Books in Boxes - #MustReadin2017

Being part of several reading communities rewards me with many book recommendations, sometimes too many.  This past year has been no different.  It is time to reflect on what was read in 2016 and round up those books that we didn't read because 2017 came too quickly.  I am joining Carrie Gelson of There's A Book For That, and many other bloggers to create my Must Read in 2017 List.  

I keep several boxes and stacks of books at my house.  My TBR boxes.   Most of these boxes contain books that I want to read before I hand them over to my students. When too much time goes by, new books are purchased, or boxes are overflowing, I begin to purge the stacks.  As I was purging during my Christmas break, I pulled out the ones I truly wanted to read in 2017.  These are the books that will stay with me just a little bit longer before I take them to school.

So here is my #MustReadin2017 list:

Nonfiction

I have been trying to stock my classroom library with nonfiction for upper grade levels. I brought many lower to middle grade books with me when I moved to 6th grade, but needed to think about titles for middle school readers.  I recently had a Donor's Choose project of nonfiction books funded, so I have added two of those titles to my list.

The Boys Who Challenged Hitler by Phillip Hoose

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

2016 Nerdies

Several books in my boxes were awarded a Nerdy this year.  (I must have good taste...just not enough time!)  Here are three titles that made my list.

As Brave As You by Jason Reynolds

The Memory of Light by Francisco X. Stork

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

2015 Nerdies

And several books in my boxes were awarded a Nerdy in 2015.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely

Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman

A Little Help from My Friends

Many books I own received some type of book love by my reading friends, or else I would not have purchased them.  These books in the boxes fall into this category.

Summerlost by Ally Condie

Mayday by Karen Harrington

Save Me a Seat  by Sarah Weeks

OCDaniel by Wesley King

#Bookrelays 

Last but not least, I am in a group of middle grade teachers who receive ARCs from various authors and publishers.  We read the books, talk about them on social media and blogs, and then share them with each other.  This group has brought a new perspective to my reading life.  It is fun  receiving books in the mail filled with their thoughts written on sticky notes and tear-dried stains.  I received this ARC back in the summer, and it has now made it to my #mustreadin2017. (I want avoid being kicked out by my relay team!)

Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar Read 1/27

I know many of these books will make it out of my boxes and will be replaced with 2017 books. This coming year looks to be a great year for reading.  Follow along with us and mark your calendars for these updates on our progress.

Spring update: Thursday April 6th, 2017

Fall update: Thursday September 7th, 2017

Year end update: Thursday December 28th, 2017

Thank you for being a part of this community. You all make my reading experiences so much richer!

Happy Reading!

One Little Word 2017

Thank you Two Writing Teachers for creating this space for me to share my corner of the world.

Social media this week is full of people claiming their one little words.  This is my fourth year of choosing a OLW to guide me through the year.  Search (2013), Reach (2014), and Turn (2015) were all words that suited me well.  

I felt I had a purpose for the year. 

Last year I struggled with Intent (2016).  The word fit more with my personal life, but it failed to encompass my professional life.  Looking at my words, I also noticed that the first three were verbs.  An action I had to take.  Something I did.

Since I am a doer, I knew this year I needed another verb, and I needed something that would guide all the "people" who make up who I am.  

I began reading other peoples' words hoping that one would find me.  I thought about the words quest, journey, metanoia (means a journey of changing), and elevate. I read tweets, followed the #OneWord2017 hashtag, and poured over pins on Pinterest, hoping something would surface.  

And it did.  

I read and pinned the quote "Decide to Rise".  It lingered in my thoughts.  

It was a verb; it was an action.  But could it guide all of me?

I thought my word had found me, yet it still wasn't perfect.  How was I going to rise in the year 2017?  It needed a purpose, a focus.

I found my answer through a post written by Ann Voskamp at A Holy Experience. I discovered how I was going to purposely extend my word across an entire year.  

Last year, Ann made a list of verbs for each month and attached a noun to make a "SOULution" instead of a resolution.  I knew my one little word was leading me in a new direction.  (This also makes the fourth word that has been influenced by Ann. Read how she previously influenced me here and here.)

