Do the Math: Secrets, Lies, and Algebra by:  Wendy Lichtman

Summary: Tess has always loved math. She uses mathematical concepts to help her understand things in her life, so she is dismayed to find out how much math, and life, can change in eighth grade.

Author Web Site:
http://www.wendylichtman.com

Author Interview @ Cynsations:
http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2009/05/author-interview-wendy-lichtman-on-do.html

Teacher Resource Guide:
http://www.fcps.edu/fairfaxnetwork/mta/resource/activityguides/lichtman_guide.pdf

Mathematics Resources

http://www.aplusmath.com
Interactivity is the focus of this mathematics Web site.

http://www.figurethis.org
This is a math challenge site for families by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

http://www.math.com/parents.html
Review math concepts you may have forgotten, or find math resources for homeschooling or for extra practice.

http://www.mathgoodies.com/students.html

Tutorials, worksheets, games, puzzles, flashcards, and more are available on this site!

http://www.mathleague.com
This site has a mathematics help facility section with math explanations.  However, the coolest part feature of this site is the math contests by grade level.  Schools have to purchase the materials in order to participate (free samples are available for practice), but they are very reasonable ($30 for 30 booklets). 

http://www.purplemath.com
This site is designed to help students gain understanding and confidence in algebra.  In addition to on-site lessons, there is a great list of additional Web sites for more assistance.

Read Aloud Recommendation:
This would be a really fun book to read to middle school students, or advanced upper elementary students during the beginning or end of math class.  What a neat way to explore math concepts!

The Sorta Sisters by:  Adrian Fogelin

Summary: In Florida, Anna Casey lives with what she hopes is the last in a long line of foster mothers, and Mica Delano lives with her father on their small boat, and when the two of them begin corresponding, they discover they have a lot in common.

Author Web Site:  http://www.adrianfogelin.com

Teacher’s Guide:  Not Currently Available

Related Links:  Islamorado, Florida

About the Florida Keys (with Link to You Tube Video about Islamorado, FL)

Description: Islamorado Chamber of Commerce Video (Same Video Found in Link Shown Above)
This posting of the same video is for schools who cannot access YouTube due to content filtering. Please view the video from the original source if possible.

History of Islamorado, FL

Islamorado, Village of Islands (Photo Gallery)

Panoramic Views of Islamorado, FL  (The Florida Keys in 360 Degrees!!)

Related Links:  Manatees

Florida Manatees @ Defenders of Wildlife Web Site (Includes Video and Slideshow)

Manatees @ National Geographic for Kids (Facts, Photos, Video, etc.)

Save the Manatees (Facts About Manatees, Videos, Public Service Announcements)

Related Links:  Tallahassee, Florida

Slide Show @ Tallahassee Online Visitor’s Guide Web Site

Tallahassee Nature Video (You Tube)
Description:  YouTube Video about Tallahassee Nature
Please view this version of the video, as it is from the original source, if possible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwctKuura78

Description:  YouTube Video of Tallahassee Nature
This posting of the same video is for schools who cannot access YouTube due to content filtering.  Please view the video from the original source if possible.

Related Links:  Wakulla River/Springs

Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park

Springs Exploration:  Wakulla Springs Interactive Feature (Click on the Audio Feature of the Wakulla River to Experience a Virtual River Boat Tour)

Wakulla Springs @ Tallahassee Online Visitor’s Guide Site

Read Aloud Recommendation:  This book, with alternating narrative perspectives, letters, and sepia drawings depicting wildlife and packages that the main characters, Anna Casey and Mica Delano, discuss and exchange in the course of the novel, is best suited for individual readers.  In my opinion, the reader would lose a certain intimacy if this book is read aloud.  Students who read this book will definitely want to read others in the series.  At this time, the author has written five novels set in her Tallahassee neighborhood.  These novels, in order, are:

Crossing Jordan

Anna Casey’s Place in the World

My Brother’s Hero
The Big Nothing
The Sorta Sisters

Elijah Of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis

Summary: Eleven-year-old Elijah Freeman, the first free-born child in Buxton, Canada, which is a haven for slaves fleeing the American South in 1859, uses his wits and skills to try to bring to justice the lying preacher who has stolen money that was to be used to buy a family’s freedom.

