Mrs Payan Reads

Slice of Life: Teachers Write 6/18

Ruth and Stacey at Two Writing Teachers
host the Slice of Life every Tuesday.

This summer I am so excited to participate again in Teachers Write, an online writing camp for teachers. Last summer, I signed up and jumped in with both feet because I knew that in order to be the best writing teacher I can be I needed to also be a writer. I was also participating in a two-week summer institute through the National Writing Project and knew that I would be forced to write whether I wanted to or not. I did write quite often last summer, but I didn’t exactly make the commitment to writing daily or making the time for writing that I needed to make. I obsessed over my summer #bookaday challenge and went a little bit nuts with the reading.

This summer I again want to make time for writing and I am committing to making time daily to write. If I could do it for the Slice of Life challenge in March, I can do it now.

Some great things came out of my participation with Teachers Write last summer. First, I wrote more often on my blog this year. Next, I got my students writing on their blogs more regularly and even set up some collaboration with students in another class. Lastly, I learned about being vulnerable. I really did not participate to the highest degree last summer because I did not find that great idea that was going to be the next Harry Potter…I am a perfectionist and it is really hard to admit that I am not going to write polished, amazing writing in the first draft. I have some ideas for interesting characters and I will be throwing those around this summer as well as working on crafting some memoir short stories.

My participation in Teachers Write this summer will be focused on some concrete goals:

1. Create writing notebook pages using the bingo cards that I purchased from Corbett Harrison so that I can use these to show students what I expect them to do in writing.
2. Develop the idea that I have for a novel and do some word count goals to get a good start on the draft.
3. I did NaNoWriMo in my classroom last year and it was the best thing that I could have done. I was so pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm all of my students displayed for this activity. I want to use the workbook from the NaNoWriMo website to work through pre-writing activities so that I have examples for my students when we do these exercises.
4. Post It’s Monday! and Slice of Life posts on Mondays and Tuesdays. Then post at least one other time in the week, most likely with reviews. (Also, the quick write prompts and exercises from authors)
5. Play with my writing territories list and heart map ideas to come up with some memoir drafts and poems. Do as I would expect my students to do and produce multiple pieces of writing in different genres.

I am expecting quite a commitment from myself because I expect a lot of writing from my students. If I don’t change my patterns and make time for writing, how can I realistically expect that from them? If I can’t go beyond my fears of failure, how can I expect my students to do this?

I hope that I can keep up with my goals and really make the time for writing that I plan to do. I know that the more experience that I get with writing, the better it will be for my students. Who knows? Maybe my story is just waiting to be found.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 6/17

It’s Monday! What are you reading? –From Picture Books to YA–is a weekly meme hosted by Jen and Kellee at Teach Mentor Texts. Head over to their blog for links to many great blogs and a plethora of good book suggestions.

The last few weeks of school seemed like such a whirlwind and time seemed to fly by. I am so excited to be starting with my summer #bookaday challenge. I will be attempting to read 80 books this summer, which is a few more than the number of days off I have.

Books I Finished This Week:

I LOVED Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. The book is extremely well-written with lyrical language and amazing characters. Both Ari and Dante are very likable boys with very complex issues. What I really loved about this book was the emphasis on family relationships. The adults in the book all really worked to do what they felt was best for their children. I liked it that the characters were complex and that the adults had made some really big mistakes but were willing to own up to them. The difficulty that Ari has with understanding his father is so realistic and well-written. I don’t want to give any spoilers and won’t, but I really kind of fell in love with Ari’s parents at the end. Please visit my longer review here.

The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom was so much fun to read. I laughed out loud multiple times while reading the book. I am a sucker for a good fractured fairy tale, so this book was right up my ally. I highly recommend this one to anyone grades 4 and up who wants a good laugh and a fun adventure story.

This year my school received some sets of books for literature circles from a grant. We did not have any say in the titles that were ordered, but I love that I have a lot of wonderful titles to use now. One of the novels in this set of books is Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. So, when I saw this graphic adaptation on clearance at Half Price Books, I knew I had to snatch it up. I enjoyed the story, but I am hoping that I will enjoy the novel more. At least I will have another version for students who might need help with visualization while reading this one.

Many of the books in the Pretty Little Liars series were also in the clearance section last weekend at Half Price Books. I love this television series and really was interested in reading the books. When I read the first one, I was kind of disappointed because I already knew everything that was going to happen from watching the show. This second book was a bit better because there were some things that were different and it made me more interested in the outcome. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to fans of the tv show and Gossip Girls. I know students will love these books and I am glad I got them.

More of this book was different from the tv show. I am starting to like the novels more because I am more interested in the mystery and am not sure about what will happen next in the books.

Books I am Currently Reading:

I started Code Name Verity today. So far, I am intrigued by the story. I am also trying to catch up with reading Notice and Note so that I can participate in this week’s chat. I missed last week because I was so busy with closing my classroom and end of year records that I did not have a chance to read section 2.

What’s Next:

I have Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn and a few other library books that I will probably get to. I also will start On Writing by Stephen King in preparation for Teachers Write. I will see where the week leads me after that.

My first world problem this week will be packing for a month in California at my sister’s house. I have been seriously contemplating shipping myself a box of some of the books in my TBR pile and then shipping them back at the end of July. I will figure that out this week as well.

What are you reading? Happy Reading!

Review: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

This review is a part of my #NerdPrintz challenge.

Title: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Author: Benjamin Alire Saenz

Publication: February 21, 2012
Source: Library book

Goodreads Summary:

Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.

My Thoughts:

This is a beautifully written book that explores so many deep issues. I was transfixed by the language and found myself slowing down to really appreciate the lyrical quality of the writing. I also found myself falling in love with all of the characters. Dante and Ari are both amazing boys with amazing parents. The love that is shared in these families is beautiful to see. This book deals with complex issues and many of the characters are dealing with past traumas and moving through their suffering. The backstories of the characters really made the characters dynamic and complicated people, which made the story that much more realistic. This book is one that stayed with me long after I finished reading it. These characters are living in my mind and will be in residence there for some time to come. This book was absolutely deserving of all of the awards bestowed upon it.

Here are two of my favorite passages from the novel:

“SUMMER WAS HERE AGAIN. SUMMER, SUMMER, SUMMER. I loved and hated summers. Summers had a logic all their own and they always brought something out in me. Summer was supposed to be about freedom and youth and no school and possibilities and adventure and exploration. Summer was a book of hope. That’s why I loved and hated summers. Because they made me want to believe.”

“My dad picked me up and rocked me in the chair. I felt small and weak and I wanted to hold him back but I couldn’t because there wasn’t any strength in my arms, and I wanted to ask him if he had held me like this when I was a boy because I didn’t remember and why I didn’t remember. I started to think that maybe I was still dreaming, but my mother was changing the sheets on my bed so I knew that everything was real. Except me.”

This book is all about discovering your own identity and accepting yourself for who you are. I highly recommend it to teens and adults.

5 out of 5 stars

Review: In Darkness

This review is part of my #NerdPrintz challenge.

Title: In Darkness
Author: Nick Lake

Published: January 5th, 2012
Source: Library book

My summary: The book starts out with Shorty, a Haitian boy, trapped under a pile of rubble after the hospital he was in collapsed in the big earthquake. Shorty begins to think over the recent events in his life that led to him being here. He lived in a slum run by two rival gangs and, like many young boys in those conditions, he became involved with the gang activity. The author provides us with a gritty and sometimes very graphic picture of life in a slum. As Shorty thinks back over his past, he starts to become aware of another presence and begins seeing things from a distant past. The reader starts to hear the story of Touissant l’Overture, a leader of a slave rebellion in Haiti’s past. The story weaves in and out of each man’s story and the reader gets a realistic picture of life in modern Haiti as well as a glimpse at Haiti’s tumultuous past.

My Thoughts: When I first started reading this book, I really had no idea what it was about. I found myself drawn in from the very beginning as I imagined what it would be like to be trapped as Shorty is. Then, as I continued to read, I quickly realized that this book was going to be one to savor and one that would teach me a lot about Haiti. I had to look up the author to understand how he could know these things. I found the author’s page and felt much more sure that the portrayal of life in Haiti was accurate. Visit the website about the book here for more information. I was absolutely astonished by the beauty of the language in this book. This author was able to describe scenes in such detail that I was able to perfectly imagine these scenarios even though I have never been in situations even remotely similar. I also enjoyed the magical elements in the story. The way in which the stories of these two characters were connected was brilliant.

