Homeschool Resource

The Great Upending – Book Discussion Questions and Activity

The Great Upending

The Great Upending, by Beth Kephart

The Great Upending

First, listen to author Beth Kephart reading the first few pages of THE GREAT UPENDING here.

Then, on March 31, get the book!

You can buy it here:  Bookshop.org                  Amazon                 Indiebound

Then, read … and enjoy.

You can answer these questions as you read or after you’re done. It might be fun to do this online with some friends too.

Also – if you’d like to read an interview with the author, look here.

HOMESCHOOL ACTIVITY

 

Below are some questions you and your family might consider as you read this book.

  1. Sometimes, when Sara and Hawk sit outside, they listen to the sounds of their world: “The farm noises There are cows in the cow barn, goats in the goat barn, cats in their cuddle, and the old horse Moe, who snorts like a warthog.” What are the sounds of your world? Make a list, then write a poem so that others can hear what you hear.
  2. Hawk loves the book Treasure Island so much that he carries parts of it around with him in his Name the book that you love best, then write a letter to the author (even if the author is no longer here) to tell them why.
  3. Sara has her own private seed Why? What do the seeds mean to Sara? What is your private, or personal hobby? Find a way to document that hobby with just four photographs.
  4. Sara’s mom can do a lot of things—fix a fence, fight a fire, bake delicious In fact, every member of the Scholl family has special talents. What are they? What do they contribute to the story?
  5. Kalin is a very special librarian. Draw your version of the World’s Best Library—and the world’s best librarian.
  6. When you first meet The Mister in this book, what do you believe his story is? How does your impression of him change as the story unfolds?
  1. Sara and Hawk have been asked, very clearly, not to interfere with The Why? Do you think they were wrong to get involved with him? Should they have told their parents what they were up to?
  2. The Mister is the creator of famous wordless picture books. Create your own wordless picture Now create a version of this book with words. What is the power of a story without words?
  3. What do you think the red shoes in The Mister’s picture book symbolize?
  4. Marfan syndrome is a connective tissue disorder that has affected many famous Research the condition to find out more about its symptoms and the studies now being undertaken to help those who are diagnosed with it.
  5. The author, Beth Kephart, dedicated this book to a young friend named Becca Weust, who has Marfan. To whom would you dedicate a poem or story of your own? Write and illustrate that poem or story. Write the dedication.

Read this interview with the author, Beth Kephart. What other questions do you have? Email your best one to: info (at) junctureworkshops (dot) com

Twenty Virtual Field Trips to Take with your Kids

adventures in familyhood

Looking for lesson plans that get you out of the house but maintain social distancing? Feeling a little house-bound? Try this website: from Adventures in Familyhood.

Virtual Field Trips

0You’ve got access to 20 virtual tours of museums, zoos, and aquariums all over the world, plus lesson ideas, activities, and book suggestions to help you frame your lesson plan.

 

adventures in familyhood

Have fun! Let us know about your trip!

STEM Tuesday– Astronauts and Space Travel — In the Classroom


Reading books from this month’s list confirmed something I instinctively knew – I am nowhere near adventurous enough to be an astronaut. Here are my brief takes on the books I read.

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org

Countdown: 2979 Days to the Moon
by Suzanne Slade, illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez

Countdown tells the story of how mankind journeyed to (and first walked on) the moon. Unlike most books about astronauts, this book is told in free verse poetry. It is also primarily illustrated, gorgeously, by Thomas Gonzalez.

 

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.orgLost in Outer Space
by Tod Olson

This book screams for a read-aloud. Once you get into it, it gets increasingly difficult to put down. Olson does a great job of telling Apollo 13’s story. He puts his own spin on it by sprinkling the perspective of Commander Jim Lovell’s daughter Barbara (a teenager at the time) throughout.

 

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.orgCutting-Edge Astronaut Training
by Karen Latchana Kenny

This book is a quick but informative read, covering how astronauts train to go into space.

 

 

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org
Above and Beyond: NASA’s Journey to Tomorrow
by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

This book looks at NASA from the beginning of the space program through to expectations for the future. One thing I love about this book is that it weaves in what is happening in the world at various points in time and how those things impact NASA’s missions.

Springboard From the Books

Each of these books has references to materials that readers can explore in order to delve more deeply into the subject matter. Look through the books and take some time to explore these materials, most of which are online.

You can also explore materials provided from author and publisher websites.

Tod Olson, Lost in Outer Space: http://todolson.com/resources/lost-in-outer-space-resources

Countdown: https://peachtree-online.com/portfolio-items/countdown

Suzanne Slade’s Book Resources: https://www.suzanneslade.com/contact-me

Suzanne Slade’s Great Space Resources: https://www.suzanneslade.com/great-space-resources

Explore Free Verse

Take a closer look at Coundown and challenge students to create their own free verse poetry. As an added challenge, have students use poetry as a means of writing nonfiction – whether it’s describing something or telling a nonfiction story.

Here are two great resources for looking at and developing some free verse:

https://www.poetry4kids.com/news/how-to-write-a-free-verse-poem

https://powerpoetry.org/actions/5-tips-writing-free-verse-poem

As a bonus, you can read about Suzanne Slade’s journey in writing this book here: https://picturebookbuilders.com/2018/08/countdown-2979-days-to-the-moon-giveaway

Signs of the Times

Pick an event from one of the books. Explore what was going on in the world at that point in time. Here are some questions you might want to answer:

What songs were popular? Listen to some.
What TV shows were people watching? Watch one.
What were people wearing?
What problems was the world facing at that time?
Who was the President of the United States? Who were the other world leaders?
What was the cutting-edge technology for that time?

Consider making a timeline of important world events, including one or more of the significant events mentioned in the book(s).

Who do you know who was alive during that time? Interview one or more people to get their perspective(s) on the event.

Consider Being an Astronaut

Do a little career exploration and determine if you have what it takes to be an astronaut.
What is NASA looking for in astronauts? Find out here: https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/postsecondary/features/F_Astronaut_Requirements.html

There is a short video where astronauts talk about what kinds of people NASA looks for in astronauts here: https://youtu.be/4fXsAvv96Gw.

Take an Astronaut test – would you be a good candidate? https://www.astronaut-test.com/quiz

NASA has a behind the scenes look at astronaut training from about 15 years ago. Poke around the information and read entries from an astronaut trainee’s journal here: https://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/support/training

Then answer the question. Do you have what it takes to be an astronaut? Why or why not?

Pick astronaut or another career and do a little research into it.
What kind of skills and/or training does it require?
What is a typical workday like?
What is the pay range?

One place to look for career information is the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics: https://www.bls.gov/k12/students

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org
It takes many people to put astronauts up in space. One book that highlights a lot of these jobs is Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon by Catherine Thimmesh.

Read this and/or look through NASA’s website to see what other careers help with space exploration. Do any of them interest you?

 

Other Ideas:

Look Into Life in Space

Take an online tour of the ISS in space with astronaut Sunita (Suni) Williams: https://youtu.be/06-Xm3_Ze1o

Or watch the 30 minute video A Day in the Life Aboard the International Space Station: https://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/stem-on-station/dayinthelife

How is life in space similar to your life? How is it different?
Would you like to live in space? Why or why not?
Bonus: Can you find out what your home looks like from space?

Astronaut Biographies

There is so much information available on the NASA website. Here is where you can find a lot of the information related to astronauts: https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts.

Biographies for NASA’s active astronauts can be found here: https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/active.

There are other links for information on former astronauts, international astronauts, and more.
Students could choose an astronaut to profile, explore the information provided, and write a biography about them.

 

I hope you have fun journeying into space with these books and activities.

****************************

Janet Slingerland loves learning about science, history, nature, and (well) everything, which she then turns into a book. To find out more about Janet and her books, check out her website: janetsbooks.com