Summer Reading!!!

What are you going to read this summer? 

My granddaughters enjoy books and "read" everyday. They are learning important concepts about stories, setting, plot, characterization, beginning, middle and end, illustration, vocabulary and more. Doesn't that sound just like your English class? You need to practice reading to establish and keep up your skills. So, please take time to read this summer. Avoid the summer slide! Grab a book off your shelf, buy a best seller, download a book to your Kindle or Nook, or go to the local public library and check one out. You'll come back in the fall ready to go and your reading skills intact.

For some ideas of what to read this summer, check out this list of recommended books for the college-bound or the Shmoop Summer Reading list.

What are we READING?

I looked over recent library records and put the top books CHS has been reading in this graphic word cloud I designed through Tagxedo. Click on this link to check it out yourself and make some word clouds. They can be saved and inserted into a presentation or document or shared online. Have some fun!

The VCR that never goes obsolete!

Holly Star and Bob Lenz presented at this morning's assembly and brought an encouraging message to our CHS students. Bob's talk on being Valued and having Courage and Respect challenged us all. I hope you had an opportunity to listen to these great people.

PS: They both will be at the middle school tonight, so you have another chance to see them.

National Poetry Month - April!

April rolls around again and once more it's Poetry Month.

Do yourself a favor and take time to meditate on a poem sometime in April - you'll find reading poetry might just relax or refresh you. Here's a good place for some poetry ideas, the Academy of American Poets.

Common Sense Media

I just became aware of Common Sense Media , a site dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media and technology. As a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization, it provides trustworthy information and tools, as well as an independent forum, so that families can have a choice and a voice about the media they consume.

Here's what they believe in:

Our 10 Beliefs
We believe in media sanity, not censorship.
We believe that media has truly become "the other parent" in our kids' lives, powerfully affecting their mental, physical, and social development.
We believe in teaching our kids to be savvy, respectful and responsible media interpreters, creators, and communicators. We can’t cover their eyes but we can teach them to see.
We believe parents should have a choice and a voice about the media our kids consume and create. Every family is different but all need information.
We believe that the price for free and open media is a bit of extra homework for families. Parents need to know about the media their kids use and need to teach responsible, ethical behavior as well as manage overall media use.
We believe that through informed decision making, we can improve the media landscape one decision at a time.
We believe appropriate regulations about right time, right place, and right manner exist. They need to be upheld by our elected and appointed leaders.
We believe in age-appropriate media and that the media industry needs to act responsibly as it creates and markets content for each audience.
We believe ratings systems should be independent and transparent for all media.
We believe in diversity of programming and media ownership.

What do you think of the movie?

Thursday night on March 22 at midnight the Hunger Games movie will begin its presumably long local showing, so what do you think about it? Please tell us your thoughts on the movie compared to the book. For local showings and information, click here.

VOTE for Evergreen Young Adult Book Award now!

It's time to VOTE for the Evergreen Young Adult Book Award for 2012! If you have read at least two books from the ten nominees, you are eligible. Pick up a ballot from Mrs. Hightower or vote online at: http://tinyurl.com/Evergreen2012

You must vote by Thursday, March 15, so do it now!
Here are the ten nominees in case you have forgotten:

Swim the Fly by Don Calame
Maze Runner by James Dashner "The 2012 Winner!"
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia
North of Beautiful by Justina Headley
We Were Here by Matt de la Pena
Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
Malice by Chris Wooding