What would you do if you started to receive strange clues from Zoo animals about your sister's disappearance? Think you were seeing things? Investigate the Zoo? Call on the other Action Scouts (friends) to help you figure it out? That's what Noah does when his sister, Megan, disappears. Noah, Ellie and Richie find themselves being noticed by the Zoo animals, as if the animals know who they are. The animals seem to be helping the Action Scouts try to find Megan. A secret world is opened up to the Scouts--where they befriend a polar bear named Blizzard, a penguin named Podgy, and a kingfisher named Marlo. The Secret Zoo by Bryan Chick is both wondrous and dangerous with adventure and wild animals lurking at every turn. It won't be an easy task for the Action Scouts to find Megan. I enjoyed this story because I loved reading about the animals befriending and helping the children. Who wouldn't want to go the Zoo and have one of the animals recognize you and come up to you?! The author says when he was 9, he "wondered what it would be like if zoo exhibits had secret passages that allowed kids to get in and animals to get out." There are also themes of conservation and stewardship of the animals in our world. Read a preview of the book here.
After I finished wiping my tears away because this was such a good read, I wanted to shout from the rooftops that I would like to be Newt Newman's friend. Captain Nobody by Dean Pitchford is a story about Newt's relationships with those around him and especially with himself. Newt is a 10-year-old growing up in a high school football lovin' town and of course his brother, Chris, happens to be the star player on the team. At the big game, Chris is knocked into a coma and is sent to recuperate in the hospital. Newt is distraught because this is his big brother who he admires and thinks the world of him. Meanwhile, Newt's friends, Cecil and JJ, decide they want to try and help him take his mind off his brother. The three friends feel invisible to the world and plan on getting noticed. A plan is hatched for Halloween--put together a unique costume that will get you noticed. The invigorating feeling Newt feels once he puts on random odds and ends of his brother's sports equipment gives him a new lease on life. Feeling a sense of security, Newt decides to keep his Captain Nobody costume on the day after Halloween. Cecil and JJ decide that Newt really will be some type of superhero, so they decide to use walkies and send distress calls to Newt. One distress call involves JJ wanting the jewelry store to correct their grammar on signs! But, when Newt goes in to inform the store owners of their grammatical mistake, he actually foils a robbery!! Captain Nobody is coming to the rescue?! Newt has several other unbelievable incidences that he plays hero to, but the one he most needs to help he doesn't seem to know how...can he wake up Chris? I listened to this story on audio and I would stay in my car after I parked just to hear the end of some situations. I was ripe with tears at the end of this story and it left me with a good feeling days after. Dean Pitchford's site has chapter and audio samples, as well as a study guide for you to download. Image courtesy of http://deanpitchford.com/on-the-page/captain-nobody
Two days worth of lessons last week had 3rd-5th grade students working in groups to create projects about checkout procedure for younger students. Their projects could be skits, songs, raps, jokes, drawings or a combination. This idea worked well but for some groups it was just too overwhelming without proper guidance. I don't mind kids taking time to think and plan out a project, but we only had 55 minutes together. That night after the 2nd days lessons, I dug a little more on the internet and found this Northern Nevada's Writing Project lesson via NYLearns.org. This required the book The Secret Knowledge of Grown-Ups by David Wisniewski. I think this a pretty funny book, so I was all for the revised project. The book's format introduces a "top secret rule" then the "official reason" and the real reason which is an outlandish and humorous story. Students are introduced to the same concept for their writing with this pre-writing sheet. I tweaked the rules to reflect library expectations, such as "Don't let the library shelves get messy," "Don't run inside the library," "Don't draw in the books," and so on. They could choose one rule to write with its official reason and real reason and illustrate it. Or they could choose several rules. My students had me smiling a laughing bringing up their ideas to me. Examples included the real reason you are not supposed to run in the library is that the carpet will bite you or that the real reason you don't sit on library tables is that you'll turn into one and can only be turned back when another student sits on you. Image from http://www.harpercollins.com/9780688153397/the-secret-knowledge-of-grown-ups
While searching other sites and blogs to come up with a way for students to be self-sufficient when it came to choosing the next book they would read, I came across the free no sign-up required YourNextRead.com. It is simple to use with the search feature on the home page. All students have to do is enter the title of a book, author or genre they like and up pops suggestions for them! I chose this site over the others I was researching because it displays book covers and doesn't overwhelm the student with millions of choices (and again, no sign-up). It simply displays a graphic web of 8 other titles. You are not guaranteed to get back 8 results, but user recommendations can be suggested. The user can even agree or disagree that the the suggested books would be a good match. The site has additional features, but really all I want is bare bones book recommendations.
