Not a Box ... continued

One of the most important roles I have as a library teacher is cultivating my students' imaginations. In K, we read Not a Box by Antoinette Portis; the main character creates all kinds of play scenarios with a simple cardboard box. Then the kids drew their ideas for our own continuation of the book. Here are some sample pages ... your family can borrow our book next year!

Blackout Poetry

Have you ever heard of blackout poetry? 

credit: flowmagazine.com

It is a form of "found" poetry, where you select words from a written text to create something new. Once the students got over the shock of me letting them write in books (don't worry, these were weeded books that either were falling apart or hadn't been checked out in years or extra copies from former RICBA sets), they came up with the following: 

Gradually, Grace wondered, 

"Gosh.

Miss Mabel, are you really a rat?"

- M.B. "Saving Grace"

Who hurt Daddy?

Girl?

Mama?

Amos did.

Aunt chin cried a soft hair over and over.

Nor Daddy.

- S.S. "Belle Prater's Boy"

Mr. T grumbled out of bed.

Ripped Poppy's mouse and raising pigs on TeenTown.

Woah, according to various moves, 

David Charles Pinowski determined

Rilla hit her fingers into a juicer.

- X.G. and J.S., "Monsters in Cyberspace"

Sometimes my brother says

That's stupid, Billy

How bout mud? asked Billy

Eat a bite of mud, said Father

How bout poison, Billy?

How bout worms squirmed?

- A.J. and L.J., "How to Eat Fried Worms"

Frantically, somebody toppling over

puked.

Ralph, Augie, fat Dave smiles  ...

Then he slaps him.

Augie groans, pukes.

Ralph says "We got you, Augie boy."

- A.X.R.S.T. - "The Gypsies Never Came"

Oh dear no!

Awfully clouding slow-moving mind the bird.

Pushed his hat back,

He took a grave.

- S.A., "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm"

Cricket, tree toad, bird,

a small hanging child

attempts to ride the stage.

- S.A., "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm"

Elliot help me snap out!

FBI agents!

I'd get in trouble.

The FBI have been spying on the FBI agents as well.

Germany

- L.Z. "The Art of Keeping Cool"

While Lily picked up the doll

It made a sound.

Nobody believed the doll lived for years and years.

- G.P. "The Search for Delicious"

Once upon a time

all the fairies returned to the king's palace.

Where a solid gold casket

that should do everything, she declared.

Take comfort, your majesty.

- A.J. and L.J., "Perrault's Complete Fairy Tales"

Grace couldn't have a funeral.

My parents buried Sarah in the darkness.

My grandmother got mad about 

a boy named Danny who left his mother.

- M.B., "Saving Grace"

Beautiful flowers

obsessed with beauty,

fit for a queen

to be beautiful herself.

Like her mother.

The little birds in the garden

flying above the tower,

a place outside to call her own.

- C.L. and G.O., "The Girl in the Tower"8

Bones were coming

I ducked 

Bob didn't answer

I searched in my head

- B.K. "Wake Me at Midnight"

Let me hear another sound from you -

don't be angry.

He went the whole length.

But why

why did you get married?

Because I fell in love.

Because you fell in love?

Nay, uncle.

Good afternoon.

- K.J., "A Christmas Carol"

Rain flooded

no more water

floods stopped

bruising laughing

stone swing head

didn't fly far

- E.R, "Fish"

Hurt?

Mom sighed.

Game tomorrow is my life.

How long, Dad asked.

Excited?

My older brother leaned, scared.

I'd pretend.

I nodded.

Lakeview Elementary

experiments exploded.

- E.B., "Because of the Rabbit"

Well goodbye red rabbit.

He frowned.

It was an unusual frown. 

It might have been a smile.

- J.A., "There's a Boy in the Girls Bathroom"

Decision to sink enemy

Cannon, bombs, weapons.

Fish splashed water on his face.

Salty meat.

- E.R., "Fish"

the fifth already was hot

Blaze peeled off T-shirt

tossed it hard

quickly

making small hole

size of a basketball

cupped 

covering Blaze

rippled

damp palms of his hands

- I.P-M, "Words of Stone"

Billy like crazy evil babies

so hard, his eyes pop off

And he was tumbling

into a ditch

- N.G., "Ollie's Odyssey"

I basically take weapons

on different planets by the mall.

Then lose receipt they had.

Boy scouts binoculars

I quiet went downstairs

Piece of French toast.

- G.W., "Game Over, Pete Watson"

thousands of thousands kids

Mom city is one thing

New York is bad

Dad mama school

how New York suburbs

as dad

- J.S., "Some Places More Than Others."

Who's my brother

what do you mean by that

nothing

- A.D., "Barney and the UFO"

Owen told me last year

but I drop them 

Okay I put a plate in the fridge

- E.B., "Because of the Rabbit"

Ignoring Jonathan

the boy asked Flavia

What is Lupus?

Like a fierce wild dog

Ah! Lupus!

The boy said How may I please you?

Nubia had garbage heaps.

- A.W., "The Thieves of Ostia"

Let's go he whispered

He'll kill me with dirt and dead trees

- N.H, "Danger in Quicksand Swamp"

Hummingbirds flapping

running around

amazing things but can be pretend.

Over the hears, remarkable friends

land on her peacefully, 

spoke softly

recently birds brilliant green

- L.S., "The Girl in the Tower"

Fortunately / Unfortunately with Grade 2 - Class Stories

Thanks to https://ideafm.org/ for the idea and the image.

In second grade, we read Fortunately by Remy Charlip, a story that follows Ned through a series of problems and resolutions, and talked about plot structure. 

Then we wrote our own version as a class ... the kids much preferred coming up with the "unfortunately" parts!

Finally, the students paired up to write and illustrate even more versions. I'll post pictures of them working together - and their stories - once they finish up. For now, enjoy the stories they wrote as a group:

Room 204 - Story 1

One day, a boy was walking in the jungle.

Unfortunately, a tiger chased him.

Fortunately, he found a magical snake.

Unfortunately, the tiger was too fast and got him.

Fortunately, he bit the tiger, which let him go.

Unfortunately, a cheetah was now chasing him and almost ate him.

Fortunately, the magical snake bit the cheetah.

Unfortunately, the cheetah didn't give up.

Fortunately, the boy knew karate.  

credit: https://championsportkarate.com/

Unfortunately, dinosaurs came back to life.

Fortunately, the cheetah tried to defeat the dinosaurs.

Unfortunately, he kicked the tiger.

Fortunately, he also kicked a dinosaur in the head, and the dinosaur fell.

Unfortunately, when the dinosaur got up, he ate the tiger.

Fortunately, a magical koala brought the tiger back to life inside the dinosaur.

Unfortunately, the magical snake met a poisonous snake and died after getting bitten.

Fortunately, the magical snakes' siblings were helping him, so they helped the boy too.

Unfortunately, the boy kicked the dinosaur and fell to the ground and died.

Fortunately, the tiger scratched his way out of the dinosaur.

Unfortunately, another dinosaur kicked the tiger off a cliff.

Fortunately, one dinosaur was magical and brought the tiger back up.

Unfortunately, one of the other dinosaurs ate the magical koala. 

Fortunately, two dinosaurs went into the ring to fight each other and whoever won would get to eat the boy's body. (Ed. note: Ms. Moore is not sure if this is truly fortunate.)

Unfortunately, the earth then went into the sun.

The End

Room 204 - Story 2

One day, in a house, a boy tripped the fire alarm.

Unfortunately, it spawned dinosaurs.

Fortunately, a magical cat spawned too.

Unfortunately, the dinosaurs ate the magical cat.

credit: creazilla.com

Fortunately, the boy hit the fire alarm again, and all the dinosaurs went away. 

Unfortunately, a rapper came and put on some really really loud music that everybody could hear, and the house shook and fell down. 

Fortunately, the boy was still alive.

Unfortunately, every building in the world fell down.

Fortunately, the fire alarm was not destroyed, and a nice dog came out of it.

Unfortunately, Laylah was passing by and got so scared, the bangs fell off her head.

Fortunately, she grew new bangs.

Unfortunately, the boy found magical boots and flew into the sun and disintegrated.

Fortunately, an alien spaceship dropped by and brought the boy back to life.

Unfortunately, another evil alien came along and disintegrated everything.

The End

Room 206 

One day, a little girl was watching TV in her living room at a castle.

Unfortunately, dinosaurs came to her house and tried to eat her.

Fortunately, 1,000 trillion budgies pecked the dinosaurs to death.

credit: spongebob.fandom.com

Unfortunately, 1,000 Squidwards jumped on John Cena's head. 

Fortunately, he got away and grabbed a broom to whack the Squidwards.

Unfortunately, John Cena then fell into a pool and went back in time to the dinosaur age.

Fortunately, a whole entire army jumped in the pool to go and save John Cena.

Unfortunately, dinosaurs came and chomped up John Cena and spit him out.

Fortunately, the little girl came with a fly bopper and hit the dinosaurs in the nose.

Unfortunately, then a dinosaur fell down and passed out and had flies all over his face and it started raining lava.

Fortunately, a dog came out of the TV back at the castle.

Unfortunately, a bulldozer also came out and knocked the castle down.

Fortunately, the dog escaped the castle and went to go help the little girl.

Unfortunately, the dog pooped and it was so stinky it made the girl pass out.

Fortunately, the dog also pooped on the dinosaurs and they all died.

Unfortunately, the dog turned into a cartoon dog.

Fortunately, John Cena and the girl came back to life.

Unfortunately, a bunch of carnivorous plants started chasing them all around.

Fortunately, the dog turned back into a normal dog, teleported them back to the castle world, and gave them ice cream.

The End

Best Reads of T2 2021-2022

Here are my favorite books that I read during the second trimester (true confession: since Mock Caldecott and Newbery were done, I read a LOT of books for grownups during the past few months, so not as long a kids' list as usual). 

