VRC 2010: Middle Schools

1. What’s It All About on the Web! VRC 2010: Middle Schools Sabrina Carnesi, School Librarian Crittenden Middle School 2010 VEMA State Convention Hampton Roads Convention Center Hampton, VA October 29, 2010

2. After Tupac and D Foster. By Jacqueline Woodson, Putnam Young Adult, 2008. The unnamed narrator and her best friend, Neeka, live in a quiet and boring Queens neighborhood, with strict parents always in their business. When D Foster shows up in their lives, they are jealous of her freedom to roam the city, but D, in turn, wishes she had a real home like theirs, not the life of a foster child she currently leads. D arrives a few months before TupacShakur is shot the first time, and leaves the summer before he dies, and in those years, framed by Tupac and his music, the three African American girls go from age 11 to 13, become steadfast friends, and begin to find the Big Purpose in their lives. 2009 Newbery Honor 2009 Best Books for Children 2009 Coretta Scott King Honor …39 additional awards

3. Topics Supported on the Web http://streaming.teachertube.com/music.php?music_id=2325&title=After_Tupac_and_D_Foster This is an audio introduction to the book posted on TeacherTube.com http://oh.webjunction.org/ohctroaftertupac State Library of Ohio site with toolkit that includes author profile, summary, discussion questions, and extension projects. http://www.jacquelinewoodson.com/ya.shtml Jacqueline Woodson’s actual website w/ comments on the book http://www.tasf.org/ TupacShakur’s legacy site http://rap.about.com/od/toppicks/tp/2PacTop10Songs.htm TupacShakur songs that include “Brenda’s Got a Baby” and “Dear Mama”. http://us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/yr/tl/tl-guides.html Penguin Books Study Guide in brochure format. Scroll down and look under Reader’s Companions for Young Adult Readers. TupacShakur 1971 - 1996

4. Marian Wright Edelman’s Viewpoint on Incarceration and Racial Profiling http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/830000283/post/1440043744.html Marian Wright Edelman’s concept of “cradle to prison pipeline” in School Library Journal. April 24, 2009. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marian-wright-edelman/the-cradle-to-prison-pipe_b_165163.html Marian Wright Edelman’s “The Cradle to Prison Pipeline: America’s new Apartheid”, February 9, 2009 http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/data/marian-wright-edelman-child-watch-column/Cradle-to-prison-pipeline-americas-new-apartheid.html Marian Wright Edelman’s Child Watch Column: “The Cradle to Prison Pipeline: America’s new Apartheid”, February 6, 2009

5. The Amphitheater at Queens College http://cdm128401.cdmhost.com/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/qc&CISOPTR=0&CISOBOX=1&REC=6

6. All of the Above By Shelly Pearsall Little Brown, 2008. Mr. Collins, a seventh grade math teacher, was discouraged by his inner city students’ lack of interest and desire to learn math and geometry. He challenged them to try for a shot at the Guinness Book of World Records by making the largest tetrahedron. James, Rhondell, Marcel, and Shariceface many typical problems of the inner city: homelessness, poverty, crime and abandonment, but somehow they find in themselves the determination to see the project through to the end even after vandals destroy their first attempts. Told through 7 different points of view. MN Maud Hart Lovelace Award List Garden State Reading Award MO Truman Reading Book Award KS William Allen White Children’s Book Award Young Hoosier Book Award

7. Discussion Guide and Extensions http://www.shelleypearsall.com/forTeachers.htm#ideas3 Ideas for using All of the Above in the classroom. http://www.shelleypearsall.com/AllOfTheAboveGuide.pdf Author’s discussion guide

8. Web Connections Alexander Graham Bell’s use of the tetrahedron to develop kites – www.design-technology.org/bell.htm Work of M.C. Escher who often used geometric shapes in his art – www.mcescher.com Biography of WaclawSierpinski who developed the tetrahedron – http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Biographies/Sierpinski.html The Battle of Hamburger Hill where Mr. Collins’ brother was killed – http://www.historyinfilm.com/hamhill/real.htm Foster care issues and concerns – www.puberty101.com/aacap_fostercare.shtml African-American hair care services, products, and styling information -www.hairboutique.com/tips/AfricanAmericanhair.htm Platonic Solids and their role in our everyday lives - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platonic_solid The consequences and costs of vandalism – http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/fs200010.pdf#search=%22vandalism%22

