Children Just Like Me

Time has certainly got away from me! I can't believe that we are starting our fourth week of school. In that time we've started a brand new spelling format in both fifth and sixth grade courtesy of Jen Bengel from Out of This World Literacy, and it is going so well that I just have to smile! We've set up our interactive notebooks in all subjects and grades. We've taken STARS Reading and Math tests that have allowed me to better meet the needs of my students. We've already done one STEM activity and have met with our college professor mentor for an awesome chemistry lesson about lemons. In other words.... We are off to a terrific year of fun and learning!

My little blog, however, has been a bit neglected by me of late. It's been almost two weeks since last I uploaded a post, but my blog itself hasn't been neglected. It's recently received a much needed facelift. I love the new design created by Blogs Fit for a Queen. The Teacher's Desk 6 now looks like a real teacher's desk, complete with all of the tools that I use and photographs of my two fuzz girls, Lulu and Daisy. Courtney and Shannon were terrific to work with! If you are looking to redesign your blog, I HIGHLY recommend Blogs Fit for a Queen!

Something else that got a bit neglected since school started is my reading time. I've spent most of my reading time working on school related reading. This weekend I decided to reclaim a little ME TIME in the reading area. I had received a gorgeous book about three weeks ago and just hadn't had time to do more than look at it and yearn! Today I did MORE...

Published by DK Books, Children Just Like Me: A New Celebration of Children around the World is a gorgeous publication of colorful photographs, maps, graphics, and engaging text that just begs to be read.

A favorite in classrooms, libraries, and homes, Children Just Like Me is a comprehensive view of international cultures, exploring diverse backgrounds from Argentina to New Zealand to China to Israel. With this brand new edition, children will learn about their peers around the world through engaging photographs and understandable text laid out in DK's distinctive style. 

Highlighting 36 different countries, Children Just Like Me profiles 44 children and their daily lives. From rural farms to busy cities to riverboats, this celebration of children around the world shows the many ways children are different and the many ways they are the same, no matter where they live. 

Meet Bolat, an eight-year-old from Kazakhstan who likes to cycle, play with his pet dogs, and play the dromba; Joaquin from New Jersey who enjoys reading and spending time with his family, and whose favorite food is bacon; or Yaroslav from Moscow who likes to make robots. Daily routines, stories of friends and family, and dreams for the future are spoken directly from the children themselves, making the content appropriate and interesting to draw in young readers. 

To celebrate the twentieth anniversary of this special project, all-new photography, maps, and facts give unique insight to children's lives in our world today showing their homes, food, outfits, schools, families, and hobbies. 

A passport to a celebratory journey around the world, Children Just Like Me is perfect for children who are curious about the children of the world and their stories...Amazon.com.

The possibilities for using this book in a classroom are endless. Reading one biography a day aloud to students in elementary grades can lead to discussions about how children around the world are so alike yet so different.

Mini-research activities to learn more about the information presented in the text are bound to be a natural occurrence.

If classrooms are fortunate to have the original text published twenty years ago, a compare/contrast lesson could be in order.

DK Publishers has created a beautiful, useful, and engaging publication that teachers will want to use. They have also provided a free activity kit on their website to aid teachers. There are several sheets to use with students...

...as well as a downloadable .pdf file.

Children Just Like Me is available for purchase at a very reasonable price via a link at DK Books, the publisher, or directly on Amazon.com where it is already the #1 New Release in Children's Customs and Traditions Books.

I'm linking up with This Literacy Life for Book Talk Thursday (even though it's Sunday... I had good intentions). Be sure to stop by her blog for loads of posts about terrific books to use in your classroom!

First Read Aloud of the New School Year

Every once in a while a book comes along that is just...

RIGHT...right for the first read aloud book of the new school year for my incoming fifth grade ELA class!

Reading Is for Idjits
by W.W. Rowe
illustrations by Charles Filius
Charwood Publications
2016

Humorous events, engaging text, likeable (if not silly) characters, and colorful, delightful illustrations abound in this quick read recommended for ages 6-12. But there's even more to this tale, something teachers treasure... a terrific lesson: Reading well is important!

