Lunch Lady and the First Book Club of the Year

The first guys read of the year met on Wednesday. Wow. 22 eager, loud, hyper….boys. My fellow teacher was at an IEP meeting, so I was left to control the herd. We spent most of the time getting to know each other and talking about protocols. Large group of hyper boys, so you can imagine that discussion. (Ha!Ha!) Our first book was Lunch Lady and The League of Librarians by Jarrett J. Krosoczka. Most of the boys read the first Lunch Lady book last spring. Yes, I was one of the lucky ones with an advanced reader copy. It was a fun afternoon. What made it special was that four new members, that would not come last year because of reading levels, came. Because of the format of the book they were able to comprehend most of what was happening and felt safe coming to book club. One of the new guys, A, came up to me last week and quietly asked if he could come.

A is an African refugee. His mother speaks no English, and their native language has not written component. Verbally, he didn’t say much at book club, but the joy on his face spoke volumes. A few of the advance readers are going to trade off reading aloud to our new members so they can keep coming. It is going to be a great year in book club.

Multiage, DTR and Advance Reader Copy

I cannot believe what a whirlwind the beginning of this school year has been. I am teaching a 3/4 multiage in a district where only literacy aligns. Yes, trying to teach Everyday Math to third and fourth graders is like spinning plates on the Gong Show! (I, also, have three second graders join us for math!) I haven’t been gonged yet, but I'm still spinning! I have been able to briefly keep up on what my blogger friends are doing. A Year of Reading has a great entry on the importance of supporting new teachers and future teachers.

Franki and Mary Lee write about the importance of mentoring our future peers. I am fortunate this year to be part of a new teaching program that was developed between Denver Public Schools and The University of Denver. It is called Denver Teacher Residency, and is modeled after programs in Boston and Chicago. In a nutshell 26 “students” are getting their Masters in Education and certification at the same time. We have six in our school. My DTR spends four days a week in out classroom, one day a week in seminar, and one Saturday a month in classes. There is a slow release model, so they do not become overwhelmed. It is exciting to have some in the classroom, but daunting as well.

Daily a student will do something that reminds us why we teach. It can be a smile, a well written sentence, a look of joy on their face when they finished the book of their dreams, or making a new friend. However, sometimes they say or do something that makes us laugh so hard that we wished everyone could experience the joys of teaching. I looped with 8 kids from last year, so there is some strong background knowledge which can come in handy! The other day we were making a chart of Non-Negotiable in writing. We all know the drill “I’m done with my writing”, and their “finish” piece is lacking in the basics. Capital letters are not scary. Ending punctuation is not expensive. So, anyhow, we are making the list and N, a student, I taught last year raised his hand and said “Mr. Kimmal, can’t we just write Advance Reader Copy on the top so you know there are mistakes?”

Really, you can’t make this stuff up!

Poetry Friday

Forty years ago was a summer of firsts. It was the year Armstrong walked on the moon. It was, also, the year my dad moved my mom, me, and my brother from suburban Denver to on of the biggest cities in the world, Mexico City. It was a summer of first for me too! I had my first artichoke, pepino (sliced cucumber covered in lime juice and chili powder) from the street vendor, limón paletta (lime popsicles made with lime juice), earthquake (OK my only one!)and my first ride on a subway, El Metro del Cuidad de Mexico. Wow, this boy was hooked. I have never gotten over living in a big city. Our apartment even had an elevator as the front door.

As I thought of what poem to do for Poetry Friday I immediately thought of Subways are People from Lee Bennett Hopkins new book of poetry City I Love. Come on what boy does not love trains, and the metro is subterranean train? When I first read this poem the memories rushed by just as the Mexico City Metro rushes by the Aztec ruins. Enjoy.

SUBWAYS ARE PEOPLE
By Lee Bennett Hopkins

Subways are people-

People standing
People sitting
People swaying to and fro
Some in suits
Some in tatters
People I will never know.

Subways are people-

Some with glasses
Some without
Boy with smile
Girl with Frown

People dashing
Steel flashing
Up and down and round the town.

Subways are people-

People old
People new
People always on the go
Racing, running, rushing people
People I will never know.

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Guilty Pleassure

Last February at the CCIRA conference Jane Yolan gave a potent luncheon speech. One of her points was that publishers “create” series to make money. I agree, but some of them are fun and do get kids to read. I read the fourth 39 Clues this summer. It is not great literature, and will probably not stand the passage of time, but they are fun. I borrowed the book from M. He emailed me four times to see how I liked it, and to tell me “Mr. Kimmal it is the best one yet!”

How bad can a book be if it keeps a nine year old reading during the summer?

Reading Level high 3rd grade and above.

Lunch Lady

There was a mess up from the publisher, so mine just arrived! My students will be so excited. I got emails this summer asking "Mr. Kimmal do you have the second Lunch Lady?" Book talk on the first day will be FUN!

THE CANDY SHOP WAR by Brandon Mull

One way I judge a great book is how involved I become with the characters. This summer I read City of Thieves by David Benioff. I wanted the book to end so I could find out what happened to the characters, but when I finished the book I was sad that I was done. I wanted to spend more time with the characters and I felt like two friends had moved away.

Another book I have the same relationship with is The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull. I loved this book. The friendship between the Nate, Summer, Pigeon, and Trevor is real and interesting. Brandon Mull captures the scary way adults can manipulate kids. It was exciting to read about the risks these four were willing to take to save the world from evil. (I don’t want to spoil the book!) While I was reading the book, I thought this would be a great Guys Read book because of the adventures and the importance of a female character; but I am doing it for my first read aloud. Nate, Summer, Pigeon and Nate work well together to confront the bullies that torment them, (small spoiler alert!) but at the end they save them. I feel that it is important to share books with strong characters that have to deal with bullies.

The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull Shadow Mountain.

SLOB by Ellen Potter

Recently I was talking with a friend about SLOB by Ellen Potter. She started reading it at the library, but passed it off to a student she had last year and I had the year before. It is funny how we can start a book and when we see a student we will pass it on and tell them “I think you will like this book.”

M (the student) is a great kid, but can be uncaring. My first thought is that M wouldn’t like this book, but after more thought I realized that it is a perfect book for him. Slob is about Owen Birnbaum, an over weight, smart 12 year old. He compares every day as being the first day of school in a new school. Not a great thought is it? Owen eventually befriends another outcast. This is the reason that this is a great book for M. First impressions can be very wrong, and we often end up friends with someone we would never expect. I hope that M learns from this book.

It is on the short list for first read aloud of the year

Too Much Background Knowledge?

Background knowledge is an important part of comprehension, but what happens when there is too much background knowledge? Can it negatively effect what we read? I just finished Captain Nobody by Dean Pitchford and my background knowledge made it a very hard book to finish.

Captain Nobody is about a boy named Newton Newman. Certain events happen in the story to turn him into Captain Nobody. I’ll discuss the story after a little information about my background knowledge and how it impacted my thoughts of this book.

Nineteen years ago my brother was hit on his bicycle. It was a hit and run. He was in a coma for nine days. Once he woke up he had to learn how to walk, eat, etc. He lives on his own now, but has a severe brain injury. During the time Kris was in a coma it tore our family apart. We all felt helpless, and, at times, hopeless. At the hospital I had time to spend with my brother and was present when the doctors spoke with my parents. This experience made it difficult to read Captain Nobody.

Let me start by saying that after I finished the book I realized how much I enjoyed it. Newton “Newt” is a skinny kid that happens to be the younger brother of the star football player. He is the son of parents too involved in their jobs to pay close attention to Newt. He is, also, best friend with two great kids. During the “big game” Newt’s big brother is knocked out and ends up in a coma.

There are many things I loved about the book, and some situations that bothered me. What I liked:

I loved the friendship between Newt and his friends. Newt is very self sufficient. He is a great care giver. Newt is funny, and aware of his short comings. Captain Nobody is Newt’s Halloween costume. The day after Halloween he realizes that he doesn’t have any clean clothes, so he wears his costume to school. The teachers think he is wearing the costume to deal with the family tragedy. A sequence of funny events turns Newt into a real super hero.

My dislikes have a lot to do with my background knowledge. After the accident Newt’s parents spend the rest of the book at the hospital. In their quest not to scare Newt they give him no information. A 10 year old needs the information. There is no adult staying with Newt, just the drive by sleep over by one parent. This is where I’m not sure if my experiences cloud my judgment, or if it is the book. I didn’t like that the principal and the counselor didn’t have any idea who Newt was, even after he met with them.

I am curious to see what others will think about Captain Nobody.

Horrid Henry by Francesca Simon

Last autumn I was told about the most popular books in the UK. The second grader, that told me, had received a few of them from relatives that live in London. His mom said that they were wonderful and E zipped through them laughing the entire time. During my next trip to The Bookies I was told that they heard that they might be published in the US sometime in 2009. After making travel plans for my summer vacation in Scotland I knew what books I was going to bring back. Well, right before I left for Prestwick I received the first four Horrid Henry books.

In Horrid Henry’s Stinkbomb Henry’s feelings about reading sum up what most boys think about reading: “Reading was hard, heavy work, Just turning the pages made feel exhausted.” It is a challenge to find exciting and fun books for reluctant and struggling boy readers. There are the old standbys, but most have read them or are not interested in a boy with his dog.

