Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Into the Wild: Reading Outdoor Survival Stories

Lafayette students are on the trail to reading adventure, exploring a Kids Versus Nature theme. 
Reading Road Trippers are completing projects, earning points for their Homeroom Teams, and sharing book recommendations with friends.
Page-turning adventure: Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.  After a traumatic plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian spends fifty-four days alone in the wilderness, learning to survive with courage, determination, and the aid of a hatchet given to him by his mother.  With no time for self-pity or despair, Brian's experience teaches him how to deal with his parents' recent divorce.  Take a look at a book commercial for this 1988 Newbery Honor winner, featuring Owen as Brian, Isabella as Brian's Mom, and Patrick as the Pilot:

Life-Changing Escape to the Forest: My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George.  In this 1960 Newbery Honor classic, Sam Gribley, unhappy living in New York City with his family, runs away to the Catskill Mountains to live alone in the woods.  Carrying only a penknife, a ball of cord, flint and steel, and forty dollars, he intends to survive on his own.  During his year in the wilderness, Sam learns about survival, self-reliance, dependence on nature (including friendship with a peregrine falcon named Frightful) and comes to understand that he needs human companionship.

Survival and a New Way of Seeing: The Cay by Theodore Taylor.  Twelve-year-old Philip Enright is excited when the Germans invade his small island home of Curacao.  World War II has always seemed a distant game to him, and he is eager to witness it firsthand—until a torpedo strikes the United States-bound freighter he and his safety-concerned mother have boarded.  When Philip regains consciousness, he is floating on a raft in the middle of the sea, his only companions a cat and a compassionate, elderly West Indian named Timothy. Philip remembers his mother’s warning about black people: They are different and they live differently.  By the time the castaways wash ashore on a small sandy island, however, Philip’s head injury has made him blind and dependent on Timothy for survival.  Over time, Philip learns a new way of seeing and important lessons about courage, friendship, and overcoming prejudice.

Lafayette Fiction Favorite: Escaping the Giant Wave by Peg Kehret.  The Pacific Coast adventure begins while thirteen-year-old Kyle is babysitting his sister during a family vacation at an Oregon resort. An earthquake creates a tsunami, and Kyle must try to save himself, his sister, and a boy who has bullied him for years. Reading Road Trippers Alexandra D. and Mary Kate W. plunge right into Giant Wave action. Alexandra gives the survival story high marks: “It’s like you are in the book… It is so descriptive.” Camryn D. would definitely read other books by Peg Kehret, sharing that Escaping the Giant Wave is “thrilling, scary, and intense.” Sage S. recommends the book to “people who like excitement and adventure.” And while Teresa G. portrays the action as “exhilarating,” she cautions friends who are scared of the water or anxious about earthquakes and tsunamis to think twice before choosing this book.
Poster by Brooke, Kylie, Carly, and C.C.
Escaping the Giant Wave includes an author’s note with facts and information about tsunamis. We can learn more about the science of giant waves, experimenting with Savage Seas Wave Machine. Click on the red-highlighted words to get started!

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Reading Road Trip 2013 Themes and Destinations

Against the Odds: Stories about Courage and Character
Kehret, Peg.  Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio.
Konigsburg, E.L. The View from Saturday.
Palacio, R.J.  Wonder.



All Creatures Great and Small: Stories with Animals
Applegate, Kate.  The One and Only Ivan.
DiCamillo, Kate.  The Tale of Despereaux.
Martin, Ann M.  A Dog’s Life.
Ryan, Pam Munoz.  Riding Freedom.
Good Sports: Books about Sports and Sportsmanship
Avi.  S.O.R. Losers.
Gutman, Dan.  Shoeless Joe and Me: A Baseball Card Adventure.
Gutman, Dan.  The Shortstop Who Knew Too Much.
Herman, Gail.  Who Was Jackie Robinson?
Into the Wild: Kids Versus Nature
George, Jean Craighead.  My Side of the Mountain.
Kehret, Peg.  Escaping the Giant Wave.
Taylor, Theodore.  The Cay.
It Happened in the Garden State: Stories about New Jersey
Gutman, Dan.  Qwerty Stevens, Back in Time: The Edison Mystery.
Tarshis, Lauren.  I Survived… The Shark Attacks of 1916.
Willever, Lisa Funari.  Nicky Fifth’s Garden State Adventure.
Willever, Lisa Funari.  Nicky Fifth on 32 Dandelion Court.

Picture This: The World of Brian Selznick
Kerley, Barbara (ill. Brian Selznick).The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins.
Selznick, The Invention of Hugo Cabret.
Selznick, Brian.  Wonderstruck.
Selznick, Brian.  The Boy of a Thousand Faces.
Selznick, Brian.  The Houdini Box.

There’s Music in the Air: Music and Musicians
Curtis, Christopher Paul.  Bud, Not Buddy.
Edgers, Geoff.  Who Were the Beatles?
McDonough, Yona Zeldis.  Who Was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?
Urban, Linda.  A Crooked Kind of Perfect.

