Ms. Bixby's Last Day - John David Anderson

As John David Anderson says in the Acknowledgements: this is a quiet book.  I have read other books by Anderson, but I totally agree.  What a great book to end the summer!  A book about one of the 'good ones'.  Everyone who reads this will wish that they had Ms. Bixby as a teacher.  Each of the main characters feels that she is so much more than a good teacher.  She is encourages when students need it most, is quiet where there is nothing to say and she is magically there when they need it the most.  The story is laced with poignant moments that show us Ms. Bixby's character; that she is much more than a fantastic educator that drops Bixbyisms almost on a daily basis.

"There is a long road yet," said Gandolf.
"But it is the last road," said Bilbo.
  The theme of "The Hobbit" is especially poignant.  Ms. Bixby leaves before she is finished reading her favourite novel.  The class is left wondering if the substitute will finish and if he/she will be able to use the same voices for all the characters.  Not likely.  Being a teacher who loves reading aloud and loves certain novels, I felt great empathy for these students.  So sad.  But wait until the end.  Your eyes WILL leak!

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be"

"You don't give up, Brand Walker.  That's what makes you special.  You need to show him that.  Show him what it means to be strong.  Teach him how to not give up."
Brand talks about Steve being brilliant and Topher being a talented artist.  He doesn't feel like he has anything special to offer.  Ms. Bixby helps him see his own special talents.

And finally, I don't think I'll ever turn my nose down at a carnation again, "Carnations get a bad rap, she said, because they are cheaper than roses, but she liked them better because they fight harder.  Roses are quitters - they give up and die before you can even get used to them being around"
 
I like that Anderson builds on the plot.  We know very little at the beginning, just that Bixby is a favourite teacher who is unable to finish the school year because of a very serious illness.  Through the 3 narrators, Steve, Topher and Brand, we learn the details of the illness and how this teacher had touched the lives of these boys.  Especially touching is Brand's relationship with Ms. Bixby.  His father is disabled and Brand is left to care for himself and take care of the household due to his Dad's accident and depression.  The boys, led by Brand set off on an adventurous day to make Ms. Bixby's dream 'last day' come true.  Chaos ensues.  It reads like a film.  I can totally imagine this becoming a movie in the future. 

I would use this novel as a read aloud at the beginning or end of the year and have students do readers responses.  I would ask students to write about how they would spend their last day. 

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - John Boyne

Adele's song, 'Set Fire to the Rain' was the song that randomly came on as I sat down to write this post immediately after finishing this book.  Bruno definitely set fire to the rain as he found himself inside the concentration camp that was run by his father.  I did not cry.  Instead, I was wishing that Bruno's father would find out what happened to his son.  And how many other sons died under his role as Commandant? 

In 2016 it is hard to imagine, but Boyne ominously writes at the end,

'Of course all this happened a long time ago and nothing like that could ever happen again.' 

Right?

I've often felt that it's odd that I have a fascination with the stories of the Holocaust.  Reading Boyne's Author's Note has given me license to continue my exploration of this genre and to celebrate my fascination.  It is important to tell and retell these stories.  I love Bruno - his innocence and his honesty.  His childlike naivete is so refreshing with such a bleak backdrop that is the setting.  Bruno has no idea why he is at 'Out-With' and if he did know, he would not understand.  What he understands is that people should always be treated with respect and kindness.  Yes he is an innocent, naive nine year old and he is full of misunderstandings and misperceptions, but he knows what's right.  He knows the treatment of Maria, Pavel, Shmuel is wrong.  He knows that Kotler is an evil bully.  That's simple.  What Bruno doesn't understand finds hims on the wrong side of the fence.  If he ever does figure it out, it's too late.

The idea for the story came to Boyne through an image of two boys sitting on either side of a fence, having a conversation.  Fences and walls are a topic that could take you through an entire year of read alouds and reader's workshop.  The fence in this book could be seen as another character.  Again from Boyne's Author's Note, 

'Fences such as this one...still exist; it is unlikely that they will ever fully disappear.  But whatever reaction you have to this story, I hope that the voices of Bruno and Shmuel will continue to resonate with you as they have with me.  Their lost voices must continue to be heard; their untold stories must continue to be recounted;  For they represent the ones who didn't live to tell their stories themselves.'

Fences like are found all over the world and is the main reason Boyne never names Auschwitz outright.  He wants us to think about other issues where fences have been used to keep people out or in.   

There is one question you can ask a class during a discussion of the Holocaust.  It is the question that Boyne is asked most often,
 
Do you think a child raised in Nazi Germany could be as naive as Bruno is in the novel?

It's impossible to answer given that we have the benefit of hindsight, but it is a fascinating discussion.  Are we in 2016 as complacent as people seemed during this time?  Would we have stood up and done something?  Would you?  This is the question to ask.

Sink or Swim - Valerie Coulman

This is a book that pops up on many lists for teaching character.  Simply put this is a book about life.  Life in a short picture book.  If that's possible.

Put these questions to your students:

Are you going to approach life with optimism?
Are you a pessimist at times?
Perhaps discuss the meaning of both of these words, regardless of age!
You can address so many character traits with this book.  Other than optimism, you can also discuss perseverance, caring, being confident...
For those of you who have a theme that you revisit throughout the year, I can see the phrase 'Not yet they don't' being a great mantra for your students who grow and develop through the school year.

