July 31, 2017

On My Bookshelf: Left For Dead: A Young Man's Search for Justice for the USS Indianapolis by Pete Nelson

In Left for Dead: A Young Man's Search for Justice for the USS Indianapolis by Pete Nelson, an 11-year-old's research project becomes a quest to clear a Naval captain of wrong doing. The sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the rescue of her men four days later are all part of this fascinating nonfiction piece. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.
The basic plot from Amazon: Just after midnight on July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. The ship sank in 14 minutes. More than 1,000 men were thrown into shark-infested waters. Those who survived the fiery sinking—some injured, many without life jackets—struggled to stay afloat in shark-infested waters as they waited for rescue. But the United States Navy did not even know they were missing.

The Navy needed a scapegoat for this disaster. So it court-martialed the captain for “hazarding” his ship. The survivors of the Indianapolis knew that their captain was not to blame. For 50 years they worked to clear his name, even after his untimely death. But the navy would not budge—until an 11-year-old boy named Hunter Scott entered the picture. His history fair project on the Indianapolis soon became a crusade to restore the captain’s good name and the honor of the men who served under him.
In Left for Dead: A Young Man's Search for Justice for the USS Indianapolis by Pete Nelson, an 11-year-old's research project becomes a quest to clear a Naval captain of wrong doing. The sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the rescue of her men four days later are all part of this fascinating nonfiction piece. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.

Why I liked it: Left For Dead is focused on a little known event from World War II, a time period of great interest to me. The novel  definitely reminded me of the struggles of Louis Zamperini in Unbroken, but on a much larger scale. Some parts of the books were heavy on military operations, but I loved the narratives of the men aboard the USS Indianapolis.


Classroom application: This book would be perfect for middle or high students who are war buffs or love adventure tales. Since the book was inspired by the research done by a student, it would lead perfectly into a research project. Students could investigate other lesser known events from World War II or other more recent conflicts. Students could also seek out local veterans to interview.

The book could also be part of a survival unit and students could research best practices on how to survive in a similar situation, evaluating which actions that the men took helped them most and hurt them most.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of Left For Dead 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.

July 30, 2017

#2ndaryELA Twitter Chat Topic: Setting Up the ELA Classroom

Join secondary English Language Arts teachers Tuesday evenings at 8 pm EST on Twitter. This week's chat will be about setting up the English Language Arts classroom.
Brynn Allison, The Literary Maven & Kristy, 2 Peas and a Dog host #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 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.


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.

On Tuesday, August 1, our #2ndaryELA chat will be about setting up the English Language Arts classroom.

The Format:
8:00 – What and where do you teach? Include a link to your blog if you have one. #2ndaryELA
8:05 Q1: How do arrange the seating in your classroom? Is it flexible or permanent?#2ndaryELA
8:10 Q2: Does your classroom decor have a theme or is it all about functionality? #2ndaryELA
8:15 Q3: Explain how you keep classroom supplies and materials organized. #2ndaryELA
8:20 Q4: What is your favorite way to display student work and evidence of learning? #2ndaryELA
8:25 Q5: Share a picture of your classroom or one that inspires you. #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 “Latest.”
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.)

You can also check out a quick video tutorial in this blog post.

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:

July 28, 2017

Back to School Ideas for Middle & High School

Ready or not, it's almost here! This #2ndaryELA Twitter chat was all about getting ready to go back to school.  Middle school and high school English Language Arts teachers discussed first day activities and must teach routines and procedures. Teachers also shared their first content-based lessons of the year and how they begin building relationships with students. Read through the chat for ideas to implement in your own classroom.
This #2ndaryELA Twitter chat was all about getting ready to go back to school.  Middle school and high school English Language Arts teachers discussed first day activities and must teach routines and procedures. Teachers also shared their first content-based lessons of the year and how they begin building relationships with students.

Read through the chat below to find out how to change things up on your first day by using stations, breakouts, or escape rooms. You'll get ideas about what to teach your students first.  You'll also find ways to connect with your students and their parents to create positive partnerships.