You can get a taste of the writing in the very first passage of the book:

“I am the voice in the dark, calling out for your help. I am the quiet voice that you hope will not turn to silence, the voice you want to keep hearing cos it means someone is still alive. I am the voice calling for you to come and dig me out. I am the voice in the dark, asking you to unbury me, to bring me from the grave out into the light, like a zombi.
I am a killer and I have been killed, too, over and over; I am constantly being born. I have lost more things than I have found; I have destroyed more things than I have built. I have seen babies abandoned in the trash and I have seen the dead come back to life.
I first shot a man when I was twelve years old.
I have no name. There are no names in the darkness cos there is no one else, only me, and I already know who I am (I am the voice in the dark, calling out for your help), and I have no questions for myself and no need to call upon myself for anything, except to remember.”

Take a look at what the author has to say about the book here:

I would highly recommend this book to adults and teenagers. I would say that this one is grade 8 and up because some of the scenes are quite graphic and there is language and violence in the book. I think it is a book that all teens should read.

5 out of 5 Stars

Slice of Life 6/11

Ruth and Stacey at Two Writing Teachers
host the Slice of Life every Tuesday.

Today my 8th grade students will have their completion ceremony and move on their way to high school. This time of year is always bittersweet for me. I am happy for the students that they will move on to bigger and better things, and truthfully, I am ready for a break from them. However, I always know that I will miss this group of kids and I always wish there were time for more. I can never believe how quickly the last few weeks of school seem to go and I am caught by surprise as the year comes to a close.

As I have worked to wrap up this school year with my students, I noticed that I did not feel as close with my students as I have in the past. This bothered me. A lot. Then, I started thinking about what was different and I figured it out. This is the first year that I have had 8th grade students who have only had me for 8th grade. All of the other exiting 8th grade classes have been classes in which students were part of my class in a former year. I taught 1st grade for the first five years that I was at my school and then moved up to 4th and 5th grades. Some of my students in former years were in my class three or four times throughout their time at Morgandale. No wonder I felt like this years group was not as close to me. Maybe this is what it should feel like…it has been so long since I had a class only for one year that I don’t know. I just know that this year feels really weird.

Later this morning when I am watching all these young men and women hug each other and say farewell to our school, I know I will cry, just as I have cried every year that I have worked with 8th graders. Some of these students have been at our school since K4 and now they will move on to high school. It is a big change for them and many of them shed a few tears also. All I can hope is that we have done the best job we can in preparing them for the future and giving them wings to fly.

Some highlights from this school year with these 8th graders:

We jumped in with both feet and did NaNoWriMo last November. It was an awesome experience and most of my students told me it was their favorite writing activity this year.
All students read at least 10 books. This is not as many as I would have hoped they would have read, but I am proud of the fact that every one of my students, even the ones who scoffed and laughed when I introduced the 40 book challenge, has read multiple books and found books to love this year.
One of my students became a voracious reader…she didn’t really read until December and then, BAM! She took off. Here total at the end of the year was 82 books. And she didn’t count the long ones as two like I said they could. She burned her way through series after series and now has a serious reading addiction. I told her she had to stop to do chores though so she doesn’t get yelled at on weekends.
Multiple students are writing books and stories constantly. Many of them had not been doing this before this year. I can’t necessarily take credit for this one, but I think the extra encouragement has been helpful for them.
Many students made double or triple the gains that are expected in a year in math. Although I am not always convinced by the standardized tests, I am excited that students were able to see that their hard work paid off and they felt success in understanding concepts that were difficult for them before.
Writing false apology poems and pi poems with students was so much fun. It reminded me of the importance of introducing all types of writing and giving students the chance to be creative.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 6/10

I cannot believe that we have arrived at the end of the school year already! I am so excited for summer #bookaday and Teachers Write this summer. I loved my experience in Teachers Write last summer and am really looking forward to participating more this summer.

This was another slow reading week with preparations for the 8th grade completion ceremony and picnic, along with the last days of student work to plan for. The weekend was full of errands and shopping and finalizing the slide show so there was not much time for reading left.

Books I Finished Last Week:

I finally finished listening to Days of Blood and Starlight this week! Oh my, I am going to be absolutely on pins and needles until the next one comes out. The prose in these books is so achingly beautiful. I love the imagination of Laini Taylor. There are so many things happening in these books and this world is a place both terrifying and fascinating. I love Karou and Akiva and cannot wait to spend more time with them in the next book.

