Harbor Me and The Boo-Boos that Changed the World

Texas Bluebonnets 2019

Woodson, Jacqueline. Harbor Me. Nancy Paulsen Books, 2018.

Overview: Another gem by Jacqueline Woodson. She writes about 6 students who come together in a class. The way the students bond and build relationships of mutual respect. Woodson does not fully explain why these students are in a class together with no other students other than they are different. The main character Haley is working through her feelings about her life. Her father killed her mother in a car accident when she was 3 and went to prison. Her uncle raises her, until her father gets out of prison. She is struggling to make sense out of her world, along with the other students who are dealing with difficult issues also. A diverse book for students to read and learn about other peoples lives outside of their neighborhood.

Level: Middle Grades
Reading Level: 5.2
Genre: Realistic Fiction

Resources:
TeachingBooks.net
Texas Bluebonnet Resources

Wittenstein, B., & Hsu, C. (2018). The boo-boos that changed the world : A true story about an accidental invention (really!). Charlesbridge.

Overview: A story about Earle Dickson and his wife Josephine. Earle invented the first band-aide for his wife. She was really clumsy in the kitchen and hurt her self a lot. He shared his idea with his boss James Johnson. They worked on perfecting the band-aide to be what it is today. The book lets the reader see how the band-aide began and how it changed over time.

Level: Everybody
Reading Level: 3.3
Genre: Nonfiction - History and Science

Resources:
TeachingBooks.net
Texas Bluebonnet Resources

The Cardboard Kingdom and Two Dogs in a Trench Coat

Texas Bluebonnets 2019

Sell, C. (2018). The cardboard kingdom. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Overview: A graphic novel about a neighborhood of children who jointly use their imaginations to create the "Cardboard Kingdom." Readers will need to use their inference skills to fully comprehend the story. Using the pictures and the words to make meaning. The books is broken into chapters that introduce the characters in the kingdom to the reader. I found the book to be entertaining. Some characters are working through social emotional issues. This would be a good book to use a short chapter to talk about the characters feelings and emotions.

Level: Middle Grades
Reading Level: 2.4
Genre: Graphic Novel

Resources:
TeachingBooks.net
Texas Bluebonnet Resources

Falatko, J. (2018). Two dogs in a trench coat go to school. New York: Scholastic Press.

Overview: An entertaining book about two dogs that love their person - Stewart. Stewart comes home from school smelling not happy and the dogs create a plan to save him from the evil place called school. Little do they know school is not so bad - it has the best meat and activities. The dogs end up helping Stewart with his problem that is making him sad. Read this fun book to see how the plan unravels.

Level: Middle Grades
Reading Level: 4.9
Genre: Humor Fiction

Resources:
TeachingBooks.net
Texas Bluebonnet Resources

TCEA - Galveston Elementary Technology Conference 2019

Wow, what a fantastic two days of learning! I loved that the focus was on elementary age learners and teachers. There was so many sessions to attend and not enough time. I highly recommend this conference to any educator PreK-5th grade who wants to enhance their technology integration in the classroom. I focused my sessions on Coding/Robotics, the new ELA standards, and HyperDocs & Choice Menus.

The New ELA TEKS - Vertical Alignment

• @LitSoulSisters #LITLearning, Thank you for your informative session on the new ELA standards.
• The standards have 7 strands - Foundational Skills, Comprehension, Response, Multi Genre, Author's Purpose + Craft, Composition, and Inquiry + Research.  
• Integration is key to success!
• I took three big ideas away from LitSoulSisters.
• 1 - Using wordless books to integrate listening, speaking, reading, writing and thinking. Great for author's purpose, composition, foundational skills, response, genre
• 2 - Digital Resources to support the 7 Strands - CommonLit, Novel Effect, edPuzzle, FlipGrid, Kami, Text Project, Google resources and extensions, SeeSaw - these are just a few the list goes on and on.
• 3 - HyperQuad - Hyperlink Doc that is like a choice menu that gives students digital resources to complete ELA tasks utilizing - Speaking, Listening, Writing, Reading, and Thinking equally throughout the lesson. Here is the one I made - Goldilocks and the Three Bears - it was my first attempt, but it will give you the main idea behind the process.

Coding / Robotics

• PreK and Kindergarten can learn to code - Thank you @MissNelsonFound - great ideas about how to get littles started. Start with non-digital devices first - using cards to help students create patterns. Example - arrows and body movement picture cards, two students - one is the computer, one is the coder. The coder creates the code the computer will follow with their body. Then move into using BeeBots and programming to solve problems.
• Robots - Beebots, Dash and Dot, Sphero, Ozobots
• All kinds of great curriculum integration for these robots
• math - area/perimeter/measurement/angles
• ELA - story retell
• STEM
• Science - cycles
• Check out pintrest, teacherpayteachers, twitter, etc. for endless ideas.
• Apps/Websites
• Tynker and Tynker Jr.
• Codespark
• Hour of Code
• Common Sense Media Coding Tools

HyperDocs and Choice Menus

• HyperDocs are a tool used for totally flipping instruction. Giving control over to the students. It is not a list of hyper links to resources only. 
• Choice Menus - Teacher has more control. Students have choices.
• Great for choice and differentiation of concepts. Allows the teacher to spice up instruction to get kids excited about learning.
• Check out - HyperDocs and ShakeUpLearning

Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring & El Chupacabras

Texas Bluebonnets 2019

Cervantes, A. (2018). Me, Frida, and the secret of the peacock ring. New York: Scholastic Press.

