CIVIL RIGHTS MINI-UNIT

Civil Rights Mini-Unit
(A prep for Dr. Martin Luther King’s, “I Have a Dream” speech, which is another unit all of its own)
Grade 8 – Based on class periods 48 minutes long


Standards to be Addressed

English Language Arts:

EL.08.RE.17 Identify and summarize sequence of events, main ideas, and facts.
EL.08.RE.18 Clarify understanding of informational texts by creating summaries.
EL.08.RE.24 Compare and Contrast information on the same topic after reading several passages or articles.
E.L.08.WR.17 Use correct spelling conventions.
E.L.08.WR.20 Demonstrate appropriate English usage.
EL.08.WR.21 Use conventions of punctuation correctly, including commas, hyphens, dashes, and semicolons.
EL.08.WR.22 Use correct capitalization
EL.08.WR.32 Plan and conduct multiple-step information searches by using computer networks.
EL.08.WR.33 Analyze the validity and reliability of primary and secondary sources, and use the information appropriately.

Educational Technology

ET.3.B. Locate, organize and use information ethically from a variety of sources and media.
ET.3.C Evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.
ET.3.D. Analyze, evaluate, and summarize information

Prior Education

*The following mini-unit used after students have had experience and lessons with Publisher and the Internet Survey. Prior lessons would already have shown students how to use search engines and how to find credible/reliable sources. This mini-unit only enhances the skill.

The Lessons


Day 1
Lesson 1 – Part 1(In the computer lab if possible)

1. KWL +Discussion

*Teacher will distribute a KWL worksheet to each child. (What you Know, what you Want to know, and what you Learned – see attached at the bottom of the lesson plan for a sample KWL worksheet)

*On the board, the teacher will write “Civil Rights/Martin Luther King”. I put in Martin Luther King to give them a hint of the time period.

*Ask the students to write down what they know or want to know about the topic in the
appropriate columns.

*Allow them to brainstorm on the KWL for 4-5 minutes.

2. Define Civil Rights

*After students have finished the KWL, the teacher will start the discussion about what each child knows or wants to know. Students will participate by raising their hands.

*After the discussion, define Civil Rights and explain with brief statements, when, why, and what was exactly going on during the Civil Rights.

3. Directions of Assignment

*After defining Civil Rights, hand each child the handout with the directions for a short biography summary assignment. (Handout is attached at the end of the lesson plan)

*Discuss the directions and answer any questions or concerns.

4. Hand Each Student a Name

* The first step in starting the Civil Rights assignment is to hand each student a strip of paper of a name from a victim of the Civil Rights Movement. Also, make sure to keep track of which student has each victim. It will come in handy later on in the mini-unit.
~ (The teacher, prior to the lesson, made strips of paper with a victim’s name.)The teacher will use this website to find the names: http://www.splcenter.org/civil-rights-memorial/civil-rights-martyrs

*Once students have victim’s name, have them take their web-site surveys out and look for information and biographies about their victim. Remember, they can only use internet sources.
Link to internet survey: http://www.bcps.org/offices/lis/models/biog/credib.html.
You will also find an introductory lesson plan for using it.

*The rest of the period is for researching. They need to use at least 3 different reliable sources to find information.


Day 2
Lesson 1 – Part 2

In the computer lab:

*Allow students research time for the whole class period.

*Remind them to fill out their survey for the sites they use. This will be an evaluation tool for you as well as them.

*If they finish their research early, they can start working on their posters.


Day 3
Lesson 2 – Part 1

In the computer lab:

*Review different parts of how to use Publisher. Remember they should have had training prior to this mini-unit. Answer any questions. (10 minutes)

*Allow the rest of the period for students to make and create their posters.

Day 4
Lesson 2 – Part 2

In the computer lab:

*Review different parts of how to use Publisher. Also, address any concerns about students’ work.

*Review the directions and requirements handout, for the next day the poster is due.

*This will be the last day to work in the computer lab.

*Allow the students to work for the rest of the period.

*If there is time when students are finishing up, have students peer edit for grammar and content (does the biography make sense?)


Day 5 – Lesson 3

In the classroom:

*As students walk into the classroom, hand them piece of tape and tell them to post their posters around the room and then sit down. Students will post their posters on the wall around the entire room. You can post them to the wall with painters tape or regular tape – which ever you choose.

*Once students have posted the posters around the room, give students a different victim’s name than the one they did their poster on. The teacher can either give them a strip of paper with a name on it, or simply call out a name.
~Obviously, this will be tough to do randomly, so the teacher will have to make up a list of students names and the name of the different victim that each student will receive ahead of time.

*As soon as the students have their strip of paper or know the name of their victim, they can go and find the poster and bring it to their desk.

*After everyone has found their person, they must read the short biography silently.

*Next, tell the students that the next part of the lesson must be silent except for the student who is reading the short biography to the class.

*Every student will stand up at his or her desk, read the short biography, show the picture of the victim, and sit down.

*As soon as a student sits down, the next student stands up and repeats the process.

*This process will repeat until every student has read.

*The next step is to have a very short discussion about similarities and differences between the victims’ biographies.

*Have students turn in the posters and the internet surveys at the end of the period.

Assessment
Day 6

*The next day, have each student take out their KWL worksheet and fill in the L portion. This should only take 5- 10 minutes. After they have finished the KWL, have each student turn his or hers in. This will assess what they have learned in the last 5 days.

*Teachers will also have the posters to assess correct information, correct use of spelling and grammar, and be able to summarize and incorporate important information. Teachers also have the internet survey which allows them to see if students really understand what sources are reliable and not reliable. The survey also allows the students to apply the other Educational technology standards.

* Teachers will be able to see if students can compare and contrast information through the discussion that will occur on the last day of the mini-unit.





Those We Have Lost
Civil Rights Poster Project

Directions:

You will create a biographical poster about your selected victim from the Civil Right Movement in the United States. This poster should inform your viewers and readers a short synopsis of this person’s life.

Requirements

Each poster should include:

• The victim’s name as the title
• The victim’s picture
• A short biography (a summary) of the victim’s life
• Color
• Your name on the back
• Font that is readable – use color, size, and writing style that you can read!
• Internet survey – you will hand this in separately

The Short Biography:

• Think about some of the following questions:
~Where was he or she born?
~Where did he or she live?
~Did this person go to school?
~How far did this person go in school?
~What was his or her occupation?
~What type of person was he or she?
~Did he or she have a family?
~Who were some important people in the family?
~Who were some important people in his or her life?
~How did he or she die?
You do not have to answer all of these questions, but most are going to be very useful in your summary of his or her life.

• You must research this person only using internet sources.
• You must use at least 3 sources! But, you can use more!
• You MUST include your internet survey for each source you used!
• Conventions (Spelling, grammar, etc.) will all be evaluated. You are expected to still have high quality writing – just like in an essay!

