Nonfiction

Ready, Set, Go! Children’s Books Compete Overseas

By Robyn Gioia on March 28, 2018 / Book Lists, children's bookstores, Fiction, For Librarians, For Parents, For Teachers, independent bookstores, Nonfiction

Morning Calm medal featuring the Seoul Tower in the background and traditional Korean buildings in the forefront.

Librarians are readers. They love books and read plenty of them. They delve into fictional worlds, constantly update their knowledge with the latest nonfiction, hone their research skills with a constantly evolving cyber world, keep abreast of the latest apps and an ever-increasing catalog of digital books.

So, what happens when a group of librarians from Korean International Schools (International schools teach in English) and an American School get together to compare favorite titles? They develop the Morning Calm Program, aptly named for a program featured in South Korea. Korea is described as “The Land of the Morning Calm” in a poem written by the Indian poet, Sir Tagore during the Joseon Dynasty.

Each librarian selects their own books to recommend to the committee. Each book must have been published in the last two years, have school-wide student appeal, and is worthy of literary merit. Where they find books to consider is wide-open. Books can be chosen from far and wide, and not through regular channels. If a librarian falls in love with a book, and it meets the criteria, he or she is free to bring it forward.

The books are presented to the whole committee of librarians. The committee, a multi-cultural mix of people representing many different perspectives, reviews and discusses each book before placing it on the next school-wide reading list.

The list contains: 5 picture books, 5 intermediate elementary, 5 middle school, and 5 books for high school.

The following are the books that made this year’s 2017-2018 Morning Calm Reading list:

Elementary Picture Books

Elementary Chapter Books

Middle School

High School

At the beginning of the year, our elementary school librarian sets up a showcase featuring all of the picture books and intermediate titles. The top shelf showcases a photocopy of the book standing up. The books are in such demand, a representative has to take its place. The bottom shelf houses the copies. Students are allowed to open the case and take one from the pile to check-out. At any given time, a quick glance tells you the books are popular.

The program doesn’t stop there. The librarian begins the school year by introducing the books to each class in an exciting way. For the little kids, it might be a video introduction. For the older kids, it might be a letter from the author. PYP/IB schools call this a “provocative introduction” because it peaks your interest and makes you want to know more.

Many teachers purchase class sets for their students. Some classes do projects centered around the story. Many teachers make the books required reading. Older students do reviews and post them to the school’s Schoology website. The books might be part of a literature circle. They may become part of an after school book club. They may become part of a reading competition between classes. They may be chosen for a teacher’s read aloud time.

Our librarian, and every librarian out there, offers student incentives for reading. The incentives may come in the form of reading contests, where the winning class is rewarded with an ice cream party. Or there might be banners hung in the library listing the names of students and the titles they’ve read.

Teachers get in on the act, too. They may have bulletin boards featuring book elements and plots. Classes may have book talks with other grades. Parents may be invited for a read-in with their child. Students from 5th grade may read picture books to 1st grade partners. There are also volunteer community members who might read to a student one-on-one or a student may read to the volunteer. And we can’t forget the PTO. Members running the book fairs may offer the Morning Calm titles for sale.

Anyway you look at it, these books are the talk of the school for an entire school year.

The librarian at our elementary school estimates 50% of the student body reads the featured titles. Keep in mind that the little ones generally aren’t part of those statistics, meaning the upper elementary grades make up the bulk of the reading.

At the end of the year, students vote on their favorite titles. Each student must have read 4 of the 5 titles to be eligible to vote. Numbers are crunched from the participating schools and a winner in each category is announced. Winning books receive the Morning Calm Medal and shouting rights for placing first.

The most important thing? The exposure our students receive for a year of great reading. Check back in May when all the votes are in!

STEM Tuesday Field Work — Books List

By STEM Tuesday on March 6, 2018 / Book Lists, Field Work, MUF Contributor Books, Nonfiction, STEM Tuesday

Field work is a hallmark of so many science disciplines. This month we tried to cover a broad range of field work ideas–from geology to weather to archaeology to marine science.

Please comment below if you have other ideas to add to the list. We would love for STEM Tuesday to become a collaborative resource.

*Life in Surtsey: Iceland’s Upstart Island by Loree Griffin Burns
In this Scientists in the Field title, Loree Griffin Burns follows entomologist Erling Olafsson on a five-day trip to this brand-new island to discover how life takes hold in a new land.

Eye of the Storm: NASA, Drones, and the Race to Crack the Hurricane Code by Amy Cherrix
This Scientists in the Field title looks at the science of meteorology. Like all Scientists in the Field titles these two bring STEM subjects, and the people studying them, to life for young readers. Check out the SITF site for a complete listing of all the books in this series.

Sea Otter Heroes: The Predators that Saved An Ecosystem by Patricia Newman
Discover the fascinating story of how sea otters keep a California seagrass-filled inlet healthy. Marine biologist Brent Hughes’ field work and detective skills uncovered an amazing new relationship between sea otters and their ecosystem. [Sibert Honor Book]

Untamed: The Wild Life of Jane Goodall by Anita Silvey
Read about one of our most beloved and famous field researchers, Jane Goodall, in this thoughtfully researched biography. A perfect read for budding field scientists.

Hidden Figures: The Untold True Story of Four African-American Women Who Helped Launch Our Nation Into Space by Margot Lee Sheerly
This book is geared for younger readers. It integrates every STEM theme in a highly engaging narrative text.

Hopping Ahead of Climate Change: Snowshoe Hares, Science, and Survival by Sneed Collard III
The is a story of Arctic science that integrates wildlife ecology and climate science. A wonderful addition to a classroom library.

Children of the Past: Archaeology and the Lives of Kids by Lois Huey
An archaeologist herself, Lois Huey, shares stories with her young reader of archaeological field discoveries about children who lived long ago.

Secrets of a Civil War Submarine: Solving the Mysteries of the H. L. Huntley by Sally M. Walker
A terrific story of archaeology, engineering, and marine science, Secrets of a Civil War Submarine is well-researched and engaging.

STEM Tuesday book lists prepared by:

Nancy Castaldo has written books about our planet for over 20 years including her 2016 title, THE STORY OF SEEDS: From Mendel’s Garden to Your Plate, and How There’s More of Less To Eat Around The World, which earned the 2017 Green Earth Book Award and other honors. Nancy’s research has taken her all over the world from the Galapagos to Russia. She enjoys sharing her adventures, research, and writing tips with readers. Nancy also serves as the Regional Advisor of the Eastern NY SCBWI region. Her 2018 title is BACK FROM THE BRINK: Saving Animals from Extinction. www.nancycastaldo.com

Patricia Newman writes middle-grade nonfiction that inspires kids to seek connections between science, literacy, and the environment. The recipient of the Green Earth Book Award and a finalist for the AAAS/Subaru Science Books and Films Award, her books have received starred reviews, been honored as Junior Library Guild Selections, and included on Bank Street College’s Best Books lists. During author visits, she demonstrates how her writing skills give a voice to our beleaguered environment. Visit her at www.patriciamnewman.com.

Check back every Tuesday of every month:

Week 1: STEM Tuesday Themed Book Lists
Week 2: STEM Tuesday in the Classroom
Week 3: STEM Tuesday Crafts and Resources
Week 4: STEM Tuesday Author Interviews and Giveaways

iNK: A Great Resource for Nonfiction in Your Curriculum

By Natalie Rompella on February 7, 2018 / Common Core & NGSS, Cross-Curricular, Curriculum Tie-in, For Librarians, For Teachers, Nonfiction

I grew up in the generation where many nonfiction books were dry and text-heavy. The content was to-the-point, and there were few photographs or illustrations. The purpose of even checking out a nonfiction book at the library was solely for school research projects.

Fast forward thirty-plus years. Nonfiction has changed. It’s fun. It’s fresh. It tells a story. Kids who “don’t like” nonfiction might not even know they’re reading it (kind of like giving a child something healthy to eat and they don’t notice!) So now we have kids reading these books for pleasure. But how can you utilize all of these great nonfiction books as part of your instruction? How can you even find out about them?

While web surfing the other day, I came across the site iNK and was intrigued. I had to find out more. What I found out is that the person behind this resource is Vicki Cobb. Those in the world of education know this name well: she wrote such books as Bet You Can’t! and Science Experiments You Can Eat. And she was one of the pioneers in the change in nonfiction. I tracked her down and had the opportunity to chat with her to learn more about iNK and The Nonfiction Minute.

iNK stands for Interesting Nonfiction for Kids and is a nonfiction database for teachers and librarians. The books that are part of the database are all written by award-winning, nonfiction children’s authors: Lawrence Pringle, April Pulley Sayre, Steve Jenkins, and Steve Swinburne, to name a few.

Vicki made an interesting point about how authors’ books are shelved. Fiction authors’ books are clustered together on the shelves of libraries and bookstores since fiction is catalogued by the author’s last name. On the other hand, nonfiction authors’ books are scattered throughout the stacks, catalogued by the subject’s call number. If a reader enjoys a particular author, they can’t just grab all of the books from that section of the shelf.

iNK introduces teachers and librarians to award-winning nonfiction authors and their body of work. iNK also allows teachers and librarians to work with some of the authors through the writers-in-residence program Authors on Call. A teacher or librarian can sign up for a professional development program titled Class ACTS Program. This program is customized for the teacher or teachers’ needs and includes written communication and videoconferencing with an author. See http://inkthinktank.org/images/INKBOOKLET.pdf and http://www.nonfictionminute.org/authors-on-call.html for more details.

Vicki Cobb also heads The Nonfiction Minute, which is a blog featuring posts by nonfiction children’s authors. In addition to interesting nonfiction posts, you can listen to the authors read their posts! There are so many fun articles with high-interest photos. Teachers and librarians can also do a search by topic or scroll through the category list. These posts are great to share with students and show how nonfiction has voice.

Last, a new book is out by these award-winning nonfiction authors titled 30 People Who Changed the World: Fascinating Bit-Sized Essays from Award-Winning Writers (edited by Jean Reynolds). It includes biographies on people in a variety of fields, people such as Julius Caesar, Rosa Parks, and Roald Amundsen. And coming in March: 30 Animals That Share Our World. The book demonstrates voice through nonfiction, a topic that has more recently been studied with students.

And if you’re a big fan of Vicki Cobb, check out her posts on her new blog: www.vickicobbsblog.com.

So if you’re looking to add a component to your science, social studies, reading, math, or writing curriculum (wait, that’s just about everything!), check out The Nonfiction Minute and iNK.

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Nonfiction