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1-      Have you ever had something really stress you out?

2-      What has been the hardest struggle so far in your life?

3-      Take a moment and think about the different scenarios in this set and think about how you would handle the situation.

4-      Are there any consequences to someone being bullied? In your eyes are there any consequences for bullies?

5-   Is there anyone in your life that you feel comfortable enough discussing important topics with?

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The theme of my text set mental health in students and helping them realize that they are not alone. I feel like students have a hard time understanding that their peers and adults that they interact with daily, have struggles just like them. Everyone is battling something, and we cannot just stay to ourselves with our issues, sometimes we need help. Getting help is OKAY! All of the following books are written by the same author who was a teacher and a therapist for many years. He uses the stories that his clients or students discussed with him to create these fantastic stories about trying times and the mental health that goes along with them for teens

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ANGRY MANAGEMENT

In this story Crutcher tells the story of three different characters bringing up their feelings of insecurity, anger, and prejudice. The stories that each character has will provide a feeling of love, freedom, power, hope, and survival. Try having your dad censoring an article you wrote for the school newspaper, like Montana West. Try hiding from everyone but in the end finding the one the person to embark on an amazing road trip that brings you two closer then you ever imagined, that’s Angus Bethune and Sarah Byrnes. (These two characters are from other Crutcher books). Try sharing a tragedy with someone who is completely opposite of you, that is Matt Miller and Marcus James.

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Quantitative

Lexile: HL730L

Age range: 14-18

Grade range: 9th -12th grade

Qualitative

MEANING: Everyone can take something different away from this book because it is not just centered around one person. The characters in this book each have baggage and are trying to deal with it the best way they know how.

LANGUAGE: The language in this book is simple and very conversational. This book comes with a broad use of language such as cuss words. The book also brings ups topics that may be sensitive to some readers like a parent abandoning them. The vocabulary is more traditional English then academic English. The language use of this book is more ironic then it is literal.

STRUCTURE:  The book is written in the first-person perspective. It does discuss a few characters plot and changes between them in the book. This book is set in chronological time between the characters. There are no graphics, however the author uses great use of imagery. The story is fictional but based off of cases that Chris Crucher had as a teacher and therapist.

KNOWLEDGE DEMANDS: While reading this book, you would not have to have a background in the things the children are going through to understand their pain. Conversations about the topics may be hard but need to be held so the students can adequately apply empathy to the characters. There is no stated purpose for the book other to inform those reading, that children have emotional things happen in their lives and we as their peers or mentor need to help them unravel all they are going through.

MATCHING READERS TO TASK/CONTENT: I would typically read this book in a high school setting but as a small group. I would gear this book to those who have either had some emotional things happen to them or those who need to build some empathy for others. I would love for the small group to be more of a book talk group then for class grades. I would love to grade them based off of conversations they are having about the book and maybe how they present the book their peers once finished. This book addresses some emotional turmoil that may not be suitable for all your students. It would be best if a student with a good attention span read this book as it does require some effort to read. Students should do research on Chris Crutcher before they read the book so they know that they know these stories are true and not fiction.

The vocabulary in this book is more traditional then academic but it does use cuss words. The plot and characters keep the book engaging. This text can be scaffolded to fit the needs of others with the use of red alouds/audio books, small book talks, and other things that help discuss important sections of the book.

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I chose this book because it touches on tough subjects that people may go through in their lives. It discusses how everyone needs somebody in their life, even if they are not their original family. Kids deserve to be around those who will support them and not just bully them for things going on in their lives. Those who read this book can not help but feel sympathy and hopefully build empathy for those who may be going through some of the same things in their own life.

My text set is dealing with adolescents and their mental heath through traumatic experiences. This book does deals with those in a very relatable way. This text allows for students to see themselves/peers in a way they may not have thought about before. Reading this text, the readers should be able to get into the mind of the characters and embrace their stories. Readers can explore various feelings and emotions through the help of this book.

