Education – Page 2 – Booktalking #kidlit

Pop! The Invention of Bubble Gum

How was the invention of bubble gum engineered? Help K-5 students answer this essential question (and meet the Common Core State Standards) with the Teaching STEM lesson plans for this mentor text: Pop! The Invention of Bubble Gum by Meghan McCarthy (ATOS 4.8 / AD740L)

Unit Summary: Students will examine the essential question, “How was the invention of bubble gum engineered?” They will review the steps engineers take when they explore a solution to a problem. They will then determine the steps Walter Diemer took to create bubblegum after listening to the text of the book and apply and explain his ideas and actions to the way an engineer works to solve a problem. They will present their information and discuss their finding in a large group.

The Library Activity begins on page 154. The Collaborative Teacher Activity is on page 155.

Extension Activities(sample)

1. Have the students make a number line with markings to eighths on a sentence strip or sheet of paper. Hold a bubble gum blowing contest. Put their bubble on the number line and measure it from the part of the bubble that actually touches the paper (to get the most accurate measure). Compare and announce the winner.

2. Determine the mean, median, and average for the class.

3. After reading the book, have the students write a short description of the main idea of the book. Use the phrase, “I am a engineer.. I know that _________.”

You can find more Teaching STEM lesson plans on the Teaching STEM blog

World War I for Kids: A History with 21 Activities

World War I for Kids: A History with 21 Activities
by R. Kent Rasmussen (Author)

Booktalk: It has been 100 years since the start of the “Great War.” The hands-on activities in this book can help students understand life during World War I, a war that eventually involved all of the world’s superpowers.

Snippet: Soldiers stationed at the front spent only a small part of their time in actual combat. In fact, it was not unusual for individual soldiers to spend several months on the western front without seeing an enemy soldier. This is not to say that they were necessarily safe when not fighting. They might not see an enemy when they were on the front lines, but if they climbed out of their trenches, unseen enemies were likely to spot them, with lethal consequences.

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Cranes

How do simple machines help cranes work? Help K-5 students answer this essential question (and meet the Common Core State Standards) with the Teaching STEM lesson plans for this mentor text: Cranes by Amanda Doering Tourville (GRL P / ATOS 4.0)

Unit Summary: Students will examine the essential question, “How do simple machines help cranes work?” Working in small groups, students will research the basic simple machines: inclined plane, wedge, screw, lever, pulley, wheel and axle. They will organize their research into four categories and present and post it in the room so other students can find out about the other simple machines used in cranes. They will use their graphic organizer to write and explain about the value of cranes, the kinds, and what makes them work.

The Library Activity begins on page 146. The Collaborative Teacher Activity is on page 148.

Extension Activities(sample)

1. Read another book about cranes and together compare and contrast the ideas presented in the two books.

2. Look up the bird called a crane. Find out about the different varieties of cranes and report to the group. Explain why the machine is called a crane.

3. After reading the book, have the students write a short description of the main idea of the book. Use the phrase, “I am a engineer.. I know that _________.”

You can find more Teaching STEM lesson plans on the Teaching STEM blog

Forces and Motion at Work

What makes forces and motions on Earth? Help K-5 students answer this essential question (and meet the Common Core State Standards) with the Teaching STEM lesson plans for this mentor text: Forces and Motion at Work by Shirley Duke (GRL W / ATOS 5.2)

Forces and motion at work

Unit Summary: Students will examine the essential question, “What makes forces and motions on Earth?” by researching information from a variety of sources relating to the vocabulary of forces and motion. They will summarize their information and then reduce their facts into a short statement of less than one hundred and forty characters in a style suitable for Twitter. From an assigned list of words, each group of students will use print and online information to define their word, read about it to identify and comprehend the scientific principle, and collect facts relating to that principle. The groups will narrow the information by wording it in a phrase or sentence that fits Twitter’s parameters. They will share their information in the library in a way that is accessible for the available technology there or in a class PowerPoint presentation designed to look like a tweet on Twitter.

The Library Activity begins on page 76. The Collaborative Teacher Activity is on page 78.

Extension Activities (sample)

1. Make a class Wiki and put their information on it.

2. Do a podcast about the vocabulary by writing the script in their groups and recording the information. Compare this method of communicating to other means of communicating.

3. After reading the book, have the students write a short description of the main idea of the book. Use the phrase, “I am a technology specialist.. I know that _________.”

