So Many Books, So Little Time

Vacation Reading

2010-04-11T18:43:00.000-07:00

Time I started reading again, too. Or at least writing about it.

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Genre: memoir Rating: (out of 10): 7
I had wanted to read this for awhile. Found a copy of it in the villa we stayed in over spring break. I liked the middle section, about her time in India, the best. I expected more from the end of the book than just "I'm in love, life is good".

2009-08-06T06:55:00.000-07:00

The Associate by John Grisham
Genre: suspense, law Rating: (out of 10): 5
This was pretty standard Grisham. A quick, light read.

Just Missed

2009-02-10T14:51:00.000-08:00

I was short by two for the year. But I have a good start to this one!

Hate that Cat by Sharon Creech
Genre: Children's lit, poetry Rating: (out of 10): 9
I loved using Hate that Dog to teach my kids poetry. Now there is a sequel! This one contains onomotopoeia, alliteration, etc. I'm plotting how to get my hands on 30 copies already...

Schuyler's Monster by Rob Rummel-Hudson
Genre: Memoir, parenting Rating: (out of 10): 8
The reviews of this book were right on the mark. I'd read enough of his blog to know what to expect in this book, and that took away from it a little bit.

Charlie Bone and the Beast by Jenny Nimmo
Genre: Fantasy, Children's Literature Rating: (out of 10): 7
I liked #5 better, but this one continued the series... It didn't move much more toward the climax... How many books are there?

Charlie Bone and the Shadow by Jenny Nimmo
Genre: Fantasy, Children's Literature Rating: (out of 10): 7
This one left us in suspense again... What's going to happen to Billy?

Grad School Odds and Ends

2009-02-08T16:10:00.000-08:00

I need to record some titles and videos I'd like to read/see at some point somewhere. I was going through my grad school files cleaning things out in the kids' room and found some titles. So this is the list...

The Child Called X
Schoolgirls
Chomsky- On Miseducation
Rodriguez- Hunger of Memory
Video- It's Elementary
Critical Pedagogy Reader
Spike Lee- Bamboozled
The Wooden Horse (POW camps)
alfiekohn.org
Sweetness & Power by Sidney Mintz
Fart Proudly
Ruby Paine- strategies to teach dominant discourse
Kindergarten is Academic Boot Camp
Talking Sociology
Letters from a Nut
Function of Poverty (poverty is necessary)
Rebecca Sitton (spelling?)
PBS Race the power of an illusion
The Illusion of Race- PBS
A World of Diversity
Video- the tale of "o"
"Diversity not strive to acquire, instead work ot recognize" Janet Casey
Courageous Conversations about Race Singleton and Linton
Article- When the Rules are the Same, but the Game Isn't
Movie Can't Hardly wait
Jackson Katz documentary- tough guise- violence, media &...
People like us- social class in America 2003 PBS
Putnam's Bowling Alone
Book- Enough
Made in Multicultual USA- Tensions of Race, culture, Gender & Sexuality
Rethinking our classrooms: Teaching for equity and justice
White Teacher- 1979
Postman- Teaching as a subversive Activity
Book: Consumed
The Color of Fear- documentary
What the Media teaches about Diversity
Movie Lost in Translation
Oprah- School Swap 2006-2007
Bohemian Grove CA- Economic & political elite meet
The Very First Thanksgiving Day- R. G. Greene
Legends of the Fall 1994
The New World 2005
Smoke Signals 1998
In the White Man's Image
Lamar Alexander- TN suppressed study on small schools, every kid own IEP
Movie: Rise
Educational Leadership becoming citizens of the world
bell hooks- eating the other
carlos mencia- comedian
stand and deliver
walkout
movie- half nelson
Jean Anyon- Radical Possibilities, The Hidden Curriculum of School at Work
Freedom riders
urbandictionary.com
www.sacredtexts.com for the New England Primer
October Sky- movie
Their Highest Potential- Walker
Freedom Writers
David Hawkins- Univ. of Colorado
Herndon (he)- book
Journal of youth studies
Intercultural Education
Journal of Education for teaching
Comparative Education
In Schools We Trust
Deborah Meier
Rethinking Globalization
The Ecological Footprint
The Human Footprint
Origins of the Urban Crisis
Silverberg- The World Inside
The Culture of Denial- Bowers
Rethinking Freire
Permaculture in a Nutshell
Ishmael
Omnivores Dilemma
Jaybar Crowe- Wendell Barry
How we've come to think as westerners
Place-Based Education- Sobol, Greneweld & Smith
thepromiseofplace.org, theruraltrust.org
Griffin & Bateson
Blessed Unrest- Paul Hawkin
hullabaloo- myspace
ecojusticeeducation.org
Being Prey- Plumwood
Wisdom of the Mythmaker- Sean...
Keith Basso- Wisdom sits in places
Spell of the Sensors
History of Sexuality- Foucoult
Changes in the Land- William Cronin
The Turning Point
The Web of Life- Pritjof Capra
H.H. Dalai Lama- Ethics for the New Millenium
Film- Ancient Futures
ishmaelcommunity.org
Cultural Denial- Chet Bowers- Handbook for Ecojustice Ed?
Polyani- The Great Transformation- bell hooks?
Freire Pedagogy of Oppressed
Book- the devil wears red shoes
Book- The Ethics of Teaching
Nel Noddings
Carol Gilling
Amy Gutmann- Democratic Education
Movie- Children in America's Schools- Kozol
Dist. of Education- Amy Gutman & Kenneth Howe
Takaki- A different time

