Austere Academy

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the series of unfortunate events books. They are absolutely something i will work into the curriculum somehow. I think it would be best used in an English section, as a book that the class reads together.

My teacher in 6th grade picked class books, and after lunch everyday for 20 minutes she would turn of the lights and read to us. I love this idea in a classroom of older children, they aren's used to being read to anymore, and its a change that can get them involved in reading again.

I found a website that had an english lesson based around the Series of Unfortunate Events book, The Slippery Slope, which we did not read in class, but is one of my favorites out of this series.

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=2962
there was also a link to a book quote page on this website.


Stargirl was a book i was completely unfamiliar with until this class. I really enjoyed this book as well. It has such a good moral and something that can easily be worked into a curriculum, and is a book that you can teach your students a lesson without them knowing really.

I would definately use the visual map for this book. I would also really like to do something with students writing their own versions of stargirl with examples from their lives, or also making up senarios about stargirl type situations.

I would not use speak in a classroom. I was not a fan of this book, and i don't think i would be very enthusiastic about teaching this book because first the subject matter is kind of iffy for an elementary class, and if im not passionate about a book that i am reading in the classroom, how am i supposed to expect students to be passionate about what they are reading?