Teacher. Author. Creator. Speaker. Mom.
I read a lot of books this summer, even more than I thought I would muster, and now as school has started my students keep asking me which ones were my absolute favorites. While it is hard to choose and these are in no means in order, here are some of the ones that I cannot wait to get into the hands of anyone looking for a great read.
Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan. I gushed over this book and have already pressed it into the hands of 3 students either physically or through email. This book grabs you on the first page and then does not let you go until the very end. What a phenomenal story and so appropriate for 4th and up.
Pivot Point by Kasie West. Another page turner, but this time in a not too unrealistic science fiction version. While this one is more young adult, the story itself is gripping and you just want read on and on, no matter how many children are smiling at you hoping you will make them dinner.
The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare. So really this is a series of 6 books, and yet, it still makes the list as a whole. While the cover is slightly too much for me, the story inside is worth every minute of your time. Part fantasy, part love story, and tons of action, this is a great read for more mature 5th graders.
Out of This Place by Emma Cameron. Though not at all appropriate for 5th graders, I would place this book into the hands of many high schoolers. Breathtaking and so genuinely written that you can feel the anguish through the pages. Emma Cameron is now someone I will be looking to for great books.
Delirium Trilogy by Lauren Olivier. Again not a single book but rather a standard trilogy. This one taking place in the future where love has been deemed a disease and all 18 year olds are cured of it. I loved the society created and also the ending, which I will not give away.
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys. A heart wrenching must read for students that can handle hard truths. I thought I knew a lot about World War II, but I had never heard this story. Now it is one I cannot forget due to the storytelling in this book.
Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamilo. I am probably one of the last people on earth who had not read this book. After having read it, I now understand why everyone else has read it already. A poignant and deceivingly short story that will speak to many students.
Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson. I had heard many singing the praises of this book for a long time, but the cover just did not appeal to me. I know as a teacher that should not stop me from picking u a book but sometimes it does, sorry. When I finally cracked it open I could not believe how fast I read the book and Hattie Ever After. Both brilliant, both read aloud worthy, both must reads for 5th graders.
The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine. There is a reason this was 1st runner up for the Global read Aloud 2013. Taking such a serious topic and bringing it to a level where students can not only understand it, but also connect to it takes mastery of both the history behind it and the written word. Kristin Levine has both, this is an incredible read that will be read aloud in my class later this year.
The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau. I loved this book, I loved the premise, I loved the characters, and now I just hate waiting to hear what will happen next.
It is hard to pick when you are spoiled by so many great books. There are out there and we should be getting them in the hands of our students. To see more of my great reads this summer, visit my review site here.
I love that my students know that I am passionate about reading already. Even though we have only been in each others’ learning lives for 4 days they can tell you how much I love books. They also know about my never-ending reading stack, my penchant for anything sci fi or fantasy, how I sneak reading in when I sit at stop lights, and how buying books is my most guilty pleasure. I am thrilled that they know me as a reader, but the problem is with 27 students I don’t know them yet. Sure, I can start to see which books they gravitate too, some have started telling me about the best book they ever read, and others have even asked to take books home. Yet, I have only conferenced with 2 and have had little time for those amazing reading conversations that I love. So why not do a reading survey? While in no means a replacement for the reading conversations I want to have, it gives me a glimpse into them as readers and will provide me with background information that I can use.
I ask for their honesty here because I want to know how they label themselves. I think it is important for me, vital even to know if a child considers themselves a poor reader, I need to know what their labels are so that I can help them break out of those or strengthen them. So as always as I created this survey with a little bit of inspiration from many other reading surveys, I knew I would share, I may even make it a Google form. Please feel free to make a copy and make it your own.
How Are You As a Reader Survey
And here it is as a Google Form courtesy of Michelle Krzmarzick
I have been obsessed with zombies for a long time, not that I can watch many movies with them in it because I am wimp who gets nightmares, but books, art, and the whole concept has fascinated me for many years. This year as I try to get my students invested in social studies and the study of the United States history we always start with land regions, so what better way than to get them researching these with the help of a zombie apocalypse?
