2012 in 2012!

“His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness...” (2 Peter 1:3-4). Scripture repeatedly declares that God freely gives us good gifts. (See Psalm 36:8; Psalm 68:19; John 1:16; Romans 8:32; James 1:17; 2 Peter 1:2-4.) Inspired by Ann Voskamp’s beautiful, best-selling book, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, I've decided to go for 2012 in 2012! Throughout the year I will be keeping a journal of the gifts God brings in my life. A number of these gifts I look forward to posting in my weekly "Thankful Thursdays." Others will be shared only as far as my family's kitchen table, and some I'm sure will be just between God and me. I want to live this year, moment by moment, basking in His fullness; and I want to look back on this year, remembering His goodness. Here's to thanking. Trusting. Hoping. Celebrating. Living.

Creative Classroom: Q is for Duck

At my last visit to the public library, this book caught my eye. Q Is for Duck: An Alphabet Guessing Game by Mary Elting, Michael Folsom, and Jack Kent is an amusing read. Many of my third graders love telling riddles, so I thought they would enjoy this book. Today at lunch I read it to them. Sure enough, they had a lot of fun with it.

The riddles in the book are very easy for third-graders, which I think makes this book a good inspiration for the children to create their own alphabet riddles, using their vocabulary and/or spelling words. What a fun and creative way to practice vocab!

Reading Corner: The Mitten

The Mitten is a delightful Ukranian folktale adapted and illustrated by Jan Brett. After a little boy named Nikki accidentally drops his white mitten in the snow, all the animals in the forest want to snuggle inside it.

This book is a classic. I remember being captivated by the exquisite illustrations, as a kid. As an adult, I recently re-read the story and loved it, for another reason. Nikki's mitten demonstrates a much needed lesson about priorities. It's all too easy to try to squeeze one more animal into my mitten, so to speak. It's remarkable how many critters can pack in. But that's not what the mitten was designed for. Rather than asking myself, "How can I fit another thing in my mitten?" I ought to ask, "Does it even belong in my mitten?" Otherwise, I may end up like Nikki, finding a stretched-out mitten that's no longer meeting its intended purpose. Seen as a parable about priorities, the light-hearted tale becomes thought-provoking, relevant, and personally challenging—a good read for a snowy day in the new year!

Reading Corner: Family Favorite Christmas Stories

After coming home from the Christmas Eve service at church and eating our Christmas Eve dinner, Mom, Dad, Peter, and I settled in our family room to read aloud to each other several of our all-time favorite Christmas picture books. Year after year we read these special stories together.

Reading Corner: Aesop's Fables

Earlier this evening sitting around the dinner table, my family and I had fun reading aloud several Aesop's Fables. Here are two excellent collections:

Reading Corner: Silver Seeds

Silver Seeds by Paul Paolilli and Dan Brewer.

Silver seeds
Tossed in the air
And planted in the sky,
Reaching out of the darkness,
Sprouting wonder.

"Is the night sky really filled with stars, or are they silver seeds?" (from the inside jacket) This book of nature poems could be an excellent example to use when teaching about acrostic poetry. Each spread is a beautifully illustrated acrostic about everyday things in nature.

Reading Corner: Paddle-To-The-Sea

 Paddle-to-the-Sea by Holling Clancy Holling is one of the classics I grew up on.

A young Indian boy dreams of traveling to the ocean. but doesn’t have that opportunity. So he carves little wooden figure which he names “Paddle-to-the-Sea” to travel for him. The story, in pictures and text, follows Paddle’s journey through the Great Lakes all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.

This book enriches studies in geography, natural history, and social studies. This book could also be used in the classroom to highlight the character qualities of creativity or patience.

Reading Corner: Sheep in a Jeep

"Beep! Beep!
Sheep in a jeep
on a hill that's steep. . . ."

Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw is a rollicking rhyming book featuring the adventures of bumbling woolly friends. The short, simple rhymes, accompanied by lively colored-pencil illustrations make this book a fun enrichment for phonics and/or spelling lessons. This week in spelling my third graders are studying the -ee word family, so I read this story aloud to them today during lunchtime. They loved it!

This book could inspire students to write their own short stories or poems using their weekly-assigned, word-family spelling lists.

Reading Corner: Pieces: A Year in Poems and Quilts

Pieces: A Year in Poems and Quilts by Anna Grossnickle-Hines. This book is exquisite! The tongue-tickling poems about enjoying the seasons are accompanied by breath-takingly beautiful quilt illustrations.

Reading Corner: M is for Majestic

M is for Majestic: A National Parks Alphabet by David Domeniconi, illustrated by Pam Carrol is a beautiful and inspiring book. "Mighy mountains, wild rivers, fiery volcanoes, huge glaciers, vast forests, and tropical islands—all part of our national parks, that belong to you and me. This magnificent ABC book showcases each of America's national parks from Acadia and American Samoa to Yosemite and Zion" (from the inside jacket).

