Reading Update: Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

I've read Spinelli's Stargirl, and I love his fun writing style. Maniac Magee did not disappoint.

This book is full of the adventures of a boy dubbed Maniac Magee. He's an orphan who runs away from home and challenges the stereotypes and "norms" of the world. He finds homes with many different people and challenges the preconceived notions of people.
    Grayson is a crotchety old bachelor who tends the zoo. He's unable to read and write, and he's suspicious of others and bitter about life. Maniac befriends the old man and gives him a new take on life.
    Maniac also befriends a sassy Amanda Beale. Amanda's parents realize Maniac is homeless, and they open their home to him. He quickly becomes a part of the family. There's one small problem (according to some - definitely not Maniac): the Beales are black and Maniac is white.
    Maniac also befriends two devilish boys, Russell and Piper McNab. He quickly settles into their home where he adopts the role of surrogate older brother. The McNabs' father notices there's a new face in the house, but he pays this new household member as little attention as he pays his unruly sons. Maniac attempts to teach Russell and Piper the importance of education and kindness.
    In addition to his ever-changing home life, Maniac also becomes a legend among his peers. He can run faster than anyone. He can catch more footballs. He can untie "The Knot." He's allergic to pizza.

As I was reading this book, I found myself sticky noting excerpts for writing workshop minilessons. Here are a few.
Catchy beginning.
They say Maniac Magee was born in a dump. They say his stomach was a cereal box and his heart a sofa spring.
They say he kept an eight-inch cockroach on a leash and that rats stood guard over him while he slept.
They say if you knew he was coming, and you sprinkled salt on the ground and he ran over it, within two or three blocks he would be as slow as everybody else.
They say (1).

Entertaining and effective analogies. 
So, there's Arnold Jones, held up by all these hands, flopping and kicking and shrieking like some poor Aztec human sacrifice about to be tossed off a pyramid. "No! No! Please!" he pleads. "Pleeeeeeeese!" (17).

A chittering. A chattering. And getting louder - yes - chattering teeth. Arnold Jones's teeth. They're chattering like snare drums (18). 

McNab froze, then flinched, just in time. The ball missed his head but nipped the bill of his cap and sent it spinning like a flying saucer out to shortstop (24). 

If you look at old pictures in the Two Mills times, you see that the Knot was about the size and shape of a lopsided volleyball. It was made of string, but it had more contortions, ins and outs, twists and turns and dips and doodles than the brain of Albert Einstein himself (69). 

Practical Considerations: This book is a home-run. Middle schoolers, both boys and girls, would enjoy this read. It'd be a good one for read-alouds, too. I was surprised by the book's message about racism as I didn't know the book dealt with the topic until I was reading it. Maniac doesn't understand why blacks and whites live in separate neighborhood and regard one another as "different" because to him, they're not different at all.

Reading Update: From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg

So this book is a classic, and I feel a bit sheepish that I have not read it before now. The narrator is Mrs. Bail E. Frankweiler, who is sharing with her estate attorney, Mr. Saxonberg, the reason why she has included Claudia and Jamie Kincaid in her will. Claudia and Jamie Kincaid are siblings who run away from home and hide in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan. Their adventures in the museum and the ingenious ways they avoid being caught are entertaining. While at the museum, they become intrigued by a new piece of art recently donated to the museum. The identity of the artist is under question, and the brother and sister attempt to discover the true identity of the artist. Their investigation leads them to Mrs. Frankweiler.
  I would save this read for younger kids. I think many of my 7th and 8th graders would scoff at the book because it's childish when compared to adolescent literature written today. It was amusing to read the story and be reminded of the changes that have occurred in daily life since the 1950s: bus tickets were 25 cents and cell phones were nonexistent.
    E.L. Kongisburg provides insight about life truths, and I would use some of her insight as a writing workshop prompt.

Because after a time having a secret and nobody knowing you have a secret is no fun. And although you don't want others to know what the secret is, you want them to at least know you have one" (158). 

Konigsburg also uses parentheticals as a way to insert asides that illustrate the narrator's voice. This would be a handy writing workshop minilesson.

The bed had a tall canopy, supported by an ornately carved headboard at one end and by two gigantic posts at the other. (I'm familiar with that bed, Saxonberg. It is as enormous and fussy as mine. And it dates from the sixteenth century like mine. I once considered donating my bed to the museum, but Mr. Untermyer gave them this one first. I was somewhat relieved when he did. Now I can enjoy my bed without feeling guilty because the museum doesn't have one. Besides, I'm not that fond of donating things) (40). 

Practical Considerations: A great book to have in classroom libraries in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades.

Reading Update: Coraline by Neil Gaiman

This little read is CREEPY, and middle schoolers tend to like creepy. Coraline has moved to a new house with her parents, and Coraline meets her peculiar neighbors: an old man who trains rats and two old women who revel in the past, a time when they were stage actresses. Despite her interesting neighbors, Coraline is often bored, and her parents have little time for their daughter.
     As she explores her new home on her own, Coraline becomes intrigued with a door in the dining room that leads... nowhere. The door has been blocked with an old brick wall. Coraline sneaks the key from her mother and opens the door again late one night, and this time the door opens to a mysterious dark tunnel. And here the dark adventure awaits.
     I found the book to provide some excellent descriptions of setting, and I would recommend using excerpts for student exemplars.

The theater was derelict and abandoned. Chairs were broken on the floor, and old, dusty spiderwebs draped the walls and hung from the rotten wood and the decomposing velvet hangings (99). 

Coraline let herself down into the hole, looking nervously at the trapdoor. It was so heavy that if it fell she was sure she would be trapped down in the darkness forever. She put up a hand and touched it, but it stayed in position. And then she turned toward the darkness below, and she walked down the steps. Set into the wall at the bottom of the steps was another light switch, metal and rusting. She pushed it until it clicked down, and a naked bulb hanging from a wire from the low ceiling came on. It did not give up enough light even for Coraline to make out the things that had been painted onto the flaking cellar walls (109). 

Practical Considerations: This book belongs in a classroom library, and I highly recommend it as a class read-aloud for middle schoolers. Major themes are being careful for what you wish and not all things are as they seem.

Reading Update: Crispin the Cross of Lead by Avi

In my former school, I had a class set of this novel, and now I kick myself for not finding the time to read the book and to utilize that class set. Many of my former middle schoolers would have enjoyed this read.
The novel is set in the medieval times, and the protagonist is a nameless peasant boy who has recently been orphaned. His mother has died, and he never knew his father's identity. The boy's mysterious father creates the plot for the story. As the plot develops, the boy's true identity is slowly revealed. Therefore, this book would be a good fit for a literature circle/book club with the thematic focus of identity/coming of age.

"What are you going to do?" I cried.

"Cut your hair."

"Now look at yourself again," he said when he was done. "What do you see now?"

I considered my reflection anew.

"Are you different?" he said.

"A little," I said.

"And that was only water and a blade. Think what you might become if you were cleansed of thirteen years of dirt, neglect, and servitude" (104). 

The story also illustrates the grim lifestyle of peasantry during that time period and the role that religion played in day-to-day village life.

Thus our lives never changed, but went round the rolling years beneath the starry vault of distant Heaven, Time was the great millstone, which ground us to dust like kerneled wheat. The Holy Church told us where we were in the alterations of the day, the year, and in our daily toil. Birth and death alone gave distinction to our lives, as we made the journey between the darkness from whence we had come to the darkness where we were fated to await Judgment Day. Then God's terrible gaze would fall on us and lift us to Heaven's bliss or throw us down to the everlasting flames of Hell (13). 

Practical Considerations: There is one rather vivid description of a man who has been hanged on page 55, but other than that, I have zero concerns about using this book as a required reading in a middle school classroom. 

A Glimpse into Sub Life, Take 4

    I have learned that it's definitely an advantage to have teaching experience when subbing but  subbing is a far cry from teaching. Subbing has illustrated the importance of Relationship. The three R's (Relationship, Rigor, Relevance) get hammered in college education courses, and they're addressed in interviews, but I think substitute teachers might best realize the importance of Relationship.
     I have learned that my classroom management style has relied heavily on the relationships I have fostered with my kids. I don't have a heavy hand - I don't particularly like having to use a heavy hand - and I have noticed how a lack of relationship has affected my classroom management style.
     As a sub, you're already a few notches below human in the eyes of the kids. It's like a feeding frenzy. I can't tell you how many kids have walked through the classroom door and shrieked with glee, "We have a sub today!" Picture kid licking his chops. Classroom management is challenging, but I think it's especially challenging for substitute teachers.
     It doesn't help when a glance at the lesson plan reveals this: One hour for math. Kids silently read if they finish early. One hour for reading. Kids silently read if they finish early. One hour for writing. Kids silently read if they finish early.
    No kid wants to read all day, especially not intermittently. If you're going to give them time to read, then give them a chunk of time so they can really sink into their books. So I have taken the liberty to tweak plans to maintain sanity for all. Here are my go-to activities:

Younger Grades
These are my favorite go-to activities because they require zero prep or very, very minimal prep.

