Part of what I really enjoy about Reading in the wild by Donalyn Miller, are the recording instruments she uses to assess and evaluate her students reading. The one I found particularly useful was the genre charts. When attempting to figure out one’s personal book preferences it can be hard to know where to start, especially for children. I think graphing what books students do or don’t enjoy is a fantastic way for them to visually see their own preferences so they can begin figure out what it is they particularly enjoy about books. Determining the readers preference will allow me to recommend books I think they will enjoy and allow them to better choose books for themselves.

I’ve also realized that I lost many reading years in my time spent in high school. Now that I have made reading an active habit again I have noticed a few preferences. I enjoy realistic fiction and making connections and being able to relate to the story and characters. However, I also really enjoy fantasy. Books are like movies to me, and I enjoy being taken into another world where things beyond our boundaries exist. Part of the magic of books are the experiences created and emotions that are felt; sometimes I want to have powers too. Another big preference of mine are series books. I like growing attached to characters and seeing them change, adapt and mature throughout the course of the series.

In The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, Starr Carter is a 16 year old African American female. Part of her signature look are her impeccable sneakers that she coordinates with her outfit everyday. She presents herself as two different Starr’s. One in lower-class Garden Heights, her home, where she is free to speak and act freely. Another is at Williamson Prep, a predominantly white and rich school where she is a part of the basketball team. Here she is careful about they way she speaks and presents herself because any slip up would cause her classmates to think of her as the black ghetto girl. Starr is always hyperaware of herself around her schoolmates and rarely discloses details pertaining to her home life. Even when she witness the shooting of her childhood friend Khalil, at school she denies any relationship to him. She fears that no one will understand or that people will see her differently and treat her differently. Starr’s character changes as she finds her voice and empowerment to stand up for herself and Khalil. I really enjoyed this book and it is so relevant to everything that is happening in our country. I think this is a great novel to open up these types of discussion with young adults and to allow them to see from a different point of view.

I explored a few resources and Diamond Bookshelf, was in my opinion, the most simple and helpful. Although I was initially a little confused by everything on the website I was able to quickly figure it out. It provides various lesson plans by age and even aligns them to the Common Core Standards. They are fairly detailed lesson plans that can be adapted to the teachers needs. I wasn’t able to find a lesson plan for Smile but just by looking through a few of the lesson plans I had enough ideas to work off of. There are also helpful links such as recommended reads, best sellers and new releases.

Smile, by Raina Telgemeier, is an autobiographical graphic novel about her life growing up in San Francisco. The story spans from middle school to high school starting with an accident that knocks out her two front teeth. On top of dealing with painful orthodontic procedures Raina deals with an earthquake, boy troubles, and some not very good friends. This is a coming of age story that hits close to home for most of us. When I first opened the book I was pleasantly surprised that it was all in color. I’m actually not sure why I expected it to be in black and white because it really is an antiquated idea for our point in time. All the elements such as panels, word balloons, sound effects, motion lines, narration, and background colors were found in my book. Although, any of these could be removed and not change the understanding of the story, it would definitely decrease the quality. Like when Raina is running and suddenly trips and WHAM! I flinched and heard the sound of her front teeth making contact with the cement beneath her. Both the images and words are equally important in a graphic novel. I can almost think of graphic novels as a movie on paper. You can see the movement on the paper, hear what is going on and feel the emotions happening. 

In this activity students will create a timeline of their life using poems, inspired by Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

For my free verse book I chose Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. This story is beautifully told and written in verse which flows in a way where you can almost imagine her telling the story. By using poetry she tells the story of her childhood and what it’s like to grow up as an African American during the civil rights movement. Having her story told through poems instead of in chronological order adds a sense of realism to the book. We don’t recall our life through a set of linear events, but as flashbacks of memories that have defined our life. This book is a great example to show children that not all stories have to be told in one specific rigid format but that their stories can reflect their feelings.

 

So much depends

upon

 

4 years

One piece of paper

 

To open doors

That are nailed shut