October 26, 2015

On My Bookshelf: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, a historical fiction novel, chronicles the harrowing experience of Lina and her family, labeled as anti-Soviet during the 1940s and imprisoned in a labor camp into the 1950s. Taken from their home in Lithuania to the coldest edges of the globe, each day is a struggle to survive. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.
Basic plot: Fifteen-year-old Lina, her 10-year-old brother Jonas, and her mother are taken from their home in Lithuania in the middle of the night by the NKVD, the Soviet secret police. First they are loaded into a truck and then crammed into cattle cars, their destination unknown. Lina's father, a professor at the local university, had disappeared the night before. His educated status marked he and his family as threats to the Soviet regime, and worse, he helped some of his family members escape the country. Lina and her brother briefly see their father, held in another cattle car, but men are kept separate from women and children. After nearly a month of traveling, Lina, her mother and brother arrive in a labor camp in Siberia. At the labor camp, Lina, her family, and those who survived the train ride are forced to dig holes, plant vegetables, make shoes, etc. by day and then woken in the middle of each night by Soviet officers demanding they sign a document stating they are criminals. After almost a year there, most of the camp is transferred to an island in the Arctic Circle, just off the North Pole, where conditions are even worse and Lina, her family and friends continue their struggle to survive.

Why I liked it: Too often, we only know one side of history. While Hitler and the Nazis were monsters, responsible for the loss of six million plus lives, they were not the only "bad guys" and many more civilian lives were lost in the events surrounding WWII. But we hear much less about Stalin and the Soviets because they eventually joined the United States and the Allied forces to stop the Germans and end WWII. This novel brings to light the lesser known events of Lina, her family, and friends' lives, many of which parallel the experience of the Jews in German-occupied territories during WWII.

Classroom application: The novel could be used as a fiction pairing in a unit on WWII and its aftermath, especially if your students traditionally read Holocaust related literature. Though Lina and her family are fictional characters, it is true that those labeled anti-Soviet were imprisoned in labor camps for 10-15 years, and when they returned home in the mid-1950s were viewed as criminals, nothing remained of their former lives, and perhaps worst of all, could not speak of their experiences.

The novel could also be used as a mentor text to model the use of flashback. throughout the novel Lina has flashbacks to happier moments of her childhood. The novel might also inspire a research project where your students investigate and write about the "other side" of history. The United States' internment of the Japanese during WWII might be a topic of interest.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of Between Shades of Gray for yourself, you can find it on Amazon here.

Note: 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.

October 25, 2015

#2ndaryELA Twitter Chat Topic: ELA Lesson Planning

Brynn Allison, The Literary Maven & Kristy, 2 Peas and a Dog are hosting #2ndaryELA on Twitter every Tuesday evening from 8 - 9 PM EST. #2ndaryELA is a weekly chat for secondary English Language Arts teachers focused on a topic. Every Sunday, we will post the topic and questions on our blogs to allow you to prepare for the upcoming Tuesday evening's chat. Thank you to everyone who joined us last week and we hope that you will join us again.





Looking for the recap? Click on the image below.


On Tuesday, October 27, our #2ndaryELA chat will focus on lesson planning in the ELA classroom.

The Format:
8:00 Intros: What and where do you teach? Include a link to your blog if you have one. #2ndaryELA
8:05 Q1: Do you plan your lessons out? Paper or digital tools? How do you organize your daily lesson plans? #2ndaryELA
8:15 Q2: How do you select what topics you cover in your ELA classes? #2ndaryELA
8:25 Q3: What processes/steps do you follow when planning an ELA lesson? #2ndaryELA
8:35 Q4: Where do you find ideas for your lessons? Provide internet links where possible. #2ndaryELA
8:45 Q5: Share a resource for lesson planning that you find invaluable (book, article, blog post, type of technology, etc.). #2ndaryELA

The Directions:
1. Log into Twitter on Tuesday from 8-9 PM EST.
2. Search for tweets with the hashtag #2ndaryELA in the search bar. Make sure to click “All tweets.”
3. Introductions are for the first 5 minutes.
4. Starting at 8:05 (@literarymaven or @2peasandadog) will post questions every 10 minutes using the format Q1, Q2, Q3, etc. and the hashtag #2ndaryELA.
5. Respond to questions using the format A1, A2, A3, etc. with #2ndaryELA.
6. Follow any teachers responding and who are also using #2ndaryELA.
7. Like and respond to other teachers' tweets.

