Hunger Games

The Hunger Games movie is set to be released March 23, 2012.  Excited?  I am!
Normally, I don't see movies based on books I've enjoyed because they are so different.  I wasn't sure how they were going to bring this movie to life, but the trailers are making me think they just might be able to do the books justice.

Check out this trailer:

And if you haven't read the books, you should do so before the movie is released!  Check out this link to find out more:  Scholastic.com

Activities for Pre and Post Reading

Doing some research and found this really neat section about pre and post-reading strategies.  Lots of neat ideas!  Check it out - Reading Rockets

"Invictus"

A personal favorite I was reminded of recently.

"Invictus"

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

- William Ernest Henley

Similes & Metaphors

Need a refresher? Ever wondered why you even need to know about those?? Check out this video.

Slam Poetry

Website Resource: Americal Library Association

-          Website address:  http://www.ala.org/

-          Copyright:  2011 © American Library Association

-          Credentials:  ALA is maintained by the American Library Association.

-  Website Design and Ease of Navigation:

This website has one of the simplest designs of those I have viewed.  The colors are pretty plain and the design is straightforward.  The homepage is pretty scarce, but in the rest of the site the text is a little large and there isn’t much different in font size between headings and text bodies, which makes the pages seem a little overwhelming and cluttered.

The site is divided into tabs on the top, with each page featuring more tabs on the left side for easy navigation.  It also contains the bar that shows each link chosen to get you where you are (i.e., home>YALSA>YALSA’s Booklists and Awards).  Navigation is relative easy if one utilizes the tabs on the side instead of trying to scroll through the pages to find the appropriate links.

-          Response and Recommendations for Use:

This site is actually designed to be a resource for libraries and librarians.  Most of the information is about libraries and things like government issues, different conferences, and available awards and grants.

However, it is also a great resource for books in general.  There is an entire section called the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).  This is the part of the site that I would primarily use as a resource.

In this section is a lot of information about young adult books and reading.  There is information on things like Teen Reading Week and Teen Literature Symposiums.  The part that I would probably utilize the most is the section on booklists and book awards.  This section holds an abundance of information on books.  The books are organized by different criteria.  One way is by things like 2010 top books for young adults, which could help me find books that are generally popular with young adults.  Another way the books are organized is by different awards.  The awards have different criteria, such as books meant particularly for teens who do not like to read, or best audio-books or graphic novels.  The books are listed with the author, title, and a brief summary.  I think these would be especially useful in helping me identify books I would like my class to read.  I also think it would be a good site to give out to my students to help them find books for pleasure or for assignments when they are allowed to pick their book.

Website Resource: One Stop English

-          Website address:  http://www.onestopenglish.com/

-          Copyright:  © Macmillan 2000-2011

-          Credentials:  One Stop English is published by part of the MacMillan Education Group, one of the world’s leading publishers of English language teaching resources.

-          Website Design and Ease of Navigation:

The design and visual appeal of this site is one of the best.  The colors are bright and cheerful, but not overwhelming.  The information is organized, and there are not a lot of extra ads or other non-relevant materials.  Groups of information or links are blocked together in different colors which makes it easy for the eye to scan the pages.

This site is designed for English language teachers of any kind, so it even holds information for business, down to specific industries.  The site organizes this information using tabs on the top of the page.  The first page for each tab gives an introduction to the section and lists the different areas within it using links and short descriptions.  Each page follows pretty much the same format, making it easy for the reader to find what he/she is looking for because they don’t have to familiarize themselves with the organization of each individual page.  The main tabs always stay at the top of the page, and there is a bar towards the top that tells you each link you clicked on to get you where you are (i.e., home>teenagers>skills).

-          Response and Recommendations for Use:

This site holds so much information for anyone teaching English language skills.  I primarily looked at the sections on exams, grammar, skills, and teenagers. One of the great resources is an entire section on different English language assessment exams.  I was not familiar with most of these exams, and this will be a great resource for me if I ever need to know more about them.

