Day: January 11, 2019

Book List Suggestions!

Happy New Year!

During our learning conferences in December, some students made reading in depth or improved reading comprehension one of their goals. With this in mind, I have been looking for book suggestions as well as websites with recommended titles. Stay tuned as I add to this information over time.

Below, please find information on:
INDIE NEXT LIST
KIDSBOOKS
MIGHTY GIRL
NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO
CBC
COMMON SENSE MEDIA

These titles are suggested by INDIE NEXT LIST, which lists top books from Independent Booksellers. Suggested age for these titles is ages 9-12. I have not read all titles, but these lists are generally reliable for great reads. Non-fiction/fiction mix! Please see their website for back issues, teen titles for advanced readers, and more information about each of these books.

Backyard Bears: Conservation, Habitat Changes, and the Rise of Urban Wildlife by Amy Cherrix
City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab
Dactyl Hill Squad by Daniel Jose Older
The Darkdeep by Ally Condie and Brendan Reichs
The Dollar Kids by Jennifer Richard Jacobson
Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome
Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson (also recommended by KidsBooks)
The House with Chicken Legs by Sophia Anderson
Knights vs. Dinosaurs by Matt Phelan
The Law of Finders Keepers (Mo & Dale Mysteries) by Sheila Turnage
Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina
Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech
Small Spaces by Katherine Arden
Squirm by Carl Hiaasen
Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier (available in class)

Another place to look for books is KIDS BOOKS School and Libraries Recommendation Lists. The store is located on West Broadway and the website has a search function. They have a large selection of amazing books, as well as games and puzzles my class has liked. Check out their recommended titles according to age. Ask their knowledgeable staff about book selections!

There is an excellent selection of best books for 2018 on the MIGHTY GIRL Website. This website is dedicated to listing the best books, TV shows, movies, and more for strengthening the character of girls. But to be honest, I think the books they recommend are great for anyone, as titles like Resistance and Children of Blood and Bone have received universal praise.

There is another great list on National Public Radio’s Website of Best Books for 2018. I recommend this website to look for titles for all ages!

Finally, here is one more great list which has quite a variety and includes many more Canadian author titles! CBC Best Middle Years Books of 2018. You can also search “CBC Best Young Adult” for those students who are more advanced readers and can handle mature themes.

15 Classics 9-12 Year Olds Say You Should Read. I especially like the inclusion on this list of Swiss Family Robinson, 21 Balloons, Peter Pan, From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, and Where the Red Fern Grows.

Common Sense Media has a list of 50 Books Kids Should Read Before They Are 12. I have read so many on the list, that this seemed like a good one to recommend to you! I also think Common Sense Media is a good resource if you want to look up a book and evaluate it for mature content, themes, etc. Good Reads is another website that can help with determining whether reading is appropriate for your child.

Okay, as I think of more titles I will let you know! Always remember, there are tons of titles in the classroom library I recommend that you may not have tried yet, including many classics! Don’t forget about READING AROUND THE WORLD and the free lunch! Hope this helps!

Ms. D 

Problem-Solving Project! First Week Back Summary & Project Details

Happy New Year!

We are in the process of completing our problem-solving unit! After returning from break, we:

  • Continued talking about the concept of PERSPECTIVE and how our cultural background, emotional state, and the needs we are trying to meet ALL impact the way we see the world, our relationships with others, and day to day situations.
  • Used critical-thinking skills to do Perfectly Perilous Math Problems and Word Problems from Literature, while discussing strategies for math problem solving such as collaborating with others, drawing visuals such as bar diagrams, reading problems carefully, and writing down relevant information.
  • Solved some more CSI Forensics Challenges about reading body language to detect deception AND to use observation skills to identify the owners of fingerprints! We are also finishing You Do the Math: CSI, which has math problems on area, coordinates, equations, multiplication, basic fractions, and more. We will be going over the answers to these questions on Monday, so some students have taken home the duotang to catch up at home.
  • Read My Name is Seepeetza, which details the Residential School experience. We are continuing our read aloud as a group that we started before break. 
  • Finishing our mystery stories and paragraphs on discrimination in Canada. These items need to be sent to Ms. D ASAP and/or posted on the e-port, as they were due Friday, January 11th.
  • Started a new, daily writing routine which comes from the book Rip the Page, during which we will enhance vocabulary, practice grammar, look at ways to stimulate our creative writing, and work on making our prose more interesting to the reader.
  • Participated in DRAMA activities about movement during our gym time, as we get ready to do some theatre-related tasks for late January and February.
  • Enjoyed a variety of new books Ms. D added to the classroom library such as The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl, No Fixed Address, Sweep, The Elements in the Room, Treasure Hunters, and more.
  • Began a new art project on the ABCs of Life!

So, we have been very busy and it has only been one week back! I look forward to the 2.5 months ahead of us.

Everyone is now working on our end-of-unit project SOLVING A PROBLEM!

FIRST, IDENTIFY A PROBLEM! First, we had to find a problem in our community, in school, or in our home that we want to solve! It has to be something we really care about. The problem needs to be clear. You need to ask questions to define the problem. You need to find out what other people’s perspectives are about the problem. Is it really a problem? Your problem doesn’t have to be big, but if it is, you can contribute to the solution — you don’t have to solve it yourself! Watch two videos to help you think: How to Define a Problem by Crash Kids Science, and The World’s Largest Lesson which details how young people around the world have been solving problems to help the United Nations meet Global Goals to improve the world by 2030. 

Ask questions? Do some research! What have other people done to solve this problem? What do you know about the problem?

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE HAPPEN?

Detail in your journal what you want to see happen when the problem is solved. What will your solution help do for us?

WHAT ARE POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS?

Document some possible solutions. Come up with more than one. Will you INNOVATE, INVENT, or CAMPAIGN to solve this problem? What might that look like? 

EVALUATE EACH OPTION!

For each solution, create a pros and cons chart. Think about which solution will be easier to implement and makes the most sense.

SELECT ONE OPTION!

Select one of your solution options and tell us why you have chosen it in your journal.

DOCUMENT

Take notes as you do research on your problem. Record the notes in your journal or in Google Docs. If you read a website, record the name of the website, the article you read, and the date the article or website was published.

Document your solutions, the pros/cons chart, and the reasons why you chose the solution you did. Tell us your PLAN to solve the problem and the steps you will follow.

Take pictures of your process as you work to solve the problem! You can put these pictures on your e-port and explain what you are doing. 

AFTERWARDS

After you have tried to solve the problem, write a short reflection paragraph. What went well? Did you solve the problem? If not, what would you do differently next time? Maybe you were successful with this step — now what would you do to keep going with your efforts to solve the problem?

I look forward to seeing how you use your problem-solving skills to address change in our classroom, school, community, or at home!