Date due: __________________________________________________________



Reflection

I have attempted this mini-lesson before, but without the use of the internet. Last year my students filled out the KWL chart and then discussed. I also gave them a list of victims and we had a great discussion. However, I was the one who did all of the work. That is why I chose to do this topic for my mini-unit; I really wanted to make the lessons covering this topic better for the students and give them more of an opportunity to take involvement in their own education. I don’t usually do a lot of technology based assignments or use the internet in many of assignments in my classroom, so I felt like this would be a perfect place to put it to work!
Now that I have added the web sources and enhanced this lesson with other creative ideas, I am not the only one doing the work to learn. The students are being active participants in their own education. They are also improving and enhancing their summarizing, grammar, spelling, and technology skills, as well as learning about important history.
In terms of just technology, the students have a chance to improve their site searching skills, while looking for valid information. These skills are not just helping them learn the topic, but also helping them be life long learners in the process. I know I am teaching them to be more comfortable with the internet and be able to find reliable information on their own in the future.

WEB RESOURCE LIST

Part I:

I found three different evaluation tools for assessing the quality of websites. I felt that all of them were pretty similar (including the ones I did not choose as I was searching for the perfect one). However, the one I chose to use was already written in “kid friendly” language and it could be something I could use right away. It also was part of an entire lesson plan which I plan to incorporate into my classroom next year. It also has great simple questions that really evaluates how credible and reliable each source is, while also allowing students to think deeply. Below, you will find a copy of the survey.
The evaluation tool is titled, “Information Reliability Survey” and I found it on this website: http://www.bcps.org/offices/lis/models/biog/credib.html. On this website you will also find the lesson plan that it is part of. The reliability survey consists of ten question and therefore worth ten points. Each question received one point if it was an answer that counted toward the best quality of the website. If the question did not pertain to the website I was using, I simply wrote “N/A” and gave it one point. All of my websites received a score of nine or better, but if it received a six I would not have passed it; this would have meant that it is just too questionable of a website.
After using this survey I would definitely make a spot for my students to right down how many points they gave each question and what the total score was. Other than that I think it is completely appropriate for eighth grade, especially after the lesson we would have had before receiving the survey to do independently.


Web Resource List

Professional Sites and Lesson Plans

American Library Association. 2010. Retrieved July 3, 2010 from American Library Association: http://www.ala.org/

This site is targeted toward librarians, but a Language Arts teacher can find it very valuable for it has sites regarding reading. For instance, it has the top award winning book titles through different organizations, as well as lists of books that have been challenged.
*Passed Evaluation = This is a quality source! Score = 10/10


National Council of Teachers of English. 2010. Lesson Plans. Retrieved July 1, 2010 from National Council of Teachers of English: http://www.ncte.org/lessons

This site allows English teachers to access all sorts of information regarding Language Arts, teaching, and the classroom. The specific place this link will take one to is a list of lesson plans. There are many great ideas and the lessons can be put to use as soon as the teacher needs them.
*Passed Evaluation = This is a quality source! Score = 10/10

Oregon Department of Education. 2010. Teacher of Language Arts – Curriculum and Instruction. Retrieved July 1, 2010 from Oregon Department of Education: http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=1617

This allows to teachers of Language Arts (but other teachers of different subjects may find it useful as well) to access lesson plans for the Language Arts classroom. Among the different Language Arts subjects, writing lessons were abundant. There are a lot of great ideas that can be put right to work in the teacher’s classroom that day or the very next day!
*Passed Evaluation – This is a quality source! Score =10/10

US Department of Education. Retrieved July 1, 2010 from US Department of Education: http://www.ed.gov/

I definitely think that every teacher can use this site for their professional life. This site gives information about state requirements, standard, what is happening in the news, etc. It is a very helpful site for teachers and something I can use throughout my professional career.
*Passed Evaluation – This is a quality source! Score = 10/10

Audio/Video/Interactive

Audiobooks.org. 2010. Retrieved July1, 2010 from Audiobooks.org: http://audiobooks.org/

This site allows a teacher to access free complete samples of audio stories she and her class may be reading in the classroom. One that I will find very useful is the “Monkey’s Paw”. We read this story in grade 8 each year and it would be fun to have someone else read it aloud to them.
*Passed Evaluation – This is a quality source! Score = 9.5/10

Language Arts: Go Grammar. Retrieved July 1, 2010 from:
http://classroom.jc-schools.net/basic/la-grammar.html

This site allows students to play interactive educational games. This would work great in a computer lab when a student has finished his or her work. A teacher could also use some of the examples to create her own game for in the classroom.
*Passed Evaluation – This is a quality source! Score = 9.5/10

LearnOutLoud, Inc. 2010. Short Stories: Free Audio and Video. Retrieved July 2, 2010 from LearnOutLoud, Inc.: http://www.learnoutloud.com/Free-Audio-Video/Literature/Short-Stories#play35446

This site has many popular audio novels/books/short stories available for free. One of the stories that I use frequently in class is The Tell-Tale Hear by Edgar Allan Poe. It has The Works of Edgar Allan Poe available, so I could pull out a few more stories to have the kids listen to in my class. They really enjoy listening to stories read by someone else from time to time. This site is incredible and will be very helpful when I am teaching different stories!
*Passed Evaluation – This is a quality source! Score = 10/10

Storynory. Fairytales. Retrieved July 2, 2010 from Storynory: http://storynory.com/archives/fairy-tales/

This site allows a teacher to use audio for different stories he or she may use in a class. In my classroom, I have used Little Red Riding Hood and Cinderella as part of different units. They usually are the base for what I am going to be building on.
*Passed Evaluation – This is quality source! Score = 10/10

Zuitube:Videos For Kids. 2009. Grammar. Retrieved July 1, 2010 from http://video.kidzui.com/channels/Grammar

This cool site can be used by students or teachers. If a student might be struggling with a particular part of grammar, I can recommend this site to the student to help him or her out. I can also show some of these in my classroom through our video streaming cart as part of a lesson plan!
*Passed Evaluation – This is a quality source! Score = 9/10


Curriculum Based

Lois Lowry. 2002. Biography. Retrieved from LoisLowry.com: http://www.loislowry.com/index.html

One important novel I teach in my 8th grade Language Arts class is The Giver by Lois Lowery. Usually in class we just talk about her, but I think it would be cool for the students to write her an email and read her biography on her own website. They are always filled with questions after they read The Giver. I think this would come in very useful.
*Passed Evaluation – This is a quality source! Score = 9/10

Reading Rockets. (2008). Classroom Strategies. Retrieved July 3, 2010, from Reading Rockets: http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies

This site lists classroom strategies for enhancing literacy in the classroom. The site has it listed by a particular strategy and it also tells you when this particular strategy should be used (before reading, during reading, after reading). When you click on the strategy you would like to try, it will take you to an explanation of that strategy and how to use it. Many examples are included for multiple subject areas. I really would like to access more ideas for my struggling readers. This site would really help me do this!
*Passed Evaluation – This is a quality source! Score = 10/10

