tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13072904867021783322024-03-17T23:00:35.590-04:00PENCIL TIPS WRITING WORKSHOPPencil Tips Writing Workshop Strategies from Children's Authors and IllustratorsJacqueline Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16277283011532681457noreply@blogger.comBlogger395125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1307290486702178332.post-44577765059566117952023-07-24T10:32:00.002-04:002023-07-24T10:33:48.123-04:00How Do We Explain Difficult Topics?<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTI4oI29oo5iqJq4yP5NsbBPnNFJGYWr7ZDiHShlEqiwccfzwS5S9c9W_0zNCfSqgo5mIn0ZqLY8Ym2a2_SToQp5XowSDOPO0dV1BF8lhMJ5nk1r26AsTUR6HQ57dmiRtg3xYkzdcWPg0aKWSZBgFwEsX_UKWT5dGC_CfoyLyGMPYjmq9bybHyxQUZcE0/s810/CoverImageSmokeAtPentagon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="630" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTI4oI29oo5iqJq4yP5NsbBPnNFJGYWr7ZDiHShlEqiwccfzwS5S9c9W_0zNCfSqgo5mIn0ZqLY8Ym2a2_SToQp5XowSDOPO0dV1BF8lhMJ5nk1r26AsTUR6HQ57dmiRtg3xYkzdcWPg0aKWSZBgFwEsX_UKWT5dGC_CfoyLyGMPYjmq9bybHyxQUZcE0/s320/CoverImageSmokeAtPentagon.jpg" width="249" /></a></i></div><i><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/smoke-at-the-pentagon-jacqueline-jules/19139215?ean=9781638191520" target="_blank">Smoke at the Pentagon: Poems to Remember</a></span></i><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/smoke-at-the-pentagon-jacqueline-jules/19139215?ean=9781638191520" target="_blank"> </a>tells the
story of September 11, 2001 in Arlington, Virginia through a tapestry of poems.
Each narrative poem discusses the terrorist attack on the Pentagon from the
perspective of a young person. The narrators all have their own story of that
day and its aftermath. </span><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Seven-year-old Henry waits for his mother. Almost all the
other children have been picked up early from elementary school. He’s confused
and aware that the adults around him have been crying. Henry says, “Grown-ups
talk to each other, but not to kids.”</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-XrC5IwqcnrrNjtcC_jy1Zj9MAdcqXHmnUOXjbrscQUtXGsMip223H1e4YqFKMDLFJXBaHjQg607iAHTPnZVlNlcfc7fMWZcfZPrj4VCc_KDARmcf-c2vAH0kB2XAQdPn92ios_pVz5pT2zNVSYP4IXVsdIG5X2Gj2SFVHKn8p0RJ4ojJ7htmIPDKAw/s3465/HenryAge7SmokeAtThePentagonJJules.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3465" data-original-width="2678" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-XrC5IwqcnrrNjtcC_jy1Zj9MAdcqXHmnUOXjbrscQUtXGsMip223H1e4YqFKMDLFJXBaHjQg607iAHTPnZVlNlcfc7fMWZcfZPrj4VCc_KDARmcf-c2vAH0kB2XAQdPn92ios_pVz5pT2zNVSYP4IXVsdIG5X2Gj2SFVHKn8p0RJ4ojJ7htmIPDKAw/s320/HenryAge7SmokeAtThePentagonJJules.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Read Henry's poem and discuss:</b> How should adults explain frightening
news events? Should they be direct with kids or should they try to protect
them? What can adults do or say to make kids feel safe when current events are
disturbing?</span><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Et6jPNVwjS0pslrQjYWL46rFfjVpNMWFE7MHjAkRlE_OXIj0Wl7H9fk8r2-VcHWMilNOTrUHcHuZMLZRwZHz-HURODva_0PohPNStnILXVX4vGnQ0TEWyVLTsJXw5rnMoGnUqL6U7-mm4e_v98HTiqpf6D2eWJnMvmt-z18Xq-aoFeQrxqnvommsDDE/s3465/CalistaAge16SmokeAtThePentagonJJules.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3465" data-original-width="2678" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Et6jPNVwjS0pslrQjYWL46rFfjVpNMWFE7MHjAkRlE_OXIj0Wl7H9fk8r2-VcHWMilNOTrUHcHuZMLZRwZHz-HURODva_0PohPNStnILXVX4vGnQ0TEWyVLTsJXw5rnMoGnUqL6U7-mm4e_v98HTiqpf6D2eWJnMvmt-z18Xq-aoFeQrxqnvommsDDE/s320/CalistaAge16SmokeAtThePentagonJJules.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: medium;">Sixteen-year-old Calista is taken aback when the little
boy she is babysitting tells her he saw a hole in the Pentagon. Calista doesn’t
know how to explain to a three year old something she doesn’t really understand
herself.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Writing Prompt:</b> Imagine someone younger asks you about a frightening
news event. Would you explain it? Or change the subject? Write a dialogue
between Calista and Dylan about what happened at the Pentagon on September 11<sup>th</sup>.
Or if you prefer, write a dialogue between yourself and a younger sibling to
explain a troubling news event.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: medium;">For more activities and ideas for using <i><a href="http://jacquelinejules.com/Smoke_at_the_Pentagon.htm" target="_blank">Smoke at the Pentagon: Poems to Remembe</a>r</i>, please visit my website to download the full
<a href="http://jacquelinejules.com/images/Teacher'sGuideSMOKE%20AT%20THE%20PENTAGON.pdf" target="_blank">Teacher’s Guide.</a></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: medium;">BIO: Jacqueline Jules is the author of fifty books for young readers including the Zapato Power series, the Sofia Martinez series, <i>My Name is Hamburger, The Porridge-Pot Goblin, Never Say a Mean Word Again, </i>and<i> Tag Your Dreams: Poems of Play and Persistenc</i>e. The <a href="http://jacquelinejules.com/activities.htm" target="_blank">resources</a> page of her website has many <a href="http://jacquelinejules.com/activities.htm" target="_blank">activities</a> for educators and parents. Visit <a href="http://jacquelinejules.com/index.htm" target="_blank">www.jacquelinejules.com </a></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>Jacqueline Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16277283011532681457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1307290486702178332.post-62042501500008993102022-10-10T17:00:00.009-04:002022-10-10T17:00:00.172-04:00Persuasive Writing: A Letter to a Bully<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">In </span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">My Name is Hamburger</i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">,
ten-year-old Trudie Hamburger is ashamed of her last name. Daniel Reynolds, the
class bully, frequently reminds her that it means, </span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">“Chopped meat. Something
a butcher grinds up.” </i><i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvWveOnercffIY6IAegRyHaNArVHrBkc0sx-fNEBNYMYrMZI-yL0CS82GLdk7ub0ANbisxyYwNn_nCUwWo-OnlSgSgO94u6qmzEZx8-QchrkHSGVXXa61EyDaZQPoWV2U7h9FNjFiPhuCiH6lFCeZptn-0a_ZmEYRmY5oJZZXt41mWw0rWCmFtJIXt/s2560/CoverImageMNIH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1817" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvWveOnercffIY6IAegRyHaNArVHrBkc0sx-fNEBNYMYrMZI-yL0CS82GLdk7ub0ANbisxyYwNn_nCUwWo-OnlSgSgO94u6qmzEZx8-QchrkHSGVXXa61EyDaZQPoWV2U7h9FNjFiPhuCiH6lFCeZptn-0a_ZmEYRmY5oJZZXt41mWw0rWCmFtJIXt/w284-h400/CoverImageMNIH.jpg" width="284" /></a></i></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt;"><i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">My Name is Hamburger</span></i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> takes place in 1962 in the small
southern town of Colburn. As the Jewish child of a German-speaking immigrant, Trudie
stands out as different from her peers. When a Korean boy joins her class, she
feels guilty, knowing negative attention has been diverted away from her and onto
him. Trudie doesn’t like being a bystander any better than being a victim. She
doesn’t know what to do. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Only after a family crisis
and the support of friends is Trudie able to stand up for herself.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Something people cook
on the fourth of July,”</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I answer. “An
all-American food!”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Daniel blinks as if he
can’t believe<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">someone like me, with a
dad from somewhere else,<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">knows what Americans
eat. But he doesn’t say more<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">because I got the last
word today.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">My name is Hamburger.
