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Finding Needles in the Haystack

By on January 18, 2019   /   Articles, For Librarians, For Parents, For Teachers, For Writers, STEM Tuesday  
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Information.

It’s everywhere.

It’s all-encompassing.

We are knee deep and rising in the Information Age.

We are surrounded by it every minute of every day of our modern life.

We are writers and readers and teachers and librarians and we are all well aware of this information wave. I can’t count on all my fingers and all my toes the numbers of times just in the past month I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole of information while doing book research. You know what I mean, right?

Case in point. A certain, not-to-be-named kidlit author researches the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library website looking for a reaction quote from Ike in response to the Soviet launch of Sputnik and several hours later, discovers he’s “accidentally” read through the entire Eisenhower archived collection on Sputnik I.

As important as the information is, though, it’s as critical we are able to store and access that information. The difference between success and failure of an assignment or a project often lies in the ability to find the exact clear and concise data we are searching for without losing time chasing interesting, yet irrelevant information.

The library of humanity grows exponentially each passing day. We are swamped with data and overwhelmed by information. How each of us learns to store and retrieve information has become an important part of daily life. Digital data storage, for example, has evolved as fast and as far as anything else in the technology sector.

From the punch cards of mid-20th-century computers to today’s cutting-edge cloud storage options available to practically everyone, we have seen massive improvements in the past 50-years. We rely on thumb drives and smartphones as much or more than we mature folks used to rely on our 5-1/4” floppy disks.

Hannes Grobe/AWI [CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)]

The future of data storage looks incredible. There was a paper published in 2012 about using DNA to store digital information. Digital information which can be coded, carried, copied, and preserved in the genome of a microbe. We could possibly one day stream 2001: A Space Oddessey for the family get-together after retrieving the stored digital copy from the bread mold strain we keep in our pantry. An entire encyclopedia of knowledge stored in the philodendron on the window sill of your office? Maybe, just maybe.

Storing information is one thing. Retrieving it is another vital piece of the information pie. We need to be able to find the data we are looking for fast and accurately. Google, the Queen Mother of Internet Search Engines, uses crawling and indexing to find information—even those funny cat videos. And to make myself sound completely ludicrous, how about the magic of Boolean Search? 

Personally, I still have a soft spot in my digital heart for the old school search engine found in a library card catalog. There’s still something magical about sliding out the wood drawer of the cabinet, finding the book or topic you want, and scribbling the call number with a stubby pencil onto a piece of lime green recycled scrap paper. Then the moments of investigative anticipation while walking the stacks until you find the physical book on the shelf right where it belonged.

Information nerd heaven.

Enokson from Alberta, Canada [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]

Okay, folks. In case you were beginning to wonder why I’m rambling on about information storage and retrieval, here’s the meat and potatoes of this post. Today, I have the honor of introducing a new feature for the From the Mixed-Up Files STEM Tuesday posts. When the other STEM Tuesday members said, “Hey, wouldn’t it be so helpful to teachers, librarians, readers, etc. if they could quickly search a topic for past STEM Tuesday posts?”, I said, “NO! It’s more fun to make everyone search blindly and wander around the entire blog archive for days and days! (Insert evil laugh)”

Needless to say, the STEM Tuesday team told me to shut up and go write an introductory post for the new feature. Ladies and gentlemen, here is the new feature:

A searchable database of STEM Tuesday content!

Thanks to programming and webmaster brilliance, we now have our own portal to assist teachers, readers, writers, and librarians sort through the STEM Tuesday library of past book lists, classroom activities, writing craft & resources, and author interviews. We hope this search tool makes it quicker and easier to find that one helpful piece of information.

So, without further delay, the STEM Tuesday Search Tool is live! Visit the STEMtuesday.com page and select a topic from the drop-down screen. Searching for MG STEM book info has never been easier.

(BREAKING NEWS! Next month, we’ll announce a contest to celebrate the STEM Tuesday Search Tool. We’re calling it The STEM Tuesday Search Party contest. Details are being finalized for the contest so I can’t tell you any specifics yet, except we already have a fabulous cache of prizes to offer. Stay tuned for the STEM Tuesday Search Party announcement on February 21, 2019!)

And remember, back up those files! Information is the currency of the digital age. Take care of your data!

No data storage system is perfect; even if it’s Tom Brady’s DNA we’re talking about.

