Athlete vs. Mathlete by W.C. Mack is probably my favorite book so far! I love the characters, the main and the secondary! They are real children. They have mood swings, they're loyal, they worry, they have fun, they make mistakes. I think it's very important for kids (especially my student's age) to see that you're not the only one going through these feelings but it is important how you handle them and that some mistakes cannot be undone with a sorry. I also liked how the books shows the positives to both cliques: the "jocks" and the "nerds." There is a great life lesson in here as well; life isn't always fair but how you deal with it is what matters.
Summary from Scholastic: Owen Evans lights up the scoreboards. His brother, Russell, rocks the school boards. These twin brothers couldn't be more different. They've long kept the peace by going their separate ways, but all that is about to change. The new basketball coach recruits Russell for the seventh grade team and a jealous Owen has to fight to stay in the game. When someone tries to steal Russell's spot as captain of the mathlete team, will the two be able to put aside their differences in order to save his position? Or will they be sidelined?
This is a cute little book trailer that might help interest your boys!
Genre: Realistic Fiction Lexile: 610 Grade Level: Grades 3-5 (3.4) Pages: 208 Skill: Point of View (the chapter jumps between Owen and Russ' point of view) Food: Doughnuts (it's the best seller in the Mathlete's bake sale, even if the "enemy" brought them)
Athlete vs. Mathlete is definitely one of those books that will appeal to boys! We all know how hard it is to get them to read and this will do the trick, even if he's not an athlete or a mathlete ;o) One of my absolute favorite things about this book is that it's a series! I hate it when my kids fall in love with a book and want to keep the adventure going, only to find out that it's a stand alone book. Athlete vs. Mathlete has two other books in it's series: Double Dribble and Time-Out! Click on any of the photos to find out more info!
If you would like a copy of the award for reading this book click here to grab your free copy! There are three different versions: SRC test, AR test and just reading the book.
Next up on our Sunshine State Review is Alien in My Pocket: Blast Off!
The second book in my Sunshine State Book Review is the one I was most excited for: PIE by Sarah Weeks. I just LOVE pie! Mmmm... pie! I even had a pie bar at my wedding since I don't really like cake all that much. Look at all the deliciousness!!!
See, I even had Mmm... pie written on my ice cream spoons ;o)
Back to the book!
Summary from Scholastic: While Alice's Aunt Polly, the Pie Queen of Ipswitch, passes away, she takes with her the secret to her world-famous pie-crust recipe. Or does she? In her will, Polly leaves the recipe to her extraordinary fat, remarkably disagreeable cat, Lardo... and then leaves Lardo in the care of Alice. Suddenly, the whole town is wondering how you leave a recipe to a cat. Everyone want to be the next big pie-contest winner, and it's making them pie-crazy. It's up to Alice and her friend Charlie to put the pieces together and discover the not-so-secret recipe for happiness: Friendship. Family. And the pleasure of doing something for the right reason.
This was a very cute story set in 1955 about a little girl trying to find her place in her family now that the only person who really loved her for her is gone. It's a great story that shows how all your "special little quirks" that make you you, isn't something to be embarrassed or ashamed of, but embrace it and see what amazing things can happen! There is also a little mystery, Nancy Drew style, thrown in there with a GREAT twist at the end! You might have to explain a few things since it is set in the 1950's but not much. It definitely won't deter their reading or understanding if they read this on their own.
There are TONS of great characters in this story, all with their own quirks. I think this would be a perfect book to discuss character traits and why you think characters are making the decisions they are making (motive). There are also some good sections early on in the book that lend itself to foreshadowing. My friend Joanne over at Head Over Heels for Teaching has this fabulous product to promote higher level character analysis! The best part is you can leave it up all year long and add to it as you read more books. It's something I am definitely implementing next year! Click on the image if you would like more info or a set for your own classroom!
