This school year I will begin a new journey with Davis Middle School in Dublin, Ohio. I am overly excited about the opportunity to co-teach students in 7th grade language arts, something I have always dreamed of doing. I have met multiple times to plan with Katie and Teri, my two co-teachers, and the ideas that have flowed amaze me. In talking, we realized they have workshop routines set up different than I have done in the past, and that is awesome. That just means there will be multiple ideas to use and try, especially if (when) certain ideas don't work as planned. I just wanted to share some of the ideas I'm most excited about, in terms of building a classroom community of readers and writers. These ideas have evolved because of collaborative thinking, and will continue to evolve as we get to know the students. However, here are five ideas that I am initially most excited about.
1. Reader's Graffiti
We were discuss ways in which we could share book recommendations. I shared that in the past I would tape book covers to my door, which recorded my reading life. However, we will be co-teaching between two different classrooms, and to make it feel like one community that was going to be double the work. Then I remember the discussion of a graffiti wall from nErDcampBC. Our plan is to have a decorated area in the hallway to post quotes from books that students and staff are reading. This will be a place all students can go to find their next book to fall in love with reading.
2. Writing Territories
As we were writing our plans for the first two weeks of school, we started talking about students bringing in a "bag of tricks" to share with the class. This will be a great way for students to get to know each other, as they share their interests and passions. A couple minutes later we started about talking about free writing and writing to a prompt, and how students can struggle to get started writing on an idea. Therefore, instead of making the bag a stand alone activity, we decided to make the "bag of tricks" something students will be able to use year round. Students will be decorating their writers notebooks with their passions and interests, instead of bringing them in a bag and forgetting about them a week later. Our hope is that they will be able to refer to these notebooks, year round, to give them inspiration within their writing.
3. Book Talks
Speaking and listening skills are important to focus on, within 7th grade (well any grade for that matter). Therefore, to address these skills it is already planned that students will be doing a book commercial later on in the year. However, I know that many students fear that one day of presenting a book. To help make books an on-going conversation within the classroom we have decided to do one book talk everyday. We plan on doing this as part of the morning warm-up, and it will only last a couple of minutes. The teachers will be in charge of presenting the first month of school, and from there we will have sign up sheet. If no student signs up on a particular day, no worries, I have plenty of books I'm willing to share! After the book talk is shared, the person sharing will record the date, title of the book and their name in the book talk binder. This way students can refer back to the binder, as they are planning their next book to read. All that we're going to require of the book talk is that it stays under five minutes, it's the first book of a series, and no repeat talks.
4. Teacher Genre Chart
This is another idea that stemmed from the book covers on my classroom door. We were discussing the students keeping track of books that they have read on their genre chart. I asked to see a copy, because I was going to do the same for myself. Typically, if I assign something to students, I make sure to do it as well. After all, we are teaching these students to become lifelong readers, so I want to make sure it's something a lifelong reader may use. Therefore, instead of keeping an individual genre chart, we are going to make a giant genre chart. As a teacher finishes reading a book, we will place a picture of the book cover in the correct column of the genre chart. This will be a way to share our reading with students, and to inspire conversations about trends as readers.
5. Listening Station
This idea is still evolving, so any ideas or suggestions you may have would be fantastic! As part of an anchor station during workshop time, students are going to have the opportunity to use a listening station. This will be a place for them to go to listen to each other think deeply about a book. I plan on having my iPad at that station, locked on Evernote, so that students have a way to record. Students will record their conversation and thinking about a book. This will be a way for us to share inspiring conversations with the class and to celebrate those students as readers and thinkers.
As I mentioned previously, these ideas are going to be constantly evolving. Some of them may work great initially, and others may need to be adjusted based on the needs of the students. One thing I am sure of, is that as long as we are communicating and collaborating with our students, we will know how to best adjust for their needs.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Monday, August 5, 2013
It's Monday! What Are You Reading? August 5, 2013
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA!
These
memes were started by Teach Mentor Texts and Book Journeys, to inspire
readers to share books they have read and will be reading. I have
found many of my current reads by following bloggers participating in
It’s Monday! What are you reading? Be sure to check out their sites for
more information on what they are reading, and learn how to
participate.
Last Week’s Favorites:
It's been a busy week, so instead of writing reviews I'm just going give each book a star rating. As usual, ignore the crazy spacing and font. I just can't seem to figure out what blogger is thinking, so I'm just going to go with what it shows (at least until I have the time and patience to understand the crazy formatting).
Title: Turtle in Paradise
Author: Jennifer L. Holm
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Title: Mustache!
Author: Mac Barnett and Kevin Cornell
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Title: Bully
Author: Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Title: I'm Not Reading!
Author: Jonathan Allen
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Title: Pancakes, Pancakes!
