Kellee – Page 214 – Unleashing Readers

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 12/28/15

December 28, 2015 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.

We are deeply saddened by the loss of one of the most incredible bloggers we know, Debbie Alvarez. For the last three years, Debbie battled cancer. She never complained, and she continued to be positive, even when she reached setbacks. Debbie was known and loved by many, and she taught us all very much about how we look at the world. Even in her last week while she was in the hospital, she was linking up and commenting on IMWAYR posts and sharing books on her blog and on social media. Debbie’s light has not gone out. Her legacy shines, shines, shines.

We are grateful to know this remarkable woman.

Last Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Finding the Line: What is “Good?”

Wednesday: Good vs. Evil: Exploring Morality Through the Holocaust

Thursday: Gender’s Lens: Society’s Views and Expressions of Gender

Friday: Merry Christmas to those who celebrate!

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: Many “Best of” lists have been coming out recently and when I read School Library Journal‘s “Top 10 Graphic Novels 2015” and Carrie & Alyson’s best of 2015 lists, I realized there were so many I hadn’t read, so I ordered a bunch from my library and I did a lot of 2015 reading this week.

First up were graphic novels. I read The Lunch Witch by Deb Lucke, Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans by Don Brown, Nimona by Noelle Stevenson, Lumberjanes: Beware the Kitty Holy by Noelle Stevenson, and Lumberjanes: Friendship to the Max by Noelle Stevenson. I can definitely see why all of these graphic novels were on the top ten list because they were all brilliant in their own right. All 4 or 5 stars

Next up were picture books. I read Float by Daniel Miyares, Earmuffs for Everyone! by Meghan McCarthy, The Bear Ate Your Sandwich by Julia Sarcone-Roach, My Pen by Christopher Myers, The Skunk by Mac Barnett, Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton by Don Tate, The Night World by Mordicai Gerstein, Water is Water by Miranda Paul, The Whisper by Pamela Zagarenski, and Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh by Sally M. Walker. Another set of brilliant titles. I loved all of them and I am so glad I didn’t miss them.

Many of these titles will definitely be on my FAVORITE READS OF 2015 list I’ll be sharing Friday.

Ricki: I’ve been reading like crazy, and I read a few books I’ve always wanted to read! I finished and loved Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polansky. This is a middle grade novel about a boy who has always felt as if he was a girl. I absolutely loved this story. I also (FINALLY) read Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper. Wow! It reminded me a bit of Stuck in Neutral, but (dare I say) that I think I liked it even more. The book is beautifully written, and I am glad we will be using it with my pre-service K-6 teachers. I think they will love it, too. I read Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick. Another WOW book. Now I understand why everyone loves Selznick’s work. I was lost in the story, and it was quite magical.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I started Alistair Grim’s Odditorium by Gregory Funaro this weekend and plan on finishing it soon. I am looking forward to interviewing Greg for the blog and sharing my review and Q&A on January 8th. Then I plan on reading Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys, so I can review it with Ricki in early January as well. I don’t think I’ll get any more #mustread2015 books read this week, but I cannot wait to begin tackling my #mustread2016 list!

Ricki: I am trying to knock off as many #mustreadin2015 books as I can. I am hoping to finish A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park and Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. I’m moving at a fast pace, so it may be more!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Books Ricki Loved in 2015

Wednesday: Best of 2015 Book Lists

Thursday: #mustread2015 Final Reflection

Friday: Favorite Books Kellee Read in 2015

Happy New Year!

So, what are you reading?

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!

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Text Sets for Teachers: Good vs. Evil: Exploring Morality Through the Holocaust

March 26, 2025December 23, 2015 by Kellee

Good vs. Evil: Exploring Morality Through the Holocaust
Text Set for Night by Elie Wiesel
created by Kellie-Anne Crane

It is of the utmost importance that teachers prepare their students for their futures, whether that includes continuing their education or entering the work force. No matter what path students choose to take, there are certain concepts that all people need to recognize and consider as human beings, like the concept of morality. Everyone is confronted with moral decisions on a daily basis—whether it is a monumental decision, or even something as small as deciding to give the last cookie to your sister or to keep it for yourself. The events of the Holocaust and World War II are incredibly essential to study, not only because these events are our shared history but because of the unbelievable turmoil faced by millions. Teachers must help students to understand the gravity of this time period and work to teach it to students in a way that is both approachable and comprehensive.