Genre: Realistic Fiction/Historical Fiction (not a lot of history though)/Mystery Lexile: 930 Grade Interest Level: Grade 3-7 Pages: 192 Skill: Character Traits, Foreshadowing Food: Pie (there are all sorts of recipes in the book!)
If you would like a copy of the award for reading this book click here to grab your free copy! There are three different versions: SRC test, AR test and just reading the book.
Next up for review is Athlete vs. Mathlete by W.C. Mack!
It has been a while since I've last linked up with Tara from 4th Grade Frolics for Monday Made It but I'm excited to be back in the swing of things!
As some of you know last year our school started Leader in Me. We were just kind of dipping our toes in the water if you will, but this year we are going full force (especially because this year's symposium is in our county and they will be visiting our school!). Some of the changes that we are making are to our Leadership Notebooks. You can find more information on them here. We are changing up our tabs a little and one of the new tabs is "Victories" and (obviously) that is where we will place our achievements!
So my first and only (Listen, I've got a new baby. Making at least one thing a week is progress!) Monday Made It is Sunshine State Awards for the Victories section of our Leadership Notebooks!
Here in the ridiculously hot lovely Sunshine State, we have a yearly reading program called Sunshine State Books. Every year 15 new books from all different genres are selected as the latest and greatest for 3rd-5th grade and 6th-8th grade. When I taught 5th I always let my kiddos start to read the 6-8 selection after they finished the 3-5 selection, but now that I am in 4th I will only be focusing on the 3-5 selection! Here is this year's line-up:
We try and make as big of a deal as possible with reading these books because the state brings in fun voting machines at the end of the year, we have a Sunshine State Feast for our grade and our Media Specialist throws an amazing party if you read all 15! What better way to keep the motivation going than with Sunshine State Awards every time you read one of the books? I've already earned one! Hey, teachers get victories too! ;o)
I created these beauties using Kimberly Geswein Fonts and clipart from Creative Clips. And because I want to share the love and motivation, I am giving them to y'all for free to use in your classroom! You don't even need to be a Florida teacher to still read these goodies! Just click on the images below to download your freebie :o)
Here are the 15 certificates if you use SRC Tests and your media specialist bought them for these books (which ours does every year)!
Here are the 15 certificates if you use AR Tests in your school!
Don't use either of those programs? That's okay! Here are the 15 certificates that have no test attached to them!
I just printed them off on colored card stock and called it a day! Now they are just waiting for student's names to go on them :o) If you are curious about these books, I always do a review of them including what foods we eat at our Feast based off the book, skills you can incorporate and much more. The first review is coming up this week and it is for Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman.
Hey y'all! Today's post is another Sunshine State Book review for the book 8 Class Pets + 1 Squirrel Divided by 1 Dog = Chaos by Vivian Vande Velde.
Here is the summary from Amazon:
Twitch, the school yard squirrel, has really gotten himself into a bind this time. While trying to escape from a hungry owl, he roused the principal's dog and got chased into the school. Now he's locked in for a dangerous and disastrous night. Can Green Eggs and Hamster, Sweetie the library rat, and the other school pets save Twitch from the crazed dog, Cuddles? In this uproarious chapter book, a group of small animals manages to turn an elementary school into a real zoo.
I loved this book! It was SO cute! It's essentially a comedy of errors as this squirrel is running through the school, classroom to classroom, looking for help trying to escape an angry dog. As he visits each classroom he also finally meets the class pets he has only seen through the windows. Each chapter is a new class pet and these characters are hysterical! I think my favorite is Miss Lucy Cottontail (the bunny rabbit in second grade). She is very smart, almost too smart for her own good, and doesn't really understand how others are not as smart as her. Needless to say we've all had a kid like this in our class and I just love them! They might drive some people batty and others might think they have bad manners but I don't know what it is, I just like them! So of course, I love Lucy - which is also my favorite TV show ;) Fancy that!