The Last of '08

2009-01-02T07:24:00.000-08:00

I made it to 46 in this calendar year, but I only started counting as of February 1st. Looks like I have a month to read 6 more! I'll know which post at which to start counting for 2009, though.

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
Genre: Motivational Rating: (out of 10): 6
There were some great nuggets in this book, but his presentation put me off. It seemed as though he did most everything right... I liked the story style of Tuesdays with Morrie better.

Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner
Genre: Historical Fiction, Children's Rating: (out of 10): 9
This was a short book written at about a 3rd grade level. I was surprised at how many deep subjects it contained. There is a lot to teach from this book. The ending surprised me, too.

The Purpose of Christmas by Rick Warren
Genre: Religion Rating: (out of 10): 4
I liked the layout of the book- three distinct sections with main points following. It was easy to follow. I've just never gotten into religious reading.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
Genre: Fantasy, Children's fables Rating: (out of 10): 7
This was a neat concept. There were 4 fables from Harry Potter's world, and then Dumbledore commented on each one afterwards to tell more about their significance. I thought two of the stories were wonderful and the others were so-so. I could see why avid Harry Potter fans would be disappointed- it was just a taste. All of the proceeds from this book also went to charity.

Charlie Bone and the Castle of Mirrors by Jenny Nimmo
Genre: Fantasy, Children's Rating: (out of 10): 8
The books are building into a great ending. I have trouble separating one from another after I've read them, but I have enjoyed the series as it has grown throughout the books. I thought the first book was pretty straightforward. Now we're getting to know more about the battle between the Red King's children and the history behind what's going on.

Charlie Bone and the Hidden King by Jenny Nimmo
Genre: Fantasy, Children's Rating: (out of 10): 9
Much like my last comments. We figure out what happened to Charlie's father in this book. Like I said, it's building.

Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke
Genre: Fantasy, Children's Rating: (out of 10): 7
Can I give two different ratings for the first and second half of the book? I felt the same way with Inkspell. I just could not get into the first half of the book- read two chapters, go to bed- there was no sense of "can't put it down" at all. The second half of the book came together beautifully- and she wrapped up the trilogy in a perfect way. It was clever, engaging, and creative... once you were past page 300 or so.

52 this year

2008-11-10T19:28:00.001-08:00

My goal was to read 52 books this year... I'm a little behind pace. I did decide that I don't have to consider it a failure until February, though, since I didn't start keeping track here until February.

Letters to a Young Teacher by Jonathan Kozol
Genre: Education Rating: (out of 10): 8
I'm not such a young teacher anymore, and during parts of this I felt as though he were preaching to the choir... but that's what Kozol is about. He points out inequities and injustices in education for the larger population. There are several chapters in here that would be great to read as a staff at our school, and a few that I want Dave to read to understand the problem with why schools work the way they do. It is reaffirming to read things I know to be true about education in print- as if there is hope out there for turning things around.

Brisinger by Christopher Paolini
Genre: Children's Literature, Fantasy Rating: (out of 10): 8.5
Dave pointed out that this was a "transitional" book, and I had to agree... but I loved it. This book bridges the gap between his 3rd and the final 5th book in the series. While it was huge, the book kept moving quickly enough that I read it in a week. There was a lot of character development, and even though it stayed away from the romance angle (which I was intrigued by), I still found it interesting. It also revealed how Galbatorix has so much power... I thought it was neat.

Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum, Ph. D.
Genre: Education, African American Studies Rating: (out of 10): 6.5
This was a book I started two years ago and put down. The book would be interesting and helpful had I not been involved in my masters' program at EMU. I feel like this would have been a good book to read during one of the classes, since I gained most of the knowledge and perspective of how racial identity forms in several of my classes.

A Young People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn, Adapted by Rebecca Stefoff
Genre: History, Textbook for Kids Rating: (out of 10): 7.5
Zinn writes revisionist history, in other words, history from the point of view of the losers. It is extremely interesting, but the format was not something I can use in my classroom. I was hoping for some primary source documents and writing from other perspective to use, but it was more narrative and a little harder than my fourth graders could handle. Still, interesting, and I finished this book quickly, unlike the adult version. I've been working on it for years.

Playing for Pizza by John Grisham
Genre: Realistic Fiction Rating: (out of 10): 7
This was not in his normal genre of law. The book was about a washed-up NFL quarterback who ended up playing semi-pro football in Italy. I loved the parts about Italy and food (great reminders of our trip in March). I made Dave read the book because some of the description of food was so realistic. Otherwise, the book was alright. It had a lot of football and was a bit of a "coming-of-age" story. A quick read.

Catching Up

2008-08-31T17:31:00.000-07:00

The Amulet of Samarkand: The Bartimaeus Trilogy Book 1 by Jonathan Stroud
Genre: Children's Literature, Fantasy Rating: (out of 10): 7.5
The series was set in London during the American Revolution (but for some reason the magicians had cars). The series revolved around the conflict between the magicians running the government and the commoners. I really enjoyed the differing perspectives in the whole series of these books. It was cleverly written, for some reason just not a "can't put down" book.

The Golem's Eye: The Bartimaeus Trilogy Book 2 by Jonathan Stroud
Genre: Children's Literature, Fantasy Rating: (out of 10): 8.5
This book had twists and turns, and it took me about the whole thing to figure out who the villain behind the golem was. The character development of the main character was interesting as well.

Ptolemy's Gate: The Bartimaeus Trilogy Book 3 by Jonathan Stroud
Genre: Children's Literature, Fantasy Rating: (out of 10): 8
The third book tied up some questions about the past of the characters and gave background information. It was really tied up very well. I just didn't love the series. Great writing, though.

Settling in Michigan by Lynne Deur
Genre: Primary source, history Rating: (out of 10): 6.5
Short stories in this book gave accounts of early Michigan. Useful for teaching.

Orphan Trains: Researching American History by Deitch & Bracken
Genre: Primary Source, history Rating: (out of 10): 8
This book contains a variety of types of sources: newspaper, firsthand accounts, adoption documents, etc. Very complete picture of what the orphan trains were like. It will be indispensable for my unit.

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Fantasy Rating: (out of 10): 8.5
I'm tempted to give two ratings: One for the beginning of the book and one for the end. I thought that the climax of the book was about halfway through, and the rest was superfluous. Dave did point out to me that there were some loose ends that needed to be tied up. The plot was predictable as it was heavily foreshadowed in the beginning of the book, but enjoyable nonetheless.

The Green Book by Jill Paton Walsh
Genre: Children's Literature, Science Fiction Rating: (out of 10): 6
The book is about a group of people who are forced to evacuate Earth and live on an unknown planet. I am thinking about starting the year with a space theme, and I heard of this book from an example unit. The book was a little strange, though... not sure it will accomplish what it is meant to accomplish as an introduction to the year, and afraid that it will scare the kids- make them worry about the end of the world. We'll see. I may try it.

Real Vacation = More Reading Time!

2008-07-29T12:57:00.000-07:00

Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy by Jenny Nimmo
Genre: Children's Literature, Fantasy Rating: (out of 10): 6
These books are good light reading, but aren't deep enough for me to really like them.

Lyra's Oxford by Philip Pullman
Genre: Fantasy, Short Story Rating: (out of 10): 7
The short story here was interesting, and I didn't see the twist at the end coming. I haven't been able to figure out the meaning of the introduction, inserts, and additional artifacts at the end- I know that the story has a deeper meaning, and I know I'd love this book if I could figure it out. It has something to do with Lyra's time being connected to Dr. Mary's...

