How to eat Fried Worms

I love this book! Mainly for the sound effects. I can't help but read this aloud to my students purely to act out the Gute, gute, ver'fine, ver'fine hoo hoo part and read the fish rhymes. My students enjoy the acting out almost as much as I did. I wonder who read aloud the book to the Australia students? Did they read silently or did the teacher act like me?

Pink and Say

I have always loved this book but find something new in it every time I read it. It is the story of two boys that are fighting in the Civil War for the Union. I wondered if the story would have been the same if Say would have been a rebel soldier. Would Pink have stopped and taken care of him? Even though they are kindred spirits at the age of fifteen, I doubt that Pink would have had mercy on someone who was fighting against him. I also thought about the reality of marauders and the destruction they contributed to by turning in deserters. I thought about COld Mountain and the similarities between the two. Overall, I think this book would be a great addition to an elementary or middle school library.

I wonder if anyone else says Pinkus Aylee at the end?

Drinking Gourd

I loved this story because the ending surprised me. I imagined TommFuller as some of my students and admired his quick thinking skills by concocting a lie to tell the people looking for the escapees. He lies and says he stole the wagon to run away from his daddy's spanking. I also liked how his father talks about the difference between right and wrong and obeying the law and breaking the law. Overall, I thought it was a great addition to any library.

Unit Plan

I am planning on creating a unit on Weather or Life Cycles in collaboration with Mrs. Bolick, a fellow second grade teacher. If I choose weather, I would like the kids to research different forms of "Wild Weather" and create a product to showcase that information. I'm not sure what books exactly I would want to use, or if I would use just one book.

If I chose to do life cycles, I would like to focus on insects and read the monarch butterfly books, or do one animal kingdom a week (reptiles, amphibians, insects, fish, mammals, etc.). There are a ton of different books or avenues to choose with that, so I would likely narrow it down to one or two kingdoms.

I'll chat with my teacher and post more later!

Molly's Pilgrim

Our third grade class reads this book every year, but I had not read it until now. I see why they they read it now. It has great potnetial to be a powerful tool in the fight against bullies. It is so hard as an educator to pinpoint those behaviors and always be politically correct, so I felt for the teacher in the story. But I was happy to see how she handled it in the end. I was pleased that Molly's pilgrim was the best one of all and had a special display on the teacher's desk. This book could be a great way to introduce the different versions of pilgrims and cultural differences that they face. I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it for any library.

The Most Beautiful Place in the World

I really enjoyed this book because of its cultural differences and similarities. On one hand it was amazing to read about the disparity this child faced everyday and the things he went without like electricity, phones, etc. I also thought it was poignant that he wanted to go to school and yearned for that. I think reading this to a class would be beneficial just to show them that there are worse things out there than getting grounded from your XBox. I also thought it would be a good book for kids because Juan lives in another country, yet still faces the same problems and insecurities we face. Broken homes and divorce are evident everywhere. As is the fear that someone doesn't love you. I would recommend this book to a library based on the cultural awareness and belonging that it could share.

The Castle in the Attic

My individual choice for Fantasy genre was Castle in the Attic. What a wonderful book! I love how Winthrop weaves the individual stories into a magical quest to restore power to rightful rulers and right the wrongs that have been done. I found William's plan to keep Mrs. Phillips by miniaturizing her surprising. I also had some questions or points to ponder:

*The theme of the book? Perhaps it's Sir Simon's own words: "The weapons you need to fight the battle are inside your own heart"

*Sir Simon and Mrs. Phillips spend a lot of time teaching William the art of chivalry. I found that refreshing.

* Alastor's final vision is a locust in the mirror. What does this mean?

* Where are the other knights and objects that were with the castle?

*Why is William the only one with the touch to bring the lead subjects to life? Why doesn't Mrs. Phillips' touch bring the wizard to life?

* The book is very realistic until they become miniature. In this book, Mrs. Phillips says, "There are rules in the world of magic just as there are in our own world. Everything has its place. Directions must be followed. Each person is given the right weapon." What would have happened if they broke a rule?

*Why didn't Sir Simon stay lost in the forest?