Picture Book

In this follow-up to 2015's hit Who Done It?, each page asks the reader a question about the lineup of characters featured on the spread. Sharp eyes and keen observation are necessary. There's only one right answer, and it's not always easy! . 

Early Reader

Marcus is in trouble. He didn’t think his friend Laurence would actually believe him when he said that his super brainy aunt built the very first time machine. He only made up the story in a spur-of-the-moment bid to win a silly argument! Now how on earth will he make the story come true? In a quirky new adventure starring the most unexpected of friends — a worm and a bird — Simone Lia pulls out all the theatrical stops to deliver a laugh-out-loud companion to "They Didn’t Teach THIS in Worm School!"

Middle Grade Novel

California Poppy has been dropped off, yet again, with an unsuspecting relative. This time it’s her eccentric Great-Aunt Monica, a woman she’s never even met. Aunt Monica has no idea what to do with an 11-year-old, so she puts California to work researching their ancestor, the once-famous etiquette expert Eleanor Fontaine. California soon discovers that Great-Great-Great Aunt Eleanor is...not exactly alive and well, but a ghost—and a super sensitive one at that. The grand dame bursts into clouds of dust whenever she loses her composure, which happens quite often. Still, an unexpected four-legged friend and some old-fashioned letter writing make this decidedly strange situation one that California can handle.

Nonfiction

Gino Bartali pedaled across Italy for years, winning one cycling race after another, including the 1938 Tour de France. Gino became an international sports hero! But the next year, World War II began, and it changed everything. Soldiers marched into Italy. Tanks rolled down the cobbled streets of Florence. And powerful leaders declared that Jewish people should be arrested. To the entire world, Bartali was merely a champion cyclist. But his greatest achievement was something he never told a soul—that he secretly worked with the Italian resistance to save hundreds of Jewish men, women, and children, and others, from certain death, using the one thing no authority would question: his bicycle. (NOTE: This was announced as a 2023 RICBA nominee, and I'm excited!)

Drama, family secrets, and a KGB spy in his own kitchen! How will Yevgeny ever fulfill his parents' dream that he become a national hero when he doesn't even have his own room? He's not a star athlete or a legendary ballet dancer. In the tiny apartment he shares with his Baryshnikov-obsessed mother, poetry-loving father, continually outraged grandmother, and safely talented brother, all Yevgeny has is his little pencil, the underside of a massive table, and the doodles that could change everything. 

In this picture book biography, young readers will learn all about Elizebeth Friedman (1892–1980), a brilliant American code breaker who smashed Nazi spy rings, took down gangsters, and created the CIA's first cryptology unit. Her story came to light when her secret papers were finally declassified in 2015. From thwarting notorious rumrunners with only paper and pencil to “counter-spying into the minds and activities of” Nazis, Elizebeth held a pivotal role in the early days of US cryptology. No code was too challenging for her to crack, and Elizebeth’s work undoubtedly saved thousands of lives.

Meg Lowman was always fascinated by the natural world above her head. The colors, the branches, and, most of all, the leaves and mysterious organisms living there. As a scientist, Meg set out to climb up and investigate the rain forest tree canopies-- and to be the first scientist to do so. But she encountered challenge after challenge. Male teachers would not let her into their classrooms, the high canopy was difficult to get to, and worst of all, people were logging and clearing the forests. Meg never gave up or gave in. She studied, invented, and persevered, not only creating a future for herself as a scientist, but making sure that the rainforests had a future as well. 

Eight-year-old Margaret Pokiak has set her sights on learning to read, even though it means leaving her village in the high Arctic. Faced with unceasing pressure, her father finally agrees to let her make the five-day journey to attend school, but he warns Margaret of the terrors of residential schools.

At school Margaret soon encounters the Raven, a black-cloaked nun with a hooked nose and bony fingers that resemble claws. She immediately dislikes the strong-willed young Margaret. Intending to humiliate her, the heartless Raven gives gray stockings to all the girls -- all except Margaret, who gets red ones. In an instant Margaret is the laughingstock of the entire school.In the face of such cruelty, Margaret refuses to be intimidated and bravely gets rid of the stockings. Although a sympathetic nun stands up for Margaret, in the end it is this brave young girl who gives the Raven a lesson in the power of human dignity.

Long snouts, bright-red lips, pointy heads . . . the animal kingdom is full of critters with unique features. Learn about the incredible adaptations that help these creatures--and their odd bods--survive and thrive all around the globe!

A behind-the-scenes look at the creation and evolution of Wonder Woman, the iconic character who has inspired generations of girls and women as a symbol of female strength and power.

Corita Kent (1918-1986) lived a remarkable life as an artist, educator, nun, and activist. Unapologetically holding true to herself and her beliefs, Corita spread a powerful message of love, hope, and justice with her work, as it evolved from figurative and religious art, to serigraphs incorporating the sacred and the ordinary, to a sparser, more introspective style. This timely story will draw readers into the life of a singular woman whose work and commitment invite us all to seek joy in the everyday, to observe the world with open eyes, and to question and see beyond the existing frameworks of society