A Faraway Home: An Orphan Train Story by Jamie Panagopoulos
Genre: Children's Literature, Historical Fiction Rating: (out of 10): 8
While I've been doing research for my final project, I've discovered that there were orphan trains. I've been pretty fascinated by this information, and plan on teaching a unit around it this year or next. This book was interesting to me more because of the topic than because it was any great piece of writing. In the late 1800s to early 1900s, Aid Societies scooped orphans up off the streets of New York and Boston, cleaned them up, put them on trains, and shipped them out to the western states (Michigan largely included). There, the kids would get off the trains and families would come to pick out a child to adopt. They would largely help out on the farm. I just think it's fascinating.

The Latest

2008-07-15T16:44:00.000-07:00

Charlie Bone and the Time Twister by Jenny Nimmo
Genre: Children's Literature, Fantasy Rating: (out of 10): 7.5
This one was about like the last- entertaining but nothing super special. I did like the general plot idea of the time twister but thought more could have been done to show the relationship between Henry and Ezekiel.

Responsive Teaching: An Ecological Approach to Classroom Patterns of Language, Culture, and Thought by C.A. Bowers and David J. Flinders
Genre: Teaching Rating: (out of 10): 3
There was very little in this book that I didn't know already from previous courses... at least if there was, it was not understandable! I think if I had read this for class instead of on my own it would have been more worthwhile as main points would have been pointed out to me. This was good go-to-bed reading- not a page turner.

2008-07-02T13:44:00.000-07:00

Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo

Genre: Children's Lit, Fantasy Rating: (out of 10): 7
This was an interesting read. It took awhile to get into it, but then the plot was enough to keep the pages moving. There are some definite similarities to Harry Potter, but making comparisons helped keep my interest.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Genre: Children's Lit, Fantasy Rating: (out of 10): 8.5
The first half of this book dragged, but that may have been because I read it in pieces during silent reading at school. I couldn't put it down once I got further into it. The movie is terrible. It doesn't follow what happens in the story, and it is slow.

Eldest by Christopher Paolini

Genre: Children's Lit, Fantasy Rating: (out of 10): 9
This one moved quickly right from the start. One thing I was interested in was the love story, which moved slowly throughout this story (but anguishingly so- is that a word?). I have my guesses as to what will happen next... Now I will have to wait until September just like everyone else for the next book...

Creating Classrooms Where Teachers Love to Teach and Students Love to Learn by Bob Sornson

Genre: Teaching, Parenting Rating: (out of 10): 6.5
I have already read the Teaching with Love and Logic book, so this was nothing new. Reading it did remind me of some things to keep in mind as I teach, such as empathy. We were asked to read it over the summer by my principal.

Pregnancy Reading

2008-05-31T08:03:00.000-07:00

I read these back in April when I was in the planning stages... I have others I'm working on.

I'm Pregnant! Now What Do I Eat? by Hope Ricciotti
Genre: informational, pregnancy, recipe Rating: (out of 10): 5
Just an overview book. Lots of recipes, which bore me because I don't cook. The information was basic and can be easily found elsewhere.

The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating During Pregnancy by W. Allan Walker
Genre: informational, pregnancy Rating: (out of 10): 7
Much more informational and thorough. Kind of boring, though.

The Real Deal Guide to Pregnancy by Erika Lenkert
Genre: informational, pregnancy Rating: (out of 10): 8
I read this book first, so it was the most interesting. Mostly because the other books had the same information. This was easy reading though, and the first tip-off that pregnancy may be really uncomfortable.

More Meyer

2008-05-22T20:33:00.001-07:00

host by Stephenie Meyer

Genre: Science fiction Rating: (out of 10): 7.5
Meyer's first attempt at adult fiction was pretty good. Intriguing, but somewhat predictable. I have to say I agree with my friend Scott, she "overwrites". The books are longer than they need to be. It was a page-turner, though!

Spring Break Reading

2008-04-06T09:09:00.000-07:00

Hour Game by David Baldacci
Genre: mystery, thriller Rating: (out of 10): 7
I read this book while at the house in Italy. They had a neat book exchange program, and I wished I had brought a paperback rather than just class reading. I have read a few of Baldacci's books. They aren't great literature, but they are a quick read. He managed to surprise me in this one, too!

Ecofeminism by Maria Mies and Vandana Shiva
Genre: Ecology, women's studies Rating: (out of 10): 7
This book was very readable. I enjoyed the articles in it that were well supported and disagreed with some others, but it was all good food for thought. I'm keeping this one.

