Reading All American Boys next semester?

Hello everyone:

If you are reading in a high school setting that follows a semester system, will you be reading All American Boys again in the spring?

We would LOVE to continue connecting and collaborating next semester.

Please comment below, if you are on board.

Thanks!

Ms. Vermeeren's class, from St. Augustine Prep. in Richland, NJ USA, will be hosting the chat this week.

Please follow along using the #AABSlowChat.

Here are the Week 5 questions so far...

Mrs. Fykes' classes, from Saint Edward’s School in Vero Beach, FL USA, will be hosting the slow chat this week. Follow along using the hashtag #AABSlowChat.

Here are the questions for the week.

Links to Kahoots for sections 2 & 3 are available in the RESOURCE SECTION of the blog.

Slow chat questions for Week 3

Here are the slow chat questions for week 3 courtesy of Mrs. Bradshaw's class from North Carolina.

Q1: “Nobody wanted to hear the truth.” What does he mean when he says nobody wants to hear the truth?

Q2. Rashad is angry with God; he says that “He let it happen.” Why do you think Rashad feels this way?

Q3: Spoony tells the pastor “That’s cause I can’t afford to come” (91) What was Spoony implying by his comment? 

Q4: On page 94 Spoony tells Rashad, “I had to make sure we controlled as much of the narrative as possible.” What does he mean by that? Do you think that people are doing that in society?

Q5:Rashad says on page 101 that his dad preaches about “Young people lack pride and integrity making us easy targets.” Do you agree with this statement? Explain.

Q6: Why does everyone seem to be upset with Jill? What has she done? Why does she seem stand-offish with her own family?

Q7:What would be going through your mind if you were Quinn at the party at Guzzo’s house?

Q8:On page 118, Quinn says that everyone is nervous FOR Paul, but that he is nervous ABOUT him. What does he mean? Why would he be nervous about him?

Q9: Why do you think the party “was thrown together all of a sudden for Paul?” (104)

Q10: “Man” I said, “This isn’t a game.” I brushed past him and walked up the driveway. “I’m done,” I said.   What is Quinn implying? What does he mean?

Q11: Predict/Infer: Will things stay the same between Quinn and Guzzo or will things change? If so,

Q12: P. 127 “After you left yesterday, everybody was talking about how it was unfair the media had to make such a big deal of the situation.  ‘How are cops supposed to do their jobs if they’re always under the microscope?”  Do you think this is a fair assessment? Does the media make things bigger than they are? And, are police under a microscope?

Q13: All American Boys is written from the perspective of Rashad and Quinn with each character alternating chapters.  The book began with Rashad going first, followed by Quinn and has continued in that rotation until now.  The authors chose to switch the order with Quinn telling the events from his perspective followed by Rashad.  Why do you think the authors chose to make this change at this time in the book?  How will this affect the plot?  What effect will it have on the reader?

SlowChat Week 2 Questions

Click to enlarge. Join in the conversation on Twitter next week.  Hosted by Ms. Bauer's Classes from Manitoulin Secondary School.

All American Boys Storify from Week 1

#AABSlowChat Twitter questions for Days 3 & 4

If you missed the questions on Twitter, here is what we have been discussing:

#AABSlowChat Begins TODAY

If your class is on Twitter, have them, check out the slow chat.

Use #AABSlowChat to search for the tweets. Click "live" to see the latest feed.

Use A1, A2 etc in each tweet with the hashtag to make your tweets searchable.

Here is an example of a student response:

The Questions:

Click here for questions as well.

The Twitter slow chat for All American Boys begins tomorrow!


Click  HERE to view the schedule and instructions.

All American Boys Twitter Slow Chat

Hello Teachers:

If you are interested in hosting a slow chat please click on the link and add your name to the schedule: Slow Chat Sign Up


Hello Students: We have asked the authors to check in on our slow chats...keep your fingers crossed!

Looking forward to all of the great discussions!

Who is Connected?

Who is connected to this Blog for the Global Read Aloud of All American Boys? Click on the Markers for more details. If your school is not represented on this map, please comment below. Can't wait to hear everyone's voices once we start reading...

A Few Preliminary Ideas About How to Connect

I haven't participated in the GRA before. Like many of you, I'm excited, but a bit confused about how to proceed.

Some *rough* ideas I have been toying with:

-Students review the blog posts on this blog (more to come) and respond to our students' work.

-Students tweet the authors questions about the book or their writing process.

-Students have a class "Tweet-up" to discuss the book.

-Have a scheduled #hashtag chat about the book with another class (have the students come up with the questions beforehand and prepare their answers before tweeting).
-Create a Kahoot about the book as a quiz for another class
-Have your classes create a Google Slide presentation, video, Animoto etc to introduce your class to another class (describe your local/school culture, have the students introduce themselves etc.)
-Have your class work on an assignment with another class over Google Docs/Slides etc.
-Have your students come up with a list of book recommendations for books they feel would be good companion pieces to AAB. Students could create book reports using Piktochart to share with another class.

Some potential problems/drawbacks:

-We may be dealing with different time zones

Please share any other ideas you have in the comment section.

Also, check out the discussion forum to the right of your screen.

Welcome to our #GRA16 Blog for All American Boys

Hello and welcome! I'm Ms. Coniglio, an English teacher at St. Elizabeth CHS in Thornhill, Ontario.

This has been a summer of firsts for me: first time blogger, first time participating in the Global Read Aloud, and first time experimenting with the Twitterverse.

I'm looking forward to connecting with Ms. Bauer's classes this year and other teachers and students from around the world. I truly believe in the power of literature to change the way we see ourselves and the world--this is one of the reasons I teach English.

If you haven't read the book yet, I think you will LOVE All American Boys. It is a page turner! Check out this great book teaser trailer:

Source: GBSLibrary. "All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely." Online Video Clip. 
              YouTube.YouTube, 21, March,  2016. Web. 5, September, 2016.

Please take some time and explore the resources on this blog. There is more to come!

Global Read Aloud Begins in October

I am Ms. Bauer, an English teacher at Manitoulin Secondary School in Ontario Canada.  I am participating in my second Global Read Aloud.  Last time, my class had an amazing experience partnering with a school Monona, Wisconsin.  This year, with the timely and controversial issues raised in All American Boys, I am hoping to connect with a broad community of readers, colleagues, and learners through the Discussion Forum on this Blog.  I am already connecting with educators from around the world and collaborating to make the experience amazing.

Below is the recommended reading schedule starting the week of October 3:

Week 1:  Friday  (p. 5) – p. 40

Week 2:  Saturday (p. 43) – 82

Week 3:  Sunday (p. 85) – Monday Quinn (p. 140)

Week 4:  Monday Rashad (p. 141) –  Tuesday (p.203)

Week 5: Wednesday (p. 208) –  (p. 267)

Week 6:  Thursday Rashad (p. 259) – End