Goodreads Quote of the Day

As an avid supporter of Goodreads.com, I wanted to post the Goodreads quote of the day I received!

The past is a candle at great distance: too close to let you quit, too far to comfort you.

Amy Bloom

  Happy birthday, Amy Bloom! The American writer has tried it all, from practicing psychotherapy and teaching at Yale to creating a TV show for Lifetime and writing a children’s book about a determined young potato.

 If you have a Goodreads account, it is easy to sign up for "Quote of the Day e-mails" and I enjoy reading them.

My Current Book-list?

Empty! I have no idea what I will read next. After finishing Dunk and Egg and watching the finale to Game of Thrones on HBO last Sunday, I am buried in Game of Thrones theories and memes. I am seriously considering re-reading the entire series and making highlights and notes to things I might have missed. After watching the horrible and apparent death of Jon Snow on the show, I re-read the last Jon chapter in Dance twice. I don't think Jon will be killed off, because he is essential to Martin's story. That was actually proven in an article I read where GRRM's pitch for his series was displayed. After reading his pitch, it was easy to see that Arya, Jon, Tyrion, and Daenerys are critical to his story (even if it the plot of the series has deviated from his original pitch), but how will Jon be brought back? Melisandre is at the wall in the show and in the books, so I definitely think she will help with the Jon issue.

The article and pitch letter can be viewed here

Happy reading!

Serena by Ron Rash

Ron Rash really hit home with this novel. Serena follows the lives of Serena and her husband George Pemberton, king and queen of the timber empire in the Appalachians. George becomes infatuated with Serena and her strong-willed persona during a visit to Boston, MA after having spent months at his timber camp in North Carolina and fathering an illegitimate child on sixteen year old Rachel. Serena soon moves to North Carolina and makes herself at home, displaying her own expertise in the timber business and handling investments in a non-traditional way (I don't want to give it away!) After Serena discovers she cannot have children, she turns her eye on Sarah and her growing son, George's son.

The novel is absolutely thrilling. It was definitely a fast faced book, and I finished it with two days. The story is suspenseful, well-planned, and gives the reader an ending that is more satisfying than enjoying a glass of wine at the end of a hard day, at least for me it was. Sip, Sip.

The film adaptation to this book stars Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence as George and Serena Pemberton. I have not had the chance to watch the movie, but it has terrible reviews, signaling that the film does not live up to the book's standard (which is almost always the story).

While I love Bradley Cooper and JLaw, I imagined George a little rougher around the edges and Serena a bit older and not so fresh faced. 

Check out this Goodreads List!

If you enjoyed the setting of this novel, check out the above list of fiction novels set in Appalachia on Goodreads! I have mentioned Goodreads before, and I absolutely love the plethora of book lists on this site. Goodreads is an excellent tool for finding books to read, and I'm off to find my next one!

Count Down to the Wedding!

This is a complete 360 from my usual topic of books to focus on my upcoming nuptials. There are only five short weeks, and I am finding more and more things to do to get ready for the wedding! My fiance, Brian, and I are getting married on the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico, one of my favorite places in the entire world. Since I was around 4, my family has traveled to Florida, Alabama, and/or Mississippi to vacation along the emerald green waters and sugar white sand beaches.

We are going with tans and whites for the color scheme (what other colors would you need when you have that gorgeous ocean behind you), and the photo above is actually very similar to what our ceremony will look like. We will be having burlap chair sashes, but the arbor will have white fabric. Our wedding planners have been absolutely amazing! Robert and Amy at Paradise Beach Weddings have been nothing but supportive and accommodating for our big day.

Before we make our trip down to the Emerald Coast in five short weeks, I have a few things to do. First, Brian and I actually have a wedding to attend this Saturday. One of my best friends is getting married, so I am really excited to see her tie the knot!

 (This isn't her exact wedding, but this is what I picture in my mind!)

Next on my list, is the wedding shower! I am actually having my shower at a restaurant here in Tennessee, and I am excited to eat snacks and socialize with all my favorite girls. Getting this together is probably a huge check off my list. The only thing Brian and I have left to complete our wedding is to book our getaway car/ limo. Not sure exactly what we are going to do as of today, but I think we are leaning toward a limo. One thing I am excited for is to eat at the reception venue we booked for after the wedding! Initially, we had decided not to do any type of reception, only a small dinner for immediate family, but since our guest list mainly involves family except for a few friends, we decided to book a place for dinner after wards.

