Author Archive for Tricia

Counting Book Podcast - The Baker’s Dozen: A Counting Book

Published by Tricia on February 24, 2008 in podcast and math. 1 Comment

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In this podcast, Cory Widdowson introduces listeners to the book The Baker’s Dozen: A Counting Book by Dan Andreasen.

Introduction
The Baker’s Dozen: A Counting Book, by Dan Andreason, is an intricately illustrated counting book appropriate for students in kindergarten or first grade. The reader can count on by ones with the baker as he makes tarts and other tasty morsels as he rushes to prepare his shop for the day. The pictures in this book will encourage children to count each of the pastries being named per page, and could also be used for teaching elapsed time. A major plus to this book is the inclusion of the word for the number and the numeral on each page, and a counting chart is located in the back of the book.

Counting Book Podcast - The M&M’s Brand Counting Book

Published by Tricia on February 23, 2008 in podcast and math. 0 Comments

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In this podcast, Kelsey Rdzanek introduces listeners to the book The M&M’s Brand Counting Book by Barbara Barbieri McGrath.

Introduction
I selected The M & M’s Brand Counting Book because it is includes a few key elements which kids in grades K-2 are very interested in: candy and colorful pictures! It also does a great job of teaching kids to count forward to 12 and back again and helps with number sense.

The book can be used for a variety of lesson plan topics including shapes, colors, addition, subtraction and creating sets.

Related Books
The M&M’s Addition Book by Barbara Barbieri McGrath
The M & M’s Subtraction Book by Barbara Barbieri McGrath

Additional Information
Here is a kindergarten lesson plan on counting by ones that uses this book.
You can view some samples of student work with M&M activities.
Download a chart for graphing M&M’s.
The official site for M&M’s has games and activities for kids.

Counting Book Podcast - 10 Minutes to Bedtime

Published by Tricia on February 22, 2008 in podcast and math. 0 Comments

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In this podcast, Kristin Coffee introduces listeners to the book 10 Minutes Till Bedtime by Peggy Rathmann.

Introduction
The counting book 10 Minutes Till Bedtime, written by Peggy Rathmann, counts backwards from 10 to 1, and then to “bedtime”, and might be usefulto introduce a lesson on counting back. Although the book doesn’t include much written text, the colorful and engaging illustrations provide readers with opportunities to practice their counting skills on every page. 10 Minutes Till Bedtime could be especially helpful in encouraging students to understand how math lessons are incorporated into everyday life, as they read about the little boy and his pets getting ready for bed.

Related Books
The Crayon Counting Book, written by Pam Munoz Ryan and Jerry Pallotta and illustrated by Frank Mazzolla, Jr.
The Icky Bug Counting Book , written by Jerry Pallotta and illustrated by Ralph Masiello

Additional Information
Learn more about the book and take the Hamsters 10-Minute Bedtime Tour.
Learn more about the author at her web site.

Counting Book Podcast - Mouse Count

Published by Tricia on February 21, 2008 in podcast and math. 0 Comments

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In this podcast, Megan Ney introduces listeners to the book Mouse Count by Ellen Stoll Walsh.

Introduction
Mouse Count by Ellen Stoll Walsh is a great counting book for kindergarten through 2nd grade. It incorporates different counting methods, such as counting on and counting back, and uses well drawn illustrations for students to see exactly what they are counting. Most of all the book is actually a story and the children will remain intrigued with the plot until the very end while still learning about math during the whole book.

Related Books
How Many Feet in the Bed by Diane Johnston Hamm
Splash by Ann Jonas
Counting Crocodiles by Judy Sierra

Additional Information
You can read a book review and download activity ideas at A Mouse for All Readers.
The Kansas State Library site idea for has an idea for constructing mice for use with the book.
LearnNC has a brief lesson based on this book.

Counting Book Podcast - Just A Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book

Published by Tricia on February 20, 2008 in podcast and math. 0 Comments

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In this podcast, Laura Bradlee introduces listeners to the book Just A Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book by Yuyi Morales.

Introduction
Yuyi Morales’ book, Just A Minute is a clever tale that would be especially useful for students in Kindergarten and 1st grade that are either just beginning or are in the process of developing the concepts of number sense and counting. The cross-cultural nature of the book makes it a great choice to read in the classroom and can be used to encourage students to think about, accept and appreciate cultural differences. The book also provides opportunity to practice writing numerals and counting from one to ten in both English and Spanish. The bright, colorful illustrations bring this story to life and the ending is sure to please audiences of all ages.

