There is a moment, when you are telling a story or reading a book that you know your listeners are engaged. That magical moment when all fidgeting stops, the eyes are on you, and the kids are open to everything that you are sharing with them. I was reading The School is Not White by Doreen Rappaport and got that reaction.
Set in 1965, the Carter family decides to send their children to the white school. The night before school starts, shots are fired at their house. The family huddles together in fear, yet firm in their resolve to pursue a better education for the children. At school, the kids face derision, taunting and worse. They are shunned by both their fellow students and the teachers. And yet the Carter kids persevere, for they want a life beyond the cotton fields. Early in the book, Mama Carter listens to John F. Kennedy's speech on the availability of education for everyone. I used the exact clip of that speech, and rather than read it myself, had the students listen to the president speak. This lesson was powerful and compelling. Repeating the lesson for the lowest students in our school led to a lively discussion about race, and fairness, and kindness.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Monday, February 4, 2008
Brownies
I have been so restrained about baking for the staff at school, but this weekend, I fell off the wagon. I spent yesterday making... brownies. Covering them with ganache... Topping the ganache with peanut butter buttercream icing... and decorating them with unsalted roasted peanuts and chocolate drizzle. Yum. These are cut in very small pieces because they are so very rich. It's great to have one of your colleagues come in and say that they were having a bad day, but there were brownies and those treats made the day better. My apologies to all of those folks participating in the school's biggest loser competition. And I wish that I could style this photo so that it looked like those beautiful shots at Tastespotting. My next brownie experiment will include Grand Marnier and candied orange peel.
I love my job
I really have the best job in the world. Today, my third grade students worked at organizing information, using flashcards in various categories. My favorite category: things that you find under your bed! It's a quick lesson and fun for the kids and relates to the organization and classifying skills that are required of them.
Then, with my next class, I introduced Reader's Theater. We read through a script from Roald Dahl's Matilda, specifically, the scene in which Matilda hides a talking parrot in the chimney and convinces her family that the house is haunted. We talked about how the characters were feeling and the ways in which their voices can reflect those feelings. Next Friday, we'll break up the class into smaller groups and take different roles.
With my two fourth grade classes today, we worked first on finding information on people in the encyclopedia and on finding information on your own topic. This last exercise is called FIND FIVE FACTS. As part of their multi-genre research project, we will be finding five facts several times. There might be groaning and rolling of eyes. Oh well!
Then, with my next class, I introduced Reader's Theater. We read through a script from Roald Dahl's Matilda, specifically, the scene in which Matilda hides a talking parrot in the chimney and convinces her family that the house is haunted. We talked about how the characters were feeling and the ways in which their voices can reflect those feelings. Next Friday, we'll break up the class into smaller groups and take different roles.
With my two fourth grade classes today, we worked first on finding information on people in the encyclopedia and on finding information on your own topic. This last exercise is called FIND FIVE FACTS. As part of their multi-genre research project, we will be finding five facts several times. There might be groaning and rolling of eyes. Oh well!
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Loving Jennifer Donnelly
What a treat it was to receive Jennifer Donnelly's new book, The Winter Rose in pre-pub. The story was FANTASTIC! Set around the turn of the century, the story revolved around a bookish young lady who had just become a doctor. Restricted by the mores of the times, she finds herself striking out against the old, male establishment. Of course, there was a love interest, a mob boss named Sid Malone. This relationship provided just the right amount of dramatic tension in a book that one simply cannot put down!
Reading The Winter Rose led me to also read A Northern Light, and The Tea Rose, Donnelly's first novel.
A Northern Light is generally categorized as a young adult novel and has won many awards as such, including a Printz honor. Set in upstate New York around 1900, A Northern Light is the story of a bright, talented young farm girl, who, because she is motherless, bears much of the burden of taking care of her family and her father. She wants to go to college, and is accepted, but is conflicted by a romantic relationship with a boy on the neighboring farm. Donnelly uses an actual murder from the time as a plot device, with our heroine being entrusted with some letters from the victim. Those letters lead her to a moral dilemma; should she burn them, or turn them over to the police? This book fits in as a young adult novel because of the theme; how decisions that you make can profoundly affect your life.
The Tea Rose is the story of Fiona, born among the working poor in the East End of London. As a worker in the tea warehouse, she has a fine nose for the product and all its variations. Her father is killed in an 'accident,' and the family plunges into poverty. When Fiona's mother is killed by Jack the Ripper, Fiona in desperation goes to the tea company owner for help. She overhears the owner talking about her father's murder and flees. Of course, this story is a lot more complex than this little capsule can show, but we don't want any spoilers, do we?
I'm looking forward to Donnelly's next novel.
Reading The Winter Rose led me to also read A Northern Light, and The Tea Rose, Donnelly's first novel.
A Northern Light is generally categorized as a young adult novel and has won many awards as such, including a Printz honor. Set in upstate New York around 1900, A Northern Light is the story of a bright, talented young farm girl, who, because she is motherless, bears much of the burden of taking care of her family and her father. She wants to go to college, and is accepted, but is conflicted by a romantic relationship with a boy on the neighboring farm. Donnelly uses an actual murder from the time as a plot device, with our heroine being entrusted with some letters from the victim. Those letters lead her to a moral dilemma; should she burn them, or turn them over to the police? This book fits in as a young adult novel because of the theme; how decisions that you make can profoundly affect your life.
The Tea Rose is the story of Fiona, born among the working poor in the East End of London. As a worker in the tea warehouse, she has a fine nose for the product and all its variations. Her father is killed in an 'accident,' and the family plunges into poverty. When Fiona's mother is killed by Jack the Ripper, Fiona in desperation goes to the tea company owner for help. She overhears the owner talking about her father's murder and flees. Of course, this story is a lot more complex than this little capsule can show, but we don't want any spoilers, do we?
I'm looking forward to Donnelly's next novel.
Andrew Clements
While sick with the stomach bug last week, I took the opportunity to read the collected works of Andrew Clements. I read Frindle, A Week in the Woods, and The Last Holiday Concert. This was all in preparation for our video conference with the author. Ball State University and Simon and Schuster are sponsoring a series of these conferences, which, to my delight, are FREE! If you are interested in signing up, here is the link: http://www.bsu.edu/myvisit/
The sponsors expect 30,000 schools to participate. I'm only doing the visit with one class, since we don't have an auditorium space that would suit. The fourth grade class has read Frindle together and is now deep into The Report Card. Scholastic Book Fairs was kind enough to send a mixed box of Clement's titles so that the kids could purchase them in advance of the conference.
The sponsors expect 30,000 schools to participate. I'm only doing the visit with one class, since we don't have an auditorium space that would suit. The fourth grade class has read Frindle together and is now deep into The Report Card. Scholastic Book Fairs was kind enough to send a mixed box of Clement's titles so that the kids could purchase them in advance of the conference.
Bad Blogger
The last time I posted... NOVEMBER! Good thing no one's reading to keep track of such failings! Today I am reading the lastest by Barbara Delinsky, called The Secret Between Us. If you're in the mood for a depressing book, this is for you. When Deborah and her daughter are driving home from Grace's study date, they hit a pedestrian. Deborah tries to shelter Grace by assuming responsibility for the accident. Her lie traumatizes Grace. The family is dealing with many other issues as well, a recent divorce, a grandfather with a drinking problem, a sister who is pregnant. This book is just one crisis after another, with no light at the end of the tunnel. Don't read this book if you're depressed, it will send you over the edge. I'm disappointed; Barbara Delinsky is usually an author whom I seek out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