Tales of the Field: On Writing Ethnography by John VanMaanen
Genre: Research writing, informational Rating: (out of 10): 5
I learned what I needed to learn from this book. Not terribly interesting, but it did help me organize my thoughts about informational writing.

Ways that Work: Putting Social Studies Standards into Practice by Tarry Lindquist
Genre: Teaching, Social Studies Rating: (out of 10): 9
I am doing an independent study with a professor at EMU this spring to help me develop the social studies curriculum for my district. I'm in charge of the new standards in 3rd and 4th grade. This book gave me some great ideas about relating social studies to kids' lives and how to organize the new curriculum. Highly recommended.

Social Studies at the Center: Integrating Kids, Content, and Literacy by Tarry Lindquist & Douglas Selwyn
Genre: Teaching, Social Studies Rating: (out of 10): 7.5
I skipped parts of this book that didn't relate to the 3rd and 4th grade standards. It was also, though, full of good strategies and positive messages about how and why to effectively teach social studies.

Ugh.

2008-03-16T17:21:00.001-07:00

Environmental Culture: The Ecological Crisis of Reason by Val Plumwood
Genre: Ecology, women's studies Rating: (out of 10): 0.5
Ugh. This was tough to read, making the subject matter tough to understand when it shouldn't have been. Definitely a sell-back.

800 Pages in 24 Hours

2008-02-26T21:06:00.000-08:00

I feel like myself again... reading has been a priority in my life for the past week. :) I guess there is a plus side to unnecessary snow days.

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy Rating: (out of 10): 10
I enjoyed the character development again, and felt as though she did a wonderful job of making the audience empathetic to Bella's pain. The conflict and suspense made this edge-of-your-seat reading.

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy Rating: (out of 10): 8
I read this book in one day. The rating is only in relation to the other two books... I personally liked them better than this one. I thought this one was a little more predictable.

I am looking forward to a new book in the series in August and the movie of Twilight as well!

Inkheart and Inkspell by Cornelia Funke (read in '07)
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy Rating: (out of 10): 6.5
I had high expectations from Funke because I really enjoyed The Thief Lord. The world she creates in the story is fascinating, but there were times in reading both that I was dragging.

I tried to put it down...

2008-02-24T11:47:00.000-08:00

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy Rating: (out of 10): 9
I made fun of Dave when he read this book because he got it off the 'Teen' rack at the bookstore and described it as a vampire love story. It is. But it is also very well-written, has a lot more realistic elements to it than I thought, and is a quick 500 page read. Less than 24 hours. I will hopefully be able to delay reading the next two... I also agree with him that there is great character development.

Mid-Winter Vacation Reading

2008-02-22T08:19:00.000-08:00

The Appeal by John Grisham
Genre: Fiction Rating: (out of 10): 6
I protested, but Mom got me this book as I was leaving Las Vegas. And I finished it, instead of doing the work I had to do over the past 24 hours. The story was well-written with a great twist at the end, but I wish it were a happier book.

The Death of Nature: Women, Ecology and the Scientific Revolution by Carolyn Merchant
Genre: Science, Women's Studies Rating: (out of 10): 1
This was a painful book to read. It was dry and very historical. After reading my assigned chapters several times, I was able to figure out what to write about in my paper. I think that I could have gotten what I needed from this book in one chapter instead of 13.

Nothing to Write Home About

2008-02-10T17:10:00.000-08:00

Legends, Lies & Cherished Myths of American History by Richard Shenkman
Genre: History, Revisionist History Rating: (out of 10): 5
This is the only book I've read for fun recently. Parts of it were very interesting, such as Harvard's way of ranking students (based on wealth). Overall, there wasn't anything earth-shattering in this book, and instead of breadth I would have preferred a little more depth on the stories.

The Chalice and the Blade by Riane Eisler
Genre: History, Women's Studies Rating: (out of 10): 8
So I am taking a class called EcoFeminism... a woman's studies class was required for my master's and I have been dreading it. We have to read 5 books, this being the first. I loved this one! How to describe it... its thesis is that before recorded history, women and men were equal in most societies. After that, things went downhill... This book made me think and I enjoyed that.

First Fieldwork: The Misadventures of an Anthropologist by Barbara Gallatin Anderson
Genre: Anthropology Rating: (out of 10): 8
Another book for a (different) class. This was a quick read, and it was easy to get a good feel for what anthropologists do and what their time in the field is like.

