Comment Challenge

I am having fun trying to meet the challenge. It is hard, but I enjoy finding all these new blogs. I entered to win a book at Book Dads. Wish me luck in both winning the book and doing a proper link to their blog.
http://www.bookdads.com/

Thank you The Well-Read Child.

What to do with 20 "guys" that want to discuss books?

Yes, it is hard to believe but last week 20 third and fourth grade boys showed up for book club. I am excited that so many showed, but trying to have a discussion was challenging. When it came time to pick the next book it was a tie. Half the group picked The Navigator by Eion McNamee and the other half picked One Small Step by P.B.Kerr. Since I am always flying by the seat of my pants I said that next time we would meet in two groups. One with me and the other with Mr. Bry, my team teacher. By the way his name is also Kyle! Luckily the next morning he said he would. Wish us luck.

By the way it is nice to have a long weekend. Off to read and enjoy a cup of tea we got in Paris last spring.

don't forget to comment on other blogs!

Finding Just Right Books for Book Club

The last couple of books we read for book club have been a little challenging for some of the guys. The first one Silverfin was exciting, and at their level; but it really is a book for 5th grade and above. The second one is Mariah Mundi The Midas Box by C.P. Taylor. Content and theme is much more 3rd to 6th, but the vocabulary was challenging at times. It is a great book for teaching rich language.

I have started the quest for a few more suggestions for the book club. I have a small stack and have started to read them. I started with Science Fair by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. Kids hate when you laugh while reading silently. They want to know what is so funny. We had a little time on Tuesday before our Parade of Masks and the autumn party. The story is about a science fair at a wealthy middle school where only the wealthy students win. There is more. In the capital city of Krpsht (pronounced “Krpsht”) in a country named the Republic of Krpshtskan the president is planning to destroy the United States. If you couldn’t tell there aren’t many vowels in the language either. I enjoy the book but it is definitely NOT for 3rd and 4th graders. One reference to a “hot” student is OK, but five on one page and it on to the next.

2009 CCIRA Conference

I received the conference registration book this past weekend, and as I looked through it I said "Oh my god what now?". This past spring I submitted a proposal for a session. Carol helped me wordsmith. During the summer I was notified that I was accepted. NOW the moment of truth. I am in the book. Will people sign up? Will it be what they want. I hope so. It is an hour session to talk about setting up a book club and suggested books. I am looking forward to it, but scared.

"Again! Again! Again! Again! Again!

The other day I watched my niece and nephew. Hannah is 3 and Levi turns two this Thursday. Yes, he is a two year old boy. He LOVES trains and trucks. Once I got them into their pajamas I let them pick a book to read. Hannah picked a pink book, she loves pink, “I like purple now!” and Levi chose Smash!Crash! by Jon Scieszka. I read, and when I finished he said “again, again, again” It is a great book but five times is tough. I got him I’m Bad! By Kate & Jim McMullan. It is a cute story about a hungry T-Rex that loves him mom.

Far from organized chaos!

Wednesday was our first real book club of the year. It was LOUD! It was interesting to watch two different groups of boys try to blend into one. The fourth graders were really trying to say hey we run this show, and the third graders kept saying we don’t care what page you got to because we finished the book. Truthfully, I picked a book too challenging for the group. Silverfin by Charlie Higson is a great adventure, but would be better for fifth grade and above. It proves that even though they read above grade level not all books at their level is appropriate.

My goal all along has been to let the boys run the discussion and let them have the freedom to go where they want. Well, that will change a little next month. Our next book club is going to be controlled. I plan on having them pair up with someone they don’t know well to talk briefly about favorite parts. (Yes, I know there are better ways to talk about books, but that is what they always want to do first!) After that sharing I am going have different guys ask some discussion questions. Hopefully, this will create an environment where all the guys have fun.

Comfort Zone

My friend Carol has a wonderful post on pouring beer at Taste of Colorado. It is funny how we find ourselves in places way outside of our comfort zone. Carol writes about how she is a poor beer pourer, but a proficient writer. Well, I am great at pouring beer, but writing a blog is WAY out of my comfort zone. I do it so that I will become a better writer, and writing teacher. With that said, I want to comment on a couple of books.

