Everything is easier with 13-year-olds

As I began class today I showed my students two books. This is not unusual. As a reading teacher I often give book talks, reading excerpts and passages to my students to interest them in different novels, introduce an author or a genre. They enjoy this. It is often their favorite part of the class (probably because it does not require them to work!)

So today I told them I was going to read two books, in the order in which they were written and published. That is all the information they received.

I began by reading 3 scenes from Megan McCafferty's book, Sloppy Firsts.

When finished, I sat the book down and read 3 passages from Kaavya Viswanathan book, How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life.

When I finished reading the three scenes I put the book down and looked at my class.

"She copied!" they yelled in unison.

"Isn't that called plag-ar-something?" I hear from the back.

Need I say more?

...Fiona...