Related Book
We All Went on Safari: A Counting Journey Through Tanzania by Laurie Krebs

More Information
You can read a review of Morales’ book at PaperTigers.org.
You can learn more about the author at her web site.
Listen here to learn how to pronounce the author’s name.

Counting Book Podcast - So Many Circles, So Many Squares

Published by Tricia on February 19, 2008 in podcast and math. 0 Comments

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In this podcast, Farah Salman introduces listeners to the book So Many Circles, So Many Squares by Tana Hoban.

Introduction
I like this book because it is very unique with all sorts of creative pictures. I think it can be used in many ways in class.

  1. Just for counting the teapots, plates, bikes, and pipes.
  2. To see the different shapes of things, like circles in wheels and fruits or squares in a net or fabric design.
  3. To find out greater and more, like are there more squares on a waffle or on a table cover.

Related Book
Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews

Additional Information
You can read some reviews of Hoban’s book at Kid’s Catalog Web.

Nonfiction Monday - It’s Moving Day!

Published by Tricia on February 18, 2008 in nonfiction, book review and science. 0 Comments

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When I was a kid I was fond of exploring the woods in my backyard. I often wished I could see inside the burrows that were so cleverly hidden near gnarled tree roots and clumps of rocks. In her new book, It’s Moving Day!, Pamela Hickman has granted this wish. The book begins:

The burrow lies hidden beneath
a big tree on the edge of the field.

After a long winter’s sleep, the
woodchuck climbs out of his
underground home and stretches.

Time to dig his summer home down
in the farmer’s pasture where
there is more food to eat.

It’s moving day!

As the woodchuck looks around and prepares to leave the safety of the burrow, a rabbit can be seen in the nearby field. The cottontail hops into the burrow and soon makes it a comfortable home in which to raise her young. Her young grow and leave the burrow, and upon winter’s approach, she too leaves to find a winter home. Rabbit’s moving day makes way for a yellow-spotted salamander, looking for a place to hibernate.

The text is accompanied by the illustrations of Geraldo Valério. The acrylics depicting the animals and their comings and goings in the burrow are warm and full of life. The scenes move easily from season to season, connecting readers to the rhythm of life in the burrow.

After the salamander, the burrow is home to a raccoons, milk snakes, chipmunks, skunks, and finally, to bring the story full circle, a woodchuck. The book ends with a page that briefly introduces each of the animals that live in the burrow. I would match this book with Barbara Brenner’s One Small Place in a Tree and Brenda Guiberson’s Cactus Hotel for an expanded look at how many animals can inhabit one home over time.

This is a beautiful book that provides an engaging introduction to woodland animals and a type of home many share. I highly recommend it. In fact, I’m so smitten with this book that I am predicting a Cybils 2008 nomination in its future for nonfiction picture book.

Book: It’s Moving Day!
Author: Pamela Hickman
Illustrator: Geraldo Valério
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Publication Date: March 1, 2008
Pages: 32 pages
Grades: K-3
ISBN-13: 978-1-55453-074-8
ISBN-10: 1-55453-074-1
Source of Book: Copy received from Raab Associates, Inc.

This review was written for Nonfiction Monday. Head on over to Anastasia Suen’s blog and check out all the great posts highlighting nonfiction this week.

Nonfiction Monday - The Story of Salt

Published by Tricia on February 4, 2008 in nonfiction, book review, social studies and science. 0 Comments

I love books that explore science and history from different perspectives. For example, I love the notion of learning about animals not by the groups they belong to (say a book on birds or reptiles), but by some common feature that links them together, as in Venom by Marilyn Singer, or Living Color by Steve Jenkins.

One of my favorite history books looks at how salt has shaped our world. No, this isn’t a straight chronology, but rather a book that examines historical events through the lens of a very important substance. One could easily imagine a book written about tea, or silk or gold in this same fashion, but being the science lover that I am, I loved learning about salt.

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I learned of this book only after reading Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky. The Story of Salt is a kid-friendly version of this work. In it, Kurlansky shares the history and science of salt. Here are some interesting things kids will learn while reading this book.

