Northview in the news

The Des Moines Register published an article about a recent issue with one of the 9th grade literature circle books, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer.

Maya Angelou, author of "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" wins

Many 9th graders are currently reading a book by a living literary legend, American author Maya Angelou.

In last night's National Book Award ceremony, Angelou was presented with the 2013 Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community.  The National Book Foundation's webpage and press release today described I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings as "an intelligent and sophisticated story of how Angelou transformed herself from a victim of racism with an inferiority complex into a self-assured, dignified young woman and civil activist."

How are books selected for classroom use?

If you've been curious about how our school selects instructional materials (e.g. books, articles, etc.), consider reading the school board policies.

They're pretty dense, but if you exercise your close-reading skills, you'll probably be able to make sense of them!

605.00:  Selection of Instructional Materials

605.1:  Instructional Materials Inspection

605.2:  Objections to Instructional Materials

605.2F:  Reconsideration Request Form

You might also want to read the "Materials Adoption" section (page 3) of the English Language Arts Curriculum Review summary or curriculum approved by the school board.
There are similar policies for library materials:

We need you to enter our contest!!!

Enter our contest for a free book!

Just read this blog post and enter a comment--don't forget to sign your name!

Flex your artistic muscles in Ankeny's Anti-Bullying poster contest!

Are you looking for a way to share your artistic talents for a good cause?  Check out the instructions for Ankeny's anti-bullying contest!

Submissions will be accepted through December 13th.

Bullying . . . or "Drama"?

Last month was Bullying Prevention Month, last week Northview students attended a seminar about bullying during Flex, and earlier this week, Governor Branstad hosted the second Bullying Prevention Summit.  Student-on-student cruelty his a huge issue, and it's on everyone's minds.

All of these efforts are so important, but I also keep thinking about this article I read a couple years ago in the New York Times editorial pages.  The authors are researchers who have studied the language behind bullying, and this interesting op-ed piece talks about how the word "bullying" may be getting in the way of the conversation.

Read their reflections based on their research data, and share your thoughts below in the comments.  Is what teens call "drama" actually bullying?  Does the word "bullying" turn teens away from facing the reality of peer cruelty that they do witness and experience?