Memorial Day - The Wall by Eve Bunting

A young boy and his dad have traveled all the way to Washington, DC to see the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. They have come to find the name of the boy's grandfather, his dad's father. The little boy calls the memorial "my grandfather's wall." From childrens's books.com "I recommend The Wall for six- to nine-year-olds. Even if your child is an independent reader, I suggest that you use it as a read-aloud. By reading it aloud to your children, you will have the opportunity to answer any questions they may have, to reassure them, and to discuss the story and the purpose of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. You might also put this book on your list of books to read around Memorial Day and Veterans Day."

Here are some coloring pages for your little artist as well. For some lessons and ideas about putting the "memory" back in Memorial Day, take a look.  Put these ideas aside as well for 4th of July celebrations.

Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert

Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert gives readers a "taste" a a variety of fruits and veggies.  The garden is thriving and we just had our firts helping of lettuce, the swiss chart is next!  Try these activities - www.doh.state.fl.us/Family/wic/...story.../04_Eating_the_Alphabet.pdf , http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/kids/lessonplans/chap10_1.htm , there is even an at-home sheet to have your children keep track of the healthy foods they eat throughout the week.  For another "planting" book, check out a former post - http://teachingreaderstothink.blogspot.com/2010/04/planting-rainbow-by-lois-ehlert.html

Here is the first Swiss chard of the season from the garden.  Visit http://any-given-moment.blogspot.com/2010/05/talk-about-complex-roasted-chickpeas.html for a recipe.  Thanks, T.J. Yummy!

Families, Families, Families

Well this past weekend was the annual 9th Street Italian Market Festival in South Philadelphia. 

 

While I ate my way through it, I thought a lot about my relatives and what life must have been like in the early 1920's when my nonna and pop-pop came here from the various parts of Italy.  

 

 

We are truly a reflection of our families.  Check out some of these titles for your family - share with your comments and memories ...............

 

If Your Name Was Changed at Ellis Island  by Ellen Levine       

 

Coming to America: The Story of Immigration  by Betsy Maestro

 

 

Not to mention the Wall of Honor at Ellis Island and the Ellis Island site .......

 

Here is my nonna's ship and passage document -

 

Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson

Not just a timeless story, but an interactive program as well.  An interview on NPR provides the background for this story over 50 years after its first publication. Coloring pages and creative activities are numerous. Before, during and after activities provide a comprehension focus. If you have young children in your lives, this is a must for their bookshelf libraries.

Zeitoun by Dave Eggers

A good book to introduce adolescents to social injustice and begin to ask questions -
To arrive in New Orleans shortly after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005 was to witness what Haiti would look like if they built skyscrapers on top of the earthquake rubble – a mirage of wealth, power and order towering over a fairly well-veiled reality of poverty, helplessness and chaos.

Not a book for the "faint of heart", but something to discuss, consider and react.  Shocking!

Check out some reviews ...................

Holes by Loius Sachar

Holes seems to be as much about a place as about the characters.  Whether you watch the movie and then read the book or the other way around, an adenture story is in the making.  Check out the  author's website for q/a as well as discussion points and a Camp Greenleaf survival guide. For your creative writer and reader a webquest provides more discussion and reflection points. An interactive map provides more adventure with the Newberry Award winning novel.

More Figurative Language - A Chocolate Moose for Dinner by Fred Gwynne

"A gorilla war? Car pools? Playing the piano by ear? It's no wonder a little girl is confused by some of the strange things she overhears her mommy and daddy saying. With this hilarious wordplay and zany illustrations, Fred Gwynne keeps children of all ages in stitches!"  Idioms and figurative language provide experiences for children using funny picutres.

Happy Mother's Day

Some books to share -

Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman
A baby bird is hatched while his mother is away. Fallen from his nest, he sets out to look for her and asks everyone he meets -- including a dog, a cow, and a plane -- "Are you my mother?" In the end he is happily reunited with his maternal parent in a glorious moment of recognition. 

Love You Forever by Robert N. Munsch, Sheila McGraw
A young woman holds her newborn son
And looks at him lovingly.
Softly she sings to him:
"I'll love you forever
I'll like you for always
As long as I'm living
My baby you'll be"
So begins the story that has touched the hearts of millions of Americans. The book makes a great play for Mother's Day. Have each student in the class illustrate a page of the book. Create a sentence strip for each illustration and attach to the back of the drawing. Invite Mothers to the classroom to share the story with the class as each student stands to read their part while displaying their illustration (have students sit in sentence strip order of the book).
Since publication in l986, "Love You Forever" has sold more than 15 million copies in paperback and the regular hardcover edition (as well as hundreds of thousands of copies in Spanish and French).

Jin Woo by Eve Bunting The story is a simple one. David is an only child. Parents are in the process of adopting a sibling for him, a little baby brother from Korea. The only thing is David isn't as thrilled as his parents are about Jin Woo's arrival. He's even less thrilled when the baby arrives. But a special letter "written" by the baby lets David know that being a big brother is a job filled with love - from all sides.
Warm and wonderfully written and luminously illustrated in realistic watercolors, this is an excellent book for adoptive families with children already living in the home. I recommend it highly!

Strange Language - Idioms

Raining cats and dogs, a fork in the road, my head is going to explode!  We use these says all the time in our everyday language!  Some kids can interpret these sayings and know exactly what we mean, while others struggle with the interpretation.  These books might help not only introduce kids to the meanings of these sayings, but provide some visuals as well.  They provide a humerous way to work with kids that have difficulty with pragmatics of language.
Parts and More Parts by Ted Arnold, say what you mean!
"More Parts is the story of a very literal, very scared little boy! He hears adult expressions said in trivial fashion and begins to imagine and envision those things actually happening! For each idiom he hears, he builds himself some sort of protection. By the end of the book, the boy is taped, gloved, glued, tied, encased with a pillow, and affixed together in order to prevent himself from literally falling apart. 
Some of the phrases or expressions he hears are:
It’s sure to crack you up.
Stretch your arms and legs.
Hold your tongue.
Scream your lungs out.
Jumping out of your skin. When asked to give his dad a hand....
I didn't know my hands come off,
And I don't want them to!
So I'll make sure that they stay on
With gloves and lots of glue.
When each of these statements is interpreted in a truly literal fashion you can only imagine what a 5 year old actually comprehends or envisions! Tedd Arnold tells it and draws it beautifully."

The Napping House by Audrey Wood

This delightful cumulative tale has been a favorite with readers and listeners since its debut. It's a rainy afternoon and Granny is snoring on the bed in a cozy room. A child crawls on top of her and dreams. Gradually, the pile increases with a dozing dog, a snoozing cat, a slumbering mouse and finally a wakeful flea who, by biting the mouse, sets off a chain of events which results in a broken pile and even a broken bed. Each page repeats the action from bottom up. The repeated phrases make The Napping House ideal for beginning readers. Children with very limited attention spans also enjoy the complete restating of all the preceding action on each page.  There are many resources available out there, but this is just a fun read with lots of repetitive language, smiles and laughter.

Teacher Appreciation Week - May 3- 7, 2010

If you can read this, thank a teacher.  How cliche, but true! This week is Teacher Appreciation Week.  If you are searching for a way to thank a special educator, check out these titles.  Don't forget your Principal, they are teachers too!

Thank You, Mr. Falker, by Patricia Palacco.  Autobiographical in nature, an emotional story for one little girl's quest to learn to read. Previously reviewed, this autho creates wonderfully inspiring stories, with strong characters and thoughtful messages.More book titles by Ms Palacco will appear in future posts.

Another title - My Great Aunt Arizona, by Gloria Houston, follows a pioneer teacher through the eyes of her niece.  Touching the lives of many, she is a classic picture of the teacher from the one-room school house.

And then ......... there is The Teacher from The Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler.  Many stories with this theme.  There is also The Principal from the Black Lagoon.