Divergent

Main Characters: Tris, Four (Tobias), Caleb, Peter, Al, Christina, Will, Uriah, Eric, Jeanine

Setting: Future version of Chicago

Summary: There are five factions that represent something different that each faction believes is best. The dauntless are brave, erudite are smart, amity are peaceful, abnegation are selfless, and candor are honest.  Beatrice grew up in abnegation, but when it was time to decide what faction she belongs to she chose dauntless and wanted to be called Tris.  Before choosing a faction, each young person takes a test to see what faction they should be in.  Tris received an abnormal result called divergent.  Being divergent means she doesn't fit in just one faction, but that she fits in several of the factions.  Being divergent is considered a threat to others so she must keep it a secret from everybody.  After joining dauntless, she soon falls for Four, one of its leaders who are teaching Tris and the rest of the new people joining how to exceed in dauntless.  Tris learns that erudite wants to overthrow the abnegation government and they're going to do that by using dauntless to kill abnegation after mind controlling them after they receive an injection.  She does everything in her power to stop the evil Jeanine and erudite's plan, but her parents who live in abnegation die in the process trying to help her.  While she saves most of abnegation, the fight is far from over.  The theme of this book is that it's okay to be different and you can be many things.  Not one single trait is better than another and it's good to have many great qualities.  It's important to not let anyone tell you that you can't do something and you should always be yourself.

I would use this book with older students and have them work on relating the text to real life.  I would use this to help students analyze text and be able to analyze both sides of an argument and evaluate different possible outcomes.  Below is one of the prompts I would use with my students.

Questions to consider:

• Is this a genre that you enjoy personally?
• How would you explain the difference between science fiction, fantasy, and fantasy adventure?
• What's "too much" is science fiction or fantasy adventure books? Do you have guidelines for what books you would use in your classroom as required reading?

Reference:

Roth, Veronica. Divergent. HarperCollins Publishers. New York, NY. 2011. Print.

Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone

Main Characters: Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco, Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape, Professor Quirrell, Lord Voldemort, Hagrid

Setting: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Summary: Harry Potter thought he was an ordinary boy who lived with his aunt, uncle, and cousin after his parents died in a car crash.  When letters start pouring in from Hogwarts, a school he had never heard of, and received a personal visit from a giant named Hagrid, he begins learning much more about himself and his true destiny.  Harry learns that he is truly a wizard and is invited to come learn magic at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  Harry meets his best friends Ron and Hermione and comes to love his life at Hogwarts.  When weird things like Harry's scar on his forehead starts burning and it seems that someone is trying to kill him, Harry starts looking into his parents past to figure out what the darkness around him is.  He learns that his parents were actually murdered by Lord Voldemort, a dark wizard, and he survived coming out with only a scar on his forehead.  Lord Voldemort has returned and is seeking the sorcerer's stone so that he can live an immortal life.  Harry faces Lord Voldemort, who has attached himself to Professor Quirrell, and shows true loyalty and bravery to defeat him and save the stone.  In the end, the stone is destroyed so no wizard can take it and use it for evil.  The theme of this book is to always fight for what you believe in and how courage and bravery play a big role in that.

I would use this book to teach students about character traits.  After previously learning what character traits are and how to use information from books to decide that certain characters have different character traits, I would have each student choose two character from the book.  I would have students create a chart linking character actions to character traits.  Then, I would have students present their charts and explain how their characters' actions led them to believe they have certain character traits.  I would also use this book to teach students about theme.  There are many themes you could come up with from this book so it would be interesting to see what students believe is the theme.  After learning what a theme is, I would have students get in groups and come up with what they believe the theme of this book is and why.

Below are also two lessons I would use while reading this book.

Questions to consider:

• Is this a genre that you enjoy personally?
• How would you explain the difference between science fiction, fantasy, and fantasy adventure (modern fantasy)?
• What's "too much" in science fiction or fantasy adventure books? DO you have guidelines for what books you would use in your classroom as required reading?

Reference:

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone. Scholastic, Inc. New York, NY. 1999. Print.

Gossip Girl

Main Characters: Dan, Serena, Blair, Nate, Jenny, Vanessa

Setting: the upper east side in New York

Summary: The gossip girl books are about different teenagers from the upper east side in New York City.  These teenagers are dealing with different struggles in life including romantic relationships, self-conscious issues, and figuring out what they're going to do with their life.  In this particular Gossip Girl novel, Dan is writing poems about Serena, while she thinks he is being too intense and is starting to pull away.  Blair is planning to get closer to Nate, have a great interview to get into Yale, and is the maid of honor in her mother's wedding.  Nate has other ideas, as he is falling for Jenny and wanting to break up with Blair and planning a future at Brown University.  The teenagers are dealing with life's struggles the best they can and the book ends with Nate being with Jenny and Dan giving up on Serena and falling for Vanessa.  After not being friends until the wedding because Serena was with Nate two years ago, Serena and Blair are back to being best friends and taking on the world together.  Meanwhile, Gossip Girl is running a website that shares all of these teenagers secret lives for the world to read and with someone watching, they can't get away with anything.

