Jamie+Williams


 * __Room __** by Emma Donoghue **(2011 Alex Award Winner)**


 * __Summary __****: **Room is an amazing, captivating novel told from the point of view of Jack, a 5 year old narrator who has always lived with his mother (Ma) in Room. Ma is a 27 year old woman who can recall what her life was like on the outside before having to spend every day confined within the four walls of Room. To Jack, however, this is the only life he has ever known. The story is somewhat difficult to understand when you first begin, since it is being told by a 5 year old. Everything in Room is capitalized when Jack talks about it, because it shows that Jack truly believes that this is what their names are. For instance, you have Chair, Toothpaste, Bed, and Wardrobe. It is as if Jack refers to them as people he comes in contact with while living his life in Room. This story is a wonderful example of the lengths a parent will go to when ensuring the safety and happiness of their child.


 * __Curriculum Connection __**: This novel would be a wonderful tool to use when teaching point of view to 9th/10th graders. Standard 6 is about analyzing a particular point of view. Students could hear the story from Jack’s point of view and analyze the events that occur. They could then explain how the story would be if told from Ma’s point of view and how the events would unfold in an entirely new way.


 * __Promotion __**: I would introduce this book by reading the very beginning where Jack is explaining his birthday. “Today I’m five. I was four last night going to sleep in Wardrobe, but when I wake up in Bed in the dark I’m changed to five, abracadabra. Before that I was three, then two, then one, then zero. ‘Was I minus numbers?’” I believe this would help my students understand the mentality of a 5 year old, because children at this age truly have no concept of time. I believe that this would compel many to continue reading this unique, inventive story.

Donoghue, E. (2010). //Room//. New York: NY: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN: 978-0-316-09833-5


 * __Hush __**by Eishes Chayil **(William C. Morris Award 2011 Finalist)**


 * __Summary __****: **Opening in the year 2008, we learn that the main character Gittel has found it difficult to get over the death of her friend, Devory. It is evident that Devory’s suicide still haunts Gittel after so many years have lapsed, because she is writing a letter to her 9 year old friend even though she knows it will never arrive to its recipient. Gittel lives near a Hasidic community in Borough Park, a place that Jews consider to be the most holy place right after Jerusalem. It is within this community that teenagers take part in arranged marriages, and Gittel is in the days leading up to hers. She carries the memory of Devory and what horrific thing occurred to her that lead to Devory taking her own life. When she finally finds the courage to speak of what undeniably happened to her friend, she finds herself being confronted by the powerful men in her community//. Hush// is a powerful book that reveals the internal conflict that Gittel battles with for years and cannot escape her friend’s memory.


 * __Curriculum Connection __****<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">This book would be a great tool in teaching 9-10 graders about conflicts, motivations, and interactions. This would support Standard 3: Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme. I would have students keep a character journal of Gittel while reading the book.


 * __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Promotion __****<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">To introduce the book, I would read the first chapter aloud. This is the chapter where Gittel is writing a letter to Devory even though it will never reach her. I would spark a writing assignment from this. I would have students choose someone they were close to that has passed and have them write a letter to them.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Chayil, E. (2010). //Hush//. New York, NY: Walker Publishing Company, Inc. ISBN: 978-0-8027-2088-7




 * __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Young Fredle __** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">by Cynthia Voigt **(Odyssey Award 2012 Honor Recording)**


 * __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Summary __****<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Second shelf of the kitchen pantry is where Fredle and his family’s nest is located. During the day he rests safely in his nest listening to the conversations between Mister and Missus, the wailing from the baby, and the barking from the two dogs. At night is when he and his family search for food. This is Fredle’s world until he gets sick from eating too much chocolate and is banished from the world he knows and sent to “went.” Went is when a mouse that is wounded, sick, too old, or too weak is pushed out onto the pantry floor during the day and left there…never to be seen again. The mice believed this was their way to keep their nests and the healthy mice safe. This story uses beautiful imagery to carry its readers with Fredle on his journey into the unknown.


