Newsletter 3792 Issue 3792201042114140
-- School Library Journal, 04/06/2010
Black Elk’s Dream: A Lakota-Oglala Story
Trouble viewing this email? Click here.
To ensure our emails reach your inbox, add CurriculumConnections@email.schoollibraryjournal.com to your address book. Click here to learn how. |
|
|
#Ad:3792_v3_Pos1_728x90#
|
|
April 6, 2010
Sometime during our school years, most of us encountered John Neihardt's remarkable Black Elk Speaks. Last month, Abrams published Black Elk's Vision by S. D. Nelson, based in part on the 1932 classic. Be sure to take a peek at some of Nelson's illustrations for his stunning book and read what he has to say about his work in this month's interview.
Our articles on sports books, middle school stories with an ecological twist, and young adult titles featuring teens with body-image issues, will bring you up to date on new novels on these topics, while in "Behind the Books," Joseph Bruchac has advice for those who grapple with writer's block. Audio clips by book artists describing their techniques, and Green Reads round out our April offerings. Enjoy.
Sincerely,
Daryl Grabarek,
Editor, Curriculum Connections
dgrabarek@reedbusiness.com
P.S. If you missed our special spring issue filled with picture book and poetry selections, titles on global warming, and a discussion of a professional topic generating heat, you'll find it here.
Interview
 Black Elk's Dream: A Lakota-Oglala Story
S. D. Nelson, a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of the Dakotas, is the author and illustrator of several picture books featuring Sioux stories and traditions. About two years ago, as Nelson was rereading John Neihardt's 1932 classic, Black Elk Speaks, he realized that "children could benefit" from Black Elk's "profound, uniquely American" story.
Black Elk was only four years old in 1867 when he "first heard the spirit voices." When he was nine, he experienced the vision that forms the foundation of Nelson's picture book, in which the Six Grandfathers—the "ancient ones, the Powers of the World"—visit the boy and impart their wisdom. Here Nelson talks about his approach to translating the medicine man's childhood experience into Black Elk's Vision. more » » »
#Ad:3792_v3_Pos2_468x60#
Nick's Picks
 Nick's Picks: Selected Resources from TeachingBooks.net
As educators seek to merge reading and technology into content areas across the curriculum, the following collection of brief recordings will aid them in their search for quality, fine-arts multimedia materials.
These original audio clips created by TeachingBooks.net offer teachers and students insight into book design, photography, collage, scratchboard, and other techniques straight from award-winning children's book artists. more » » »
#Ad:3792_v3_Pos3_468x60#
Make These Curriculum Connections
 Eco-Adventures
April 22nd marks the 40th anniversary of the first international observance of Earth Day and the beginning of the modern environmental movement. This month, ignite your students' interest in the environment by sharing a fast-reading novel that balances action-packed adventure with ecological issues. Two sets of books for middle graders, one written by Carl Hiaasen and the other by Lauren St. John, provide an enticing combination of powerful storytelling, edge-of-your-seat adventures, and a passion for protecting nature.
The tales star likable protagonists who face a variety of challenges with courage, cleverness, and creativity. Though bound by the rules and limitations that frustrate young people everywhere, these kids find a way to fight for what they care about and stand up for their beliefs. Use these books to inspire discussion about an array of environmental concerns and introduce these characters as role models to empower youngsters and suggest that they too can make a difference. more » » »
#Ad:3792_v3_Pos4_468x60#
What's New
 Weighty Matters
Too tall, too short, too skinny, too chubby, confronted by labels and media images of perfect bodies—is it any wonder teens struggle with body-image issues? Problems ranging from a few extra pounds to full-blown eating disorders can derail teens' emotional and physical health, putting their lives at risk. The characters in these recent young adult novels face body-image challenges and emerge with hard-won maturity and self-understanding, telling stories that will open discussions around sensitive topics. Students of varied disciplines, including sociology, psychology, literature, creative writing, drama, art and design, health and fitness, and fashion, will find food for thought in these compelling tales of teen trauma and triumph. more » » »
Recreational Reading
 It's All in the Game
The best sports stories offer a fascinating mix of drama, exciting action scenes, and a heavy dose of "the stuff dreams are made of." Readers are drawn to the genre for its thrilling tales and appealing personalities—real and imagined. Identifying with the fictional characters and legendary athletes in these books, readers will be swept along as their heroes struggle to find a place on the team, in the larger world, and maybe, just maybe, in the history books.
The following list of titles matches some outstanding recent sports novels with inspiring biographies for the subtle and not-so-subtle lessons they offer. They cover a range of reading levels, making these perfect choices for the differentiated classroom. more » » »
Behind the Books
 Joseph Bruchac…on Getting Started
One of the questions I'm often asked by students—sometimes with tremulous voices—is about the dreaded "writer's block." It's as if they're asking about the flu or the boogey man. "Do I ever get it?" "Does it ever get me?"
My usual answer is that I don't believe in writer's block. Yes, I know that it happens. Sometimes people find themselves paralyzed as they sit staring at a blank page—a page that should be filled with sentences and paragraphs.
But I think that writer's block only occurs when we let it happen, like when I cave in to a sudden need to clean off my desk, or run an important errand. Important? Yeah, sure. more » » »
Professional Shelf
 Green Reads
Looking to energize your library or classroom collection on recycling, global warming, climate change, pollution, or other environmental topics? If so, try Lindsey Patrick Wesson's Green Reads. Subtitled Best Environmental Resources for Youth, K-12, the book includes more than 500 classroom-appropriate suggestions for books, CDs, and DVDs. more » » »
#Ad:3792_v3_Pos5_468x60#
|
#Ad:3792_v3_Pos6_160x600#
#Ad:3792_v3_Pos7_160x600#
|
|
|
|
|
Advertisement
|
|
Forward to a Friend
