Search results matching tags 'reading', 'books', and 'literature'

LIFTY: Online Books and Reader

Anonymous — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 14:00:49 GMT

Greetings,

LIFTY is a web site containing a collection of classic literature and a reader to view them with.

It’s Sunday again, the day of rest. How about another reading site for those who like to relax with a good book?

Today’s site, LIFTY is somewhat different from last week’s offering and came to me by way of [...]

Bestselling children's writer touring this Spring

SimonCheshire — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 15:15:36 GMT

I'm an established children's writer, based in the UK. I visit dozens of schools, libraries and literary events every year to talk about my work and to generate enthusiasm in young readers for books and all things literary. You can find more info at my website www.simoncheshire.co.uk or at the Skype An Author Network.

I have a couple of new books coming out this Spring (one hardback, one paperback) in the Saxby Smart series of detective stories for 8-12 year-olds. This series is already a big hit over here in Europe and it's rapidly taking off in the US too. I'm doing a blog tour to tie-in with the books, and I'm available to talk to classes via Skype during March and April.

If you'd like more information, do please contact me.

BOOKGLUTTON: A Web Site With Free Novels

Anonymous — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 14:00:50 GMT

Greetings,

BOOKGLUTTON is a web site with an abundance of freely accessible novels.

It’s Sunday again, the day of rest. For many, this is the first week back after the Christmas break. An “interesting” time, indeed. To relax, some folks enjoy reading a good book and today’s site – BOOKGLUTTON – has more then a few to [...]

Tip of the Week – Notable Books

Anonymous — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:11:36 GMT

Kansas State Librarian Joanne Budler recently announced the 2010 Kansas Notable Book List. The list of 15 fiction, nonfiction and children’s books are the best books published by Kansas authors or about Kansas in the last year.

Some interesting ones for history and social studies people:

	Addie of the Flint Hills: A Prairie Child During the Depression by Adaline Sorace as told to Deborah Sorace Prutzman (both New York, NY) Adaline Sorace’s vivid memories are the basis for this autobiography of a small-town girl whose life is played out against the turbulent economic times of the 1920s and 1930s. Addie’s hardscrabble life was typical for her generation; her struggles transcend time and are similar to modern family situations and current economic times.
	One Kansas Farmer: A Kansas Number Book by Devin & Corey Scillian (Grosse Point, MI), illustrated by Doug Bowles (Lenexa) An entertaining and educational travelogue of Kansas history, geography, famous people and places provides the backdrop for this elementary number book, including dancing prairie chickens, hot air balloons, and the invention of the microchip.
	Our Boys: A Perfect Season on the Plains with the Smith Center Redmen by Joe Drape (New York, NY) Holders of the nation’s longest high-school winning streak can be found in Smith Center, Kansas. This book embraces the philosophy of life taught by their legendary coach, Roger Barta. New York Times sportswriter Joe Drape moved his family across the country to discover the inspiration of the Smith Center Redmen.
	Years of Dust: The Story of the Dust Bowl by Albert Marrin (Riverdale, NY) In the 1930s, dangerous black storms swept through the Great Plains. The results of reckless farming and drought, these lethal storms were an environmental, economic, and human catastrophe that changed the course of American history. An acclaimed historian explains for young people, the causes behind the disaster and explores the Dust Bowl’s impact.

If these don’t do it for you, head over to the National Council for the Social Studies site for their yearly list of Notable Books. Every year, the NCSS selects a wide range of books that are aligned to NCSS social studies standards and creates a handy-dandy list in PDF format for easy download.

Books selected for the list are written primarily for children in grades K-8 but can be used K-12, especially for those kids reading below grade level. The NCSS looks for books that emphasize human relations, represent a diversity of groups and are sensitive to a broad range of cultural experiences, present an original theme or a fresh slant on a traditional topic, are easily readable and of high literary quality and have a pleasing format and illustrations that enrich the text. Each book is read by several reviewers and books are included on the list by committee assent.

So . . . it’s a pretty good list. If you’re a NCSS member, you can download the most current list but there are ten years worth of great lists going back to 2000 for non-members. All the lists include info on grade level, standards alignment, content, length and a brief overview.

It’s a great way to quickly browse through a lot of books that you might want to use as part of your instruction.

Have fun!

Filed under: books, elementary, history, kansas, literacy, literature, middle school, ncss, reading, social studies, tip of the week

Two Novels of Race Relations

Anonymous — Mon, 26 May 2008 21:34:38 GMT

Two novels I taught this year were To Kill A Mockingbird and A Gathering of Old Men. Prior to and during reading these novels, I had the kids look at some songs, poems, and historical context. Here are a few of my favorite things concerning the race relations in the novels. Prior to reading To Kill [...]

Movies for Enrichment

Anonymous — Thu, 15 May 2008 03:22:51 GMT

While I assess diction analysis papers, personal essay, and literary analysis essays this week in the evening, I have scheduled enrichment films for my students. Here they are: Reading A Gathering of Old Men Malcolm X Separate But Equal Mississippi Burning Reading Frankenstein Edward Scissorhands Frankenstein Reading The Iliad Troy 300 Any movies you would recommend for these texts? How about for Norse Mythology, Fahrenheit 451, [...]

My Favorite Literature to Teach

Anonymous — Wed, 07 May 2008 02:57:08 GMT

Here is a list of my favorite literary works of length to teach: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare The Crucible by Arthur Miller A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens What are your favorite pieces of literature to teach? [...]

Are We Reading Killjoys?

Anonymous — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 03:17:22 GMT

I posted a bit ago that the joy of reading seems to be dwindling, and Mr. Van Pelt has an ingenious new post using an analogy comparing the teaching of reading and the teaching of kissing. It’s a spectacular explanation for what teachers may unwittingly be doing. In the future I may add some more thoughts [...]

Movie Suggestions

Anonymous — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 20:20:34 GMT

I love using film clips or outside of class movies to enrich my students’ learning experiences, and the kids respond enthusiastically when I do use the cinema to enhance units. Any suggestions? I have the following novels to teach this semester: To Kill A Mockingbird, Frankenstein, Fahrenheit 451, A Gathering of Old Men, and Beowulf. I will show the film versions for [...]

Brutus and John Anderton

Anonymous — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 01:51:42 GMT

What do Brutus (from The Tragedy of Julius Caesar) and John Anderton (from Minority Report) have in common? The answer is: pre-crime, preemptive action. And this is why my Sophomores will have the opportunity to watch Minority Report after school with popcorn and pop. I don’t tell the kids why they are watching the film, and [...]