tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66605493565808588692024-03-12T18:25:22.238-07:00Classroom Book of the WeekKate Naritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02529436517277939555noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6660549356580858869.post-83072644576908749892012-01-23T14:46:00.000-08:002012-01-23T14:51:41.462-08:00INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR CAROLYN COMAN AND ILLUSTRATOR ROB SHEPPERSON<span style="font-weight:bold;">KN: The concept of a memory bank implies that memories are valuable. Please expand on that idea.</span><br /><br />CC: Beyond valuable, memory and dreams are incredibly delicious phenomena, the richest territory in the universe for an author and artist to mine. I felt like I’d fallen into a tub of butter getting to imagine the places and workings of memories and dreams and forgetting and remembering. Entering The Memory Bank was like an extended journey to the back of my brain, where practically all of the good stuff resides.<br /><br />RS: Wow. This question stumps me. Isn’t reading experiencing memory?<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">KN: Abandonment is one of human kind's deepest fears. How did you decide that Honey would be abandoned?</span><br /><br />CC: Very little is decided consciously, at least in the beginning of creating a story. Ideas and images present themselves, and often come as a surprise. We understood, at some level, that our main characters, Hope and Honey, were up against a tough situation. And we needed something striking to jumpstart the story and get them on the road to the Memory Bank (and Dump). More than anything we played with options. When this notion of abandoned-by-the-side-of-the-road came to us, we knew we knew we had gone a little (too) far, sailed right over the top. We more or less dared ourselves to pull it off. <br /><br />RS: Children feel abandoned everyday, dontcha think? A mother that we know has such trouble when dropping her daughter off at preschool that she brought an alarm clock. The mother would set the alarm for 1 minute, explaining to her daughter that she had to leave when the bell rang. I wonder what the daughter thinks now (she must be 20) whenever own clock goes off in the morning…<br />But that doesn’t answer your question does it? We didn’t ‘decide’ as much as follow the story.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">KN: Carolyn, please talk about your creative process. Do you use outlines, or other aides? If so, how and when?</span><br /><br />CC: The Memory Bank was my first book of true collaboration/co-creation. Rob and I made it together simultaneously, and our creative process developed and unfolded along with the book. We flew by the seat of our pants for the most part, trusted our instincts and didn’t analyze a partnership that was clearly working. The story grew out of an on-going conversation conducted in words and pictures—thousands of emails sent over a period of about 18 months. Sometimes Rob started the conversation with a picture, sometimes I did with a snippet of text or a question. Then we proceeded back and forth, building on anything that caught our fancy, that made us laugh or seemed to have juice. Bit by bit characters emerged, the places and workings of the Bank became clear. Later, editorial help from Stephen Roxburgh and Arthur Levine helped us refine the fundamental narrative drive of the story, the separation and reunion of the two sisters. Probably our main aides were the working dummies we created (with the help of ace Art Director Helen Robinson) so that we could see how the pictures and text were flowing together. Another aide for me was coffee. Rob and I tended to work at night. <br /><br /><br />KN: Rob, please talk about your creative process. Do you experiment with materials, perspective, and/or other artistic elements?<br /><br />I didn't experiment so much with materials, as with layout and perspective, with the Memory Bank building dictating where to place the "viewer". Generally, I considered the page a stage and followed the text’s stage directions, although I used quick pencil sketches for the Memory Bank because Carolyn and I were having an avalanche of story. When we were working, there were three in the room: Carolyn, me, and the Bank. <br /><br /><br />KN: Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?<br /><br />CC: Creating this book was the most fun and best time I’ve ever had making a book. I’m forever spoiled by having had simultaneous visual expression in the creation and unfolding of a story. <br /><br /> RS: What Carolyn wrote.Kate Naritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02529436517277939555noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6660549356580858869.post-28408244646501757262012-01-01T05:37:00.000-08:002012-01-01T05:52:14.666-08:00THE MEMORY BANK<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghjw3YeE026nueFN6NcO6D7rs1jntJq1cynnXAn7b0fuwYsVs0UtId3Ry8pQubNElUV3W5KOLVDsi5XEFrmnUTPtYsAS_yOHfGgIFLzRTT44lsGjtVd_EZrSDYRPbLx3LvUN0MjxiUUBOG/s1600/71027651.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 185px; height: 237px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghjw3YeE026nueFN6NcO6D7rs1jntJq1cynnXAn7b0fuwYsVs0UtId3Ry8pQubNElUV3W5KOLVDsi5XEFrmnUTPtYsAS_yOHfGgIFLzRTT44lsGjtVd_EZrSDYRPbLx3LvUN0MjxiUUBOG/s320/71027651.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692659295661592258" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">BY Carolyn Coman and Rob Shepperson<br />Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.<br />ISBN: 978-0-545-21066-9<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FROM THE FLAP</span>: The Clean Slate Gang and The World Wide Memory Bank Are At War.<br /><br />Lollipops have been found clogging the great machines that take in and store all the memories being formed in the world. Bonfires have been set. Practical jokes are gumming up the works. And the mischief is getting more serious.<br /><br />Caught in the middle is Hope Scroggins, who’s been summoned to the bank for failing to record New Memories. And THAT’S because her hideously awful parents told her to FORGET her beloved little sister, Honey, who is out there somewhere, needing her.<br /><br />Somehow Hope figures out that the World Wide Memory Bank holds the key to finding Honey, and maybe even a chance at happiness! But can she find it in time, before the Clean Slate Gang takes away her last, best shot at finding her sister?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">KATE’S TAKE</span>: A Roald Dahl-like fantasy that will make you cry, laugh, and yearn for more.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">DREAM JOURNALS</span> Visual/Spatial, Verbal/Linguistic, Intrapersonal<br /><br />Have students fold an 11 by 18 sheet of white paper in half and fill it with seven sheets of lined paper. Ask them to decorate the cover. Then, have them take it home and record their dreams for a week. Next, ask students to use of of their dreams as a story starter in writers’ workshop.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">GRAPHIC STORIES</span> Visual/Spatial, Verbal/Linguistic, Interpersonal<br /><br />Ask students to take a story they have written and depict the five plot points: the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution graphically. Then, pair students up. Ask one student to hold up his or her graphic story, and ask the partner to verbally retell the story based on the pictures.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">LOLLIPOP FRACTIONS</span> Visual/Spatial, Logical/Mathematical, Interpersonal<br /><br />Divide students into groups of three, and give each student an eight-by-eight inch circle. Some groups of three will work with 1/8, ¼, and ½ while the other groups of three will work with 1/6, 1/3 and ½. Each student decorates their lollipop. After they decorate their lollipop, they must cut it into one of the above mentioned fractions. Each person in each group is assigned a different fraction. Then, each student must trade lollipop sections with each person in his or her threesome to create a whole lollipop with three different designs.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">MEMIE BOXES</span> Visual/Spatial, Verbal/Linguistic, Intrapersonal<br /><br />Ask each student to write down his or her first memory, a memie. Then, show students how to fold origami boxes, and have him place his or her memory inside the box. You can find an origami diagram for a box here: <a href="http://en.origami-club.com/rectangular/long-box/long-box/index.html">http://en.origami-club.com/rectangular/long-box/long-box/index.html</a> These make great parent gifts. Thanks to Carolyn Coman for this activity.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">SUCROSE MOLECULES</span> Visual/Spatial, Interpersonal, Naturalistic<br /><br />Working in groups of three, have students create a 3-D model of a sucrose molecule. Give one student twenty-two small Styrofoam balls, give another student eleven medium-sized Styrofoam balls, and the third student twelve medium-sized Styrofoam balls. The student with the eleven medium-sized balls should paint them pink, while the student with the twelve medium-sized balls paints his purple. The third student can help the other two students paint their Styrofoam balls. Then, using toothpicks and the diagram at <a href="http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/candy/sugar.html">http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/candy/sugar.html</a> each student should assemble a 3-D diagram of a sucrose molecule.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">BOOK BUDDIES</span><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Charlie and the Chocolate Factory</span> by Roald Dahl<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">The Candymakers</span> by Wendy Mass<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">The Invention of Hugo Cabret</span> by Brian Selznick<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Wonderstruck</span> by Brian Selznick<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Writing Stories: Ideas, Exercises, and Encouragement for Teachers and Writers of All Ages</span> by Carolyn Coman<br /></span>Kate Naritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02529436517277939555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6660549356580858869.post-8975388193735340282011-10-10T23:30:00.000-07:002011-10-10T23:37:24.170-07:00THE PINSTRIPE GHOST<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk31gz6n-5V_HUv6H4Cgos5WUhhTbGXuvZn8uFOf8vwbOgmVkg4-2AQumOLLUdz0-o-FMFamiJDGJY5QXelCL6gGfJmMAAE4EtNR-QbaOx-DgflD3GhAr-oqQH9hmmixaBDsCRB2Br_KDx/s1600/62714825.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 128px; height: 188px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk31gz6n-5V_HUv6H4Cgos5WUhhTbGXuvZn8uFOf8vwbOgmVkg4-2AQumOLLUdz0-o-FMFamiJDGJY5QXelCL6gGfJmMAAE4EtNR-QbaOx-DgflD3GhAr-oqQH9hmmixaBDsCRB2Br_KDx/s320/62714825.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662119900285260162" /></a><br />By David A. Kelly<br />Publisher: Random House<br />ISBN: 978-0-375-86704-0<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FROM THE FLAP:</span> What’s the most famous ballpark in America? Yankee Stadium! And Mike and Kate are going there for three whole days. But even before the first pitch, the cousins hear a strange rumor—Babe Ruth’s ghost is haunting the new stadium. Chilly air comes blasting down a service hallway before every home game. The gusts are followed by a series of thumps and bumps. Is it the Babe searching for his missing locker?<br /><br />Catch all the Ballpark Mysteries!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">KATE’S TAKE:</span> The Yankees and ghosts! This autumn dynamic duo is a must have for the primary classroom.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">GHOST STORIES</span> Verbal/Linguistic and Visual/Spatial<br /><br />During writer’s workshop, ask students to craft their own ghost story. When they’re finished ask them to make an illustration for their story.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">HOMER HITTERS</span> Logical/Mathematical and Visual Spatial<br /><br />Ask students to make a graph of how many home runs five of the Yankee’s starters hit in 2010. Then find the maximum, minimum, range, mean, median, and mode. <br /><br />Robinson Cano 29<br />Curtis Granderson 24<br />Alex Rodriguez 30<br />Nick Swisher 29<br />Mark Teixeira 33<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">PINSTRIPE MAKE-A-WORD</span> Verbal/Linguistic<br /><br />At one of your reading stations, give students the letters that make the word, “pinstripe.” Challenge them to make as many words as possible by mixing up the letters. Then ask them to sort the words into two groups, those with the short i sound, and those with the long i sound.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />PINSTRIPE PATTERNS</span> Visual/Spatial and Logical/Mathematical<br /><br />Ask each student to draw a picture of him or herself wearing a pinstripe shirt. Challenge them to use complex patterns such as ABBA, ABBB, or ABBC.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">VENDOR MATH</span> Logical/Mathematical and Interpersonal<br /><br />For one of your reading stations, have students pretend to be running a hot dog stand. They’ll need to decide what items are for sale and how much they cost. In order to keep the activity accessible for all students, set a price limit such as $5. Then, give each student money and have them buy items from the stand. Give them challenges such as buy as many items as possible, spend exactly $4.50, save a dollar and so on.