Thing 26&35&44/2018: Sketchnoting & ELLs & Book Stuff

I’m taking advantage of the snow day to sit and listen to several webinars I never got to see that both promote the “book stuff” that I wanted to investigate as well as supporting ELLs specifically because we have three ENL classes coming in with a teacher in another week for self-selection of books for their sustained silent reading.

We have already been very successful in support our ELLs but we can always do better. I’ve attached a link to my colleague, Kristen Majkut, and my presentation at SSL about using graphic novels with our ELLs. We want to find new ways to get them excited about reading especially when it’s difficult but also find new ways to approach a love of reading and be sure we have a diverse selection of books that appeal to every reader.

I suggest watching the Follett webinar “Promoting Inclusion, Social Equity, and Diversity in Your Library” where my favorite quote was “Libraries Harness the Power of We” as well as the Teaching Books Teach Diverse Books! webinar (I hear so much about TeachingBooks but always remember it as a last option and this webinar is helping to give me the understanding of why it needs to be a first resource go-to especially with the ability to share with Google Classroom and other shareable features that lend perspective on the books they’re reading, especially when they are #ownvoices titles!)

The Follett webinar was nice because after registering for the webinar that is now available, I receive an automated message with the link so I can go back any time and refer to it and with amazing speakers during the presentation, I’ll likely go back. Boyd’s comment about being a good troublemaker was fantastic. It was empowering for both webinars to hear about diversifying and fighting for your students. For us, fighting for inclusiveness of all students is important and our collection is reflecting that.

So now… getting them to discover those books that are not only mirrors for them in our collection but also windows and sliding glass doors. The library visit using the “book stuff” thing for this upcoming ELL class visit. After my colleague gave the teacher Donnalyn Miller’s The Book Whisperer, she took charge of her ENL classroom to do more sustained reading especially because I had heard from so many of our ELL students that they tire easily– reading takes stamina! But the first step is the selection. We have done activities like speed dating, book tastings, and book talks and we want to take it to the next level. So I’m going to combining the new love of sketchnoting I took from the note-taking thing and translating it to the students to learn who they are. We already knew we were going to split the groups into two with one group in the stacks searching and finding, but we wanted another group identifying who they are as readers and people to find something that they like so we can pair them with a book. Voila! Sketchnoting for reader’s advisory! Here is my profile as a reader and then we’ll translate this example to students to create them, then identify keywords they can use in their search for books they’d enjoy!

We’re going to have them create a sketchnote of themselves and their likes/dislikes to be able to identify books that would speak to them when searching AND add this as an option for their response journals while reading too!

Thing 2: Voki (Digital Storytelling)

Time Out

I definitely go in spurts when it comes to posting lately, so here it goes.

My Most Excellent Year by Kluger, Devil’s Knot by Leveritt, Quaking by Erskine, and Black Pearls by Hawes.

I wasn’t too impressed with Black Pearls, however I can definitely see who’d I’d recommend the book to, those who love twisted fairy tales, fractured fairy tales, or anything like it. I do to an extent, I mean, I loved Book of a Thousand Days, but there’s just something about the little stories that didn’t intrigue me the way an entire story would unfold.  The other book I wasn’t too impressed with was Quaking, I don’t know what I expected, but it certainly wasn’t that. I can’t describe why I didn’t care for it, whether it was because I disliked Mattie, the main character, or because at times I didn’t quite know how all of the pieces fit together to weave a story and an idea.

However, I was a big fan of  Kluger’s novel. I was endeared to all of the characters, which at times did get a big overwhelming, but for some reason it reminds me of witty novels like a new favorite, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks. There were a few layers to each characters experiences that created very real and very dynamic characters. The format was also fun, with instant messages, emails, essays, etc. the reader felt more like a voyeur than just an outsider. It was fun and easy. Then, there’s the nonfiction novel, which I don’t generally read, but I have already seen the documentaries about the West Memphis Three, so I thought it was worth flipping through. While much of the information was gathered before reading the book, it was still worth a look. Three eight year old boys are murdered in West Memphis, while three teenage boys are accused of the crime.

