Happy Banned Book Week!

According to the American Library Association, here is a listing of ten classic books that are subject to being banned in American schools.  How many have you read?

1. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

2. The Catcher in the Rye

3. To Kill a Mockingbird

4. Bridge to Terabithia

5. The Lord of the Flies

6. Of Mice and Men

7. The Color Purple

8. Harry Potter Series

9. Slaughterhouse Five

10. The Bluest Eye

Download Your Cybersmartz

An Excerpt From the Award-Winning Tell-All 

Lucy and CeCee's How to Survive (and Thrive) in Middle School

Let’s face it.  It’s a cyber world out there.  Here’s a quick list on how to be savvy on the internet and download your cybersmartz.:

♥ Don’t plagiarize from the Internet.  Besides the fact it’s cheating, teachers are getting wise to this and chances of getting busted are excellent.

♥ Don’t get in email or text wars.

♥ Keep the peace at home and talk to parents about rules and guidelines for going online.  Agree to keep up with homework and that websites should be age-appropriate.

♥ Never meet anyone online without telling a parent or checking with them first.

♥ Nix the webcam.  Overall, not a good idea.

♥ Don’t T.M.I. on myspace or other websites.  Before you know it, your overshare will go viral and you’ll be e-famous for all the wrong reasons.

♥ Don’t be duped by those misleading banner ads.  Put the blinders on and ignore them.

♥ Show good netiquette and never cyber-dump anyone.

♥ Most cell phones are portable computers, so apply the same rules with your phone as online.

♥ Blog rages may be all the rage but are tiresome to read.  Whatever you write can and will be held against you.

♥ Think before you post.  Today’s friend can be tomorrow’s enemy.  And once something is sent, you can’t command Z it.

♥ Keep all passwords private and don’t give away any personal information about yourself.

♥ To avoid e-gret, play nice online.  If you don’t have anything positive to say, it’s probably best you don’t say anything at all.

♥ Know your school cell phone policy.  Even if it’s loose, it’s best to keep your cell in your  backpack turned off along with your iPod.  Otherwise, there is a high risk of getting it stolen.

♥ NEVER, EVER, EVER sext.  Remember, cyberspace lasts forever.

♥ Don’t ever use cell phone to cheat.

♥ Don’t let anyone text and drive.

♥ Don’t believe everything you read online.

♥ If you’re being cyber-stalked or harassed – get help immediately from an adult.

♥ Don’t ever take or post pictures of people without their permission or knowledge.

♥ Downtime is healthy; turn off your cyberworld and read a book or call a friend.

Cyber acronyms are cool to use when texting, emailing, or IMing.  Here are the basic ones to know and love:

BFF – Best Friend Forever
BTW – By the way
FYI – For your information
G2G – Got to go
IDK – I don’t know
IDC – I don’t care
IMHO – In my honest opinion
IMNSHO – In my not so honest opinion
L8R - Later
LOL – Laugh Out Loud
PIR – Parent in room
POS – Parent over shoulder
PAL- Parents are listening
PAW – Parents are watching
ROFL – Rolling on floor laughing
TMI – Too much information
TTFN – Ta Ta for now



TEXTS FROM CECEE TO LUCY AND LUCY TO CECEE


Hi Luce.  I miss u.  Want 2 hang out
tonight?  S.S. for everything.  You’re
right - should have told u about Kandi’s
invite.  Can u forgive and absolve me
for my horrible-ness?
C.



Hey CeCee.  Missed u 2.  Can’t hang
out 2-night.  Have 2 work on science
project or Kragler’s going 2 totally fail
me.
L.
P.S.  I was wrong 4 telling u not 2 publish
about the uniform thing.  S.S.



Want help on your project?
C.



Thx.  But have 2 do this 1
on my own.  Got myself
n-2 this mess.  How bout the
mall this wkend?
L.



4 sure.  R we still B.F.F.?
C.



Of course.  Luv u!  ☺

http://www.amazon.com/Cecees-Survive-Thrive-Middle-School/dp/1462039669

Students Acting Slothy? Teach Them Something Gothy!

