Book Review: Moccasin Trail

Last semester I took a children's literature class, and really enjoyed it.  One of the resources our professor gave us was a book review sheet to use for every book we read.  As I come across a book that I enjoy, I'll post my review of it, and hopefully it will be helpful for other teachers.

Author: Eloise Jarvis McGraw                                    

Publisher:  Penguin Books (Puffin Books)

Copyright date: 186      

number of pages: 247           

Literary Genre historical fiction

Age/age of reader 3/4^th   

Newbery Honor award

Summary:

 Caucasian young man was taken in by the Crow tribe after being mauled by a bear.  Years later, he got a desperate letter from his blood brother, and went to help his family.  In the process, he had to learn to orient himself to the white culture.

My opinion of the book: I like.  Has use of magic, references to medicine dreams and other Indian beliefs.  Fairly portrays both cultural sides.

Element(s) of literature Characterization, plot, climax, climactic build

Theme/Life Lesson Learned in this book: One doesn't have to be separated to be independent.  Family matters, race doesn't.  Can't run from problems.

Thematic Unit Topics­­­  Indians, Oregon Trail, settling in Oregon, bears, hunting, trapping

Possible objections to this book: Some might feel that there is racism or sexism in the book, however, that is one of the primary focuses/lessons learned from the story.

Book review: Hero over here

Last semester I took a children's literature class, and really enjoyed it.  One of the resources our professor gave us was a book review sheet to use for every book we read.  As I come across a book that I enjoy, I'll post my review of it, and hopefully it will be helpful for other teachers.

    

 Author: Kathleen V. Kudlinski

Illustrator Bert Dodson

Publisher: Viking Penguin/Penguin Books

Copyright date 1990 

number of pages  54

Literary Genre Historical Fiction

Age/age of reader 3-4th grade     

Summary of the book

Ted's brother goes away to war, and he's left home with mom and sister.  Both come down with influenza, and he has to take care of them.  War ends, dad and brother come home.

Your opinion of the book:

I ran across this one as a kid in our family library, and found it very informative and interesting.  It's a good story about a time in history that we don't hear much about.

Element(s) of literature: plot, characterization, setting, chapter novel

Theme/Life Lesson Learned in this book: Sometimes heroes do small things.

Thematic Unit Topics: Spanish flu, WWI, Girl scouts 

Possible activity for this book:   children must need to read the book in order to do the activity 

Write a letter from Ted to his brother describing what is happening at home.

Book Review: Anne of Green Gables

Last semester I took a children's literature class, and really enjoyed it.  One of the resources our professor gave us was a book review sheet to use for every book we read.  As I come across a book that I enjoy, I'll post my review of it, and hopefully it will be helpful for other teachers.

Author: L.M. Montgomery

Illustrator: Joseph Miralles                                    

Publisher:  Baronet Books by Playmore Inc

Copyright date: 1995      

number of pages: 237           

Literary Genre fiction

Age/age of reader 4^th   

Summary:

 An orphan girl moves in with an older man and woman who have very stringent rules.  She tries hard to obey, and goes to school and church.  This story follows her through childhood and adolescence without going into boorish details.

My opinion of the book: Fun book. Definitely tries to be realistic fiction, and succeeds in some ways.

Element(s) of literature Characterization, plot,

Theme/Life Lesson Learned in this book: Learn to control your temper and impulses. Don’t judge people by their looks. Be grateful for what you have and learn to forgive. Use your imagination.

Thematic Unit Topics­­­  Girls, growing up, orphans, imagination, school, church, red hair

Possible objections to this book: Strict parenting and church seemed to have worked on Anne.

Fellow Christian book bloggers!

http://www.redeemedreader.com/category/book-reviews/

sry gotta bail mayb nxt tme-the bad side of technology

The New York Times published an article Friday about some of the negative uses of technology (specifically texting) in terms of etiquette.  People now feel free to cancel at the very last minute, or show up half an hour late.  This is definitely an interesting read, and something that educators who use technology need to think through.  You can read the article here.

