It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 8/26/19

September 1, 2019August 26, 2019 by Kellee

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA!

It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme started by Sheila at Book Journeys and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It’s also a great chance to see what others are reading right now…you just might discover the next “must-read” book!

Kellee and Jen, of Teach Mentor Texts, decided to give It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, anything in the world of kidlit – join us! We love this meme and think you will, too.

We encourage everyone who participates to support the blogging community by visiting at least three of the other book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

Tuesday: OCPS Appetite for Instruction Podcast with Kellee: Unleashing Young Readers

Thursday: The Remember Balloons by Jessie Oliveros

Friday: Educators’ and Discussion Guide for What Can a Citizen Do? by Dave Eggers

Sunday: Author Guest Post: Self-Esteem and Students by Karen S. McGowan, Author of Kelly’s Adventures

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

Kellee

Will be reviewing My Name is Wakawakaloch! this week.
What We Buried by Kate A Boorman: Siblings that resent each other on a road trip after their parents disappear right before their emancipation trial; however, “what starts as a simple overnight road trip soon takes a turn for the dangerous and surreal.”
The Silence Between Us by Alison Gervais: “Moving halfway across the country to Colorado right before senior year isn’t Maya’s idea of a good time. Leaving behind Pratt School for the Deaf where she’s been a student for years only to attend a hearing school is even worse. Maya has dreams of breaking into the medical field and is determined to get the grades and a college degree to match, and she’s never considered being Deaf a disability. But her teachers and classmates at Engelmann High don’t seem to share her optimism.”
The newest Dog Man is just as good as the others! Trent loves these books as do I and so do my students–it is just a win-win-win book!
Who Wants An Old Teddy Bear is Jim’s book from when he was a kid which we were told is one of his favorites, so it was so much fun to read it to Trent for the first time.

Ricki

This week, I read If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo. I loved listening to the author’s note and how Meredith Russo talks about essentializing transgender identities. I have been thinking about this a lot since I finished the book, and I think it will give readers much to ponder. This is a great book. If you haven’t read it yet, I recommend it highly.

Kellee

Reading: 100 Days of Sun Light by Abbie Emmons
Listening: I don’t know! I can’t find what I want to listen to through my library…
Reading with Trent: We’ll see what we start tonight!

Ricki

I am rereading The Lines We Cross by Randa Abdel-Fattah. This time, I am listening to it on audio. I really like this book and am excited to share it with students in a few weeks.

Wednesday: Review and Giveaway!: My Name is Wakawakaloch! by Chana Stiefel

Friday: Educators’ Guide for Lights! Camera! Alice!: The Thrilling True Adventures of the First Woman Filmmaker by Mara Rockliff

Link up below and go check out what everyone else is reading. Please support other bloggers by viewing and commenting on at least 3 other blogs. If you tweet about your Monday post, tag the tweet with #IMWAYR!

and

Author Guest Post: “Self-Esteem and Students” by Karen S. McGowan, Author of Kelly’s Adventures

April 22, 2023August 25, 2019 by Kellee

“Self-Esteem and Students”

Astronauts traveling to a new planet are not the only humans who need the right stuff. Students, as well as adults, are always wondering where they stand and if they measure up. When students have low self-esteem you will generally find numerous other issues. Low self-esteem is linked to violence, school dropout rates, teenage pregnancy, suicide, and low academic achievement.

Teachers know that when kids feel better about themselves, they do better in school. The two core aspects of positive self-esteem are the belief and the experience that one is loveable and capable. Students come into your classroom with feelings of self worth or self doubt pre-programed through interactions within their own family setting starting in infancy. Some families are very nurturing, others are toxic. As teachers, we can tell if a student has grown up in a caring family.

When your students are at an age where they are constantly testing their emotions and asking whether they measure up, teachers will find a perfect fit with the Jolly Time Books trilogy. Kelly’s Adventures, a three-book box set, focuses on authentic characters, offering an easy to follow plot about family, school life, and everything centered on growing up in a chaotic world. The characters are believable, diverse, and instantly likeable. With relatable problems and intriguing themes, even the most reluctant readers will remain engaged.

The reader will connect with the characters and find situations that they have likely faced. Themes emphasized include bullies, friendship, values, problem solving, body image, entrepreneurship, perseverance, diversity, unity, and empathy. Teachers are depicted as positive role models who help inspire their students.

Good self-esteem is an essential component for everything children do – from positive academic performance to social skills. Classroom relationships with peers and teachers improve with a healthy dose of self-esteem: children are better equipped to cope with mistakes, disappointment, and failure. Students are more likely to persevere, stick with challenging tasks, and complete learning activities. As teachers, we have the opportunity to help boost a child’s self-esteem through reading.

