March 28, 2016

On My Bookshelf: The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz

The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz, written in a diary format, is a roller coaster of emotions as Joan leaves her family's farm and her father's tyranny at the age of fourteen. She travels to Baltimore where she lucks into a job and marvels at life in the city. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom use.
Basic plot from Amazon: Fourteen-year-old Joan Skraggs, just like the heroines in her beloved novels, yearns for real life and true love. But what hope is there for adventure, beauty, or art on a hardscrabble farm in Pennsylvania where the work never ends? Over the summer of 1911, Joan pours her heart out into her diary as she seeks a new, better life for herself—because maybe, just maybe, a hired girl cleaning and cooking for six dollars a week can become what a farm girl could only dream of—a woman with a future. Newbery Medalist Laura Amy Schlitz relates Joan’s journey from the muck of the chicken coop to the comforts of a society household in Baltimore (Electricity! Carpet sweepers! Sending out the laundry!), taking readers on an exploration of feminism and housework; religion and literature; love and loyalty; cats, hats, and bunions.

Why I liked it: The Hired Girl's central character, Joan is one you are constantly rooting for, that is when you are not shaking your head at her. At the age of 14, things look bleak for Joan. She can no longer attend school, as her mother is dead and she must keep house for her father and brothers. When she tries to take a stand for her rights as the woman of the house, her father punishes her by burning her books, taking away her only respite from her hard life. But Joan is headstrong and determined not to be ruled by her father, so she decides that she will leave home using the little money her mother left for her. I found myself comparing my own life at the age of fourteen to Joan's and being very thankful that I was not born in the early 1900s.

The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz, written in a diary format, is a roller coaster of emotions as Joan leaves her family's farm and her father's tyranny at the age of fourteen. She travels to Baltimore where she lucks into a job and marvels at life in the city. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom use.Joan takes the train from her Pennsylvania farm, stopping briefly in Philadelphia (I love any mention of my home city!), and ends her travels in Baltimore where she hopes to find work. But amazingly, and this is where the head shaking begins, that is the extent of Joan's plans. She would have spent her first night in Baltimore sleeping in a park if not for the kindness of a stranger, Solly Rosenbach, whose family gives her a place to stay and employs her as the help to their aging housekeeper. because she is so tall, Joan lies about her age to the Rosenbachs, which once they discover the truth, explains much of her "misbehavior" and childish impulses. Joan is eager to please and often meddles in the family's affairs, ending up in over her head. Each chapter, formatted as a diary entry, is a roller coaster of emotions which leaves you wondering what Joan will get into next.

Classroom application: While all of the characters are fictional, the details of the setting and time period are not. During or after reading the novel, students could research what life was like in 1911 in their city or town. Using The Hired Girl as a mentor text, students could then create characters and write diary entries from their perspectives based on their research. Students could also research how children's and women's rights have changed over time.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of The Hired Girl 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.

March 27, 2016

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

Join secondary English Language Arts teachers Tuesday evenings at 8 pm EST on Twitter. This week's chat will focus on differentiating 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 - 8:30 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.


New in 2016 is our 2ndaryELA Facebook group, which we would love to have you join even if you aren't on Twitter. 2ndaryELA is a group of middle and high school English Language Arts teachers looking to share ideas and best practices. This group is an extension of our Twitter chat and a place for collaboration, questions, and encouragement. Feel free to post teaching ideas, success stories, resource links, photos, etc. that will enhance our instruction.

On Tuesday, March 29, our #2ndaryELA chat will focus on differentiation 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 differentiate reading to meet all learners’ needs? #2ndaryELA
8:10 Q2: How do you differentiate writing to meet all learners’ needs? #2ndaryELA
8:15 Q3: What role does choice play in differentiation in your classroom? #2ndaryELA
8:20 Q4: What differentiation tool or strategy do you find the most effective? Why? #2ndaryELA
8:25 Q5: Share any differentiation strategies, resources, or lessons that you love. #2ndaryELA

The Directions:
1. Log into Twitter on Tuesday from 8-8:30 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 5 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 tinyurlbitlygoo.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 and in our 2ndaryELA Facebook group!