An all-American food.</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>Writing Prompt: </b>To stop a bully, it
helps if both the victim and the bystander speak out. Write a persuasive letter
from either the perspective of a person being bullied or a person watching cruel
treatment. Express your emotions in the letter. Do you feel anger, fear, or
hope that relationships could change? Can you share personal experiences or
reasons why bullying behavior hurts all involved? Do you have the courage to try
and persuade a bully to rethink his/her behavior? </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://www.jacquelinejules.com" target="_blank">Jacqueline Jules</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>Jacqueline Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16277283011532681457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1307290486702178332.post-291182548178612282022-09-12T17:00:00.009-04:002022-09-12T17:00:00.170-04:00Defeating Goblins with Teamwork<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">In </span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">The Porridge Pot Goblin</i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">,
siblings Benny and Rose are frightened by an invisible goblin, only known by his
pranks and his tracks. They fear the goblin is too big for them to stop. But working
together, Benny and Rose learn they are much braver than they think.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKCi97hyFtv-eXkX1uFavSqyW2RzRp8CmcEC4sBEvz1aRW613TLQIS6k_xgd-lfDXYATaFOb1X_hnEuU5OXe_rBFiOkfKP73tZap8yaNHEwkOUmvgCOogq7vnziqyXvUapU0s5d-qvR7t73W81sPea3V-5KUpLETtw20XH9e_2X_bsqNUYqJZdTKJo/s2448/PorridgePotGoblins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="1884" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKCi97hyFtv-eXkX1uFavSqyW2RzRp8CmcEC4sBEvz1aRW613TLQIS6k_xgd-lfDXYATaFOb1X_hnEuU5OXe_rBFiOkfKP73tZap8yaNHEwkOUmvgCOogq7vnziqyXvUapU0s5d-qvR7t73W81sPea3V-5KUpLETtw20XH9e_2X_bsqNUYqJZdTKJo/w308-h400/PorridgePotGoblins.jpg" width="308" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">After reading <i>The
Porridge Pot Goblin </i>aloud<i>,</i> have the class discuss how teamwork saved
the day for Benny and Rose. If Benny had refused to help, do they think Rose could
have trapped the goblin on her own? Did Benny’s presence make Rose bolder? What
role did Benny play in how they ultimately handled the goblin? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Ask students to share a
time when they worked with another person to overcome a challenge. Could they
have solved the problem on their own? What are the advantages of joining
forces? Are there disadvantages?</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Writing Prompt:</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> Write your own goblin story. Imagine the presence of
an invisible spirit in your home. How would it make itself known? What tricks
would it play? Would you try to trap it or make friends? Would you work alone
or with someone’s help? </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Happy Writing!</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://www.jacquelinejules.com" target="_blank">Jacqueline Jules</a></span></p><p>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p>Jacqueline Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16277283011532681457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1307290486702178332.post-32446643647805493962020-09-03T14:40:00.002-04:002020-09-03T14:52:26.752-04:00TAG YOUR DREAMS!!<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuDyzN5y6GJ0AaOpF9IWksoKPWN2qcpxmApTZ2l2i__hPifam00b0VaY1FXUGMajV7zeSzcbkvtnbGpJ84ppCXT9TBAnihMQ-U-gVEl7Kg6o09ImERoW4bkH16Nqy-HGCHCTD6jv5cXfw/s1360/Tag+Your+Dreams_CVR.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1360" data-original-width="1092" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuDyzN5y6GJ0AaOpF9IWksoKPWN2qcpxmApTZ2l2i__hPifam00b0VaY1FXUGMajV7zeSzcbkvtnbGpJ84ppCXT9TBAnihMQ-U-gVEl7Kg6o09ImERoW4bkH16Nqy-HGCHCTD6jv5cXfw/w206-h256/Tag+Your+Dreams_CVR.jpg" width="206" /></a></span></i></div><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Tag Your
Dreams: Poems of Play and Persistence</span></i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"> celebrates being active,
reaching goals, and learning limits. The poems employ figurative language
devices such as alliteration, simile, metaphor, repetition, personification,
and onomatopoeia. Each poem tells a story about a young person discovering skills,
strengths, and dreams through activity. Team sports are included along with playground
games, biking, sledding, swimming, hiking, and simply twirling in the rain. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">To help teachers use <i><a href="http://jacquelinejules.com/tag_your_dreams.htm" target="_blank">Tag YourDreams</a></i> as a classroom resource, I have developed a <a href="http://jacquelinejules.com/TeacherGuideTagYourDreamsbyJJules.pdf" target="_blank">teacher's guide</a> with questions to
discuss, ways to examine the poetry, and writing prompts. <o:p></o:p></span></p><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14pt;">To give you a taste, please see
the poem and questions below:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtNtkN48T8A489iRF5TqvOqM1iTjQCm8Fok5kztZnQB6j-O1bFrEZ89xt16ON8uuK5LlLfaKHaqTGtAQbh5vOVIdqCx0yTZlrXJYyN2lOTfmfq67YaF34WHYanl2oT5OMILcDKg1oXlCE/s2000/TagYourDreams_SinglePDF_Page_05.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1601" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtNtkN48T8A489iRF5TqvOqM1iTjQCm8Fok5kztZnQB6j-O1bFrEZ89xt16ON8uuK5LlLfaKHaqTGtAQbh5vOVIdqCx0yTZlrXJYyN2lOTfmfq67YaF34WHYanl2oT5OMILcDKg1oXlCE/w400-h500/TagYourDreams_SinglePDF_Page_05.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: 1in;"><b style="text-indent: 1in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">TAG YOUR DREAMS</span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Discuss!<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.3in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">What are your dreams for the
future?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Examine
the Poem!<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.3in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Identify verbs which refer to the
game of tag, e.g., chase, running, reaching.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.3in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Do dreams have strong legs? Is
this personification— attributing human characteristics to something that is
not human? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Write!<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.3in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Write about your dreams. Does
anything stand in your way? Are you confident you will succeed or are you afraid
of failure?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.3in;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">The entire <a href="http://jacquelinejules.com/TeacherGuideTagYourDreamsbyJJules.pdf" target="_blank">teacher’s guide</a> can be
found on my <a href="http://jacquelinejules.com/tag_your_dreams.htm" target="_blank">website.</a> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 9.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">I am available for virtual visits
with students. Please contact me through my website at <a href="http://www.jacquelinejules.com/">www.jacquelinejules.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.3in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.3in; text-indent: -0.3in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Happy
Reading!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.3in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div>Jacqueline Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16277283011532681457noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1307290486702178332.post-45214447972108030942020-06-03T13:40:00.000-04:002020-06-03T13:52:22.899-04:00INSIDE OUT: POEMS ON WRITING AND READING<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYIl56waIv30iX2vS48UeeGK6JFiDv6Cc5mZk6rSPzeXgGiMN0mwPvUKyxuvDGIazVQ10ELvQrVynwaUG7avFw3_knGE5E3GOMrNTG8udTGElKRJ35X-iKHT5LjD1l6uaIYv5ExieYeI/s1600/InsideOutCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYIl56waIv30iX2vS48UeeGK6JFiDv6Cc5mZk6rSPzeXgGiMN0mwPvUKyxuvDGIazVQ10ELvQrVynwaUG7avFw3_knGE5E3GOMrNTG8udTGElKRJ35X-iKHT5LjD1l6uaIYv5ExieYeI/s320/InsideOutCover.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Do you know how to smell a poem? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In <i>Inside Out: Poems
on Writing and Reading Poems</i>, <a href="http://www.marjoriemaddox.com/">Marjorie Maddox</a> offers the reader a
delightful suggestion. </span><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Keep following the trail of scent to
sniff out the meaning.”</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Maddox also tells us how to befriend a poem. </span><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Invite him home for dinner but don’t
insist on rhyme.”</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">And she explains that <i>“Much of what he has to say lies
between the lines.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">This clever collection of poems and writing exercises begins
with verses on how to see, hear, taste, smell, and touch a poem and then delves
into poetic devices and forms. Teachers should find ample inspiration to
motivate student writing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">For example, these glorious lines from “Fishing for Sestinas.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">“the
poems themselves sew together our world, <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">the
way fish in waves thread themselves in and out, <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">the way dreams swim their own
stories”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">And this couplet invites writers to try a villanelle. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">“To
write a villanelle, think like a bird <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">that sings a song that you’ve already
heard.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> The 27 poems in this collection are followed
by 9 creative writing exercises including fun suggestions for writing persona
poems, clerihews, and sonnets.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">A 3 page glossary provides succinct definitions for every
term referenced in the poems. <i>Inside Out </i>by <a href="http://www.marjoriemaddox.com/">Marjorie Maddox</a> is an
excellent resource to jump start creativity in the classroom or at home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">Jacqueline Jules</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<a href="https://metaphoricaltruths.blogspot.com/">https://metaphoricaltruths.blogspot.com/</a></div>
<br />Jacqueline Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16277283011532681457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1307290486702178332.post-66704978534393172252019-07-21T17:00:00.000-04:002019-07-21T17:00:06.407-04:00UNSINKABLE!!<br />
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<a href="https://childrensbookguild.org/index.php/karen-leggett-abouraya">by Karen Leggett Abouraya</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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It hardly sounds like nonfiction:
“From Russian Orphan to Paralympic Swimming World Champion,” but this is
Jessica Long’s autobiography written with her sister Hannah. Born in Siberia
with fibular hemimelia, Jessica had no ankles, heels or most of the bones in
her lower legs. She was adopted by an American family in Baltimore, Maryland,
and eventually had both legs amputated below the knee. There were six children
in the Long family, including another little boy adopted from Russia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwYBsGIiSk_e57Ap05geZhPqI-ucPob7wGICg3gVjZMOS_Wgr7pNiyKe5uyPCc5_Fsk6YCp_zNI1kI4pp3XKfYo3NUinDFJ4iph51gV2S2l9gqQejcokZfOkUcicql2GJ6Ty766hrMrIg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-07-18+at+2.58.53+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="335" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwYBsGIiSk_e57Ap05geZhPqI-ucPob7wGICg3gVjZMOS_Wgr7pNiyKe5uyPCc5_Fsk6YCp_zNI1kI4pp3XKfYo3NUinDFJ4iph51gV2S2l9gqQejcokZfOkUcicql2GJ6Ty766hrMrIg/s320/Screen+Shot+2019-07-18+at+2.58.53+PM.png" width="268" /></a></div>
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From
early childhood, Jessica was “determined to dominate at everything I did,”
including climbing on top of the refrigerator! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I
made the daily choice to not let anything hold me back, especially my legs.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Initially,
she excelled at gymnastics: “I walk on my knees. I’m just a little shorter.” By
age 10, she discovered water and started beating girls with legs. “It’s all
about technique and how you can work the water. Giving up was never an option.”
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jessica
swam her first Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece, in 2004. At the games in
Beijing in 2008, she felt she had failed because she won “only” four gold
medals, along with a silver and a bronze.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But then she added modeling and public speaking to her accomplishments and
has now told her own story in a young adult autobiography.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jessica’s
story is inspirational and often funny. “My high-heel legs, or ‘sexy legs,’
were created using my sister’s feet…they molded her feet at a four-inch arch
and used those molds to make my prosthetic feet.” She showed off her new legs
on Twitter!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYggW7PvjfT36qEvNohC-usvSLyU9Y11alDCuE70S-XR5OqPQFAryViPA__s_XDeiczgR78rfFCn8TTzIydMFypwEf1GcJDze5ha0vQQNCECHL0Gd0H2NLuhkEZ9eDiwieTC28FT3Cuc0/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-07-18+at+2.24.20+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="541" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYggW7PvjfT36qEvNohC-usvSLyU9Y11alDCuE70S-XR5OqPQFAryViPA__s_XDeiczgR78rfFCn8TTzIydMFypwEf1GcJDze5ha0vQQNCECHL0Gd0H2NLuhkEZ9eDiwieTC28FT3Cuc0/s320/Screen+Shot+2019-07-18+at+2.24.20+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Jessica
challenges herself in and out of the water, but her experiences will tantalize
young writers as well.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She
has rituals before every race, including eating a banana, clapping her hands
three times and shaking her arms out.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What do you do to calm or inspire yourself or
give you good luck before a match, game or special event? Why do you think it
helps?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jessica
was always willing to try something new.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What is something new you tried to do? How did
you feel? What did you learn from the experience?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Jessica
is rightly proud of her accomplishments.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Write about something in your life that gives
you great pride – don’t worry about being boastful. This is your time to “show
and tell” on a piece of paper!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=Jessica+Long&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjzhMSFi7_jAhVtqlkKHRXoCFcQiR56BAgJEBI&biw=1081&bih=686">Jessica likes posing for photo shoots</a> and often did this with her siblings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“<i>Elle</i> decided to use a picture of me
on a couch, posing on my knees without my prosthetics…It was really cool to be
part of something that showed how people with disabilities an do the same
things as everyone else, including model.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Have students pair off and take flattering
photos of each other. Write an “artist statement” about your photo, explaining
why you chose a particular pose or background and what you want people to learn
from the photo.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Finally,
think about Jessica’s story overall and write your thoughts about what
qualities and factors in her life enabled her to overcome great challenges and contribute
to her success. Then think about what qualities and factors in your own life
could help you be successful – and unsinkable.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<a href="https://childrensbookguild.org/index.php/karen-leggett-abouraya">https://childrensbookguild.org/index.php/karen-leggett-abouraya</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />Jacqueline Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16277283011532681457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1307290486702178332.post-66951662287398464202019-06-03T17:00:00.000-04:002019-06-03T17:00:05.943-04:00What Does Your Character Want?<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Guest Post </span>by <a href="http://www.claudiamillsauthor.com/">Claudia Mills</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One of the most powerful questions
for launching a story is: what does my main character <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">want</i>? So simple and obvious - and yet even experienced authors can