Intelligent design and cells

Considering intelligent design is a big hot button in education, this post and video link from Justin Taylor is especially important for educators:

In November 2011 Dr. Stephen Meyer gave the inaugural lecture for The Centre for Intelligent Design (c4id) before a distinguished group of British political, cultural, and intellectual leaders in London. The theme was on his book, Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design (HarperOne, 2009). He explains the problem of the origin of life and shows how the existence of biological information gives scientific evidence for intelligent design (ID).
The last 10 minutes or so contains some Q & A.

Tricks for writers (and teachers)

This is not just for writers, but for teachers who are teaching writing:

The list from Roy Peter Clark’s book, Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer:
I. Nuts and Bolts

1. Begin sentences with subjects and verbs.
Make meaning early, then let weaker elements branch to the right.
2. Order words for emphasis.
Place strong words at the beginning and at the end.
3. Activate your verbs.

Strong verbs create action, save words, and reveal the players.
4. Be passive-aggressive.
Use passive verbs to showcase the “victim” of action.
5. Watch those adverbs. 
Use them to change the meaning of the verb.

6. Take it easy on the -ings.
Prefer the simple present or past.
7. Fear not the long sentence.
Take the reader on a journey of language and meaning.
8. Establish a pattern, then give it a twist.
Build parallel constructions, but cut across the grain.
9. Let punctuation control pace and space.
Learn the rules, but realize you have more options than you think.
10. Cut big, then small.
Prune the big limbs, then shake out the dead leaves.

II. Special Effects

11. Prefer the simple over the technical.
Use shorter words, sentences, and paragraphs at points of complexity.
12. Give key words their space.
Do not repeat a distinctive word unless you intend a specific effect.
13. Play with words, even in serious stories.
Choose words the average writer avoids but the average reader understands.
14. Get the name of the dog.

Dig for the concrete and specific, details that appeal to the senses.
15. Pay attention to names.
Interesting names attract the writer—and the reader.
16. Seek original images.
Reject cliches and first-level creativity.
17. Riff on the creative language of others.
Make word lists, free-associate, be surprised by language.
18. Set the pace with sentence length.
Vary sentences to influence the reader’s speed.
19. Vary the lengths of paragraphs.
Go short or long — or make a “turn”- to match your intent.
20. Choose the number of elements with a purpose in mind.
One, two, three, or four: Each sends a secret message to the reader.
21. Know when to back off and when to show off.
When the topic is most serious, understate; when least serious, exaggerate.
22. Climb up and down the ladder of abstraction.
Learn when to show, when to tell, and when to do both.
23. Tune your voice.
Read drafts aloud.

III. Blueprints

24. Work from a plan.
Index the big parts of your work.
25. Learn the difference between reports and stories.
Use one to render information, the other to render experience.
26. Use dialogue as a form of action.
Dialogue advances narrative; quotes delay it.
27. Reveal traits of character.
Show characteristics through scenes, details, and dialogue.

28. Put odd and interesting things next to each other.
Help the reader learn from contrast.
29. Foreshadow dramatic events or powerful conclusions.
Plant important clues early.
30. To generate suspense, use internal cliffhangers.
To propel readers, make them wait.
31. Build your work around a key question.
Good stories need an engine, a question the action answers for the reader.
32. Place gold coins along the path.
Reward the reader with high points, especially in the middle.
33. Repeat, repeat, repeat.
Purposeful repetition links the parts.
34. Write from different cinematic angles.
Turn your notebook into a “camera.”
35. Report and write for scenes.
Then align them in a meaningful sequence.
36. Mix narrative modes.
Combine story forms using the “broken line.”
37. In short pieces of writing, don’t waste a syllable.
Shape shorter works with wit and polish.
38. Prefer archetypes to stereotypes.
Use subtle symbols, not crashing cymbals.
39. Write toward an ending.
Help readers close the circle of meaning.

