Great Stories CLUB @ Roosevelt High School

Hate List

2011-03-28T12:31:00.000-06:00

Our next book club discussion is Monday, May 2 @ lunch. Stop by the RHS library to pick up your free copy of the book now & get reading!!

The Brothers Torres

2011-02-28T12:13:00.001-07:00

Our next book club discussion is Monday, March 28 @ lunch. Stop by the RHS library to pick up your free copy of the book now & get reading!!

Book Club begins!!

2011-02-12T09:27:00.003-07:00

2011-01-27T11:25:00.003-07:00

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

2011-01-18T14:19:00.003-07:00

2011 Great Stories CLUB books

2011-01-11T18:42:00.005-07:00

Visit Jennifer Brown's website.

Visit Walter Dean Myers' website.

Visit Coert Voorhees' website.

Welcome to FCI Ashland

2010-10-29T11:29:00.001-06:00

Find out a bit about the prison where author Jack Gantos served his time. FCI Ashland

Marijuana use. How does it really affect you?

2010-10-29T10:01:00.002-06:00

Image from the National Institute on Drug Abuse publication: "Drugs: Shatter the Myths"

Books that filled the hole for Gantos

2010-10-07T15:14:00.005-06:00

•Go Ask Alice by Anonymous

•Peter Pan by James M. Barrie

•Artificial Paradises by Charles Baudelaire

•An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce

•This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen by Tadeusz Borowski

•The Delicate Prey by Paul Bowles

•On the Yard by Malcolm Braly

•Naked Lunch by William S.Burroughs

•Papillon by Henri Charrière

•Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

•The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane

•Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

•The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

•The House of the Dead by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

•The Thief’s Journal by Jean Genet

•The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

•The Odyssey by Homer

•On the Road by Jack Kerouac

•One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey

•Martin Eden by Jack London

•Billy Budd by Herman Melville

•Mutiny on the Bounty by Charles Nordhoff and James N. Hall

•The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

•Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

•Seven Long Times by Piri Thomas

•The Car Thief by Theodore Weesner

•The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams

•A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams

•Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe

•Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates

Boating & Sailing Lingo

2010-10-07T15:04:00.003-06:00

Boating Basics Glossary of Terms

Boating Basics Online

Jib-part of a sail
Port-left side
Starboard-right side
Bow-front
Stern-back
Fore-toward the bow (front)
Aft-toward the stern (back)
Buoy-An anchored float used for marking a position on the water or a hazard
Hatch-An opening in a boat's deck fitted with a watertight cover
Screw-A boat's propeller.
Cleat-A fitting to which lines are made fast (tied).
Stanchion-upright or vertical
Gaff-part of the sailing rig
Boom-pole at the bottom of the sail
Dinghy-A small open boat
Mast-tall vertical pole to which the sails are attached
Galley-kitchen
Bowspirt-pole extending off the front of the boat for the sail.
Porthole-window
Rudder-A vertical plate or board for steering a boat
Trawler-type of boat
Sextant-navigational tool, like a compass, used to measure direction using the sky & stars.
Keel-centerline of the boat (underneath) running from front to back

Where in the world is...?

2010-10-07T14:58:00.003-06:00

View Larger Map

Jack Gantos & Hole in My Life

2010-10-01T14:26:00.005-06:00

Glogster

Meet Gary Soto: Author of The Afterlife

2010-04-06T11:17:00.008-06:00

Visit the author's website!

Did you know there is a Gary Soto Literary Museum?

Gary Soto answers his readers' frequently asked questions.

