4 Ideas For Virtual Student Collaboration Posted by The Literary Maven at September 26, 2020 Labels: <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dtLgCsVciAw/X2_y9JfgU6I/AAAAAAAATQg/IxJa6WXXU08zuT9lgwgPxgzul7HxoLI9ACLcBGAsYHQ/s792/Slide1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The benefit of teaching live classes is that students are able to interact. The challenge is finding ways for students to work together online." border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="792" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dtLgCsVciAw/X2_y9JfgU6I/AAAAAAAATQg/IxJa6WXXU08zuT9lgwgPxgzul7HxoLI9ACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h400/Slide1.png" title="The benefit of teaching live classes is that students are able to interact. The challenge is finding ways for students to work together online." width="400" /></a></div><br />My K-8 school is still 100% virtual with primarily synchronous learning. I teach three 90 minutes blocks of six grade ELA plus I host a 30 minute morning meeting each day. Despite the live classes, I am still struggling to have students collaborate online, largely because my school will not allow us to place groups of students in breakout rooms unsupervised. Here's the 4 ideas I've come up with so far.<br /><br /><div><b>1 Partner Work in Google Slides</b><br />To allow students to share ideas with a partner, the online equivalent of turn and talk, I created a single Google Slides presentation to assign to students on Google Classroom. Instead of assigning it so that each student would have their own copy, each student had edit access. In the slides presentation, I had a slide for every two students in my class. For example, a class of 24 would need 12 slides. On each slide, I set up a space for each student in the pairing to share their ideas. <br /><br />When the activity began, students opened the slides on Google Classroom and navigated to the slide I assigned them. I just counted my students off the first week of school, but you could have students' names filled in ahead of time. Students responded to their set of questions and then read over their slide partner's responses to the same questions. They were encouraged to use the comment feature to ask follow up questions of each other (since you can't have all of your students talking out loud at once in a Zoom "classroom"), and students knew ahead of time that I would be asking students to share out about their partners. You can see an example of this structure <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Kcm3yIJDF_Try6Q3aFVby_PVhal3X1vSZolsy6g_ioI/edit?usp=sharing">here</a>.<br /><br /><b>2. Small Group Work in Google Slides</b><br />To allow students to share idea with a small group, I first created the slides that a single group would use. I then made a copy of that slides presentation so that I my number of copies matched the number of groups I intended to create. Finally, I created a single slide to which I linked each group's set of Slides. When linking the slides, I adjusted the settings to each group's copy of the slides so that it was set to anyone with the link can edit. The single slide with all of the links can remain in view only access. I just posted the single slide on Google Classroom, but that allowed each group to then access their group slides without me having to push out different assignments to different groups of students. You can see an example of the structure <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1OsdQcyiJFJlwYpnjR4oZbDJb01xifyHkEGGkgluQajQ/edit?usp=sharing">here</a>.<br /><br />When the activity began, students opened the single slide on Google Classroom, and from there, opened their assigned group number's slides, and navigated to the slide I assigned them. I again counted my students off the first week of school, but you could have students' names filled in ahead of time. Within a group's set of slides, each of the four students in the group had their own slide to record their own individual ideas first. Then when it was time to collaborate, each of the four students had an assigned role. Two students were responsible for highlighting common responses, a third student was responsible for collecting those common responses into another slide within the group's slides, and the fourth student was responsible for sharing out. Again, since you can't have all of your students talking out loud at once in a Zoom "classroom," having these very specific roles ensured that students were interacting with each other's ideas.<br /><br /><b>3. Class Discussions in Docs</b><br />I used this set up during asynchronous learning in the spring and it worked well, so I tried it out again with synchronous classes. I create a Google Doc with a table for each discussion question I am posing to students. I find that using tables helps to structure the Doc so that students are less likely to struggle to find a place to type or delete each other's work. In my directions, students select a certain number of questions to answer rather than all of them. This also helps to spread students out on the Doc. Students are encouraged to select a font color for their responses to make it visually easier to track the discussion. When students have answered the assigned number of questions, they also are assigned a number of comments to make on their peers' responses. I provide sentence frames in the Doc to help them respond to their peers. On Google Classroom, I assign the Doc so that all students have edit access. You can see an example of the structure <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-nfOxHCJSGFAfC09uuSb7KQDGAiSCcjHWObbuYSr_5Y/edit?usp=sharing">here</a>.