Teaching – Page 29 – Unleashing Readers

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books that Leave you Wanting More from Ash and Sam, 8th grade

July 22, 2018June 27, 2017 by Kellee

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because The Broke and Bookish are particularly fond of lists (as are we!). Each week a new Top Ten list topic is given and bloggers can participate.

Today’s Topic: Ten Books That Leave You Wanting More

from Ash A. and Sam B., 8th grade

1. How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon

What happened to Tina? Do people actually start to realize how bad this situation is? -Ash

2. Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke

Ending was so good, but what I really wanted more! -Sam

3. The Future of Us by Jay Asker and Carolyn Mackler

How did they access Facebook? Why isn’t anyone questioning this? -Ash

4. Scorpia Rising by Anthony Horowitz

I need more information! This can’t be the end! -Sam
(P.S. I let Sam know after that there is another Alex Rider book coming out!)

5. Allegiant by Veronica Roth

I need to know how Four is after everything! -Ash

6. The Fault in our Stars by John Green

I just want to know how Hazel is. -Ash

7. It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

How is Noelle? Does she get better? -Ash

8. Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke

Is there going to be a second book to expand on the ending? -Sam

9. Champion by Marie Lu

I want more! -Sam

10. Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke

I am not a fan of the ending–I need more info. -Sam

Thank you, Ash and Sam!

Seventy Favorite Books From Ten of Kellee’s 2016-17 Middle School Students

July 22, 2018June 21, 2017 by Kellee

Seventy Favorite Books From Ten of Kellee’s 2016-17 Middle School Students

From Lucas B., 7th Grade

1. The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giver is one of the best books I have read because of the character Jonas and how he handles his problems. This book definitely tops my list.

2. Legend series by Marie Lu

The Legend series was one of my favorites series because of the action that takes place in the book

3. The Compound by S.A. Bodeen

The Compound is one not to forget! The mystery of what happened to the characters and what they had to experience being locked up for years and not being able to get out.

4. The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart

This book was one of my favorites though it was a sad book. But it was victorious in the end!

5. Fish in a Tree by Linda Mullaly Hunt

It shows that anybody can be anything. The main character has dyslexia, so she thinks she can’t do anything but a teacher influences her to do great things and she does!

6. The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe

This is book is an exciting book that I will never forget. This book made me feel emotional because of the things that they were going through.

7. Trapped by Michael Northrop

This book is amazing with the pressure of just a few people turned them all upside down and they have to try to figure a way to get out of the mess they’re in.

8. Nine, Ten by Nora Raskin Baleigh

This book is a favorite because it put my heart in an emotional state, and it really hit home for me.

9. Wig in the Window by Kristen Kittscher

This is one of my favorite books because the genre is mystery, and the book is just action-packed and filled with adventures.

10. Hurt Go Happy by Ginny Rorby

I loved reading this book in class. It was very emotional and made me think a lot.

From Jayden R., 6th grade

1. Divergent by Veronica Roth

There is a weird society that has lots of action in this dystopian world.

2. Scorch Trials by James Dashner

There is a lot of action and a little bit of mystery.

3. The Lightning Thief by Percy Jackson

The first Riordan book I read that made me want to read all of his books.

4. Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass

A huge mystery is in this book and it has a cool ending.

5. Hurt Go Happy by Ginny Rorby

This is a sad and emotional book.

6. Legend by Marie Lu

There is action, a mystery, and some sad parts.

7. Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick

This book is very sad and interesting.

8. Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan

I like this book because it is different from Riordan’s other books because it is in the POV of a god.

9. Lost Heroes by Rick Riordan

Lots of action, and there are some plot twists.

10. The Hunger Game series by Suzanne Collins

So much action!

From Ethan F. (1-5) & Omar B. (6-10), 6th Grade

1. The Living by Matt de la Peña

This book is my all-time favorite with so many twists and turns! It’s great!

2. Framed by James Ponti

This is a great crime book. It leads you one way and takes you the other way.

3. Turn Left at the Cow by Lisa Bullard

I am a big crime fan, and this is another good one.

4. 23 Minutes by Vivian Vande Velde

This book is another crime book, and it messes with you.

5. Masterminds by Gordon Korman

This book is amazing, and it also messes with your mind.

6. The Terrible Two by Jory John & Mac Barnett

I like this book because it was funny, and it showed how anyone can be friends.

7. Kimchi and Calamari by Rose Kent

I like this book because it was really dramatic.