Thrillers and Whodunits: Mystery and Detective Stories
Avi.  Who Stole the Wizard of Oz?
Hale, Bruce.  Farewell, My Lunchbag.
Marsh, Carole.  Carole Marsh Mysteries.
Various Authors.  The 39 Clues series.

A Visit with Gordon Korman
Korman, Gordon.  The 6th Grade Nickname Game.
Korman, Gordon.  No More Dead Dogs.
Korman, Gordon.  Dive Book One: The Discovery.
Korman, Gordon.  Dive Book Two: The Deep.
Korman, Gordon.  Dive Book Three: The Danger.
Korman, Gordon.  Everest Book One: The Contest.
Korman, Gordon.  Everest Book Two: The Climb.
Korman, Gordon.  Everest Book Three: The Summit.
Korman, Gordon.  Island Book One: Shipwreck.
Korman, Gordon.  Island Book Two: Survival.
Korman, Gordon.  Island Book Three: Escape.
Korman, Gordon.  Titanic Book One: Unsinkable.
Korman, Gordon.  Titanic Book Two: Collision Course.
Korman, Gordon.  Titanic Book Three: S.O.S.

Wizards and Wonders: Stories with Magic
Colfer, Eoin.   Artemis Fowl.                                         
Oliver, Lauren.  Liesl & Po.
Rowling, J.K.  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Rowling, J.K.  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Once Upon a Time: Reading Fables and Fairy Tales

Suitcases packed with fables!  Lunch bags filled with fairy tales!  Satchels stuffed with poetry!  Reading Road Trip is traveling through springtime, turning our attention to page-turning tales of Once upon a Time....

According to legend, on a Greek island in the sixth century B.C., a man named Aesop labored as a slave and created more than two hundred stories that have captured imaginations across the centuries and around the world.  While Aesop’s life remains shrouded in mystery, the Greek slave’s fables survive through traditional storytelling and books published in many languages.  

A fable is a short story that ends in a moral-- an important message to be learned from the story. 
Let’s start our Reading Road Trip with A Sip of Aesop by Jane Yolen.  The author and editor of folklore and fantasy presents Aesop’s fables—and morals—in clever rhyme. 


Why Aesop?
Aesop was an ancient Greek
And spoke no language I can speak.
So I have put his tales in verse
With hopes I haven’t made them worse.
Moral:
In prose or rhyme
There is a moral:
Aesop Aeppeals
In print—or oral.

--Jane Yolen

Fourth and fifth grade fable fans have been flocking to LMC shelves in search of two titles that Mrs. Cifrodella introduced to library classes: The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School and The Fabled Fifth Graders of Aesop Elementary School, both by children's author Candace Fleming.  
In the first laugh-out-loud book, a teacher takes over an unruly fourth grade class-- with unexpected and highly entertaining results. 
In the fifth grade sequel, boisterous students spend a zany school year learning fable-like lessons from unforgettable activities and unconventional teachers.


In the 1987 Newbery Medal-winner The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman, a bratty prince and his whipping boy find outrageous adventure when they inadvertently trade places after becoming involved with dangerous outlaws.
Cinderella Slipper by Molly H.
In Cinderella-inspired, 1998 Newbery Honor Book Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, Ella struggles against a childhood curse that forces her to obey any order given to her.
Cinderella Diorama by Caroline Q. and Carlin C.
When thirsting for laughter and lessons and rhyme...
Just turn the pages and take a sip
of fables and tales from a different time
in the LMC via Reading Road Trip!

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Extreme Reading: Exploring Adventure and Survival Stories

We’re standing on top of Earth’s highest mountain!  We're 29,029 feet above sea level,  perched on the border of China and Nepal, braving the wind, the weather, and the harsh elements of a hostile and breathtaking land. This spring, Reading Road Trippers will be taking our reading to new heights, exploring adventure and survival stories guaranteed to have us sitting on the edges of our seats!

Let's get this Reading Road Trip started with a poem sharing an adventurous attitude at a very high altitude: On Top of the World, written by J. Patrick Lewis and performed at the Green Screen summit of Mt. Everest by RRT alumni Duncan C.


Far from the summit of Mt. Everest, Lafayette readers are washing ashore with Kensuke’s Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo. We’re following the page-turning adventure of Michael, swept off his family’s yacht and struggling to survive on a deserted Pacific island… until he finds he is not alone.
Reading Road Trippers are taking a walk on the wild side, exploring 1988 Newbery Honor winner Hatchet and other books in the Brian series by Gary Paulsen.





As winter melts into spring, we’re breezing through books from the I Survived… series. Each one of these wildly popular Reading Road Trip titles tells a thrilling story from history through the eyes of a young person who lived to tell the tale.

I Survived… The Battle of Gettysburg, 1863: Child slave Thomas and his sister Birdie journey north and meet Union soldiers who have orders to fight at Gettysburg.
I Survived… The San Francisco Earthquake, 1906: Ten-year-old Leo, a newsboy in 1906 San Francisco, finds himself stranded in the aftermath of disaster as the city crumbles and burns to the ground.

I Survived... The San Francisco Earthquake, 1906 Informational Model by Sara P.
I Survived… The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912: Ten-year-old George Calder's life changes forever as he, little sister Phoebe, and Aunt Daisy set out across the ocean on the Titanic in 1912.

I Survived... The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Casey and Andrew

I Survived... The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 Fact Poster by Kayla D. and Lilly M.

I Survived... The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 Diorama by Zachary, Holden, and Eve

I Survived... The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 Green Screen Performance
by Jordan, Izzy, Ella, and Gianna
I Survived… The Shark Attacks of 1916: Chet Roscow, thrilled by stories of a great white shark lurking along the Atlantic coast, wonders if he sees the beast in the waters of Springfield, New Jersey.

I Survived... The Shark Attacks of 1916 Poster by Jhon and Rory
I Survived… The Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941: Eleven-year-old Danny Crane witnesses the bombing of Pearl Harbor and must find his way home amidst the terror and chaos of the attack.
I Survived… The Attacks of September, 11, 2001: Lucas takes a train to New York City to talk to his dad's friend, a firefighter and former football player, on the day the Twin Towers are attacked.

I Survived... The Attacks of September 11, 2001 Model by Lea C-B.

I Survived... The Attacks of September 11, 2001 Poster by Caity B.
I Survived… Hurricane Katrina, 2005: Barry’s family prepares to evacuate before Hurricane Katrina hits, but when a little sister gets very sick, they are forced to stay home and face the storm.

I Survived... Hurricane Sandy
original poem by Eesha N.
I cried
Scared and sad, freaky and mad
Ugly sights all around
Ruined homes
Violence abounds
Intense force
Violent and ghoulish winds
Endless falling trees
Dark and eerie nights
Happy days were not in sight
Until we got our lights
Running around to a charging station
Running around to find gas
Ice was scarce, none in our freezer
Connections lost, flaring tempers
A generator in sight brought some smiles
Nice and warm showers
Ended cold nights
Stars were shining
All through the night
None seem bothered by our plight
Dancing and shimmering
Yellow and bright

Reading Road Trippers are checking out Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board. In this contemporary autobiography, Bethany Hamilton shares the story of her love of surfing and how—with the help of family, friends, and faith—she recovered and returned to competition after losing her arm in a shark attack when she was thirteen years old.  Check out this exclusive RRT interview with Bethany Hamilton, written and performed by Anna B. and Olivia H.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Abracadabra: Reading is the Magic Word!

Roald Dahl once said, "Those who don't believe in magic will never find it."  Lafayette Reading Road Trippers must truly believe: there's magic in the LMC air this winter!  We're reading books and creating all kinds of hocus-pocus projects about magic, magicians, and the one-and-only Great Houdini.

Our Abracadabra Reading Road Trip proudly presents
Lafayette magician Jack O.
His first trick features a box, a disappearing ball...
and a very interesting magic wand.


 
Open Sesame!  In The Magician’s Elephant by Kate DiCamillo, Peter Augustus Duchene believes that he is alone in the world-- until he meets a fortune teller in the marketplace who tells him that his long-lost sister is alive.  The ten-year-old orphan embarks on an amazing journey to find her.

11 Birthdays project by Carlin C.

Jack's second magic trick requires a focused mind
and some hocus pocus with colored cylinders!

Sim Sala Bim!  Savvy by Ingrid Law follows the adventures of just-turned-thirteen Mibs Beaumont.  She discovers that she has special magical powers... just as her father is injured in a horrible accident.

Savvy Bus by Ava Z.
Bippity Boppity Boo!  It’s 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass! Amanda and Leo have celebrated their first nine same-day birthdays together.  They have a fight on their tenth birthday and don’t speak to each other for a year.  As they prepare to celebrate their eleventh birthday separately, strange things begin to happen... over and over again.

Check out this book scene dramatization
by Ellie, Emma, and Kelly:


11 Birthdays Cake by Rachel O.

Presto chango, it’s time for an illustrated biography from a popular series!  In Who Was Harry Houdini? by Tui Sutherland, we explore the life and legend of the renowned escape artist and magician.
Who Was Harry Houdini? Diorama by Jack C-B.
Harry Houdini Underwater Escape by Caroline Q.
The magical mystery tour continues with The Houdini Box by Brian Selznick.  A chance encounter with Harry Houdini leaves a young boy in possession of a mysterious box-- one that might just hold secrets to the most amazing magic tricks ever performed! 

The Houdini Box by Lea C-B.

Jack's third and final magic trick involves
an amazing feat of mind-reading!

Our magical reading tour wouldn’t be complete, of course, without a stop at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry-- and a visit with Harry Potter and his friends, Ronald Weasley and Hermoine Granger. Reading Road Trippers are reading and re-reading the seven fantasy novels written by British author J.K. Rowling and following Harry’s epic struggle with evil wizard Lord Voldemort. 
Harry Potter Poster by Josh F.

Quidditch Field by Molly A.