Author: Eric Carle
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Title: Wild Awake
Author: Hilary Smith
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Title: Oh, Rats! The Story of Rats and People
Author: Albert Marrin
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Reading Plans for this Week:
Title: Eye of the Storm
Author: Kate Messner
Title: Island: A Story of the Galapagos
Author: Jason Chin
Title: Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade
Author: Melissa Sweet
Title: We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball
Author: Kadir Nelson
Title: The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain
Author: Peter Sis
Title: Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring
Author: Jan Greenberg
Title: The Secret World of Walter Anderson
Author: Hester Bass
Title: The Golem's Mighty Swing
Author: James Sturm
Title: Chains
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Monday, July 29, 2013
It's Monday! What Are You Reading? July 29, 2013
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA!
These
memes were started by Teach Mentor Texts and Book Journeys, to inspire
readers to share books they have read and will be reading. I have
found many of my current reads by following bloggers participating in
It’s Monday! What are you reading? Be sure to check out their sites for
more information on what they are reading, and learn how to
participate.
Last Week’s Favorites:
Title: Counting By 7s
Author: Holly Goldberg Sloan
Review: This is a must read of 2013! Willow Chance has always thought in a way unique to those around her. When she is unsure of herself, in a social situation, she will count by 7s to ease her stress. Her adoptive parents have been a supportive foundation, to her, from the beginning. However, her entire life changes when her parents are killed in a tragic car accident. Instantly, a group of unsuspecting people come together to help Willow find a sense of belonging within her own world again. Despite the hardships that are faced, Willow also helps everyone around her find themselves during this process. For me, this book ranks up there with The Real Boy, Paperboy, Eleanor and Park and Beholding Bee as a 2013 favorite!
Title: Skin
Author: Donna Jo Napoli
Review: I was able to read this book before it's release date of August 6th, thanks to an advanced reader's copy from NetGalley. Sixteen year old Sep wakes up one morning to find her lips are completely white. She quickly discovers she has a skin disease called Vitiligo (same one Michael Jackson had), which makes her skin lose pigmentation in random spots and turn completely white. This is another character that made me furious (I'm noticing a trend with fictional, female teenagers) because of her reaction to many of her friends. However, I am more understanding of the way Sep treated those around her because of the final outcome of the story. This would be a great young adult book to recommend to students, in terms of dealing with beauty only being skin deep.
Title: 999 Frogs Wake Up
Author: Ken Kimura
Illustrator: Yasunari Murakami
Review: It's springtime and time for all the animals to wake up. The baby frog decide to help wake up all the hibernating animals around them, so that they don't miss spring. Unfortunately, they wake up the wrong animal! This would be a great springtime read aloud, especially when studying hibernation or the life cycle.
Title: Penguin on Vacation
Author: Salina Yoon
Review: I loved Penguin and Pinecone, so when I saw this on the library shelf I knew I had to check it out! The life-long, friendships penguin creates with those that are so different from him are such a refreshing read.
Title: Ball
Author/Illustrator: Mary Sullivan
Review: In the words of my two year old, "Doggy book! I love that book!" Ball is the only word in this entire book. However, that is the only thing on the mind of this loveable doggy. The persistence of this dog made me laugh, because he/she reminded me of my mom's Maltese Xena. If you are a dog lover, I highly suggest you check out this book!
Title: When You Reach Me
Author: Rebecca Stead
Review: My husband and boys were having a Back to the Future marathon this weekend, so I decided I needed to find a good book to avoid watching the movies that I have already watched over 50 times. Knowing nothing about this book, aside from everyone telling me how great of a book it is, I picked it up to read during the movie marathon. If you've read this book, you will find the irony in my book selection. If you haven't read this book, go get it! I loved the friendships, family and mystery within this book.
Title: Don't Look Behind You
Author: Lois Duncan
Review: April's family must be relocated by the Witness Protection Program because of her father's testimony in a high profile drug case. I was excited to read this because I am intrigued by anything Witness Protection Program related. However, April made me mad throughout the entire story because of her selfish decisions. There were times I put the book down because I wanted to scream at this girl! All in all, I did end up enjoying the story and the underlying theme of the importance of family.
Reading Plans for this Week:
Title: Twerp
Author: Mark Goldblatt
Title: Turtle in Paradise
Author: Jennifer L. Holm
Title: Rogue
Author: Lyn Miller-Lachmann
Title: Mustache!
Author: Mac Barnett and Kevin Cornell
Title: Henry's Map
Author: David Elliot
Title: Bully
Author: Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Title: I'm Not Reading!
Author: Jonathan Allen
Title: Pancakes, Pancakes!
Author: Eric Carle
Monday, July 22, 2013
It's Monday! What Are You Reading? July 22, 2013
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA!