forget this. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhduB-t-jLGF_US8wW3kRfFxe34oIV_DLNue7xjZFdfWsvID2Z8eOlwDFjcLFlxvCPWH04aWR-YEbUn8_IGkReu0GaFru4AhKk-V7ZjoQhGwHtCKuIwl9s5gw7agr2PBGfed7ZJAdLXmXI/s1600/Nixie+Ness+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="325" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhduB-t-jLGF_US8wW3kRfFxe34oIV_DLNue7xjZFdfWsvID2Z8eOlwDFjcLFlxvCPWH04aWR-YEbUn8_IGkReu0GaFru4AhKk-V7ZjoQhGwHtCKuIwl9s5gw7agr2PBGfed7ZJAdLXmXI/s320/Nixie+Ness+cover.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">As I was writing my most recent
book, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Nixie Ness, Cooking Star</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">, set
in an after-school cooking camp, at first I focused only on Nixie’s </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">predicament</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">. Now that her mother has a
job outside the home, Nixie has to attend an after-school program, which means
she’ll no longer be spending afternoons at home with her best friend, Grace,
which means Grace will be spending afternoons instead with Nixie’s nemesis,
Elyse. But what should happen next? I was stuck until I asked the crucial
question: what does Nixie </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">want</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">? Well,
she wants her life to be the way it used to be. But this is such a vague and
hopeless desire. The story came into focus for me when I gave a different
answer: Nixie feels she is losing her best friend, and she wants to get her
best friend back again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Once we know what our character
wants, the plot is driven by what she does to get it. If her first attempt
succeeds, we have a very short and skimpy story. But if her first attempt
fails, and her second attempt fails, and even her third attempt fails, her
ultimate success is much more satisfying.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If your students are stuck for a
story idea, encourage them to think of what a character might <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">want</i>. They might start by thinking about
what <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">they</i> want. A bike? A dog? A
sleepover with a friend? A special family vacation? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Then lead them in brainstorming how
someone could try to get this thing. With brainstorming, even preposterous
ideas are welcome. Remember it’s good if the first ideas end up failing! One of
Nixie’s failed friendship-saving ideas is to get fame and fortune by starring
in the cooking-camp video. Another is to bribe her friend with yummy camp-baked
treats. A third is to pretend to be sick at camp in order to guilt her mother
into quitting her job. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For young writers, simple wants,
simple strategies, and simple failures can work best. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Your character wants a bike. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">How could he get a bike?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .75in; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Find a job and save up money to
buy one. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .75in; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Win one in a contest. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Get a friend to trade his bike
for something he wants even more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Then, the really fun part: How
could each of these ideas go wrong? Failure can be one of the most comical
things to write about – and one of the saddest. And then the success that
follows is sweeter still.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nixie ends up keeping her best
friend, but in the process she realizes Grace can still be her friend even if
Grace is now friends with Elyse, too. It’s fine if a story ends with a
character coming to a new understanding of what she wants.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">But knowing what your character
wants is where a story begins. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Claudia Mills is the author of almost
60 books for young readers, including most recently the Franklin School Friends
series from Farrar, Straus & Giroux, and her new After-School Superstars
series from Holiday House. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition
to writing books, she has been a college professor in the philosophy department
at the University of Colorado at Boulder and in the graduate programs in
children’s literature at Hollins University in Roanoke. Visit Claudia at
<a href="http://www.claudiamillsauthor.com/">www.claudiamillsauthor.com</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Jacqueline Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16277283011532681457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1307290486702178332.post-91115120109306023642019-05-20T17:00:00.000-04:002019-05-20T17:00:05.464-04:00Except When They Don't <br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><a href="http://www.lauragehl.com/">by Laura Gehl</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Except When They Don’t</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"> is written by Laura Gehl and
illustrated by Joshua Heinsz. The book is about how girls always love pink and
princesses, and boys always love blue and robots…except when they don’t! In
other words, it is a book that encourages kids not to worry about gender
stereotypes and to just be themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF87GfD3ooMToDFuQF1XhQx8TtaDWGZcVE_AE-9du4G46gviTIuEvZDy_UPELO5S4daT7L0f1YXtygfDNqynwNZW1qRxMKj9AIJNFiWe4RgPAuIkdoAN92zwushmDcuSodWIZVh9-Bqj0/s1600/except-when-they-dont-9781499808049_lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="339" data-original-width="400" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF87GfD3ooMToDFuQF1XhQx8TtaDWGZcVE_AE-9du4G46gviTIuEvZDy_UPELO5S4daT7L0f1YXtygfDNqynwNZW1qRxMKj9AIJNFiWe4RgPAuIkdoAN92zwushmDcuSodWIZVh9-Bqj0/s320/except-when-they-dont-9781499808049_lg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">After
reading </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Except When They Don’t</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> out
loud, try these writing activities with your students:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">1.
Make a list of “boy” stereotypes and “girl” stereotypes. Then write a story
with a main character who does not fit with these gender stereotypes. Maybe you
will write a story about a girl who is a football star, or a boy who has the
lead role in a ballet. Maybe you will write about a boy who loves wearing
necklaces to school, or a girl whose favorite toys are cars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember: your character should have lots of
sides to his or her personality, just like every real person does! A girl who
loves football might also love pink and be great at math and have five pet
cats. A boy who loves wearing necklaces might also be the president of the
school student government and play soccer at recess and play the drums in the
school band.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">2.
Can you think of a time in your own life when you felt like you couldn’t do something
because of your gender? Maybe you couldn’t get the sparkly red shoes at the
shoe store because they were “girl shoes.” Or maybe you couldn’t sign up for
wrestling because “that’s for boys.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or
if you can’t think of a memory like that, imagine that you have a friend coming
to you with a secret. Your friend wants to paint his nails, but he is
embarrassed to ask his mom to borrow her nail polish, because nail polish is
just for girls. Or maybe your friend wants to cut her hair really short, but
she is worried everyone will say she has a “boy” haircut. What advice would you
give your friend? How could you help?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">3.
Imagine that you are the owner of a toy store. There are dolls, tea sets,
trucks, trains, markers, robots…every toy you can imagine. What if a customer
came up to you and said, “I want to buy presents for a little girl and a little
boy. Can you give me some advice?” What questions would you ask the customer?
How would you decide which toys to recommend? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">4.
Starting in elementary school, sports teams are usually separated by gender. There
are girls soccer teams and boys soccer teams, girls basketball teams and boys
basketball teams. Do you think this is a good idea or a bad idea? Why? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">5.
Imagine 100 kids (50 boys, 50 girls) growing up with human parents and 100 kids
(50 boys, 50 girls) growing up with alien parents. The alien parents just
arrived on earth and don’t know about our human gender stereotypes. Do you
think the kids raised by aliens would grow up wearing different types of
clothes and liking different activities than the kids raised by human parents?
Why or why not?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghPJp0wMQUBREKG50UneBvMxhSqRLJhytwPSTaptAC59RVZIuiGo6wyy9OswHeNvTRDCA092CowuzKbrdFCINp3quj0QbHeVwh_UZso-QCcdrlThVW4zEPbpSUCHHt4srEfw0HCZjsO1o/s1600/LauraGehl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghPJp0wMQUBREKG50UneBvMxhSqRLJhytwPSTaptAC59RVZIuiGo6wyy9OswHeNvTRDCA092CowuzKbrdFCINp3quj0QbHeVwh_UZso-QCcdrlThVW4zEPbpSUCHHt4srEfw0HCZjsO1o/s200/LauraGehl.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"> Laura
Gehl<b> </b>is the author of picture books including <i>One Big Pair of
Underwear</i> (Charlotte Zolotow Highly Commended Title, International Literacy
Association Honor Book, Booklist Books for Youth Editors’ Choice); <i>Hare and
Tortoise Race Across Israel</i>, <i>And Then Another Sheep Turned Up, </i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">and<i> Koala Challah </i></span>(all PJ
Library selections); the <i>Peep and Egg</i> series (Parents’ Choice
Recommendation, Amazon Editors’ Pick, Children’s Choice Book Award Finalist); <i>My
Pillow Keeps Moving</i> (Junior Library Guild selection, NYPL Best Books of
2018 selection); and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I Got a Chicken for
my Birthday</i> (Kirkus Best Picture Books of 2018 selection). 2019 releases
include <i>Except When They Don’t</i> (Little Bee), <i>Dibs!</i> (Lerner), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Juniper Kai: Super Spy</i> (Two Lions); <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Judge Juliette </i>(Sterling); <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Always Looking Up: A Story of Astronomer
Nancy Grace Roman </i>(Whitman); and the <i>Baby Scientist</i> series (HarperCollins).
Laura lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with her husband and four children.
Visit her online at <a href="http://www.lauragehl.com/">www.lauragehl.com</a></span></div>
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<br />Jacqueline Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16277283011532681457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1307290486702178332.post-58619674165404424292019-05-06T17:00:00.001-04:002019-05-06T17:00:05.083-04:00Speak Up! Listen Up!guest post by <a href="https://kathymacmillan.com/">Kathy MacMillan</a><div>
<br />What does it mean to raise your voice? It can be a lot more than screaming or shouting– it also means defending yourself or a cause you believe in. </div>
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<br />The women profiled in <i>She Spoke: 14 Women Who Raised Their Voices and Changed the World</i>, written by Kathy MacMillan and Manuela Bernardi and illustrated by Kathrin Honesta (Familius Press, 2019), faced all kinds of hardships, obstacles, and even violence – but they didn’t let those things stop them from speaking up. The book features activists Dolores Huerta, Suzan Shown Harjo, Leymah Gbowee, scientists Dr. Temple Grandin and Dr. Jane Goodall, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, trailblazers Shirley Chisholm, Abby Wambach, and more. The built-in sound card allows readers to hear the inspiring words of these groundbreaking women at the touch of a button. <br /><br />The unique audio format of <i>She Spoke</i> makes it an engaging resource for the classroom, but it can be used beyond Women’s History Month! Here are some suggestions: <br /><br />-After sharing each profile and audio clip, use the accompanying discussion questions to prompt your students to connect the lessons learned to their own lives. The discussion questions could be used as writing prompts or a launchpad for group discussion. <br /><br />-Discuss how hearing the voices of the women impacts you. How is hearing the person’s original voice different from just hearing someone else read the words? <br /><br />-Explore more quotes from these women and other trailblazers <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/kathykmacmillan/she-spoke/">at our <i>She Spoke</i> board on Pinterest: </a><br /><br />-For a more in-depth project, have students write their own profiles in the style of <i>She Spoke</i>. Start by having them find a quote that exemplifies what their subject stood for. (Please see some <a href="https://tinyurl.com/shespoke">great research resources</a> we have compiled.) Once they have selected a quote, they can write a brief profile that shows how that quote exemplifies their subject’s life. This exercise is an excellent way to practice thesis statements and supporting evidence. You could incorporate an artistic element by having students create a portrait of their subject to accompany their writing. <br /><br />About the Authors: <br /><br /><b>Kathy MacMillan</b> is a nationally certified American Sign Language interpreter, <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJw8bnxyjNJM39Syxx5VvEJza1B1hOlZKgaKVMXwZ5weUwliaxYSAv_8_ziRWga98cJ6c2f7P52oufyljkGVK8JdY4KGLjTeej7zJ4fNVpglkpTRbQVDlYodbjrfa9hMg7bP9DeQqFoo/s1600/Kathy+MacMillan+300+dpi+1.2+mb+large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1420" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJw8bnxyjNJM39Syxx5VvEJza1B1hOlZKgaKVMXwZ5weUwliaxYSAv_8_ziRWga98cJ6c2f7P52oufyljkGVK8JdY4KGLjTeej7zJ4fNVpglkpTRbQVDlYodbjrfa9hMg7bP9DeQqFoo/s200/Kathy+MacMillan+300+dpi+1.2+mb+large.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
writer, teacher, librarian, and storyteller. She is the author of the <i>Little Hands Signing</i> board book series (Familius), the young adult novels <i>Sword and Verse </i>and <i>Dagger and Coin</i> (HarperTeen), and nine books for parents, librarians, and educators, including Little Hands and Big Hands: Children and Adults Signing Together (Huron Street Press). She lives near Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Find her online at <a href="http://kathymacmillan.com/">KathyMacMillan.com </a><br /><br /><b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Manuela Bernardi </b>is a film and TV writer based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she was born and raised. She has collaborated on award-winning feature films and has written on shows for TV Globo, TBS, GNT, Multishow, and the History Channel. Her screenplay for the short film <i>The Healing Tree </i>won USC's Peter Stark Special Project grant and went on to be selected for Cannes’ Short Film Corner. With a BA in journalism from PUC-Rio, Manuela got her MFA in writing for screen and television from USC in Los Angeles, which she attended on a Fulbright/CAPES scholarship.</div>
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Jacqueline Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16277283011532681457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1307290486702178332.post-19739185360984564612019-04-22T16:30:00.000-04:002019-04-22T16:30:00.609-04:00The Roots of Rap<br />
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<a href="https://childrensbookguild.org/index.php/karen-leggett-abouraya">by Karen Leggett Abouraya</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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There is probably a tapper in your
home or class: the boy or girl who is constantly tapping, often unconsciously,
with pencil or thumbs or toes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rhythm
pulses through their bodies like strikes of lightening<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- like spoken word poetry – like rap – like
the poetry of <a href="https://cbweatherford.com/">Carole Boston Weatherford’s</a> new book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Roots of Rap: 16 Bars on
the 4 Pillars of Hip-Hop.</i></div>
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Hip-hop, explains Weatherford, “is
a form of youth expression that originated in New York City in the late 1970s
and included four pillars: graffiti, break dancing, rapping/MCing, and
DJing/scratching/turntablism.” Rap, “the spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics
performed to a beat.”</div>
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With illustrations by Frank
Morrison that jump and jam on every page, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Roots of Rap</i> celebrates the loud, boisterous original culture of hip-hop,
giving young people an opportunity to write and contemplate in ways they might
not have thought were acceptable in a classroom.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Look at Weatherford’s list of “Hip
Hop Who’s Who.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Which musicians do you know and like?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Pick two musicians and compare and contrast
their music.<o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Create a hip-hop name for yourself and explain
it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Of course read the book out loud.