You can schedule your responses to the questions ahead of time using a scheduler like TweetDeck or HootSuite (but don't forget to use A1, A2, etc. and #2ndaryELA). Links are encouraged, so be sure to use a link shortener like tinyurl, bitly, goo.gl or ow.ly Just visit one of those links and paste your long link to shorten it for Twitter. Using images is also encouraged when relevant.

New to chats? Here are the rules:
1. Stay on topic & stay positive!
2. Please do not post or promote paid products unless specifically asked.
3. If you arrive late, try to look through other posts before beginning.
4. Feel free to just read, like, and/or retweet.
5. Always use our hashtag #2ndaryELA, including in your replies to others.
6. Make sure your twitter feed is set to public. (Also keep in mind that Twitter is completely public –that means students, parents, and administrators can and will read what you tweet.)

Be sure to spread the word to any teacher friends who might be interested in joining us as well. We look forward to chatting with you Tuesday evening!
Get caught up on past chats here:

October 20, 2015

Fun Fall Finds: Resources for the Secondary ELA Classroom

Find fun fall resources for your secondary English Language Arts classroom to use throughout the spooky season and celebrate Halloween, Daylight Savings, and Election Day.The fall can be a daunting time in the classroom. The weather is getting cooler and the days are getting darker. The excitement of back to school has ended and the "honeymoon" phase with your students is over too. Their behavior is less than perfect, they are starting to get chatty, and winter vacation seems so far away. You can bring some excitement back into your classroom and re-engage your students by recognizing some of the smaller holidays or events in between now and Christmas break, such as Halloween, Daylight Savings, and Election Day. If your school frowns upon recognizing holidays of any kind, you can also bring some spookiness into your classroom with a lesson or two or even a unit on Edgar Allan Poe (one of my favorite authors!) combining fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and argument writing.
Incorporate the holidays in your secondary classroom while increasing your use of nonfiction with seasonal nonfiction close readings.Increasing the amount of nonfiction you use in your classroom can be a challenge, especially if your school is still using textbooks predominantly filled with literature. Seasonal nonfiction close readings are an easy way to incorporate nonfiction texts that your students will actually be interested in reading. Rigorous articles from sources such as The New York Times and National Public Radio are paired with ten questions aligned with the Informational Common Core standards. Suggested after reading activities make connections with math, science, history, and more. Check out my seasonal nonfiction close readings on the history of Halloween, why Daylight Savings makes no sense, and why Election Day is always a Tuesday. You can read about how one secondary English teacher uses my seasonal nonfiction readings in her classroom here. Look for readings on Thanksgiving and Pearl Harbor Day coming soon.

If incorporating the holidays into your classroom is against school policy or just inconsiderate due to students' different religious backgrounds, considering spreading the scary spirit with author Edgar Allan Poe. It would be difficult for me to chose a favorite Poe short story, but "The Black Cat" is definitely one of them. I mean, who doesn't love a drunk guy who goes crazy and stabs his cat in the eye for ignoring him?! I use an adapted version of the short story to make it accessible for all levels of students. It's an excellent text for discussing the reliability (or unreliability) of a first person narrator.  

"The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe is the perfect poem for the spooky Halloween season and teaching unreliable narrator.Like Poe's short stories, I don't think I could pick just one Poe poem to teach, but "The Raven" is the one I use this time of year. After doing a close reading with my students, we compare the original text with The Simpsons "Treehouse of Horror" episode in which Homer is haunted by Bart in bird form. Like "The Black Cat," it is a great text for evaluating the reliability of a narrator; students respond to a constructed response prompt on the topic. Another possible constructed prompt is examining how the setting creates mood in the poem. I also like to focus on summarizing with "The Raven" and ask students to write both a written summary and create a cartoon strip form of the poem.