Author Web Site: http://www.nobodybutcurtis.com

Author Resources:

Author Interview @ Reading Rockets

http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/curtis/transcript

Biography of Christopher Paul Curtis @ Random House

http://www.randomhouse.com/features/christopherpaulcurtis/christophercurtis.htm

Biography and Interview (Text) @ Kidsread.com

http://www.kidsreads.com/authors/au-curtis-christopher-paul.asp

Biography @ Scholastic Web Site

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/contributor.jsp?id=3261

Teacher’s Guides for Bud, Not Buddy and The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963 @ Random House Web Site

Video Interview by Scholastic (Part I and II)
Description:  YouTube Videos of Interview with Christopher Paul Curtis
Please view this version of the videos, as it is from the original source, if possible.

Part I URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5HkR1o2LiI
Part II URL:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaky2QAapVw

Description:  YouTube Videos of Interview with Christopher Paul Curtis
This posting of the same videos is for schools who cannot access YouTube due to content filtering.  Please view the video from the original source if possible.

Teacher Resources:

Booktalk @ Scholastic Web Site Including Link to Video Version of Booktalk

Discussion Guide @ Scholastic Web Site

Extension Activities @ Scholastic Web Site Including Web Links

Related Links:  Elgin Settlement at Buxton

History of the Elgin Settlement @ the Buxton National Historic Site and Museum

Photos of the Buxton National Historic Site (Including a School Built in 1861 and a Log Cabin Built in 1852)

Related Links:  Frederick Douglass

A Short Biography of Frederick Douglass (Links to Additional Information)

Frederick Douglass @ Africans in America by PBS (Links to Teacher’s Guide)

Frederick Douglass @ America’s Stories from America’s Library (Library of Congress/Primary Resources)

Frederick Douglass National Historic Site

Related Links:  John Brown

John Brown @ Africans in American by PBS (Links to Teacher’s Guide)

John Brown’s Holy War @ American Experience Site (PBS-Includes Maps, Timeline, Primary Resources, and Teacher’s Guide)

The Kennedy Farmhouse @ johnbrown.org (Staging Site for Raid on Harpers Ferry)

Related Links: Liberty Bell of Buxton

News Article on Symbolism of Buxton Liberty Bell

News Release with Photos @ the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration Web Site

Related Links: Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad:  Presented by National Geographic Online

Read Aloud Recommendation: I am ambivalent about my recommendation on this book.   I do not want to turn anyone off to the story.  I think it is a “must read” for students in grades 5 and up, but I have to be straightforward with teachers who may be looking for a page turning, “keep ‘em on the edge of their seats” read aloud. I found the first half of the book difficult to read because I found it hard to relate to the main character, Elijah.  In fact, it took me longer to read this book than any of the other Georgia Book Award nominees.   I think that the dialect and the author’s use of stories within the story distant the reader at first.  However, the last six chapters of the book redeemed it for me.  The last part of the book is very powerful, particularly the scene in the barn where Elijah finds five captured slaves.  It will make students think about slavery in terms that a dry textbook will never be able to do.  Because this book explores the topic of slavery from a different perspective, that of a child born into freedom in the Canadian settlement of Buxton, and because of the humor in the story, I believe students will find the first part of the book enlightening and enjoyable, but slow paced.  However, they will find the last part of the book exciting, moving, and memorable.  I highly recommend this title for students (grades 5 and up) who are learning about the history of slavery in the United States.

This year I plan to read all the GA Book Award Nominees and provide a “one stop” resource for teachers who would like to use these books in their classrooms.  I will be posting links to author Web sites, teacher’s guides, and related Web links.  I hope to make this an unbiased resource, so I will not be providing my own review of the books–other than recommending it as a read aloud (or not).

Saving the Griffin by :  Kristin Wolden Nitz

Summary: When eleven-year-old Kate and her younger brother Michael encounter a baby griffin in an Italian garden, they vow to help the creature find its way back home and to keep Griffo’s existence a secret.

Author Web Site:  http://www.kwnitz.com

Teacher’s Guide:  Not Currently Available

Behind the Scenes from the Author’s Blog:  http://kristinwoldennitz.wordpress.com/category/saving-the-griffin

Definition of Griffin:

A griffin is a legendary creature, usually represented in literature and art as having the head, beak, and wings of an eagle, the body and legs of a lion, and occasionally a serpent’s tail. The griffin seems to have originated in the Middle East, as it is found in the paintings and sculptures of the ancient Babylonians, Assyrians, and Persians. The Romans used the griffin merely for decorative purposes in friezes and on table legs, altars, and candelabra. The griffin motif appeared in early Christian times in the bestiaries, or beast allegories, of St. Basil and St. Ambrose. Stone replicas of griffins frequently served as gargoyles in the Gothic architecture of the late Middle Ages. The griffin is still a familiar device in heraldry and is thought to represent strength and vigilance.

