New Book

Hi all! I just wanted to tell you that I have stumbled upon a great new book quite by accident on my zooba.com book club. I have started reading it and I think it is great for High School aged children. It is "The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid" by Bill Bryson, and it is so steeped with Pop-culture that I think kids will really relate to it well. My boyfriend is actually thinking of looking into using it next year if possible because he teaches a Pop-culture class at Eastern H.S.
A little about it:

The narrator is Bill Bryson, as the story is a memoir with embellishments included, and he describes in great detail how it was when he grew up in Des Moines, Iowa in the 1950s. He talks at length about how the world worked, what was going on with him and his family, and the things he did to cope with it all. He tells some of the most hilarious stories, including one about how he supposedly burned a hole in his uncle's head with a magnifying glass! I have laughed out loud several times.

So if you want something cool to read that is Young Adult, look into this book!

Reading Rocks

Hi fellow classmates and Sara...
I just wanted to take a moment to let you know that I had a true time of peace which came in the form of reading last night, and I want to encourage you all to find time, or to MAKE time for this very thing. I waited anxiously all week for my copy of "Maus II" to come from Amazon.com and Tuesday when I got home from class, it was there, waiting on my doorstep like a present. I love getting things like that in the mail, because even though I paid for it, it feels like opening a gift. Does anyone know what I mean? In a way, I guess it is a gift to myself.
I decided that I would try not to begin reading the second half of "Maus" until I had time to read the whole thing. This didn't last. I began it while babysitting, continued after my Wednesday English class, on the way (while walking) to see Dr. Kadjer, to my car, and finally I settled into bed, in my PJs, snuggled under my down comforter, and shut my door, lit my candles and finished the book. I read and read and read, until I finally reached the last page. I am usually so beat at the end of every day that I could never stay awake to read so much. However, I experienced quite an awakening of the senses...I wanted to get up and tell people about the book, about how it made me feel, about how it could be used in the classroom. I wanted to share it with students, with my brothers. In other words, I couldn't fall asleep right away for thinking about it. It felt like taking a mini vacation in a way.
I realized that I want so much to bring this sort of experience to my students in such a deep, passionate way. I realized that it will be difficult and will make me crazy in the process, sometimes, but that the struggle to bring the joys of reading, the escape of it, to them, will be worth it. I will begin with my HAT for this course, by studying their reading strategies, and moving into the use of literature circles and book talks. I will continue with writing a proposal to get funding from a Target grant for an after school book club for students. I will succeed, at least in some way, because of my passion.
Just wanted to share these musings with my colleagues, and my esteemed professor. Good night & GO CARDS!

Literature Circles III & Graphic Novel

Two things to talk about this morning: my latest literature circle experience and the graphic novel I have read for next week. Our literature circle spent time discussing Burger Wuss by M.T. Anderson yesterday, and we had what felt to me like a very productive conversation. We began by discussing the main character Anthony, and kind of branched out from there by talking about how he interacted with the other characters. This seemed to work for us when we discussed Harry Potter, no reason to change it. The difference between the two meetings was that our discussion revolved almost totally around the characters this time, whereas last time we spend more time exploring themes and specific events in the novel. I learned that the direction the conversation goes should be determined by the novel, and I hope to convey that to my students in the Spring when I teach using Literature Circles. I really want to teach The Book Thief for this unit, but it is unfortunately not in paperback, and not affordable for the students in hardback. That saddens me because it is one of the realities of Public School; there will always be something that you want your students to experience but can't because there isn't any money for it in the budget. :(
Back to our discussion and the dynamics of our lit circle...
I felt that we had fun with this book, and made some connections with one another that we may not have made without the activity, which made the time spent on the books and the activity worthwhile in my mind. I felt that I got to know the colleagues in my group a lot better than if I hadn't been in this group with them, and I also feel that I gained new knowledge and perspectives on the reading that I wouldn't have otherwise. This is what I hope to re-create in my own classroom soon.

Now, the really fun part of this BLOG: the graphic novel. I must admit that I was completely skeptical about reading a novel of this genre because I have all kinds of preconceived notions about comic books. I also didn't think I would be able to engage in a book like this because of these feelings. Boy was I surprised and delighted by being proved wrong! I read Maus I for this assignment because I had heard such good things about the author from my friend John, who got to hear him speak when he was here at U of L, and who has some experience with graphic novels. I also wanted to keep moving with the Holocaust literature in light of the experience I had when reading The Book Thief. I really want to open the study of this era up to my students beyond the stories of Anne Frank and Night. Those are great, don't get me wrong, but students need alternate perspectives, and honestly, most of the emotion involved in those two novels is lackluster at the high school age for many students because they have already read the stories, or heard a lot about them.
I was so shocked at the depth of emotion captured in Maus; I guess I didn't expect to be "wowed" by a book of this genre. It is amazing how the author can accomplish this depth with so few words, and with his incredible illustrations. I really think this type of novel will work with students, and I want to encourage the reading of them in my own classroom. I would like to read more, so I have chosen to buy the box set of the whole Maus story, and to read the second book for my next Young Adult novel. I am so interested in being knowledgeable about the graphic novel, and in learning from my students what they know that I may not. I am thinking of surveying the students tomorrow (11th graders) on this topic, so I will let you know what I find out.