Your web browser might not work well with our site. We recommend you upgrade your browser.
Your custom url is /mrs-harts-books
My ultimate goal as a teacher is to convince non-readers that they ARE readers. They just haven't found THE ONE BOOK that will open the door (it's a sometimes bolted, barred, and nailed-shut door) to a life-long habit of reading for fun and enjoyment. This summer I've done a LOT of studying, reflection, and reconfiguring of how I'm going to accomplish this goal in 2018. I've had lots of success in the past, convincing nonreaders to pick up books, but I know that it hasn't been the best way. Thanks to excellent teachers (who are also leaders in my profession) like Kelly Gallagher, Lucy Calkins, Penny Kittle, and Kate Roberts, I have a plan, but in order to execute this plan, I'm going to need a lot of help! The first order of business is to purchase MORE BOOKS. I've created a list of needed book series for my students' first literature circles, and we are going with a dystopian theme. Why dystopian? Well, I feel like one of my favorite authors, Maggie Steifvater said it best: "Teenagers want to be able to fight for what's right - but finding out what's right is now 90 percent of the battle. If only the evil in the world was named Voldemort, we could get down to the business of slaying it." Dystopian fiction offers teens a view of a clear-cut right and wrong, and gives them confidence in analysis of familiar themes: good versus evil, bravery, survival, and maintaining a sense of humanity and empathy throughout the many trials presented.
Read more