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Tom Leeven Genre: Young Adult Fiction Page Count: 228 Publication: Penguin Random House Summary: The party at some drama kid’s house near the shore will be one for the books. There have been flyers around the school for weeks for it, everyone will be there. This novel follows 11 narrators, all going through their daily drama of life-trying to be cool, trying to make friends, trying to cope with life. Through their eyes we get to see the lead up to the party and their experience of that party. Who will get drunk and pass out? Who will hook up? How will everyone finish out the school year? With a bang or bust? Teaching Methods: The most important part of this novel is the way each character sees similar events happening differently. For this novel, we’ll analyze how each character deals with a hardship that is thrown their way. We’ll each talk about who their favorite character is and why, we’ll each pick a favorite line from their chapter and discuss it with the entire class in a silent discussion. The last assignment will be a creative short story. We will be a character in Tom’s book- we will begin to get ready for the party and arrive during our story. We must encounter 2 of the other characters in our writing. We will share these in our reading groups. We will also have volunteers share their stories to the class. I will enclose the short stories in a book similar to Tom’s to keep! (7.RL.2) (7.RL.3) (7.RL.5) (7.RL.9) (7.W.3) (7.W.5) (7.W.9) Leveen, T. (2010). Party. Penguin Random House.
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Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Page Count: 512 Publication: Simon and Schuster Summary: This is the sequel to the novel Beautiful Creatures where we met Lena and Ethan in a small town in the Carolinas. We find out that Lena is a Castor. Her family is cursed- they are claimed either Light or Dark without their choice, but Lena has a choice. If she goes Light, all her Dark family members with die, and vice versa. She’s able to escape making that choice in the first novel but now, someone incredibly important has died and Lena is stuck in her grief, she’s pulling away from Ethan. She appears to be going dark, she’s not acting like herself. She runs away with her cousin Ridley, a Dark Siren, and a boy John. Ethan, his best friend Linc, and a Keeper-in-Training go on a mission through the Castor tunnels to find her. What they find is danger and many people that want to stop them from finding her. Will they find her in time before she’s claimed, or worse, before her Dark mother finds her? Teaching Methods: Similar to the first novel, I’d have them create their own magical abilities, and an object like Ridley’s lollipop or the arch light. We would explain what the object has to do with their abilities and what it can do. Another assignment they would do would be involved in a poetry unit. We will read different poets and see how different patterns and rhymes affect the poems. We will then write our own Claiming Song. It will need to include an age and at least one reference to the moon. Finally, we will analyze the difference of how Ethan and Lena deal with their grief. We will look at their similarities and their differences. Throughout the novel, we will get into reading groups and answer discussion questions like, what did you notice about Lena this chapter? And what questions do you have about Ama’s experience of dealing with her grief? There will be two different discussion questions every time we get into our reading groups. After they discuss as a small group, we will discuss as a class. (7.RL.2) (7.RL.3) (7.RL.4) (7.RL.5) (7.W.3) (7.W.5) (7.W.9) Garica, K. & Stohl, M. (October 2010). Beautiful Darkness. Little, Brown and Company. Author:
Neal Shusterman Genre: Utopian Young Adult Fiction Page Count: 448 Publication: Simon and Schuster Summary: Scythe takes place in a world very similar to our own, except there’s no disease, no famine, no dying of old age. Humanity has conquered death. In a world that doesn’t have death, the population keeps growing. So there are people that are appointed as the bringers of death-The Scythes. They’re dressed in robes, “glean” (kill) people, grant immunity to “gleaning.” The novel follows two appetencies, Rowan and Citra. They learn the ways of the Scythehood, including the ten commandments, the first commandment is: Thou Shall Kill. Rowan and Citra trying to find their place in the new world they’ve been brought into. Then they find out one must kill the other: If Citra is accepted into the Scythehood, her first gleaning will be Rowan and vice versa. They must find a way to stop this, they have to find a way they both can live-so they can be together. Teaching Methods: This novel is told from two main perspectives- Citra and Rowan’s. There are also journal entries from any different Scythes throughout the novel. I’d ask the students to keep a journal similar to the Scythe journals. I’d ask them to imagine themselves in situations that are faced in the novels, for instance, to imagine they had to glean an entire family instead of just the one assigned person because they refused their gleaning. How would they handle that? How would they feel after committing that family to death? Another project I would have them do is to create their own Scythe philosophy, meaning they’d decide their Scythe names, robes, and technique of gleaning. As a final project, they would have to compare and contrast the main characters from themselves at the beginning of the novel to the end of the novel. (7.RL.1) (7.RL.4) (7.RL.9) (7.W.2) (7.W.4) (7.W.7) (7.W.9) Shusterman, Neal. (2016) Scythe. Simon and Schuster. Author:
Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl Genre: Fantasy Page Count: 563 Publication: Little, Brown and Company Summary: In small town Gatlin, nothing interesting happens. Everyone who lives there has lived there for generations that go well past The Civil War. Ethan Weight is itching to get out and begin his life elsewhere-anywhere. He starts to have nightmares about a girl, he’s trying to save her life in a storm. He doesn’t know her, at least he didn’t until she walked into her high school one day. She’s different than anyone he’s ever known, she’s dark and beautiful with a style of her own. Ethan and Lena have an instantly connection, they’re drawn to each other like two magnets they can’t stay away from each other. He begins to realize there is a lot more to Lena and their connection than he could have ever dreamed. He wanted things to become more interesting in his life- and he got more than he ever dreamed could be possible. Teaching Methods: Beautiful Creatures is one of those books that sparks imagination- it sparks a need to find the answers. A world where witches are real and they’ve been living down your street. This book allows for the reader to be in multiple places and times at once. For this book, I’d requires a journal to be kept. Within this journal, we would create many things and reflect on others. We would create our own world with our own magical abilities, reflection on the use of music within the novel, as well as what the purpose of the flashbacks throughout the book serve. I’d also like to have the students rewrite one scene from the book but from someone else’s perspective. It does not have to be more than 5 pages, but it has to be in-depth and well written. I think this is beneficial for the students to be able to analyze the depth of understanding of the text and their understanding of the characters within the story. (7.RL.2) (7.RL.3) (7.RL.5) (7.RL.6) (7.W.3) (7.W.4) (7.W.9) Garica, K. & Stohl, M. (December 2009). Beautiful Creatures. Little, Brown and Company. Author:
Gordon Korman Genre: Children’s/Young Adult Literature Page Count: 224 Publication: Hyperion Book Summary: The Great Gatsby is a classic tale of parties, a love triangle (square?), and love gone wrong. Jake Reinvented took these ideas and themes and threw them into a modern day, high school setting. The narrator of the story is a student who ends up befriending the new kid, Jake. Jake throws wild party and is always dressed sharp. He calls everyone “baby” and has a cool demeanor that never fades. His true desire is soon found out: Didi. She’s the quarterback’s girlfriend: she’s perfect and extremely taken. Anyone who has read The Great Gatsby knows how the story ends, but how will the ending differ than the original? Who will win the battle for love? Who will end up all alone? Teaching Methods: This novel is a fun twist on the classic The Great Gatsby. We’re able to see how the stories are similar and how they’re different. I think this could be a great tool for three things. If I wanted to give my students an insight to how The Great Gatsby is structured, then I’d have my students read this well before they get into high school. I think this will give them an advantage over the complexity of the novel before diving into the original. If I were in a high school setting, I could allow the students with a lower reading comprehension read this interpretation and write a paper on the general themes of this book. Finally, I could allow my students read both of these versions and due a large scope compare and contrast of the two novels. As a smaller writing assignment, I’d like to touch on how the stereotypes of people and of high school life/community is portray in this adaption. (7.RL.2) (7.RL.3) (7.RL.6) (7.RL.7) (7.W.4) (7.W.9) (11‐12.RL.2) (11‐12.RL.4) (11‐12.RL.5) (11‐12.W.4) Foreman, G. (2003). Jake, Reinvented. Hyperion Book. Author:
Gayle Forman Genre: Children’s/Young Adult Literature Page Count: 240 Publication: Speak Summary: This continuation of the novel “If I Stay” is a different take on the typical type of sequel. The first book is about a girl who is involved in a fatal car accident with her entire family. They are all killed and she’s in critical condition. The book follows her as she debates whether to continue living her life with her possible music career and her rockstar boyfriend, or to go with her family. SPOILERS In the end, she decides to continue living, and the book is over. In this sequel, it’s been few years and it’s from Adam’s, the boyfriend-or rather, the ex-boyfriend perspective. He’s famous with her band and has been completely heartbroken for years- Mia cut him off shortly after she left for Julliard. The book follows him through meeting Mia again, coming to terms with why she left him, and how to continue living his life now. Teaching Methods: I think this novel is a fantastic sequel. It has a very different tone than the first one. I’m not sure how likely it is that during the school year that we would be able to read both novels and be able to doing lessons for both. If I could, I’d love to have the students analyze the use of voice and tone. Voice is especially important for these novels because the two main characters are completely different people. I’d ask them to compare and contrast the voices and analyze why the author decided to have the story told him Adam’s perspective rather than Mia’s. In two short papers, we’d analyze this and for the second, we’d debate what they’re lives would be like if they stayed together or how Adam’s life would have changed if Mia had died instead of just left him. How would his music differ? (7.RL.1) (7.RL.4) (7.RL.9) (7.W.3) (7.W.4) (7.W.9) Foreman, G. (April 2012). Where She Went. Speak. Author:
Sally Green Genre: Fantasy/Young Adult Literature Page Count: 416 Publication: Puffin Summary: Nathan is a nice boy that was born with his whole life decided for him before he had any say at all. His mother is a White Witch, his father is a Black Witch, the most famous Black Witch in Europe. His half brothers and sisters are all full White Witches, his eldest half sister hates him-thinks he’s during and not with their love. Everyone at school keeps their distance, except one girl: Analyse. She a White Witch, but she accepts Nathan as he is. But her family doesn’t feel the same. Nathan lives through his life being tormented by everyone in his life until the Council, the White Witches government, imprisons him. How will Nathan cope? Will he be a White Witch or a Black Witch? Will he ever find his father? It’s all up to him. Teaching Methods: One of the major themes for this novel, I felt, was identity. I think I’d gear a lot of lessons around this theme. I think keep reading journals is really important, and I think this will be a good book to utilize it as well. I’d include questions like, “Do your friends influence your identity? How so?” The questions would be a very reflective part of reading. I’d so an activity that incorporates their own identity, called the Identity Circle. This powerful activity allows students to reveal what they identify with, male, female, extrovert, introvert, etc. It’s a great activity to help student find what they identify with and to help develop empathy for each other. I’d also ask how they would create a system for White Witches and Black Witches. Would they keep them separated? Would they test Half Black as ruthlessly as they did for Nathan? For another small project, I’d try to incorporate a fine arts aspect. They based the book off of England and Wales, I’d ask them to create a new place this novel would take place in and then I’d have them create a map. With the map, they’d create a way to protect the directions like they do in the book. I’d ask the students to write a short paper on how bullying affects students and a reflection on that. (7.RL.1) (7.RL.4) (7.RL.9) (7.W.2) (7.W.4) (7.W.7) (7.W.9) Green, S. (2014) Half Bad. Puffin Publishing. Author:
M. Sindy Felin Genre: Young Adult Literature/Realism Page Count: 240 Publication: Simon and Schuster Summary: “The best way to avoid being picked on by high school bullies is to kill someone." Karina is a girl that has a lot to worry about in life. Her grades are suffering, her mother is weak and away a lot of the time, her sisters and cousins all sleep in the same room, and her stepfather beats each of them (expect the boys) until they are an inch from death. One day, her eldest sister, Enid, didn’t force the rest of them to finish all the food for dinner: The Daddy didn’t like that. He grabbed the belt, he punched, slapped, and kicked Enid until blood covered the floor. This novel covers a very serious topic but with a lighthearted narrator, the story rings true and you see through the eyes of the person that deals first hand with abuse. Karina is a strong female lead in this novel and she encourages everyone around her to be a strong as she is. Teaching Methods: This novel is heavy and a very real situation for a lot of families. For this novel, I’d include a notebook that they’d keep throughout reading the novel. At the end of every class, they’d have a question to answer through the reading or a statement to consider. They’d need to keep a reading log throughout. I’d also have as bell work with a reflection that directly relates to the reading for the previous night. I’d include having the kids write words they see that they don’t know the meaning of, and get extra points for finding the definition. As a final project, I’d ask the students to research types and stories of real-life abuse. From this research, I’d ask them to create a PowerPoint, poster, multimedia type of presentation. This presentation would be how to prevent abuse in the home and how to recognize it in their peers or as a teacher or another authority figure. So it would not be repetitive, I’d assign domestic abuse, sexual abuse, homophobic abuse, etc. This will help create awareness for this real issues that people face and hopefully will help kids develop empathy. I’d also allow for research on how immigrants cope with coming to a new country, particularly people from Hiati. (7.RL.1) (7.RL.4) (7.RL.9) (7.W.2) (7.W.4) (7.W.7) (7.W.9) Felin, S.M. (2007) Touching Snow. Simon and Schuster. Author:
