We have just finished Among the Hidden in my class. I have to say it was an overwhelming positive experience.

THE GOOD User-Friendly- For both me and my students. I was worried that some of the graphic organizers would look too "babyish" for my kids (some of whom are in gangs, have been arrested, etc)- but it did not come up once. For struggling readers, they can approach the graphic organizers without the intimidation/dread they normally feel with traditional handouts (or the dreaded worksheet). Utilizing the word sort throughout the book. It was great to see the kids interact with the sort up until the last day of reading! (See my other post to see how I used it and hope to improve it for other core novels.) Did all the kids learn all the words? No. Did many kids begin to look at challenging words differently and attempt to grapple with vocabulary that they would normally skip over? Yes. Connections- My students were able to make several connections with the texts. Utilizing Read Alouds will improve this even more. Engagement- My students were very engaged in the book (especially after Chapter 8). It was fantastic to see kids who professed to dislike reading throw tiny fits when I turned the audio off. I think there will be a level of trust now when I introduce other novels.

THE BAD- Most of this revolves around my instruction. Connections- My students and I had a lack of faith that they could make connections to a book set in the future about "farmers and white rich people." Our fantastic discovery was that they made many connections as we read. The connections were deeper than expected and genuine. Vocabulary- I need to work on utilizing other ways to work with the vocabulary. I did not do a great job of reinforcing how to use context clues. The kids did a pretty good job of it despite me. When they took the Multiple choice assessment, they tended to miss the same vocab questions. However, I passed them back and they overwhelming got those questions right the second time around. Also, (this is actually a "good")because I did not do a good job of teaching the context handout and point of view, I allowed the kids to keep those handouts while they took the assessment. The kids who used them did a good job on those questions. We will keep those handouts and refer to them throughout our reading until the kids no longer need them. Engagement- This is good/bad. The kids are so engaged, and I was so excited about that, I didn't focus enough on some of the strategies. Hello! This is the point- especially with the core novels, especially at the beginning of the year. As Angie put it today, we have to remember the goal of using audio and the program as a whole. On the flip side, I had a few kids who were not all that engaged in the book. Should I have them read another book independently? How do I work with them more so that they will be more engaged? How do we help the kids who tune out at first but then get into the book as time goes on? I have some ideas, but I would love to hear how other deal with these problems.

THE UGLY- I did not do enough front-loading for myself. I think really focusing on the needs of my students before we begin, and then adapting and adjusting my instruction as we go (the breakdown in the teacher's handbook is fantastic for stopping and reflecting) will take care of any difficulties that I am having. The beauty of the program is that the graphic organizers are tools. The problem is that as teachers we are sometimes afraid to use new tools and therefor take risks and more risks and try again when we do make mistakes. Being open with students about my learning curve as I go is invaluabe. If I am going to ask my students to take academic risks, I have to be honest (and model) how I work through my own.