Louisiana Lagniappe has an excellent menu, and they have a nice deck that we reserved for our party (Let's start praying it doesn't rain today shall we). The staff there was friendly and easy to work with. They are printing custom menus for our dinner free of charge.

(Just look at that view of the harbor)

So, while most of the big things are taken care of, I still have a hundred tiny things to do and prepare for like remember to steamer for my dress; buy sunscreen, literally jugs of it to prevent sunburn before the wedding; practice hairstyles; get my hair highlighted (this was demanded by my mother, good thing she's a beautician); find shoes to wear to the dinner (barefoot wedding on the beach, possible I might forget shoes); figure out flowers (I am just going to make my own bouquet, but I need to plan the type of flowers); pick a shirt for Brian, unless he finally decided what to wear with his sear-sucker suit; and the list goes on with meticulous things.

So, with only 5 weeks left, excited is not even the right word to explain how I feel right now. Not to get all sappy, but Brian is my best-friend and our wedding will be the start of the rest of my life with him. After almost five years of long-distance, I can't wait to FINALLY live in the same state, let alone zip code.

Game of Thrones

My favorite favorite favorite book series! I would not recommend this series for middle school students, and I would not have this series on my classroom shelves. But I absolutely love this series. I read A Game of Thrones about two years ago after watching the first season of the show on HBO. After I read the first book, I finished the books published thus far in about two months. Recently, (last week actually) I finished the Dunk and Egg trilogy. If you are interested in more information about the vast and complex history of Westeros, then I would suggest diving into these books. You get a much better look at royalty from House Targaryen, a house that is all but extinct except for one or two individuals in Dance of Dragons. Daenerys is probably one of my favorite characters in the series (a tie with Tyrion Lannister), so I loved reading about her ancestors.

The show on HBO has recieved a tremendous amount of attention recently for its graphic and horrendous scenes in recent episodes (like the rape of Sansa Stark, which never even happened in the books). Some fans are crying out that many of these events are unprecedented and should never have been on the TV show, but if you think Martin is not putting some form of stamp of approval on this show, you're crazy. He has been involved with the show from its inception, and he has even written episodes. I just hope he finishes Winds of Winter soon, because I am ready to see how he fixes a few of those cliff-hangers.

Phillipa Gregory

Well, I quit Outlander for the third time. I just cannot focus on the story. So, I have moved on to one of my favorite authors, Philippa Gregory. I have already posted about Historical Fiction, and I consider Gregory the queen of the genre.

My fiance and I went to the Dominican Republic recently, so I needed a few books to occupy my time while on the plane. I absolutely hate to fly, and I am a really nervous traveler. So, having a book really calms me down during turbulence (which was minimal during our flights thank goodness!). On the way down, I read The Boleyn Inheritance.

This book is third in the Tudor Court series, and I was anxious to read it after my great experience reading The Other Boleyn Girl. Inheritance was awesome! I could not put this book down. I actually read this book while sitting on the beach in the Dominican, and finished the book before our three day trip was over. Jane Boleyn, known as Lady Rochford, was the person you wanted to see fall in The Other Boleyn Girl, and you finally see her get what she deserves in this novel. After I finished this, I started on The White Queen, and I am actually still working on it. I am about two-thirds of the way through, and it does align with the mini-series that aired on Starz (loved that series!).

While I have not enjoyed this novel as much as Inheritance, it is still a nice read. The main focus of this novel is the large number of wars King Edward finds himself fighting to retain the claim on his throne. I am hoping after finally finishing the 6th battle in this novel, that it will die down, and I will actually get a little more character development. Overall, it's an interesting book, and true to Gregory's historical fiction style.

Outlander

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon has been in the spotlight recently, with a TV show on Starz, it seems like this series of books is just getting attention. I tried to read this book last summer, which resulted in me falling asleep. So, because this book is sitting on my Kindle, and I have yet to finish it, I thought I would try to start reading it again. It's still a slow process, and I'm not sure why I cannot seem to achieve a tiny spark of interest in this book, but I am trying! With the semester drawing to a close, I will have more time to read for pleasure, and while I am trudging through Outlander, I plan on being on the look-out for my next amazing book.

Creating a Web Quest

My Web Quest

I created my webquest on zunal.com. Zunal is fairly user friendly, and it is easy to add videos, links, pictures, ect. The only thing that I was disappointed with is that I could not find a way to edit the color of the text boxes and text. Besides that, I think webquests are a great way to incorporate technology in the classroom and keep students engaged. Today's students are technology savvy, so participating and completing a webquest should be very appealing to students!



