Magic Reading Ride with Ms. Martinez

 I gather my emotions ready as I anxiously enter random summer dates into the computer to see how expensive a Disney trip can really be. My mouth drops and a small gasp followed by a sudden squeal escapes my mouth. Excitement is oozing out of me and concerning looks from my parents are staring back at me. "What has gotten into you?" my mother asks. I enter into my negotiation mode and begin to explain why this trip is necessary for our family to venture on. Silence fills the room and I begin to slowly back away ready to run just in case if my idea goes south. My parents look at each other and nod as if they are discussing the plan aloud, but no words come out. "Go grab my schedule off the calendar, and see if I have the weekend off for that week in June." my dad replies. I knew in that moment we are going on the trip. I didn't even wait for the next thing and I pressed reserve before either one of them could back out of the decision. 

Book, Head, Heart is an excellent strategy to use to do more than just scratch the surface when reading. It really involves students to answer questions about the text they are reading that they are not used to answering. Usually students never get asked what they think of an academic text, it tends to be only based on finding a definite answer for comprehension questions.  While discussing the first book from our book club, there were certain themes that were presented in the book that I immediately connected to. The main character dealt with certain challenges that students of minorities deal with daily and those challenges sort of become an unspoken truth. Constantly having to deal with discrimination or being looked at differently just because they don't match with the crowd. In the schools that I have observed in and taught in the students are predominantly Hispanic, so these students may have not necessarily experienced what it's like to be the minority since they're ...

 When choosing a text for pleasure, I call it my guilty pleasure. I like to choose books where it seems to the situation seems to good to be true. Especially young adult novels, when they have young teens/adult protagonists go through heartache or on an unrealistic journey of love in a span of 6 months. I read these texts and think I know this could never happen to me. It makes me want to write a book based on my life and how the "realistic" plots of YA romance novels aren't always so tragic.  During my reading, I'm not that much of a visual person so it makes it hard to "see a movie" in my head when I read. I'll have to reread a book more than once and start to put scenes together and see how things flow in the text. I'm also a sucker for suspense, so when the characters finally have a breakthrough with whatever issues they were facing I do tend to squeal in favor of the characters. I do get some stares, but that's when I'm deep into the boo...

 My reading schedule fluctuates depending on the type of reading I am doing. I usually save my guilty pleasure reading such as my fantasies or historical fiction during times where I am going to be sitting and waiting for a while. I carry my books on my phone and depending on the size of the book I'll carry it in my purse. When I read for academics or training books for school I do the majority of that reading on my coach or laid out on the floor propped up on my elbows. I put on my headphones when I read and listen to instrumentals of different songs from Broadway hits, Disney, and Pop songs. There must be background music in order for me to concentrate. I usually pick my books when they have been adapted to film or will be eventually. I go to my sister for reading recommendations because she has more time to have her nose in a book for fun then I do.