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Faceless by Alyssa B. SheinmelMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
I read this novel as part of #yabookchat twitter discussion. When we meet Maisie, she is enjoying a morning run, loves being on the track team, loves her boyfriend, Chirag and best friend, Ellen. As she finishes her run, she stops to enjoy the morning when a lightning storm hits, and that is all she remembers until she wakes in a hospital and part of her face is gone. Together with her parents she accepts getting a face transplant; the many pills and routines that will become part of her life FOREVER. It is during this time, summer and school is out, that I really started not liking Maisie. She did/did not want to see her boyfriend (who she thought about ALL the time) and best friend. She withdrew further and further, became insolent, angry, and lashed out at her parents and friends. It is was only in the final part of the book (I thought it should have happened much sooner) that Maisie joins a therapy support group- BOY did she need it; that she finally started coming around, figuring things out (lots of discussion) with her support friends, then slowly with her best friend and even slower with her ex-boyfriend and I really thought Maisie was a good person once again like she was at the beginning of the book. Teens will love this book, but I wished Maisie had sought out help MUCH sooner, thankfully she had tight, loyal friends.
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Dark Dude by Oscar HijuelosMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Dark Dude has such a great cast of characters. They all have their problems, but it is Gilberto and Rico, who takes Jimmy with him too that decide to leave their lives in Harlen and strike out for a better life in Wisconsin. Rico is a light Cuban American and this causes him so many problems; he is bullied becdue to his light skin, family tensions with his moms' constant hassles, a father who drinks too much and can't make enough money to support his family and a rundown, violent school. Gilberto is an older Latino friend who truly cares for Rico and makes Rico feel he can do anything. Jimmy has a horrible life but together Rico and Jimmy make comics and watch out for each other. Jimmy is the artist and Rico is the author and they have an idea for a story, "Dark Dude" or Latin Dagger. It is when Gilberto comes into money and decides to go out west and get an education and better life that changes life drastically for Rico. When he can't take his life anymore, he runs away with Jimmy and meets up with Gilberto in Wisconsin. It is this new life, which isn't always great, and his coming of age in Wisconsin (lots going on there), that really causes Rico to mature and changes the course of his life. Rico as a character is going through so much and he has compassion, morals,and integrity. He is smart, re-reads Huck Finn and loves the relationship between Huck and Big Jim. I really admired how Rico never shirked the many challenges that came his way. A great multicultural read of bonds and friendship, but one my reluctant readers won't be interested in because of the 439 pages.
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Chasing Tail Lights by Patrick JonesMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Patrick Jones has such a way with his characters in this book! Christy is now sixteen but she alternates the chapters with dates in her life. Christy has many issues and low self-esteem. She lives in Flint, Michigan in a rundown school, poverty stricken town, and a shattered household. Christy is best friends with Anne but Anne knows nothing of her life, because Christy is afraid if she knew, she wouldn't be her friend. Christy doesn't want any attention so being friends with out loud Anne is great for Christy. Christy loves her truck driver dad but he dies very early on in the story and she is left with her brother Mitchell (she loves him), little cousin Bree (she is Robert's daughter and Christy loves her). Christy really has three brothers: Robert is in jail, Mitchell and Ryan. Robert and Ryan are her half brothers, different fathers from each other, and from Christy and Mitchell. There is no evidence of Christy's dad but her alcoholic mother's room is loaded with pictures of Ryan's dad, who didn't stick around. Christy's mom favors Ryan and as a result Ryan terrorizes Christy and Mitchell and makes everything their fault. Christy doesn't feel like anyone cares about her and it is Jones' characterization of Christy as lonely, shy, and who feels like a loser who slowly, achingly overcomes a life of neglect to take control, think of adults as counselors who will help her, and confide some of her "secrets" that really spoke to me as I read this book. I haven't even mentioned Tyrell, but you need to read this book to find out about this character who sticks by Christy and offers her a ray of hope. Reluctant readers will love this book, as well as Harris' other books. His honesty about teen life is compelling and not soon forgotten.
