Paper Towns by John Green…

How I Heard About It:  You would have to be living under a rock not to have heard of John Green.  After reading Fault in Our Stars, I made it a goal to read all of the author's works.  I've read many of them and this was the latest.  I listened to the story on audio.  

What It Is About:  Margo Roth Spiegelman and Quentin Jacobsen have known each other all of their lives.  They have grown up next door to each other.  While Margo took the "popular" route in high school, Quentin took another path and wasn't quite in the mainstream.  He admired Margo from a far, but she was living a different life from him.  One night she shows up at his house and requests his presence on an all-night "mission."  She explains that this is a mission of revenge.  Quentin joins her on a crazy night of various stops and various acts towards different high-school "friends".  When Quentin shows up to school the next morning, he learns that Margo has disappeared.  He makes it his job to find her.  He is under the assumption that she has left him messages and clues to find her whereabouts.  While Quentin should be enjoying prom, parties, and graduation, he instead devotes all of his time to locating his life-long friend.  

What I Thought Of It:  The audio version of this story was enjoyable.  I thought the narrator did a wonderful job and was quite easy and pleasing to listen to.  The plot moved along quickly and kept me interested throughout the entire story.  Quentin and Margo were unique characters and drew me into the story.  I also thought Quentin's buddies were awesome and made me laugh on more than one occasion. I wouldn't say this was John's best novel, but it certainly was very good and I enjoyed it.  

Who Should Read It:  If you have read the other John Green novels, but not this one, I would suggest you do.  It is a great story and different from the other books.  The novel is just right for the high-school reader and adult readers who enjoy young-adult fiction.  Happy Reading!  

Rating:  4 STARS out of 5 Stars

Friend Friday #130 (I Survived...)

Hi!  I am Makiya and I read the book called The Joplin Tornado, 2011 written by Lauren Tarshis


I think this book is good because it tells about a tornado and I have not been in a tornado so I thought it was very interesting.


My favorite part in the story is when the tornado started because it was the most interesting part in the book and it kept me on the edge of my seat.  




The character that I liked best was Dex because he is the main person in the story.   


I think the author wrote this book because she wanted to tell what it was like in 2011 when a tornado hit an area.  She made me feel like I was right there.  


I would recommend this book to my friends because there is a tornado in it which is pretty exciting and most kids would be interested in this story.  


Reading to me is awesome because I love to read and I get to know more and more "stuff" which makes me smarter.    


*Makiya is one of the readers in my fourth grade reading class.
*She came in not really loving to read, but has made a nice transition to a reader.
*We are currently in a "historical fiction" unit and I gathered some of the "I Survive" books.
*She read the story in one-two reading sessions and really enjoyed the story.
*I find this series is quite a hit with fourth grade readers.  

Trailer Thursday #130 (When Breath Becomes Air)...

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi (Memoir)

Life Lesson #22 - Be Kind (Part Three)...

"Be Kind" (Part Three)

*It is Thursday and that means it is time for another "Life Lesson" video clip.

*This time of year can be difficult in an elementary classroom.

*Relationships and friendships can be difficult and all the earlier lessons have been forgotten.

*I wanted to share something with my students that reminded them about "friendship", being kind to each other, and doing the right thing.

*I'm always trying to find ways to help my students reach their full potential.  

*Each Thursday I feature a different video with a "life lesson" in it.  

*After viewing the video once or twice, we chat a bit about it as a group.

*I then have the writers record their thoughts in their writer's notebooks.

*They can write their thoughts, reactions, connections, wonderings, learnings, or whatever is on their mind regarding the video.

*Encouragement is also given to reflect on the "message" of the clip.

*After about 5-10 minutes of writing, we listen to a few of the students share what they wrote.

*It is my hope that through these "life lessons", my students can become the best young people they can be.

Life Lessons (2015-2016)...

Lesson #1 - Be Courageous 

Lesson #2 - Be Kind
Lesson #3 - Be Courageous (part two)
Lesson #4 - Be Motivated
Lesson #5 - Be a Buddy, Not a Bully
Lesson #6 - Be Inspired
Lesson #7 - Be Spooky (Halloween Edition)
Lesson #8:  Be Kind (Kindness Retreat)
Lesson #9:  Be Shoutful
Lesson #10:  Be Happy
Lesson #11:  Be a Reader
Lesson #12:  Be Powerful
Lesson #13:  Be Merry
Lesson #14:  Be a Team
Lesson #15:  Be Giving
Lesson #16:  Be Brave (part two)
Lesson #17:  Be Positive
Lesson #18:  Be Dance Like
Lesson #19:  You Can Do It
Lesson #20:  Be a Hero
Lesson #21:  Be a Friend

Wonder Wednesday #130 (Breakfast with Books)...

Wonder Wednesday - The Graham Cracker Plot by Shelley Tougas

*One of my favorite aspects of my teaching career, is my "Breakfast with Books" book club.

*This book club meets about once a month and we share our thoughts and comments about a novel that I choose for my students to read.  Of course we also enjoy some breakfast treats.

*On Friday, February 26th we had the honor of having Shelley Tougas, author of The Graham Cracker Plot, join us in person at our book club.


*The readers had the opportunity to share comments and ask questions about the book.

*It was a great hour of wonderful conversation and interacting with an author.  We loved it!

*Here is a glimpse into our book club action...

Picture Wednesday #24 (Yep...We're Ready!)...

Ready for School

*I recently came across a link with 25 photographs that came from the National Geographic Archives.

*You can find the other 24 photographs at the following link…

Click Here for Photographs

*As I scrolled through the images I was fascinated by all of them.  This one in particular caught my attention.

*It stood out as an image that my students would enjoy writing about.  

*Each Wednesday we write in our writer's notebooks about a particular image.

*They can record their thoughts, reactions, connections, likes/dislikes, reminders, noticings, or anything else they would like.  

*Some of the writers choose to write a fiction story based on the picture.

*We write between five and ten minutes and then do a quick share at the end.  

*The photos always lead to lots of conversation and the sharing of ideas.  I try to get them to write first and then we can share what we wrote and what we were thinking.

*The writers are really enjoying writing and talking about these photographs.

Treat Tuesday #130 (Book Release Day)...

Treat Tuesday - Mongolian Beef Ramen Noodles

*My wife found this recipe via her PinInterest page and gave it a try last week.

*We both loved it and will definitely have it again.

*During dinner we laughed how we were going back to college days with Ramen.  This time around it is a bit fancier and tastier.

*Enjoy…

INGREDIENTS…

• 1½ lb flank steak
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
• 8 oz dry ramen noodles
• 3 green onions, chopped

For Sauce

• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• ¾ cup soy sauce, low sodium
• ⅔ cup brown sugar
• 1¼ cup chicken broth
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes

INSTRUCTIONS…

1. Slice the flank steak into small thin pieces against the grain. In a large ziploc bag add the starch and the beef to it. Close the ziploc bag and shake really well until each pieces is coated with cornstarch.
2. In a non stick skillet heat the oil. When the oil is hot, add beef and cook until browned. It will take 2 or 3 batches because you don't want the steak pieces to stick to each other. Also if you need more oil after the batch feel free to add more. Remove beef from skillet to a plate and empty the oil from the skillet.
3. Add the bell pepper to the skillet and saute it for a couple minutes just until it gets soft. Remove the pepper from the skillet to a plate and set aside.
4. In that same skillet add sauce ingredients, the sesame oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, chicken broth and red pepper flakes. Stir and cook over medium heat until sauce thickens a bit and reduces by about a quarter. It took me about 10 minutes until the sauce thickened and reduced. You don't want to reduce it too much because you need more sauce for the noodles.
5. In the meantime cook the ramen noodles according to package instructions.
6. Return the beef and bell pepper to the skillet and toss in the sauce. Add the cooked ramen noodles to the skillet and toss everything together. Top with green onions and serve.

Treat Tuesday:  Middle-Grade Novel

Treat Tuesday:  Young-Adult Novel

Treat Tuesday:  Adult Novel