Pax - A Quick Review

Pax by Sara Pennypacker has been on my nightstand for awhile and I'm happy to have finally finished it.  Pax is rumored to be in the running for this years Newbery Medal and is being hailed a modern classic by many.  Here are my first thoughts in list form.

-The book is heavy.  Peter, the main character is living with anxiety and trying to find more than just the fox that he loves (and that loves him). He is trying to find inner peace and the courage to confront his angry and emotionally distant father.

-The book is rich in character development.

-The book has a  modern tone and feel but could be set in any time or place.  Peter is a boy who loves baseball and his fox - there is not one mention of cell phones or snapchat.

-Peter is angry at his father and recognizes that he hopes to become a different man than his dad while fearing that will become just like his father.

-Peter and Vola's relationship is refreshing.  Vola is an middle aged woman Peter encounters on his journey.  Peter challenges Vola as much as Vola challenges him.

-There is a brief moment of self-injury in the book.

-Spoiler alert........In the end Peter learns to let go of Pax.  Letting go of Pax is really a symbol of letting go of so much more.

Discussion Questions and more on Pax to follow!

Teaching Kindness through Literature #1

I'll admit, I didn't realize how much of teaching involved teaching kindness, respect, and decency, but it does. We could sit around and complain about "kids today," or we can do something about it.  We can teach our students to be the best version of themselves and open the door of conversion about what kindness, respect, and decency look like and how these habits can change us and change the world really.

I have a small composition notebook full of great quotes from great stories (Literature geek here, I know).  I loved to pull a quote out and put it on the board for discussion.  The quote above is an example.  Here are some questions to consider when discussing this quote with your class.

1. What does this quote mean?
2. What does this quote tell us about the character who said it?
3. How can you apply insight from this quote into your daily life?

And of course, I would always put in a shameless plug for the book the quote came from, because getting my students to read GREAT books is always a priority.

Last Day Activities in the ELA classroom.

When I was a student teacher my cooperating teacher gave me a great piece of advice about the last day of school...GO ON A FIELD TRIP!  I agree this was sound advice, but unfortunately it didn't work with the how my school ran field trips.

If you are like me, and can't get your students out of the building on the last day, jump in with a great story.  I like to use the last class period as a great way to get my students hooked in and plugged into a great book or series for the summer.  I also include popcorn and something to drink as a little treat.  

Here are my top two picks for the last day of school summer reading.

*While Echo is not a series it is a long, and fantastically written book.  It is one of the few books I prefer the audio edition to the print edition because the music, that is so beautifully bond to the story, is heard in the audio edition.  I would certainly love to run into my students reading something as wonderful as Echo on the beach this summer. Also , WWII also sparks the interest of my students, and since this book is set during WWII, it draws my students into its story.

  

So much going on in this book.  The story has a strong narrator, but you will come to love all three sisters and their story.  Another novel I would be proud to find my students reading at the beach.  

Teacher Appreciation Sale

I had this great post planned for publication today on outside of the box vocabulary study activities.  I'm holding off on that post for a day because I have to let you know about the Teacher's Pay Teacher's Teacher Appreciation Sale.  If you're like me you use this as a time to stock up!