What happens when a main character immediately faces a crisis? Many readers relate and respond with empathy. In the opening scene of book 1, Lizzy and others erupt like exploding volcanoes on the kitchen floor after stuffing themselves with cake and ice cream. This embarrassing incident happened to me as a young girl. After she is ostracized by her boyfriend and picked on by bullies, how will Lizzy recover? The highly engaging personal situations and emotional roller coasters will keep the independent reader turning the pages of this book.

As a classroom teacher, I found that students learned better when reading and writing activities were followed by healthy discussions. That is why the three Study Guides for Jolly Time Books are designed as a teacher’s resource. This will save you time in lesson planning, and lead to rewarding classroom experiences. Each free downloadable Study Guide is presented by scene and chapter to match and complement the story. The Study Guides activate students’ ability to recall specific information about the scenes, events, and characters while enhancing their higher-level thinking skills.

The three free Study Guides provide a clear focus at every stage of teaching the text. The questions and interactive activities can be used as a class, in small focus groups, or as homework. The Study Guides contain both closed, comprehension questions, and open, higher order questions, exploring student response, opinion and analysis. The activities are designed to promote thinking and reflection while enhancing individual learning.

As teachers, we have the future of the world sitting in our classrooms every day. Let’s seize the opportunity and help shape what our world will look like in the future.

Jolly Time Books: Kelly’s Adventures Books 1 – 3 Box Set
Also available as individual eBooks or 3 individual paperback books
Book 1 – Searching for Kelly,
Book 2 – Chasing Kelly’s Shadow, and
Book 3 – Kelly Saves the Day

Book Description: In book 1, a black cat crosses Lizzy’s path, and she knows things can only get worse. Her brother, Ben, thinks that moving to a larger city is the answer. Big changes and magical twists abound when the Jolly family moves to Washington, D.C. They discover that Kelly, their new puppy, only adds to the chaos. Who knew?

The adventures continue in book 2 when Lizzy and Ben discover that moving hasn’t solved all their problems. Why does that black cat keep crossing their paths? WHAM! SPLAT! Is Kelly the only one to blame when Grandma decides to ride the Christmas tree, and winds up sprawled on the floor?

In book 3, the pressure on Lizzy heats up after she flips over backward at a student council rally. Will anyone vote for her now? Will Kelly survive the operation to save her life? To relieve tensions, they go on a picnic and hike with friends. What happens when Mr. Jolly becomes separated from the rest of the hikers? Could Ben’s teacher with psychic powers have predicted that this daytime hike would turn into a nighttime rescue?

Study Guides: The best way for readers to access the free eBook Study Guides is to download them from Amazon. All three Study Guides are on the first page of my Author Page. Here is a direct link to my Amazon Author Page.

About the Author: Karen S. McGowan is the author of Jolly Time Books: Kelly’s Adventures Books 1 – 3 Box Set. She has worked more than 20 years as a teacher and holds a Master of Education degree. She is a leading advocate of education, and has written and published more than six dozen books for children.

Thank you so much for this guest post looking at how equal rights for women is still very much a timely topic!

Educators’ and Discussion Guide for What Can a Citizen Do? by Dave Eggers

August 23, 2019 by Kellee

What Can a Citizen Do?
Author: Dave Eggers
Illustrator: Shawn Harris
Published: September 11th, 2018 by Chronicle Books

Summary: This is a book about what citizenship—good citizenship—means to you, and to us all: Across the course of several seemingly unrelated but ultimately connected actions by different children, we watch how kids turn a lonely island into a community—and watch a journey from what the world should be to what the world could be.

• What Can a Citizen Do? is the latest collaboration from the acclaimed behind the bestselling Her Right Foot: Dave Eggers and Shawn Harris.

• For today’s youngest readers about what it means to be a citizen and the positive role they can play in society.

• Includes beautiful illustrations and intriguing, rhyming text.

What Can a Citizen Do is an empowering and timeless read with an important message for all ages.

Praise:

“[This] charming book provides examples and sends the message that citizens aren’t born but are made by actions taken to help others and the world they live in.” —The Washington Post

“Obligatory reading for future informed citizens.” —The New York Times

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation and Discussion Questions:

Please view and enjoy the teachers’ and discussion guide I created for What Can a Citizen Do?:

You can also access the teaching guide here.

You can learn more about the book on Chronicle Book’s What Can a Citizen Do? page.

Recommended For:

OCPS Appetite for Instruction Podcast with Kellee: Unleashing Young Readers

August 20, 2019 by Kellee

Orange County Public Schools’ Innovation Office opened in 2018 to support identified “Schools of Innovation” and to support staff in the implementation and development of innovative practices within and across these schools. My school was lucky enough to be considered a “School of Innovation” when the learning community opened in 2018. Then, in the Spring of 2019, the Innovation Office began recording their Appetite for Instruction podcast, and my colleague, Caitlin Chacon, and I were so lucky to be asked to participate.

