Author Archives: M E Shenefiel

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About M E Shenefiel

Library Media Specialist, Eden Hall Upper Elementary School
Jul16

Curricu-Links: 16 July 2013

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After spending much of my summer following some of my favorite educators, librarians, and contributors, I’ve come to the conclusion that there are way too many amazing resources hiding on the web.  With that in mind, I’m going to try to organize and aggregate some of the gems that I think would be helpful and interesting for the EHUE community.  (Please note that I found most of these resources by following the blogs to the right and through twitter.  You should check them out!)

General/Multi-Topic

History/Social Studies

  • Create Free Interactive Timelines – Stories Displayed on Maps | myHistro.
    • Haven’t played with this one too much yet, but I thought it looked interesting.  Combine timelines with maps to tell a story.  Click on the “explore” link to see what’s already out there.
  • Map Lab.
    • A new blog from Wired magazine devoted to maps!  Look at the post about “Your Favorite Movies Laid Out as Vintage Treasure Maps.”  Can you figure them out?

Science

Health/Physical Education

Music

Information Literacy/Tech

Jul16

July 31 #ScharpSchu Book Club Meeting

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Watch. Connect. Read.: The July #SharpSchu Book Club Meeting.

Time to read!  The July #SharpSchu book club (linked above) will feature:

  • Sidekicks by Dan Santat
  • Bobby vs Girls (Accidentally) by Lisa Yee, Illustrated by Dan Santat

If you’ve never participated, here’s how it works.  The #SharpSchu Book Club is a Twitter based discussion.  You can participate from home (in your PJs if you want!)  On July 31st, at 7:00, login to Twitter and follow #SharpSchu.

  • 7:00- 7:15- Discussion of Sidekicks
  • 7:15- 7:30- Dan Santat will answer questions
  • 7:30- 7:45 they the discussion will focus on Bobby Vs Girls.
  • 7:45-8:00 Lisa Yee and Dan Santat will answer questions
Jul15

+plus magazine…living mathematics

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Let’s just say I have some math skills, but have become slightly intimidated since the advent of “new math.”  This site is for all of you math-heads out there.  +plus Magazine features articles, puzzles, podcasts and more.  I was drawn in by two articles…

To me, these were some thought provoking ideas.  I hope you find some interesting and useful as well!

-seen on Free Technology for Teachers

Jul15

Summer Reading: Liesl and Po

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Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver.  Illustrated by Kei Acedera. Fantasy.

http://www.laurenoliverbooks.com/lieslandpo.php

Lonely, grieving and locked in an attic, Liesl is befriended by a ghost, Po and its pet, Bundle.  An accidental mix-up by an alchemist’s apprentice, Will, soon has all of them entwined in a dangerous adventure as Liesl endeavors to return her father’s mortal remains to his final resting place.

Themes/Content: Friendship, family, death, grief, alchemy, ghosts, magic, drawing, apprentices, orphans, stepmothers, figurative language, imagery.

Recommended for: Grade 5 and up; fantasy lovers, read aloud,

My Two Cents:  I enjoyed this book so much, that I am having a hard time writing about it.  I just won’t be able to do justice to Oliver’s clever and magical writing.  I’d get that little “butterfly in the stomach”  feeling as a read certain passages and marveled at how she chose her words.  As I was reading I started taking pictures of the text with my phone so that I could remember some of my favorite passages.

IMG_0458

Oliver, Lauren. Liesl & Po. New York: Harper, 2011. 142. Print.

You’ll have such empathy for the protagonists Liesl, Po, Bundle and Will, but my heart was stolen by Mo, the Lady Premiere’s guard.

Also worth mentioning… read the author’s note at the end of the book.  I always do, but this one was truly touching and gave me even more appreciation for the story.

Similar Book from EHUE Library:

  • Auxier, Jonathan. Peter Nimble and his fantastic eyes : a story. New York: Amulet Books, 2011. Print.
  • Barrie, J M. Peter Pan. New York: Scholastic, 2002. Print.
  • Gaiman, Neil. The graveyard book. New York: HarperCollins, 2008. Print.
  • Nimmo, Jenny. Midnight for Charlie Bone. New York: Orchard Books, 2003. Print.

Favorite Quote: “This was the other problem with the living ones: They were separate, always separate.  They couldn’t truly merge.  They did not know how to be anyone other than themselves, and even that they did not know how to be sometimes.” (Oliver, Lauren. Liesl & Po. New York: Harper, 2011. 92. Print.)

The Final Word(s): Read it immediately! 😀

Jul15

International Dot Day

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http://www.thedotclub.org/dotday/_images/dots/dot_sec.jpg

Today is two months to the day until International Dot Day.  This event has been recently publicized in the blogosphere and of course I was curious…

From the Dot Club Website:

“International Dot Day was launched by teacher Terry Shay when he introduced his classroom to Peter H. Reynolds’ book The Dot on September 15, 2009. (Fun Fact: Terry chose September 15 because the original publishing date of The Dot is September 15, 2003!) The Dot tells the story of a caring teacher who reaches a reluctant student in a remarkably creative way. The teacher dares a doubting student to trust in her own abilities by being brave enough to “make her mark”. What begins with a small dot on a piece of paper becomes a breakthrough in confidence and courage, igniting a journey of self-discovery and sharing, which has gone on to inspire countless children and adults around the globe.”

This year September 15th falls on a Sunday, so the date might make for some interesting scheduling.  Still, I’d love to to see EHUE students and staff participate.  Let’s start planning now!  A free resource guide is available after registering.  Are you ready to make your mark on the world?