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">BOOK BUDDIES</span><br /><br />-<span style="font-style:italic;">The Astro Outlaw</span> by David A. Kelly<br />-<span style="font-style:italic;">Babe & Me: A Baseball Card Adventure</span> by Dan Gutman<br />-<span style="font-style:italic;">Babe Ruth and the Baseball Curse</span> by David A. Kelly<br />-<span style="font-style:italic;">The L.A. Dodger</span> by David A. Kelly<br />-<span style="font-style:italic;">The Fenway Foul-Up</span> by David A. KellyKate Naritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02529436517277939555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6660549356580858869.post-3418330923972370962011-09-12T00:55:00.000-07:002011-09-12T01:06:59.144-07:00INTERVIEW WITH NANCY BO FLOOD<span style="font-weight:bold;">KN: How did this story come to you?</span><br /><br />NBF: I lived on Saipan for about ten years, teaching and working with students, especially guiding their own writing about their island. I also worked with the man, Filipe Ruak, who survived hiding in the caves with this family during the war and then "saved the dances." His dance group was make of young men who danced the traditional dances, an important part of their culture. Dancing is part prayer, part being physically fit, part community connections.<br /><br />Filipe Ruak shared many stories about his childhood. When I said I was interested in writing a novel about the story of his people and how they survived the war, he asked me to do that. Filipe Ruak and his courage to tell his people's story is the reason I wrote Warriors in the Crossfire.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">KN: Is Suicide Cliff a national monument?</span><br /><br />NBF: Yes, Suicide Cliff is a national monument. You can stand at that cliff's edge, look straight down nearly a thousand feet, see the ocean crash against volcanic boulders and imagine. Slender white birds, fairy terns, swoop and circle the face of the cliff. Islanders believe they are the spirits of the people who died there. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">KN: How did you decide which Japanese characters to include in you chapter headings?</span><br /><br />NBF: The Japanese characters, the kanji, that begin each chapter were carefully selected. I wanted each character to reflect the heart, the theme, of each chapter. Sometimes I think of the nesting dolls in which one fits into another. The kanji character fits into the "little beginning poem" which fits within the chapter.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">KN: How did you develop the father/son theme?<br /></span><br />NBF: The father-son relationship seemed essential to Joseph's learning about the deeper meaning of being a warrior. Joseph needed to understand the wisdom of his father and his Japanese teacher, Sensei, to let grow from being a boy and becoming a man.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">KN: Is there anything else you'd like to tell us?</span><br /><br />NBF: I did indeed swim with the turtles and sharks. I wanted to have the courage to hold onto a turtle by its shell and RIDE. I didn't have the courage to do that but I did paddle my kayak over the reef and wait for the sharks to come near (out of curiosity not hunger!). I put on my mask and snorkel and felt the terror of being in the deep dark water with a shark swimming beneath me.Kate Naritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02529436517277939555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6660549356580858869.post-74951639078794430652011-09-05T11:41:00.000-07:002011-09-09T11:41:07.985-07:00WARRIORS IN THE CROSSFIRE<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0QUdAhUR0tliFmzmpvICx22xf1KM-GwMTTCRJLDD6gyJg2kNzwE7aSUKBqPUuxW9Q6FkiEYhmqu00iRBLjgOTEMK-r6OzDQUE6jzgpKFm7j5YcbqVScnGmwzgeQpC0_nIBXKa_361L_CG/s1600/96764659.GIF"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 80px; height: 120px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0QUdAhUR0tliFmzmpvICx22xf1KM-GwMTTCRJLDD6gyJg2kNzwE7aSUKBqPUuxW9Q6FkiEYhmqu00iRBLjgOTEMK-r6OzDQUE6jzgpKFm7j5YcbqVScnGmwzgeQpC0_nIBXKa_361L_CG/s320/96764659.GIF" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5648948655068215554" /></a><br />By Nancy Bo Flood<br /><br />Publisher: Front Street<br /><br />ISBN: 978-1-59078-661-1<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FROM THE FLAP:</span> Where could they hide? The Japanese would shoot anyone in the caves. The Americans would eat the children. Who could they trust? Joseph didn’t know. There was no one left to ask. The explosions kept coming closer.<br /><br />In the final months of WWII, the tiny South Pacific island of Saipan provided a vital buffer between Japan and the advancing American forces. Japan vowed to defend these islands to the last man. One of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific war ensued—more than 30,000 Japanese and Americans lost their lives. These numbers do not include the natives who were killed—the Chamorro, Rafalawash, and Rapaganor—all caught in the crossfire.<br /><br />Based on historical events, this story unfolds through the eyes of Joseph and his half-Japanese cousin, Kento. These clear-voiced characters move convincingly through war and mounting pressure to take unimaginable horrors of Suicide Cliff, they discover, within themselves, what it means to become warriors. One boy’s journey through this little-known chapter of history illuminates the rich texture and culture of the island.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">KATE’S TAKE:</span> A harrowing WWII journey that celebrates family, friendship, and honor.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">BOATS THAT FLOAT</span> Visual/Spatial Logical/Mathematical<br /><br />Divide students into pairs. Give each pair a 12 by 12 inch piece of aluminum foil, ten tongue depressors, and a glue stick. Ask each pair to design a boat. Place each boat in a tub of water and see how many pennies each boat holds. If you want, have students graph the results and calculate the mean, medium, mode, maximum, minimum and range of pennies held by each pair’s boat.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">IMPRESSIONISTIC POEMS</span> Verbal/Linguistic Interpersonal Intrapersonal<br /><br />Write a brief poem modeled after the poems that lead into each chapter. Have students read their poems to the class. Although Ms. Flood’s poems are free-form, haiku and diamante poems work well with this activity, too.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">KANJI CHARACTERS</span> Visual/Spatial<br /><br />Give students a paper, brush, and black ink. Ask them to choose a Kanji character that speaks to them. They may choose one from the book, or pick one on line at http://www.japanese-symbols.org/popular-japanese-symbols . Then, ask them to paint the symbol.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">TURTLE AND SHARK ORIGAMI</span> Visual/Spatial Verbal/Linguistic<br /><br />Rewrite chapter two, Turtle and Shark, from the turtle or shark’s point of view. Then, fold an origami shark or turtle to accompany your story. http://en.origami-club.com/sea/index.html<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">WIND IN THE WILLOWS</span> Musical Interpersonal Intrapersonal<br /><br />Gather the class in a circle and ask one member to step forward and name a song, musician, or type of music that the individual likes. Anyone else who likes the named song, person, or music steps into the circle. Repeat until everyone has had a turn. No one may step into the middle and repeat something that has been said before.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">BOOK BUDDIES</span> (These are all listed in the back of Ms. Flood’s book)<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">A Boy at War: A Novel of Pearl Harbor</span> by Harry Mazer<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">The Cay</span> by Theodore Taylor<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Eyes of the Emperor</span> by Graham Salisbury<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">House of the Red Fish</span> by Graham Salisbury<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Under the Blood-Red Sun</span> by Graham SalisburyKate Naritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02529436517277939555noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6660549356580858869.post-19747102734785213562011-05-22T14:05:00.000-07:002011-05-22T14:15:08.982-07:00A PLACE FOR FISH<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEV6_sgCKlv0x-_xDUCt0cblrqR9BNRXfeK_3-fQoo2YYvkSfPmRootCnbV4oTK71s8oy14mNJ0ctEvgmJXUYju7U24ABei7JICmU8987bDA546m_q26V1iKnXWkSKdzRMxIde2l17ENJQ/s1600/80550199.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 128px; height: 114px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEV6_sgCKlv0x-_xDUCt0cblrqR9BNRXfeK_3-fQoo2YYvkSfPmRootCnbV4oTK71s8oy14mNJ0ctEvgmJXUYju7U24ABei7JICmU8987bDA546m_q26V1iKnXWkSKdzRMxIde2l17ENJQ/s320/80550199.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609650606959321074" /></a><br />By Melissa Stewart<br />Publisher: Peachtree<br />ISBN: 978-1-56145-562-1<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FROM THE FLAP</span>: Fish make our world a better place. But sometimes people do things that make it hard for them to live and grow.<br /><br />In simple yet informative language, A Place For Fish introduces young readers to ways human action or inaction can affect fish populations and open kids’ minds to a wide range of environmental issues. Describing various examples—from Florida’s spotted trunkfish to the Atlantic salmon—the text provides an intriguing look at fish, at the ecosystems that support their survival, and at the efforts of some of the people to save them.<br /><br />In the back of the book, the author offers readers a list of things they can do to help protect these special creatures in their own communities.<br /><br />Artist Higgins Bond’s glorious full-color illustrations vividly and accurately depict their fish and their surroundings.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">KATE’S TAKE</span>: Splash into summer with Melissa Stewart’s, A Place for Fish. Stewart’s dual-level text is perfect for book buddy programs or classrooms with a large spread in ability levels.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">CATCH BASIN LABELING PROGRAMS</span> Naturalist and Interpersonal<br />Are you looking for a low cost field trip for the end of the year? Participate in your town’s catch basin label program or have your class start one in your community. Storm drains do not flow into a city’s water treatment plant, they flow directly into the surrounding bodies of water. So help your city spray paint, “No dumping. Drains to lake/creek/river,” signs on your town’s catch basins. Check out Santa Rosa’s city site for more details: <a href="http://ci.santa-rosa.ca.us/DEPARTMENTS/UTILITIES/STORMWATERCREEKS/OUTREACH/HOMEPOLLUTE/Pages/CB_Labeling.aspx">http://ci.santa-rosa.ca.us/DEPARTMENTS/UTILITIES/STORMWATERCREEKS/OUTREACH/HOMEPOLLUTE/Pages/CB_Labeling.aspx</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FISH LIFE CYCLE DIAGRAMS</span> Naturalist, Visual/Spatial, and Linguistic<br />Have students diagram a fish’s life cycle. The University of Michigan has an excellent link for intermediate teachers that includes worksheets: <a href="http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/flow/pdf/U3/FLOW-U3-L3-MICHU-08-403.pdf">http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/flow/pdf/U3/FLOW-U3-L3-MICHU-08-403.pdf</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">MAP IT OUT</span> Visual/Spatial and Interpersonal<br />Divide your class into partners. Give each group a photocopied map of North America. Assign each pair of partners a fish that is in Ms. Stewart’s book. Next, have each group shade in the area on their map where their assigned fish lives. If a group finishes early, have them research some basic facts about their fish.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">ORIGAMI FISH</span> Visual/Spatial<br />Check out this step-by-step engaging video to show your students how to fold origami fish: <a href="http://www.activitytv.com/751-goldfish">http://www.activitytv.com/751-goldfish</a><br />Be sure and use origami paper. Regular paper is too thick. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">SHARK BAR GRAPHS</span> Logical/Mathematical and Visual/Spatial<br />Give students a sheet of graph paper. Have them title their graph Shark Population Decline in the Atlantic Ocean since the 1990’s. Then have them label the side with numbers from 0 to 100%. I find that using 5% increments works well. On the bottom of the graph, ask them to make a column for each of the following sharks: blues, great whites, hammerheads, threshers, and tigers. Ask them to record the following information:<br /><br />Blue Sharks: 60% population decline<br />Great White Sharks: 79% population decline<br />Hammerhead Sharks: 89% population decline<br />Thresher Sharks: 80% population decline<br />Tiger Sharks: 65% population decline<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">BOOK BUDDIES</span>: <br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">A Place for Birds</span> by Melissa Stewart<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">A Place for Frogs</span> by Melissa Stewart<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Project Seahorse</span> by Pamela S. Turner<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion</span> by Loree Griffin Burns<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Trout, Trout, Trout: A Fish Chant</span> by April Pulley SayreKate Naritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02529436517277939555noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6660549356580858869.post-10653720029118833002011-04-23T03:59:00.000-07:002011-04-23T04:07:32.381-07:00THE CANDYMAKERS<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC3JMidi5x9O_Pg3m5MvHea95heHexCFo9Skq-LhlhP3cz_2YTQAjuymkKa45P6D_CCSlQfkr6_NWP8ouvuC8-7REhwSo2m9ySWGoMrBLuhLrSKQDgKT2918BbOjWqGG6rdkjLAqJbMb32/s1600/77692344.