Very loud. <o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What graffiti message would you like to paint on
a wall? (Is there a classroom bulletin board for all the student messages?)<o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->How do Morrison’s illustrations amplify and
strengthen the text?<o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Why makes rap and hip-hop poetry so powerful –
and lasting?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Of course you can plan a classroom
hip-hop party, with plenty of music and everyone writing a poem that they are
proud to stand up and say or sing.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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“From
Atlanta to Zanzibar, youth spit freestyle freedom sounds. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Hip-hop
is a language that’s spoken the whole world ‘round.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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And please celebrate Carole Boston Weatherford as the <a href="https://childrensbookguild.org/prior-winners/2019-winner">2019 Children’s Book Guild Nonfiction Award winner</a> on May 11 in Washington, D.C. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Jacqueline Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16277283011532681457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1307290486702178332.post-36227543576244685372019-04-08T17:00:00.000-04:002019-04-08T17:00:03.841-04:00I Call Dibs!<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://www.lauragehl.com/">by Laura Gehl</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Dibs</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">, written by Laura Gehl and
illustrated by Marcin Piwowarski, is the story of two brothers. Julian calls
“dibs” so frequently that his baby brother Clancy ends up saying “dibs” as his
very first word. Things get out of control when Clancy starts calling dibs on a
bakery, an airplane, and even the White House! But when Clancy gets trapped in
space, it is Julian who needs to harness the power of dibs to rescue his little
brother. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">After
reading </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Dibs</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> out loud, try these
writing activities with your students:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">1.
If you could call dibs on ANYTHING, the way Clancy does, what would you call
dibs on? Why?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">2.
Julian gets frustrated when Clancy doesn’t follow the “rules” of Dibs. Even
though these rules are not written down, most kids know you can call dibs on
the biggest cookie but not on a whole bakery. You can call dibs on sitting in
the window seat in an airplane, but you can’t call dibs on a whole airplane.
Think about rules in your life. What rules at home or school do you wish you
could break? What rules do you wish other people followed? Do you have a
sibling, cousin, or friend who breaks rules? How do you feel about that when it
happens?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">3.
Some kids who read the book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dibs</i> already
know the expression “calling dibs,” and some kids have never heard the
expression before. Make a list of expressions that you know. Which of these
expressions do you actually use when you talk to your friends? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">4.
Look at your list of expressions that you know from #3. Can you imagine how a
kid could take one of those expressions too far, the way Clancy takes dibs too
far in the book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dibs</i>? How could you
turn that into a story? For example, think about the expression “An apple a day
keeps the doctor away.” What if a kid decided that she would eat ten apples—or
a hundred apples—or a thousand apples—every day so that she would never, ever
get sick? And then she ate so many apples that it actually made her sick! Or
maybe she turned into an apple and then her grandma wanted to turn her into
apple pie! Take one of the expressions from your list and write a story in
which a kid takes the expression too far.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Bio: Laura
Gehl<b> </b>is the author of picture books including <i>One Big Pair of
Underwear</i> (Charlotte Zolotow Highly Commended Title, International Literacy
Association Honor Book, Booklist Books for Youth Editors’ Choice); <i>Hare and
Tortoise Race Across Israel</i>, <i>And Then Another Sheep Turned Up, </i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">and<i> Koala Challah </i></span>(all PJ
Library selections); the <i>Peep and Egg</i> series (Parents’ Choice
Recommendation, Amazon Editors’ Pick, Children’s Choice Book Award Finalist); <i>My
Pillow Keeps Moving</i> (Junior Library Guild selection, NYPL Best Books of
2018 selection); and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I Got a Chicken for
my Birthday</i> (Kirkus Best Picture Books of 2018 selection). 2019 releases
include <i>Except When They Don’t</i> (Little Bee), <i>Dibs!</i> (Lerner), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Juniper Kai: Super Spy</i> (Two Lions); <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Judge Juliette </i>(Sterling); <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Always Looking Up: A Story of Astronomer
Nancy Grace Roman </i>(Whitman); and the <i>Baby Scientist</i> series (HarperCollins).
Laura lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with her husband and four children.
Visit her online at <a href="http://www.lauragehl.com./"><span style="color: blue;">www.lauragehl.com</span>.</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Jacqueline Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16277283011532681457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1307290486702178332.post-13702868923739590612019-03-25T17:00:00.000-04:002019-03-25T17:00:02.361-04:00Words Have Power<br />
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<a href="https://childrensbookguild.org/karen-leggett-abouraya">by Karen Leggett Abouraya</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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“Let us pick up our
books and pens…<o:p></o:p></div>
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One child, one
teacher, one pen, and one book can change the world.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">United
Nations, July 12, 2013<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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The words of Malala Yousafzai, the
Pakistani teen shot for defending the right of all children to be educated,
have echoed around the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
continues to travel and speak out, highlighting the dim future for girls forced
to leave school early and children forced to flee their homes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The new edition of <i>Malala Yousafzai: Warrior with Words </i>(2019,
Lee & Low) tells Malala’s story from
the blog she began writing for the BBC at age 11 to her Nobel Prize in 2014 and
the organizations she continues to inspire as a 21-year-old college student.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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When she returned from her Girl
Power Trip around the world in 2017, she said she “wants every girl and boy to
stand up and speak out for the millions of children worldwide who are not yet
able to attend school.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The book
includes extensive back matter on Pakistan, the Taliban, the Malala Fund and
other organizations young people can join to support the cause of global
education for all.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Malala
Yousafzai: Warrior with Words</i> is a perfect launchpad for children from
elementary school even through high school to think and write about civic
engagement, as well as their own lives contrasted with Malala and the children
for whom she advocates. Here are a few suggestions:<o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Malala was forced to flee her own home with just
a small backpack when the Pakistani Army began fighting the Taliban.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aside from whatever food and clothes you
could carry, what three things would you take if you had to leave your home
suddenly and why? (Give this assignment very carefully if there are children in
your class who may actually have experienced such displacement.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Children have an immediate understanding of
things that are not fair. Have them write about something in their school or
community that is unfair – and what they could do about it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1X5Lct4JiTTMt4YrVjnGzHv_xEl3lNa6UW1CetNvGQs598hrZOaW3ZBOJNgtQPCdalIFdpdT_EPtMfizAbqQRSzyUcmEtmCh0wHlybV8JZx6VtZH2VWM6gmOiHANd2Xf8f2W3bjpc7s8/s1600/Image+3-1-19+at+12.26+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="767" data-original-width="623" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1X5Lct4JiTTMt4YrVjnGzHv_xEl3lNa6UW1CetNvGQs598hrZOaW3ZBOJNgtQPCdalIFdpdT_EPtMfizAbqQRSzyUcmEtmCh0wHlybV8JZx6VtZH2VWM6gmOiHANd2Xf8f2W3bjpc7s8/s320/Image+3-1-19+at+12.26+PM.jpg" width="259" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">For an art project, have students consider this
illustration showing Malala’s family when they returned to their town after it
had been heavily damaged by fighting. Illustrator </span><a href="http://susanlroth.com/">Susan L. Roth<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span></a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">says she is not precise in her
art, which she makes with paper, fabric and other “found” objects. But the
emotions in this illustration are very clear. What is the family feeling? Ask
students to use paper and found objects to make a portrait showing an emotion. </span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Older students may scoff at the idea of reading
a picture book, but they too can write about how illustrations help tell the
story (visual literacy). Students can also react to the ideas in this <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/03/01/why-children-have-such-powerful-moral-authority/?utm_term=.a17fb11bda1f">Washington Post article</a> about the moral authority of children – including Malala. Why
do her ideas resonate? Why do students think protests, marches and other civic
action by children have a greater impact than actions by adults (or not)?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->A long-term project: Identify an issue or cause
that is supported by the majority of students in class and talk about ways to
make the change they would like to see. Write letters to the appropriate
authority, design flyers and write online messages to spread the word.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Malala rarely draws attention to
herself when she speaks. When she accepted the Nobel Prize, she said, “This
award is…for those forgotten children who want education. It is for those
frightened children who want peace. It is for those voiceless children who want
change.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Indeed, says the young warrior with
words, “our words can change the world.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Jacqueline Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16277283011532681457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1307290486702178332.post-30796035987647005832019-03-11T17:00:00.000-04:002019-03-11T17:00:04.055-04:00Traveling Back in Time<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><a href="http://www.deborahkalb.com/">guest post by Deborah Kalb</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">What
would it be like to travel back in time and meet the early presidents and their
families? That’s what the fifth graders in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">George
Washington & the Magic Hat</i> and its sequel, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">John Adams & the Magic Bobblehead,</i> get to do. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Sam
and Ava are regular 21<sup>st</sup> century kids, living across the street from
each other in Bethesda, Maryland, dealing with issues a lot of kids face. Sam
and his former best friend, Andrew, aren’t speaking to each other any more.
Ava, in a newly blended family, can’t stand her stepbrother, J.P. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">And
then, thanks to a crotchety hat, in Sam’s case, and a talking bobblehead, in
Ava’s, they are transported into a completely different time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Students
can focus on the historical figures--George Washington, John and Abigail Adams,
and more. What do they know about the Founding Fathers and Mothers? Is there
one that they’re particularly interested in and why? What do they think these
historical figures would make of today’s world if the time travel were
reversed?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">And
then there are the contemporary issues. How do the students identify with Sam?