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DEADLINE

Try being 18 and told you have one year to live!  How would you spend it? Who would you tell? Where would you go? When or would you become scared? What would you say to your friends and family? Ben Wolf when he finds out, decides to hide it from EVERYONE! Everyone includes his brother and parents start, who all start noticing Ben becoming weaker. Everyone includes his new gir0lfriend Dallas Suzuki and her baby. Read to find out if he tells everyone, who the father of Dallas`s baby, and even find out how therapist feel about patients.

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Quantitative

Lexile:820

Age range: N/A

Grade range: 9th – 12th

Qualitative

MEANING: Through out this book The meaning of this book is very simple yet explicit. It is simple in the way the author writes but it is implicit because of the content of the book (it is dealing with death after all). If you think about the meaning of the book and whether someone can make sense of the book, it has multiple meanings. It deals with death in a way that most authors are not doing for teens. It also deals with rape, relationships, therapy, and many more difficult things. The meaning can be hard to decipher. The book never explicitly states what the reader is suppose to take away from it. The topic addresses in the book is death and how to deal with it. While I read it, I got the feeling that the meaning was you only get to live once, make sure you live it to the best of your ability.

LANGUAGE: The language is simple but there is a lot of implied language. The author wants you to read between the lines of the dialogue before he directly spells out what happens in the book. It is a very conversational read as the author is trying to stay true to his intended audience. The language in this book is very non-academic as it is set in the perspective of a high school senior. They use some academic when they discuss the characters diagnosis and other times throughout the story as the plot dives deeper. The tone of the book is serious, but it happens very conversational between the characters, the author, and the reader. The sentences are not complex and the story runs about 320 pages. The author gives no graphics expect on the cover, however, he uses imagery to help the reader create an image in their mind.

STRUCTURE: The book is very straight forward. Deadline was written in a chronological order that the reader must pay attention to because it is how the ending is such a shock to the reader. It is complex story in the sense that the topics that are discussed in the story are very adult themed. The sentences are not complex, but simple.

KNOWLEDGE DEMANDS: The student would have to understand what it means to die or at east be severely sick. The child would need to know what abuse means. This story takes place from one perspective but it but nice to have the students dive into how the outside characters felt throughout the story. This story does not follow behind or in front of any text so the student does not need to reference other books. When it comes to having background knowledge for this text, students do not need to have any cultural guidance. Students may want a brief lesson on the systematic pressures put on men to always be strong and take care of everyone around them.

MATCHING READERS TO TASK/CONTENT: I would use this book as a book talk read for when students need something to help them understand the concept of death. When choosing a reader for this book, I recommend someone who has empathy for those around them and can attend to a book. The plot and characters keeps the reader engaged, however their may be parts where the reader may have a harder time reading then others because of the hard conversations that happen between the characters in the story. If you wish a lower reader to have access to this book, I recommend book talks and audio books to help them fully comprehend the book. I believe that the book talks will help the student get through the topics that they may find hard or uncomfortable. The vocabulary in this book can be discussed while taking up little instructional time.

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I chose this book specifically because it deals with death and parental abuse of their child. Students go through these things, but when do they ever have a safe space to discuss it with their friends? The whole purpose of this text set is to get students to open up to each other so they can build sympathy for others, and know they aren’t alone in the world. Hopefully the students read these books and decide to tell someone when they are going through the same things as these characters.

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Whale Talk

How do you stand up to a bully? T.J Watt has this great idea to stand up to the star athletes at his school by starting his own misfit swim team. These misfits call themselves the All-Night Merman because that is where they go to swim. This gym that they swim at is only half swimming pool regulation for the swim meets. Do you think these misfits care? NO! These high schoolers only want to swim! The only thing better would to win a lettermen jacket so the jocks would quite being such jerks to the group.

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Quantitative

Lexile: 1000

Age range: 14 and up

Grade range: 9th

Qualitative

MEANING: This text is a very complex book because you have to be making sure you remember various parts of the story. This book is about how one person can change everything for their friends. Imagine being so connected to your brother who passes away that you wear his jersey everyday to school, and then some guy bullies you for it. This book deals with the topic of bullying, racism, and feeling like you are left out. Students may not know the true meaning of this book because it is not meant to have one meaning fits all. The point of this story is to get your mind thinking about how the characters are feeling and what they are going through.

LANGUAGE: The language in this book is very simple with a little bit of figurative language thrown in the mix. The language can be a little tense since it is a book about high schoolers and their bullies. This book is very conversational as this is the writing style of the author. The vocabulary used in this book is simple, however the sentences are complex. The students may need help understanding some of the references when it comes to the sport of swimming, but the majority of book is written in non-academic language. The author tries to write in a way that teens can relate to.

STRUCTURE:  The book has a little backstory to it but for the most part is written in chronological order. The sentences are more complex then the vocabulary in this book. The author tries to make the reader feel apart of the book so the tone is very conversational between the reader, characters, and the author.

KNOWLEDGE DEMANDS: This book does go in chronological order but it refers back to the past for the main plot. Students must be aware of the biases of high school sports and the role they play in a community. Reading this book, there is no one theme because it has many themes and students will gravitate towards the one they find the most powerful. The students will see how small towns can work and how some people view high school as the most important years of their lives. This book is written in fiction but is based off true stories that the authors students or clients dealt with. Students need to know that this does happen more then they know.

MATCHING READERS TO TASK/CONTENT: I would have this book as a book study for a small group of outcast and jocks. I would want to make them all to know how their actions have consequences. Honestly those who need to read this book the most are those who pay sports or bully others in any form. Students who have been bullied should read this book as well because it will allow them to see that they are not alone in the world and can actually stand up for themselves. Through the power of small group book talks and audiobooks this book can be scaffolded for students. Prior knowledge of other texts may not be necessary, but the students should have a good sense of what bullying can do to people and what it looks like. Thanks to the plot and the way the author writes the book will keep the students interested throughout the whole reading process.

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I chose this book because students need to know how to interact with students with varying disabilities. This book stems off the concept of a student who has a disability gets bullied for wearing his deceased brother’s varsity letter jacker. In society today, I see students bullying special needs kids all the time. These students do not understand they are being bullied and can not stand up for themselves. It is our jobs as teachers to help students see the impact that bullying has on every single peer, disabled or not.

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The Sledding Hill

How old where you when you experienced death for the first time? What was your grieving process? Eddie decides that after losing his best friend and father within the same year to become mute , except Billy (the best friend) doesn’t rest in peace. The main narrator of the story (BILLY) comes back from the dead to haunt poor innocent Eddie. As if being haunted by your dead best friend isn’t enough try having everyone in the town think you are crazy and your mother hanging out with your arch nemesis. The arch nemesis of course being a preacher who is trying to date your mom, make you talk before you are ready, and push religion down your throat any chance he can.

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Quantitative

Lexile: 1010

Age range: 14 and up

Grade range: 9th through 12th

Qualitative

MEANING: This book has a lot of implied meaning behind it because you have to envision how the characters are feeling using the imagery provided by the author. There are multiple meanings made through out the book depending on how you view the characters. This book is about how a person is coping with the sudden passing of their best friend and dad. The meaning that the book gives off can be handled in many ways for students because it all depends on how they take it. Some may find that is about resilience and over coming something, while others find that is about how they felt during the grieving process.

LANGUAGE: The language in the book is full of imagery but simple. The author does not use a lot of high level words because he likes to keep his books very conversational since he writes for adolescents. The theme and sentence structure of this book make it a little complex to read. The vocabulary is non-academic and does not require much teaching time. The characters are very conversational, done on purpose by the author so teens would find the book more relatable. The

STRUCTURE:  The story happens in chronological order but it is a very fast paced story so some thinking tools may help those who lack the attention span to follow along. It is written in first person, but the narrator is a ghost watching his best friend continue living. The author uses a great deal of imagery in the story instead of graphics. This story is fiction but is based on the true stories he has been told by clients or students he worked with.

KNOWLEDGE DEMANDS: The students may need a background knowledge of different religious views and why someone may not like a preacher. The students may also need to touch base on what they believe the afterlife to be. There is no pre-reading needed for this book. Students may need to be taught some vocabulary words throughout the book in order to help comprehension. The student reading this book needs to have empathy for those who have a person pass away in their life. Students may need to have conversations before reading about the psychological effects of death on a person and how it may have effected those in the classroom.

MATCHING READERS TO TASK/CONTENT: I would make sure to use this book as a small group read aloud. I would read it aloud parts of the book and then have students discuss the various parts we have read. I may even have them listen to the book at home and discuss what would they do in Eddie`s shoes. The author does try to compel teens to read the book through the style of writing he uses and hopefully relevant topics. The plot of this book wil keep the students reading. Trying to break down this book for striving readers can help with graphic organizers, small book talk groups, or even audio books. Students may not have the prior knowledge to apply empathy to the characters, a conversation on this topic could be very beneficial. If the reader is trying to answer questions and not just read it right through like I did, some of the thinking tools like indexing, talking, or diagraming will help.

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I chose this book because it deals with death in a very different way then most books do. It tells the story from the perspective of the dead. It also goes on to discuss family issues and mental illness that can come about from someone dying. Students need to know that the grieving process does get easier. Students need to know that although their parents are adults, they are going through things as well but try to mask it for the sake of their children.

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It`s Ok is a song written by the performer Nightbird who only had months to live when appearing on America`s Got Talent. The song comes to show that whatever you go through in life, sometimes you just have to push through. Nothing is ever made to be easy, all you can do is not let the negativity overwhelm you. Waiting to be happy until the hard parts in life are over, will only hinder you from living your best life!

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Golden Buzzer: Nightbirde's Original Song Makes Simon Cowell Emotional - America's Got Talent 2021

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Quantitative

Lexile: N/A

Age range: 14 and up

Grade range: 9th grade and up

Qualitative

MEANING: This song is simple yet it is implicit. The lyrics are not hard to understand, but you need to truly listen to understand the meaning. This song is about overcoming all of the curveballs life will through at you. You are not meant to have your life figured out at 18 no matter what everyone tells you.   Do not let anyone tell you that they have it all figured out, because nobody does!

LANGUAGE: The language is very clear but the clarity also makes it magical. The words that she sings are conversational, so she can be more relatable to her audience. The theme and sentence structure of this song are set in a particular way to tell a story. In order to fully understand you need to be able to listen deeply to the lyrics.

STRUCTURE: The shift in her tone of voice helps apply meaning making since it plays on how she expresses her feelings. The language is figurative because it can go for any one over coming something, not just what the song is saying. The structure of the song is telling the story of letting everyone know it is okay to just be yourself. It is meant to keep the attention of the listener.

KNOWLEDGE DEMANDS: The one thing a student does need to know is how bad cancer can be on people. Vocabulary does not need to be taught for this song. One thing a teacher may want to be prepared to talk about is research done on artist who did pass away due to her illness.

MATCHING READERS TO TASK/CONTENT: I would let the whole class listen to this song. I would hope to then have them all write down one thing they have been battling through the year and toss into the trashcan. This activity would be a metamopher as to let go of our problems and just live life to the fullest no matter what we are dealt. Those may be finding themselves lost in their life. Who may be having people dictate what they can and can not do for their future career. Children need to know that they determine their lives not anyone else!

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I chose this song because it is about resilience and not letting anyone tell you who to be! A lot of times people put so much pressure on themselves to be perfect and be what everyone expects them to be! The truth is that can lead to sever anxiety as they get older and a lot of resentment. Children need to know that they matter and nothing will change that! Their sexuality, career, partner, backgrounds, NOTHING changes the simple fact that kids deserve to fil loved and accepted!