I have made my own list of twelve verbs and attached a purpose to each one, very similar to Ann's.  Now I hope to RISE each day with: 

love on my lips, 

hope in my heart, 

and thankfulness in my thoughts.

My word has a purpose for each month, a purpose to make a difference in my life and the lives of others.  They are not resolutions, but instead, a way to look positively in the year ahead.  I look forward to writing about and sharing my one little word this year with all of you.

It's Monday! What are You Reading? 1-2-17

Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee at Unleashing Readers cohost It's Monday! What Are You Reading?  Be sure and stop by to participate or see what others are reading and recommending this week.

With a new year upon us, it is my goal to write a #IMWAYR post on a regular basis, even if it is every other week.  My reading life in 2016 became a little stagnant, and I missed reading and sharing books with others.

What I have read lately.

Yard War by Talyor Kitchings

I am always looking for titles to add to our Civil Rights because this is a period we must never forget.  This book takes place in Jackson, Mississippi in 1964.  Trip Westbrook invites the family maid's son to play football, which causes quite a stir in his white neighborhood.  Trip learns about how racism can divide neighborhoods, friends, and even families.

The football plot in this story will certainly add interest for the boys in the my classroom.  Although this book takes place in 1964, I never felt like I was placed in the time period.  Something just didn't connect the setting for me, but I am sure many of students will enjoy reading this book.

Code of Honor by Alan Gratz

Kamran Smith plans to go to West Point, just like his brother, Darius.  His plans change and his world turns upside-down when his brother is accused of being a terrorist.  Kamran sets out to clear his brother's name after watching videos of Darius making terrorist threats against the United States.  Kamran believes that Darius sent him clues in the videos to prove his innocence, and Kamran knows Darius would never break their code of honor. This book is action-packed and certainly makes the reader think about the times in which we currently live.

This is my second book written by Alan Gratz, and certainly will not be my last.

Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner

I participate in a group of teachers who read books, share on social media and pass them on to the next #bookrelays team member.  We were blessed to be given the opportunity to read an ARC of Goodbye Days.  This book is written by Jeff Zentner whose debut novel in 2016, The Serpent King, is receiving rave reviews.  His second book leaves no doubt that he is a brilliant writer.

This book is about four boys, Carver, Eli, Blake, and Mars, who attend an arts school in Nashville.  Three of the boys are killed after the Carver sends them a text.  Carver is asked by Blake's grandmother to have a goodbye day with her to share their favorite moments and memories of Blake, and to say goodbye.  As Carver tries to forgive himself and overcome his guilt, he faces severe anxiety and panic attacks.  Unfortunately for Carver, the other two families are not as forgiving as Blake's grandma, and his goodbye days with them are heart wrenching.  

Carver's story is one that will make you laugh out loud, will pull on your heartstrings, yet will also help you find hope in moving on.

Reading this book as a parent with of young adults gave me a different perspective.  The boys reminded me of own son and his three friends. (Yes, one is even named Eli!)  Several times I wanted to go hug my kids while reading about the lives of these four boys.  

Circle March on your calendar because this is a book you will NOT want to miss.

Happy Reading!

#MustReadin2016 Comes to an End...Thankfully!

Three years ago Carrie Gelson of There's a Book for That started a reading challenge for the year which consisted of a "must read" list and link up. Basically the challenge is a list of books that we didn't read in the current year but wanted to read in the following year. This is my third year to participate, but also my least successful year. My reading as a whole declined in 2016, but this challenge was particularly stagnant.

Although I read 100 books for my Goodreads challenge in 2016, I had 22 books on my list this year (which is way too many!) and I am embarrassed to say that I only read....

5!

And here they are...in no particular order

The highlight of this year's challenge is that I was introduced to a new author, Alan Gratz.

His book Code of Honor was on my list, but I also read Projekt 1065.  Both books are historical fiction and are great middle grade reads.  I guess finding a new author can be considered a success for this year's challenge.

Sometimes I wonder why I participate in reading challenges.  The first answer and the only answer for me is that sharing books makes my reading experiences even better! Many times when I finish a book, the first thing I want to do is talk about it.  I never lack for a listener because of my connected reading groups.  (Although my TBR lists grow longer!)  So, thank you friends for listening, for sharing, and for reading with me this year.

I hope you consider joining Carrie and many other bloggers for Must Read in 2017!  Look for the link-up on January 5th.  Check out her blog here for everyone's final update for 2016.

Happy New Year 

and Happy Reading!

Intent - OLW 2016

Thank you Two Writing Teachers for creating this space for me to share my corner of the world.

The year will soon come to a close, and I am sure many slicers today are reflecting on their one little word for 2016.  My OLW was all forms of intent - intention, intentional, intentionally.  

My goal this year was to be intentional about looking at the snippets of my life to focus on what was important.  

My purpose was to focus on my personal life, to take the time to breathe, to love, to laugh.  But I realized that I am made up of many people.  I am a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister.

But I am also a teacher, a reader, a writer, a Christian and I needed my OLW to encompass all parts of me - not just my personal life.

I cannot separate all the people who make up my life, and that is what I tried to do with intent.  

As I say goodbye to 2016 and all of its intentions, I look toward finding a new word which will guide all of me for 2017.

Students as Writing Decision Makers

Today I am participating in Digital Learning Sunday with Margaret Simon at Reflections on the Teche.  This week Margaret has encouraged us to celebrate.

I stated on a previous post how I am a "BBC" workshop teacher, meaning I have never been officially trained.  I have trained myself through blogs, books, and conferences.  So when I experience success, it is a celebration.

Before Thanksgiving we finished up a unit on historical fiction, and I taught this unit almost entirely through workshop.  I taught mini-lessons, students wrote and we conferred together both face-to-face and through comments on Google docs.

My students grew as writers during these three weeks because they were set free from prompt writing and writing rules.  They learned writers make decisions, not the rules.

I have included some my students' writing that demonstrate what was taught in the lessons, but also demonstrates their new found freedom as writers.


"At this point I was on the couch hugging one of the pillows like a ribbon holding tightly to its box."


"My heart shattered into a million pieces, my soul ripped in half."


"My mother has bright blue eyes that twinkle like the nighttime stars.  But then I noticed that there was a single tear coming from one of those eyes; it ran down her face until it met the floor."


Later that night as I was still picking weeds from the garden, I watched the bright sun fall in the sky like a pad of butter melting on a warm stack of pancakes.


When I walk into the back room, I see a couch. A long couch with three cushions and two small pillow at each end. It is covered in soft red velvet. The legs are wooden with swirls at the end and little carvings all down the side. Then to my surprise Franklin sits on the couch and motions me to come sit down. I sit down on the couch and I feel the couch cushions squish over the side of my legs.

Ellis and I raced up the screeching stairs. It wasn't until we heard mothers faint screams at the end of the stairway, we broke into a sprint. If we'd known that would be the last time we heard her, we would’ve ran back.

We made it to the edge of the fire escape. I grabbed Ellis´ hand, and we chased down the fire escape. We´d met the old, icy alleyway, not turning back. As we ran, Ellis tripped over a slim, snowy brick, crashing on the hard iced rock. I dragged her behind a bushel of tall weeds. A man in a jet black soldier uniform heard her wails of pain. He switched his head toward us, my heart fell from my chest. There was a vibrant red patch wrapped around one black sleeve. It was marked with black symbol, a Swastika. I pulled Ellis by the arm, forcing her to move. But she wouldn’t budge. She was as still as a statue. Her snow coat was drenched in the beautiful white frosting. As the Nazi grew nearer, Ellis’ eyes broke tearful. She was mortified. I hadn’t heard the dreaded sorrows, until Ellis looked straight ahead. Bloodshed. Bodies covered the snowy streets, there were few unrecognizable, but we knew one. We loved one.

Thank you for taking the time to read my students' writing.

