Posts Tagged librarians

STEM Tuesday — Checking Your Health– In the Classroom

By on August 14, 2018   /   Common Core & NGSS, Cross-Curricular, Health, STEM Tuesday  

Once again, the STEM Tuesday Team put together a powerhouse book list for this month’s theme: CHECKING YOUR HEALTH.  You can access that book list quickly and easily right HERE.

As always, on Week Two, we’re going to take a few books from the list and talk about classroom application. Upper elementary, middle school, home school, summer school – we’ve got activities for you!

Lights, Camera, Action

Human Body Theater

Use Maris Wicks’s fascinating book Human Body Theater, a Nonfiction Revue to put on a show! The book, which is in graphic/comic strip format (can we say graphic novel for nonfiction? Hmm….) is divided into Acts One through Eleven, with each act explaining one of our bodies’ systems. Students might work in groups, choosing a system and writing a script for a whole-body performance. A ticket to the Human Body Theater might be just be the hottest ticket in town!

 

 

 

 

Then and Now

Bubonic Panic Cover

Using Bubonic Panic: When Plague Invaded America by Gail Jarrow and Ebola: Fears and Facts by Patricia Newman, compare the effects of two devastating illnesses that hit the world at two very different times. What challenges do scientists and medical professionals face today that are similar to those faced years ago? What advances have made research and treatment easier? What still needs to happen in order to prevent an epidemic from ever occurring again?

 

Biology Biography Bash

murphy_breakthrough        reef_florence nightingale

Many classrooms hold Biography Bashes or Living History events or otherwise showcase people from history who’ve had an impact on the way we live. Consider hosting a biography event centered around historical figures who have made a difference in the fields of health and medicine.  This month’s book list contains two fantastic examples: Florence Nightingale: The Courageous Life the Legendary Nurse by Catherine Reef and Breakthrough! How Three People Saved “Blue Babies” and Changed Medicine Forever by Jim Murphy.

And, don’t forget fiction!

Here at The Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors, the STEM Tuesday team loves to highlight great middle-grade fiction with our nonfiction topics.  In Chasing Secrets: A Deadly Surprise in a City of Lies, Gennifer Choldenko’s fictional characters must try to understand a mysterious illness. She sets the story against the very real backdrop that was San Francisco in 1900. I was hooked in chapter one, when the main character says “I know I shouldn’t say things like this. Aunt Hortense says I try hard to be peculiar. But she’s wrong; I come by it quite naturally.”

So, here’s a challenge for the comment section below: Add a middle-grade fiction title that explores a health or medical issue. Contemporary or historical, realistic or science fiction. Can you come up with one to share?

Michelle Houts created today’s STEM Tuesday post. She’s the author of several fiction and nonfiction books for kids, including the STEM-based Lucy’s Lab Chapter Book Series from Sky Horse Publishing/Sky Pony Press. After reading about bubonic plague, tuberculosis, ebola, and other deadly diseases for today’s post, she is now going to go wash her hands. Again. 

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Back to School: The Teacher-Author Partnership is Thriving

By on August 8, 2018   /   Articles  

It’s August.

Here’s what Natalie Babbitt had to say about August in the opening lines of Tuck Everlasting:

To me, August is like a breath held for a moment. We’re not quite ready to give up summer. There’s summer left to be savored. And, yet, school bells are starting to ring. A friend in Tennessee tells me that school started yesterday there. Here in western Ohio, it will start in two weeks.

Over the years, I’ve experienced this time of closure and renewal as a mother, a teacher, and as an author, and just lately, I’ve been struck by the number of exciting and innovative ways teachers and authors are teaming up to bring a love of books and a desire to learn to their students and readers. Let’s look at few:

#KidsNeedMentors When author Ann Braden teamed up with fellow author Jarrett Lerner and then with 5th grade teachers Kristen Picone and Kristin Crouch, something magical happened.  Using Twitter as their connection, the foursome created a mentorship campaign that connects a teacher and their class with an author in a year-long exchange of ideas and encouragement. In it’s first year, #KidsNeedMentors will support 300 author/teacher pairs! Click here to read a recent School Library Journal article about the program.

