Blogging Reflection

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Blogging Reflection

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Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

My students once again read Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry for a class novel during February and March. Even though I've read it numerous times, I still enjoy reading the story of Kira, a young girl with a disability, who lives in an uncivilized and sometimes violent village. When Kira's mother passes away, she must fight for her right to stay in the village. Because of her disability, Kira is not seen as valuable; however, Kira does have a valuable skill - her ability to weave. As Kira's skill is put to use in a magnificent building known as the Edifice, she discovers many secrets about her village and makes friends with other artists within.

Lowry includes several interesting characters to add interest to Kira's journey. Some include Vandara, Kira's older rival; Thomas, another artist in the Edifice; Matt, Kira's young, carefree friend; Annabella, a wise, old woman whose skill involves making dyes through various plants in her color garden; and Jamison, the man who defends Kira's right to stay in the village. Though some chapters move more slowly than others, there are enough questions to keep readers intrigued and wanting to uncover all of the secrets for themselves.

My students are now in the middle of character projects. They've been closely following one of the characters as we read the novel and will now report what their investigations uncovered. Students are allowed several choices for projects (including a scrapbook, movie, collage, story quilt, a Museum Box, or their own idea). I look forward to seeing the final products.