 * __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Curriculum Connection __****<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">This book would be a wonderful tool to use when teaching 3rd graders on how and why characters develop over the course of a text. This supports Standard 3: Describe characters in a story (e.g. their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events. Using this standard, I would have students compare Fredle to his female cousin, Axle. I would have them look at each of their character traits, their motivations, and their outcomes in the novel.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">This strategy would help 3rd graders make a connection to related concepts and possibly related experiences that that will help them make a deeper connection to the text. The teacher must:
 * __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Promotion __****<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Reading Strategy **from __Developing Content Area Literacy__:** Small-group discussion
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Provide time for small-group discussion and encourage the kids to compare the connections that they have made.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Focus on one type of connection at a time. This will help students avoid confusion if this strategy is still new to students.
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Encourage each small group to select two or three connections to share with the rest of the class.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Voigt, C. (2012). //Young fredle//. New York, NY: Yearling. ISBN: 978-0375857874




 * __How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way)__** by Sue Macy
 * (YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults 2012 Finalist)**


 * __Summary__**: Sue Macy begins her book by expressing her love for this two-wheeled invention and how she found freedom on it when she was a child. She then reflects on how the bicycle liberated women from the suffocating and constricting lives they led during the late 1800’s and how it changed their lives forever. The book is complete with beautiful, vintage photos that allow readers to see where the bicycle has taken us, especially women.

__**Curriculum Connection**__: This text can be used for 9th and 10th graders. Standard 2 (Reading Informational Texts) determines a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. Using this standard, students can analyze how the concept of the bicycle as both a mode of transportation and a source of freedom is developed over the course of the text.


 * __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Promotion __****<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Reading Strategy from **__Developing Content Area Literacy__:** Questioning the Author (QtA)


 * __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Step 1: Analyzing the Text __**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The teacher will read the text through the eyes of her students and will try to determine if there will be any problems that her students may face. The teacher may ask herself:


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Is there any information that the student should know in order to understand the passage?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Is there any information that they author leaves out?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Are there terms used by the author that could make the reading difficult for my students to understand?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Are there any areas that need clarifying?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The teacher will then “chunk” the text that she believes needs clarification for the readers before they will be able to move onto the next section. The next phase is the discussion place that the teacher develops queries that will be posed to the author as students read the text.


 * __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Step 2: Developing Queries __**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">This is an important part of this strategy that students will use to make meaning of what they are reading. Queries are not like comprehension questions given at the end of a text. Queries are used by students as they are reading to help make meaning from the text by asking the author to clear up a vague part of the text. The teacher creates queries for initiating and for follow-up. Examples may look like:

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Initiating Queries <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">* What is the author trying to say here? <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">* What is the author’s message? <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">* What is the author talking about?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Follow-Up Queries <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">* What does the author mean here? <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">* Does the author explain it clearly? <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">* Does this make sense with what the author said before?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Macy, S. (2011). //Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way).// Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Children's Books. ISBN: 978-1-42630-761-4
 * __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Implementation: __**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> The second major component of this strategy is the implementation. This is where the teacher directs the students to read a part of the text and engages her students in a discussion where the queries are brought up in a discussion for the purpose of helping students comprehend what they have read.




 * __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The Second Short Life of Bree Tanner __**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> by Stephenie Meye **(Kindle Edition)**


 * __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Summary __**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">: Those that are familiar with the //Twilight// books by Stephenie Meyer know that the series is told from Bella Swan’s viewpoint. In the //Eclipse// novel, we briefly meet Bree Tanner before her life as a vampire comes to an end. In The Second Short Life of Bree Tanner, Meyer allows readers to see things through the eyes of a young vampire and experience how she feels toward hunger, love, and the truth about sunlight. This is a great companion to the //Twilight// books.


 * __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Curriculum Connection __**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">: This text would be read by high school students. It would correlate with Standard 5 (Reading Literature) where students can look at //Eclipse// and //The Second Short Life of Bree Tanner// and can analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order of events within it, and manipulate time create different effects like mystery, tension, or surprise.


 * __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Promotion __**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">: Strategy from **__Developing Content Area Literacy__**: Quick Writes

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The teacher can use quick writes with students since most have read the Twilight books. The teacher could give students the topic of write what literature has told us about vampires. Students could take about 3 minutes to write down what they know of this subject. Students will then share with the class their answers. As the book is being read, students can read their responses and either edit it, jot down other ideas, or write down any other questions that may come to mind. After reading, students could share any additional information that they learned from the reading about the topic that was given earlier.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Meyer, S. (2010). //The Second Short Life of Bree Tanner//. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN: <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">978-0316125581 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">; ASIN: B003GZ4YYY


 * __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The Best of Me __**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> by Nicholas Sparks **(Kindle Edition)**
 * __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Summary __**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">: Dawson Cole and Amanda Collier were high school sweethearts. Despite coming from opposite sides of the track, they believed that their love could overcome any and all obstacles. A tragic event, however, forced them to part ways. Twenty-five years have passed, and Amanda and Dawson are brought back together when Tuck Hostetler (a man that gave Dawson a safe refuge during high school and who supported their young relationship) has passed away. Tuck leaves something to the two of them, forcing them to come together after all of these years. Unlike many of Nicholas Sparks’ novels, this story has an ending that truly left me speechless.
 * __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Curriculum Connection __**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">: Since Nicholas Sparks is a favorite among high school girls, this book would be appropriate for grades 9 and 10. This text would work wonderfully with Standard 3 (Reading Literature): analyze how complex characters develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Promotion: Strategy from **__Developing Content Area Literacy__**: Quick Writes <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The teacher can use quick writes with students since most have read or watched some of Nicholas Sparks’ work. The teacher could give students the topic of what qualities do Nicholas Sparks’ books have? Students could take about 3 minutes to write down what they know of this subject. Students will then share with the class their answers. As the book is being read, students can read their responses and either edit it, jot down other ideas, or write down any other questions that may come to mind. After reading, students could share any additional information that they learned from the reading about the topic that was given earlier.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Sparks, N. (2011). //The Best of Me//. New York, NY: Grand Central Publishing. ISBN: 978-0446547659; ASIN: B004QZ9PLU




 * __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Hero __**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> by Mike Lupica (Blue Grass Award for Middle School)
 * __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Summary __**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">: Mike Lupica is best known for his novels that are centered around sports. For the first time, however, he has selected another avenue to take. He has chosen to compose a book where his main characters have superpowers. Zach Harriman’s father works as the special advisor to the president, or dispensing his own form of justice as he solves complications at a last moment’s notice. Zach is devastated when his dad is killed. Not knowing that he has inherited “special powers” from his father, Zach is in danger with the ones that killed his father. He, however, is even more determined now to avenge his father’s death.
 * __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Curriculum Connection __**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">: This book is definitely written for a younger audience. Written for the middle grades in mind, this book would be great for the 5th grade level. This text would relate to Standard 3 (Reading Literature): Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Zach learns so much in such a short amount of time (his father works for the president, his father is killed, he has superpowers just like his father, and now he’s in danger). Students could use journaling to express how they feel and how they believe Zach feels as he encounters all of the dangers within the book //Hero//. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Lupica, M. (2010). Hero. New York, NY: The Penguin Group. ISBN: 1-101-19753-6
 * __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Promotion __**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">: Reading Strategy from **__Developing Content Area Literacy__**: Journaling

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">__**You**__ by Charles Benoit (Blue Grass Award for High School)

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">__**Summary**__: This book begins with Kyle Chase (a sophomore in high school) finding himself in a situation that he cannot figure out how he got there. “You’re surprised at all the blood. He looks over at you, eyes wide, mouth dropping over, his face almost as white as his shirt.” The book then uses flashback to Kyle starting Midlands High and joining the “hoodies” to try to determine how he has gotten himself into this predicament. He chooses to befriend a boy named Zack McDade, but it then that everything takes a turn for the worse. He gets into fights, is suspended from school, and loses the opportunity to date the girl of his dreams (Ashley Bianchi). Then there is the blood…