Nerd Camp The original Nerd Camp was held in Michigan six years ago with 180 educators in attendance. Organized by teacher Colby Sharp and his fantastic team, this FREE literacy event has grown to include 1500 educators and over 50 authors. Did you hear me say, it’s FREE?  And it always will be.  Nerd Camp Michigan now receives so much author interest that they have to turn away published authors each year, and most of these authors are volunteering to come on their own dime. (Some receive publisher backing, but most don’t). I can’t think of anything more lovely and genuine than this show of  support for the professionals who teach reading and writing.  Since its inception, Nerd Camps have been popping up all over the United States, borrowing from the model set forth by its originators. If you’d like to know more about starting a Nerd Camp in your area, first, take a look at the Nerd Camp MI website, and then contact Colby Sharp for more information.

Teacher/Librarian Bloggers As an author, I want to stay connected with my readership. And by readership, I mean not just those who read my books, but those who read any middle-grade fiction or nonfiction. It’s good to know their reading habits, but it’s even more important to know about them.  What makes a middle-grader laugh? What are they afraid of? What relationships matter the most?  The best educators are students of their students.  They know them as learners and as human beings navigating their way through life. There are some amazing teacher bloggers out there. If you follow one, share their blog in the comments below. And, I’ll share with you two of my favorite.

First, here’s a link to Pernille Ripp’s Blog. She’s introspective and always evaluating her methods and materials based on her current students. Check it out.

And, another favorite is Matthew Winner’s website and blog. Matthew is an elementary librarian, author, blogger, and podcaster, so his website contains lots of kidlit books, interviews, and information all rolled together into one fun package. See what he’s got to say.

Author Visits Finally, my very favorite way that teachers and authors connect:

School visits!

There’s nothing better than meeting face-to-face with readers, answering their questions (all of their questions, even the personal ones), and hearing their ideas (which are often so brilliant, I can’t wait to see what these young people do when they grow up!) School visits, when done right (which takes communication and planning for both the author or illustrator and the school personnel) can connect children and authors in a very meaningful way. Most of the time, it also means  financial investment on the part of the school, and some schools can’t locate the funds to make that happen. However, with some preplanning, creative funding options, and the use of technology, though, it might be more possible than you think. Here are some links to previous posts about Author Visits.  Face to Face with an Author or Illustrator.   Memorable Author Visits and 21 Ways to Fund Author Visits.

Whether you’re preparing for the Back-to-School season as a parent, a teacher, a librarian, an administrator, an author, or an illustrator, one fact is certain: we’re all connected by the young readers we serve. And, quite frankly, I’ve never been more excited about the ways in which we’re reaching out to one another!

 

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STEM Tuesday– Deep Space and Beyond– Interview with Author Alexandra Siy

By on July 31, 2018   /   Common Core & NGSS, Giveaways, STEM Tuesday  

Welcome to STEM Tuesday: Author Interview & Book Giveaway, a repeating feature for the fourth Tuesday of every month. Go Science-Tech-Engineering-Math!

Today we’re interviewing Alexandra Siy, author of this month’s featured deep space book, Voyager’s Greatest Hits: The Epic Trek to Interstellar Space. The book is a “soundtrack” that takes readers on an epic journey into interstellar space thanks to NASA’s Voyager program and its twin robotic space probes.

The author’s enthusiasm for Voyager’s accomplishments shines through her words: “Planets dance around the Sun. Moons and rings dance around the planets. And the Voyagers danced around them all, taking pictures, collecting data, and transforming how humans see and understand the solar system.”  Voyager’s Greatest Hits received a starred review from School Library Journal, calling it “An engaging and captivating STEM title.” The book was also chosen for NSTA’s Best STEM Books 2018.