A New Season

With a few book clubs and courses I’m taking, I’ve been trying to read as much as I can, yet I can’t find the time to actually post. So, I’ll make this quick and try my best to keep up. I just finished Flight, a new one by Sherman Alexie. I have to admit, I was a little thrown with the back to the future chapters, but it all wrapped itself nicely into a pleasant package by the end. The swearing will definitely keep the guys’ attention, but will the subject matter and flashbacks keep them reading? The second book, that I had to lend out immediately, was Such a Pretty Girl by Weiss. I had started this one on audio about a year ago and stopped it pretty soon into it because the narrator was awful, but then I picked up the book and was enthralled. Chirp is a strong character, who sacrifices a lot because her mother is so short-sighted and her father is such a pervert. I was frustrated most of the book for good cause, Weiss does an excellent job of making the readers’ skin crawl whenever her father walks into a room.

Summer Season

What a slacker I am! But, summer is here, which means that I’ve got more time to read. Summer officially began for me a few weeks ago; I was turning out books left and right, which means I can’t remember most of them, but I will include the most recent ones.

I just finished Paul Volpni’s Black and White, and I must say, I’m extremely impressed with his stories. Each of the three books that I’ve read of his (Rooftop and Rucker Park Setup) all seem a little similar, but each brings race, violence, and the streets to life– dare I say– better than Walter Dean Myers. Now, I know Myers’ stories aren’t really hard-core, so if you want more realism, then Volponi’s your guy. In Black and White two friends, one black and one white, get into some trouble when they hold a few stick-ups to get quick cash for the end of their senior year in school.

Then there’s Nothing But the Truth (And a Few White Lies) by Headley, which I must admit I skimmed. I couldn’t get into it, but it seemed like something I should try to get through. So, I can’t say much more than it’s cheeky and funny and about self-discovery.

Another one that I skimmed was Generals Die in Bed by Harrison. It was originally published in the 30’s, which could explain some of my issues in connecting, but there’s enough treachery, war, and violence to keep some people’s interest. And, it’s about WWI, which isn’t as frequently written about. Overall I’d rank it pretty low on my list of a “good reads.”

The only other one I’ll mention right now is another GREAT one: Shattering Glass by Gail Giles. The ending especially left me exhausted from the adrenaline that was pumping from the final scenes of the story (cut off abruptly, but in a good way). I love stories like this– and of course others hate it! What a significant story about bullying, high school drama, girls, and secrets. It would go great with another book I recently read, Jake, Reinvented by Gordon Korman. Both have similarities about wanting to be popular and have it all by sacrificing yourself. Pick up BOTH of them!

Overload

Alright, I’m going to get it out of my system. I know I’ve been terrible; I’ve been reading a lot, but not stopping to file them away for you all to see. Here’s a list (I’ll make a short comment for all):

Annie On My Mind by Nancy Gardner– Wonderfully romantic and sappy, but a first for it’s time (it was written in the early 80s) about two girls who find love with one another and discover the adversity that comes with being themselves. Definitely enjoyable.

Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman– I could have taken or left it. I’ve heard much about it, so I decided to give it a whirl. It’s a quick read and entertaining, just not my style.

Boot Camp by Todd Strasser– I like his stuff and I wasn’t disappointed. Though it might be mildly unrealistic, it’s still a thought-provoking read and worthwhile. Great guy book.

Quad by C.G. Watson– One of those books that can be read as a cautionary tale in the wake of so much school violence. It’s a whodunit after a school shooting erupts in… you got it… the quad at school. Interesting points of view to keep you guessing… whodunit!

Rucker Park Setup by Paul Volponi– Another great guy book like most of Walter Dean Myers’ basketball books, except it was short, sweet, with little character depth, but just enough action and backstabbing (no pun intended) to make it fulfilling.

Freaks: Alive, on the Inside by Annette Curtis Klause– I have a colleague to thank for recommending this book to me, and I’m glad I sat down and read it. It’s got all the elements of a great book including wonderfully lively characters, all with flaws, who then find themselves on a journey to find peace in their lives while being “normal” or “freaky.”

Beating Heart by A.M. Jenkins– Oh so sexy and oh so short! She’s always into writing for brevity, and I could have done with more from this one just because it’s a cool, intriguing plot line. Girl gets murdered, girl’s ghost then haunts large, busted-up home, boy moves into home, girl ghost takes boy as “lover.” That got your attention? Chills!