<br /><br /><b>4. Partner Work on the Telephone</b><br />While all of the previous three ideas have worked successfully, none of them allow students to actually speak out loud to each other, so this week I gave students the option of working alone or with a partner on a mini-presentation. If students were going to work with a partner, they exchanged phone numbers and communicated that way. I put students into individual breakout rooms (they have to remain logged into Zoom for the duration of class) and then I could check on individuals or pairs as they worked. Even in person, I always require each student to turn in their own copy of the work to avoid complaints about one person doing all of the work or not allowing others to contribute, and I did the same for this assignment. Under normal circumstances I would pair the students, but for this mini-presentation, I allowed them to choose their partners. I did play matchmaker for any students who wanted a partner, but had trouble connecting with one. Many students shared that this was a favorite part of their week.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PGODqV9NodY/X2_0AdPL4cI/AAAAAAAATQ0/RLeNGbLOwBgDsu6g3KgVSOZf4XSSGccAACLcBGAsYHQ/s1510/Slide1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The benefit of teaching live classes is that students are able to interact. The challenge is finding ways for students to work together online." border="0" data-original-height="1510" data-original-width="792" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PGODqV9NodY/X2_0AdPL4cI/AAAAAAAATQ0/RLeNGbLOwBgDsu6g3KgVSOZf4XSSGccAACLcBGAsYHQ/w210-h400/Slide1.png" title="The benefit of teaching live classes is that students are able to interact. The challenge is finding ways for students to work together online." width="210" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div>
More From The Blog Zoom Zoom Zoom Zoom I Want You In My Classroom Posted by The Literary Maven at September 26, 2020 Labels: <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VP9XFHkWIwk/X2_vYxO8meI/AAAAAAAATQM/g5IYntQ5OX8jlgyfh6RV3d3x_5iNeFO0ACLcBGAsYHQ/s792/Slide1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="With live classes hosted through Zoom, establishing norms and familiarizing myself with its features have been part of my first weeks of teaching." border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="792" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VP9XFHkWIwk/X2_vYxO8meI/AAAAAAAATQM/g5IYntQ5OX8jlgyfh6RV3d3x_5iNeFO0ACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h400/Slide1.png" title="With live classes hosted through Zoom, establishing norms and familiarizing myself with its features have been part of my first weeks of teaching." width="400" /></a></div><br />My K-8 school is 100% virtual and has opted for primarily synchronous learning. I teach three 90 minutes blocks of six grade ELA plus I host a 30 minute morning meeting each day. We are hosting our live class sessions using Zoom. A lot of time this week was spent on establishing norms for online learning and familiarizing students with the features of Zoom.<br /><br /><b>My Zoom Class Norms</b><br />1. Be respectful, patient, and understanding.<br />2. Be engaged and participate appropriately.<br />3. While your camera or microphone is on, eliminate distractors for you and other students, such as food, drink, other electronic devices, background noise, and excessive movement.<br />4. Use the raise hand feature to ask questions or share during discussions.<br />5. If you need to step out of our meeting for any reason, please send me a private message in the chat to let me know.<br /><br />I have really emphasized to my students that this is new for all of us and uncomfortable for many of us (including me!). I give my students a range of ways to participate just as I would in an in person class. Sometimes I cold call, sometimes I ask for volunteers, and sometimes they can shout it out. They can always choose whether they'd like to use their microphone or the chat. While I LOVE actually seeing my students' faces, I also find it highly distracting and invasive, so I'm not pushing students to turn their cameras on.<br /><br /><b>Zoom Features I've Found Helpful</b><br />1. The chat is wonderful for so many reasons. Students can put their questions there and then I can answer them when I've finished talking through something. Students can also send a message to just me if they don't want to ask in front of everyone or if they need to let me know something that just pertains to them. My school has disabled students' ability to privately message each other. <br /><br /><div>2. Using @studentname when I'm responding to chat questions or comments that are visible to everyone is something I'm still working on doing consistently, but really helps navigate the flow of conversation in the chat.</div><div><br />3. The raise your hand feature is great for asking for having students indicate that they would like to ask a question or want to share. Many of my students have their cameras off and because I'm almost always sharing my screen, it makes it difficult to see if they are physically raising their hand.<br /><br /></div><div>4. The yes/no reactions have been perfect for polling students on who is ready to move on, has an assignment completed, etc.<br /><br /></div><div>5. I'm using the clock reaction to allow students to indicate when they need more time to open up materials or complete an assignment (I haven't figured out what to use the coffee mug for).<br /><br /></div><div>6. When students are having technical difficulties, I use the Screen Share feature to let a student demonstrate what things look like on the student end. When I'm working one on one with a student, I also have them share their screen so I can walk them through something step by step and actually see wha they are doing.</div><div><br /></div><div>7. To limit shenanigans, I have enabled the settings that prevent students' from changing their names once they've entered the Zoom meeting (only I can do that) and if a student's camera is off, their name shows rather than a profile image.