 

 

 

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STEM Tuesday– Awesome Animal Antics– In the Classroom

By on January 15, 2019   /   Animals, Common Core & NGSS, Cross-Curricular, STEM Tuesday  

Help! Help! We need your help! We want to know what would help you most in our second-Tuesday-of-the-month posts.

In case you haven’t noticed, there is a regular structure to our STEM Tuesday posts.

  • The first Tuesday of the month is the book list.
  • The second (this one!) is classroom information.
  • Week three covers writing craft, for writers and teachers of writing.
  • Week four is an author interview and book giveaway.

A different team of writers works on each week. Our second-Tuesday team is trying to figure out what type of classroom support would be most helpful to you, our readers. Would you please take just a moment to answer 4 quick questions  for us? Your survey responses will help us write super-useful classroom guides for you!

****Take Survey Here. Thank You!****

And now, I interrupt this blog post to give you…

The Interruption Construction!*

Sometimes, readers don’t enjoy STEM writing because they find it difficult. STEM writing can be dense, with lots of ideas packed into a single sentence. Fortunately, some of those sentences follow patterns that can help readers sort out the information. One very common structure in science writing is called the interruption construction. This month’s books contain some great examples of the construction using high-interest topics (and high-interest topics are always the best way to teach useful reading skills!)

Consider this sentence, from page 41 of Animal Zombies, which describes the Frilled Shark:

Its 300 teeth, with multiple spikes arranged in 25 rows, are pointed like arrows toward the creature’s throat.

Show that sentence to students, and then block out the “interruption” found between the commas:

Its 300 teeth, with multiple spikes arranged in 25 rows, are pointed like arrows toward the creature’s throat. 

Point out that the information surrounding the commas make a complete thought. The “interruption” consists of extras that the author is throwing in as a freebie, like when you buy a big lotion pump and get an extra little bottle for free. If a sentence with an interruption construction is  overwhelming them with new information, they can read around the comma and then look back to find out what extras the author wanted to add.

Death Eaters has a wealth of these sentences. At the bottom of page 18, there’s an intriguing passage that describes hyenas and wolves. It would be a great text for a class talking about scavengers, and you could throw in a quick introduction to the interruption construction. The first paragraph reads:

Wolves, found in Africa, northern Asia, Europe, and North America, prefer colder climates. Hyenas, which are native to Africa and southern Asia, thrive in warmer areas. These two death eaters are very similar.

Two interruptions in a row! And if students keep reading that short section, they’ll come across two more. You can discuss the first one as an example, have students talk about the next one, and then have them watch for the others as they read.

Finally, Little Monsters of the Sea illustrates a second form of the interruption construction–one that uses dashes instead of commas. Often–but not always–dashes are used to show that the interruption is restating or clarifying the information that came just before. Consider these sentences:

If you require a very specific habitat—if you can’t call just anywhere home—it’s nice to have young’uns who can get up and go find a fresh spot. (page 26)

Animals inherit their DNA—and therefore their characteristics—from their parents. (page 44)

Once again, if a sentence with extras offset by a dash gets too long or too dense, readers can skip the middle part, and go back to it after they have digested the main part of the sentence.

The interruption constructions in these books are fairly short. But in academic text, that “extra” information can get quite long. If students get used to observing the structure in easier, interesting text, they will have the confidence to tackle it when it shows up in more difficult text.

*I believe the phrase “interruption construction” was coined by Zhihui Fang in: The Language Demands of Science Reading in Middle School, International Journal of Science Education, 28:5, 491-520, 2006. (DOI: 10.1080/09500690500339092). If you ever come across Zhihui, please let him know I appreciate his contribution. It’s a great descriptor and helps students grasp the idea quickly!

 

For more great ways to use these books in the classroom, see the links below for online educator guides and supplementary material.

Eavesdropping on Elephants

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org

 

 Teachers guide with supplementary videos and activities http://www.birdsleuth.org/eavesdroppingonelephants/
The SuperPower Field Guide: Beavers

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org

 A free unit on beavers for grades K-3 that incorporates the book http://www.discoverunitstudies.com/blog/freebie-beaver-unit-study-for-k-3rd-grade
Backyard Bears

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org

 Teachers guide with prereading, discussion, and extension activities http://www.sciencemeetsadventure.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/SITF-Cherrix_BackyardBears.pdf
Penguins vs. Puffins

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org

 Videos and more to go with the book https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/books/penguins-vs-puffins/
Smart About SharksSupport Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org Video describing the creation of the book cover https://vimeo.com/192643792
Animal Zombies

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org

 Teachers guide with some unique activities that only require students to read parts of the book https://fromthemixedupfiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Lesson-plans-for-ANIMAL-ZOMBIES-1.docx
Little Monsters of the OceanSupport Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org A description of the origin of the book and some quick teaching ideas https://fromthemixedupfiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Teaching-Ideas-for-Little-Monsters-of-the-Ocean.docx

Jodi Wheeler-Toppen is a former science teacher and the author of the Once Upon A Science Book series (NSTA Press) on integrating science and reading instruction.  She also writes for children, with her most recent book being Dog Science Unleashed: Fun Activities to do with Your Canine Companion. Visit https://OnceUponAScienceBook.com for more information on her books and staff development offerings.

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Kids Are Thirsting For Blood

By on January 14, 2019   /   Articles  

The ever-present desire for scary Middle Grade books

I do a lot of school visits–both virtual and in person–over the course of the year. It’s always fun to meet the students, talk books with them, and hear their stories. Every visit is different and unique, but there is one thing that is always the same (other than, you know, me).

It goes something like this:

 

TEACHER/LIBRARIAN/EDUCATIONAL PROFESSIONAL

We love that you write spooky stuff. The students are always asking for more scary stories to read!

ME

That’s great. What sort of Spooky Middle Grade books do you have in your classroom/library?

 

TEACHER/LIBRARIAN/EDUCATIONAL PROFESSIONAL

We have Goosebumps, of course.

ME

Of course. What else?

TEACHER/LIBRARIAN/EDUCATIONAL PROFESSIONAL

(stares blankly at me for a few seconds)

We have Goosebumps.

While the Goosebumps series is awesome, there appears to be a dearth of other spooky middle grade books in our nation’s schools and libraries. I’m not sure why this is. Kids have always liked a good, scary story. They tell them to each other at sleepovers, birthday parties, camping trips, midnight Mahjong tournaments, and any other late-night gathering. Why, then, is the genre of Middle Grade Horror defined by Goosebumps, some newer Goosebumps, and some older, classic Goosebumps?

The intense popularity of the Goosebumps books, with kudos to good writing and a great marketing team, have unwittingly exacerbated the problem. Since there are so many of them and they are so popular, it is understandable that people see them as representative of the entire genre. However, they are a very visceral type of horror- in your face, gore and blood and nasty, festering wounds with bugs crawling in and out of empty eye sockets–all of which I adore. However, the books are not for everyone. They’re like an R-rated slasher flick told in a PG-13 or PG way. Even the book covers often have more in common with a poster for the latest R-rated horror movie than they do with anything aimed at children. Again, the genre suffers- some parents may see these covers and walk away from the books and the entire genre.

But Middle Grade Horror can be so much more.

Middle Grade Horror is the shiver up your spine. It is the strange creak in the floorboards. The weird smell coming from under your bed (the one you THINK is just your dirty socks). Vampires with bad personal hygiene. Monsters that only go bump in the dark because they can’t see where they’re going. Misunderstood ghosts. Were-ducks. Maybe a possessed-yet-cuddly stuffed animal or two.

The fact is, Spooky Middle Grade is anything and everything spooky, and kids are desperate for it. Spooky middle grade books allow children to dip their toes into the darkness without fear of repercussion. Life is not all unicorns and rainbows and these books can help build up a child’s ability to handle some of the things that might come their way down the road.

I also think we underestimate children’s ability to handle darker material. One of my school visit presentations deals with defining and exploring the genre of horror. I do this for grades 4-8. I have never had any issues, and in fact, most teachers tell me they’ve rarely seen their students so engaged. We talk about classic horror literature, horror movies, and the four main horror storylines. The kids may not have seen A Nightmare on Elm Street (I certainly hope the 4th graders haven’t seen it), but they all know who Freddie Kruger is. When I explain that Jurassic Park is a haunted house story (trust me, it is), they jump over themselves to share their thoughts on the subject.

One student, at the end of one of my visits, came up to me and the teacher, a look of pure joy on his face.

 

“I can’t believe we just talked all about Micheal Myers and Jason and Goosebumps and evil clowns and stuff! In school! That was so great!”

 

Children in the 8-12 age range are ready to be (slightly) scared and can handle a lot more than we give them credit for. More than that, they WANT to read these books.

So if you are a librarian or a teacher or a parent, give your Middle Grade-aged students/children the gift of something spooky to read every now and again.

In addition to Goosebumps.

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