voicethread link

Book Review Test

Dreambirds artwork

here are two picts I wish to use for my voicethread

My Multiplication Story Problem

Here's a question for you to try solving. Click on the "comment" to submit your answer:

The Yankees #1 starter is preparing for the start of the baseball season. He is throwing 45 fastball pitches each day, and he follows that with 30 curveball pitches. To finish his workout, he throws 10 knuckleball pitches.* The pitcher will be working out with this routine for 45 days. How many pitches all together will he have thrown using this routine by the time the season starts?

*(Is C. C. really working on the knuckler? Nah, just something to make the story problem more interesting.)

FOLLOW-UP!


Well, it is good to see so many correct answers to my math problem. If you do feel like clicking on the "Comments" link below, now that many 4St students have posted (it is 3/26 now, a day after may original post) their comments, you will find a few opinions that have been offered along with accurate answers. Thanks to all who responded in complete sentences. I appreciate the many comments about the quality of my picture! We will take that under advisement. Also, even thought there aren't too many Yankee fans in this group of commenters, it is encouraging to know that many kids do feel interested in their own local team - I forget the name right now, but I know the name will come up again. It is interesting to note that some of the comments about the Yankees were very polite in disagreeing. Others? Well, not so much. In conclusion, it was a pleasure to read the comments from our awesome class, and I look forward to commenting on each of your own blogs (and answering a challenging multiplication story problem)!

Sincerely,
Mr. S.

Welcome to Open House!

Happy Thursday, and a good morning to all! Welcome to parents and kids from 4St who are reading this post. It is such a pleasure to have a chance to think and talk about one of the most important – and beloved – skills we try to build in school: reading! It is important to learn how to think while we read, and this is a life-long goal for any reader to develop. This morning, I invite students and parents alike to post a comment  below about what reading means to them. What is reading good for? Why do we read? You can also just post a comment about what you are reading now, or a thought about a favorite reading experience you've had.

At the start of the year, the children will probably remember that we had a discussion about this as we learned about working together in Reading Workshop. Many students said that we read simply because it is fun. Others noted that it can build vocabulary, is a way to learn, and can help us become better writers.

 It will be interesting to hear if there are any new ideas, or if some of the same ones come up in today's comments. Keep in mind that new comments will not post right away, but we look forward to reading through your ideas from today and putting them up on this page for all to read very soon. So, share your ideas about reading below by clicking on the "comment" link below. Thanks for reading!

My Reading Choice

I am very excited to be coming back to a book I really enjoyed the first time I read it: "You, Them, and the Others" by E. G. Frontera. This book stands out to me for the way it grabs your attention with the 2nd person narrative point of view. It has these characters that are bizarre, powerful, and a bit intimidating. Manus is blessed (or cursed?) with big hands, and Bucca has a mouth that is immense, as well as an appetite and voice to go with it. We (the main character?) are hiding in a closet amongst armor and weapons as this book begins, and we are seeing each character as they come into our bedroom, which is covered in sand and smells of the sea. It really is a book I am glad to share with the class! Oh, and I forgot to mention - there is a version of the text in Spanish that we have in the room, also. It is cool to try out the Spanish we're learning by trying to read some of this story in that language.

I want to know what you are reading now, and why you are excited about it. Thanks for reading my post!
-Mr. S.

Realistic Fiction

There are many wonderful connections to be made between those works of fiction that fall into the categories of either being "realistic", "historical", or somehow both. Two books I read over the summer provided a chance to write this compare / contrast post, and also to plug a couple authors I hope I will get to read more from!

Before I go any further, I will try to give credit to the sources of the images above. The books Heart Of A Shepherd (by Roseanne Parry) and Our Only May Amelia (by Jennifer L. Holm) are both worthy of following up on by reading better and more in-depth reviews than you'll find here. I got the images I am using from the blog by a YA author; her name is Cynthia Leitich Smith. Her official author site is listed below...

http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/

... and I made a link to her "blogspot" page (which is a tremendous resource) in the "Useful Ideas" sidebar of this blog. This link will also bring you to the source for the two images above.

