Favorite Poem Project

A fun way to watch people read and discuss their favorites. If you scroll tro the right for a while, you can find a great sample with a fifth grader's perspective on The Sloth by Theodore Roethke. What a fun project to try in your class!

Which blogs to click on?

If you are about to read "So Far From the Bamboo Grove" try:

JeSsIcA's Blog
KBuzz
Slip N Slide


If you are about to read "The Year of Impossible Goodbyes" try:

ima warrior
LiveLaughLove
Booksforkiddos

Enjoy!

Anticipation Guides

Here's a link to a traditional description of anticipation guides. This site suggests them for upper elementary (4-6) and secondary, but they can also be adapted with success for younger grades. Though many teachers choose to do these as a list of true/false questions, I find that with our access to new media sometimes "a picture is worth a thousand words." That is, the juxtaposition of an image and a statement or a quote and an image can elicit strong emotions in the soon-to-be-reader. Also consider (for your class, if not for this project) short video, picture books, poems, or audio files to really evoke the big themes that you want kids to pay attention to while reading.

As for me, I was intrigued by two new things this evening:

1) A blogger's passionate plea to remember (and for the Japanese government to properly acknowledge) the hardships of comfort women.

2) Brian's suggestion to view a couple of films from Clint Eastwood that deal precisely with this topic, I just found some more information online, and I want to find these films!

Enjoy reading your second title; I look forward to next week's discussion:)