Thursday, August 16, 2012

I'm Back!

I haven't been posting as much since getting some work done in my classroom. Just wanted to share a few pictures of what I've been working on!


"iRead...Do U?"
Got this idea from Pinterest.
 I plan on rotating out the books as the year goes on!


"Shoot for the moon" quote.
Another Pinterest inspiration.


"Reading Gives You Power"
Bought old comic books with these superheroes on the front, cut them out, and put this together!

I'm working on some other stuff, but had to leave some projects unfinished on account of me melting from lack of A/C.

Only 7 days left until I meet my new 7th graders to start my 7th year of teaching! I am lucky indeed!










Monday, August 6, 2012

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. I heard about it from the Teach Mentor Texts blog, which puts a "Picture Books to YA" twist on it. I like to post my MG/YA, adult, and professional reads here!


Last Week I Dived Into...
Fever by Lauren Destefano, a YA dystopian set in a world where women only live to 20 and men, 25. I enjoyed the first book in this planned trilogy, Wither. The cover was beautiful and the premise was intriguing. Destafano weaves some beautiful writing into these books.

Dark Life by Kat Falls had another intriguing premise: in the future, civilization is being forced from land due to land loss and overcrowding. Experimental communities underwater challenge humans to think about new ways to live, farm, and survive. With all the challenges that accompany a life underwater also comes the threat of corrupt government officials and vigilante groups. The sequel, Rip Tide is out, and I hope to pick up a copy from the library today!




This Week I'm Diving Into...


Bounce by Natasha Friend, which I wanted to read last week, but got caught up in surprising finds at the library. I'm trying to read every book on this year's Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award (Illinois' Children's Choice Award 4-8).

I have one more impulse library read from last week, Going Bovine by Libba Bray. The impulse was fueled by this post from the Nerdy Book Club blog, and after seeing Libba in person at an Anderson's event, I couldn't wait to read some of her books! I follow and am entertained by her on Twitter, so it's a sacrilege that I haven't read anything by her yet, really. I will fix this.

For adult reads, I was on a waiting list for Dark Places by Gillian Flynn, author of the twisted Gone Girl bestseller, and it just arrived, so I'll be getting in to that! Looking forward to another dark read this summer. Mwahaha.

Professionally, I am finishing Simplifying Response to Intervention: Four Essential Guiding Principals as part of an RTI focus group in my building.










Happy Reading!