With Ava? How do the students try to resolve the issues that bother them?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">If
they had a magic hat or a magic bobblehead, which time period would they like
to visit, and why? Is there a particular person they’d like to get to
know?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Any
of these questions can prompt a discussion or writing assignment that will get
students thinking about history or today’s issues or a combination of both.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Here
are links to <a href="https://www.mountvernon.org/">George Washington’s home, Mount Vernon, </a>in Northern Virginia, and
to the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/adam/index.htm">Adams National Historic Park in Quincy, Massachusetts.</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Deborah
Kalb is a freelance writer and editor. She spent two decades working as a
journalist in Washington, D.C., for news organizations including <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gannett News Service, Congressional
Quarterly, U.S. News & World Report, </i>and<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> The Hill</i>, mostly covering Congress and politics. <a href="http://deborahkalbbooks.blogspot.com/">Her book blog, Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb</a>, which
she started in 2012, features hundreds of interviews she has conducted with a
wide variety of authors. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">She
is the author of the new children’s book </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The
President and Me: John Adams and the Magic Bobblehead </i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">(Schiffer, 2018), the
second in a series — after </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The President
and Me: George Washington and the Magic Hat</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> (Schiffer, 2016) </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Visit </span><a href="http://www.deborahkalb.com/" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">http://www.deborahkalb.com/</a></div>
<br />Jacqueline Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16277283011532681457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1307290486702178332.post-64064747546596040642019-02-25T17:00:00.000-05:002019-02-26T10:07:27.713-05:00Book Gardens<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><a href="http://www.rashinart.com/">Guest Post by Rashin Kheiriyeh </a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">“Nestled
in the branches of a tree,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Arlo
opened his book and breathed in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">“Beginnings
were always the best part.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">They
smelled as if anything were possible.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">I
illustrated <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Book Tree</i>, written by
Paul Czajak – a wonderful story about a boy who sits on the branches of a tree
to read. When one of his books falls on the Mayor’s head, the Mayor decides to
tear up every book in town – with disastrous consequences for teachers and
their students, chefs and their restaurants, actors and their theatres and of
course, libraries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">But
then there was a miracle: “a sprout springing from where the page had been
buried. It began to open its leaves. It reached for Arlo’s words, begging for
more.” Pretty soon, Arlo was imagining and writing stories about giants and
swans and fire-breathing beasts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">“People
grew hungry for reading again. Some wrote their own stories and became book
gardeners themselves.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Even
the Mayor finally shared the wonder of books.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">My
illustrations feature oil paint, ink and collages. I used natural materials to
bring<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>depth and contrast to my drawings,
like using real feathers, pieces of wood, fabrics and metals to make the
collages more tangible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">People
of the town have different skin tones with blue hair or mustaches. They look
funny and whimsical. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">The book tree
itself is been printed with golden ink to give it a magical shine. The books
that actually grow on the tree branches are in different languages.</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">The Book Tree</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"> can inspire student writing and
even turn a whole school into book gardeners – limited only by your
imagination.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Here
are a few ideas to get started: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">1
– <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have students draw a book tree full of
their favorite books.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">2
– <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The teacher can draw a tree and each
student draw or attach his/her favorite book to it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">3
– Draw the Mayor and Arlo as friends, reading a book together – or have
students write a paragraph about what books the Mayor and Arlo enjoyed reading
together. Perhaps they could even write a story together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">4
– Look at the illustrations in the book and find places where materials other
than paint and paper have been used.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Make your own collage with lots of different materials.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">The
motto of publisher Barefoot Books is to “step inside a story.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What stories would your students like to step
inside?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Book Tree</i> celebrates the themes Barefoot Books seeks to
highlight: “encourage independence of spirit, enthusiasm for learning and
respect for the world’s diversity.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.rashinart.com/"> www.rashinart.com</a></div>
<br />Jacqueline Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16277283011532681457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1307290486702178332.post-82518925906973656702019-02-11T17:00:00.000-05:002019-02-11T17:00:00.643-05:00Read Africa<br />
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<a href="https://childrensbookguild.org/index.php/karen-leggett-abouraya">by Karen Leggett Abouraya</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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How often do you make a list for
the grocery store and then leave the list at home and have to remember what you
wrote down?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is Fatima’s dilemma in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Grandma’s List, </i>a Children’s Africana
Book Award winner by Portia Dery, illustrated by Toby Newsome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Calling <i>Grandma’s List</i> an excellent read-aloud book, Africa Access Review
says the illustrations “show a neighborhood in Ghana that is very typical of
many African towns with shops, gardens, small livestock, and many people
outside working and playing. Children not familiar with West Africa can learn
about palm nut soup, groundnuts (peanuts) and Bissap drink.”</div>
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Africa Access highlights the best
books about Africa especially during its February Read Africa initiative but throughout
the year as well. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Fatima has convinced her
grandmother she can help with the chores on Grandma’s list of errands – but she
loses the list and has to remember all the details, mixing up just about
everything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Contrary to expectations,
Fatima’s family is very forgiving and she concludes that being a child isn’t so
bad after all.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This is an excellent book for
children to study the illustrations:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->How does the dinner table look the same as
yours? Different?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What about the village scene – what looks
familiar? Can you draw a picture of your neighborhood on a Saturday morning?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Have children write their own list of grocery
items or household tasks and imagine they lost the list. Ask them to write a
paragraph about how they could help themselves remember items without that
list. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Encourage children to consider the importance of
details. Find out about cornflour – the kind Fatima mistakenly purchased – and
write a paragraph about how it is used differently from wheat flour. Try to
find a Ghanaian recipe using cornflour (usually called cornstarch in the United
States).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Fatima doesn’t like her nickname “Fati.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you have a nickname you like – or don’t
like? Write about your nickname – or a nickname you would <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">like </i>to have.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS0GPleyYoqbsMebt6LHJyjOQ_htlZsDO5_MWCbFowlAR2Tq1anzn6euJEnspB7pR2LR2nvxpwrV4URwYIsQPP07yjUCL_CyXTZNjvWXTB7zsZe9ndDv3rc8lptH9kxdmcbM9eL7JEwo4/s1600/Image+1-30-19+at+7.25+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="249" data-original-width="276" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS0GPleyYoqbsMebt6LHJyjOQ_htlZsDO5_MWCbFowlAR2Tq1anzn6euJEnspB7pR2LR2nvxpwrV4URwYIsQPP07yjUCL_CyXTZNjvWXTB7zsZe9ndDv3rc8lptH9kxdmcbM9eL7JEwo4/s200/Image+1-30-19+at+7.25+AM.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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There are more
classroom ideas in the <a href="http://africaaccessreview.org/2018/04/grandmas-list/">Africa Access Review of </a><i><a href="http://africaaccessreview.org/2018/04/grandmas-list/">Grandma’s List</a></i> as well as recommended picture books (Anansi
Reads) and chapter books (Sankofa Reads), book marks and reviews of Children’s
Africana Book Award winners. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Children and teachers may add their
own comments about the books they read at <a href="http://africaaccessreview.org/">http://africaaccessreview.org/ </a>-
which becomes a student writing activity in itself. It is also possible for students to submit
videos or posters about the books they read, write a letter to the author or
illustrator and even request a visit from a <a href="http://africaaccessreview.org/read-africa/adopt-a-2016-caba-book-2/?utm_source=Read+Africa+Challenge+2019&utm_campaign=Read+Africa+Challenge+2019&utm_medium=email.">Read Africa Teaching Artist. </a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://africaaccessreview.org/childrens-africana-book-awards/">The 2018 CABA awards</a> will be
celebrated with a reception on April 5 and a family festival April 6 at the
Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C. </div>
</div>
<br />Jacqueline Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16277283011532681457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1307290486702178332.post-74275347338910734292019-01-28T17:00:00.000-05:002019-01-28T17:00:05.611-05:00An Amazing Classroom Resource!<br />
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<a href="http://www.jacquelinejules.com/">by Jacqueline Jules</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Where can a teacher easily find
interesting pieces to share in the classroom? Look no further than <a href="https://www.balloons-lit-journal.com/issue-8.html">Issue 8 of Balloons Lit. Journal. </a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzzOWKBH5Kp0HTBkfbnf9sLbuPBMOWCtSApVuw_jVYWLfzYJGzhjzcfbXaMyj_Sfjj1kRNaNH26j0my_5cIzFqV1AoCpI3ctMGs-7fri0ZGLUrtoIX4zZuKz4V1nzIAhtisgR4EdtAgFg/s1600/blj-issue-8_orig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="566" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzzOWKBH5Kp0HTBkfbnf9sLbuPBMOWCtSApVuw_jVYWLfzYJGzhjzcfbXaMyj_Sfjj1kRNaNH26j0my_5cIzFqV1AoCpI3ctMGs-7fri0ZGLUrtoIX4zZuKz4V1nzIAhtisgR4EdtAgFg/s320/blj-issue-8_orig.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
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This magazine for upper elementary
and middle school students is an amazing resource of poetry, fiction, and art. What’s
more, it includes contributions from all over the world and features student
work alongside professional adults. Poems are attractively presented in full
page layouts sure to inspire the imagination. I am thrilled that one of my
poems, “Egret” appears on page 41.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQgc_569a4wk1tQGuchZ6a_7PQZk-91cYMxwG80YSM9tGieAG4ap4bjN7Sj0mRNeniSBBJvAhRkkAFuxTZnhMCQ6PatTi3nEVv9PiAcd7lQUP9R-SSgeu0T-QXdtJOSSQzJcMq77CEEJY/s1600/Egretblj_issue_8+41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1228" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQgc_569a4wk1tQGuchZ6a_7PQZk-91cYMxwG80YSM9tGieAG4ap4bjN7Sj0mRNeniSBBJvAhRkkAFuxTZnhMCQ6PatTi3nEVv9PiAcd7lQUP9R-SSgeu0T-QXdtJOSSQzJcMq77CEEJY/s320/Egretblj_issue_8+41.jpg" width="245" /></a></div>
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I wrote “Egret” while I was out on
a brisk walk near a body of water and this beautifully immobile creature
stopped me in my tracks. Ask your students to describe an animal or plant so enchanting
they couldn’t help but pause for a moment to gaze. Better yet, take your
students outside and ask them to stand silently for five minutes, watching the
natural world. What did they see, hear, smell? How did they feel? Can they make
an effort to pay attention to the grass, the trees, the clouds, the insects,
and everything else which flutters unnoticed when we hurry too much?
Mindfulness can enrich one’s life as well as one’s writing. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Listening to an author read their
own work can be a meaningful experience for students. <a href="https://www.balloons-lit-journal.com/issue-8.html">Balloons Lit. Journal</a> also
offers audio clips on selected pieces. Scroll down the page where Issue 8 appears
and you will see an audio section and an opportunity to hear me read my poem, “Egret”
as well as three other poets in this issue. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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I highly recommend sharing 14 year
old Braxton Schieler’s voice reading his work, “Someday I’ll Be—An Autobiography.”
Braxton writes about his life from the age of three till an imagined old age,
describing emotional transitions with clarity and insight. Hearing a student
read his own personal narrative aloud should jump start many a reluctant pen in
your classroom.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Other pieces in <a href="https://www.balloons-lit-journal.com/issue-8.html">Balloons Lit. Issue 8,</a> such as the poems, “I Think My Teacher is a Witch” and <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Pillow Problems” could be great models for
humorous writing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Finally the artwork in <a href="https://www.balloons-lit-journal.com/issue-8.html">Balloons Lit. Issue 8</a> is stunning. Available in PDF form on the website, images could be
projected to present the ekphrastic challenge of providing a written response to
and/or description of artwork. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Don’t miss this amazing resource
for the classroom! <a href="https://www.balloons-lit-journal.com/issue-8.html">Check out Issue 8 of Balloons Lit. Journal today!</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.jacquelinejules.com/">www.jacquelinejules.com</a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Jacqueline Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16277283011532681457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1307290486702178332.post-1772723922217032182019-01-14T17:00:00.000-05:002019-01-16T14:50:29.367-05:00Capturing Black and White America<br />
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<a href="https://childrensbookguild.org/index.php/karen-leggett-abouraya">by Karen Leggett Abouraya</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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“The youngest of fifteen, Parks
arrives stillborn<o:p></o:p></div>
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And is nearly left for dead until a
dip<o:p></o:p></div>
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In ice water shocks his tiny heart
to beat.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The baby is named for the man who
saved his life, Dr. Gordon.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihpJooHYJIhEF-f3qP3DhYd3y8WUqmaZ0J3TOo904SsVy9a7bRQeIbR1DKtzdjI7YfGVxtVN4YkmdkppKnRQ7o8FXcwohNvHMHxLKaZam7_RnokYz6P4jfN8AfTy52tcvrVkXB7-jdUM4/s1600/gordonparks_-jkt-page-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="896" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihpJooHYJIhEF-f3qP3DhYd3y8WUqmaZ0J3TOo904SsVy9a7bRQeIbR1DKtzdjI7YfGVxtVN4YkmdkppKnRQ7o8FXcwohNvHMHxLKaZam7_RnokYz6P4jfN8AfTy52tcvrVkXB7-jdUM4/s320/gordonparks_-jkt-page-001.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
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Gordon Parks would grow up to
become a professional photographer, cataloging American life on film for the
Farm Security Administration, Office of War Information, Standard Oil, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ebony, Vogue, Fortune</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Life.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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His early work (1940-50) is the
focus of <a href="https://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2018/gordon-parks-the-new-tide-1940-1950.html">an exhibition at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.</a> from November 4, 2018 until February 18, 2019.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is also the subject of Carole Boston Weatherford’s biography, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured
Black and White America.</i> <o:p></o:p></div>
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For Gordon Parks, photography was
the tool he used to expose “the unfairness of segregation,” and the African
American struggle against racism. “He not only documented but also served as an
advocate for the Civil Rights Movement.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-YDjT0qvnhLENHoqZ1kajXF6I3oV0EPRkpfvc2Om0E67WyvcMd-EqHDExpUP75cQnEo5O_UafWg4I94grVLBaJKMQ_u0gc5qzixFYRJxgdEY4s5-2JRi_WtttJ231ZG0leRFPhRu4J5o/s1600/AmericanGothic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="734" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-YDjT0qvnhLENHoqZ1kajXF6I3oV0EPRkpfvc2Om0E67WyvcMd-EqHDExpUP75cQnEo5O_UafWg4I94grVLBaJKMQ_u0gc5qzixFYRJxgdEY4s5-2JRi_WtttJ231ZG0leRFPhRu4J5o/s320/AmericanGothic.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
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Parks photographs often featured
everyday Americans in their daily lives, including cleaning woman Ella Watson –
a photo that became known as American Gothic. “In one iconic photo,” writes
Weatherford, “Parks conveyed both the African American struggle against racism
and the contradiction between segregation and freedom.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Standing before <o:p></o:p></div>
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the flag of freedom,<o:p></o:p></div>
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cleaning lady Ella Watson<o:p></o:p></div>
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holds the tools of her trade<o:p></o:p></div>
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and the hopes of her grandchildren.” </div>
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<br /></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Ella Watson lived in Washington, D.C. in the
1940s. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What do you think she hoped for her
grandchildren? For students whose grandparents are living, have them find out
their hopes for their grandchildren. Write about it or share those hopes with
the class.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Students can also imagine
what they might hope for their own children. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Ask students to write about three things in
their own daily lives that they would photograph – and why they selected these
people, events or places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Perhaps a few single use cameras could be
purchased to enable students to photograph a story about their school that
could be published online, in the school newspaper or in a local community
newspaper. (This would be an opportunity for students to learn about <a href="https://eforms.com/release/photo/">obtaining the rights to print photographs </a>of other people.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Parks was not only a photographer.
He wrote a novel, directed a film and wrote poetry and music as well. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->If you wanted to change people’s minds about an
issue in society, what do you think would be the best medium and why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> </o:p> </div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gordon
Parks </i>is one of many famous Americans profiled by <a href="https://cbweatherford.com/">Carole Boston Weatherford</a>. She is the
<a href="https://childrensbookguild.org/prior-winners/2019-winner">2019 Children’s Book Guild Nonfiction Award winner </a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and will speak in Washington at the award celebration
on May 11, 2019.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Make plans to come and
hear what she has to say – students welcome!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
Jacqueline Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16277283011532681457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1307290486702178332.post-84746705126244590332019-01-01T21:00:00.000-05:002019-01-02T14:32:08.733-05:00HAPPY NEW YEAR! HAPPY NEW YEAR!Guest
Post by <a href="http://susanlroth.com/">Susan L. Roth</a><br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Many Americans welcome the new year with parties, fireworks,
feasts and champagne at midnight. And what do we do the morning after? We make
lists of New Year’s resolutions. Do we keep them? Well, we try.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg80iiawlOr2fYUol_c3kZAyVkoCOCIv9268NXM9-YfsMWNVuPfyJGtrYLYw6L47pqoTnNXpqFbLWa96ypXKlgZfYY08qoN30fim4brFlkZqVrK8ah5wmbcJR6MuT5IkwPOeszmHc9oRH0/s1600/EveryMonthNewYear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="900" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg80iiawlOr2fYUol_c3kZAyVkoCOCIv9268NXM9-YfsMWNVuPfyJGtrYLYw6L47pqoTnNXpqFbLWa96ypXKlgZfYY08qoN30fim4brFlkZqVrK8ah5wmbcJR6MuT5IkwPOeszmHc9oRH0/s320/EveryMonthNewYear.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">New Year’s Day is our once-a-year-day for a clean slate, yet
another chance to do better and be better. On New Year’s Day everyone is full
of good intentions.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-uSx78AIZ56FaStyyvkCwwP8HJr_h3ya1S7-k1cHtRnurL3VbkOvI6c8jeeok29cSme2DVVum4Y8y6YLvntM9wIri4KyNqCsNBE_QddBgtuwZwxex1Ao5NVbnO7tKqudzPzNFdHiBy_s/s1600/NewYork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-uSx78AIZ56FaStyyvkCwwP8HJr_h3ya1S7-k1cHtRnurL3VbkOvI6c8jeeok29cSme2DVVum4Y8y6YLvntM9wIri4KyNqCsNBE_QddBgtuwZwxex1Ao5NVbnO7tKqudzPzNFdHiBy_s/s320/NewYork.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Year's Eve in NYC, Illustration Susan L. Roth</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Diets and exercise usually top the list, but really, lists
can go on and on and on: Read more good books, work harder, work longer, be
more polite, stop being impatient. No more bad words, go to sleep earlier, get
up earlier, hang up clothes instead of dropping them on the floor! Be better!
Be nicer! Be more generous! Be more appreciative! Be a better friend! Be a better
neighbor! Be tolerant, be understanding, be kind, be GOOD!<br />
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQRAP40QfGMGIP7KZGXpHhlew1Iw1HSvpwMFQp734sVGudHZIcjnZ2uqPk5qmlS_LDDc8hEPlhAayIAtC_LpOzysY7hbz9ODt-AIiWfMzxRMuwBrbHgsAM-eGW0Z7bUcP6RqX9KkKn3M/s1600/fullsizeoutput_3e59.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQRAP40QfGMGIP7KZGXpHhlew1Iw1HSvpwMFQp734sVGudHZIcjnZ2uqPk5qmlS_LDDc8hEPlhAayIAtC_LpOzysY7hbz9ODt-AIiWfMzxRMuwBrbHgsAM-eGW0Z7bUcP6RqX9KkKn3M/s320/fullsizeoutput_3e59.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinese New Year, Illustration Susan L. Roth</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Once the list is begun, it can quickly fill the page, and
usually the list is adhered to, at the beginning, anyway. But what if we were
given a plethora of second chances for celebrations as well as for second
chances to improve ourselves?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>Every Month is a New Year</i>, (Lee and Low, 2017) a book of
poems by Marilyn Singer, illustrated by me, is a book full of Happy New Year
celebrations from all over the world. I learned so much from making the
pictures for this book:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>there are no two
even similar looking. And as for resolutions, every page turn affords a fresh
start.</span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRzsRYDTXDCO8RYN_gsuQOgcs-AlmSjj6Ou4yY4QauB2vyA_12ZjodhltEiu8LdJRvUTMyBtZk4MJVaJZijnnopTyHYlAYEXZZndTgmvrVqZX1rCsLfAxq1PNyPGVmxCk5ecmpSetzzIk/s1600/RothIslam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="640" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRzsRYDTXDCO8RYN_gsuQOgcs-AlmSjj6Ou4yY4QauB2vyA_12ZjodhltEiu8LdJRvUTMyBtZk4MJVaJZijnnopTyHYlAYEXZZndTgmvrVqZX1rCsLfAxq1PNyPGVmxCk5ecmpSetzzIk/s320/RothIslam.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Muslim New Year, Illustration Susan L. Roth</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
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Herewith I am presenting you with another big list full of
related activities for students, at least enough for an entire happy new year.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1-Ask students to write a short piece about the new year
celebrations that they enjoy in their own families. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2-Suggest that they create an accompanying illustration. My
favorite medium is collage, but they should choose their own favorite.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3-For the most energized, curious and adventurous students:
let them try to find other new year celebrations not mentioned in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Every Month Is A New Year</i> that they can
write about and illustrate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">4- Invite your group to make a joint project calendar of
happy new year illustrations which could certainly begin in February or March.
Pictures would not have to correspond with unusual-to-us month-specific
celebrations, but rather, personal ones. If there are more than a calendar
year's worth of students in your group, continue the calendar for as many
months as there are students. The finished product could be presented as a big
wall of illustrations as well as a calendar, designed to fill a bulletin board,
and/or it could be a consecutive band of illustrations designed to go around
the walls of a classroom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">5-Encourage each student to start his/her own list of
resolutions. Designate one day every month for looking back to see how they
did. Invite anyone who managed to keep his/her resolution for that month to give
a 30 second speech telling about it. Was it easy? hard? worth the effort? Does
the student feel proud and victorious? Take time for applause! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Do the same for anyone who wishes to tell about failing in
the attempt, with applause for the courage it takes to speak about the failure.
(This should be handled with humor).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">6-Encourage a designated time, probably monthly, to look
into each of the cultures explored in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Every
Month Is A New Year</i>. The back matter in the book includes great
explanations and resources for each holiday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For example: make a dragon; watch wheat grass grow fast daily, right
before everyone's very eyes, in a little dish in the classroom; make a kite and
fly it; eat green grapes. With permission and supervision, break pots. (Do skip
fireworks and firecrackers).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">7-Maybe you could even create a brand new holiday: Happy New
Month! Let it include a short monthly LITTLE party, and don't forget the Happy
New Month's resolutions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">8-Finally, here are some heavier thoughts to think about,
write about, to illustrate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Encourage everyone, including teachers and librarians, to
think about the concept and idea of starting new, starting over. Why is the
possibility of one more chance to BE better and to DO better so important? Does
hope REALLY spring eternal? And why do we have celebrations anyway? for
incentives? for rewards? just because they are fun?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I hope this food for thought gives you something to ponder
all year long.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<a href="http://susanlroth.com/">http://susanlroth.com/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Jacqueline Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16277283011532681457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1307290486702178332.post-77927147117717623922018-12-10T17:00:00.000-05:002018-12-10T17:00:06.194-05:00Look at Things from a Different Angle<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Guest Post by
<a href="http://www.suefliess.com/">Sue Fliess</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">We all know
the story of Santa Claus, who has his long list of gift requests for all the
girls and boys around the world. We know he has a sleigh and his 8 (plus
Rudolph) reindeer who guide that sleigh. And we know he uses his magic to
deliver all those gifts in one magical night, letting children wake up to
delight in them Christmas morning. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghOZYk8PRAwoSBZ0NJ43xensu8ViU243sg8o1L0ohxpSEmtYekncjAsVFAtOy3tnmBrdNeX0BpAz5Fx3L8vahUWr-NudnB8gMUj_I_OAq6quwUti-uKYwu8dcawzLrbjeXsLupKcjCTWE/s1600/MrsClausTakestheReins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghOZYk8PRAwoSBZ0NJ43xensu8ViU243sg8o1L0ohxpSEmtYekncjAsVFAtOy3tnmBrdNeX0BpAz5Fx3L8vahUWr-NudnB8gMUj_I_OAq6quwUti-uKYwu8dcawzLrbjeXsLupKcjCTWE/s320/MrsClausTakestheReins.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">But we really
don’t know much about Mrs. Claus. What is she like? Is she meek? Headstrong?
Fun? With my new book, <i>Mrs. Claus Takes the Reins</i>, I decided to explore the
personality of Mrs. Claus, the woman behind the scenes who always makes sure
Santa is ready for his long journey. When Santa gets sick and decides Christmas
must be cancelled, I thought Mrs. Claus might be just the kind of woman who
could take over in a pinch, and get the job done—with the help of the elves,
but really with no magic at all. And does she ever! She uses her smarts and
skill and overcomes every obstacle…and even returns to the North Pole ten
minutes early.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Rewrite a story from a new point of
view! <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Ask your
students to choose a favorite book, then rewrite a scene from that book (or a
new story altogether, if it’s a picture book), from a different character’s
point of view. What if we heard the trickster magician’s side of the story in
<i>Frosty the Snowman</i>? Or in Kate DiCamillo’s <i>Because of Winn Dixie</i>, wouldn’t it
be fun to know what the dog is thinking? Maybe we hear Peeta’s story from the
<i>Hunger Games</i>, or how Hagrid is feeling in a scene from <i>Harry Potter</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Encourage students
to do this while they are writing original stories as well, to help develop the
secondary characters in their stories. The discoveries may surprise them! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><a href="http://www.suefliess.com/">http://www.suefliess.com/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Jacqueline Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16277283011532681457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1307290486702178332.post-91713860473448822492018-11-26T17:00:00.000-05:002018-11-26T17:00:03.659-05:00Have A Blast With Beep And Bob!<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">guest blog by <a href="http://beepandbob.com/">Jonathan Roth</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Bob is an ordinary kid
who finds himself having to go to school in the most terrifying place he can
imagine: outer space! Luckily he makes friends with a lost little alien named Beep,
and together they face all the usual school challenges (tests, too much
homework, bullies) and the not-so-usual (lack of gravity, black holes, giant
space spiders). You can read all about their adventures (Bob keeps a journal
and Beep draws the pictures) and use the following prompts to create your own!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUR6oxKUtNQdAspORVUK_y5Bu00hXkwPMhfEtmoHfS9TqBSzri-fqpoT8_9YxU0-gW_GBWSsCkmb9OXU1nwoovjf_71QUVCw3RBC5UdrW4dHPMxanqrwwI54lupiUhR9lij5PhRSfmQxI/s1600/Beep+and+Bob+box+set.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUR6oxKUtNQdAspORVUK_y5Bu00hXkwPMhfEtmoHfS9TqBSzri-fqpoT8_9YxU0-gW_GBWSsCkmb9OXU1nwoovjf_71QUVCw3RBC5UdrW4dHPMxanqrwwI54lupiUhR9lij5PhRSfmQxI/s320/Beep+and+Bob+box+set.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><b>Writing Prompts:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In
a few words or paragraphs or pages, complete the following:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“I
was just accepted to go to school that’s located _____________ miles away,
somewhere near ________________________ but I’m super nervous to go there
because ___________________________.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Don’t
be mad, but I just let an alien into the school and it___________.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“You’re
never going to believe this, but we just went on a field trip to _________ and
just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse ____________________.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“I
once traveled to the future for a day and to my great surprise
_____________________.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Whatever
you do, don’t push the red button because it ___________________!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“I
just found a special spray that cures me of my biggest fears, which are
______________ but the spray also gives me strange side effects such as
______________.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“My
Emergency Space Pack is full of such helpful items as ___________________ but
also has some pretty useless things like _______________________.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Oh,
no, I forget the password that disables the Self-Destruct Button I just
accidentally pushed, but I know it’s one of my twenty favorite things, which
are _________________ and _____.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“I
just read the entire BEEP AND BOB series, which was pretty good, but I have an
idea for an even better series which is about ___________________.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5vRwnd7YeymNCmKx_B9sI9mOHiIDqhKhwkkAdMVPTUoE6ivCv7U8DJDULtSSYg1eDqnLC2j7hrCpYQwtJfvHu8uXd9qH_7Q-QBqcTIv54Tz_v49x3JoXnjq3b_YWLBJTTva3ZxW6Rkg/s1600/Beep+drawing+Bob+writing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1143" data-original-width="1600" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5vRwnd7YeymNCmKx_B9sI9mOHiIDqhKhwkkAdMVPTUoE6ivCv7U8DJDULtSSYg1eDqnLC2j7hrCpYQwtJfvHu8uXd9qH_7Q-QBqcTIv54Tz_v49x3JoXnjq3b_YWLBJTTva3ZxW6Rkg/s320/Beep+drawing+Bob+writing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Illustration
Prompts:</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Beep
is a cute alien, but there are some aliens Bob hasn’t met. So Bob will know who
to look out for, please draw:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Squeep,
who’s even cuter than Beep<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">and
Klob, who’s super scary. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Know
any other aliens? Draw them too!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I
hope you have fun with your writing and illustrating. The main thing to
remember is that you can always, always improve with practice. And being
creative can be a blast!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://beepandbob.com/">http://beepandbob.com/</a></span></span></div>
<br />Jacqueline Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16277283011532681457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1307290486702178332.post-47573792604122675282018-11-12T17:00:00.000-05:002018-11-12T17:00:05.333-05:00The School’s on Fire! <br />
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<a href="https://childrensbookguild.org/index.php/karen-leggett-abouraya">by Karen Leggett Abouraya</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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How often do we think of fire drills as a nuisance that
interrupts a lesson or a nice break to get everyone outside for a few
minutes? Even though the kids at Our Lady of the
Angels School in Chicago, Illinois, had dutifully marched out in fire drills,
their school lacked the safety measures that might have saved them in a
tragic 1958 fire. Ninety-two children and 3 teachers died in the fire.
Although it was not the worst school fire ever, it did lead to dramatic
improvements in fire prevention measures in schools.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXctAW-FH-CbruvAUH-9NU4VnZowDXVb1vO_f51IDCMjfvv8_5gMMLG8qUsx6xBqr7ZTdmK4Lyysj1z4FOLgbCgV7yMt06Eyu903PgbJRnEe8aLwqOUSQNySicpRez_-Zrndx0tKZlmWM/s1600/JonesFire.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="829" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXctAW-FH-CbruvAUH-9NU4VnZowDXVb1vO_f51IDCMjfvv8_5gMMLG8qUsx6xBqr7ZTdmK4Lyysj1z4FOLgbCgV7yMt06Eyu903PgbJRnEe8aLwqOUSQNySicpRez_-Zrndx0tKZlmWM/s320/JonesFire.jpeg" width="207" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“This
can’t be happening,” (remembered thirteen-year-old Michele Barale.) “Schools
don’t burn down. Who ever heard of a school burning down?”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://rcjonesbooks.com/">Rebecca C. Jones</a> knew about a school that did indeed burn down in Chicago and wanted to learn
the real story behind it. She conducted dramatic interviews with 26 survivors
who shared their memories and experiences, classroom by classroom.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The
neighbors’ ladders were far too short to reach the second-floor windows, so
some kids began jumping to the alley.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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In one classroom, a back door to the school’s only fire
escape was always kept locked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Sister
Geraldita normally kept the key to the back door on a key ring attached to her
belt…She had forgotten to bring (her keys) to school that day….10-year old
Matty Plovanich watched his teacher. ‘I will never forget the look on her
face,” he says. “It was complete panic and anguish.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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Jones provides a riveting account of children and teachers
responding to a very immediate danger. As the subtitle says, there was bravery,
tragedy and determination. There are also opportunities for young writers today
to reflect on various reactions to a dangerous situation and how they can
prepare themselves to think quickly in an emergency. The very real story of
this tragic fire could even open the door to difficult conversations about
current dangers in schools and communities.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOfoOoGmTRjbIsBgIrmWI81ktOb1o3Ax6fku7pvk4GkE-AS9RS_CHxvv4dVf5ySKFq2To05Cxr7fAA7VHUBXtRZ9XZQvxaM46eunS65GjVKaOI6CcndKZGl7lP2x50d_N3gT4OgCfuxDc/s1600/Fire.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="894" data-original-width="1280" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOfoOoGmTRjbIsBgIrmWI81ktOb1o3Ax6fku7pvk4GkE-AS9RS_CHxvv4dVf5ySKFq2To05Cxr7fAA7VHUBXtRZ9XZQvxaM46eunS65GjVKaOI6CcndKZGl7lP2x50d_N3gT4OgCfuxDc/s320/Fire.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">What might you have done in Sister Geraldita’s
situation when you did not have keys to open the door to the fire escape?</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Teachers tried different approaches to keeping
their students calm. What do you think
you might do to calm younger children in an emergency in the school, on the
school bus or on the playground?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Tragedy affected every child and family
connected to Our Lady of the Angels School. What are some examples of bravery
and determination? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->What does it mean to be brave?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Do you remember a time when you have been brave?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->After classes were back in session, some
teachers did not want anyone to talk about the fire ever again. Do you think
that was a good idea?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Do you have an escape plan if there is a fire in
your home? Describe a conversation at home about what each family member should
do during any type of emergency. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Survey the fire prevention measures that exist
in your school. Are there things that aren’t working, like some doors and rules
at Our Ladies of the Angels? What can you do about something you think is not
working as it should?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p>I</o:p>n December, there will be special programs in Chicago to
commemorate the 60<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the fire. A new school was built on the site in 1960
with state-of-the-art sprinklers, smoke detectors, fire doors and
fire-resistant stairwells; the school closed permanently in 1999. <a href="http://olafire.com/home.asp?">More information about the fire is available at olafire.com</a> </div>
<br />
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<i>School Library Journal</i> concluded that “this moving narrative
of one of the most devastating school fires in U.S. history is recommended for
middle school nonfiction collections.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
Jacqueline Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16277283011532681457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1307290486702178332.post-69861960019843051082018-10-28T12:00:00.000-04:002018-10-28T12:00:04.772-04:00CANDY CANDIDATES: Writing Campaign Posters<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://www.jacquelinejules.com/">by Jacqueline Jules</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Both
Halloween and Election Day are just around the corner. Why not capture the
excitement of both events by having a candy election?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Elementary
school students should enjoy making posters and writing slogans for their
favorite candy treat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1BIRMUchljMte0-22pgI81vrg9xQwX8IkqFVCn2pA_8hFzNvVngMWi83u7tkEV_GjaKJV78I3q2jROih9ria6HbxAkfARgrYt29SPcAOl5S5sRS-C0CXiCa_3jzY_KlNF__sUzLilIwc/s1600/CandyCandidate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1BIRMUchljMte0-22pgI81vrg9xQwX8IkqFVCn2pA_8hFzNvVngMWi83u7tkEV_GjaKJV78I3q2jROih9ria6HbxAkfARgrYt29SPcAOl5S5sRS-C0CXiCa_3jzY_KlNF__sUzLilIwc/s320/CandyCandidate.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Since
there are so many different kinds of candy, you could have primary elections to
select candy candidates. Or you can simplify the process and offer three
choices.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
important thing is to get students thinking about what goes into a campaign and
attracting voters. It takes more than artwork, it takes poetry in the form of
slogans. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">How
do you describe the best qualities of your favorite candy? Can you write 5 to
10 reasons why your candy will improve the life of voters? What promises can
your candy make? What can you write that will persuade someone to vote for your
candy?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">You
could even have a debate between candy candidates. One group could write
questions and another group could prepare answers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
classroom of 25 students is the perfect environment for demonstrating the
importance of each ballot. A single vote may win the election or there could be
a tie, requiring a runoff or coin toss.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Voting
is a civic duty. It is never too early to explain the process and to get your
students excited about voting. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">For
more teaching resources on government, voting, and civic responsibility, please
check out the following:</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://bensguide.gpo.gov/9-12/election/">Ben’s Guide to the U.S. Government</a></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://lessonplanspage.com/elections.htm/">Hot Chalk Lesson Plans--Elections</a></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/collections/teaching-content/elections/">Scholastic Lesson Plans and Book Resources--Elections</a></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.teachervision.com/subjects/social-studies-history/us-elections">U.S.Elections – Teacher Vision</a></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.tolerance.org/moment/voting-elections">Voting and Elections: Resources For A Civil Classroom</a></span></div>
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<br />Jacqueline Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16277283011532681457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1307290486702178332.post-6863064697578605132018-10-15T17:00:00.000-04:002018-10-15T17:00:05.537-04:00Turning Pages: My Life Story<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><a href="https://childrensbookguild.org/index.php/karen-leggett-abouraya">by Karen Leggett Abouraya</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Supreme Court
Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor has shared the story of her life in an <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/207069/my-beloved-world-by-sonia-sotomayor/9780345804839">autobiography for adults</a>, a <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/595404/el-mundo-adorado-de-sonia-sotomayor-by-sonia-sotomayor/9780525564614">story in Spanish</a> for young adults and now as a picture book in both Spanish and
English. Both Justice Sotomayor and Lulu Delacre, the illustrator of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Turning Pages: My Life Story</i>/<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pasando Páginas</i> share family traditions
and memories from Puerto Rico. Young readers can look carefully at the
illustrations to learn about life in Puerto Rico, in New York or at Princeton
University and even to see newspapers the Justice’s family might have been
reading when she was growing up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyYoGWa1UxqNJMHf1FKJompr4SjniDPcOD7QQumU4E0rgtB4PmMuV5am6kJYJcZRSI79cRfOQFjw3dfeLpAlGZt6ovDw0wR_QIGg4qRFUdLpc8QO6cH-7bn4tQHi1EI093Os46MDmDQvs/s1600/DelacreSonia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="384" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyYoGWa1UxqNJMHf1FKJompr4SjniDPcOD7QQumU4E0rgtB4PmMuV5am6kJYJcZRSI79cRfOQFjw3dfeLpAlGZt6ovDw0wR_QIGg4qRFUdLpc8QO6cH-7bn4tQHi1EI093Os46MDmDQvs/s320/DelacreSonia.jpg" width="246" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Justice
Sotomayor remembers trips to sunny Puerto Rico when she could eat fresh mangoes
and spicy chicken. From Puerto Rico to New York to Washington, D.C., books were
always the Justice’s friends.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">She called
them her harbor, helping her escape the sadness of her father’s death; her
snorkel and flippers, helping her explore life; a time machine inspiring her
imagination; her launchpad, blasting her into her dreams. Now, in her life as a
lawyer and judge, books are “maps to guide us to justice.”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The life of
Justice Sonia Sotomayor is itself a launch pad for writing and discussions
among students of any age.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">What
kind of books do you like to read and why? Did you have a favorite book when
you were very little?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Justice
Sotomayor remembers when her Abuelita, her grandmother, would “close her eyes
and recite poems written long ago about the tropical land our family had left
behind.” Does anyone in your family tell stories or sing songs when everyone
gets together? What stories or songs do you remember?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Sonia
Sotomayor was diagnosed with diabetes when she was just seven years old. She
imagined she was brave and powerful like the superheroes in comic books so she
could give herself daily injections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What superpower would you like to have? What would you do with that
power?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">On
the steps of the cover of the book is an opinion written by the Justice. Can
you find her name and the title of the opinion?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Justice
Sotomayor remembers receiving a set of encyclopedias at her home and </span>learning about myosis, mitosis and molecule (all pictured in the bubbles) from diving into the pages of one volume<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Is there a set of encyclopedias in
your school or neighborhood library? If so, pick any volume, open to any page
and read about something you find on that page.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What did you learn?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWAxIjBDNGLmFsDsV_H1842RNtZWOBrhWpbLlWMugU-wPNVoOeDpHNyavT4m5INHkYVYEyrDZS9MwFqgGaRbgksm4wkqWI6OTJ3HYZMpOFIXCotRWwU4Uhuhc654Z6lPwrW0xdZjXtvbA/s1600/Lulu+Image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1186" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWAxIjBDNGLmFsDsV_H1842RNtZWOBrhWpbLlWMugU-wPNVoOeDpHNyavT4m5INHkYVYEyrDZS9MwFqgGaRbgksm4wkqWI6OTJ3HYZMpOFIXCotRWwU4Uhuhc654Z6lPwrW0xdZjXtvbA/s320/Lulu+Image.jpg" width="237" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">“Justice
means treating people fairly under the law,” writes the Justice. Why is it
important to have laws or rules for a country or a school or a classroom?
Everyone in the class could write one reason on a 3x5 card; then the cards can
be posted in the classroom or hallway for everyone to see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">There
are lots of family photographs of Sonia Sotomayor on the book’s endpapers – as
a child, at special family events, with her colleagues on the Supreme Court. Take
photos of each student with a favorite book. Students can write a few sentences
or draw a picture to explain why that book is special.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The photos can be posted so students learn
about new books they might also enjoy reading.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Justice
Sotomayor talks about the importance of books from her childhood to her life on
the Supreme court: “Books are keys that unlock of wisdom of yesterday and open
the door to tomorrow.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Note: An exhibit of Lulu Delacre’s
illustrations for Sonia Sotomayor’s life story is on display at the </span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://zimmerlimuseum.rutgers.edu/">ZimmerliArt Museum</a></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">, Rutgers University,
New Jersey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />Jacqueline Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16277283011532681457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1307290486702178332.post-30898451262478090242018-10-01T17:00:00.000-04:002018-10-03T19:55:12.164-04:00IF YOU HAD SUPER HEARING ...<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
by <a href="http://www.jacquelinejules.com/">Jacqueline Jules</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Freddie Ramos, the boy with
super-powered purple sneakers, is back with a new adventure in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Zapato Power #7: Freddie Ramos Hears It All.
</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdxKi3SLfBV_v7YW4uny7hAJqIRFYsK7v8OWBiYwV1Sg-NWq1KPDfRazK9ZGnYuiGZ4lMX0o4TeRtETG7Hc2dM8TN4UlekpYxyNdtJbLs1sjhB6yWcCSKy5-aERErOglVSPZQ_ak5MqF8/s1600/FreddieHearsItAll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="710" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdxKi3SLfBV_v7YW4uny7hAJqIRFYsK7v8OWBiYwV1Sg-NWq1KPDfRazK9ZGnYuiGZ4lMX0o4TeRtETG7Hc2dM8TN4UlekpYxyNdtJbLs1sjhB6yWcCSKy5-aERErOglVSPZQ_ak5MqF8/s320/FreddieHearsItAll.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Freddie Ramos Hears It All</i>, Freddie must adjust to the thrill and
the challenge of having super hearing in addition to super speed and super
bounce. He goes to a space museum with his class and realizes that he can
overhear conversations everywhere. Should he help the museum guards find a lost
child? Should he help a woman who dropped her bracelet? Freddie has a big heart
and a thirst for being a hero. With super hearing he can find many more opportunities
to use his super hero powers. He can also find opportunities to eavesdrop.
Should he be listening through his friend's door? What is the line
between being a snoop and a super hero?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">After reading <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Freddie Ramos Hears It All, </i>students can
write about how they would use super hearing and how it might help or
complicate their lives. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><b>Here are some questions to consider.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Would you listen through a
closed door?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Would you share important information
you overheard? Or keep it secret? </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Would you be tempted to
listen in on others all the time? </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Who would you most like to
eavesdrop on? Your parents? Brother or sister? Teacher?</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">What would you do if you
heard someone crying? Would you run to get involved or respect his/her privacy?</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.75in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><b>Story Prompt Ideas: </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">You’ve overheard a conversation on the playground. Two
friends are talking about another student. The information you heard is
supposed to be a secret. What will you do? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">You’ve heard your parents’ talking about your brother.
The information surprised you. What is it? Will you tell your brother what you
know?</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">You’ve overhead your teacher talking about a pop quiz
for your class. Do you tell your friends to study? Do you study? What do you
do?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Encourage your students to
think of all possibilities. Information obtained through eavesdropping can be happy
or sad. And the dilemma of knowing something you were not supposed to know can
be very real. Happy Writing!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://www.jacquelinejules.com/">www.jacquelinejules.com <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Jacqueline Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16277283011532681457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1307290486702178332.post-10740953428348968372018-09-17T17:00:00.000-04:002018-09-17T17:00:06.762-04:00DELIVERY BEAR, COOKIES, AND CAREERS<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://www.lauragehl.com/">by Laura Gehl</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Delivery Bear</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">, written by
Laura Gehl and illustrated by Paco Sordo, is the story of a large bear named
Zogby whose lifelong dream is to deliver cookies for the Fluffy Tail Cookies
Company—a company staffed entirely by bunnies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZfSwWwBxvKM_zSVt1GGH_MGoINkLhQEVi_iMGgpG9DDP6P1eQPFsxgiLjGkS0azbUSkq7TmT1JKi9gwvPZYn_TYZe-heHyOF9i5ZHciCkVrPH-WwijNvSBmOGRdlo5n8am7st32UZNc/s1600/DeliveryBear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="791" data-original-width="1000" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZfSwWwBxvKM_zSVt1GGH_MGoINkLhQEVi_iMGgpG9DDP6P1eQPFsxgiLjGkS0azbUSkq7TmT1JKi9gwvPZYn_TYZe-heHyOF9i5ZHciCkVrPH-WwijNvSBmOGRdlo5n8am7st32UZNc/s320/DeliveryBear.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">After
reading <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Delivery Bear</i> out loud, try
these writing activities with your students:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">1.
Imagine you are in charge of the Fluffy Tail Cookies Company. You get to decide
all of the different types of cookies that customers can order. Will you sell
classics like chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin? Or creative new recipes like
Peanut Butter Potato Chip Delight? Or a mix? Write or draw a list of the cookies
you will sell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">2.
Even when he is a small cub, Zogby knows what he wants to do when he grows up.
What do YOU want to do when you grow up? What is your dream job? Why?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">3.
When all of the customers are scared of Zogby, he is tempted to give up on his
dream. But in the end he thinks of a new way to approach the deliveries and
succeeds in his own way. Think of a time in your own life when you were tempted
to give up. What happened? How did you manage to overcome your frustration? Was
there someone who helped you?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">4.
When Mrs. Rabbit hears the Fluffy Tail Cookies delivery song and opens the
door, she expects to see a small bunny. Instead, she sees a large bear and
screams “AAAAAAHHHH!” In this case, Mrs. Rabbit is judging Zogby based on his
appearance. Have you ever judged someone based on her/his appearance? Has
anyone judged you by your appearance? Do you think Mrs. Rabbit’s reaction is
reasonable or unreasonable? If you were a rabbit and opened the door to a bear,
what do you think your reaction would be? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://www.lauragehl.com/">http://www.lauragehl.com/</a></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />Jacqueline Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16277283011532681457noreply@blogger.com0