The first is Alvin Ho, Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things by Lenore Look. There are not many books where the main character completely shuts down at school. Alvin is a selective mute, but only at school. I laughed through this book. Alvin is a boy that is afraid of everything. He prepares himself for all the scary things in life with a PDK, a Personal Disaster Kit. There are steps on how to deal with substitute teachers, girls and bullies. His brother Calvin helps him add a list on how to make friends. I don’t want to give away the ending, but this is a great boy book.

The second book is Bad Kitty Gets a Bath by Nick Bruel. This is a chapter book/graphic novel about the loveable (not really) Bad Kitty. Chapter 3 is very much like the TV show Dallas. Remember the year Bobby died, but we find out the next year that it was all a dream. Yes this entry dates me!

The third book is Gym Shorts Baseball Bats by Betty Hicks. My librarian told me that this is anew series. It is a great story of friendship, and how we sometimes have to admit that our friends are better at things then we are.

The last book is The Retired Kid by Jon Agee. Who knew life is so hard for kids. Brian just can’t take it anymore, so he retires to Florida. He soon finds that taking about hip replacements are not fun either.

A good laugh helps the soul.

A Fun New Reading Year

We had our first Guys Read meeting yesterday after school. It was a packed hour. There were numerous new “guys”, so we did brief introductions. Name and favorite book. Well for third and fourth graders that was not enough. They needed to included their favorite series. One of our new members had an orthodontist appointment at 4:40, so we voted for our next few books before he left.

By a landslide The Young Bond Series, Book One: Silverfin (A James Bond Adventure) (Young Bond) by Charlie Higson was picked as our next book. I can’t wait. It looks like a fun series.

After picking our next books we had a very brief discussion about Homework Machine. At first many did not like it, but once they got in to the style they really enjoyed it. A few were upset that Belch was destroyed, and Harrison could not understand why they just didn’t do the homework. He is smart like Brenton. Go figure!

The Boys of Steel The Creators of Superman by Marc Tyler Nobleman

I corresponded with Marc this past spring about how excited I was to see a book coming out about the history of a great super hero. He offered to come by my school and talk to the kids. He thought my Montclair was in New Jersey. Maybe when he is in Denver he can still stop by.

Well I received my book in the mail on Monday. It was worth the wait. The story is engaging. At times I felt like I was reading a kids version of Kaviler and Clay, but non-fiction! It is unfortunate that there are still way too many teachers like the one Jerry had.
The illustrations are retro fun.

We went to Boulder the other day for lunch and the farmers market. Of course we ended up at the Boulder Bookstore as well. I got a few books. Some for gifts, some for me, and some as possible Guys Read Book Club books.

Elephants Never Forget by Anushka Ravishankar is a special tale about a baby elephant that lives with the water buffalo. This is the gift book. I bought a few copies!

For me I got Frankenstein Takes the Cake by Adam Rex. The poem The Sphinx Ain’t All That-Yeah, You Heard Me will be my poem for Poetry Friday! I laughed out loud when I read Ducks Don’t Wear Socks by John Nedwidek, so I bought it too! It reminds me of New Socks by Bob Shea.

The four books I picked for Guys Read Book Club are:
One Small Step by P.B. Kerr
Mariah Mundi The Midas Box by C.P. Taylor
The Wright 3 by Blue Balliett
The Alchemyst The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott

I read a few other books this summer as possible book club selections. We meet again on the 20th, so I will post our list.

17 Takes

I have written before that I do not like to read sad books aloud with kids because, well, I don't want to cry. I get teased by friends. On Monday NPR had a piece on EB White. They ran a part form old interview with Mr. White. The original interviewer asked him to read the ending of Charlotte's Web. It took 17 takes before he could read it without crying! See I'm not a freak.

A Moose, A Hammock and a Couple of Books!

We spent a wonderfully relaxing long weekend in a cabin next to Michigan Reservoir in North Park Colorado. Recently at Jazz in The Park someone had a portable hammock. Yes, I got one for the weekend. It was nice to lay back and read a couple of books.

The Sea of Monsters was a fun read. I enjoyed the continuing adventures of Percy Jackson. I imagine a cruise ship is full of evil! I didn’t really like the third Benjamin Bartholomew Piff book. It seemed forced. However, the boys in my class really enjoyed it.

Summer is coming to an end and as usual I only made a dent in the stack of books I wanted to read. I will keep at it and maybe start next summer with a whole new stack.