When I opened the package and saw the cover of the series I laughed out loud. The titles alone are enough to get most boys interested in at least picking them up, but once word gets around about the stories the wait list will be long.

Here are few things I like about the series:

Horrid Henry isn’t too horrid. He is very likeable.
Perfect Peter is FAR from perfect as we learn in the first book. Other “P” words come to mind and they aren’t that nice.
I love the adjectives added on to all the characters. Moody, Acrobatic, Rude….
Great vocabulary. I could easily use it for ELL’s and showing the importance of rich language for higher readers and writers.
Tony Ross' illustration capture boys and make me laugh.
Short chapters/ stories.

The list goes on. Without evening thinking hard I know 20 boys that will eat these up. I am excited to share these books with the readers in my class.


Free books!!! The first two people that email me or comment and want a book will get their own copy of a Horrid Henry.

A Wonderful Summer Afternoon Part 1

Imagine a summer day, a lovely old park, 18 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders discussing a book. It seems like an unbelievable scene, but it was how I spent a couple of hours yesterday. Last summer I was asked to continue the book club over the summer, so it just made sense to continue it this summer.

Last summer an average of 6 guys showed for book club, but this year WOW! The dynamics of the book club were interesting because there were a lot of new third graders, and the new fifth graders were used to me and the process.

At first I was overwhelmed with so many boys, but we quickly got into the groove and after awhile new friends were discussing the book like an adult book club. The book we discussed was The Mysterious Mr. Spines Wings by Jason Lethcoe. Some had read Mr. Lethcoe’s series The Misadventures of Benjamin Bartholomew Piff. We talked about how both series have an orphan and take place in California. There was an interesting bit about how he must be Lethcoe must be an orphan because writers write about what they know, but some disagreed that not every story is based on an authors experiences. Again, I say WOW what a great way to spend a summer afternoon.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

I have never read Jane Austen, but I have seen many movies based on her books. I laughed when I read about Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith. When I finally ordered the book it the back was backordered. It hadn’t, even, been released. It shows that early blog press can drive book sales. My copy finally came in during the chaos of end of year stuff! I put it on the top of my summer reading stack.

Reading is a very private activity, so when I decided to read it on the plane to Scotland I knew there would be comments. I mean really who can’t comment on the cover? I enjoyed the book, but wished there was a bit more zombies. There is a great “chic fight" between Elizabeth and Lady Catherine.

It is definitely not a book for the average Jane Austen fan or third graders, but I do have a couple of guys that will enjoy the challenge of reading a classic with a zombie twist.

Happy Summer!

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

I entered the world of Kidlitosphere because I wanted to find different books for Read Alouds. Boy, what a wonderful world it is. I recently finished The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. It was one of the best read aloud books I have ever done. It was fun to watch the faces of other adults when the book is described. Yes, the look of shock and “What are you thinking?” is not easily masked. A while back I was at The Bookies and we were talking about the book and someone said “It will be in the cannon of children’s lit!” I agree.

The Graveyard Book is not your normal read aloud. It starts off with a gruesome scene, but what follows is what makes it a hit. When I finished the book the class clapped and said read it again. I had 29 third graders at the tip of my tongue. What power in Mr. Gaiman’s words. Here are just a few things my students had to say about this book:

“I like graveyards and dark stuff. The Graveyard Books is wicked!” OK, F is really into vampires!
“It was creepy.”
“My favorite read aloud this year was The Graveyard Book because Bod is able to see ghosts and I like to imagine that.”
“It always had a good ending of the chapter.”

My read aloud time is right before lunch. It is not long enough, but we make due. The book is full of cliff hangers which made it fun to stop at key points because it was lunch time. Towards the end of the book the suspense builds, but it was time for lunch. The reaction to me stopping was so loud that the art teacher came out of her room to see if there was a fight. They were ready to get me!

I read the book before I did it as a read aloud. I enjoyed it more the second time. I can’t wait to find another book that will excite us in the same way.

Last day of school tomorrow!!!

A few Off the Summer Reading List

I just read Carol' s list of her summer reading list. Truthfully, that's her weekend reading list. I don't have mine in order yet, but thought I would share the beginning. My first goal is to finish Night Train to Lisbon by Pascal Mercier, it is hard to do adult reading during the year! My first three, I am taking them on my trip, are:

• The Indian Clerk by David Leavitt
• Time Was Soft There A Memoir, A Paris Sojourn at Shakespeare & Co. by Jeremy Mercer
• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

P&P and Zombies took forever to come in. (Remember The Boy Reader!) The first printing sold out before it was released. I'm reading this one first on the plane to Scotland. As time permits I will add more. It is fun to see what others are reading. We never want our stacks to get small!