What My Students Learned from our Last Read Aloud

I have written so many posts professing my love for Read Aloud.  This year, one of our read alouds definitely deserves a post all of its own!  Besides helping my kids fall in love with reading, I try and select read alouds that will allow for interesting class discussions and help expose the kids to topics and themes they may not be familiar with.  When we read Wonder, we talked about what it means to be brave, and how sometimes it means standing up for what is right even when it's not easy.  When we read The One and Only Ivan, we talked about the rights of all living creatures.  When we read Because of Mr. Terupt, we talked about how sometimes when bad things happen, we blame others or ourselves.  When we read How to Steal a Dog, we talked about right and wrong and the gray areas in between.  So many deep and beautiful discussions.

This year, I decided to choose Out of My Mind for our last class read aloud.  Here's the goodreads summary in case you're not familiar with this wonderful, thought-provoking book:

Source

Eleven-year-old Melody has a photographic memory. Her head is like a video camera that is always recording. Always. And there's no delete button. She's the smartest kid in her whole school - but no one knows it. Most people - her teachers and doctors included - don't think she's capable of learning, and up until recently her school days consisted of listening to the same preschool-level alphabet lessons again and again and again. If only she could speak up, if only she could tell people what she thinks and knows . . . but she can't, because Melody can't talk. She can't walk. She can't write.

Being stuck inside her head is making Melody go out of her mind - that is, until she discovers something that will allow her to speak for the first time ever. At last Melody has a voice . . . but not everyone around her is ready to hear it. 

I chose this book because I wanted to help open my students' minds and challenge them to think differently about individuals with disabilities and special needs.  Because of the way my school clusters our students, and because I have the ELL cluster in my room each year, my students don't have many opportunities to interact with individuals with special needs.  I decided to read Out of My Mind to start some conversations about the topic, and hopefully help them see that there is so much more to everyone than what we can see on the surface.  We talked about special needs, Cerebral Palsy, and communication devices like the one Melody eventually gets that allows her to finally share her voice.  We watched youtube videos of kids using communication devices, and our speech path even brought in a couple for my students to try.

One conversation that we had to have right away was about the R-Word.  Melody occasionally refers to herself as "retarded" when she is feeling frustrated and angry about her situation.  Doctors also use the word in Melody's presence.  Like most teachers, especially those who have fallen in love with students with special needs over the years, I hate this word.  At first, I was skipping the word or substituting something different.  A few of my kids who had gotten the book from the library to follow along noticed, though.  One came up to me and mentioned something.  Here's how our exchange went:

Student: "Miss Teacher, I noticed something as you were reading..."

Me: "Did you notice I was skipping a word?"

Student: "Yes."

Me: "You're right.  I did that because I really don't like that word.  It makes me uncomfortable to say."

Student: "What if the kids are confused though later in the book because you skipped it?  What if it's important?"

So, since my job as a teacher is about so much more than math and literacy, I decided to use this as a teachable moment.  I told the class that I had been skipping a word because it made me uncomfortable.  I shared what it was, what it meant, and its unkind connotation.  We talked about why the author may have chosen to use this word even though it is unkind--does the author think the word is appropriate?  Is there another reason?  In the end, it was a powerful, positive conversation that reminded me that so much of the unkindness in the world is due to ignorance.  As teachers, one of our jobs is to fight ignorance with knowledge in the hopes that our students grow up with open minds and hearts.  It can be hard to find the time to teacher these things in the midst of standardized testing and the Common Core, but I will always find time during read aloud.

Here's how I knew this read aloud was successful: There is a point in the book where the narrator, Melody, is trying out for the school Whiz Kids Quiz Team.  Outside of her family and neighbor, no one in a million years thought Melody could even form a coherent thought, much less learn, so when she wants to take the quiz team test, expectations are low to say the least.  There is so much build up and anticipation in the chapter where the Quiz Team is announced.  As I read the anticipatory pages, I looked out at my third and fourth grade class to find them sitting on the edges of their seats, fingers crossed in eager hope that Melody's name will be announced as a winner.  And when it is--they clapped and cheered.

Another reason I knew my goal had succeeded: My students became irate and angry when Melody was treated unfairly by classmates and teachers and when doctors sell her completely short.

And the last reason: On the last day of school when we found ourselves with almost 100 pages left to read, my students begged me to continue reading aloud, even when I gave them the option of playing games instead, and sat in rapt attention until we finally finished the last page, just 5 minutes before the closing bell.  While I wished we'd had more time to process the emotional ending, I know that this book will become a favorite for my students, and I hope its message is one that stays with them for a long time!

What were your favorite read alouds this year?

What I'm Reading Wednesday Linky

Another week has passed, and I still haven't finished a book...  *hangs head in shame*  But it's WIRW, so I figured I'd post anyways in case anyone else has been reading something worth sharing!

Unfortunately, this week I've been reading way too much of this:

Must be report card time...

And not enough of this:

(Side note: I don't know why this book is taking me so long.  

I like it, but I just am not flying through it the way other people have said they did!)

Oh, and The Olympics have definitely been a little distracting too!!  I seriously will watch any Olympic event.  Even Biathlon, which is definitely the most bizarre sport ever.

I do have a new book to share--my students and I just started our newest read aloud, Double Dog Dare, and I can already tell it's going to be a winner.  Even just from reading the prologue, we were all completely hooked!  Looking forward to continuing it with my kids!

Source: goodreads.com

 Hopefully I'll finally be back with a book review next week!

What have you been reading this week?

What I'm Reading Wednesday: Our Current Read Aloud

I could profess my love for read aloud all day long...and fact, I basically did in this post from last year.  It has always been my favorite part of the school day, and I whole heartedly believe in its importance in helping kids establish a love of reading.  Sharing wonderful books together as a classroom community--what could be better?  I swear, I would spend an hour on read aloud if I could every day!  I am loving my class's current read aloud, and although we are not QUITE finished (sooo this post is kind of cheating...), we will most likely finish this week.  I'm excited to share it with you! (Check out a list of some of my favorite read alouds for intermediate grades here.)

A Mango Shaped Space by Wendy Mass
4/5 stars

If you haven't read anything by Wendy Mass yet, definitely add her to her list.  Her stories are captivating, and her characters are vivid.  Mango Shaped Space is a fascinating book--it's about a girl named Mia who has a condition called synesthesia.  Letters, words, numbers, and even sounds have color for her.  For example, when her cat purrs, Mia describes the orange spirals she sees in the air around him.  Crazy as it sounds, this is actually a real condition!  My students were fascinated by it, and I was too!  The book is the story of how Mia convinces her family that her "colors" are real, how she learns to deal with and truly accept her synesthesia as part of who she is, and how she navigates the crazy maze of middle school along the way.  There are some great themes in here about differences and acceptance and even loss and blame.  We had some terrific discussions while reading, and the kids ate this one up.  They have been begging my not to stop reading every day, especially as we come close to the end of the book!  One quick warning--there are a couple parts that mention some innocent kissing.  Totally no big deal, but my 3rd and 4th graders were VERY grossed out, so I had to do some censoring. ;)

What have been your favorite read alouds this year?  So far, I've only finished Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Superfudge with my class.  Our schedule is making read aloud reeeally tricky to squeeze in.  I try to do it every day, but some days are only 5 minutes, so we haven't finished as many books as I'd like.  I'm torn between Out of My Mind and Double Dog Dare for my next one!

What have you been reading this week?

What I'm Reading Wednesday: The Read Aloud Edition

I've already talked about on this blog how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE read aloud.  Our schedules next year look like they're going to be even tighter and more rigorous (no, thank YOU Common Core!), but consider this my pledge that I will SOMEHOW still work in time for a daily read aloud.  I wanted to share the books I read aloud to my class this year--they were all huge hits.


Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
Goodreads Summary: There was a terrible mistake - Wayside School was built with one classroom on top of another, thirty stories high (The builder said he was sorry.) Maybe that's why all kinds of funny things happened at Wayside-especially on the thirteenth floor.

My thoughts:  This is a classic, and it has always been a favorite beginning-of-the-year read aloud for me.  It's a great hook to get the kids to buy into read aloud--even my too cool for school 5th graders loved sitting and giggling to this book in past years!  4/5 stars

Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Goodreads Summary: August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school—until now. He's about to start 5th grade at Beecher Prep, and if you've ever been the new kid then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie's just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, despite appearances?

My thoughts: I have already sung my praises about this book here, so I won't go into it again, but this book was a huge hit with my 3rd + 4th graders.  They got so much out of it, too--we had beautiful talks about kindness and courage throughout.  Loved!  5/5 stars

Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea
Goodreads Summary: It’s the start of fifth grade for seven kids at Snow Hill School. There’s . . .Jessica, the new girl, smart and perceptive, who’s having a hard time fitting in; Alexia, a bully, your friend one second, your enemy the next;Peter, class prankster and troublemaker; Luke, the brain; Danielle,who never stands up for herself; shy Anna, whose home situation makes her an outcast; and Jeffrey, who hates school.  Only Mr. Terupt, their new and energetic teacher, seems to know how to deal with them all. He makes the classroom a fun place, even if he doesn’t let them get away with much . . . until the snowy winter day when an accident changes everything—and everyone.

My thoughts:  Again, I also talked about this book here, but I want to say again what a fun read aloud it was.  Initially I was worried that the kids wouldn't be able to follow the story because it jumps between seven narrators, but we made a chart of each students na dsome character traits to describe him or her at the beginning, and they caught on quickly.  Another powerful book that fueled discussions on kindness, laying blame, and forgiveness.  5/5 stars

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
Goodreads Summary: Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all.  Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line. Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better.

My thoughts:  If you haven't read this book yet, read it asap.  It is so beautiful.  My kiddos didn't buy into this one as quickly as Wonder and Mr. Terupt, which I think is because it wasn't as funny.  Even so, after a few chapters they were in love with Ivan and Ruby and Stella, hanging on every word.  Another powerful book that led to great conversations about respect for living creatures and ethics.  

Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen
Goodreads Summary: One day I was 12 years old and broke. Then Grandma gave me Grandpa's old riding lawnmower. I set out to mow some lawns. More people wanted me to mow their lawns. And more and more. . . . One client was Arnold the stockbroker, who offered to teach me about "the beauty of capitalism. Supply and Demand. Diversify labor. Distribute the wealth." "Wealth?" I said. "It's groovy, man," said Arnold. If I'd known what was coming, I might have climbed on my mower and putted all the way home to hide in my room. But the lawn business grew and grew. So did my profits, which Arnold invested in many things. And one of them was Joey Pow the prizefighter. That's when my 12th summer got really interesting.

My thoughts:  This book was totally different than our previous few read alouds, but it was so much fun!  At first, my kids had a tough time following it because there is a lot of talk about investments and capitalism and stocks, but I broke it down pretty simply.  When Joey Pow the boxer shows up, the book gets just plain hilarious.  We loved it!  4/5 stars

How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O'Connor
Goodreads Summary: "Half of me was thinking, Georgina, don’t do this. Stealing a dog is just plain wrong. The other half of me was thinking, Georgina, you’re in a bad fix and you got to do whatever it takes to get yourself out of it." 
Georgina Hayes is desperate. Ever since her father left and they were evicted from their apartment, her family has been living in their car. With her mama juggling two jobs and trying to make enough money to find a place to live, Georgina is stuck looking after her younger brother, Toby. And she has her heart set on improving their situation. When Georgina spots a missing-dog poster with a reward of five hundred dollars, the solution to all her problems suddenly seems within reach. All she has to do is “borrow” the right dog and its owners are sure to offer a reward. What happens next is the last thing she expected. With unmistakable sympathy, Barbara O’Connor tells the story of a young girl struggling to see what’s right when everything else seems wrong.

