STEM, SKYPES, SIBERT SMACKDOWN +

So much to blog, so little time...

My to-do list has dozens of things on it.  I have to stick things on there that are easy (Email X, Y and Z) and others that will happen no matter what (Take Zack to the orthodontist) otherwise I will be so overwhelmed that absolutely nothing will get accomplished.

So in the past week:

• My students Skyped with four authors.
• The Patriots won the Super Bowl.  I'm not a fan but Mrs. Kelliher is and I snapped a photo with her and as many other fans as I could find on Friday. Notice that I got her leaping now, too!
• I attended a NYLA Council meeting.
• I surprised myself and put the "E" and "M" into a literacy related STEM lesson
• Sibert Smackdown projects began and will be ready to present tomorrow
• We began Newbery debates.
• I heard a second grade boy offer Matt de la Pena and Loren Long's LOVE to a fellow student when she expressed that she really wished she could check out the book (Why do I only have one copy?)
• AND I had to reschedule THREE Skypes for today because of a snow day.

You will definitely hear my EXHALE in Denver Monday evening. This award season is exhilarating and as much as it is exhausting.

So who did we meet?

The Sweetest Sound's Sherri Winston was delightful Thursday morning.  We could have sat and chatted with her for hours. Mrs. Warland joined us (with fortune cookies) as she was the book group leader and was probably its first big fan since we received galley copies back in early 2016. "I wanted to make a story that felt like childhood to me.  You want something bad enough that you cave." Henry and Austin made a Lego book trailer and who knew that Sherri loves legos, too!

Ali Standish

Because Emma was sick the morning we Skyped with Ali Standish, the author of The Ethan I Was Before she couldn't come to school and cried.  When I shared this with Ali, she was kind enough to offer to answer Emma's questions separately.  How sweet!  The kids asked such detailed questions about the plot and characters and Ali happily answered them all.

Yesterday we met Karina Yan Glaser (and her beautiful cat), the author of The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street. Mr. Reischer was that book group leader so I'm glad he was able to be a part of it.  Evan, who wasn't in the book group, stayed up till past 9 the night before just so he could finish the book for  the Skype.

Then as a totally last minute request, I contacted Jonathan Fenske, author and illustrator (and 2016 Geisel Honor winner) to see if he would be able to give a shout out to my first graders when I shared his 2017 Geisel contending books. He was up for it!  Jonathan's A Pig, A Fox and a Box is one of the funniest books and I can never get through a read aloud without laughing out loud!  I read A Pig, A Fox and Stinky Socks and We Need More Nuts then he read to us Please, No More Nuts! Yes, a week after World Read Aloud Day but my kids didn't know that! Thanks, Jonathan!

The "E" and "M" in STEM

I surprised myself last week when after we read Triangle by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen and then we designed houses for Triangle and Square using tangrams and legos.  Such a fun activity to do on a Friday afternoon, especially when the STEM Fair was that evening.

Sibert Smackdown Part I

This is just a preview of the Sibert Smackdown projects.  Fourth graders will begin presenting tomorrow and it's going to be awesome!  Kids exclaiming, "I love this book so much!" Group work, collaboration, creativity, passion, all for the love of nonfiction.

Newbery Debates

The final stretch of our Newbery project is our debates.  Kids pick  their favorite book, we come up with a bracket and then they go at each other.  Well, we hope for that and friendly, of course. Honestly, yesterday was the first day and we had one really intense debate:  Scar Island vs. Orphan Island.  I was biting my finger nails on that one.  It was so close.  I would almost put my money on Orphan Island going all the way.

Thursday, Friday and of course, MONDAY are going to be packed days!  Voting, debating, project sharing (with cookies!) and then the AWARDS! Needless to say, sleep is not on my to-do list.

Pax

Waiting for my friends to show up!

Yesterday I held my second book group of the summer at Starbucks.  There were only four of us but boy did we have some great conversation about Sara Pennypacker's much loved and talked about book of 2016, Pax.  There was definitely consensus that this book will make our Newbery 2017 list for fifth grade.

"The book was filled with metaphors with a strong theme of loyalty," one girl expressed. "I learned that it is not a perfect world."

I gave the kids some sentences to complete and here's what they said:

My favorite character is...

...Runt because he is playful and liked Pax from the start, even though Bristle tried to keep him away.

...Pax because I like his personality.  It comes across as inviting through the author's writing.

...Bristle.  I liked Bristle because she cared deeply for Runt.  It was sweet when she finally warmed up to Pax.

I could relate to Peter when...

...he took Vola as a friend because I'm always willing to be a friend.

....he felt sad about not having his pet by his side.


I felt angry when...

...Peter found out that his dad knew about the war coming to where he wanted to leave his fox, but didn't tell him.

...his dad was pressuring Peter into doing some things he didn't want to.

...Peter sent Pax away.  Also when hearing how angry Peter's dad got and how sometimes he would take it out on his own son.

And about whether they liked it or not and what made it "distinguished":

This book has good detail and description about the setting.  Also the author uses characters (foxes) that others might not use often.

I think it has some things you could relate to and parts that made you think and feel.

Amazing descriptions of characters, feelings, setting.  Good plot.

I am looking forward to sharing this book with more students in the fall!  It will definitely be a Newbery book group book for sure!

This young lady is going into fourth grade and had so many good things to share!

This rising 6th grader came to every book group last year and looks like she will be at every one this year, too!
#SheLovesToRead

I knew that this rising 6th grader read Pax in the spring but I invited her to join us at the last minute.
She came straight from camp! Hooray!

The obligatory, hot and humid Summer Leap for Books!