Love Books, Read Series

In class we talked about how all readers seem to be created by falling in love with series books. For me it was Nancy Drew. Here are some series books that keep readers turning the page... and buying more books.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan

The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan

Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

Warriors by Erin Hunter

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Harry Potter by JK Rowling

The Hardy Boys by Franklin W. Dixon

Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene

Ranger’s Apprentice by John Flanagan

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Maximum Ride by James Patterson

A Boy at War by Harry Mazer

Dork Diaries by Rachel Renee Russell

Dear America by various authors
The 39 Clues by various authors
Big Nate by Lincoln Pierce

Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson

Dear Dumb Diary by Jim Benson

Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey

Swindle by Gordon Korman

Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

Capture the Flag by Kate Messner

Cold Cereal by Adam Rex

Ninja Weenies by David Lubar

NERDS by Michael  Buckley

Spaceheadz by Jon Scieszka

Theodore Boone by John Grisham

The Doll People by Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin

The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis

The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien

Elephant and Piggie by Mo Willems

Babymouse by Jennifer and Matt Holm

Squish by Jennifer and Matt Holm

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Bad Kitty by Nick Bruell

The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Babysitter’s Club by Ann M. Martin

Superfudge by Judy Blume

Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park

Michigan and American Chillers by Jonathan Rand

Clementine by Sarah Pennypecker

Matched by Ally Condie

Goosebumps by RL Stine

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins

Ramona and Beezus by Beverly Cleary

Judy Moody by Megan O’Donald

Magic Treehouse by Mary Pope Osborne

The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary

Bunnicula by James Howe

A-Z Mysteries by Ron Roy

Ready Freddie by Earl Hicks

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Tunnels by Roderick Gordon

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Franny K. Stein by Jim Benton

The Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas

4 for 4 by John Coy

The Lorien Legacies by Pittacus Lore

Michael Vey by Richard Paul Evans

Origami Yoda by Tom Angelberger

Final Four Mysteries by John Feinstein

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Coelfer

The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini

Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko

The Brixton Brothers by Mac Barnett

Poison Apple by Ruth Ames

Ruby Red by Kerstin Geir

Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown

Witch and Wizard by James Patterson

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

The Name of This Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

Silverwing by Kenneth Oppel

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell

 

"Joyriding" study guide

Know the following characters from the story:

• Peter
• Kevin
• Peter's mother
• Mickey Ray
• Mr. Brettone

You also need to know:

• How Peter feels about piano and Kevin feels about running
• Why were people making a big deal about Kevin's finish in the race if he didn't win?
• Are Peter and Kevin 1-dimensional or 3-dimensional characters?
• Do you think Peter believed what he said when he told Kevin his current piano teacher is better than Mickey Ray?
• Whose attitude toward competition do you think is healthier, Kevin or Peter?

8th grade: Marcel the Shell Essay revisions

Revise your Marcel the Shell essay. You will be graded on the following:

1. Does it have proper essay structure? (intro, body, conclusion)
2. Does it address the question: how do you think Marcel the Shell became so popular that it got its own picture book?
3.  Do you support your points with examples?

Remember: it’s OK to have an opinion about the video but that can’t be your entire paper. You need to answer the question and back up your reasons with evidence.

It is due tomorrow.

What was I doing while in Las Vagas?

...meeting and hanging out with amazing authors and teachers!

This is just a small sampling of the amazing authors I met and hung out with while at the NCTE convention in Las Vegas:

Jennifer Holm, author of Babymouse, Squish, and Turtle in Paradise

RJ Palacio, author of Wonder

Ruta Sepetys, author of Between Shades of Gray

Shannon Hale, author of Princess Academy, et al

Blue Balliett, Rebecca Stead, Jo Knowles, Kate Messner, and Jody Feldman

Graphic novelists extraordinaire, Raina Telgemeier and Dave Roman

Jonathan Auxier, author of Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes, who not only gave the greatest book talk/yo-yo show ever but he also drew a very special picture for our class after his very special offer:

Check out his amazing yo-yo-show/book talk here.

So yeah, my time in Vegas was pretty awesome!

Interview with Katherine Applegate

As we finished The One and Only Ivan, many of you had questions about how Katherine Applegate was inspired to write the story. Here is a video that will hopefully answer some of those questions.

"Still Me" study guide

Here are the things you need to know for your "Still Me" test:

Literary Terms:

• autobiography
• point of view
• first person point of view
• third person point of view

Short answer questions:

• What is now parked next to the barn instead of a horse trailer?
• What did Reeve imagine when he looked at the picture of the Pyramid of Quetzalcoatl?
• What has Reeve not done for his son in over three years?
• What might have been different if Reeve had fallen with his head turned a little to the left or right?

Essay:
What is Reeve's definition of a hero today and do you agree?

6th grade and BYOD

Hello Parents, Guardians, and Students!

As you already know, St. Paul is establishing a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) program in the junior high. Mrs. Popielarz and I will be slowly implementing this policy with the 6^th grade once students turn in their permission slips. Students across the world are now using electronic devices to enhance their education so it is very exciting St. Paul is becoming involved in the global trend. In our 6^th grade language arts and social studies classes, students will have the opportunity to use their own device to do the following activities:

• Planner/Assignment notebook
• Note taking
• Research tool for reports and projects
• E-reader
• Current Events
• Creating and listening to Podcasts
• Student response (exit tool, comprehension check, class polls)
• Google Docs
• The Cloud
• Multimedia tool (video, photos, etc)

At St. Paul, we already have an electronic device policy in place and these rules will still apply with BYOD. The device a student brings into the classroom may only be used when given permission or instructed. Student devices will only be used for educational purposes and it will be a goal to learn how to use these electronic devices responsibly in the classroom. When students are not using their device class, it needs to be locked in their own locker. It is not the responsibility of anyone but the student and they need to understand that these devices must be secured in their locker when not in use.

It is important to note that if students do not have an electronic device of their own, they will have access to St. Paul's netbooks and iPads.

Please contact me or Mrs. Popielarz with any questions, comments, or concerns.

Mrs. Shaum

Author Carrie Harris visits St. Paul 6th Graders

On October 25th, Carrie Harris, author of the epically funny zombie novel Bad Taste in Boys, visited St. Paul to do a writing workshop with the 6th graders. She did a great job getting them thinking about character and plot and even had them write their very own Monster Prom scene.

And since Carrie loves monsters so much (particularly zombies), the 6th graders made sure she was greeted in monsterly fashion:

Fun was had by all:

6th grade BYOD Survey

Please fill out the following survey and click "submit" when completed.

If you don't have an email address, put "no email".

8th grade: My Personal Michigan Hero essay

For this essay, you will be asked to write about a person you consider to be a hero.

The essay must be:

• double-spaced
• no more than 500 words
• conventionally correct (grammar, spelling, capitalization, punctuation)
• organized in an essay format (intro, body, conclusion)

I am really going to focus on conventions this time around. The last essay many of you turned in did not appear to be proofread. Please use your editing checklist to look for spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and usage issues before turning in your final draft. Final drafts will be due Monday, November 5th.

8th grade: BYOD survery

8th graders:

Please answer the following survey questions and click "submit" when completed.

2nd Quarter English Extra Credit: Participate in NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo, short for National Novel Writing month, is an entire month dedicated to writing your very own novel. November begins this month long endeavor and adults around the world participate in this program for the thrill of attempting to write a novel in only one month. But kids can participate in the Young Writer’s Program of NaNoWriMo and also write their own novels, too. For kids the word count is lower than the adult version, but there is still huge satisfaction in setting a goal and acheiving it. For kids who want to sign up and parents who want to know more, go to the following website:

NaNoWriMo's Young Writers Program


Remember, this is a huge opportunity for extra credit in English for 2nd quarter.

If you're interested in doing this, please sign up on the website and then respond to this post with your user name.

Everyone's word count should be at least 10,000 words or more.

Leads from our group assignment

For those of you who were intrigued to read one or more of the books from the leads assignment we did the other day, here are the books:

1. Flush by Carl Hiaasen
2. The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
3. Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer
4. A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
5. Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm
6. Delirium by Lauren Oliver
7. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
8. The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy
9. Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris
10. Airborn by Kenneth Oppel

8th grade: Life defining moment essay requirements

Think about a moment in your life that has shaped the person you are today: the birth of a sibling, the death of a grandparent, a disappointing loss at a championship sports game. Write about what caused that moment to be ingrained in the person that you are today.

Your rough draft is due Thursday, October 4th and your final draft is due Monday, October 8th.

Here is what you essay must include:

•  A proper heading – 5 points
•  An intriguing title– 5 points
•  Intro paragraph with a grabbing lead – 10 points
•  At least 3 body paragraphs – 30 points
• Concluding paragraph that resonates – 10 points
•  A genuine attempt to explore one moment in your life that has shaped the person you are today – 30 points
• Typed with an inviting font of no larger than 12 (preferably double-spaced) – 10 points
•  EXTRA CREDIT: Find a way to seamlessly incorporate a line from Robert Frost’s “The Road Not taken” into your essay – 10 points