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Leap of Faith by Anne Schraff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the first book I have read in the Urban Underground series. For reluctant readers, this book revolves around Ernesto who is a junior at Cesar Chavez High School and wants to run for Senior Class President. Ernesto is a good kid who goes out of his way to help others. He has been shown this example by his father who goes into the barrio and talks dropouts into returning to school. One day there is a robbery and Ernesto sees a hooded, tatooed guy he knows as Cruz Lopez who hangs around Paul Gonzales. He mentions to Paul his suspicions and Paul makes Ernesto promise to keep it to himself about what he saw because Paul is convinced Cruz would never do something like this. While Ernesto is trying to run his campaign, he still worries Cruz could have been involved in the robbery, as well as stopping rumors that Clay started to hurt his election. Ernesto has a great girlfriend in Naomi, and good friends and a supportive family. Students will enjoy the characters in this slim novel and Ernesto's quest to represent his class.
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This is one of many many many poems which i've written over the last five years of "retirement" as a teacher.
Many are in my books or on my website (Google JOSIE'S POEMS) but this one you can use in your classrooms or libraries to read to the children as autumn is well and truly here. Well it is here in England as my back tells me because I've been picking up many leaves today. Do let me know if the children enjoy this poem:
An Autumn Visit
By Josie Whitehead
Autumn is wearing her bright golden crown.
She’s coming this morning to visit our town,
And Wind, her best friend, will be joining her too.
Will they have a nice day and what will they do?
She’ll be changing the colours of leaves on our trees
And Wind likes to tease with his cold, playful breeze.
As the leaves tumble down in a pile on the ground,
He will take a deep breath and blow them around.
They’ll both knock down conkers for children to find,
But the nuts aren’t just there for the good of mankind.
The squirrels like nuts and they’ll store them away
But then out they will come on those cold wintry days.
So what do you think that the two friends might eat?
What sorts of things would be good for a treat?
There are sweet tasting berries and fruits of all kinds
Which are wonderful treats for the two friends to find.
They will chase over hills and along by the river.
Wind’s cold wintry breath may well cause us to shiver.
The swallows will see them and say their goodbye,
Calling “See you next year” as they fly through the sky.
With the sun going down there’s no time left to play,
But the two friends have had such a marvellous day!”
When you look all around at this colourful scene,
You will see very clearly where these friends have been.
Copyright 2011
What fun when I read this to a class recently:
"So, what do you think the two friends might eat?" Answer: "Crisps, chocolate, sweets, cake, biscuits."
"No, they didn't eat these things. Think "healthy eating". No answer.
"Well, look out of your classroom. It is autumn outside. What do you see by the window that they may like to eat?" (There were berries and apples outside).
Answer: "Pineapples". Teacher: "Now you are being really really silly and you don't want Mrs Whitehead to think that do you?
Look out of the window. What do you see".
Answer: "Berries and apples". Another child: "No they didn't!! Mummy told me that we must not eat berries or they would poison us."
Then trying to explain to them that Autumn and Wind are personifications is a bit difficult, so we told them that of course they are not human beings. One was a season and one was an element of nature - ie weather.
At last we have them completely satisfied and decided it was better not to ask any more questions. ha ha So what would your answers have been?
I wanted to like this more than I did. I just felt like in our current social culture, it was another you-don't-know-who-to-trust and everyone-who's-not-like-you-is-to-be-approached-with-caution and look-what-we've-done-to-our-world... I know that's what dystopian fiction is, but this wasn't unique enough to wow me. Noni did her best to make the reader flip flop as to 'who's to blame,' but it was too easy to figure out, which made me lose a little sympathy for our hero (victim?). I'm no longer a YA, so perhaps YA readers will enjoy the challenge more of deciding which side deserves their loyalty. Characterizations are diverse enough to get to know them as individuals - this is a plus. In spite of my critique of the thematic premise, the plot was interesting enough that I do plan on reading the next book in the series. My curiosity is piqued.