April's Book Selection: The Afterlife by Gary Soto

2010-03-18T12:09:00.004-06:00

IF you liked reading "One of Those Hideous Books...", you might enjoy these books about

2010-03-17T12:59:00.014-06:00

Losing a parent

Frannie in Pieces by Delia Ephron
Bounce by Natasha Friend
Scout by Christine Ford
Walking on Glass by Alma Fullerton
The Garden of Eve by K.L. Going
How Ya Like Me Now by Brendan Halpin
Buried by Robin Merrow McCready
Freaky Green Eyes by Joyce Carol Oates
The She by Carol Plum-Ucci
Witch Dreams by Vivian Vande Velde
You Are Not Alone: teens talk about life after the loss of a parent by Lynne Hughes (155.937 Hughes)

Authors who write novels-in-verse

Ellen Hopkins (Crank, Glass, Burned, Impulse, Identical, Tricks)
Lisa Schroeder (I Heart You, You Haunt Me; Far From You; Chasing Brooklyn)
Virginia Euwer Wolff (Make Lemonade, True Believer, This Full House)

Novels-in-verse

The Death of Jayson Porter by Jaime Adoff
Jimi & Me by Jaime Adoff
Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham
All the Broken Pieces by Ann Burg
Hate That Cat by Sharon Creech
Love That Dog by Sharon Creech
Scout by Christine Ford
Walking on Glass by Alma Fullerton
Loose Threads by Lorie Ann Grover
The Realm of Possibility by David Levithan
Street Love by Walter Dean Myers
Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell
The Geography of Girlhood by Kirsten Smith
Hard Hit by Ann Warren Turner
Rubber Houses by Ellen Yeomans
Reaching For Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer

Moving

Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer
Gingerbread by Rachel Cohn
Not Like You by Deborah Davis
The Garden of Eve by K.L. Going
Takeoffs and Landings by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Drawing the Ocean by Carolyn MacCullough
Love, Meg by C. Leigh Purtill
The Indigo Notebook by Laura Resau
Out of the Blue by S.L. Rottman
The Secret Hour (Midnighters #1) by Scott Westerfeld

Sonya Sones & "One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies"

2010-03-17T12:19:00.012-06:00

Check out the author's website.

Learn more about the author, Sonya Sones, from the Books & Authors database.

Click here for more info about One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies.

Why does author Sonya Sones write her novels in poetry? Read this: Gaining Power Through Poetry: An Interview with Sonya Sones.

Here are the answers to other frequently asked questions about Sones and her novels.

Other books by Sonya Sones:

New Book Club starting soon...

2010-02-24T13:36:00.006-07:00

Pick up your FREE copy of the book from Mrs. Hancock in the Media Center, while supplies last. Start reading right away. Then meet with us on March 17 & 24 to discuss the book. If you take a book, you are making the commitment to read and attend book club.

This is your book club so don't miss out!

If you liked reading "The Rules of Survival", you might like....

2010-02-10T17:21:00.009-07:00

Fiction

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Looking for J.J. by Anne Cassidy
Dreamland by Sarah Dessen
Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
This is What I Did by Anne Dee Ellis
Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn
Friction by E.R. Frank
Becoming Chloe by Catherine Ryan Hyde
The Day I Killed James by Catherine Ryan Hyde
You Don't Know Me by David Klass
Margaux with an X by Ron Koertge
Boy Toy by Barry Lyga
Sold by Patricia McCormick
Prey by Lurlene McDaniel
Hero by S.L. Rottman
Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
The Silent Room by Walter Sorrells
Leftovers by Laura Wiess
Sweethearts by Sara Zarr

Non-Fiction

Three Little Word: A Memoir by Ashley Rhodes Courter
A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer

Child Abuse in Wyoming

2010-02-10T17:04:00.003-07:00

Check out this report on child abuse in Wyoming.

Did you know:

In Wyoming, every citizen is responsible for reporting suspected child abuse or neglect. If you suspect, you must report. It is the job of Child Protective Services to sort out the details and confirm or rule out child abuse or neglect.
Department of Family Services in Casper/Natrona County: 307-473-3900

Prevent Child Abuse Wyoming

What is neglect?
Neglect is the failure of a parent or caretaker to provide a child under age 18 with the basic needs of life such as food, clothing, shelter, medical care, educational opportunities, protection and supervision.
The law in Wyoming requires every person, private citizen or professional, who has reason to believe that a child under age 18 has been abused to report the suspected abuse. Failure to do so is a crime. A person making a report in good faith is immune from both criminal and civil liability.

