Category Archives: reading

Nothing else to do but read

Posted on August 5, 2016 by jyourist

Today JB and I went to the library. We haven’t been to the library in many, many years. We read a lot, but somehow have purchased all our reading materials from bookstores or online. When I was at work I would … Continue reading →

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Foner or “ma hand”

Posted on January 28, 2016 by jyourist

Sometimes, for an 8th grader, late on a Thursday afternoon after a very long review of Reconstruction, drawing “ma hand” is a lot more compelling than reading Eric Foner.

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A short story vending machine!?!

Posted on January 24, 2016 by jyourist

A short story vending machine? A short story vending machine where the stories are free? Presently there are only eight of these “Distributeurs d’histoires courtes” (“Short-story distributors”) and they are all in Grenoble, France. Last fall prototypes were launched in … Continue reading →

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Introducing Fahrenheit 451 for the last time

Posted on December 2, 2015 by jyourist
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A single room, a single book

Posted on October 22, 2015 by jyourist

Issatsu, Isshitsu (一冊、一室) — literally “a single room, a single book.” This is the concept for the bookstore Morioka Shoten (Morioka’s bookstore) in Tokyo. Conceived of by Yoshiyuki Morioka, a former bookstore clerk, a single title takes center stage in … Continue reading →

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Oh Kindle, Oh Nook, What we miss with the digital book

Posted on July 19, 2015 by jyourist

This 16th century book is an amazing example of gifted and creative craftsmanship. It has taken the “dos a dos” (“back to back”) technique of bookbinding to a new level by binding 6 books together, the collection itself able to … Continue reading →

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And more All Quiet creative projects

Posted on May 4, 2015 by jyourist

At the end of our reading of All Quiet on the Western Front, I ask my 8th graders to produce a creative response to the book. This can take any form: a play, a poem, an image, a piece of music. Today … Continue reading →

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Browsing

Posted on April 26, 2015 by jyourist

I went to a haiku poetry reading yesterday by the winners of a city-wide haiku contest for students through middle school. One of my students won a third place and two others received honorable mentions. The reading was held at … Continue reading →

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Before the harsh neon lights of the school day get turned on

Posted on April 9, 2015 by jyourist

In the morning, I often don’t turn all the classroom lights on. At least not right away. It feels too harsh, too bright. If some student happens to flip on all the switches when they come in the room all … Continue reading →

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Under the spell of All Quiet

Posted on April 6, 2015 by jyourist

We are presently reading All Quiet on the Western Front. A student shared with me that he and some of his friends have adopted some of the characters in the book, have become one of the characters in their group … Continue reading →

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