Friday's Five - Young Adult Books

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Friday's Five is a feature every week where I pick a new topic and list five items that I think fit best.  Then I ask you, my readers, to share your thoughts in the comment section.  For an archive of past topics, check the Friday's Five Page.  If you'd like to make suggestions about future topics or discuss topics I bring up on the blog with others, make sure you click the "like" button on the right hand side of the page to join A Teacher's Life for Me on Facebook.  Don't be shy about sharing the blog and Facebook Page with others.  Each post has a "Tweet" button on top and buttons on the bottom that allow you to share in several ways, including e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter.

Photo: Lina Menazzi

In my fifth-grade classroom the fifteen minutes after lunch every day are set aside for a read aloud.  I try and choose books to read that my students will find interesting, challenge some of the preconceptions they may have, and make them think.  I wanted to write about some of these books in today's post for two reasons.  In addition to being resources you can use in your classroom, these books are short enough that you can read them in an hour or two.  They are perfect for taking out on the beach, reading in your hammock, or enjoying with a glass of iced tea in your backyard on a sunny day.

1. Incantation by Alice Hoffman - This story takes place during the Spanish Inquisition, about 600 years ago.  Estrella is aware and saddened by some of the horrible events taking place around her, but doesn't think that they will effect her.  Her opinion, and her views on everything she has ever known, begin to change as she learns a secret that her family has kept for generations.  Every year I worry about the content in this book being too mature for my 5th graders, and every year they prove to me that they are able to handle it.  
2. The Giver by Lois Lowry - Jonas lives in a time of "sameness" when everyone has their lives planned out for them and feels little emotion.  When Jonas begins to receive memories of real emotion during his training as the one Receiver of Memory, he begins to understand the hypocritical nature of the life being lived by everyone he knows.  
3. The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau - This book is the second in a series after The City of Ember.  Both books follow the adventures of Lina and Doon, two young adults who find ways of overcoming difficult situations to help others.  While both books are excellent, I find that the message my students are left with after reading Sparks is a bit more powerful:  Even one person can change the world if they have the courage to do what is right when it is most difficult.  
4. Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan - Esperanza is the daughter of a rich plantation owner in Mexico.  Almost overnight her world is thrown into chaos as her father is killed and she has to flee to America with her mother, losing everything in the process.  The book shows her inner struggle as she tries to survive in her new situation.
5. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry - Annemarie and Ellen are best friends in Denmark during World War II.  When the Danes learn that the occupying Nazis are going to start "relocating" the Jewish population, Annemarie must overcome her fears, find inner strength, and grow up quickly to help her Jewish friend.

Now it's your turn.  Please share your favorite young adult book in the comment section below, or let us know what you think of the five books I listed.  As always, if you enjoy the blog, please pass it along to your friends or colleagues.  I'd love to hear their opinions as well!

ISTE 2011 - Day Three

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As I mentioned in my last few posts, I am fortunate to be attending my first ISTE conference this year in Philadelphia.  Yesterday was another fantastic, exhausting day, and I wanted to share some of the insights, resources, and information that I learned as a way to "pay it forward" to those who aren't attending.  The volume of information that came my way was so overwhelming that I cannot possibly share all of it, so I'm passing on what I found most illuminating.  If you want more info from the conference, those attending and tweeting the conference are using the hashtag #ISTE11.

• Brandon Lutz from Philadelphia presented "60 Tools in 60 Minutes."  I was blown away by the number of tools that I had never heard of before.  My speed typing skills were tested as I tried to get them all into my Delicious account.  You can get all of the tools, videos, Prezis, and the backchannel for the session here.
• Walking the Expo Hall was loads of fun (see the cheesy picture above).  I saw lots of awesome products that I can't afford and met loads of interesting people.
• I spent more time browsing the poster sessions.  One that was really good was "Using Tech to Promote Young Adult Literature" by Colette Cassinelli.  You can see all of her information on this Google Sites page.
• I found out about an amazing new tool that just launched - a free, online graphing calculator  from a company called Desmos.  Instead of me explaining more, watch the video below.  
• Around lunchtime I had a cup of coffee with Mary Garrison from Math Solutions, a company founded by Marilyn Burns that provides professional development for teachers so that they can teach math in a way that emphasizes conceptual understanding.  I really like what they are trying to do.  
• I met my goal of learning enough about Livebinders and Edmodo to use them effectively in my classoom next year from some of the amazing people in my PLN.  It's been fantastic to meet some of these educators in person.  While it's sad that after tomorrow I probably won't see many of them until at least next summer, it's wonderful that sites like Plurk and Twitter allow us to keep in contact throughout the year to learn from each other and give each other the support that allows us to grow as teachers.