That being said, the two books I mentioned are ones I would highly recommend, not just individually, but also as an interesting pairing. Both books feature very engaging characters of similar ages who are dealing with challenging demands made on them as they begin to come of age. The books are both set in different time periods, though they are both set in the far northwest of the United States, and the natural landscapes and landforms play major roles in each story's development. Each author makes clear references in "author's notes" or "about the author" blurbs which help the reader understand the connections and resources the authors had to bring their characters to life. Finally, it is each authors' ability to breathe life – through the language and authentic understanding of what a young person would perhaps struggle with in the stories each has created – into their respective characters that so thoroughly impressed me and caused me to write about these two books.

The characters of May Amelia (in Holm's book) and "Brother" (really named Ignatius, from Parry's book) are truly challenged to take on roles that seem contrary or just plain intimidating to each as the books open. May Amelia is as rough-and-tumble a child as you're likely to meet (her voice seems evident in some of the episodes of "Babymouse", which is another Holm creation), and the demands of growing up in a barely-tamed frontier setting, right around 1900 in the state of Washington, do not seem to be allowing her to begin in any way to live up to her father's wishes that she begin behaving "like a proper lady". She is the only girl ever born in her settlement, and she desperately hopes for a chance to have a new sister. Brother, on the other hand, is coming to the realization that he will be in charge of running the family ranch in eastern Oregon, once his father is sent of for a tour of duty in Iraq. With all of his brothers away at school or in the service themselves, Brother is not feeling up to the demands of the ranching responsibilities which, though he will have his grandfathers help with, he perceives as overwhelming when he considers some of his fears around the ways of handling life and death of animals in this setting. Both children struggle with parental figures that are either gone (Brother's mother) or distant and quite gruff (May Amelia's father), though each has close, yet complex, bonds with siblings among the large families they in fact grow up within. Both characters must deal with devastating family losses that arise in the course of the stories, though each does manage to find a means to grow from the difficult experiences. This is, to me, the main thing to seek out – character change and growth – while reflecting on the outcome of a realistic fiction story.

Well, so much for the opening paragraph's other items! Essays are truly challenging to compose at internet lounges like the one I am writing at now! The other points I might continue writing about must be done later. Any questions or comments? Please feel free to post... editing suggestions also welcome, as usual!

Finally, one last thing: The graphic novel titles are still "all the rage" in my book browsing. Kids in 4St are sticking with the "Bone" series, and these books need no extra publicity. I do hope to be able, some day, to get the books in the MouseGuard series out to interested readers in the classroom. Who knew it would be an NYT bestseller??!

In the meantime, please check out the author/illustrator's page – for some reason this image CAN be linked to the website "from whence it came" – Click On the Black Axe thumbnail below.

Worlds of Wonder

Ever been this close to a shark? The separation between the worlds we live in are incredible to observe and learn from. Sometimes the actual barriers are – in and of themselves – what incite wonder and amazement. Without the glass, this little kid and the animals would have other concerns...

Speaking of other worlds, the two entries so far from the Stephen Hawking collaboration aimed at younger science / adventure (?) readers provide a couple more titles for a new genre of books I like to call "chapter/graphic" novels. Diary of a Wimpy Kid books are among those that engage even reluctant readers. The "George" books take it a step further and I hope will be as enthusiastically embraced during reading times. Here are the images of the covers. Click on the "Secret Key" link here:

http://www.georgessecretkey.com/

You'll be taken to the series' accompanying website. It's fun!

I got one image from a science blog that I commented on – you can visit the discusion by clicking HERE.

Another title that caught my eye - great name:

Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom is another title / character I could see being widely enjoyed by the 8-11 year old set. Click here (on the name of the author): Eric Wight has a link thru the publisher.

Other titles / characters / series I'd love to include mention of (and will, if any comments ask for further types of these books) would be Oliver Ho and Lunch Lady. Actually, go ahead and click on the "Lunch Lady" boldface. A quick search found a link that hooks you into the latest news and ordering info. Clickers be warned, though. I was only barely approved to explore that website; running low on time, I do not know what lies beyond the L.L.'s intro. screen. Proceed at own risk (I'll beg off any cafeteria food jokes). Again, pardons for any errors; the links take time and editing is a luxury I'll only have time for if there seem to be others reading this! Constructive edits and suggestions will be welcome. Next time: Realistic Fiction, and maybe a comic book series or two!