I think this book is really helpful for teachers rethinking grades. Okay. In Rethinking Grading: Meaningful Assessment for Standards-Based Learning, Cathy Vatterott offers a framework for standards-based grading to reflect student progress and learning, and she provides examples from elementary, middle, and high schools. Still, …
Book Review: Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger
“Last week I cut my hair, bought some boys’ clothes and shoes, wrapped a large ACE bandage around my chest to flatten my fortunately-not-large breasts, and began looking for a new name.” Some reviewers on Goodreads have written that Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger is unrealistic because of …
Book Review: Gabi, a Girl in Pieces
When I was in high school, I kept a diary. It was where I spoke my truth, my inner most thoughts, but also where I wrote poems to boys who didn’t even know I existed and dreams for my life beyond the dungeon of my …
Fantasy Book Review: Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor
The beauty of Akata Witch is that readers discover alongside Sunny, a strong female protagonist, who she is becoming. Readers feel her anxiety, frustration, and confidence as she finds comfort in her beautiful (and transforming) skin and as she learns to navigate and integrate two very different worlds.
Book Review: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
Rating: Finding the Flow (yes, no, partial): not really Classroom Library (single, book group, whole class): single As a middle school teacher, I read YA lit in a couple ways. First, I read like a, well, reader. How much I “like” it depends on whether …
Summer Reading (and Listening) List
This list of literature intends to reflect and honor the lives of all young people. Recognizing diversity is essential in education, especially given globalization and our increased access to diverse lives and lived experiences, including LGBTQ, people of color, gender diversity, people with disability, and …