The honeymoon is officially over, and it's about this time that students reveal subtle symptoms of slothy sluggishness.  Consequently, around late September/early October, I reach deep in my literacy bag of tricks for my go-to Gothic Literature unit.  Reading spine-tingling excerpts from Dracula, Frankenstein, or Edgar Allan Poe are all but guaranteed to reignite enthusiasm from my students and possibly even the most reluctant of readers who have yet to reveal their literary chops.  (My hope is, in keeping with the theme, they are merely keeping me in suspense!)

That said, before plunging into the dark world of castles, chambers, and creepy cloisters, students require background information on Gothic Literature itself.  It is at this time we examine five basic elements of Gothic Literature, which I have classified into the following categories:

5 Elements of Gothic Literature

1) Elements of Superstition

• Presence of ghosts, vampires, etc.
• Unexplained sounds, sights, occurrences
• Eerie atmosphere
• Mysterious tone adds to building of tension

2) Emotions and Passions

• Emotion surpasses rationality
• Spells of hysteria, lust, and anxiety
• Frequent crying and screaming
• Detailed sensory description revealing characters’ passions
• Characters experience terror and hysteria due to miasmic atmosphere


3) Broken Families

• Families are often broken, incestuous, or murderous
• Women subject to lustful wrongdoings 
• Male characters are tyrannical
• Women depicted as damsels in distress
• Family unit confining, from which characters must escape

4) Eerie, mysterious setting

• Claustrophobic, dark venues such as an old castle, mansion, or abbey
• Places of fear and dread that portray the world as deteriorating
• Desperate, dark ruined scenery
• Surrounding area is dismal and rotting, often adding a haunting flavor of impending doom


5) Distinctive Characters

• Characters are lonely, isolated, and oppressed
• Presence of a tyrannical villain 
• Action revolves around an unrequited love, or illicit love affair 
• A vendetta or vengeance is a prominent theme

After my students are fully inducted into the world of Gothic Literature, it's time for them to write their own stories.  For inspiration, I offer some creepy music, telling them to listen at their own risk.  (Note to Blog Reader: Play at your own risk!)

Assignment: Write a Gothic Story...

The requirements are as follows:

• Setting must be a large old house or graveyard
• An unexplainable, scary event occurs in the house or graveyard 
• Presence of the supernatural, such as a ghost, vampire, or werewolf
• Unexplained phenomenon, such as doors slamming shut or lights turning on/off by themselves
• Highly emotional characters who cry and scream
• Implementation of Gothic symbols, such as a staircase, shadows, or a full moon.  

With a little inspiration from the darker works of the literary canon, students can't help but get their Goth on.  Whether you are a teacher, writer, or simply have a nagging nostalgia for Manic Panic, it's the perfect time to reach inside YOUR creepy bag of tricks and write your own Gothic tale.  

For more literary Goth inspiration, go to Kimberly's product store at:

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Gothic-Literature-1449449

Musings on the Guidance Counselor a.k.a. Tween Whisperer

An Excerpt From the Award-Winning Tell-All 

Lucy and CeCee's How to Survive (and Thrive) in Middle School

In middle school you will be assigned a guidance counselor who is sort of like a “tween whisperer.”  Guidance counselors take on a sympathetic view of the adolescent by providing academic and emotional support.  You see, we tweens are going through a difficult time (as if you needed reminding).  Changes are rapidly taking place physically, psychologically, and emotionally, and sometimes we need the ear of someone older and wiser who’s not a parent and or teacher.  Enter: The Middle School Counselor

You will probably meet with your guidance counselor at least once or twice a year.  Sometimes more, if you are having academic troubles or personal problems.  Either way, be open and honest during your one-on-one sessions.  Your guidance counselor is there for one reason and that is to support you.  Tell them what’s going well and what isn’t.  They’ve taken a lot of adolescent psych courses and know a lot about helping tweens.