The grammar section is great for a couple of reasons.  First, it’s a great place for me to go to refresh my grammar knowledge.  It will also help me give explanations to my students about grammar issues that are hard to understand.  The section also provides a group of grammar games and worksheets that I can use as bell work or as activities to help my students brush up on their grammar skills.

The skills section has helpful tips, ideas for activities, and ways to teach everything from listening to vocabulary to speaking to reading to writing, plus a section for activities that integrate these skills!  I was really excited to find this because I hadn’t found very much information on teaching listening and speaking skills, which are very important skills for students.

The teenagers section has a variety of information all directed at teaching teenagers.  There is a section on methodology—learning about teens and how to more effectively motivate and teach them.  There are ideas about projects and topic-based activities.  The skills section gives a lot of great ideas about games and other fun activities to help students practice English skills.  A great thing about this section is that it also gives a great explanation of why it’s a good idea to use games and how they can be used as breaks or incentives.  Another thing I really liked was an article in the teenagers section that shows other areas on the site that would be also be applicable to teaching teens.

Good Reads: The Girl Who Could Fly

Here is a trailer for the book:

 

-          Author:  Victoria Forester

-          Publisher:  Feiwel and Friends

-          Copyright:  2008

-          ISBN#:  0-312-37462-3

-          Genre:  Fiction

-          Current Library Location:  Southwest Amarillo Public Library

Summary:

            Piper McCloud is a farmer’s daughter who has the amazing ability to fly.  Once her secret is out, a government facility led by Dr. Hellion comes to take her in.  They tell her the facility is the only place she will be safe and understood.  Piper meets other children who are also able to do special things, such as telekinesis or x-ray vision.  She learns the facility is actually there to make everything that is abnormal or different normal.  The facility does this through a process of drugs and brainwashing.  Eventually, Piper and the other children revolt and take over the facility.  Piper returns home and tells her parents she no longer wants to hide her abilities.  Her parents have learned to accept her specialness, and Piper and the other children begin to live in the free world.

Personal Response:

            I like this book because of its representation of what being “different” means.  While there aren’t really people with x-ray vision or the ability to fly, there are people who are different everywhere.  In many cases, fear leads people to want to exterminate anyone who is different.  This book was a great example of how differences are misunderstood.  The children in the book with special abilities each talk of how they could use their talents to help the world.

Suggested Use in Classroom:

            I chose this book primarily because of its interesting way of bringing up the way we deal with people who are different.  I feel this book could lead to great discussions of current world events, past historical events, and how we behave day-to-day. 

Good Reads: The House on the Gulf

     -          Author:  Margaret Peterson Haddix

-          Publisher:  Simon & Schuster Inc.

-          Copyright:  2004

-          ISBN#:  0-689-85422-6

-          Genre:  Mystery

-          Current Library Location:  Southwest Amarillo Public Library

Summary:

            Britt Lassiter, her older brother Bran, and her mother, have always struggled to get by.  They just moved to Florida so their mother could get a special scholarship for single mothers to go to college.  However, she needed more hours to get into the program.  Bran finds a deal that seems too good to be true—house-sitting for an elderly couple, the Marquis’s, for the summer.  The couple will let Bran and his family live in the house for free over the summer, and will pay Bran for his efforts.
            As soon as they move into the house, Britt notices Bran acting very strangely.  He packs away all of the Marquis’s things and hides them in his locked closet.  He won’t let her get to the mail and is nervous about Britt meeting with the neighbors.  Britt eventually finds out that the Marquis’s are actually the Marcus’s, her mother’s parents who disowned her years ago when she eloped to marry their father.  Bran devised the scheme because he believed the Marcus’s owed their mother after all they had done.  But, when Mrs. Marcus returns unexpectedly, Britt’s mother learns of Bran’s deceit and Bran discovers he has tricked the wrong Marcus couple.  Skeptical, Mrs. Marcus reluctantly agrees to let the family go without pressing charges.  Mrs. Stuldy, and elderly neighbor Britt has made friends with, generously offers to let the family live with her the rest of the summer.

