Category: Books

Books, Education, K-12, Motivation, Philosophy, Teaching Tools, Videos

Some of my Mediocre Moments of 2013

Terri Eichholz

Mediocre

This is the time of year when people post “Best of” lists: Best Apps of the Year, Best News Stories of the Year, Best Songs of the Year, Best Posts of the Year, etc…  I try to be different when I can (if it’s not terribly embarrassing), so I decided not to take that exact route.  I briefly entertained the thought of doing a “Worst of” post – until I heard a radio story about the “Worst Movies of the Year.”  Since that idea is already taken, I decided to take a look at this year’s posts to find some of the ones that fell “in-between” according to my blog stats. Sometimes I scratch my head at the posts that get a lot of views when compared to the ones that receive little attention.  But there are some that are in the middle that might bear a second look. Maybe I posted them on a holiday, or on a big news day – or when one of the “Worst Movies of the Year” opened.  Whatever the reason for the mediocre number of views, I decided to roll a few of them out for another try because, quite frankly, I am rather enthusiastic about the topics:

  • “Make Your Own History” – this post features a video of a TED talk by Brad Meltzer.  You may remember that I have mentioned Meltzer recently, as he is the author of one of my favorite children’s books, Heroes for My Daughter. In this video, Meltzer gives a passionate speech about how we can all make history, and offers the three important qualities of great achievers. It is an excellent video to show students or teachers.
  • “I Wonder if We Could All Be a Bit Kinder” – I was deeply moved by reading the book, Wonder, by R.J. Palacio, this summer.  In this post that I wrote in August, I summarized the book, and related it’s message of the need for kindness to two other great lectures that also highlight the importance of compassion – those of Jeff and Mark Bezos.
  • “Don’t Compare Yourself to Others” –  Some people I know are becoming “connected” educators through Twitter or other social networks, and they are panicking.  They see great things that other people are doing and worry that they are not good enough.  I’ll admit that I sometimes suffer from the same feelings of inadequacy.  I wrote this post to remind those people, and myself, that our most important connections are made with our students – and we all do this in different ways.  It’s great to get new ideas, but we can’t berate ourselves for not trying every single one of them.

So, there you have it – my list of mediocre posts from 2013.  Actually, there are far more than 3.  I just chose the best of the mediocre according to my very humble opinion.

I guess that means I’m not all that different after all 😉

Apps, Art, Augmented Reality, Books, Creative Thinking, Critical Thinking, Depth and Complexity, Education, K-5, Language Arts, Student Products, Teaching Tools, Videos

If I Lived in a Snow Globe, I Would Wear my Bike Helmet to Bed

Terri Eichholz
Screen shot from BumbleVille
Screen shot from BumbleVille

UPDATE 1/18/15 – I just added a post that gives more details about using augmented reality with this lesson.  Go to “Outside My Snow Globe” to learn more!

Earlier this year, I posted about a short video called, “BumbleVille.”  This cute animation would be fun to show your students at this time of year.  You might want to show them part of the film, then stop and ask them what they think is going on.  Chances are they will respond like mine did: “earthquake”, “aliens”, “volcanic eruption”.  You will enjoy their reactions when they find out the true cause – that the characters are inhabitants of a snow globe which just got shaken.

In my first BumbleVille post, I gave some suggestions for incorporating Kaplan’s “Multiple Perspectives” into a lesson using the film.  Since then, I’ve also thought that it might be interesting to think about the “Rules” that might be important for living in such an unpredictable environment:

  • What special rules would they have for buildings in this community?
  • What do they tell the students to do at school when such an event occurs (similar to earthquake or tornado preparedness)?
  • Are there certain objects that should not be allowed in this community?
  • Are there certain actions that should be against the law?

When I first posted BumbleVille, I happened to be reading Not Just Child’s Play, and came across a recommendation in the comments to read The Snow Globe Family, by Jane O’Connor.  This book ties in very well with the BumbleVille video – giving perspectives from both inside and out of the snow globe.  I found this free Snow Globe Family packet on Teachers Pay Teachers by Anita Bremer that asks the students to make a text-to-self connection, which is great.

