THE CROSSOVER by Kwame Alexander is a novel-in-verse sure to attract reluctant readers, particularly boys. Add it to your list of great works-in-verse from 2014.Dads, brotherhood, basketball, and music are a blockbuster combination for middle grade readers. The fast-paced novel-in-verse format is perfect for this exciting story sure to be a winner with a broad audience including athletes. The rhythm of the story, music, sports, and even health all play a role. While sports plays an important role in the story, important themes including jealousy, sibling rivalry, and heart health are the key to the book’s success.
The author’s unique approach to the novel-in-verse format serves as an exciting way to introduce verse to youth. Consider a literature-circle with other 2014 stories in verse including BROWN GIRL DREAMING and THE RED PENCIL.
Use THE CROSSOVER to introduce youth to other sports-related books for middle grades and young adults.
To learn more about the author, go to his website Book In A Day at http://www.bookinaday.org/.
Download the Educator’s Guide for lots of curriculum connections at http://www.fcps.edu/fairfaxnetwork/mta/kalexander/TheCrossover_BG.pdf.
This book belongs on the Newbery shortlist!
iWONDER from BBC is an exciting “question and answer” website librarians can use to promote inquiry-based learning.The entry page of the BBC project shows questions like “What was the Earth’s first predator?” and “How does a breeze turn into a terrifying tornado?”. Each question links to an interesting article featuring text, images, and sometimes animation and video. The article concludes with links to related stories.
Although not designed specifically for students, these short, illustrated articles would be useful for informational text activities related to the Common Core Curriculum. Articles can be found across content areas including arts, food, science, consumer, earth, history, religion and ethics, and webwise. Readers can also link directly to the major BBC content sections.
Ask students to select a question from the main page and write about what they already know about the topic. Then, involve them in reading the article and discussing what what they learned. Finally, ask youth to develop new questions based on their reading. Use other Internet resources to address these new questions.
To explore the latest iWONDER topics, LIKE the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/bbciwonder.
To visit the website, go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/iwonder.
KING DORK APPROXIMATELY by Frank Portman is the long anticipated sequel to the 2006 young adult cult-classic KING DORK.Once again, the author is able to successfully channel the sarcastic male adolescent. This coming-of-age story pokes fun at everything from public education to teen love. Teen readers who enjoyed the music and cultural references in the first book will be happy to see these elements in the sequel. However since it’s been a decade since the first book was published, so it’s difficult to predict what today’s youth will think of the vinyl vs CD debates and clunky cellphones.
Picking up where the first book leaves off in 1999, the story meanders through a series of subplots including a first girlfriend and band show, but lacks the engaging plot of the first book. However the “slice-of-life” approach is likely to appeal to it’s anti-establishment audience.
What to have some fun? Participate in Figment's writing contest associated with the book. Go to http://dailyfig.figment.com/2014/11/21/king-dork-approximately-contest/.
CLIMATE.GOV is an outstanding U.S. government website from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) focusing on high-quality scientific data and information related to the climate.When students are doing research on climate change, global warming or other climate-related topics, they often run into biased sites that are “pro” or “con” rather than informational sites that contain useful facts to support arguments and make decisions. The NOAA Climate website provides quality news and information students can use in STEM projects.
The HOME page links to recent topics of interest. It also provides a Global Climate Dashboard containing a quick-look at useful data in the form of graphs related to climate change, climate variability, and climate projections.
The NEWS & FEATURES section provided featured articles, along with access to departments of interest. The images and video section is useful for student projects. The event tracker may help youth focus on a particular event such as a storm or flood that may be associated with a larger climate issue.
The MAPS & DATA section explores global, U.S., and regional data.
The TEACHING CLIMATE section is designed for educators. It provides access to reviewed resources in major areas of climate research. Resources are also organized into formats including visuals, video, demos & experiments, and interactive tools.
Finally, the SUPPORTING DECISIONS section is designed to help communities manage climate-related risks. The topics in this section would be exciting for students to explore when considering the impact of climate change on society and the environments.