Teaching Tolerance. Classroom Activities. Retrieved from The Southern Poverty Law Center: http://www.tolerance.org/activities

This is an incredible site that I can use with my Civil Rights unit in grade 8. There are so many different lesson plans that really go in depth and make students think why tolerance is so important. It is a great source that also includes links to other credited sources through the website and listed lesson plans.
*Passed Evaluation – This is a quality source! Score = 9/10

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Education. Retrieved July 2, 2010 from United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: http://www.ushmm.org/education/

In the 8th grade we read The Diary of a Young Girl: Anne Frank. We also look pretty closely at the Holocaust and we explore what happened during World War II. This site is a great site for teachers to understand how delicate the subject matter is and it gives many ideas, lessons, and sources to use. This will be very handy during my Holocaust unit.
*Passed Evaluation – This is a quality source! Score = 9/10


Search Engines

Bing. 2010. Retrieved from Microsoft: http://www.bing.com/?scope=web&mkt=en-US&FORM=BWFD

I had never used Bing before, but have seen commercials and it was promoted on other teachers’ websites. It was very helpful and it helped me search a little deeper than just Google. I would suggest this to my students just so that they could branch out there and use other search engines than just Google. It would also help them to remember the difference between a search engine and a website!
*Passed Evaluation! This is a quality source! Score = 10/10


Dogpile. 2010. Retrieved from Infospace, Inc.: http://www.dogpile.com/

I had never heard of this search engine before, nor had I ever used it! I actually searched through another search engine to find it. I found it very helpful and a lot like Google and Bing. It will also give another option for my students to try another search engine on the computer. I think they will also like the name. 

Text Set: The Holocaust

I decided to focus on the Holocaust for my text set. Every year I teach The Diary of a Young Girl: Anne Frank and I realized I really could do a lot more with this unit. Each year I do recommend different books to go along with the reading of Anne's diary, but I know I could do so much more.

This text set has really open my eyes to what is out there in terms of books/novels centered around this time period. Some of the texts I included are:


Boas, Jacob. (1995). We Are Witnesses: Five Diaries of Teenagers Who Died in the Holocaust. New York: Square Fish.

A collection of five diaries written by teenagers during the Holocaust. All of these young adults passed away during this tragic time in history, living in different parts of Europe. Anne Frank is also included in this collection.


Lobel, Anita. (1998). No Pretty Pictures: A Child of War. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
This is a memoir of Lobel’s story of surviving the Holocaust. She tells of being a young Jewish child and all of the horrible things she had to endure (hiding, marches, camps, etc.) The story is written in a first person, child’s viewpoint.


Schloss, Eva, and Barbara Powers. (2008). The Promise. New York: Penguin Group.
Eva grew up in Austria, but she and her family had to flee the country when Nazis took over. The story tells of hiding, concentration camps, and other tragic events that she and her family had to endure. Eva is the step-daughter of Otto Frank.


Zullo, Allan, and Mara Bovsun. (2004). Survivors: True Stories of Children in the Holocaust. New York, New York: Scholastic Inc.
Nine children have given testimony to what happened to them in the Holocaust. All of them have different stories to tell and describe. However, they did survive despite everything they had been through and it will inspire those who read their stories.

Melinikoff, Pamela, and Jewish Publication Society of America. (2001). Prisoner in Time. Jewish Publication Society.

Jan is 12 and in hiding from the Nazis. He eventually finds an amulet that takes him back in time to the 16th century where helps a famous Rabbi solve problems involving other Jews in the 16th century.

Polak, Monique. (2008). What World is Left. New york: Orca Inc.
In Holland, Anneke’s life changes when the Nazis invade. She and her family are taken to Theresienstadt, a concentration camp. Here the conditions are harsh and the story tells of her struggles in this camp.

These are seriously just a few non-fiction and fiction books that I added to my text set. Some of my plans for implementing them next year are to assign each student a book of his or her choice and have them read it and add to the reading log.

I would also like to start literature circles. However, that might not be for a while due to a lot of budget cuts and an over all lack of money...but I plan to find a way to do it!

The possibilities are really endless when it comes to this set of texts. I am truly glad this was one of our projects! It is going to be so useful for my students and for myself!

Freedom Wrters Diary : Junior and Senior Year!

Oh my goodness...where do I even begin?! Again, there are so many insightful and heartfelt testimonies in this diary. It truly is amazing how Erin Gruwell helped these teenagers who no one thought would make anything of themselves due to their environment, families, life styles, and stereotypes.

One part of this section of the book that I have to touch on is from Diary 57, p. 119-120. This student describes a "pep talk" Erin gave him after he had given himself an "F" in her class. She is pretty upset with this student and decided to tell him what it actually stands for. We all know what she said it stood for. I was pretty shocked that she said these exact words to the student, but I have to remember that each student is different and I have never walked in her shoes and tried to teach students who are living in the situations presented in this diary. However, that is not even the part that is interesting to me; the part that was truly interesting to me was the student's reaction. He starts out his diary by saying:

"Today I finally grasped the true meaning of self-reliance." After he has described what Erin told him he says, "No one in my life has ever given me facts so boldly. I never had a "pep talk" quite like this...what she showed me today is that a truly self reliant person takes action, leaving nothing to chance and everything to themselves. She showed me that excuses will not bring me about success and that adversity is not something you walk with, but something you leap over. The only obstacles are the ones you allow...I want to be a self-reliant person now and forever."

I was completely amazed by his reaction and what he learned from Erin. Although I can't see myself ever saying such words quite like she did to this student, it does inspire me to really make connections with my students and be real with them. This is what Erin did and she did get through to him. She told him what he needed to hear!

Another part that I must comment on is from Diary 85, p. 169-170. This part describes what a student saw and heard at the Holocaust Museum. As all of you know I do a unit on the Holocaust in my room and I think I am going to have to use this quote that the student had seen and wrote in the diary:

"They came for the trade unions, but I was not a trade unionist, so I didn't respond. Then they came for the Socialist, but I was not a Socialist, so I didn't respond. Then they came for the Jews and since I was not a Jew, I didn't respond. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me."

I teach every year that maybe a lot of the Holocaust could have been stopped if only people would have spoke up and refused to be silent. This quote really ties in with that! In fact, I could even share what this student said after reading this quote on a wall.

She says, "On our way back to the hotel, I saw Swastikas that we had covered. Before, if I saw something bad happen, I probably wouldn't have done anything. I used to think, 'If it doesn't affect me, why bother?' With the covering of the swastikas, and everything that happened today, I now know that there is not a day that will go by, when if I believe something is wrong, I won't do anything about it. It is better to take a chance and make a change, than it is to pass and pity."

