Beyond Words...

Teaching is not an easy job...

This week was tough at times and several days I wanted to just stay home under the covers, as I am sure everyone can relate.  But I pushed through, and thought to myself, no - there must be a reason.  I am here, so give your best because these kids deserve better.

So when one kid - (a real pain at times)  fell apart crying in my classroom because he was hungry - I was there. I later told myself, it is NOT about me.  It is about them and what they need, that is why I am here. I work all day, doing this, doing that, and constantly pulled in different directions, yet I try to focus on them and what they need and try to help each one I see - and  yet constantly think - I missed this or need more here.

So I try again to give a reluctant reader yet another discarded book, I place books on the shelves and chalk tray to entice this or that subject.  I talk about them, I read them aloud, I use them constantly and watch as the student I show this book or that, puts it down it  again, can be discouraging.  I went on about the fun in poetry and rhyming a slam, or try to.  

So here is my poem of the week:

I hope they notice I was trying to make it fun,
and leave discouraged thinking I reach none..
until I am cleaning off stacks of papers, books
 to clear a spot or maybe a nook.

I find a profound note,
that one of my little ones had wrote
A soon to be,  familiar quote,
from a book that we both wish we had wrote -

"You are so busy being YOU that you have no idea how utterly unprecedented  you are," - John Green
The Fault in Our Stars

Happy Valentines Day
- Ms. K

I have to say - No Thank You beautiful, smart child, because you are the reason I came today!

Literacy Fair Example Board

This is my example board for literacy fair coming soon at our school.  I made this from one black foam board that I scored and folded to make a smaller sized presentation board.  This is an easy way to make a small one.  Students may of course make larger ones, but this is just to give ideas out.  I really like that I added a QR code on the bottom left, that students can scan and link to the Animoto video I made about the book.  Students will like that, they can scan right into their phones. I plan to offer big points for students who include these on their own boards.  Happy Reading!

Copy of Second Impact

Working on a video for my Literacy Fair ideas.  I plan to post a QR code on my board and the QR code will lead readers to this video about the book.  I will post photos when I get it all together.

Sports Books

 Second Impact by David Klass & Perri Klass


Where are all the sports book for YA?  I recently read Second Impact by David Klass & Perri Klass
This book was a wide open quick read for any sports lover. I love these types of books which the authors has a great story wound around a great ethical question. This book brings up the big question of Traumatic Brain Injury to football players who may have had more than one concussion.  This story make you think, is winning worth it and do we really know when to say no.  This book is a blog, almost like an epistolary story but told in Blog entries of one boys point of view and a girl who is the editor for the school newspaper.  When the story leaks and she is questioned by the principal, her Freedom of Speech comes into question and can you write what you really know about people.  As I read this book, I thought of how many great questions you can ask students.  Research topic would include the Traumatic Brain Injury in school sports, Freedom of Speech for underage bloggers, privacy matters of students who are injured at school, can you tell medical details or not.  This book brings to light major issues that students are faced with daily, with social media and sports injury, all wrapped up into a great fiction story.  Can you overcome big obstacles and still be successful. Is winning worth losing a friend?

NetGalley

Well now that college is over and I have succeed in all my classes.  I am constantly reading books on my list of books to read.  I became a member of NetGalley and that will just load my ipad with the latest books to be reviewed.

I just read one by Elizabeth Scott called Heartbeat.  Which is coming out in April 2014 for YA and it is a beautiful tragic story that questions the right and wrong of using life support systems to keep someone alive just for the sake of their unborn child.  Asking teens to tackle this type of morality is a big issue in this sweet tale of loss and love.  The smart girl is frozen in a stupor until she finds a car thief, druggie who is hurting as much as she is and just wants to go back in time together and fix the wrongs.  Somehow they find a way to help one another with their broken hearts and continue more than just a Heartbeat.

 

I can't wait for more fun books to be approved and added to the my pile of TBR list.
Happy Reading.
dk

Living with Jackie Chan by Jo Knowles

I have been trying to complete grad school and study for my state certification so I am off a bit in my posting of great books and fun tech ideas. But it shall continue soon.

I love Jo Knowles and I got to see her in person at the Austin Book Festival for Young Adults a couple of weekends ago.  She was incredible of course.  She really has a beat with teens and you can tell in her books how heart wrenching her characters become so real that you can really identify with them.

I will read all her books now.  I got a signed copy of this book and I am in the middle of it.  I will post more about it when I finish, but this continues the story of Jumping off Swings, with Josh's side of getting a girl pregnant as a jr. in high school and how he can't deal with the adoption, with his parents separate lives, and how can he even look at people at school since he caused such a nightmare to happen to one girl.  He is living with some serious issues and goes to finish school with his Uncle who loves Jackie Chan.  But he is learning to deal with life as he goes.

The Selection and The Elite by Kiera Cass

I read The Selection by Kiera Cass last weekend and it is new in our library.  This story is a cross between Hunger Games and The Bachelor t.v. show.  This story involves a caste system of society and certain girls are allowed to compete for a Prince if they are selected to represent the country. This is only allowed it the Prince likes you.  It is a very interesting read.  It has lots of 'swoon' worthy parts that will make girls really like the story.  I was hooked at the beginning.  It is a love triangle but a lot of history is repeated in this new society and this will entrance readers.   I could not wait to read the next one in the series, which is called The Elite, so I instantly downloaded it in my Overdrive account to finish reading the story for the weekend.   This one continues the story as the main character is voted to stay in the castle as one of the remaining 6 girls left in the competition.  I can not wait for the third book to come out in May 2014.