IV. Useful Habits

40. Draft a mission statement for your work.
To sharpen your learning, write about your writing.
41. Turn procrastination into rehearsal.
Plan and write it first in your head.
42. Do your homework well in advance.
Prepare for the expected — and unexpected.
43. Read for both form and content.
Examine the machinery beneath the text.
44. Save string.
For big projects, save scraps others would toss.
45. Break long projects into parts.
Then assemble the pieces into something whole.
46. Take interest in all crafts that support your work.
To do your best, help others do their best.
47. Recruit your own support group.
Create a corps of helpers for feedback.
48. Limit self-criticism in early drafts.
Turn it loose during revision.
49. Learn from your critics.
Tolerate even unreasonable criticism.
50. Own the tools of your craft.
Build a writing workbench to store your tools.

 From http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/

Tolkien and the ring

For Tolkien fans, here is an interesting post about the corrupting powers of the ring:

Ralph Wood, author of The Gospel According to Tolkien: Visions of the Kingdom in Middle-earth, identifies the three corrupting features associated with the ring:

(1) Power to overcome death—thus granting unending physical life.

Perhaps the chief idolatry of our time, the worship of health and longevity, whereas the naturally immortal elves, while understanding the full cosmic process, also envy men for their great blessing of death.

(2) Power to become invisible—thus granting magical disappearance.

Hence the ability to acquire goods without effort, whereas everything worth having is meant to be acquired slowly, not quickly and easily. Yet evil has a shadowy, unreal existence, lacking any creative power, able only to pervert our virtues and to destroy the good. It has no imaginative sympathy, only the flat, unpenetrating eye of Sauron.

(3) Power to coerce the will of others—making evil horribly addictive because it is not merely seductive but also bullying—as when Frodo’s will is finally overwhelmed in the end.

This is exactly the doctrine of Original Sin as a one-way street that cannot be cured by our own effort, but that can be healed only by a transcendent and redemptive power beyond it.

For those who are interested, the latest Christian contribution to the literature of Tolkieniana is Louis Markos’ On the Shoulders of Hobbits: The Road to Virtue with Tolkien and Lewis.

Reposted from Justin Taylor.

Free books and magazines

In case you weren't aware, Google has a webpage of free books and magazines.  Google Books

So they don't have best-sellers.  Oh well, it's free.  Speaking of best sellers:

New York Times best seller list, week of Oct 21st

Book Review: Naya Nuki

Author: Kenneth Thomasma

Title: Naya Nuki

Illustrator: Eunice Hundley

Publisher: Baker/Grandview

Copyright date: 1983

number of pages: 175

genre: Historical fiction

age of reader: 3rd grade

narrative text or informative text? narrative (fiction) text

Summary of book: Sacagewea's close friend is kidnapped by enemy tribe.  She travels back to her own tribe and is reunited with family and Sacagawea.

Elements of literature: plot, climax, characterization, conflict, place/time setting, flashback

Thematic unit topics: American Indians, Sacagawea, Shoshoni, outdoor survival

possible objections to book: The white men sold Sacagawea's tribe's Indian enemies guns.  This trading is cast in bad light.  Naya stole some buffalo skins for her trip home.

Focus on the Family has done a review of the book themselves: Naya Nuki

To buy the book: Amazon

Early Christmas gift ideas

Need gift ideas for that wonderful person in your life who is a bookworm and enjoys biography?  This post has 17 books that you may want to look at: Biographies for women (and men) in your life

Getting your kids to talk

Michael Kelley:

“Fine.”

Sometimes I wonder if that’s the response that Adam got from Cain when he asked him throughout his life, “So how was your day, son?” I can almost see in my mind Abraham, at over 100 years old, walking into the tent, laying down his cane, and saying the same thing to Isaac, “So, my boy, my great hope, my promise from God… How was your day?”

“Fine.”

It’s the tried and true answer that kids give when they don’t really want to talk about how their day was; something to get their parents off their back so they can go back to the Wii, or the coloring, or the whatever. It’s also the answer that simultaneously infuriates and saddens moms and dads who want to have real interaction with their children that they haven’t seen sometimes for several hours.