Oh how I wish I had a chance for my students to go the Holocaust Museum. But, maybe I should look into it...Erin Gruwell probably would. ;) But, how unbelievably inspired is this student due to what she has read, seen, and heard?!

There are so many testimonies that I could touch on, but I think that it is essential that we do realize that these students did make the decision on their own to graduate in the end and that Erin was truly the inspiring instrument that they needed as guidance along the way. This book was fabulous, inspiring, and very motivational for teachers. I think that it could be very inspirational to other students as well. However, I would be careful about recommending it to certain age groups due to language, sexual references, and violence. I really wouldn't hesitate recommending it to high school students, but I would caution with some 8th grade students.

Fabulous! Fabulous Book!

Visualizing

After reading Chapter 8 in our text book, I realize I really do not do a whole lot of visualizing activities in my classroom.

As I have mentioned before I am doing a unit on poetry for the rest of the school year: Does anyone have any suggestions for a poem that I could use in my classroom to help with visualizing?

As far as trying to get our young readers to use their imaginations and visualize, I think that using an excerpt from Harry Potter or a book of that type where you must use your imagination in a make believe world might get their attention! Any other ideas on this matter? Any other recommended books?

Science Fiction and Fantasy...Why are they so popular??

Okay...I am going to admit it...please don't judge me or hold this against me...but I did read the entire Twilight Series in a week and a half!! I know...you probably think I am crazy right about now... It was even in the middle of last school year. I honestly couldn't put it down! The way that Stephanie Meyers writes her stories is intriguing and you want to keep reading...it was very hard to put the books down. And, not only is it intriguing because of the forbidden love story, but it also involves vampires! And who isn't a little bit curious about vampires?? :)

I think our young adolescents love this genre because it is an escape from reality. At least, I know for me it is. In this genre everything is possible and there are no limits. In a world where there are so many rules and regulations and so forth, it is always nice to be able to venture out and just pretend sometimes without anybody telling you that something isn't possible and your imagination is allowed to run wild! When it comes down to it: It's just fun! :)

What do you all think??

P.S. Twilight - loved the books, hated the movies. I walked out of the theater in the middle of the first movie! The books were so much better; they usaully are better!

Freedom Writers Diary: Thoughts up to Junior Year!

I knew this book was going to be amazing.

There are so many parts I could talk about and discuss!. The whole time I am reading this with teacher eyes and my heart just cries for these students; they are all so young and have been through so many things that I have and probably never will go through in life.

A story that sticks out to me still is about the young 14/15 year old girl who was joining a sorority in high school. The things these girls would be put through so that they felt they would "fit in" with others, was unbelievable. It is so tragic that young people will do almost anything to fit in, even if they know it is not right. The collection of diaries are from the 90's, but it has not changed today. The need to fit in in every where and very real for preteens and teens today.

I absolutely loved the poem, "Moment" by Vincent Guilliano. It says so much about life and truly living. I really want to share this with my 8th grade class (we're in the middle of a poetry unit right now) and I think many of my students will really appreciate it.

Just like this poem that Erin Gruwell shared with her classes, she had so many fantastic ideas when it came to teaching in her classroom. It is really inspiring to me to bring apple cider into the classroom and make a toast for change or for inspiring goals at the end of each year! I also loved hearing how she would dress up. So many of us that teacher the middle/upper level forget that students still appreciate little things like that! Right now I am thinking, What could I dress up like this week? She also always found novels/books/literature that her class could relate with. This is so very important when teaching reluctant readers and teenage students; they always enjoy reading books that reminds them about things they know in each of their own lives.

I also definitely am interested in reading Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Sarajevo. I have not read it, but I have a feeling students could really relate to this diary. I will have to read it and find out!

Sounds like Freedom Writers!

Amanda will not have access to My Own Two Feet until June in her library! So, unless, anyone else does not like the idea of Freedom Writers, I say let's read it!! :)

My Own Two Feet Vs. Freedom Writers...

Sounds to me like most of us are up for anything and one of us really wants to read My Own Two Feet.

So, is anyone opposed to reading My Own Two Feet?

If no one is opposed to reading it, then I would love to read My Own Two Feet!

Orchid: I can't get on your blog! Is there a reason why? Do I have to do something special?

To My Book Group:

What would you all like to read? Do you want to read the Freedom Writer's Diary or do you have something else in mind? I am up for anything! :)

Read Alouds

This is one of my three READ classes that I have taken this year. Last term I was taking a READ class and read many books for teachers to help students with reading. One of the books I chose to read was When Kids Can't Read by Kyleen Beers. If you have never read it, I definitely recommend reading it. It gives you so many different strategies to help students with reading skills and it is a very easy book to flow through.

Among all of the reading strategies listed in this book was the think aloud strategy. I immediately put the strategy to work. There are so many ways that you can use think alouds in your classroom; the basic think aloud I did was during our reading of The Outsiders this year. I simply had three items on the back board during the entire reading of the book: questions, responses, and predictions. Students would start discussions after each chapter by simply asking a question, making a comment about a certain section of the book, or they could even predict what they think would happen later on or what they think a character really meant when he or she said something somewhat ambiguous. It was great! The kids really enjoyed it! I would make sure to call on everyone, as well as the students who always volunteered to share their thoughts.

These think aloud times after each chapter really allowed all of my students to speak, think, and get involved with the book. It was neat to see somewhat of a book club forming. I also think this worked so well because my classes this trimester are fantastic (great mix of students)and The Outsiders is just an amazing book. Students usually seem to connect with it whether they want to or not.

I am most anxious to make my think alouds even better next year by having more options for thinking aloud and maybe even having more activities...like maybe adding the fishbowl activity! :)

Historical Fiction: Daniel's Story by Carol Matas

To start off, I really can't believe that I had never picked up this book before! It is an amazing book set during the Holocaust. It is really hard to believe that it is about a fictional character because the setting and the actual events are completely true and actually come from different tellings of different victims of the Holocaust.

Daniel's Story is set during World War II, during the Holocaust. Daniel is a German Jew and he tells his story of losing his family, friends, and freedom during the Holocaust. He begins his story in Germany, then to Poland in the Lodz Ghetto, then to Auschwitz Concentration Camp, and then finally to Buchenwald Labor Camp. Throughout his story he tells of the happenings around him. He tells of murder, starvation, and beatings. A scene that can't be forgotten is when his two cousins are being transported from the Lodz Ghetto to an unknown destination. His aunt tries to go after them because she does not want to leave her children. The Nazi guard does not allow her to do so, but she does not listen and screams, cries, and runs after her children. The Nazi guard then shoots both of her children and then her. Completely horrific! And one could say that it is only fiction, but it is not. There are many true testimonies that account for stories such as this one during this terrible time in history.

There are many other horrible truths that this book shares (which includes a Nazi breaking a child's back and shooting a child in each of his legs and then killing him because he was missing places on the sidewalk he was trying to clean). These are some of the scenes I would be leery of when reading this book with kids, but I do think that 8th grade students in my classroom could handle it.

