Getting Away with Murder Journal

Getting Away with Murder: The True Story of the Emmett Till Case by Chris Crowe was about a young man that I had never heard about. I am amazed that this story is left out of many history books. I must confess that although I had learned about Jim Crow laws, I never really knew what they were or what they meant to the people of the South. What an eye opener!

I think that this book could be used in many areas of the classroom. I think that it would be a great companion to seventh grade United States history, in high school American history classes, or as Lori suggested, used as a companion novel.

I think that it can be used to teach good research and writing about that research. I know that the students that I taught never really knew what to do with the research they had completed except to quote it.

I think the bibliography is a great example and the timeline of events allows the students to get a better idea of the order of events that led to and came about because of the Emmett Till case.

Persepolis Journal

I think that this book was the most difficult to read for me so far. I had to stop many times and search for additional background information in order to follow the story. Like Penny, I had to also recall information about Iraq and Iran. If this book was selected as a classroom title, I think the teacher would have to provide a lot of information on the history of Iran and their struggles. I do not think that this book is appropriate for any one under seventeen.

Again, the language topic comes to mind for me. I realize that this story was true and maybe that is what was really said.

I have recently read A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. This book was about two women in Iraq under similar circumstances. I was able to make some comparisons between the two.

I think that the story is well-told and the graphics help emphasize the story. I also think that it is an important story to be told. It just was not my favorite.

Journal Dairy of a Wimpy Kid

I wish that this book had been available when I was in Middle School. Even though it was written by a guy and from the male perspective, I think that girl readers would get into this book just as much as boys.

Greg and I have something in common. We are both middle children. I can see that he suffers from "Middle Child Syndrome" just like me. The oldest has rights and gets more freedom and the youngest can do no wrong. Sometimes the middle child is searching for a role to fill. I think that is why he does not make decisions easily.

I really enjoyed the drawings by Kinney. He tells the story well in his cartoons.

I think that this book could be used in just about any classroom from fifth grade and up. It is a great, funny,but real from a middle school perspective. I can't wait to read the next one in the series.

Craft Lesson 2: Daisy Kutter

Foreshadowing

Authors use foreshadowing like clues that allude to events that have yet to occur in a work of literature. Authors use foreshadowing in order to create suspense.

On page 89, is a good use of foreshadow. Bloom says in the third frame,” They're not even shooting at us.” Everyone appears to believe that they have won the shootout. Daisy says, “Congrats, Gentlemen, on making the easiest small fortune you’re ever bound to make.” Also, Tom then admits that he brought the gun. Then, “Tom, I need the gun.” Daisy says, “Something’s wrong open that case.”

These events lead up to the last robot on the train killing Bloom. See if you can locate another use of foreshadow in the book.

TEKS (9th grade) 6a, 7h, 8c

Daisy Kutter Journal

I must admit that I am usually not interested in this type of book (western, science-fiction, graphic novel) but I really enjoyed this. I can see how this type of book would be great for use in the classroom. I think that the best part is that you have all of the time needed or wanted to comprehend the sequence.

I am amazed that the characters can be so well developed with so little text. Kibuishi is an amazing artist/author. As an avid reader, I usually do not like the books I read to have pictures because I have a different view of the story in my head. I thought that Daisy Kutter would be like that, but without the art, the story would have been very difficult to read.

There are many lessons that could be taught from this book. Any thing that can be taught with traditional literature can be taught with a graphic novel as well. I was able to see a lesson on foreshadowing as I read it the first time. I am a new fan of the graphic novel.