Michael Vey and the Prisoner of Cell 25

Michael Vey and the Prisoner of Cell 25

By Richard Paul Evans

Presented by Leah Dach

 1. Michael Vey is a story about a boy named Michel, his mom, his best friend, Ostin, and a girl named Taylor. Michael Very has a special power – he can create electricity! No one knows about this except for his mom and his friend, Ostin. But when Taylor, a popular girl from school finds out about him, she lets him in on a secret – she has the same power! While talking, Michael and Taylor realize they have many similarities, and decide to dig a little deeper. That’s when a series of events happen: They both receive a letter to a mysterious “school”, Michael’s mom and Taylor are kidnapped, a bad man who acts nice named Hatch comes into the picture, and it is up to Michael and Ostin to get down to the bottom of what’s going on. 

 2. I chose this text because I am a big nerd when it comes to teen youth novels, and I heard Glenn Beck talking about this series and how it was going to be the next “Harry Potter” craze. Well, I wasn’t sure about that, but I was intrigued at how it was being compared to such an epic story. As I read this book, I was pleasantly surprised at how fun it was to read - and so easy! Because of that, I feel it could be taught to maybe 6-9th graders. It does have a little bit of a lower language level (compared to a Harry Potter, Hunger Games, etc). It does, however, have high energy, fun action, and decent character development.

3. Teaching Ideas:

a. Prediction essay as to why the students think Hatch wants the “Glows.” What do they think will happen in Book 2? What evidence from Book 1 leads them to that prediction? 

b. Students could also draw out a timeline, filling in what they know from the past, up to the end of the book. Maybe write in some questions or comments along the way of the timeline - critical thinking - of why it is happening/when/to whom…

c. An argumentative paper about the pros and cons to having special powers.

4. I don’t see any real issues for this text, other than making sure it is level appropriate for the age group. A class fun of advance readers would be bored with a book like this (Lexile level 500), and even then, maybe a few freshmen would be too. This is a fun, fast paced book that should capture the attention of those reading it. I don’t feel administration would have a problem with it, as it is a very easy, appropriate book to read. Parents might wonder why their kids are reading a fictional/fantasy book and how that will help with their education. As a teacher, I would back this up as to literature comes in all different types of writings, and this is just one aspect of writing that students should be exposed to. Fiction can be fun and entertaining, as well as educational if taught well. 

 5. I think this book is really fun, and a great read. It definitely has a target audience and like I said, it wouldn’t be an appropriate book for an advanced English class, or really any age group above sophomore year for sure. As an almost mid-30 year old, I had fun reading this. Not everything in schools have to be so serious and non-fiction. We can have fun with English and enjoy fictional stories as well as learn different reading/writing/critical thinking techniques from them. I am hoping that a book like this would get students excited to be in English classes, and give them hope that not all books have to be “educational, stuffy, boring” books.

"Readicide" Blog #10

As a person who loves to read, this book was kind of upsetting in that we aren't encouraging students to read and actually enjoy it. We are killing their interest, and now, for most students, reading is complete torture, even though it is essential to our everyday lives.

While I was reading, I found the section of "the flow" to be very true for me. There are several books that I've read where I was reading for so long, I lost all track of time, didn't eat, didn't look up for anything, until the book was finished. I love getting so engrossed in a book to where I am transported to that wold and forget about mine. I like the example of asking students how involved they get in a movie and forget the world around them, and then compare it to a time they read a book and had the same thing happen. I like the idea of not disrupting the flow of reading, because we would' stop every 5 minutes in a move to discuss themes, foreshadowing, etc, like the author points out. There has to be a way to get kids engaged in a book to where they WANT to read, and they understand the very words they are reading. I wonder if some of this has to do with the content of the book. Of course, the more interesting a book is, the more kids will likely be interested, but a teacher has to find a way to engage students in all books, whether by making it relevant to them or relatable. This is one goal I have for my future classroom.

I liked reading about the "sweet spot." This was eye opening in the statistics given. I did not realize that "stands only a 1/14 chance of having a rich elementary experience." This number seems so low to me. I think about my daughter's 2nd grade classroom and to think that only 2 out of the whole 25 kids will have an actual enriching experience is crazy to me. It makes sense when they point out that teachers are spending more time on drill and kill activities, instead of actually teaching and doing a quality job. This is something that I know will take me a while as I get the rhythm and flow of teaching, but it is my main goal - to keep kids engaged and give them a quality education.

