No Shhing Here

This is my go-to bulletin board for January: Happy New Beginnings. It's interactive - students read the first line, guess what book it's from, then lift the flap to check their guess. Here's a list of the first lines I used, and their corresponding books: It was a pleasure to burn. (Fahrenheit 451) There is no lake at Camp Green Lake. ( Holes ) The best time to talk to ghosts is just before the sun comes up. ( Chains ) We went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to completely suck. ( Feed ) The early morning sky was the color of cat vomit.  ( Imposters ) When the doorbell rings at three in the morning, it's never good news. ( Stormbreaker ) Blue Sargent had forgotten how many times she’d been told that she would kill her true love. ( The Raven Boys ) The demon exploded in a shower of ichor and guts. ( Clockwork Angel ) My mother was raised on fairy tales, but I was raised on highways. ( The Hazel Wood ) Depending on who—sorry, whom—you ask, I may have kille...

I was super inspired last week when I came across the SLJ article by Cicely Lewis called "' Read Woke’ School Reading Challenge Makes an Impact ." According to the author, Read Woke is  "a feeling. A form of education. A call to action, and our right as lifelong learners. It means arming yourself with knowledge to better protect your rights. Learning about others so you treat people with respect and dignity, no matter their religion, race, creed, or color."  Side note: In thinking about the #readwoke challenge, I did a bunch of reading on the word #woke. I wanted to make sure I knew what I was talking about and that I understood the origins of the term. I think these two articles were especially enlightening: " What Does 'Woke' Mean? There's More To The Slang Term Than You Think " from Bustle and the NYT article " Earning the 'Woke' Badge. " I hope when I share the challenge with students that we're able to explore ...