• Have a crossword puzzle for kids to complete if they finish an assignment early. Kids like choices!
• Most elementary classes have a weekly spelling list. This activity requires zero prep and kids really like it. It's called Spelling Sparkle. Gather kids in a large circle and designate a kid as the starter. Call out a spelling word, and the designated kid gives the first letter. Moving clockwise, each student contribute a letter until the word is spelled out. The student who follows the last letter calls out Sparkle and sits down. The next word starts with the student following the one who sat down. The goal is to be the last one standing. 
• If I find I'm teaching math, I'll usually stick this extra challenge into the lesson to get the brain juices flowing (somewhat). Have students start with a number between 1-10 (I do this because I don't have a clue about their mathematical expertise). Then give them 3 or 4 steps where they subtract and add various numbers designated by you. The final step is always to have them subtract the number they started with. This way, all kids will end up with the same number depending on the steps you told them to do. At first, it's like I've done a magic trick and kids are baffled. The second time, at least a kid or two has caught on. I ask them to explain it, and then we usually do one more problem to help the others understand. Simple but fun. 
• Pictionary: I have pre-made index cards in my sub bag, and if we have 10 minutes to burn and kids are burned out on silent reading, I'll divide the class into two teams (usually boys v. girls) and we'll play pictionary. Snowstorm usually stumps them ;)
• This activity can get a little rowdy so pre-teach expectations, but it's a handy activity if the kids are getting restless and need a brain break and movement. Pair the kids up and then have Partner 1 do some type of gesture (e.g. clap their hands 3 times, slap their knee once, stomp their foot, e.g.). Partner 2 imitates what Partner 1 did and adds a gesture to it. This continues with kids going back and forth and adding to the sequence for a designated time period - about a minute - and I usually use music. The challenge is if kids can remember their entire sequence. Once they mess up, they have to sit down. 
• I have Junior Trivia cards in my sub bag and I use these any time we have a couple minutes to kill, usually before we line up for lunch, recess, or a trek to the gym. These are handy.
• Pack Jolly Ranchers. Always. 

Secondary Grades

High schoolers are a tough sell, and honestly, I don't tend to tweak the lesson much. High schoolers just want to get the work done, and then they want down time. And my experience has been that most high schoolers are capable of handling down time. Middle schoolers not so much. They need structured time just like the 5th and 6th graders do. Here are some activities I've used with middle schoolers:

• Top 10: Most classrooms have a stack of abandoned newspapers piled in some corner. Grab these and distribute pages to the kids and ask them to skim the articles. You may need to quickly review what constitutes a news article. Ads and comics are not news articles. They have 10 minutes to learn 10 things from the news. They write 10 sentences on a piece of paper, sharing what they learned, and then we hold a whole-group share at the end. Kids have fun sharing.
• Hide the Adjective: This activity takes about 20 minutes and requires about 5 minutes of prep. I have pre-made cards in my sub bag. Here's the link to my lesson. On the flip side, when I had my own classroom, this was a go-to sub plan for me. 
• Those Junior Trivia cards are still handy at this level. They're great for those awkward last two minutes of class before the bell rings.
• Pack Jolly Ranchers. Always. 

Workshop Structure

One of the most daunting tasks in running a readers' and writers' workshop in the classroom is determining the structure. Common questions include: what components do I need? how much time should I allot to each component? how do I incorporate both reading and writing into my limited amount of class time each day? I've gathered suggestions from a few experts in the field, and these suggestions are ones that have guided me when getting the workshop off the ground.

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In Mosaic of Thought Keene and Zimmerman list the following four components as the most effective supports for comprehension learning.

• Large group meeting time: The teacher thinks aloud about a comprehension strategy, then encourages children to share their thinking.
• Independent reading time: a long period during which the teacher moves among the students to confer
• Needs-based grouping: occurs during independent reading to address specific learning needs
• Reflection: A time for kids to reflect on their learning with others. This includes large-group sharing session, book clubs, written responses, one-on-one sharing, or discussion. 

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In Reading in the Wild Donalyn Miller recommends dividing the class period into thirds. Her daily minilessons alternate in focus from reading to writing according to the curricular learning objectives. She provides a weekly schedule for both a reading focus and a writing focus to illustrate how she utilizes her class time with kids. It's important to note that her school operates on a block schedule, so she has her kiddos for 90 minutes at a time.

Weekly Schedule: Reading Focus

Monday: The first 30 minutes are spent on readers' workshop/ small groups/conferences. The next 45 minutes are spent on vocabulary and spelling minilessons and guided practice. The last 15 minutes are saved for a read aloud.

Tuesday: The first 30 minutes are spent on readers' workshop/ small groups/conferences. The next 15 minutes are spent on a reading minilesson and guided practice. The following 30 minutes are spent on a writing a response to literature. The last 15 minutes are saved for a read aloud.

Wednesday: Identical to Tuesday's schedule.

Thursday: Identical to Tuesday's schedule.

Friday: The first 15 minutes are spent completing the weekly vocabulary test. The next 30 minutes is a readers' or writers' workshop. The students can choose which they work on. The following 30 minutes are used as an informal share time. Students can give book commercials, participate in discussions, or conduct read-arounds. The last 15 minutes are saved for a read aloud. 

*Observation: Miller carves out time for independent reading and read alouds in her classroom every single day. Her weekly schedule includes the four essential components identified by Keene and Zimmerman as essential to an effective readers' workshop, but not each component is evident on a daily basis. 

Weekly Schedule: Writing Focus

Monday:  The first 30 minutes are spent on readers' workshop/ small groups/conferences. The next 45 minutes are spent on vocabulary and spelling minilessons and guided practice. The last 15 minutes are saved for a read aloud.

