -- Catching Fire -- this Friday? Me, too! And, as I do with all book-inspired theatrical releases, I spend days planning the most perfect outfit to wear to the theatre, just so everyone knows which movie I am there to see. So here goes... some awesome Catching Fire finds. Some are related to the book itself; some are inspired by the book - all are necessary for the most amazing fan experience.

#1 - Riley Multifunction Stainless Steel Watch
The silver and bling shines perfectly, as does the 75th Hunger Games theme of glitz and glam. Additionally, the tick, tock of a watch serves as a warning to all tributes...
Find this Catching Fire Find at Fossil for $115

#2 - Steve Madden Banddit Boots
Battle the Capitol (and anyone trying to cut you in the popcorn line or steal your kickass seats) with these industrial boots. Rumor has it, the tributes wear the same ones...
Find this Catching Fire Find at the Buckle for $169 - Hurry, they are on sale for $135.20 right now!

#3 - LC Lauren Conrad Gold Tone Arrow Studs
No, you cannot bring your bow and arrows to the theatre, but there is no reason you shouldn't show your support for the sport Katniss has reinvigorated! These Lauren Conrad studs have just enough bite with a little glam, perfect for the celebration of the 75th Hunger Games! I think Cinna would totally approve.
Find these Catching Fire Finds at Kohl's for a mere $7 - but don't delay.. it's a sale...

#4 - Mockingjay Leather Wrist Cuff
We all know Katniss hates dressing up; she is more at home in work gear and boots. This movie-inspired wrist cuff adds just enough "outdoorsiness" to your look that I think Katniss, or all of our inner-Katnisses, would feel right at home wearing it.
Find this Catching Fire Find at Hot Topic for $24.50

#5 - Mockingjay Pin
Seriously... you CANNOT go to the movie premier without a Mockingjay Pin. What would Katniss think of you, if you did?? Rally behind our victors with this pin, and remember that "Every Revolution Begins with a Spark".
Find this Catching Fire Find at Hot Topic for $12.50

There you have it! Now, hit the stores and make sure to represent District 12 well. We are counting on you. And as always... May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor...