TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME!

Check the library or shop your local indie bookstore.

I just finished reading The Hero Two Doors Down by Sharon Robinson. Truth be told, it's been sitting in my pile for sometime and it's a level T so that means a couple hours for a "grown up" reader! But I digress, the year is 1948, the hero is Jackie Robinson and the author of this mostly true story is Jackie Robinson's daughter Sharon. I absolutely love the cover and would reinforce one of my favorite teaching mantras, "every picture tells a story." We would start by looking at the picture and imagine what the story might be about. The story is a perfect read for baseball season in 3rd or 4th grade - with a teacher leading and in addition to presenting a love of family and baseball it touches themes of friendship, prejudice and self-control. If you see your students every day you could easily read this book in two weeks. 

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Other books that could also be read with this title include the following:
In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord
Testing the Ice by Sharon Robinson & Kadir Nelson
Who was Jackie Robinson? by Gail Herman
We Are The Ship Story and Paintings by Kadir Nelson
Players in Pigtails by Shana Corey

The list is actually endless when it comes to forming a cohesive, meaningful and FUN unit around these books. In book me if you need assistance, otherwise let me know if you do a unit like these and how it goes.

Check your library or shop your local indie bookstore.

Check your library or shop your local indie bookstore.

Here are a few more resources to add to your planning:
http://www.scholastic.com/motherdaughterbookclub/pdf/Scholastic-MDBC-HeroTwoDoorsDown.pdf
https://www.floridamediaed.org/uploads/6/1/4/2/61420659/2017es-herotwodoorsdown.pdf

https://www.mlb.com/mlb-together/jackie-robinson-day

Check your library or shop your local indie bookstore.

USING MULTIMEDIA TO ENGAGE

President Obama visits Falcon Launch Site

Using multimedia offers many opportunities across all subject areas. Long a proponent of using a variety of media to engage my readers, today's technologies makes it so much easier than in the past. The challenge is in knowing how to format, pace and integrate appropriate sources. Media can add dimension such as movement that cannot be done with still pictures. Please do not use any media that you have not viewed in its entirety in advance. 

Depending on the age of your students, subject area and your objectives, the idea of space exploration from rocketry to cold war, studying the solar system can take many forms. For K-2 see Ms. M's Materials and my use of the First Graders From Mars series. One could easily add a short video of the Falcon Heavy launch (and I mean short - less than 5 minutes these are 1st graders after all). They will ask to "see it again" and that's fine but one of the biggest mistakes when integrating video is playing a "long" video. 

Visit your library or shop your local indie bookstore.

There are many books for elementary students and Emily Lakdawalla offers years of reviews on Emily’s Recommended Space Books for Kids Ms. Lakdawalla checks every book for factual information and while she stopped doing lists in 2022 one can send her an email if there's a book you want her to review. Older Than the Stars by Karen C. Fox, illustrated by Nancy Davis is on the list. Perfect for early elementary in its repetitive rhyme about the Big Bang Theory. The Planetary Society is an amazing resource itself, "Cofounded by Sagan. Led by Nye. Powered by you."

Visit your library or shop your local indie bookstore.

The movie Hidden Figures based on the book of the same name by Margot Lee Shetterly can provide engagement on many levels. There are a ton of resources for middle and high school students studying the Cold War. Journeys in Film not only offers a free downloadable viewing guide for the move, but will send teachers a free DVD. Also checkout NASA for the story behind the story and see some "Modern Figures," rocketry and many other resources.

Visit your library or shop your local indie bookstore.

Regardless of the direction of your discovery, when integrating media be sure to be clear on your objectives and make sure that your materials are age appropriate. Video, texts and hands on activities can be mixed together to foster maximum engagement by your students and/or plan a fun family activity. Have an idea but struggling to format it? You don't have enough time to pull all the resources together? Think you've got it but want to virtually brainstorm with you? I can help. Inbox me and turn ordinary lessons in to engaging discoveries.

LET'S TALK MUTTON!

Joe Bagley in BU Today

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I had a great time this week attending the sold out BU Alumni Association presentation by City Archaeologist and fellow BU Alum Joe Bagley (CAS '06), Let's Talk Mutton! Held at Bastille Kitchen, it was a perfect venue to talk about the thousands of artifacts unearthed at the site and the insights those artifacts can give us about people, place and time. You may recall I talked about his book in my currently reading blog back in October. This book was also selected by the Boston Public School Librarian's Book Club for non-fiction reads last school year, (2016-2017). Unfortunately you can't attend the talk, but you can buy the book that supports the City of Boston Archaeology Department and read more about BU's Archaeology program in BU Today. Joe was part of the team that excavated the Three Cranes Tavern in Charlestown as a result of the Big Dig. Secrets of the Three Cranes Tavern is Part I of a 5-part series about BU Archaeology Around the World in BU Today (by Amy Laskowski, 2014. Photo above by Cydney Scott, Video embedded in article by Bill Politis).

Getting my book signed!

READING AND WRITING IN 2018

My first blog post of the New Year challenged you and yours to read, read, read. Without becoming overly political or verbose in this space, I have watched far too many school years pass where students and teachers did not read or write very much. I’ve heard tons of “reasons” for completing just one or two books in an entire school year. Classes spend inordinate amounts of time reading passages and answering multiple choice and short answer form questions in an English class that meets 5 times a week! While this post is primarily focused on the role writing can and should play, I would like to inspire you with a quote from President Obama from the 2005 ALA Annual Conference address;

"At the dawn of the 21st century, where knowledge is literally power, where it unlocks the gates of opportunity and success, we all have responsibilities as parents, as librarians, as educators, as politicians, and as citizens to instill in our children a love of reading so that we can give them a chance to fulfill their dreams." 

Good readers think about their reading and what better way to reflect on good reading than writing? As a library media specialist for the last 9 years, I could always tell which students would pass a high stakes test and those who wouldn't just from their reading and writing habits. I have also watched as scheduling and a lack of understanding of school libraries support the plummeting of student success – but I digress and tempt you to come back another day for a future post about the importance of school libraries and the role certified library teachers play in whole school progress. For this post I'm asking you to recognize what distracts you and your students. How many times a day do you look at Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or text someone something that just happened? Parents: you have a role in this too–your child should have time everyday for reading and writing. 

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This blog is about solutions and Ralph Fletcher’s A Writer’s Notebook, got me thinking. What if everyone put down their device and picked up a pen or pencil and followed Mr. Fletcher's ideas for “unlocking the writer within you?” If you are a teacher this book offers ideas you can use immediately with your students. The 12 chapters could be divided into 12 or 24 weeks of writing–that’s close to a school year! I've given you a link to buy the book on Amazon, but I would be surprised if there wasn't one of these books in your school already. If you are new to teaching, this book could guide you very easily in your first year...inbox me and I'll help you with your lesson plans. If you are a veteran teacher and are noticing that your students are not progressing, I suggest you take a quick read of Mr. Fletcher's books and see some of his tips on his web site. I believe if you mastered teaching with this book, you would see student improvement in reading and writing. 


 After 40 years of teaching and learning, writing curriculum, and running many successful programs, I respectfully conclude that the answer IS simple–to create readers and writers we must read and write and give our students the time to read and write. I have seen so much money and time spent on new “researched programs” on what works including re-training staff sometimes every year brought about by changes in administration and low test scores. If you have taught or been an administrator for a short time you know what I am talking about. We must make the time for students to read and write everyday and guiding them should not take hours of training an already educated certified teacher with a complicated, expensive “researched” program. If you are hiring a teacher and they are not a reader–move on. If you are an administrator and you are not a reader and a writer–you lack two of the basic skills to lead. If you are a parent struggling to get your child reading - read with them. Let them see you as a reader. So friends, put down your devices and get serious about reading and writing for yourself, your students and your children. Simply stated, readers and writers pass most tests easily and the most important test of living a fuller, more informed life is aced.

P.S. Reading this blog counts as reading!

CHOOSE KINDNESS!

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I've made a few tweets and Facebook posts about the book Wonder by R.J. Palacio and the movie that opens November 17th. Wonder is a fabulous book and the movie looks like it will be similarly fantastic. Those who know me know that I'm a huge fan of reading the book first but you can still check out the movie trailer below. This is a great family read (20 minutes a day!) and perfect for an upper elementary and/or lower middle school class. Ultimately Wonder is a great book that anyone at any age will love.

MS. M's MATERIALS - COLLECTIONS!

Shop your local indie bookstore.

Shop your local indie bookstore.

I have had wonderful success with a unit on collections with 2nd graders. You could also use these same materials with different grades, but for me 2nd grade was perfect. I generally started the unit with a brief discussion about collecting and collections. As a whole group we ask ourselves, "What is a collection?" Some of the big ideas this unit explores include how collections benefit people, how collecting and collections help us learn new things, and how we develop personal interests and study something in depth. I always share a few items from some of my collections and then we begin reading about a boy named Donavan who collects words in Donavan's Word Jar by Monalisa DeGross. This unit involves many more books (some listed below) and we transition into 2nd graders first research project where they present their collections to the class. Students also make their own word jars and learn how to use a dictionary. Finally, we graph the entire 2nd grade collections - during my time at Orchard Gardens that meant graphing what 4 classes of 2nd graders collect! Inbox me if you would like more details on how to structure this unit and a detailed list of standards and objectives.

Shop your local indie bookstore.

Shop your local indie bookstore.

Shop your local indie bookstore.

MS. M'S MATERIALS - WONDERSTRUCK!

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I recently had the opportunity to watch the Wonderstruck movie. I loved the casting choices and thought the different actors gave stellar performances. Overall the movie does not flow as well as the book and so once again I say, please read the book first! When I used this book in my classroom the movie was not out yet and I made my own DVD including David Bowie's Space Oddity video. Now you can include viewing the movie as a culminating activity. Here's a link to Brian Selznick's Wonderstruck page.
One of my favorite activities after reading Wonderstruck with my 4th and 5th grade students was making Museum Books. The Museum Books had 4 rooms that they curated to explain their topic. Student topics included New York City in 1977, Lightning Safety, The Panorama Museum and the Gunflint Lake Region. I shared my own model of the book as we read Wonderstruck and they couldn't wait to do their own. Museum Books can be created for many different books or research  projects. Contact me for more information.

One of the rooms in my model.

MS. M'S MATERIALS - 1st Graders From Mars!

One of my favorite units with first graders was our trip to Mars! Many students feel anxious or worried about trying new things and the transition from Kindergarten to First Grade can be daunting for some children. In the series by Shana Corey we make friends with Horus, Pelly, Nergal and Tera and learn that being successful may mean trying new things and forming new friendships. We see that each character has special qualities and none of them is good at doing everything. In the end doing your best most important. The series also helps us talk about how classroom rituals and routines allow ALL students to learn to their potential. These books are great IN the classroom, but are also great family reads that can lead to discussions about the importance of school, being a friend and trying your best. Check out your local library or buy them below.

Buy me here!

Buy me here!

Buy me here!

Buy me here!

I've linked to Bookshop.org that supports independent bookstores with your purchase, I do not receive any money from these recommendations. It may be a little difficult to find this collection, but don't give up, my first graders LOVED them. Always try your local library and local independent bookseller.

In addition to the series by Shana Corey, I also incorporate to nonfiction books about the Solar System, Mars info from NASA and use NASA's Curiosity Rover Video. Check these out as recommended by The Horn Book. The big ending is our experiment with space sand. I purchase the red because Mars is the "red planet." 

The Rover Perseverance left the United States on July 30, 2020 and landed on February 18, 2021. It was every bit as exciting as the landing of it's predecessor, Curiosity. You can follow Perseverance on the NASA News site. Aboard Perseverance is carrying a drone named Ingenuity that will attempt to fly over Mars. There's more information on the NASAKids web page for Perseverance.

If you are a teacher or home-schooler and would like to learn more about this unit, additional resources and lesson extensions, please contact me through this blog.

Get "space sand" here!

MS. M's MATERIALS - FIRST INSTALLMENT!

Want to add this book to your collection? Buy it here!

Ms. M's Materials is an opportunity for  me to share some of the amazing books I have read with my students over the years. I'll be sharing them with you by describing in simple form how I used these texts in my classroom. 
What Is Beautiful? - We Are! is an introductory unit I use when teaching Preschool and Kindergarten. The unit was inspired by the book What Is Beautiful? by Maryjean Watson Avery and David Avery.  In this unit we get to know each other as we connect to text with basic body part vocabulary - eye, ear, nose, mouth, smile, hair, hands and arms. Students are able to identify a “favorite” part, we take close up pictures and they create posters. I use software that allows me to outline the sentence they create about their favorite part and they trace their sentences. They also learn each other’s names and it’s a fun unit that builds community and respect in the class. This unit can be modified and expanded for higher level grades and English Language Learners by adding additional texts and making some of the activities more cognitively demanding and age appropriate. 

If you are a teacher or home-schooler and would like to learn more about this unit, additional resources and lesson extensions, please contact me through this blog. Featured books in this unit include;

What Is Beautiful? By Mary Jean Watson Avery and David Avery
The Best Part of Me: Children Talk About their Bodies in Pictures and Words by Wendy Ewald
The Eye Book (Bright & Early Board Books(TM)) by Dr. Seuss
The Nose Book (Bright and Early Books) by Al Perkins
The Hair Book (Bright & Early Book ; Be 24) by Graham Tether

I Love My Hair! by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley
The Ear Book (Dr. Seuss Bright and Early Books for Beginning Beginners) - Hardcover - First Edition, 44th Printing 2008 by Al Perkins
Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb (Bright & Early Books) by Perkins, Al (unknown Edition) [Hardcover(1969)] by Al Perkins