Get caught up on past chats here:

March 25, 2016

Shakespeare: Teaching His Plays & Other Dramas

The play's the thing and many students jump at the opportunity to do some acting. In this #2ndayELA Twitter chat, middle and high school English Language Arts teachers discussed popular Shakespeare plays to teach, literary terms, themes and topics to teach, how to make real-world connections and support readers struggling with the language, as well as other recommended dramas. Read through the chat for ideas to implement in your own classroom.
This #2ndaryELA Twitter chat was all about teaching Shakespeare's plays and other dramas in the secondary ELA classroom. Middle and High School English Language Arts teachers discussed popular Shakespeare plays to teach, literary terms, themes and topics to teach, how to make real-world connections and support readers struggling with the language, as well as other recommended dramas. The highlights are below.

Popular Shakespeare plays to teach:
*A Midsummer Night's Dream (most accessible for middle schoolers)
*Romeo & Juliet
*Julius Caesar
*Hamlet
*Macbeth
*Othello
*Taming of the Shrew
*King Lear
*Much Ado About Nothing

Literary terms, themes, and topics to teach:
*plot development
*characters (dynamic and static)
*iambic pentameter
*puns & word play
*universal themes
*word choice
*figurative language
*tragedy cycle
*foils
*couplets
*dialogue
*monologue
*soliloquy
*aside
*tragic hero

Making real-world connections:
*For A Midsummer Night's Dream, nonfiction articles about following parents rules, "frenemies"
*For Romeo & Juliet, nonfiction articles like this recent real life Romeo & Juliet story in Afghanistan, brain development in teens and life decisions
*Use parts of YOLO Juliet (Romeo & Juliet in texting) and have student rewrite other scenes in texting genre
*For Romeo & Juliet, create self-help brochures to help characters with depression, suicide, etc.
*For Hamlet, have students' parents write letters to them offering advice before college like Polonius did for his son
*Do quick writes and hold discussion about modern day parallels
*Act out scenarios
*For Romeo & Juliet, have students write advice letters to Juliet addressed to the Dear Juliet Club (they'll write back!)

Supporting readers in their struggles with the language:
*VideoSparkNotes
*Shakespeare Set Free
*Word play
*Graphic novel versions
*Pair play with contemporary poems, i.e. Hamlet with "Late Reading" by Moori Creech, 2014 Pulitzer Poetry finalist
*Use side by side texts from No Fear Shakespeare
*Read the play aloud together, help students focus on what words they know first and build from there
*Pair plays and movies, i.e. Hamlet with The Lion King, Julius Caesar with Mean Girls
*Work on "translating" the text into everyday speech
*Edit scenes so they are still all original language, just not as long, have students read them aloud and then act out
*Read a scene together and then watch that same scene before moving on to the next scene
*Have students write scenes with dialect from different parts of the county to understand language, i.e. Southern, NYC, valley girl

Other recommended dramas:
*The Crucible by Arthur Miller
*A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
*Brighton Beach Memoirs by Neil Simon
*Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
*The Diary of Anne Frank (play version)
*Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
*Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose
*A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
*Steel Magnolias by Robert Harling
*Kindertransport by Diane Samuels
*The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
*No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre
*The Bear by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
*Marriage Proposal by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
*A Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell

Hope you'll join us next Tuesday March 22nd at 8pm EST to talk about teaching Shakespeare & other dramas. We'd also love for you to join our 2ndaryELA Facebook group (even if you aren't on Twitter). 2ndaryELA is a group of middle and high school English Language Arts teachers looking to share ideas and best practices. This group is an extension of our Twitter chat and a place for collaboration, questions, and encouragement. Feel free to post teaching ideas, success stories, resource links, photos, etc. that will enhance our instruction. 

If you missed this most recent chat, scroll down and read the whole thing below.


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.

March 21, 2016

On My Bookshelf: The Lions of Little Rock by Kristen Levine

The Lions of Little Rock by Kristen Levine is a tale about friendship set against the backdrop of the desegregation of schools in the late 1950s. The color of their skin is not the only difference between Marlee and Elizabeth, but through their friendship, both girls grow and change. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom use.
Basic plot from Amazon: As twelve-year-old Marlee starts middle school in 1958 Little Rock, it feels like her whole world is falling apart. Until she meets Liz, the new girl at school. Liz is everything Marlee wishes she could be: she's brave, brash and always knows the right thing to say. But when Liz leaves school without even a good-bye, the rumor is that Liz was caught passing for white. Marlee decides that doesn't matter. She just wants her friend back. And to stay friends, Marlee and Liz are even willing to take on segregation and the dangers their friendship could bring to both their families.

