Fun*Easy*Fun*Easy*Fun*Easy*Fun*Easy*Fun*Easy

Another vlog. With more bells and whistles this time, but more importantly, even more GOOD BOOKS you can count on.



Keep reading,
Stenson

Jordan Sonnenblick's Notes from a Midnight Driver

Many good lines in this book. Many good laughs. Many meaningful lessons to be learned.

Overall, I think most kids will like Alex. The 16 year-old kid whose parents are getting a divorce, he's got a secret crush on his best friend Laurie, and he's facing the repercussions of a very serious mistake he made. It's for boys and girls, and it's easy to read even though it's a powerful book. In fact, there is a good balance of everything you need in a book. Enjoy!


Keep reading!
-Stenson

p.s. This is my 4th book of the year. 1/10th of the way to my goal!

Oops, I did it again.

The response was mixed, but most everyone tuned in to the first vlog. While many rolled their eyes or turned me off, others sauntered to the bookshelves to find one of the three books. It got me thinking...this could be a weekly thing.

The second vlog introduces readers to:

-The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie
-Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
-Life As We Knew It by Susan Pfeffer

If you can take it, try Vlog 2.


Keep Reading!
-stenson

Vlog alert!

Are video blogs called vlogs? I seem to remember that's what they are called.

I'm not shamed to admit it...I've created a vlog. Anything to get my kids paying attention. This short little vlog is a video of me talking about three books I think you might like. Yea!

Watch and listen. Grab the book if you are so inclined. Or just watch and be amused. Yes, your teacher is a book-nerd. There are worse things you could call me. Just don't snicker too loud. We must be quiet in the Media center...shhhhhh!




p.s. I just finished I.Q, Book One: Independence Hall. My second book is complete. Onto #3. The road to 40 continues to be a fun ride!

Keep reading!
-stenson

1 down, 39 to go.

40. Forty. Cuarenta. 4-0. The number of books my 7th graders and I are going to try to read this year. It's about 1 a week (though I told one family it there were more than 40 weeks in the school year...oops!). It's a goal that is worth shooting for. A goal that depends entirely on effort, good choices, and good books.

Since I'm going to reach for the goal of 40 books this year too, I made sure I had a good book for this three-day weekend. I know it may be a little of a head start, but I'm counting the book I finished this weekend.

It's not a book I'd necessarily recommend to my students, but since it's the first book of the year for me, it's worth mentioning. Stalking Susan by Julie Kramer. Easy-cheesy crime novel. Kinda spooky though so I only read it when my husband was around and in the daytime hours. I've recently rediscovered mysteries, so I loved this holiday book (holiday book=easy read). I really liked that the setting (where it takes place) is in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

Anyway, 1 down 39 to go. Here's to a really fun challenge and sharing it with my students!

My inspiration for this goal comes from Donalynn Miller and her extraordinary book The Book Whisperer; this is a book every teacher, parent, educator should read.

The Reading Workshop Classroom

photo by Herb Swanson of the NY Times


I've always admired the work of Nancie Atwell, a visionary reading teacher and specialist. Recently, a colleague sent me an article about her classroom and how it is inspiring a new generation of reading teachers and reading classrooms. It's really a powerful movement.

Getting caught up in the rush and chaos of the start of a new year is easy to do. Even so, I always aspire to have a classroom where students of all reading levels are comfortable with who they are as independent readers, where students are choosing their own books and enjoying their time reading them, where all of come together as a community of readers. It is in Nancie's ideals where my work is grounded. Kids, parents, all readers, take a peek at the article and at the slide show accompanying it to see just what we are shooting for in Room 103. Here's to reading. Here's to kids. Here's to the start of another great year!

Keep reading!
-stenson