By exploring the concept of morality through the Holocaust, students will be educated on what is perhaps the greatest tragedy of mankind and be forced to contemplate the morality of multiple scenarios throughout the holocaust. As upstanding citizens, we would like to think that we do not need to worry about anything like the Holocaust—but the fact remains that it happened less than a century ago. Teachers must help students examine the decisions and events that occurred during this vile period on a personal and real level so that they can gain a deeper understanding of the moral struggle faced during the era. Our youth must be educated on our past, both good and bad, to ensure that a similar situation such as this never arises.

Anchor Texts (although other texts may be used!):
Night by Elie Wiesel

Novel Excerpts
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

Graphic Novel
Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale by Art Spiegelman

Picture Books
Terrible Things by Eve Bunting

The Butterfly by Patricia Polacco

The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss

Pledge of Allegiance”

Songs
“Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” from Les Misérables
“Hide and Seek” by Imogen Heap

Speeches
Winston Churchill’s First Speech as Prime Minister on May 13, 1940
President Roosevelt’s Speech to Congress on December 8, 1941
Adolf Hitler’s Speech Declaring War Against the United States on December 11, 1941
Pope John Paul II’s Speech at Israel’s Holocaust Museum March 23, 2000

Poems
“The Creed of a Holocaust Survivor” by Alexander Kimel
“The Action in the Ghetto of Rohatyn, March 1942” by Alexander Kimel

Charts
Lawrence Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development

Online Resources
Timeline from 1918-2000
Viktor Frankl: Why Believe in Others TED Talk
“‪Oprah and Elie Weisel at Auschwitz” (1:20- 6:05)
“Man that saved hundreds of children from the Holocaust surprised by them decades later”

Articles
“Ghettos Under Nazis” by Susan D. Glazer
“Baking Saved this Man during the Holocaust, and Is Still His Livelihood” by John M. Glionna
“3 Famous Moral Dilemmas That Will Really Make You Think” by Lenna Son
“German Woman, 91, is Charged with 260,000 Counts of Accessory to murder as Prosecutors Accuse Her of Being a Nazi SS Radio Operator Who Served in Auschwitz”

Guiding Questions

Are there tenets of morality that are universal?
Can a person’s sense of morality be altered by their situation or surroundings?
Did the conditions of the holocaust change people’s morals? How so?
Are there good and bad people?
What can we learn from the tragedy of the Holocaust?

Writing Prompts

Consider one of the famous moral dilemmas we have discussed. What do you believe is the right answer in this context? Why
What makes someone a good person? A bad person? Are there clear binaries between the two?
Choose a text (novel, story, video, song, etc.) from class that has helped to give you a better understanding of the holocaust. What did you learn from this text? Why is it important?
Choose a quote or passage from Night. What does this scene say about morality?
Is there any moral(s) that you find to be universal, as in followed and accepted by everyone? What is it and why is it so widely accepted? If not, explain why you think there is no universal set of morals.

A special thanks to Kellie-Anne for this inspiring text set! We think this text set would be useful for many anchor texts! What do you think?

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 12/21/15

December 25, 2015December 21, 2015 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.

Last Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Introduction to Text Sets for Teachers Series

Wednesday: Text Sets for Teachers: Growing Pains: Looking at the Subject of Coming of Age

Thursday: Text Sets for Teachers: What is a Hero?: Exploring the Concept of a Hero

Friday: Text Sets for Teachers: Prejudice: Is It Something We Can Control?