Personal Response:

            While the mystery and turns in the story were interesting, the main thing that stood out to me was the description of the Lassiter family.  Britt’s father left when she was just a baby, and it had always been their small trio.  Mrs. Lassiter had always worked two jobs, tried to go to school, and after 16 years was still just barely getting by.  Britt and Bran relied on each other, protected their mother, and Bran in particular had to grow up quickly.  The kinds of feelings and situations described are all too familiar to not only myself, but many of the people I know.  The author does an excellent job of bringing out the complicated relationships and emotions that arise from broken families, such as Britt’s confusion about what to do when she finds out about Bran’s secret.  Bran is her brother but has often taken on the role of her father, and she is lost trying to decide whether to trust him or tell her mother.

Suggested Use in Classroom:

            I chose this book again trying to pique the interest of different students.  The mystery element will appeal to some, and I think the description of the broken family will relate to many.  The book can be analyzed as a mystery, with activities such as discovering the author’s organization and style.  The complex relationships and situation would make a character study interesting.  Also, the broken home element with some of the complicated situations and relationships described could also be used to begin a discussion on family dynamics.

Good Reads: Sacagawea

-          Author:  Judith St. George

-          Publisher:  G. P. Putnam’s Sons

-          Copyright:  1997

-          ISBN#:  0-399-23161-7

-          Genre:  Biography

-          Current Library Location:  Southwest Amarillo Public Library

Summary:

            Sacagawea is a biography of the Shoshone Indian woman who accompanied Lewis and Clark on their expedition from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean in the early 1800s.  Sacagawea’s husband was a French-Canadian fur trader who lived with the Indians.  He was hired as an interpreter for the expedition.  He proved to be almost useless, but Sacagawea was a great help to the company in many ways.  She and her small son, Pomp, were a sign of peace to other Indian tribes; she helped gather roots and berries for food; and, she also served as an interpreter.  She was brave and resourceful and was considered a valuable asset by Lewis and Clark.  Upon her death, Clark even adopted Pomp and raised him as his own.

Personal Response:

            I had never heard much of the story of Sacagawea before.  I enjoyed it particularly because it discussed the strength and courage of a woman and mother, and also her dreams of adventure.  Sacagawea was smart and resourceful, and proved to be a great help in spite of her husband’s failure as a value to the journey.  The book also gave insight into Indian life—the differences in tribes, the relationship between the Indians and the white men, and also some of the Indian culture.

Suggested Use in Classroom:

            This book is a great example of a biography.  I believe it’s an asset because it is a true story and an adventure story, yet it is about a woman—something not seen in classic literature very often.  Like historical fiction, biographies are another way to give students’ a place to connect real people and emotions with their history books.  After reading this example, students could practice interviewing each other and writing short biographies.

Good Reads: Survival in the Storm

Survival in the Storm:  The Dust Bowl Diary of Grace Edwards

-          Author:  Katelan Janke

-          Publisher:  Scholastic Inc.

-          Copyright:  2002

-          ISBN#:  0-439-21599-4

-          Genre:  Historical Fiction

-          Current Library Location:  Southwest Amarillo Public Library

Summary:

            Survival in the Storm is part of a collection of books called Dear America.  The books are written as first-person journals of fictional characters, but use historical places and events.  Survival in the Storm is Grace Edwards’s account of life in Dalhart, Texas, in 1935, during the Depression and the Dust Bowl.  The Dust Bowl was a severe drought that rocked the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles, as well as parts of Kansas, New Mexico, and Colorado.  The drought was accompanied by severe winds and dust storms, giving the area the “Dust Bowl” nickname.  Survival in the Storm gives a first-person account of what it would have been like to be a wheat-farmer’s family at that time.  The book discusses the storms and the toll they took on farmer’s livelihoods, the reliance on community for survival, and the migration of many people to California.