Tuesday: The first 30 minutes are spent on readers' workshop/ small groups/conferences. The next 15 minutes are spent on a writing minilesson and guided practice. The following 30 minutes are spent on writers' workshop. Students independently write and Miller conducts one-on-one conferences. The last 15 minutes are saved for a read a loud. 

Wednesday: identical to Tuesday's schedule

Thursday: identical to Tuesday's schedule

Friday: The first 15 minutes are spent completing the weekly vocabulary test. The next 30 minutes is a readers' or writers' workshop. The students can choose which they work on. The following 30 minutes are used as an informal share time. Students can give book commercials, participate in discussions, or conduct read-arounds. The last 15 minutes are saved for a read aloud. 

*Observations: Her writing focus schedule is similar to her reading focus schedule, which allows for consistency for her students. She still allots 30 minutes a day for independent reading during an instructional unit on writing. 

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Nancie Atwell, who is perhaps the decisive authority on all matters regarding reading and writing workshop, makes an argument for considering the workshop the English course - not an add-on - in her book In the Middle. Atwell, who runs her own school in Maine, also operates on a block schedule. She describes a typical 90-minute class period:

• reading and discussion of poem (5 minutes)
• procedures/writing/reading minilesson (5-20 minutes)
• status-of-the-class conference about students' plans for writing workshop (3 minutes)
• independent writing and conferring (35-50 minutes)
• read-aloud from a chapter book or short story (10 minutes)
• independent reading, including roving status-of-the-class record keeping while students are reading (15 minutes)

Atwell also provides suggestions for teachers operating on a 50-minute bell schedule. She recommends giving the bulk of the class period to writing as she finds this is where kids need the most hands-on help, teacher demonstrations, and structured time.

Option 1: When a workshop approach is the curriculum

• Writing workshop on four regular, consecutive days (e.g. Monday - Thursday)
• Reading workshop on one regularly scheduled day (e.g. Friday) but with sharing and literary minilessons throughout the week
• A half hour's worth of independent reading as homework every night
• An hour's worth of writing as homework, done at the student's discretion between Thursday night and Monday morning

Option 2: When a required curriculum must be covered

• Writing workshop four days a week (e.g. Monday - Thursday) for one semester, with an hour's worth of writing as homework between Thursday and Monday morning
• The required curriculum four days a week for the alternate semester
• Reading workshop on one regular scheduled day (e.g. Friday) throughout the entire school year, and frequent sharing and literary minilessons
• A half hour's worth of independent reading as homework every night.

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Perhaps the best advice I've found regarding workshop structure is find the balance that works for YOU. None of the reading and writing gurus are advising teachers to adopt their workshop approach without a few tweaks. I have found that my workshop is a compilation of borrowed ideas. I take a few here and a few there and make something of my own that works for my classroom, my kids, and me. 

Mosaic of Thought Reflections

   I haven't yet finished reading Mosaic of Thought, but I have stopped numerous times and asked myself this question: "How is it that I'm  just reading this book after teaching ELA for seven years?" Truly, I can't believe that this was not a required text at some point in my formal schooling because it's that missing piece of the puzzle that allows everything else to fall into place.

     I know that teaching students metacognition is important, and I can list the seven strategies that help students develop metacognition, but this book makes everything more clear. If you're a teacher asking why should I teach metacognition or how should I teach it, then this book is a must-buy.
     After recently finishing Donalyn Miller's The Book Whisperer and Reading in the Wild, one might think that all you need to do as a reading teacher is pile good books into your students' arms and check in once in a while. Don't get me wrong, this is an essential first step. Yet, more is needed: fluency instruction, word analysis instruction, text structure instruction, vocabulary instruction, and comprehension strategy instruction. Mosaic of Thought is a tome of wisdom about comprehension strategy instruction.
    Believe me, I wish teaching reading comprehension was an easy gig. It's reassuring to read Mosaic of Thought and realize that many teachers before me have asked how to provide focused instruction that improves comprehension.
     Insightful teachers collaborated decades ago and, through trial and error, developed the following metacognition strategies. Keene and Zimmerman provide a suggested sequence for this strategy instruction, which I appreciate because I have grappled with the order of my instruction.

