You Can Start Placing Holds Now!

Kids can start placing holds on RICAT now! Just log in: user name is CGN###### (lunch number/student ID), password is your birthday in MMDDYY format (e.g., 082974). Deliveries start the week of September 12.

What Ms. Moore is Reading - early August

Oh, how I will miss having time during the day to READ. Here are some of the books I liked bestnes I liked the most from the past three weeks. All book covers and plot summaries are from Goodreads:

Picture books

Most little chicks barely make a peep, but not this little chick! While his brothers and sisters nestle close to their mother hen, this little chick struts off on his own to make some new friends in the farmyard. And he has a wonderful time of it - sliding off the back of a shiny pink pig, hopping along with frogs, skipping with a flock of frisky sheep, and imitating all the sounds these animals make.

Mei Mei s grandpa is practicing tai chi in the garden, and Mei Mei is eager to join in. As Gong Gong tries to teach her the slow, graceful movements, Mei Mei enthusiastically does them with her own flair. Then Mei Mei takes a turn, trying to teach Gong Gong the yoga she learned in school. Will Gong Gong be able to master the stretchy, bendy poses? A Morning with Grandpa celebrates, with lively spirit and humor, the special bond between grandparent and grandchild and the joy of learning new things together. Readers of all ages will want to try out some tai chi and yoga too!

Nonfiction 

Ada Ríos grew up in a small town in Paraguay built on a landfill. She dreamed of playing the violin, but it was never an option ... until a music teacher named Favio Chávez arrived. He wanted to give the children of Cateura something special, so he made them instruments out of materials found in the trash. It was a crazy idea, but one that would leave Ada—and her town—forever changed. Now, the Recycled Orchestra plays venues around the world, spreading their message of hope and innovation. (NOTE: Will be reading for Mock Caldecott.)

This irresistible book within a book introduces us to Blobfish, known as the “ugliest fish in the sea”...or is he actually the fish who will steal our hearts?  Did you know that the deepest parts of the ocean are over one mile deep—too far down for any sunlight to reach? That’s where Blobfish lives. But this book isn’t about Blobfish...or is it? This true (clever) story about the (misunderstood) Blobfish is sure to make you smile. Full of fun facts about sea creatures in the deepest reaches of the ocean.

Middle Grades

Dara Palmer longs for stardom-but when she isn't cast in her middle school's production of The Sound of Music, she get suspicious. It can't be because she's not the best. She was born to be a famous movie star. It must because she's adopted from Cambodia and doesn't look like a typical fraulein. (That's German for girl.) 
So irrepressible Dara comes up with a genius plan to shake up the school: write a play about her own life. Then she'll have to be the star.

Joe and Ravi might be from very different places, but they're both stuck in the same place: SCHOOL. Joe's lived in the same town all his life, and was doing just fine until his best friends moved away and left him on his own. Ravi's family just moved to America from India, and he's finding it pretty hard to figure out where he fits in.

Joe and Ravi don't think they have anything in common -- but soon enough they have a common enemy (the biggest bully in their class) and a common mission: to take control of their lives over the course of a single crazy week.

Are You Smarter than a Sixth Grader?

Back when PARCC was coming up, I wanted my students to flex their brains in preparation. I gave them a set of 6 brainteasers, courtesy of TheTeachersCorner.net; the first person (or group of 2 or 3) to get them all right won a prize. I loved that even after the prizes were given out, lots of kids kept plugging away, determined to figure out the answers. Can you answer the following questions?

1. You are a cyclist in a cross­country race. Just before the crossing finish line, you overtake the person in second place! What place did you finish in?

2. In a year there are 12 months. 7 months have 31 days. How many months have 28 days?

3. I do not have any special powers, but I can predict the score of any football game before it begins. How can I do this?

4. Jimmy's mother had 4 children. She named the first Monday and the second Tuesday. The third is named Wednesday. What is the name of the fourth child?

5. You are driving a bus. At the first stop, 2 women get on. The second stop, 3 men get on and 1 woman gets off. Third stop, 3 kids and their mom get on, and a man gets off. The bus is grey, and it is raining outside. What color is the bus driver’s hair?

6. Which is heavier? A pound of feathers, or a pound of rocks?

Where the Heck is Matt? Germany!

During our World Geography unit in 4th grade, we watch the videos Matt Harding made of himself dancing around the world. He's working on a new video, which I helped Kickstart, and part of my thank-you package is postcards. Here's the first one!

Extra credit for whoever tells me 1. which continent Germany is on or 2. the day the Berlin Wall came down or 3. the FREE web site you can access via AskRI to learn how to speak German. Email me at mmoore@cpsed.net or put your answer in the comments. Viel Gluck!

More July Reading Recommendations from Ms. Moore

I am plowing through my to-be-read piles, with dozens of books still on hold at the library. Here are some of the ones I liked the most from the past two weeks. All book covers and plot summaries are from Goodreads:

Picture books

Lindsey Craig's rollicking text features funny sound words (Tippity! Creepity! Stompity! Thumpity!), dancing animals, a singsong beat, and a guessing element just easy enough for preschoolers to anticipate. Marc Brown's artwork is bright, textured, and joyful, a collage of simple shapes for kids to find and name. So grab a partner and tap your feet to this read-aloud picture-book treat. (NOTE: Will be using with PreK)

On a rainy day, Frank’s parents take him to the shelter to get a new dog. Exploring their neighborhood teaches them about biology: Lucky learns all about squirrels, deer, and—unfortunately for Frank—skunks. Sharing a bed teaches them about fractions—what happens when one dog takes up three-quarters of the bed, or even the whole thing? They even learn different languages: Frank makes a friend who speaks Spanish and Lucky tries to learn Duck!  (NOTE: Will be using with Grade 2)

Bruce the bear likes to keep to himself. That, and eat eggs. But when his hard-boiled goose eggs turn out to be real, live goslings, he starts to lose his appetite. And even worse, the goslings are convinced he's their mother. Bruce tries to get the geese to go south, but he can't seem to rid himself of his new companions. What's a bear to do?

Just when a little girl thinks she could not possibly be more bored, she stumbles upon a potato who turns the tables on her by declaring that children are boring. But this girl is not going to let a vegetable tell her what is what, so she sets out to show the unimpressed potato all the amazing things kids can do. Too bad the potato is anything but interested. This tongue-in-cheek twist on a familiar topic is filled with comedian Michael Ian Black's trademark dry wit, accompanied by charismatic illustrations from newcomer Debbie Ridpath Ohi.

Middle Grades

Fourth grade is not going at all how Benny Barrows hoped. He hasn’t found a new best friend. He’s still not a great bike rider—even though his brother George, who’s autistic, can do tricks. And worst of all, he worries his dad’s recent accident might be all his fault. Benny tries to take his mom’s advice and focus on helping others, and to take things one step at a time. But when his dad ends up in the hospital again, Benny doesn’t know how he and his family will overcome all the bad luck that life has thrown their way.

Genie’s summer is full of surprises. The first is that he and his big brother, Ernie, are leaving Brooklyn for the very first time to spend the summer with their grandparents all the way in Virginia—in the COUNTRY! The second surprise comes when Genie figures out that their grandfather is blind.  .. [On Ernie's] fourteenth birthday, Grandpop says to become a man, you have to learn how to shoot a gun. Genie thinks that is AWESOME until he realizes Ernie has no interest in learning how to shoot. None. Nada. Dumbfounded by Ernie’s reluctance, Genie is left to wonder—is bravery and becoming a man only about proving something, or is it just as important to own up to what you won’t do?