Citation
Griffin. (2009). Retrieved August 16, 2009, from
Discovery Education: http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/

Griffin Gargoyle Photos:

Credit:

Related Links:  Griffin (Mythical Creature)

KidzWorld:  Griffin

Mythical Creatures Coloring Pages

Related Links:  Florence, Italy

Guide to Italy (Photos and Video of Florence)

Related Links:  Sienna, Italy

Guide to Italy (Photos of Siena)

Video of Siena, Italy from GeoBeats

Related Links:  Basic Italian

Children’s Conversational Italian (Short Audio Files by Native Speakers)

Video of Top Local Italian Phrases from GeoBeats

Read Aloud Recommendation: Definitely!  This story has fantasy, adventure, and a hint of danger.

As a library media specialist in a public elementary school, I have always felt it was my duty to buy and promote the Newbery, Caldecott, Coretta Scott King Illustrator, and state award winners and nominees in order to showcase some of the best books of year––even though I have had reservations about the kid appeal of some of the books. After all, part of my job is to help kids discover literary gems. However, despite my best efforts, every year a portion of these books eventually become “shelf-squatters” as my attention becomes focused elsewhere and the kids naturally gravitate toward more commercial, mainstream books (which I also purchase as my budget allows).

When considering books for the school library collection, the library media specialist must make tough decisions regarding the major award winners. It is very difficult for me to be objective about award books because in most cases, I find the chosen books to be so worthy of recognition. However, my young patrons do not always agree. After all, in most cases a committee of adults select the award winners based on specific criteria. (With the Georgia Book Award process, students select the winner from a list of nominees by voting for their favorite.) I have found that adults judge literary merit using a set of criteria that is very different from the criteria that children use to decide what is appealing to them. I have also found that even though adults may find a book to be of great literary merit, if kids find the book to be unappealing, it will not be read (no matter how many awards adults have bestowed upon it). That is this the case with this year’s Newbery winner, Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village. It is an excellent choice, but it doesn’t have much kid appeal. It will never have the same popularity as some of the winners (such as the 1999 winner, Holes). In fact, I will have to work really hard to promote the book, or it will seldom be checked out. While I realize that is part of my job, it does illustrate my point. So what is the solution? Maintain the current course, or steer more into the mainstream?

Motherhood has really been the catalyst for the clarification of my thoughts on the struggle of literary vs. mainstream. I have found with my own child, now a busy toddler, that I have to appeal to his interests in order to keep him reading. That doesn’t mean that my little one hasn’t succumbed to the charm of Caldecott winner Where the Wild Things Are and classics like Goodnight Moon. It just means that when something is holding his attention (currently Thomas the Tank Engine), I have to seize the moment. Therefore, I have learned to balance the award winning and classic with the kid appealing. I have come to realize that I may never get my little one to listen to Snowy Day. It just doesn’t appeal to him. (And let’s face it, my son, who hates to travel, has never seen snow where we live––in south Georgia.) That doesn’t mean that I won’t keep trying. It just means that if I want to keep him reading, I have to keep his interests in mind when purchasing new books. It’s all about balance.

I read one of the classics to him every day, though not always an award winner. Tonight, it might be Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham (which he loves after I convinced him to give it a try). After that, he can choose. He usually chooses a Thomas story like Catch Me, Catch Me! A Thomas the Tank Engine Story, Go, Train, Go!, or Stop, Train, Stop! A Thomas the Tank Engine Story, a Cars story like Driving Buddies (Step into Reading), or a Dora or Diego story like Diego’s Wolf Pup Rescue . As long as we are reading together every night, I have stopped obsessing so much about what we are reading.

There is a wonderful article on this topic at http://www.warriorlibrarian.com/LIBRARY/qual_vs_pop.html. An extensive review of literature on this topic shows that readers of commercial/mainstream literature are the most prolific readers and are more likely to to continue their reading development at a higher rate than those who do not read popular literature. Researchers also found that popular literature can be a bridge to higher quality literature. While I already knew this from experience––both academic and maternal, I have to say that I like being able to back up my own thoughts with research.

In conclusion, I will always pursue and purchase the best in children’s literature. However, I am going to be much more careful about balancing the award winning with the popular literature that students crave. After all, as a librarian and as a mother, I have to serve the needs of my patrons and keep them reading!

Here are a couple of my son’s current favorites as mentioned above: