At home resources #7

MCBA Winner!
Those of you in grades 4-5-6 who read from the Massachusetts Children's Book Award list this year will be happy to know that the winner was announced Monday, right on schedule! The Crossover by Kwame Alexander was the state winner! Here's a link that reveals  all the runners up, too:   http://massachusettschildrensbookaward.blogspot.com/ It's a good spot to look for a new book to read. Lists from previous years are also available through that same link.

Book suggestions:
Younger students: 

When Spring Comes by Kevin Henkes
Listen to this story by Kevin Henkes and read along. What signs of spring are you noticing in your neighborhood? I've seen some spring flowers!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IMQguIVLL4


Middle grade readers:

The Flashback Four series by Dan Gutman
Four kids go back in time to take photos of key moments in history. The series starts with The Lincoln Project. Humor and adventure.


Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
It's the 1930s and Moose and his sister move to Alcatraz, an island off California known for housing prisoners, not because they're prisoners, but because their dad has a job at the prison. The story is told through Moose's journal entries about all the interesting characters they meet.

Older readers:
Looking for a new book? Try searching NovelList Plus through the Brookline Public library. Go to brooklinelibrary.org, "what we have", then "all resources", select NovelList Plus. You can search by favorite genre, author, or browse under the "teen" tab. (You will need a library card number to log in.)

Teens' Top 10 list: Voted on by teens themselves! http://www.ala.org/yalsa/teenstopten


Just for fun: Paper airplane designs 
Follow these links to make a few and see which one flies farthest!

https://www.foldnfly.com/#/1-1-1-1-1-1-0-0-2

https://www.diynetwork.com/made-and-remade/learn-it/5-basic-paper-airplanes

At home resources #6

Happy Monday! I'm glad you came back! Lots of book ideas today including free access to audiobooks and booklists for those looking for new ideas of things to read. Also, scroll down to the bottom of this post for easy origami instructions! 

Free Audiobooks from Audible (no sign up required)
Enjoy an audiobook courtesy of Audible. Choose the book you'd like to listen to (books for all ages) and begin to listen. No need to provide any information or sign up for anything.
https://stories.audible.com/discovery


Authors reading from their books:

First chapter of The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY6bptV4w8o&feature=youtu.be
**If you liked the preview of chapter one, this audiobook is always available through the Brookline Public Library. Just go to brooklinelibrary.org, choose e-books, type in the title and check it out with your library card.**


Lisa Yee reads from Millicent Min, Girl Genius
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9WJ3Suo1u0&feature=youtu.be

Book lists for all ages: 

Book Dragon (from the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Museum)
"Books for the Multi-cultural Reader"
http://smithsonianapa.org/bookdragon/

Brookline Schools' Summer Reading Lists 2019
http://brooklinesummerreading.weebly.com/

Brookline Schools' Best Books Lists
http://brooklinesummerreading.weebly.com/best-books.html

Wellesley Books' YA Twitter account: For Young Adult suggestions and more!
https://twitter.com/WellesleyBksYA

Book suggestions from Marley Dias, founder of "1000 Black Girl Books"
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/13-year-old-founder-of-1000blackgirlbooks-shares-some-of-her-favorite-reads

Virtual Museum Visits Part II: 



National Museum of African American History and Culture
https://nmaahc.si.edu/


Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Museum
https://smithsonianapa.org/

Easy Origami:

The Spruce Crafts: Seven origami projects
https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/origami-projects-for-kids-4142802

Origami Way: Projects for kids
https://www.origamiway.com/very-simple-origami-for-kids.shtml

At home resources #5

Book suggestions: 
Younger students: 
Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! by Candace Fleming
We usually read this book in the library in the spring. See if you can spot the bunnies throughout the beautiful pictures by G. Brain Karas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEZnpXVI6L4

Middle grade students: 

Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai
Jingwen arrives in Australia not knowing much English. He and his little brother feel like aliens at school--everyone seems to look at them funny and no one can communicate with them. They are also affected by the death of their father one year ago. The only thing that makes both boys happy is baking cakes after school. The author tells the story in words and pictures--this is not a graphic novel with speech bubbles and traditional comic panels, but she includes a lot of illustration to enhance the text. This book will put you in the shoes of a new English learner. Humorous and fast paced.

Older Students: 

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
In this alternate version of the US after the Civil War, the bodies of soldiers killed during the Battle of Gettysburg have risen up as zombies! The teenagers of the country are required to attend schools to learn how to fight the zombies. Our main character, Jane, is one of those learning to be an "Attendant" -- someone who travels with a wealthy, white girl as her companion to protect her from the zombies. But Jane has some ideas of her own and an interest in returning to Kentucky to check on her family. Book two of this series was just released: Deathless Divide.


March books 1, 2, 3 by John Lewis
This graphic book series tells the story of the Civil Rights movement.