This book is definitely more suited for young teenage girls.  I don't think I would use this book in the classroom, as it could be inappropriate to read in a  classroom setting.  If I did use this book, I would use it to teach students about different life lessons they can overcome.  I would have students start their own personal journey and ask them to write down hardships they have overcome and struggles they are dealing with on a daily basis.  This series would be available to people to read in my classroom, but it would not be required.

Questions to consider:

• What did you think about the content? How will you decide what is appropriate for your classroom? To be read aloud? To be part of an assignment? To be available, but not required.
• With graphic novels, it's important to address format. Why did the creator use this format? A format forces us to pay attention to stories in a different ways.

Reference:

Von Ziegesar, Cecily. You Know You Love Me: Gossip Girl. Little Brown and Company. New York, NY. 2002. Print.

The Daily 5

Chapter 1: This chapter focuses on how teaching has evolved in our schools.  Our management has evolved from the first years of teaching, to five years ago, and now with the Daily Five.  They looked more closely at how teachers were structuring the learning environment.  One example is that in the first years of teaching we would mention behaviors once and expect students to know and do them.  Five years ago we would teach and practice behaviors once or twice and students were expected to know them.  Now, we teach and practice skills until behaviors become habits.  The Daily Five is different from other management models because they rely on the teaching of independence, manage the entire literacy block, allow three to five focus lessons and more intentions teaching, provide students substantial time to read and write, and more.

Chapter 2: The Daily Five believes in certain foundational principles.  Those principles include trusting students, providing choice, nurturing community, creating a sense of urgency, building stamina, and staying out of the students' way once routines are established.  It's important to treat students as individuals and build a trust between teacher and student because positive relationships are vital.  During Daily Five activities, students how the power to choice what they want to do depending on their goals and motivation.  They could choose reading to self, reading to someone, listening to reading, working on writing, or spelling work.  It's important to create a community in your classroom so students can take ownership of their learning.  It's also important to make sure students understand why they need to do activities.  Teachers have to support students and cheer them on so they can help them succeed.  Once students have developed the practiced strategies and built their stamina, teachers need to stay out of the way and let them read.

Chapter 3: In the first days of school, we have to introduce students to key materials, routines, and concepts.  These include establishing a gathering place for brain and body breaks, developing the concept of "good-fit" books through a series of lessons, creating anchor charts with students for referencing behaviors, short, repeated intervals of independent practice, calm signals and check-in procedures, and using the correct model/incorrect model approach for demonstrating appropriate behaviors.  You need a gathering place so students can all come together and sit on the floor.  We have to spend time making sure students pick books that are a good fit for them and will challenge them.  Students should ask why they want to read a book, if it interests them, if they are understanding what they're reading, and if they know most of the words.  At the beginning of the year, you have to provide students with a variety of books because we don't know their level of reading yet.  Anchor charts in the classroom are a good way to make thinking permanent.  Students can use these charts to trace their work, build on earlier learning, and remember different lessons.  We need to practice routines so students understand what is expected of them and this needs to be done numerous times.  We have to come up with signals for students to respond to so they can check in and stop what they're doing.  This way students aren't getting lost in their activity and it won't take forever to get them to move on.  We also have to show students the correct way to do Daily Five activities and incorrect ways so they know what not to do and what is expected of them.

Chapter 4: There are three ways to read a book.  These include reading and talking about the pictures, reading the words, and retelling a previously read book.  We have to teach these strategies to students as a gradual release.  We have to model for students, let the students practice, work independently, and then let them work on their own and only provide help if they really need it.  We have to help students form the correct behaviors so they know what is expected of them.  Then, we have students start practicing reading to themselves.  We start with the three-minute practice because most students can be successful for that amount of time so they are able to practice reading to themselves and displaying the correct behaviors.  After three minutes, students need to check back in and then they will repeat the process again.  After all of the practice sessions, the class will come together and review how the lesson went.  It's important to continuously review the important parts of the students Daily Five with them.  On day two, they will continue to practice and work on building their stamina and train student's muscle memories.  Students will continue to practice and a few minutes will be added each day until students are up to 30 minutes and can sustain for up to 45 minutes.

