How I Came to Be...

How I Came to Be a Writer

Published by:

Written by: Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

It is always interesting to read about how and why an author writes, and Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's How I Came to Be a Writer is no exception.  Naylor takes a very interesting approach to explaining how she got to be the person that she was at age 54, focusing on her autobiographical past and her writing processes in the past and present. I really connected to Naylor's experience as a passionate young writer who never dreamed that she could make a career out of writing because it was just too much fun.  I felt this way about working with children throughout most of my high school and early college careers and often told friends and family that even though I was "good with children," I never wanted to be a teacher because it wouldn't be a real job...well, look at me now.  One semester of graduate school down (almost) and I'm halfway towards having my masters in elementary education.  Isn't it funny how that happens?

The personal stories told by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor in this autobiographical novel really made me connect to her as a person instead of just a world famous writer.  The images that she included from her childhood helped set the personal tone of this novel and helped me connect to her story on a deeper level.  Though this text was written for young adult readers, its message transcends age and can be appreciated and understood by even the most sophisticated adults.  There is a four-part interview of Naylor available through YouTube that really supplements this text. The first part can be accessed by clicking here.  Unfortunately, the parts are not in order on the YouTube playlist, so you have to click around in order to see the interview segments in order.

I hate to admit it, but I have never read Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's Newbery Award winning book Shiloh.  Though this may be considered a literary crime by some book connoisseurs, I think that reading Naylor's autobiography before reading her work will give me a unique perspective.  Shiloh is such an iconic story that it is often difficult to separate Naylor, the person, from Naylor, the author of Shiloh.  I haven't had time to test this theory yet, but when I do, I'll let you know how it goes.

Make a Difference

Eleanor Roosevelt; People Who Made a Difference

Published by: Newbridge Educational Publishing

Written by: Don McLeese

This simple paperback book introduces students to one of the United States of America's leading first ladies: Eleanor Roosevelt.  Though she is specifically addressed in the Virginia SOLs for first grade, Eleanor Roosevelt is a famous American who can and should be studied at all levels.  This book simplifies her life works into twenty-four easy to decipher pages; however, it is only a jumping off point.  There are countless websites, books, and recorded video that focus on her early life, her marriage to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and her philanthropic expeditions; however, it is difficult to find a strong, condensed version that is appropriate for younger students.  

The People Who Make a Difference series from Newbridge Publishing has a wide range of biographical texts designed for students in grades 1-3.  These books focus on famous Americans that can be studied at any grade level and all feature a simple table of contents, glossary of important and unfamiliar terms, an index, recommendations for further reading, and websites to visit.  One of the sites listed at the end of the book is particularly useful for those who are interested in learning more about inspirational women (http://www.greatwomen.org).  Another useful resource that I found while searching the internet is this four-minute video that summarizes the life of Eleanor Roosevelt (http://www.5min.com/Video/Eleanor-Roosevelt-Biography-119820641). The site itself is very interesting and a good classroom find.  Some of it's videos are not appropriate for classroom use and must be previewed before they are shown to a class; however, it is incredibly practical to have access to video resources that are limited in length to five minutes or less.  

What Makes a Science Teacher?

What Makes a Magnet? 

Published by: HarperCollins

Written by: Dr. Franklyn M. Branley

Illustrated by: True Kelley

This text is a combination of story-like experiments.  It follows a young girl who is curious about magnets, how they work, how they are made, and what they attract.  She starts out by going “fishing” with a magnet on a string for a couple common household objects.  The illustrations are simple, but very kid friendly and engaging.  Readers are exposed to a sampling of results and demonstrations through True Kelley’s illustrations.  This text even demonstrates higher-level science ideas like creating a magnet, polarization, natural magnets, and magnetism in relation to the universe. It also briefly discusses the history of compasses and many of their practical uses in today’s world.

What Makes a Magnet? directly addresses Virginia SOLs for Kindergarten through fourth grade and can be used for inspiration when creating hands-on science activities.  The books whimsical illustrations show the unnamed protagonist gathering materials, preparing, and executing a variety of experiments.  She fishes with magnets, creates her own magnet using a needle, and uses her magnetic needle to create a homemade compass!  This book is a great teaching tool that could be used as both a read aloud and as an instructional text. 

You can browse the contents of this text at the HarperCollins site to see if it's ideas apply to your instructional strategy or, you can look through the other titles that are part of the Let's Read and Find Out Science series.

Salty Shoes

Salt in his Shoes; Michael Jordan, In Pursuit of a Dream

Published by: Scholastic

Written by: Deloris Jordan with Roslyn M. Jordan

Illustrated by: Kadir Nelson

This book might be more historical fiction than non-fiction, but that's not keeping me from blogging about it!  As a lifelong basketball player, I felt inspired just by reading the name "Michael Jordan," but readers with all types of hobbies and interests can relate to this heartfelt story told by a mother about her remarkable child.  That's right, Deloris Jordan is Michael's mom, and she starts this retelling with a heartfelt dedication to "the many children who are inclined to say 'I can't,' or 'I wish I had talent,' or 'I wish I were gifted.'"  Though her son grew up to be one of the most talented athletes of all time, he was not always a star; he was awkward, he was short, and often, he lost.  Michael's mom did not always know that he was going to be a star, but she had a few tricks up her sleeve to help him believe in his limitless potential.

Like all moms, Deloris Jordan had the answer to most of Michael's questions and, when he came home from a basketball game in the park attributing his team's loss to his short stature, his mama knew just what to do.  She put salt in his shoes, like she put salt in the roses in her garden, to help him grow and flourish.  Michael did not physically grow much from his mother's remedy, but he was inspired to practice harder than ever before to make up for his height. 

This book would make for a great read aloud to a group of older elementary students in need of a little inspiration.  While searching the internet, I was able to find a few people who were especially moved by Deloris Jordan's story.  One of these leads led me to a website that I had never heard of before called SchoolTube which seems to be a more secure version of YouTube specifically designed to be used in an academic setting.  Schools can create their own private channels on the sight or utilize resources posted in other channels. The link above takes you to one students commercial for Salt in His Shoes and is a great idea for a technology-integrated lesson.

Another great resource found to accompany this book is a recorded read aloud by Stuart Naismith, the grandson of James Naismith.  James Naismith is credited with inventing the game of basketball as we know it today in 1890 and this book is a great example of how his legacy lives on.  Naismith's read aloud reminds us that Michael Jordan eventually grew to 6 feet 6 inches tall, so maybe we should all start sprinkling a little salt in our shoes.

The Glorious Instruction

The Glorious Flight; Across the Channel with Louis Blériot

Published by: Puffin Books

Written by: Alice and Martin Provensen

Ever heard of Louis Blériot?  Well, he's not part of the Virginia SOLs but that does not mean he isn't worth reading about.  Blériot was the first person to fly across the English Channel back on July 25, 1909 in his innovative flying machine, Bléroit XI.  This text would be an excellent addition to any lesson covering the history of flight or general scientific exploration.  I was drawn to the unique illustrations on both the front and back covers (and, of course, the Caldecott Medal that confirmed my admiration).  This book has a vintage feel that seems to evoke a time much earlier than when its 1983 publishing date.  In fact, the Provensens recently won the Society of Illustrators Lifetime Achievement Award.

Louis Blériot and his large family are portrayed as a loving, curious, and quirky crew in the Provensens' somber illustrations and whimsical, almost poetic, text.  This is not your average non-fiction book because "Fact is turned into magic" throughout the text (The New York Times Book Review).  Though Alice and Martin Provensen did not win any awards for their writing, their approach to Blériot's historic journey is wonderful for older readers.  I particularly enjoyed how the Provensens portrayed Blériot's inspiration, exploration, failures, and eventual success.  We see brilliant sketches of the Blériot I, II, IV, V, VI, VII, and some of their crash landings.  By the time Blériot builds and tests the Blériot XI, we have experienced his frustration and cross our fingers for his success.  He is portrayed as much more compassionate than the typical scientists that are often studied in school as his family and family pets are frequently referenced for their support and inspiration. You can watch a short clip of Louis Blériot piloting one of his airplanes at CriticalPast.com.

