Three Great American Memoirs!

Happy Fourth! With our Read, White, and Blue Insta-linky going strong, I thought I'd do a little blogging about one of my favorite reading genres -- memoirs. From favorite authors to sports heroes, I love a good memoir. One of my all time favorite books is The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. Her family's struggle with instability and mental illness, show how grit and perseverance can take you so many places if you're willing to go that extra mile. If you've never read it - put it on your Kindle right now!  I remember back to freshman year of High School reading A Child called It and feeling guilty for falling in love with such a sad story. Sophomore year we read Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt. I remember laughing out loud and sobbing through the deaths of all the McCourt babies. Those books have left heart-prints on my reading life. So, how can I get memiors to leave heart-prints on my student lives?  I think of books in my classroom library such as Knots in my Yo-Yo String by Jerry Spinelli or My Life in Dog Years by Gary Paulsen. However, I have three favorite memoirs to share with students. Therefore, I'm linking up with the lovely ladies at the Teaching Trio to share my three favorite memoirs!

Memoirs of a Goldfish and Memoirs of a Hamster by Devin Scillian are just plain FUN books! If you're missing out. These books do a great job at poking fun at the genre while showing students that a memoir can be about any moment in your life. Whether it be a slightly dull life as a goldfish or a the repetitive life of a hamster -- there is a story to be told! I love to use these books when introducing the genre of memoir because they are fun and approachable for kids of all ages!

Fourth, fifth, and even sixth grade readers will love Marshfield Dreams: When I was a Kid by Ralph Fletcher. Fletcher writes this memoir in a series of vignettes about growing up in Marshfield, Massachusetts and his family's life changing move to Chicago. This book has a little bit of something for everyone. Fletcher includes humorous chapters about his neighbor knowing the latest "scuttlebutt" before Ralph or his little brother eating various "things" off the sidewalk. He also doesn't shy away from personal tragedies such as the loss of his brother or moving away from his life long friends. This book makes a great paired text which Fletcher's fictional life story, Fig Pudding. I've used this text during my launching Writer's Workshop unit in the past because it creates great discussion for how writer's get ideas. 

I really, really, really wanted my students to be able to read Gifted Hands during our nonfiction unit but I'm not quite sure it's appropriate for my 5th graders. This book is a marvelous story about Ben Carson coming up from the slums of Detroit to become one of the world's most revered surgeons. From feeling like the dumbest kid in 5th grade because he couldn't read the eye chart to moving in with family members while his mom takes a "vacation" from life -- this story is full of obstacles and determination. Lots of theme work can be done with this book! Plus, I couldn't put this book down! {Bonus - there is a movie with Cuba Gooding, JR! WHAT!!} However, due to some of Ben's hardships and the focus on religion in the book - I think younger readers would need some guidance through the text. Therefore, I feel like this book is more suitable for junior high readers that are a little more mature and could more easily relate to Ben's story. 

What's one of your favorite reading genres?

Favorite Civil Rights Reads!

Since February is Black History Month, I thought this would a great time to link up with the lovely ladies at the Teaching Trio to share my three favorite Civil Rights picture books for their Favorite Things Linky!

In 5th grade, we have an entire integrated unit about the Civil Rights Movement. We read tons and tons of primary sources. We watch videos, we learn about the history, we make timelines. Its truly one of the best units we teach all year. However, one of my favorite ways to "teach" this time period is through amazing picture books. You can see more of my favorite books by checking out my past post on Historical Fiction & my Civil Rights feed!

Here are my three favorites:

Freedom on the Menu
This picture book is great for teaching the idea of injustice. Told through the eyes of a little girl who wants a banana split at the lunch counter this book resonates with my 5th graders. The book is extremely well written and has great "stop and jot" moments. This book is also a great companion to primary sources about the Greensboro Sit-ins. {Click each book cover to see more on Amazon!}

Freedom Summer
 This book focuses on two best friends that try and go swimming together at the public pool, only to find out the pool is only open to whites. The writing is impeccable. For fifth graders, this book is perfect for meeting our multimedia standard in Language Arts. Have students read the entire story typed up without pictures first. Then, reread the story together with the pictures! The pictures definitely add to the tone, beauty, and understanding of the text. I'm so glad a fellow colleague thought up this great lesson!

A Taste of Colored Water
I love this book because it's written from a completely different perceptive. Instead of being through the eyes of an African American child, this story is told through two rural boys that have no concept of segregation. Lots of inferencing and imagination are at work in this story! The boys venture into the city with their uncle lured by the taste of "colored" or rainbow flavored water. My students love the humor but always see the bigger message of this text. It also pairs extremely well with the picture book White Water.

I use all of these books to teach about different historical perspectives and events. I also use them as our models before we start writing our own historical fiction. If you're celebrating Black History Month and need some great reads definitely start with my three fravorites!

What are some of your favorite February picture books?

Meet the Teacher!

So, we started back to school this week! Where did summer go? Seriously! I felt the most unprepared this year for my 9th first day of 5th Grade, however, everything went completely smooth. Probably one of my best first days!

In honor, of a great start and back to school. I decided to join in the Meet Teacher party hosted by the wonderful Stephanie at Falling into First.

 THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS... 

 Flair pens, washi tape, my Erin Condren planners, my two adorable dogs {Mikka & Iggy}, cheeseburgers, Snap Pea Crisps, neon colors, post-it notes, the Oxford Comma, and Diet Vanilla Pepsi. 

IF YOU WEREN'T A TEACHER, WHAT WOULD YOU WANT TO BE? 

I'd probably want to work with animals. My dream "retirement" job would be volunteering at our local ASPCA or the Cincinnati Zoo. 

THREE LITTLE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE YOU.

Compassionate. Creative. Organized.

FINISH THE SENTENCE, "________,  SAID NO TEACHER EVER!!" 

"I'd really enjoy jumping through more hoops," said no teacher EVER!

IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY AND YOU CAN INVITE ANYONE {DEAD OR ALIVE} TO THE PARTY. WHO ARE YOU INVITING?

The cast of Criminal Minds... I follow them on Instagram! They always look like they are having so much fun!

IF SOMEONE WROTE A BOOK ABOUT YOUR LIFE, WHAT WOULD BE THE TITLE?  

Organized Clutter. 

YOU GET TO PICK ONE SUPERPOWER. WHAT IS IT?   

I have to go with teleportation because I hate driving. I really, really hate it.
 

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE OR SAYING?  

"A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.”

-- Roald Dahl

IF YOU HAD TO SING ONE SONG ON AMERICAN IDOL, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

I do not sing unless the music can drown me out completely. Nope, nope, nope!
 
 ARE YOU A MORNING PERSON OR A NIGHT OWL? Morning person. Although some mornings I do need a Starbucks before I can be fully functional. But, I've always done better with getting up early than staying up super later.

 WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE RESOURCE THAT YOU'VE CREATED IN YOUR TPT SHOP? 

 I don't really have a favorite. My newest product is "Nerdy Writer's Notebook Section Dividers." 

 

I've always loved Writing Workshop but I can never lock down how I want to organize my notebooks. Therefore, I'm so excited to use my newest product for my own notebooks this year in my 5th grade classroom. To keep them organized - I created some notebook page dividers {mini-anchor charts} explaining each section. My notebooks will not include all the sections in the product but will focus on journaling, grammar, author's craft, and editing and revision. 

SHARE SOMETHING WE MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU! 

I've ridden in a hot air balloon. I was absolutely scared to death but it turned out to be one of the most amazing experiences.

Don't forget to check out other #TeacherBloggers over at Falling into First! 

Happy Saturday,

Peek at My Week + A Few Favorite Things!

I love Sunday mornings. I've already been to Target and had some Dunkin Donuts Pumpkin Mocha coffee and now I'm ready to grade some papers and watch Sunday football. Before hitting the couch with my grading pens and teacher bag, I thought I'd should share a Peek at My Week thanks to Mrs. Laffin's Laughings as well remind everyone to enter my 100 Follower Giveaway!

This week, we're going to continue reading our class novel Rules. We're only just getting started with our read aloud but already our students are loving Cynthia Lord! This makes my heart sing! Students will be starting their book club novels in class on Tuesday! 

In writing workshop, we're already behind...story of my life. We've been gathering ideas for our personal essays and this week we're going to work on writing out a thesis statement and planning out our essays.

In social studies, we're continuing on with our Native American unit. This week we're going more in depth with our cultural regions and going to do a jigsaw reading activity to split up the work load and have students practice speaking and listening skills. At the end of the week, student groups will create mosaics that represent the cultural region they studied! One of my favorite projects! Don't worry, I'll link up with Diane at Fifth in the Middle's Native American linky party once the kids create their mosaic masterpieces!

For our word work, we're starting our second week of Mentor Sentences. Our students did such a fantastic job on week one! I'm so happy I purchased the first 10 weeks from Jivey! You can see a preview and get all the information on her Mentor sentences on her blog Ideas by Jivey! They are fantastic for teaching grammar and author's craft! We're also working on prefix "Anti" this week in class. But I haven't filled in that section of my planner as you can see.... I'll tack that on to my "To Do List."

Don't forget to enter my 100 Follower giveaway for a chance to win a Target gift card and a few of my favorite things! Here are a few of my favorites that will come in your care package!

 

 

Cupcake pencil sharpener and mini-pink sharpie. 

You can't leave home without your sharpie!

 

Scentos Blackberry scented gel pens! They smell so delicious! 

Don't use them around lunch time! 

Plus some cute light bulb post-it notes and a chevron pencil box!

Enter now!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have a wonderful Sunday! Who Dey!