You can find more Teaching STEM lesson plans on the Teaching STEM blog

High-Tech Olympics

What are Olympic distances really like? Help K-5 students answer this essential question (and meet the Common Core State Standards) with the Teaching STEM lesson plans for this mentor text: High-Tech Olympics by Nick Hunter (ATOS 6.4 / 970L)

Unit Summary: Students will examine the essential question, “What are Olympic distances really like?” Students will be grouped into five teams and given an identifying number or name. They will use an Olympic record database to locate distances, lengths, or heights of sports in the track and field events and record them. Then they will measure the equivalent distance in the library, classroom, or hallways and mark the distance with a sticky note to show the measurement. They will compare their results and discuss them.

The Library Activity begins on page 84. The Collaborative Teacher Activity is on page 86.

Extension Activities (sample)

1. Have the students use their metric conversions and change them to standard units. Add another set of columns to the graphic organizer if you choose. Or have them use a metric calculator online (http://www.conversion-metric.org/).

2. Pre-write the distances or heights on the graphic organizer for the students to measure in the library and halls.

3. After reading the book, have the students write a short description of the main idea of the book. Use the phrase, “I am a technology specialist. I know that _________.”

You can find more Teaching STEM lesson plans on the Teaching STEM blog

Multimedia Artist and Animator

How can technology be used to create art? Help K-5 students answer this essential question (and meet the Common Core State Standards) with the Teaching STEM lesson plans for this mentor text: Multimedia Artist and Animator by Matt Mullins (ATOS 4.9 690L)

Unit Summary: Students will examine the essential question, “How can technology be used to create art?” They will work as individuals or in pairs to explore using an image as their canvas and adding features that will become animated after completing their creation to their satisfaction. They will explain their choices by discussing them and then writing about them on a graphic organizer. They will then relate this activity to a job using art or animation. The students or pairs will save their work for the librarian to print.

The Library Activity begins on page 104. The Collaborative Teacher Activity is on page 106.

Extension Activities (sample)

1. Turn the art they created into a four comic panel and include text to go with it.

2. Have the students design a book cover that they might like their favorite book to have in place of the current one.

3. After reading the book, have the students write a short description of the main idea of the book. Use the phrase, “I am a technology specialist. I know that _________.”

You can find more Teaching STEM lesson plans on the Teaching STEM blog

Amazing Amusement Park Rides

What information is needed to design a roller coaster? Help K-5 students answer this essential question (and meet the Common Core State Standards) with the Teaching STEM lesson plans for this mentor text: Amazing Amusement Park Rides by Meish Goldish (ATOS 4.9 / IG880L)

Unit Summary: Students will examine the essential question, “What information is needed to design a roller coaster?” They will write down the statistics of the Steel Dragon coaster and then add their own statistics about a roller coaster they will design on the graphic organizer. Using the statistics, they will design and draw a roller coaster track and car as a prototype for an amusement park ride lasting two to three minutes. They will plan first on paper and decide on their statistics, which they will put on their graphic organizer. Then they will transfer their design ideas to the large drawing paper and label all the required statistics. Students will share their roller coaster designs with the class.

The Library Activity begins on page 122. The Collaborative Teacher Activity is on page 124.

Extension Activities(sample)

1. Look at pages 16–17 from the book. Use “The Crypt” ride to calculate the money that could be brought in for that ride using the assignment’s requirements, times, and fees.

2. Write a personal experience story about one of their favorite roller coasters.

3. After reading the book, have the students write a short description of the main idea of the book. Use the phrase, “I am a engineer.. I know that _________.”

You can find more Teaching STEM lesson plans on the Teaching STEM blog

Great Books

Picture Book of the Day

Vote for Me!
by Ben Clanton (Author, Illustrator)

Booktalk: It’s election time again. The donkey wants your vote. So does the elephant. And each will do just about anything to win your support…

Snippet:
DONKEY:
Hey, you!
Yes, YOU with the great hair and that dazzling smile.
Listen, you should–

ELEPHANT:
DON’T LISTEN TO THAT DONKEY!
You’re too smart for that.
You’ll want to…

BONUS! See the video!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfZikbt7uiY]
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Chapter Book of the Day

Fracture
by Megan Miranda (Author)
272 pages

Booktalk: Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine — despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she’s far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can’t control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?

Snippet:
The first time I died, I didn’t see God.
No light at the end of the tunnel. No haloed angels. No dead grandparents.
To be fair, I probably wasn’t a shoo-in for Heaven. But honestly, I kind of assumed I’d make the cut.

BONUS! See the video!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd5rUSMoYdI]
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5 More Great Earth Day Books

Biscuit’s Earth Day Celebration
by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (Author)
Biscuit the little yellow puppy goes to school for Earth Day. Easy reader.