"I Read It, But I Don't Get It" Blog #9

I actually thought this book had really good information. As an avid reader, who has ALWAYS read a lot for fun, I sometimes forget that there are some people who either don't like to read for whatever reason, or like to read, but are a little behind in reading and have to go very slow. My daughter is a constant reminder that kids learn to read differently, and there are many different tactics to take with kiddos to help them along.

I thought the section on word callers and resistive readers was good. I think that a lot of ids (and adults too) rely as a resistive reader. They are relying on others to either give them the answer, or will just hang back until they pick up on the information needed. And the word callers just aren't retaining anything they read. I'm not sure which is a more difficult kiddo to teach - one that can read but doesn't retain, and one that doesn't read, but picks up on lectures and class discussions. I feel that maybe the elementary level teachers should have picked up on these types of learning behaviors and the kiddos should have had extra assistance with this. Either way, the students aren't getting enough out of class time and the materials by not being able to fully do the work.

While reading the Inference page, I kind of laughed because I totally did this in school. Not for a lack of reading/understanding, but simply because I was distracted with talking and didn't hear the question clearly or was so put on the spot that I totally spaced the answer. I think this is a coping mechanism where kids think everything that a teacher teachers is word for word out of the book. I thin that sometimes, some students can't really do abstract thinking. Sometimes it doesn't have a lot to do with lack of reading efforts, but are very "by the book" and don't really think outside the box. Hopefully most teachers understand this about certain students and know when to call on them and when not.

Overall, I liked this book. It had lots of good tips and a good way of explaining situations and kind of how to work around it, or how to explain it better. This is one that I will probably keep for my future classroom as a reference.

Social Justice: Why It's Important To Teach Blog #8

So I have mixed feelings about this topic. On one hand, I feel that the "America" today is VERY different from the "America" I lived in as a teen. There is so much surrounding being politically correct, and we (as a society) have to tiptoe around SO MANY issues, phrases, feelings, etc. "back in the day," that wasn't as much of an issue. These days you can't be sure what exactly will offend someone or hurt their feelings. And I actually didn't even really experience it that much until Eastern.

I have been told to "check my privilege," (a phrase that I have really come to dislike - as my "privilege" is Jewish/Russian and Korean), that I'm racist, I need to keep my opinions to myself, and I have no validity behind what I'm saying. The sad part is that these all came from a teacher here on campus. I had to fight for my worth in that class, and I feel that she didn't do that class justice. Just because I felt differently than her, and didn't agree with her on some points, I was automatically these things. I have never been so upset and frankly, embarrassed.

As a teen, I was once told that I was going to hell for being Jewish. I also dated a very nice boy (who I'm actually still friends with) and h broke up with him because I was Jewish. These things never really bothered me growing up, and I learned to take it in stride and be even MORE proud of who I am and where I come from.

The point of all these stories is that I do wish I had a class in high school that set me up for what social injustices of the world. I DO believe it is important to open up the eyes of students in what the world is made up of, and all the different components that go with it (men, women, straight, gay, etc..) without putting my own biases and opinions behind it. However, I DON'T believe that we need to tach tolerance to all situations. There will be times that someone will offend us, and we need to be able to stand up for what we feel is right in a dignified and respectful way. If we can teach our students to be patient and kind to one another, and leave all the name calling and labels aside, we can have a more harmonious life, and really begin to understand what social justice means.

http://www.tolerance.org/blog/why-teaching-about-social-justice-matters

Critical Pedagogy in an Urban High School Blog #7

As a total nerd when it comes to books, I love the idea of introducing new aged books and mixing them in with the classics. My absolute favorite book growing up was To Kill A Mockingbird, and it is still my number one book choice. However, I really enjoy all the new pop culture books, such as The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, and Maze Runner. I think it is important to acknowledge these books because they are what the kids are reading. It is completely relatable to them, which peaks their interested fast/easier.

Like the article said, I believe that the classics are important because a lot of them teach more than just pop culture, but goes back to history and social justice (like what we are talking about in class). I think these topics are important to never forget, and good to introduce to our students.

However, on the other side of my teaching spectrum is Theatre, and in that cause I don't enjoy the new stories, and primarily focus on the older shows (42nd Street, anything Shakespeare, Hello Dolly, etc). I think the newer stories all have a weird agenda behind them, and try to push or force their new age issues on the theater world. I enjoy the classics that are more wholesome and fun for all.