Science Fiction - Frank Einstein and the Electro-Finger

Frank Einstein and the Electro-Finger

Frank Einstein and the Electro-Finger

Written by Jon Scieszka

Illustrated by Brian Biggs

Published by Amulet Books

Copyright 2015

165 pages

A/R Grade Level:  4.4

Frank Einstein, Watson and their robots, Klink and Klank, build a static-electricity finger while trying to provide free electricity to their town, Midville.  In the book, their enemies are T. Edison and Mr. Chimp who are trying to make the whole town need him to provide their electricity.  This struggle about the town's electricity supply makes for a fun story.

Children that are interested in science will enjoy the illustrations and drawings throughout the book and continue to be drawn into the story.  There is a world of information and learning provided through the illustrations alone and many could be used to spark scientific discussions and debates with students.  

This book will engage students in the science of energy in its different forms and there are several ways that it can spark continued research by readers about science.  Use of this book before performing science experiments could be interesting also because it would introduce the idea of being a scientist, experimenter, or even an inventor.

  

Nonfiction - Those Rebels, John & Tom

Those Rebels, John & Tom

Those Rebels, John & Tom

Written by Barbara Kerley

Illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham

Published by Scholastic Press

Copyright 2012

46 pages

A/R Grade Level: 6.3

This book presents a quick introduction to two of America's founding fathers, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.  It contrasts how very different they were but brings their story together by explaining how they worked together for America's good.  It outlines their relationship and work together in a story-like, light-hearted way that easily will engage children.  The book is a quick summary of their early lives up to the birth of the Declaration of Independence.  

Using this book to introduce a study of that time period in history could help "hook" students because it casts these men as real people with different personalities and different talents but with very similar beliefs and convictions.  Although the A/R reading level is 6.3, I feel that the use of this book could be used even in the third grade to help introduce any unit about American history during that time period due to the way it personifies these two particular men.  It makes them come alive as real people and could spark interest in students to research other important historical figures from that time period.  

The illustrations are very cartoonish but interesting.  This adds to the entertainment factor of the book and keeps it from being boring.  There are many facts and ideas woven into the book through the illustrations which adds to the ways that this book could be utilized to increase students' interest in further study of the topic.

  

Modern Fantasy - The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Written by Kate DiCamillo

Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline

Published by Candlewick Press

Copyright 2006

200 pages

A/R Grade Level 4.4

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane is a great fantasy book about a beautiful china rabbit that has very little emotional connection to anyone or anything.  At the beginning of the book he is very proud of his outward appearance but has very little emotional connection to anyone.  He takes great pride in how he looks and how he is treated.  Through a series of events he is lost, mistreated, gets dirty, loved, discarded, forgotten, treasured, and experiences many other radical events.  Throughout these events his outward appearance becomes "less than" beautiful but the real story is that his inward feelings are changed.  He begins to "feel" things for his owners and actually miss and appreciate his previous owners.  This book is a great story of how outward appearance is not nearly as important as your inner values.

This would be a great book to share with your class as a whole group to "journey" through the changes that Edward Tulane experiences and have your class predict what may happen to the little china rabbit next.  It teaches love and friendship in such a beautiful way.  Discussion would spontaneously begin with students while reading this book about the true value of friendship and how love can change things in your life.

The illustrations are what I would call art gallery quality.  They are gorgeous and provoke an emotional reaction because they convey and add so much meaning to the story. 

Thea's Tree Book Talk

Thea's Tree Book Talk

International Literature - Emma and the Blue Genie

Emma and the Blue Genie

Written by Cornelia Funke

Translated by Oliver Latsch

Illustrated by Kerstin Meyer

Published by Random House New York

Copyright 2014

90 pages

A/R Grade Level: 4.8

Emma and the Blue Genie is an international fairy tale.  Emma and her dog, Tristan, find a bottle in the ocean one night and release a genie, Karim.  Karim has lost his ability to grant wishes.  Karim's nose ring was stolen by the evil genie, Sahim and therefore, Karim's powers are lost.  Emma and Tristan fly with Karim back to his master's palace to help him get his nose ring back.  They embark on a wonderful adventure and eventually defeat the evil genie, retrieve the lost nose ring, and Karim regains his powers and banishes the evil genie forever. 

This book offers an excellent alternative to the traditional storyline found in most books about genies and wishes.  It could be used as part of an English language arts unit for reading and comprehension.  It has rich vocabulary with many unfamiliar words that could easily be explained to students before the reading of the book.  This book would be an excellent way to introduce students to varying versions of similar stories by reading it along with the more well-known Aladdin book and comparing and contrasting the stories.  By introducing unfamiliar vocabulary, a teacher would be able to assist students in researching these new words, defining these words, and discussing the setting of the book.  Sparking interest in reading is a challenge for teachers much of time and this book would be easy to use to accomplish this task.  

Diverse Perspectives - Ghost Girl

Ghost Girl

Ghost Girl

 Written by Delia Ray

Cover Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie

Published by Houghton Mifflin

Clarion Books

Copyright 2003

216 pages

Genre: Diverse Perspectives
A/R Grade Level: 5.4

Ghost Girl is a tale of fiction that has been written with many specific real events woven through the storyline.  This book is set in the Blue Ridge Mountains during Herbert Hoover's presidency.  This time frame was also while the Great Depression was taking place.  The characters in the story have a dialect that is unique to this geographic area and are mostly unaware of how things in the outside world are becoming bleaker during President Hoover's time in office simply because they are so poor already.  The book portrays the people of the Blue Ridge Mountains as hard-working and self sufficient people who sometimes suffer in silence while carrying on with their daily lives.  

The main character April wants to attend the new school that is coming but her mother is not going to allow it until her maternal grandmother steps in and intervenes.  The story shares April's experiences from age 11 through her teenage years.  Many important events take place for April throughout the book.  She has a difficult relationship with her mother, forms a special bond with her teacher, has a distant but loving relationship with her father and although she doesn't have many friends at school she finds true friendship in an unlikely place by the end of the book.  

The author does an excellent job of bringing real events into a fictional story in an entertaining way.  This book could be used alongside a social studies unit about the time of the Great Depression and/or Herbert Hoover's time as President of the United States to increase interest from students in the subject matter.  It would be very easy to use this book as a way to get students engaged in learning about history and how historical events do, in fact, affect ordinary people just like them.

I would also like to note that the cover illustration is excellent and I feel that it would spark interest in readers considering choosing this book.  It is an accurate depiction of how the girl in the story is described and why she has the nickname, "Ghost Girl".  

3rd Grade Practicum

Last week I began my student practicum assignment in a 3rd grade classroom.  This semester is going to be challenging but so much fun!  I can already see that this age group is hungry to learn and eager to try new things.  I look forward to learning so much from my cooperating teacher and I will share some of my projects and lessons here on my blog with all of you.

Looks like 3rd grade is gonna be the place to be for the next few weeks and I couldn't be happier to embrace this experience.  I am sure I will learn so much from the students!

Talk later,

Shannon

Picture Book - I'm Gonna Like Me

I'm Gonna Like Me

I'm Gonna Like Me

(Letting Off A Little Self-Esteem)

Written by Jamie Lee Curtis

Illustrated by Laura Cornell

Copyright 2002

Harper Collins Publishers

Joanna Cotler Books

32 pages

Genre: Picture Book

A/R Grade Level: 3.0

I'm Gonna Like Me is a fun book about children who express a fondness for themselves even though they are not always successful at everything they do.  The book explores successes and failures encountered in a typical child's life and expresses liking yourself no matter what happens during the day.  The illustrations strongly support the storyline and add rich context for each situation mentioned in the text.  Throughout the book, boys and girls are depicted in various settings at home, school, and play where things turn out well and sometimes, not so well.  The children continue to repeat, "I'm gonna like me!" as their experiences are revealed.  

This book would be an excellent starting point for a character trait lesson about self-esteem as suggested by the subtitle.  This book could also be used during the first few days of school to ease concerns about the new school year, making friends, and finding a way to fit into the student's new circumstances.  I would extend learning with this book by performing a book walk before it is read aloud to review the illustrations and make predictions about some of the things that may happen in the story.  The illustrations contain several words and labels that assist in making the story even more fun for children.  The students will enjoy taking time to soak up the beautiful illustrations and finding out what this extra text adds to the overall story.  After reading the book aloud, a discussion and time of sharing could be facilitated to encourage students to share their thoughts about overcoming disappointments and celebrating victories.

Hi there!

Another day in kindergarten and I learned so much.  I'm absorbing everything I can about this experience and taking all I can from my cooperating teacher.  I am loving it!  Today I was tasked with creating a poster for a red ribbon week contest.  My CT gave me an idea and I ran with it.  It was so much fun working with the students one on one to complete the poster and they loved signing their work.  No, everything did not go perfectly but it is so much fun to finally be interacting with students.

Till next time,

Shannon

First Day of School (Kindergarten Practicum)

Hello!

Monday, October 1st, was my first day of school.  Actually it was my very first day of practicum in a Kindergarten classroom.  All I can say is I was exhausted and excited at the end of the day.  I know this is what I want to do with the rest of my life but it is not as easy as it looks.  Kindergarten is more like controlled chaos than a well-oiled machine of a classroom.  By the end of the day, I was tired of hearing Mrs. Graves or Teacher already.  I know that the children were excited because someone new was with them and that was part of their vast amount of attention placed on me but several of them seemed to become instantly attached to me in some way and that stole my heart.

Children are so open and loving.  They are accepting of new people and new things and that's what will make teaching so much fun.  I look forward to the lessons that I will get to teach this semester because I will have the opportunity to try to make that light bulb go on in their heads. 

I am still very busy with projects and lesson plans and trying desperately to keep up with everything that I have to do.  I have never been more organized and I am so glad that I am.  Otherwise, I would be lost.  I've never been a written planner person but now I'm relying on my planner every day.  The satisfaction I get from being organized and on top of assignments is probably silly but so rewarding.  I just pray that I can stay ahead or at least on time with everything.

Talk later,

Shannon