          Primary: monitoring, using background knowledge, questioning, creating mental images,
          inferring, determining importance, synthesizing

          Intermediate: monitoring, using background knowledge, inferring, determining importance,
         synthesizing, questioning, creating mental images (34)

     Other practical advice from the first section of the book include a reminder that the strategies themselves are not a means for differentiation but rather the text in which we ask students to apply the strategies allows for differentiation. One strategy is not harder than another.
     In addition, Keene and Zimmerman suggest teaching one strategy at a time for a prolonged period. Their classroom examples show how focus on a specific strategy can extend for 4 weeks - or even longer depending on students' needs. Keene and Zimmerman encourage teachers to teach the strategies one at a time but also to constantly loop the strategies into instruction so that by the end of the school year, the students are not solely practicing the most recent strategy but are using all seven strategies independently and at their own discretion. "Ultimately, the goal is to be able to use all the strategies in an integrated manner... depending on the demands of the text" (36).
     Keene and Zimmerman also state that "comprehension strategy study needs to be built on a gradual release of responsibility from teacher to student" (11). In other words, a lot of modeling and demonstrating is necessary before students can be expected to apply the strategy independently. The "I Do, We Do, You Do" method could easily dupe newbies into thinking that instruction follows these three neat and tidy steps. However, "I Do" gets repeated several times. And "We Do" gets repeated several times in different ways. Then we might loop back to "I Do" to address some student misconceptions... You get the idea.
     A natural question is how do you model a reading strategy. The answer is the Think-Aloud (serious voice). Initially, I remember thinking, "No way am I going to read aloud - and think aloud - to my high school students." Yet, this is the bread-and-butter of strategy instruction. It may sound elementary  but actually thinking aloud effectively requires preparation. I've stumbled my way through some poorly planned Think Aloud minilessons. The first step is to find engaging text challenging to the group of kids for whom you are modeling. This is where I have bumbled before because I've used a picture book that caused my 8th graders to roll their eyes. The second step is to identify places in the text where the reader could apply the strategy in a deep and meaningful way. This is where I've bumbled also.
     I was under the impression for the longest time that these modeling sessions needed to be authentic. Teachers needed to model what we ask our kids to do, which is pick up a book and apply the strategy on the fly. Here's the problem. Learning is messy. I don't have time to ramble during a five-minute minilesson. So even though it feels a little like cheating, figure out what you're going to think-aloud before you have your kids quietly listening to your every word.

Reading Update: Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs

I stumbled upon Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs at the beginning of my middle school teaching career. It became one of my number one books that I recommended to kids, and it was always in hot demand, passing from student to student. It was so popular, I ended up losing my classroom library copy and annoyingly had to buy another... but I suppose that's a good problem to have.

When I discovered Riggs' collection of short stories, I was immediately intrigued. He didn't disappoint, and I foresee these stories being a great read-aloud selection for my middle school classroom. The short story "The Girl Who Could Tame Nightmares" was perhaps the edgiest and my favorite; however, I have no doubt that every single one of these stories would be well-received by middle school kids and younger.

Reading Update: Girl in Blue by Ann Rinaldi

Ann Rinaldi was all the rage back in the day. I remember seeing her name on library posters and a shelf dedicated to Ann Rinaldi books. This book pairs well with studies about the Civil War, with the female protagonist, Sarah Louisa disguising herself as a boy in order to join the Union army.
    The book illustrates the not-so-glorious parts of war, including graphic descriptions of bombed bodies and the sheer weariness and griminess of soldiers who marched to and from battles during this time period.
    Practical Considerations: I think this would be a great read for younger students studying the Civil War - 4th, 5th, and 6th graders. I think it's almost too PG for middle schoolers. Compared to YA lit of today, I worry that this book isn't action-packed enough to sustain their interest. There are zero concerns about this book if you do choose to use in your classroom. No language or sexual content.

Reading Update: All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely

My quest for books for boys caused me to pick this book up...

Okay, so this book addresses a really important issue: racism in the United States. It also addresses a delicate topic: police brutality. I was so excited about finding YA literature that ties into a study of these topics, and let me tell you, these authors do a tremendous job of making it real for readers. I know my teenaged students would have a better grasp of the controversy surrounding this topic that has raged across the country. They would understand that there is a lot of gray when dealing with these topics.
     Rashad is in the local mom-and-pop store, reaching for a bag of chips when the white woman behind him grabs a drink, steps back, bumps into him, and loses her balance. She topples over him, yelling in surprise and Rashad's bag of chips end up in his open gym bag at his feet. Suddenly, he finds himself on the concrete sidewalk outside the store with an angry policeman beating him, accusing him of attacking the woman and attempting to steal.
    This story weaves together the different points of view offered about the event from Rashad, from innocent bystanders, and from the policeman himself who violently handled Rashad. The story's timeline encompasses less than one week but the timelessness of the story's themes makes its message one that sticks with you.

Policeman's point of view: " 'Thing is, I had been in so many other situations where things had gotten crazy. A hand goes in a pocket and out comes a pistol or blade. and all I could think about was making it home to you, Spoony, and your mother. It's a hard job, a really hard job, and you could never understand that. You could never know what it's like to kiss your family good-bye in the morning, knowing you could get a call over your radio that could your life'" (235).

Bystander's point of view: "I was marching. I repeated it to myself like a mantra. I was marching. I kept saying it as I scanned the crowd for Jill, pumping myself up, because some people had told me racism was a thing of the past, they'd told me not to get involved. But that was nuts. They were nuts. And more to the point - they'd all been white people. Well, guess what? I'm white too - and that's exactly why I was marching. I had to. Because racism was alive and real as shit. It was everywhere and all mixed up in everything, and the only people who said it wasn't, and the only people who said, 'Don't talk about it' were white. Well, stop lying. That's what I wanted to tell those people. Stop lying. Stop denying" (292).

