The New York Times invites middle and high school students ages 11-19 to tell a short story about a meaningful life experience in 600 words or fewer. Contest Dates: Oct. 13 to Nov. 17, 2021. For this contest, they invite you to write a personal narrative of your own about a meaningful life experience. Please click on this LINK to read more about this contest and the rules.
Read-i-cide (noun): The systematic killing of the love of reading, often exacerbated by the inane, mind-numbing practices found in schools.
Readicide – How Schools Are Killing Reading and What You Can Do About It by Kelly Gallagher is a fantastic book that I should have read many years ago. It was published in 2009, and while some of the references to the the state of educational initiatives and politics seem a bit dated, the information and approaches are spot on. This year, I have returned to teaching Language and Literature. This book would make any Humanities, Language Arts, or Middle School/High School English teacher reflect on his/her practices. It is centered more on the teaching practices in the U.S. but I also think the anecdotes fit a lot of what I have observed in American international schools during my career. Parts of the book that resonated with me, include:
The over-analysis of books creates instruction that values the trivial at the expense of the meaningful. This “chop-chop” curriculum or step-by-step approach that we often see in novel studies bombards students with ‘goals’ and ‘habits of thinking’ is a recipe for readicide.
The over-teaching of literature prevents students from experiencing the place where all serious readers want to be – the reading flow.
The need for authentic reading, sustained silent reading or DEAR time (Drop Everything And Read), and the 50/50 goal of having students read for pleasure 50% of the time, while the remaining 50% is focused on classes reading a novel that focuses on the skills needed to unpack that novel.
The need to build classroom libraries, in addition to amazing school libraries. The middle school language arts classrooms at the American International School Chennai (India), my former school, has incredible classroom libraries and spaces to read. I felt like I was walking into a independent book store.
“Young readers are drowning in a sea of sticky notes, marginalia, and double-entry journals, and as a result, their love of reading is being killed in the one place where the nourishment of a reading habit should be occurring – in school” (Gallagher 59).
The importance of finding the balance between over-teaching and under-teaching a novel or text and what this looks like.
Along with The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller, a book I read several years ago when I taught Humanities, Readicide gave me a lot of practical ideas and things to ponder about how we literacy skills. I have often observed very different philosophies between school divisions in how they view the teaching of reading. I feel like this book could bridge the divide and for departments to come up with common agreements and understandings that promote a love for reading while also supporting students to become better readers.
I am teaching MYP 3 (Grade 8 ) Language and Literature this year and really enjoying it. In class we are currently reading The Fault in Our Starsby John Green and our unit is called The Human Condition. I will write more about this book when we are are finished with it. Part of our class includes D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read) time. On the eighth day of our eight day cycle, our class also goes to the library to find new books, return books and to do mini-lessons. DEAR time is something I value, and it’s important to me that my students read a wide variety of genres and books outside of the required novels and texts we read in our class. I look forward to sharing book talks and reviews from my students on my blog this year.
During a recent library visit, I picked up Sanctuary by Paola Mendoza and Abby Sher, a new book that was purchased by our library. As a Social Studies/History teacher and news junkie, I am very interested in topics around migration, immigration, refugees, identity and poverty. I am teaching MYP 4 (Grade 9) Individuals and Societies this year too! My goal is to read more Young Adult (YA) novels this year, outside of the books selected for our Language and Literature novels and readings. My plan is to share some of these books here, and to encourage others to read them.
This is my short review on GoodReads. I gave it five stars: I LOVED this book! I would recommend it to adults and teens. It touches on some of the biggest stories of our day – immigration, migration, poverty, government infringement on our freedoms, your identity, etc through a beautiful (yet frightening) dystopian thriller that is set in 2032. It feels like a blend of The Road (Cormac McCarthy) and the Netflix series, Black Mirror. I could not put it down. From the jacket cover, it is as “haunting as it is hopeful in envisioning a future where everyone can find sanctuary.”
From Penguin Random House, the publisher (LINK) of Sanctuary, their description, which is featured on the inside of the cover (the dust jacket flap or flap copy): It’s 2032, and in this near-future America, all citizens are chipped and everyone is tracked. It’s almost impossible to survive as an undocumented immigrant, but that’s exactly what sixteen-year-old Vali is doing. She and her family have carved out a stable, happy life in small-town Vermont, but when Vali’s mother’s counterfeit chip starts malfunctioning and the Deportation Forces raid their town, they are forced to flee.
Now on the run, Vali and her family are desperately trying to make it to her tía Luna’s in California, a sanctuary state that is currently being walled off from the rest of the country. But when Vali’s mother is detained before their journey even really begins, Vali must carry on with her younger brother across the country to make it to safety before it’s too late.
