Granger Literacy Quarterly

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1 H A P P Y H O L I D A Y S T O A L L S T U D E N T S, P A R E N T S, A N D S T A F F!! S P E C I A L P O I N T S O F I N T E R E S T : Granger Literacy Quarterly I S S U E Strategy of the Quarter Student Book Reviews Strategy of the Quarter: Sub-search Teacher Book Review Author Visit I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E : Staff Book Review 2 Student Book 2-5 Reviews Granger 6 Announcements Upcoming Events/ 6 Author Visit In the previous issue, close reading was introduced as a way for a reader to actively comprehend challenging text. This figuring out is done primarily by reading and discussing the text (as opposed to being told about the text by the teacher). Challenging texts do not give up their meanings easily, thus, readers need to re-read the text. A rather new strategy that is gaining popularity and used in some 7th grade ELA classes here at Granger is sub-searching. Subsearching is a more intensive method of close reading. The S-U -B portion of the strategy involves a quick first-draft read that focuses on finding the main idea or BIG PICTURE of the text selection. It requires a reader to quickly Skim the selection for main ideas, Underline as the first read occurs, and then use Brackets to identify the one major idea/thesis. After the initial reading of the text selection, often a reader is required to go deeper into the text. A teacher and/or reader can come up with an endless amount of Symbols that a reader can use in the margins of the text when important information is encountered. Readers should also use Enumeration to number/list important events as they have occurred within the text. Thanks to twitter and text messaging, students are excellent at coming up with abbreviations. Abbreviations should also be used whenever possible when identifying important information within a text. The R/C of this strategy is the most important because is allows readers to React and Connect to the text. This step allows for personal interaction and connection to the text. While other parts of this strategy are optional based on the type of text, the R/C step should be the mandatory step within this strategy because readers should always reflect and connect to text. Highlighting should be an after-reading strategy. This should be where readers take all their identified information from the strategy and paraphrase and summarize that information into smaller bites of information. F O L L O W T H I S L I N K F O R B O T H A P O W- E R P O I N T P R E S E N T A T I O N A N D V I S U A L E X A M P L E S O F S U B - S E A R C H I N G! H T T P : / / G O O. G L / D N 5 Q J A

2 P A G E 2 Student Book Review: Kingdom Keepers by Ridley Pearson Elena Buscher The book is about a boy, Finn, who loves the Magic Kingdom. He jumps at the chance to become a interactive host (hologram) for the Magic Kingdom but wakes up to find himself in a secret job for the Magic Kingdom instead...saving Disney World from the evil villains lurking around at night from the Disney films, the Overtakers! It is up to Finn and four others to defeat the Overtakers and save the Magic Kingdom forever! 1. The attractions and characters from the actual Disney parks were used in the story so it was easy to relate to. 2. Very action packed! 3. A perfect length...i did not feel it was too long or too short to read. to both boys and girls because it is easily relatable to any reader. I would also recommend this book to grades 6-8 because it can be hard to understand at some parts but would be a great read for this age group! Staff Member: Mrs. Walsh 7th Gr. ELA YALSA's Teen Book Finder YALSA's Teen Book Finder is a free app to help teens, parents, librarians and library staff, educators, and anyone who loves YA literature access to the past three years' of YALSA's awards and lists on their smartphone. Have an ipod Touch, an iphone or an ipad? Download the app now! Teacher Book Review: I Am a Seal Team Six Warrior by Howard Wasdin This book is Howard Wasdin s story of training for and becoming an elite SEAL Team Six sniper. Only the best of the best in the Navy are even considered to be part of the elite SEAL Team Six. Members of SEAL Team Six can withstand the most dangerous situations. Wasdin takes the reader behind the scenes into the world of the Navy SEALs and Special Forces. He includes specific details about the extreme training process and even shares stories of special missions he took part in. App features include: The ability to search for books by author, title, award/list year, genre, by award, and by booklist A Find It! button, that will show users where to find the book in a nearby library A Favorites button, to create an individualized booklist the book: 1. Wasdin shared his training experiences. It is unbelievable that a human can survive such extreme situations! 2. learning that the Navy SEALs motto is The only easy day was yesterday. This saying has really stuck with me long after finishing the story because I think we can all live by this saying. 3. The book showed many examples of perseverance and motivated me to be my best and give my The ability to share books on Twitter and Facebook *An Android version of the app is planned for later in Upper middle school readers who are interested in true war stories about perseverance will love this book!

3 P A G E 3 Student Book Review: Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements Rissa Bajusz A boy named Bobby wakes up one day and is not the same, he is invisible. When he tells his parents, they don t really know what to do. Bobby doesn t go to school for a while because of a fever. After a few weeks, people start becoming concerned about his absence. During this time, Bobby makes a new friend, even though he is invisible. This new friend can see him in a different way. What is Bobby going to do with this problem? Will he ever become visible again? 1. This book is a page turner and ends it with a great cliffhanger. Very hard to put this book down! 2. The book talks about Bobby s problem but did not solve it until the big ending. 3. The author lead you up to every big event in the book with great detail. to both boys and girls. Any reader age 10 and up would enjoy reading this book! Student Book Review: The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney Myah Schoolman The book is about Janie, a seventeen year old girl, who was living a normal life with normal parents and friends. One day, she looks at a face on a milk carton for a missing child and realizes it was her. 1. The main character has interesting relationships with her friends in regards to not telling them she is on the carton 2. The characters in the book are made to seem real by the reader with real problems. 3. I loved the decision made by Janie at the end of the book. I would recommend this book to middle and high school aged girls. It has some girly qualities to it and there are some romantic parts to it. It is an exciting book that makes you hang on the edge of your seat.

4 P A G E 4 Student Book Review: The Hypnotists by Gordon Korman A boy named Jax has the ability to hypnotize people. He meets an evil scientist who tricks Jax into helping him change New York. Tempted initially by the offer and plan, the story evolves into how Jax will try to make things right again. 1. This book is very entertaining and fast-paced. 2. The book kept me guessing about who is on the right side. 3. The author leaves HUGE cliffhangers that make you keep reading. to all middle school readers. It is action packed and an entertaining read. It is short enough to enjoy without getting tired of it because it is too long to finish. Ethan Wipff Karthik Pasupula Student Book Review: Charlie Joe Jackson s Guide to Making Money by Tommy Greenwald This book is about a boy named Charlie who is trying to make money to visit his crush in Ohio. Charlie gets the idea of raising money from his friend Jake s bar mitzvah. Charlie decides to plan his own coming-of-age party involving the Hamar tribe in Africa. Charlie s parents come home during this party and make Charlie do something else with the money he has raised. 1. Funny parts were incorporated after sad or crucial parts. 2. There were several conflicts in the book which showed comedy and drew me in. 3. I loved the parts of the book that made me laugh out loud while reading it. I would recommend this book to both boys and girls from age 9-13 because it is an easy book to read, you can relate to it, and it is easy to understand.

5 P A G E 5 Student Book Review: The Crossover by Kwame Alexander Sanjay Rajasekhar Josh and Jordan Bell are basketball stars on their middle school basketball team. They are the sons of the famous basketball player Chuck Da Man Bell. Josh and Jordan are close brothers and amazing teammates until Jordan gets a girlfriend. As their team pushes for the championship, the brothers must figure out how to come together for the team and deal with tragedy that strikes close to home. 1. The basketball references that are made in the book. It adds another feeling on how the moment is during the games. 2. The intensity of the basketball games and the commentary and onomatopoeia used. 3. The author divides the parts of the books into four quarters and an overtime, just like a basketball game. to anybody of any age and grade. It is especially good for those who are looking for a good basketball book. It is written in prose which makes it very quick and easy to read. Student Book Review: A Midsummer Night s Scream by R.L. Stine Sharika Majeti Two teenage girls, Claire and Delia, finally get a big break in their acting careers. They are in a remake of a movie from the 1960 s that wasn t finished due to some unfortunate incidents. Some of these unlucky actors were killed while the camera was rolling due to someone s ill scheme. Fifty years later, Claire s parents, who are the movie producers, decide to pursue this movie to keep their studio in business. The two teens will reconsider their decision once some terrifying events start to take place This book always kept me hooked and wanting to turn the pages. 2. A great horror genre book to read. 3. The author made the plot of the book very clear and clever. I would recommend this book to both boys and girls from age 9-13, especially if you are looking for a good horror book to read. It has great cliffhangers and you will find it hard to put down!

6 Inclement Weather Notice With the arrival of winter weather, please be reminded of the ways District 204 announces weather-related school closing information. The announcement is made by 6 a.m. through the following: - Information is posted first on on Twitter - Connect-ED phone call to parents/guardians - Local television and radio stations - ECS: home.jsp Granger Reminders If your student will be arriving late or will be absent from school, please make sure to call the attendance line by 8:30am press 3 for attendance The 1st semester ends on January 15th, 2015!! Winter break begins December 22nd...classes resume January 5th - Message on the district's information line at Announcements are only made if schools are closed. If schools are not closed, it is the responsibility of parents/ guardians to decide if conditions safely allow for their children to attend school. If children are kept home due to weather conditions, it will count as an excused absence. Granger_Middle_School Kwame Alexander visits Granger Middle School! Wednesday, December 17 th, Granger hosted award winning author, Kwame Alexander. Kwame Alexander has written 18 books, owned several publishing companies, written for the stage and television (TLC's "Hip Hop Harry"), recorded a CD, performed at schools and conferences around the world, produced jazz and book festivals, hosted a weekly radio show, worked for the U.S. Government, and taught in a high school. Recently, he led a delegation of writers and artists to Italy (Tuscany), Brazil (Bahia), and Africa (Ghana). Each year, Kwame visits hundreds of schools sharing poetry, conducting workshops, and reading his books. In addition he is the founder of BOOK-IN-A-DAY and Do The Write Thing Foundations. Visit Mr. Alexander s website at to find out more about our visiting author!