Dystopian Picture Books

I have been researching the web for dystopian picture books to use to model the Book Browse to students... It appears that there are not that many in this category. However, I found three books that I think I can use - Terrible Things by Eve Bunting, Home of the Brave by Allen Say, and The Flower by John Light. Looks like I will be taking a trip to the library... Here is an interesting take on utopian/dystopian discourses in picture books. 

While I was searching, I found this little gem about how dystopian text are connected to fairytales. Cinder (Book One of the Lunar Chronicles) by Marissa Meyer is a book that brings this to mind. Hummm, maybe I can check out some fairytale picture books to see if they can be used...

Couldn't put it down

After the Book Browse experiment, I picked up Legend by Marie Lu, and I just could not put it down. I read the whole book in one day! I hope they are going to consider making a movie out of this one. I think I will use this book for a literature circle choice because of its strong female and male main characters and lots of action. Hunger Games is not an option any more due to the movie release (sniff, sniff- love that book!), and I also want to introduce the students to hidden gems that they have not been exposed to yet.

If you have a spare moment, check out Legend for yourself. Comments are welcome!

A little experiment

I thought I would try out the Book Browse for myself. I gathered a bunch of dystopian books that I had not read and filled out the Book Browse graphic organizer (using Notability- no photocopier in the summer). 

It is amazing the patterns and connections that were there... I can't wait for the kids to try this out!

Book Browse Graphic Organizer

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-o7vqzTI5VYbXg0ZmxsZ1dwV2s/edit?usp=sharing

Aha Moment!

Just had an Aha Moment! in the shower! I was really thinking about how I could figure out what books the kids had read, and how I could get them interested in this sub-genre. I didn't want to do a book talk (It is just me blah! blah! blah!ing). I want the kids really engaged and maybe moving around... something special. 

Ahhh, then I created the Book Browse lesson. 

Imagine walking into your classroom and you find 10 amazing (carefully chosen) books waiting just for you. You can't wait to run your fingers through the pages and to get lost in the text features... 

Sorry, I digress. Check out the graphic organizer I created (posting soon). I will be back with a lesson plan (so don't you worry!)

P.S. I have been reading professional books this week. Getting back to the list of books to read this afternoon while at the beach. I think I will choose... The Host.

Dystopian Book List

I just found this great site that has a huge list of dystopian books. After reading The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller, I think I am going to require that my students read four independent books this quarter from this genre. I think I am going to write up a list for students to choose from and post it in the classroom.

Reading Survey

I just found a great reading survey (Appendix C: Reading Interest-A-Lyzer) while reading Donalyn Miller's The Book Whisperer. I think I will use this the first couple of days of class, so I can get a feel for what type of readers I will have this year.

OMG! It's gonna be a movie!

It appears that Unwind will be made into a movie! Here is the link to check out the details!

Busy as a bee...

I have been very busy reading the Dystopian novels on my list... I have finished three so far - 
Unwind, Truesight, and The City of Ember. Truesight reminds me of The Giver by Lois Lowry. I think I might use Unwind and Truesight as choices for my literature circles. I need to find out if my students have read these books before... maybe they should complete a survey?

Well, enough for now. Back to the books!

Welcome!

I would like to start my year with a unit on Dystopian Literature. I am soooo excited to teach this theme in ELA for several reasons, because...

• it is the new fad in YA literature (and the media) - Hunger Games, Divergent, etc.
• I love dystopian literature
• it appeals to boys, as well as girls
• it is an important sub genre to learn; it guides students to look at their own world and compare it to the world in the readings. In its essence, dystopian literature is a cautionary tale that warns students to be informed, active citizens of their own worlds
• many literary elements/devices are used
• there are many choices of novels at different text complexities; this sub-genre includes the "classics" and more modern pieces.

So... I began searching for some great books in this genre. I checked out Amazon.com, goodreads.com, and other great websites (Check out the links on the right). I came up with 25 books to read before I begin planning my unit (Check out my list to the left).  I better go and get reading!