I just heard about In2Books from Dr. Stein Brunvard's site. From ePal's In2Books site, they describe In2Books as a program that "promotes literacy across the curriculum by matching students with adult pen pals who read the same books and correspond online about the important issues in the books. The books are carefully selected to align with literacy, social studies and science standards."
Teachers and schools can apply to be part of the program, and Title I schools can participate for free. Yep, that's right! For free!! Other schools and teachers can participate and use some of the resources for free but they must also provide some resources, too, such as the books and the pen pals.
Now, we're talking about some content area reading with focus on social studies and science but with fiction, too. So, there definitely is a variety across the narrative, fiction and expository texts. Woohoo! Dr. Brunvard says, he can "can imagine senior citizens, retired educators, preservice teachers and even responsible high school students participating as pen pals. What a great way to tap into a population of volunteers that might not be able to come into the classroom to help out but could be very helpful as 'virtual volunteers' ."
If you're using it or going to find out about using it, let me know.
Tony DiTerlizzi, bestselling author of The Spiderwick Chronicles, will be at Barnes & Noble Wolfchase (2774 N Germantown Parkway) on Sunday, August 24 at 2:00 pm to sign his new book Kenny and the Dragon. This is in conjunction with a Bookfair for
Make a Wish Foundation
If you like the patterns in If You Give a Pig a Pancake or ...a Mouse a Cookie, then you're about in time for the new If You Give a Cat a Cupcake. Author Laura Numeroff has a new book coming out September 30. You can find out a little more about the story and preorder online at Barnes & Noble.
I just discovered BigUniverse.com today, and I had to share. This is a great site — a great companion to ICDL. BigUniverse is dedicated to children's picture books, and the quality is very high.
BigUniverse let's you do a number of cool things. First off, you can create your picture book. Next, you can read popular press picture books from well know authors. (In their media press releases, BigUniverse reports that this feature has increased book sales.) You can, of course, purchase books right from the site. Next, you can connect with children's book authors and experts who blog through the site. Finally, you can create your own bookshelf of books from BigUniverse. This would be a great way to keep up with the books you really like or want to use in your classroom.
Zoomii. I just heard about it today. If you haven't heard about it I encourage you to take a look. It sort of makes it fun to browse online like you were really walking through a bookstore. I've added the link to the children's section above, but you can select from the category listing on the top left for any section you wish. Now only if they could add the aroma of brewing coffee (that I don't drink) and the soft sounds of people talking, we might be getting close to a virtual experience.
AUTHOR: Audrey Wood
AGES: Preschool to Beginning Readers
REVIEW: The Napping House is a rhyming tale of a house where everyone is sleeping on a rainy afternoon. The story begins with the napping granny, and one by one the other characters join her in the bed for a nap, each piling on top of the others until there is so many that inevitably, they will all be woken from their peaceful nap. When the energetic flea wakes the dog, chaos ensues and everyone is abruptly woken from slumber. Throughout the story there is a repetitive rhyme that builds with each character that joins the pile.
What I enjoyed the most about this story is how the rhyme scheme built up the intensity of the plot while also making it very easy for a young child to follow. The book is simple yet charming and is a great book for nap or bed time of course! However, I cannot discuss the book without acknowledging the illustrations. In my opinion, they are one of the best features of this book! The images are whimsical and dreamy, which goes along perfectly with the story. They really brought the characters to life in such a beautiful way. For another short review, Family Reads offers this post on taking naps, and Lauren's World Literature for Children also comments on the building nature of the story. Lauren also offers this teaching idea:
This book is a great way to get students involved in writing. They could write cumulative stories themselves, along with drawing the pictures. Students will enjoy that because it is a very simple method of writing. For younger students, there are great activity pages on Audrey Wood's website. There is one worksheet that students complete to find shapes inside the house.
This book was created by a husband and wife team, the wife Audrey writes and her husband Don illustrates. This book won several awards when it was published in 1984 including the New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book, the Golden Kite Award from the Society of Children’s Book Writers, a National Council of Teachers of English 1984 Teacher’s Choice, as well as several others.
Guest Blogger: My name is Sara H., and I am a student at the University of Memphis. I graduated with a BA in history in December of 2007 and I am currently working towards my Master’s of Arts in Teaching. I hope to teach history at the secondary level and cannot wait to start!! I have a real passion for history, but I also enjoy spending time with my family, my boyfriend, and my feisty American bulldog puppy.
AUTHOR: Dr. Seuss, Theodor Seuss Geisel
AGES: 4 – 8 years old
REVIEW: The Lorax, even though controversial, is a great book for children to read. It is important for them to understand the value of taking care of our world at a young age. The story begins when a boy wanders into an area where everything is dark and lonely and where very few living things live. At this time, the Once-ler appears and begins telling the boy how the town was once beautiful, lively, and full of animals. The Once-ler notices a neat tree and uses it to create a thneed. The Lorax protests the cutting down of the tree. However, the Once-ler sells his first thneed and sees a new business. The Lorax continually warns the Once-ler about the pollution his business is creating. Everything is fine for this thneed-selling business until the last Truffala tree is cut down. Everyone leaves the town, and the Once-ler is by himself in this town. The Once-ler realizes he has a seed left and gives it to the boy and tells him to go plant a tree. For a plot summary, please visit amazon.com.
The point of the story is, first of all, plant new trees as you cut them down. This is evident when the Once-ler leaves the boy the one remaining seed. The authors are saying that no matter how bad a situation can get that we can still make a difference, even if it is just one tree at a time. We have to start somewhere. They also make the point that we should do what we can to protect living creatures in the area, even if it may be inconvenient for a company. The Once-ler could have listened to the Lorax and taken a few minor changes to save the nearby animals without a major sacrifice on his behalf.
The story also hints about the importance of property rights. Furthermore, Jonathan Adler states in his blog that “the Lorax is easily seen a story about property rights…and the inevitable environmental consequences of poor institutions.” I see his point of view, and even though we do not know who owns the trees, environmental regulations should have been in place. Even if the Once-ler owned the land, he has a responsibility to protect the surrounding environment. Today, regulations are in place to discourage the abusive practices.
I like a post by Rogers Sweeny that states “a person who really wanted to make money would have cut down only some of the trees, then planted more so he could harvest them later and make money for years and years to come.” The point is well-made and is a good model for any lumbering company. People should not let laziness or greed lead them to such actions that the Once-ler took. Visit Mr. Sweeny's comment to read the complete post. The video-version of The Lorax is a great resource and can be seen at Google Video.
Guest Blogger: Matthew T. is a graduate student at the University of Memphis who is pursuing degrees in teaching and accounting. Matthew has gained and still is gaining experience as a tutor at the University of Memphis and Southwest Tennessee Community College. He currently volunteers at local children’s homes in the Memphis area and in children’s ministries at his church. He ultimately plans to teach high school mathematics. Matthew is a student in Dr. Anna Clifford's IDT 7061 course, Spring 08.
AUTHOR: Dr. Seuss
AGES: 5-12 years old
REVIEW: Oh, the Places You’ll Go! is a poetic journey about a young boy in his pajamas who faces life challenges, the good and the bad. Although the story is written for children, anyone can apply Seuss’ message that life is a voyage of ups and downs. This book addresses various life issues such as success, failure, choices, happiness, sadness, determinism and patience. For a more in depth summary, visit Barnes and Noble.
I received this book for a high school graduation present. Laughing at the idea of receiving a children’s book at the age of 18, I soon realized the relevance to my life at the time. Preparing to enter a new stage in life, Oh, the Places You’ll Go! gives an honest yet encouraging outlook on life’s journey. With his poetic devices, Dr. Seuss engulfs his audience into a journey full of world-winds. By personally speaking to the reader (i.e. “Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away!), Seuss places the responsibility of making decisions into the hands of his audience. To read another review visit Powell's Books.
To find out more about the author and his books, check out Dr. Seuss’ Seussville, where children can explore the wonderful world of Dr. Seuss and even travel to different places.
Guest Blogger: Queria M. is a sixth grade teacher at a local middle school. A native of Little Rock, Arkansas, Queria earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis. She loves reading to her students and applying themes to real-world situations. Oh, the Places You’ll Go! is one of her all time favorite books. The simple yet meaningful language describes life’s journey from childhood to adulthood.
AUTHOR: David Shannon
AGES: Preschool to early elementary
REVIEW: David Goes to School by David Shannon is one in a series of David books. What I love about this book is the humor the author uses to portray the character of David. David is a very mischievous child who hears the word No a lot. (There is actually a book written in this series that is called No David!) Even if you have a very well-behaved child, your child will be cracking up at this book. Everyone knows someone like David! The book is very well illustrated and is a perfect book to use in easing anxiety with starting school.
You can review the summary of the book at Barnes and Noble's site. You can also read an article published about the book from Publisher's Weekly. You can check out information about the author, David Shannon on the following two websites: http://www.scholastic.com/titles/authors/david_shannon.htm & http://www.cbcbooks.org/cbcmagazine/meet/davidshannon.html .
Guest Blogger: This review was written by Heather C. Heather is a part-time stock broker whose love for teaching children has sparked her passion to go back to Graduate school and pursue a master’s in Elementary Education. She is currently finishing up her classes and will be student teaching in the spring of 2009. She has two children who she adores and loves to read and play with. She mainly reads children’s picture books at the time since her children are 2 and 3. David Shannon is among her top five favorite children’s authors. Heather can not wait to start teaching and plans to incorporate children’s literature into every subject! Heather is a student of Dr. Grant's IDT 7061 course in Spring 08.
AUTHOR: Melinda Long
AGES: Preschool - Elementary
REVIEW: How I Became a Pirate will make you laugh...if you're a kid or an adult. The story of Braid Beard offering Jeremy Jacob to join his crew will keep you wondering where the story goes. The pirate language and humorous observations by Jeremy Jacob will make you giggle, and if you use your best pirate voice, then every kid will pay close attention, laughing at all the right parts. Not be missed are the incredible illustrations by David Shannon. the detail and humor in all the paintings are awesome.
I read this one to my duaghter's preschool class (in my best pirate voice) and they were mesmerized and laughing at all the antics from the pirates. They especially like the very end when Jeremy Jacob takes off for soccer practice and they find out what his team is called. While pirates might seem like a "boy's" topic, the girls liked it, too. Everyone kept inching up closer and closer to investigate the illustrations.
Melinda Long's Web site has a short synopsis of the story, and Hallsville Intermediate School's Book Blog has an audio recording of the students reading the book. This would be a great addition if you had emergent readers or struggling readers and they wanted to follow along. Melinda visited my sister Lisa's school and read to the kids. At Melinda's site you can also check out her schedule to see where she'll be and when you might could meet her. Also, at Melinda's blog, you can see updates from the author herself and recommendations for integration into your curriculum. If you like this one, then be sure to check out the sequel in Pirates Don't Change Diapers. Just as funny and entertaining.
RSS Feed