9. The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had by Kristin Levine Putnam, 2009. The last thing Harry “Dit” Sims expects when Emma Walker comes to town is to become friends. Proper-talking, brainy Emma doesn’t play baseball or fish too well, but she sure makes Dit think, especially about the differences between black and white. But soon Dit is thinking about a whole lot more when the town barber, who is black, is put on trial for a terrible crime. Together Dit and Emma come up with a daring plan to save him from the unthinkable. Set in 1917 Alabama and inspired by the author’s family history, this is the story of a remarkable friendship and the perils of small town justice. Based on stories from author’s family. 2010 AL Children’s Choice NM Recommended Book List 2009 Best New YA Books 2009 Librarian Choice Awards

10. Historical Connections: Publisher’s Study Guide http://www.teachervision.fen.com/tv/printables/penguin/best_bad_luck_dg.pdf US Postal Museum http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/AfricanAmericanHistory/p1.html This link documents the history of African Americans’ involvement in the US Postal Services from slavery to present-day: “The History and Experience of African Americans in America’s Postal Service” by Deanna Boyd and Kendra Chen. Mrs. Minnie M. Cox January 3, 1903 NYTimes Article http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=980CE1DC1030E733A25750C0A9679C946297D6CF President Teddy Roosevelt’s Involvement http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org/life/civil%20rights.htm President Woodrow Wilson’s 1912 Federal Segregation http://www.jstor.org/pss/2716036 Photograph of Minnie M. Cox, 1903 US Postmaster of Indianola, Mississippi http://www.theorator.com/bills110/text/hr4010.html

11. The Minnie Cox Post Office …as designated by the US House of Representatives Bill 4010 October 30, 2007 H. R. 4010 To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 100 West Percy Street in Indianola, Mississippi, as the `Minnie Cox Post Office Building'. http://www.theorator.com/bills110/text/hr4010.html

12. Breathe: A Ghost Story. By Cliff McNish First Avenue Editions, 2009. Discussion Guide - http://www.yourlibrary.ws/ya_webpage/ritba/ritba08/breathe.htm Cliff McNish's Website - http://www.cliffmcnish.com Jack can talk to ghosts. In his new home, an aging farmhouse, he meets the Ghost Mother, a grief-stricken spirit who becomes very attached to him...too attached. He learns that the Ghost Mother is preying in the cruelest imaginable way on four child ghosts who are trapped in the house, stealing their energy to sustain her own. Before Jack can figure out how to help them, the Ghost Mother takes possession of his real mother's body. Jack wants to fight back, but he has severe asthma and risks fatal attacks with any physical exertion. Jack encounters Isabella, the Ghost Mother's daughter. She died of TB at a young age leaving her mother alone and inconsolable. She and Jack work together to save the young ghosts and Jack’s mother. 2009 DE Diamond Book Award 2006 PA YA Top 40

13. Other Related Links: • Write your own Ghost stories and use the "Ghost Checklist" in this site for self assessment/reflection. Lesson plan available at: www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view_printer_friendly.asp?id=225 • Ghosts and Fear in Language Arts: Lesson Plan at:   www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=237 • Make up clues for several groups. The clue for each group led to another clue somewhere in the library. When the students found the second clue, it led them to a mystery book on the shelf. They pulled it and sit down until everyone has finished. Read the titles of all the books found and ask what these books have in common. Show students a poster with criteria for a good mystery book: • Characters are well developed. • Reader can solve mystery along with main character because all clues are given • Plot engages the reader and propels the reader on through the book. • The mystery is solved at end of the book. from http://www.roundrockisd.org/docs/literary_genres.doc • TAPS: The Atlantic Paranormal Society - www.the-atlantic-paranormal-society.comThe Atlantic Paranormal Society is the organization of Rhode Island ghost hunters, as seen on the TV show Ghost Hunters on the SciFi Network. • Paul F. Eno, Rhode Island's own "ghost guru"- www.newenglandghosts.com  and   www.footstepsintheattic.com Real Life Paranormal Investigator Paul Eno

14. The Girl Who Could Fly Piper McCloud lives with her normal ma and pa on a normal farm in normal Lowland County. But Piper isn’t your normal girl. Ever since Piper was a baby she’s been able to hover a few feet off the ground, and if the people of Lowland County knew she could fly, they would have something to say about it. So it only seems best that Piper be sent away to I.N.S.A.N.E., the top secret school for children with extraordinary abilities like hers. Her new friends have powers like telekinesis, X-ray vision, and the ability to create their own weather. Piper likes her new life at school, but soon, she realizes things aren’t as they seem. Now, the school she was sent to for her own protection might be the most dangerous place she’s ever been. By Victoria Forester Feiwel & Friends, 2008. 2010 Sunshine State Young Readers Award 2010 Young Hoosier Book Award 2009 What’s New in Children’s Literature 2010 Young Hoosier Book Award

15. Discussion Questions and Videos Discussion Questions http://media.us.macmillan.com/discussionguides/9780312602383DG.pdf Author’s Website http://www.victoriaforester.com/ Student Video (2:19 length) http://www.victoriaforester.com/ Teacher Video Summary 1:47 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5yM9zLXSbA&feature=related Film Trailer 0:23 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmIChorQhVo&feature=related

16. Can People Really Fly? • Dean Potter http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/14/sports/othersports/14climber.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&sq=dean%20potter&st=nyt&scp=1 • Stuff Your Brain Likes http://stuffyourbrainlikes.com/2008/03/17/can-humans-fly/

17. Can People Really Fly? • Photos of Flying People – True or False - http://www.chilloutpoint.com/featured/incredible-levitation-photography-people-can-fly.html • Levitation – Ellusionists – How to Levitate - http://www.levitation.org/how-to-levitate.htm • Horizontal Levitation Revealed – • http://www.metacafe.com/watch/4431207/predators_movie_trailer/ • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAL-Czl56Mw

18. Little Audrey By Ruth White Farrar Straus and Giroux, 2008. This story is an autobiographical account of a short period in the author’s life. Here’s an interview with Ruth White http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/mar2009/whit-m06.shtml • Jewel Valley, Virginia • Coal miners • 1948 • Scarlet fever • Alcoholism • Poor man’s food such as beans • Shirley Temple 2009 Notable Books for Global Society 2010 SC 100 Titles for HS 2009 WV Children’s Book Award 2008 Best New Books for YA 2011 AZ Grand Canyon Reader Award

19. Story Elements: Jewell Coal & Coke Coal Plant Jewell Valley, VA Main Characters: Audrey, Momma, Daddy, Betty Gail, & the 3 Little Pigs (Eleanor, Ruth Carol, Yvonne )

20. Thematic Connections: • Little Audrey’s fantasy world was Jane Eyre’s Thornfield Manor. Below are 2 website study guides for Jane Eyre . • http://www.studyguide.org/jane_eyre.htm • http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/janeeyre/study.html • Audrey White’s nickname came from the cartoon character “Little Audrey.” Little Audrey Comic strip from the 1940s http://www.comicstripfan.com/comicbook/l/littleaudreycomic.htm

21. Lye Soap and Shirley Temple… • Audrey’s mother’s hands are sometimes rubbed raw from cleaning her father’s workclothes with lye soap. Here’s the ingredients for lye soap • http://farmgal.tripod.com/lyesoapconcoctions.html • Useful Soap recipes that are not harmful to your skin • http://www.soapnaturally.org/soap_recipes/#soap_recipe_index • Audrey went to see a Shirley Temple movie. Shirley Temple was a child star of the 1930s. • http://www.shirleytemple.com/

22. 12-year-old Jamie Dexter's brother TJ joins the Army and is sent toVietnam. Instead of letters, TJ sends Jamie rolls of film for which she develops herself. Each film has pictures of the moon that become more gritty as her awareness of the true nature of war comes to be. Shooting the Moon ByFrances O’Roark Dowell Atheneum, 2008. Understanding the Moon Phases http://www.moonconnection.com/moon_phases.phtml Moon Phase Calendar http://www.moonconnection.com/moon_phases_calendar.phtml Vietnam POW/MIA http://lonestar.50megs.com/vietnamvet/powmia.html 2010 SC 100 Titles for HS 2008 Best New Books for YA 2010 RI, IL, IA Children’s Book Award 2009 VT State Award

