Book Break #2
Inspiration Book:
The house that Lou built by Respicio, Mae — Wendy Lamb Books, 2018 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.2. Longing for an escape from her extended Filipino family, Lou plans to build a tiny house on land she inherited from her father, but difficulties quickly arise. CCBC, NSTA
Background: Last week I shared the concept of a BOOK BREAK that I copied from Caroline Feller Bauer’s Poetry Break. I suggested a number of ways to present a book, and gave an example in which I located the setting on a world map, shared a bit of the publisher’s promo, and then suggested reading a segment of the book. This week I’d like to share another simple way to share a BOOK BREAK book.
Rationale: In addition to sharing another way to share a BOOK BREAK, I also plan to write about gathering ideas for new ways to do a BOOK BREAK. Yes, I collect ideas. Sometimes I use the idea exactly as I find it, but usually I make modifications. Those modifications may result because I may not have all the suggested materials, I may not have all the recommended stuff, I may not have the time to do extensive preparation. Remember the BOOK BREAK goal is a five minute goal.
I do have two favorite sources for ideas. One is a clearinghouse operation that began in Wisconsin almost two decades ago, Teaching Books. The operation gathers resources for specific books and authors and illustrators and makes them accessible via online search. Most books have resources under the following categories: original (Teaching Books resources), author information, author interviews, book guides, activities, & lessons. Some also have vocabulary lists, and award. For example, the Inspiration book has 11 different resources. It has also won 4 awards. Cross-referencing also leads the researcher to text complexity and grade level, author name pronunciation guides, genre, cultural connections, and a list of similar books. https//:www.teachingbooks.net
The second resource that I really like is “The Classroom Bookshelf” a blog hosted on the School Library Journal website. Weekly one of three children’s literature specialists posts a review about an excellent new title plus an assortment of teaching ideas and invitations, often grouped by grade level. Their ideas range from visual literacy, to writing ideas, text structure, mentor texts, critical thinking, etc. This site is more academic and presents best teaching practices and research that coincide. A related book bibliography concludes the entry for the week. A long list of related websites is also included.
The two sites are very different, one a clearinghouse, the other a teaching tool for a specific book. Teaching Books is far more extensive and varied; “Classroom Bookshelf” is a teaching tool for a specific new book. I search each and then pick and choose. For example, the site listed immediately below was gleaned from Teaching Books but “Classroom Bookshelf” did not feature the title.
Curriculum Connections from Vermont Department of Libraries https://libraries.vermont.gov/sites/libraries/files/DCFBookReviewsQuestions19-20.pdf#page=51
If I were doing a book study or a book club discussion of the Inspiration Book, I would use the discussion questions found at the site directly above. In fact, this website was developed by librarians from Vermont for the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award for 2019-2020. There are about twenty books represented, many of which are 2018 copyright and may be included in My Books Alive already or in the near future. Caution: some years the group of librarians takes down the activities when a new year is featured.
Standard librarian sources are not the only places where I gather ideas. I regularly read the journals of professional teaching organizations for ideas. My husband is a science teacher and frequently directs me to the NSTA journals, especially Science and Children. Each issue features two children’s books, one for primary students and one for upper elementary students, that become the motivation for science lessons. For example, in the March 2000 issue the featured books were How a House is Built by Gail Gibbons (Holiday House, 2020 revised ) and Matter: Physical Science for Kids by Andi Diehn (Nomad Press, 2018 ). Coincidentally, my grandson just received a copy of the Gibbons book and I had a chance to read it to him. And, then idea light bulb went off. Here’s the idea for a BOOK BREAK for The House that Lou Built.
Outline for a BOOK BREAK for the Inspiration Book The House That Lou Built.
- Author & Title: The House That Lou Built by Mae Respicio
- Preparation: Gather a box of materials use in building a house (sections of pipe with threaded ends, pipe connections such as U joints or T connections, electrical wire, light switches, long nails, pieces of 2 x 4 wood, small sections of sheetrock, paint card samples, hammer, saw, etc.) Ask the building custodian for help or check you own garage or basement. Include the book hiding in the box.
- Hold up each item that you have in the box, saving the book for the last. Ask the following question about each item: What is the item used for in building a house and what system or bigger part of the house needs it? Then end with these questions:
- Which items do you think help bring water to the sink or drain water from the sink?
- Which items are used to build or construct walls? What would happen if there were no nails available? What happens to the walls?
- Which items help bring electricity to the house?
- Dig into the box again and hold up the book. Lou or Lucinda is the main character in the BOOK BREAK book. She’s in middle school and is the best student in her industrial arts or technology class. And, she has a goal. She wants to build a little or tiny house on the land she inherited from her father who died just before she was born. She has the architectural plans; she’s been gathering materials--some like the ones in the box; and she has friends and relatives she’s planning to involve in the actual building. There are problems: Mom has just been offered a job out-of-state, there are frequent dance practices for a festival, and her prized land has just been put up for auction because Mom has not had the money to pay the taxes. There are some positive happenings: Mr. Keller the technology arts teacher nominates Lou for student of the year, she doesn’t trip during the festival dance. Two questions you will need to answer by reading the book: Do the taxes get paid? How does the move to another state go?Teaching Through Trade Books: “Modeling Parts of Systems and Particle Movement in Matter” by Christine Anne Royce. (Science and Children, March 2020, pp. 14-20.)
Related Titles About Building, Builders, or Buildings:
Fallingwater by Harshman, Marc — Roaring Brook Press, 2017. 728; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 3.4. Tells the story of the designing and building of Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater. NSSTB
The goat by Fleming, Anne — Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press, 2017 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.6
Kid and her family move to an apartment building in New York City, whose eccentric residents include a skateboarding fantasy writer, a guinea pig hoarder, and possibly a goat who lives on the roof