Quick Update

2008-02-01T05:28:00.000-08:00

Yikes...

I've read a lot for my classes.

I read some books for fun- including Phillip Pullman's Golden Compass trilogy. I loved it, and think that the critics of the books are ridiculous. He does not kill God. There are some anti-organized religion undertones in book #1. I don't think that is so terrible, seeing as the number of wars that have been started as a result of religion.

Harry Potter!

2007-08-08T09:13:00.000-07:00

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
Genre: Fantasy, Children's lit. Rating: (out of 10): 9
As usual, I hung on to every word as I read this. Rowling did a great job of tying up all of the loose ends and connecting events from all seven books together. I do think things ended a little too neatly, however.

More for the Wish List

2007-08-08T07:17:00.001-07:00

Landmark Ruling on Race & Schools (news article? Seattle 2007)

Their Highest Potential- Author: Walker

Educational Wastelands

1776- David McCullough

Radical Possibilities- Jean Anyon

The Hidden Curriculum of School at Work- Jean Anyon

Author: Joy Hakim (revisionist S.S. history)

Other People's Children- Lisa Delpit

All American Yemeni Girls

Eating the Other- bell hooks

History of Education in America- Pullam, J

The School in the United States- Fraser, J

Minor Re/Visions-

Against Common Sense

Add to the Wish List

2007-07-22T19:11:00.000-07:00

A project for one of my classes centers on books, so I am spending a lot of time looking at them this week.

Ben Franklin's Almanac: Being a True Account of the Good Gentlemen's Life- Candace Fleming

To Establish Justice: Citizenship and the Constitution- McKissack, Patricia

The Last of Fun Reading for a Bit...

2007-06-28T18:35:00.000-07:00

Two more classes start next week... I received the syllabus for one of them today and it looks like I'll be quite busy for the next month with reading for that...

The Wright 3 by Blue Balliett
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Children's lit. Rating: (out of 10): 9
Chasing Vermeer was a popular book by this author in the recent past, and he followed up with another good one. I like this book because it has ties to many subjects, many more than just reading. For example, Fibonacci's sequence and pentominoes are major players in the storyline (math), and architecture (Frank Lloyd Wright) also plays a major role. The students have a fun, out-of-the-box teacher, and they are believable characters who have personal struggles such as jealousy and selfishness. It is a long book, but it has short chapters. I'll try to find a way to work it in for this upcoming year.

Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Children's Lit. Rating: (out of 10): 7
Two orphans have had a tough, tough life. They have spent most of their time with an abusive set of foster parents. They are taken in for the summer by a wonderful older couple who treat them well and let them have the types of experiences all kids should have. It's a wonderful story, with short chapters. Another teacher is using it to train his kids in how to have book clubs. I am not sure if all of my kids will be able to read it on their own... I may need to find another book to use.

I can't write worth anything tonight.

School Books

2007-06-19T11:01:00.001-07:00

Say What? by Margaret Petersen Haddix
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Children's lit. (out of 10): 8
I have enjoyed several other books by Margaret Petersen Haddix for older readers, specifically her Among the Hidden series. I am working on boning up my collection of lower-level books for my students, and this book is written at a third-grade level. It was a very cute story about kids whose parents try a nontraditional technique to get their behavior in line.

The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners by Carol Ann Tomlinson
Genre: Nonfiction, education (out of 10): 9
My spring class is on differentiated instruction, and this is the text. It is a wonderful book. I had previous knowledge of DI and had tried to implement it, but it all makes sense now that I've read the book. Chapter nine, particularly, is wonderful for making it seem like differentiation is doable for all teachers. Personally, I think that for public education to survive, teachers need to become differentiators on a large scale.

Summer Reading

2007-06-12T16:22:00.000-07:00

Three Weeks with My Brother by Nicholas & Micah Sparks
Genre: Memoir (out of 10): 9
This is a book that spoke to me. I need to own it. I haven't read much (none that I can remember) of Nicholas Sparks in the past. I viewed him as a writer of romance novels, and never picked up any of his books. In the book he writes about his life and growing up in his family. He and his brother have faced some hard times, but the part of the book that spoke to me the most was about his propensity to work too hard and let life pass him by. Throughout the course of the book, his brother tries to get him to lighten up and see what is important about life. The way he describes himself and his attitudes reminded me exactly of myself.

