Hispanic Heritage Month Sept 15 - Oct 15

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage month with 9 texts 

from Common Lit to use in your classrooms.

from  Sandra N. Gutiérrez

Director of Dual Language, CommonLit

Sep 25, 2018

What are You READING in October?

BOOK CLUB FOR STAFF 

Share your reads and ideas!

Cape's Book Club was created especially for Cape staff.

Log onto CAPE READS Schoology Group to share your October reading conquests!

Code QBFT9-PF372

Banned Books Week - Welcome!

Taken from the American Library Association website

Top 10 Challenged Books of 2017

The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 354 challenges to library, school and university materials in 2017. Of the 416 books challenged or banned in 2017, the Top 10 Most Challenged Books are

1. Thirteen Reasons Why written by Jay Asher

Originally published in 2007, this New York Times bestseller has resurfaced as a controversial book after Netflix aired a TV series by the same name. This YA novel was challenged and banned in multiple school districts because it discusses suicide.

2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian written by Sherman Alexie

Consistently challenged since its publication in 2007 for acknowledging issues such as poverty, alcoholism, and sexuality, this National Book Award winner was challenged in school curriculums because of profanity and situations that were deemed sexually explicit.

3. Drama written and illustrated by Raina Telgemeier

This Stonewall Honor Award-winning, 2012 graphic novel from an acclaimed cartoonist was challenged and banned in school libraries because it includes LGBT characters and was considered “confusing.”

4. The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini

This critically acclaimed, multigenerational novel was challenged and banned because it includes sexual violence and was thought to “lead to terrorism” and “promote Islam.”

5. George written by Alex Gino

Written for elementary-age children, this Lambda Literary Award winner was challenged and banned because it includes a transgender child.

6. Sex is a Funny Word written by Cory Silverberg and illustrated by Fiona Smyth

This 2015 informational children’s book written by a certified sex educator was challenged because it addresses sex education and is believed to lead children to “want to have sex or ask questions about sex.”

7. To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee

This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, considered an American classic, was challenged and banned because of violence and its use of the N-word.

8. The Hate U Give written by Angie Thomas

Despite winning multiple awards and being the most searched-for book on Goodreads during its debut year, this YA novel was challenged and banned in school libraries and curriculums because it was considered “pervasively vulgar” and because of drug use, profanity, and offensive language.

9. And Tango Makes Three written by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson and illustrated by Henry Cole

Returning after a brief hiatus from the Top Ten Most Challenged list, this ALA Notable Children’s Book, published in 2005, was challenged and labeled because it features a same-sex relationship.

10. I Am Jazz written by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings and illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas

This autobiographical picture book co-written by the 13-year-old protagonist was challenged because it addresses gender identity.

Elementary NEW Report Cards Video

Standards based report cards are here in the Elementary Cape Henlopen Schools. 
Erin Gannon created this video as a way to explain the changes. 

How Do Schools Celebrate Student Writing?

I remember Literary Magazines that were published in high schools years ago. They were a  competitive platform and only the best essays, poems and stories were accepted. That was then, this is now?

I have discovered that Literary Magazines are still a thing and that through the National Council Teachers of English NCTE, they are judged with awards for excellence. Young writers are celebrated. Their work gets published, read and sometimes printed and passed around. This is fertile ground for giving students opportunities to write. 

I know that if we take student writing, read it, share it and discuss it we can push forward the idea that it is important and that it should definitely be celebrated. A Literary Magazine is a validation of all of that.

But what about the technology: e-zines, the online magazines that publish teen writing, much of it unfiltered.  Today everyone can be a writer.   Teen and preteens twitter, facebook post and maybe even blog at a high rate. The writing is social, personal and with a purpose - to connect to others. 

What can we do to ride this tide of voluntary writing while still promoting fiction, poetry and prose? More research for me to get more answers.

Videos - Students Create Content and Learn Process

Videos - Students Create Content and Learn Process

Students are comfortable creating and using videos in the learning process. Read what an elementary teacher is doing to promote learning. 

Taking Notes

Notes are important according to this recent blog post from Jennifer Gonzalez. Read about the 8 things that will help your students be better learners. 

Note Taking : A Research Roundup