My thoughts:  This was a serious one; Georgina's situation is just plain heart breaking.  It was kind of an eye-opener to some of my studnets to think about how some families actually do have to live in their cars and deal with very tough times.  Our big focus during this book was evaluating the characters' actions.  We used lots of turn and talks and voting to share opinions and make judgments about the characters.  I loved the higher-order-thinking it inspired--the kids had to share their opinion and justify it with text evidence.  In discussions, I had them use sentence frames to respond to each others' evaluations of the characters.  It was a really sweet book that deals with some tough issues in a great way.  4/5 stars.

What books did you read aloud this school year?  We are cruising through Lawn Boy Returns right now, and I'm hoping to finish it by our last day, Friday!

And now, off to *hopefully* watch the Blackhawks win!

Why I will Always Make Time for Read Aloud

Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win a digital copy of Running Inspired, a great book for beginner runners!!

My first year teaching, I didn't make a ton of time for read aloud.  I remember wondering when I was possibly supposed to squeeze that in amidst the already jam-packed day.  If something was going to be cut from my lesson plans, read aloud was always first on the chopping block.  Why?  It just didn't see as important as the other 100 things on the daily to-do list.

Today, I can't imagine my classroom without read aloud.  It is one of the most special parts of my day, and I promise you this--it IS important.  In SO many different ways.   We all know that read aloud gives a great model of fluency for kids, but it does so much more than that.  I truly believe that my read aloud teaches my kiddos to fall in love with reading.  They look forward to those precious 10 minutes every day and beg me to keep reading.  Once they groaned when I had to pause the book because it was time for PE!  They cheer when the endings are happy and cry when the plot takes sad turns.  They line up at the library to put the book I'm reading aloud on hold because they love it too much to wait.  My read alouds expose kids to books that they might not ordinarily pick up on their own.

Seeing how excited this student was when reflecting on a book he probably never would have read on his own brought tears to my eyes.  Isn't teaching kids to love reading why I got into this business in the first place?

This year, I decided to use read aloud as a time to teach my kids important life lessons.  There is so much more to teaching than the content areas--we are truly playing a part in helping these little people grow up to face the world.  If I take a minute to think about the big ideas I want my students to come away from my class with, they definitely all don't have to do with reading, writing, math, science, and social studies.  I want to teach my students kindness, empathy, courage, friendship, owning their actions, honesty, and so many other things.  Read aloud is my chance to do that.  I started my year by reading Wonder, a truly amazing book with so many important themes.  While reading, I asked students to listen for examples of courage in the book.  By the end, not only did the students all understand that courage is so much more than going off the high dive, but they understand that above all other things, kindness is always the right choice.

We also read Because of Mr. Terupt this year and had some big, serious discussions about the importance of not laying blame.  When a tragedy happens in their classroom, the students in this book are quick to blame each other and blame themselves.  I repeated to the kids throughout the story, "Sometimes, when bad things happen, we look for someone to blame.  When we can't find anyone, we often blame ourselves."  This is a big idea for 8 and 9 year olds, but by the end of the book I truly felt like many of my students understood how important it is not to blame others or themselves for things that are out of their control.  They also talked seriously about how important it is to stick together in the midst of a tragedy.

Right now, we're reading The One and Only Ivan.  Vegetarian that I am, I'm doing my best not to get up on my bleeding-heart soap box preaching about the horrors of zoos and the importance of animal rights, but the book is starting some interesting conversations all on its own about kindness and living things.  I can't wait to see the deep conversations it stirs up in my little classroom.

I try to do quick writes or reading responses connected with my read alouds from time to time.  I find that my kids are able to think so deeply in their reflections sometimes, and that even my struggling readers shine.  The kids pick up on the important lessons and big ideas and are able to add their own insights in their reflections.  The kids get to practice literacy skills like metacognition, visualization, making inferences and connections, and making predictions in their reflections.  I don't often have time for them, but every time I do I find at least one kiddo who surprises me in their insights or deep thoughts.  Such a special teacher moment. :)

So, that is why no matter how intense our days become or how many new things Common Core adds to my teacher plate, I will ALWAYS make time for read aloud.  It is such a special part of our day, and there is just something about sitting so close together on the carpet enjoying a really great book that just makes our classroom community all the more close-knit.  Love it.

What are your favorite read alouds?