I enjoyed Rot and Ruin, but it took me awhile to get hooked. I think I was just on zombie overload because my husband and I had just watched a bunch of episodes of The Walking Dead to catch up with last season. I like how the protagonist really grows up and starts to be much more intelligent about what is really going on in his world. This is a smart story about what it might really be like to be living in the world after zombies have taken over. I will definitely recommend this one to my 8th grade students next year…especially the fans of The Walking Dead. I would be careful recommending it to students any younger than this because of the violence involved.

Books I am Currently Reading:

I started reading The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom this week. I am loving the humor so far. I also started Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe this week. I am also enjoying this one.

What’s Next?

I will play it by ear this week. My last work day is Thursday so I will probably take some time next weekend to do a reading marathon. I found the entire Pretty Little Liars series on clearance at Half Price Books today so I might start with some of those because I know they will be quick. I am also looking forward to starting Code Name Verity. I saved it for summer because I knew I might need to give it more focused attention in the beginning. I also want to take time to read some books in Spanish this summer. I have been so focused on reading a lot that I have been neglecting that. It is always good practice for me to spend some time thinking in Spanish.

It’s Monday! What are you reading? 6/3

Books I finished this week:

I completely understand why In Darkness by Nick Lake won the Printz award this year. This book was so beautiful and complex and made me think hard. I loved the way the story weaved back and forth between a historical account of the fight for independence and a story of today’s slums and living conditions in Haiti. The fact that all of the story was being told through the thoughts of a young man trapped by rubble from the big earthquake made the story that much more powerful and poignant. I will be reviewing this one soon in a more extended format as part of my #Nerdprintz challenge.

I got The Reluctant Assassin (W.A.R.P. #1) from Netgalley after reading about it on another Monday post. I absolutely love the Artemis Fowl series and have enjoyed all other books by Eoin Colfer in the past. When I heard he was writing a new series, I knew I needed to read it. This was an entertaining and quick read. I loved the science fiction story and I know that students will love the adventure and thriller feel to the book. I can certainly see why some teachers would feel that there was too much violence in this book…tread lightly with middle grade students. However, I think that my middle school students would love this fun story and I do not think the content would be inappropriate for grades 6 and up.

Books I am Currently Reading:

I am still reading Rot and Ruin. I am finding the story entertaining, but for some reason I keep picking up other books. I am not sure what it is that is making me feel reluctant to read this one. Perhaps I feel too full of zombie stories right now.

I am listening to Days of Blood and Starlight and will finish it this week. There is about an hour left on the audiobook.

What’s Next?

I still have Aristotle and Dante from the library. I don’t really know what else I will pick up this week. Now that I am done with report cards, I should have more time to read. The craziness of the end of the school year is still overwhelming and I will probably continue to be slow at finishing books. I cannot wait for bookaday to start in two weeks.

It’s Monday! What are you reading? Memorial Day Edition

This was another busy week as we start getting ready for the end of the year. With my 8th graders we also are in charge of planning a completion ceremony and 8th grade fun trip so things are hopping in my neck of the woods lately. I finished most of my report cards today so I will have much more time for reading this week.

Books I Finished This Week:

Aprilynne Pike was one of the authors I heard speak two weeks ago. She was really witty and fun and I found her book to be that way as well. Wings was a fun read about a girl who one day wakes up and finds a flower growing out of her back. Needless to say, it turns out to be a story about faeries but it is definitely a fun one! I will be looking for the other books in the series to read soon.

Books I am Currently Reading:

I am currently listening (still) to Days of Blood and Starlight. I thought I was almost done a couple weeks ago but actually I was almost done with the first part on the audiobook. This book is so beautiful. I love the narrator, but I will also need to look for a hard copy of the book. I listen to the book while working out and find myself dwelling on the beauty of the language. I wish I could be writing things down while listening. (and I am pretty sure my heart is going to be breaking with the storyline also)

I am also reading In Darkness, which is heartbreaking and fascinating. I am learning so much about Haiti through this book. I can see why this one won the Printz award this week. I also started Rot and Ruin and am finding this one quite entertaining too. There is a little bit so far about the morality of killing zombies which is somewhat unique. I will be interested to see how the rest of the book goes.

What’s up next?