Our podcast episode was titled “Unleashing Young Readers,” I’m assuming as an homage to this blog, and we shared what literacy instruction looks like at our school, both in the podcast and the companion write up:

Unleashing Young Readers (Episode 3)

Happy listening 🙂

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 8/19/19

August 19, 2019 by Kellee

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA!

We encourage everyone who participates to support the blogging community by visiting at least three of the other book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

Tuesday: Student Voices: “We Shouldn’t Be…” (A Poem) by Monika & Jordan with an image by Serine

Thursday: Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca

Friday: Teachers’ Guide for Barkus series updated with Barkus: Dog Dreams by Patricia MacLachlan

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

Kellee

Truman by Jean Reidy is one of my new favorite picture books though I am bias because I love land tortoises!
Catwad by Jim Benton is like an even grumpier Garfield.
Six Goodbyes We Never Said by Candace Ganger: “Two teens meet after tragedy and learn about love, loss, and letting go.”
Planet Earth is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos: “A heartrending and hopeful debut novel about a nonverbal girl and her passion for space exploration.”
Cursed by Karol Ruth Silverstein: “An #ownvoices contemporary/realistic YA debut. 14 year old Erica “Ricky” Bloom, is newly diagnosed with a painful chronic illness and pretty pissed off about it.”

Ricki

While visiting my son’s new elementary school, we checked out the gorgeous library. We saw The Remember Balloons by Jessie Oliveros on display. Whew. This book is powerful. It took all of me not to start sobbing in the middle of the library.

Kellee

Reading: The Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen
Listening To: What We Buried by Kate A. Boorman
Reading with Trent: Dog Man: For Whom the Ball Rolls by Dav Pilkey

Ricki

I’m reading an NCTE friend’s book draft, and it is fantastic. It is a secret, so I am not able to reveal much more. 🙂

Tuesday: OCPS Appetite for Instruction Podcast with Kellee: Unleashing Young Readers

Thursday: The Remember Balloons by Jessie Oliveros

Friday: Educators’ and Discussion Guide for What Can a Citizen Do? by Dave Eggers

Sunday: Author Guest Post: Self-Esteem and Students by Karen S. McGowan, Author of Kelly’s Adventures

and

Teachers’ Guide for Barkus series updated with Barkus: Dog Dreams by Patricia MacLachlan

August 18, 2019August 16, 2019 by Kellee

Barkus: Dog Dreams
Author: Patricia MacLachlan
Illustrator: Marc Boutavant
Published: August 7th, 2018 by Chronicle Books

Summary: Barkus is back! With new tricks. New friends. And lots more fun.

The lovable Barkus and his lucky young owner romp through the pages of this delightful series from Newbery Medal–winning author Patricia MacLachlan. The simple text told in short chapters is just right for children ready to take their first steps toward reading on their own.

View my post about Barkus to learn about book one.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation and Discussion Questions:

Please view and enjoy the teachers’ guide I created for the Barkus series:

You can also access the teaching guide here.

You can learn more about Barkus on Chronicle Book’s Barkus Book 2 page.

Recommended For:

Student Voices!: “We Shouldn’t Be…” (A Poem) by Monika & Jordan with an image by Serine

April 22, 2023August 13, 2019 by Kellee

The best way to learn what kids are thinking & feeling is by listening to them, so I am happy to share my students’ voices!

We Shouldn’t Be… by Monika & Jordan, 7th Grade

We shouldn’t be scared,
scared of the guy with the bullets
who can end our lives with a push
of a trigger.
Shouldn’t be scared of the people
who have jobs to protect us, yet murder
us without thinking what we’re up to.

We shouldn’t be scared
scared of the big bad men
who look at us like we’re a meal
and lick their lips hungrily.
Shouldn’t be scared of being beautiful
even though we were all made gorgeously.

We should be scared
Scared of loving the wrong person,
scared of THEM who will judge us
because of who and what we love.

We shouldn’t be scared
Scared of being judged by what we wear
or how we do our hair instead
of being judged by how we act
and hand situations.

But guess what? We are.

We are scared of the bullets that are
out there in the wrong hands.

We are scared of being beautiful
because those men would kill for us.

We are scared of loving because
THEY end up hating us.

We are scared of wearing the
wrong thing or saying the wrong thing
because of THEM.

They, them
It’s the world.
We are scared of the world. But we shouldn’t
be anymore. Let’s stop being scared.
We are strong. We can overcome the
fear, only if we come together. We
don’t have to constantly be in fear.

We need to listen.