8. Wonder by RJ Palacio

I liked this book because it is about a kid working to to make friends.

9. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

I like this book because it is funny how Greg does things.

10. Last Kids on Earth by Max Brallier

I like this book because it was funny.

From Varun J. (1-5) & Yassine M. (6-10), 6th Grade

1. Legend by Marie Lu

It is an action-packed adventure.

2. Warcross by Marie Lu

This book reveals something really unexpected.

3. The Young Elites by Marie Lu

This series messes with your mind.

4. Variant by Robison Wells

Very intense book.

5. Masterminds by Gordon Korman

This series is a shocking piece of mystery writing.

6. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

It is a humorous piece of writing.

7. Kimchi and Calamari by Rose Kent

A very intense story.

8. Dog Man by Dav Pilkey

So funny and well-thought out.

9. Poptropica by Jack Chabert

This story is a really funny adventure.

10. Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick

A really intense book!

From Celina R., 6th Grade

1. Wonder by RJ Palacio

This is my favorite book because it touches on an important lesson about a boy in the world where looks do matter for people, so Augie, the boy, has to overcome the whispers when he enters for the first time into school.

2. Stones on a Grave by Kathy Kacer

This is one of my favorite books because it talks about a girl, Sara, who is an orphan and tries to go to Germany to find information about her father and mother, only to find out something devastating.

3. Fish in a Tree by Linda Mullaly Hunt

This talks about Ally, a girl who has a hard time in school who meets a new teacher that discovers her way of learning may just be different from other kids, and he helps her through the ups and downs of kids in her school.

4. Hurt Go Happy by Ginny Rorby

This book is on my list since it is an encouraging book that teaches people to over come obstacles. Joey, the main character, meets a chimp and her owner, and together they try to be free of Joey’s mom’s strict rules.

5. Serafina’s Promise by Ann E. Burg

This book is one of my favorites since it talks about a girl going through poverty and a family, who along the way, teaches Serafina to have a heart of gold no matter what.

6. Augie and Me by RJ Palacio

This book is a sequel to Wonder, and it talks about the kids and their viewpoints on Augie. This book explains why and how they act the way they do towards Augie.

7. nine, ten by Nora Raleigh Baskin

This book talks about four kids and their story about the day before and right after 9/11. It talks about how the day looked and how their parents were close to a horrible tragedy.

8. Juniper Berry by MP Kozlowsky

This book talks about a girl and how her parents became instantly famous and how she finds a boy who she instantly becomes friends with, and they try to figure out the mystery on why her parents stop paying attention to them.

9. Death of a Kleptomaniac by Kristen Tracy

This book is about a girl who had everything but gave it up after she was caught stealing.

10. Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes

This book talks about a girl who’s father won’t let her listen when the teacher talks about 9/11 because of a secret he is hiding from them.

From Bryson P., 8th Grade

1. Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan

Lots of action and Greek mythology.

2. Unwind dystology by Neal Shusterman

Full of action and mysterious.

3. Ghost by Jason Reynolds

Overall a well written and good book.

4. Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper

Very well written and addicting.

5. Wonder by RJ Palacio

A very good book! Similar to Out of My Mind.

6. Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Interesting and is hard to put down.

7. Amulet series by Kazu Kibuishi

Great graphic novel series that is well written and illustrated.

8. The Worst Class Trip Ever by Dave Barry

Fun to read and is funny.

9. Shadow Children series by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Good overall series; well put together.

10. Endangered by Eliot Schrefer

Great book about apes, and is hard to put down!

From Cristhel G. & Seif A., 8th Grade

1. The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart

It is a stunning and heartbreaking story.

2. The Sweet Evil series by Wendy Higgins

It is an amazing and eye-opening series.

3. The Breathing series by Rebecca Donovan

It will make you cry from page 1!

4. The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan

A wonderful series full of adventure.

5. The Fault in our Stars by John Green

A sad love story that will make you cry.

6. The Hush Hush series by Becca Fitzpatrick

A magical, beautiful story.

7. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

A heart-wrenching story that will be guaranteed to make you cry.

8. Out of my Mind by Sharon Draper

An unexpected story about a girl just trying to be normal.

9. April Henry books

Amazing, suspenseful, and mysterious books.

10. All Fall Down series by Ally Carter

Adventurous yet sad and amazing with cliffhangers.

Thank you Lucas, Jayden, Ethan, Omar, Varun, Yassine, Celina, Bryson, Cristhel, and Seif!