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">__**Curriculum Connection**__: Since this book’s main character is a sophomore in high school, this book would be perfect to use with 10th grade students. The standard to use with this book would be Standard 3 (Reading Literature): analyze how complex characters develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme. Students can study Kyle and analyze how he changes over the course of the book and why he behaves the ways he does.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">__**Promotion**__: To promote this book, I would begin with a short class discussion. I would ask anyone if they had to move and begin school where they didn’t know anyone. I would then ask how they felt starting their life somewhere new. Then I would open the discussion to ask everyone how they have tried to fit in somewhere or what they would do to feel like they belonged. After that, I would read the first few lines of the book. “You’re surprised at all the blood. He looks over at you, eyes wide, mouth dropping over, his face almost as white as his shirt.” After sharing these lines, students will be hooked to read the rest of the book, since they are making a personal connection and intro has sparked their interest.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Benoit, C. (2010). //You//. New York, NY: HarperTeen. ISBN: 978-0-06-194704-9


 * __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Why We Broke Up __** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">by Daniel Handler **(Michael L. Printz Award 2012 Honor Book)**


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">__Summary__: **//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Why We Broke Up //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> is the story of how one young woman deals with a break-up. The book begins with a letter written to Ed to explain why Min (short for Minerva) is leaving a box full of mementos on his doorstep. Each item in the box has a letter attached to it explaining its significance in their relationship and in their break-up. The book allows readers to experience how these two polar opposites (a jock and a movie lover) fell in love and what lead to their end. This book is accompanied with beautiful illustrations of the items that Min has included the box.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">__Curriculum Connection__: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">This book is definitely written for a high school audience with the language it contains and the themes that Handler has written about. This book could connect to Standard 3 (Reading Literature) where students can analyze how complex characters develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters and advance the plot or develop the theme. Students could analyze how the relationship with Min and Ed develop over the course of revealing the items in the box. They could also analyze how this advances the idea of their break-up.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">__Promotion__: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">To promote this book, I would bring in a couple of the items (bottle caps, movie ticket stubs, etc.) that Min includes in the box to Ed and have student tell me the importance of them. Of course, I will get confused looks and stares, but then I will share what the book is essentially about. I will then ask students to keep a journal so that they can record the different items that Min has included and their importance to both their relationship and their break-up.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Handler, D. (2013). //Why we broke up//. New York, NY: Little Brown & Co. ISBN: 978-0-316-12725-7

<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">(Anderson was the ‘09 Margaret A. Edwards Award winner for //Catalyst//, //Fever 1793//, and //Speak//). <span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Anderson, L. (1999). //Speak//. Harrisonburg, VA: RR Donnelley & Sons Company. ISBN: 978-0312674397
 * __<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Speak __**<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">by Laurie Halse Anderson
 * __<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Summary __****<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">: **<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> Melinda finds herself as a freshmen outcast at Merryweather High School. She hears whispers and feels the stares from the ones that she once called “friend.” What has her experiencing this torment? She is shunned by everyone, because she was the reason a party over the summer was busted up after she called the cops. Melinda finds “her voice” retreating more and more inside of her, threatening never to return. It isn’t until she finds an outlet in art class that she begins to cope with what truly happened to her at this party…she was raped. This is a powerful story about how one young woman finally finds her voice to fight back against those that tried to steal who she was away.
 * __<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Curriculum Connection __**<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">: Since this book discusses such a serious topic such as rape, this book should be read by high school students. Standard 3 (Reading Literature) states that a student will analyze how complex characters develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot. Students could closely analyze why Melinda acts the ways she does, why “her friends” treat her the way they do, and how Melinda finally finds the strength to stand up for herself.
 * __<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Promotion: __**<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> To promote this book I would ask students to respond to some questions that will spark class discussion. 1. How would you treat your friends if they were the reason an awesome party had to abruptly come to an end? 2. What would you do if you discovered that one of your friends had been raped? 3. What would you do if you discovered that one of your friends was a rapist? Questions such as these will cause students to want to discover why I am asking questions such as this and what happens in the book we are about to read.