Chapter 5: The next step is to practice reading to someone and listen to reading.  Students normally like reading to someone and it also increasing the volume of reading, the level of attention to reading, reading motivation, fluency, reading rate, word-attack skills, and the love of reading.  We have to discuss why it is important to read to someone else before starting the activity and no, it's not just because it's fun.  Students need to understand why each activity is important.  It'll start with teaching students how to be a good reading partner.  On chart paper, the teacher will write the acronym "EEKK", which means elbow, elbow and knee, knee so students know how they need to behave while being a reading partner.  Voice level needs to be discussed so students stay on track and aren't distracting others.  Then, we teach students how to check for understanding by stopping at the end of every page or so to remember who they were reading about and what was happening.  The teacher will model for students then they will practice and later check back in.  Then, students will learn to partner read by reading a couple pages and then having their partner read the same pages again.  Students will learn how to choose books, how to choose their own classroom spot, and how to choose a good partner.  Audio stories are also helpful for students who get their first exposure to English when they enter the classroom.

The Daily Five activities are a great way to help students succeed in reading in the classroom.  I would definitely use these activities in my own classroom so students are prepared, know what is expected of them, and are exposed to many different strategies to help them become better readers.

Questions to consider:

• How do we modify and accommodate in order to maximize literacy learning for all students?
• What does effective instruction look like when teaching literacy? What should we teach? How do we teach it?
• What is the teacher's role and how does it change?
• What does effective classroom management look like in the literacy and performing arts classrooms?

Reference:

Boushey, Gail. Moser, Joan. Stenhouse Publishers. Portland, Maine. 2006. Print.

Hatchet

Main Character: Brian

Setting: A lake in the Canadian wilderness

Summary: Brian was on a flight in a small plane to see his father in Canada when suddenly the pilot has a heart attack.  Brian has to figure out how to land the plane and after flying around for awhile, decides to crash into a lake.  Brian survives the crash and quickly realizes he has to do everything he can to survive.  He tackles many obstacles including finding food, facing a bear, facing wolves, getting sprayed by a skunk, and getting wacked by a porcupine.  Brian realizes that a hatchet his mother gave him before his trip is the answer to all of his problems.  He uses it to build a fire to keep him warm and uses his instincts to stay alive in the wilderness for fifty-four long days.

I would use this book in the classroom by having students use their journals.  I would read a few paragraphs and have students write a paragraph or two in their journals about a predicted summary of what's going to happen in the book.  After reading the book, I would have them write a page on how they think they would've reacted if they were in Brian's shoes.  After that, I would have them get into small groups and look back at their first predictions and discuss how it compares to what they know to be true now.


Questions to consider:

• When, if ever, is an adventure book too "real life" for your students? How will you determine the appropriateness for your students?
• What other adventure books have you read? What about true adventure stories?

Reference:

Paulsen, Gary. Hatchet: 20th Anniversary Edition. Simon & Schuster. New York. 2007. Print.

The Whipping Boy

Main Characters: Jemmy, Prince Brat, Hold-Your-Nose Billy

Setting: A castle in the countryside and the sewers

Summary: Prince Brat decides to run away from the castle and has the whipping boy, Jemmy, go with him.  They end up getting kidnapped by Hold-Your-Nose Billy and have to work together to get out of the situation.  The two boys couldn't stand each other when in the castle together, but develop a friendship through the time spent outside of the castle running from Billy.  

I would use this as a lesson about how just because two people are different, it doesn't mean that someone is better than another person.  It is a great story about how you can come from different backgrounds and still be friends.  I would also use this book as a vocabulary lesson, as there are a lot of words in the book that students might not have heard before.  I would have students pick three words that they didn't know, look them up, and complete a paint card about each word including how to use it in a sentence, characteristics, the definition, and facts about the word.

Questions to consider:

• When, if ever, is an adventure book too "real life" for your students? How will you determine the appropriateness for your students?
• Recently the number of realistic adventure books seems to be much less than fantasy adventure. Why do you think that is true? Compare their place in your classroom library and instruction.

Reference: 

Fleischmann, Sid. The Whipping Boy. Green willow Books. New York, N.Y. 1986. Print.