Counselors provide support in a variety of ways.  You can use them to discuss or receive support both individually or in a small group setting.  Some of the things counselors can help with are:

♥ Academic skills support
♥ Test-taking skills support
♥ Time-management and organizational skills
♥ Career options and planning
♥ Habitual discipline issues
♥ Class schedule changes
♥ Dangers of substance abuse, like drinking and drugs
♥ Peer relationship support and mediation if needed
♥ Counseling for stressful situations, such as tragedies, loss, or suicidal thoughts
♥ Counseling for dramatized students who have trouble dealing with the stress of middle school

Dear Diary ~

After thinking about it all weekend, I wrote a request 2 see Ms. Clark about the whole cyberbully sitch becuz everyone knows cyberbullying is no joke.  Basically she had me show her all the text messages and took lots of notes.  Then she left 2 go talk 2 Mr. Payne.  Long story short, they traced the calls 2 Kandi Klass’s phone (big shocker) and now she’s N uber trouble with her parents and school police and may even get transferred 2 another school.  Imagine Madison Heights Middle School without Kandi Klass?

So after all the drama, Ms. Clark got all C.S.I. on me and started asking questions on how my year went and what she could do 2 help me succeed.  That’s when I just started telling her EVERYTHING that was buggin’ me.  Including that I’m flunking Life Science, lost my B.F.F., and totally getting stalked by Lyle Whitehurst.  Ms. Clark listened, nodded a lot, and then explained that seventh grade can be a confusing time but that I still need 2 control the chaos and focus more on my studies.  I knew that lecture was coming but somehow it sounded different coming from her.  She also suggested I stop racking up so many tardies (26) and detentions (5).  

Finally when I was about 2 leave, she asked who my B.F.F. was and I said CeCe Cruz.  She said, “Well, I hope you and CeCee make up. She’s a great girl.”  Then she smiled and said, “Keep it posi, Lucy.”

And I said, “Okay, Ms. Clark.  Later.”  

Hearts and sunshiny days ahead,

Lucy

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Dear Diary,

Today Ms. Clark summoned me during sixth period.  At first I thought it was something academic, like tutoring or picking up my awards from the assembly last week when I was home sick.  But I was wrong!  She wanted to get all intimate and personal, which isn’t my cup of Earl Grey.  So of course I was very guarded but then she hexed me with her adolescent psychological voodoo tricks - and it was like my private vault of secrets opened up for all the world to examine – or at least Ms. Clark.

Basically I confessed that I went to the doctor who said I have a predisposition to an eating disorder.  He said it was common among adolescent girls - especially ones who put a tremendous amount of pressure on themselves, like yours truly.  I told her Mama is having me see a counselor to help deal with it.  Ms. Clark said she was relieved I went to the doctor and suggested I also meet with a support group of girls with eating disorders starting next Thursday, period 3.  I told her I’d be missing algebra and worried about falling behind but she said my health comes first.

That’s when I turned on the waterworks and started bawling like a baby.  I was completely mortified but then I didn’t even care because it felt so good to let it all out.  I told her I’m a second-rate, dishonorable friend with monstrous tendencies who lies by omission and doesn’t share anything with her B.F.F.  And then I told her I feel positively dreadful about my B+ in algebra and need to make straight A’s because I want to make everyone happy – most especially myself.  And then I came clean about Chase and how I was completely smitten but felt way over my head.

She listened really intently, nodded a lot, and then said I have oodles (yes, she used the word “oodles”) of time for guys and not to complicate my life in seventh grade with a serious boyfriend.  She also said to embrace the chaos of life and not try to control it so much.  There’s nothing wrong with a B+ now and then.

So when I was about to leave she asked who my B.F.F. was and I answered Lucy Pringle, and then she said, “I hope you and Lucy become friends again.  She’s a great girl.”

“Me, too,” I answered.

P.S. I’ve never been one for confession-sessions, but overall, it was an enlightening experience.  And I have to give it to Ms. Clark.  Adolescent psych voodoo aside, she’s very wise - kind of like Gandalf without the staff and beard.  

CeCee

http://www.amazon.com/Cecees-Survive-Thrive-Middle-School/dp/1462039669