Middle School Christmas - Celebrate #24

Each week Ruth Ayres extends an invitation to share and celebrate events, big or small, from our week.

Christmas is magical.  For me as a parent, nothing was better than Christmas through the eyes of a 4 or 5 year old.  While teaching 4th graders, Christmas became tricky because certain discussions were avoided.  While teaching 6th graders, Christmas is altogether different.  Seems there is little time for celebration and "fun stuff" as my students would put it.

But this year was different.  My school held a door decorating contest, and I saw Chrstmas through the eyes of middle schoolers.  

They were democratic as they nominated and voted on an idea.  They were creative as they worked out a plan to accomplish the task. They worked as a team and delegated jobs.

But most of all, they had fun.  They sneaked around to see what other classes were doing, and created rumors that classes would be eliminated because teachers helped them (it was to be student-led). They talked smack and strutted around bragging and believing they would be declared the winner.  Just as middle schoolers do.

Unfortunately, none of these doors are mine, but I celebrate a great ending to our last week before break.

One Little Word Check-in

Spiritual Journey Thursday is a small community of bloggers who write about our spiritual lives.  Holly Mueller at Reading, Teaching, Learning began the community, and it slowly grew.  We took a hiatus for awhile, but Irene Latham at Live Your Poem has brought the group back together.  All are welcome to join us on the first Thursday of the month to share spiritual thoughts around a common theme.

This week we are checking in with our One Little Word for 2016.

My word was intent.  I cannot say that my word fit me this year like Search (2013), Reach (2014) or Turn (2015) did in previous years.

I wanted to slow down and enjoy life in the snippets of the every day.  We are only granted the present, and I felt like I was so wrapped up in the everyday chaos, that I was missing what was most important.  I wanted to focus on those small parts of life that mattered.

My blog is about a day in the life of a teacher, a reader, and a writer.  Those three people make up a large part of the person I am.  Those three people make up a large part of the chaos in my life.

Looking at life in snippets made me realize I cannot separate myself from those three people, no matter how much I try.  It was among the chaos when I became the most intentional.

When I look over the words I wrote back in January, I understand I must be intentional to not lose sight of who I am.  

But I know now, that includes all parts of me.  I cannot separate one from another.

I am ready to move on with another word in 2017, but I am far from finding it.  Please consider joining us next year as we explore and share our journey.

The Gift - Celebrate #23

Each week Ruth Ayres extends an invitation to share and celebrate events, big or small, from our week.

It is Friday afternoon, and I have spent the day grading narrative essays.  As I dig my way out of the deep, dark grading hole, I find celebration.  

I just finished reading a student's narrative, and I see evidence of some of the lessons I taught. That is cause for celebration.  

But what I celebrate more is the teacher in his story.  "David" moved here from another school, so I do not know much about his teacher.  What I do know, is this 1st grade teacher made a difference in his life by giving him a gift, a gift he calls his best gift ever.

I will never know the story between David and Ms. Corner, but I can read his words,

and I understand,  

and I celebrate.

Have you ever received a great gift?  I got my best gift at my house and I was so happy.  When I was in 1st grade my teacher gave me a Christmas gift.  

One day I was talking to my teacher, Ms Corner that I wanted this car for Christmas. On Christmas morning I was so excited to open gifts, but I had to wait for my mom and dad to get up. When my mom and dad woke up my dad  handed me my gifts from under the Christmas tree.  In the middle of opening gifts I saw a gift that looked like the car.  When I found the gift I started ripping the paper open. When I saw the car it made my day! It was the best day in the world! The car so cool and it was the best gift I have ever got for Christmas and I was so happy.

The mustang is blue with a white stripe from the front to the back. The car can go fast and you can ramp it. It can go high up in the air and when it comes down onto the ground it goes really fast.  When you push on the gas it does a backflip. The car was the best car I have ever got.