Even more interesting than Edgar Allan Poe's characters are the theories about how he might have died. Have students pick a possible cause of death to defend in an argument essay.After introducing students to some of Poe's colorful characters, I keep their interest piqued with a series of nonfiction readings on the different possible causes of Poe's death, culminating with an argument essay in which students must select and defend a view point. A highly structured, step-by-step essay writing guide supports even my lowest level writers. During the writing process, I also use a choice board of activities which students complete independently while I work with small groups on their essays. Students are engaged in options such as writing an acrostic poem like the one written to Poe by his wife or creating a timeline of major events in Poe's life, while I assist struggling students with outlining the argument of their essay.


October 19, 2015

On My Bookshelf: So Shelley by Ty Roth

The lives of the Romantics: John Keats, George Gordon Byron, and Mary and Percy Shelley are played out in present day in So Shelley by Ty Roth. The adventures, romance, and teenage angst of three high school students is based on the sometimes unbelievable, yet true lives of famous authors of the past. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.
Basic plot: Keats and Byron are trying to carry out the dying wishes of their high school friend, Shelley. Keats is a lowly underclassman with a blue color background, while Byron is a revered senior who comes from money. Keats and Shelley became friends while serving on the school newspaper, while Byron and Shelley were childhood friends and next door neighbors. After stealing her ashes from her funeral service, Keats and Byron make their way over to the island where Shelley drowned to spread her ashes there. While trying to keep a low profile to avoid Shelley's father and make it to their destination, the two share Shelley stories from their past.

Why I liked it: As I was reading, there were moments in the plot that I thought were over the top, but then I remembered that the characters were based on the lives of John Keats, Lord Byron, and Percy and Mary Shelley, whose lives were sometimes unbelievable but true.

The plot was a good mix of flash backs and present action, which kept you rooting for the success of Keats and Byron's mission. The ending seemed underdeveloped and could use some work.

Classroom application: This novel is one I would add to my classroom library. It would definitely hook students who read novels that I might classify as a little "trashy," but this one is based on the lives of real people.

This novel could be used as a fiction pairing to a poetry unit on the Romantics or a biography of any one of the four authors.

This novel could also be used as a mentor text to show how to take events from the past and insert them into modern times. Students could select other historical figures with interesting lives and write narratives of those lives playing out in the present.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of So Shelly for yourself, you can find it on Amazon here.

Note: 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.

October 18, 2015

#2ndaryELA Twitter Chat Topic: Teaching the Classics

Brynn Allison, The Literary Maven & Kristy, 2 Peas and a Dog are hosting #2ndaryELA on Twitter every Tuesday evening from 8 - 9 PM EST. #2ndaryELA is a weekly chat for secondary English Language Arts teachers focused on a topic. Every Sunday, we will post the topic and questions on our blogs to allow you to prepare for the upcoming Tuesday evening's chat. Thank you to everyone who joined us last week and we hope that you will join us again.





Looking for the recap? Click on the image below.



On Tuesday, October 20, our #2ndaryELA chat will focus on teaching the classics in the ELA classroom.

The Format:

8:00 Intros: What and where do you teach? Include a link to your blog if you have one. #2ndaryELA
8:05 Q1: Do you still teach the classics in your classes? Which ones? #2ndaryELA
8:15 Q2: Why is it important (or not) to teach these titles? #2ndaryELA
8:25 Q3: How do you help students who struggle with the language or form of older texts #2ndaryELA
8:35 Q4: How do you make connections between these older texts and modern day/current issues? #2ndaryELA
8:45 Q5: Share a resource for teaching the classics that you find invaluable (book, article, blog post, type of technology, etc.). #2ndaryELA

The Directions:
1. Log into Twitter on Tuesday from 8-9 PM EST.
2. Search for tweets with the hashtag #2ndaryELA in the search bar. Make sure to click “All tweets.”
3. Introductions are for the first 5 minutes.
4. Starting at 8:05 (@literarymaven or @2peasandadog) will post questions every 10 minutes using the format Q1, Q2, Q3, etc. and the hashtag #2ndaryELA.
5. Respond to questions using the format A1, A2, A3, etc. with #2ndaryELA.
6. Follow any teachers responding and who are also using #2ndaryELA.
7. Like and respond to other teachers' tweets.

You can schedule your responses to the questions ahead of time using a scheduler like TweetDeck or HootSuite (but don't forget to use A1, A2, etc. and #2ndaryELA). Links are encouraged, so be sure to use a link shortener like tinyurl, bitly, goo.gl or ow.ly Just visit one of those links and paste your long link to shorten it for Twitter. Using images is also encouraged when relevant.