I have SOOOO many books on my pile! I want to get to Aristotle and Dante this week and I have Pepper which is a book about this spice from the library which seems quite intriguing. I also would like to get to the new Eoin Colfer book which I have in e-galley form. I will probably also start Notice and Note so that I can participate with the Twitter chat next week.

What are you reading? Have a great reading week!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 5/20

Another very busy week so I really didn’t read a lot. The highlight of the week was meeting Amy Timberlake and having her visit my school. The students and teachers at school all loved the experience. If you haven’t read One Came Home yet, I would highly recommend it!

Another fun thing this week was FINALLY opening my bookswap package. Lisa Oetting was my swap buddy and she sent me a great book. Thank you Lisa!

I have heard of this book from multiple sources. I think almost every book I have read about writing workshop talks about this picture book as a great one for a mentor text. I was so excited to finally read it!

This is definitely a book which lives up to its recommendations. I will use it for talking about voice and perspective in writing.

Books Finished This Week:

I really liked Splintered by A.G. Howard. This is a great twist on a classic story. In this book, Alice’s great-great-great granddaughter is battling a curse that has been in her family since Alice came back from Wonderland. Every woman in the family goes insane. Alyssa is no different, she has been hearing the conversations of insects and plants and hiding the fact that she is starting to fall under the family curse. The imagined Wonderland in this book is dark and twisted and very interesting.

Books I am Currently Reading:

I am more than halfway through Gone by Michael Grant. This is going quickly for me but it is a long book. I also am still listening to Days of Blood and Starlight.

What’s Next:

I have In Darkness and Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe from the library. I also have been meaning to read Rot and Ruin so I will probably get to that soon. I can’t believe how few books I have been getting through lately. I hope I will have more time to do more reading this week. (With report cards due soon this will probably not happen though)

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 5/12

May just keeps getting busier and busier! I feel lucky that I am not suffocating under the pile of papers on my desk! Testing and more testing and grading and end of year stuff and I am SOOO overwhelmed. On top of everything, we now have a book study going at school which we are trying to squeeze in before the end of the school year and a LOT of my reading time is spent on that.

I am super excited for this week’s author visit from Amy Timberlake. I have never experienced an author visit in my school and I am ecstatic that I was able to arrange this awesome experience for my students.

This week I attended the Pitch Dark Days tour at the local library and heard four lovely lady authors speak about their books. I was so excited to meet Kiera Cass! I am looking forward to reading the other books I bought and learning more about the other three authors I met: Aprilynne Pike, Elizabeth Norris, and Amy Tintera.

The other big event of the week was EdCampMke. I have to admit, I thought about skipping it and going into my classroom instead, but I am so glad I did not skip it! What an amazing experience! I am now armed with a whole bunch of amazing and invigorating ideas. I also actually pitched a session about reading and writing workshop and was able to share info about NerdyBookClub and TeachersWrite.

All of this extra busy stuff meant that my reading week was a little bit slow, but I definitely think it was worth it.

Books Finished This Week:

I really enjoyed Madhattan Mystery by John Bonk. It was a fun mystery and definitely appropriate and fun for middle grades kids. I love mysteries and am so excited that there are so many being written for younger audiences. When I was younger, I would have loved that!

This was such a cute book and I was glad I could read it at the library while waiting for the author event. It would be a good addition to any elementary school class library. I can definitely see using this book with middle schoolers as well in order to help them get away from using exclamation marks at the end of every sentence. This would be a great way to review conventions at the beginning of the year.

I loved this book. I grew up in Wisconsin and lived in a small town while I went to high school. There were many kids that came from farms and I really appreciate how this book really acknowledges the fact that farming is such a difficult thing to do. The rivalry between the two high schools is very realistic as well. I thought the author did a great job with character development and I am really interested in reading her other books now also. I highly recommend it to students in middle school and up.

Books I am Currently Reading:

I am still listening to Days of Blood and Starlight. It is turning out to be quite a dark and heartbreaking story. I finally was able to start working out again yesterday so I hope to finish this book this week during workouts. I am also reading the professional book about math instruction that we are using for the book study at school.

What’s Next:

I checked out some books at the library last week that I am really looking forward to. I will probably read some of those this week. I also have been wanting to read Rot and Ruin lately so I might pick that up. I have the books that I bought at the author event as well. There are so many books on my TBR shelf that I just have to play it by ear or I drive myself insane.

What are you reading? Have a great reading week!