<br /><br /><b>Using Breakout Rooms </b><br />My goal is to structure my 90 minute block to accommodate a rotation model of teaching. I'll work with three small groups each class for 20 minutes each. However, my school is currently requiring students to be logged into Zoom for the full class time and doesn’t allow us to have students in breakout rooms unsupervised, which makes my goal somewhat complicated. So far I've come up with two work arounds.<br /><br />1. Using the waiting room - I put all of students in the waiting room except the small group of students I want to work with.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Positives:</b><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Students are still logged in to Zoom and I can bring them back into the main meeting room at any time.</li><li>I can switch the students that I want to work with in a small group without having to return everyone to the meeting and no one is left unattended.</li></ul><b>Negatives:</b><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Students have to email me if they have a question or need help with anything, and I have to be keeping an eye on my emails. </li><li>I have to select students one by one to put them in the waiting room.</li></ul></div><div><br />2. Utilize individual breakout rooms - Similar to putting all of the students in the waiting room, I can put all of the students into individual breakout rooms except the small group of students I want to work with.</div><div><br /><b>Positives:</b><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Students are still logged in to Zoom and I can bring them back into the main meeting room at any time.</li><li>Students can also send me a message from their breakout rooms to let me know that they need help.</li></ul><b>Negatives:</b><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>I can’t leave the group I am working with unattended to pop into an individual breakout room. </li><li>I have to manually put students into breakout rooms since not all students are going into individual breakout rooms.</li><li>I have to return all students from their breakout rooms to the main Zoom meeting if I want to switch who I am working with.</li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ObzYGf1tLtI/X2_vn1WQe_I/AAAAAAAATQQ/k_rzCBryYwkuqNVxrb6Qh_5UoN61kJhQQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1510/Slide1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="With live classes hosted through Zoom, establishing norms and familiarizing myself with its features have been part of my first weeks of teaching." border="0" data-original-height="1510" data-original-width="792" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ObzYGf1tLtI/X2_vn1WQe_I/AAAAAAAATQQ/k_rzCBryYwkuqNVxrb6Qh_5UoN61kJhQQCLcBGAsYHQ/w210-h400/Slide1.png" title="With live classes hosted through Zoom, establishing norms and familiarizing myself with its features have been part of my first weeks of teaching." width="210" /></a></div></div>
On My Bookshelf: The Insomniacs by Marit Weisenberg Posted by The Literary Maven at September 21, 2020 Labels: my bookshelf, young adult literature <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hwugEmV81Lc/XxSc3yAxsKI/AAAAAAAASZA/3-rcy14pSQgFf1o7CPt0uaEb0wyMayggQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Slide5.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Insomniacs by Marit Weisenberg has a wide appeal with its diverse characters and building suspense. Students who enjoy realistic fiction or mystery/thrillers will be engrossed in this book. Sports fans and student athletes will relate, especially those who have ever suffered a sports related injury. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application." border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hwugEmV81Lc/XxSc3yAxsKI/AAAAAAAASZA/3-rcy14pSQgFf1o7CPt0uaEb0wyMayggQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Slide5.png" title="The Insomniacs by Marit Weisenberg has a wide appeal with its diverse characters and building suspense. Students who enjoy realistic fiction or mystery/thrillers will be engrossed in this book. Sports fans and student athletes will relate, especially those who have ever suffered a sports related injury. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application." width="400" /></a></div> <b>The basic plot from Amazon: </b><i>Ingrid can’t sleep. </i><br /> <i>She can’t remember, either.</i><br /> <br /> A competitive diver, seventeen-year-old Ingrid is haunted by what she saw at the pool at a routine meet, before falling off the high dive and waking up concussed. The only thing she remembers about the moment before her dive is locking eyes with Van―her neighbor, former best friend, and forever crush―kissing his girlfriend on the sidelines. But that can’t be all.<br /> <br /> Then one sleepless night, she sees Van out her window…looking right back at her. They begin not sleeping together by night, still ignoring each other at school by day.<br /> <br /> Ingrid tells herself this is just temporary, but soon, she and Van are up every night piecing her memory back together. As Van works through his own reasons for not being able to sleep, they’re both pulled into a mystery that threatens to turn their quiet neighborhood into a darker place than they realized.<br /> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><b><br /></b></span> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vItcuoE9LvQ/XxSdQFr5dGI/AAAAAAAASZM/XWV7Mp3fBUU21y5ESwlXickb8jCfpp5HgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Slide2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="The Insomniacs by Marit Weisenberg has a wide appeal with its diverse characters and building suspense. Students who enjoy realistic fiction or mystery/thrillers will be engrossed in this book. Sports fans and student athletes will relate, especially those who have ever suffered a sports related injury. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application." border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vItcuoE9LvQ/XxSdQFr5dGI/AAAAAAAASZM/XWV7Mp3fBUU21y5ESwlXickb8jCfpp5HgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Slide2.png" title="The Insomniacs by Marit Weisenberg has a wide appeal with its diverse characters and building suspense. Students who enjoy realistic fiction or mystery/thrillers will be engrossed in this book. Sports fans and student athletes will relate, especially those who have ever suffered a sports related injury. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application." width="400" /></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><b>Why I liked it: </b></span>I appreciated the diverse cast of characters in <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2ZUXfoM" target="_blank">The Insomniacs</a></i>, which were a range of racial and ethnic backgrounds, some more defined than others. The characters' families also ranged in their composition, with few of them considered "traditional." The character that intrigued me most was Caroline. She had it all: the looks, the smarts, the boyfriend, success in a sport, and yet she didn't seem satisfied. Like Ingrid, I questioned Caroline's motives. Was she threatened by Ingrid's diving skills or Ingrid's relationship with Caroline's boyfriend Van? Was she just looking out for Ingrid? Was she trying to develop a friendship with her?<br /> <div> <div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"> <br /> I also appreciated the novels' depictions of the perils of recreational drug and alcohol abuse. The characters involved in substance abuse were everyday kids who took things too far. Any scenes depicting drug or alcohol use felt gross and not at all glamorized. I also loved that Ingrid was a junior (in eleventh grade) and just then having her first kiss despite being a very attractive girl. It made for interesting juxtaposition with the inappropriate relationship between Caroline and her coach.<br /> <i><br /></i> <b>Classroom application: </b>I would recommend this one for high school and up due to drug and alcohol use as well as mild sexual content. <i>The Insomniacs</i> has a wide appeal; students who enjoy realistic fiction or mystery/thrillers will be engrossed in this book. Sports fans and student athletes will relate to the amount of time spent dedicated to a sport. Student athletes who have had a concussion or other serious injury will especially connect with the threat to participation in their life focus.<br /> <br /> If you are interested in purchasing a copy of <i>The Insomniacs</i> for yourself, you can find it on Amazon <a href="https://amzn.to/2ZUXfoM" target="_blank">here</a>.</div> <i><br /></i> <i>Note:</i> I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The Literary Maven is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x2ySplQ4n44/XxSdJq0y3cI/AAAAAAAASZI/opkSrDkSTDYslfOhpPVm7OO5bUYmUH_pwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Slide4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Insomniacs by Marit Weisenberg has a wide appeal with its diverse characters and building suspense. Students who enjoy realistic fiction or mystery/thrillers will be engrossed in this book. Sports fans and student athletes will relate, especially those who have ever suffered a sports related injury. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application." border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x2ySplQ4n44/XxSdJq0y3cI/AAAAAAAASZI/opkSrDkSTDYslfOhpPVm7OO5bUYmUH_pwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Slide4.png" title="The Insomniacs by Marit Weisenberg has a wide appeal with its diverse characters and building suspense. Students who enjoy realistic fiction or mystery/thrillers will be engrossed in this book. Sports fans and student athletes will relate, especially those who have ever suffered a sports related injury. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application." width="266" /></a></div> <br /></div> <style></style></div>
On My Bookshelf: The Summer We Found the Baby by Amy Hest Posted by The Literary Maven at September 14, 2020 Labels: my bookshelf, young adult literature <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oAVaE5RHFJU/XxSedpj1bvI/AAAAAAAASZk/C1t-nx6etv8FKSo78FXzRg2tMTMa9incQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Slide8.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Summer We Found the Baby is a sweet historical fiction read narrated by two sisters, Julie and Martha, and their summer neighbor, Bruno. Julie and Martha find a baby outside of the library off the beach town they are staying in for the summer. Through a series of loosely connected vignettes, the identity of the baby and how and why it appeared at the library are slowly revealed. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application." border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oAVaE5RHFJU/XxSedpj1bvI/AAAAAAAASZk/C1t-nx6etv8FKSo78FXzRg2tMTMa9incQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Slide8.png" title="The Summer We Found the Baby is a sweet historical fiction read narrated by two sisters, Julie and Martha, and their summer neighbor, Bruno. Julie and Martha find a baby outside of the library off the beach town they are staying in for the summer. Through a series of loosely connected vignettes, the identity of the baby and how and why it appeared at the library are slowly revealed. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application." width="400" /></a></div> <b>The basic plot from Amazon: </b>On the morning of the dedication of the new children’s library in Belle Beach, Long Island, eleven-year-old Julie Sweet and her six-year-old sister, Martha, find a baby in a basket on the library steps. At the same time, twelve-year-old Bruno Ben-Eli is on his way to the train station to catch the 9:15 train into New York City. He is on an important errand for his brother, who is a soldier overseas in World War II. But when Bruno spies Julie, the same Julie who hasn’t spoken to him for sixteen days, heading away from the library with a baby in her arms, he has to follow her. Holy everything, he thinks. Julie Sweet is a kidnapper.