Martin and Morton are identical twins! They had the same scruffy dark hair. The same beady eyes. The same pointed nose. Which one is which?  

"Smarty Marty" loves to read. "Morton the Moron" hates it. "Reading is for idjits!" he declares. But Morton's faulty reading gets him into BIG trouble. His entire world falls apart!

After a series of humorous disasters, Morton finally learns to read. He even saves the day with his new skill!... Amazon.com.

Teachers always try to impress upon their students the importance of reading, especially reading well. Our learning standards focus on deepening student understanding of text, interacting with text in meaningful ways, and increasing text comprehension, in other words being able to read well. Reading Is for Idjits imparts this message in a fun, engaging way that students won't realize they are being taught such a valuable lesson.

Perfect as a read aloud (the humorous story begs to be shared), this book could be used as the initial text presented to a class and serve as a mentor text for skills such as theme, characterization, and word choice. The strategies of making predictions and connections can be practiced as the story unfolds while the literary skill of mapping a plot line (including conflict) could be introduced to young readers or reinforced with older readers.

I can NOT wait to share this title with my newest students and use it to begin our learning this year!

To read more about this title or similar titles, please visit Charwood Publications.

To purchase your own copy (available in paperback or Kindle) of Reading Is for Idjits, click HERE.

I'm once again linking up with Andrea from This Literacy Life for her Book Talk Thursday linky. Be sure to stop by to discover new titles to share with your students or to add a title or two of your own!

March of the Suffragettes

With the advent of the Common Core State Standards there has been a heavier emphasis on nonfiction literature in the classroom. Examining the ELA cadre of standards finds a complete section devoted to informational literature alone. As a result, I have been on the lookout for engaging nonfiction titles to use with my middle school students.

The March of the Suffragettes: Rosalie Gardiner Jones and the March for Voting Rights by Zachary Michael Jack, set for publication on September 27, 2016, by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group caught my attention due to its timely content (US Presidential election).

March of the Suffragettes tells the forgotten, real-life story of “General” Rosalie Gardiner Jones, who in the waning days of 1912 mustered and marched an all-women army nearly 175 miles to help win support for votes for women. General Jones, along with her good friends and accomplices “Colonel” Ida Craft, “Surgeon General” Lavinia Dock, and “War Correspondent” Jessie Hardy Stubbs, led marchers across New York state for their pilgrims’ cause, encountering not just wind, fog, sleet, snow, mud, and ice along their unpaved way, but also hecklers, escaped convicts, scandal-plagued industrialists on the lam, and jealous boyfriends and overprotective mothers hoping to convince the suffragettes to abandon their dangerous project. By night Rosalie’s army met and mingled with the rich and famous, attending glamorous balls in beautiful dresses to deliver fiery speeches; by day they fought blisters and bone-chilling cold, debated bitter Anti-suffragists, and dodged wayward bullets and pyrotechnics meant to intimidate them. They composed and sang their own marching songs for sisterhood and solidarity on their route, even as differences among them threatened to tear them apart. 

March of the Suffragettes chronicles the journey of four friends across dangerous terrain in support of a timeless cause, and it offers a hopeful reminder that social change is achieved one difficult, dauntless, daring step at a time...Amazon.com

Normally, I do not LIKE to read nonfiction. With March of the Suffragettes I had to change my mind. Surprisingly, I did like reading this nonfiction selection!

First there is just the right mix of narrative and informational text. This book reads more like a story than expository material. Second March of the Suffragettes introduced a new character to my knowledge of the struggle to gain the right for women to vote, Rosalie Gardiner Jones. Lesser known than Elizabeth Stanton or Susan B. Anthony, she is nonetheless just as instrumental in gaining the passage of the 19th amendment. Third, the book includes more than just material about suffrage. Tidbits about fashion, music, and food as well as other noteworthy historical events (the sinking of the Titanic) are included that makes the action and era come alive for the reader, especially for young female readers, an audience that often eschews nonfiction.