Something Like Fate by Susane ColasantiMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
The characters in this romance novel are all really finely drawn by Colasanti and I found Lani very believable as a teen who doesn't follow the crowd and realizes she has angered friends by distancing herself (they think Lani thinks she is too good for them) and becoming very involved in her own club to save the earth. Her good friend, Blake is gay but hides it for fear of his father's anger. Lani and Blake are compulsive about checking their horoscopes and Lani truly believes in fate (hence the title). As the narrator, we find out from Lani about how her best friend, Erin, saved her when they were younger and they have been inseparable since. Lani has also become friends with Danielle in her ecology club. But Lani is insecure and also unaware of herself as being interesting to guys. She has never had a real boyfriend and when she meets Erin's latest flame, Jason, she has no reason to believe he might be interested in her. But it becomes obvious to Blake that Jason is interested in Lani and when they start hanging out together, Lani likes Jason but just sees him as a friend and nothing more. It is when Jason finally tells Lani he cares about Lani, that things get really interesting. Jason is a great guy;athletic, funny, a mentor to younger kids and a lifeguard during the summer. With only 2 months left before summer, Lani and Jason stay friendly; when Erin leaves for summer camp, Jason breaks up with her in an email and Lani and Jason begin seeing each other and it is a pretty perfect summer, what will happen when Erin returns? A great book for girls.
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Thanks to Eric Bateman for his wonderful scoop.it and giving out this idea!
All the Broken Pieces by Ann E. BurgMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Another great first novel! This slim novel in verse uses spare words with such force. Little Matt Pin left Vietnam, been adopted by a loving family but he has nightmares and secrets he hides from everyone. He left behind a birth mother in Vietnam, an American soldier father he never knew and a little brother. In America, he continues to learn about his heritage, but he does not see the beauty and bright colors of Vietnam, only "choking dust, smoke and death"--and aching for his mother and brother left behind. He lives in a big home with parents and a little brother he loves very much, but he is still unsure if they will want to keep him once they know his secrets. His father has practiced throwing pitches with him and Matt wins one of the coveted spots on the team. Some of his team mates resent him because of his heritage. He is bullied and threatened, but he tells no one. Matt also likes to play the piano and his teacher, Jeff, is a friend of Matt's dad. It is Jeff and Matt's dad who bring him to Vietnam veterans meetings and Matt begins to realize many things he did not understand ad the soldiers tell their stories; that his mother loved him and that is why she saved him, that the soldiers made a difference by saving and transporting Vietnamese children to the United States. Once Matt tells his family about his fears, Matt comes to terms with his culture, himself and begins to look forward enjoying his new life, knowing he will one day look for his birth mother and brother with his family. A sad, hopeful novel that teaches us about the Vietname war and how it affected the soldiers, their families, and those left behind in Vietnam.
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Smashwords - School Libraries: What's Now, What's Next, What's Yet to Come - A book by Kristin Fontichiaro via kwout
Dear Colleagues,
On behalf of the over 50 authors who contributed to School Libraries: What’s Now, What’s Next, What’s Yet to Come, we are delighted to announce that our crowdsourced eBook is now available for free download!
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/96705
We hope you will enjoy downloading and reading these diverse perspectives on where school libraries are and what school librarians are doing to redefine, stretch, and expand traditional services.
Please feel free to share this link with your colleagues, administrators, professional and union organizations, Board of Education members, and more. Help us spread the word and build the conversation about the possibilities of school libraries!
We have it available for free download in three formats:
- PDF for those who want to read it on a desktop/laptop
- .mobi for those who want to read it on Kindle software or a Kindle device
- .epub for those who would like to read it on Adobe Digital Editions software, iBooks, Sony Reader, the Bluefire Reader app, Nook, and most other eReaders
While you can find the eBook on Smashwords now; in about 2-6 weeks, Smashwords will send it out to the major eBookstores (including Apple’s iBookstore, Barnes and Noble, Sony Bookstore, and others, although Amazon is in negotations) for free distribution.