Sunday: Text Sets for Teachers: The Power of Words: Witnessing the Impact of Words

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: So…. this wasn’t as good of a reading week. My life was PACKED this week with holiday parties, Christmas programs, Disney trips, and visiting family, so I just didn’t get as much reading in as I wanted. This week I finished nothing; however, I had a lot of fun with my family 🙂

Ricki: I finished listening to The Martian by Andy Weir. It was okay. I found it to be suspenseful and interesting, but I didn’t love the writing. I think the author is incredibly intelligent, but language isn’t his strongest skill. Overall, I was engaged from the beginning until the end, so I can’t complain. I also finished Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. The topic will connect with many teens, and I felt Simon’s sense of loneliness. I wanted to give him a warm hug. Henry and I read two Candlewick picture books by Bob Graham: A Bus Called Heaven and Let’s Get a Pup! Both were fun, and Henry enjoyed the illustrations. I liked the sense of advocacy in A Bus Called Heaven.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I have a pile of graphic novels and picture books that I got from the library based off of recommendations on IMWAYR posts. I cannot wait to tackle the pile during break. My 2nd period and I have a competition going about who can read more–me or one of them, so we’ll see how it goes! I also plan to read The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart, when Michele tells me to :), Alistair Grim’s Odditorium by Gregory Funaro, and a few other books for review.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday if you celebrate, and I hope all my teacher friends enjoy the first week of their break!

Ricki: I am reading Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polansky and really enjoying it. It is on my #mustreadin2015 list.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Finding the Line: What is “Good?”

Wednesday: Good vs. Evil: Exploring Morality Through the Holocaust

Thursday: Gender’s Lens: Society’s Views and Expressions of Gender

Friday: Merry Christmas to those who celebrate!

So, what are you reading?

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Text Sets for Teachers: The Power of Words: Witnessing the Impact of Words

December 20, 2015December 20, 2015 by Kellee

The Power of Words: Witnessing the Impact of Words
Text Set for The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
created by Kelly Markle

I chose this theme because I think that it is very important in The Book Thief and also important for confronting large events that based on control, such as the Holocaust. This theme could be used with almost any Holocaust text to highlight the psychological side of such a horrific time. The idea of “the power of words” is also something that would be very beneficial to talk about inside of a middle or high school classroom because it touches on issues that are extremely relevant to the students’ personal lives. This is a time of many insecurities and judgments, so it is a good way to explore this reality through other sources and texts. When designing the text set, I wanted to have a solid combination of historical and new sources that were relevant to what the students already know. I included musical sources, using a well-known song along with less popular songs that they may not know. I also did this by having a speech from Obama along with a speech by Hitler to highlight the fact that they are both very well spoken people and that they both have power in their words, but those words can be used to influence people differently.

When creating the set, I tried to start by thinking of activities that can be done based on this theme inside of the classroom. Then, I found sources to support those ideas, so that they were not thrown into a list that was nonsensical. This is important to my text set because many of the sources are videos and it is important to remember that there will be follow up activities that ask the students to write, respond, or participate in an activity based on what they are seeing so that it does not feel like they are only getting visual experiences. I also plan to print copies of lyrics to songs and speeches so that my students could read along and reference as the unit develops. I think that this theme lends itself to many different situations so that the discussions differ. There are also many levels of the influence words from a personal to a national level, which is something that is important to show students because one leads to another. This theme is relevant to the subject of English in general because if words did not have power, literature would not exist, and that could be used to help students realize the importance of the class and why books, poems, words endure.

Anchor Texts (although other texts may be used!):
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Novels
brown girl dreaming (excerpt) by Jaqueline Woodson

The Diary of a Young Girl (excerpt) by Anne Frank

Videos/Clips
Kid President: 20 Things We Should Say More Often
Blind Man: The Power of Words
Hannah Brencher’s Ted Talk
Fight Song in Spanish
Why Sign

Speeches
Hitler Youth Speech
Obama Campaign Speech
Obama: “Don’t Tell Me Words Don’t Matter”
Miss Teen USA 2007- South Carolina
“I Have a Dream”

Songs
“Consequence of Sounds” – Regina Spektor
“Same Love” – Macklemore
“A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall” – Bob Dylan
“It’s Alright Ma” – Bob Dylan
“Misheard Song Lyrics”

Poems
“Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carol
“Every Kid Needs a Champion” by Rita Pierson
“The Power of Words” by Letitia Landon

Timelines
Holocaust timeline to represent how quickly Adolf Hitler gained power over the people

Histories
Churchill: The Power of Words

Images

Short Stories
“The Children’s Story” by James Clavell
“The Pledge of Allegiance”

Activities (Some Are Teacher Created/Shared)
How words are added to the dictionary
Word poems
Favorite Song Activity
Mein Kampf– 4 Corners Activity
Word Play (laughter/slaughter)
Label Game: Each student is randomly assigned one word to define
Brenna’s lesson with quotes about technology
Andrew’s mismatch word activity

Guiding Questions

How many words does it take to make a difference?
What is the value in the words that are not said? Is tehre any? When should silence prevail?
Why do words hold such power?
Is this power a good thing or a bad thing? Does the good outweigh the bad, or vice versa?
Do words have the same impact no matter who says them? Does definition of a word matter, or the background and emotion behind them?

