STEM: A New Horizon

At last week's volunteer seminar, we asked volunteers for their reactions to Read-Alouds on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).  Here are some of the things they had on their minds. 

• It will feel too much like school.
• Kids don't like science and math, so STEM topics won't hold the kids attention.
• How can math be made interesting?
• Is there any good fiction about math and science?
• Many STEM subjects are very complicated and the kids won't understand or will ask questions I can't answer.
• There's not enough time to do complex activities required for these themes. 
• The activities are often messy or require equipment I don't have.
• The kids at my site are too young to understand.
• The age range at my site is too wide to be able to talk about science or math.

During the seminar, we explored these topics.  By the end of the evening, most volunteers said their reservations had dissipated. When you think of science and math in the form of rockets, robots, baking and color, what's not to likke? So bring them to life at your Read-Alouds!

Here are some tips on how to have fun with STEM at a Read-Aloud.

• Pick aspects of STEM that are exciting. See the the list of ideas that the volunteers produced at the seminar.
• Adapt activities to the age of the kids at your site. Do more of the preparations beforehand if you are working with younger kids. Searching the internet and books like Bite-Sized Science will help you find manageable activities.
• Check out the Read-Aloud outlines posted last week for books and activities that work with kids as young as three- or four-years-old.
• Bring a reference book about your topic to help answer questions that are sure to come up. The kids will like the challenge of finding their own answers.
• Books by Greg Tang and Loreen Leedy for math and Steve Jenkins for science are a great place to start.
• Check out TRC's STEM Resource List for more websites and books to check out.
• A wealth of math books and activity supplies are available at TRC for you to use. Check out the complete Math Resource List here.

Good luck!  Let us know how your STEM endeavors turn out!!

To receive credit for this online training, please fill out the form here.

STEM Read-Alouds: Volunteer Seminar overview

What do Lincoln Logs, sun dials, rockets, grizzly bears, rainbows and oobleck have in common? TRC volunteers found out at a volunteer seminar all about incorporating STEM topics into weekly Read-Alouds.

For the record, STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math. It is one of the hot topics in education circles these days, but TRC isn’t just being trendy by focusing on STEM. Here are good reasons for exploring science and math with books and activities:

First and foremost, it’s fun. Shooting rockets, making rainbows: that’s fun. TRC Read-Alouds are intended to help kids build positive experiences with books and reading. In many cases, we’re helping kids and families overcome anxieties or stereotypes about reading and readers just by having fun with books. What's more, STEM topics may appeal to kids who don’t get excited about more traditional Read-Aloud themes.

STEM-themed Read-Alouds can help kids overcome anxieties and stereotypes about math and science, too.  A kid may say she’s not good at math, but she does like baking. Baking is full of fractions, proportions, temperature and time. You start with a book about baking and the next thing you know, you are doing math, with a tasty result. When you put it that way, math is fun and delicious, not scary or boring. 

It’s not just fun and games, though. Science and math use many of the same skills as reading. In science, you predict, observe and evaluate. You make guesses, look for patterns and outcomes. Afterward, you circle back to evaluate. In math, you often make guesses and look for patterns. Reading involves the same process and skills. You also use your imagination and your background knowledge to predict what might happen in science, math and reading.

A great book can foster curiosity, imagination and creativity. These traits are essential for success in math and the sciences. A STEM-themed Read-Aloud isn’t about getting a certain predetermined result.  It’s about asking questions, exploration and reading great books. 

Check out these STEM-themed Read-Aloud outlines prepared by TRC staff. Books and activity materials were provided for the volunteers to use at the volunteer seminar. In each outline you'll find books, activities and conversation starters for your Read-Aloud.

Science:  States of Matter and Colors

Technology:  Rockets

Engineering:  Building Houses

Math:  Time and Measurement

Many of the books and materials listed on the outlines are available at the TRC office for volunteers to use at their Read-Alouds.

Next week's post will explore the great STEM Read-Aloud ideas generated by TRC volunteers and more resources for creating your own STEM-themed Read-Alouds.  

Get inspired. Try something new. Explore, wonder, imagine!  The kids will love it.



To receive credit for this online training, please fill out the form here.