Eli Whitney and the Historic Graphic Novel

Eli Whitney and the Cotton Gin

Published by: Capstone Press

Written by: Jessica Gunderson

Illustrated by: Gerry Acerno, Rodney Ramos, and Charles Bartnett, III

This four chapter graphic novel about Eli Whitney and his turbulent journey towards inventing the Cotton Gin.  This thirty-two page picture book includes wonderfully expressive illustrations of Eli Whitney and eighteenth century America and cleverly relates historic invention and discovery to the needs of the times.  Instead of vaguely stating that Eli Whitney sought to invent a cotton gin that would help cotton farmers separate cotton seeds from cotton fibers, he did, and it changed the way Americans processed cotton forever, this text draws readers in with  its vivid depiction of human emotion.  The first image in the text shows a very disgruntled plantation owner addressing what readers can assume are slaves working on his cotton farm.  Gunderson builds towards Eli's moment of genius by highlighting some of the main frustrations with farming cotton during this period: cotton was grown in the southern United States but milled in Europe, this made cotton expensive, mills were eventually built in the US, but cotton was still expensive because it took so long to separate the seeds from the fibers.  Eli Whitney, being a true intellectual and natural scientist is inspired by his friends Catherine Greene and Phineas Miller to create a new and improved cotton gin (who knew the "roller gin" pre-dated Whitney's cotton gin but it was only useful when separating black-seed cotton, not the more widespread green-seed cotton).

You can preview the first two chapters of Eli Whitney through Google books to see if you're interested in this story, but know that it is a limited preview.  Unfortunately, you cannot see the inspired extension on the final pages of the fourth chapter that discuss the lasting impact of the cotton gin. Though the bulk of the text does not focus on how cotton farming affected the slaves working in the fields, Gunderson recognizes Whitney's invention as both a stimulus to the Southern American economy and as an unfortunate catalyst to the American slave culture.  

The quick facts page, glossary, or related resources listed at the end of the text are useful but not completely effective.  The glossary has a short list of useful terms, but these terms are not highlighted throughout the text.  I would have preferred these vocabulary words to be addressed during the introduction of the text or in context.  The related resources listed at the end of the text, however, are extremely useful.  There are four more age-appropriate texts on the cotton gin listed as well as a full bibliography.  There are also instructions for students to visit FactHound.com, enter the book's ID, and browse prescreened, age-appropriate sites (http://www.facthound.com/CategorySearch.aspx?ISBN=0736868437).  This option is available for all Capstone texts, which can also be searched by state standard at http://www.capstonepub.com/aspx/stdIndex.aspx. 

Big Students!

Big Sharks!

published by Scholastic

written by  Torri Kosara

Ever wonder how sharks are different than regular fish? How many teeth they have? Or what senses sharks use the most?  Well, this book is a great introduction to the particularities of the shark physique.  It is full of detailed photographs and graphic text and would be great for any individual with a special interest in sharks.  Conversely, the large photographs could easily scare a student who is uncomfortable with unfamiliar animals, especially those who are known predators (imagine a 12x12 photo of a shark with its jaws wide open, seemingly swimming in your direction...). The text is arranged in "pop-up video" style with bold text boxes floating on top of large photographs and shark-shaped graphics containing leading questions such as, "Why do you think sharks need to be able to move quickly?"  In order to read this book independently, students need to be familiar with words like "skeletons," "flexibility," and "rough."  Basic knowledge of the physical make up of fish would also be useful but not necessary.

This text would be very useful to a teacher planning a unit on sharks or ocean life for both graphic inspiration and factual content. Kosara cleverly delivers specific topics and facts in one to two sentences per page, cutting out unnecessary "fluff" and potentially overwhelming information.  She draws attention to the main text with thick borders and bright colors while the supporting text (like the extension questions) blends into the background a little more.  She bolds important vocabulary within the text and provides cut-aways when zooming in on a picture would benefit student understanding and observation.  Teachers could easily project select pages from this text using a document camera or by scanning them into a computer to help illustrate certain points to a class.  While the text is relatively simple in its layout, the content might be a little advanced for most lower elementary level science standards;however, it would be a great inquiry prompt while studying living systems or earth patterns in third or fourth grade.  The questions provided on each page could be useful for organizing small group inquiry activities in which students conduct their own research and present it to the class.  It might also be interesting to hear our BrainPop friends, Moby and Tim, talk about their experience with sharks if the subject is of particular interest to the class, http://www.brainpop.com/science/earthsystem/sharkattacks/preview.wemlhttp://www.brainpop.com/science/earthsystem/sharkattacks/preview.weml.


Although this book does not have a table of contents, there  there is a one page glossary with simple definitions of the bolded words at the end of the text. As mentioned earlier, this text is very subject-specific and might not be that useful for instruction at every level; but, it would definitely be considered a strong addition to any classroom library.