Why I liked it: The Lions of Little Rock is a tale about friendship set against the backdrop of a historical event, the desegregation of schools. The characters in this novel are complex; few are clearly for or against segregation and several change their stance as the novel progresses. The big twist in the novel, that Elizabeth is passing as white to attend Marlee's middle school, came as a surprise to me as much as it did to Marlee. Once this fact was revealed, a few hints clicked in my head, but I liked that this major event was not overly predictable.  Just as the characters' views on desegregation were not simplistic, neither was Elizabeth's attempt at "passing." She feels backlash from both the black and white community in Little Rock. She can no longer attend Marlee's school after her secret is discovered, but she is scorned by her classmates at the black middle school for trying to better herself. Marlee and Elizabeth's friendship also becomes riskier once Elizabeth's true identity is known, but Marlee turns out to be fiercely loyal, and takes both foolish and extreme risks to hold onto her friendship and protect her friend. In the end, the two girls both grow and help each other change for the better.

The Lions of Little Rock by Kristen Levine is a tale about friendship set against the backdrop of the desegregation of schools in the late 1950s. The color of their skin is not the only difference between Marlee and Elizabeth, but through their friendship, both girls grow and change. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom use.Classroom application: While the author's note at the end of the book, reveals much of this, because  the book is historical, you could have students research the time period and the events in Little Rock and act as fact checkers, identifying what is fact and what is fiction in the novel.

Possible nonfiction resources for comparison include The Little Rock Nine: A Primary Source Exploration of the Battle for School Integration (We Shall Overcome)A Mighty Long Way: My Journey to Justice at Little Rock Central High School (a memoir), and Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High.


The novel could also be used as a fiction pairing for a history unit on the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. Other fiction titles on the topic include Little Rock Nine (Turning Points) (a graphic novel) and Fire from the Rock.


If you are interested in purchasing a copy of The Lions of Little Rock 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.

March 20, 2016

#2ndaryELA Twitter Chat Topic: Teaching Shakespeare & Other Plays

Join secondary English Language Arts teachers Tuesday evenings at 8 pm EST on Twitter. This week's chat will focus on teaching Shakespeare and other plays.
Brynn Allison, The Literary Maven & Kristy, 2 Peas and a Dog are hosting #2ndaryELA on Twitter every Tuesday evening from 8 - 8:30 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.


New in 2016 is our 2ndaryELA Facebook group, which we would love to have you join even if you aren't on Twitter. 2ndaryELA is a group of middle and high school English Language Arts teachers looking to share ideas and best practices. This group is an extension of our Twitter chat and a place for collaboration, questions, and encouragement. Feel free to post teaching ideas, success stories, resource links, photos, etc. that will enhance our instruction.

On Tuesday, March 22, our #2ndaryELA chat will focus on teaching Shakespeare and other plays.

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: Is teaching Shakespeare a part of your curriculum? Which play(s)? #2ndaryELA
8:10 Q2: What literary terms, themes, or topics do you focus on? #2ndaryELA
8:15 Q3: How do you make connections between modern day and the settings and issues of Shakespeare’s plays? #2ndaryELA
8:20 Q4: How do you help students who struggle with the language used in Shakespeare’s original texts? #2ndaryELA
8:25 Q5: What other plays do you teach? Any you would strongly recommend? Why? #2ndaryELA

The Directions:
1. Log into Twitter on Tuesday from 8-8:30 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 5 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 tinyurlbitlygoo.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 and in our 2ndaryELA Facebook group!

Get caught up on past chats here:

March 19, 2016

Picture Books: Uses, Benefits & Titles For The Secondary Classroom

The concise, visual nature of children's books make them the perfect text for mini lessons or to introduce a new skill or literary element. In this #2ndaryELA Twitter chat. middle and high school English Language Arts teachers discussed using picture books in the secondary classroom: purposes, benefits, and favorite titles. Read through the chat for ideas to implement in your own classroom.
This #2ndaryELA Twitter chat was all about using children's literature in the secondary ELA classroom. Middle and High School English Language Arts teachers discussed using picture books in the secondary classroom: purposes, benefits, and favorite titles. The highlights are below.

Lesson ideas using picture books:
*Teach literary elements like theme, characterization
*Teach a lesson with a manageable text before wrestling it in a novel
*Examine as mentor texts
*Use to introduce, summarize, or synthesize content in a social studies unit
*Give students exposure to authors craft, style, vocabulary
*The combination of visual and text to communicate a message allows for inferring based on images before reading the text
*Use as a lead in to a graphic novel genre study
*Writing lessons like this one on point of view in which students rewrite fairy tales
*Introduce an idea and then read a more complex text to learn further. 
*Introduce primary sources
*Practice read skills like inferring, vocabulary in context, visualizing
*Use on the very first day as the very first thing students are part of, allow them to pick which one they'll listen to
*Demonstrate what readers do in a whole text with out having to read a whole novel
*Write non-fiction picture books for students around the world
*Practice speaking skills (diction, inflection, timing)
*Prompt quick writes
*Discuss controversial topics
*Build background knowledge
*Write a children's book version of a novel as a summative assignment
*Teach the signposts from Notice and Note
*Create a text set based on a theme, i.e. characters who have a disability/challenge, looking beyond bias
 http://Students rewrite fairy tales
Benefits of using picture books in secondary classrooms:
*Foster a love of reading with older students
*Invite complex thinking
*Bring laughter in the classroom
*Shorter texts are more accessible for struggling readers & ESL students
*Make the lesson available to everyone regardless of their reading level
*Engagement
*Invite complex discussion with older students
*Peak student interest in a unit with a great picture book
*Build classroom community, especially when we only teach kids for 45 minutes
*Create a feeling of belonging, safety
*Have picture books on display in your room for students to read means that kids can stop worrying about their "levels" of books
*Reread and read closely painlessly
*Nostalgic for secondary students
*Remind our students that reading is meant to be fun
*Invite students into a world that is interesting
*Allow students to feel more confident in higher reads
*Give students the opportunity to show their creativity and make a meaningful connection to what they are learning
*Tool for auditory and visual learners
*Students, regardless of age, enjoy being read to

Recommended picture book titles:
*Teammates by Peter Golenbock
*Faithful Elephants
*The Secret Life of Grown Ups
*The Matchbox Diary
*Emmanuel's Dream
*Hannah's Suitcase (topic: the Holocaust)
*anything by Shaun Tan
*anything by Jon Klassen
*Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
*The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde and illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger
*anything by Maurice Sendak
*anything by Patricia Polacco (history connections)
*The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch (topic: Reconstruction)
*The Hockey Sweater by Roch Carrier
*Henry's Freedom Box
*Pink & Say
*An Angel for Solomon Singer by Rylant
*The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by Joyce
*Patrol by Myers
*Be A Friend
*The Night Gardener
*The Quickest Kid in Clarksville
*anything by Oliver Jeffers
*So Few of Me by Peter Reynolds
*Terrible Things by Eve Bunting (allegory of the Holocaust)
*Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts
*African Beginnings (topic: early civilizations in Africa)
*What Do You Do With an Idea? (makerspace connection)
*The Most Magnificent Thing (makerspace connection)
*Ish (makerspace connection)
*One Well (topic: social justice)
*If the World were a Village (topic: social justice)
*The Carpet Boys Gift (topic: social justice)
*Squids will be Squids (topic: friendship)
*Bluebird by Bob Staake (teaching inference)
*The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig (topics: friendship, loneliness)
*The Wall: Growing up Behind the Iron Curtain
*The Girl in Red
*The Wolves Behind the Walls
*Yo! Yes? by Chris Raschka
*But I Read it on the Internet (topic: evaluating sources)
*A Horse's Tale: Ten Adventures in 100 Years (topic: primary sources)
*The Mysteries of Harris Burdick (for what-if conversations and writing starters)
*The World That Jack Built by Ruth Brown (for modeling use of mood, tone, development of characters, topic: environmental impact of humans)
*Remember by Toni Morrison (topic: school desegregation)
*The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson (companion text for To Kill a Mockingbird)
*Baseball Saved Us

Hope you'll join us next Tuesday March 22nd at 8pm EST to talk about teaching Shakespeare & other dramas. We'd also love for you to join our 2ndaryELA Facebook group (even if you aren't on Twitter). 2ndaryELA is a group of middle and high school English Language Arts teachers looking to share ideas and best practices. This group is an extension of our Twitter chat and a place for collaboration, questions, and encouragement. Feel free to post teaching ideas, success stories, resource links, photos, etc. that will enhance our instruction. 

If you missed this most recent chat, scroll down and read the whole thing below.

March 14, 2016

On My Bookshelf: Devil and the Bluebird by Jennifer Mason-Black

In Devil and the Bluebird by Jennifer Mason-Black, Blue's mother is deceased, her father was just a sperm donor, her sister Cass took off two year ago, her former best friend doesn't understand her and her old boyfriend is no longer of interest to her. When Blue hasn't heard from Cass in far too long, she makes a deal with the devil, trading her voice for the ability to track down her sister, a journey that will take her across the country and into contact with an array of characters, some good, some evil, and some somewhere in between. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom use.
Basic plot from Amazon: Blue Riley has wrestled with her own demons ever since the loss of her mother to cancer. But when she encounters a beautiful devil at her town crossroads, it’s her runaway sister’s soul she fights to save. The devil steals Blue’s voice—inherited from her musically gifted mother—in exchange for a single shot at finding Cass.

Armed with her mother’s guitar, a knapsack of cherished mementos, and a pair of magical boots, Blue journeys west in search of her sister. When the devil changes the terms of their deal, Blue must reevaluate her understanding of good and evil and open herself up to finding family in unexpected places.

In Devil and the Bluebird, Jennifer Mason-Black delivers a captivating depiction of loss and hope.

Why I liked it: Devil and the Bluebird centers around a plucky, determined seventeen year old girl, Blue Riley. Her mother is deceased (cancer), her father was just a sperm donor, her sister Cass took off two year ago, her former best friend doesn't understand her and her old boyfriend is of no interest to her anymore. When Blue hasn't heard from Cass in far too long, she makes a deal with the devil, trading her voice for the ability to track down her sister, a power vested in Blue's hiking boots. She heads West from Maine, but her boots seem to lead her more toward trouble than toward finding her sister.

n Devil and the Bluebird by Jennifer Mason-Black, Blue's mother is deceased, her father was just a sperm donor, her sister Cass took off two year ago, her former best friend doesn't understand her and her old boyfriend is no longer of interest to her. When Blue hasn't heard from Cass in far too long, she makes a deal with the devil, trading her voice for the ability to track down her sister, a journey that will take her across the country and into contact with an array of characters, some good, some evil, and some somewhere in between. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom use.As Blue hitchhikes across the country, she has one brush with danger after another, sometimes just narrowly escaping it and sometimes not. This is all attributed to her deal with the devil, a deal whose rules seem to constantly be changing. As a result, an bused woman is found by her abusive husband, Blue and a fellow traveler are almost sold as sex slaves, and Blue is picked up and nearly killed by a serial murderer.

Thankfully Blue's boots seem to lead to lucky coincidences just as often as they lead her into trouble. Blue ends up in the barn of Tish, her mother's former lover and band member, during a blizzard. Blue reunites with a lover interest of her own, Dill, just as she is about to hop on board a train. Lou, the same truck driver who picked up Blue at the start of the novel and offers her advice about hitchhiking, takes Blue to her final destination, to LA to finally find her sister.

The novel borders on the genre of magical realism, an unusual genre in young adult literature, but one I very much enjoy (I'm a big fan of Gabriel Garcia Marquez). A few of these moments in the book are when Blue makes a deal with the "devil," spends the night listening to a famous (dead) musician, wakes to find that the bus she rode is sitting in a junkyard, and is guided through a snowstorm by the souls of a serial killer's victims.

Classroom application: Because the novel has elements of different genres, it would be interesting for students to try to classify the book and then make a case for why they assigned it to the genre that they did. The book also has wonderful imagery, making it an excellent mentor text. There is nothing cliche about the author's descriptions. Finally, the novel has some LGBT themes (Blue's mother and Tish were partners in life and their band; Blue travels with Steve, a transgender youth cast off by his religious family) and would add to the diversity of your high school classroom library.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of Devil and the Bluebird 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.

March 13, 2016

#2ndaryELA Twitter Chat Topic: Picture Books in the ELA Classroom

Join secondary English Language Arts teachers Tuesday evenings at 8 pm EST on Twitter. This week's chat will focus on using picture books 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 - 8:30 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.


New in 2016 is our 2ndaryELA Facebook group, which we would love to have you join even if you aren't on Twitter. 2ndaryELA is a group of middle and high school English Language Arts teachers looking to share ideas and best practices. This group is an extension of our Twitter chat and a place for collaboration, questions, and encouragement. Feel free to post teaching ideas, success stories, resource links, photos, etc. that will enhance our instruction.