With deep thanks,
The Authors of School Libraries: What’s Now, What’s Next, What Comes After
Editors:
Kristin Fontichiaro, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Buffy Hamilton, Creekview High School, Canton, GA
Foreword:
R. David Lankes, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
Photographs:
Diane Cordell, Retired Teacher Librarian, Queensbury, NY
Contributors:
Kelly Ahlfeld, Mettawee Community School, West Pawlet, VT
Diane Erica Aretz-Kernahan, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Emilia Askari, Living Textbook Project, McCollough Unis School, Dearborn, MI
Kathleen Atkin, Louis Riel School Division, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Robert Baigent, National Library of New Zealand, Auckland, New Zealand
Susan D. Ballard, Consultant and Simmons College, Boston, MA
Angela Washington-Blair, Emmett J. Conrad High School, Dallas, TX
Dan Bowen, ICT Learning and Teaching Consultant, Surrey, England, UK
Holli Buchter, St. Vrain Valley School District, Longmont, CO
Jennifer Branch, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Len Bryan, Cedar Ridge High School, Round Rock, TX
Jennifer Colby, School of Information, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Diane Cordell, Retired Teacher Librarian, Queensbury, NY
William Cross, Copyright and Digital Scholarship Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Meg Donhauser, Hunterdon Central Regional High School, Flemington, NJ
Joanne de Groot, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Stacy Dillon, LREI - Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School, New York, NY
Andrea Dolloff, Ethical Cultural Fieldston School, New York, NY
Meg Donhauser, Hunterdon Central Regional High School, Flemington, NJ
Laura Fleming, Cherry Hill School, River Edge, NJ
Lorna Flynn, American International School in Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
Elizabeth Friese, University of Georgia,Athens, GA
Rachel Goldberg, East Middle School, Plymouth, MI
Beth Gourley, Western Academy of Beijing, Beijing, China
Dorcas Hand, Annunciation Orthodox School, Houston, TX
Alida Hanson, School Library Teacher Program, Simmons College GSLIS, Boston, MA
Violet H. Harada, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI
Heather Hersey, Lakeside School, Seattle, WA
Valerie Hill, Ethridge Elementary School, The Colony, TX, and Texas Woman’s University School of Library and Information Studies, Denton, TX
Kimberly Hirsh, Butner-Stem Middle School, Butner, NC, and G. C. Hawley Middle School, Creedmoor, NC
Shannon Hyman, Byrd Middle School, Henrico, VA
Pamela Jackson, East Wake High School, Wendell, NC
Melissa P. Johnston, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
Jesse Karp, LREI - Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School, New York, NY
Sara Kelley-Mudie, The Forman School, Litchfield, CT
Tricia Kuon, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX
Neil Krasnoff, New Tech High School at A. Maceo Smith, Dallas, TX
Jennifer LaGarde, New Hanover County Schools, Wilmington, NC
Teri S. Lesesne, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX
Margaret Lincoln, Lakeview School District, Battle Creek, MI
Kate MacMillan, Napa Valley USD, Napa Valley, CA (see also Chap. 9)
Adrienne Matteson, White River Elementary, Noblesville, IN
Kathleen McBroom, Dearborn Public Schools, Dearborn, MI
Walter McKenzie, ASCD, Alexandria, VA
David Meyer, TMC Furniture, Ann Arbor, MI
Ben Mondloch, Cherry Lake Publishing, Ann Arbor, MI
Leslie L. Morgan, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
Cathy Jo Nelson, Dorman High School, Spartanburg District 6 Schools, Roebuck, SC
Beverley Rannow, Otsego Public Schools, Otsego, MI
Howard Rheingold, UC Berkeley, Stanford University, San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Nikki D. Robertson, Auburn High School, Auburn, AL
Daniella Smith, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
Evan St. Lifer, Scholastic Library Publishing, Danbury, CT
Jennifer Stanbro, South Portland School Department, South Portland, ME
Caitlin Stansell, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Jeff Stanzler, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Carolyn Jo Starkey, Buckhorn High School, New Market, AL
Wendy Steadman Stephens, Buckhorn High School, New Market, AL
Michael Stephens, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA
Linda Straube, New Trier High School, Winnetka, IL
Cathy Stutzman, Hunterdon Central Regional High School, Flemington, NJ
Mega Subramaniam, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Margaret Sullivan, Smith Systems, Plano, TX (see also Chap. 6)
Joyce Kasman Valenza, Springfield Township High School, Erdenheim, PA
Karen Villegas, Grosse Pointe North High School, Grosse Pointe, MI
Jeanna Walker, Portage Public Schools, Portage, MI
Donna Watt, Invercargill City Libraries, Invercargill, New Zealand
Holly Weimar, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX
Senga White, James Hargest College, Invercargill, New Zealand
Erin Drankwalter Wyatt, Highland Middle School, Libertyville, IL
Amanda Yaklin, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Alice Yucht, Retired/rewired Teacher-Librarian, NJ
Marci Zane, Hunterdon Central Regional High School, Flemington, NJ
PS - Want to create a Smashwords book of your own? We recommend the Smashwords Style Guide (http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/52).