<br /> <br /> Of course, the truth is much more complicated than the children know in this heartwarming and beautifully textured family story by award-winning author Amy Hest. Told in three distinct voices, each with a different take on events, the novel captures the moments and emotions of a life-changing summer — a summer in which a baby gives a family hope and brings a community together.<br /> <br /> <div> <div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--LAq2jIXfyg/XxSeJ-FziAI/AAAAAAAASZc/nZYRXiIfNWMIIJnVeVfgLfNXLA1bpACMQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Slide5.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="The Summer We Found the Baby is a sweet historical fiction read narrated by two sisters, Julie and Martha, and their summer neighbor, Bruno. Julie and Martha find a baby outside of the library off the beach town they are staying in for the summer. Through a series of loosely connected vignettes, the identity of the baby and how and why it appeared at the library are slowly revealed. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application." border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--LAq2jIXfyg/XxSeJ-FziAI/AAAAAAAASZc/nZYRXiIfNWMIIJnVeVfgLfNXLA1bpACMQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Slide5.png" title="The Summer We Found the Baby is a sweet historical fiction read narrated by two sisters, Julie and Martha, and their summer neighbor, Bruno. Julie and Martha find a baby outside of the library off the beach town they are staying in for the summer. Through a series of loosely connected vignettes, the identity of the baby and how and why it appeared at the library are slowly revealed. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application." width="400" /></a></div> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><b>Why I liked it: </b></span><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3em4bR7" target="_blank">The Summer We Found the Baby</a> </i>is a sweet historical fiction read narrated by two sisters, Julie and Martha, and their summer neighbor, Bruno. Julie and Martha find a baby outside of the library off the beach town they are staying in for the summer as their father interviews soldiers at a nearby base. Through a series of loosely connected vignettes, the identity of the baby and how and why it appeared at the library are slowly revealed.<br /> <br /> I loved the three different voices of the narrators, the unique plot organization, and the surprise appearance of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. All three narrators were somewhat unreliable because of their age, but their ages are also what filled their stories with such a range of emotions and insights, especially the scenes focused on the tragedies of war.<br /> <br /> The novel begins with the main event, the discovery of the baby on the day of the library's grand opening, but then works backward to piece together the events that lead to this one and then works forward again. Each chapter includes a segment from each of the three narrators. The segments, or vignettes, were all connected to the same event, but not just a retelling of an event from different characters' perspectives. I never read anything structured quite like it. I did think Tess's pregnancy/baby sub plot was a little cliche, but the telling of it through the children's eyes made it tender.<br /> <i><br /></i> <b>Classroom application: </b>I would recommend this one for fifth grade and up. Students who love historical fiction, particularly titles focused on WWII, will enjoy this title focused on the home front.<br /> <br /> If you are interested in purchasing a copy of <i>The Summer We Found the Baby</i> for yourself, you can find it on Amazon <a href="https://amzn.to/3em4bR7" target="_blank">here</a>.</div> <i><br /></i> <i>Note:</i> I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The Literary Maven is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ix6o_iaCuY8/XxSekkZPHjI/AAAAAAAASZo/7c9XYDqwZ5kxL_KQLdUJeNQk9lq5kBYbQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Slide7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Summer We Found the Baby is a sweet historical fiction read narrated by two sisters, Julie and Martha, and their summer neighbor, Bruno. Julie and Martha find a baby outside of the library off the beach town they are staying in for the summer. Through a series of loosely connected vignettes, the identity of the baby and how and why it appeared at the library are slowly revealed. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application." border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ix6o_iaCuY8/XxSekkZPHjI/AAAAAAAASZo/7c9XYDqwZ5kxL_KQLdUJeNQk9lq5kBYbQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Slide7.png" title="The Summer We Found the Baby is a sweet historical fiction read narrated by two sisters, Julie and Martha, and their summer neighbor, Bruno. Julie and Martha find a baby outside of the library off the beach town they are staying in for the summer. Through a series of loosely connected vignettes, the identity of the baby and how and why it appeared at the library are slowly revealed. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application." width="266" /></a></div> <br /></div> <style></style></div>