Top Checked Out Books by Kellee’s Middle School Readers 2016-2017

July 23, 2018June 16, 2017 by Kellee

Yearly, starting with 2012-2013 (and excluding 2013-2014), I have shared the most popular books in my classroom library:
2012-2013
2014-2015
2015-2016

From 2011-2013, I taught an intensive reading class with students who had not been successful on the state reading test; however, since 2014, I switched to teaching advanced reading, an elective that students choose to be in (and I still get to work with my striving readers through being reading coach–a win/win!). In the past, I shared the top books from all students who checked out from my classroom library which included my class as well as students from the three intensive reading teachers; however, I really wanted to see what the top books my students checked out this year, so I pulled a report showing just that. I currently have 3,428 titles in my classroom library, and 623 of them were checked out this year. Today, I am happy to share with you…

The most checked out books of 2016-2017 from my 6th-8th grade classroom library
**My Mock Newbery/Lunch Book Club did not check out through the same system. To see what they read, check out their posts:
Mock Newbery | Lunch Book Club**
**My students also didn’t check out from my library for their in-class book clubs at the end of the year. They books they chose to read were:
The Maze Runner, Save Me a Seat, Stormbreaker, Point Blank, Locomotion, Trino’s Choice, Dark Life, Wolf Hollow, Jeremy Fink an the Meaning of Life, Kimchi & Calamari, City of Ember, Ms. Bixby’s Last Day, Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle, Touching Spirit Bear, and Wig in the Window**

15. The Last Council by Kazu Kibuishi

14. nine, ten by Nora Raleigh Baskins

13. The Tapper Twins go to War by Geoff Rodkey

12. The Stonekeeper’s Curse by Kazu Kibuishi

11. Sunny Side Up by Jennifer Holm

10. Old School by Jeff Kinney

9. HiLo: The Great Big Boom by Judd Winick

8. HiLo: Saving the Whole Wide World by Judd Winick

7. All Fall Down by Ally Carter

6. The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi

5. The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

4. HiLo: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth by Judd Winick

3. Dog Man by Dav Pilkey

2. Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier

1. The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart

I’d also like to share the #16-27 titles because they were all tied!

16-27.
Escape from Lucien by Kazu Kibuishi
Double Down by Jeff Kinney
Dream Jumper: Nightmare Escape by Greg Gunberg
Prince of Elves by Kazu Kibuishi
Teen Boat!: The Race for Boatlantis by Dave Roman
The Wig in the Window by Kristen Kittscher
The Worst Class Trip Ever by Dave Barry
Bot Wars by J.V. Kade
Legend by Marie Lu
See How They Run by Ally Carter
Wonder by R.J. Palacios
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

What an interesting mix this year! I always love pulling the stats because even though I do status of the class consistently, I can never guess all of the top checked out books. I knew the Amulet series, HiLo series, Dog Man, and The Honest Truth would be on here though–they were passed around! Numbers 13, 7, 5, and 1 were also on our state list (SSYRA), so it was not a surprise to see them.

I also love seeing graphic novels on the list. Graphic novels are very popular with ALL of my readers. I think it is a myth that only nonreaders or struggling readers read them. So many of my students adore reading them (as do I!). I think there are many reasons why graphic novels are favorites: helps students visualize, fun to read as many of these students have only found reading to be a horrible chore, and colorful! Graphic novels are something I truly believe will help students love reading more and become better readers, and if you look at how much these students are reading and increasing in their reading ability, I think they back me up. (To see more research about the importance of graphic novels, check out my graphic novel teaching guide with Abrams.)

What books/series do you find to be most popular with your middle school readers?
Have you found success with the books I listed above?
Have you read any of the books I’ve listed? Did you enjoy them?

I hope this list of books helps point you in the direction of some texts that your readers will truly love!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Book Covers from Vanessa and Alexandra, 6th grade

July 22, 2018June 13, 2017 by Kellee

Today’s Topic: Top Ten Book Covers (But Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover!)

from Vanessa W. and Alexandra N, 6th grade

Vanessa

1. Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan

I love the image of the lovely forest.

2. The Summer I Saved the World…in 65 Days by Michele Weber Hurwitz

I enjoy looking at the ombre cover with a sense of excitement.

3. The Girl in the Well is Me by Karen Rivers

The cover of this book gave me a sense of mystery.

4. Sophie Quire & Peter Nimble by Jonathan Auxier

These covers give a sense of adventure and excitement.

5. The Seventh Wish by Kate Messner

This cover may look simple but relates to the book in outstanding ways.