Writing Prompts

Have you ever experienced a time when you have been influenced by words in some way? Have you ever used words to influence others?
Create a poem, song, speech, or advertisement that confronts an issue that you find important and use it to convince the readers to feel the way that you do about it through words. Take a strong stance.
After reading The Book Thief and completing this unit, what have you realized about the power of words that you did not think about before?
Make a list of single words that you think have the most power and explain why.
Do you think that you were influenced by words growing up? Whose words? What affect did they have on you? Does this help or hurt society as a whole?

A special thanks to Kelly for this phenomenal text set! We think this text set would be useful for many anchor texts! What do you think?

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Text Sets for Teachers: What is a Hero?: Exploring the Concept of a Hero

December 17, 2015 by Kellee

What is a Hero?: Exploring the Concept of a Hero
Text Set for The Odyseey by Homer
created by Lara Hawley

The theme of What is a Hero? can be explored from many different viewpoints. Students might look at how society portrays a hero and what expectations we, as members of this society, have. This can cause individuals to examine the ethnicity, gender, and culture of modern day heroes. Forcing them to decide whether or not society’s idea of a hero aligns with their own personal definitions of a hero. The question of What is a Hero?, allows students to make associations to their own lives. They can describe people they know and defend whether or not they fit these conceptions of heroes. It prompts the students to question their original impressions of a hero.

The unit and theme will be investigated through the lens of the novel The Odyssey. This text is complex and often difficult for young students to engage in. It incorporates challenging language, but my hope is that through this theme, students will become more interested in the characters and the storyline. The additional video clips, charts, and other resources will help the class make sense of the book.

As I was generating my Text Set, I tried to include resources that would spark interesting conversations in the classroom. For example, I included the “Pep Talk from Kid President” to force my students to look at themselves as heroes. I also incorporated the “7 Types of Heroes” so the students could broaden their idea of what a hero is and compare different types of heroes. I hope that students will rethink the characters of the Odyssey during this unit and decide whether or not they should be considered heroes.

Anchor Texts (although other texts may be used!):
The Odyssey by Homer

Graphic Novel

The Shadow Hero by Gene Luen Yang and Sonny Liew

Books (Excerpts)
Be a Changemaker by Laurie Ann Thompson

Videos
“What is a Hero?”
Freedom Writers Clip (Everyone is a Hero)
“For the Heroes: A Pep Talk from Kid President”
Les Miserables Clip (Selfless/Forgiveness)
Caitlyn Jenner Speech

Movies
Star Wars
The Dark Knight Rises

Images

Poems
“The Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred Lord Tennyson
“A Hero” by Robert William

Short Stories”
“Thank You Ma’am” by Langston Hughes
“Initiation” by Sylvia Plath
“Cranes” by Hwang Sunwon

Songs
“Kill Your Heroes” by AWOLNATION
“We Could Be Heroes” by Alesso

PowerPoint (Teacher Created/Shared)
“Superhero PowerPoint”

Internet Sources
The Hero’s Journey
Five Qualities of Incredibly Heroic Leaders
7 Types of Heroes
Anti-Hero
Dictionary Definition
Hero Quotes

News Articles
What is a Hero?
CNN Heroes

Guiding Questions

What is a hero?
What makes someone a hero?
Do you have to be perfect to be a hero or can heroes make mistakes?
Can you be a hero because of one heroic act?
Are there different types of heroes?
Is heroism an innate or learned quality?

Writing Prompts

How are you a hero?
Who is your hero and why?
Make a list of top ten qualities of a hero–from most important (1) to least important (10).
Which of the characters in the Odyssey is the most heroic?

A special thanks to Lara for this phenomenal text set! We think this text set would be useful for many anchor texts! What do you think?

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 12/14/15

December 14, 2015 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.

Last Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Ten New-To-Me Authors I Read For The First Time In 2015

Wednesday: The Princess Games by Danai Kadzere

Thursday: Ricki and Henry’s Favorite Children’s Books (1-2 years)

Friday: A Carnival of Cats by Charles Ghign

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: This week I finished two very different books! First, I finished How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon which was such a tough yet important and well done read. I think this is one of those books that everyone needs to read. I cannot wait to book talk it to my 8th grade class because I think that many of them will want to read Tariq’s story. Also, being so close to where the Trayvon Martin murder happened makes the story even more relevant. Then, a complete switch in type of novel, I read Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made by Stephan Pastis based on the recommendation of Josh Funk. Man! Timmy Failure is such a silly book! I can see why my 7th grade student loves them so much, and now that I’ve read it, I cannot wait to share it because I think my Diary of a Wimpy Kid gang will really love Timmy.

Ricki: I read and absolutely loved Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom. The story is about a girl who is blind and a runner. How do you run if you are blind? I feel like I learned so much for this book about the physical and mental strength of this young girl. Frankly, I can’t quite find the words to express how much it taught me about life. The narrator is feisty, and I appreciated her candor about her disability. I highly recommend it.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I’d planned on reading an Andrew Smith novel this week, but I got sick and needed something a bit lighter, so I started Camp Utopia and the Forgiveness Diet by Jenny Ruden, and it is seems like it is going to be a fun YA novel. I then plan on reading Alistair Grim’s Odditorium by Gregory Funaro then The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart with Michele Knott.

Ricki: I have two hours left of The Martian by Andy Weir. I will definitely finish it this week. I am also about halfway through Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, and I am really enjoying it.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Introduction to Text Sets for Teachers Series

Wednesday: Text Sets for Teachers: Growing Pains: Looking at the Subject of Coming of Age

Thursday: Text Sets for Teachers: What is a Hero?: Exploring the Concept of a Hero

Friday: Text Sets for Teachers: Prejudice: Is It Something We Can Control?

Sunday: Text Sets for Teachers: The Power of Words: Witnessing the Impact of Words

So, what are you reading?

and

A Carnival of Cats by Charles Ghigna

December 11, 2015 by Kellee

A Carnival of Cats
Author: Charles Ghigna
Illustrator: Kristi Bridgeman
Published September 1st, 2015 by Orca Book Publishers

Summary: There’s a purrrfect little carnival coming to town, filled with adorable cats of all different kinds! In this hint-and-reveal board book, babies, toddlers and cat-lovers alike will enjoy discovering (and guessing) what breed of cat is hiding on the next page. With playful rhyming text from award-winning author Charles Ghigna, aka Father Goose(R), and beautiful illustrations by celebrated artist Kristi Bridgeman, this exuberant board book will have everyone guessing what cat is that!

Kellee’s Review: Trent really loves animals, but he especially loves kitties since we have two of them, so when I heard about this book, I knew it would be one that Trent would really enjoy. And I was right!

We had a great time looking at all the different types of cats, learning their names, and discussing the traits of each type of cat. Trent was also very enthusiastic about the balloons in the carnival. The book also rhymes, so there is a great rhythm while reading which adds to the musicality of being at a carnival of cats.

Ricki’s Review: Ever since we received this book, Henry has wanted to read it every night. My son is a cat guy. When I asked him which relative he wanted to come to his birthday party the most, he said, “Kitty.” You can only imagine his excitement when he received this book. Each page features different appearances, names, and behaviors of cats. I was surprised at how much I learned! We’ve been practicing the different types of cats, so he will be better able to identify his feline friends. I’d highly recommend this board book. It is quite fun to read, and every night, I look forward to reading it.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: This book will be a wonderful read aloud in an early childhood classroom. There are opportunities for comparing and contrasting, rhyming, and cross-curricular elements by talking about different breeds of cats.

Discussion Questions: What are the differences between the different types of cats? Which cat has _____/is _____?

We Flagged:

Read This If You Love: Cats

Recommended For:

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**Thank you to Katie at Orca for providing copies for review!!**