Creating a Book Trailer

Book Trailer for The Book Thief!!

I am horrible at spoiling endings to books or movies, so with this book trailer I limited myself with words and events in the book! Check out my book trailer for this awesome book and check out the movie!

Book Trailer

I created this trailer on stupeflix.com which is absolutely free and very easy to use!

Book Lists

Something I really wish blogger had as an interactive button is book lists on goodreads. I use these book lists very often when trying to find something similar to a book I have previously read. For my classroom, I would recommend the following booklist Goodreads Young Adult Realistic Novels
While there are other websites that have booklists, I think goodreads.com has the most diverse selection of genres.

The next novel on my list of things to read is The Book Thief. I am already half-way through, and I like how the novel is narrated by Death. I have to complete a book trailer for this novel, and I already have the music picked out. I think the hardest part with be organizing my ideas and sorting through what I want included!

Bulletin Boards to Accompany Literature

To accompany our presentation over The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, our group had to make a bulletin board. I think bulletin boards are a great way for teachers to highlight ideas and concepts that they want students to remember; however, I feel that students are not usually allow to be involved in the creation of the bulletin board. I think a good idea for the classroom would be to have a poll. This makes students feel like they have a voice in how their classroom looks. As teachers, we always want to give students choices, so including them in your bulletin board is a great way to do this! We used selections our classmates found and included those selection into our bulletin board. It was a way to give our class a voice in our representation of the novel!

Notable Book!

For my library services class, we were required to read Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell, which I have read and am not a big fan. Because I did not like Eleanor and Park much, I marked Rainbow Rowell off my author list, but I am so happy that I changed my mind and read Attachments. I was in an upper level English class last semester, and a girl had a presentation on language used in this very book. Attachments explores the lives of Jennifer, Beth, and Lincoln. Part of the novel is just e-mails between Beth and Jennifer, and the other half is Lincoln's point of view. This difference in writing style makes this novel fun and easy to read.
I was up until 1 AM finishing this because it was that good. I couldn't stop reading, and I was so curious about what happened next. I also loved the setting of this book which is circa 1999! I'm not going to go into detail about what happens in this book, but Lincoln is hired to monitor employees at a newspaper to make sure they are not sending personal e-mails during work hours. Beth and Jennifer are sending personal e-mails, and their e-mails always get flagged, so Lincoln reads them; it's his job. One thing leads to another which finally ends in a great way.
I may have shed a few tears at the hopelessly romantic and sentimental exchanges in this book.
Bottom line: read it!

Reading Grade Level vs Content

Have you ever a read a book, and after you complete it you think, "That was amazing." That's the way I felt about The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. While reading this book, I wondered what grade level could I use this book in the classroom, then the sexual content increased, and I knew I could never use this book in the classroom. This would cause parental uproar.
Looking at the grade level of this book, I discovered that it is a 6.1 grade level. Sixth grade? It's crazy how books are classified just by the difficulty of the words and sentence structure. This book should never be read by a 6th grader, and I'm not sure I would be comfortable having juniors or seniors reading this.
I chose to read this book to base a diversity project on. I have to create a webquest that will assess student knowledge. Going into this, I am going to base my assessments off the fact that juniors or seniors will be reading this for class.
This book explores so many things that some kids actually experience like rape, molestation, and just finding a friend and fitting in. Reading through this book, I wondered if Charlie has autism or Asperger's because he cannot focus his thought process and he frequently cries when nervous. Later, we find out what happened to Charlie, and possibly his "home life" has something to do with his behavior.
Something I loved about this book, was the music incorporated into so many things. Teenagers usually associate some event in their life with a song, and Charlie's experiences were no different. There are many analysis I could have students do based on the song listed in the book. Also, students could compare the film to the book, which is a standard. I have not seen this movie yet, but I might find certain scenes and have students compare the movie scene to the book and explain how they were different and could be improved upon.
This book was touching and realistic, and it left me wanting more. Who is Charlie writing to? How does Charlie get through high school with his friends gone? Is Charlie ok? I would recommend this book to anyone over the age of 18, but I would never tell a 6th grader that this book was appropriate for him/her to read even though it is considered a 6th grade level.