Now, this SSS list is for third through fifth grade but I think this book falls into a much broader category. It is a very short read and a very easy read. Here are it's stats:
You look at that and say, "Besides the small amount of page numbers, what's the big deal?" I think the only reason it got such a high Lexile level is because at the beginning of each chapter it tells some background information about that particular animal: what it eats, where it lives/comes from, habits, sometimes it even goes into their Latin names, etc. I really do think that some second graders could read this independently or it could even be a first grade read aloud. Some of the scientific information and sarcasm might go over their head but they will still understand the story. Now, this in no way diminishes the book in my eyes! This will be perfect for some of my lower readers and might entice them to read more of the SSS books after they finish this one. I did want to give you a heads up that this is not the normal size/readability that we have seen from the SSS list in the past ;o)
Possible ways to use this in your classroom:
Compare and contrast two of the class pets in the book.
Research one of the class pets. You can come up with your own criteria on what you want them to find and how you want them to present it to the class.
Come up with your own class pet! What would their name be? What is their personality?
Divide your class up into roles and reenact the story.
Create a book trailer.
I hope y'all enjoy this book as much as I did! Very quick read but it will bring a smile to your face :o) Next up on the review list, thanks to my friend Alison over at Rockin' and Lovin' Learnin' for the recommendation, Elvis and the Underdogs by Jenny Lee!
It's another year and another set of Sunshine State books! I'm actually pretty excited about this year's line-up. There seem to be a good mix of genres and I think my kids will really enjoy them.
I've joined up with a couple other teacher's from my county and we're meeting weekly for a Sunshine State Book Club to discuss the different books and ways to incorporate them into our classroom. The first book I read was King of the Mound: My Summer with Satchel Paige by Wes Tooke.
Description from Amazon:
When Nick is released from the hospital after suffering from polio, he is sure that his father will never look at him in the same way again. Once the best pitcher in youth league, Nick now walks with a limp and is dependent on a heavy leg brace. He isn’t sure he will ever return to the mound, never mind be the star he once was.
When Nick starts working for Mr. Churchill, the owner of the semiprofessional team Nick’s dad plays for, he meets Satchel Paige, arguably the best pitcher in the world. Not allowed in the major leagues because of his skin color, Satchel teaches Nick that some things can be overcome with hard work and dedication, and that just because you’re down, you are most certainly not out.
As Satchel and his unique teammates barnstorm toward a national baseball tournament, Nick wonders if he can really overcome what seems like the impossible and pitch again.
I really liked this book! It showed what life was like during this time period, not only the injustice against African Americans in the United States and baseball, but also how the American people were effected by the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. It doesn't come right out and mention these historical moments, so they are something you will probably want to discuss with your class. I also love that the chapter titles are innings, a wonderful metaphor for Nick's life: top of the eighth, bottom of the ninth, etc.
I would recommend this book for 4th and 5th graders for multiple reasons! I will read it to my 4th graders aloud because there is just SO much to discuss but your fifth graders can probably understand most of it on their own. There is tons of fabulous vocabulary, both robust and historical. There is also an ABUNDANCE of figurative language! That Satchel Paige is just full of colorful similes and metaphors! This would be an excellent read aloud during Black History month as well :o)
Genre: Historical Fiction Grades: 4th - 5th Lexile: 900 Length: 155 pgs. Food: Ice Cream, Coke (glass bottle), Sunflower Seeds, Baseball foods (although none of these were actually ever mentioned in the book)
You might or might not remember, but we usually do a Sunshine State Feast at the end of the year for our kids who read all 15 of the books. Included in the feast are games, scavenger hunts, and a food item from every book. Hence the food choices above (just in case you want to do the same)!
Supplemental Resources:
This is a short (four minute) video about Satchel Paige and his baseball career. I love that this video talks about his "mysterious age" and you will hear Satch himself say some of his famous quotes that your kids will find in the book as well!
