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Forward to a FriendMay 4, 2010
Whether you'll be packing up your classroom in May or in June, there's still time to incorporate the titles in this month's issue into your lesson plans and summer reading lists. Diminutive superheroes, a debut novel, fiction about children coping in difficult situations, and insight into the writing of Pam Muñoz Ryan top our list of articles, while multimedia highlights focus on literary mentors. For those of you interested in initiating or improving service-learning projects in your school, we'd like to introduce an eye-opening title that will forever change the way you think about food drives.
Sincerely,
Daryl Grabarek,
Editor, Curriculum Connections
dgrabarek@reedbusiness.com
P.S. What's your go-to read-aloud title for the first day (or week) of school? Let us know and we'll share the results at the end of the summer.
Make These Curriculum Connections
Pint-Size Superheroes: Picture Books for the Younger Crowd
Starring diminutive caped crusaders, super-powered pretend players, and fueled-by-imagination action figures, these books are sure to please children who like stories that pack a punch. Bursting with comic-book style artwork and attitude, they introduce (mostly) small-fry heroes and depict adventures ranging from the commonplace (conquering a toppled-over backyard tree) to the grandiose (saving the Earth from an impending cosmic disaster). In addition to entertainment amperage, these titles incorporate themes of friendship, empathy, and individuality, while encouraging kids to challenge boundaries and dream big. Create a library display or share a tale in the classroom, and watch your students' enthusiasm for reading soar. more » » »
Nick's Picks
Nick's Picks: Selected Resources from TeachingBooks.net
With the Internet at their fingertips, teachers will always have examples of quality writing to share with their students. Use the audio clips featured here to demonstrate the power of opening lines, to explore the use of dialogue, to understand an author’s purpose, and to enjoy wordplay. These multimedia resources are great reasons why educators should infuse technology into writing lessons. more » » »
What's New
Coping Out of Your Element
In books we sometimes meet characters who lead lives vastly different from our own, and who cope with and overcome incomprehensible difficulties. "How would I deal with being separated from my parents if there was a war? What would it be like if I was so different that other kids avoided me?" Those are questions readers will ask themselves when they read these extraordinary accounts of children who are expected to act as if everything is normal and who can't always express what is going on in their lives. more » » »
Behind the Books
Pam Muñoz Ryan on...the Writing Process
I always groan when people ask about my writing process, because what they are really asking is the more complicated question, “How does your mind work?” Even the word “process” confounds me. It implies a tidy, shrink-wrapped procedure. I wish it were that way—a specific set of steps to get me from that awful first draft to a polished manuscript, which is often thirty rewrites down the line. For me, writing isn’t precise. It’s a messy evolution.
Read More at TeachingBooks.net » » »
Interview
Christina Diaz Gonzalez: The Freedom to Choose
In her eye-opening debut novel, The Red Umbrella, Christina Diaz Gonzalez traces the impact of the events in 1961 Cuba on 14-year-old Lucía Álvarez and her family. The book begins on May 2nd of that year, the day after Fidel Castro banned elections in Cuba. After her best friend, Ivette, joins the Jóvenes Rebeldes ("young rebels"), and a rift develops between her father and uncle, Castro's initiatives begin to hit home for Lucía.
Her parents make the painful decision to send the girl and her seven-year-old brother, Frankie, to the United States, in hopes—but with no promise—of joining them later. Known as Operación Pedro Pan, this was "the largest exodus of unaccompanied children ever in the history of the Western Hemisphere," as an author's note explains. Gonzalez's parents were two of those children. Here the author talks about the seeds of the novel, and her personal connection to The Red Umbrella. more » » »
Professional Shelf
Service Learning
From canned food drives to disaster relief efforts, teachers and students all over the country are engaged in service-learning activities. How do these activities differ from charitable acts or project-based learning, and what role do they play in the curriculum? What are the true benefits to society and to students? How can teachers begin or support a service-learning program in their classroom or school? In her book The Complete Guide to Service Learning (Free Spirit, 2010), now in its second, revised and updated edition, Cathryn Berger Kaye answers these questions and more. Even if you are now running a successful program, this book will change the way you think about and design your curriculum. more » » »
In this Issue
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The Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group of IRA recently announced its list of 2010 Notable Books for a Global Society.
Listen to Judi Barrett and Ron Barrett discuss their book, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.
Who is Amy? And what is "The Beckoning of Lovely?"
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