Nick's Picks
Selected Resources from TeachingBooks.net
Nick Glass, TeachingBooks.net for Curriculum Connections -- School Library Journal, 2/14/2008
Introduce your students to the 2008 Newbery and Caldecott Award winners, the titles selected as the most distinguished publications of 2007 by the American Library Association. TeachingBooks.net has created and assembled dozens of multimedia, online materials about the authors and illustrators of these books for you to share with your students. Enrich your lessons and booktalks by adding a multimedia component.
Imagine:
- Beginning a middle school theater class with Newbery Medalist Laura Amy Schlitz reading a monologue from Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village.
- Gathering students to listen to author/illustrator Brian Selznick read from and discuss his groundbreaking Caldecott title, The Invention of Hugo Cabret.
- Personalizing history lessons by watching a film of Chief Joseph Medicine Crow as he explains the meaning of the title of Counting Coup, the recipient of the American Indian Youth Literature Award, middle school category.
- Listening as Coretta Scott King Author Award-winner Christopher Paul Curtis describes the creation of Elijah of Buxton.
The Internet allows individuals an opportunity to meet authors and add a multimedia dimension to their reading experiences. If you have strategies for using online resources to connect students to books, I’d love to know! nick@TeachingBooks.net
Newbery Medalist Laura Amy Schlitz...
Explains how she came to write the dramatic monologues in Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices From A Medieval Village (Candlewick, 2007) and reads selections from the book.
Caldecott Medalist Brian Selznick...
Reads the brief introduction to The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Scholastic, 2007) and talks about the artwork in the first chapter.
Coretta Scott King Author Medalist Christopher Paul Curtis...
Shares, in an original movie, how and why he wrote Elijah Of Buxton (Scholastic, 2007). This Web page also provides access to other films featuring Curtis, an in-depth written interview with the author, and audio excerpts and guides to his books.
Sibert Medalist & Caldecott Honoree Peter Sís…
Provides historical images and content from The Wall: Growing Up behind the Iron Curtain (Farrar, 2007) in this brief movie. The film, which was made by the author and his brother, combines book illustrations with powerful footage from communist Czechoslovakia.
American Indian Youth Literature Award…
Recipients of this new literary award from the American Indian Library Association include:
Counting Coup: Becoming a Crow Chief on the Reservation and Beyond (National Geographic, 2006) by Chief Joseph Medicine Crow with Herman J. Viola.
Watch a movie, filmed on the Crow Reservation, of Chief Joseph Medicine Crow speaking about his life, and his children’s book.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Little, Brown, 2007) by Sherman Alexie. Listen to Alexie briefly introduce and read from his poignant young adult novel.
Every class can have an author visit. This collection offers dozens of online, multimedia resources about the 2008 award-winning books and authors. Enjoy!