  • Salt is the only rock consumed by humans.
  • Salt paid for the Great Wall of China.
  • Without salt there would be no mummies. (If you haven’t ever mummified a chicken while studying Ancient Egypt, you should!)
  • Roman soldiers were often paid in salt.
  • When the Jamestown colony was started, a saltwork was established.
  • When America declared independence from England, the salt supply was cut off. (Did you know you need salt to make gunpowder? Losing their supply of salt prior to war was a big problem.)
  • Ghandi walked 240 miles to the sea to defy British law and make salt.
  • Today, the US is the world’s largest supplier of salt.

This well-written and fascinating text is accompanied by color-washed pen-and-ink drawings that add humor and interest. The book ends with a timeline of salt through the centuries. Overall, this is a well-researched piece that deserves a place on your bookshelf.

Book: The Story of Salt
Author: Mark Kurlansky
Illustrator: S. D. Schindler
Publisher: G. P. Putnam’s Sons
Publication Date: 2006
Pages: 48
Grades: 3-8
ISBN-10: 0399239987
ISBN-13: 978-0399239984
Source of Book: Personal copy purchased at a local independent bookstore

This review was written for Nonfiction Monday. Head on over to Anastasia Suen’s blog and check out all the great posts highlighting nonfiction this week.

Podcast No. 1 - What Makes a Good Counting Book?

Published by Tricia on January 30, 2008 in podcast and math. 2 Comments

In this inaugural podcast, I consider the qualities of good counting books. This one comes in at a whopping 16 minutes, but it’s filled with book suggestions and points to consider when selecting titles.

Books mentioned include:

Nonfiction Monday - I, Matthew Henson: Polar Explorer

Published by Tricia on January 28, 2008 in nonfiction, biography, African American, book review and poetry. 2 Comments

I am always on the lookout for strong biographies to add to my teaching collection. I stumbled across I, Matthew Henson shortly after the new year and after reading just a few pages, knew I had to have it. Here’s how it begins.

I did not walk forty miles
from the nation’s capital
to Baltimore’s busy harbor to eye
ships from a dock. Though just thirteen
I yearned for a taste of the adventures
that I had heard old sailors speak of,
to explore the seven seas
and somehow find my calling.

I did not start as a cabin boy, climb
the ranks to able-bodied seaman,
sail five continents, and learn
trades and foreign tongues to be shunned
by white crews who thought blacks
were not seaworthy. I did not chart
this course to drift in humdrum jobs
ashore. My dreams had sails.

And what dreams they were. In language that is lyrical and poetic, accompanied by vibrant pastels, readers learn how Henson serendipitously met Robert Peary while working as a clerk. Once he signed on with Peary, his life was never the same. In haunting words and images, we are taken north again and again with Henson. The images are stark and help us to understand how arduous these trips were. Henson made this trip seven times between 1891 and 1909. A trip like this would be difficult today, with all our advanced technologies. Knowing this makes the feat accomplished by Henson that much more extraordinary.

In his time with Peary, Henson sailed to Greenland, where he befriended the native peoples, learned the Inuit language, learned to hunt and track on ice, and honed many more skills that would help him eventually reach the North Pole. On April 6, 1909, six men reached the North Pole. One was black, one was white, and fur were native. The text ends here, but the Author’s Note explains that when the explorers returned, they were greeted with controversy. Dr. Frederick Cook, who sailed on an earlier expedition with Henson and Peary, claimed he reached the Pole in 1908. But this was not the only difficulty Henson faced. America was not willing to accept an African American hero in 1909.

It took years for Henson to achieve the recognition he deserved. In 1944 he was finally awarded duplicate of the Congressional silver medal given to Peary. In 1988 he was moved to Arlington National Cemetery, where he is buried beside Peary.

This book works on many levels, not only because of the beauty of the writing, but also the strength of the illustrations. I can’t say enough about how lovely this book is. I highly recommend it.

Book: I, Matthew Henson: Polar Explorer
Author: Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrator: Eric Velasquez
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 32
Grades: K-5
ISBN-10: 0802796885
ISBN-13: 978-0802796882
Source of Book: Personal copy purchased at a local independent bookstore

To learn more about the author, be sure to visit The Brown Bookshelf. As part of their 28 Days Later project, Carole Boston Weatherford will be featured on February 20th. And if you didn’t know it, Weatherford’s book Birmingham, 1963 was just awarded the 2008 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award.

This review was written for Nonfiction Monday. Head on over to Anastasia Suen’s blog and check out the round-up of posts.