It's Monday, What are you reading? September 15, 2014

It's Monday! What are you Reading is a meme began by Sheila at Book Journeys as a way to share what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and what is in store for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading. I first learned about it from Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki of Unleashing Readers and have become a regular linked up blog. Thanks #PLN

We are really focusing on book care in our library lessons because I  am seeing some signs of book neglect just two weeks into book circulation. I really like using What Happened to Marion's Book because kids can relate to Marion's neglectful book care habits and can offer wise suggestions for how to better handle books while reading.





Prekinder three year old students have begun to settle down into a daily school routine and no longer spend half the day crying for mommies. They are learning how to share, take turns, and listen to their teachers. It was time to introduce No, David! by David Shannon. They laughed and laughed and especially laughed at naked butt David running down the street.

 In continuing our reading and creating of dots for Dot Day, I read Press Here by Herve Tullet and made a humungous  mistake by uttering the phrase "Viola! each time the dots changed. It was actually quite funny. Little 4 year olds would shout Viola for every little thing that happened and later in the school hallways when I would walk by "Viola!" I can just picture how they went home and tortured their parents over and over with Viola!

Another favorite book for Dot Day is Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes. The endpapers are similar to Press Here in that they are covered in dots. In the story, kitten notices a little bowl of milk up in the sky (the moon) and tried many attempts to get to that tasty looking milk. Finally after landing into a pond she sadly heads home sad and soaking wet to discover a bowl of milk on the porch waiting for her. It is so sweet.

14 Cows for America is one of my favorite books in our school library. I read it to library classes on Patriot Day/Sept. 11th day. Paired with glowing earth toned illustrations is a story of compassion and friendship between two countries brought together from the pain and sadness experienced on September 11, 2001.  (author Carmen Agra Deedy)

This was a 2010 Texas Bluebonnet Award nominee and here is my Bluebonnet Book Club lesson.  

I am still reading Rebel McKenzie by Candice Ranson for my Bluebonnet Book Club and so far I really like it. 

Enjoying the Holidays #IMWAYR December 16, 2013

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme began by Sheila at Book Journeys as a way to share what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and what is in store for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading. I first learned about it at Teach Mentor Texts. 

Last week, I hosted my annual "Christmas Card" to the community. I hosted a Family Reading Celebration filled with story-times, crafts, special guest appearances, and lots of families. It was lovely and so much fun. I found myself dreading to write my It's Monday post so I took a mental vacation from writing. I am taking a partial mental vacation today too. With so many distractions lately-work, projects, presentations, Christmas shopping and holiday parties etc. there are not enough hours in the day to meet the demand. so I can either stress out or give myself permission to enjoy the moment. I choose the latter and I feel so happy with my decision. Life is enjoyable and stress free. I am still crazy busy with my two jobs and committee meetings but I am not letting it control me. 

I am focusing heavily on reading and reviewing the books on the Texas Bluebonnet Award master list 2013-2014.  I am reading aloud all the nominated picture books, helping my students finish up their Bluebonnet Book Club projects, and dropping big hints to Bluebonnet Trivia Contest questions. I made it tougher this year. Students have to read five of the nominated titles to vote in the electronic voting process but to receive an invitation to the Bluebonnet Breakfast, they must read eight books and compete five book projects. Students have a full year to reach this goal. 

Assemble your own dinosaur activity.

Here are some really good resources for Barnum's Bones

Want to learn more about Barnum's Bones, check out Tracey Fern's author website

Barnum's Bones Teaching Guide by Tracey Fern

This is such a terrific biography about a boy named after the famous circus entrepreneur  P. T. Barnum who grew up with a passion for fossil hunting that eventually led to the discovery of the world's most famous dinosaur-the Tyrannosaurus  Rex. What a flamboyant and debonair character he must have been. Snappy dresser, dancer, and with a nose for finding fossils. The students thoroughly enjoyed listening and asking questions about Barnum Brown and fossil hunting. They made excellent connections to what they were learning in science. We will be using the "Assemble your own Dinosaur" activity that Webb Elementary librarian, Lisa Trevino shared with me at one of our Librarian Meet Ups. She is a really cool librarian and she always has great ideas to share. 