To explore the website, go to http://www.climate.gov/
FACTCHECK.ORG is an award-winning website providing consumer information that can be woven across the curriculum.This nonpartisan, nonprofit website for the Annenberg Public Policy Center shares useful information to help youth make responsible decisions related to issues of public policy. It attempts to “reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics”. At the same time, it models important information inquiry skills by discussing alternative perspectives and identifying the factual accuracy of advertisements, debates, speeches, interviews, and news.
The HOME page provides access to topics currently in the news, while the ARTICLES section links to recent topics.
The ASK FACTCHECK section allows users to ask a question. Questions and answers are provided along with a place to read more about the topic.
Around elections, go to the ELECTIONS section for up-to-date information about the facts and falsehoods surrounding particular players.
The VIRAL SPIRAL section features “a list of false and misleading viral rumors” along with a summary of facts.
The ARCHIVES provides a list of popular people and topics such as immigration, guns, and health care. Use the SEARCH for specific topic searches.
Teachers will find the QUIZ ARCHIVE particularly useful.
A companion website called FLACKCHECK.ORG focuses on political literacy and provides lots of resources to help learners identifying flaws in arguments.
To access FACTCHECK.ORG go to http://www.factcheck.org/
Use Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter to keep up-to-date on current topics from FACTCHECK.
A SNICKER OF MAGIC by Natalie Lloyd is a charming story with quirky characters and a fantasy twist. Lovers of words, ice cream, and a dash of magic won’t be able to put down this potential award winner.
This heart-warming story revolves around a lovable group of characters including a 12-year-old girl, along with her quirky family and friends in Midnight Gulch, Tennessee. Felicity sees words hovering around people. Although she’s a word collector, she isn’t comfortable with the idea of sharing her love of words with an audience. Along with her new friend Jonah, Felicity learns about the magical, but also tragic history of the town.
Lovers of words including many teachers will immediately be drawn to the idea of a word collector. The idea of magical ice cream, long-kept secrets, and a family curse will all be a draw for many youth. Most readers will be cheering for Felicity to bring back the magic to her small town.
The theme of anonymous good deeds is woven throughout the story. Bring a little magic into your library. Start a “Be the Beedle” club at your school encouraging youth to participate in acts of kindness.
Download activity ideas from Scholastic at http://goo.gl/6HwKgt
A SNICKER OF MAGIC is the first novel by Natalie Lloyd. Follow her blog at http://natalielloyd.blogspot.com/.
Look for this book on many of the “best of 2014” lists.
MADE W/ CODE is a Google Project focusing on inspiring girls to pursue careers related to computer science. Their Holiday Lights project is a fun and easy way to introduce the concept of coding. #MadeWithCodeThe PROJECTS section provides beginner, intermediate, and advanced coding projects that involve youth in coding snowflakes, avatars, and other fun activities.
The MAKERS section highlights girls who are making a difference in the world through coding. Watch short videos featuring these young women.
The MENTORS section includes short videos from women of all ages and backgrounds who have used coding to reach their dreams. From musicians and filmmakers to activists and storytellers the testimonials illustrate the power of technology.
Use the COMMUNITY, EVENTS, and RESOURCES sections to jumpstart your own MADE W/ CODE program in your library. Connect the website with computer software, apps, and library books young people can use in coding projects. You can even download a kit for a library code party!
Go to https://www.madewithcode.com/ for the general website.
Go to https://holidays.madewithcode.com/project/lights for the Code the Holidays Project.
WEST OF THE MOON by Margi Preus is a unique combination of traditional folktale and historical fiction. Set in the mountains and forests of Norway, a young girl seeks to escape to America to join her father. The author masterfully weaves together traditional folktales and a young girl’s dreams into a rich story of determination and a quest for a better life. The prose is beautifully written and fits perfectly with the story’s themes.
This dark story for middle grade children shows the harsh reality of hunger, child labor, and cruelty often glossed over in the folktales found in picture books. Preus skillfully examines the difficult decisions that must be made in desperate situations. The book provides a wonderful opportunity to talk with students about folktales along with the stark reality of the immigrant experience. Often our social studies curriculum explores the lives of immigrants without providing the context of their lives prior to their decision to seek a new life in another county.
This well-research work includes an excellent Author’s Note at the end of the book. This section connects the story to the author’s family heritage. It also provides insights into some of the historical aspects including topics such as rickets, tetanus, cholera, and charm books. Finally, it discusses the many folktales references in the book. Youth will have fun connecting the specific folktales with incidents in book.
The unique combination of myth and reality makes WEST OF THE MOON a book to revisit as you put together your “best of 2014” list.
With recent interest in stories related to the Brother’s Grimm, this book is one that may expand this interest into other regional folklore.
To learn more about the author, go to http://www.margipreus.com/
ARTSEDGE is an educational program providing lessons, activities, how-to’s, and resources related to the arts including dance, theatre, music, and visual arts.Sponsored by The Kennedy Center and the U.S. Department of Education, the website contains sections for educators, families, and students.
The Collections area allows users to search by art genre, time period, place, and big idea such as STEM or global cultures. Or, enter a topic of interest.
The Multimedia Finder provides access to images, audio stories, music, video clips, and interactives. In addition to a text search, users can search by art genre or media type.
The Educators section users to search for lessons and how-to guides. It’s also possible to search based on the National Core Arts Standards. By registering at the website, teachers can store and organize their favorite resources for easy access.
The Arts Days app provides a full year of events connecting the arts to inventions, artists, and milestones.
To learn more, go to http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/
To download the free app, go to https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/arts-days/id622294390.
24/7 SCIENCE is an engaging online resource from The Lawrence Hall of Science that combines hands-on science activities with online tools and interactives. Apps are also available.From building bridges to picking the best beak, learners are encouraged to design, experiment, and test out ideas through engaging hands-on science experiments.
The games and activities section of the website contains web-based interactives related to earth and space science, nano technology, and other areas of science.
Some activities are now available as free apps. The DIY Sun Science app focuses on investigations related to the sun, while the DIY Nano explores nanoscale science, engineering, and technology.
To learn more the activities, go to the 24/7 website at http://www.lawrencehallofscience.org/kidsite/.
To download the apps, go to https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/the-lawrence-hall-of-science/id462994550
HOPSCOTCH is one of a growing number of apps build to teach programming to children.The app is a visual programming language designed to help children develop a sense of computational thinking. Youth apply skills in logic and critical thinking to design simple games, animations, and stories.
Inspired by MIT’s Scratch, HOPSCOTCH is the first program designed for mobile devices such as the iPad. Students drag and drop colorful blocks of code to build simply programs. Recommended for children 8 and up, it’s particularly useful for young children who lack advanced reading and typing skills needed for traditional programming.
The free version has limited characters and options. A School Edition of the program is available with these features unlocked.
To learn more about the program, check out the FAQs at http://gethopscotch.com/faq.
To download the free app, go to https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/hopscotch-coding-for-kids/id617098629.
To download the school version, go to https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/hopscotch-school-edition/id901455276
PLASTIC AHOY! INVESTIGATING THE GREAT PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH by Patricia Newman tells the story of scientists investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The narrative unfolds as a mystery being solved by a team of scientists lead by three female researchers.
Written for grades 4-8, this highly illustrated work of nonfiction contains photographs, diagrams, and a map to help readers understand the science behind the exciting research project. Up-close photos show scientific experiments in action. “Trash Talk” sidebars provide important insights into the the scientific method being employed and the problem of plastic pollution. The book concludes with ideas for how youth can take action in their own community. Notes and ideas for further reading round out this excellent educational resource.
Similar in style to the SCIENTISTS IN THE FIELD series popular with older children, this book is a great way to introduce younger readers to the world of science and scientists. It will be a popular addition to the school library collection.
Go the Five Gyres Institute at http://5gyres.org/ and the NOAA Marine Debris website http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/ for lots of background information.