Overview: Paloma and her mom visit Mexico for a month. Her mother is there on a fellowship through the University. During their stay she becomes fascinated by Frida Kahlo. Paloma remembers that Frida was one of her dad's favorite artists. She meets up with Lizzie and Gael, two Mexican young people who claim to be Paloma's Spanish tutors. The action picks up when a mystery of the missing Peacock Ring reveals itself to Paloma. She loves a good mystery. Check out this gem of a book to find out if she is able to collect the clues to solve the mystery.

Level: Middle Grades
Reading Level: 5.3Genre: Mystery Fiction

Resources:

Texas Bluebonnet Resources

Rubin, A., & McCreery, C. (2018). El chupacabras. Dial Books for Young Readers.

Overview: This legendary tale about the el Chupacabras is interesting tale. The illustrations are eye catching and entertaining. The text is a mix of Spanish and English throughout the book. I found it a little confusing to read at first until I became familiar with the pattern the author created to create the Spanglish. A great addition to the library for tall tales.

Level: K-3
Reading Level: 3.2Genre: Everybody Book and Spanish (Bilingual)

Resources:
Texas Bluebonnet Resources

Watchdog and the Dragon Slayer

Texas Bluebonnets 2019

McIntosh, W. (2017). Watchdog. Delacorte Press.

Overview: My summary for this book I created a sketchnote. 

Sketch-noting is a fun way to think about the book I was reading. I divided the chapters up so I could reflect as I read. My drawings are not perfect, but my thinking is sound. :)

Level: Middle Grades
Reading Level: 4.8
Genre: Science Fiction

Resources:
Story Map Customizable Lesson

Hernandez, J., Campoy, F. I., & Ada, A. F. (2017). The dragon slayer : Folktales from Latin America. TOON Books.

Overview: The Dragon Slayer is a collection of 3 folktales from Latin America. The stories are told in graphic novel format. Latino culture celebrates strong women which is portrayed in these two of the three folktales in this book. The Dragon Slayer is about the beautiful daughter whose sisters are jealous and get her kicked out of her house. She has to find her way and she does.  Martina Martinez and Perez the Mouse is a girl who is looking for a husband. She finds Perez the Mouse. He does all the cleaning for her and one day he falls into a pot of soup. Martina does not know what to do. Thank goodness their is a wise old lady who can help. Tup and the Ants is the last story. Tup is lazy and his father-in-law does not think highly of him. He and his three brothers are sent out by their father-in-law to clear land. Tup meets some Ants. They make an arrangement, Tup will give the Ants his food if they clear the land. Then they make another arrangement the next day with planting seed. Tup's brothers do not fair so well. Tup comes up on top and shocks everyone. Brains can out wit muscle every time.

Level: 2-6 grades
Reading Level: 3.2
Genre: Graphic Novel and Folktales 

Resources:
Publishers Website
School Library Journal Book Review

Saving Winslow and Game Changers

Texas Bluebonnets 2019

Creech, S. (2018). Saving Winslow : A novel. New York, NY: Joanna Cotler Books, an imprint of HarperCollins.

Overview: A sweet story about a boy and donkey. Louie has not had very much success with living things. They usually die when he tries to help them. His uncle has a farm and his dad brings home a brand new baby donkey one night. Everyone thought Winslow would not make it. Louie was determined to help Winslow. He sought out supplies and attended to Winslow with such dedication.

Level: Middle Grades
Reading Level: 4.1
Genre: Realistic Fiction or Animal Fiction

Resources:
Lesson Plan Ideas
Author's Blog
Author's Website

Cline-Ransome, L., & Ransome, J. (2018). Game changers : The story of Venus and Serena Williams. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Overview: Venus and Serena Williams are champion tennis players. This biography talks about their childhood and beginning careers. They have had to face racial discrimination throughout their careers in an all white sport. They grew up in Compton in Los Angeles County. The girls faced gang gun fire and low quality facilities. With their family support and dedication they won their success.

Level: ElementaryReading Level: 5.7Reading Level: Genre: Biography

Resources:
Lesson Plan Idea

First Year of Librarianship Complete

Hello! I just completed my first year as a Librarian. What a year of learning! So many tasks to juggle, which explains my break from blogging about books. I did not drop reading books, but had to take a break from sharing. Well that break is over, it is my first day of summer. Time to rest, relax and read.

My summer reading goals:
1. Read the 2019 Texas Bluebonnets
2. Read professional books about inquiry and maker-space.
3. Read professional books about sketch-noting.
4. Make my library 3-5 year plan.

Looks like a summer of learning!