A great companion picture book is Something to Prove: The Great Satchel Paige vs. Rookie Joe DiMaggio by Robert Skead. They mention this moment, when Satch plays against Joe, a couple of times in King of the Mound but this picture book tells the actual story of what happened at that fateful meeting.
My kids always love the little side stories and want to know more! This would be a perfect book to introduce the Great Depression, Segregation, and the Dust Bowl. Again, the author never comes out and mentions these events by name (except for segregation) but the things that are happening to the main and secondary characters are because of these events. Here are a few resources if your kids would like to know more about them.
BrainPop Great Depression - The Great Depression was a tough time for everyone. Find out just how tough in this BrainPOP movie, as Tim and Moby introduce you to life during the Great Depression! You’ll learn exactly how many Americans were out of work, as well as some of the ways that people tried to make money and survive. You’ll also find out why the Depression was actually good for unions — and why it was especially bad for farmers in the Great Plains. Plus, you’ll see how people tried to keep up hope, and why things eventually started to get a little better. Even the worst of times pass on eventually!
PBS Interactive Dust Bowl - Students will be able to make their own choices one whether they want to stay and risk it all or move away. They will experience the ups and downs of farming in the 1930's and how the market was at this time.
I hope you enjoy this book as much as I do and stay tuned for the next Sunshine State Book... 8 Class Pets + 1 Squirrel / 1 Dog = CHAOS by Steve Bjorkman.
Alright all you fellow Florida Bloggers! This is for you! If you teach grades 3-5 then you know what Sunshine State Books are but for those of you who do not, let me give you a run down. Every year a group of people (the Sunshine State Young Readers Association) pick 15 books that they think are exemplar books for our students to read and they are called the Sunshine State Books. Now, some schools make a big fuss over reading them and some do not. We do!
In our grade for every student that reads all 15 books before a teacher can read them all, we give them a special lunch, like McDonalds or Subway. Then at the end of the year we have a big Sunshine State Feast! There is at least one food item from each book (and the students have to guess what book each food is from), games, prizes, etc. Sadly, this past year we only had 11 and could not do it but the year before we had over 40 students read all 15! Fingers crossed for this year! Our media specialist also throws a big party with awards and prizes and what not. What can I say? We like to promote reading :o)
I'm one of those teachers who will read these books as a read aloud on the rainy or non recess days. Although I'm not always sure what they're about or which ones are good for read alouds vs. independent reading, which book would be best for 5th as opposed to 3rd, etc. As I TRY and read all 15 Sunshine State Books I will be writing a review that will hopefully help me decide as well as help you. Maybe you have the same dilemma, maybe you just want to find a new book for your students? Whatever the case may be, I hope these reviews help! If you do not want an in depth summary or possible SPOILER ALERTS, I would not keep reading! I don't divulge too much information but maybe more than you want... Now on to my first book!
Touchblue by Cynthia Lord
Touchblue is a very heartfelt story about a little island town off the coast of Maine. They are a one school island and ever since a family with five children moved to the mainland, there is a threat of their school having to close down. Should this happen, many other families would now have to move to the mainland as well. In order to stop this from happening, the local Reverend has come up with a solution! He asked five respectable families to foster a child each. By doing this they are helping out their community to save their school and a child in need of a good home.
The story is told from the main character's, Tess, point of view. Tess is about 11 and is pretty naïve when it comes to the real world and change. As Tess's family fosters a young boy named Aaron, 13, she learns that not all of the world is as pretty and wonderful as her little island. I wish it told the story from Aaron's point of view occasionally because he is such a troubled/deep character but the author does a good enough job of hinting and having Aaron speak his mind that you know what's going on in his head. For my kiddos, a good portion of them sadly, would be able to relate to Aaron and be able to know what he is thinking without any help from the author.