I gave my mom a hug.  When I got done eating me and my mom went outside and played with the mustang. At the end of the day my aunt and my cousin went home. It was the best gift I have ever received. I thought that I got it from my mom, but really it came from Ms Corner. When I got back to school I said thank you so much for the gift and I gave her a gift that was a box of chocolates and a cup that said you are the best teacher in the world with a happy face at the bottom she was so happy that i got the cup for her and she gave hug and sid thank you for the cup and I made her day. :)

Dinner Table Book Talks

Creating a literacy environment is a goal of mine at the start of every school year. This year I have struggled reaching that goal.  I believe many reasons have caused the struggle, but the most prominent one is the lack of talk.  I have not been consistent with book talks; therefore my students haven't either. And as a result, reading has been on the decline, and this is below my expectation.  I knew I needed to do something.  And fast.

I began thinking about the All Write conference I attended last summer and the author's dinner.  I sat at a table with bloggers and teachers whose passion is literacy.  It did not take long for our dinner table conversation to turn toward books. We talked about books we had read and new releases which were in our never-ending to-be-read pile.

A few weeks later I began reading In the Middle by Nancie Atwell.  In the book, she talks about a time she and her husband sat around the dining room table with some friends and "gossiped by candlelight" about a book.  She compares her dining room table to a literate environment where people around it talk about literacy.  She states "We don't need assignments, lesson plans, lists, teacher's manual, or handbooks.  We need only another literate person."

I understood the connections between books and the dining room table, and I knew I had to bring that connection to my classroom.  I knew I had to find a way for my students to pull up a chair and talk.

I gave each student a paper plate, but did not tell them what they were for.  Now, I am not a "language arts and crafts" teacher, but this one time I wanted to give them a chance to be creative.  I told my students they could use these plates however they wanted - they could draw a new cover, create a character or setting sketch, or just write a summary.  The only requirement was that they used the plates to talk about their favorite book they had read this school year.

I was amazed at the artwork by my students.

Monday I covered my desks with table cloths to create a dinner table look and passed back the plates.  My students pulled up a chair, sat around the table and talked books.  We created a literate environment around the "dinner table." And the best part of this activity was that everyone came back with a few new books they wanted to read.

My goal was to place talking about books at the head of the table, and that was exactly what happened.

The Act of Writing

Thank you Two Writing Teachers for creating this space for me to share my corner of the world.

I am a "BBC" workshop teacher, and I am not a very good one at that.  I have been trained by "Books, Blogs, and Conferences", and I have never seen workshop in action. So when something goes well in my classroom, I am thrilled.  

We just finished a unit on historical fiction, which is not an easy genre to write.  I planned my mini lessons based on what I thought my students would need to be successful in the unit, along with lessons based on observations I noticed in their prior writing.  

We spent three weeks writing these narratives - the longest time most of my students had ever spent on a piece.  I am sure this seems odd to many of you, but you have to understand that my students do not come from workshop classrooms. They come from prompt writing, and many are very good prompt writers.

But this week I set them free.  Free from the restraints of formulaic writing.  Free from the rules that bind them to writing prompts.  Free to completely immerse themselves in the act of writing.  And it was wonderful.

After the unit I asked them to list two things they learned about writing in these three weeks.  Yes, I had many who listed the mini lessons I taught and the rules I told them they could break and why, but I also had students who learned lessons I didn't teach. The lessons they learned by simply writing.  Here are some of their responses:

• "I learned that you can twist the writing rules a bit for your story."
• "I learned that you can write a one sentence paragraph."
• "You can start a new paragraph when you want to make the sentence before stand out."
• "I learned that writing is to entertain people."
• "Writing isn't just putting words on to a piece of paper."
• "I learned that you don't have to write with guidelines like we do with a prompt."
• "I learned how hard it is to write."
• "I learned that writing is a very complicated process."
• "I learned that you can use sentence fragments when you want to emphasize something in your writing."
• "I learned that you can't just write a story and be done."
• "Writing takes a long time."
• "That it is hard and takes a lot of work, but it is fun."

That is what teaching writers is all about.

(I am in the process of adding student writing to a new page on my blog.  Click here to read one of their narratives.)