Blog 10

Continuing in the science section of the book, I am still finding a lot of books that I believe a slant or opinion to them about. Science is fact and not to be put forth with an agenda. It seems national groups on the science level want to push an agenda I am disappointed with this. Education is not about pushing an agenda, but to teach students to think for themselves. Students are to learn to gather information through reading, research, and experience and to form thoughts of their own.

The book talks about rain forests, regular forest, trees, season, and weather which at looking at those books I am kind of disappointed at the synopsis of them because I feel they are not science but an agenda to program children to think that they are evil and doing wrong because their parents and grandparents formed a country that is blessed.

The book now is talking about space science. I think these books are more science and fact based to help students learn. I love astronomy I have loads of books myself about the universe. I love reading anything about mars, astronauts, sun, moon, or stars.

Now the book switches to books about social studies and history. Here is another subject that is based on an agenda. The book talks about civil rights and jumps into slavery, escaping slavery, emancipation, and the struggle for civil rights in the United States. The United States may have its faults but it is still greatest country for freedom for people. They talk about slavery, native Americans, and when they mention books about the leaders of the country they mention mainly progressives. I don’t agree with this.

Blog 9

I am still on the chapter about science curriculum. The books are still talking about the life sciences. The first book on the list I liked is big blue whales. Of course I said I like whales so I was drawn to this book. But the thing I think as teachers we need to be careful that we don’t allow propaganda into are classroom. On subjects we have students read should be facts not assumptions. For example on global warming, we should show students facts about climate change but keep form trying to promote an agenda that says America is evil and we should give our I-phones , our 3D TVs, or SUVs. We teach the facts then allow them to learn to think for themselves. We as teachers should students to think not train them to be robots that regurgitate what we want them to say. Then allow the free flow of ideas. Students all should be able to speak what they believe the facts say about a subject without fear of ridicule or retaliation. We as a people have freedom of speech and religion and we should not be condemned for ideas that go against the norm.

Back to the book in the life sciences these books I thought would be interesting.

·         Ice Bear: In the Steps of the Polar Bear by Nicola Davies, Candlewick 2005, ISBN 0-7636-2759-3. I love polar bears, and the book talks about polar bears and its habitat. This book gives information about polar bears that seems that would help students learn about them.

·         A Pinky Is A Baby Mouse And Other Baby Animal Names by Pam Munoz Ryan, Hyperion 1997, ISBN 0-7868-1144-7. This title reminded me of one of favorite cartoons Pinky and the Brain. So learning about animals and what their young are called would seem fascinating to me. This book gives the names of animals in a rhyming way that sounds interesting.

Earth Science

·         Why Do Volcanoes Blow Their Tops?: Questions and Answers about Volcanoes and Earthquakes by Melvin and Gilda Berger, Scholastic 1999, ISBN 0-439-14878-2. The book takes a step by step look at the plate tectonic activity of the Earth. Starts off with basic knowledge and builds on that knowledge and helps students learn about earthquakes and volcanoes.

Water forms

·         The Mighty Mississippi : The Life and Times of America’s Greatest River by Linda Viera, Walker Books 2005, ISBN 0-8027-8943-9. With great art in the book which brings out the science about the book but also the history of the river, it is great for social studies or science.

Plants

·         Down To Earth: Garden Secrets! Garden Stories! Garden Projects You Can Do! By Michael J. Rosen , Harcourt 1998, ISBN 0-15-201341-5. This book gives projects that students can be actively involved with. So let students learn and get their hands dirty.

Blog 8

Still in chapter 2 involving mathematics I never knew that there were so many books with mathematical themes that existed. I love math and as I have gained in knowledge about mathematics I grew to love math even more. Though mathematics on the college level is mathematics like I have never known before, it is a discourse I have grown in and to say it again I love MATH!

The book is talking about

·         Money

·         Time

·         Volume

·         Weight

·         Graphing

·         Two more math resource books

The books that look interesting are

·         Is a Blue Whale the Biggest Thing There is? By Robert E. Wells, Albert Whitman 1993 ISBN 0-0875-3656-3. This book shows how whales are big and that is where the fun begins as the book compares a whale to a mountain, a mountain to the earth and so on. I just have a fascination with whales so if a book has a whale on it I will most likely read it.

·         The Big Buck Adventure by Shelly Gill and Deborah Tobola, Charlesbridege 2000, ISBN 0-88106-294-4. This is an adventure of a little girl who just received a dollar for her allowance and tries to see what to spend her money on. Candy, Food, Toys, or maybe a pet she might spend her money on. The book ends with a space for children to place 4 quarters or 10 dimes, good for learning how to save.

·         G is for Googol:  A Math Alphabet Book by David Schwartz, Tricycle Press 1998, and ISBN 1-883672-58-9. This book is a dictionary of mathematic terms. Gives meaning to the words used in mathematics. Also gives a brief history of the mathematical term.

The next chapter 3 is about Science. This chapter gives books about

·         Spiders

·         Bats

·         Life science

The beginning of the chapter doesn’t have any books I really would want to read off the bat. No pun intended.

blog 7

Blog seven

Continuing in chapter two on mathematics they are going over books that are from these categories.

·         Greater than and less than

·         Fractions

·         Multiplications

·         Subtraction

·         Percentage

Standard two: Algebra

·         Sorting

·         Comparisons

·         Patterns

Standard three: Geometry

·         Geometry

·         Shapes

Standard four: measurements

·         Calendars

·         Measuring

The books from these sections that I liked are

·         The Hersey’s Fraction Book by Jerry Pallotta, Cartwheel/Scholastic 1999 ISBN 0-439131519-2. Hey this book talks fractions and chocolate, who doesn’t love chocolate. The books use a Hershey chocolate bar to show how the bar can be divided into fractions.

·         Grandma’s Button Box: With Fun Activities! By Linda Williams Aber, Kane Press 2002 ISBN 1-57565-110-6. A story about Kelly and her cousins on their visit to their grandma’s. At their grandma’s the drop a box full of buttons that they have to sort before their grandma returns home.

·         Twizzlers: Shapes and Patterns by Jerry Pallotta Cartwheel/Scholastic 2002, ISBN 0-439-35796-9. This book uses Twizzlers to help with shapes and patterns. The work includes lines, shapes, and angles.

·         Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi by Cindy Neuschwander, Charlesbridge 1999 ISBN 1-57091-164-9. Sir Cumference turns into a dragon and his son Radius needs to use pi to help save his father.

·         There are a few other books about Sir Cumference by Cindy Neuschwander

·         What’s Your Angle, Pythagoras? A Math Adventure by Julie Ellis Charlesbridge 2004 ISBN 1-57091-150-9. A story of a young Pythagoras growing up in ancient Greece. Showing the curiosity that made Pythagoras the great Mathematician of legend.

blog 6

Blog 6

Chapter 2 starts with the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics content standards.

·         Number and Operations

·         Algebra

·         Geometry

·         Measurements

·         Data Analysis and Probability

And five process standards

·         Problem Solving

·         Reasoning and Proof

·         Communication

·         Connections

·         Representations

The chapter also discusses using literature to help explore mathematical ideas that may seem foreign to children as the first come in contact with the new math. Running with it there is loads of possibilities for teachers in exploring literature that involves mathematics.

Then the Authors run through the list of books that contain the standards of the NCTM.

·         Addition

·         Algorithms

·         Counting

·         Division

Here is a list of books I thought would be interesting form their list.

1.       The Grapes of Math: Mind-Stretching Math Riddles written by Greg Tang. Scholastic 2001, 2004 ISBN 0-439-59840-0. I love mathematical riddles and problems. This book seems like a book children would love.

2.       The Baseball Counting Book written by Barbieri McGrath. Charlesbridge 1999, ISBN 0-88106-333-9. I love baseball and relating mathematics to baseball is taking one love and adding it together.

3.       Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed retold by Eileen Christelow. Clarion 1998, ISBN 0-395-90023-9. I have this book that I have read to my grandson and it is classic. It is good read for young children.

blog 5

The authors give names of a lot of books that they think would be helpful in a class room for students to learn. Let’s have a look at a few of them. They start off with a large list of books by Ruth Heller to help in the study of language arts. The books that are discussed prepositions, collective nouns, interjections and conjunctions, verbs, adjectives, nouns, pronouns and adverbs. Then there is another author that they give a list by is Brian P. Cleary. Next the authors go through different structures of writing and writing styles to help children learn. They list books about adjectives, compound words, idioms, nouns, opposites, oxymorons, playing with words, puns, superlatives, verbs, vowels and consonants, words within words, books that illustrate the features of writing, relevant details, interesting use of italics, language that extends vocabulary, memoir like story, metaphors and similes, onomatopoeia (the formation or use of words that imitate the sound associated with something, e.g. "hiss" and "buzz"), patterned text, personifications, questions as a story structure, slows time and shows a small moment, unusual punctuation, books that feature an author’s visit, books that illustrate a fractured tale (parody), and books about the importance of reading. They show through these books how they are helpful in the class room at teaching certain subjects in reading and writing.

Let me go through the books I thought were interesting. The first is Puppies! Puppies! Puppies! By Susan Meryers. Who would not love a book about puppies; I am a dog lover with four dogs of my own. With this book a teacher could show students all the ways adjectives are used. The next book is Who Ordered the Jumbo Shrimp? And Other Oxymorons by Jon Agee. This book got rave review from the New York Times saying about it as “laugh-out-loud-brilliant.” Another book I thought was an interesting book to look into is Worrywarts by Pamela Duncan Edwards. This book makes use alliterations as a wombat, weasel, and woodchuck go for a walk and wombat cause all her friends to worry. The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig a book by Eugene Trivizas is a book with a twist that I would like to read to my grandson. The big bad pig blows down the three little wolves’ houses that would be something I would like to read to him. The last book mentioned in chapter one is The Wednesday Surprise by Eve Bunting is a heartwarming book about a granddaughter teaching her grandmother to read for the grandmother can read for her son’s birthday surprise.

blog 4

Laminack and Wadsworth give a list of books to whet the appetite of teachers to bring the joy of language to students to increase the communication skills. First book is The Conversation Club is about learning to listen so you can become a better conversationalist. Next book is Quiet, Wyatt! This book is about Wyatt and he is always told to be quiet. So he gives people what they want, when they need help then Wyatt is quiet. He learns a lesson about when to communicate. The Scarecrow’s Hat is the book talked about next. Students in this book learn to how communication and compromise to meet other people’s needs and to have their own meet. The final book is The Very Busy Spider. This book is about a busy spider that learns to have fun with all the other barnyard animals. All these books are designed to teach students to communicate by increasing vocabulary, listening and talking skills.