Scientists in the Field - and in the Learning Commons!

The last project 4th graders did before summer vacation helped them practice several crucial skills they would need for middle school: cooperating in a group, comprehending nonfiction, and paraphrasing information in one's own words.

They took books from the fantastic Scientists in the Field series that shows the exciting work real-life scientists do, and adapted them for younger readers.

Working in groups of 3, 4th graders took on the roles of author, illustrator and editor. Together each group chose a book and read it, took notes, determined the most important facts to convey, coordinated text with illustrations, and produced lovely books that we spiral bound and gave to Mr. Hollinger to keep in the science room as a resource! 

Understanding nonfiction requires readers to notice details, make connections and exert sustained attention in a different way than fiction reading does. Sometimes avid fiction readers struggle with the transition to middle school-level nonfiction reading expectations. This new site, The Nonfiction Minute, is a fun and stimulating way to expose your student to more nonfiction, support their comprehension skills and whet their appetite for nonfiction reading.

One of the site's founders is David Schwartz, the math and science author who entertained us last year! Another is Roxie Munro, creator of many clever, interactive books and apps; her Ecomazes, very popular with our students, was a Smithsonian "Best Science Book" pick!

Here are some more samples of the great work our 4th graders produced:

Front cover

Back cover!

September book presentation for 5th grade: nonfiction

Welcome back to school!

This month 5th graders will be reading a nonfiction book for their monthly book presentation for Ms. Russell's class. Qualifying books will have more than 40 pages that are primarily text, and will not be biographies (biographies are coming up later). Science books must have been published during or after 2007. No duplication is allowed (each 5th grader must select a unique title). Ms. Simeon or Ms. Russell may approve your book choices.Books need to be selected by Monday, September 17th.

Students may stop by the library learning commons at any time to select an appropriate book from the 5th grade “genre of the month” shelf. If you prefer to borrow books from the public library instead, check out some recommended authors and websites below to get ideas. Make sure you evaluate all titles in terms of age appropriateness as well as whether they meet the parameters Ms. Russell has set!

Suggested authors:
Rhoda Blumberg
Russell Freedman
Sy Montgomery (please note that she writes for both adults and young people)

Suggested websites:
Classic Non-fiction from the TeenZone at KCLSThe Sibert Medal, an award for exceptional non-fiction given by the American Library Association (which also gives out the Caldecott & Newbery Medals)Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12 offers detailed annotated lists for those who enjoy science.The Cooperative Children's Book Center has numerous reading lists, many of which focus on non-fiction. Select first by grade level, then by topic.

Nonfiction book presentation for 5th grade

Welcome back to school!

This month 5th graders will be reading a nonfiction book for their monthly book presentation for Ms. Russell's class. Qualifying books will have more than 40 pages that are primarily text, and will not be biographies. Science books must have been published during or after 2006. No duplication is allowed (each 5th grader must select a unique title).

Books need to be selected by Monday, September 19th.

Students may stop by the library learning commons to select an appropriate book from the 5th grade “genre of the month” shelf. If you prefer to borrow books from the public library instead, you can check out some recommended authors and websites below. Make sure you evaluate all titles in terms of age appropriateness as well as whether they meet the parameters Ms. Russell has set.

Suggested authors:
Rhoda Blumberg
Russell Freedman
Sy Montgomery (please note that she writes for both adults and young people)

Suggested websites:
Classic Non-fiction from the TeenZone at KCLS

The Sibert Medal, an award for exceptional non-fiction given by the American Library Association (which also gives out the Caldecott & Newbery Medals)

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12 offers detailed annotated lists for those who enjoy science.

The Cooperative Children's Book Center has numerous reading lists, many of which focus on non-fiction. Select first by grade level, then by topic.

What's going on in 2nd and 3rd grades?

Recently 2nd and 3rd grades have been enjoying books about individuals who struggled to overcome hardship in pursuit of their dreams. Most of the books we've been reading have been biographies - a genre which has come a long, long way since the rather dry books many of us parents and teachers remember reading as kids!

These days there are captivating, richly illustrated biographies of individuals both famous and not-so-famous. One thing their stories all have in common is persistence in the face of what can seem like insurmountable odds!

Students were fascinated to learn about Billy Wong, the Arizona-born son of Chinese immigrants who became El Chino, a famous bullfighter in Spain. Noted Japanese American author and artist, Allen Say, writes that Wong's "search for self-identity became the inspirational force for the story."

This was a theme at work in the story of Wilma Rudolph as well. Wilma Unlimited by Kathleen Krull tells the remarkable tale of her triumph over debilitating diseases to become one of the greatest athletes of her time.

The public library's biography reading lists for kids and teens will help you find more great books to enjoy at home!

Non-fiction reading list for 5th grade

In January, 5th graders will be doing a report on a non-fiction book for Ms. Russell. If you're having difficulty finding something to read, check out the following authors, some of my favorite writers of non-fiction for young people:

Rhoda Blumberg
Russell Freedman
Sy Montgomery

Also take a look at the Sibert Medal, an award for exceptional non-fiction given by the American Library Association (which also gives out the Caldecott & Newbery Medals).

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12 offers detailed annotated lists for those who enjoy science.

Books for Boys (which is also great for girls, of course!) has a section with books organized by subject - just be careful, because some of these are fiction!

The Cooperative Children's Book Center has numerous reading lists, many of which focus on non-fiction. Select first by grade level, then by topic.

Fascinating Lives

Some children are perpetually drawn to fiction while others are diehard non-fiction fans. Biographies can form a great bridge between the two since they tell a story, but one based on fact. These days there are more wonderful biographies available than ever before on a wider range of individuals than in the past. No longer must children slog through dry texts about a few hallowed individuals who come across as remote and super-human. Young people today can read about ordinary people as well as learning about the human side of well-known names from history.

Currently 2nd and 3rd graders at Open Window are in the middle of a biography unit. We are focusing primarily on people from around the world whom students are not likely to have heard of. These books have led to some interesting discussions as we reflect on what we can learn from each person’s life.

One common thread that emerges from many stories is persistence and risk-taking in the face of adversity. From John Stetson’s great creativity brought to life in Boss of the Plains: The Hat That Won the West by Laurie Carlson to the fascinating story of Sephardic Jews who intermarried with Gullah Islanders described in Always an Olivia: A Remarkable Family History by Carolivia Herron, students have remarked on the ways in which people hold fast to their dreams and do not let setbacks overwhelm them. Perhaps this was best summed up in Honda: The Boy Who Dreamed of Cars by Mark Weston, which quotes Soichiro Honda as saying “I have always had a stronger interest in the work than the money.”

Some great biographies that we did not have time to read include:

• The Boy on Fairfield Street by Kathleen Krull
• Hidden Child by Isaac Millman
• Mansa Musa: The Lion of Mali by Khephra Burns
• She Touched the World: Laura Bridgman, Deaf-Blind Pioneer by Sally Hobart Alexander
• Stand Tall, Abe Lincoln by Judith St. George
• Traveling Man: The Journey of Ibn Battuta 1325-1354 by James Rumford
• Wise Guy: The Life and Philosophy of Socrates by M. D. Usher

You Wouldn't Want To Be... Without These Books!

The You Wouldn't Want To Be series makes history into something a bit more fun than you might remember from your school days. Certainly they're more interesting than anything I was given as a child. I was firmly convinced - until age 16 or so, when a wonderful teacher convinced me otherwise - that history was dreadfully boring. If only they'd had a series like this!

Aimed at grades 3-6, this series, which takes the reader through some of history's most dangerous, difficult and just plain gross episodes, is good enough to be used as part of the standard history curriculum in many British primary schools. Yet it is appealing enough - with plenty of colorful cartoon-style art and humor - that my students clamor to read them just for fun.

Check them out at your local public library and find out why you too wouldn't want to be a polar explorer, a Victorian servant, a crusader, a builder on the Great Wall of China, and (as they say) much, much more!