Reading Corner: Paul Revere's Ride

Paul Revere's Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, illustrated by Ted Rand is a classic.

"Listen, my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere . . .

"So begins one of the most stirring poems in American literature, brought vividly to life. . . Ted Rand's moonlit vision captures the swift, rhythmic gait of Longfellow's words and the drama of Revere's brave ride as he gallops from town to farm, sounding the call to rise and arm against the British. . . . The mixture of history, art, and poetry results in a book as gorgeous to behold as its message is inspiring to all who love freedom" (from the inside jacket).

Reading Corner: Nature's Paintbox

Nature's Paintbox: A Seasonal Gallery of Art and Verse by Patricia Thomas, illustrated by Craig Orback is a new favorite of mine.

"How would you capture winter's crispness, spring's softness, summer's freshness, and autumn's richness? In this inspiring picture book, poet Patricia Thomas imagines each season rendered in a different art medium. Pen and ink, with spots of color, capture winter's mood, while pastel chalks make spring flowers bloom into life. The see-through hues of watercolors celebrate summer's warmth, while vibrant oils perfectly pain fall's majestic scenes. Artist Craig Orback takes up the poem's challenge in his marvelous illustrations, using each of the mediums described. Just as the seasons move seamlessly into one another, so too do the art styles blend together, then emerge in full splendor, and blend again as the next season approaches" (from the inside jacket).

Reading Corner: My Shadow

My Shadow by Robert Louis Stevenson illustrated by Ted Rand is one of my favorite picture books from my elementary school days. With its playful rhymes and vivid word pictures, Stevenson’s poetry is enchanting to young listeners and readers. Accompanied by Ted Rand’s vibrant water-color illustrations depicting children in various settings all over the world, this picture book is a delightful experience. This book could be used in science as an introduction to a lesson on light and shadow. It could also be used in a social studies unit celebrating differences and similarities between children from different cultures.

Reading Corner: Our Enduring Spirit

Our Enduring Spirit: President Barack Obama's First Words to America, illustrated by Greg Ruth. This book is simply stunning. The text, adapted from President Obama's January 20, 2009 Inaugural Address, is brought to life by stirring illustrations.


I could see this book being used in a variety of content areas. It could be used as an example in a speech class of how to craft a speech for a specific occasion and audience, as well as how to choose vivid word pictures. Of course this could be an excellent book as part of a history study in American Presidents. The illustrator's note at the back of the book also makes an outstanding resource for an art class; as demonstrated in his illustrations and explained in his comments, artist Greg Ruth shows how art simultaneously records history, promotes ideas, and expresses feelings. I could even see this book being used in an undergraduate marketing class. As illustrator Greg Ruth explains in his illustrator's note, this book was created out of his and his publisher's mutual enthusiasm for Obama's presidential election. Their political agenda packaged in a beautiful picture book is a prime sample of marketing—winsome, disarming, persuasive, memorable.

Reading Corner: The Legend of the Petoskey Stone

This past weekend my family took a little getaway up to Petoskey and Mackinac Island. If you've never been to the shores of Lake Michigan, you don't know what you're missing—Northern Michigan is absolutely beautiful, especially in the summer and fall.

Reading some of the Native American folklore from the region only deepens our appreciation. Sleeping Bear Press has several lovely picture books about Northern Michigan in the Legends series. (Click here to view the entire series on Amazon.)

Reading Corner: Count Your Way Across the USA

Sleeping Bear Press  has a wonderful series of picture books called Count Your Way Across the USA.  These delightful books take a number tour of the United States, integrating nonfiction reading with math and social studies. Counting the landmarks, the traditions, the history, and the people that make each state unique and special, these books would be excellent to use in thematic unit studies. Click here on Amazon to view the entire series.

Reading Corner: Punctuation Takes a Vacation

Who says grammar is tedious or boring? There are a number of lively picture books that cleverly illustrate rules of proper grammar. No need for punctuation to take a vacation when these fun books are around! Featured here are some of my favorites:

Punctuation Takes a Vacation by Robin Pulver, illustrated by Lynn Rowe Reed (2003).
"Oh no! Mr. Wright's class can't believe it. Every single punctuation mark in the classroom has gone on vacation! What will it be like without question marks, apostrophes, periods, and commas?" (from inside front jacket)

This story creatively demonstrates each of the punctuation marks in action. One of my favorite parts about the book is the post cards that each of the punctuation marks send, highlighting their individual personalities (i.e., their functions in grammar). A possible extension project/creative writing assignment to go along with this book could be to assign students particular punctuation marks and have them write post-cards to each other in the personalities of their given punctuation marks.   

