Porcella

Madigan, L. K. (2009). //Flash burnout//. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN: 0547194897 2010 Morris Award Winner
 * __ Genre __** : YA Fiction
 * __ Grade Level __** : 9-12
 * __ Summary: __** //Flash Burnout// is about a 15-year-old boy, Blake, who leads a pretty normal life. He is funny kid who has two women in his life: Shannon, his beautiful girlfriend and Marissa, a friend who shares his love for photography. Trouble arises when Marissa realizes that a picture that Blake took of a random person for a class assignment was that of her long-lost meth addicted mom. Blake struggles with the balance of being a good boyfriend and a good friend. He is left to choose between the girl that loves him and the girl that needs him.


 * __ Critique: __** I loved the characters in this book. They are all “real” teenagers who are very likeable. It was a story that I did not want to put down. It was edgy and realistic but contained issues that teens can relate to and often have to deal with. I never questioned the believability of the storyline which was refreshing. I found it interesting that the author told the story in 1st person from the boy’s point of view. Usually the books in 1st person that I read are from the girl’s point of view. It was a nice change.


 * __ Curriculum Connection (Common Core Standards): __** RL.9-10.10. By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 9–10 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

Strategy 13: Imagination Recreation- Deepening Understanding Through Creativity __ Before Reading __ : Students are made aware of 4 possible choices for assignments. They will have to pick one. As a class, we will predict what the story is going to be about based on the title, cover, and book features. Critical vocabulary words that might hinder comprehension are presented to the students in context in which they can discuss possible meanings. __ During Reading: __ There will be times when the students will be reading silently whether it be in school or at home. During these times, students will use Post-it notes to jot down impressions, inferences, or questions. After assignment is completed, the students will work in groups of 3-4 to discuss their interpretations and address any comprehension difficulties. __ After Reading: __ The students will remain in the same group and decide which assignment they will use to recreate the text. During collaboration, students will decide on roles for the assignment. Presentations of recreations will be given upon completion of assignment. The teacher will lead a discussion of how the projects illustrated different interpretations of text.
 * __ Classroom activity using Developmental Content Area Literacy __**

Ward, J. (2011). //Salvage the bones.// New York, NY: Bloomsbury. ISBN:978-1-60819-522-0 2012 Alex Award Winner
 * __ Genre __** : Realistic Fiction
 * __ Grade Level __** : 9-12


 * __ Summary: __** This story is told by Esch, a14-year-old girl from Mississippi. She is the woman of the house as her mom died from complications from giving birth. Hurricane Katrina is days away from hitting land and the family is preparing for the worst. Esch is pregnant and is struggling to keep her poverty-stricken family together. While the hurricane affects the storyline of this book, the focus is really on the trials of the family and survival.


 * __ Critique: __** This was not one of my favorite reads. The author used poetic elements throughout the story and some of it I felt was unnecessary and distracting. While the storyline was engaging, I felt though it was dark and gloomy which is not a trait that I look for in books. The dog-fighting, while may happen in some places, was not enjoyable for me to read. I almost put the book down. One thing that I did like was the relationship of the four siblings; it was real and heartwarming. Since their father was a drunk, the children were often fending for themselves. They only had each other and their stories demonstrate their closeness with each other.


 * __ Curriculum Connection (Common Core Standards): __** RL.9-10.3. 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.

Children are often moved by the events that others their age cope with when faced with tragedy. While many of these students may not remember Hurricane Katrina and the devastation that it caused, they are aware of the damages that mother nature can dish out. I would show the students video clips of footage before, during, and after the hurricane hit. National Geographic and other sites have excellent video clips. Students should be encouraged to try to visualize themselves in such a situation. As part of class discussion, the students should be asked how they would prepare for this destruction if they were in charge of 3 siblings and there were no adults around. After discussion, lead the students into a brief synopsis of what their next literary read will be about.
 * __ Promotional Activity __**

Marche tta, M. ( 2008). //Jellicoe road//. New York, NY: HarperTeen. ISBN-10: 0061431834 2009 Printz Award Winner
 * __ Genre __** : YA Fiction
 * __ Grade Level __** : 8-12


 * __ Summary: __** Taylor Markham, 17, somehow has become the leader of her dorm at the boarding school. Her mother left her when she was 11. Hannah, the closest adult in her life, also disappears which leaves Taylor devastated. Before she can find her, she needs to make sense of her own life, her reoccurring dream, and finding her own mother. The book has it all: drama, love, relationships, drug addiction, suicide, and more.


 * __ Critique: __** The first part of the book really confused me. I found myself flipping back pages to remind myself who the characters were. It was like a big puzzle and I was ready to put it down. After reading for a while, it started to make sense to me. I prefer books that lack this mysterious quality and ones that engage me from the beginning.


 * __ Curriculum Connection (Common Core Standards): __** RL.8.3 Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama, propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.


 * __ Promotional Activity. __** View the book trailer for //Jellicoe// Road on YouTube together as a class. Discuss what parts interest them and predict what slides depict. Upon completion of the story, the students will create their own digital story based on one of the characters form the book.

Kraus, D. (2011). //Rotters.// New York, NY: Random House. ISBN: 978-0307941824 2012 Odyssey Award Winner
 * __ Genre __** : YA Fiction
 * __ Grade Level __** : 9-12


 * __ Summary: __** Joey, a 16-year-old boy from Chicago lives with his mom. He woke up “knowing” that his mom will die that day and SHE DOES; she is hit by a bus. Joey goes to live with his dad, whom he has never met; his name was rarely even discussed with Mom. Dad, who does not seem happy with Joey’s arrival, is a grave robber so he becomes involved in this mysterious world. On top of that he has to get used to a new school where he is bullied and harassed by students and teachers.


 * __ Critique: __** Deep, dark, and depressing. This is not the type of book that I enjoy. The topic of grave digging shocked me. It was gory; too much information about decomposing bodies for me! However, the reader of the audio book was really good. At first, I thought he was creepy which turned me off, but the voices for the other characters were much better. I would be surprised if this book was not challenged; I would not feel comfortable housing it in my middle school media center.

RL.9-10.5 Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g. parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g. pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.
 * __ Curriculum Connection (Common Core Standards): __**

RL.9-10.10. By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 9-10 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

__ Strategy 8: Audiobooks- Modeling and Scaffolding Reading Fluency __
 * __ Classroom activity using Developing Content Area Literacy __**

__ Before Reading: __ The teacher will perform a book talk on the title and assigns students to groups.

__ During Reading: __ The students will listen to the audio recording of the book for 20 minutes. Continued reading will be done at home.

__ After Reading: __ The students will participate in a journal writing exercise that the teacher will create based on the text that the students listened to that day. After journal writing, the students will engage in a brief discussion about their answers. Using the print copy of the text, the students will select a passage from the reading that supports their ideas that they read to the group. Others listen and offer support through their responses.