Historical Fiction in the Classroom

Personally, I love historical fiction. Margaret George and Phillipa Gregory are usually listed in my favorite author lists. So, it seems natural to implement this type of literature into the classroom. Students usually don't enjoy history class. They think that learning about people who are dead is a waste of time, but historical fiction has a way of bringing the past to life. This might actually help students to enjoy reading from the genre in the future, or it may inspire students to just read in general. For my library services class, we were allowed to choose which historical fiction book we would like to read (all three choices span a different time period, but for the class you could give students a choice from books that take place during the same period of time for class purposes). I chose Uprising which is a book about the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire.

This is actually an event that I had no prior knowledge about, so I was interest in the story and reading more about the time period. The story takes place during the early 1900s in the middle of the industrial age and the women's suffrage movement. Both these topics are covered during an American History class, which makes this book a perfect choice to offer students to read. This book would also be good for students because there is a lot of information for them to dissect. Such as the chapters are written in different points of view, so students will have to keep up with who's point of view they are reading. Also, two of the main characters are immigrants who speak Italian and Yiddish. This is something that your students might need to recognize to understand the content a little better. Another topic that could be tied in with this book is the fall of the Russian czar. Yes, even Anastasia could be brought in when reading this book.

As for my opinion, this book would be perfect for the classroom. Although the end of the book involves hundreds of people dying in a fire, the content is not graphic by any means, almost down-played. The writing is pretty easy for middle school to high school students to comprehend, but I was not impressed. I have not done much research on Haddix, but she does not write with the confidence and expertise like George R. Martin, Gillian Flynn, or Phillipa Gregory. Overall, I enjoyed the book, but it is not my favorite by any means. A few suggestions for historical fiction that I enjoyed would be The Other Boelyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory, Mary called Magdalene by Margaret George, Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay, or The New Orleans Legacy by Alexandra Ripley.

Techonology in the Classroom

I wanted to wait before posting a new entry until after my teaching experience over The Narrative of a Life.

 

Something mentioned in my previous posts was the movie production assessment project I created to go along with the novel. Something that was critical to include for this project to be a success was technology. Technology in the classroom is almost a controversial topic to some educators, and it should not surprise you that many schools are banning the use of cellphones, laptops, and tablets during all hours of the school day. My students would not be able to complete the project without the use of a smartphone or other handheld device.

 

Many of the arguments against technology is that students would not do their work, but do other things such a text, look at facebook, or snapchat, but the key to having success with technology in the class is to make sure students are engaged in learning.

During the planning for my part of the project, I tried to make sure this type of assessment would interest students and assess the appropriate standards. Students were advised to use their cellphones and laptops to research material that would help them with the presentation of their part of the project, whether they were casting characters, choosing locations, or picking musical pieces. Something that was awesome about giving the students opportunities to use technology was that they presented photos, and we listened to the music chosen by the students. There was not any facebook or texting going on. The students were engaged in the task that was given, and they really seemed to enjoy working together. So, this misconception about technology should not effect our students in a negative way. As teachers, we should embrace change and advancement in the classroom, and that includes embracing technology.

Movie Productions with Literature!

My original idea from my latest blog has blossomed into something even bigger. After reading Frederick Douglass, I have noticed that choosing songs for the soundtrack from present day would be difficult. However, if students could embellish with scenes from Frederick Douglass, like his ship journeys, those scenes in a movie would be longer than in the book, so a song could be placed while on the ship. These embellished scenes would open the door for a song choice whether it is a current or not. Another thing students could look for is songs from the time. Popular compositions or folk songs that would be fitting during some parts of the book. There is actually a slave spiritual that is in the book that would be an excellent addition.
However, a soundtrack is not the only idea I have. This had turned into the students creating an entire movie production. They would pick songs pieces and explain where these pieces fit, filming locations, and casting of characters. Part of the book takes place in Baltimore, but just saying Baltimore would not be sufficient. The student would probably have to have a set built for that part of the movie, but what would it look like? Students can draw or find a picture similar to how these scenes will look. They could find pictures of old plantation houses in Maryland for the scenes at the different farms. This is a great way for students to understand the setting of the book.
Also, students will cast characters of their choice. They could cast the prologue narrator or Frederick Douglass at the age of 7, 12, and 28. All those castings would be considered different, and the student would need to cast at least 5 characters (I'm just throwing out a number). One thing students would need to be aware of is the race of each of these characters. Channing Tatum cannot play Frederick Douglass. This is a great way for students to analyze characters.
I think this final assessment really allows students to dive into the literature and analyze all aspects of life during this time period. Now, I have to think about how to organize this for my final activity and presentation!!