On Tuesday, March 15, our #2ndaryELA chat will focus on using picture books 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: Why are picture books important in secondary education? #2ndaryELA
8:10 Q2: What types of things have you used picture books for in the classroom? #2ndaryELA
8:15 Q3: What benefits have you seen from using picture books? #2ndaryELA
8:20 Q4: How do you decide which picture books to use? #2ndaryELA
8:25 Q5: What are your favorite picture books for the classroom? #2ndaryELA

The Directions:
1. Log into Twitter on Tuesday from 8-8:30 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 5 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 tinyurlbitlygoo.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 and in our 2ndaryELA Facebook group!

Get caught up on past chats here:

March 11, 2016

Successful Socratic Seminars: Help Students Prepare, Participate & Reflect on Classroom Discussions

Are you thinking about holding a socratic seminar in your classroom? Or maybe your last whole class discussion didn't work out so well? Read on for why fishbowl discussions are the way to go and how to help students prepare for, participate in, and reflect on class discussions.
For years I shied away from holding whole class discussions. Looking back, I'm not really sure why. Was I worried about releasing control of the classroom? Did I think my students wouldn't be able to sustain the dialogue? Whatever the reason, it just wasn't something I did in my classroom. Sure we discussed texts, but I posed all of the questions and called on students to respond.

When I started a long term substitute position last year, my co-teacher shared with me that students had particularly enjoyed a socratic seminar held earlier in the year and were hoping to have another. We planned to hold one at the end of our unit on Of Mice and Men.

As our unit drew to a close, we began to prepare for our classroom discussion. We wanted the discussion to be student led so we knew having students prepare meaningful questions ahead of time would be key to having a successful discussion. I created a simple graphic organizer to help students generate questions focusing on characters and literary elements from the novel. We gave students time in class the day before the discussion to begin working on their questions and allowed them to finish them for homework.

Are you thinking about holding a socratic seminar in your classroom? Or maybe your last whole class discussion didn't work out so well? Read on for why fishbowl discussions are the way to go and how to help students prepare for, participate in, and reflect on class discussions.We decided to use a "fishbowl" format with an inside and outside circle to allow more participation
and prevent one or two students dominating the whole discussion time. This format also makes it easier to track the conversation because there are less students involved at one time. You can also include an empty "hot seat" that someone from the outside circle can jump into if he/she really wants to join the conversation. Make sure seats are arranged in a circle so that all students can see and hear each other equally. I made the mistake of leaving my desks in a rectangular shape and students at the ends couldn't hear each other.

Before the discussion began I discussed with students what they could do if someone asked "their" question. I also projected prompting questions on the board during the discussion to help keep the conversation going. You may want to review student names before beginning discussion, especially if its the beginning of the year. This will help with making sure students direct questions and responses toward each other and allow them to encourage silent students to participate.

Are you thinking about holding a socratic seminar in your classroom? Or maybe your last whole class discussion didn't work out so well? Read on for why fishbowl discussions are the way to go and how to help students prepare for, participate in, and reflect on class discussions.
I also set an expectation of students asking at least one of the two questions they prepared and making at least three comments in response to other students' questions. This expectation was to strongly encourage my quieter students to participate. My class sizes ranged from 20-30 students with 10-15 in the inner circle at a time, and each circle had 15 minutes of talk time. Depending on your class size and length, you may want to set different expectations. However, I find that it is definitely more helpful to set a specific expectation rather than just generally telling students they must participate. 

To get the conversation going, I asked for a volunteer to ask the opening question. For students who are nervous about participation, this is also a great chance to get "their" question asked and out of the way. Then I set the timer and sat back and listened. It is definitely tempting to jump in when conversation lags, but I managed to keep quiet until the two minutes warning, which is a final chance for any students who haven't participated yet to do so.

Are you thinking about holding a socratic seminar in your classroom? Or maybe your last whole class discussion didn't work out so well? Read on for why fishbowl discussions are the way to go and how to help students prepare for, participate in, and reflect on class discussions.While the inside circle was holding their discussion, the students in the outside were responsible for tracking the discussion. This ensured that students were quiet, engaged, and actively listening to their peers. Before the discussion began, I gave examples of the types of comments students should be tracking; saying "I agree" without any explanation doesn't cut it. Having students track their peers helps me as the teacher. Even though using a fishbowl format cuts the number of students participating at one time in half, having extra ears means I don't have to worry about catching every single thing said.

After each round of discussion ended, the students in the inner circle reflected on their performance as a participant, a reflection that included both questions and a checklist of speaking and listening skills. If you do several discussions over the year, have students compare their participation and confidence in speaking. The students in the outer circle reflected on the conversation as a whole, which was another way to ensure active listening. They commented on points they agreed and disagreed with and noted students they felt gave a star performance.