I also read many holiday themed books this week. Here are some favorites:

Snow Bunny's Christmas Wish was predictable but we all still loved it because it turned out the way we wanted it to. Sometimes, predictable is OK as long as we are satisfied with the way it makes us feel.  

Time to go watch the Survival Finale and flip back and forth to Masterpiece Theater's Downton Abbey season 3. I can hardly wait for the January premier of season 4.

Dot Day, David, and Turtle 2013 #IMWAYR

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme began by Sheila at Book Journeys as a way to share what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and what is in store for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading. I first learned about it at Teach Mentor Texts. 


Of course we are reading The Dot and celebrating DOT DAY!

It's funny how a one day celebration of creativity can stretch out into three weeks of fun and learning. Every student from the PK 3-year old class to our sixth graders have now listened to the story of Vashti's journey into discovering the artist in herself. 

We have been searching for dots, creating our dots, and obliterating our library with dots! We are even covering Ame Dyckman's Bot with Dots! (picture will be forthcoming=Think Boy + Bot + Dot). We are calling it "Let's Give Bot the Chicken Pox" and covering our giant size Bot in dots. 

Here is our good buddy, Mr. Bones, the Library Watch Dog reading The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds. Way to go Mr. Bones!

One of our favorite reads this week:

PK 3 year olds are still having to brush up on good behavior expectations for school. They are having a hard time transitioning to life within a school routine and have a tendency to just get up and walk around their classroom when the mood strikes them. I decided I could help their teacher out by sharing one of my favorite stories with them- No David by David Shannon. As we read the story, I encouraged students to tell me if David was showing good behavior or naughty behavior. This is always a hit with the little ones.  Personally, David freaks me out a little with those sharp fangs. 

I love this activity: Texas teacher Michelle Ayala took her Kinder class on a hunt for David in her school. Naughty David left his messy paint splattered hands all over the school making it easy for kids to track him. Ms. Ayala's Kinder class was determined to locate David and explain the best way to be a good student in school before he did something crazy like climb up up above the white board. Oh no, too late! Read more about here at: Kinder Fun







Book Club Read:
Turtle in Paradise by Jenni Holm
Want to join the fun? Read Turtle in Paradise and join us on Monday, September 23 at 9 pm EST/8 CST. Use the hashtag #virtualbookclub on Twitter to connect with fellow readers. 
Summary from Common Sense Media
When her mother gets a job as a housekeeper for a rich woman who will not abide children, 11-year-old Turtle is sent to live with her relatives in Key West. This all happens during the Great Depression, and no one is living too high off the hog, especially the Conches. However, a place is made for her, and her cat, and they all make do. Turtle pitches in with the group of boys that include her cousins and their friends, fishes for sponges with Slow Poke (who turns out to be her dad), builds a relationship with her grumpy grandmother, searches for treasure -- and finds it.  In the end, she learns important lessons about what having real family means, and that life often does not have a "Hollywood ending," even when it turns out.

Visit my 2011 Bluebonnet Book Club page: Turtle in Paradise
Visit the Jenni Holm's website to hear what inspired her to write Turtle in Paradise. 

I like this book trailer for Turtle in Paradise but the music is all wrong for the era. 



Turtle in Paradise activities:

This activity comes from Kids Blog
In this story Turtle finds a map. If you like maps and the idea of following one to find something, give these a try.
You can use the Map Machine to make your own map.

• National Parks Service **Reading a Map** Activity & Quiz
• National Geographic **Map Machine**. Enter your address and the machine will show you a road map of your neighborhood, satellite view of your neighborhood and sometimes a bird’s eye view too. Cool!

Happy International Dot Day (week) go forth and read for fun!

Goal!

Picture Book Month

Day 24 theme: Sports

Author/Illustrator of the Day: Don Tate

In a dusty township in South Africa, Ajani and his friends have earned a brand-new, federation-size soccer ball.  They kick. They dribble. They run. They score. These clever boys are football champions! But when a crew of bullies tries to steal their ball, will Ajani and his friends be able to beat them at their own game?