What Kids Want to Read - A Publisher's Perspective

What do kids want to read? The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney of course! Reading Connection kids have requested these books more than any other in the history of our Read-Aloud program. 

Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS, often has the inside scoop about what kids want to read. Amulet was the first imprint to offer novels written entirely in instant messages (Lauren Myracle’s bestselling and often controversial TTYL series), and has been publishing modernized fairy tales long before TV got around to it (Michael Buckley’s bestselling The Sisters Grimm series). And if you haven’t heard of the mega-best-selling Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney, you’ve been living on Mars.

Jason Wells with Laura Mihalick
ABRAMS publicity and marketing
associate

Publicity and Marketing Director for Abrams Books for Young Readers/Amulet Books, and longtime friend to The Reading Connection, Jason Wells has promoted these smash hits as well as the bestselling Origami Yoda series by Tom Angleberger and long-running Babar series by Laurent de Brunhoff.  Jason talked with TRC recently about what kids like to read.






What did you like to read when you were a kid?
I read so much as a kid! My favorites were:  The Fire Brats series by by Barbara Siegel, Scott Siegel and Barbara Steiner.  It’s a post apocalyptic series featuring siblings who are trying survive in a radically changed America after World War III.

The Tim and Ginger books by Edward Artisane.  These are mild but fun adventures set in a seaside town—growing up near a shore, the lighthouses and references to low and high tides were easy to love. 

My great aunt gave me the We Were There series. They were brief books about historical events in the US.  Peppered with illustrations, the books were kind of early graphic novels.


You work the children’s book publishing and selling world.  What do kids want to read?
For kids who want to read, they will always find something. They don’t need me to tell them what to read. It’s the kids who don’t want to read that are the challenge. As recent trends suggest, kids clearly want to read novels with illustrations or fun activities that accompany them. From Abrams, the Origami Yoda books and Wimpy Kid books fit this fill nicely.

 
What do you think it is that has made some of your titles (like Wimpy Kid or Lauren Myracle’s books) such big hits?  Are there certain qualities in these books that are extraordinarily appealing to kids?
I think kids especially like books that their parents won’t want to read. Kinney’s Wimpy Kid books with cartoons and Myracle’s TTYL series written in instant messages offer kid-only appeal. As much as review attention and national media can help spread the word, once kids are hooked, the buzz that they create with their friends will help books find a wide audience to make them big hits.


What is your sleeper title at Abrams?  What is the one right now that will make it big once kids know about it? 
I think that would be Nathan Hales’ Hazardous Tales.  These books are modern day versions of the We Were There series I read as a kid.

What do you think will be Abram’s next big thing?
We have a new series coming out in 2014 by Jon Scieszka called Frank E. Stein. It should be pretty popular. 

How do you choose a book to give to a kid?
Ah the most important kids in my life are my two nephews. They are always clamoring to be in the know with Wimpy Kid developments, but I always bring them books they wouldn’t have found themselves. I try to choose books that will broaden their worlds, but that are fun. I don’t have a formula per se but I know it when I see it.


To receive credit for this online training, please fill out the form here.

2013 Of Wine & Words

Come help us celebrate another great year at TRC at the ninth annual Of Wine & Words. Each year, we gather our supporters and friends to celebrate children’s literature and TRC’s accomplishments. Food from favorite local restaurants, wine from a local wine shop and beer from a Virginia brewery make this a delicious and festive occasion. A silent auction offers treats for yourself, outings around town and perfect gifts for the children in your life.

Join us on Friday, March 8, 2013, at 7 p.m. at the Boeing Conference Center in Rosslyn, VA. The VIP reception begins at 6:30 p.m. The night will include an appearance by our Chef Chair, Adam Barnett, Executive Chef of Eventide Restaurant and our Literacy Honoree, Henry Cole. The emcee for the evening is Doreen Gentzler from the NBC4 News.

Henry Cole is a celebrated children’s book author and illustrator, with over 50 books to his credit. A native Virginian, Henry taught science for 16 years at a northern Virginia school before becoming a full-time artist and author. His books run the gamut from hilarious (Chicken Butt!) to challengingly thought-provoking (Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad).  