Alexandra Siy is a science writer and photographer for kids who thinks that science is fun, artsy, and cool. She’s written many books that combine science and art through imagery that reveals both microscopic and far away worlds.  She also visits schools and libraries nationwide, sharing her passion for science, books, and photography.

Mary Kay Carson: What inspired you to write Voyager’s Greatest Hits?

Alexandra Siy: Back in 2005, I was following the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity for my book CARS ON MARS. One day, while trolling the NASA website I read about a record album flying through space. What?!

Launched back in 1977 on the Voyager Planetary Mission, the “Golden Record” instantly captured my imagination. What was on it? How do you play it? Why was it made? Did scientists really think there are aliens out there who might someday find it? Where is it right now? One question lead to another—and suddenly I was researching the heliosphere, plasma waves, gravity assist, the interstellar medium, and termination shock. At that point, the Voyagers were far beyond the outer planets, but they were still on a mission. Now called the Voyager Interstellar Mission, the twin spacecraft were speeding toward interstellar space, and I wanted to hop onboard. But the only way to go was to write a book.

Voyager’s Greatest Hits was inspired by the Golden Record. It was fun weaving the titles of pop musical recordings from the past forty years into the narrative’s chapter titles and subtitles. A book is the voice of the person writing it, and Voyager’s Greatest Hits became my personal journey to the cosmos. “I’ve been flying with the Voyagers ever since,” I wrote in my author’s note. “And now, so are you.”

MKC: Could you share a favorite research moment or finding?

Alexandra: Although I interviewed several scientists while researching Voyager’s Greatest Hits, my favorite moment was not my interview. It occurred on December 3, 2013 (which was my birthday). I discovered the interview online over a year later. Voyager Project Scientist, Ed Stone, who I’d come to know only through research, was on the Colbert Report talking about “humankind’s greatest—and certainly most extensive—journey of exploration.” When Stephen Colbert floated across the stage in a spacesuit and presented Ed with NASA’s Distinguished Public Service Medal, Ed was genuinely surprised. His passion for science, exploration, and discovery was as engaging as his great big smile. Check it out the Colbert interview and the fun award presentation.

MKC: Why do you write STEM books?

Alexandra: I have a lot of questions. I want to know things. I majored in biology in college because I literally wanted to know what life is—the reason for it, and how and why it exists. This question of life, which is the ultimate existential question, bothered me a lot. When I realized I would not be finding the answer in upper level bio courses, I signed up for classes in Shakespeare and Writing Poetry. I minored in writing and eventually discovered that nonfiction writing is “thinking on the page,” as Philip Lopate described it in his 2013 title, To Show and to Tell: The Craft of Literary Nonfiction. When I write, I come to understand.

Writing STEM books is a holistic approach to understanding. I like to say I write STEAM books because I incorporate art into all of my titles. Primary source scientific imagery is also artistic expression, and I love fusing science and art in books for young readers.

MKC: Any book recommendations for fans of Voyager’s Greatest Hits?

Alexandra: A Wrinkle in Time, the novel by Madeleine L’Engle. In her 1963 Newberry Medal acceptance speech L’Engle concluded: “A book too, can be a star, ‘explosive material, capable of stirring up fresh life endlessly,’ a living fire to lighten the darkness, leading out into the expanding universe.” Mary Kay Carson’s outstanding Mission to Pluto: The First Visit to an Ice Dwarf and the Kuiper Belt. And for the 2019, 50th Anniversary of the first lunar landing check out Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon by Catherine Thimmesh.

Win a FREE copy of Voyager’s Greatest Hits!

Enter the giveaway by leaving a comment below. The randomly-chosen winner will be contacted via email and asked to provide a mailing address (within the U.S. only) to receive the book.

Good luck!

Your host this week is Mary Kay Carson, fellow space geek and author of Mission to Pluto and other nonfiction books for kids. @marykaycarson

 

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