Sorry it was short, but it was succinct. Tune in next time!

The Next Installment

So the reading continued… but I won’t drone on. Quickly we’ll discuss Maureen Johnson’s Devilish. I’ve had it recommended, so I picked it up. Honestly, I could take it or leave it, maybe because I’m totally totally sold on a chick-lit-y type of book, yet there was enough mystery, Satanism, and deception to keep me interested.

We can now move on to one of my new favorite authors, Joan Bauer. How cool is she? I just picked up Rules of the Road, and here I must discuss how I keep track of all my reading, with sheets on each one that include title, author, cover art, commentary, excerpts, and a review. So, whenever I read Joan Bauer’s stuff, there are always TONS of excerpts because her characters and commentary are just so… INSPIRING and THOUGHTFUL. I adore her characters, I love their insight, I love their joi de vive (did I say that right?). Pick her stuff up!

 I now want to discuss Ann Rinaldi, who we all know is a favorite of mine and she pulled out some good stuff for The Ever-After Bird. I would definitely add this to our library’s collection (and my own personal) because it was not only developed and thoughtful, but sweet, scary, and everything in between. She had wonderful characters, CeCe, Earline, and Uncle Alex who worked well together to weave a story of slave life on southern plantations while they waited for their “ever-after bird.” Give it a try.

 And last, for a fun and quick read, pick up Gary Paulsen’s Lawn Boy. Paulsen always has such great humor (read: Harris and Me was so funny that I was laughing until I cried!) that it was just simple entertainment– and informative– who knew that economics could be funny and interesting!

A Great Week of Reading

Hooray for vacations, even working vacations, since I was able to read and listen to a few really great books. First off, kudos to the narrators of the two audiobooks that I did listen to and LOVE, plus the authors that wrote them! Gary Paulsen’s Soldier’s Heart and Karen Hesse’s Out of the Dust, both about desparate times in America’s history: the Civil War and the Great Depression, respectively.

Next there were the books, I passed after about 150 pages on The Wizard Heir… I loved The Warrior Heir, but I could not get into Chima’s latest. Yes, I loved Seph’s character and the remote, top secret academy in Maine, but it fell short of my expectations and I put it down. Then, there was Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, which I loved! Told in alternating points of view written by the wonderful Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, this good boy/bad girl duo kick ass and however they’d like to ignore their romantic sides, they get pretty steamy at the hotel before they realize that they’re putting the cart before the horse– and I love the story for that. Aside from the massive amount of swearing, it was another unlikely pairing (sort of?) similar, but not identical to, books by Ron Koertge.  

The New Ones

So, I’ve done some reading over the past couple of days after a busy week. None of them were especially “hot off the press” or “too hot to handle,” but they were definitely worth picking up. I seem to always subconsciously pick up books with similar themes and it was no different this weekend. I’ve read Julie Anne Peters’ Between Mom and Jo and Brent Hartinger’s Geography Club, both about GLBT teens. And both were great! I was hesitant to pick up Peters’ work since I’d had a fifty/fifty split with her last two: disliked Keeping You a Secret but loved Luna. But, this one was so heavy at times and heartbreaking, but truthful down to the core. What happens when gay couples decide to conceive or adopt, what happens to those kids? And Hartinger’s work was equally as important. One reason I especially liked Geography Club was the lack of parents, instead, it was about secrecy and acceptance in high school, among friends, whereas Between Mom and Jo was about parenting. And the third book to round out the weekend was the first of Darren Shan’s Cirque du Freak books, which I’ve been meaning to pick up for some time. Eh, I could take it or leave it, but I’ll probably, when I’m bored, pick up a second and third and fourth, just to say I’m keeping up with the series.

Fight On!

I couldn’t be more behind Junior as he fights his way off the reservation to a better life in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. If there’s one book you pick up, pick up the National Book Award winner. Between the illustrations and dark humor, it was right up my alley anyway, but then there’s were the endearing qualities of moving on and pushing through that definitely should push other kids to want a better life for themselves, just like Junior. Three words: pick it up!