Since this month is National Poetry Month, I decided to approach the subject through a known genre: music. Specifically, hip hop from Nikki Giovanni's book, Hip Hop Speaks to Children. I began by introducing the book to 5th graders with a mini interview from NPR's All Things Considered. In this interview they talk about poetic terms, include pieces from the book, and why this form of poetry is unique. The interview page also includes excerpts from the CD, which I played for the students to listen to, as well. The point of this exercise was for students to listen to the poetry and visualize images or hear the beat in which the words are said. I didn't want them to just listen for rhyming words. So, they could get the point of this exercise I played two segments before the CD excerpts from Discovery Education United Streaming from Literature for Children: Sounds of Poetry. One section was about how poetry creates mood and breaking down rhythm and rhyme for better understanding. They were very interested in listening and even were amazed that hip hop is considered poetry or to be more specific that the musicians were writing a form of poetry. Image from http://www.sourcebooks.com/spotlight/hip-hop-speaks-to-children.html
I can't believe it's my school's second season of Girls on the Run! For those who don't know, GOTR is an organization that promotes the well-being of girls (social, emotional, and physical) in grades 3-5 and 6-8. I knew about the program because my sister participated in it while she was in elementary and middle school. It impacted her life to the extent that she felt like she conquered her heart issues, captained the cross country team in high school, and based her college essay on the program. The chance to be able to bring GOTR to Twillman was a strong desire of mine. There are not a lot of multi-week after school clubs/programs at my school. Our school is offered as space for programs, such as Boys & Girls Club (first year satellite site), Boy and Girl Scouts meet at our school, and every once in awhile a team sport will practice in our gym or the PTA will meet in the library. Offering Girls on the Run gives some of my girls a chance to experience a program/club for the first time.
The program was unknown to girls and many teachers at my school. There was a need to spread the word. Depending on the role you take, the program could take a decent chunk of time and dedication for 10+ weeks. At my school, we also have to work towards overcoming the financial challenge for parents, since GOTR has a fee. But, through scholarships and payment plans that we promote heavily, we've managed a decent sized group. Offering computer registration nights and one or two phone calls to girls right on the cusp of joining also helps. I am learning so much along the way and just like the other coaches, I find myself trying to think in terms of the Girls on the Run way and plug in my positive cord (because it can sometimes be a bumpy ride). It's all worth it... The girls understand that they are part of something special. The first season girls show their GOTR spirit almost every Friday at school by wearing their shirts. After the culminating 5k event, they'll wear their finisher medals for a week (sometimes 2). Many of them came away with self-awareness, friendships (some unexpected), and trust in each other and their coaches.
This past Friday, I knew I HAD to keep the students engaged...it was our first full week of school without any snow days, it was Valentine's Day and did I mention it was Friday?! A last minute idea formed and suddenly, I knew the students should complete a Black History Month WebQuest. I had already gathered websites beforehand (to help the 3rd gr with their black hero research) and bookmarked them on my Only2Clicks, which you can view here. *There are more sites than on the webquest because I wanted them to browse this page during centers week. Typically, I've created WebQuests that are made completely online where you ask students to visit a site, they read the content, and answer questions or explore topics by following links all in one place. This time, students in grades 3-5 are introduced to this concept via a worksheet I created to visit the bookmarking site and follow links to answer questions or view videos. They were directed to learn more about the Harlem Renaissance, children's book authors and illustrators, influential sports figures (website works best on Google Chrome), inventors, and a choose your own path version of the Underground Railroad. My students have to get used to the idea of navigating several websites to find answers to questions. After their interest in this activity, I've decided to begin brainstorming more WebQuests. I think one of the next ones I create will involve the skill of gathering information on the same topic from several forms of visual media online--text, video, and picture (ala Common Core). I'm working on a modified version of the sheet I'm sharing with you so that 2nd graders can complete the webquest, too.
Image courtesy of supakitmod/freedigitalphotos.net
Nothing like overhearing older students argue about whether Michael Jackson was white or black because they couldn't figure out if he should go on the Black History Month mini word wall. If it weren't for the books at the table, students would've come up short on names of black heroes. Typically, MLK, Jr., Rosa Parks, and Barack Obama make the list without having to look in a book. I realized they needed to expand their repertoire of black people who made or are making a difference. That's when I made the decision to whip out a project I did two years ago with my 5th graders called Post-Worthy Hero. The 5th graders chose a famous black person from anywhere in the world that they considered worthy of being on a postage stamp. The project turned out pretty decent and the students did a good job of applying research skills and their postage stamps were creative. This year, I'm having my 3rd-5th graders complete the project. The template I used for the 5th graders is readjusted for each grade level--all end up asking for facts, an event including year, and a justification statement as to why the individual deserves to be on a postage stamp. It's nothing fancy, but here is the link to an example. Students will use three different resources: book, online database (World Book Online), and the Internet. Students will use each resource as a different center--15 min looking through a book, 15 minutes looking through World Book Online, and 15 minutes searching the Internet. This allows for student management by group sizes because I only have 12 computers currently and I want everyone to be able to use that resource. The hope is that this project guides students to learn about other eras besides Civil Rights and modern day pop star singers/rappers. Having students get to know famous figures that are beginning to get lost in the shuffle--Sojourner Truth, Nelson Mandela, Duke Ellington, Joe Louis, Mahalia Jackson, Wangari Maathai,Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, Wilma Rudolph, Lonnie G. Johnson, Mae Jemison, Louis Armstrong--that would expand their knowledge base a considerable amount. Image courtesy of zole4 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
During Memorial Day weekend, my mom and I drove to Columbia, MO for a half marathon I was running. The concept of this race series is very inspiring. It's called the Go Girl Run and it took place in three cities in MO. It's an all female half marathon, so I already felt empowered by the amazing women I was around. Part of the proceeds of the run went to charities that aided women in need. How great!
On the way there, we started listening to the audiobook Vive La Paris by Esme Raji Codell. I LOVED her book, Sahara Special, so I don't know why it took me forever to get to this book (as the little mantra goes through my mind, "too many books, so little time"). This book focuses on 5th grader Paris and her life lessons learned through multiple characters: her piano teacher, Mrs. Rosen, her brother Michael, and his bully, Tanaeja.
Paris takes you through time spent practicing the piano with Mrs. Rosen, a Holocaust survivor. Mrs. Rosen spares no time dispensing advice or her opinions (which come with a side of humor). Paris thinks she has got it all figured out, but you come to find out that her view needs some readjusting or as Mrs. Rosen puts it, Paris needs to view the world through "rose-colored glasses".
Paris divulges about her anger towards classmate, Tanaeja, who bullies her 13-year-old brother, Michael, out on the playground daily. She shares this anger with Michael, who brushes it off and responds that he won't hit a girl. When Paris doesn't get the response she wants from Michael, she goes to Mrs. Rosen. Mrs. Rosen lets Paris know that maybe she needs to talk with Tanaeja to figure out the problem or try and be friends with her.
Around this time Michael starts joining in on Paris's piano lessons by singing along. Mrs. Rosen decides that with enough practice they can take their show on the road...to the local retirement home. Their show is a hit! Paris notices for the first time just how genuinely happy Michael is to be able to sing in front of an audience.
The happiness for Paris is short-lived with a gift that Mrs. Rosen bestows to her. This part of the novel is when you realize just how young and naive Paris is, but also just how much every student in America needs to read this novel. It brings about a powerful, and at times both delightful and sad ending.
You know how you have those moments where the joke or story is so funny (or at least you think so), that you have trouble telling it because you start laughing?Yeah, well… I had that moment the other night.My mom, sister, and I were attending The Muny and before the show started I decided to read a short story from Guys Read: Funny Business, edited by Jon Scieszka. I was to a “Three Stooges” slapstick funny part and started laughing—well, of course my mom and sister wanted to know what was so funny.I did a good job of setting up the beginning of the story, but started giggling when coming up to the funny part.The short and sweet of it—the story is written by David Yoo and all I really need to say is that it contains a somersault-turning, ball kicking turkey named Travis and author’s run in with a tree.
This book is so clever!Its short humorous stories, so it’s not an intimidating read.One story a day and by the end, the reader feels accomplished because they’ve finished a novel.I'd also recommend using the illustrations at the beginning of each story to prompt a writing assignment. At the same time, if you are an educator, you will be seeing classroom applications very deceptively tucked into each short story.For example, Kate DiCamillo and Jon Scieszka co-author the story, “Your Question For Author Here”.It’s back and forth letter-writing between a boy and an author (that he only picked to annoy a girl in his class).The boy doesn’t want to write to the author, but it’s part of a school assignment and he doesn’t want to get in trouble with his teacher or parents (again).The banter between the two is humorous and so unbelievable that the boy’s teacher doesn’t even believe the exchange occurred—this little issue is remedied in the most awesome way.
One of the many things I love about short story anthologies from authors that write children’s and young adult literature, is that students get a sampler of their work and can continue on to the author’s other books.I mean, who wouldn’t want to pick up a book edited by Jon Scieszka?! With stories by David Lubar, Christopher Paul Curtis, Eoin Colfer, etc, etc, etc.(Oh and by the way, my mom stole my book after I couldn’t get through the funny scene so she could read it—don’t worry, she eventually returned it).
Scieszka, J. E. (2010). Guys read: funny business. New York, NY: Walden Pond Press.
The Shadows by Jacqueline West, the first book in a new series entitled The Books of Elsewhere.The plot sounds eerily similar to Coraline by Neil Gaiman—Olive and her parents have just moved.Olive sets about exploring the house, finds an alternate world (Elsewhere), is determined to figure out the mystery surrounding this world, and while her parents are absent has a battle against the evil force that wants to keep her trapped in Elsewhere.Where does the Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett part come in?Elsewhere can only be accessed through paintings that are throughout the house (oh, and a pair of spectacles).
Olive discovers that her house is already occupied by three talking cats.The main cat is Horatio, who has a very dry sense of humor.My appreciation for that brand of humor must be increasing because I found myself laughing out loud at several parts of the story.
A chain reaction is set off when Olive enters the first portrait and meets a little (real?) boy, Morton, whom she takes back with her into the real world.Horatio warns Olive to restrain herself from entering more portraits because “he” will start to notice.Olive does consider Horatio’s warning, but continues into the portraits throughout the house.She is lonely and bored and this is her only form of adventure in a new neighborhood where everyone on the street is old enough to be her grandparent.
While Olive is in the paintings she notices shadows that move of their own accord and swirl throughout the night sky.When she questions the subjects within the paintings, they hush her as soon she wants to know who’s behind it all.It turns out that Olive has caught the attention of Mr. McMartin, who was the original owner of the house.He is the artist behind these paintings that he bewitched.Did I mention he’s been dead for over 100 years?He makes his ominous return with the help of an unsuspecting ally.Who can Olive trust?
Typically, the first book in a series leaves you on a cliff hanger, but The Shadows won’t leave any reader frustrated in that respect.It does leave one wondering what Olive’s next adventure will be.Will she be able to rescue all the people Mr. McMartin trapped in the painting of Linden Street?Will she figure out how to bring Morton back to a more human state, so he can finally go back home?
