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!

Inside Out & Back Again

Lai, T. (2011). Inside out & back again. New York: Harper.

Overview: The story is written in verse. A powerful story about a refugee fleeing Vietnam during the end of the war. The emotions of the main character Ha are so powerful and shared so vividly through the text. This book is a great resource for teaching empathy for students who are new to America. The journey that Ha and her family take from Vietnam to Alabama is mind-blowing to a reader who has not had to live through a time of war. A great resource for libraries and ELA classes. The book would make a great read aloud with class discussions.

Level: Middle Grades
Reading Level: Lexile 800
Genre: Verse Novel, Historical Fiction

Resources:
Authors Website
Classroom Teaching Ideas from The Classroom Bookshelf
Book Club Ideas
Publishers Resources
Questions and Worksheet

Step Right Up: How Doc and Jim Key Taught the World About Kindness

Bowman, D. J. (2016). Step right up: How Doc and Jim Key taught the world about

kindness. New York: Lee & Low Books Inc.

Overview: A fantastic story about a former slave who overcame prejudice. His use of kindness toward animals is a great lesson to share with others. Doc takes in a horse that is not doing well who he nurses back to health. She has a foal that is not developed completely. Doc cares for Jim and raises him to be a strong horse. He also learned that Jim was smart and able to learn skills. Doc taught him to spell and count. Jim Key is an amazing horse.

Level: Middle Grades

Written on reading level - Lexile 910

Genre - Biography

Resources:

2018-2019 Texas Bluebonnet Nominated Book

Author’s Website

Teaching Guide from Publisher

Grandpa's Hal-La-Loo-Ya Hambone!

Hayes, J. (2016). Grandpa’s hal-la-loo-ya hambone!. El Paso, Texas: Cinco Puntos

Press.

Overview: Interesting and unique story about a hambone that was used over and over again to flavor the beans for Sunday dinner. A tall tale that exaggerates the story of flavoring beans. Grandpa sure likes the flavor and so does the other people in town. Mom shares the hambone with others. Grandpa would get an invite to the dinner the neighbors would make with the hambone. One day Grandpa went to clean up before he went to dinner at a neighbors. His teeth fell into a well. The hambone was used like a worm on a fishing line to catch the teeth. The teeth loved the hambone flavor so much they bit down right on it. Unfortunately when the teeth were pried off the bone the bone fell in the well. From that day forward people fetched their water to boil beans with from the well because of the hambone flavor. Great story to study tall tales.

Level: Middle Grades

Written on reading level - Lexile 790

Genre - Tall Tale - Everybody Book

Resources:

2018-2019 Texas Bluebonnet Nominated Book

Publishers Website

Bravo! Poems About Amazing Hispanics

Engle, M. (2017). Bravo! Poems about amazing Hispanics. New York: Godwin Books.

Overview: A wonderful collection of poems about influential Hispanics in history. The book opens the opportunity for a reader to want to learn more about the person in the poem. A great mix of men, and women from a variety of Hispanic countries. The book starts in 1713 and goes through 1984. Plus in the back of the book is additional men and women. Engle gives additional notes about the people she wrote poems about. A great book to add to the library collection for Hispanic Heritage Month.

Level: Middle Grades

Written on reading level - Lexile 1150

Genre - Biography

Resources:

2018-2019 Texas Bluebonnet Nominated Book

Author’s Website

TeachingBooks.net Resources

How to Avoid Extinction

Acampora, P. (2016). How to avoid extinction. New York: Scholastic Press.

Overview: Leo is a simple boy who is responsible to keep up with where his gram has disappeared. His grandfather past away almost a year before. His mother works and is super busy trying to provide for his small family. His Gram usually turns up at the doughnut place near their house when she goes missing. One day he finds her and she is looking at a map of Utah. She wants to drive there to see the allosaurus. His cousin Abbey loves dinosaurs and encourages Gram to go on the adventure. Gram tells Leo that she is going and he is welcome to come. So Leo decides to go on the trip to watch out for his grandmother. They stop in Chicago and see dinosaurs. They meet Honey who loves dinosaurs as much as Abbey. They detour to Iowa to take her home. While there Gram takes off on her own and leaves them behind. Leo and Abbey have to set out to find her. They must contact Leo’s mom for help. How will their adventure end?

Level: Middle Grades

Written on reading level - Lexile 610

Genre - Realistic Fiction

Resources:

2018-2019 Texas Bluebonnet Nominated Book

Author’s Website

Publishers Page with excerpt

Chef Roy Choi and The Street Food Remix

Martin, J. B. & Lee, J. L. (2017). Chef Roy Choi and the street food remix. Bellevue,

Washington: Readers to Eaters.

Overview: Meet Chef Roy Choi a Korean chef who grew up in Los Angeles. He

worked in restaurants but became overworked and tired. He wanted to give

back to the community by serving fast food that was healthy and tasty. He started

a food truck called Kogi. He mixed all the different cultures together in his food.

Korean and Latino together to make his Kogi tacos. He is bringing goodness to all

the neighborhoods in Los Angeles that might not have the opportunities to

explore fresh ingredients.

I really like the Korean culture that is shared throughout the story. Also in the index

of the book the author and illustrator share about how they created the book. Man

One is a street artist who was sponsored my Kogi in 2009 for a solo exhibition.