Personal Response:

            I have always enjoyed historical fiction, especially first-person accounts.  I took particular interest in this story because it occurred so close to this area and less than 100 years ago.  It is hard to imagine Dalhart and the rest of the Panhandle as it is described in this book.  Many of the attitudes and values the book discusses are still seen in this area today.  For instance, many people in the book refuse government aid and are determined to rely on only their own work with some help from their neighbors.  Also, the community rallies every time a family is particularly affected by the storms, sending help rebuilding, supplies, and food.  These ways of looking at life and work are still alive and well in the Texas panhandle today!

Suggested Use in Classroom:

            I primarily chose this text because I thought it might peak students’ interests because it is an event that occurred locally.  It is a great example of how reading can be both enjoyable and educational.  Historical fiction can really help students’ understand and connect with history by putting faces to the facts.  This book would be perfect for a class studying the Great Depression in history.  Also, a special project could be put together by collaborating with the history teachers, such as the student’s writing their own journals based on research of a certain historical event.

Good Reads: Bluish

-          Author:  Virginia Hamilton

-          Publisher:  The Blue Sky Press

-          Copyright:  1999

-          ISBN#:  0-590-28879-2

-          Genre:  Fiction

-          Current Library Location: 
      Southwest Amarillo Public Library

Summary

            Bluish is about a young girl’s relationship with a classmate who has cancer.  Dreenie is new at Bethune Cookman school and has only made one good friend, Tuli.  When a girl named Natalie starts coming to school, Dreenie is both curious and slightly afraid.  Natalie uses a wheelchair and always wears hats that cover her entire head.  All of Dreenie’s classmates call her “Bluish” because she is so pale her veins show through, giving her skin a blue tint.  Dreenie learns that Natalie is battling childhood leukemia.  Although afraid of Natalie’s differences at first, Dreenie learns to see past her illness and appreciate her as a person.  The two become close friends, and Dreenie helps the rest of her class understand and accustom to Natalie’s differences. 

Personal Response:

            I appreciated the honest emotions the author gives her characters.  Dreenie is confused by Natalie’s behavior and reacts like the rest of her classmates with fear and avoidance of Natalie.  Natalie gets frustrated, angry, and upset with her classmates for reasons they do not understand but the reader sees.  It made me reflect on my attitudes and reactions to people who are very ill, as I have often reacted the same as Dreenie without even noticing.  Many times I do not know what to say, how and when to offer help, or how and if to ask about their illness.

Suggested Use in Classroom:

            This book can be useful both in structure and storyline.  The author’s style is something to notice and discuss—she often uses fragments as whole sentences.  Also, the text alternates between Dreenie’s first person entries in a journal all about Bluish and the third person narrative telling of the story.  The storyline could encourage honest discussion about serious illnesses and disabilities, and how we react when we encounter people who are different.

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Literacy PSA's

The Power of Words

Really neat video:

Website Resource: National Council of Teachers of English

-       Website address:  http://www.ncte.org/

-       Copyright:  Copyright © 1998-2011 National Council of Teachers of English

-       Credentials:  This site is run by the National Counsil of Teachers of English.  Their mission statement is “The Council promotes the development of literacy, the use of language to construct personal and public worlds and to achieve full participation in society, through the learning and teaching of English and the related arts and sciences of language.”

-       Website Design and Ease of Navigation:

This site is fairly easy to navigate, but it contains a LOT of information!  It is designed for English teachers from elementary to college.  It has journal archives, news about conferences, ways to get involved, and additional resources.  I limited my discussion of the website to the Secondary education section.

As far as design, the website is pretty plain.  There are some pictures, but the same fonts and colors are used throughout.  My favorite part of the site, the Connected Community beta site, had much better visual appeal.

The Secondary section helps filter a lot of the information on the site.  For instance, it only shows the link to the journal that is for secondary teachers.  There is a list of links to use for navigating on the top left side of the page.

-       Response and Recommendations for Use:

This website has so much information for English teachers, such as searches for lesson plans, new text books, and the English Journal archives with articles on curriculum and latest practices.  I think this website would be a great tool in finding materials, such as textbooks and workbooks, for the classroom.  It is also a way to stay connected and learn about professional development webinars and conferences.

