Teacher’s Guide – Booktalking #kidlit

Face-Off

Face-Off by Jake Maddox
(ghostwritten by Anastasia Suen)

Booktalk: Kyle wants to be a great hockey player, just like his brother, Caleb. Unfortunately, Kyle spends a lot of time sitting on the bench. The only way he’ll ever catch up to his brother’s goal total is if the coach lets him play more, and if his teammates begin to accept him. If Kyle can get his head in the game when he is on the ice, he might have a chance at scoring some major points for the team.

Copyright: 2007
Guided Reading level: M
Lexile Level: 470L
ATOS Level: 3.2
AR Quiz Number: 109966
Library Binding / Paperback: 72 pages
Publisher: Stone Arch Books

Book Activities:

Explore the Science of Hockey.

Find the words in this hockey word search.

Make your own Hockey Word Search.

Author’s Note:
Tonight is the first night of the Stanley Cup Finals! When Mike Modano and the Dallas Stars were playing for the Stanley Cup, it was hockey madness at our house. The kids played street hockey in front of our house every day after school and into the summer. (The final Stanley Cup game against Buffalo in 1999 went into TRIPLE overtime, but the Stars won! Go, STARS!)

Teaching with Story: Classroom Connections to Storytelling

#kidlit Book of the Day: Teaching with Story: Classroom Connections to Storytelling from August House

Teaching with Story: Classroom Connections to Storytelling
by Margaret Read MacDonald (Author), Jennifer MacDonald Whitman (Author), and Nathaniel Forrest Whitman (Author)

Booktalk: An invaluable resource book for using storytelling in the classroom, this book correlates with the Common Core Standards and covers “The Seven C’s” of Storytelling: Community, Character, Communication, Curriculum, Cultural Connections, Creativity, and Confidence.

Snippet: We will use the Common Core Standards as our guide and we will highlight the direct links that storytelling has with many of the standards we are already trying to teach. If someone ever questions the fact that you are spending time telling tales, you can explain how many different standards you are addressing every time you tell a story.

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Literary Link:A new first for the Carnival of Children’s Literature–our May 2015 Carnival of Children’s Literature Roundup links to 2 #kidlit book tours!

The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations: Holiday Poems for the Whole Year in English and Spanish

The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations: Holiday Poems for the Whole Year in English and Spanish
Compiled by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong (Author)

Booktalk: Celebrate all year long with The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations—156 poems in English and SPANISH ideal for preK – grade 6. Here is an snippet from Spring by Jane Lichtenberger Patton …

Snippet:
The earth’s in bloom,
new life’s begun.
Spring’s finally sprung . . . at last!

This week’s Poetry Friday Round-up is hosted by Check it Out.

Mr Strike Out

Mr. Strike Out by Anastasia Suen (writing as Jake Maddox)

A baseball novel

David Gray is notorious in his baseball league, notorious for striking out, both as a pitcher and a batter. He spends so much time practicing his pitching, he has never honed his batting skills. After learning about the great Babe Ruth, David becomes determined to be a better all-around player, which means he’ll have to learn how to bat. With some help from a teammate, David hopes to never hear the words “Mr. Strike Out” again.

Copyright: 2007
Guided Reading level: J
Lexile Level: 380L
ATOS Level: 2.7
AR Quiz Number: 109968
Library Binding / Paperback: 72 pages
Publisher: Stone Arch Books

Book Activities:

Play Math Baseball (If your answer is correct, you will get a hit!)

Explore the Science of Baseball. Test your baseball reaction time, learn how to throw a curveball and how to find the “sweet spot” on a bat.

At Teachers Corner, you can print baseball journal pages, and create your own baseball crossword, word search or word scramble pages.

Find out what happened Today in Baseball History.

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

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

Teaching STEM: Man on the Moon

How have astronauts and space travel changed since the early space program? 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: Man on the Moon by Anastasia Suen (ATOS 2.2 / NC860L)

Unit Summary: Students will examine the essential question, “How have astronauts and space travel changed since the early space program?” As they listen to the book, students will notice what equipment and items astronauts use and think about how images in a book contribute to a better understanding of the text. They will view images from the current space program and compare the changes they see in them to the space program in its early days. Using a picture from the text, students will describe the sensations that might result from a splash down and then discuss the changes they have learned taking place in the space program by writing about them or comparing them in a discussion.

The Library Activity begins on page 92. The Collaborative Teacher Activity is on page 96.

Extension Activities (sample)

1. Choose an astronaut listed on the NASA website Have the students read about an astronaut and report on that person.

2. Teach a lesson on phases of the moon.

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

Build It

What keeps a bridge from falling down? 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: Build It! by Tammy Enz (GRL Q / G740L)

Unit Summary: Students will examine the essential question, “What keeps a bridge from falling down?” In groups, students will search for and locate information related to the four major kinds of bridge supports— beams, arches, trusses, and suspension. They will complete a graphic organizer to explain how each of the four supports work to hold up bridges. Then they will use toothpicks or Popsicle sticks to practice forming arches or trusses and use that knowledge to plan and draw a design for a bridge of their own for their group.

The Library Activity begins on page 130. The Collaborative Teacher Activity is on page 132.

Extension Activities(sample)

1. Have the students do an interactive bridge building activity from PBS.

2. Investigate a cantilever bridge support and compare it with the BATS supports.

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

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