I teach in a 6-8 public school and I am tenured.? I do not sent home permission slips, but I do know what each child is reading and keep a log, as do they.? Early in the year, we read an article by Judy Blume, written?back when one of the Harry Potter books was coming out?and we discuss book banning and how it affects the creative process.? Nothing makes a book more interesting than in knowing it might be "forbidden" somewhere.? We look up the ALA's banned book list and we had some great discussions as to why some communities might ban different books that they know.?
We also discuss how what they read?is a family decision.? On Back to School Night, I tell the parents that I have all different levels and types of books on my shelves and that I do not censor, but there might be some?books inappropriate for their child?.?? If they feel that it is necessary, it is their job to censor.? We talk about how the contraversial books or topics tend to be the most interesting and this leads to great dinner conversations with their kids. We also talk about how they can read with their children.? I had one girl in summer school?struggle through A Child Called It, but she loved it.? Her mother and sister also reread it with her and they all looked forward to the sequels together. Books that are safe are ok to read, but it's those books that tug at our heart and soul that we remember and urge us into further reading. Karen Onyx Carusi Middle School -----Original Message----- From: kimberlee hannan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: A list for improving literacy with focus on middle grades. <[email protected]> Sent: Sat, 16 Aug 2008 2:08 pm Subject: Re: [LIT] PG-13 and R rated books I teach 7-8 in a public school. My kids watch everything, I'm afraid. I have never sent home permission slips for books. I, my daughter (15), or my best friend read nearly every book I buy to put out. I *never* put out a book I am unfamiliar with. I have Steven King, John Saul, James Patterson, and *The Color Purple* in my collection. In 18 years I have had only a handful of issues with the books. On occasion a kid will bring back a book because mom doesn't want them to read it. That's fine. So, we find one more acceptable. More often, I have had a kid come back with an apology to have kept it so long. Mom stole it and had to read it after the kid did. Usually they want more. Saying that, I do use a bit of caution. I don't tend to booktalk for the whole class a book that might be harsher. I tend to approach individuals and talk up a certain book. When one reads a good book, others tend to want to. *A Child Called It* never hit the shelves. It was passed from hand to hand. Don't know if that helps your situation. Just the way I've handled it. -- Kim ------- Kimberlee Hannan 7th CORE-ELA & WH Sequoia Middle School Fresno, California 93702 The best teachers teach from the heart, not from the book. ~Author Unknown [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive _______________________________________________ The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive
