Why a good book is a secret door

G+ Community

We will share most of our work in a Google+ Community. We can upload images, respond to each other’s ideas, and share links and artifacts here.

Calendar

Course calendar can be found above and HERE.

Author: hfyffe1

Blog Seven: Smile

Blog Seven: Smile

I wanted to start with a short review of the book Smile by Raina Telgemeier. Smile is a very cute and relatable book about a middle school girl named Raina and her journey through braces, boys, and bad friends as she enters into high school. One thing that really stood out to me about this book was how relatable it was. I remember the journey through braces, wires, and head gear. Her experience with boys in middle school was also so relatable. All the emotions that went along with that age period are spot on. I feel that this book is so relatable because it is a true story about the author’s life. This book was in the form of a graphic novel, which I had never read before. I really enjoyed it because all the pictures really helped me to visualize the characters and better showed the emotions that were involved. The pictures also made the book much more relatable. I would really recommend this book to children around sixth or seventh grade to show them that they will get through the rough times and be happy in the end just like Raina.

Reading this book was so different than any other book I have read. I have not read any book like this. The closest book I could compare it to is a chapter book that has a few pictures. This book was different in that is would not have been complete without the pictures or without the text. The pictures and text together made the book great and understandable. I could see the main characters style and personality through the pictures that would not have been as evident with just the words.

I felt that I read much faster and was more interested in this book than a generic chapter book. There was not that much text so I could spend time looking at the pictures to get a better overall grasp of the scenes. The colors were so vibrant and made the text fun to read. This would be great to integrate into any elementary school classroom. I could use it by having students write and draw scenes from their lives or school year. This book could also be a tool for fifth or sixth graders to prepare them for transitioning into middle school and letting them know that they will be ok. This was overall a very cute book!

Crossover

Crossover

I just finished the Crossover. When I ordered the book, I had no idea of the structure or that it was a book about basketball. I was not looking forward to reading it because it was about basketball; however, now that I have finished it I am glad that I kept an open mind. It was a challenging quick read that had a very interesting plot. As far as plot, most books I read that are designed for younger ages have a very predictable plot. This book; however had the exact opposite plot than I predicted. I really liked that it was unpredictable because it made me want to continue reading. I tried to put it down to read another book that I wanted to read but I couldn’t get myself to stop reading. I feel that I was so interested in continuing to read because of its structure too. I liked how it was in verse form. I was unsure what that meant before I started reading and was quickly aware of the style. It was written like a poem with some lines large, some lines were slanted, and some lines were even only two words long. This style of writing made me read much faster while still comprehending the words and also made me feel more connected to the main character. The book was told like he was saying what we were reading so I felt all the pain that he was going through. This book will be good in a classroom that is fifth through seventh grade depending on the reading and maturity level. It is not a difficult read, but the concepts are for a more mature child. I would also recommend this book for boys that are struggling finding a book they are interested in. I would also use this book in my classroom for learning words. There are a few words that are more difficult but they are defined in the reading. A teacher could easily integrate these words into their everyday classroom as they read the book as a read aloud.

I would definitely recommend this book for anyone that is looking for a book that is different and heart wrenching!

 

Here is the Cento that I wrote from the lines in this book that will give you a gist of what this book is about.

 

I talk too but mostly to myself (26)

I count and recount the thirty seven strands of my past without you I am empty… the goal with no net

JB is listening to the sound of his heart bouncing on the court of love (90)

As long as you can remember there has always been a second person (114)

And for the first time in my life, I don’t want to be (236)

Don’t play me, this isn’t a basketball game (74)

When the game is on the line, don’t fear (214)

Sometimes you have to lean back a little and fade away to get the best shot (191)

 

 

Blog 4: Diary of a wimpy kid

Blog 4: Diary of a wimpy kid

I am reading the Diary of a Wimpy Kid for my series book. I finished the entire book today while I sat outside. I have never been a reader and was not particularly a fan of the book; however, the act of reading for fun really made me change my view on reading and has made me want to read more often. This book was about a boy named Greg and his journey in middle school. He has an interesting transition from elementary school to middle school. He has problems with bullies, stereotypes, and embarrassing family members. In the first book in the series he does not resolve any of his issues but might in the other series’. I enjoyed being able to understand a book (being that it was elementary school level) even though it was not my favorite. It had no educational value and I feel could scare kids away from middle school. It did not use academic language, but I feel it would be very beneficial for male students who have been turned off to reading because of a lack of interest or comprehension skills. Overall, I probably will not have this book in my classroom as a book for any student but will have it in the back of my mind for when I feel it could benefit a student.

Reading in the Wild Chapter 1

Reading in the Wild Chapter 1

The first chapter in the book, Reading in the Wild was very informative on the basis of reading. One line really stuck out for me and stated “I cannot imagine a day without reading in it” (page 6). I have never been an avid reader, even in elementary school. We would read aloud in class and I would never volunteer to read to the class. Once I was not forced to read, I stopped reading books because I felt that my comprehension was not good. The importance of having a reading atmosphere really resonated with me because it is something that I have not thought about. I knew it was necessary to have a library but now I feel I should also have beanbags or a comfortable area for the students to get lost in a book. One challenge is parents. I am excited to be able to see progress in students and be able to determine if a student has been reading at home with their parents based on their ability to read. Parenting can be either an obstacle or a benefit and it is important as a teacher to push the parents to encourage their children to read at home. Fake reading will be another challenge as a teacher. It is very obvious to tell when a student is fake reading, but the book does not give ideas on how to fix or prevent this. One way to try and prevent fake reading could be to find a book that really interests the child. To do this, I really need to get to know my students and know their likes and dislikes. An example of this is Nathan on page 31 of the book. Over all the first chapter of this book has been very informative and interesting. It has left me with only one question; how do you show students how to incorporate daily reading into their lives?