Are you thinking about holding a socratic seminar in your classroom? Or maybe your last whole class discussion didn't work out so well? Read on for why fishbowl discussions are the way to go and how to help students prepare for, participate in, and reflect on class discussions.
If students struggle during your first classroom discussion, don't give up. More frequent practice will help build their confidence. Starting with online discussions using a tool like TodaysMeet can also make students more comfortable and incorporate the silent voices. If you want to further extend your class discussion, you could choose the best questions as future writing prompts or as short essay questions on an exam for the novel or unit.

You can find the resources I used to help students prepare, track, and reflect on our class discussion here.

Leave your tips and tricks for running a successful socratic seminar or other type of classroom discussion in the comments below.




For more speaking and listening resources:

March 8, 2016

Google Apps: Favorite Features, Classroom Uses & What To Try Next

As more and more districts move toward 1:1, it is more important than ever that teachers immerse themselves in current educational technology. In this #2ndaryELA Twitter chat, middle and high school English Language Arts teachers discussed incorporating Google Apps into the ELA classroom, favorite features, and what to do when technology goes down. Read through the chat for ideas to implement in your own classroom.
This #2ndaryELA Twitter chat was all about using Google Apps in the ELA classroom. Middle and High School English Language Arts teachers discussed incorporating Google Apps into the ELA classroom, favorite features, what to try next, and what to do when technology goes down. The highlights are below.

Uses for Google Apps in the classroom:
*Collaborate with students & other teachers
*Create assignments & announcements
*Share information
*Collect work
*Give feedback instantly
*Store lessons
*Create teacher presentations
*Eliminate paper piles
*Send out student surveys
*Collect & manage data
*Formative assessment
*Keep student files organized

Favorite Google Apps & features:
*Google Read and Write to read to students
*Flubaroo for self marking quizzes
*Google Classroom to post daily bell ringer, announcements for the day, assign homework, distribute and submit assignments, monitor students even when you are out of the classroom
*Google Forms for creating assessments and collecting data, student interest and reflection surveys
*Google Docs for collaborative student writing and peer editing, its voice to text feature, revision history, auto save
*Google Calendar for scheduling appointments, conferences, office hours, planning with co-teacher
*Google Keep for digital sticky notes that are searchable, taggable, and shareable
*Google Hangouts for having students converse with writers in the real world

New Google Apps or add-ons to try:
*Doctopus
*Goobric
*Site Maestro
*Digital Book Clubs that @pennykittle &@KellyGToGo are working on right now
*Google Tone
*Google Groups for book clubs
*Google Sites for digital portfolios
*Share to Classroom
*EdPuzzle

When technology is limited or isn't working...
*Have paper copies as a back up
*Do a mini lesson with one half of students while others work on computers, then switch
*Have activities set aside that connect to any text
*Play vocabulary games
*Discuss the potential of technology to fail and possible responses with students
*Try and hit the same objective with some modifications
*Have class discussions
*Allow for independent reading
*Turn it into a pencil and paper lesson
*Double up students on computers

Who to follow on Twitter for more on Google Apps:
*@alicekeeler
*@TheGoogleGooru
*@GoogleForEdu

Hope you'll join us tonight, Tuesday March 8th at 8pm EST to talk about teaching vocabulary. The questions for the chat are posted here.

We'd also love for you to join our 2ndaryELA Facebook group (even if you aren't on Twitter). 2ndaryELA is a group of middle and high school English Language Arts teachers looking to share ideas and best practices. This group is an extension of our Twitter chat and a place for collaboration, questions, and encouragement. Feel free to post teaching ideas, success stories, resource links, photos, etc. that will enhance our instruction. 

If you missed this most recent chat, scroll down and read the whole thing below.

March 7, 2016

On My Bookshelf: The Secret to Letting Go by Katherine Fleet

The Secret to Letting Go by Katherine Fleet is the perfect read for teenage romance enthusiasts. From the moment Daniel and Clover meet until the novel's end, the whirlwind of emotions never dies down. Unfortunately their troubling pasts seem to constantly disrupt their hope for happiness together. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom use.
Basic plot from Amazon: Haunted with guilt after his girlfriend's death, Daniel Hudson has no interest in committing to anyone. At the end of the summer, he'll be leaving Florida for a new start in college. If only he could avoid the mysterious new girl in town, who seems every bit as naive and eccentric as she looks. Trouble is, she's hard to ignore, with her beautiful piercing eyes, pitiful-looking dog, and unsettling tendency of finding trouble. Clover Scott lived her whole life off the grid and arrives on the Gulf coast in search of her grandparents. She never expected to nearly drown, or get caught in a hurricane, or fall in love with the boy who rescues her. Now, she has a chance to rewrite her life's story, to finally fit in somewhere, but Daniel wants answers about her past. When the police start asking questions about the disappearance of her parents, she must make a choice: go to jail or confess her secrets-even if they might destroy her chance at a happily-ever-after.

Why I liked it: The Secret to Letting Go is a perfect novel for teenage romance enthusiasts. From the moment Daniel and Clover meet until the novel's end, the whirlwind of emotions never dies down. Does he like me? Does she still like me? Do I like him? Can I trust her? Why is he holding back? Why is she acting that way? Why doesn't he want to be together? The chapters are told in alternating perspectives, sometimes from Daniel's point of view and sometimes from Clover, so you can't help but get sucked into the drama of their relationship. Despite the feelings that the two have for each other, both teenagers are haunted by events in their past. Daniel is still reeling from the suicide of a past girlfriend and Clover is still struggling to cope with her mother's death, caused by the man she believed was her father, and his subsequent suicide.

The Secret to Letting Go by Katherine Fleet is the perfect read for teenage romance enthusiasts. From the moment Daniel and Clover meet until the novel's end, the whirlwind of emotions never dies down. Unfortunately their troubling pasts seem to constantly disrupt their hope for happiness together. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom use.As an adult reader, I struggled with a few plot details. One was the almost immediate acceptance of Clover by Daniel's family. Another was the number of coincidences, like when Sam's father (also Clover's father) happens to be out looking for Clover during a storm, hits her as she is riding her bicycle, and then she saves him just before his truck explodes into flames.

I was also concerned with the novel's light treatment or avoidance of discussion on mental health issues. Both Daniel and Clover have suffered serious psychological trauma and the man Clover thinks is her father suffers from extreme mental illness. While young adults will hopefully never suffer the loss of both parents in a situation similar to Clover's, suicide and death are issues many teens will have to face and I wish the novel dealt more with counseling and/or treatment after these traumas. Both Daniel and Clover keep their feelings bottled up, not a healthy practice or one teens should emulate. A final desire was to see more development of the character of Morgan who came across as a stereotypical temptress. However, I doubt these minor flaws would cause any lack of enjoyment for the average teenage reader.

Classroom application: This title would be a good one to add to your high school classroom library. While there is nothing very sexual in nature in the book, the themes of violence and suicide might be a little too mature for middle school. Your romance and drama lovers will easily be hooked by this one.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of The Secret to Letting Go 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.

March 6, 2016

#2ndaryELA Twitter Chat Topic: Teaching Vocabulary

Join secondary English Language Arts teachers Tuesday evenings at 8 pm EST on Twitter. This week's chat will focus on teaching vocabulary.
Brynn Allison, The Literary Maven & Kristy, 2 Peas and a Dog are hosting #2ndaryELA on Twitter every Tuesday evening from 8 - 8:30 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.


New in 2016 is our 2ndaryELA Facebook group, which we would love to have you join even if you aren't on Twitter. 2ndaryELA is a group of middle and high school English Language Arts teachers looking to share ideas and best practices. This group is an extension of our Twitter chat and a place for collaboration, questions, and encouragement. Feel free to post teaching ideas, success stories, resource links, photos, etc. that will enhance our instruction.

On Tuesday, March 8, our #2ndaryELA chat will focus on teaching vocabulary.

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 vocabulary do you explicitly teach? From texts you’re reading? A root-based program? A separate vocabulary book? #2ndaryELA
8:10 Q2:  How do you teach new vocabulary words as they arise? Share your strategies. #2ndaryELA
8:15 Q3: Do you use word walls in your classroom? How do you make effective use of them? #2ndaryELA
8:20 Q4: Do you encourage the use of paper or online dictionaries in your classroom? What are the pros and cons of each type? #2ndaryELA
8:25 Q5: Share your favorite vocabulary resources that you use in your classroom. #2ndaryELA

The Directions:
1. Log into Twitter on Tuesday from 8-8:30 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 5 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 tinyurlbitlygoo.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 and in our 2ndaryELA Facebook group!

Get caught up on past chats here: