100,000 in Prizes?!?!

Have you heard about this book?

39 Clues by Gordon Korman

Check out the website about it.
Check it out at the media center.
Check it out on one of Stenson's iPods (I have the website codes too!)

Get on board. Love to see kids getting this excited about a series of books. When you read it, tell us all about it!!

Good luck!
Keep Reading!
-Stenson

Yakkety-yak

I love 7th graders. Every day they file into Room 103; I squawk at them "Do you have your BOOKS?!?". They sit down, and they read. Save a very few that I have yet to get my claws into...they are READING. They are reading the Maximum Ride series. They are reading the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. They are reading the Alex Rider series. They are reading the Twilight series. They are READING. And it fills my heart with even more literacy love.

Thank you, Class of 2014. It's been fun to read with you, discuss books, and talk about how to help you become even strong readers. We are going to have a super year.

By the way, I've been talking up some great books recently. Here's an abbreviated list:

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Burn Journals by Brent Runyon
Full House edited by Pete Hautmann
Life As We Knew It by Susan Pfeffer
Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

But that's my measly list. You need to talk to the 7th graders at OGMS if you are looking for a good book. They'd know. They are readers.

So proud to be a Husky Reader,
Stenson

p.s. It's great to hear from former students. I smile every time I hear from you, so please, keep me updated on what you are reading. It feels familiar to see your names pop up. Love it.

Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

What an interesting book! It's received a lot of attention, mostly because people have never seen anything like it!

We've been talking about genres in 7READ, and I don't think any of the genres we've discussed fit this book. It's not a picture book, or a graphic novel. It's not a normal novel either. It's part silent movie and part flip book and part novel. No matter what you call it, you are sure to call it a super book!

Here are a few things to get you more interested and curious about the book! I would love to have a mini-book club with this book. Let me know if you are interested. We'll set a date, order some treats, and invite Hugo to join us!

Check these sites out:

About Hugo Cabret (on this site, you can see the 22 page illustrated drawing of the opening scene of the book...so cool!)

A video interview with the author (Brian Selznick)

Get on board with this book!
You won't be disappointed.

Keep Reading!
-Stenson

It's Football Season.

Hello Readers!

I must admit I have not been reading much this week. With many back-to-school activities and responsibilities, I have been falling asleep before reading even two full pages of the newest non-fiction book I picked up at the library (it's call The Big Sort for any adults out there interested in the reasons behind and consequences of our politically and culturally divided country).

Anyway, my father reminded me that football season is about to begin. Pre-season NFL games are in the last round, college games can be seen on ESPN most nights of the week, and high-school teams are gearing up for their first contest. A true sign of autumn and back-to-school.

SO! Let's take a look at a few books written about football for teens.

Football

Baczewski, Paul. Just for Kicks.
Fifteen-year-old Brandon does not suspect the difficulties in store for him as manager of the varsity football team when his sister Sarah joins and becomes the star punter.

Bechard, Margaret. If It Doesn't Kill You.
High school freshman Ben should be enjoying playing football, meeting girls, and going to parties, but he's too busy trying to cope with his father's moving out to live with another man.

Crutcher, Chris. Running Loose.
Football player Louie, a high school senior in a small Idaho town, learns about sportsmanship, love, and death as he matures into manhood.

Dygard, Thomas. Forward Pass.
To improve his struggling football team's chances of winning, Coach Gardner brings in a new wide receiver, Jill Winston.

Dygard, Thomas. Halfback Tough.
New at Graham High, Joe joins the football team and begins to change his tough guy outlook as he becomes absorbed by the game and gains self-esteem and new friends.

Gallo, Donald R., editor. Ultimate Sports : Short Stories by Outstanding Writers for Young Adults.
Sixteen original sports stories featuring young men and women playing basketball and football, running track and cross-country, and training for the triathlon, as well as participating in water sports, racquetball, tennis, boxing, wrestling, and the ultimate sport of the future.

Ibbitson, John. The Wimp and the Jock.
Ridiculously poor at sports, Randy horrifies himself and his friends when he responds to a bully's taunts by announcing he'll try out for the football team.

Korman, Gordon. No More Dead Dogs.
Eighth-grade football hero Wallace Wallace is sentenced to detention attending rehearsals of the school play where, in spite of himself, he becomes wrapped up in the production and begins to suggest changes that improve not only the play but his life as well.

Lee, Marie G. Necessary Roughness.
Sixteen-year-old Korean American Chan moves from Los Angeles to a small town in Minnesota, where he must cope not only with racism on the football team but also with the tensions in his relationship with his strict father.

Murdock, Catherine GIlbert. Dairy Queen: A Novel
After spending her summer running the family farm and training the quarterback for her school's rival football team, sixteen-year-old D.J. decides to go out for the sport herself, not anticipating the reactions of those around her.

Singer, Marilyn. Ghost Host.
Sixteen-year-old football star Bart Hawkins seeks a way to rid his house of a nasty poltergeist without losing the nine friendly ghosts also haunting it, in return for which they agree to help him win the championship game.

Spinelli, Jerry. Crash.
Seventh-grade football player John "Crash" Coogan has always been comfortable with his tough, aggressive behavior, until his relationship with an unusual Quaker boy and his grandfather's stroke make him consider the meaning of friendship and the importance of family.

I found most of the books on this list on a Michigan Public Library website. For more books about sports for teens, check it out!

Go Huskies! Go Eagles! Go Jaguars! Go Vikings! Go Packers!

Go Readers!
-Stenson

Welcome to the '08-'09 School Year!

Hello Readers!

If you are going to be in 7READ this year, welcome. I'm eager to meet you and spend some time getting to know you and reading together. I promise it's going to be an exciting year.

If you are a former 8LA student, stop on by! Log in and post a message! Better yet, COME IN AND HELP ME SET UP MY NEW CLASSROOM. I'm downstairs now, in Room 103. I'd love to see you, and, boy, could I use your help! I'll bring treats and cookies and other good stuff just in case someone stops by and helps me out!

Here's to a GREAT year ahead! Stay in touch!

-Stenson

Podcast=Learning

There is a big, important debate going on around us about whether or not technology is helping or hurting the education of kids today. There are substantial arguments on both sides of the debate. However, in this post, I would like to try to identify a few ways in which technology can support learning, thinking, and literacy. Starting with iTunes and podcasts.

Podcasts are a great way to listen to a story, learn about a subject, or further one's understanding about a concept.

Here's my example for Art class: MOMA's collection of works of art that provide new perspectives about color.

The collection can be viewed online by going here.

Then, one could listen to the podcasts describing the significance and meaning behind each piece of art in the collection by grabbing one of Stenson's iPods.

Go to Playlists on the iPod menu, select ColorChart- MoMA.

Or Science class?!? Click here for the transcript and background information about an hour-long podcast about the rush to go green. Go to American RadioWorks under podcasts, and choose the one titled Green Rush. Interested in a local podcast about the weather, try this.


Maybe it's World History class, and you'd like to learn about Nelson Mandela. Click here for the transcript, and on the iPod go to Podcast>American RadioWorks>Mandela.

For literature or English class, there's a podcast and transcript on urban teens and Shakespeare. It can be found on Stenson's iPods under podcasts, American RadioWorks, and then Urban Shakespeare. Or some simple booktalks to highlight books for kids and teens.

For Health class, there's a podcast and transcript on teens living with HIV or the effects of mental illness on families, particularly siblings (this one's not downloaded to Stenson's iPods either).

So as not to leave anyone out, recently I've discovered podcasts for little kids (one full of tongue twisters to help identify and practice phonemes AND one with stories told aloud). World language podcasts are everywhere (here's an example regarding French). There are several on grammar and vocabulary and math and music or to celebrate diversity in music, try this one. Podcasts are even available for the use in physical education class and business class.


Those of you hooked, please check out this informational video about podcasts, iTunes U, and how YOU can make listening to podcasts and iPods an educational AND entertaining activity!

See you at iTunes U!
-Stenson

Mash-Up

I can hardly believe I forgot to pass this along...it's a PROFESSIONAL blog about teens and reading. The women knows everything there is to know about reading and teens. She's smart, with it, and she knows her stuff. Believe by seeing it.

The Mashup Blog .

I'm a fearless follower of the blog, and I hope to see you there too!

Pass it along!
Stenson