The Boxcar Children

Main Characters: Henry, Jessie, Violet, Benny, William, Meg, Ben, Kate, Sarah, Jake

Setting: The Fair Meadow Farm

Summary: The Alden family lived on the Fair Meadow farm.  Siblings Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny had fun doing chores and spending time together around the farm.  One night a family came to their house after their car broke down in a snow storm.  They invited the family to stay in their home and soon became very close friends with the children Meg and William.  They did everything together.  They did chores, went to school, and even put on a free circus for their friends and families.  They lived together until the part came to fix their car and the family had to go on their way to their new home.  At the end of the story, the sheriff comes home to tell the kids that their parents passed away in a car accident and that they needed to contact any family members or they might have to go into foster care.  The kids know that the only family member they have is a grandfather who they have never met.  The next day, Henry, Jessie, Violent, and Benny take off on an adventure and leave the Fair Meadow farm so they don't get split up.  This is just the beginning of The Boxcar Children series, with many more adventures to come.

All of the siblings are very different people.  I would use this book in the classroom to teach students about character traits.  I would have students get in groups and take a different character from the book and have them describe certain character traits that person shows and what details from the story make them think that they have those traits.

Questions to consider:

• Why did the creator use this format?
• What did you think of this story?
• What different character traits do the characters in the story possess?

Reference:

MacLachlan, Patricia. The Boxcar Children Beginning. Albert Whitman & Company. Park Ridge, Illinois. 2012. Print.

Love That Dog

Main Characters: Jack, Miss Stretchberry, Walter Dean Myers, Sky

Setting: Miss Stretchberry's classroom, Room 105

Summary: Jack creates different poems that mean something to him after hearing numerous famous poems from his teacher Miss Stretchberry.  The first few poems Jack wrote he asked the teacher to keep them anonymous when she hangs them up because he doesn't think they're good enough or that boys should write poems.  After writing a few, he starts letting the teacher put his name on them and he ends up writing a wonderful poem about his dog, Sky, that was inspired by famous poet Walter Dean Myers who comes to talk to Jack's class at school.  This is a great story about how if you give new things a chance, you might come to love them and get to experience new things.

I would use this in my classroom before students are going to write their own poems.  I would also use this as a history lesson before introducing students to different poets and poems.  After reading this, I would have students pick their favorite poem from the book and have them re-write it in their own words and connect it to their personal lives just like Jack did in the book.

My favorite poet is Edgar Allan Poe.  His work is sometimes described as dark, but I find it very interesting, different, and amusing.  He is very creative and there is always an underlying message in each of his poems.  The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe is also my favorite poem I have ever read.  It is also his most famous poem.  He's one of those poets that you really have to pick apart each stanza to understand what he's trying to tell you and I find that challenging, rewarding, and interesting.  

My favorite inspirational poem is Still I Rise by Maya Angelou.  This poem inspires people to be themselves no matter what society is trying to tell you.  People are going to try and tear you down, but don't give them the satisfaction.  It's important to stay true to yourself and not worry about what others think about you.

Questions to consider:

• How can you help students both make meaning of poetry and enjoy it?
• Do you understand the different types of poetry?

Reference:

Creech, Sharon. Love That Dog. HarperCollins Publishers. New York, NY. 2001. Print.

Radiant Child

Main Characters: Jean-Michel, Matilde

Setting: Brooklyn, New York City

Summary: Jean-Michel always wanted to be a famous artist.  He found art in many different things including poetry books, theaters, street games and museums.  Jean-Michel's drawings are not neat or clean and he doesn't color inside the lines, but his drawings are still beautiful.  This book teaches us that we don't have to be perfect and if you set your mind to something, you can do anything.  It is a great story about never giving up, following your dreams, and not being afraid to be different.

I would use this in the classroom by doing a lesson on what students want to be when they grow up and then having them draw what that will look like.  I would also use this in an art lesson and let students draw whatever they want however they want.  I would also use this for a lesson regarding the history of art and different artists.  I think this book is also an important lesson that if you set your mind to something, you can do anything as long as you try your best and work hard.

Questions to consider:

• Do you know of any informational texts that would pair well with this book?
• How will this book help students gain perspective?

Reference:

Steptoe, Javake. Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. Little, Brown & Company. New York, NY. 2016. Print.