Goal is one of my favorite sports books because it captures the joy that football, or soccer as we in America call it, brings to kids around the world and incorporates multicultural literature into the classroom. Goal also captures the ingenuity of children's thinking when it comes to dealing with bullies. For American children, it offers a glimpse into a world different than their own. The illustrations are bold and action pack and the energy of the story snatches you up having you look left, then right and aiming for your own goal. A wonderful read aloud for everyone who loves the joy of a game well played and for children triumphing bad things in the world.

GOAL Resources

Hear Mina Javaherbin tell why she wrote Goal and hear an excerpt from Goal.

Bluebonnet Book Club GOAL!

Map Activity: Ajani and his friends live in South Africa. Take a look at this interactive map of Africa. Once you locate South Africa, click on it to learn more.

Book Dads interview with Mina Javaherbin

Listen to internet radio with bookdads on Blog Talk Radio

Looking for an electrifying thriller!

Getting in the spirit of Halloween with Great Books for Kids

Victor Godwin's orderly life is upended when he discovers that Benjamin Franklin never actually died–he was put in suspended animation and hidden away for more than 200 years in Victor's basement!

After an accident awakens Ben, Victor must not only help him adjust to the modern world but also help him overcome a slight flaw–when Ben runs low on energy, he turns into a rampaging monster desperately hungry for electricity. All this, while Victor tries to take first place in the school science fair. With one of history's preeminent scientists helping out, what could possibly go wrong? (source: Matthew McElligott)

Read Chapter 1 and 2: Benjamin Franklinstein Lives!

There are three titles in this series. I wonder if there will be any more?

The REAL Benjamin Franklin


Ben Franklin Fun Facts:
Benjamin Franklin is the only founding father in the Swimming Hall of Fame. 
as a youth, he didn't have much extra money. Franklin decided to become a vegetarian. He believed that eating a vegetarian diet was healthier than a diet filled with meat. In addition, meat was much more expensive, so by becoming a vegetarian, Franklin could save money to spend on books.

Benjamin Franklin loved to read, but he when he was young, he was very poor and could not afford books. What did he do? He gave up meat which was expensive and became a vegetarian. By saving money, Ben was able to save money to purchase books. He also felt it was a much healthier lifestyle.

The Quotable Ben Franklin

Benjamin Franklin was a gifted speaker. In fact, he LOVED to talk and talk and talk. He was so good saying things that people began to "quote" him. This means they repeated what he said because they felt his words were important and had meaning for their lives. Plus, B.F, was a pretty funny guy.
Here are websites with some of Benjamin Franklin's best quotes:

The Electric Ben Franklin 

Notable Quotes

Brainy Quotes-Benjamin Franklin

The Quotations Page-Benjamin Franklin

Social Studies for Kids-Franklin Quotes



What is a Pen Name?

Create a Pen Name.pdf

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A pen name is a fictitious, or made up name, that an author uses when writing. Many authors use pen names for many different reasons.

Ben Franklin was a writer. In fact, he wrote several articles and letter to the editor of his newspaper using made up names, or a pen name. Why? He knew the importance of getting people to talk about important topics just like people use Twitter today. In fact, Ben would have made a great Tweeter.

He also drew cartoons like the snake cut into pieces that represent the American Colonies. He encouraged them to join together to become an independent country away from English rule.

Other words that have the same meaning as the term "pen name "are: Nom de plume, Nom de guerre, alias, moniker or pseudonym.

Set up a science demonstration in the Library Science Center. This will count for a Bluebonnet Project.

1. Your project must include the following:
2. A title name for your science demo. Ex: Crack the Code (a demonstration using invisible ink to send spy messages).
3. Your name and grade level (Be proud, shout it out)
4. Clearly explain what you are demonstrating. Make sure to clearly label the parts used in the demonstration.
5. Your observations and comments.
6. Sources: Where did you get your idea from and how did you research the information.

Ms. Murphy will help you with all these details.

Create a Jux book, video, or Wordle based on an inventor that interests you. This will count for a Bluebonnet Project.


Experimental Fun with Franklin

• The Bottle Pipes
• The Lemon Battery
• Letterpress Stamps
• The Thermometer
• 
  

Games

• Play Checkers with Ben Franklin
• Ben Franklin slider game
• Word Search: Ben Franklin the printer
• Word Search: Ben Franklin the Public Servant
• Word Search: Ben Franklin the Scientist / Inventor
• Word Search: Friends of Franklin