23. Military-centered sites Author’s Website http://francesdowell.com/ Fort Hood News in the Killeen Daily Herald http://www.kdhnews.com/forthood/ Fort Hood Sentinel Newspaper http://www.forthoodsentinel.com/news/ Jamie learned the 5th Infantry Division call-and-response from the time she was born, “Pathfinders!” Combat Ready , Sir!” The 5th Infantry is the oldest military unit organization to still be in existance. http://www.societyofthefifthdivision.com/ Fort Hood, Tx http://www.hood.army.mil/ Army Ranks from lowest to highest http://www.militaryfactory.com/ranks/army_ranks.asp

24. Gin Rummy, football, and Vietnam Jamie played Gin Rummy with Private Hollister almost everyday. Below are some online websites for playing gin • http://rummy.com/ • http://uk.games.yahoo.com/online-games/card/games_gin.htm TJ was a star football player in high school. If he attended public HS, he probably attended one in the Killeen Independent School District https://www.killeenisd.org/schools/index.cfm# Instructions for developing Black & White film in 12 steps http://www.photogs.com/bwworld/bwfilmdev.html Vietnam Battlefield History: • Sgt. Byrd, an avid photographer fought at KheSanh - http://www.pbs.org/battlefieldvietnam/khe/index.html • Jamie’s brother TJ, has been assigned to the 51st Medical Unit at PhuBai Airport Base - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3hekx5B_n4 -

25. 2009 Notable Books for Global Society T4: A Novel By Ann Clare LeZotte Houghton Mifflin, 2008. http://asl.ms/ This is an interactive resource for students, teachers, and parents of deaf children http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/fingerspelling/index.htm This site is hosted by the ASL University and houses Fingerspelling quizes http://www.apples4theteacher.com/asl/ Printable Worksheets http://pajka.blogspot.com/2008/08/interview-with-deaf-author-ann-clare.html Interview with deaf author Ann Clare LeZotte about T4, her book told in verse. (September 22, 2008) It is 1939. Paula Becker, 13 years old and deaf, lives with her family in a rural German town. A priest comes to her family’s door with an offer to shield Paula from the Nazis. Paula meets and befriends “Poor Kurt” who turns out to be more than what is expected.

26. Tiergartenstrasse 4 Links http://www.tiergartenstrasse4.org/ This a site for the Tiergartenstrasse 4 Association, an organization committed to research and documentation of the Nazi Euthanasia projects. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/t4.html This is a site that has documentation and pictures of the headquarters of the operation at Tiergartenstrasse 4 in Berlin, Germany. T4 is the code name derived from the address. http://www.irren-offensive.de/t4.htm Virtual Tour of Action T4…then and now photos.

27. Books with Deaf Characters The Sign for Drowning: A NovelBy Rachel Stolzman Miss Spitfire: Reaching H. Keller By Sarah Miller Love That Dog & Hate That Dog by Sharon Creech The Last Days of Hamburger Halpin by Josh Berk The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot Kami and the Yaks by Andrea Stenn Stryer Feathersby Jacqueline Woodson Hurt Go Happy By Ginny Rorby

28. The London Eye Mystery By Siobhan Dowd Random House, 2008. Ted and Kat watched their cousin Salim board the London Eye. But after half an hour it landed and everyone trooped off – except Salim. Where could he have gone? How on earth could he have disappeared into thin air? Ted and his older sister, Kat, become sleuthing partners, since the police are having no luck. Despite their prickly relationship, they overcome their differences to follow a trail of clues across London in a desperate bid to find their cousin. And ultimately it comes down to Ted, whose brain works in its own very unique way, to find the key to the mystery. This is an unput-downable spine-tingling thriller–a race against time. • Sheffield Children’s Book Award • Cheshire Schools’ Book Award • Southwark Book Award • Coventry Inspiration Book Award • Essex Book Award • 14 other national and regional prizes. A Swift Pure Cry (2006)The London Eye Mystery (2007)Bog Child (2008)Solace of the Road (2009) The Siobhan Dowd Trust www.siobhandowd.com (1960 – 2007)

29. Study and Discussion Guides: • Plot Summary • http://www.enotes.com/the-london-eye-mystery/ • Discussion Questions by students at Colleyville Middle School http://www.allstudies.org/London+Eye.htm • Extensive Study Guide • Introducing the class to The London Eye Mystery. Whole class discussion.....questions about the map and to make observations about its organisation; • [PDF] LEM Teachers Resources.qxp • File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View

30. London Eye Websites: • Official Website for the London Eye www.londoneye.com/ExploreTheLondonEye • You Videos of London Eye • www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oHAo8m-c-E • 4 – D London Eye experience • http://www.londoneye.com/Static/TheNew4DExperience.htm

31. Addition Support Sites: • London Tube Map downloadable PDF – http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/1106.aspx • 20 Facts About Asperger Syndrome http://autismaspergerssyndrome.suite101.com/article.cfm/20_facts_about_aspergers_syndrome_in_children

32. Additional Support Sites continued… • Ted is interested in the daily weather shipping forecast for London neighborhoods http://sebbrennan.com/area%20pages/deptford.html • BBC Shipping Forecast • http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/coast/shipping/

33. The Underneath By KathiAppelt Simon & Schuster Children’s, 2008. One kitten's one moment of curiosity sets off a chain of events that is astonishing, remarkable, and enormous in its meaning. In this National Book Award finalist, KathiAppelt spins a harrowing yet keenly sweet tale about the power of love -- and its opposite, hate -- the fragility of happiness and the importance of making good on your promises. 2009 Newbery Honor 2010 AR State Awards 2009 Coop. for Children’s Book Center 2010 First Choice 2009 IL State Award …plus 35 additional awards

34. Study Guides and Questions: • Reading Guide on Teacher Vision webpage from Simon and Schuster. Contains pre-reading, during reading, and post reading materials, activities, and projects. • http://www.teachervision.fen.com/literature-guide/printable/59404.html • http://books.simonandschuster.com/Underneath/Kathi-Appelt/9781416950585/reading_group_guide • Interactive discussion questions that can be answered online • http://216.74.34.10/trivia/book/2768169.The_Underneath

35. Author Links: Author Website http://www.kathiappelt.com/ Kathi Appelt reading from “The Underneath” at the National Book Awards, from chapter 4 (Mama Cat’s discovery of Ranger), includes singing the blues song that is sung by Ranger the bloodhound that is chained under the house. http://www.nationalbook.org/nba2008_ypl_appelt.html YouTube book trailer (1:29 in length) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZ4Ds1Yub3Q

36. Caddo Nation Info: The Official Caddo Nation of Oklahoma Website. The old legend of the ‘g Grandmother Moccasin and the Alligator King” mentioned in the story is an old Indian fable. The Caddo use to live on the Texas – Louisiana border in the Bayou country where the story takes place. http://www.caddonation-nsn.gov/ Caddo Legacy site contains presentations and discussions prepared by the Caddo people on their culture. http://caddolegacy.com/default.aspx Short video clip that contains KathiAppelt’s viewpoint on writing, “ Write like your fingers are on fire”. http://books.simonandschuster.com/Underneath/Kathi-Appelt/9781416950585

37. Caddo Pottery One of the things that set the Caddo apart from their neighbors was their extraordinary skill and creativity as potters. Caddo women (and perhaps some men) made all kinds of pottery from huge storage jars over three feet high to tiny bowls smaller than a tea cup made for their children as well as a variety of other objects including smoking pipes and earspools. While much of the pottery was made for everyday use in cooking, storage, and serving, the Caddo fine wares served other purposes (ritual and funerary) and are renown. http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/tejas/clay/index.html

38. Voting Procedures: • Read four of the 10 books by March and you can vote for your favorite with students from all over the state of Virginia • Turn in your school results to your district representative for district-wide count

39. Thank You for Attending. • This video is accessible on my school library’s website: http://crittenden.nn.k12.va.us/library.html • Please feel free to use it at your convenience.