Information on Child Abuse & Child Maltreatment

2010-02-10T11:22:00.005-07:00

According to the CDC, there are 4 main types of child abuse or maltreatment: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, & neglect.

Children under the age of 4 are at greatest risk for severe injury and death from abuse.
Contrary to popular belief, 56% of perpetrators of child maltreatment are women.
The women, usually mothers, are typically younger than the abusive males, usually fathers.
Abuse typically occurs in families with high stress levels: from drug/alcohol abuse, poverty, chronic health problems, and/or history of violence.
In 2007, 1,760 children ages 0 to 17 died from abuse and neglect
76 percent or more deaths occurred among children younger than age 4

The Childhelp website also includes many alarming statistics concerning child abuse.

Abused children are 25% more likely to experience teen pregnancy.
One third of abused and neglected children will later abuse their own children, continuing the horrible cycle of abuse.
Children who experience child abuse & neglect are 59% more likely to be arrested as a juvenile, 28% more likely to be arrested as an adult, and 30% more likely to commit violent crime.
Children who have been sexually abused are 2.5 times more likely develop alcohol abuse.
Children who have been sexually abused are 3.8 times more likely develop drug addiction.
Nearly 2/3’s of the people in treatment for drug abuse reported being abused as children.
Child abuse occurs at every socio-economic level, across ethnic and cultural lines, within all religions and at all levels of education.
Ninety percent of child sexual abuse victims know the perpetrator in some way; 68% are abused by family members.

Signs of Child Abuse, according to Childhelp

Physical Signs of Child Abuse
1. Unexplained burns, cuts, bruises, or welts in the shape of an object
2. Bite marks
3. Anti-social behavior
4. Problems in school
5. Fear of adults

Emotional Signs of Child Abuse
1. Apathy
2. Depression
3. Hostility or stress
4. Lack of concentration
5. Eating disorders

Sexual Signs of Child Abuse
1. Inappropriate interest or knowledge of sexual acts
2. Nightmares and bed wetting
3. Drastic changes in appetite
4. Overcompliance or excessive aggression
5. Fear of a particular person or family member

Signs of Neglect
1. Unsuitable clothing for weather
2. Dirty or unbathed
3. Extreme hunger
4. Apparent lack of supervision

Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin

2010-02-01T14:17:00.008-07:00

The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin is the first book we are reading for Roosevelt Book Club.

Click here to go to the author's website.

Nancy Werlin based this book on a short story she wrote. Read it here.

In this article, Nancy Werlin talks about "What Makes a Good Thriller?" and why she decided to write this novel in the form of a letter.

To learn more about author Nancy Werlin, check out these interviews: Cynsations 1 & Cynsations 2.

Watch this video and learn about Nancy's new book, Impossible.

Spring Book Club

2010-01-21T15:27:00.005-07:00

We will be starting book club with The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin. If you'd like to join, stop by the Media Center during SSR on Thursday, January 28. You'll receive your FREE copy of the book to start reading.

Book club officially starts on February 3. We will meet every Wednesday in Mrs. Ochs' room at 2:30 pm.

Remember if you take a book, you are making the commitment to read it, attend book club meetings, and participate. Happy reading!

COMING SOON: Spring 2010 Book Club

2010-01-11T11:30:00.001-07:00

2009-09-14T12:21:00.002-06:00

Chris Crutcher

2009-09-14T12:15:00.002-06:00

Discover more about the author of Deadline, Chris Crutcher, on his website.

2009-09-14T12:11:00.001-06:00

Fall 09 Book Club Selection

2009-09-09T12:47:00.000-06:00

Video: Conversations @ KCTS9- Sherman Alexie

2009-04-22T13:36:00.000-06:00

2007 National Book Award Winner

2009-04-22T13:30:00.001-06:00

2009-04-22T13:27:00.001-06:00

Video: Sherman Alexie on Colbert Report

2009-04-22T13:16:00.003-06:00

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Sherman Alexie

colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

Gay Marriage Commercial

Author: Sherman Alexie

2009-04-22T13:08:00.003-06:00

Sherman Alexie's website, www.fallsapart.com, has a multitude of information about his books, short stories, and movies he has written, as well as other pertinent info.