Rashad's point of view: "Mrs. Fitzgerald rocked forward in the chair until she eventually got back to her feet. 'Now, I'm not telling you what to do. But I'm telling you that I've been watching the news, and I see what's going on. There's something that ain't healed, and it's not just those ribs of yours. And it's perfectly okay for you to be afraid, but whether you protest or not, you'll still be scared. Might as well let your voice be heard, son...'" (244).

Practical Considerations: Powerful stuff, huh! Here's why I'm really, really annoyed with these authors. I understand that characters are shaped by what they say and how they say it... but having the f-bomb on nearly every other page just isn't going to fly in any school where I have taught. I would use this book in my classroom in a heartbeat if the f-bomb was maybe every other chapter. The language is too strong in this book, so I can't recommend it for classroom use.

Reading Update: The Living by Matt de la Pena

Reading update frenzy carries on...

   

Again we have a male protagonist with whom I see many of my Wyoming/Montana boys connecting with despite the fact that our protagonist, Shy, is Mexican-American and from urban California.
     Shy has taken a summer job working on a cruise liner. He hands out spotless white pool towels, caters to the wealthy guests' wants and needs, and rakes in the dough. The pleasure cruise becomes the cruise from hell when the ship is notified that record-breaking earthquakes have rocked California and devastated major cities along the fault line. At first, passengers and staff with loved ones in California desperately want more news but the ship loses all contact. Quickly, their focus becomes their own survival as they begin to realize what the repercussions of the earthquake will be for them... tsunamis - of a magnitude never recorded before. The ship braces for the upcoming storm, yet the survivors of the tsunami soon realize that their battle has just begun...

Practical Considerations: There is some foul language in the book, but if this is not concerning or can be bypassed, then by all means I would get this book in the hands of my students in 8th grade or above.

Reading Update: Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez

The frenzy of reading updates continues...
 

   This recipient of the Michael Printz award is a powerful read that is based upon the understood rules of the Jim Crow South, the bonds of family loyalty, and the tragic event of the 1937 New London school explosion.
     Naomi has moved with her younger twin siblings to live with Henry,  the twins' biological father, after he has promised to provide a brighter future than the ones their poverty-stricken grandparents could offer. Henry disappeared when their mother died in childbirth, deserting the newborn twins and his 8-year-old stepdaughter. As he attempts to fill his fatherly role many years later, he suffers from demons of his own but he is consistently encouraged by his local pastor to keep trying.
     The children's mother was Mexican and although the twins look white, Naomi is too dark to pass as white. Yet, she is too light to pass as black. She finds herself in no man's land, which is a lonely and cruel place. She contents herself by being a mother figure for her younger siblings and finishing her senior year of high school. Surprisingly, she develops a friendship with Wash, another high school senior - but one who attends the high school for black students. From the start, the two know that their relationship is dangerous, yet their attraction is irresistible, and they fall in love.
     Their worlds are destroyed when a tragic event befalls the local school. A gas leak causes an explosion that leaves the school a pile of rubble. Without giving the ending away, it's safe to say that the community is grief-stricken and people looked for a finger to point, a person to blame. A dangerous place for Naomi and Wash becomes even more threatening during this period of heightened tension.

Practical Considerations: (Warning: Don't read if you don't want the ending to be spoiled). With its Romeo-and-Juliet type ending, it would obviously be a great choice for a supplementary read during a study of Shakespeare's classic. However, the book contains some challenging aspects. Each chapter is told from a different point of view and involves controversial topics such as masturbating, rape, lynching, and child abuse. I would save this book, albeit a powerful read, for the advanced readers in the upper grades of high school.

Reading Update: Gone by Michael Grant

So the reading updates I'm posting today are going to be quick and dirty. On the bright side, I've been able to enjoy six books in the last two weeks. On the down side, I haven't posted about a single one of them and want to move on to other reading but feel a pang of guilt gnawing at the back of mind each time I even think about picking up a new book... so here it goes. A frenzy of reading updates.

Gone is a new go-to sci-fi thriller I'm going to put in the hands of my middle school boys. It has just the right amount of viciousness, violence, action, and male ego to keep a boy flipping through 550+ pages.
    This book reminded me a lot of The Lord of the Flies. Anyone under the age of 15 - so we're talking infants to 14-year-olds - are  suddenly stranded inside a strange dome. The barrier of the dome glows faintly and burns upon touch. As the kids focus on survival in this strange new world without adults - and without adult reasoning, power battles begin to break out. To compound the confusion and danger, some kids start to realize that they are developing special powers such as throwing fireballs from their fingers and moving at the speed of light. Animals also begin to morph, and animals that once posed no threat to human life are now animals to be feared.
    The ending of this book satisfies the reader but it's clear that there will be a sequel.