Through Ebony Eyes: What Teachers Need to Know But Are Afraid to Ask About African-American Students by Gail Thompson
Genre: Nonfiction, Education (out of 10): 4
I was very disappointed in this book. I had hoped for some practical, useful strategies and techniques. The book was an overview of different issues facing African-American students, and I got very little from it that I hadn't already learned from my own experience. There are many recommended books to read, and also a guide for professional development. The plan sounds good, but is lengthy, and I don't know that I have the time to complete it.

Pretty Woman by Fern Michaels
Genre: Romance, realistic fiction (out of 10): 4 (for being a great vacation book)
I read this book in an evening at the family cottage. It was a perfect book to relax with- and I can't even say I remember all of what it was about... a woman whose husband was a jerk, she left him, got a personal trainer, lost a bunch of weight and married the personal trainer... In all honesty, it was much more well-written than it sounds, although not realistic and very predictable.

Belated

2007-05-20T18:01:00.001-07:00

I finished this book on the way to Mackinac...

The Shame of the Nation by Jonathan Kozol
Genre: Education Rating: 6
This book documents the current reversal of Brown vs. Board of Education (desegregation) currently taking place in our schools. More and more schools- particularly in urban areas- are heavily segregated. The book focuses quite a bit on money and unequal distribution of resources to the schools. In my opinion, funding is a big part of the schooling problem. If school dollars are based on tax revenues, it stands to reason that there will be less money for the schools in areas in which many people rent. Right?

A Journey into Politics

2007-04-24T18:59:00.000-07:00

The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
Genre: Nonfiction, Politics (out of 10): 7
I have been impressed with what I have heard about Barack Obama, and wanted to find out more about him and his views. Obama's writing is a quick read, and many of his opinions seemed like common sense to me. I don't think he took too biased a stance, but I haven't read many political books to compare it to. He was just straightforward, and he clearly stated it when he felt he was biased. In my opinion, he has a clear view of many of the problems facing America today. It remains to be seen whether he has policies to fix them all.

People Magazine
Genre: Periodical, Current Events Rating (out of 10): 4
I read this one on the way back from Las Vegas. More standard fare.

The Ann Arbor News
Genre: Periodical Rating (out of 10): 8
I started getting the daily newspaper again after Christmas. I missed it! I look at every page, but most often read things in the Opinion and Sports sections. I always check the death notices, the prep sports scores/results for water polo and swimming, and the weather.

Wishlist

2007-04-15T18:12:00.000-07:00

This is my wishlist, because they are the books I hope to have time to read someday. I continually lose all of the lists I make, so hopefully I'll be able to return to this one.

The Difference: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Teams, Schools & Societies- Scott E. Page

You Are Your Choices- Alexandra Stoddard

Fart Proudly- Ben Franklin (No joke!)

Cultural Literacy- E. D. Hirsch

On Miseducation- Noam Chomsky

I have many, many more on another list of mine.... someday!

Getting Started

2007-04-13T07:06:00.000-07:00

My students have to keep track of the books they read for part of their reading grade. Every summer, I faithfully keep track of everything I read in order to model how to do it. Then, I lose the paper and stop keeping track. I've seen several other people keep track on blogs, so I think I will give it a try. The genre and rating are things I also make my students do.

The title of this blog came from a shirt I had when I was younger. I was one of those kids who would take their books with when the family went to dinner at a restaurant, and I would be reading it in my lap the whole time.

I was on vacation this past week, so these are the books read:

Savage Inequalities by Jonathan Kozol
Genre: Nonfiction, Education Rating (out of 10): 8
This book speaks volumes about the differences in public education across the country. It is alarming and depressing at the same time. I will have more commentary about this book after I complete an independent study (about this book and others) this spring term. I'll be reading it two more times.

Nothing But the Truth by Avi
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Documentary Rating (out of 10): 10
Avi is my favorite children's literature author. He writes books aimed for upper elementary to middle school kids. This book is the story of a student who was suspended from school for, supposedly, singing the national anthem during announcements. It is written in a documentary style, and I'm trying to figure out if my fifth-graders could handle it. Avi did a great job of leaving the reader to pick up the pieces and find meaning in this book.

People Magazine
Genre: Magazine, Current Events? Rating (out of 10): 4
This was laying around the house in Las Vegas. I have to admit, I enjoy catching up on the lives of celebrities every once in awhile.