Hope you'll join us next week for another chat. 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, links, photos, etc. that will enhance our instruction.

July 24, 2017

On My Bookshelf: This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer

In This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer, it has been a year since an asteroid hit the moon, causing extreme climate change and disaster on earth. The lives of Miranda and Alex (the main characters of the first and second books in this series) will become intertwined as they try to keep their families together and continue in the struggle to survive. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.
The basic plot from Amazon: It’s been a year since a meteor collided with the moon, catastrophically altering the earth’s climate. For Miranda Evans, life as she knew it no longer exists. Her friends and neighbors are dead, the landscape is frozen, and food is increasingly scarce.

The struggle to survive intensifies when Miranda’s father and stepmother arrive with a baby and three strangers in tow. One of the newcomers is Alex Morales, and as Miranda’s complicated feelings for him turn to love, his plans for his future thwart their relationship. Then a devastating tornado hits the town of Howell, and Miranda makes a decision that will change their lives forever.
In This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer, it has been a year since an asteroid hit the moon, causing extreme climate change and disaster on earth. The lives of Miranda and Alex (the main characters of the first and second books in this series) will become intertwined as they try to keep their families together and continue in the struggle to survive. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.

Why I liked it: This World We Live In is the third book in the Life As We Knew It series. I loved the first two books in the series, Life As We Knew It and The Dead & The Gone. Both are focused on life after the same apocalyptic event caused by nature (no zombies or vampire here), but set in different places: one in rural Pennsylvania and the other in New York City. In This World We Live In, the two previous books come together. I liked the main characters of each novel, Miranda and Alex, separately, but it was strange to have them come together. The book is full of tensions due to new relationships. Set a year after the moon was hit by a meteor, the author continued to realistically portray what life might be like after such an event. Many other books and movies just show post-apocalyptic life immediately the life-altering event.


Classroom application: This novel would be appropriate for upper middle school and high school students. There are some gruesome dead body scenes and also some light romance.

As with the previous two novels, this one would be a perfect choice for literature circles themed around natural disasters, real or imagined. Cross-disciplinary connections could also be made with science. Students could research the effects of the moon on Earth (tides, plate-tectonics, stability on its axis, etc.) and how being closer to or farther from the moon would impact life on Earth. Other possible research topics would be natural disasters throughout history and the asteroids/meteors that have actually landed on Earth. Students could interview individuals who work in disaster relief or emergency preparedness to discuss short term and long term planning for disasters.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of This World We Live In 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.

July 23, 2017

#2ndaryELA Twitter Chat Topic: Back to School

Join secondary English Language Arts teachers Tuesday evenings at 8 pm EST on Twitter. This week's chat will be about back to school ideas.
Brynn Allison, The Literary Maven & Kristy, 2 Peas and a Dog host #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 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.


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.

On Tuesday, July 25, our #2ndaryELA chat will be about back to school ideas.

The Format:
8:00 – What and where do you teach? Include a link to your blog if you have one. #2ndaryELA
8:05 Q1: What are you most looking forward to about this school year? #2ndaryELA
8:10 Q2: Describe the first day of school in your classroom. #2ndaryELA
8:15 Q3: What are your must teach routines/procedures the first day/week? #2ndaryELA
8:20 Q4: What will be your first content-based lesson of the year? #2ndaryELA
8:25 Q5: How do you begin building relationships with your students? #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 “Latest.”
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.)

You can also check out a quick video tutorial in this blog post.

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:

July 21, 2017

7 Realistic Fiction Titles to Recommend to Your Middle School Students

Teachers' lives are hectic, and though many of us love to read, we don't always have the time to do it, which can make it tough to make recommendations to students or to select titles for our classroom library. Here's 7 realistic fiction titles that I've recently read and would recommend to middle school students.
Teachers' lives are hectic, and though many of us love to read, we don't always have the time to do it, which can make it tough to make recommendations to students or to select titles for our classroom library. Here's 7 realistic fiction titles that I've recently read and would recommend to middle school students. Click the title of each to read my full review and ideas for using it in the classroom.

1. Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
Melody wants the same things as any other fifth grade girl: to fit in, have friends, and maybe even get a spot on the Quiz Team. there is just one problem, she can't talk, and once she can, not everyone wants to listen.

2. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
This novel is a great  read about learning to make new friends and accept the differences in others. The main character, Miranda, has recently lost her best friend but gained some new ones, and when she begins receiving mysterious notes from an unknown sender about events in her future.

3. One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Carley puts up a tough facade for her foster family and the kids at her new school, but inside are a whirlwind of emotions surrounding a night she is struggling to remember. Just as Carley becomes comfortable accepting and returning the love of her new family and friends, she must chose between this new life and returning to the one who hurt her most.

4. Mailbox by Nancy Freund
Part Esperanza from The House on Mango Street and part Scout from To Kill A Mockingbird, Sandy is a character to love. She is a kind, observant young girl who doesn't let anyone push her around. The vignettes in the novel perfectly capture the moments in her childhood and young adulthood.

5. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
This is book one in a series about life in a very realistic post-apocalyptic world. An asteroid has knocked the moon closer to Earth causing all sorts of natural disasters. Miranda, the main character, and her family must make difficult choices about survival with no end to the disaster in sight. 

6. Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Being different doesn't seem to phase Willow. She wears her gardening outfit on her first day of middle school and turns her mandatory counseling sessions  into a game. But after both parents die suddenly, Willow must adapt to a new life with the Nyguyen family while coping with her grief. Willow meets these challenges and changes the people around for the better as she does.

7. Wonder by R. J. Palacio
August can't hide his differences. They are as plain to see as the misshapen nose on his face. Despite his physical deformities, his parents decide that he will attend a traditional middle school after years of homeschooling. At first, August struggles to fit in as many of his peers cannot accept his differences, but over time, just being himself is enough to win them over.

July 17, 2017

On My Bookshelf: Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Heartless by Marissa Meyer is a "prequel" to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and reveals how the Queen of Hearts, Catherine, became such a fury-filled tyrant. Catherine's story begins with her dream of opening a bakery, her overbearing, but well-meaning mother and a secret love. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.
The basic plot from Amazon: Long before she was the terror of Wonderland, she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love.

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next queen.

Then Cath meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the king and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship. Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.
Heartless by Marissa Meyer is a "prequel" to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and reveals how the Queen of Hearts, Catherine, became such a fury-filled tyrant. Catherine's story begins with her dream of opening a bakery, her overbearing, but well-meaning mother and a secret love. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.

Why I liked it: I loved the Lunar Chronicles, also by Marissa Meyer, which are futuristic retellings of famous fairy tales (Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Snow White). Heartless is a stand alone novel that focuses on a literary villain instead of a heroine and is a prequel rather than a retelling, similar to Wicked by Gregory Maguire. Heartless was full of wonderful details from Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass like the mad hatter's tea party and playing croquet with flamingos and hedgehogs, as well as characters such as the Chesire Cat and the Caterpillar.

Catherine is a multi-dimensional character; she loves baking and longs to open her own shop, but fears that her parents won't let her follow that dream. Her fickle nature drove me crazy at times, but as a daughter with parents who also held high expectations for me, I understood her desire to please them even when it went against her own desires.


Classroom application: This novel would be appropriate for middle or high school students. It could be used as part of a fairy tale or fractured fairy tale unit as an independent choice (it's long, 464 pages). It could also be used as a mentor text, inspiring students to write their own prequels to famous fairy tales or children's stories.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of Heartless 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.

July 15, 2017

The Need for Classroom Libraries Even At the Secondary Level

Classroom libraries are essential even in middle and high school classrooms. Many schools lack the proper funding for libraries and librarians, but most importantly, research shows that the more contact students have with books, the better readers they become.
I am one of the moderators (and co-founder) of the #2ndaryELA Facebook group, in which there is a lot of discussion about books. Teachers ask for recommendations, share new favorites, and show off pictures of their latest book haul. Occasionally someone will ask the question, "Are classroom libraries necessary?"

The answer is always a resounding YES!

First, not every school has a school library. I work in a charter school where the CEO who oversaw the design of the building thought that in a digital world, books were becoming obsolete and didn't include a library as part of the plans. The administration at the school has changed, but we still lack the physical space for a library.

Second, while I hope that the situation at my school is an uncommon one, I think a more common situation is that a school may have a library, but no librarian. In large cities and small towns, when cuts have to be made, librarians are often deemed expendable. And at some of the high schools I taught at, no librarian meant no access to the library.

Classroom libraries are essential even in middle and high school classrooms. Many schools lack the proper funding for libraries and librarians, but most importantly, research shows that the more contact students have with books, the better readers they become.
Finally, even if your school has a library and a librarian, the more contact students have with books, the better readers they become. If you are interested in the research behind that statement, you can start reading here. The school library may be down the hall or downstairs and not accessible to students at all times, whereas a classroom library is in your classroom where, when a student has a free moment, they can easily walk over to a bookshelf and pick out a book. You can read more about how I organize my classroom library here.

To help you start or build your classroom library, I have partnered with Kristy Avis of 2 Peas and a Dog to give away $100 in books to six lucky teachers plus resources for independent reading, including journaling assignments for during reading and a variety of book report projects for after reading.

Enter the rafflecopter below for your chance to win. Winners will be contacted via email once the giveaway is complete. Due to shipping costs, this contest is only open to residents of the United States and Canada.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

July 14, 2017

Healthy Eating Tips for Busy Teachers

Teachers' lives are busy. It is hard to maintain a healthy diet between getting up early and working on school work late at night. Lunch time is short and often interrupted. Here's a few manageable things that I do to make sure that I'm still eating, and eating healthy, during the craziness of the school year.
Teachers' lives are busy. It is hard to maintain a healthy diet between getting up early and working on school work late at night. Lunch time is short and often interrupted. Here's a few manageable things that I do to make sure that I'm still eating, and eating healthy, during the craziness of the school year.

1. Make breakfast for the week.
During the weekend, I make baked oatmeal and divide it up into containers so I can just reheat and eat them each morning. I cut down on the brown sugar in this recipe and then increased the other ingredients so it would last me all week.

2. Prep lunches for the week.
I'm not big on sandwiches so I buy large containers of yogurt and divvy them up into smaller containers. These ones from Crate and Barrel are the perfect size for everything. I wash and cut any fruits or vegetables.  Celery with peanut butter or vegetables with hummus or guacamole are healthy favorites of mine. I wash and bag bunches of grapes, and fruits like apples, oranges, and clementines can just be tossed into my lunch bag each day. By the end of the weekend, my fridge is full of ready-to-go options that just need to be put in my lunch bag.

3. Pack lunch the night before.
One of the first things I do when I get home from school is unpack the empty containers from that day's lunch and pack my lunch bag for the next day. As the night goes on, I know I'll be too tired to do it and I'm often in a rush in the morning. Taking care of it right when I get home ensures that it gets done and I don't forget anything.

4. Pack a lunch you can actually eat.
The contents of my lunch are all things that can be eaten with just one hand or better yet, on the go. I usually have a stack of grading that I am trying to put a dent in during lunch or need to run to the copier, the office, etc. Things like granola bars and cheese sticks are perfect snacks for those reasons. I definitely avoid anything messy or sticky that might end up on students' work.

5. Cook once, eat twice.
I try to make large enough dinners that I can cook one night and then eat it that night and the next. This cuts down on the amount of time I spend prepping, cooking, and cleaning up. It frees up a lot of time in the evening that can be spent with my family, taking care of other things around the house, or doing work for school. It also ensures that we aren't always ordering out.

