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.
April 7, 2009

Great books bring waves of readers into the library asking for more of the same. It was true of J. K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" and it's true of Rick Riordan's "Percy Jackson & the Olympians." While your students await the final volume in that series, invite them to read about other contemporary kids who have encounters of the mythological kind, and encourage them to access multimedia materials about their favorite series online through this month's Nick's Picks column.

When you've had your fill of the Greek pantheon, visit with the multitalented Brian Floca, author and illustrator of Moonshot; read the first installment in a series of articles on field trips; and explore some terrific portals for teachers. And you thought the school year was beginning to wind down.

Daryl Grabarek
Editor, Curriculum Connections
dgrabarek@reedbusiness.com

P.S. Don't forget to take a look at our spring '09 issue of Curriculum Connections. It's now online and full of recommendations of the best classroom materials for students in kindergarten through grade twelve.

What’s New

  • Egods! Bringing Greek Myths into the 21st Century for Middle Grade Readers
    At the beginning of Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief (Hyperion, 2005; Gr 5-9), Perseus Jackson, a self-professed "troubled kid," is asked by his teacher, Mr. Brunner: why do myths "matter in real life?" At that moment, Percy, a less-than-stellar student, is unable to answer, but he soon discovers that the denizens of Mt. Olympus actually exist and are very much a part of the modern-day world. The sixth grader's knowledge of Greek legend comes in handy as he faces fearsome mythological monsters, explores the mysteries of his heritage (he is the son of a god and a mortal), and undertakes a quest (with the help of a young satyr and Athena's "half-blood" daughter) to recover Zeus's stolen lightning bolt. The action is fast and furious, and vibrantly described in Percy's wise-cracking first-person narrative. Ultimately, he wrestles with some of the big questions—about his identity, his abilities and failings, his role as a hero—that have captivated storytellers and audiences for centuries. These still-pertinent issues answer Mr. Brunner's question and point out the enduring relevance of mythological tales set in any era.

    Riordan's "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series culminates this spring with the fifth installment, The Last Olympian (Hyperion, May 2009). Highlighted here is a reader-grabbing selection of novels that also integrate a contemporary setting and protagonist with mythological elements and timeless themes. Presenting the ancient pantheon with an up-to-date flair, these books provide opportunities for fantastic and suspenseful adventures, inventive re-imaginings of familiar personages, and a new set of modern-day heroes. more » » » 

Nick’s Picks

  • Nick's Picks: Selected Resources from TeachingBooks.net
    Children love series fiction. They enjoy the familiarity of the storylines, become comfortable with the formulas, and delight in the characters' idiosyncrasies. Educators appreciate that these titles are accessible to all children—from the voracious readers who never put a book down to the English Language Learners who build on the successful completion of one volume to move confidently on to the next.

    In this month's column, I invite you to introduce a multimedia dimension to your students' series reading:

    • Watch a short movie on the creators of "The Spiderwick Chronicles"
    • Listen to Christopher Paolini discuss his motivation for writing Eragon, the first book in the "Inheritance Trilogy" series
    • Invite your students to listen to an excerpt from Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus
    • Hear Brian Jacques, author of the "Redwall" series, share stories about his moniker
    • Offer book clubs a discussion guide on Stephanie Meyer's Twilight
    more » » » 
 

Fabulous Field Trips

  • Creatures Wet and Dry
    Field trips require attention to practical details amid the excitement of a day away from the classroom. Paperwork is important, but to ensure that students get the full benefit of these learning excursions, they need to know about the Monet, the meteor, or the mongoose they're viewing. In addition to materials provided by each venue's education department, teachers can use books and other media to offer context. Whether it's a child's first or fifteenth time at the farm or the firehouse, planning pre- and post-trip activities extends the fun and enhances the experience.

    In this issue we launch a series of articles, "Fabulous Field Trips," designed to highlight ways to use books, movies, CDs, and Web sites to enhance visits to common extracurricular destinations. Future articles will focus on museums (art, natural history, planetariums); the great outdoors (farm, beach, forest); concerts and the theater, community helpers (firehouse, police station, post office, etc.); and transportation hubs such as airports and train, bus, and trolley stations. While these student trips will focus on elementary school grades, when appropriate, aids for middle school visits will also be described. This is a work in progress, so if you have ideas that have succeeded in your classroom, or there's a field trip venue we've missed, please email us your suggestions. Now, join us as we visit the aquarium and the zoo.   more » » » 

Make These Curriculum Connections

  • Lives, Past and Future
    At some point in their young lives most children look at their families and try to figure out their place in them. They ask, "Are these really my parents?" They feel like they don't quite belong, as if they are aliens in their own lives. Exploring the elasticity of time and how our actions affect our lives and the world around us, two provocative novels take us into the past and the future and introduce kids who are not who they think they are.

    As Jessica Sternhagen's own very normal mother notes in Walter Sorrells's Erratum (Dutton, 2008, Gr 4-8), "There's something different about Jessica." In Alsberg, Minnesota, outspoken nonconformist Jessica stands out, so tall and thin, with white-blond hair, a lack of interest in competitive sports, but a passion for reading. Walking down Main Street, the seventh grader spies a new bookstore, A. Queeg & Son, that sells rare and previously owned books, and gets the strongest feeling, as if her head will explode if she doesn't go in. The creepy proprietor, Mr. Queeg, hands her a book he claims she's ordered over the Internet. more » » » 
 

Interview

  • Moonstruck with Brian Floca
    More than a decade in the making, Brian Floca's Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 (S & S, April 2009) is right on schedule for the 40th anniversary of the historic moon landing of July 20, 1969. Floca, in both words and pictures, recreates that experience for readers through lyrical language that emulates the majesty of the mission and images that capture the excitement of the day. On his Web site the author offers more details, and a brief video of his artistic process. Here Floca talks about his boyhood fascination with astronauts and space, and how he hopes to ignite that passion in a new generation.

    The opening lines of Moonshot become a refrain in the narrative ("High above/there is the Moon,/cold and quiet..."). There is both poetry and science in this book.

    There are two stories here: all the technical engineering stuff—and that is complex and interesting in its complexity—and then the simpler story of a beautiful trip to a barren place, so far away. I wanted the complicated material in there because I like the machinery and the gizmos—but it was the simpler story that I wanted to govern the text. more » » » 

Professional Shelf

  • Web Portals for Educators
    Professional reading, grade-level meetings, coaching, and collaboration have taught us that students benefit when lessons incorporate suggestions from a variety of sources and people. While consistent opportunities to exchange and refine ideas are optimal, they aren’t always possible. If you are in need of a little inspiration, the Internet may be your answer. This month we present three of our favorite portals offering free resources including lesson plans, animations, primary documents, videos, and suggestions for activities for students in kindergarten through grade twelve. more » » » 
 


National Poetry Month
Resources for K-12 from TeachingBooks.net

Going Green?
Invite your students to come along
Reed Business Information

You are receiving this email because you have requested either a newsletter or a magazine from
Reed Business Information.

You are currently registered to receive School Library Journal's email newsletters at

Subscribe to School Library Journal's email newsletters   |   Unsubscribe from Curriculum Connections
Update Your Information  |  Print Subscription  |  Privacy Policy

QUESTIONS?
If you need further assistance with your newsletter subscription, please contact our Online support staff.
Send editorial questions about this newsletter to: dgrabarek@reedbusiness.com
Send advertising questions about this newsletter to: onlineads@reedbusiness.com

Reed Business Information 2000 Clearwater Drive Oak Brook, IL 60523
Copyright 2009, Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier, Inc.
Advertisements