Alexandra

1. Darkbeast by Morgan Keyes

The cover shows the bond between the characters.

2. Into the Wild by Sarah Beth Durst

This cover shows a main event in the story, and it is well drawn.

3. Wolves of the Beyond: Lone Wolf by Kathryn Lasky

The cover shows the main character, and the book is kind of sad and the character looks sad, too.

4. Wolves of Beyond: Star Wolf by Kathryn Lasky

It is really pretty and well drawn.

5. Foxcraft: The Taken by Inbali Iserles

I like this cover because it’s simple but the background is really detailed and you can see all the places where the character went.

Thank you, Vanessa and Alexandra!

Author Skype Visits with Kellee’s 7th Grade Lunch Book Club

June 9, 2017 by Kellee

A lunch book club meeting in the library one day

After we finished our Mock Newbery experience, my lunch book club needed a new direction. My students said they definitely wanted to continue the book club.

I liked having lunch book club because we all read the same book. We could support each other through the sad parts, and share the happy memories when something good happened. -Maria
I liked book club very much because I got to talk to other kids in the school who were reading the same book as I am. -Ashley
My favorite part of lunch book club is being able to talk with other people who have already read a book or are currently reading it. You get to talk with people and discuss it, which makes me understand the book even more. -Emily

We discussed three options to continue:

Everyone just reads whatever and we talk about books in general.
HARRY POTTER! There are so many students in the group that are reading his books for the first time.
Author Skype Visits

After much discussion, we decided on #3 (though some students did choose to only continue reading Harry Potter).
We then looked through Kate Messner’s so helpful list of authors that are kind enough to do free school Skype visits. From this list, we chose four authors we were really interested in reading more of and chatting with:

Dan Gemeinhart because The Honest Truth was on our state list for 2016-2017 and Some Kind of Courage had been on our Mock Newbery list, so most of the kids in the club have already read his books, but there was also his newest, Scar Island, we could read.
August Scattergood because one student adored Glory Be that she read in elementary school and shared with the group how much she liked it. I also pushed for them to pick a historical fiction author to get all of the genres covered in the four visits.
John David Anderson because Ms. Bixby’s Last Day had been on our Mock Newbery list and had been a favorite, and I am a huge fan of his other books which I book talked, and they were interested in them.
Kristen Kittscher because The Wig in the Window had been a HUGE hit in my classroom last year and many of them had read it in my class last year, and they shared it with the students who hadn’t read it, and they definitely had to know how the mystery ended.

And we were so lucky that ALL OF THEM were available at some point before the end of the year, and it even worked out to one per month February through May. I then went about purchasing all of the books using a grant I received for middle school book clubs, and we began reading one author a month.

If you have ever been part of an author Skype visit, it is so amazing to see what wonderful questions the students come up with and equally fascinating to hear how the authors answer them. Some examples: With Dan Gemeinhart, we discussed “the parent problem” in middle grade and young adult literature as well as how he crafted his chapters in The Honest Truth; with Augusta Scattergood, we discussed the inclusion of diverse characters as well as her choice to add quirky exclamations in Making Friends with Billy Wong; with John David Anderson, we discussed the hero’s journey including Star Wars and Harry Potter and how he’s written so many different genres; and with Kristen Kittscher, we discussed her planning (or lack thereof) and her characterization.

Each Skype visit was different and after each one the students raved about the opportunity, and I want to second their excitement: We are so lucky to be able to spend any amount of time, much less almost an hour, with each of these authors!

My favorite part of Skype visits is that we got our burning questions answered. Many readers have questions and they can only speculate, but we love reading so much that we get to talk with them. I feel as if we have become friends with the authors. -Emily
I enjoyed Skyping with the different authors and learning how each of them wrote and planned a story. I loved reading the books and seeing the difference between the types of styles and genres each author wrote in. -Sarah

Top Ten Tuesday: Twenty Books We Want to Read from Lily, Freddy, and Joey, 6th grade

July 22, 2018June 6, 2017 by Kellee

Today’s Topic: Ten Book I Want to Read

from Lily M., 6th grade

1. The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

I like to read romance novels.

2. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

I have finished the first two books of The Hunger Games.

3. Wings of Fire series by Tui T. Sutherland

This series was recommended by a friend.

4. We Can’t All Be Rattlesnakes by Patrick Jennings

The book was in a book path, and it sounds so interesting.

5. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

I liked books written by Michael Crichton.

6. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle

It was recommended by my mother.

7. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

It was recommended by my 5th grade teacher.

8. The City of Ember series by Jeanne Duprau

I started the first book, and it was very interesting.

9. Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate

It has an amazing rating on book review sites.

10. My Neighbor Totoro by Hayao Miyazaki

I love the movie!

Today’s Topic: Ten Book We Want to Read

from Freddy P. & Joey B., 6th grade

1. Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart

The book’s summary grabs your attention, and we are very intrigued. -Freddy & Joey

2. The Living and The Hunted by Matt de la Peña

Someone in our class recommended it to us. -Freddy & Joey

3. Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz

Mrs. Moye said it was a good book, and the summary really grabs you. -Freddy

4. Double Down by Jeff Kinney

It’s the newest book in a series I’ve read. -Freddy

5. Narwhal and Jelly by Ben Clanton

This book sounds so funny! -Joey & Freddy

6. Masterminds 2 & 3 by Gordon Korman

I read the first book, and it was so interesting. Now I want to finish the series. -Joey

7. Loot by Jude Watson

We Skyped with the author, and from what I know the book seems interesting. -Joey

8. Ungifted by Gordon Korman

Someone in our class made a book trailer about the book, and it looks very interesting. -Joey

9. Bird & Squirrel series by James Burk

It looks so amusing because it is about an adventure with a bird and a squirrel. -Joey

10. Scorch Trials, Death Cure, and The Kill Order by James Dashner

I read the first book, and it was really good. -Freddy

Thank you, Lily, Freddy, and Joey!

In the Middle School Classroom: Creative and Argumentative Writing with Papertoy Glowbots by Brian Castleforte

April 28, 2017 by Kellee

Papertoy Glowbots: 46 Glowing Robots You Can Make Yourself!
Author: Brian Castleforte
Published August 23rd, 2016 by Workman Publishing Company

When I first looked through the book Papertoy Glowbots, after Brian Castleforte wrote an author guest post for Unleashing Readers, I knew that I wanted to utilize these fun robots in my classroom some how! First, let me tell you about the book. It has 46 different robots inside. Each robot has a name, a model name, description, ability, assembly instructions, and a narrative about the robot. In the back of the book, there is a template to remove that matches the assembly instructions and then glow-in-the-dark stickers to add on when done with the robot.

I loved not only the creative aspect of the robots, but the real-life aspect (following directions), and the narrative elements. However, I knew that I had to make sure that the activity I did with the robots was standards-based and fit within one of my units, so when I was building my argumentative writing and debate unit, I felt it fit perfectly (along with the Who Wins? activity I shared also)! My unit learning goal was “Students will be able to present claims and findings with relevant evidence, valid reasoning, and well-chosen details about a particular subject,” and one of my learning targets was “Students will be able to create an argumentative paragraph supporting their claim.” And I got it! Why not have students create an argumentative paragraph stating why their robot is THE BEST robot if the robots were all going to take part in Robot Wars (like Big Hero 6).

With my target set up, the students got to work! They were allowed to add any abilities to their robot; however, they could not change anything that was already stated in the Glowbots book. For example, if their robot didn’t have legs, they couldn’t add them, but they could make their eyes have lasers. Here is an example of Lightning Bee’s paragraph (you can see his information from the book above). Students first wrote up a profile for their robot then turned it into an argumentative paragraph:

My students had to try to think of any scenario and try to put something in their paragraph that proves that their robot would win in the scenario. For example, one of the robots is a submarine–what happens if the other robot is on land? Or vice versa?

After the students wrote their robot profile and creative argumentative paragraph, they were able to build their robot:

When everyone’s robot was built (which was harder than you’d think! It was a real lesson in following instructions and colloborating!), we started our ROBOT BATTLES leading up to the final ROBOT WAR! I used brackets and random.org to set up our battles, and we got started! These battles were a battle of words though, so students came to the front to present their robots and face off using their argumentative paragraphs. (Some got into it more than others!)

The rest of the class then decided based on the paragraphs which robot would be the champion of the battle. If I do this lesson again, I would allow the groups to debate more to help persuade the audience, but I stuck with them reading the paragraphs. Using a double elimination bracket, we determined which two robots in each class would go to the final ROBOT WAR!

My students loved this activity, and we used each robot battle as an opportunity to discuss argumentative and persuasive techniques and why one robot was a winner over the other. And on top of this, I felt that it was a great activity for learning to follow directions, work together, and think futuristically & creatively.