For more visual information about the garbage patch, do a Google Images Search to locate dozens of visual containing maps and infographics such as the one at Visual.ly at http://visual.ly/great-pacific-garbage-patch-0. Ask students to pick the visual that they think best represents the problem and explain why.
To learn more about the book’s author, go to http://www.patriciamnewman.com/. Her blog contains lots of book extension ideas. Go to http://www.patricianewmanbooks.blogspot.com/.
Publisher ARC used for review
GOORU is a web-based resource that contains over 70,000 collections of free, K-12 web resources. The mission of GOORU is to provide personalized learning for teachers and students. The website allows users to FIND standards-based learning materials, REMIX the resources to create custom collections, SHARE collections, and MONITOR student use of online materials.
Built-in, online tools make this a unique environment for librarians to collaborate with classroom teachers. Educators can create pathfinders and even design questions for students to address.
A dedicated webpage can be created for classes that can be used to build and manage assignments. Images, handouts, and slides can be added to enhance the learning environment.
Begin with a search for a topic such as “erosion” or “American Civil War”. It’s possible to narrow a search by resource format, subject, grade level, standard, publisher and mode. The search returns interactives, lessons, and other web-based resources. Each resource also indicates whether it’s “mobile friendly.” Users can then examine any Gooru collections that contain the resource. In many cases these collections contain a gold mine of ideas and additional resources.
The Gooru iPad app is easy to download and use for school with iPads.
To learn more, go to http://www.goorulearning.org/
TOONTASTIC is an award-winning app that encourages children to create their own animated, puppet show-like stories.What makes Toontastic particularly appealing to educators is the use of a story arc for storytelling. Designed for ages 5-10, creators identify turning points in their narrative related to the story arc elements of setup, conflict, challenge, climax, and resolution.
Children begin by choosing from among a variety of settings, then pick their characters. They can edit their characters using paint and draw tools. Finally, creators animate the scene by moving around their characters and adding audio narration. The final step in the process is to add background music. The projects can be saved and shared online at ToonTube.
The Toontastic Jr. edition helps young children design stories with a beginning, middle, and ending. The free download includes 12 animated start starters.
The app is available in both an individual edition for free and a school edition at a small charge. The School Edition includes hundreds of additional characters and dozens of extra backgrounds.
A teacher’s guide and common core aligned lessons are also available.
To learn more about the app, go to http://www.launchpadtoys.com/toontastic/.
For a teacher’s guide, go to http://www.launchpadtoys.com/toontastic/parent-teacher-guide/.
For lots of example projects, go to ToonTube at http://toontube.launchpadtoys.com/.
The NATIONAL ARCHIVES features key Congressional Documents of interest to young history scholars. Did you know that the first Federal Congress passed a resolution recommending a day of thanksgiving in 1789? Or, that in 1941 Congress established a fixed-date for the holiday? The National Archives contains dozens of digitized documents associated with the holiday of Thanksgiving.
These documents are a fun way to focus on primary source documents throughout the year. Create a bulletin board featuring a different document every few weeks. Whether remembering the anniversary of the Homestead Act of 1862 to celebrating the Civil Rights Act of 1942, primary source documents can bring history alive for students.
To locate the Thanksgiving documents, go to http://www.archives.gov/legislative/features/thanksgiving/
For a list of featured documents, go to http://www.archives.gov/legislative/features/
For many more ideas for using primary source documents in the classroom, go to http://docsteach.org/
BROWN GIRL DREAMING by Jacqueline Woodson has been named the 2014 National Book Award winner for young people’s literature.Written in verse, this inspiring memoir traces Woodson’s life as an African American child growing up during the turbulent 1960s and 70s. From her experiences with the Civil Rights Movement to her religious upbringing as a Jehovah’s Witness, readers get a glimpse into the life of an ordinary child that will grow up to be an extraordinary voice for a generation.
Through short powerful poems, readers become immersed in Woodson’s world. Many children will empathize with her struggles with reading and writing.
BROWN GIRL DREAMING would be a wonderful addition to a literature circle exploring the lives of well-known authors. It would also be an excellent shared experience for a class exploring the genre of autobiography, biography, and memoir.