On My Bookshelf: A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz Posted by The Literary Maven at September 07, 2020 Labels: my bookshelf, young adult literature <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: left;"> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dvWZszBWn3I/XvavwY3xVJI/AAAAAAAASKw/eNeIk0ba-aol-yby_PaALBUsp-gduKLawCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Slide6.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz is full of fun, humor, and unexpected twists. Young readers will delight in an interrupting narrator and children who are wiser than their foolish parents. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application." border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="590" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dvWZszBWn3I/XvavwY3xVJI/AAAAAAAASKw/eNeIk0ba-aol-yby_PaALBUsp-gduKLawCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Slide6.png" title="A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz is full of fun, humor, and unexpected twists. Young readers will delight in an interrupting narrator and children who are wiser than their foolish parents. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application." width="400" /></a></div> <b style="text-align: left;">The basic plot from Amazon: </b>In this mischievous and utterly original debut, Hansel and Gretel walk out of their own story and into eight other classic Grimm-inspired tales. As readers follow the siblings through a forest brimming with menacing foes, they learn the true story behind (and beyond) the bread crumbs, edible houses, and outwitted witches.<br /> <br /> Fairy tales have never been more irreverent or subversive as Hansel and Gretel learn to take charge of their destinies and become the clever architects of their own happily ever after.<br /> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><b><br /></b></span> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><b>Why I liked it: </b></span>I usually love fractured fairy tales, and I mostly liked <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3hRmosL" target="_blank">A Tale Dark & Grimm</a></i> (it's the first in a series). The plot is full of fun, humor, and unexpected twists, but the interrupting narrator got on my nerves (younger readers might find it entertaining). Likewise, younger readers will likely delight in the children who are wiser than their foolish parents. While I've decided young adult fractured fairy tales are more my style, I would still read the next two books in this series.<br /> <div> <div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SsVRId96jgI/XxSexbUXLoI/AAAAAAAASZw/QJ45Q8PDEsEZhYw121Pvz8fBY-0DRfykACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Slide6.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz is full of fun, humor, and unexpected twists. Young readers will delight in an interrupting narrator and children who are wiser than their foolish parents. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application." border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SsVRId96jgI/XxSexbUXLoI/AAAAAAAASZw/QJ45Q8PDEsEZhYw121Pvz8fBY-0DRfykACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Slide6.png" title="A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz is full of fun, humor, and unexpected twists. Young readers will delight in an interrupting narrator and children who are wiser than their foolish parents. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application." width="400" /></a></div> <br /> <b>Classroom application: </b>This novel is appropriate for 5th grade and up. After reading, have students generate a list of essential elements in a fairy tale. Students could then evaluate whether or not this book fits the genre. The official recommendation for the book is grades 5 and 6, ages 10 - 12. Students could debate whether this book is too violent for this recommended grade/age range.<br /> <br /> This would also make for a great pairing with some of the original versions of the Grimm brothers' fairy tales. Students could try to identify the fairy tales incorporated in <i>A Tale Dark & Grimm </i>in addition to the obvious inclusion of Hansel and Gretel (I tried to find a list, but I couldn't). Similar to debating the violence and age appropriateness of <i>A Tale Dark & Grimm</i>, students could debate what ages the originals are appropriate for and/or discuss how the originals evolved into the tales we know today.<br /> <!--EndFragment--><br /> If you are interested in purchasing a copy of <i>A Tale Dark & Grimm</i> for yourself, you can find it on Amazon <a href="https://amzn.to/3hRmosL" target="_blank">here</a>.</div> <i><br /></i> <i>Note: </i>The Literary Maven is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yhJLkBy6-Xc/Xvav2tFYhoI/AAAAAAAASK4/r4m-VdP5pw8pdqzi6s3kvThP0t2Rs91vACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Slide6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz is full of fun, humor, and unexpected twists. Young readers will delight in an interrupting narrator and children who are wiser than their foolish parents. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application." border="0" data-original-height="885" data-original-width="590" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yhJLkBy6-Xc/Xvav2tFYhoI/AAAAAAAASK4/r4m-VdP5pw8pdqzi6s3kvThP0t2Rs91vACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Slide6.png" title="A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz is full of fun, humor, and unexpected twists. Young readers will delight in an interrupting narrator and children who are wiser than their foolish parents. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application." width="266" /></a></div> <br /></div> <style></style> </div>
On My Bookshelf: The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin Posted by The Literary Maven at August 31, 2020 Labels: my bookshelf, young adult literature <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pJnHxTos44c/XvaxEUFqe0I/AAAAAAAASMI/1H7oGAmqKjIuXVFcQBXSu4ZcqHU1E8moACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Slide8.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="In The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin, Suzy struggles to accept that death of her best friend Franny was just an unfortunate accident, and her feelings about her friend are further complicated by the rift that grew in their relationship before Franny's death. This book is perfect for budding scientists, but also just your average middle school student trying to fit in. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom use." border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="590" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pJnHxTos44c/XvaxEUFqe0I/AAAAAAAASMI/1H7oGAmqKjIuXVFcQBXSu4ZcqHU1E8moACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Slide8.png" title="In The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin, Suzy struggles to accept that death of her best friend Franny was just an unfortunate accident, and her feelings about her friend are further complicated by the rift that grew in their relationship before Franny's death. This book is perfect for budding scientists, but also just your average middle school student trying to fit in. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom use." width="400" /></a></div> <b>The basic plot from Amazon: </b>Everyone says that it was an accident... that sometimes things "just happen". But Suzy won't believe it. Ever. After her best friend dies in a drowning accident, Suzy is convinced that the true cause of the tragedy was a rare jellyfish sting. Retreating into a silent world of imagination, she crafts a plan to prove her theory--even if it means traveling the globe, alone. Suzy's achingly heartfelt journey explores life, death, the astonishing wonder of the universe...and the potential for love and hope right next door.<br /> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><b><br /></b></span> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><b>Why I liked it: </b>In<b> </b></span><i><a href="https://amzn.to/31TBCof" target="_blank">The Thing About Jellyfish</a>, </i>Suzy can't believe her friend Franny's death was just a freak accident; since Franny was a swimmer, Suzy is convinced that something more specific must have caused her death and becomes fixated on researching deadly jellyfish to the point where she plans a trip across the globe to consult with an expert. What complicates Suzy's feeling about her friend's death is that when she died, they weren't really friends anymore. The transition to middle school, shifts in friends, and romantic interests create a rift between the two girls who had been best friends for years.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eete_MD5syI/XxSe7GocKiI/AAAAAAAASZ0/TCvSTNy9yDcSm0y--Ch9ynfb9MPtB_U5wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Slide7.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="In The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin, Suzy struggles to accept that death of her best friend Franny was just an unfortunate accident, and her feelings about her friend are further complicated by the rift that grew in their relationship before Franny's death. This book is perfect for budding scientists, but also just your average middle school student trying to fit in. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom use." border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eete_MD5syI/XxSe7GocKiI/AAAAAAAASZ0/TCvSTNy9yDcSm0y--Ch9ynfb9MPtB_U5wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Slide7.png" title="In The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin, Suzy struggles to accept that death of her best friend Franny was just an unfortunate accident, and her feelings about her friend are further complicated by the rift that grew in their relationship before Franny's death. This book is perfect for budding scientists, but also just your average middle school student trying to fit in. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom use." width="400" /></a></div> <br /> I appreciated the author's depiction of a young person's grieving process as well as of two friends growing apart, but insecure and unsure about their changed roles in each others' lives. Suzy at times seemed incredibly mature and at other times very young and immature, and I couldn't write that inconsistency off as part of coming of age or her character development.<br /> <div> <div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"> <br /> <b>Classroom application: </b><i>The Thing About Jellyfish</i> is appropriate for middle school and a great add to your STEM section of your classroom library because not only is the book filled with information about jellyfish, section of the book is introduced as a part of the scientific method.<br /> <br /> This book is perfect for budding scientists, but also just your average middle school student trying to fit in. The book could be used in literature circles focused on friendship or being different, and also touches on important topics for middle schoolers such as divorced parents and LBGTQ+ relationships.<br /> <br /> If you are interested in purchasing a copy of <i>The Thing About Jellyfish</i> for yourself, you can find it on Amazon <a href="https://amzn.to/31TBCof" target="_blank">here</a>.</div> <i><br /></i> <i>Note:</i> The Literary Maven is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xHmIFl3Xeso/Xvaw_YjOZxI/AAAAAAAASME/nteOR3eEte4URefmHq2F_O_RfddDdrungCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Slide8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="In The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin, Suzy struggles to accept that death of her best friend Franny was just an unfortunate accident, and her feelings about her friend are further complicated by the rift that grew in their relationship before Franny's death. This book is perfect for budding scientists, but also just your average middle school student trying to fit in. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom use." border="0" data-original-height="885" data-original-width="590" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xHmIFl3Xeso/Xvaw_YjOZxI/AAAAAAAASME/nteOR3eEte4URefmHq2F_O_RfddDdrungCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/Slide8.png" title="In The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin, Suzy struggles to accept that death of her best friend Franny was just an unfortunate accident, and her feelings about her friend are further complicated by the rift that grew in their relationship before Franny's death. This book is perfect for budding scientists, but also just your average middle school student trying to fit in. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom use." width="133" /></a></div> <br /></div> </div>
On My Bookshelf: Black Dove, White Raven by Elizabeth Wein Posted by The Literary Maven at August 24, 2020 Labels: my bookshelf, young adult literature <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OVSn5V3tzBw/XvawNKrP8LI/AAAAAAAASLM/YZ6ibMGX0TsQ6v6cv7eAerIgfXElzXljQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Slide4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="590" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OVSn5V3tzBw/XvawNKrP8LI/AAAAAAAASLM/YZ6ibMGX0TsQ6v6cv7eAerIgfXElzXljQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Slide4.png" width="400" /></a></div> <b style="text-align: left;">The basic plot from Amazon: </b>Emilia and Teo's lives changed in a fiery, terrifying instant when a bird strike brought down the plane their stunt pilot mothers were flying. Teo's mother died immediately, but Em's survived, determined to raise Teo according to his late mother's wishes-in a place where he won't be discriminated against because of the color of his skin. But in 1930s America, a white woman raising a black adoptive son alongside a white daughter is too often seen as a threat.<br /> <br /> Seeking a home where her children won't be held back by ethnicity or gender, Rhoda brings Em and Teo to Ethiopia, and all three fall in love with the beautiful, peaceful country. But that peace is shattered by the threat of war with Italy, and teenage Em and Teo are drawn into the conflict. Will their devotion to their country, its culture and people, and each other be their downfall?or their salvation?<br /> <br /> In the tradition of her award-winning and bestselling <i>Code Name Verity</i>, Elizabeth Wein brings us another thrilling and deeply affecting novel that explores the bonds of friendship, the resilience of young pilots, and the strength of the human spirit.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-USOsfPnJaC4/XxSfDchvTfI/AAAAAAAASZ8/lLVWnhfWOasy6DqK1Y2e6PAFayuJKFgMQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Slide8.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Black Dove, White Raven by Elizabeth Wein is a historical fiction novel set in Ethiopia and is a wonderful look at the culture and history of the country. The events in the novel span from WWI to WWII, and touch on race relations in the United States, women's rights, and slavery in Ethiopia. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application." border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-USOsfPnJaC4/XxSfDchvTfI/AAAAAAAASZ8/lLVWnhfWOasy6DqK1Y2e6PAFayuJKFgMQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Slide8.png" title="Black Dove, White Raven by Elizabeth Wein is a historical fiction novel set in Ethiopia and is a wonderful look at the culture and history of the country. The events in the novel span from WWI to WWII, and touch on race relations in the United States, women's rights, and slavery in Ethiopia. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application." width="400" /></a></div> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><b><br /></b></span> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><b>Why I liked it: </b></span>Elizabeth Wein's novels, <i><a href="https://www.theliterarymaven.com/2016/10/review-code-name-verity-elizabeth-wein.html" target="_blank">Code Name Verity</a></i> and <i><a href="https://www.theliterarymaven.com/2017/06/review-rose-under-fire-elizabeth-wein.html" target="_blank">Rose Under Fire</a></i>, which are set during WWII and feature female pilots are both gripping and empowering, and <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2NfCqyo" target="_blank">Black Dove, White Raven</a></i> was no different. The primary setting in this book is Ethiopia and is a wonderful look at the culture and history of a country I knew little about. The events in the novel span from WWI to WWII, and touch on race relations in the United States, women's rights, and slavery in Ethiopia. If you are a fan of historical fiction, you'll love this book.<br /> <div> <div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"> <br /> The novel is filled with complex relationships that challenge the rules of society: Rhoda and Delia as flying partners and friends, Emilia and Teo as adoptive siblings and friends, Rhoda and her children as a mixed race family. As the novel reveals there isn't a place in the world, not in France, not in the united States, and not even in Ethiopia for these relationships to be fully accepted, but in spite of adversity, Rhoda, Emilia, and Teo do not waver in their love and loyalty for each other. It was impossible not to feel the fierceness of their care and concern for each other.<br /> <br /> <b>Classroom application: </b>I would recommend this title for middle school and up. The novel would be a great companion read to students' history learnings about the period between WWI and WWII.<br /> <br /> If your students are interested in World War II, you can find other titles to recommend to them <a href="https://www.theliterarymaven.com/2017/12/teen-books-holocaust-WWII.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /> <!--EndFragment--><br /> If you are interested in purchasing a copy of <i>Black Dove, White Raven</i> for yourself, you can find it on Amazon <a href="https://amzn.to/2NfCqyo" target="_blank">here</a>.</div> <i><br /></i> <i>Note:</i> The Literary Maven is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ho85AWzqdNs/XvawUsVDDqI/AAAAAAAASLU/4kHqU-qFm-UjXF28Lq3RM0-RT7PExR8sQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Slide4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="885" data-original-width="590" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ho85AWzqdNs/XvawUsVDDqI/AAAAAAAASLU/4kHqU-qFm-UjXF28Lq3RM0-RT7PExR8sQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Slide4.png" width="266" /></a></div> <br /></div> <style></style> </div>
