The Great American Dust Bowl by Don Brown

Hardcover, 80 pages

Published October 8th 2013 by HMH Books for Young Readers

A speck of dust is a tiny thing. In fact, five of them could fit into the period at the end of this sentence.

On a clear, warm Sunday, April 14, 1935, a wild wind whipped up millions upon millions of these specks of dust to form a duster—a savage storm—on America's high southern plains.

The sky turned black, sand-filled winds scoured the paint off houses and cars, trains derailed, and electricity coursed through the air. Sand and dirt fell like snow—people got lost in the gloom and suffocated . . . and that was just the beginning.

Don Brown brings the Dirty Thirties to life with kinetic, highly saturated, and lively artwork in this graphic novel of one of America's most catastrophic natural events: the Dust Bowl.

 
What an amazing graphic novel!!!  Not only were the illustrations fantastic, but the information was presented in such a way that you learned so much without even realizing it. I love learning new things, and this book left me wanting to research more about the Dust Bowl and the impact it had on our country. Definitely a great addition to my classroom library!

Teaching Ideas:

For Science:
This book is a great way to discuss plate tectonics, the environmental impact of the Dust Bowl, and the recent Dust Bowl impact from 2012 and other droughts. Students will be able to learn about the environmental impact from the Dust Bowl on daily life of both humans and animals alike and could do further research on what implications a Dust Bowl of that size could have on today's society.  

For Social Studies:
This is a great book to discuss life during the Great Depression and what impact the Dust Bowl had in the lives of Americans. This would be a great book to begin a research project on the life during the Depression for the different parts of the United States as well. 

Possible research questions:
Did the Dust Bowl impact all of America? 
What are the major differences between those areas impacted by the Dust Bowl and those who weren't impacted?

For ELA:
This book would be a fantastic introduction before teaching Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. The background knowledge the students will gain will allow them visualize the events of the novel which is a fantastic novel! 


Happy reading!!

Speed Fishin' Review Game

I have been blessed through reading Kim Bearden's amazing book Crash Course: The Life Lessons My Students Taught Me. Currently on my second read through in a few days, I am continuing to find

inspiration for my life and my classroom. There will be a post about it very soon... I am still processing!

One of the many ideas that I have gained from Kim's lessons was one that she used in her classroom- SPEED FISHING! She used it to reach one of her students who was reluctant to participate (read the book... I don't do the story justice!). As I read about this lesson, I thought- "I can totally do that with my Summer School kiddos!" Soooo... I did!

We are learning about the parts of a sentence- subject and predicate- so I adjusted what Kim did for what we were doing. Here's how it works:

Materials:

• Wooden Dowels (as many as you want teams)
• String or yarn
• Magnets (for your fishing poles)
• 100 Washers (or however many you want)
• Colored paper (for your fish... I would suggest cardstock)
• An "ocean" (you can use a plastic swimming pool or do like me and use a plastic table cloth)

Lesson Set Up:

1. Cut out enough fish for the number of sentences, problems, etc. you will have for your game.
             * I also laminated them so that I could reuse them.

2. Write, tape, glue or otherwise attach your sentences, problems, etc. to your fish. I taped my strips to the fish so that I could easily get them off for the next game!

3. Attach a washer to the back of each fish. Again, I laminated mine so if you want to do the same that will be your next step!

4. Tie string to the dowels and attach the magnet to the end of the string.
           * I tied it at first, but as the game went on... the magnets went flying! So I ended up temporarily taping the magnets on. I am going to go back and hot glue them later!

5. Put your answers on paper plates. You will need a set for each team that you have.

6. Set up your ocean in the middle of your classroom or a designated area. Place your paper plates on opposing ends of your classroom and if you have multiple teams you can set them up in opposite corners. (If you are lucky enough to have a big hallway or gym at your disposal, you can use that as well. If the weather is nice- GO OUTSIDE!!!)

Lesson Plan: I am going to use what I did for my review game... but change it up for your lesson!

1. When your students come into the classroom, have them break into the correct number of groups and disperse in your classroom.
          * My paper plates were labeled Simple Subject, Complete Subject, Compound Subject, Simple Predicate, Complete Predicate, and Compound Predicate

2. Explain the game to your students!

On each of the fish in our ocean are examples of Simple Subjects, Complete Subjects, Compound Subjects, Simple Predicates, Complete Predicates, and Compound Predicates. Your team can only sent one fisherman at a time out to the pond to catch a fish- otherwise all the fish will scare off and you won’t catch any. After your fisherman comes back with their fish, as a team you must decide on which plate it goes. Make sure you are careful because some can be tricky. If your fish has what looks like a complete predicate but just one word is highlighted, it will be a simple predicate. Same goes for the subjects. Look also to see how many subjects and predicates there are. After you place the fish on the correct plate, your next fisherman can go fishing. Remember…. You have to FISH, not drag! Each correct fish placement is worth one point. The team with the most points wins a prize! Any questions? When you hear our fishin’ music start, you may begin!