Practical Considerations: I would have no qualms about including this book in my middle school classroom library. Sexual content nor language posed any problems for me.

A Glimpse into Sub Life Take III

    It's a frigidly cold Saturday morning in February, and I am luxuriously enjoying my "free" day since my husband is away on business. It's nearly 11 a.m., and I am still in my pajamas, drinking my second cup of coffee, and I have no intentions of changing the state of things any time soon. I have enjoyed an absolutely delightful morning happily flipping through the first four chapters of the latest edition of "Mosaic of Thought", noting "a-ha" moments with my yellow highlighter. To be honest, I'm also recuperating.
     Yesterday, I had the subbing experience that prevents many people from filling out the subbing application. I've met many people who have said, "Wow! You're so brave to sub at the middle school level" or "I could never do it. The kids scare me too much." I've shrugged off the comments because frankly, the classroom is what I do. I've never questioned my competence to handle a classroom of kids for a day.
     I have subbed about 40 days in the last five months, and I've had a lot of so-so days, a few really good days, and one day that I'd chalk in the bad column. I have never had a terrible day... until yesterday.
     I was subbing at one of the two middle schools in Great Falls. This school definitely has the reputation for being the tougher of the two schools with approximately 60% of its 700 students on free and reduced lunch. I've subbed in the building on two other occasions, and neither day was great, but very do-able.
    I had arrived on campus about 15 minutes before my required check-in time so I could leisurely familiarize myself with the lesson. The walkway to the front doors of the middle school was filled with throngs of students waiting for the morning bell. As I walked past a small cluster of students, a fight broke out. A short girl  with spiky blue hair and wearing an androgynous baggy sweatshirt and jeans lunged at a gangly boy, screaming profanities and kicking and clawing at his body. He quickly started back-pedaling and yelling back.
     I hurried to the scene and separated the two and asked if this needed to be taken to the front office or could they settle their differences and go separate ways. The girl was quick to inform me that I couldn't make her go to the office and since I didn't know her name, she wished me good luck with tattling on her. I wanted to point out that she had blue hair, and therefore, was a rather easy person to identify, but I bit my tongue and said I would be reporting the incident to the office. As I turned and walked towards the front doors, I was called a f*&%$#@   c*&%. This was my first five minutes on campus. I should have known this was an ominous sign.
    After I had recapped the incident with the assistant principal, I learned the blue-haired student was actually a boy, but more importantly, I ended up walking into the classroom with the kids. So much for my lofty plans to be prepared for the day. The first 25 minutes of the day were spent in a computer lab where students were supposed to sign up for second semester clubs, but of course there were technical difficulties that morning, so these 25 minutes were sheer chaos.
    Then I had the teacher's first hour class, which was an 8th grade English class. Twenty-five kids were jammed into the room, and I couldn't get their attention for the life of me. After futile attempts to get them quiet and look at me, I finally went to the classic, "Ok, I'll wait." Usually this works. That day, a kid laughed and said, "Yeah you will," and that's when I knew I was screwed. I survived first hour, which the teacher aide assured me was the teacher's worst class of the day. I believed her as the rest of the day actually progressed smoothly... until the last hour of the day.
    I thank the Lord for teachers who supply subs with seating charts because this is one tool out of a sub's measly classroom management toolbox. I started the last hour class the same way I had started all the others. I started by telling kids I would be taking attendance by using the seating chart so please be in the assigned seat to avoid being marked absent. A few kids grudgingly moved seats. We started into the bell ringer and a few minutes after the bell had rung, a large girl about 6'0" and pushing 200 pounds, strolled into the classroom. She smirked as she entered and slid into an empty chair.
    The tardy student and the girl next to her were obnoxious with their disruptive behavior and disdain for me. Anything I asked the class to do became a battle with these two. I asked kids to study their vocab words for their upcoming quiz and these two didn't have their vocabulary list and thought studying was stupid. I asked kids to take out paper and writing utensils for the quiz and these two had neither of these. I started giving the vocabulary quiz and these two interrupted me and talked over me and complained I was going too fast and demanded repeats. I lost my cool and snapped for them to be quiet and listen. And then I grabbed the seating chart because no way were these two supposed to be sitting next to one another. And I was right.
    At the completion of the quiz, I walked over to the large girl and quietly asked her to move to her assigned seat. She looked at me, smirked, and said, "No, I don't think so." Persisting, I quietly informed her she had two choices: sit in  her assigned seat or go to the office. She rolled her eyes, groaned, "Oh my God, this is SO dumb" and stood up.  Her 6-foot frame towered over me, and she smirked again and loomed over me and said, "You're real small, you know that?" And that's when I felt my stomach do its first somersault. I stood firm and said, "Come on. Keep going. Get back to your seat." She proceeded to slam her book and binder onto her desk to communicate how unhappy she was with the new seating arrangement. Then her friend grabbed her supplies and said, "Well, I'm sitting next to her" and quickly moved and took the vacant seat next to her friend.