My favorite part of this site is the “Connected Community”, a beta site.  It’s basically a blog, but the discussions are organized into groups under different topics, such as new teachers or media literacy.  Just by going through some of the discussions, I can see that this would be a great resource for me.  There are tips about lesson plans, classroom management, and adjusting to different situations.

Website Resource: Web English Teacher

-       Website address:  http://www.webenglishteacher.com/index.html

-       Copyright:  ©2000-2011 Web English Teacher

-       Credentials:  Web English Teacher is run by Carla Beard who has been an English teacher since 1975.  A full list of her education, professional experience, and profession activities is linked to her brief biography.  She started Web English Teacher to be an online place for all English teachers to share their experiences and ideas with others.  She calls it, a “faculty workroom on a global scale”.

-       Website Design and Ease of Navigation:

This site doesn’t have the very best visual appeal, but the home page is organized and un-cluttered.  There are two main components to the site:  a blog, called “chalkdust”, and educational resources.  The homepage features the latest blog entry and a list on the left that organizes the education resources by small content area (grammar, prose, poetry, media, etc…) 

Chalkdust takes you away from the original site, which I found to be inconvenient.  Otherwise, I found navigation to be pretty easy within the rest of the site.  The organization of the lesson plans and resources makes finding specific activities simple, and the list of the areas is always on the left side of the site.  Within each area, the activities are not organized by grade level.  You would have to read through each activity to find the grade level it was designed for, which could be very time consuming.

-       Response and Recommendations for Use:

This site is basically a place to find ideas from other teachers who are on the same plight as you.  I enjoyed the “chalkdust” section a lot.  Some of the posts were about conferences, discipline experiences, and lesson ideas that were really helpful.  Other posts were just entertaining stories from different teachers’ days.  I think it builds a sense of community and can relieve stress just by helping teachers to remember that they are not the only ones out there.

The lesson plans and resources would also be a section I would frequent to find different activities.  As I mentioned above, the only disadvantage is that you have to search to find activities for the appropriate grade levels.  Still, the categories and subcategories make it easy to really narrow in on finding ideas for a specific learning objective.

Website Resource: Thirteen Ed Online

-       Website address:  http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/index.html

-       Copyright:  © 2011 Educational Broadcasting Corporation

-       Credentials:  Thirteen/WNET New York, PBS's flagship station, developed Thirteen Ed Online to help educate teachers on the advantages and uses of technology in the classroom.

-       Website Design and Ease of Navigation:

Thirteen Ed Online is designed to help teachers learn about technology and more

ways to integrate it into the classroom.  According to the site, ETS research shows that teachers don’t feel they have had enough training on integrating technology and the internet into their classrooms.

            Thus, Thirteen Ed Online is a great example of website design.  The pages are organized but also use bright colors and different fonts to make the information seem exciting and fun.  On the home page there are several links to different media outlets, like Facebook, iTunes, and Twitter.

            The site is primarily organized by tabs at the top of the home page.  There is a section for educators, for students, and for parents/caregivers.  There are also smaller tabs within each section that further help organize the site.  This separation makes navigation much easier.

            I found Thirteen Ed extremely easy to navigate and user-friendly.  All of the links I tried to use worked, and going back or finding more was very easy.

-       Response and Recommendations for Use:

I think this site is really answering a need in education.  In order to engage and interest our students, I believe technology is essential.  Plus, the resources, information, and examples we have access to our endless!  As an English teacher, part of my responsibility is teaching media literacy, so learning how to effectively use technology is the first step for me.  This site would be extremely helpful to me in finding activities that implement technology and the internet into the classroom.

While I found the student section of the website to be pretty dry and not age appropriate, I found a lot of resources in the educators section.  I think the part of the website I would use the most are the lesson plan and project resources.  The site offers extensive lists of PBS projects that incorporate technology and media, and they show the grade level and content area most appropriate for each program.

The lesson plan section is organized by content area.  Most of the plans include a visual teaching tool, such as a video or documentary.  They then give ideas about activities that include group and individual work, challenge students’ critical thinking and writing skills, and suggest a final product such as a presentation, mock newspaper, or paper.