Last Book Club of the Year

What fun we had welcoming the new 6th grade book club members and celebrating a fun school year with 7th and 8th during lunches and breaks.  As always, it was a blast to have Mr. Brinkley, the Teen Librarian at the Sandy Springs Public Library, join us for this celebration.  He told us about the wonderful reading contest and free programs going on for teens this summer!  This year, if only 75 students participate in the reading program, Mr. Brinkley will get a pie in the face at the back-to-school celebration, and students who turn in more than one log will get three pies to throw!  He is such a good sport. 

In addition to enjoying a pizza party, all students received a free paperback of their choice and the 6th and 7th graders had the opportunity to check out three library books over the summer.  They may check up to six with parental permission.

I'm so looking forward to book clubs next year!



My 8th grade babies are all grown up and ready for high school.  What a privilege to know these amazing students.  I said I wasn't going to cry, but we all knew better!  I will miss them so much.





Sweet seventh-grade book club girls picking their free books!

Sarah is so excited about her free book!



Mr. Brinkley and the 7th graders




Mr. Brinkley brought a fun flower tower students put together.  It's Petey Piranha from Mario Brothers and got the kids excited about the Mario Kart race that will kick off the summer reading program at the Sandy Springs Public Library.



Sydney Laws - Receiving her Breaking Barriers Essay Prize

It was fun to be a part of the prize ceremony in Mrs. Lawrence's 7th period class where Sydney recieved her Samsung tablet and the class t-shirts were distributed!  2nd Place in the nation - you go, girl!

Mr. Grant - 8th Grade Georgia Studies - Analyzing and Creating a Political Cartoon

Please use the following links to access the political cartoons we will be analyzing today:

Cartoons for Analysis

1.  March Weather Madness - http://nieonline.com/cftc/pdfs/20130401-spring.pdf

2.  Health and Freedom - http://nieonline.com/cftc/pdfs/20130318-gulp.pdf

3.  The Internet’s Effect on Other Forms of Media - http://nieonline.com/cftc/pdfs/internetdestruction.pdf

4.  Ground Zero Mosque - http://nieonline.com/cftc/pdfs/groundzeromosque.pdf

5.  Losing Patience with Recovery - http://nieonline.com/cftc/pdfs/stalledrecovery.pdf

6.  Peace Doves and Bombs - http://nieonline.com/cftc/pdfs/koreandove.pdf

7.  Energy Arguments - http://nieonline.com/cftc/pdfs/2011energyarguments.pdf

8.  Graduating to a Different Problem - http://nieonline.com/cftc/pdfs/2011studentdebt.pdf

9.  Grinding to a Halt, Again - http://nieonline.com/cftc/pdfs/2011linkedgearsrecovery.pdf

10.  Titanic Disaster - http://nieonline.com/cftc/pdfs/20120409-titanic.pdf

11. U.S. Drought is Worst in Half Century –

http://nieonline.com/cftc/pdfs/20120723-drought.pdf

12.  Back to School in a Connected Age -
http://nieonline.com/cftc/pdfs/20120820-school.pdf

**All cartoons are from the Newspapers in Education web site.**

8th Grader Sydney Laws - 2nd Place Winner in National Jackie Robinson Breaking Barriers Essay Contest!

Sydney Laws, National 2nd Prize Winner in the Jackie Robinson Breaking Barriers Essay Contest

Ridgeview 8^th Grader Sydney Laws has been selected as a Second Prize Winner in the national Jackie Robinson Breaking Barriers Essay Contest sponsored by Scholastic and Major League Baseball.  In a collaborative lesson between Language Arts Teacher Mary Lawrence and Media Specialist Taylor Wickline, students discussed and wrote about barriers, learned about Jackie Robinson’s Nine Values to overcoming barriers, and wrote about ways in which they used Jackie Robinson’s values to overcome barriers in their own lives.  Sydney wrote about using the value of integrity to overcome obstacles in middle school.  This lesson was a wonderful opportunity for students and teachers to get to know each other better.