Carol Matas does a fantastic job of explaining what certain terms are, while staying on track with the story that is being told. I found myself many times thinking that this would be a good choice to teach along side The Diary of a Young Girl: Anne Frank because it talks about so many facts about the Holocaust that we discuss as an 8th grade class (i.e. life in the ghettos, rations for Jews, simple liberties that were taken away, concentration camps, crematoria, etc.) Along with these facts, though, there is a lot of heart and human soul to it. My students would also benefit from connecting with a soul, fictional or non-fictional, telling true accounts of things that really happened during this time. In fact, I think I am going to look into trying to buy at least 25 copies for my classroom for next year during this unit.

If you have not read this book, I would definitely take the time to read it! It would be a great book to recommend to your student who is a reluctant reader (it is pretty easy to read)and especially if you study a little bit about the Holocaust or World War II.

My Thoughts About Picture Books for Young Adults

I actually was very aware that books, such as the ones I read this week, were out there. I just have never really taken the time to explore this area as much as I am right now. I am very glad that I am getting the opportunity to take this class and broadening my horizons for my students and for myself.

I actually had to go to our public library in our little town because our middle school library didn't carry any of the books I was looking for. But, good new; our librarian told me that we still have some funds left for next year and I just need to tell her titles to order so that we can carry more books of this type and others! I am pretty excited about all of this!

I know that I could easily use every book I read this week in my curriculum and on the text set I am building. I really want to be able to give my students a wide variety of material covering World War II. Now, of course, I do not go into great detail about everything during World War II, but we do brush on major happenings (Hiroshima, Japanese internment camps, Pear Harbor, concentration camps, etc.) A lot of students become very interested in this part of history and each year they check out books like crazy from our library to learn more about "what really happened" during this time period.

While I was reading each book, I was constantly thinking, "How am I going to get my students to buy into picture books?" Well, I think I came up with a few ideas. But, my best idea is to type one of the stories up so that it looks like the format they are accustomed to reading in junior high. After reading it as a class and discussing it, I am going to surprise them by pulling out the actual picture book. I really want to see their reactions! I then want to talk about what their initial responses were to picture books before reading the story and then what their responses were after they realized the story was a picture book. This really will give a great opportunity to show students what picture books really can offer them.

I really found the information about using picture books with young adults helpful. Again, I was very aware of such ideas because of different workshops, seminars, and etc. that I have gone to in the past five years, but now it is nice to get to take the time to explore all of the options available to student and teachers. It is nice to be able to discuss it with others in this class as well.

Picture Books for the Young Adult Reader

My topic and focus area for the text set that I am building is based around World War II (all aspects) and the Holocaust. (I teach The Diary of a Young Girl: Anne Frank each year in the 8th grade.)I thought it very important to be able to be knowledgeable of a wide variety of books available for this broad topic. And, of course, I would like to be able to share more stories and history with my students in the classroom.

The four picture books I chose to read this week are:

1. Let the Celebrations Begin! by Margaret Wild and Julie Vivas
2. Faithful Elephants by Yukio Tsuchiya
3. War and the Pity of War edited by Neil Philip
4. Hiroshima No Pika by Toshi Maruki

Let the Celebrations Begin!
This story is set in a concentration camp at the end of the Nazi reign. Throughout the whole story a young girl speaks of the toys every child will have after the war is over and they are all saved. They also speak of the types of food they will all eat once everyone is saved. This book screams hope; even though this was a very dark time in history.

Faithful Elephants
This story is set in Tokyo at the Ueno Zoo during World War II. A zoo keeper tells about a monument for animals who have died at the zoo; this particular day he tells of the story about three elephants named John, Tonky, and Wanly. These three elephants were killed - starved to death because no other way would work - so that if the zoo was bombed the animals would not run wild and cause more destruction and chaos. This book was truly sad; it almost made me shed a few tears when I read of the starvation these animals had to go through. But, the book does make a point in the end about war and the despair that war brings to us all.

Hiroshima No Pika
This story follows a family who were victims of the bombing of Hiroshma in World War II. It really gets at the heart of the struggle and the pain these families went through just to survive. This family does somewhat survive, but not without consequences; many were condemned to be ill for the rest of their lives due to the radiation. This story also has very interesting illustrations; they are definitely for young adult readers and were more sophisticated in my opinion.

War and the Pity of War
This book contains a collection of many poems about every war you can pretty much think of. There are few picture (but there are some)but the poems are very well written and any student can find at least one that he or she can understand. Here is an example of one of the poems from the book that I think I will definitely share with my students next year:

The House That Fear Built: Warsaw, 1943 by Jane Flanders

I am the boy with his hands raised over his head in Warsaw.

I am the solider whose rifle is trained on the boy with his hands raised over his head in Warsaw.

I am the woman with lowered gaze
who fears the solider whose rifle is trained
on the boy with his hands raised over his head
in Warsaw.

I am the overcoat
who loves the woman with lowered gaze
who fears the solider whose rifle is trained
on the boy with his hands raised over his head
in Warsaw.

I am the stranger who photographs
the man in the overcoat
who loves the woman with lowered gaze
who fears the solider whose rifle is trained
on the boy with his hands raised over his head
in Warsaw.

The crowd, of which I am each part, moves on
beneath my window, for I am the crone too
who shakes her sheets
over every street in the world
muttering
What's this? What's this?

I believe this poem (after having discussed the Holocaust already in class) will be a great source of discussion and perhaps spark other students to write poetry themselves over this topic. I really enjoyed reading a lot of these poems in this book.

An Amazing Graphic Novel

One graphic novel that I advise kids to read on their own every year is called Maus by Art Spiegelman. It is a true account of a victim's life during the Holocaust. (We study the Holocaust with Anne Frank's diary each year in the 8th grade.)

Some of you out there, I know what you're thinking: How can you make a graphic novel about something serious? I myself had my doubts! I hate comics; I never ever picked one up as a kid and really don't as an adult. However, once I started reading this I could not put it down! The same happens to my students! Give it a try...it really is phenomenal!

Picture Books for YA

Here are a few picture books that I use frequently in my classroom:

~Any picture book by Chris Van Allsburg
~Zoom
~Yo! Yes!

The Chris Van Allsburg picture book is great for writing prompts (creative ones). I have used these many times to spark my middle school students' imaginations!

Zoom is great to show the students when you're discussing the topic of organization and transitions within the students' writing.

Yo! Yes! is great for showing students why punctuation is so very important. I simply read the pages aloud and have them write the words and the punctuation down the way they think it should be. Then, they get with a partner and compare. At the very end we read the entire book together! They absolutely love this! :)

Does anyone else have any suggestions on different types of picture books for YA? Maybe ones not just used along with a writing lesson?

Reader Response Questions with my Students

Today, in class, my students and I reviewed a story we finished by using Myers's 20 Reader-Response Questions. However, I only used about 7 of them.

We had some vocabulary work and some other work to finish up before we reached the review questions. I didn't print them up or anything; I just simply read the questions aloud, out of the text book and had my students answer them on a sheet of paper. I first told them not to worry if they were going to pass or fail this little questionnaire because it was all based on their opinions. They liked that and didn't groan at all! They, actually, were really excited about it! But, I should know better by now, 8th grade students love to talk about themselves and what they think!

The 7 questions I used were:

1. What character was your favorite and why?
2. What character did you dislike? Why?
3. Does anyone in the work remind you of anyone you know? Explain.
4. If you could be any character in this work, who would you be? Explain.
5. Do you like this piece of work? Why or why not?
6. Would you change the ending of the story in any way? If so, tell your ending. Why would you change it?
7. How did this work make you feel?

I first had all of my students write down their responses and then in the last 8 minutes or so of class we discussed each one aloud. Every student couldn't wait to participate, and I had to narrow it down to 3-4 people to answer every question, making sure everyone had the opportunity to answer at least once. It really was a great foundation for great discussion. In fact, one of the funniest moments that stands out in my mind this afternoon is when one student answered that her favorite character was Lilly and then the next student (completely unintentional) answered that he totally disliked the character. It was so perfect! The students had a great lesson (on top of everything else that was discussed) about how everyone has his or her own opinion and it is perfectly fine!

Reflecting over the quick usage of the questions listed in our text book, I think I really need to use these types of questions more in my discussions. There are so many other great questions that were listed, but I just didn't have time to fit them all in today.

I also plan to use some of them on their up coming test over the story this week. A few of them will be really perfect!

The Books I've Read From YA Books of All Time

Off of the entire Young Adult Books of All Time I have only read five: The Giver, Speak, The outsiders, Holes, and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.

It is hard to say if I agree with their list because I have only read 5 out of 22 listed. The ones I have read I truly agree with. They are truly brilliant books. All of them deal with issues that teens deal with on a day to day basis: fitting in with peers, adolescents being cruel, problems within the home, etc. In my 8th grade classroom we read The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton every year. Our community is very depressed and we have huge population of low income families. I believe a lot of these students can relate to the home lives of the Curtis family. My students also deal with a lot of pressures that these teens deal with: clothes, social groups, poor home lives, drinking, etc. Even though this book was set and written in a different time, it really is timeless. Each year these kids really soak up the book. Many can't even put the book down! It is phenomenal what happens. And, I completely believe it is due to the fact that they can relate their own lives with the book.



After reading the list, I am very intrigued to read more of the books on the list. And, maybe, by the end of the summer I could complete the list! :)

This is What I Like Survey

About 75 grade 7/8 students were surveyed. They remained anonymous. I asked them what their favorite book, movie, TV Show, Website, Game System and Game for a Game System was! Results are in and here are the top five in each category:

Book
#1 Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer
#2 Cirque De Freak by Darren Shan
#3 Holes by Louis Sachar
#4 Harrry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
#5 Luna Bay Series by Francess Lantz

Movie
#1 The Blind Side
#2 Hangover
#3 Star Wars/Avatar (tied)
#4 Dear John
#5 New Moon

TV Show
#1 Family Guy
#2 George Lopez/Secret Life of the American Teenager
#3 Nitro Circus
#4 Full House
#5 Ghost Whisperer

Game System
#1 Wii
#2 PS 3
#3 X-Box 360
#4 Game Cube/PS 2 (Tied)
#5 PSP/X-Box (Tied)

Games for A Game System
#1 Call of Duty - Modern Warfare
#2 Wii Fit
#3 Grand Theft Auto
#4 Wii Sports
#5 Mario Kart

Website
#1 My Space
#2 You Tube
#3 Facebook
#4 Any type of Game Site
#5 Yahoo.com

I wasn't really surprised by this survey. I feel I know my students very well. In middle school you always get a wide range of opinions. This is also an age where you must be careful about what topics you cover because some students' parents still keep them very sheltered, while other students have no rules at all and are very worldly. You really do get quite the variety...just like my survey.

However, I must admit that I was a little disturbed that Hangover did make the list. My own personal feeling is that students of the age 12 or 13 should not be watching this movie (especially without adult supervision). But, I also wonder how many put it and have never seen it, but just wanted to sound and look cool. Either way...I wasn't very pleased with it.

The Giver by Lois Lowery : A Challenged Book

The Giver is a fabulous book written by Lois Lowery. In the last decade it made #22 on the frequently challenged book list on ALA's website (http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedbydecade/2000_2009/index.cfm) and #11 from 1990-1999. I could not find a reasoning, but after reading it with teacher eyes, the book touches on subjects that can be very controversial in our society.

Jonas is the main character of the book. He lives in a very structured community where there is no war, hunger, pain (physical or emotional), divorce, fear, rape, unwanted pregnancies, etc. To some it may feel like the perfect utopia. It is ran by a committee of elders who make the rules and make sure the community upholds these rules. But there are no choices. Everything is carefully thought out for every individual who lives there: jobs, spouses, kids, etc.

One of the first "controversial" topics we read about is "stirrings". "Stirrings" is a euphemism for sexual desire, so to speak. Jonas has a dream about his friend Fiona. They both do volunteer work in the House of the Old (similar to retirement homes or nursing homes in our society)and they must help bathe the old. Well, the night after they both helped bathe the old, Jonas has a dream about him taking his tunic off and bathing and he wanted Fiona too as well. However, she refused. He got angry at this. And that is all his dream is about. When he tells his parents about his dream (everyone in the community must report their dreams)they asked him what feelings he had remembered. He only really remembered the wanting. Once his parents figured out that he was having his first "stirrings", his mother gave him a pill that would get rid of the stirrings, a pill that he would have to take everyday or else the stirrings would return. And, that is as graphic as it gets covering this subject. I really believe students see worse on TV. Just think about some of the commercials kids see; a lot are more graphic and detailed than what is found in The Giver.

One of the other controversial subjects we read about is euthanasia. In Jonas's community we find many euphemisms. People don't ever completely know what is happening in certain circumstances. One such circumstance is called being "released". The people of Jonas's community only know that being released is either a punishment or sometimes a good thing. When people get to a certain age in the House of the Old, they are released with a ceremony of joy. No one knows where they go, except that it is through a door. Sometimes new infants are released if they are not growing fast enough, or sickly in some way. The whole time the book makes it sound like being released means you will be going to another community and it is just a form of moving on or out. You are constantly left with questions. Then, when Jonas takes on his assignment (job) he finds out the truth; people are being put to death. This again, is not very graphic, but it does bring up the controversial issue of euthanasia and killing. It can be especially sad when you realize they are doing it to babies.