There are tons of “Snow Globe” resources on the internet – including Pinterest ideas – for crafting your own.  You can create real ones or facsimiles.

If you are interested in a digital version of a snow globe, there is a free app, called “iSnowdome” (available on iTunes only) that allows you to place a photo of your own inside a snow globe, then e-mail the video of it.  (From what I can tell, this is the only app that will e-mail a video instead of just a screen shot.) This could be a cute combo writing/augmented reality project – have students write about what it is like to live in a snow globe, use iSnowdome* to make videos of themselves in the snow globe, and upload the videos to Aurasma Studio with the screen shots as trigger images.  Voila – an interactive, winter-themed bulletin board for your classroom!

*(The iSnowdome video includes an instrumental of a Christmas song in the audio, which some families may not prefer.  You could easily mute that in a video editing program, though.)

Books, Education, K-5, Parenting, Teaching Tools

Heroes for My Daughter

Terri Eichholz
A wonderful gift
A wonderful gift that you can find here

I’m feeling a bit sentimental with the Thanksgiving holiday this week, so I chose a different kind of product for today’s “Gifts for the Gifted” post.  I actually wrote about this book back in August, but it was part of a larger article.  I think it deserves its own entry.

My daughter was about to “graduate” from elementary school last year, and I started to panic.  I had seen on Pinterest all of the ideas for using the book, Oh, the Places You’ll Go, with signatures from past teachers, as a graduation gift.  But I wanted to do something a little different.  After much internet detective work, I found, Heroes for My Daughter, by Brad Meltzer. (He has also written Heroes for My Son.)

Fortunately, I happen to work at my daughter’s school – at least, I did last year, before she went on to middle school.  Also fortunately, all of her past teachers, including her Music and P.E. teachers, still work there.  I took pictures of them, and used a photo editing tool to make the pictures look like the ones in the book.  Then, I asked each of her teaching heroes to write a message to her.

She cried when she opened the gift on her graduation day.  Granted, she had already cried several times that day.  Leaving elementary school was a lot more emotionally taxing than either of us suspected.  Nevertheless, she seemed very appreciative of the book.

During the summer, we read one of the short chapters from the book each night before she went to bed.  We both learned a lot about the people in the book, such as Julia Child and the Three Stooges.

When we finished the book, she said, “I think we should read it again.”

If you are looking for a great book to give as a gift to a child, then you should definitely consider Heroes for My Daughter (or Heroes for My Son).  And, if you can, read it along with her or him. Your child will not be the only one who benefits from this gift.

Here is my Pinterest Board of Books for Gifted Students.  Previous entries for this year’s “Gifts for the Gifted” post are:  Cubelets, Sifteo Cubes, Scrabble Flash, and Make-Do.  (You can also find these on the Games and Toys for Gifted Students Pinterest Board.)

Books, Careers, Computer Science, Education, Problem Solving, Science, Teaching Tools

Engineering for Girls Resources

Terri Eichholz

I’ve spent my time on more than a few posts bemoaning the low numbers of females in the math, science, and engineering sectors – including programming.  But I’ve been heartened, recently, by a few things that I’ve seen during my internet browsing.  These are some great products and websites that are designed to encourage girls to shed the only-males-can-think-logically stereotype that has lingered for far too long in our culture.

Rosie Revere

Rosie Revere, Engineer is a delightful children’s book by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts.  Rosie is a young maker in the making.  She tinkers and creates, but gets discouraged by everyone’s attitude toward her inventions.  Great-great Aunt Rose helps little Rosie get back on the path that leads to her dreams.  This book is not just for girls.  It encourages everyone to learn from your mistakes.  Here is a link to a page of curriculum suggestions.

