Young readers will further enjoy Phyllis Root’s marvelous Big Belching Bog by participating in some of the subject and resource modules offered in the following link created by the Irish Peatland Conservation Council. Click HERE and enjoy the following suggested subject modules – The Art Module in which bog art field studies and multisensory field investigations are described, the English Module in which word collecting and poetry lessons are presented, and the Science and Resource Modules, both of which suggest wonderful ways to make the vivid bog habitat come to life!
Also, National Geographic’s Xpeditions offers an expectionally informative creative lesson in which the child creates their very own bog habitat. Links to fascinating sites such as eNature and the US Environmental Protection Agency offer rich visual references to guide the young environmentalist in their course of belching bog studies.
There is really no shortage of picture book biographies. And so many good choices, it’s hard to settle on a few. As an educator, it’s important to me to bring to my students’ attention, not only some of the “old” favorites, but to continue to provide many newly published books, as well.
There are often questions about who has the right to tell some of these stories, and how, exactly these stories must be told if they’re to be considered true nonfiction. We’ve left those discussions for other places. Here, we look at books that open a window onto another time and place, to a life others have lived. With that knowledge, we appreciate the view.
“The New Colossus” was the only piece of writing read aloud at an auction held to raise funds for the pedestal upon which Lady Liberty would stand. Students will want to learn more about Emma and the life that led her to write this poem after you’ve read: “Emma Lazarus loved to learn. She had a passion for words and a hunger for knowledge… But back in 1849, when Emma was born, people believed learning was not ladylike and that girls who used their brains too much would become ill. Fortunately, Emma’s father did not agree…”
It’s true, this isn’t the only book for children about Emma Lazarus, but it’s *my* favorite, not only for Erica Silverman’s skillful use of language, but also for the gorgeous illustrations. There’s something uplifting and brilliant about this combination of words and color.
One of the amazing things about books for children is that authors seem to uncover and bring to light important people whom children (and adults, including me!) have never read about before. This is one such book about a man, Joseph Boulogne, born of a slave mother and his French, plantation owner, father, who moved to Europe with his family, became a well-known and applauded musician, and overcame the prejudice of his peers to eventually earn an invitation to play for King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. An author’s note gives additional background.
Amelia Earhart can be found on the pages of many books written for children. But AMELIA LOST is full of well-documented primary and secondary source material and a point-of-view I’ve not seen in other books about Earhart. Moving between the search for Amelia’s plane and the unfolding of events in Earhart’s life, this is a biography unlike any written to date. Pure and simple, it’s fascinating reading for children and adults.
According to the timeline at the end of the book, basketball was invented by James Naismith in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1891. A few years later, in the spring of 1896, Agnes Morley and her teammates played ball, representing Stanford University against Berkeley in the first women’s intercollegiate game.
This important face-off was only the beginning. It would be another 80 years before basketball would become a medal sport for women at the Summer Olympics. Amazing, isn’t it?
There is so much to love about this book. Not only do the illuminating day-glo colors scream for attention, but the story, as told by Barton, is quite a journey. Glowing paints on a “peculiar-looking angel food cake”? Magic acts, fluorescent-painted paper costumes, silk fabric, glowing in the backyard – in ordinary daylight?
Information about regular and daylight fluorescence rounds out this fascinating story, and an author’s note at the end recounts the initial spark that led Barton to write the book.
One of the wonderful things about recently published biographies for children is the way the form and format has grown. It’s a simple thing, yes, but this story – a picture of Mark Twain through the eyes of Susy, his daughter – is formatted in such a way that Susy’s words are reproduced between the pages of the narrative, as a separate small journal until itself.
Author’s notes about “Papa” and “Susy” can be found at the end of the book as well as a page titled, “WRITING AN EXTRAORDINARY BIOGRAPHY (According to Barbara Kerley).”
A “mini-version” of this resource can be found on Kerley’s site HERE.
HENRY’S FREEDOM BOX: A True Story from the Underground Railroad by Ellen Levine, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Henry Brown mailed himself to freedom. He arrived in Philadelphia, 350 miles from his home in Richmond, Virginia, some twenty-seven hours later. Carrying only a few biscuits, a little water, and a small tool for making air holes, Henry was finally a free man.
For those interested in learning more about the ins and outs of reading, writing, and teaching nonfiction for K-5 students, there are many resources available for further study. We’ve listed a few of these below and would love to hear some of your favorite links, as well.
This month’s Hornbook (March 2011) is full of wonderful essays on “Fact, Fiction, and In Between.” If you’re not a subscriber or are unable to get a copy of this edition, be sure to check out the articles listed below, which are available on-line:
* I.N.K. (Interesting Nonfiction for Kids) is an excellent blog for those interested in reading more on the topic by authors currently writing nonfiction for kids.
Click HERE to be led through insightful pre-reading questions, a lesson on comparing and contrasting the Switzer brothers, a rich glossary of terms, and many more interesting activities. What makes this guide truly unique is the link on page 2 to the Charlesbridge site. There you’ll find an fascinating demonstration explaining the relationship be tween color and light, in particular how Day Glo colors pack that extra colorful punch.
Cleverly done, What’s Up, What’s Down? is a “look everywhere” book. By that I mean, the book must be turned on its side and read from bottom-to-top in the first half, and top-to-bottom in the second half. It’s a lot of fun and very clever! The story begins, “WHAT’S UP if you’re a mole?” (turn the page) “Loose, rich soil/sewn together with/thread-fine roots./What’s up if you’re a root?” And so on. It’s a beautifully poetic introduction to the natural world.
Simply told in rhyming verse, AN ISLAND GROWS, traces the development over time of a volcanic island. A short description and bibliography follows at the end of the book with a few more details about volcanic island growth. This book makes a find compliment to other, more traditional nonfiction resources.
Another simply gorgeous book, poetically written, brilliantly executed and illustrated, PICK, PULL, SNAP is a book teachers in the primary grades will enjoy using to introduce the life of a seed, from flower to fruit. Each tri-fold spread opens to a reveal the “mystery” fruit. Also included is more about pollination, with additional information provided about planting each seed mentioned.
Over the years, I’ve collected a large number of resources for teaching writing to students. Quite a few of the books on my shelves are those written by this month’s Author-In-Residence, Lola Schaefer.
Among my favorites are those of Lola’s in the Teaching the Craft of Writing series. Find out more about these and other of Lola’s books for teachers HERE.
My husband and I like to be outside in nature. So we selected a site for our home on the side of a ridge in the mountains of north Georgia. Right across the street is a State Park and in it is the tallest waterfall east of the Mississippi River.
My office is on the second floor of our home. My husband helped design this space for me. I have two large windows that overlook the woods behind our house. I don’t have any curtains on those windows so it’s like looking out through a picture frame to the world below. In autumn, the leaves are gold and red. In spring – right now – I can watch the trees bud and then burst with life.
Book awards sit on top of one of the bookshelves and hang on the walls. These remind me to work hard at my craft because readers deserve the very best book that I can create.
Sometimes I sit at my desk and type on my computer and other times I sit on the couch and write longhand. Where I sit and work depends if I’m starting something new, writing in my notebook, or revising several pages.
Probably my greatest joy in my office is the closet. That’s because it’s not a typical closet – it, too, is a bookcase – three walls covered from top to bottom with books. Some are books that I have written, but many are the books I love that others have authored. This is my private library that supports me in my work.
Mission Statement
To provide teachers, librarians, and parents with the resources and inspiration to foster a love of reading in kids, K-5.