Free online books (no sign up required):
Junior Library Guild has opened up access to all of their e-books for students learning at home! Once you are on the website, scroll down to where there are 3 red rectangles. Click on the one for your age group: "Elementary Stream", "Middle School Stream", "High School Stream". The books for younger kids work best because you can't bookmark your page in the longer books, but they are letting an unlimited number of users read these titles so the book will be there if you close it and come back to it later.

https://www.juniorlibraryguild.com/at-home



National Park Adventures: 

Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park: a Biodiversity Blitz! (3 minutes)
Kids help to collect specimens to find out the variety of species in the park.
https://www.nps.gov/articles/osip1.htm

Pensacola, Florida: Teens protecting turtles! (3 minutes)
Teens measure light pollution which affects sea turtle survival. Be there for a turtle birthday!
https://www.nps.gov/articles/osip4.htm

Cape Cod National Seashore (3 minutes)
Watch scientists measure and collect harmful algae in Eastham, MA.
https://www.nps.gov/articles/osip3.htm


Have a good weekend!
Coming up on Monday: Easy origami!

At home resources #4

Book suggestions:
While I can't promise that these books are available as e-books, I'm hoping that some students will find them interesting enough to seek them out through the public library, our own e-book collection, and through online bookstores. If you can't read one now, make note of it so that when the libraries and bookstores do reopen, you have an idea of something you'd like to try!

Younger students:

Handle with Care: an Unusual Butterfly Journey by Loree Griffin Burns
A nonfiction book with amazing photographs of all the stages in the life cycle of a butterfly. Starting on the farm in Costa Rica where they begin their journey, all the way to an American classroom where students can watch several stages of metamorphosis, this book follows butterflies on an amazing journey that very few people get to witness.


Middle grade students:
Who Was/ What Was/ Where is series by various authors
I've noticed that lots of this series are available though the public library's e-book collection. They have titles that we don't own at Lawrence...Who Was Stan Lee?, Who Was Princess Diana?, Where is the Tower of London? There are also some available though our school library e-book collection. See previous blog posts for directions to access these titles.


Animals by the Numbers by Steve Jenkins
Steve Jenkins is a master of animal fact books. His collage illustrations in this book highlight the facts he's made into infographics (data shown in pictures to make it easier to understand) about animals. Find out things like: How much do all the insects in the world weigh? How far can animals travel? How many species are there across the globe?

Older students:

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maude Montgomery
Anne is adopted by an older pair, Matthew and Marilla, who were actually hoping to adopt a boy to help them on their Prince Edward Island farm. It's a hard adjustment for ever-optimistic Anne and for Matthew and Marilla, but she gradually wins them over with lots of humorous mistakes along the way. (There is also a new-ish graphic novel version of the book by Brenna Thummler.)


Game Changer by Tommy Greenwald
Thirteen-year-old Teddy Youngblood is in a coma fighting for his life after a football injury at training camp. His family and friends flock to his bedside to support his recovery—and to discuss the events leading up to the tragic accident. Teddy can't contribute to the conversation, of course, so we gradually learn about what happened that day through a series of texts, conversations, newspaper articles, and emails shared among his friends and family. A page-turner! 

Fun online author events: 


I mentioned this book yesterday. Here's an interesting (9 minute) author interview with Padma Venkatraman who wrote The Bridge Home:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcTqv7-wy8Q&ref=PRHB23888C6C631&linkid=PRHB23888C6C631&cdi=4D0EE41CBEF757D2E0534FD66B0AAD54&template_id=16111&aid=randohouseinc9909-20



Here's our friend Grace Lin reading from her early reader series, Ling and Ting:
Ling and Ting Not Exactly the Same by Grace Lin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8PkhlAtXN0


Fun ideas for cooking and baking together: 
Cooking with your family is a good way to practice reading and math skills...and you also end up with something delicious to eat! Here are a few ideas to get you started! 

ChopChop magazine has lots of healthy, easy to prepare recipes online:  https://www.chopchopfamily.org/learn-to-cook/recipe

Cooking With Kids also provides recipes to try:
https://cookingwithkids.org/recipes/


Look for these books, too: The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs and/or The Complete Baking Book for Young Chefs by America's Test Kitchen (Both books are full of beautiful photographs and easy-to-follow recipes.)

Send me an email telling me what you made or what you're reading! kathleen_moriarty@psbma.org


Coming up tomorrow: a virtual trip to a national park!

At home resources #3

Book suggestions:

Younger students:
Mouse and Mole: Fine Feathered Friends by Wong Herbert Yee
It is a blustery spring day, and Mouse and Mole are very excited. They are going to go bird watching! They are planning to make bird books! Mouse and Mole pack paper and crayons and hurry outside. It turns out, birds are not so easy to watch. Splashing in puddles scare them away. Stepping on crunchy leaves does too. This is one of a series of seven books. 

Alfie, the Turtle That Disappeared by Thyra Heder
First graders recently listened to this story in the library! Alfie and Nia tell the story of their lives together. When Alfie disappears to find Nia a present for her 7th birthday, he has a big adventure, gets advice from a snail and a dog, and makes it just in time for her.... 8th birthday! Enjoy this short video reading of the book with a real, live turtle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp3nYJZ9QyA

Middle Grades students:
The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman
Life is harsh on the streets of Chennai, India, so when runaway sisters Viji and Rukku arrive, their prospects look grim. Very quickly, eleven-year-old Viji discovers how vulnerable they are in this uncaring, dangerous world. Fortunately, the girls find shelter–and friendship–on an abandoned bridge that’s also the hideout of Muthi and Arul, two homeless boys, and the four of them soon form a family of sorts.

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
Ivan is about a gorilla who lives in a cage at a mall for the entertainment of the shoppers. Having spent 27 years behind the glass walls of his enclosure, Ivan has grown accustomed to humans watching him. He hardly ever thinks about his life in the jungle. Instead, Ivan occupies himself with television, his friends Stella and Bob, and painting. But when he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from the wild, he is forced to see their home, and his art, through new eyes. Here's a link to an audio recording of chapter one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Qo_3VNxQds

Upper grade students:
Nowhere Boy by Katherine Marsh
Max is an American boy living with his family in Brussels for a year. He's having trouble adjusting to this new place when Ahmed comes into his life. Ahmed and his dad fled from Syria to Brussels but now his dad seems to have been lost at sea and Ahmed has no papers to prove his status as a refugee. He hides in Max's basement -- undetected for a long time until one day Max finds an unexpected guest and the two boys try to find a way for Ahmed to remain undetected.

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
Told in alternating voices, this is the story of Quinn and Rashad who didn't know each other until one day at a convenience store when Quinn witnesses a violent interaction between Rashad and a police officer. When Rashad is arrested for shoplifting, Quinn could provide some additional information to prove that the officer mishandled the situation, but will he? A compelling page-turner about very real current events in the United States.

Public library resource:
Creativebug provides online how-to craft videos through the Brookline Library:. Learn how to do a new craft while learning at home! There's a section specifically for kids with origami, painting, knitting and more.  https://www.creativebug.com/lib/brooklinelibrary You will need your Brookline Library card number to login. Once you're on the site, just click "see all kids' classes".




Fun Online Museum Tours: 
No need to pack a lunch or get a permission slip signed! Click on any of the links below and be transported to another place!

The Children's Museum Japanese House Virtual Tour:   http://japanesehouse.bostonchildrensmuseum.org/virtual-tour

San Diego Zoo:
https://kids.sandiegozoo.org/videos

Jelly Cam at the Monterey Bay Aquarium:
(I know at least one Lawrence student who loves jellies! 😀)
https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/live-cams/jelly-cam

Georgia Aquarium:
https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/webcam/ocean-voyager/

Ellis Island:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/webcast.htm

Google Arts and Culture-- Art from the world's best museums all in one place:
https://artsandculture.google.com/


Coming up tomorrow: try a new recipe!

At home resources #2

Book Suggestions: 

Welcome back! 

Younger readers:
On Linden Square by Kate Sullivan
This is the story of a neighborhood getting through a snow storm together. If you live near Linden Street in Brookline you might recognize our neighborhood in the illustrations! Although we haven't had much snow at all this winter, the theme of neighbors working together seems appropriate for March of 2020!

Mr. Putter and Tabby Take the Train by Cynthia Rylant
Mr. Putter and his fine cat Tabby hope to get a chance to take the train in this early chapter book. They aren't sure that pets will be allowed on the train, but their friend Mrs. Teaberry is positive they can! Humor, friendship, and great illustrations by Arthur Howard.

Middle grades: 
Dory Fantasmagory by Abby Hanlon
Dory is the youngest sister in a family of three siblings. She has a very active imagination so when her siblings try to scare her by mentioning the made-up Mrs. Gobble Gracker, Dory builds a whole world in her imagination much to the horror of her brother and sister. Very funny, great illustrations, an unforgettable character. (There are now five books in the series.)

Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Auggie is about to start school for the first time. He is in fifth grade but has never been to school because of all the surgeries he's had to go through. He looks different from all his peers and his family wonders how he'll be accepted by his new classmates. The picture book We're All Wonders by the same author is also pretty terrific!

Upper grades: 
Redwall by Brian Jacques
Matthias, a young mouse, is determined to find the legendary sword of Martin the Warrior which, he is convinced, will help Redwall's inhabitants destroy the enemy of invading rats. Long, sweeping fantasy series. Humor, edge-of-your-seat adventure. Lots of sequels, prequels and companion stories.

The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee
Jo is a Chinese-American girl living in Atlanta in 1890. She works for a spoiled wealthy girl by day and secretly writes an advice column for the local newspaper at night. The author doesn't shy away from the racism and sexism that Jo faces in her community. Historical fiction with adventure, humor and some romance.

Public Library online resource: 
Yesterday I gave instructions for logging on to our school library's collection of ebooks. Here's how you can find many more through the public libraries:

• Go to brooklinelibrary.org  
• Choose "what we have"
• Choose "ebooks"
• You can select just kids and teen titles (left column)
• You can then select "available now" titles (left column)
• When you click on "checkout" it will ask for your library card number. If you don't have one, you can get an ecard here: https://library.minlib.net/selfreg
• Happy reading!

Please let me know if you have trouble logging in and I will try to help: kathleen_moriarty@psbma.org

Boston Public Library also has ebooks here: https://bpl.overdrive.com/library/kids

Fun Online Resource:

Free online kids' magazines via Flipster:

• Go to psbma.org
• Select "library"
• Scroll to the bottom of the page to see Flipster
• Login and password are revealed when you click on "Digital Magazines K- 8"
• Click on the cover of any magazine to read it on any device!
• Back issues are revealed when you are in a magazine, right hand column, click "all issues"

Coming up tomorrow: virtual museum trips and more!

Please reach out if you'd like a book suggestion: kathleen_moriarty@psbma.org

At home resources #1

I hope everyone is doing well!

I've been doing lots of reading (of course!) and am happy to share some ideas for your reading as you learn at home these weeks. I also plan to share some resources that can enhance your reading/ suggest a different format to read/ help research the topics you're curious about.
Sincerely, Ms. Moriarty

Book suggestions:
Maybe reminding you of some old favorites would be a good place to start.

Younger students:
Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell and Lillian Hoban
Frances the badger might be called a picky eater. In this story in the series she will only eat bread and jam despite her parents' suggestions of other tasty options. The other books in the series would also be great family read-alouds.

Middle grade students:
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
Sarah comes on the train from Maine to help care for two children whose mother has died. Children Anna and Caleb are hesitant to accept Sarah at first. Sarah has only promised to try living with them for a month. Will she stay? How can this stranger from Maine ever fill in for their mother? (series of 5 books)

Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary
Realistic fiction story about Ramona and her big sister Beezus. When Ramona threatens to ruin Beezus's birthday party, big sister Beezus struggles to be the responsible, patient older sibling. Humorous adventures. Would be a good family read-aloud. (This is the first in a series of eight classic chapter books.)


Upper grade students:
The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
This might be a good time to try a longer classic like The Hobbit! This is the classic tale of Bilbo Baggins who reluctantly joins the wizard Gandalf and some dwarves on a quest that will take him far from his comfortable home. Adventures and all sorts of peril are encountered along the way.

Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis
Elijah lives in Buxton, Canada, a settlement of runaway enslaved people, and when he was born there 11 years ago, he was the first person in their community who was born free. When money is stolen from a friend who was saving up to buy his family out of captivity, Elijah goes on a dangerous journey to track down the thief. Humor along with adventure in this award-winning book.

School library's online resources:
If you haven't found our library's e-books and digital audiobooks, here are the steps to follow:

• Go to: https://search.follettsoftware.com/metasearch/ui/46515
• Scroll down to e-books and audiobooks
• Login to check out the book you choose using your psbma login (for example: 28smithj)
• Click on "checkout" and your page will be saved and you can read it on any device (iPad, laptop, desktop) 

If you have trouble logging in, please let me know: kathleen_moriarty@psbma.org

Fun online resource:
https://www.youtube.com/studiojjk
Jarrett Krosoczka, author of the Lunch Lady series will post a drawing lesson each day at 2 pm on his Youtube channel. He came to Lawrence School a couple years ago and we loved meeting him in person! (You can catch up on all episodes by clicking on the link above.)


Coming up tomorrow: free online magazines and more!

Stay tuned....

... Ms. Moriarty's resources and book suggestions will be posted here each weekday starting Monday, March 23. 

In the meantime, aren't you glad you have a public library card??? With the public libraries closed through at least April 6, you can still access their digital books, audiobooks and more. Go to brooklinelibrary.org and click on "See resources for while you're stuck at home". You can even sign up for an e-card there so that you won't miss out on library resources if you can't find that library card! 

The Brookline public library has a great virtual program going on right now! Challenge yourself to participate in their Read-at-home-a-thon and contribute to Brookline reading 1000 hours at home!   https://brooklinelibrary.beanstack.com/reader365

And Boston Public Library also offers an e-card to any resident of Massachusetts. Go here to find out more: https://www.bpl.org/news/remote-library-services/


More to come, friends!