From Ted-Ed: I like their “Why you should read…” videos. My daughter, now in 9th grade, is starting to read this novel. Explore William Golding’s timeless satire, “Lord of the Flies,” which follows a group of shipwrecked boys as they descend into anarchy. After witnessing the atrocities of his fellow man in World War II, William Golding was losing his faith in humanity. Later, during the Cold War, as superpowers began threatening one another with nuclear annihilation, he was forced to interrogate the very roots of human nature and violence. These musings would inspire his first novel: “Lord of the Flies.”
Check out William Golding’s Lord of the Flies Video SparkNote: Quick and easy Lord of the Flies synopsis, analysis, and discussion of major characters and themes in the novel. For more Lord of the Flies resources, go to http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/flies/
An audio version of the classic, Lord of the Flies.
Lord of the Flies Video Summary (from GradeSaver)
Lord of the Flies (Full Movie)
This link to the novel is helpful for English language learners. It’s an audio book and you can adjust the speed – LINK (from ESL English Bits).
Many teachers and parents are seeking engaging opportunities and lessons for students during distance learning, especially ones that don’t require a technology or a device. One of my favorite activities is journaling. I have had students journal for years, and I have always noticed amazing growth in their writing and thinking skills. Whether you are journaling for yourself or for your students, I have been collecting resources during the past two months. Here are some of the best articles I have found on this topic. My top 10!
What do you think were the most memorable moments of the year? If you were to make a “Year in Pictures” of your own life, which moments would you include? The New York Times has selected the best photos from 2019 (LINK). A great activity for students could be having them choose 12 photos that represent their year. They could make a slideshow using Google Slides and write a short caption for each photo. The New York Times Learning Network featured this activity (Picture Prompts). I believe it would be an engaging one for all students. I am going to do this activity with my English language learners.
Yakawlang, Afghanistan, May 19 Students walked home over the mountains from Rustam school, seen behind them. Ninety percent of the school’s graduates get into college. Most are girls. Jim Huylebroek for The New York Times
Grade 4 students at the American School of Lusaka are doing a unit on poetry. Here are two nice websites, poetry generators, that I discovered. They are fun for all ages.
A brief introduction or overview of the Vietnam War.
The Ho Chi Minh Trail not only connected North and South Vietnam during a brutal war but also aided Vietnamese soldiers. The trail shaved nearly five months of time off of the trip and was used as a secret weapon of sorts. Cameron Paterson describes the history and usage of the infamous trail. Lesson by Cameron Paterson, animation by Maxwell Sørensen. This is a great video from Ted-Ed.
In Grade 11 IB DP Language (Literature), I am supporting an English language learner as he reads one of my favorite novels, The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. I created this slideshow to enhance his understanding of the novel and the Vietnam War. I also found the novel translated into Spanish, his native-language. The teacher liked the slideshow, a work in progress, and shared it with all of his students. :>)
How many different verb tenses are there in a language like English? At first, the answer seems obvious — there’s past, present, and future. But it isn’t quite that simple. Anna Ananichuk explains how something called grammatical aspect, each of those time periods actually divides further. LINK to Ted-Ed
Think about/Discuss:
Do you think the way we speak about time in our mother-tongue influences the way we experience time? Why or why not?
If you can’t imagine life without chocolate, you’re lucky you weren’t born before the 16th century. Until then, chocolate only existed as a bitter, foamy drink in Mesoamerica. So how did we get from a bitter beverage to the chocolate bars of today? Deanna Pucciarelli traces the fascinating and often cruel history of chocolate.LINK to Ted-Ed.
Think about/Discuss:
Chocolate is made into cakes, cookies, candy and ice creams. What are the chemical properties of chocolate that enable the product to be transformed into so many other items?
As we prepare to go on winter break (or summer depending on your hemisphere!), I am sharing some nice resources for parents who want to prevent the “summer slide” with reading. Our school has a long four-week vacation, so it’s important to read and write on a daily basis. Keep it fun! Here are two articles which provide a number of ideas for how you can read with your son or daughter. There are also many other ideas to make learning fun (Museums, galleries, board games, etc.). I hope you like them!
The English-speaking world’s growing concern for the environment and the ubiquity of disposable items that are used only once has pushed the word “single-use” to the top of Collins Dictionary’s list of “Word of the Year.”
Collins says there’s been a four-fold increase in the usage of the word since 2013, in part thanks to news coverage of environmental issues. Click on thisLINKto see (and learn) other notable words of the year, including floss, VAR, Gammon, backstop, etc. The 2017 Word of the Year was actually two words: “fake news.”
We are completing our first “Book Talks” podcast activity. Most of you are in the process of completing this activity and working on final touches. Part of these final touches could include adding a loop or music to the beginning or end of the interview. Choose appropriate music that is not distracting. Using music that might match the theme of your book is a great idea. Many of you have asked how you can fade the loop on the music. The video will help you do that.
Reminders: When you save your podcast, save it by the episode #, book title, and the name of the person/people talking about their book. Example: Episode 16 Middle School – How I Survived Bullies, Broccoli, and Snake Hill (Ben)
Here are some photos that Mrs. Hall took during her recent trip to Japan. They features scenes from Hiroshima and are related to Sadako, a story we read earlier in the year.
