Hmmm, Which Do I Choose?
I always love these articles that share out several really good trade books that I might otherwise miss. When these come out, I photocopy several sets, then hand them out to my middle schoo... See More
I always love these articles that share out several really good trade books that I might otherwise miss. When these come out, I photocopy several sets, then hand them out to my middle school students. Their job is to read through the titles, tell me which ones they think would make wonderful additions to our classroom library and a justification. I then have them go onto Amazon, look at reviews posted by other readers to see if they can come up with further evidence that they could include in their proposal to me indicating which to buy and why. They can also use the opposite approach and tell me which ones I should not consider and why. I then have them take their recommendations and share them in a jig saw fashion with other class mates with the sole purpose of coming up with a list of four that I will purchase and have available.
Students have really enjoyed writing for a purpose, especially when they have to include evidence. For several, this is the first time they have had a chance to have their voices heard as well as having to provide justification and evidence for their choices. The fact they really get to have the books in the classroom is a bonus. I have to admit, the first one that grabbed my attention was, “What if You Had Animal Teeth!?” While the book is listed as K-5, it was a really fun read. Recently released was “What if You Had Animal Hair?”