Engineer Girl

Engineer Girl is a website that is graphically appealing without overdoing pink and swirly.  The site features interviews with female engineers, highlights careers in this field, and has a plethora of activities and links that are sure to satisfy the curiosity of any girl with even the slightest interest in S.T.E.M.

goldie blox

Goldie Blox is offering a new product for pre-sale (available in December) called “Goldie Blox and the Parade Float.”  The sequel to “Goldie Blox and the Spinning Machine“, this $19.99 set also includes a storybook with construction pieces and design ideas.  Aimed toward 4-9 year olds, these toys are specifically designed by Stanford grad Debbie Sterling to “disrupt the pink aisle.”

Engineer Your Life

Engineer Your Life is a website designed for high school girls.  Like Engineer Girl, it offers biographies of female engineers and suggestions for how to get involved in a career in engineering.

Roominate

Roominate has been featured on this blog before.  Be sure to check out this great building toy that includes electrical circuits!

Design Squad Nation

The PBS Design Squad Nation website is not aimed at girls, specifically.  But it should engage any young student in the excitement of building and design.  It has great resources for parents and educators, and is currently sponsoring a design challenge that must be submitted by Nov. 6, 2013. 

The more exposure our young people, especially the girls, get to S.T.E.M., the more children will learn about the potential they have for pursuing careers in these fields.  Not all of them will develop a passion for it, but certainly it will be more than the low numbers we currently see.

Books, Education, K-12, Language Arts, Parenting, Reading

Books for Gifted Kids

Terri Eichholz

I’m not really sure about the title for this post – because I certainly do not think these recommendations apply solely to children who have been identified as Gifted.  However, as a teacher of gifted kids, I know that parents often ask me for ideas on reading material.  After reading Wonder, and commenting about it on yesterday’s post, I thought I would share a few other resources for quality books to which you can direct parents.

NPR just posted a list on August 5th called, “The Ultimate Backseat Bookshelf:  100 Must-Reads for Kids 9-14.” The list was created with input from the NPR audience, and includes most of the classics I read as a child.  There are a few new ones, including Wonder, on the list.

For the younger set, the great host of “Not Just Child’s Play” has a couple of posts with lists of book recommendations that you might want to view – “Stories About Real People” and “Books That Celebrate Differences.”

Although it is certainly not comprehensive, I have a Pinterest Board of recommendations here.

One book that I would like to mention, in particular, is Heroes for My Daughter by Brad Meltzer.  I bought this book for my own daughter as a gift for her 5th grade graduation.  I took pictures of all of her elementary school teachers and made a collage that looked similar to the inside cover of the book.  Each teacher signed it.  I read a story from this book each night to my daughter before we move on to whatever current chapter book we are reading.  The biographies are short, and usually include a quote that we discuss.  The included heroes are a diverse group – from the Three Stooges to Julia Child, and we both are learning about history as well as admirable attributes that led to positive change in the world.  Meltzer has a similar book, Heroes for My Son, available, as well.

Google “books for gifted” and you will get a plethora of results.  I’ve tried to scale it down for you a bit here as it can be a bit overwhelming!  Hopefully, these links give you some good starting points.

from: http://www.amazon.com/Heroes-My-Son-Brad-Meltzer/dp/B007K4EZNW/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_y
from: http://www.amazon.com/

 

Apps, Books, Creative Thinking, Education, Fun Friday, K-5, Parenting, Teaching Tools

IMAG-N-O-TRON: “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore”

Terri Eichholz

Screen Shot 2013-06-27 at 3.47.21 PM

It’s Fun Friday, and I want to share with you an augmented reality app that I saw demonstrated at ISTE this week by Hall Davidson.  The app, IMAG-N-O-TRON: “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore,” is designed to accompany the picture book of the same title.  You may remember that I shared with you the award-winning short film of that title.

This would make a really unique gift for a young person in your life.  He or she can become completely immersed in this beautiful story that reminds us of the magic of books.  The app is .99, and the book can be found at Amazon for $12.98.  (If you are interested in more gift ideas, you might want to check out my Pinterest board of Toys and Games for Gifted students.  And for more on augmented reality in the classroom, you can click here.)

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore Imag•N•O•Tron Teaser (Now with Story-O-Scope) from Moonbot Studios on Vimeo.