Gennifer Choldenko Genre: Children’s/Young Adult Literature Page Count: 240 Publication: Puffin Summary: On the coast of San Francisco there lies the safest and escape proof prison imaginable- the prison of Alcatraz. To earn the title of safest prison- it is implied that there must be any people who work day and night at the prison. Where do these people live? What about their families? That’s easy, they live on the island with the biggest and baddest criminals. We get to follow a family that lives on the island through the eyes of Moose, the youngest child and only boy of the Flannigan family. He has a father who is always swapped with overbearing hours as a guard or other jobs on the island, a mother that focuses too little on Moose and much too much on the eldest child, Natalie, who is a fifteen-year-old girl that loves reading indexes, counting, and playing with her buttons. This book that’s set in 1932- they don’t understand why Natalie doesn’t play or talk like a normal girl. She is quite obviously mentally disabled, but her mother won’t give up on “fixing” her. Throughout the novel, we see how Moose deals with a new home, a new school, with new friends, all while trying to take care of Natalie at home. But what about the criminals next door? Teaching Methods: This novel is a quick and easy read that holds the reader engaged and wanting to know more about how the family copes with living near such dangerous criminals. I think this book can help students understand and empathize with the people that deal with mental disabilities. I think I’d like to have an assignment that is parallel with the reading. I’d like them to find articles on a few different things throughout- I’d like them to find articles about a criminal that lived on Alcatraz and write an informational document on that criminal. I’d like them to find an article on the history of Alcatraz and write about that. At the end of the novel I’d like to have one larger report due on one of these two subjects: how people with special needs were treated in this time and compare how they’re treated now, or I’d have them write and report on Al Capone and the time he ruled Chicago. Both of these would require textual evidence with articles or other types of documents to ensure factual based information is being presented. I think these will create connections to real world events even though this book is a work of fiction. (7.RL.2) (7.RL.4) (7.RL.9) (7.W.2) (7.W.4) (7.W.7) (7.W.9) Choldenko, G. (2006) Al Capone Does My Shirts. Puffin. Author:
Gayle Forman Genre: Realistic Fiction Page Count: 210 Publication: Dutton Penguin Summary: This novel follows a young girl through growing up with rocker parents while being a classical loving cellist with a rising rockstar boyfriend. It bounces between present and past, her past steals the show but her present brings intrigue. In the beginning of the novel, her and her entire family were hit by a truck in a snow storm. The result is fatal- her mother and father are dead instantly, her younger brother is in critical condition, and Mia, the main character and narrator is stuck in some sort of limbo. She can see and hear all that is around her, can move freely, but can’t connect with her family and friends. She’s torn between staying in this limbo she’s found herself in, joining her parents in the unknown, or staying with her remaining family and her loving boyfriend. She must decide to live or die. Teaching Methods: This novel is an exceptional explain of the use of time. It’s able to go from her following her body while it’s rushing through the hospital to the first time she performed cello recital. As a teacher, I’d like to have daily mini quizzes, nothing to make or break a grade in the class but something to demonstrate reading. I’d like to ask something like, “What is happening in Mia’s past? What is significant about this story?” and “What is happening in Mia’s present? How is that event affecting her decision?” These type of questions are reflective in nature but are able to distinguish if a student has read the section or not. During reading this novel, I’d also like to emphasis the vocabulary that the author uses. Although this novel is made for young adults, I found myself looking up words ad enjoying that she allowed herself to challenge the readers with vocabulary they might not be familiar with. This can be a great ongoing lesson with the students, along with teaching context clues. When a student reads a sentences with a word they don’t recognized, it can normally be found within the sentence- this would also be ongoing throughout the book. When we finish the book, as a class we would have a discussion or debate whether she made the right decision in staying or leaving with her parents. I’d like the students to have a well developed reason, thus would require a written reflection before class to encourage every student to participate. (7.RL.2) (7.RL.3) (7.RL.5) (7.W.4) Forman, G. (2009) If I Stay. Dutton Penguin. |
AuthorI'm easily entertained but highly critical. |