As one of only two national Second Place winners in grades 6-8, Sydney has won a laptop computer, a class set of autographed copies of Promises to Keep by Sharon Robinson for Mrs. Lawrence’s Language Arts Class, and a class set of Breaking Barriers T-shirts.

Congratulations, Sydney!  We are so proud of you!

Figurative Language Quiz for Vanhorse/Morton 8th Grade Reading

Students, in preparation for the CRCT, we will continue our review of figurative language.  Please go to the following link to complete figurative language practice.  Please print your results when you are finished.

Figurative Language Practice 1:

http://www.ereadingworksheets.com/figurative-language-worksheets/figurative-language-practice-1.htm

Figurative Language Practice 2:

http://www.ereadingworksheets.com/figurative-language-worksheets/figurative-language-practice-2.htm

Figurative Language Practice 3:

http://www.ereadingworksheets.com/figurative-language-worksheets/figurative-language-practice-3.htm

In February, the media center and Social Studies department hosted a traveling exhibit called Looking at Lincoln: Political Cartoons from the Civil War Era from the Gilder-Lehrman Institute of American History.  In preparation for their Westward Expansion, Antebellum, and Civil War units, our 8th-Grade Georgia Studies students participated in a three-day lesson that was centered around the exhibit.  Looking at Lincoln explores the Civil War and issues of slavery from the standpoint of political cartoons of Lincoln’s contemporaries. I created an interdisciplinary lesson that asked students to read complex social studies text and analyze primary and secondary source documents. 

In step one, we accessed digital issues of Junior Scholastic magazine and discussed five questions that can be used to analyze political cartoons. We also discussed five “tools” cartoonists use to convey their message (all literary terms) – hyperbole, irony, analogy, symbolism, etc. After teacher modeling and analyzing several cartoons together as a class, students used their handouts to analyze various modern-day political cartoons from the September 19, 2011 issue of Junior Scholastic and then presented an explanation of the cartoons to the class. The depth of their analysis knocked our socks off, and the engagement and willingness of students to share across the board was a testament to Antonio’s classroom management and the “safe” environment he provides for his students.

In step two, students rotated in groups to stations. One group analyzed the cartoons on the Looking at Lincoln Exhibit using their five-question organizer as well as the organizer for cartoonists’ tools. The rest of the groups analyzed documents from Lincoln’s era such as the Emancipation Proclamation. They had folders with the activities, background information, and discussion questions. Though the text was challenging, the discussion questions and contextual information helped students make connections and come to a deeper understanding.

     

In step three, students took what they had learned back to the classroom where they created their own political cartoons as the culminating assignment.

In reflecting on the lesson, Mr. Grant wrote, "It was a rewarding experience that aligned with the curriculum perfectly. It challenged and engaged the students!  This was absolutely the most exciting lesson that I have ever been a part of.  Thank you so much for providing my students with such a wonderful experience. "    A special thank you to Susan Fisher, TAG Department Chair and Social Studies teacher for registering us as a Gilder-Lehrman affiliate school!  We can't wait to host the exhibit again next year!

New Orleans Fundraiser was a Huge Success!

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), in conjunction with the media center and Music Department, hosted a book drive and fundraiser two weeks ago to raise money for two New Orleans schools whose libraries were decimated by Hurricane Isaac last year.  Students donated over 1,050 books in good condition and raised $675 which was donated to John L. Ory Magnet School and Emily C. Watkins Elementary School in person on the Music Department's student trip to New Orleans last week! This was more successful than we could have imagined.  Thank you, Ridgeview family, for your generosity!

School Library Journal's Best Books 2012

This list has been out for awhile, but we just received a huge shipment of books, and lots of books from this list are part of it!  There are so many that I can't wait to read.  Come check them out when you get a chance...and don't worry if you can't read them all any time soon - it's never too early to start building your summer reading list!  I can feel spring in the air already!

Enjoy!

http://www.slj.com/2012/11/featured/best-books-2012/

It's "Snow" Secret!

Just wanted to post pictures of our cute Lunch Bunch Book Club display because it makes me happy.  Thank you to Florence Kosloski for always coming up with and putting together the cutest ideas!  Students love to see what she'll do next, and they really do use these peer reviews to get ideas for their reading.  Let it snow!

The Allure of Darker Young Adult Novels

I came across these reflections Mrs. Lawrence's 8th-grade Langauage Arts students completed as part of a lesson using Visual Thesaurus.  Students used Visual Thesaurus to annotate an opinion article from the New York Times, James Parini's "Feeling 'Gamed,'" on why today's students are so drawn to darker, dystopian literature like Hunger Games and Life as We Knew It.  I was impressed with the students' insightful responses when they reflected on the question for themselves. 

Following are some of the highlights:

Novels are darker now than before because we are more dramatic and we are tired, as a society of teens, of the happy stories.  We are getting more opinionated and independent in the way we voice our opinions.  There is so much support of the dystopian trend because each character has maybe the dark side of us that we keep secret.  - Rachel

Everyone wants a darker story because as we get older we get sick of the "everything is happy," cheerful books and want to move on to something different and new.  I'm not saying perfect love stories are bad, but sometimes the darker side has a real interesting appeal to it.  For example, with the Hunger Games, it is all about children killing children, yet I stayed up all night to finish the book because it drew me in... - Peyton

We have become so absorbed by technology in the visual arts that fantasies of death and destruction become commonplace.  It takes a really horrible story to get our attention.  Also, when our grandparents and parents were young, wars were going on like Vietnam and the Cold War, not to mention World Wars I and II.  That is why youth wanted to escape to a place of happiness and peace.  Now that time has passed, we want to be entertained like the Romans at the Colisseum.  We need something abnormal like the spilling of blood to get our attention. - Alex


I think best-selling young adult novels are darker now because it's something different from our lives.  Also, everyone has so many happy things in life, reading books like this gives us a sense of what life could be like for others, or just a different perspective on life. - Kennedi

I think dark, dystopian novels are really popular now because it is a different setting.  These novels make you think, "What if?"  What if the Hunger Games were real?  Also, many dystopian books are extremes of real life.  The world could easily become a dystopia.  That's why so many people read these books. - Amanda

I love these thoughtful responses!

First Round of Dewey Decathlon Prizes!

The Dewey Decathlon is well underway and we have been rapidly giving out our first group of prizes.  Students are working hard, and I have loved reading the great book reviews added to Destiny Quest.  Thank you to Ms. Lawrence, Ms. Baer, and Ms. Davis for joining with our media center to require the Dewey Decathlon of your students! 

Also thank you to our corporate Partners in Education who have generously donated prizes at the 5 book and 15 book levels - Nothing Bundt Cakes and Chick-Fil-A.

5 Books - Dewey Decathlon Book Mark, Ridgeview Readers Rock Pencil, Reading Bracelet
Ellen Addington
John Beckley
Hill Belfi
Francisco Delgado
Esha Clements
Jeremy Colton
Adolfo Cortez
Lilly Davis
Xavier Davis
Coleman Flom
Hannah Fountain
Katie Franklin
Itzya Garcia
Olivia Gunthert
Zoe Gunthert
Bailey Hellem
Bria Hopkins
Katie Horn
Zeba Huque
Kennedi Jackson
Elijah Jenkins
Brighid Martin
Vanessa Morales
Sydney Nolan
Natalie Peek
Andrea Maspons
Celeste Pirtle-Cooper
Mahzuza Rahaman
Douglas Sanini
Hannah Sherrill
Anna Shutley
Caroline Smith
Rachel Stowell
Kennedy Suttle
Mary Kate Swanson
David Taylor

10 Books - Ice Cream Treat from Cafeteria
Hill Belfi
Esha Clements
Elijah Jenkins
Natalie Peek
Anna Shutley
Caroline Smith

15 Books - Free Bundt Cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes
Anna Shutley

Best Books of the Summer

I spent many nights this summer reading into the wee hours of the morning.  There were a couple books I just couldn't put down.  I was lost in another world.  I wanted to read those books more than I wanted to watch TV.  I wanted those books on long car rides, while waiting at the doctor's office, out on the beach with a little time all to myself. . .  I would think about the books on and off all day until I could read again.  I want to know what book kept YOU up late at night?  What  was that book that you just couldn't put down?  Respond to this blog to let us know!   

Georgia Exceptional Media Center Open House

We had such a wonderful time at our Open House!  It was great to highlight various aspects of our media program and to catch up with friends in our field.

A special thank you to Celia Williams who provided the beautiful decorations and food, and to our PTA volunteers, particularlly Carol Shutley, Nancy Grim, and Ann Marie Esslinger who helped in numerous ways to get the Media Center ready.

What a fun day!

Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers - Vote Now!

Go here to cast your vote for your favorite book from the nominees for the Georgia Peach Book Award!  The books with the most readers and highest rankings become the Peach Book and Honor books.  Voting ends March 15th at midnight!  You may vote on any books you've read from the list.  Novels available in Ridgeview's media center include Beautiful Creatures, Birthmarked, Dirty Little Secrets, Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can't Have, God is in the Pancakes, Lockdown:  Escape from Furnace, The Maze Runner, Shift, and Ship Breaker.  I know which ones I'd give the highest scores; which ones would get yours?

An Invitation to our Open House

Our Georgia Exceptional Library Media Program Open House will be Thursday, March 29th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  All are welcome.  Check out the invitation at this link http://www.punchbowl.com/parties/3677672-georgia-exceptional-library-media-program-open-house

and come out to learn more about the wonderful programming, teaching, and learning going on in Ridgeview's Media Center.

Books on Nooks - Check them out!

Our Nook check out program is off and running with a wait list of almost 20 students.  I have loaded the following books based largely on student requests and most popular titles.  Remember that you must have a parental permission form completed to get on the wait list.  You may pick them up in the Media Center.

Nook Books

1.  The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series #1) – Rick Riordan

2.  Life as We Knew It (Life as We Knew It Series #1) – Susan Beth Pfeffer

3.  Tangerine – Edward Bloor

4.  The Book Thief – Markus Zusak

5.  The Diary of a Young Girl – Anne Frank

6.  Uglies (Uglies Series #1) – Scott Westerfeld

7.  Ingo – Helen Dunmore

8.  13 Little Blue Envelopes – Maureen Johnson

9.  Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life (Dork Diaries #1)

10.  The Education of Bet – Lauren Baratz-Logsted

11.  Super Human – Michael Carroll

12.  Legend – Marie Lu

13.  The Dead Boys – Royce Buckingham

14.  The Call (Magnificent 12 Series #1) – Michael Grant

15.  The Breadwinner – Deborah Ellis

16.  The Hunger Games Trilogy (Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay) – Suzanne Collins

17.  Dracula – Bram Stoker

18.  Little Women – Louisa May Alcott

19.  Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen

20.  Red Pyramid (Kane Chronicles Series #1) – Rick Riordan

21.  Throne of Fire (Kane Chronicles Series #2) – Rick Riordan

22.  The Summer I Learned to Fly

23.   Gone (The Gone Series #1) – Michael Grant

24.  Girl, Stolen – April Henry

25.  Son of Neptune – Rick Riordan

Book Club Holiday Party and Best Books of the Year

We had so much fun at our book club holiday party yesterday.  We were all stuffed!  Instead of asking students to do the usual book reviews of what they read in the last month, I compiled a list of the best books students read this year.  List and pictures follow.

Book Club's Best Books

The Eleventh Plague - Jeff Hirsch
Lockdown - Escape from Furnace - Alexander Gordon Smith

Ranger's Apprentice Series - John Flanagan
Mockingbird:  (Mok'ing burd) - Katheryn Erskine

Dark Powers Series - Kelley Armstrong

Pendragon Series - D.J. Machale

The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan

Beautiful Creatures - Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Birthmarked - Caragh M. O'Brien

Matched - Allyson Braithwaite Condie

Maximum Ride Series - Alex Horowitz

Fablehaven - Brandon Mull

Rare Beasts (Edgar and Ellen Series) - Charles Ogden

Son of the Mob - Gordan Korman

The Ransom of Mercy Carter - Caroline Cooney

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series - Jeff Kinney

The Underneath - Kathi Appelt

The Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer

Unbroken - Laura Hildenbrand

Mockingjay (Hunger Games Trilogy) - Suzanne Collins

Everything I Was - Corinne Demas
The Boy Who Couldn't Die - William Sleator
Born at Midnight - C.C. Hunter
Scorpio Races - Maggie Stiefvater

The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Lost in the River of Grass - Ginny Rorby
Girl, Stolen - April Henry
The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod - Heather Brewer
Moving Day (Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls Series) - Meg Cabot
The Crushes (Heartbreakers Series) - Pamela Wells

Hex Hall - Rachel Hawkins

Hey 13! - Gary Soto

The Giver - Lois Lowry

Hatchet - Gary Paulsen

Uglies - Scott Westerfeld

Deliverance - Anne Schraff

7th Grade Book Club

7th Grade Book Club

8th Grade Book Club



8th Grade Book Club



What is the best book you read this year?

I read so many wonderful books this year, but here are my top books in no particular order:

The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials - I'm cheating and making this "one" book as The Scorch Trials is the sequel.  The Maze Runner, especially, was a little violent for me, but I was engrossed throughout both novels.  I never thought I was into creepy novels with scary creatures, but apparently, I am!  This year I have read a lot of dystopian novels, similar to Hunger Games, about future societies gone wrong, and I love them!

Birthmarked - This young adult novel is another dystopian page-turner. The setting is a society where women must give up their first-born children to be adopted and live within the walls of the city where the children enjoy a much better life than those outside the walls. It's a longer book that's on the dark side, but I loved that, once again, there is a strong female protagonist who stands up for what she believes.

The Education of Bet - Bet, an orphaned girl in the nineteenth century, disguises herself as a boy to attend an all-boys boarding school, but she doesn't consider the challenges that await her, including rooming with handsome and charming James.  Clever and sweet.

Ruined - This is a ghost story set in New Orleans where the protagonist befriends a ghost in the graveyard across the street from her aunt's house.  The ghost links her to a dark secret connected to the history of the city and the families who live there.  The drama will suck you in.

Scorpio Races - This book reads like a movie.  I could picture the scenes and even the soundtrack in my mind!  Violent, flesh-eating Water Horses come out of the ocean once a year and are captured to be ridden in the annual Scorpio Races.  Beautifully written with adventure and romance. 

The Summer I Learned to Fly - This was a heartwarming book about a boy and girl who become friends one summer.  I loved the ending.

So, what are the best books YOU read this year? Comment on this blog post to let Ridgeview readers know!

Anna Shutley - First to Finish the Dewey Decathlon!

Seventh-grader Anna Shutley is the first student to complete all 25 books in the Dewey Decathlon this year!  Anna is an avid reader who is also a member of Summer Reading Book Club here at RCS.  Anna enjoyed a pizza party with friends as a reward for reading 20 books.  Congratulations, Anna!

Nooks are Coming! What books should I load?

I'm so excited to announce that we will have 10 Nook ebook readers available for checkout next semester!  The Nooks will be available for a two-week checkout period with parental permission.  I need to know what you would like to read on the Nook, so that I can start loading books.  Comment on this post to add your suggestion here!