I don’t like the answer. I’m not okay with the answer. There has to be more to it than that. In the answer, I feel the waning influence over my children; the reality that over time I will become less and less the main influence in their lives is acutely apparent. We’ve got to push passed the mere “fine” and into the details. But how do you do so with patience and love? Here are a couple of hints that seem to be effective (at least 10% of the time) with our kids who are now age 8, 5, and 2.

1. Show respect.

I know how I would feel if I were involved in something and somebody suddenly demanded to have an in depth conversation about something entirely different. It’s a way of showing our respect to our kids to pick the right moment. Let them finish the game. Let them finish their picture. Then make your move. The tendency, though, is that as the day gets later and later, the time for conversation gets shorter and shorter and pretty soon the opportunity is gone. That leads us to number 2:

2. Establish a regular time and place.

For us, this is the dinner table. Over time, and it doesn’t and hasn’t happened over night, our kids know that we expect genuine conversation over dinner. There’s no TV on; no books or phones or toys allowed at the table. Just us. It’s sometimes a battle to pry open their mouths and hearts, but the pattern has developed. But don’t just be satisfied with asking, “How was your day?” Go the extra step in opening up the communication…

3. Get creative.

“How was your day?” is a fine question; it’s just pretty bland. Try to get a little creative. Often, we will play “Two Truths and a Lie” at the table, where the kids have to share 2 truths and 1 lie about their day. The rest of the family has to guess what the lie is. This is more effective with the 8 year old than the 2 year old; but we still celebrate when the 2 year old can articulate 3 things about his day. Another way to get creative is to just spice up the question a little bit:

“Tell me something unusual that happened today.”

“What was the most amazing thing that happened at kindergarten today?”

“Complete this sentence: My day would have been more exciting if…” This last one is pretty fun; the last time we asked this question we found out that 2nd grade would have been more exciting if a herd of zebras had invaded the lunch room. Indeed it would. But that led us down the road of discussing math, playground games, and other stuff.

4. Be specific.

Instead of the general question, ask about specific relationships. Ask about tests. Ask about what you talked about the previous night. We want to show our kids not only that we care, but that we actually remember. But to do that, we have to listen, and then bring up what’s been talked about before. Which is, in truth, easier said than done, especially since I at least am already preoccupied with how my own day went.

5. Have fun.

Sometimes the day really was just fine. That’s fine, even if I don’t want it to be. But it’s during those “fine” times when you can branch out and talk about upcoming family events, vacations, and other stuff.

In the end, though, the whole conversation is about reminding the kids that their first outlet can and should be their parents. Just as our first outlet is our Father, who always listens and cares.

Why the South was wrong

From Justin Taylor:

I have been enjoying Allen Guelzo’s new book Fateful Lightning: A New History of the Civil War and Reconstruction (Oxford University Press, 2012).
The book’s description gives a nice overview of its distinctiveness: “In Fateful Lightning, two-time Lincoln Prize-winning historian Allen C. Guelzo offers a marvelous portrait of the Civil War and its era, covering not only the major figures and epic battles, but also politics, religion, gender, race, diplomacy, and technology. And unlike other surveys of the Civil War era, it extends the reader’s vista to include the postwar Reconstruction period and discusses the modern-day legacy of the Civil War in American literature and popular culture. Guelzo also puts the conflict in a global perspective, underscoring Americans’ acute sense of the vulnerability of their republic in a world of monarchies. He examines the strategy, the tactics, and especially the logistics of the Civil War and brings the most recent historical thinking to bear on emancipation, the presidency and the war powers, the blockade and international law, and the role of intellectuals, North and South.”
On his Thinking in Public podcast, Albert Mohler had a good conversation with Guelzo. You can read the transcript or listen to the audio.
Here was an interesting exchange from their conversation on whether or not the South or the North had better arguments (apart from slavery) regarding the relationship between state rights and federalism.

**********************************************************

Mohler: Who had the better argument in that particular debate? Not in terms of what the preferred outcome might have been in terms of the war and its aftermath, but just in terms of the argument about the essence of the American system of a republican government going back to the early nineteenth century into the early constitutional era. Did the Southerners have the better argument or did the North?

Guelzo: I don’t think the southerners did. I think that the American union as a federation of states was intended to be equipoise between entirely sovereign entities and an entirely centralized homogenous government. The idea being that the states were one more example of a system of checks and balances that were worked into the constitution. A check and a balance is supposed to be existing in relationship with another entity, which in this case was to be the federal government. It was not supposed to be something that led to the very destruction and break-up of the government, and I think that is illustrated in a number of ways in the constitution itself.

One is that the constitution contains no reversion clause. There is no description within the constitution about what to do in case of disaster, catastrophe, or flood or something else. There is no little glass to break marked, “Secession: This is how you terminate the constitution.” It is just not there.

The other thing that is in the very warp and woof of the constitution is the way that the powers of the states are described with relationship to the federal government in Article 1, Section 10, in which the states, the constitution makes very clear, do not have the power to coin money, the power to keep permanent standing armies and navies, to conduct diplomatic relations. By the time you get down to the end of that list, we are not talking about the kind of sovereignty residing in the states, that is the same kind of sovereignty that an independent country has where a member of an existing state has, coming into a federation with others. It was a very different kind of federation than let’s say, the European Union today.
Now, beyond that, there are at least two other considerations that mitigate against the southerner’s argument.

One is the fact that the federal government itself, while it was composed in 1787 of representatives of various states, most of the states that were in existence at the time of the Civil War, had in fact been creations of the federal government. In other words, they were the states carved out of western territories that had been acquired by the United States. Those states didn’t have a prior independent existence, so to claim that they had in fact a level of sovereignty that permitted them to become independent was really begging most of the question that was involved in the secession.

Then the other thing was the practical sense that, suppose the southerners did secede. Where would they go exactly? There would still be southerners looking across the Ohio River at northerners or across the Potomac River, and what would be the result of that? Well, they would beggar each other through trade wars, and up and down the Mississippi, there would be trade wars even more violent. If that was the case, then why? Why secede at all? Because you would only be making yourself poorer in the process. There was no practical way that southerners could simply take their bat and ball and go someplace else.

Connecting boys with books

A couple of weeks ago in one of my classes, we discussed how it is often difficult to get boys to sit down and read.  Many times, they just want to be up and moving around.  Our teacher posted a resource for us with lists of books by genre that boys enjoy. We have it in document form, but I searched online and found what looks to be exactly what we were given:  Books for boys

Another interesting article is about a survey done by the National Endowment of Arts: Why Johnny won't read

Book Review: In the year of the boar and Jackie Robinson

Last semester I took a children's literature class, and really enjoyed it.  One of the resources our professor gave us was a book review sheet to use for every book we read.  As I come across a book that I enjoy, I'll post my review of it, and hopefully it will be helpful for other teachers.

Author: Bette Bao Lord

Title: In the year of the boar and Jackie Robinson

Illustrator: Marc Simont

Publisher: Harper Trophy

Publishing year: 1984

number of pages: 169

genre: Historical fiction

narrative text or informative text? narrative

Summary: A Chinese girl moves to New York, experiences culture shock and then learns about baseball-her new favorite sport

My opinion of the book: Very true to the experience of going from one's native culture to another.  A good book to use when discussing the experience of immigrants, and hopefully help the native American students be more understanding.

Elements of literature: characterization

Theme/Lesson learned in this book: Adjusting to a new culture is hard and often a time of lonliness.

Thematic Unit topics: baseball, Chinese American, culture shock, immigrants, Jackie Robinson

possible objections to this book: Seems every time race or ethnicity is a heavy theme, people tend to point fingers and call 'racist'.

You can buy this book on Amazon.

ALA and Banned Book Week

This week has been proclaimed Banned Books Week by the American Library Association, and is a week that they encourage readers to ignore concerns and challenges raised against some titles, and read them anyways.

Here is a list of banned books:

 Brannen, Sarah. UNCLE BOBBY’S WEDDING. Putnam, 2008.
Butler, Dori Hillestad. MY MOM’S HAVING A BABY. Albert Whitman, 2005.
Richardson, Justin. AND TANGO MAKES THREE. Simon & Schuster, 2005.

Fiction
 Alexie, Sherman. THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN. Thorndike Press, 2009.
 Anderson, Laurie Halse. SPEAK. Farrar Straus Giroux, 1999.
 Avi. THE FIGHTING GROUND. Harper, 2008.
 Brashares, Ann. FOREVER IN BLUE: THE FOURTH SUMMER OF THE SISTERHOOD. Delacorte, 2007.
 Colfer, Eoin, THE SUPER-NATURALIST. Hyperion, 2004.
Collier, James Lincoln, and Christopher Collier. MY BROTHER SAM IS DEAD. Scholastic, 2009.
 Collins, Suzanne. THE HUNGER GAMES. Scholastic, 2008.
 Cormier, Robert. THE CHOCOLATE WAR. Knopf, 1974.
 Crutcher, Chris. STAYING FAT FOR SARAH BYRNES. Greenwillow, 1993.
 Friend, Natasha. LUSH. Scholastic, 2006.
 Anonymous. GO ASK ALICE. Prentice-Hall, 1971.
 Green, John. LOOKING FOR ALASKA. Dutton, 2005.
 Grove, Vicki. THE STARPLACE. Putnam, 1999.
Halpern, Julie. GET WELL SOON. Feiwel, 2007.
 Hartinger, Brent. THE GEOGRAPHY CLUB. Harper, 2009.
 Horowitz, Anthony. SNAKEHEAD. Philomel, 2007.
 LaCour, Nina. HOLD STILL. Dutton, 2009.
 Lee, Harper. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. Lippincott, 1960.
Mackler, Carolyn. THE EARTH, MY BUTT, AND OTHER BIG ROUND THINGS. Candlewick, 2003.
 Mackler, Carolyn. VEGAN VIRGIN VALENTINE. Candlewick, 2004.
 Mackler, Carolyn. TANGLED. HarperTeen, 2010.
 McKissack, Frederick, Jr. SHOOTING STAR. Atheneum, 2009.
 Meyer, Stephenie H. BREAKING DAWN. Little Brown, 2008.
 Meyer, Stephenie H. ECLIPSE. Little Brown, 2007.
 Meyer, Stephenie H. NEW MOON. Little Brown, 2006.
 Meyer, Stephenie H. TWILIGHT. Little Brown, 2005.
 Myers, Walter Dean. FALLEN ANGELS. Scholastic, 1988.
 Myers, Walter Dean. HOOPS. Dell, 2009.
 Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. ALICE ON HER WAY. Atheneum, 1991.
 Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. LOVINGLY ALICE. Atheneum, 2004.

Nixon, Joan Lowery. WHISPERS FROM THE DEAD. Delacorte, 1989.

Picoult, Jodi. MY SISTER’S KEEPER: A NOVEL. Washington Square Press, 2004.

Plum-Ucci, Carol. THE BODY OF CHRISTOPHER CREED. Harcourt, 2000.

 Pullman, Philip. THE GOLDEN COMPASS. Knopf, 1996.

Rennison, Louise. ANGUS, THONGS AND FULL-FRONTAL SNOGGING: CONFESSIONS OF GEORGIA NICOLSON. HarperCollins, 2008.

 Salinger, J.D. THE CATCHER IN THE RYE. Little Brown, 1951.

Sones, Sonya. ONE OF THOSE HIDEOUS BOOKS WHERE THE MOTHER DIES. Simon & 

Schuster, 2004.

 Sones, Sonya. WHAT MY MOTHER DOESN’T KNOW. Simon & Schuster, 2001.

 Stroud, Jonathon. THE AMULET OF SAMARKAND. Hyperion, 2005.

 Taylor, Mildred D. THE LAND. Fogelman, 2001.

 Twain, Mark. THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN. Bantam, 2009. 

I can understand why many of these books have been banned, since many of them are explicit and overly graphic.  However, I do have to object to having Huck Finn on that list.  Huck Finn is simply classic, and the use of the word "nigger" should not disqualify it from reading.  I do think teachers have to exercise discernment and filter out some of the books out there that are not worth reading.  Children need to read good books to learn to become good writers.  