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 128px; height: 186px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC3JMidi5x9O_Pg3m5MvHea95heHexCFo9Skq-LhlhP3cz_2YTQAjuymkKa45P6D_CCSlQfkr6_NWP8ouvuC8-7REhwSo2m9ySWGoMrBLuhLrSKQDgKT2918BbOjWqGG6rdkjLAqJbMb32/s320/77692344.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598733228596427938" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">By Wendy Mass<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Publisher:</span> Little, Brown and Company<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">ISBN:</span> 978-0-316-00258-5<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FROM THE FLAP:</span> In the town of Spring Haven, four children have been selected to compete in the national candymaking contest of a lifetime. Who will make a candy more delicious than the Oozing Crunchorama or the Neon Yellow Lightning Chew?<br /><br />Logan, the candymaker’s son, who can detect the color of chocolate by feel alone?<br /><br />Miles, the boy allergic to rowboats and the color pink?<br /><br />Daisy, the cheerful girl who can lift a fifty-pound lump of taffy as if it were a feather?<br /><br />Philip, the suit-and-tie-wearing boy who’s always scribbling in a secret notebook?<br />The contestants face off in a battle of wits and sugar, but soon they realize that things are not what they seem, and they find themselves in a candy-filled world of surprises, suspense, and mouthwatering creations.<br /><br />In this charming and cleverly crafted story, award-winning author Wendy mass cooks up a delectable concoction of mystery, friendship, and juicy revelations.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">KATE’S TAKE:</span> A sweet treat(couldn’t help myself)for middle grade novel enthusiasts just in time for Easter!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">CANDY OF THE CENTURY:</span> Verbal/Linguistic and Visual/Spatial<br />Ask students to write an essay describing their candy of the century—be sure to include a creative and original name. Then, give them white model magic so they can build and decorate their masterpieces.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">CRACK THE CODE:</span> Verbal/Linguistic<br />Miles often speaks backwards. Spice up some comprehension questions by writing them out backwards. Students have to decipher them before answering them in complete sentences. I’ve made an example you’re free to use. I’ve posted it after the Book Buddies section.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">GRATITUDE NOTEBOOKS:</span> Intrapersonal and Verbal/Linguistic<br />Give each student a small notebook and sometime during the day, have them write down five things they’re grateful for just like Logan lists five things he’s grateful for every night before bed. This is a good activity to do right before or right after a transition.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">MUSICAL MOMENTS:</span> Musical and Interpersonal<br />Philip constantly writes melodies down in his notebook. Working in pairs, have students write four measures of music. Then, they can play their compositions on a glockenspiel or a xylophone.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">OBSTACLE COURSE:</span> Interpersonal and Bodily Kinesthetic<br />Since Daisy is a spy, she has to do lots of physical training, but she’s not used to working with teammates. But in order to win the contest, she ends up having to work together with the other contestants. In the gymnasium, divide the class into two groups. Have props spread out from one end of the of the gym to the other, a few hula hoops, jump ropes, exercise rings, a scooter per team, and put a large exercise mat in the center of the gym. Students have to work with their teammates to get the whole team from one end of the gym to the other. They may not step on the floor unless they are inside a hula hoop, and the hula hoops can’t move. If someone steps on the floor, the whole team goes back to the start.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">BOOK BUDDIES:</span><br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Because of Mr. Terupt</span> by Rob Buyea<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Charlie and the Chocolate Factory</span> by Roald Dahl<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">My Life in Pink and Green</span> by Lisa Greenwald<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">The Cupcake Queen</span> by Heather Hepler<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">The Mysterious Benedict Society</span> by Trenton Lee Stewart<br /><br />CRACK THE CODE QUESTIONS<br />1. Ohw si rouy etirovaf retcarahc dna yhw?<br />2. Dlouw uoy tnaw ot eb a yps ekli ysiaD, yhw ro yhw ton?<br />3. Fi uoy dlouc yalp yna tnemurtsni sa llew sa pilihP hcihw eno dlouw uoy yalp dna yhw?<br />4. Yhw seod seliM kniht tuoba eht efilvetfa?<br />5. Od uoy kniht nagoL lliw esoohc ot evah niks shparg enod to ega 41, yhw ro yhw ton?<br /></span>Kate Naritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02529436517277939555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6660549356580858869.post-84548034747323943462011-03-13T04:10:00.000-07:002011-03-13T04:16:44.909-07:00THE DANGER BOX<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit3tye52kXXetjJg1lS5KKk3ETWoVPWW4aWr2TTy4mBRVDj4a_aWsckGfa9MpVb_JBKZgoAX5bNa64MBB57QMy68kFcDeh_4vUejbC0IUoMOLEOB2qaM-JtbFevvmra3bj6zLicg93Pquc/s1600/62687976.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 128px; height: 193px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit3tye52kXXetjJg1lS5KKk3ETWoVPWW4aWr2TTy4mBRVDj4a_aWsckGfa9MpVb_JBKZgoAX5bNa64MBB57QMy68kFcDeh_4vUejbC0IUoMOLEOB2qaM-JtbFevvmra3bj6zLicg93Pquc/s320/62687976.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583521688365510578" /></a><br />By Blue Balliet<br />Publisher: Scholastic Press<br />ISBN: 978-0-439-85209-8<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FROM THE FLAP:</span> A boy in a small town who has a different way of seeing. A curious girl who doesn’t belong. A mysterious notebook. A missing father. A fire. A stranger. A death. These are some of the things you’ll find within the danger box, the new mystery from Blue Balliet. Open with care.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">KATE’S TAKE:</span> This mystery pulls readers in and doesn’t let go until the last page.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">CODE CRACKERS</span> Visual/Spatial, Verbal/Linguistic, and Interpersonal<br /><br />Ask each student to write a question about a story element in the book. Then, have each pupil rewrite the question using the code on page thirty-eight of the book. After the questions are rewritten in code, ask students to exchange questions and have them crack the code and answer the questions.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">DARWIN DIORAMAS</span> Visual/Spatial<br /><br />Ask students to create a diorama of Darwin’s trip to the Galapagos Islands based on information found in the book.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">GAS GAZETTES</span> Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, and Verbal/Linguistic<br /><br />Ask each student to write a “Gas Gazette” about him or herself at the beginning of the school year. When you send home your newsletter, include one of the “Gas Gazettes” with each newsletter. This is a great way to introduce the “star of the week” if you implement Responsive Classroom techniques.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">HOMETOWN HOTSPOTS</span> Verbal/Linguistic, Visual/Spatial, and Interpersonal<br /><br />Ask pairs of children to build a scale cardboard model of a famous town or state landmark. When all the models are built, students can take a walking tour of the town or state. Special thanks to Derek O’Riorden for this great end of the year activity.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">LIKELY LISTS</span> Verbal/Linguistic and Interpersonal<br /><br />Next time you study biographies, ask each student to make up a list of words that describes their famous person. After students have presented their biography book reports, number the lists and post them around the room. Ask students to write down the name of the famous person that each list describes.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">BOOK BUDDIES</span><br />-<span style="font-style:italic;">Charles and Emma: The Darwin’s Leap of Faith</span> by Deborah Heiligman<br />-<span style="font-style:italic;">Masterpiece</span> by Elise Broach<br />-<span style="font-style:italic;">The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate</span> by Jacqueline Kelly<br />-<span style="font-style:italic;">The Puzzling World of Winston Breen</span> by Eric Berlin<br />-<span style="font-style:italic;">The Westing Game</span> by Ellen RaskinKate Naritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02529436517277939555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6660549356580858869.post-1776245862841413322011-02-21T14:11:00.000-08:002011-02-21T14:16:05.979-08:00INTERVIEW WITH KIM NORMAN, AUTHOR OF TEN ON THE SLED<span style="font-weight:bold;">1. I love the alliterative action that occurs when each animal escapes the sled. Would you please talk about why you chose to use alliterative phrases when each animal exits the sled?</span><br /><br />I confess, I'm a sucker for alliteration. If I'd been a 1950s movie star, I'd definitely have been one of the alliteration queens like Marilyn Monroe or Diana Dors. Also, I knew this would be a way to strengthen the educational opportunities within the text, which already has several lesson-friendly elements such as numbers (counting-down) and science (arctic animals.)<br /><br />I never make education the main focus of any of my books; it's always about simply creating a fun book, at the start. But once I've gotten down the bones, I do try to think in terms of educational possibilities. Choosing alliterative verbs serves several functions. First, it adds to the quality of language. To me, sounds are as important in language as meaning, especially because I mostly write picture books, which are meant to be read aloud.<br /><br />Secondly, I think of verbs as the engine of any sentence. The stronger the engine, the farther the "car" (the sentence) will take me. I always tell older elementary students during author school visits that I'd rather use a single strong verb than a weak verb propped up by an adverb. And, of course, choosing a different verb for each animal also stretches the vocabulary in the book. Even if it's a verb with which the young reader is unfamiliar, LIza Woodruff's marvelous (and hilarious!) illustrations make it clear to the reader exactly what's happening in each scene.<br /> <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2. In addition to alliteration, each spread uses different action words that rhyme. Would you please talk about one rhyming action pair that was particularly challenging or one rhyming action pair that you thought of immediately?</span><br /><br />That wasn't too hard, although it might have become a bigger challenge if I'd had to write more than ten stanzas. Some couplets were easy because certain words about a sled race, (snowing/going, riding/gliding) were easy to rhyme. Two couplets that were hardest to come up with were,<br /><br />"Great thunder! Duck under!" (where Liza shows the sledders ducking under fir trees)<br /><br />and "We're lighter! Hold tighter!" (immediately after the heavy walrus has "whirled out.")<br /><br />Reading the words now, paired with Liza's illustrations, those couplets seem very organic to the story. But the words came long before the illustrations were drawn, so it wasn't as obvious back then. I had to think in terms of visual scenes, asking myself, "What else could happen during this race?" In picture book writing, the author always has to come up with visual variety in the actions so that the illustrator isn't just drawing the same scene over and over again.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3. How did you come up with the idea of having the snowball race the sled?<br /></span><br />I wish I could take the credit, but it's all thanks to my lovely critique group, which includes clever Joe Kulka (www.joekulka.com) an illustrator in my group. The first draft I submitted to the group was much more stagnant and true to its inspiration, "Ten in the Bed." I had everyone falling off the sled, but not much else happening. Joe read the manuscript and said, "This is fine, but let's remember this is a sled, a much more dynamic setting than a bed." Then he described how he would illustrate the story; that he'd show the ejected animals collecting into a big snowball which begins to race with the sled. I quickly rewrote, based on Joe's brilliant suggestion. I think it was at that point that I came up with the alliterative "falling-off" verbs, but I can't remember exactly. Perhaps I had already employed that device in the first draft.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">4. I know you live in Virginia, but have you ever been sledding?</span><br /><br />Not often, I confess. I like to brag that we have the best sledding hill in town, right behind our house. That's true, but since we live in a town on a relatively flat, tidal plain, it's pretty anemic in comparison to magnificent Alaskan mountains. Coincidentally, as I write this, there are sledders behind my house, since we had a little snowfall last night. That's another reason I don't often get to enjoy sledding, since snow is not as common here in southeastern Virginia as in Maine, where many of my relatives live.<br /> <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">5. Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?</span><br /><br />Just that I'm pleased to be featured on your blog, Kate, and really grateful for the clever lessons you created to go with my book! Thank you so much!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">It's my pleasure. Thank you, Kim, for the fantastic book!</span>Kate Naritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02529436517277939555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6660549356580858869.post-47256196341879521542011-02-07T00:22:00.000-08:002011-02-07T00:28:46.064-08:00BECAUSE OF MR. TERUPT<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuK9_4WQ5njeaT42X53Jb2JrtGU0qOtUcWWoZzhz6xgM0g6dGYRZTeygUnh6lSU1I9ZGTeCphN_tXP2sb7aQo-7TPNNQ1cvYOALutzDQzZL8-snYy6w9LqN9hlEzLQUOCNShsL8k_4P_R5/s1600/65491585.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 128px; height: 193px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuK9_4WQ5njeaT42X53Jb2JrtGU0qOtUcWWoZzhz6xgM0g6dGYRZTeygUnh6lSU1I9ZGTeCphN_tXP2sb7aQo-7TPNNQ1cvYOALutzDQzZL8-snYy6w9LqN9hlEzLQUOCNShsL8k_4P_R5/s320/65491585.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570861242415869858" /></a><br />By Rob Buyea<br />Publisher: Delacorte Press<br />ISBN: 978-0-385-73882-8<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FROM THE FLAP:</span> It’s the start of fifth grade for seven kids at Snow Hill School. There’s Jessica, the new girl, smart, perceptive, who’s having a hard time trying to fit in; Alexia, a bully, your friend one second, your enemy the next; Peter, class prankster and troublemaker; Luke, the brain; Danielle, who never stands up for herself; shy Anna, whose home situation makes her an outcast; and Jeffrey, who hates school.<br /><br />Only Mr. Terupt, their new and energetic teacher, seems to know how to deal with them all. He makes the classroom a fun place, even if he doesn’t let them get away with much… until the snowy winter day when an accident changes everything—and everyone.<br /><br />Rob Buyea’s engaging first novel features seven narrators, each with a unique story, and each with a different perspective on what makes their teacher special.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">KATE’S TAKE:</span> This book is a must read because it’s heartbreaking, heartwarming, and inspirational in every way.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">COLLABORATIVE CLASSROOM COMMUNITY</span> Interpersonal and Intrapersonal<br />Mr. Terupt’s students read The Summer of the Swans, by Betsy Byars, and then they regularly visit their school’s collaborative classroom in small groups. This is a great way to develop community, enhance self-esteem, increase communication, and eradicate stereotypes.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">DOLLAR WORDS</span> Logical/Mathematical and Verbal/Linguistic<br />Mr. Terupt assigns each letter a value, and challenges his students to make as many dollar words as possible. Here’s a sheet you can copy and paste, to have a ready-made activity for your class:<br /><br />Name: ________________________________ Date: ___________<br />DOLLAR WORDS <br />Each letter of the alphabet is worth a certain amount of cents. A is worth one cent, B is worth 2 cents, C is worth three cents and so on. First, fill in the value of each letter. Then, create as many dollar words as you can. Who will be the first person to find a dollar word? Who will create the most dollar words? All words need to be spelled correctly and be school appropriate.<br />A=1 B=2 C=3 D=__ E=__ F=__ G=__ H=__ I=__ J=__ K=__ L=__ M=__<br />N=__ O=__ P=__ Q=__ R=__ S=__ T=__ U=__ V=__ W=__ X=__ Y=__ Z=__<br />DOLLAR WORDS<br />_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________<br />This activity comes from Rob Buyea’s novel, Because of Mr. Terupt.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">PLANT POWER</span> Naturalist<br />Mr. Terupt’s students learn about phototropism, the direction of plant growth is determined by light source, geotropism, roots grow downward and plants grow upward even if a plant is turned sideways or upside down, and then concocted their own mixtures to see which ones would make their plants grow best. Pair up your kids in partners, and make sure you have a class control plant, one that gets to sit on the windowsill, right side up, and receives water every day. Each pair can plant a seed. Then, to study phototropism, put the plant in a box and punch a hole in the box. How does the plant grow? For geotropism, have students place their plants on their sides and watch what happens. As for students creating their own concoctions, ask them to bring in a list of ingredients they plan to use, a few days ahead of time. That way you won’t end up with a visit from the fire department. Poor Mr. Terupt!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">SHAPE POEMS</span> Visual/Spatial and Verbal/Linguistic<br />Because of Mr. Terupt celebrates each child’s individuality, and so does this activity. Have students sketch a full-body, self-portrait of themselves, on an 8x11 sheet of white paper. Next, ask each student to brainstorm twenty descriptive words that describe themselves and write them around their silhouette. After you’ve checked the spelling in pencil, have them trace their work with a Sharpie.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">WORRY DOLLS</span> Visual/Spatial<br />Some of the students make worry dolls in Mr. Buyea’s book, and your students can too, with these easy directions: <a href="http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/do/worrydoll.html">http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/do/worrydoll.html</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">BOOK BUDDIES:</span><br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Al Capone Does My Shirts</span> by Gennifer Choldenko<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Rules</span> by Cynthia Lord<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe</span> by C.S. Lewis<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">The Summer of the Swans</span> by Betsy Byars<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Where the Red Fern Grows</span> by Wilson RawlsKate Naritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02529436517277939555noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6660549356580858869.post-79114243926910895042011-01-30T15:07:00.000-08:002011-01-30T15:15:07.862-08:00THE RABBIT PROBLEM<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU3kYyhen24b6P7mRIYSFy8I-H5-ZW1splDyjv2OjMIXU8Q67zMhXELgeqDroTUl0VbMe6xKT2I9LaspaGOem8Q8iSNJ4HLMlD0YID_SWCCVPAcSJOBUejdYXXVppye_wCB-H8kFs5W5wc/s1600/70656365.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 128px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU3kYyhen24b6P7mRIYSFy8I-H5-ZW1splDyjv2OjMIXU8Q67zMhXELgeqDroTUl0VbMe6xKT2I9LaspaGOem8Q8iSNJ4HLMlD0YID_SWCCVPAcSJOBUejdYXXVppye_wCB-H8kFs5W5wc/s320/70656365.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568120922300696082" /></a><br />By Emily Gravett<br />Publisher: Simon and Schuster<br />ISBN: 978-1-4424-1255-2<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FROM THE FLAP:</span> This book is based on a problem that was solved in the 13th century by the Mathematician Fibonacci, but it is NOT (I repeat NOT) a book about math. It’s a book about rabbits… Lots of rabbits!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">KATE'S TAKE:</span> Creative, challenging and fun. How long will it take your students to crack the code?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">CLASS COOKBOOK</span> Verbal/Linguistic, Interpersonal, and Visual/Spatial<br />Ask students to bring in a copy of their favorite recipe. Have them type up their recipe and decorate their page with a border.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">CLASS NEWSLETTER</span> Verbal/Linguistic and Interpersonal<br />During the month of July the rabbits in Fibonacci’s Field publish a newspaper. Have each student write a short blurb for a class newsletter.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">CRACKING THE CODE</span> Logical/Mathematical<br />Students love cracking Fibonacci’s code. Give them the book and the following worksheet and let them go at it!<br /><br />FIBONACCI’S CODE<br /><br /> Fibonacci, an Italian man who lived in 1202, discovered a mathematical code and presented it to western scholars. Indian scholars studied this code as early as 200 B.C. With the help of Emily Gravett’s book, The Rabbit Problem, you can crack Fibonacci’s Code.<br /><br /> Look at the book. At the top of each calendar page, she lists the rabbit population. Copy each month’s population below:<br />January ____<br />February ____<br />March ____<br />April ____<br />May ____<br />June ____<br />July ____<br />August ____<br />September ____<br />October ____<br />November ____<br />December ____ (Put the first number here, not zero.)<br />Now, if all the rabbits stayed, what would the next month’s population be?<br />January ____<br />How did you crack Fibonacci’s Code? <br />_____________________________________________________________________________________<br />_____________________________________________________________________________________<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FAMILY TREE</span> Intrapersonal and Verbal/Linguistic<br />When the rabbits have their first babies in March, they create a family tree. Ask each student to bring in the names of their relatives and ancestors to create their own personal family tree.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">PLANT GRAPHS</span> Naturalist and Logical/Mathematical<br />During the month of June, the rabbits plant lettuce and carrot seeds. Have some students plant three pots of lettuce seeds while other students plant three pots of carrot seeds. Give one pot light and water, and another pot water but not light, and the last pot light but not water. Ask students to chart the growth of each pot. Compare and contrast the growth of the three pots and the growth of the lettuce to the carrots.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">BOOK BUDDIES</span><br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Multiplying Menace: The Revenge of Rumpelstiltskin</span> by Pam Calvert<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Mummy Math: An Adventure in Geometry</span> by Cindy Neuschwander<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">The Lion’s Shar</span>e by Matt McElligot<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure</span> by Hans Magnus Enzensberger<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">The Man Who Counted: A Collection of Mathematical Adventures</span> by Malba TahanKate Naritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02529436517277939555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6660549356580858869.post-10208123172031279502011-01-12T10:36:00.000-08:002011-01-12T10:44:45.452-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU4vqBdnSfugM2cXoIlzoQE9_LpCZEyWjqUkPXW7Si99kA2nsfVf8ha_YzAxQcCW9NzYNgXm5Kk7gHHact6XlAw_B3x9qLj5vd3fBbhju7kl70TkUCatI39mYCj7AsyWx_cqQpqR1ziGw2/s1600/8354061.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 128px; height: 157px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU4vqBdnSfugM2cXoIlzoQE9_LpCZEyWjqUkPXW7Si99kA2nsfVf8ha_YzAxQcCW9NzYNgXm5Kk7gHHact6XlAw_B3x9qLj5vd3fBbhju7kl70TkUCatI39mYCj7AsyWx_cqQpqR1ziGw2/s320/8354061.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561371990205510914" /></a><br />By: Kim Norman<br />Publisher: Sterling Books<br />ISBN: 978-1-4027-7076<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FROM THE FLAP:</span> Join ten adventurous friends as they speed down a snowy slope on their giant toboggan. How many of them will end up together at the bottom of the hill? With plenty of slipping and sliding, gliding and riding, this raucous race promises to have a very bumpy ending.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">KATE’S TAKE:</span> Kim Norman takes readers on a whimsical, rollicking, winter ride.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">ALLITERATION PARTNERS</span> Interpersonal and Verbal/Linguistic<br />Write the name of each animal on ten separate index cards. Then write each animal’s action on ten other index cards. Give ten children animal cards and ask them to find their action partner whose card will start with the same first letter as their animal does.<br /><br />Seal and spilled, hare and hopped, sheep and shot, walrus and whirled, fox and flipped, squirrel and squeezed, wolf and wiped, moose and muddled, bear and bailed, reindeer and running<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">POPSICLE STICK SLEDS</span> Visual/Spatial<br />Each child will need six Popsicle sticks and a 3x5 index card. Before you give the children the Popsicle sticks, you should make these adjustments: cut the ends off at forty-five degree angles from two of the sticks and cut one stick in half. Three of the sticks will remain unaltered. Ask the students to paint all of their sticks red. Then have them place one of the short sticks on the bottom of their index card, and one short stick at the top of the index card. Next ask them to glue the three unaltered long sticks on top of the two short sticks. After the top of the sled has dried, students can glue the runners(the sticks cut at 45% angles to the bottom of the sled. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">TEN ON THE SLED BOOKS</span> Visual/Spatial and Verbal/Linguistic<br />Give each child a ten-page mini book with the simple sentence: There were ____________ on the sled. Have the children write in the missing number words 10-1 and illustrate each page. On the last page the sentence should look like this: There _________ _____________ on the sled. Students can write in the word was on the last page.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">TEN ON THE SLED MATH</span> Logical/Mathematical<br />Now that the kids each have their own sled, you can use teddy bear math manipulatives to have the students tell addition and subtraction stories. For example, there were ten bears on the sled and four fell off. How many are left? Kids reenact the stories with their bears and write the algorithms on their white boards.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">TEN ON THE SLED SING-A-LONG</span> Musical and Kinesthetic<br />Have ten kids sit one behind the other on the rug. Ask the whole class to sing the words to the book and ask kids to roll off the sled.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">BOOK BUDDIES</span><br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Christopher Counting</span> by Valeri Gorbachev<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Mouse Count</span> by Ellen Stoll Walsh<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Ten in the Bed</span> by Jane Cabrera<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">The Baker’s Dozen: A Counting Book</span> by Dan Andreasen<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Who Invited You</span> by Candace Fleming<br /><br />HAPPY SNOW DAY NEW ENGLAND! I'M OFF TO JOIN THE SNOWBALL FIGHT RAGING IN MY YARD.Kate Naritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02529436517277939555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6660549356580858869.post-8835769181754366162011-01-02T09:01:00.000-08:002011-01-02T09:05:26.508-08:00MAXBy Bob Graham<br />Publisher: Candlewick<br />ISBN: 0-7636-1138-7<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">KATE’S TAKE:</span> A fun take on what it truly means to be a superhero.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FROM THE FLAP:</span> As the son of legendary heroes Captain Lightning and Madam Thunderbolt, Max is destined to be a superhero one day too—that is, once he learns to fly. But despite his parents’ valiant coaching and encouragement, Max can’t seem to get off the ground. Will Max ever learn to leap tall buildings in a single bound? Or will he be doomed forever to life on land?<br />Bob Graham has created a book for anyone who knows the highs—and lows—of learning to do something for the first time.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">BEAUTIFUL BIRDS</span> Verbal/Linguistic and Visual/Spatial<br />Ask students to draw a picture of something that they want to learn how to do on the white side of a piece of origami paper. Then, fold this piece of a paper into a bird shape. Make a mobile with the class birds. <a href="http://www.origami-fun.com/origami-twirling-bird.html">http://www.origami-fun.com/origami-twirling-bird.html</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">BIRDS IN A BUSH MATH</span> Logical/Mathematical<br />Give each student a mat with a green circle on it. The circle represents the bush. Then, give each student ten manipulatives. Ask students to place the manipulatives on the bush. Next, ask students to remove a certain number of birds from the bush. Write the subtraction algorithm on the board and ask students to copy the problem down on their white boards.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">CARTOON SEQUENCING</span> Verbal/Linguistic and Visual/Spatial<br />Fold a piece of 8 x 11 paper into six rectangles. Leave one square blank. Write one of these five sentences in each of the blank squares: 1) Max is born, 2) Max walks and talks, 3) Max can’t fly, 4) Max goes to school, 5) Max flies and saves the bird. Give each student a copy of the paper and ask them to cut out the five rectangles and sequence them. Then ask students to illustrate each scene.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">HEROIC DEEDS CLASS BOOK</span> Verbal/Linguistic and Visual/Spatial<br />Give each student an 8x11 piece of paper with this sentence starter, “I did something heroic when ________________________________________________________________________________.”<br />Have them write a kind, small, deed they did that helped someone. Ask them to illustrate their sentence and bind the papers into a class book.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">MAGIC CARPET COOPERATIVE RACE</span> Interpersonal and Kinesthetic<br />Divide the class into teams of four kids. Give each team three large squares of cardboard. Set up a start and a finish line. Each team has to use their magic carpets to “fly” from the start to the finish. Everyone must always be on a magic carpet square, or their team will return to the starting line.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">BOOK BUDDIES</span><br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Giraffes Can’t Dance</span> by Giles Andreae<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Mighty Max</span> by Harriet Ziefert<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">The Featherless Chicken</span> by Chih-Yuan Chen<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">The Lion and the Mouse</span> by Gail Herman<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Tiger on a Tree</span> by Anushka RavishankarKate Naritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02529436517277939555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6660549356580858869.post-71555122992481721392010-12-15T00:45:00.000-08:002010-12-15T00:49:41.323-08:00GUINEA PIGS ADD UP<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvOiFQ7-2rWy3UA3pZju4A5m-46RSRowQC8eGuUgdLn_j9N1RHDx23cwvlutn4F1dRk55lQbN-jkyTn53f-31XwSpRAmU3DV5GY2KAg7rF29p9ZlhL-KxB3j919No7zDMEDgtJavTa7fxH/s1600/56733673.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 128px; height: 118px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvOiFQ7-2rWy3UA3pZju4A5m-46RSRowQC8eGuUgdLn_j9N1RHDx23cwvlutn4F1dRk55lQbN-jkyTn53f-31XwSpRAmU3DV5GY2KAg7rF29p9ZlhL-KxB3j919No7zDMEDgtJavTa7fxH/s320/56733673.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550828320830632690" /></a><br />By Margery Cuyler<br />Publisher: Walker and Company, Bloomsbury<br />ISBN: 978-0-8027-9795-7<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FROM THE FLAP:</span> Mr. Gilbert tells our class that soon we’ll have a pet. A garter snake? A hermit crab? We wonder what we’ll get.<br />What starts as an innocent search for the perfect classroom pet turns into a furry fiasco when one guinea pig turns into two, then five, then twenty! The students love their newfound friends, but how can Mr. Gilbert stop the guinea pigs from taking over the classroom.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">KATE’S TAKE:</span> A humorous way to spice up a math lesson.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">CLASSROOM PET BOOKS:</span> Verbal/Linguistic and Visual/Spatial<br />Give each student an 8x11 sheet of paper with this sentence starter: If I could have any pet, I’d get _________________. Have them complete the sentence and illustrate the pet. Bound the pages together into a classroom book, and send it home with each child to read.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">MATH MADNESS:</span> Logical/Mathematical<br />This story lends itself to addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Show the students how to do each type of number story. Then, ask each student to write a pet number story.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">PET STORE:</span> Visual/Spatial, Logical/Mathematical, and Interpersonal<br />Give each student a dollar in paper coins. Mark each coin with a q for quarter, d for dime, n for nickel and p for penny. Ask them to draw a picture of their ideal pet, or use color copies from the classroom book activity. Have each student label their pet with a price under a dollar. Display all the pictures on the chalkboard and ask students to come to the store and purchase a pet. One of the students can be the shopkeeper and be responsible for making the correct change. Special thanks to Mr. Hacket for this activity.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">PET CHARADES:</span> Kinesthetic and Interpersonal<br />Ask students to sit in a circle on the rug. Give each student a chance to come to the middle of the rug and imitate an animal without speaking or making noises. The rest of the students can guess which animal the student is impersonating.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">WRITER’S WORKSHOP:</span> Verbal/Linguistic<br />At the end of the book, the author hints at another pet problem. Ask students to write a sequel to this book and make sure their characters solve the new problem.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">BOOK BUDDIES:</span><br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat</span> by Lynne Jonell<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">I Love Guinea-Pigs</span> by Dick King-Smith<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Oh, Theodore! Guinea Pig Poems</span> by Susan Katz<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Princess Justina Albertina: A Cautionary Tale</span> by Ellen Dee Davidson<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Sammy: The Classroom Guinea Pig</span> by Alex BerenzyKate Naritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02529436517277939555noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6660549356580858869.post-40460056455897070562010-12-05T17:44:00.000-08:002010-12-05T17:55:59.503-08:00CLARICE BEAN, DON'T LOOK NOWBy Lauren Child<br />Publisher: Candlewick Press<br />ISBN: 978-0-7636-3536-7<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FROM THE FLAP:</span> Always remember: It’s the worry you haven’t even thought to worry about that should worry you the most.<br /><br />That’s what Clarice Bean’s copy of the Ruby Redfort Survival Handbook says, anyway—it’s crammed with useful information about getting out of tricky situations, like “How to Deal with Alien Life Forms” (give them the slip and run like crazy).<br /><br />Clarice Bean has quite a few worries of her own, such as Worry No. 19: Robert Granger—will he ever leave her alone? Or Worry No. 9: largish spiders. But lately, she’s been more concerned with things like Worry No. 3: change, and how it sometimes comes along when you least expect it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">KATE’S TAKE:</span> Lauren Child’s outstanding voice and her tongue-in-cheek humor make for an engaging, fun read.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">DON’T LOSE SLEEP OVER IT, KID CLASSROOM BOOKS:</span> Verbal/Linguistic, Intrapersonal, and Visual/Spatial<br />Give each student an 8x11 sheet of paper that has a lined bottom half, and a space for a picture at the top. Have each student write about their worst worry and end his or her entry with Ruby Redfort’s advice, Don’t lose sleep over it, kid. Send the book home with each student to share with her family and/or guardians.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS OH MY!</span> (Kinesthetic and Interpersonal)<br />Ruby Redfort’s Survival Guide has lots of tongue in cheek “useful” advice about how to avoid large predators such as lions and bears. Play charades and ask the students to act out various predators and have the rest of the class guess which animal each student is impersonating.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">PEN PALS:</span> Interpersonal and Verbal/Linguistic<br />Clarice Bean and her classmates visit elderly people in a nursing home. Ask a local nursing home for the names of residents who might like to participate in a pen pal program. Have students pick a name from the list and write a letter to that individual.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">READING BETWEEN THE LINES:</span> Interpersonal<br />On page 21 in the book, there’s an illustration of different facial expressions and what they actually mean. Compare and contrast two photos of people’s facial expressions and have students talk about the emotions each person is feeling. Then, ask them to share about a situation where they felt one way about an event that was happening and a friend or a sibling felt a different way about the same feeling. Here’s a link if you’re interested in finding out more about the Second Step program <a href="http://www.cfchildren.org/programs/pbis"></a><a href="http://www.cfchildren.org/programs/pbis">http://www.cfchildren.org/programs/pbis/ </a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">SCENE SNIPPETS:</span> Interpersonal and Verbal/Linguistic<br />Clarice Bean and her friend participate in acting class. In small groups of four or five students, have kids act out various scenes from the book. Afterward, have the whole class sequence the scenes from the beginning to the end of the book.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">BOOK BUDDIES:</span><br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Clarice Bean Spells Trouble</span> by Lauren Child<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Lilly and the Pirates</span> by Phyllis Root<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">School of Fear</span> by Gitty Daneshvari<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">The Mysterious Benedict Society</span> by Trenton Lee Stewart<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Utterly Me, Clarice Bean</span> by Lauren Child<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">BY THE WAY:</span><br /> I apologize for last week's missed post. An illness knocked my family and I off of our feet. Thanks for your understanding.Kate Naritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02529436517277939555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6660549356580858869.post-27100995793370539042010-11-22T01:13:00.000-08:002010-12-05T17:44:30.263-08:00CLEVER JACK TAKES THE CAKE<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid9kFtzX-pHLMlUSkcX1PBovfbhmACZPR9uqJGBtDbCCEfcES-iwgiiTYDmYXvkrhxYZVKjoe0vYCWHDoHINR9qWAd789AnGWh5LnME2wtym3kDXztYkW3ACpIpK8TErAn42GAd692Tjgm/s1600/48375618.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 128px; height: 149px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid9kFtzX-pHLMlUSkcX1PBovfbhmACZPR9uqJGBtDbCCEfcES-iwgiiTYDmYXvkrhxYZVKjoe0vYCWHDoHINR9qWAd789AnGWh5LnME2wtym3kDXztYkW3ACpIpK8TErAn42GAd692Tjgm/s320/48375618.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542300527504443602" /></a><br />Written by Candace Fleming<br />Illustrated by G. Brian Karas<br />Publisher: Random House<br />ISBN: 978-0-375-84979-4<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FROM THE FLAP</span>: What would you do if you were invited to the princess’s tenth birthday party but didn’t have money for a gift?<br /><br /> Well, clever Jack decides to bake the princess a cake. <br /><br /> Now he just has to get it to the castle in one piece.<br /><br /> What could possibly go wrong?<br /><br /> Here’s a deliciously fresh and funny picture book by the creators of the bestselling Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">KATE’S TAKE:</span> Sometimes a book makes me want to jump for joy, which is exactly what I did after I read this book.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FRACTION CAKES:</span> Interpersonal and Logical/Mathematical<br />Cut out several different colored, large circles. Cut each one into different fractions such as: ½, 1/3, ¼, 1/5. Give each child a slice of cake. Then ask them to walk around the room and find the rest of their cake. When all the cakes are whole, ask them to line up in order from the smallest piece of cake to the largest piece of cake. Point out how with fractions the larger the number in the denominator, the smaller the fraction or the slice of cake is.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">READER’S THEATER:</span> Verbal/Linguistic and Interpersonal<br />If you’re looking for a story to act out as a class, this is a great pick. There’s a role for everyone and the dialogue is short and snappy.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">STORY ELEMENTS LAYER CAKE:</span> Verbal/Linguistic and Visual/Spatial<br />Give each child four strips of lined paper. Each strip of paper should have one of four story element headings: main character, setting, problem, and solution. Ask the children to write the appropriate information onto each strip of paper. Then, have them arrange these strips, the cake layers, in order from top to bottom on a piece of construction paper. With their pencils, they can outline each cake layer and top it off with a strawberry. Finally, they can outline their cakes with black markers.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">THE TROLL’S BRIDGE:</span> Interpersonal, Kinesthetic, Logical/Mathematical<br />Jack has to pay the troll, half of his cake, to cross the bridge. Set-up a small balance beam or a line of duck tape that crosses the classroom rug. Ask one student to be the troll. Give other students play coins that add up to a dollar. If you don’t have enough play coins, you can make them out of construction paper and write Q for quarter, D for dime, P for penny, and N for nickel, on each coin. Then have each student ask the troll how much money he or she needs to pay to cross the bridge. After the student pays the troll and the troll returns the correct amount of change, the student may cross the bridge.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">WALTZING WITH BEARS:</span> Kinesthetic, Musical, and Interpersonal<br />When Jack stops to dance with a bear, he loses his gift for the princess—his cake. Usually though dancing is a cause for celebration, not mourning. Show students the basic waltz step and ask them to dance around the classroom, or better yet, the gymnasium, while playing Priscilla Herdman’s “Waltzing with Bears.” Here’s the musician’s site http://www.priscillaherdman.com <a href="http://www.priscillaherdman.com"></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">BOOK BUDDIES:</span><br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Happy Birthday to You</span> by Dr. Seuss<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Jack and the Beanstalk</span> by John Cech<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Read-Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young</span> by Jack Prelutsky<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">The Three Billy Goats Gruff/Los Tres Chivitos</span> by Carol Ottolenghi<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">The Lion's Share</span> by Matt McElligottKate Naritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02529436517277939555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6660549356580858869.post-30547713560574708552010-11-21T12:05:00.001-08:002010-11-21T12:11:22.843-08:00AN AWARD FOR CLASSROOM BOOK OF THE WEEK<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9sFasBWpZM_QlBX0QEo_NKxAKBXBNM55OiXeELv5AJluS2PxgarbZHZtZYxsfoX-IQOEUoMlU4ArZvasgpUOPMoldcWX57O3Wxgy3HOZth6lWWTYke10Rcj8za0L3ztNNXocItXs_dggH/s1600/EoCpr.gif"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 75px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9sFasBWpZM_QlBX0QEo_NKxAKBXBNM55OiXeELv5AJluS2PxgarbZHZtZYxsfoX-IQOEUoMlU4ArZvasgpUOPMoldcWX57O3Wxgy3HOZth6lWWTYke10Rcj8za0L3ztNNXocItXs_dggH/s320/EoCpr.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542097917890991442" /></a><br />Dear Readers,<br /><br /> When I opened my e-mail, I was thrilled to learn that Guide to Online School's list of the Top 50 Early Childhood Education blogs featured my blog. The list of all the winners can be found here: <a href="http://www.guidetoonlineschools.com/tips-and-tools/early-childhood-blogs">http://www.guidetoonlineschools.com/tips-and-tools/early-childhood-blogs</a>. <br /><br /> It's so refreshing to know that other people find the blog useful. Thank you all for your support.<br /><br /> Best wishes,<br /> KateKate Naritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02529436517277939555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6660549356580858869.post-44881507817129313002010-11-15T01:14:00.000-08:002010-11-15T01:22:39.671-08:00MAX'S WORDS<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3PoK-G9A8jZwZIDZV6QyTbjDCY-QI_yWzJu3SMsmiSe5769511It4RailFmR1VkcZZ43x58SvJuSzFeUoMIRRaMJ5f8DH0K5PZRfFGCBTKP-egZqyDEQr6VrFMv3kpDvGni1K9sn7Rq2c/s1600/13852523.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 128px; height: 130px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3PoK-G9A8jZwZIDZV6QyTbjDCY-QI_yWzJu3SMsmiSe5769511It4RailFmR1VkcZZ43x58SvJuSzFeUoMIRRaMJ5f8DH0K5PZRfFGCBTKP-egZqyDEQr6VrFMv3kpDvGni1K9sn7Rq2c/s320/13852523.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539703547089485058" /></a><br />By Kate Banks<br />Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux<br />ISBN: 0-374-39949-2<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FROM THE FLAP:</span> Benjamin collects stamps. Karl collects coins. When their younger brother Max decides to collect words, one word leads to another until Max has a story worth telling. Now all he needs is pictures.<br /><br />Enter Boris Kulikov in a brilliant collaboration with Kate Banks that attests to the wonder of words.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">KATE'S TAKE:</span> A fantastical tribute to imagination, collections, and a can-do attitude.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">COIN COLLECTIONS:</span> Logical/Mathematical and Visual/Spatial<br />Max’s brother collects coins. Give each student a dollar’s worth of cut-out paper coins. Label each coin with a Q for quarter, D for dime, N for nickel, and P for penny. Then ask them to draw a picture of their favorite pet and label it with a price under a dollar. Hang the pets up at the front of the classroom and ask students to come shopping at the pet store. In order to take their pet home with them, the students must give the proper amount of change to the cashier to pay for the pet. Many thanks to Andy Hacket for this activity. Check out his blog here <a href="http://www.mrhacket.blogspot.com">http://www.mrhacket.blogspot.com </a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">COLLAGE TALES:</span> Verbal/Linguistic and Visual/Spatial<br />Word process words in different colors and cut out for kids. Ask students to choose ten cut-out words and create a sentence. Then, have them glue their sentence to the long side of a piece of 11x18 piece of construction paper. Last, ask them to illustrate their story.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">COLLECTION BOOKS:</span> Verbal/Linguistic, Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, and Visual/Spatial<br />Give students an 8x11 sheet of paper that has space for writing a sentence at the bottom of the sheet. Ask them to finish the following sentence: If I could collect anything in the world, I would collect_____________________ because____________________________________________.<br />Have them illustrate their sentence and bind the papers in a book to send home with students.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">CROCODILE AND ALLIGATOR SEE-SAW BOOKS:</span> Verbal/Linguistic, Naturalist, and Visual/Spatial<br />Collate an eight-page book for each students, and ask them to fill in the blanks. <br />Page 1: Crocodiles and alligators hatch from __________________(eggs) but,<br />Page 2: crocodiles have a _______________(v-shaped) snout, and<br />Page 3: alligators have a _________________ (u-shaped) snout.<br />Page 4: A crocodile’s fourth tooth_____________( sticks out) when its mouth is closed, but<br />Page 5: an alligator’s fourth tooth is ___________ (hidden) when its mouth is closed.<br />Page 6: Most crocodiles live in ________________ (salt) water, but<br />Page 7: most alligators live in __________________ (fresh) water.<br />Page 8: Crocodiles and alligators are _________________(reptiles).<br />After they have filled in the blanks, ask students to illustrate the books.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FAMILY LETTERS:</span> Verbal/Linguistic and Interpersonal<br />Ask students to write a letter to a family member or a friend who lives far away. Ask parents to send in an addressed envelope and give students a stamp to affix to their letter. Relatives are always thrilled to receive the kids’ letters.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">BOOK BUDDIES:</span><br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Alligator Tails and Crocodile Cakes</span> by Nicola Moon<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Max’s Dragon</span> by Kate Banks<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Snap! A Book About Alligators and Crocodiles</span> by Melvin Berger<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">The Coin Counting Book</span> by Rozanne Williams<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Word Wizard</span> by Cathryn FalwellKate Naritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02529436517277939555noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6660549356580858869.post-65000854507686488612010-11-08T01:13:00.000-08:002010-11-08T01:17:39.293-08:00FOLLOW THE LINE<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNCigGQyly36WgSKgrmIE-6H0ljsfb5H6f8d0HFN8ZleQ2KJhbS_zqZHkMxkSvOVERMAjs_cDGKxUWTC1wuQgWTam7YXzAE9i89Ge8GoyvSjyYO45b3Rh7vy2a4oM4jt7UhJCS2PBPOIrA/s1600/14502861.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 128px; height: 151px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNCigGQyly36WgSKgrmIE-6H0ljsfb5H6f8d0HFN8ZleQ2KJhbS_zqZHkMxkSvOVERMAjs_cDGKxUWTC1wuQgWTam7YXzAE9i89Ge8GoyvSjyYO45b3Rh7vy2a4oM4jt7UhJCS2PBPOIrA/s320/14502861.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537105466928527490" /></a><br />By Laura Ljungkvist <br />Published by Viking<br />ISBN:0-670-06049-6<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FROM THE FLAP:</span> Follow the line on a journey from the city to the country, from the sky to the ocean, from morning till night. In this stunning counting storybook, Laura Ljungkvist uses her trademark continuous line to create an array of crisp, innovative, detail-packed pictures.<br /><br />Each scene contains questions designed to get children counting, thinking, and observing. Young counters will enjoy following the very same line all the way through the book, from front to back.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">KATE’S TAKE:</span> Line up some fun activities with Laura Ljungkvist’s Follow The Line.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">HOW MANY? MATH</span> Logical/Mathematical and Visual Spatial<br />Ask children to solve these math problems which are based on spreads in the book, and ask them to draw a picture to illustrate each problem.<br /><br />1. A house has two rows of windows. If there are three windows in each row, how many windows are there all together?<br /><br />2. There are four blue fish in the ocean and three red fish, how many fish are there all together?<br /><br />3. There were nine trees in the forest, two fell down. How many trees are standing in the forest?<br /><br />4. There are three apple trees and twelve apples. If each tree has the same amount of apples, how many apples are on each tree?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">LINE CLASSROOM BOOKS</span> Visual/Spatial and Verbal/Linguistic<br />Draw one line on a sheet of 8x11 paper. Draw a different line for each child in your class: squiggly, jagged, curved, straight, vertical or horizontal. Ask them to turn the line into a picture. On the bottom have them finish the sentence starter: I turned my line into _______________________. Special thanks to Ingrid Holmes for this activity.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">LINE DANCING</span> Kinesthetic and Musical<br />Do a line dance with the kids. This site http://www.helenandnitalinedancing.com/Videos.html has a great line dancing video to the tune of Grand Old Flag.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />LINE MIRRORS</span> Kinesthetic and Interpersonal<br />Ask kids to stand in a line. Have a child step out of the line and face their peers. Ask the child to lead the class in simple movements such as tapping, patting, or stretching. Everyone in the line mirrors the leader’s actions. This is a great way to build confidence in the leader and classroom community.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">LINE PATTERNS</span> Logical/Mathematical and Visual/Spatial<br />Give the students small strips of paper of various colors. Ask them to form a pattern with the strips of paper. Students might choose to make a pattern out of straight lines, or they might choose to form shapes with the strips and make a pattern with shapes.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">BOOK BUDDIES:</span><br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Harold And The Purple Crayon</span> by Crockett Johnson<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Ish</span> by Peter H. Reynolds<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Follow The Line Around The World</span> by Laura Ljungkvist<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Follow The Line Through The House</span> by Laura Ljungkvist<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">The Dot</span> by Peter H. ReynoldsKate Naritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02529436517277939555noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6660549356580858869.post-3174927392900415102010-11-01T02:34:00.000-07:002010-11-01T02:48:53.731-07:00ANNA MARIA'S GIFT<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ifrEmHKYfIJszzBnhwdS1v_TdT0Zi-pPrgMvyrlRDAReyKSqNa_t8aTO7YsvC8v-VKDqq1crRN-JHW-OQhsk8WlDSPNB6ZNkP_9Lp5pFezhnJCn9ydIbSLPAw8pWoAq92zWstKGF7-PY/s1600/38479080.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 128px; height: 193px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ifrEmHKYfIJszzBnhwdS1v_TdT0Zi-pPrgMvyrlRDAReyKSqNa_t8aTO7YsvC8v-VKDqq1crRN-JHW-OQhsk8WlDSPNB6ZNkP_9Lp5pFezhnJCn9ydIbSLPAw8pWoAq92zWstKGF7-PY/s320/38479080.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534514463255906882" /></a><br />By Janice Shefelman<br />ISBN: 978-0-375-95881-6<br />Publisher: Random House<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FROM THE FLAP:</span> After her father’s death, Anna Maria is sent to the Pieta, an orphanage in Venice. She misses her father, but at least she will always have the violin he made for her. When she plays it, she hears his voice.<br /><br />Luckily, the Pieta is not just any orphanage. It’s also a famous music school, and the teacher there is the great composer Antonio Vivaldi. Anna Maria quickly becomes his favorite student. But not everyone at the Pieta likes Anna Maria. Soon she has a rival—the talented, cruel Paolina, who throws Anna Maria’s violin into a canal. With the help of her beloved teacher, and new friends, Anna Maria searches Venice’s bridges, streets, and canals. Will Anna Maria find her father’s violin? Can she ever be happy in Venice without it.<br /> <br />Inspired by a real orphanage, this lyrical story by Janice Shefelman perfectly captures the beauty of Venice, the joy of music, and the way a little kindness can help make a scary new place feel like home.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">KATE’S TAKE:</span> Great characterization, and a peek inside Italy’s impressive musical culture.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FOUR SEASONS SKITS</span> Musical, Intrapersonal, and Verbal/Linguistic<br /><br />Divide the class into four groups, one for each season. Have each group listen to The Four Seasons by Vivaldi. Then, ask each group to design a two to three minute skit that’s inspired by the music. If you have any musicians in the class, they might choose to play musical accompaniment for their group’s skit.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">GREAT GONDOLAS:</span> Visual/Spatial, Logical/Mathematical and Interpersonal<br /><br />Ask students to work in pairs and give each pair a 10x10 sheet of aluminum foil. Ask them to construct boats out of the tinfoil. Then place pennies inside each boat to determine which boat is the strongest. Boats with the most surface area are able to hold the most pennies.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">INSTRUMENT-SHAPED POEMS</span> Verbal/Linguistic and Visual/Spatial<br /><br />Have students write a poem about an orchestra instrument. Then have them outline the shape of the instrument on the paper. Next have them copy their poem along the outline of the instrument. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">SILVIA OF THE CELLO PARAGRAPHS:</span> Verbal/Linguistic and Intrapersonal<br /><br />Author Janice Shefelman explains that most of the orphans did not have last names. So, they were given the last name of whatever instrument they played. Ask students to think about a talent or a hobby that best describes them. Ask them to write a paragraph explaining why they chose this last name.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">VENICE VIEWS:</span> Visual/Spatial<br /><br />Anna Maria thinks the city of Venice floats on a lagoon, but her guardian informs her that Vienna stands on thousands of posts set on the bottom of the lagoon. Give each student a blue 11x18 sheet of construction paper. Ask them to cut out different shaped houses from various shades of construction paper and make views of Venice. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">BOOK BUDDIES</span><br /><br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Gabriella’s Song</span> by Candace Fleming<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">I, Vivaldi</span> by Janice Shefelman<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Mole Music</span> by David McPhail<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Zin! ZIn! Zin!</span> A Violin by Lloyd Moss<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Zoe Sophia’s Scrapbook: An Adventure in Venice</span> by Claudia MaunerKate Naritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02529436517277939555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6660549356580858869.post-71473029381242451562010-10-31T02:54:00.000-07:002010-10-31T03:15:29.155-07:00INTERVIEW WITH THE PERFECT PUMPKIN PIE AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR DENYS CAZETHi Everyone,
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<br />I just want to let you know that this was my first phone interview, and I had a blast. Denys Cazet is as whimsical and passionate as his books.
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<br />Happy reading,
<br />Kate
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. I love the alliteration in the title The Perfect Pumpkin Pie. Did you choose to feature pumpkin over apple because of alliteration?</span>
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<br />The short answer is yes. The longer answer is that the fall season lends itself to Halloween. An apple pie simply doesn’t have the same power as a pumpkin pie.
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Mr. Wilkerson speaks in fun rhyme which balances the bitterness of his words. Could you please tell us about how Mr. Wilkerson came to speak in rhyme?</span>
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<br />Rhyme is funny. When Mr. Wilkerson dies, he gains a slight sense of humor even though he remains aloof. He’s dead but doesn’t know it, and he reduces all the aspects of life into one thing—an insatiable appetite for pie. Mr. Wilkerson is wandering because he left something undone in his past life, and he’s lying. He’s not going to go away whether or not Jack and Grandma make him a perfect pie. In fact, I’ve thought about writing a sequel where Mr. Wilkerson becomes a part of Jack and Grandma’s family.
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Jack’s grandma is a strong, spunky character. She’s determined not to be out done by Mr. Wilkerson. She’s not afraid of him, she’s not afraid to taste a pie he’s smashed his face into, and in the end she succeeds in baking the perfect pumpkin pie. In a biography written about you found at the following link <a href="http://biography.jrank.org/pages/1785/Cazet-Denys-1938.html">http://biography.jrank.org/pages/1785/Cazet-Denys-1938.html</a> , it mentions that your characters are always based off the wonderful people in your life. Is Jack’s grandma based on one person in your life or a conglomeration of different people?
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<br />I had two grandmothers. One was very sweet and according to her the sun rose and set on my shoulders. After all, I was the only boy in a large extended family. My other grandma was a very strict, no-nonsense kind of lady. She ran the show, and nobody questioned it. She had one of those looks that said, “Don’t say another word.” Even though she was strict, she still made me pancakes in the morning.
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. I also that you saw a real estate ad for an old farm, formerly owned by bakers, listed for $1 and you asked yourself what if they sell the farm and the bakers’ ghost still lives in it? At the time the work in progress was Halloween Pie. Am I correct in assuming that’s the one and only book we’re talking about, The Perfect Pumpkin Pie? Could you please tell readers about your revision process? <span>
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<br />Yes, it’s the same book. The baker apparently disappeared in the late 1800’s. However, every year lo and behold around Halloween, people could smell pumpkin pie baking on the property. I love Halloween and the Mexican celebration of The Day of the Dead.
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<br />I write many drafts. Then, I revise more based on suggestions from my editor. After I’m holding the book in my hands, I wish I would have revised it two or three more times. Sometimes I think The Perfect Pumpkin Pie is too long to be classified as a picture book, and that the book is better classified as a story book. I love writing and storytelling, although both arts differ from one another. In this book, I tried to include an element of storytelling so that when the book is read, it feels more like a story being told.
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. Is there anything else you would like to tell us?</span>
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<br />Please read my book <span style="font-style: italic;">Will You Read To Me</span>. A little pig writes a poem and asks his parents if they’ll read it to him, but the parents are too busy eating. So the pig walks to a lake where he sees his reflection and reads to himself. In so doing, his belief in himself is reinforced.
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<br />As a teacher, librarian, parent, and a writer, I feel that what’s happening to children’s literature is very disturbing. As mentioned in this New York Times article, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/08/us/08picture.html">http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/08/us/08picture.html</a> picture book sales are down 25-30% because parents want their children to read longer books. There’s an assumption that picture books are inferior to chapter books which means that people don’t understand what a picture book is. Picture books often have more advanced vocabulary than chapter books, and the visual clues help students figure out unknown words. When I was a school librarian, the pictures in the Tin-Tin books helped reluctant readers become fluent readers.
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<br />School testing is narrowing choices for teachers and students, which means that as a country we are drifting away from a liberal arts’ education. We need to expand choices to improve education, not narrow them. Furthermore, we are all different. When we test, we’re looking for similarities and if someone is different and doesn’t fit a certain definition, they’re labeled as deficient.