Finally, I judge a book by it usefulness in my classroom. March of the Suffragettes could be a great nonfiction read aloud, appealing to both boys and girls; it could be implemented as part of a reading club or literature circle, by virtue of its challenging content; or it could be studied as a class text in both language arts or social studies. Because of its textual content and genre it meets many of the Common Core Standards for teaching Informational Text, among them analyzing text to determine structure and comparing narrative with expository material.

All of these qualities leads to a perfect text to use in a middle grades classroom as well as a great read!

To order your copy, click HERE.

I'm linking up with This Literacy Life for her Book Talk Thursday linky. Hop on over to check out great titles for use in your classroom.

Book Talk Thursday: Toto's Tale by Sylvia Patience

One of the most distinctive memories I have from my childhood is that of a just three-year old sitting in her miniature rocking chair watching "The Wonderful Wizard of OZ" on a small black and white television set. My favorite part of the movie was Toto, the little black dog. I remember clapping and laughing for and at him until the flying monkeys snatched him away. I started screaming and crying so much that I never was able to finish watching the movie... until next year.

I looked forward to viewing this movie each year (this is in the days before recording devices and streaming films). Sometimes the wait seemed unbearable. As I got older and visited the public library, I soon discovered a series of Wizard of Oz books by author L.Frank Baum. The complete saga was so much more than what was revealed via the movie.

And now fifty-five years later I discover that there is even more to the tale as it is now told through the eyes of my favorite character!

Toto's Tale and the True Chronicle of Oz
by Sylvia Patience
Independent Book Publishers Association

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was written in 1900 by L. Frank Baum. Many other Oz books followed, as well as the famous 1939 movie. Not until now, however, does Toto tell the story, as he remembers it. In Toto’s Tale, we read his version of the beloved adventures. Toto tells how he first found Dorothy when she arrived in Kansas on an orphan train and how they were both adopted by Aunt Em and Uncle Henry. In the end, he says, the silver shoes (not ruby slippers as in the movie) weren’t lost in the desert, but put to good use...Amazon.com.

Normally, I steer clear of retellings, new versions, or knock-off stories. They just never satisfy as the original. However, something made me check-out Toto's Tale. Perhaps it was a fond childhood memory of Dorothy's cute companion. Whatever it was, I'm thoroughly delighted that I did. The spunky, once orphaned, critter tells the familiar story of Dorothy, the scarecrow, tin man, and lion with just the right mixture of the familiar (movie script) with fresh material.

The yellow brick road carries our travelers throughout the land of Oz. While we meet the familiar Munchkins we are also introduced to the Winkies. Instead of familiar ruby slippers Dorothy is gifted with silver shoes that still magically help her return home. The Wizard is indeed terrible to behold, but he appears differently to different subjects. The Emerald City is green but only through the use of special glasses. The travelers seek the typical gifts from the wizard: a return trip home, a heart, a brain, and courage. It's Toto's turn to seek a gift. Toto just wants to talk like all the animals in Oz.

While predictable due to familiarity there is just enough new to keep the plotline interesting for older readers and exciting enough for younger readers. This feature also makes it a wonderful book to use in a 5/6th grade classroom. Current ELA standards require teachers to involve students in comparing/contrasting written texts with visual media. It would be difficult, I think, to find a student this age who has not seen the classic film. With Patience's addition of material regarding the Orphan Trains and the precursor events leading up to the era of the Dust Bowl, this tale would do well in comparing/contrasting informational and literary texts.

Toto's Tale is charming, exciting, inviting, humorous, predictable, and fresh... a recipe for a terrific read that might open the door to Baum's original series for young readers.

If you, like I, are a fan of The Wizard of Oz (movie or book series) you'll want to read this delightful little tale! You can grab your own copy HERE.

I'm adding Toto's Tale to Book Talk Thursday over at This Literacy Life. Be sure to check out other titles featured there.