These
memes were started by Teach Mentor Texts and Book Journeys, to inspire
readers to share books they have read and will be reading. I have
found many of my current reads by following bloggers participating in
It’s Monday! What are you reading? Be sure to check out their sites for
more information on what they are reading, and learn how to
participate.
Last Week’s Favorites:
Title: Every Day After
Author: Laura Golden
Review: Lizzie Hawkins lives to make her father proud, by never giving up. However, the Great Depression has brought hard times to the Hawkins family, and Lizzie's father leaves. Lizzie must learn how to cope with him being gone, but most of all she must learn how to count on those around her to help her through a difficult situation. This is a book I will be adding to my classroom library. A story filled with strength, disappointments, determination and coming to know one's self.
Title: The Sasquatch Escape
Author: Suzanne Selfors
Illustrator: Dan Santat
Review: I loved the imagination and friendship that was developed throughout this story. Ben Silverstein is sent to the town of Buttonville, for the summer, so his parents can work out some issues. Ben becomes friends with the town trouble maker, and is instantly immersed into a summer of adventure. Together these two must work together to find an escaped Sasquatch, while also keeping this secret from the rest of the nosy town's people.
Title: Star Wars: Jedi Academy
Author: Jeffrey Brown
Review: This is set to be released August 27th, and I have already ordered a copy for my classroom. Check out the review I wrote, about this book, last week.
Title: The Hypnotists: Book 1
Author: Gordon Korman
Review: Thanks to an eARC from NetGalley, I was able to read this book before it's release date on July 30. Be sure to check out my review.
Title: Backstage Cat
Author: Harriet Ziefert
Illustrator: Jenni Desmond
Review: Simon, the backstage cat, must stay backstage while his owner performs for the Opera. However, one day he escapes and refuses to listen to anyone, no matter how desperate they try to plead with him. This story is a new take on the typical cat in the tree story. No matter how great of intentions the humans have, the cat keeps climbing higher and higher. If you are a cat lover, this is a perfect book for you! Not to mention the illustrations are beyond amazing!
Title: Snippet: The Early Riser
Author: Bethanie Deeney Murguia
Review: My kids LOVED this book! If you have taken your kids to see Turbo (mine have only seen the previews), you need to read this book to them. Snippet is an early riser, but his parents are not. He tries to think of creative ways to help wake them up. If you have young children, I'm sure you might appreciate this book more than they do. ;-)
Title: Sea Monster and the Bossy Fish
Author: Kate Messner
Illustrator: Andy Rash
Review: Bullying can happen anywhere, even in a school of fish. Sea monster is starting at a new school. After being bossed around by a fish, he decides to start a club where everyone is invited. This story is a great reminder that no one likes a bossy fish.
Title: Imagine
Author and Illustrator : Bart Vivian
Review: Simple language and beautiful illustrations. Readers are encouraged to imagine simple, everyday things becoming something more creative and beautiful. I plan on reading this books with students to help encourage their creativity.
Title: Savvy
Author: Ingrid Law
Review: Mississippi Beaumont is turning thirteen years old, and is anxiously awaiting to learn what her new savvy will be. However, her father is in a horrible crash just days before her birthday, and things don't turn out as planned. I couldn't put down this story full of hope and friendship. As readers, we are reminded that people are not always what they seem on the outside. Each of us have voices from past experiencing guiding who we are as people. I would recommend reading A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff, if you enjoyed Savvy.
Title: Fallout
Author: Todd Strasser
Review: I happened upon this book on NetGalley (to be released Sept. 10) and was hooked within the first chapter! What would have happened if the Cuban Missile Crisis hadn't been prevented? Not knowing much about this time period, I was intrigued by the angst felt within all households at this time. How do you prepare for the incomprehensible? Todd Strasser does a fantastic job describing what almost happened!
Title: Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library
Author: Chris Grabenstein
Review: I have heard nothing but amazing things about this story, from my Twitter friends. As always, their reviews did not let me down! Twelve twelve year olds are selected stay at a lock-in to celebrate the opening of Alexandriaville's new library. However, to escape the library they find a solve a series of clues. Mr. Lemoncello's Library reaffirms what a love of reading can do for someone. The language was similar to that of the Phantom Tollbooth, and the adventure reminded me of Willy Wonka (just replace the candy with books). I can't wait to read this with my students!
Reading Plans for this Week: (Excuse the crazy formatting - no matter what I do, the font is HUGE!)
Title: Counting By 7s
Author: Holly Goldberg Sloan
Title: Twerp
Author: Mark Goldblatt
Title: Skin
Author: Donna Jo Napoli
Title: 999 Frogs Wake Up
Author: Ken Kimura
Illustrator: Yasunari Murakami
Title: Penguin on Vacation
Author: Salina Yoon
Title: Ball
Author/Illustrator: Mary Sullivan
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)