Sadako monument in Hiroshima, Japan
Kokeshi dolls
Paper cranes sent by school children.
Paper cranes sent by school children from around the world.
Students this week will finish reflecting on our visit from author/illustrator, Lauren Stringer. Please remember to keep your 40 book challenge updated. It is expected that you are reading for a minimum of 20-30 minutes each night. We always love to see book reviews on our book review blogs, and we encourage you to share your favorite book with each other.
On Tuesday, Language Arts classes from blocks G and H worked with visiting author Lauren Stringer. We learned about the ‘drama’ of turning a page in a book, and she told students to look at themselves as directors making a movie. “You want a book to change as a scene in a movie,” she said. In addition to pagination, we learned illustration terms like ‘full bleed’ and how illustrators use the entire page or part of the page. We also learned about the ‘gutter,’ or the line going through the center of the book. “You don’t want anything going into the ‘gutter.’
Bring your poem and six page booklet to class this week, so we can continue to work on it. Also, the deadline for the Raptor Reader is Friday. Consider sharing a piece of writing from the first or second semester with a wider audience. What were your reflections on Book Week and our visiting author, Lauren Stringer.
Visiting Author, Lauren Stringer (Photo by Mrs. Hall)
Photo by Mrs. Hall
Photo by Mrs. Hall
Photo by Mrs. Hall
Photo by Mrs. Hall
Photo by Mrs. Hall
Photo by Ms. Monica
Monday marked our first day of Book Week. Students in the B and D Block L.A. classes had a one hour session with our visiting author and illustrator, Lauren Stringer, and created poems, thumbnail sketches, and a storyboard for a simple booklet she called a ‘dummy book.” This is what she sends to her publisher in the beginning stages of the writing or illustration process. Students also learned about such things as pagination, or the process of dividing important content into pages. All students also attended an assembly and had time to ask Ms. Stringer questions. G and H Block L.A. classes will work with our visiting author and illustrator today.
Please share a poem you wrote or take a photo of your work. You can share it in the comment section here and/or on your e-portfolio.
Book Week is quickly approaching. Read the M.S. morning bulletin and find the link to the sign-up sheet for some fun lunch time activities next week. Read more about author Lauren Stringeron this recent blog post in Linking to Thinking. This will be a fun week with great activities. Take full advantage of it and sign up as soon as possible. Spots are limited.
Student Activities (Feb. 5 – 13):
Make Your Own Bookmark (for MS, to promote first-ever Book Week in MS!). MS Lunch in the FAC, Thursday, February 5th and Friday, February 6th.
1) Theatre Arts: Readers’ Theater – Come bring out your inner actor as we act out short plays.
Where: CIC Ground Floor & When: Tuesday, February 10th, 12:30-12:55 (Limited to 20 participants)
2) The Visual Arts: Mural Creation – In this session, we will work together to create a mural illustrating a line of text from a famous story. Bring some creativity and collaboration skills as we work together to create an artistic vision.
Where: The BBT (across from the main office) & When: Wednesday, February 11th, 12:30-12:55 (Limited to 20 participants)
3) The Performing Arts: Creative Movement/Dance with Guest Artist Ruby Smith
Let’s move! This workshop, led by our visiting artist/dancer, Ruby Smith, will focus on creative response to literature through dance and movement. Please wear something comfortable for moving around.
When: Friday, February 13th, 12:30-12:55 & Where: CIC Ground Floor (Limited to 25 participants)
The Raptor Reader, AISC’s literary journal/blog, is calling for submissions. If you have a story, poem or writing piece you would like to share with the AISC community, please email it to the raptorreader@aisch.orgby Friday, February 13th. The Raptor Reader link: http://raptorreader.com/
This year we have the pleasure of bringing Lauren Stringer as our author and illustrator for 2014-2015. An award-winning writer and illustrator, Lauren has been entertaining students for years and now she is coming to AISC. She will be with us the week of February 9-13. If you would like to find out more about Lauren Stringer, click HERE and visit her website. Lastly, Lauren Stringer is joining us as part of this year’s Book Week. This year’s theme is “Books and the Arts.” More information about Book Week and the author will be coming out soon!
Image source: screen shot from Lauren Stringer’s website.
As it has for years, A Book and A Hug hosts reviews of thousands of books for young readers. You can search for books by keywords, age of the reader, genre, geographical setting of a book, and reading level. A Book and a Hug is a book recommendation site that we just discovered. There is a ten question quiz that you can complete to find out what kind of reading “superhero” you are. The quiz is designed to help you determine the type of books you might be interested in reading. The site also has abook review formthat you can complete to submit your own book reviews (you could copy book reviews from our book review site to this one, if you wish).
How can this site help you? Along with our book blogs, this site is a tremendous aid in your search for your next favorite book. We will add a link of this site to our book blogs. Check out this site!
"My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style."
- Maya Angelou
Out of Eden Walk
Linking to Thinking 
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