Here's the website for the Banned Book Week. 

CNN and technology

I've been taking a class in which we learn about and discuss the uses of technology in the classroom.  I ran across this article and thought it interesting: CNN

TED talk: Sir Ken Robinson

Throughout the last few years, various professors have assigned us TED talks to watch.  I definitely don't agree with everything on TED, and I'm not entirely sure if I agree with everything these speakers promote.  I do think though that they have good points to make and that we should think about the issues they raise.

Treasures of which people have not heard!

There are sometimes wonderful little books that I run across and most people never hear about.  So I'm going to change that today. :)  These are all about a third or fourth grade reading level.

The Story of The Monitor and The Merrimac; I read this one in a matter of two hours this weekend and found it quite enjoyable.  I wasn't aware that the first iron steamers were used in the American Civil War in the 1860's.  Apparently, the Southern Confederates made one, and the Northern Yankees made one.  This is the story of the battle in which they faced off.  I'll let you read it to see who won that battle.

Shoes for Everyone; Apparently a free African American gentleman named Jan Matzeliger actually came up with a machine that allowed for mass production of shoes in 1883.  This is the story of how he came up with this machine, and is a biography of Jan Matzeliger. 

The story of Thomas Alva Edison; Another biography which is published by Scholastic.  An enjoyable book, definitely narrative, easily readable in an hour or two.  A good book to use when discussing inventions, Edison or the 1800's.

William Wilberforce, God's Politician; Wilberforce has become popular in American since the release of the movie "Amazing Grace" (which I highly recommend!)  This is a good book for readers who already enjoy reading.  It doesn't have any pictures within the actual text, and is written in an informative style.  I found it helpful that there are citations and an annotated bibliography in the back.  There are also discussion questions after every chapter which are useful for parents and teachers who are looking to have a discussion on what the children are reading.

Children's books and phonics online

I'm not a huge fan of books on the computer.  I personally still like the physical book with the musty smell, but for our friends who don't mind books on a screen, here are some websites at which you may want to take a peek:

Reading games from PBS Kids
10 websites for reading children's stories online

Children's books and some phonics also

Phonics games and free children's books online

Children's story books online

Book review: The Song of the King

Last semester I took a children's literature class, and really enjoyed it.  One of the resources our professor gave us was a book review sheet to use for every book we read.  As I come across a book that I enjoy, I'll post my review of it, and hopefully it will be helpful for other teachers.

Author: Max Lucado

Book Title: Song of the King

Illustrator: Toni Goffe

Publisher: Crossway Books

Copyright date: 1995

number of pages: 29

Literary Genre: Fantasy

Age of reader: 1st-2nd grade

Narrative (fiction) or informative (non-fiction)? Fiction-narrative

Book awards? Nope.

Summary in 3 sentences or less: Three knights go on a journey through dangerous woods to see who will marry the princess.

My opinion of the book: Favorite children's book of all time!

Elements of literature: plot, characterization, setting

Theme/life lesson learned: listen to the sound of The King, choose your life companions wisely

Thematic unit topics: kings, princesses, marriage, knights, flutes, dangerous creatures, woods

possible objections to book: highly metaphorical with religious lessons

You can buy this book at: Amazon

Language arts teacher resource website

I discovered a great website for language arts teachers! This website is maintained by a governmental branch of the department of education, and has lots of helpful resources and ideas.

Language arts resources

100 children's books

I enjoy finding lists of children's books, and one list that I recently found is at:

100 children's books (preschool to teen)

I haven't read all the books on the list, but I recognize most of the titles and authors, and know that they are well-known and good authors. Many of these books and authors have won awards and are classics. Enjoy!

Heaven is for Real

Considering I am always on the lookout for interesting books for and about children, this book review seems like an appropriate first post.  This review comes from Tim Challies, and I found it thought provoking.  Take a peek and see what you think!  

http://www.challies.com/book-reviews/heaven-is-for-real