While this is meant to be a hook, it is not meant to be a study of zombies, but rather a new way to get to know a certain land region. Students must prepare a presentation to the citizens of their land region suggesting two possible safe places for them to go. Before they can present they therefore have to research major cities, climate, elevations, major transportation routes, main bodies of water and anything else that can aid them in defending their citizens and riding out the attack. I will also ask the students what else they should be researching and adding to their presentation. Because this is our first presentation of the year I want to see which tools they have and also how they research. Students will pick partners and then I will pair up the partnerships, this way I can also study the group dynamics.
I made sure to mention this project at back to school night to hopefully ensure parents understand the educational value behind it. I am looking forward to seeing how the students react and will start of by showing David Hunt’s video as an introduction. To see the student hand out (that will probably change before I am happy with it) please click here. As always, feel free to borrow this idea, I did not invent it , I just tweaked it to fit my needs.
Update: I cannot tell you how wonderful this project has been in my classroom. The students have been motivated, engaged, and driven by their curiosity. In fact, to see one student’s take on it, read her blog post. I also created two rubrics with the help of Rubistar for the project, here is the self evaluation one and here is the presentation rubric.
Here is a video of an actual presentation by the Southeast Region group.
Another cross posting from my other blog, this one has taken on a life of its own, with others putting their own spin on it. When we discuss internet safety, it is vital that we are able to relate it to students’ lives, so that they can understand that being behind a computer does not mean that they are protected. While I am not in the business of scaring students, there are plenty of other ways that can happen, we can stress the importance of proper behavior. And thus this lesson came about; linking the internet to going to the mall.
I believe in the importance of honest conversation with the kids, where they supply the answers, rather than me hitting them over the head with it. I simply started out this lesson by writing the words “Internet Safety” on my whiteboard and turned to the kids. They volunteered what these words meant to them and then I ventured into the mall analogy; so what would they do to stay safe at the mall if their parents dropped them off?
Some of the students answers were
By having the students provide the safety rules, taken from their own memory of rules drilled into their heads by their formidable parents, they connected real life danger with things that can happen on the internet. Sometimes students think they are safe on the net, as we all know, and this brought the responsibility home for them.
So as we continue learning proper safety and etiquette, we will keep referring back to the mall analogy, for example, would you walk up to a friend and tell them their outfit was ugly when talking about how to comment? Today was one of those moments where I was able to make students understand something they have to learn in this day and age. A lesson not just meant for 4th graders or 5th graders but hopefully something they will keep in the back of their minds when they go on the internet themselves, or maybe even next time they go to the mall. Once again today I realized how huge my responsibility is for these kids and how glad I am to be their teacher.
I used to think I was crazy changing all of the things I had traditionally been doing. I am sure I was not the only one. I used to think that I would grow out of it, get so frustrated I would quit, realize that the traditional ways were here for a reason and that’s why I should go back to them. Go back to hours of homework, go back to percentages and letter grades, punish some students while rewarding others, test them at every chance, and definitely be the boss of them all. I used to think change was hard.
Then a day passed, months, and finally years. Now as I get ready for my 6th year in the classroom and my 4th year of giving the classroom back to my students, I realize how natural it is. I have replaced my old toxic habits with these new ones and they no longer seem radical or even hard to implement. They are who I am as a teacher and it is just the way I know how to teach. It doesn’t mean it is perfect or that some people still don’t think I am crazy, but it does mean that I feel a sense of power in what I am doing and I have the results of student engagement to back it all up.
Changing how one teaches is terrifying, I know. Sticking to the change is frustrating, hard work, and sometimes so unappreciated that it leads to tears or angry words. But changes stop being changes after awhile and become habits instead. And habits just aren’t so scary to most. Habits become second nature and one day you realize that you are teaching the way you wanted to from the beginning. That you would be a student in your own classroom. That anyone can change, all it takes is the first step. Even if people think you are crazy.
I am a passionate 5th grade teacher in Wisconsin, USA, proud techy geek, and mass consumer of incredible books. Creator of the Global Read Aloud Project, Co-founder of EdCamp MadWI, and believer in all children. I have no awards or accolades except for the lightbulbs that go off in my students’ heads every day. First book “Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classroom Back to Our Students Starting Today” will be released this fall from PLPress. Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.
Pernille Ripp 