Tuesday, June 30, 2009 12:30pm–3:30pm
Gateway to hundreds of free online resources focused on 21st Century Information Fluency.
- Digital Information Fluency (DIF) is the ability to find, evaluate and use digital information effectively, efficiently and ethically.
Internet Search Challenges - Evaluation Games
6 online learning games that teach evaluation skills. Multiple levels. NETS alignment!
Information Fluency Evaluation Kit. Online resources for evaluating author, publisher, bias, links, date, evidence, and accuracy.
- Evaluating Digital Information
Part Five of the series Five Things Today's Digital Generation Cannot do (and what you can do to help) discusses how searchers have to invent their own evaluation standards because schools are not teaching them.
- Teacher's Guide: Personalized Evaluation Searches
How to use Rollyo, Swiki and Google Co-op to create personalized search engines for safe Web page evaluation practice at all grade levels.
- Teacher's Guide to Action Zone Evaluation Games
Recommended uses for the Bad Apple and Use It! or Lose It! online evaluation games in this Kit, including tips and answers.
- IMSA Evaluation Wizard
How to use our Evaluation Wizard to assess how students evaluate what they find online. (The Evaluation wizard is a 10 step online guide to investigating websites.)
Evaluating Digital Information: Introduction, Research, Resources
In depth article on evaluation of digital resources by Dr. Carl Heine.
- Every school administrator wants to maintain a safe distance between objectionable material and impressionable students. Blocking students from potential contact with sexual predators and other mal-information is absolutely well-intended. However, blocking sites does not help students think critically about the quality of the information they retrieve or prepare them for the real world of information they encounter outside of school.
- Teachers may contribute to the problem by introducing filters of their own into learning experiences. In practice, it works like this: a teacher wants her class to access digital information, so she conducts a search ahead of time and selects web pages she finds credible and appropriate. Students then engage in a Web quest using pages or sites that have approved content. Aside from the intended benefits of the exercise, the students have missed an opportunity to learn skills in searching and evaluating that they need in the 21st century.
- Our research suggests that students who search for digital information are better able to judge its credibility than students who are handed information. In a pilot study, over 100 middle school students were given a question and three relevant web pages for answering it. Two of these pages were credible. The success rate for answering the question using relevant information was 73% when the task involved reading the three pre-selected pages.
Workshop Resources: Assessing Information Fluency
Guided tours of 21CIF resources perfect for workshop presentations. This is a series of webslide style sets of pages that detail 'Speculative Searching" and "Investigative Searching".
MicroModule: Checking the accuracy of information found on a webpage.
A one page overview of how to check the accuracy of information. Includes a link to an online learning game to help learn essential concepts.
Try this interactive micromodule companion for a hands on experience in determining the accuracy of web-based information. Test your skills at:
- finding embedded evidence
- checking evidence for accuracy
- triangulation of data
Information Fluency Newsletter
Low volume, high content free newsletter to keep you posted about new resources and developments from 21cif.
- Subscribe to our free email newsletter and receive periodic updates about 21CIF including professional development opportunities and new resources.
It ain't easy being green....
Finding Kermit was the inspiration for one of the first Internet Search Challenges created by Dr. Carl Heine. The task is to track down a picture of Kermit ready for graduation in the least amount of time.Many teachers use this as a whole class lab activity. Put up a search challenge and then it's off the races! This game is live, just click Google to start the timer.