The book also includes links to resources for the reader to check out if they want

to learn more.

Level: Middle Grades

Written on reading level - Lexile 710

Genre - Biography

Resources:

2018-2019 Texas Bluebonnet Nominated Book

Classroom Ideas from CLassroom Bookshelf

TIA 2018 - New Technology for the Classroom

I attended two full days of learning at TIA 2018 - Denton ISD’s technology conference. I learned so many great technology tips to use in the classroom with students from prek to middle ages. Here are some of my favorites:

GooseChase

This app is compatible with iPad and smartphones. It is not usable on Chromebooks yet. The purpose of the app is to create a scavenger like game for students to engage learning concepts. Then the students/groups play and earn points for the questions/problems they solve. The teacher is able to push out comments and feedback throughout the game and after. The free version the class can play in 5 groups and the teacher paid for versions give you more capabilities. I played during the session on my iPad.  It was fun, new and exciting! Students will love it. I am considering making an orientation game in the library by using this app.

Project Based Learning

What is it? How do you know you are doing it right? Andre Daughty presented a session on clarifying what is really is. It is not just a fun project that a kid makes and forgets about. Visit Buck Institute for Education to learn the ends and outs for your next PBL. The website has great resources to help you with your next project. I am going to try and pair up PBL’s with the maker-space this year at my school. Allowing the students to be the creators and information consumers.

Coding with Elementary Kids

Why code? Well it is a great way for kids to start to develop the skills they need for the real world. Coding can be done even with our youngest kiddos in Kinder and Pre-K. The session I went to provide a Symbaloo with links to fabulous free coding sites that can be used. If you want to try coding out with your students check out the Symbaloo and start coding.

Nearpod

A great tool to engage all students during a lesson. Create an interactive lesson at the touch of a button. Students can answer questions and share responses with the class and/or the teacher. Similar to the Pear Deck platform, but Nearpod will upload PowerPoint and other windows documents.

Thinkalong

A new product that uses resources from  PBS, NPR and other public media stations. Middle aged students through high school can learn about current events and create their views on a topic with a variety of resources. The program provides audio, visual and type resources for each topic. If you are a social studies teacher this is a resource you will want to check out. They also provide note taking graphic organizers for students to use.

Need some new Google Hacks - Check out this presentation from Frank Murray from Wichita Falls ISD. I guarantee you will learn something new. 

Stef Soto Taco Queen

Torres, J. (2017). Stef Soto taco queen. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

Overview: Stef’s father owns a food truck called Tia Perla. Stef just started middle school and feels like her parents do not trust her. She wants more independence. Her parents are first generation immigrants. They are very conservative on what they allow Stef to do. Stef is embarrassed by Tia Perla. She is made fun of by another student that makes her self conscious. Stef slowly starts to get more independence from her parents. Tia Perla is at risk of going under when the city tries to pass new rules for food trucks. She helps her dad with completely understanding the English letters. Stef’s favorite thing to do is draw and create. The art class is at risk because they are really low on supplies. The students in the art class brainstorm ideas to raise money. The kids decide on putting on a dance. Lots of teamwork is illustrated in both saving the art program and the food trucks. This book has lots of potential in the classroom. Research on food trucks could be done by students, menus for food trucks could be created in math class with word problems, advertisement posters could be made, debate over two opinions, etc...

Level: Middle Grades

Written on reading level - Lexile 780

Genre - Realistic Humor - Latino Culture

Resources:

2018-2019 Texas Bluebonnet Nominated Book

Author’s Website

Wedgie and Gizmo

Selfors, S. (2017). Wedgie and Gizmo. New York: Katherine Tegen Books.

Overview: Humorous story about an evil genius and his nemesis a dog. Gizmo is a pet rodent. His owner Elliot just moved in with a new family. Gizmo is the pet dog of his new family. The book goes back and forth between the two animals different points of view. Throughout the story the people who live in the house has dialogue that is written apart from the regular paragraph structure. This book can be used for practice dialogue with students. Struggling readers will like the book with the added pictures and visuals, plus the silliness.

Level: Middle Grades

Written on reading level - Lexile 550

Genre - Humor

Resources:

2018-2019 Texas Bluebonnet Nominated Book

Educators Guide and Videos

Garvey's Choice

Grimes, N. (2016). Garvey’s choice. Honesdale, Pennsylvania: WordSong.

Overview: The book Garvey’s Choice is a verse novel. The poem style used in the book is Tanka. Tanka is an ancient poetry from Japan. In the back of the book the author shares information about the poetry style. Each poem is like a new chapter in the book. The story tells about a boy named Garvey. He uses food to deal with his emotions. He is not what his father wants him to be. Kids at school bully him. He makes a friend named Jo that helps him feel accepted. He struggles with his relationship with his father. His father loves sports and always tries to get Garvey to participate in sports. Garvey is not an athlete. He likes Sci Fi books and music. He joins the chorus at school and really finds his niche. He does not tell his family about it, until the end. He invites them to the performance. At the end his relationship with his father changes and they discover they have music in common.

Level: Middle Grades

Written on reading level - Lexile 620

Genre - Realistic Fiction - Poetry

Resources:

2018-2019 Texas Bluebonnet Nominated Book

Educators Guide

Author’s Website