Fun Assessment Ideas with Literature

During my last library services class, we started our first book where the students present the material. Something that I think is really important when you are covering a book from a different time period is to start off with a little background about what life was actually like. You could do a role-play or bring foods and games that were popular during that time. The book that was covered (in half) last class was The Voice that Challenged a Nation, which is about contralto singer Marian Anderson.

I really enjoyed this book, and when covering it with students, it is important to explain this style of singing and its popularity during the time period. A connection needs to be made, such as Marian Anderson could be compared to Idina Menzel today. Idina is not a contralto exactly, but she is a disciplined singer of our time period.

During one of my own English classes my junior year, we did a really fun project. We were covering the book Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott.

The project was to imagine Ivanhoe was being made into a new film, and you are in charge of creating a soundtrack to go along with this movie. You had to create a CD that had up to ten songs and a companion guide that described the scene and justification for the song chosen. This project assessed that students had read the book and knew the material because you had to describe the actual scenes from the book. When my group presents on The Narrative of the Life of  Fredrick Douglass, I hope to include this final assessment in our project. Taking this soundtrack idea further, I also will have a project where students are casting roles for the film. They will need to choose actors and actresses for all major roles and explain why this person fits the role. I think this would be a great type of character analysis in disguise.

As a teacher, I think it is important to create a fun and thoughtful assessment to accompany required literature. Also, students need to have a choice in projects they have to complete, so I hope to provide other fun ways to assess student knowledge on my group's novel!

Notable Books and Newberry Winner

I recently delved into books by Gillian Flynn. I have always came across books by here in the Kindle store when looking for the next "it" book to read, but never committed to actually purchasing one. The first book I read by her was Gone Girl.

It was dark. It was honest. It was a thriller. Everything promised by her books, but this book was not as completely dark as her other two books. Sharp Objects is a book about self-harm. If you look through the list of books about self-harm on Goodreads.com this book will pop up on that list. I thought Flynn did a great job writing from the perspective of someone who self-harms. I recently had to make a brochure about an adolescent issue, and I chose self-harm. I would not recommend this book for someone under the age of fifteen, but it does shine a light on the issue of self-harm. I think people who do self-injure feel alone, and reading about the issue in a book could show someone that self-harming is well known and treatable. (I refuse to give away the ending!) Sharp Objects is not up for a movie rendition yet, but Flynn's other book, Dark Places, is. Dark Places is coming out this year, and I actually finished it a few weeks ago. I DO NOT recommend this book for anyone under the age of eighteen. This book really gave me nightmares, but it was also one of those you just cant put down! I love to torture myself with literature.

I also wanted to touch on the Newberry Medal winner was announced. The winner, The Crossover by Kwame Alexander, is a book that interweaves basketball, poetry, and being twelve. I have not read this book, but did a little research about it. In all honesty, it does not seem like my kind of book, but my students would be a different story. This would be a great book choice for male students in the classroom. Thinking on this book, I actually have a cousin who is trying to improve his reading and English ACT score, and I told him to read more books. This might be perfect for him.

A Great Comparison for "The Giver"

In my Library Services class at UTM, we read The Giver by Lois Lowry. I was fortunate enough to get a newer publication of the book that featured a letter from the author. In her letter, Lowry mentioned how The Giver has touched so many lives and inspired a depth of emotion for her readers. She also included how she received a letter from a fan telling her, "I hope you get help." While I definitely enjoyed the book, it really did not provoke a life changing feeling in me. Something I do want to mention that I noticed while reading The Giver was it's similarities to a series of books I read about a year ago called Matched.

The similarities were almost too much for me. I'm not sure if Ally Condie (the author of the Matched trilogy) has cited The Giver as her inspiration, but she definitely should have. When thinking about my own classroom, I'm not sure if I would choose The Giver or Matched. While I think The Giver is much better written, Matched gives you the ending craved by all readers that The Giver did not exactly deliver.While I had a hard time staying focused during Matched because of the lack of details and depth that I enjoy in a book, I think middle school students might actually like Matched's "to the point" style. I think a good strategy for the classroom would be to give students a choice in which book they want to read. After each group has finished their book, the class could explain and compare and contrast what happened in their book of choice. (This is one of those moments I think English might have been a better fit for me over Math.)