 

Nouns and Verbs Have a Field Day by Robin Pulver, illustrated by Lynn Rowe Reed (2006).
"It's Field Day in Mr. Wright's class and not just for the students. Nouns and verbs want to play their own games, such as tug-of-words and three-legged races. But wait! No one is getting anywhere. First nouns and verbs will have to learn about the kind of teamwork needed to make a sentence" (from the inside front jacket).



Eats, Shoots & Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make a Difference! by Lynne Truss (2006). Lynne Truss has also written several companion picture books to Eats, Shoots & Leaves: Girl’s Like Spaghetti: Why, You Can’t Manage Without Apostrophes! (2007) and Twenty-Odd Ducks: Why, Every Punctuation Mark Counts! (2008).

Extension project idea: Students could make their own picture book like one of these by Lynne Truss. Each student in the class could select one punctuation rule to design an original sentence and illustration. Then the teacher could compile all the students’ contributions into one class  notebook. This project could easily be tailored for upper elementary through high school English classes.

If You Were an Adverb (Word Fun) by Michael Dahl, illustrated by Sara Gray (2006).  "If you were an adverb, you would often end in "ly." You could tell people how things happen, how often things happen, and when things happen. What else could you do if you were an adverb?" (from the back cover) This colorful book could be excellent to use in a lesson introducing adverbs.

This book is one of the Word Fun series, which highlight the various parts of speech.
 

Under, Over, By the Clover: What Is a Preposition (Words are Categorical) by Brian Cleary, illustrated by Brain Gable (2003). Brian Cleary has written a whole series of fun books about the parts of speech.  The cartoon-y illustrations and tongue-tickling rhymes keeps learning about grammar light-hearted.

Extension project/creative writing assignment idea: Students could compose their own tongue-tickler rhyme about one of the parts of speech they have learned.

Reading Corner: Fresh Flower Arranging

It's obvious here my blog that I love flowers. As many of my posts showcase, I'm very fond taking pictures of flowers growing in nature. Alongside my mom, I've also grown up enjoying arranging flowers. Even though we have only basic-level skills, there's a lot that both Mom and I enjoy about designing delightful fresh flower arrangements to display in our home and to give to friends. Here are several of my favorite books about fresh flower arranging, that are excellent resources for amateurs. Each of these books contain helpful information and creative, accessible ideas for beginning enthusiasts. =)

Fresh Flower Arranging
by Mark Welford and Stephen Wicks

Flowers: Chic and Cheap by Carlos Mota

Fast Flowers (paperback version, 2000)
and Fast Flower Arranging (hardbook version, 1998)
by Jane Packer

Wedding Flowers by Sharon Naylor

Reading Corner: Ansel Adams' Examples

The photography of Ansel Adams is legendary. In Examples, Ansel Adams features 40 of his photographs and lets readers in on the behind-the-scenes story of each one. “As he talks about his work, you'll find Ansel the most informative and entertaining of guides whose insights shed light on the ultimately mysterious process by which creativity and craftsmanship fuse to produce a work of art” (from the inside jacket). As a photography enthusiast, I am inspired by the thoughts that Ansel Adams discloses in this book. Here are some of my favorite quotes from his commentaries:

“I trust that the creative eye will continue to function, whatever technological innovations may develop.”

“Either the photograph speaks to the viewer or it does not . . . . I believe that if I am able to express what I saw and felt, the image will contain qualities that may provide a basis for imaginative response by the viewer.”

“The photographer should not allow himself to be trapped by something that excites him only as a subject; if he does not see the image decisively in his mind’s eye, the result is likely to be disappointing. . . . I drove for many miles and saw much beauty around me, but no photographs.”

“Unless I had reacted to the mood of this place with some intensity of feeling, I would have found it a difficult and shallow undertaking to attempt a photograph.”

“Allow the eye to rove and experiment; I had to make many adjustments in composing the pictures. There is a moment of ‘intuitive rightness’ that clears the way for release of the shutter, but I often examine my photographs later to explore the possibilities of improvement in visualization and craft.”

“The creative process represents a combination of the intuitive and the logical.”

 

“I always encourage students to photograph everything they see and respond to emotionally.” 

“Immediacy is one aspect of photography; contemplation another.”

“It is impossible to explain or comprehend the miracle of the eye and mind in such feats as anticipating a “decisive moment.” We are concerned not only with a single aspect of the image, but with the complexity of the entire experience, a matter of the moment but also involving the realities of light, environment, and the fluid progress of perception from first glance to release of the shutter.”

Reading Corner: Hinds' Feet on High Places

 Hinds' Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard

This illustrated, adapted version makes Hannah Hurnard's Christian classic accessible for children.  "It tells the story of Much-Afraid and her journey to the High Places with the Shepherd. Filled with exciting adventure and a triumphant conclusion, this story will teach young children the importance of following the Shepherd" (from Amazon review).