Fiction follows real life. Check out Sherman Alexie's biography and discover how much of Junior's story is fact.

3rd book: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

2009-04-22T13:03:00.002-06:00

Our final book club selection for the semester is The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. We will be meeting Wednesday, April 22, April 29, and May 6th. Contact Mrs. Hancock if you have not received a book and are interested in joining us.

VIDEO: "The View" on Transgender Children

2009-03-24T12:48:00.002-06:00

Resources

2009-03-24T11:45:00.006-06:00

The Gender Identity Center of Colorado

The Gender Identity Center of Colorado, Inc. is a non-profit corporation organized to provide support to those people who cross dress, are transsexual, transgender, or are non-traditional in their gender identity.
The Gender Identity Center is also an informational and educational resource to the community at large.
We are available to anyone, male or female, who can benefit from our services or resources.
We are here for all, including spouses and significant others, parents, and siblings.

GLSEN: Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network

GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, is the leading national education organization focused on ensuring safe schools for all students. Established nationally in 1995, GLSEN envisions a world in which every child learns to respect and accept all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. GLSEN seeks to develop school climates where difference is valued for the positive contribution it makes to creating a more vibrant and diverse community.

Who is Fred C. Martinez, Jr. (Beyonce)?

2009-03-24T11:04:00.002-06:00

The dedication of Luna is inscribed "In Memory of Fred C. Martinez Jr. (Beyonce) 1985-2001".

This photo is from the Rocky Mountain News.
Fred C Martinez Jr. was a 16 year old high school sophomore from Cortez, Colorado. He identified himself as "half-Navajo, openly gay, Two-spirit, and transgender." In June of 2001, his body was found brutally murdered. Shaun Murphy, then 18, pled guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 40 years in prison. Murphy was not charged with a hate crime as "the legal definition of hate crime does not apply to crimes based on the victim's gender identity or gender expression."

According to a Wikipedia article, "Transgender is the state of one's "gender identity" (self-identification as woman, man, or neither) not matching one's "assigned sex" (identification by others as male or female based on physical/genetic sex). "Transgender" does not imply any specific form of sexual orientation; transgender people may identify as heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, pansexual, polysexual, or asexual. "

To learn more about Fred C Martinez Jr, follow these links:

Families United Against Hate
Rocky Mountain News articles regarding the case
An obituary
Temenos Page for Fred Martinez Jr
Wikipedia Article about Fred Martinez

Author: Julie Anne Peters

2009-03-18T13:10:00.005-06:00

Julie Anne Peters has published 6 novels for teens, with a seventh, Rage, to be released in September 2009. For more information, click on the book cover. Julie Anne Peters website is http://www.julieannepeters.com. She is also on myspace.

2nd Book: Luna by Julie Anne Peters

2009-03-05T12:07:00.002-07:00

Our next book is Luna by Julie Anne Peters. Books will be given out on March 18th. We will meet each Wednesday during SSR (2:50-3:05pm) in Mrs. Ochs room. REMEMBER if you take a book, you are making a commitment to read and join us for book club discussions.

More information about Luna can be found on NCPL's book review blog or on the author's website.

If you enjoyed reading BLACK AND WHITE, you might like...

2009-02-11T19:32:00.010-07:00

The Perfect Shot by Elaine Marie Alphin
Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
Tyrell by Coe Booth
Crackback by John Coy
Ball Don't Lie by Matt de la Pena
Cheated by Patrick Jones
The Juvie Three by Gordon Korman
Autobiography of My Dead Brother by Walter Dean Myers
Monster by Walter Dean Myers
Slam by Walter Dean Myers
Paranoid Park by Blake Nelson
The Hoopster by Alan Lawrence Sitomer
Hip-hop High School by Alan Lawrence Sitomer
Homeboyz by Alan Lawrence Sitomer
Boot Camp by Todd Strasser
Snitch by Allison Van Diepen
Street Pharm by Allison Van Diepen

Links will take you to a description on Amazon.com. NCPL owns each of these titles. Roosevelt High School may own some of these. If not, talk to Mrs. Hancock about ordering them.

NEWS: Corrections Officers Accused of Letting Inmates Run Rikers Island Jail

2009-02-10T15:08:00.000-07:00

Corrections Officers Accused of Letting Inmates Run Rikers Island Jail

This New York Times article dated 1/23/09 discussed the violence that is prevalent on Rikers Island. This case stems from the 10/18/08 beating death of an 18-year-old inmate.

Rikers High Videos

2009-02-10T15:05:00.000-07:00

More Rikers Island Facts

2009-02-10T14:51:00.000-07:00

According to TruTV's Inside an American Jail:

Rikers Island in New York is considered the world’s largest penal colony. As many as 130,000 inmates reside there each year (although only about 15,000 at any one time).
Check out more of their startling facts about American jails.

This is the bridge inmates cross on their way to Rikers Island.

Learn More About Rikers Island

2009-02-10T14:32:00.002-07:00

Get the basic facts from this Wikipedia article.
Find out more about Rikers Island on this website created by NYC24/Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Watch this video of Bob's experience visiting a friend on Rikers Island.
Take a photo tour of Rikers Island.
Read A Tale of Two Ex-Inmates.

This map is from CourtTV.com
Another view of Rikers Island.

Famous Rikers Island Inmates

2009-02-10T11:41:00.000-07:00

The jail facilities on Rikers Island are for temporary inmates or those serving city sentences of one year or less. You may know a few of these famous Rikers inmates.

Mark David Chapman
1980-1981 for the murder of John Lennon (12-8-80). He is currently serving time at Attica State Prison and was denied parole in 2004.

Tupac Shakur
1995 for sexual assault, served 8 months and was released on $1.4 million bond. He Died in Las Vegas on 9-13-96.

DMX
2006, served time for reckless endangerment and traffic citations. He was given a 70 day sentence but was released early for good behavior/time served.

Foxy Brown
2007-2008, served one year for violent assault

To find out more about these famous inmates, click here.

Teen Inmates on Rikers Island

2009-02-10T11:39:00.000-07:00

If you were a teen sentenced to Rikers Island (like Marcus), you would probably serve your time in this facility, one of 10 jails on the island.

Adolescent Reception and Detention Center
Address: 11-11 Hazen St., East Elmhurst, N.Y. 11370

Adolescent Reception and Detention Center was opened in 1972. The facility houses adolescent male detainees (ages 16-18). ARDC has a capacity of 2,500 in a combination of modular dormitories, Sprung structures and cells.

Helping New York Youths, Fresh Out of Jail, Stay Out

This photo and article are from the New York Times (dated January 2, 2007).

Facts about Rikers Island

There are approximately 13,500 inmates daily on Rikers.
Of that population, about 800 are teens.
Half of those teens are junior high dropouts and half read below a sixth grade level.
Without intervention, 2/3 of release inmates return to jail within 3 years
With training and education, 70-80% will stay OUT of jail.

Paul Volponi

2009-02-10T11:29:00.000-07:00

Author Paul Volponi has published 6 novels for teens. Click on each cover for more information. You can also access his website @ http://www.paulvolponibooks.com/

1st book: Black and White by Paul Volponi

2009-02-10T11:18:00.000-07:00

The first book we'll be discussing is Black and White by Paul Volponi. Books were distributed to students on January 28th. We will meet each Wednesday during SSR (2:50-3:05pm) in Mrs. Ochs room. If you have received a book, you are making a commitment to read and join us for book club discussions.

More information about Black and White can be found on NCPL's book review blog or on the author's website.