The Relic

Several years ago I had the pleasure of receiving and reviewing Clark Rich Burbidge's series Giants in the Land. My sixth graders loved these books and were disappointed when the tale ended, so I was excited to hear that Mr. Burbidge has a brand new book/series available. Called The Star Passage Series, the first book is entitled The Relic.

Teenagers Tim and Martie are desperate to end their parents’ downward spiral. Between their father’s PTSD and their mother’s depression, their family has reached a breaking point.

Then an ancient Christmas ornament reveals its secrets, sending the siblings across the centuries on a search for hope. But Tim and Martie aren’t the only ones hunting through time. They’re being watched by dark figures—Trackers doomed to haunt history. These Trackers believe the teens’ ornament is their key to freedom, and they will do whatever it takes to steal it.

What begins as an exciting adventure becomes a deadly race. Can Tim and Martie find the answers they seek before their enemy finds them?....Deep River Books.

Part adventure, part historical fiction, and part inspirational literature, The Relic did not disappoint this middle grades teacher.

Clark Burbidge weaves an alluring tale of the Carson family as they travel through time with the help of a mysterious relic they call the Star of Passage, a large 8 pointed star about the size of an adult's hand. As the tale unfolds, the reader discovers that this is just one relic in a set of six stars from Orion's Belt. The other five stars grant the travelers special powers to aid them on their journeys.

And what journeys they have! The Carson family (Jim, Natalie, Tim, and Martie) meet George Washington at Valley Forge, experience a western wagon train, and travel on the H.M.S. Brittanic Hospital ship during WWI, learning about history while solving family issues and strengthening their values of faith, hope, love, and charity. With the help of the stars, goodly people, and an increasing reliance on prayer they overcome the Trackers, representatives of the power of darkness.

I can not wait to share this book with my students! 

It is a story worth sharing and should be a perfect read aloud for middle grade students. It is a novel suited to discuss the literary element of theme. The clearcut good vs. evil, faith will see you through, among others, makes it especially appealing for use in parochial/Christian schools. Because of its rich historical content it is particularly appropriate for comparing/contrasting with informational texts about the above mentioned events, a learning standard required as part of the Common Core. And finally, the well-crafted plot lends itself to a study of conflict and the elements of rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.

I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Burbidge's previous series for this age group, Giants in the Land, and it looks like Star Passage promises to be as good or better!



Click HERE to purchase the Kindle edition.
Click HERE to purchase the hardcopy edition.
Follow the author on Facebook.
Visit The Star Passage website.

I'm linking up with Andrea over at This Literacy Life for her Book Talk Thursday linky. Head on over to see what other books are being featured and to add one of your own.

And Then the Sky Exploded

I am an avid reader of middle school and young adult literature. Perhaps it's because of my job as a middle school ELA teacher that I am intrigued by these literary categories, but to be honest: some of the absolute BEST stories are written for fifth through tenth graders! The stories that I enjoy the most for this age group deal with WWII, particularly the Holocaust or the dropping of the Hiroshima/Nagasaki bombs. Tough issues are tackled head-on with honesty and simplicity. One such book is And Then the Sky Exploded by David L. Poulsen. Scheduled for release by Dundurn Press on Oct. 22, 2016 for Kindle and November 15, 2016, for paperback, I jumped at the chance to read an advance copy, and I was not disappointed in my decision.

While the subject matter of this teen/young adult novel is familiar (the dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan) it is looked at in a unique way. Not your typical historical fiction, And Then the Sky Exploded combines a bit of the supernatural (ghosts of the living) with actual history (references to scientists, buildings, events) while the protagonist supplies the narrative of a poignant adventure (traveling to Japan and meeting a survivor). Intrigued? You should be!

“At that exact instant a blinding flash - the light of a thousand, thousand suns - tore apart the sky above the city.  And Yuko's world would never be the same.” 

And Then the Sky Exploded tells the story of ninth grader Christian whose grandfather worked on the Manhattan Project. Originally admiring his grandfather, Christian's feelings change dramatically when he discovers his grandfather had a part in the bombing of Japan resulting in tremendous destruction and loss of life. Via a school field trip to Japan Christian meets a survivor who aids him on his journey to acceptance and healing.

The story unfolds through dual storylines, one Christian's and one the survivor Yuko's. Present action is entwined with past events to build to the climax where the two characters meet in modern Hiroshima. Although I have read numerous accounts of this historical event, from picture books to autobiographies, this technique presents the familiar story in a novel way that makes it distinctive, fresh. It's a piece of literature that deserves to be read and used.

And Then the Sky Exploded contains rich teaching material. Doing a study of genre? This novel provides rich fodder for discussion. Its complex structure will challenge students to identify a definitive genre and force them to provide text evidence to support their choice. Doing a comparative study between fiction and nonfiction? Poulsen's novel contains plenty of historical facts that students can research for authenticity. Teaching plot structure? This is the perfect novel!

Studying characters? The verbal interchanges between the characters are authentic; Poulsen obviously knows teenagers, how they behave and how they speak.

“I turned on the jets. I'm pretty fast when I'm either scared or I think I might score the first touchdown of my football career. When you put the two together I'm a regular Usain Bolt.” 

The only complaint that I have in this arena is that several instances of vulgar language are, in my opinion, dropped into the storyline where they are not needed. Omitting them does not change the storyline, mood, or characters. For this reason I would hesitate to use the actual novel as classroom teaching material, at least for middle school students. However, I would not hesitate to read the book aloud, filtering out the objectionable language. In fact, I am looking forward to sharing this with my junior high students during the coming school year.

To order this intriguing new novel, just click on the book cover above, you'll be glad that you did!

Newly Revised Non-fiction Readers

Are you familiar with DK Books? No? Check out this video...



I have several of these wonderful non-fiction books about various topics: Ancient Egypt, Joan of Arc, Rocks and Minerals, Human Body, et al. Besides being attractive, the books are packed with informational text, photos, and text features that call out to students, "READ ME!" Even our Social Studies text (as old as it is), Prentice Hall's "The Ancient World", features DK material. When Stephanie, and later Elena, from PR by the Book contacted me to ask if I would like to review the newly revised DK Readers, I jumped at the chance.

Stephanie's original message contained the following...

An innovative range of early reading books, DK Readers combine a highly visual approach with nonfiction stories that children want to read. Each book is written and reviewed by literacy experts, and contains a glossary and index, making them the perfect choice for helping develop strong reading habits among kids ages 4–12.

Fifteen years ago, DK helped revolutionize the way kids learn to read, offering the first books of their kind to use real photography and nonfiction narratives. DK Readers combined the reality of photography with a strong, information-based narrative text, as well as delivering the pedagogy of the traditional reading programs. This format opened up the range of subject matter that appeals most to kids—a key component to fostering a positive “learning to read” environment.

Since 1988, DK has sold 49 million Readers and published more than 200 titles in the series. Now, after consulting with today’s leading experts in children’s literacy, DK has transformed their approach with modern subjects and enticing covers that compete for the time and attention of digital-era kids.

“DK’s new program delivers on its promise to be ‘better by design’ by providing budding readers with books on their favorite things, perfectly suited for their reading levels, all with dynamic images that rival any Google Search,” says DK Editorial Director Nancy Ellwood.

Four levels of DK Readers are aimed at different reading abilities, enabling parents and teachers to choose the books that are exactly right for each child: Level 1: Learning to read, Level 2: Beginning to read, Level 3: Beginning to read alone, and Level 4: Reading alone.

I was particularly interested in the leveled quality of these new readers. Although I teach middle school, many of my students require reading material that is adjusted below grade level. Non-fiction material that is "meaty" enough while not being to childish is often inaccessible to struggling middle school readers. I answered Stephanie's email and within a few days, two beautiful books arrived in my mail.

Just like they say, "You can't judge a book by its cover." While these covers are stunning and demand to be opened, the content inside is EVEN BETTER! Even though the genre of the text is informational, narratives are sprinkled throughout to break up the non-fiction text. The beautiful photos and illustrations make the pages pop, and the text features (bold faced, italics, captioning, etc.) alone make the text easily comprehensible for young readers. Seeing is believing, so here's a bit of a peek  inside "Spiders and Other Deadly Animals."


I am really looking forward to sharing these beautiful books with my students this coming school year.  They will be the perfect accompaniment for meeting Common Core ELA Standards for comparing/contrasting fictional and non-fictional material as well as learning about text features.

These two titles are not the only ones that have been newly revised. Be sure to stop by the DK Website to see the complete listing of available titles and to read more about these wonderful nonfiction texts.

The Kingdom of Oceana: Book Review, Freebie, and Giveaway

I'm not sure how it happened or why it happened, but somehow I got on a list. I suspect it was because I started blogging about middle school reading. Whatever... I am thoroughly delighted it happened! What is it, you wonder?

Every few months I receive an email from one of several children's book publicists asking if I would like to "review" a new book. Generally the email tells a little about the book and its author to allow me to make my decision. I seldom turn these invitations down and as a result have received MANY really good books, books that I normally would not have been exposed to. The Kingdom of Oceana is one such book.

The publicist's message contained this synopsis...

The Kingdom of Oceana, by Mitchell Charles, is recommended for ages 9-15.  At its core, it is a story about a sibling rivalry.

Five centuries ago, on the island now called Hawaii, there was a kingdom filled with adventure, beauty, and magic.  When 16-year-old Prince Ailani and his brother Nahoa trespass on a forbidden burial ground and uncover an ancient tiki mask, they unleash a thousand-year-old curse that threatens to destroy their tropical paradise.

Warring factions spar for control of Oceana, sparking an age-old conflict between rival sorcerers. With the help of ancestral spirit animals, a shape-shifting sidekick, and a beautiful princess, Prince Ailani must fight for his rightful place as the future king of Oceana.

... I was hooked!

And if that wasn't enough, the following book trailer sealed the deal.

The problem was that I couldn't start reading this book just yet because I had too many others already in the works. That's what happens when you teach three different sections of Middle School Language Arts.

Finally, this past weekend I could settle in to enjoy The Kingdom of Oceana, and enjoy I did! While there are numerous adventure,  mystery, and suspense books for middle school readers that are set in various settings I have yet to encounter one with this book's setting: the ANCIENT Pacific Island World of Hawaii. For me, then, The Kingdom of Oceana was a refreshing read.

The Kingdom of Oceana is a perfect book to accompany a historical study of ancient cultures of the Pacific and a terrific way to incorporate literature into the social studies curriculum, thus providing a focus for critical Common Core Standards. It is also a book to introduce middle school students to the importance of a book's setting, again a critical Common Core Standard. Filled with names, vocabulary, animals, and customs that are related to the setting the book opened my eyes to the ancient world of the Pacific peoples. I can envision middle school students fascinated by the words of the text made curious to research to learn more about this unique time and place.  To learn a little more about this book and some of the cultural information or to read an excerpt, please visit this website.

Since I enjoyed this read so much I plan on using it as the first read aloud when we return to school after summer break. It will fit perfectly with the other books I've chosen for my class to read; they are about adventure and survival in conflict with a wilderness setting. While The Kingdom of Oceana has a much different setting than the others, its theme is so similar that it will be perfect for comparing and contrasting important literary elements. To help my students focus on important literary elements and concepts while listening I created a few interactive notebook foldables to accompany this novel. I am making them available for your use as a forever freebie. Please download them HERE.

So that you can read this wonderfully refreshing novel yourself and share it with your middle school students I am offering a complimentary copy via a Rafflecopter giveaway. Simply complete the entries below for a chance to win The Kingdom of Oceana by Mitchell Charles, available for purchase at Amazon.

a Rafflecopter giveaway