It's 186 pages and was a very easy read. I started it at 4 PM and finished before going to bed that same night (now I went to bed around midnight mind you, lol). I will say that every chapter starts off with a superstition, most have to do with boats, so that might need some explaining. There is also mention of drinking twice (and very minimally, the word mentioned once in a sentence and then the author moves on) when Aaron is referring to his mother. Now, again my kiddos are in fifth grade, we talk about this sort of thing beforehand and how to act appropriately with mature books and what not. When it is mentioned it is not ugly or doesn't get out of hand, but is mentioned when Aaron is telling Tess about his background/childhood and venting his frustration. There are some good life lessons here and I think it will be an eye opener and real connection piece for some of my kids, maybe not for yours though and that's okay.
Lexile : 750 Rating: 4 out 5 - Had a few slow parts but all in all I think it's good for a younger group or lower level readers. Had great real life connections and metaphors! I liked it a lot but didn't LOVE it. Food: Lobster (probably going to get gummies or they have lobster molds, so I can make blue lobsters!)
This past week has been crazy! My family came into town and we did the whole tourist thing: Disney, Sea World, the works! It was so much fun to see them again but I definitely did not get a classroom "craft" done per se. I did however get some Vistaprint creations done and in the mail today and I am very excited. So this week's Monday Made It with Tara from 4th Grade Frolics is a digital classroom craft.
I created three new Vistaprint creations: 2012-2013 Sunshine State Feast Invitation (50 rack cards), Math Reference card (100 regular size postcard), and Classroom Rules banner (small vinyl banner).
Sunshine State Feast Invitation 2012-2013
Every student who reads all 15 Sunshine State Books will receive this special invitation to our Sunshine State Feast. I plan on writing their name on the blank space under "That's a Wrap" in silver permanent marker.
Math Reference Sheet
I will be putting these in my math area by the TIMER Tubs so the students can always grab one to refer to when they are stuck. I was nervous that the font would be too small and unreadable but it turned out perfect! I snagged the front side from Ms. Sanchez's website (she's got great downloads!) and the back from the Utah Government website.
Classroom Rules
I've been seeing these types of subway signs all over the place, including my home for house rules, and I wanted to create one for our class. I used Print Shop to create the sign and saved it as a PDF, then uploaded it onto Vistaprint and made a vinyl banner. As you can tell there is some extra space on the actual banner but it is still larger than I imagined (it took up about half of my coffee table). I'm going to frame it using yard sticks tomorrow. I'm already thrilled with how it will look and it's not even done yet! If you want a copy, head on over to my TPT store!
Do you want to know the best part of this DIY? It was free!!!!! That's right, Vistaprint was having this amazing sale and I only had to pay for shipping :o) Can't beat that!
Today was our Sunshine State Feast and it was a total success! For those of you who do not live in the state of Florida and do not know what Sunshine State Books are, they are a selection of 15 books chosen by the state each year for 3rd through 5th grade and another set for 6th through 8th. If you read at least three books, you get to vote on real voting machines for your favorite and there is usually a big party at the end of the year if you read all 15 books! In addition to the party that the media specialist throws, we in fifth grade hold what is called the Sunshine State Feast. It is a feast of different foods from all the books along with games, scavenger hunts, and prizes. The whole concept of the Sunshine State Books is to promote reading and I must say it does a good job! Here are our invitations for this year's feast (students got them when they completed all 15 books). They are just Rack Cards that I created on Vista Print.
On the back of the invitations we have a scavenger hunt for the students to complete. We name a few items from each book to find and they bring them in on the day of the feast. The person with the most items wins! One of my teammates set up the feast and created wonderful worksheets and games for them to play. There was a word search with vocabulary words, a figurative language sheet using lines from all the books, and a food fact sheet where the students tried to guess which book each of the foods came from. Here are a few snapshots of the day:
All in all we had a great turnout, about 40 students attended! We already got the list for next year and I am excited to get a jump start on them this summer. I do have to admit, a majority of them are about animals and that's not always my most favorite subject, lol. Wish me luck!