This three-time Newbery Honor author has written some extra-ordinary books for young people. Use this memoir to jumpstart an exploration of all her works such as LOCOMOTION, FEATHERS, and AFTER TUPAC AND D FOSTER.
To learn more about the author, go to http://www.jacquelinewoodson.com/. Her website contains a useful research guide providing helpful hints for conducting inquiries related to the topics associated with her books.
Publisher ARC used for review
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS is an outstanding source for informational reading materials. In addition to the print magazine, readers can also access thousands of articles at the National Geographic website without a subscription.
This week, be sure to enjoy the “First Thanksgiving” article. It provides an excellent overview to the history of the holiday including dispelling myths. Links are provided to related articles.
A search of the NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS website provides numerous articles on many topics making it a great resource for informational reading activities. The short articles generally include high-quality photos to engage readers. In addition to articles, the website also includes games and other interactive content.
The app version of the magazine contains rich opportunities for reading as well as engaging interactive content for subscribers. Print subscribers get complimentary access.
There’s also a National Geographic Kids YouTube channel. With both free and subscription-based content, this video resource is a great way to stimulate an interest in animals, adventure, and science
To read the First Thanksgiving article, go to http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/content/kids/en_US/explore/history/first-thanksgiving/
To go to the first page of the website, go to http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/
To download the free app, go to https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/national-geographic-kids/id436482773
To explore the YouTube channel, go to https://www.youtube.com/user/NatGeoKids
THE LUCK UGLIES by Paul Durham is one of the books you may have missed earlier in the year with the spring flood of new offerings. With the second book in this popular new middle-grade fantasy adventure trilogy coming out in March 2015, it’s time to catch up!
With elements of mystery, adventure, and monster thrills, tweens will quickly become absorbed in this fantasy world set in a medieval-style village. Both boys and girls alike will enjoy the intelligent writing and engaging characters. The short chapters move quickly as the story builds to an exciting climax that involves intriguing monsters and a mysterious secret society.
Not your typical “good vs evil” storyline, this book will appeal to young readers who are beginning to explore the layers of life, power of secrets and fear, and the fine line between hero and villain.
Fans of Holly Black, Rick Riordan, and Brandon Mull will all enjoy this fantasy trilogy.
To learn more about the author, go to http://www.pauldurhambooks.com/.
Check out the book trailer at http://youtu.be/vTEUX8JzRhc.
GOOGLE CULTURAL INSTITUTE is an astounding online resource focusing on art, history, and world wonders. It even contains powerful tools for creating online galleries and exhibits.The Art Project section includes art collections from around the world. Users can browse the exhibits, zoom in for an up-close examination, and take virtual tours of art museums. Artwork can be searched by creator, medium, event, place, person, media, and date.
The Historical Moments area contains online exhibitions focusing on significant moments from human history. Exhibits represent the photos and historical artifacts of museums and personal collections. Historical materials can be browsed or searches. Don’t miss the new First World War and World War II: D-Day exhibits.
The World Wonders section brings both the modern and ancient world heritage sites to life using Google Street view. Like the other exhibits, the materials can be searched or browsed.
Tools allow users to share, compare, and save the collections. Those interested in building their own collections can “request an invite” to participate.
To learn more about the exhibits, go to https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute.
To build your own exhibit using their powerful online tools, go to https://www.google.com/opengallery
THE BIODIGITAL HUMAN is an outstanding 3D human anatomy interactive. Available as both a website and app, it’s an excellent way to explore the human body and health topics. Although a premium version is available, the free version is all most students will need. The free version contains over 1000 anatomy and health condition models, detailed descriptions, editing tools, and interactive quizzes. The premium version contains more models, tools, and customization.
Increasingly, library computers and iPads are offering a cluster of high-quality, subject area references and resources. This visually rich informational resource is perfect for middle school and high school science students.
An iPad version is available through iTunes.
To learn more, go to BioDigital Human at https://www.biodigital.com/.