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<br />Kate Naritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02529436517277939555noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6660549356580858869.post-15660266291288716622010-10-24T04:06:00.000-07:002010-10-24T04:13:03.776-07:00THE PERFECT PUMPKIN PIE<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4OQ-x8W7E75cECC6Xt1RRhxJp91e7SkBuhAfSkpJ-XliD0KaVVauhgun8wmdksK22k_V7qiryB207ccv8FOPxajsE9BSSYruCwjslwCuoMVEaV3R3UNaqJuRv5FJZ8wQ9yXUMZNqLJPQp/s1600/16073270.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 128px; height: 162px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4OQ-x8W7E75cECC6Xt1RRhxJp91e7SkBuhAfSkpJ-XliD0KaVVauhgun8wmdksK22k_V7qiryB207ccv8FOPxajsE9BSSYruCwjslwCuoMVEaV3R3UNaqJuRv5FJZ8wQ9yXUMZNqLJPQp/s320/16073270.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531568423137741106" /></a><br />By Denys Cazet<br />Publisher: Simon & Schuster<br />ISBN: 9780689864674<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FROM THE FLAP:</span> When he was alive, Mr. Wilkerson was an ill-tempered, disagreeable, sour, and impatient old man. Once he died, he got better.<br /><br />But not much.<br /><br />Now he is back and very, very hungry.<br /><br />When Jack and his grandma move into the old Wilkerson house, they find out just how hungry, and why.<br /><br />At least they think they know.<br /><br />It has something to do with the pie.<br /><br />A perfect pie.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">KATE’S TAKE:</span> Clear your calendars. You'll want plenty of time to flavor and savor <span style="font-style:italic;">The Perfect Pumpkin Pie</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FAVORITE PIE CLASSROOM BOOK</span> Verbal/Linguistic, Visual/Spatial, and Interpersonal<br /><br />Give each student an 8x11 sheet of paper with the following sentence starter: My favorite kind of pie is _____________________. Have them illustrate making and/or eating their favorite pie. Compile a classroom book and send it home with the students.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FAVORITE PIES GRAPH</span> Logical/Mathematical, Visual/Spatial, and Interpersonal<br /><br />Mr. Wilkerson’s favorite pie is pumpkin pie, but what’s the class’s? As a class brainstorm four different kinds of pies. Make a large bar graph on the board. Give each child an index card with their name on it, and ask them to add it to the graph. Afterwards, each student can make their own perfect pie graph.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FIVE LITTLE PUMPKINS SITTING ON A GATE</span> Kinesthetic, Verbal/Linguistic, Interpersonal<br /><br />Act out the popular FIVE LITTLE PUMPKINS rhyme:<br />Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate.<br />The first one said, “Oh my! It’s getting late.”<br />The second one said, “There are witches in the air.”<br />The third one said, “But we don’t care.”<br />The fourth one said, “Let’s run, run, run.”<br />The fifth one said, “It’s Halloween fun.”<br />WOOOOO went the wind, and out went the lights.<br />And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">PERFECT PUMPKIN PAINTINGS</span> Visual/Spatial<br /><br />Mix canned pumpkin and cinnamon into orange paint. Then ask each child to paint his or her perfect pumpkin. Special thanks to Diane Esser for this activity.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">PUMPKIN PIE RHYME</span> Verbal/Linguistic<br /><br />Mr. Wilkerson speaks in rhyme. Print out one of his speeches and leave six spaces blank, one for each rhyming word. Give the children a word bank and ask them to fill in the missing words. Then, ask them to write the six words in alphabetical order. I’ve typed out one of Mr. Wilkerson’s speeches below:<br /><br />“Pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkin pie!<br />I must have one before I die.<br />It must be round and brown as toast,<br />Or I’ll haunt this house a hungry ghost. <br />It must be perfect or a ghost I’ll stay,<br />And haunt this house, and never, ever go away!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">BOOK BUDDIES:</span><br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">The Bake Shop Ghost</span> by Jacqueline K. Ogburn<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">The Big Pumpkin</span> by Erica Silverman<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">In The Haunted House</span> by Eve Bunting<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Pumpkin Soup</span> by Helen Cooper<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin, Pie</span> (Picture the Seasons) by Jill EsbaumKate Naritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02529436517277939555noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6660549356580858869.post-65231251229288092832010-10-18T08:17:00.000-07:002010-10-18T08:27:38.641-07:00BALLET FOR MARTHA: MAKING APPALACHIAN SPRING<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSujNAZG1WqWr-7h08suB0j4U3Pzu3B_kBGIM7Ii4wlkQyD6k4i987ew1ieBhK6kpgJXEdSbrjlgiG542W4DMI_gbsEQvXHVdWFN15vEjK7qnakB6E5jpToT-XXUKfGstA-9tq9aDPvXA2/s1600/Jacket.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 80px; height: 84px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSujNAZG1WqWr-7h08suB0j4U3Pzu3B_kBGIM7Ii4wlkQyD6k4i987ew1ieBhK6kpgJXEdSbrjlgiG542W4DMI_gbsEQvXHVdWFN15vEjK7qnakB6E5jpToT-XXUKfGstA-9tq9aDPvXA2/s320/Jacket.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529407459217576690" /></a><br />By Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan<br />Illustrated by Brian Floca<br />ISBN: 978-1-59643-338-0<br />Publisher: Roaring Brook Press<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FROM THE FLAP:</span> <br /> <br />Martha Graham: trailblazing choreographer<br />Aaron Copland: distinguished American Composer<br />Isamu Noguchi: artist, sculptor, craftsman<br /><br />Together they created an American masterpiece: Appalachian Spring. In the tradition of their award- winning Action Jackson, acclaimed authors Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan tell the story behind the scenes of this classic ballet from the first spark of imagination through the music’s composition, Martha’s intense rehearsal process, and on to its first performance on October 30, 1944 at the Library of Congress. This book puts you in a prime seat at that performance, watching as this iconic dance unfolds.<br /><br />Ultimately this is a book about collaboration, and the authors’ collaborator is Sibert Honor artist Brian Floca, whose vivid watercolors bring both the process and the performance to life.<br /><br />Also included are extensive source notes, biographies of each of the three principal collaborators, and a full bibliography.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">KATE'S TAKE:</span> If you want to incorporate, movement, music, and art into your curriculum, don't miss this book.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">INTERESTING INTERVIEWS</span> Verbal/Linguistic and Interpersonal<br />Have students write, conduct, and record interviews of people who were alive during the 1940’s.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">STORIES AND MOVEMENT</span> Musical, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Interpersonal, and Verbal-Linguistic<br /><br />Copland wrote many pieces of music including Billy the Kid, Rodeo, Hoe Down, Music for a Great City, Of Mice and Men, Fanfare for the Common Man, A Lincoln Portrait. In small groups ask students to create a scene to accompany one piece of Copland’s music. Students could choose to interpret the music through choreography like Martha did, or they could write out dialogue for their stories. Either way they get to collaborate to create art just like Graham, Copland, and Noguchi.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">NINETEEN FORTIES NON-FICTION</span> Verbal/Linguistic<br /><br />During the 1940’s, society marginalized many groups of people including women, people of Jewish faith, and American citizens of Japanese heritage. Ask students to write a report on a famous person or group of people who triumphed despite the discrimination that occurred during that era.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">STAGE DIORAMAS</span> Visual/Spatial and Bodily-Kinesthetic<br /><br />Isamu Noguchi built models of his set for Appalachian Spring before building the set. Ask students to make a set diarama of their favorite tv show, movie, play or book.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">STORY SETS</span> Visual/Spatial and Bodily-Kinesthetic<br />Ask students to collaborate in groups to design sets for their Copland stories.<br /><br />BOOK BUDDIES:<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Aaron Copland</span> by Mike Venezia<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Kids Dance</span> by Jim Varriale<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Martha Graham, A Dancer’s Life</span> by Russell Freedman<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">The Children of Topaz: the Story of a Japanese Internment Camp Based on a Classroom Diary</span> by Michael O. Tunnell<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">The East-West house: Noguchi’s Childhood in Japan</span> by Christy HaleKate Naritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02529436517277939555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6660549356580858869.post-66955389704263567472010-10-13T05:56:00.000-07:002010-10-13T06:01:25.234-07:00INTERVIEW WITH WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO HUMPTY AUTHOR, JEANIE RANSOM<span style="font-weight:bold;">1. Joe Dumpty's voice is fantastic. Please tell us what strategies you used to create such an authentic voice.</span><br /><br />Thank you! Unfortunately, I don’t know that I have any strategies for creating an authentic voice --- not anything I do consciously anyway. I do know that for me, writing a story in first person seems most natural. I’ve heard editors say that if your story doesn’t seem to be working in third person, try rewriting the story in first person, and vice versa.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2. How did you decide which Mother Goose characters to include and which characters to exclude?</span><br /><br />When I first starting writing the book, I included just a few basic Mother Goose characters. But as the plot thickened, as they say, I made a list of other characters I could weave into the story. From that list, I played around with which characters would best help advance the story. Of course, I couldn’t use everyone, but that’s what sequels are for.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3. I love that spider turns into a good guy, and Miss Muffet turns out to be corrupt. Was it your intention to switch their roles?</span><br /><br />I really didn’t have any intentions when I started the story. In fact, these two characters were pretty much true to their traditional roles in the Mother Goose tales. But somewhere in the revision process – and it was quite a process! --these minor characters wrote themselves into major roles. I’m a strong believer in letting my characters take the lead in creating the story. It’s fun to see what they come up with, but I must admit, Little Miss Muffet took me totally by surprise!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">4. Having a deadline of five o'clock definitely ups the ante. Are many mysteries races against the clock?</span><br /><br />I can’t really speak with any authority, since this is the first mystery I’ve written, and I tend to read more suspense novels than I do mysteries. However, I knew that because I was writing a picture book, I had to get a whole mystery set up and solved in just 32 pages. I decided that having a deadline was one way to accomplish that.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">5. Is there anything else you'd like to tell us?</span><br /><br />I’m happy to say that this past summer, WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO HUMPTY became available in paperback. As for Detective Joe Dumpty, he’s busy working on his next big case. I’m not at liberty to discuss it right now, but I’m sure you’ll be reading about it at some time in the not-so-distant future.Kate Naritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02529436517277939555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6660549356580858869.post-30284752863708595682010-10-12T02:32:00.000-07:002010-10-12T02:57:54.166-07:00CALVIN CAN'T FLY: The Story of a Bookworm Birdie<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCklkqkwGv2GTNxCcK_BcTxATujqcT4FVu1xTq8eKIBMO406lzHhET4LOhEL4NCAMgWKz_UAt5cO0PsyLffvXkXwCnD3yhoeH6vJw-fPPOYe4cVY2Y4zRcIt6VER6dZDhzniVm6U3_siRD/s1600/55967394.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 128px; height: 122px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCklkqkwGv2GTNxCcK_BcTxATujqcT4FVu1xTq8eKIBMO406lzHhET4LOhEL4NCAMgWKz_UAt5cO0PsyLffvXkXwCnD3yhoeH6vJw-fPPOYe4cVY2Y4zRcIt6VER6dZDhzniVm6U3_siRD/s320/55967394.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527096448815863746" /></a><br />By Jennifer Berne<br />Publisher: Sterling<br />ISBN: 978-1-4027-7323-5<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FROM THE FLAP</span>: Calvin was born under the eaves of an old barn with his three brothers, four sisters, and sixty-seven thousand four hundred and thirty-two cousins. Calvin may be one of many, but he’s certainly different from the rest.<br /><br />While the other little starlings learn to swoop and hover and fly figure eights, Calvin buries his beak in books. In the library his mind soars, taking him places his wings never could.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">KATE’S TAKE</span>: A fun fall read that celebrates books and being one's self.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FALL FUN BOOKS:</span> Verbal/Linguistic, Visual/Spatial, and Intrapersonal<br />Give each student a piece of paper with the sentence starter: In the fall I like to_____________. Ask each student to finish the sentence and draw a picture to go with it. Then, have students illustrate their sentences. Put each sheet in a three ring binder and make a class book to send home with the students. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FORMATION TAG</span>-Bodily/Kinesthetic and Naturalist<br />Discuss the possible reasons why starlings might fly in formations. One reason is to protect themselves from possible predators such as hawks. Take students outside to play a game of predator vs. prey tag, hawks vs. the starlings. As the starlings try to cross from one line to the other, they’ll learn the benefit of flying in a group vs. flying solo.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">STARLING BLACK BIRDS</span>-Musical and Bodily Kinesthetic<br />These lyrics are adapted from Music Together<br />Starlings black birds-put hands in your armpits and flap wings<br />Crow flying round-flap arms out at your side<br />Nut hatch hopping down the tree-have one hand hop down your opposite arm<br />Chickadee, dee, dee, dee-hold both hands out front and open and close fingers to thumb like a bird beak, using quick, small motions<br />Caw, caw, caw, caw-do same motion as chickadee but open the beaks wider and at a slower pace<br />Repeat chickadee line and actions four times<br />This is a fun song to sing in a round, too.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">STARLING STAMPS</span>-Visual/Spatial<br />Starlings form all sorts of amazing formations while flying through the sky. Ask each student to outline their favorite shape on a large piece of sky blue construction paper. Make bird stamps out of a potato or apple and have kids stamp multiple bird shapes inside their outline.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">STARLING SENTENCE SEQUENCING</span>-Verbal/Linguistic<br />Divide a 8x11 sheet of paper into 6 parts. Trace a flying bird shape into each section. Write one of the following six words on each bird: Starlings fly south for the winter. Make enough copies for the class. Ask each student to cut out the six birds and glue them in order onto a long strip of paper made from a 11x18 sheet of construction paper cut in half length wise and stapled together. Ask students to glue the birds down in order on their paper.<br /><br />BOOK BUDDIES:<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Book! Book! Book!</span> by Deborah Bruss<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">How Rocket Learned to Read</span> by Tad Hills<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Swimmy</span> by Leo Lionni<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">The Library Lion</span> by Michelle Knudsen<br /> -<span style="font-style:italic;">Wolf!</span> by Becky BloomKate Naritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02529436517277939555noreply@blogger.com0