New to chats? Here are the rules:

1. Stay on topic & stay positive!
2. Please do not post or promote paid products unless specifically asked.
3. If you arrive late, try to look through other posts before beginning.
4. Feel free to just read, like, and/or retweet.
5. Always use our hashtag #2ndaryELA, including in your replies to others.
6. Make sure your twitter feed is set to public. (Also keep in mind that Twitter is completely public – that means students, parents, and administrators can and will read what you tweet.)

Be sure to spread the word to any teacher friends who might be interested in joining us as well. We look forward to chatting with you Tuesday evening!
Get caught up on past chats here:

October 11, 2015

#2ndaryELA Twitter Chat Topic: Technology in the ELA Classroom

Brynn Allison, The Literary Maven & Kristy, 2 Peas and a Dog are hosting #2ndaryELA on Twitter every Tuesday evening from 8 - 9 PM EST. #2ndaryELA is a weekly chat for secondary English Language Arts teachers focused on a topic. Every Sunday, we will post the topic and questions on our blogs to allow you to prepare for the upcoming Tuesday evening's chat. Thank you to everyone who joined us last week and we hope that you will join us again.

On Tuesday, October 13, our #2ndaryELA chat will focus on technology in the ELA classroom.

The Format:
8:00 Intros: What and where do you teach? Include a link to your blog if you have one. #2ndaryELA
8:05 Q1: What technology do you have in your classroom? What technology is available in your school to sign out? #2ndaryELA
8:15 Q2: How do you integrate technology in the ELA classroom? Provide examples if possible. #2ndaryELA
8:25 Q3: What are you favorite assignments to give your students involving technology? #2ndaryELA
8:35 Q4: Does your school use BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)? What types of devices do students bring to class? What do they use them for? #2ndaryELA
8:45 Q5: Share a resource for using technology in the classroom that has helped you grow in your teaching practice. #2ndaryELA

The Directions:
1. Log into Twitter on Tuesday from 8-9 PM EST.
2. Search for tweets with the hashtag #2ndaryELA in the search bar. Make sure to click “All tweets.”
3. Introductions are for the first 5 minutes.
4. Starting at 8:05 (@literarymaven or @2peasandadog) will post questions every 10 minutes using the format Q1, Q2, Q3, etc. and the hashtag #2ndaryELA.
5. Respond to questions using the format A1, A2, A3, etc. with #2ndaryELA.
6. Follow any teachers responding and who are also using #2ndaryELA.
7. Like and respond to other teachers' tweets.

You can schedule your responses to the questions ahead of time using a scheduler like TweetDeck or HootSuite (but don't forget to use A1, A2, etc. and #2ndaryELA). Links are encouraged, so be sure to use a link shortener like tinyurl, bitly, goo.gl or ow.ly Just visit one of those links and paste your long link to shorten it for Twitter. Using images is also encouraged when relevant.

New to chats? Here are the rules:
1. Stay on topic & stay positive!
2. Please do not post or promote paid products unless specifically asked.
3. If you arrive late, try to look through other posts before beginning.
4. Feel free to just read, like, and/or retweet.
5. Always use our hashtag #2ndaryELA, including in your replies to others.
6. Make sure your twitter feed is set to public. (Also keep in mind that Twitter is completely public – that means students, parents, and administrators can and will read what you tweet.)

Be sure to spread the word to any teacher friends who might be interested in joining us as well. We look forward to chatting with you Tuesday evening!

Get caught up on past chats here:

October 6, 2015

On My Bookshelf: Love Is The Higher Law by David Levithan

In Love is the Higher Law by David Levithan, the lives of three teens become intertwined as they try to reconcile the events following the terrorist attacks on September 11 and move forward with their lives. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.
Basic plot: On the morning of September 11, 2001, Claire is in class, Peter is waiting for the record store to open so he can buy a CD, and Jasper is sleeping. When disaster strikes, Claire quickly leaves, heads to her younger brother's school, and hopes their mom will find them soon. All Peter can do is stand and stare. Jasper wakes to his parents frantic phone calls and emails from concerned friends. In the days that follow, the three teens' lives intersect. Jasper and Peter have an awkward first date, Claire and Jasper run into each other on a walk one night, and then Claire and Peter become friends after Jasper returns to college. While they can never forget 9/11 and the impact on their city, together they find ways to move forward in their lives.

