In preparation for this weekend’s Sweet Sixteen for the Women’s and Men’s NCAA Tournament, we’ve included some great YA Sports Books.
Some of these books will be used for future projects so we’ve added these to our Amazon Wish List for YA Sports Books at: https://smile.amazon.com/…/3H00L…/ref=smi_ext_lnk_lcl_cl
About a month ago, I finished this book, which was published in January of this year. Since then, I’ve found myself thinking about the book, the characters, and even the ending. Initially, the ending wasn’t my favorite, but while pondering, I realize why it was written as it was.
For high schoolers, this is a great book to unpack. There’s a lot of history, feelings about grief and handling grief, sibling relationships, and just a lot is going on.
Then you get to the actual story.
Kezi is a senior in high school, who uses YouTube to display her opinions, her social activism, and a deeper understanding of how our nation has arrived at this point historically. She attends a rally, but she doesn’t make it home so the story is told from her younger sister’s prospective. The first part of the book looks at the family’s grief as they try to handle this loss of “one of the good ones.”
As a tribute to Kezi, she and her older sister embark on Kezi’s graduation road trip where they stop at somewhat unknown historical places. The historical lessons guide the journey, but they also provide a deeper understanding of America.
There are a lot of twists and turns, which makes this a great book for teens, but if they’re like me, they’d benefit from discussing this book.
– Recommended by Stephanie, We Are Creed’s President
Today on Holocaust Remembrance Day, we share books that may aid middle schoolers in understanding the Holocaust. Please consider: https://bookshop.org/lists/holocaust-books-for-middle-school
From Stephanie, our President: If any teachers need assistance in using “I Never Saw Another Butterfly” in their classroom, please let me know. Despite the devastating content, teaching the Holocaust to my 7th graders in English/Language Arts was when I felt my students really connected to literature and history. Former students often mentioned this was the unit they remember most.
A friend recommended this book, which is also becoming a movie, so I decided to read it since she knows the writer. I like the idea of being a couple of degrees away from an author! I
t’s listed as a book for Grades 3-7 or for ages 8-12, but as an adult, I really enjoyed it! Equal parts fantasy and coming of age, this book has a real and likable main character, Amari.
Growing up in Atlanta’s projects, Amari goes to school on a scholarship, but her classmates mock her social status and her missing brother. She hopes for things to change when she’s nominated for the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, but things are not much different in this other world. Her mission still focuses on finding her brother, but to excel, she must conjure up all the courage she can!
If the book sounds intriguing, please consider buying through Bookshop where books are bought from independent booksellers and a donation goes to We Are Creed: https://bookshop.org/lists/middle-grades-books.
– Recommended book by Stephanie, We Are Creed President
#AmariandtheNightBrothers #BookRecommendation #bookrecommendation
The first teacher a child has is their parent and it’s where literacy skills begin. Take time this month (November) to encourage reading, discussing stories, and showing children that reading is fun! Even try our Family Literacy Bingo where you have to fill in all the circles.
#FamilyLiteracyMonth #LiteracyMatters #YoungReadersDay
When we receive gently used book donations, we look for opportunities to get these in the hands of kids. Yesterday this took us to Michigan.
Miss Q will be using about 10 boxes of our gently used items to help her K-8 high poverty charter school students in Flint, Michigan. She is working to convert this van to a mobile library so students and their families can enjoy these books…and keep them!
Books at her school are often old, have ripped covers, etc. and the teachers are predominantly funding these resources so we are excited to share our good fortunes with Miss Q and her school community.
#Teachershelpingteachers#Booksforkids#educationmatters#literacymatters
Update on Barb’s Buddies:
Wisconsin: On Monday, 50 kits were delivered to Dane County Foster Care. Children in Wisconsin received their $25 gift card, a We Are Creed mug, and candy in their bag. Big thanks to Kristen for running this program!!!
Illinois: This coming Monday, 130 gift cards and notes will be delivered to Our Children’s Homestead for children throughout Northern Illinois. (For safety reasons, other trinkets or candy will not be included this year.)
Arizona: Eventually, our AZ group will help take 50 kids to the bookstore when they feel it’s safe. Since the children live in group homes and COVID rates are high, this adventure has been postponed. Luckily, several boxes of gently used books from IL made their way to Sunshine Residential Homes in February.
This means in 2020, a total of 230 children in foster care will be/have been offered the opportunity to experience a bookstore where they can choose their own books and enjoy some summer reading. For some, this starts the journey to be lifelong readers.On behalf of We Are Creed, thank you to our organizers, donors, note writers, and everyone making this possible!!
We think Barb Dabrowski is smiling down on us as we continue to be Creating Remarkable Effects Every Day.
When we expand our programs to other states, we need a volunteer to see the program from beginning to end. In South Carolina, this person is Jennifer, who is in her second year of coordinating the South Carolina Book Flood program.
When the idea for this organization came around, Jennifer was supportive and offered her assistance immediately. Last year she arranged for books to go to 2 different schools in South Carolina. When we revamped the program this year, she has been working with the SC Book Flood teachers to create and make their Wish Lists and will coordinate their delivery.
We are truly grateful to work with another teacher who is Creating Remarkable Effects Every Day.
Thank you for the book donations for GirlForward! While we are in talks to see if the April event is still on or will be postponed until the June event, we truly appreciate the book donations!
If you have time to read, we highly suggest you check out the books we’ve chosen for this program. Most are listed on this image.
Close reading has become a key strategy in recent years as teachers encourage students to slow down and interact with their readings. This strategy allows students to create a stronger understanding of the tone, text, form, and analyze at a deeper level.
This anchor chart is a great reminder for elementary classrooms. (We’ll share some middle school ideas soon!)