    I could feel myself begin to lose my cool. I looked at her and, attempting to keep things from escalating (although we were definitely the center of attention in the class by this point), quietly said, "No, you have a choice, too. You can sit in your assigned seat or you can go to the office."
    "What, are you dumb or something? Why are you talking so low. I can't hear you," she retorted, her eyes darting around the classroom to see how many laughs she got. She got a few.
     "I'm only going to say this one more time and then I'm going to call someone from the office to escort you out of the room. You have two choices: you can sit in your assigned seat or you can go to the office," I said, concentrating hard on keeping my voice at an even level. The girl sighed loudly, scooped up her materials, and returned to her original seat. I followed her, leaned over, and quietly asked, "Now what are you going to work on? Your reading or your vocabulary corrections?" She promptly answered, "Neither," with a grin on her face as a few laughs erupted around the room. "I'm going to go to the bathroom."
    I informed her she was not going to go to the bathroom because she needed to get some work done. The disruptive (white) girl erupted, "You're a racist!"
    "That's it. You're gone. Head to the office. I'll let them know you're on your way." I picked up the classroom phone, and the girl made a scene as she left the classroom, pausing at the doorway to give me the middle finger before she stomped down the hallway.
    At this point, I was shaken. I'll admit it. I could feel my stomach doing flips and my chest was starting to feel tight. The class grew significantly quieter at the girl's departure. About ten minutes passed and things were going okay, and then suddenly a boy from the back corner of the room collected his binder and with assignment in hand said, "I gotta get out of here. The assignment... where do I put it?" I was utterly confused. We had seven minutes of class left, and he seemed so jittery and this had come out of the blue.
    "Do you have a pass?" I asked confused. He stuffed his assignment into the tray and stumbled out of the room saying, "I gotta go." Then the large girl got out of her desk and lumbered after him. I hurried to the door and called to them as he back-pedaled down the hallway and she followed him, "What is going on? Come on, you guys can't leave. Get back in here." No response. At this point, my stomach was positively flipped upside down, and I was feeling sick, I hurried to the classroom phone and dialed the front office and said, "This is Ms. ___ sub again and I need help in here. Two kids just walked out. Could you send someone down to the room to support me?"
     I have never had to call for back-up in my seven years of teaching. And I was desperate now. I had no idea where those two kids went, why they left, if they were coming back, and if they were returning, what they might be coming back with.
    Within a minute, an assistant principal popped his head into the room, and I felt immediate relief. I was sitting next to the phone, and I could feel tears welling in my eyes. Then the principal proceeded to shock me. He scanned the class, gave them a crooked little grin, and joked, "You guys bein' good in here?" A few kids laughed and nodded, and one boy, with ponytails jutting out from all angles on his head, called,"Hey Mr. T! You like my hair?" The principal laughed and said, "I don't think you want to hear my answer, " and then he disappeared.
    I was shocked and felt small. Very small. I had called for help as a sub and this principal had proceeded to make light of the worst teaching hour of my life. Whatever remnant of authority I still had was completely eviscerated by his dismissive behavior.
    I could feel my face crumpling, and I eyed the clock. Four minutes remaining. I took a deep breath. I could start to feel the convulsive sobs coming to the surface, and I tried to push them down. I sat quietly in the teacher's chair. Kids started packing up. And I took a deep breath. No way was I going to end in defeat. I stood in front of the class and seized a teachable moment. A teachable moment in which I shared my sadness that kids had learned it was okay to treat someone the way I had been treated that hour, that kids had to endure such a negative and fearful learning environment, that there was such little pride in their school culture that this type of behavior was tolerated and arguably the norm, and that none of the other kids had been brave enough to speak up and to help me. Later, I regretted that last point because I know why none of the other kids had spoken up. They were scared. Hell, I was scared. Anyway, I laid it out. I had nothing to lose at that point. And I said all of this in the midst of ugly crying. Really ugly crying. Like hiccuping sobs.
    I had just finished my one-minute spiel when a teacher from down the hall came to my rescue as the last bell chimed through the building. This teacher held the class after the bell to get more details and then she and another teacher ensured I was okay and extended their apologies that my day had gone so poorly. They asked me if the classroom teacher had left me notes about the students because they said the large girl was physically violent and had been suspended last semester for engaging in a fist fight in one of her classes. They said she was "absolutely terrible" when she got upset. I agreed that all of these things would have been helpful to know prior to the class, but nope, not a single note was left for me in regard to students. With a quivering voice, I thanked the teachers for their concern, grabbed my bag, and hurried out of that building.
    I'm still processing how awful yesterday's subbing experience was. I'm still not exactly sure why it went the way it did and how it got to be so bad. But I'm starting to feel more calm as I think about it. Soon I'll be able to reflect on it. It was one terrible day out of the 40 decent subbing days I've had.