Number the Stars

Main Characters: Annemarie, Ellen, Kirsti, Mr. & Mrs. Johansen, Henrick, Peter

Setting: Copenhagen

Summary: Annemarie and her family lived in Copenhagen during the time when Germany was taking over. When the Nazis begin taking Jews from their homes, the Johansen's take their neighbor and Annemarie's best friend, Ellen, into their home and pretend she is one of their own.  Annemarie, her mother, sister, and Ellen go to visit her Uncle Henrick who is a fisherman with his own boat.  When Ellen's parents and other families show up at her uncles, Annemarie realizes they didn't just come for a simple visit.  Henrick and Annemarie's almost brother-in-law Peter take the families to their boats to get the Jewish families safely to Sweden.  These boats had hiding places built by the fisherman.  When Ellen's father drops a packet that was supposed to get on the boat later found by Annemarie, she knows she has to risk her life and take it to the boat before it leaves.  Annemarie is stopped in the woods by four soldiers who look through her basket with the packet in it.  Annemarie learns that she brought her uncle a handkerchief that saved her friends life.  The handkerchief contained a special drug that makes dogs ruin their sense of smell and since the German officers had dogs trying to find these Jewish runaways, they used these handkerchiefs on the boats.  Had Annemarie not been so brave, the dogs would've smelled the families and they would've been caught.

I would use this in my classroom by having students read chapters and discuss after each chapter.  I would also connect this to history lessons and have students write in their journal about the book.  I would have them answer questions, such as: "What would you have done if you were Annemarie?"

Questions to consider:

• How will the book help students understand history?
• How will the book help students gain perspective?
• Would you recommend this book? If so, to whom?

Reference:

Lowry, Lois. Number the Stars. New York. Scholastic Teaching Resources, 2003. Print.

Double Identity

Main Characters: Bethany, Aunt Myrlie, Joss, Hillary, Walter, Dalton Van Dyne

Setting: Sanderfield, Illinois

Summary: Bethany was approaching her thirteenth birthday when her parents were acting very weird and ended up dropping her off at an aunts house who she didn't even know existed.  Despite her wishes, her parents left her with her Aunt Myrlie and she grew even more suspicious when she tried calling her parents and their phones had been disconnected.  After people started recognizing her face in town, Bethany starts asking questions about her parents past in Sanderfield.  She learns that her parents had a daughter before she was born, Elizabeth, who died in a tragic car accident when she was 13.  Bethany can't figure out why her parents wouldn't have told her any of this and she only grows more suspicious when her father sends her different birth certificates and 10,000 dollars in the mail.  Recently out of prison, Dalton Van Dyne starts following Bethany and she does some researching with her cousin, Joss, and figures out that he was involved with her father, Walter.  In the end, Van Dyne was following Bethany because he was trying to get to her parents.  Long ago, Van Dyne hired Walter to clone himself, but he ended up going to prison before he could succeed.  Van Dyne was looking for Walter because he desperately wanted to find his clone, but it turns out that Walter used his chance to clone his deceased daughter who turned out to be Bethany instead.  Bethany felt uneasy about being a clone, but in the end she took advice from Joss and decided that she's grateful to be alive and wants to figure out what to do with her life now.

I would use this in upper elementary.  It is a good book that keeps you in suspense most of the book with several possible outcomes to consider.  This is an easy to read book that can introduce students to chapter books.  While easy to read, there are also words that will be challenging to students as well.  I would use this when wanting students to read in groups and discuss what's going on and make predictions after each chapter.  I would also have students record their thoughts in journals.  I would have them answer questions like, "What would you think or do if you found out you were a clone?"

Questions to consider:

• How believable do you find this plot?  Did it matter?
• How might you use this book in your classroom?

Reference:

Haddis, Margaret Peterson. Double Identity. Waterville, Me.: Thorndyke, 2007. Print.

Dinosaurs Before Dark

Main Characters: Jack and Annie

Setting: Frog Creek, Pennsylvania

Summary: Jack and Annie were walking through the woods in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania when they stubbled upon a tree house. They climbed the rope and found different books in the tree house.  Jack opened up a book about dinosaurs and saw a picture of a Pteranodon.  Jack wished that he could go to the time of Pteranodons and suddenly the wind started to blow, the tree house started to spin, and Jack and Annie went to a time sixty-five million years ago.  The pair ran into different dinosaurs like a Pteranodon, a Triceratops, a Anatosaurus, and a Tyrannosaurus rex.  After running into each dinosaur, Jack used the book to learn more about each of them.  After exploring the different dinosaurs, Jack grabbed a book about Pennsylvania and wished to be back in his hometown.

I would use this book in the classroom to show how important reading is in order to learn new information.  I would also use this in a history lesson about dinosaurs.  This text would be best used in a K-1 grade setting since it's simple and students would enjoy the graphics.  I would also add the graphic below from the book to intrigue students and get them excited about reading the book.

Questions to consider:

• What benefits do series books have for children? Any negative aspects to them?
• How does this genre of mystery overlap with other genres?

Reference:

Osborne, Mary Pope., and Sal Murdocca. Dinosaurs Before Dark. New York: Scholastic, 1992. Print.