3. Play music and let the fun begin! Watch the teams and offer guidance at first, but allow them to work as a team to determine the correct answer. You may want to only allow a certain amount of time and add a timer. I didn’t with my first group at first, but when I added the stress of a timer after seeing that time was dwindling down, that created more intensity! So the next group got a timer and a few rounds so that we could review in between.



Here are some pictures of our fun!

Let me know how you would change it around and how you would use it in your classroom! I can't wait to hear your ideas!!

 

Fly Away by Patricia MacLachlan

Hardcover, 108 pages

Published April 8th 2014 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

From the Newbery Award–winning author of Sarah, Plain and Tall comes a story about one brave girl who saves her family from losing everything.

Everyone in Lucy’s family sings. Opera. Rap. Lullabies. Everyone, except Lucy. Lucy can’t sing; her voice just won’t come out.

Just like singing, helping Aunt Frankie prepare for flooding season is a family tradition—even if Frankie doesn’t want the help. And this year, when the flood arrives, danger finds its way into the heart of Lucy’s family, and Lucy will need to find her voice to save her brother.

 From the author of one of my favorite books, Sarah, Plain and Tall, comes another heart melting book. This book is one of those books that I will definitely be a go to book when it comes to dealing with the feelings of not finding your place. Lucy feels like she can't really relate to her family because she doesn't feel as talented as her family members. When the time comes, however, her talents are what she least expects them to be. This is a fantastic book that I can't wait to share with my students!

Among the Hidden (Shadow Children #1) by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Paperback, 153 pages

Published June 1st 2006 by Aladdin Paperbacks

 SHADOW CHILDREN Luke has never been to school. He's never had a birthday party, or gone to a friend's house for an overnight. In fact, Luke has never had a friend.

Luke is one of the shadow children, a third child forbidden by the Population Police. He's lived his entire life in hiding, and now, with a new housing development replacing the woods next to his family's farm, he is no longer even allowed to go outside.

Then, one day Luke sees a girl's face in the window of a house where he knows two other children already live. Finally, he's met a shadow child like himself. Jen is willing to risk everything to come out of the shadows -- does Luke dare to become involved in her dangerous plan? Can he afford "not" to?

I have to admit that my student have been begging me to read this series for quite a while now, and I have no clue why I haven't. Set in a time when the government is in ultra control of everyone's life, this novel was almost scary to me because I could totally see something like that happening in some countries. Reading this with a group of students was great because I was able to discuss so much with them and how they would react if the government took such control. The main character Luke finds that he is not alone after thinking that he was the only one in hiding which totally changes his view on how his life is. When Jen shows Luke that his life could be different, he decides to take a chance. This is a great series and I cannot wait to read the rest of the series!!


Teaching Ideas:
This book would be a great to pair with articles, videos, and other resources about the population laws in China. Erin at I'm Lovin Lit has a great resource at Teachers Pay Teachers for just that! Check it out here! If you are a language arts teacher and haven't checked out her blog, you NEED to. She is amazing!!


Happy reading!

Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai

Hardcover, 272 pages

Published February 22nd 2011 by HarperCollins 

 

 

Inside Out and Back Again is a New York Times bestseller, a Newbery Honor Book, and a winner of the National Book Award! 

 

Inspired by the author's childhood experience of fleeing Vietnam after the Fall of Saigon and immigrating to Alabama, this coming-of-age debut novel told in verse has been celebrated for its touching child's-eye view of family and immigration.

For all the ten years of her life, Hà has only known Saigon: the thrills of its markets, the joy of its traditions, and the warmth of her friends close by. But now the Vietnam War has reached her home. Hà and her family are forced to flee as Saigon falls, and they board a ship headed toward hope. In America, Hà discovers the foreign world of Alabama: the coldness of its strangers, the dullness of its food . . . and the strength of her very own family.

This moving story of one girl's year of change, dreams, grief, and healing received four starred reviews, including one from Kirkus which proclaimed it "enlightening, poignant, and unexpectedly funny." An author's note explains how and why Thanhha Lai translated her personal experiences into Hà's story.

This book is simply amazing. The story of a young girl's life as she goes through a major change during such a tumultuous time in history is beautifully written and allows readers to see what it was like from a different perspective. Since this was based on the author's life, there is an authenticity on these pages that allows readers to experience the grief, change, fear, and so much more. It was amazing to me how we tend to think that we experience things that are particular to us, but this novel shows how so many things we experience are universal. Simply stated, I loved this book. 

Teaching Ideas: 

This book is one that Social Studies teachers should have in their classrooms. When teaching about the Vietnam War, there are many books that teachers can use to discuss the American side of it. This book, however, shows another perspective of the Vietnam War and allows readers to experience that through the eyes of someone who experienced it first hand. This book would be a great mentor text to give to a group of students to read or even as a great read aloud. 

Happy reading!