Earth Day (On My Own Holidays)
by Linda Lowery (Author) and Mary Bergherr (Illustrator)
Learn about how Earth Day started. Easy Reader.

Earth Day
by Margaret McNamara (Author) and Mike Gordon (Illustrator)Lloyd G. Douglas (Author)
What can Emma do for Earth Day? Level 1 easy reader.

Let’s Get Ready for Earth Day
by Lloyd G. Douglas (Author)
Dan and his class get ready for Earth Day. Easy reader.

Sid the Science Kid: Earth Day Fun
by Jennifer Frantz (Author)
Sid is going to plant a tree for Earth Day, but first, he wants to know…what is dirt? Level 1 easy reader.
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STEM Haiku

Share your own haiku about a STEM topic during National Poetry Month.

(STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

Go Away, Bugs!
Oh bugs, bugs, bugs, who
said you could come in? This is
my house, not yours. Scram!
© 2012 Anastasia Suen
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Literary Links

How To Search Google By Reading Level (via @eBookNewser)
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Read and Write Sports: Readers Theatre and Writing Activities for Grades 3-8

STEM Haiku

STEM Haiku

Share your own haiku about a STEM topic during National Poetry Month.

(STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

Sixty Seconds
A minute is a
minute, so why are some days
short and others long?
© 2012 Anastasia Suen
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Picture Book of the Day

Can I Bring Woolly to the Library, Ms. Reeder?
by Lois Grambling (Author) Judy Love (Illustrator)

Booktalk: A young boy asks his librarian if he can bring his friend Woolly, a mammoth, to the library. His humorous pleas are a fun way to teach children how to use a library.

Snippet:
Can I bring Woolly to the library, Ms. Reeder?
Can I?
PLEASE?!
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Chapter Book of the Day

BZRK
by Michael Grant (Author)
400 pages

Booktalk: Set in the near future, BZRK is the story of a war for control of the human mind. Charles and Benjamin Armstrong, conjoined twins and owners of the Armstrong Fancy Gifts Corporation, have a goal: to turn the world into their vision of utopia. No wars, no conflict, no hunger. And no free will. Opposing them is a guerrilla group of teens, code name BZRK, who are fighting to protect the right to be messed up, to be human. This is no ordinary war, though. Weapons are deployed on the nano-level. The battleground is the human brain. And there are no stalemates here: It’s victory . . . or madness.

Snippet: Anyone could have done it. But could they have done it as fast? Could they have wired the pilot’s brain three days? And set her up to have a switch thrown as dramatically as this?

Hell no.

BONUS! See the video!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98Tu5tSSIcs]

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Literary Links

It’s National Library Workers Day – Name your favorite librarian as a star!

Show support for your library during National Library Week, April 8-14, by uploading this art to your Facebook page.
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Read and Write Sports: Readers Theatre and Writing Activities for Grades 3-8

Great Books

Picture Book of the Day

C. R. Mudgeon
by Leslie Muir (Author) and Julian Hector (Illustrator)

Booktalk: C.R. Mudgeon, a sensible hedgehog, likes knowing just what to expect. Always. No surprises, no excitement. So when a noisy new neighbor, Paprika the squirrel, arrives, C.R. Mudgeon is even less cheerful than normal.

Snippet:
At suppertime C.R. Mudgeon smelled something strange.
Peppery.
Tickly.
He sneezed.
Paprika was cooking. The air was thick with her spices.

BONUS! See the video!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ2xgF1RmLc]
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Chapter Book of the Day

The Glass Collector
by Anna Perera (Author)
352 pages

Booktalk: Fifteen-year-old Aaron lives amongst the rubbish piles in the slums of Cairo. His job? To collect broken glass. His life? Wasted. His hope? To find a future he can believe in.

Snippet: Aaron walks slowly and painfully, trying hard to take the weight off his left knee, which is throbbing badly after a fall this morning with a pony and cart. The toe he jabbed and the elbow he bashed when he landed on the hot, potholed road hurt almost as badly and, for one awful moment, he thinks he’ll just sink down on the pavement and give up.

BONUS! See the video!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrA4weYw49g]
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STEM Haiku

(STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

Write a haiku about STEM for National Poetry Month and share it.

Binary Words
Electricity
on and off. Words are ones and
zeroes. Talk is math.
© 2012 Anastasia Suen
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Literary Links

Ready to write your children’s book? Apr 4-May 23 (online) writing workshops begin next TODAY!

Education Week: New Literacy Standards Could Challenge Even Passionate Readers
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My NEW chapter book is Just So, Brianna (All-Star Cheerleaders)