Henry Cole

Wine tasting will be provided by The Curious Grape from Arlington, VA. Lost Rhino Brewery from Ashburn, VA will offer beer tasting. All attendees will receive a TRC tasting glass to use and keep as a souvenir. Food will be provided by Artisan Confections, Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery, Eventide Restaurant, Green Pig Bistro, Lebanese Taverna, Lincoln, The Liberty Tavern.

We hope you’ll come enjoy this evening with us. Tickets for volunteers are deeply discounted at $35 each. Volunteers can get two tickets at this price.  Tickets can be purchased online here. See you there!

I don't get it

The Dalai Lama walks up to a hot dog vendor and says, "Make me one with everything."

I smiled broadly when I first heard this joke in college but only because everyone around me was chuckling. Really, I didn’t get it. I had only a vague idea of who the Dalai Lama was and didn’t connect the “one with everything” with Buddhism—which I knew nothing about.

You need a frame of reference to connect to new and existing information. And that comes from the things that you are exposed to. To me, “one with everything” was a hot dog with all the fixings (including cole slaw). To a Buddhist, becoming “one with everything” (or moving past a sense of individual identity), is a spiritual goal.

Growing up in southern West Virginia, I wasn’t exposed to Buddhism through my family, culture, surroundings, or schooling, so a spiritual leader ordering a hot dog with the works was funny only because a hot dog seems far from divine and the guy ordering it is wearing a robe.

Kids naturally have limited knowledge about the world. They have had fewer experiences. But with fewer experiences to draw on, making connections and learning from what they read is challenging.

The good news is that knowledge brings more knowledge and improves thinking. And the sooner kids start to build that store of knowledge, the better. Interesting experiences, reading and sharing books are great for building knowledge. 

Start with pre-reading activities that introduce unfamiliar concepts or vocabulary. You might show photographs, bring in props or costumes, play music, or do some role playing.

When you’re ready to pick up a book to activate and expand their knowledge, try these tips:

• Read the title, show the cover and ask kids to tell you what they think the book is about. 
• Talk about what kind of story it is—a fable, historical fiction, tall tale, nonfiction, poetry—so listeners know what to expect
• Give kids ideas about where to focus their attention. They will be excited when they recognize things you’ve asked them to look for or make a connection to a pre-reading activity. 
• Talk about the author to help kids recognize how authors may bring specific themes or characters to different books.
• Think aloud when you are reading to share your own experiences and connections to the story and encourage kids to do the same.
• Talk about what the story is about and ask kids to tell you what it personally reminds them of.

Remember that the experiences and culture of others may be very different from your own. In order to help kids make stronger connections, you may want to build your own knowledge of the foods, historical figures, musical traditions and geography of other countries and cultures. 

Apparently the Dalai Lama himself had the same problem with a different version of the joke that an Australian reporter tried on him in 2011, “So the Dalai Lama walks into a pizza shop, and says, ‘can you make me one with everything?’”

Rachael with 
Dr. Seuss' Horton

The Dalai Lama didn’t get it. He’d had no experience with pizza shops.  

Guest blog post by TRC Advisory Council member and Belle of the Book, Rachael Walker.



To receive credit for this online training, please fill out the form here.

Focus on the process, not the product

“All young children are great artists. The importance of their art is in the act of creating with confidence and in using their imaginations. It is our sacred trust not to take away this gift from our children, but to encourage and nurture it at every opportunity.” ~ Susan Striker, creator of the Anti-Coloring Books.

All too often when planning art activities for kids, we focus on the finished product and forget to leave room for kids' individuality in their creations. Providing a model for an activity is a good idea because it provides guidance, but it is always best to encourage the children to follow their whims. Some kids will take just a few minutes to add just a bit to what you give them. Others will add and add and add more and more materials. Some of the difference is a matter of age. Some kids just love to manipulate craft materials and use their fine-motor skills. 

We believe open-ended projects help build children's confidence in their skills and their individuality. It is important to praise equally those children who make elaborate extensions to the activity AND those who seem to engage only briefly. Who knows what elaborate extensions may be being built in the second child's imagination?

Open-ended activities work well for Read-Alouds because they are easily adaptable to wide age ranges. A four-year-old will enjoy these projects as much as an 11-year-old, but will likely produce a less ambitious product and spend less time at it. At a recent Read-Aloud at Next Steps Housing, the volunteers read Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews and gave each child dots with which to create an image of their choice. All of the kids, ranging from four to fourteen years old were thoroughly engaged in their creations and loved the freedom of the activity. 

Here are some open-ended ideas that could be adapted to fit a variety of themes.

From ID Mommy blog.

Collage.  Save or collect old magazines, catalogues and newspaper pages. Cut out pictures, paste them together on a sheet of construction paper to make a collage. Kids can create their favorite meal, if reading about food, or their ideal vacation spot, if talking about travel. Libraries often have old magazines for sale for $.25 each. You can also include nonpaper materials. For example, beans and rice, add so much to this farm scene.

Paper cutting. The classic example of paper cutting is making paper snowflakes. Show children how to fold the paper and where to cut so the finished product does not fall apart. Then give them the freedom to create snowflakes in different shapes and colors. Copy paper, tissue paper and coffee filters are great for this activity. 

Papel Picado is another great example of paper cutting. It's a traditional Mexican decoration that is easily adapted for kids. Fold colored tissue paper much like you would for a paper snowflake and cut out designs. These are often strung together to make colorful banners.

Clay and other manipulatives. Give each child some clay, play dough or pipe cleanesr and let her to create something related to what you've been reading. A team at Virginia Gardens last year let the kids create dinosaurs out of pipe cleaners. The kids were so proud of their creations. Have a look here:

Creating a scene. Provide each child with a piece of heavier stock paper as the base and a variety of materials to create a scene based on your theme. If creating a winter scene, provide cotton balls, glitter, pine needles, colored construction paper and stickers and let the kids create winter vistas.

When doing open-ended crafts, there is no "right" or "wrong" result, and it is finished when the child decides it is finished. The focus should be on the process of creating, not necessarily the end product. To spark conversation, ask each child to tell you about his art and what he used to create it. Let each child's personality and skills shine through their art.

For more ideas for open-ended crafts, read this pamphlet by 123child.com.



To receive credit for this online training, please fill out the form here.

Z is for Moose? Yup. Read it and laugh.

Today's book feature is Z is for Moose by Kelly Bingham and Paul O. Zelinsky.

Z is for moose? Really? How could that be? A zany moose? A zippy moose? A moose from the Zurich Zoo?  What kind of ABC book is this?

It’s a hilarious ABC book. And well worth reading aloud to group of kids. It’ll work for preschoolers through 10- to 12-year-olds because of its clever design, engaging illustrations and tongue-in-cheek story.

Here’s the set up:  It is Zebra’s job to keep everybody in order to end up on the correct page of this ABC book. But Moose is very excited and struggles to wait his turn. When “M” comes around, and things don’t go the way he expects them to, Moose goes berserk. What will Zebra do? Will Moose calm down? What will happen to the ABC book?

Most of the text follows standard ABC book format, “A is for Apple,” but speech bubbles add drama and humor. Zelinsky’s illustrations tell much of the story, too. If you pay attention to the details, you’ll get so much more of the story. 

As you are reading this book aloud, be sure to give the kids plenty of opportunity to carefully examine the pictures. Encourage the kids to predict which item will depict the letter that comes next, or what Moose or Zebra will do next. Ask them how Moose, Zebra or the other ABC characters feel about what is going on. Pause before the end and brainstorm ways that Zebra can resolve the problem.

This book would work well with other unusual ABC books like The Hidden Alphabet by Laura Vaccaro Seeger or The Z Was Zapped by Chris Van Allsburg or with unconventional books about books like Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein or The Three Pigs by David Wiesner.

On a more emotional level, Moose’s melt down finds a great parallel in Pigeon’s tantrum in Mo Willem’s Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. And the resolution of the story invites a discussion about the nature of friendship that brings to mind Willem’s Piggy and Elephant books or Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad.

Or you could just have fun with it. It’s that kind of book.


To receive credit for this online training, please fill out the form here.