recommended reads
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The Book Whisperer – Get Your Students Reading!
The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Read in Every Child by Donalyn Miller is an amazing book. She writes . . . The only groups served by current trends to produce endless programs for teaching reading are the publishing companies who make billions of dollars from their programs and tests. I’ve know that for a […]
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4 Hip-Hop Memoirs Worth Reading
Here are some great hip-hop memoirs that I had the opportunity to read over the past several months. Decoded by Jay-Z Jay-Z writes about hip-hop in an open and honest way. Here is one of my favourite passages from the book . . . Hip-hop has always been controversial, and for good reason. When you […]
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The Way You Speak Depends on the Situation (Teaching Tip)
Image by mp3waxx.com via Flickr I got the idea for today’s Teaching Tip as I read the memoir by rapper, actor, and songwriter, Common. His book is entitled “One Day It’ll All Make Sense” There are a few passages in the memoir that were written by his mother. When I read this one, I immediately thought […]
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Star Trek: Year 4 – Finally Comes to Life
I am a huge Star Trek fan. I have been ever since my dad introduced me to it when I was a kid. There was just something about the show that spoke to me. There really is a magical quality to Star Trek, which is how it has remained alive for close to 50 years […]
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Love to Hear Mandy Siegfried "Speak"
The public library is a great resource for audio books. I go there often to find stuff to listen to in the car. It’s great being able to immerse yourself in a story while driving. If often makes the commute seem shorter and gives you something to look forward to as you want to know […]
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Recommended Reads – Black Noise
Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America is a great read about hip-hop culture. It is written by Tricia Rose, who is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Africana Studies at Brown University. In fact, any of the people who tried to argue with me that Rap Isn’t Music, should read this […]
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Teaching Tip – Share a Story
Cover of Coyote Sings to the Moon One of my all-time favourite picture books is Coyote Sings to the Moon by Thomas King and Johnny Wales. It is a delightful book that sounds great when read aloud. It tells the story of Old Woman and her animal friends who sing to the moon every night. […]
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Recommended Reads – The Shack
Cover of The Shack The Shack is the debut novel from William P. Young and the latest book to end up on My Recommended Reads list. Like many of the books on the list, I discovered it quite randomly at the public library and was completely blown away by what I found. The story revolves […]
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Recommended Reads – Lost Boys
I really love Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game and the series of books it spawned. Yet, I haven’t read any of those books. I’ve listened to the audio books instead and for good reason. They have sound effects, music, and full cast narration. Card, himself, lists those audio productions as the definition collection of his work. He believes […]
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Gritty Graphic Novel
I picked up this book from the public library and I don’t even know why. It didn’t look like something I really wanted to read. It’s a graphic novel by Jonathan Ames and Dean Haspiel called “The Alcoholic” I almost put it back on the shelf. I didn’t want to see the main character battling […]