I truly believe that this book is fine for adolescents, especially at the grade level I teach (7/8). It never gets very detailed and graphic, but mostly just explains what is going on with community and raises mature issues. Again, students see and hear much worse on TV shows and commercials. I think that it is quite tragic that this book would show up on a frequently challenged list; very, very tragic!

Censorship

I really have never encountered a problem with censorship within our school or district. However, I do preventative measures at the beginning of the year or each trimester/semester. For example, I always send a letter home to my 8th grade students' parents/guardians. I tell them exactly what I am going to teach for the year. In my eighth grade classroom we touch on subjects such as the Holocaust and read The Diary of a Young Girl: Anne Frank. I also read The Outsiders, and some other books and subjects that may be controversial in the students' homes. In the last four years I have not had one complaint (knock on wood) and most parents are actually very supportive. I think they really appreciate that I communicate what I am going to teach for the year and that way they are not blindsided.

Surviving the Applewhites - Assignment #4

Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan is a 2003 Newberry Honor Book. The main character is Jake Semple. Jake is a 13 year old adolescent who smokes, cusses, has many piercings, hair dyed red and gelled into spikes all about his head, and terrorizes people and schools. After recently burning down his last school, the state decided that he had two options left since no other foster parents would take him: He could live with the Applewhites who are notorious for their home school and creative ways of learning or he could go to juvenile hall.

Jake ends up with the Applewhites. Jake acts like a stereotypical juvenile delinquent because he hasn’t had any encouragement, adult role models, or stability in his life. His parents were thrown in jail for growing marijuana in the basement and then selling it to a cop who was off duty. They would be in jail for at least a year.

Jake needed help. He needed to be saved so he doesn’t end up like his parents. But, most of all he needed to find confidence and a new label for himself; one that did not scream juvenile delinquent. I have not had anything that has ever happened like this in my own personal life, but I have had many peers in school that looked and acted a lot like Jake does in this book. They also had very similar home lives. And, now as a teacher, I also see students with Jake’s personality and home life in my classroom. It makes me very sad.

This book really reminds me a lot of The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. The Outsiders is about a group of adolescents who do not have a lot, do not have the ideal homes and family lives, they are outcasts, and they also can be considered “rough around the edges” like Jake. I think that a lot of students can definitely identify with Surviving the Applewhites much like they do with The Outsiders.

On a more global scale, I think that problems that the young adolescents deal with in this book are very real. Like I mentioned before, I see a lot of “Jakes” every year in my classroom. Sometimes I wonder how they even manage to show up to school, and then realize that school may be the most comfortable and safe place to be. I believe that there are kids just like Jake elsewhere in the world, and more than we have ever seen before. This book can give a lot of hope and inspiration to young adolescents who know kids like Jake, who are like Jake, and teachers who teach Jake.

Teachers can really appreciate this book for some of its language. One of the best quotes from the book is: “Education is an adventurous quest for the meaning of life, involving an ability to think things through.” This was written on a banner that hung across one wall in the Applewhite’s schoolroom. I just think that this is so true. Sure, we teach students reading, writing, and arithmetic, but we also help shape who these kids are and help them learn who they think they are, and show them how to think and learn for themselves.

I also found a lot of great vocabulary words that I think were well suited for the book, and ones that adolescents would definitely have to look up! Here are just a few: careened, recluse, restive, roust, grueling, ambiance, incorrigible, respite, ford, milling, and travesty. All of these are great words for kids to get comfortable with.

Along with some fabulous vocabulary, there was great figurative language used. Here are few examples: “It’s like expecting to find a diamond and stumbling into an entire mine,” and “How sharper than a serpent’s tooth is an ungrateful child.” These are also perfect for adolescents to explore, understand, and see a clearer picture in their mind about what the author or a character is really trying to say.

All in all, this was actually a truly good book. I will honestly admit that if I were an adolescent I would have never have chosen it due to the cover. The cover looks like it is geared for elementary. However, the contents of the book scream adolescent literature. And in all reality, kids tend to judge a book by its cover. Luckily, though, I have now read this book so I can definitely recommend Surviving the Applewhites and maybe even give a lesson about not always judging a book by its cover!

Again…great book for adolescents! I give it 5 stars out of 5! 

The Movie I Watched!

The movie I decided on watching was A Cinderella Story with Hillary Duff. A female student in the 8th grade recommended it to me a while back and I had never taken the time to actually watch it. So, this last weekend I decided to watch it and see why she thought it was so darn interesting.

It is a cute story; your typical Cinderella story involving the Cinderella figure, a father that dies, step mother, and two step sisters. "Cinderella" is treated poorly and is made to do all of the chores and work.

I can see why adolescent students, especially female students, would really like this movie. It is set in today's time period (cell phones, ipods,computers, instant messaging, etc. are all included) and an adolescent student can completely relate to the variety of technology that is being used. It is always based around high school students and their day to day lives. There are some realistic parts; such as, the different social groups, students trying to fit in, other students getting bullied, relationships with parents, etc. All of these issues our adolescents are dealing with constantly.

And, of course, there is the love story part which most teenage girls are curious about and interested in. Hillary Duff who plays Sam, the "Cinderella" figure falls in love with Chad Michael Murray who plays Austin, the "prince charming" figure. Sam and Austin start IMing each other on the computer, but use only their screen names so they do not know who each other are. They find that they really get along and can build a meaningful relationship, one that is not as superficial as all of the others around them. This is very important since Austin is realizing that his friends, who are part of the popular crowd, are not all that inspiring or really kind people. He really starts questioning those relationships and who he is and wants to be. And, Sam, who is not so popular, finds a friend that she can share her feelings with without having her guard up.

Adolescent students find all of these aspects of the movie relatable and hopeful. Most every adolescent girl hopes to find her prince charming, and a good looking one at that! Most student have felt the sting of being teased and made fun of out of other people's pleasures. And, most kids have parental problems, or some kind of problems in the home. All of this adds up to adolescents really being able to connect and relate to the different elements of the movie. All of these make it very interesting to them.

I thought that the movie was really quite cute for an adolescent. It isn't one I would watch a lot now, but I can guarantee that if I had been an adolescent when it came out, I most definitely would have been watching it. Some parts were a little too cheesy for me and I now find it not realistic enough. I have changed that way in my thinking. Not so long ago I too was hoping to find my "prince charming" and now that I have my husband, stories like this don't quite interest me as much as they use to. I guess you can say that in my life I don't relate as much as I use to with this type of movie. I found myself reflecting more on the girl I once was. This also shows that it is true that adults like to watch and read things that do relate to their lives also.

DID THE FIRST TWO CHAPTERS CHANGE YOUR MIND AS TO WHAT AN ADOLESCENT REALLY IS? - Assignment 1

"Adolescence is a time of firsts: a period of rapid psychological, physical, and social change, a time of uncertainty, roller-coaster emotions, and conflict. It’s a stage in which young people are separating from their parents, and trying out the identities they will carry into their adulthoods.”

Wow! The above is stated so unbelievably well! I think what Cole says above in her book, Young Adult Literature in the 21st Century is exactly what I was trying to say in my definition. My students (grade 7/8) are trying to find themselves, who they are every day I see them. This is why they do seem confused to me. I see girls with blonde hair, wearing pink one day, and suddenly change her appearance to black hair and all black clothes the next day. I see adolescents find new best friends every other day and boyfriends/girlfriends every other week. This is definitely a time of firsts, change, and a time to explore different curiosities.

I don’t think these chapters have changed my mind about what I think an adolescent is; it only gave me perspective on why I defined an adolescent the way that I did. These chapters allowed me to see and remember what it was like for me as a teen (which was less than 10 years ago). I really enjoyed reading about what teen readers need and what they don’t need, as well as what purpose reading can serve in their lives and everyone’s lives. I am excited to learn more in this book; I already like how it reads!

Adolescent Definition - Assignment 1

An adolescent is a young, confused individual who needs help, guidance, security, confidence, love, encouragement, and he or she desperately wants to fit in with his/her peers at ALL times. (At least for grades 7/8)

WERE YOUR READINGS AS AN ADOLESCENT PART OF THAT PERSPECTIVE? - Assignment 2

My readings as an adolescent were very much like the perspectives talked about in Chapter 1 and 2 of Young Adult Literature in the 21st Century. I too, had dry spells in my reading during high school because of extracurricular activities and sports, and for most of my time in high school reading took a backseat, for I had other priorities to think about. I definitely found less time to read.

When I did find a little time to read, I also remember choosing books about older teens while I was still 13-16 years of age. And, I remember being very uninterested in books with adults as main characters. I remember trying to pick up one of my mom’s books (I think it was a John Grisham book) and I tried to get through a couple chapters, but it just didn’t interest me. I found it, well, boring. It was probably because I could not relate to it. The characters were older and the ideas were just not quite like mine. It really makes sense to me now after reading what Cole says in chapter 2: “Teen readers…choose books based on a connection they make with a character, or with the plot or theme; they make selections because they’re hooked on a particular genre such as horror, fantasy, or history.” Looking back; this was definitely how I was choosing what to read.

Literacy Autobiography

Laurie: The Lover of Language

Reading and writing; I have always loved them both. My earliest memories of reading were when I was very small. Each night, before my brother and I went to sleep, we would jump into one of our beds (most likely taking turns each night to have the story night in our own room) and one of my parents would read us a book. This tradition started long before I could read. I loved all of the Dr. Seuss books; we had almost every single one that had ever been written. My favorites were Are You My Mother, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish; The Best Nest; and The Foot Book. I still remember singing a few lines from The Best Nest that went something like: “I love my house, I love my nest, in all the world my nest is best.” I thought it was just great! Story time was always so much fun. My parents always used animated voices and encouraged us to participate any way that we could, even if we didn’t fully understand.

As time went on, I learned to read the Dr. Seuss books myself. And, I remember enjoying being able to read the same stories I had always loved hearing my parents read. I can not remember when I first started reading, though, and I did actually call my parents to try to find out. However, neither one of them could remember when I did start sounding out my own words and they both decided it must have been some time around kindergarten. My dad’s direct quote was: “Gees, it was so long ago! The years went so fast and it is kind of a blur. You know, we really should have written it down, but it must have been around the time you started kindergarten, I imagine.” I agreed with him. I really can’t remember ever reading before that time, but I don’t remember never being able to read either.

I must add that my parents were always finding ways for us to be interested in reading. Reading was never considered a chore in my household; it was always considered a form of entertainment. My mom could always be found with some sort of suspense novel or love story in her hands. And my dad would always be reading the paper or reading a sports star or musician’s biography. Whenever we went to visit Seaside, which was 25 minutes from where we lived in Astoria, my brother and I would always be promised ice cream and a trip to the a local book store! We would each get to pick out one book we wanted to read. I would always take my time and choose just the right book. Usually, I just chose one with the best cover and the summary on the back. And of course, before I could read, I would base my selection entirely on the pictures!

Pictures were also used in kindergarten to help us read. In kindergarten I remember that I had an orange phonics workbook. It had words in it like cat, bat, hat, etc. and pictures to go along with the words. I think I can recall this phonics workbook so well because it was part of my first memory of wanting to be a teacher. I, at age 5, had actually gone home and tried to teach my three year old brother to read with this phonics workbook. I felt that it was very important that if I were reading, that he needed to be able to read as well. A phonics book was also used in the first and second grades. We also were required to study flashcards with words and pictures on them, as well as the sound that each letter made. I really liked using the flashcards! I went to a K-8 school at the time, and I loved it when an 8th grade student came into help with our flashcards. It was always so neat to get work with an older kid! After first and second grades, I really don’t remember learning to read. It feels like I just “magically” knew how.

As I progressed through the grade levels, my love for reading never changed. In middle school, my favorite subject was English and I always pulled straight A’s in this class. I really don’t remember many assignments that went along with reading. I can recall book reports and a little bit of poetry, but the rest is a little fuzzy. I don’t even remember any of the books my book reports were about! Was one about Elizabeth Blackwell? That sounds a little familiar.

When I entered high school, my love for reading still hadn’t changed. However, one thing did change; my amount of time to actually be able to read. Sports and other extracurricular activities, as well as homework limited my time to read. I don’t think my time management skills were very developed at the time either. This is when I started collecting all of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books. They were filled with short stories and they had great messages attached to the story. These books allowed me to continue to read what I liked, but it was not time consuming. I also eventually stumbled upon love stories (usually about other teens), as well as horror stories (usually something simple from R.L. Stine or Christopher Pike). As far as what I learned in the classroom, I remember always reading out of a text books and answering questions. We also read some novels, Shakespeare, and biographies/autobiographies. Among those readings, I remember only a few: To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, and Romeo and Juliet. I know I read more, but nothing else rings a bell. Most of my teachers were ready to retire, and let’s just say that the classes did not take much effort for me to pass.

It was tough finding time to read in college, but I discovered authors like Nicholas Sparks, Danielle Steel, and Stephen King and it was hard putting any of their books down after starting them. Whether or not class assignments were due, I always discovered time to enjoy one of their books. Of course, I did take pleasure in my English classes in college, but I have always had more interest in more modern literature than the classics; even today. But, who knows, maybe in the next ten years I will find a whole new perspective and purpose for reading and really start to enjoy what other genres might have to offer.

I must thank my parents and give them credit for starting my love for literature. I know that without their time and love, I probably wouldn’t be the same reader I am today. They truly were the ones who taught me that reading is important and that it can also be really, REALLY fun!

Excited about Read 591! :)

Yay! I did it!

This is my first official blog and I must admit that I did have a lot of fun doing it! I can see why people get addicted!! :)