For a class that is just learning how to do reading responses, this is a great first month read.  You can do shared responses on anchor charts and leave them up all year.  Revisit them to discuss how to do a proper reading response but also revisit the message of the book.  Not only will it be a good example of how to write a reading response but this story will underline what your students should say to themselves when they feel they can't do something

Not Yet They Can't!

Reading Responses - Time Well Spent

There are so many discussions about how students should spend their time during Literacy periods.  My philosophy of reading has evolved over several years, many discussions, practice and courses dedicated to how students learn to read and write.  I believe students who read and write, learn to read and write.  Pretty simple.

     In my classroom, we spent the first few weeks of school 'learning' how to read independently.  It sounds crazy, but students need to practice this in a classroom full of kids.  There are interruptions and distractions.  My students eventually got used to reading for long periods of time.  I would, on occasion, read during this time as well; I believe that students need to see you as a reader just as they need to see their parents as readers.  As well, some of my time during reading periods would be spent reading with kids.  I would read with everyone, but more often with kids who had difficulty reading or difficulty accessing their thoughts about what they read.

     Whenever I talk to teachers about reading responses I hear a lot of reasons why students shouldn't do them and teachers shouldn't assess them.  I stand firm in my belief that reading responses are important to evaluate a students comprehension but more importantly, their ability to 'get' a text.  Teachers may think it's difficult to assess reading responses with a book that they haven't read.  Perhaps.  It's great if you've read the book, which is why my summer reading list is huge and is as varied as my elementary school library!  You can't keep up when it comes to what kids are interested in and reading, don't even try.

     You don't need to know the plot to know if a student knows the plot!  What is key to successful reading responses is effective and timely feedback.  How's that for throwing in a few buzz words?! A student who does not receive effective and timely feedback will soon learn that you are not supportive of the process and then having students spend time writing and/or talking about their reading really will be useless!  If the students believe that you are truly interested in what they are reading, they will respond - you have my librarian guarantee!  What kid (or anyone really) doesn't love telling a friend about a great movie they've just watched?  This is a reading response.  If we, as the friend respond with interested comments and thoughtful questions, the dialogue can go on and on.  If our friend has tuned out and doesn't respond to our excited descriptions of the great movie, the conversation fizzles.  Be that interested ear for our young friends!

  How Would Mrs. D organize a Reading Response schedule?  
     Give your students a set day that they are required to write you a 'review'.  They can discuss plot, author, setting, what they hate, what they love - as long as it is about the book they are reading or just finished.  Once a week is fine, but I really believe if you return their reading response the next day with comments and questions, your students will end up writing a response more than once a week!  Commit to marking each student once a week.  In my classes, this meant I read and responded to 6 students a day - max.

     Your responses do not need to be lengthy.  I always found they were longer early in the year as I established routines.  Eventually I got picky with my time.  As a very wise colleague once shared with me, 'You can't respond if there's nothing to respond to'.  So we would say, 'If you give me potato chips, I give you potato chips in return.  But you will get a better response from me if you give me a well balanced meal!'  Of course some students will struggle. These are the ones who you spend your reading periods with, reading and talking about what you are reading, helping them to respond appropriately.

     If you just can't stomach the 'letters' back and forth to students, a resource I love and recommend to anyone who will listen is: Lisa Donohue's 'Independent Reading Inside the Box'.  This book has endless examples of activities that students can do to improve their reading strategies.  I have used the activities in many ways.  Students sometimes have chosen to do 1 a week to hand in to be assessed or students can be responsible for doing 1 activity a day.  Whatever works for your individual students.
Reading Responses, they are worth your time!

Wonder - R. J. Polacio

What should be the first book to be highlighted in my literary blog?  This has been a long time coming so I need to profile a really GREAT book and it should be one that many teachers can share with students.
So I'm going to showcase the best junior novel I have read since becoming a Teacher-Librarian.  Wonder by R. J. Polacio is the book that deserves the esteemed position as post #1 - This book, I believe, should be required reading for all students at some point during their junior years (grade 4-6).  I would even recommend it to classes and students in intermediate.  Great as a read aloud or as an independent read.  Not only will you fall in love with Auggie Pullman, you will never forget his spirit.  What I truly love about this book, is that you see the differing perspectives of all the main characters.  They all add layers to the plot.  Life is not always as simple as a single character describing the world and their interactions.  Many people are affected by August Pullman as he enters grade five having never gone to school before.  Fact: You WILL fall in love with Auggie.  Fact: You will NEVER forget his beautiful spirit.

How would Mrs. D use this book?

I would read this book as the first read aloud of the year.  Hopefully it will be new to everyone, but that is hard with such a popular book!  Reading a book all together, early in the year, will allow you to refer to the themes, characters, setting etc, if necessary for the entire year.  If you only do one read aloud (gasp!) make sure it’s early in the year.  Everyone will be on the same page when you make statements like: ‘Remember how Auggie felt when he was about to go on a class trip for the first time ever?'  And hopefully they WILL remember.  If they don’t – you will have your modeled and shared reading responses to remind them!

See future posts about how I would set up my reading responses. 
Enjoy Wonder!