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!