Unit Celebration

ME: Welcome to the 1st Dorothy Hamm Middle School Nonfiction Chapter Book Book CLub Conference. TOday, six book clubs, will share their expertise after reading a nonfiction chapter book. Get ready to learn about the Cold War, the making of Google, a person named Malala, a person named Omar, Japanese Internment Camps and about being quiet. Thank you for attending this conference, being curious to learn new things and sharing your own expertise. Let’s get started!

Fallout Book Club, as a Tedtalk, presenter: The Cold War takes place after World War 2 where 2 major superpowers of the world are the U.S. and Soviet Union….

Google It, as a Poster Presentation, Presenter: If you have any questions, ask or go Google It!

I Am Malala Poster Presenters (as a conclusion and with 3-voices together): “One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world.”

When Stars Are Scattered Book Club Expert Panel Presenters: (L as Moderator asks “Omar” played by Y what school was like in the refugee camp.) A classroom was filled with about 100 students. I was lucky because I was one of the few who had a notebook.”

They Called Us Enemy Poster Presenter: George’s family was sent to the internment camp simply because they looked like the enemy who bombed Pearl Harbor.

Quiet Power Poster Presenters: The author shared stories about famous interoverts like Elon Musk, Taylor Swift and Albert Einstein.

ME: Thank you for attending and presenting at our conference. I learned so much. Please pick one idea you took notes on while listening. When I say go, walk around and share something you learned and listen to what a conference attendee learned. Talk to six different conference attendees. Conferences are a great time to talk with others! GO!

NOTE: This slice gives you a glimpse of the unit celebration which is now one of my favorite Units of Study from TCRWP. It is called, Tapping the Power of Nonfiction by Katie Clements. I honestly was intimidated by nonfiction novels. Katie’s unit changed this for me.

NF is fascinating!

“Today, read your new nonfiction chapter book, taking time to jot down what you find fascinating. I’ll set the timer. When it goes off in 35 minutes, we will take time to talk about what we find fascinating. Off you go…”

And they did go off and read, after they took the book they indicated was their choice after yesterday’s Book Tasting lesson.

In three of my classes, I took a book and did the work, too. Full disclosure: I love fiction, especially realistic and historical fiction. I currently find I spend most of my time reading the genre of fiction. However, after yesterday, I am turning the corner to embrace nonfiction.

Google It – I found it fascinating that the two grad school students at Stanford were looking for something to explore in 1996 when the world wide web was only 4 years old. Perfect timing for them to figure out a way to create a organizing system.

Lost Boy, Lost Girl – I found it fascinating how the South Sudanese Dinka culture accepts a man having many wives. It is also fascinating how hard the Dinka work to protect their cattle because raising cows and being farmers is their way of life. When given a choice between drought, flood or war, it explained how they would pick war because drought and flood hurts their farming way of life more.

A Few Red Drops – I found it fascinating that even though Chicago in 1919 did not have segregated bathrooms and buses like was occurring in the South, neighborhoods and beaches did seem to have a racial invisible line.

I’m looking forward to Monday when I can read more of all three of these books. I hope my 6th graders feel the same. Together, I hope we can both become the kind of readers who start and finish nonfiction chapter books.