Why I liked it: Claire's section of the book really resonated with my own experiences on 9/11. I too was in high school in class when teachers were informed of the events that were unfolding, who in turn informed the students. Thought I lived in Philadelphia, I immediately thought of a friend whose father worked in New York City (it turned out that he was fine, but he never went back to work after 9/11). Like Claire I had hope that humanity would learn from this tragedy and was devastated when the war in Afghanistan began. I could also connect to the disconnect all the characters felt from a world that was moving forward despite the catastrophic events of 9/11. Many of us have probably experienced that feeling after the loss of a loved one, wondering how people can be happy and go about their day to day life when something so terrible has happened.

Classroom application: While the novel is fiction, it is connected to the author's own experiences on 9/11 and could be used as a fiction pairing in a history class. Since students entering high school now were born before 9/11 even occurred, I do believe this is an event that should be taught in some form. Reading the novel could lead to an oral history project where students record the experiences of people they know on 9/11.

Because the novel uses three narrators, students could study the way in which the author creates and intertwines the different plot lines. Then using the novel as a mentor text, students could write their own narratives with three intersecting plot lines.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of Love Is The Higher Law for yourself, you can find it on Amazon here.

Note: 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.

October 4, 2015

#2ndaryELA Twitter Chat Topic: Teaching the Novel

Brynn Allison, The Literary Maven & Kristy, 2 Peas and a Dog are hosting #2ndaryELA on Twitter every Tuesday evening from 8 - 9 PM EST. #2ndaryELA is a weekly chat for secondary English Language Arts teachers focused on a topic. Every Sunday, we will post the topic and questions on our blogs to allow you to prepare for the upcoming Tuesday evening's chat. Thank you to everyone who joined us last week and we hope that you will join us again.

On Tuesday, October 6, our #2ndaryELA chat will focus on teaching the novel in the ELA classroom.

The Format:
8:00 Intros: What and where do you teach? Include a link to your blog if you have one. #2ndaryELA
8:05 Q1: How do you select a whole class novel or are your readings dictated by your school/curriculum? #2ndaryELA
8:15 Q2: Do you do your reading in class, out of class, or a mix of both? How do you hold students accountable for independent reading? #2ndaryELA
8:25 Q3: What are the most important skills for you to cover when reading a novel? #2ndaryELA
8:35 Q4: What types of activities & projects do students engage in during a novel unit? What is the end goal? #2ndaryELA
8:45 Q5: Share a resource for teaching a novel that you find invaluable (book, article, blog post, type of technology, etc.) #2ndaryELA

The Directions:
1. Log into Twitter on Tuesday from 8-9 PM EST.
2. Search for tweets with the hashtag #2ndaryELA in the search bar. Make sure to click “All tweets.”
3. Introductions are for the first 5 minutes.
4. Starting at 8:05 (@literarymaven or @2peasandadog) will post questions every 10 minutes using the format Q1, Q2, Q3, etc. and the hashtag #2ndaryELA.
5. Respond to questions using the format A1, A2, A3, etc. with #2ndaryELA.
6. Follow any teachers responding and who are also using #2ndaryELA.
7. Like and respond to other teachers' tweets.

You can schedule your responses to the questions ahead of time using a scheduler like TweetDeck or HootSuite (but don't forget to use A1, A2, etc. and #2ndaryELA). Links are encouraged, so be sure to use a link shortener like tinyurl, bitly, goo.gl or ow.ly Just visit one of those links and paste your long link to shorten it for Twitter. Using images is also encouraged when relevant.

New to chats? Here are the rules:
1. Stay on topic & stay positive!
2. Please do not post or promote paid products unless specifically asked.
3. If you arrive late, try to look through other posts before beginning.
4. Feel free to just read, like, and/or retweet.
5. Always use our hashtag #2ndaryELA, including in your replies to others.
6. Make sure your twitter feed is set to public. (Also keep in mind that Twitter is completely public – that means students, parents, and administrators can and will read what you tweet.)

Be sure to spread the word to any teacher friends who might be interested in joining us as well. We look forward to chatting with you Tuesday evening!
Get caught up on past chats here: