Brooke+Whitlow

RL.6.1. Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
 * //Alex Awards: The Talk-Funny Girl by Roland Merullo//**
 * __Citation__**:Merullo, R. (2011). //The talk funny girl.//
 * __Genre__**: Fiction
 * __Summary__**: This story is about a seventeen year old girl who is wise beyond her years. In a small, rural community, Marjorie’s daily life is a constant struggle for survival. Her life is a vacuum of abuse from her parents and the watchful eye of their “church” leader. Her parents have lived so far removed from modern, normal society that she finds comfort in speaking the language her father has developed, a version of severely broken English. Marjorie is in constant inner conflict about how to escape the torment of her parents. With a series of kidnapping and murders in her small town, Marjorie finds comfort and strength in an unlikely friend. This is truly a story of survival and triumph, despite all odds.
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RL.6.3. Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

Antonacci, P.A. & O’Callaghan, C.M. (2011). //Developing content area literacy: 40 strategies for middle and secondary classrooms.// Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. International Reading Association and National Council of Teachers of English. (1996). //Standards for the English language arts.// Newark, DE: International Reading Association & Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.
 * __Classroom Activity__**: Strategy 18, Connect to It, making personal, text and world connections to text from Antonacci & O’Callaghan (2011, p. 133) would be a great activity to accompany this book. Marjorie is a student that is withdrawn at school and speaks a language that few can comprehend. The title of the book, “The Talk Funny Girl”, is the name Marjorie’s peers give her at school. This strategy would help students gain insight into those students that are “strange” or that struggle with forming peer to peer relationships.
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6: Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts. 12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information). Antonacci, P.A. & O’Callaghan, C.M. (2011). //Developing content area literacy: 40 strategies for middle and secondary classrooms.// Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. International Reading Association and National Council of Teachers of English. (1996). //Standards for the English language arts.// Newark, DE: International Reading Association & Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.
 * //William C. Morris Awards: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys//**
 * __Citation:__** Sepetys, R. (2011). //Between shades of gray.//
 * __Genre:__** Fiction
 * __Summary:__** This story takes place on the eastern front of WWII. The story is narrated by a young fifteen year old Lithuanian girl, Lina. The story begins as she is taken from her home in Lithuania with her younger brother, Jonas, and mother, Elena. Lina, who is a talented artist with a promising future, illustrates each horrifying part of their journey at the hands of Josef Stalin’s NKVD. This heartbreaking story shares a less talked about perspective of the horrors of WWII. Lina’s journey, along with her family and newfound friends, is one of courage, hope and bravery when faced with true evil.
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 * __Classroom Activity:__** Strategy 15, Jots and Doodles, visualizing text to aid comprehension would be a great strategy to accompany this book. This story connects on a very emotional level with the reader. While students are reading about some of the specific horrors, or even some of the few moments of joy experienced by Lina and her family, the students will be able to process this information as they encounter it. The author uses detailed imagery throughout the book that students could use to help them with their notations. I also think making these notes/illustrations as the students read will aid in comprehension and also help them process the very heavy, emotional content of this book.
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ELA 4: Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes. ELA 5: Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use idfferent writing process elements appropriately to communicate wiht different audiences for a variety of purposes. Students could create a digital story (Strategy 22) using Animoto, MovieMake or iMovie. They could tell a story of the yellow fever epidemic by creating characters, setting (more specifically), events and problem-solutions. The students would take this real life event and create their own story line. Antonacci, P.A. & O’Callaghan, C.M. (2011). //Developing content area literacy: 40 strategies for middle and secondary classrooms.// Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. International Reading Association and National Council of Teachers of English. (1996). //Standards for the English language arts.// Newark, DE: International Reading Association & Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.
 * //Margaret A. Edwards Award//**
 * __Citation:__**Murphy, J. (2003). //An american plague: The true and terrifying story of the yellow fever epidemic of 1793.//
 * __Genre:__** Non-Fiction
 * __Summary:__** The book accurately retells a very sad time in American history that killed approximately 5000 people in a matter of months. The novel recounts the phases of the epidemic that began with the death of a French sailor in a boardinghouse around Philadelphia 1793. The author wisely disperses actual quotes from historical figures and citizens of Philadelphia at the time of the epidemic that make this part of history truly come alive for the reader.
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//__**Genre**:__// Fiction 6: Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions, media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique and discuss print and nonprint texts. Strategy 26: SCAMPER Substitute: How would the conflict of the story changed if Joey's dad had a "normal job"? Combine: How would the plot of the story change if Joey's dad planned to rob his mother's grave? Adapt: How would Joey adapt if the social worker discovered his new "job"? Modify: How would the plot change if Joey's mother was only injured, therefore leaving him with his dad only temporarily? Put to other uses: How would the plot change if the purpose of the story were to protest small business owners? Eliminate: How would the story change if there were no graves to rob? Rearrange or reverse sequence: How would the audience react if we began the novel with Joey and his dad "working" together before the author explained what happened to Joey's mother? Antonacci, P.A. & O’Callaghan, C.M. (2011). //Developing content area literacy: 40 strategies for middle and secondary classrooms.// Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. International Reading Association and National Council of Teachers of English. (1996). //Standards for the English language arts.// Newark, DE: International Reading Association & Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English. __//**Michael L. Printz Award**//__ This novel is about a young boy, Cameron, who is an average teenage boy without much ambition for anything. As it turns out, Camerons issues are unrelated to drug use (as his parents suspected) but the result of mad cow disease. Cameron sets off on a journey with a punk-rock angel, a dwarf and a yard gnome to find the mysterious time-traveling Dr. X who will hopefully give Cameron a cure for his disease. The storyline is difficult to understand and you are never fully aware of what is real and what is not.
 * //Odyssey Award//**
 * __Citation:__**Kraus, D. (2011). //Rotters.//
 * __Summary:__** The protagonist of the story and teenage, Joey Crouch lives a normal life and goes unnoticed by most people until his life dramatically changes by the unexpected death of his mother. Joey is sent to live with his unknown-to-him father in the middle of nowhere. A bad reputation (and odor) seem to follow Joey's father (and now Joey) everywhere. Joey discovers that his father's "profession" is robbing the graves of the valuables with which they are buried. This is a very unique (and unusual) coming of age story that would appeal to young adults, specifically boys.
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 * __Citation:__** Bray, L. (2010) Going bovine.
 * __Genre:__** Fiction
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//Insert comment (AKA Confession): I did not finish this book. It was all I had to get through what I did. I've never given up on a book before and just simply quit, but this book (as I like to say:) made my armpits sweat. After reading what I did, I am thoroughly confused as to how this book won an award. Unless, however, the award was the most-confusing-random-wacky book ever written. I'm sorry. I read (or tried) this one last and I simply couldn't squeeze another one in in this time frame. I'm just being honest here. :(//
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Antonacci, P.A. & O’Callaghan, C.M. (2011). //Developing content area literacy: 40 strategies for middle and secondary classrooms.// Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. International Reading Association and National Council of Teachers of English. (1996). //Standards for the English language arts.// Newark, DE: International Reading Association & Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English. __//**YALSA Award for Nonfiction**//__ Sheinkin, S. (2010). //The notorious benedict arnold:a true story of adventure, heroism and treachery.// This was an excellent book detailing the life of Benedict Arnold. When you mention this name, most students will immediately shout the word "traitor" but Sheinkin does an excellent job at detailing the other aspects (even the ones BEFORE he became a turn-coat) of Benedict Arnolds life. This biography was not too "text-bookish" and would be interpreted well my middle grades students. 3: Students apply a wide range of strategies to comphrehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features.
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 * __Genre:__** Non-fiction
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Strategy 19: Quick Writes Since this is a biography and a piece of non-fiction literature, students will need to do prereading activites about what they know about this topic. As I mentioned in the summary, most young adults KNOW what Benedict Arnold is known for but they do not really know Benedict Arnold. A prompt for the prereading could be: What is a turn coat? or What do you know about treachery during times of war? This would be a good leading topic into Benedict Arnold and the REvolutionary War. Students would need to write down questions or notes as they read. For example, maybe they are unaware of what the yellow fever is. Students, at the end, could write a summary, complete a web 2.0 tool or create their own QR exit codes detailing what they learned during the reading. Antonacci, P.A. & O’Callaghan, C.M. (2011). //Developing content area literacy: 40 strategies for middle and secondary classrooms.// Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. International Reading Association and National Council of Teachers of English. (1996). //Standards for the English language arts.// Newark, DE: International Reading Association & Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.
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__//**Bluegrass Award for Middle School**//__ When Billy Harriman's dad dies in a plane accident, Billy finds himself developing superhuman powers that he cannot explain. A family friend and a mysterious stranger both try to guide Billy, and he doesn't know who to trust. With the help of his best friend, Kate, Billy sets out to solve the mystery of his father's death and discover the source of his strange new powers. 6: Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts. 12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information). Strategy 18: Connect to it The connect to it strategy is a great strategy to use with this book. The idea that superheros can be real really plays into the imagination of the students. After explaining the ways that students relate to text, a nice class discussion will more than likely ensue. Antonacci, P.A. & O’Callaghan, C.M. (2011). //Developing content area literacy: 40 strategies for middle and secondary classrooms.// Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. International Reading Association and National Council of Teachers of English. (1996). //Standards for the English language arts.// Newark, DE: International Reading Association & Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.
 * __Citation:__** Lupica, M. (2010). Hero.
 * __Genre:__** Fiction
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__//**Bluegrass Award for High School**//__ Donoghue, E. (2010). //Room.// Fiction The novel begins with a woman and young boy speaking in a language that is difficult for the reader to intrepret. It isn't until further into the book that you realize the scenario: kidnapped woman held hostage, rapist, and a child whom is the product of this situation. The story is heartfelt and heartbreaking. It brings memories of Lacey Dugard and countless other victims to life. The mother and child have created their own method of survival for years in a tiny room. The story, told through the eyes of a child, is one of survival and triumph. 11: Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative and critical members of a variety of literacy communities. Strategy 28: Academic Controversy
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Questioning the Author: This book provides such an opportunity for discussion especially considering that it takes the reader a while to grasp what is happening in the book. This is a great strategy to use for this book. Before the students begin, the book can be chunked or divided into smaller sections where the class can have think-pair-shares or small/large class discussions with the prompt. This books raises several moral and ethical issues that would be excellent points of discussion. Antonacci, P.A. & O’Callaghan, C.M. (2011). //Developing content area literacy: 40 strategies for middle and secondary classrooms.// Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. International Reading Association and National Council of Teachers of English. (1996). //Standards for the English language arts.// Newark, DE: International Reading Association & Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.
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__//**Ebook**//__ Collins, S. (2009). //Catching fire.// Fiction Catching Fire, the second installment of the Hunger Games triology, is a story of triumph, love, and rebellion. Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark believe they have secured themselves a lifetime of plenty in District 12 after beating the odds and winning the annual Hunger Games. However, they have unknowingly become the faces of an impending rebellion and the Capitols ever-watchful eye (and President Snow's lovely white roses) are never far behind. 8. Students use a variety of technological and informational resources to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
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Strategy 25: Book trailers
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With the popularity of The Hunger Games series growing more and more each day, students would be thrilled to take this novel a set further. Students will create insight and discovery about the text by creating a book trailer. Students would need to organize their trailer (characters, settings, problem-solution). For high achieving students, they could create a movie trailer for the yet-to-be released movie. Antonacci, P.A. & O’Callaghan, C.M. (2011). //Developing content area literacy: 40 strategies for middle and secondary classrooms.// Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. International Reading Association and National Council of Teachers of English. (1996). //Standards for the English language arts.// Newark, DE: International Reading Association & Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English __//**EBook**//__ Collins, S. (2010). //Mockingjay.// Fiction Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games for a second time. She has broken all odds and is not the symbol of the rebellion. Living in the secret, underground District 13, Katniss and her family and friends devise a plan of attack on the Capitol. Katniss is torn between two great loves and this conflict of passion is only the tip of the iceberg in this dramatic piece of fiction. Mockingjay will keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you wanting more at the end. 11: Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative and critical members of a variety of literacy communities. 8: Students use a variety of technological and informational resources to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge. Strategy 24: Podcasting
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During this last novel of The Hunger Games triology, the commercials or PSA's produced by the Capitol and District 13 play a crucial role in the development of the story in this book. Students will divide into teams and be assigned either the Capitol or District 13. They will create their own podcast to accompany the book. Students could even choose to take it a step further (for higher level students) and create a podcast for the "fourth" installment of this triology. Antonacci, P.A. & O’Callaghan, C.M. (2011). //Developing content area literacy: 40 strategies for middle and secondary classrooms.// Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. International Reading Association and National Council of Teachers of English. (1996). //Standards for the English language arts.// Newark, DE: International Reading Association & Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English
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