Jul14

Writing and Awesomeness

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I somehow stumbled onto Jeff Goins Writer via someone else (a tweet, a post, who knows… sorry, I’ll never be able to track it back and give credit…)  The post that caught my attention was actually written by a guest author, Nick Thacker.  (Three Signs you’ve Found Your True Passion… I believe I have by the way… especially #2.)

After reading the above post, I started to peruse the other posts and investigate the blog.  Jeff Goins offers advice and guidance to aspiring writers; “Regular Doses of Inspiration and Awesome.” As someone new to the blogging world, and slightly intimidated by allowing the world to peak into my thoughts, I was simultaneously excited, intrigued, and terrified by this find.  One of the next posts that I read was “Five Weak Words that Make your Writing Less Effective.” I was a little freaked out.  Who know how many I had already used?  I’d read only one post and I already felt so inadequate.  A quick scan of some of the other posts and I knew had come across a valuable resource.

Needless to say I will be following this blog.  Although this blog appears to be written for “writers,” as teachers, our goal is to cultivate writing in our classroom.  I can’t help but think that just by ingesting some of his inspiration and awesome we can help our students develop into skillful writers as well.

Jul14

Idea Board for nErDcamp 2013

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The more tweets and posts that I read about nErDcamp 2013, the more disappointed I am that I was not able to attend!  How kind of the participants to take notes and share! (Not that I expected anything less!  Thanks all!)  Check out the idea board below.  Click on the session link to read the notes.  I love some of the suggestions for the School-Wide Literacy Projects.

When is nErDcamp 2014?  I need to mark my calendar!

Idea Board for nErDcamp 2013 – Google Drive.

nErDcamp 2013

http://nerdcampbattlecreek.blogspot.com/

Jul13

Summer Reading: Sophia’s War

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Sophia’s War by Avi.  Historical Fiction.

http://www.avi-writer.com/books/books/sophia.html

Sophia Calderwood, vowing to avenge her brother’s treatment in a British prison, takes drastic and dangerous steps to aide the Patriots as they struggle to win the American Revolution.

Themes/Content: The American Revolution, family, Benedict Arnold, John Andre’, Nathan Hale, New York (during the American Revolution), spies, trust, war prisons/prisoners, first person narrative, women in the American Revolution

My Two Cents:  Recommended for grades 5 and up.  Avi again does not disappoint with this well researched historical piece.  He does an amazing job of capturing Sophia’s voice and the apprehensive climate of the time.  Sophia’s War weaves three stories, two of which are historically accurate (Benedict Arnold and the war prisons) and one (Sophia’s tale) which is completely fictional.  Sophia’s personal war is a two-fold.  She’s at war with the British, but she also struggles internally and questions her motives as she helps the patriots.  Is she truly taking these actions to ensure the victory of her country or is she just trying to get revenge for being disregarded at a young age by the man she admired.

Includes a glossary of 18th Century terms, author’s note and a bibliography.  Although there are some descriptions of the horrors of war, none are overly graphic.  This would be an outstanding read aloud for our 5th grade when studying the American Revolution.  As much as I love historical fiction, I have to say that I’ve never been excited about history.  Avi has show me a different perspective by creating such an engaging story which makes these historical events come alive.  No longer are Arnold, Andre’, and Hale simply historical figures, they are developed characters with strengths and flaws.

Pair this with books from EHUE Library:

  • Allen, Thomas B. George Washington, spymaster : how the Americans outspied the British and won the Revolutionary War. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2004. Print.
  • Anderson, Laurie H. Chains : seeds of America. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2008. Print.
  • Griffin, Judith B. Phoebe the spy. New York: Scholastic, 1977. Print.
  • Hale, Nathan. One dead spy : the life, times, and last words of Nathan Hale, America’s most famous spy. New York: Amulet Books, 2012. Print.
  • Murphy, Jim. The real Benedict Arnold. New York: Clarion Books, 2007. Print.
  • O’Dell, Scott. Sarah Bishop. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1980. Print.
  • Purcell, Martha S. Spies of the American Revolution. Logan, Iowa: Perfection Learning, 2003. Print.
  • Thompson, Paul B. Liberty’s son : a spy story of the American Revolution. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers, 2010. Print.

Favorite Quote: “Dear Reader: It is a terrible thing to see a man hang.  But that is why I did what I did.  Was I right to act in such a way?  You must decide.”  (Avi. Sophia’s war : a tale of the Revolution. New York: Beach Lane Books, 2012. Print.)

The Final Word(s): Awesome! Two thumbs up! Read it! 😀

Jul13

X marks the spot: Beatboxing brilliance from TEDxSydney and this week’s favorite TEDx talks

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This is so amazing that I just had to re-blog… Music teachers, you’re going to love this!  While individual students might not be able to work the beat box the way Tom does, can you imagine beat box jazz ensembles?  I can!

Pair with books from our EHUE Library:

Orgill, Roxane. Skit-scat raggedy cat : Ella Fitzgerald. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2010. Print.

Weinstein, Muriel H. Play, Louis, play! : the true story of a boy and his horn. New York: Bloomsbury, 2010. Print.

Jul12

Mr. Schu Visits Randyland

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From Mr. Schu: Watch. Connect. Read.: I took Anita Silvey’s Children’s Book-A-Day Almanac to Randyland.

How sad is it that it took me reading a visiting librarian’s blog to realize that Pittsburgh is home to this awesome creation!

Mr. Schu brings up a great point of curiosity… the characters in books are trapped in their settings.  If they could step out where would they go?

I’m also ashamed to say that I haven’t yet perused Anita Silvey’s Book-A-Day Almanac.  Needless to say EHUE will soon be acquiring a copy…

Who’s up for a trip to Randyland?