“No Child Left Behind has done to my school what it has done to untold thousands of urban schools,” writes Jordan Sonnenblick in our current issue.
“Our arts programs are gutted, our shop courses are gone, foreign languages are a distant memory. What’s left are double math classes; mandatory after-school drill sessions; the joyless, sweaty drudgery of summer school. Our kids come to us needing more of everything that is joyous about the life of the mind. They need nature walks, field trips, poetry, recess. What they’re getting is workbooks.”
It’s not often that kids get to see science in action, and that’s exactly what author/scientist Caroline Hatton had in mind when she wrote The Night Olympic Team (Boyds Mills, 2008). The book takes readers behind the scenes at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City to see how lab scientists catch athletes on performance-enhancing drugs. SLJ caught up with Hatton to talk about doping in sports, just in time for the summer Olympics in Beijing.
What was it like being a member of the Night Olympic Team? It was a thrill. I got to spend a few weeks in the constant company of not only my “home” lab teammates, but also other world authorities in anti-doping science—brilliant, quirky characters. Every night behind the closed doors of the lab, my job, along with a few others, was to make darn sure that test results were correct…by trying to shoot them down. We spent hours thinking out loud and spurring each other’s imagination. It was like a dream science camp. read more...
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What Are They Reading for Fun?
This roundup focuses on those most opinionated of children, for whom repetition is everything.
Ellen Heath, Easton Area Public Library, Easton, PA:
The youngest patrons often ask for their favorite books by character, not title. Their best buddies these days are Tedd Arnold’s Fly Guy (Scholastic), Jane O’Connor’s Fancy Nancy (HarperCollins), Judy Schachner’s Skippyjohn Jones (Dutton), Rev.W. V. Awdry’s Thomas the Tank Engine (Random), and Mo Willems’s Elephant and Piggie (Hyperion). Our beginning chapter-book readers still devour Mary Pope Osborne’s “Magic Tree House” books (Random) and Barbara Park’s “Junie B. Jones” titles (Random)—in order, please. In nonfiction, nothing beats the “Blastoff Readers! Mighty Machines” series (Bellwether Media), with M.T. Martin’s Bulldozers and Ray McClellan’s Concrete Mixers and
Backhoes leading the noisy pack. And just the other day, preschool storytime came to a screeching halt when Logan arrived with Sandra Markle’s Tough Toothy Baby Sharks (Walker, 2007). read more...
Schools, libraries, and bookstores are getting ready to celebrate Children’s Book Week, from May 12-18, with parties, storytelling, author/illustrator visits, and other book-related events.
The annual affair, sponsored by Children’s Book Council (CBC), is the longest running literacy event in the county and was recently moved from November. read more...
Despite a grim new assessment that the federal government’s Reading First program hasn’t had an impact on reading comprehension in low-income childen, an International Reading Association (IRA) official advises not giving up on the initiative.
"We ought not to say 'Gee, it's a dud' and walk away from it,'" says Richard Long, director of government relations for the IRA. "Rather, we've got to say, 'Yeah, there's really some problems here nationally' and 'How can we learn from the successful parts of the program?'" read more...
Social responsibility is purely voluntary. It is about going above and beyond what is required with the idea that it is better to be proactive toward a problem rather than reactive to a problem. The titles below demonstrate personal growth as a result of social responsibility and provide great discussion points–just start with, “What would you do?”
BIRNEY, Betty G. Trouble According to Humphrey. Putnam. 2007. Tr $14.99. ISBN 978-0-399-24505-3. Gr 3-6— In this third book about Humphrey, our hamster pal steps on the slippery slope of the truth. read more...
Today, boarding an airplane bound for Europe, Hawaii, or the Far East is something most kids and their parents look forward to eagerly. Few folks cancel their trip based on the weather, or worry that the airplane won’t have enough fuel to make the flight, or even stop to wonder if the aircraft is built strongly enough to withstand such a long trip. Such was not always the case, though.
All three concerns were very much on the mind of Charles Lindbergh on May 21, 1927, when he took off in the “Spirit of St. Louis” from Roosevelt Field on Long Island in an attempt to fly solo from New York to Paris. The story of his 33-plus-hour flight through snow and fog, sometimes flying only 10 feet above the ocean, and his successful landing in Paris, is heroic to say the least. Lindbergh, as a result, became one of the most famous men in the world. This wonderful Web site teaches kids about “Lucky Lindy” and his family as well as his career as one of the first commercial airplane pilots. There are tons of movie clips, audio and music files, and pictures, and teachers will love the great lesson plans. — Gail Junion-Metz
Work in the heart of the Rockies, in a scenic area offering 300 days of sunshine each year, and easy access to world-class skiing, hiking, bicycling, and the beauty of the American West! read more...
To see all positions available through the SLJ Career Center, click here...
It’s not often that kids get to see science in action, and that’s exactly what author/scientist 