Dishes with a rice or pasta as the base work well for the cook once, eat twice philosophy as do frittatas. I love this One Pan, Two Plates: More Than 70 Complete Weeknight Meals for Two cookbook. It says it serves two, but for us it is really four servings, especially if I add a little more meat or vegetables than what's called for. Once it's cooked, I put half of it in a container for the next night and then serve the other half so that the portions are equal. There's also a vegetarian companion, One Pan, Two Plates: Vegetarian Suppers: More than 70 Weeknight Meals for Two.

6. Have a repertoire of go to recipes.
I try out new recipes over the summer to get a feel for the timing of meals and acquire any special ingredients. I broke in One Pan, Two Plates last summer to figure out what recipes we liked best and which ones were good, but took too long to make.

7. Have a well stocked pantry and freezer. 
Stock up on the things you use often. This will make weekly grocery trips quicker; I usually just have to hit the produce, meat, and dairy aisles, which means I can avoid the aisles filled with unhealthy things I don't need. You'll also be much less likely to run out of something mid-cooking. Before school starts and over Christmas and spring breaks are great times to restock.

I also like to have some very low prep or no prep meals for those nights that I'm just too tired to think. Frozen pizzas and boxed macaroni and cheese are go tos in my house. I'll toss a salad to go with it and then dinner is served.

8. Go to the grocery store with an exact list of what you need.
Each week's breakfast and lunch needs are similar for me so those items go right on the list. The night before I'm going to the grocery store, I sit down and decide what we'll have for dinner that week and add any necessary ingredients to my grocery list. This makes the trip to the grocery store quicker and I won't forget anything.

9. Go to the grocery store when it's not crowded.
I like to grocery shop on the weekends, but the store is usually packed most of Saturday and Sunday. The times that work best for me are Friday afternoons right after leaving school, or early Saturday or Sunday morning. The store is usually not too crowded later at night, but by then the produce section is often picked over. Find out what time your grocery store opens and go then.

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.

July 10, 2017

On My Bookshelf: The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer

In The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer, when an asteroid hits the moon and sets off horrific climate change, Alex's parents go missing and his oldest brother is away serving in the Marines. Alex must become the man of the house and make the decisions that will determine whether he and his two younger sisters will survive. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.
The basic plot from Amazon:  Susan Beth Pfeffer’s Life as We Knew It enthralled and devastated readers with its brutal but hopeful look at an apocalyptic event—an asteroid hitting the moon, setting off a tailspin of horrific climate changes. Now this harrowing companion novel examines the same events as they unfold in New York City, revealed through the eyes of seventeen-year-old Puerto Rican Alex Morales. When Alex's parents disappear in the aftermath of tidal waves, he must care for his two younger sisters, even as Manhattan becomes a deadly wasteland, and food and aid dwindle. With haunting themes of family, faith, personal change, and courage, this powerful novel explores how a young man takes on unimaginable responsibilities.

Why I liked it: The Dead and the Gone is the follow up to Life As We Knew It. I loved the first novel
In The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer, when an asteroid hits the moon and sets off horrific climate change, Alex's parents go missing and his oldest brother serving in the Marines. Alex must become the man of the house and make the decisions that will determine whether he and his two younger sisters will survive. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.
and I'm not sure why it took me so long to read the second. Life As We Knew It was set in fairly rural Pennsylvania, while The Dead and the Gone is set in New York City. Both are centered around the same apocalyptic event, but the different settings lead to very different experiences for the main characters. Alex's father in in Puerto Rico with no way to reach him and he loses contact with his mother, even though she is working in the same city. With his parents missing and his oldest brother serving in the Marines, Alex becomes the man of the house and must make the decisions that will determine whether he and his two younger sisters will survive.


Classroom application: The Dead and the Gone is definitely worth adding to your classroom library for middle or high school students, although death and violence play a larger role in this novel than they did in Life As We Knew It. As a second book in a series, it is just as good as the first , and students would want to read the rest of the four book series.

This novel would be a perfect choice for literature circles themed around natural disasters, real or imagined. Cross-disciplinary connections could also be made with science while reading The Dead and the Gone. Students could research the effects of the moon on Earth (tides, plate-tectonics, stability on its axis, etc.) and how being closer to or farther from the moon would impact life on Earth. Other possible research topics would be natural disasters throughout history and the asteroids/meteors that have actually landed on Earth. Students could interview individuals who work in disaster relief or emergency preparedness to evaluate the accuracy and likelihood of events in the novel.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of The Dead and the Gone 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.

July 7, 2017

Getting Ready For the First Day of School with #2ndaryELA

First impressions matter. Maybe that's why teachers obsess over the first day of school so much. We're all hoping that a good first day will lead to a great year. As you prepare to go back to school, check out 10 of our past #2ndaryELA chats for ideas and advice on how to make your school year great.
First impressions matter. Maybe that's why teachers obsess over the first day of school so much. We're all hoping that a good first day will lead to a great year. As you prepare to go back to school, check out 11 of our past #2ndaryELA chats for ideas and advice on how to make your school year great. Click on each linked blog post below for more information.

Creating Your Classroom Environment
Take a peek into the classrooms of 25+ secondary English Language Arts teachers for decoration ideas, desk arrangements, how to showcase student work, and technology must haves.

Setting Up a Secondary ELA Classroom
During the school year, your classroom is a second home to you and students. You want it to be functional but also comfortable and welcoming.

Think about collecting student information to inform instruction, syllabi, supplies, first day & week activities, and must teach routines & procedures for the first day & week.

Additional Ideas for the First Day and Week
Read through for even more first day activities and first content-based lessons of the year to draw in students, routines and procedures to keep your classroom running smoothly, and ways to begin building relationships with students.

Find new and exciting back to school ideas and activities for middle and high school teachers.

To prepare for going back to school, middle school and high school English Language Arts teachers discussed collecting student information, what to include in a syllabus, important routines and procedures for the first week, forming relationships with students, and building partnerships with parents. 

Building Your Classroom Library
It's all about the books:  students' favorite reads, building, organizing & managing a classroom libraries, and matching students' interests.

Get tips on how to organize the teacher desk, student supplies, paperwork, student work, and books.

It is essential for teachers to establish effective routines, procedures and learning structures in their classrooms starting the first week of school.  

Consider routines & procedures, problematic student behaviors, successful classroom management strategies, support from colleagues & administration, and valuable classroom management resources.

Learn best practices for parent communication for positive and negative academics/behaviors, technology tips, and ways to involve students in the process.

Get caught up on all of our past chats here:

July 3, 2017

On My Bookshelf: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

In A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, Conor is struggling to accept that his mother is losing her fight against breast cancer and holds out hope that a monster, in the form of a yew tree, will have a way to help him. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.
The basic plot from Amazon:  At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting-- he's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments. The monster in his backyard is different. It's ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth. From the final idea of award-winning author Siobhan Dowd-- whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself-- Patrick Ness has spun a haunting and darkly funny novel of mischief, loss, and monsters both real and imagined.

Why I liked it: A Monster Calls features two interwoven plot lines. One follows Conor and the battle
In A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, Conor is struggling to accept that his mother is losing her fight against breast cancer and holds out hope that a monster, in the form of a yew tree, will have a way to help him. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.
with breast cancer that his mother is losing. The other is centered around the interactions between Conor and a monster who takes the form of the yew tree in his backyard. I loved the three tales that the monster tells to Conor, as they each cause him to question what is good and bad, what is right and wrong. 

Classroom application: The tales told by the monster could be used as excerpts to supplement a twisted fairy tale unit.

Conor's struggle to accept that his mother is dying and the isolation he feels at school are fortunately not experiences I have ever had to face, but I think that the author presents these issues realistically and students who are struggling with either or both would be able to relate.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of A Monster Calls 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.