The Raven

The Raven is a Pacific Northwest folklore that explores how a raven stole the sun to provide light. The raven transforms itself into a pine needle that turns into a baby when the Sky Chief's daughter drinks the needle on accident. Once the baby its born, it stills the sun from the Sky Chief's home. The book is filled with a lot of dark colors why the raven is bright and colorful. The illustrations do not brighten up until the sun has been thrown into the sky.
Crow and Hawk is a Pueblo Indian Story that tell a story about how a crow leaves it's nest and a hawk helps hatch the eggs and feeds the crow babies. It is a story of how important your responsibilities are. The illustrations are bright and full of Indian art.
Both stories depict their cultures that shine through the illustrations in the books. I truly enjoyed this genre of children's novels.

Slice of Life- Scallop Delight

After a long day that consist of 133 kids screaming "Miss!"every other second, there is nothing better than the sizzling pure olive oil hitting a searing hot pan. The olive oil begins to pop as the fresh scallops plop down unto the silver steaming pan. The aroma of sea salt fills my nostrils while the sweet tunes of Earth Wind and Fire buzz in my ears. One tablespoon of garlic and butter are added to this scallop delight and I picture my feet in warm sand while the ocean breeze tickles my neck. The scallops make their way to a pearly white plate and all is well with my soul.

BHH-Speak

The Book Head Heart reading strategy is a great tool to use in the classroom not only for new novels  but for any text your students encounter. During our book club meeting for our choice novel Speak, we talked about all aspect of the book not realizing that we hit several elements that are used in the BHH strategy. As adults we have learned how to have meaningful conversation when discussing new content, but that may not come as easy to students'. The BHH strategy is a great guide to assist in purposeful reading. Not only does it encourage students' to fully invest in what they are reading but also comprehend what the text is discussing.
I have recently introduced this tool in my STARR tutorials. I believe that this tool can be effective not only in novels but in non-fiction, fictions, poetry, and many more resources. My students will be introduced to a non-fiction article this Tuesday in STARR tutorials, and elements from this strategy will be used to help make connections to the text.

3 New & Exciting Children's Books

This week I have introduced two new books to my class. My 8th graders has entered into a poetry unit. The are responsible for composing their own reversal poem. Mirror Mirror by Marilyn Singer and illustrated by Josee' Masse, is a book full of reversal poems. The book is full of illustrations that that show the fairytales that is being discussed in the poem. Pictures are illustrated in reversal which add a fun touch to the book.
The Other Side by Jaqueline Woodson and illustrated by E.B. Lewis has depicted beautiful illustrations that shows beautiful imagery of what was going on in the Civil Rights Era. I introduced this book to the class while talking about symbolism. The fence painted in the book was a beautiful symbol of segregation and racism during that time.
Sleep like a Tigerr by Mary Logue and illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski, is a book that takes us through a journey of a young girl fighting bedtime. The book illustrates many animal in their sleeping habitats. The illustrations are abstract, bright, and exciting. I have yet to introduce this to my class but I look forward to it.

The Story of the World's Most Famous Bear

Finding Winnie is a Caldecott Medal winner full of detailed and vibrant illustrations. The book takes readers through a historical journey of a bear named Winnie who inspired the life of Winnie-the-Pooh. This particular book stood out to me because the text was at a higher level than what I am used to seeing in children's books. The amazing thing about this book is the way the illustrations mirrored the words on the page. The text could be a bit difficult for our struggling readers but the pictures could help with the disconnect students may be having which will also help with the comprehension.  This book warmed my heart and I am happy to add it to my collection!

Slice of Life- Thursday Terror

"Your rough draft is due at the end of class. You have 20 minutes left!" The pencils begin to move at a rapid pace. "Miss, are we going to have time tomorrow to finish?" My head bounces from left to right with my eyes shut closed. "We are now in Lock down. I repeat, we are now in LOCK DOWN!." "Everyone in the corner. QUICK." I rush to cover the small rectangle glass window while fumbling with my keys that will lock us inside. Faint steps grow increasingly louder towards my room. "Everyone lock your doors, NOW!" "Miss, what is going on!?" "Shhhhhh"  I whisper. Two minutes turn into three, and three minutes turn into ten. "The building is now secure." Miss, that wasn't a drill was it?" "No sweetie, I don't think it was."