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Tuesday Tales – The Case of the Crooked Carnival

Posted on May 10, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away I was a teacher. I wore many different hats as a teacher. Having three areas of certification, I am able to teach a lot of areas. One year, the school I worked for needed a sixth grade language arts teacher. I jumped at the opportunity. That meant I was able to work on combining language arts and science together. It was tricky, but able to be accomplished with projects and technology integration.

What I would have loved would have been more trade books (that’s teacher talk for novels used in a classroom) to read with the kids. Luckily, more authors are now writing fiction books for children with a scientific twist. A while back, Sterling Children’s Books sent me one of their Doyle and Fossey, Science Detective books by Michele Torrey.

I had never heard of this series, so I decided to read it solo before trying it with my reluctant chapter book reading second grader.

More about The Case of the Crooked Carnival:

From Sterling – Science super-sleuths Drake Doyle and Nell Fossey are back—this time in a never-before-published addition to the popular series! They’ve got an exciting collection of cases, too: Are ghosts and ghouls keeping Edgar Glum awake? Have aliens invaded Mossy Swamp? What’s the crooked game everyone’s losing at the carnival? And why is the town bridge going bananas? Kids will have fun following the clues—and learning about such real scientific principles as amplification, ecosystems, magnetic fields, and more. Plus, budding Doyles and Fosseys will find actual experiments to try!

Michele Torrey holds a degree in microbiology and immunology. In addition to the Doyle & Fossey mysteries she has written the critically acclaimed Voyage of Midnight (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2006), To the Edge of the World (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2003), and many other books for young people. Barbara Johansen Newman wrote and illustrated Sterling’s critically praised Tex & Sugar (2007). School Library Journal noted that her “Rich, vibrant illustrations, like an explosion of color, capture the sights of the city, while meticulous detail depicts the all-animal cast and a wide range of expressions.” Her work has been featured in national magazines, newspapers, calendars, cards, and more than a dozen children’s books.

The Case of the Crooked Carnival – Written by Michele Torrey – Illustrated by Barbara Johansen Newman – Sterling Children’s Books– June 2010 – ISBN 978-1-4027-4965-0 – $6.95 – Ages 9-12 – 96 pages

What I Thought:

As I sat devouring The Case of the Crooked Carnival, I kept thinking about how perfect it would have been to use in a classroom. Within the language arts curriculum, a teacher could use it in a mystery genre study. There were many opportunities to make predictions and utilize a dialogue journal. My teacher brain kept running a mile a minute thinking about different items. Of course, the science teacher in me adored the scientific details within the book. The four mysteries incorporated a great deal of science facts for students of all ages. Doyle and Fossey take the readers into their world and carefully explain how they used their knowledge of science principals to solve each case.

The book also had a section after the cases about creating your own lab, describing the Scientific Method, and five experiments to try on your own. I loved how the Michele Torrey explained to young scientists the items that are contained in a good lab notebook. Once again, this could be combined with the start of more formalized science labs within a curriculum. Here are some view from within The Case of the Crooked Carnival:

As I was looking online, I was thrilled to see that there are also items for educators to use with the Doyle and Fossey books. Michele Torrey has an Educator’s Corner that includes teacher guides. The guide for The Case of the Crooked Carnival is 40 pages and includes:

Character Analyses
Mystery Genre – antagonist/protagonist
Alliteration
Read-aloud connections
Vocabulary
Science Study with a lot of connectors to the reading extension on the science – Sound, Amplification, Ecosystems, Magnets, and Resonance.
9 Reproducible sheets to use with students

I can not wait to read this book with my son. He loves science and solving mysteries. I think this will be a great read for over the summer so we can add some science enrichment activities and do our own lab experiments. Of course, I also want to get more of the Doyle and Fossey books – lucky for us there are five additional titles to select from. I definitely recommend these books to others and will be gifting them in the future.

What have you read recently? Please be sure to link up to your Book Posts, and/or leave a comment below. Include something you read on your own, with a child or someone else. Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books.

Disclosure: I received this book complimentary of Sterling Children’s Books in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own. One widget within the review is for my Amazon Affiliate where I will receive a percentage of money for the sale of the books should you opt to buy the book mentioned.

Categories:
books Educational photos Product review school Tuesday Tales

Mother’s Day 2011 Celebration At Nursery School

Posted on May 7, 2011 7:48 am by TheAngelForever

Dear JSL,

Yesterday, I was invited to come to your Mother’s Day celebration at school. Before the celebration, there was another event. When that was over, there was time to play outside. I asked you to pose by the tree since it was so beautiful outside. You agreed, but did not really want to smile.

Then, it was time to head inside. Your classroom was decorated for us when we walked into the room. All of the special guests had seats behind the kids at the table. It was so cute and wonderful. I went up to get us something for a snack and you had fun sharing them with me.

Once all of the guests had arrived, your entire class sang us a Mom Song. I got it on video and will cherish it forever. Then, you got the presents that you made. You were so proud of your creation.

Of course, I have to laugh now. You have taken my gift and claimed what you want to keep in it. Thank you JSL for making yesterday such a fun and special day.

Love,

Mommy

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If you want to participate in Dear Kid Saturday, head on over to Cutest Kid Ever by clicking on the button below.

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Dear Kid Saturday fun holidays jsl photos sahm school

Artist Appreciation

Posted on May 6, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Growing up, I loved art class. I may not have been the best at drawing, but it was fun and helped me to relax. In elementary school, I would stress over my art work looking like my classmates. Middle school was a blur for a lot of reasons. High school changed things. My freshman Studio Art teacher was an amazing woman. She inspired me to be myself in my art. She told me not to worry about what others thought and enjoy.

Thanks to Ms. W, I continued on with art every year in high school. I took several classes that were on painting and, in my last year of high school, art, pottery, and sculpture filled the end of my day. Art classes were something that was a perk for me. I was lucky to go to a school that had a variety of options in high school. Then, in college, while working on my teaching degree, I took an Art & Learning course. This course was a lot of work, but oh so rewarding.

I remember studying different artists over the years during classes. My bedroom was decorated with Monet’s Water Lilies and I adored it. Art appreciation continues to be part of my life. JSL’s nursery school class recently completed a unit on artists. They studied Seurat (one of my favorites thanks to his dots) and here is JSL’s version of Mondrian:

So my question to you this week is inspired by my love of art:

Who is your favorite artist and why?

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #150

Categories:
Aloha Friday arts and crafts jsl looking back me moments photos school

School Visit Time

Posted on May 3, 2011 7:33 am by TheAngelForever

Plans come and go, especially as a parent. The boys were supposed to be in school today, and I was going to write a review on a new book for Tuesday Tales. Instead, TechyDad and I will be researching school options for our boys. Over the last year, a lot has changed. Things that had been acceptable are now terribly bad.

For weeks I have wanted to sit down and vent on my blog about the happenings, but knew it was not the right thing to do. Still, I need to write something. I have to come clean that things are not going well.

I actually went to school on Friday and removed my son at 9:30 in the morning. Why? Quite simply we feared for his safety. Our son was punched in the ribs and had bruises after another child attacked him.

I want to say more, but need to save it. This was not the firs incident and we believe that our son was the victim of bullying. There is no acceptance in my world for bullying. People that look the other way and constantly make excuses for the bully will not be tolerated – it’s that simple.

Have you or your child had to deal with bullying at school? If you have I would really like to hear from you. How did your school respond? Any advice and guidance would be greatly appreciated.

What had once seemed so clear, is now quite blurry. As a parent, the unknown can be so very difficult – especially if you once believed in something.

Categories:
bad news decisions school TechyDad vent

Graduations From My Past

Posted on May 2, 2011 6:00 am by TheAngelForever

I have a little secret. I never went to my two college graduations. As a transfer student planning a wedding, I had other items to occupy my time when I was finishing my undergraduate degree. When it was time for my graduate school ceremony, I was frugal and wanted to save the money for a fun vacation with my new husband.

Parents always think ahead about graduation moments for their children. I am no different. I dream about watching my boys in a cap and gown at the end of high school, but also college and beyond. My boys are young, so we have time to prepare for these bigger days. Still, kindergarten was a milestone for NHL. Just a few years ago, TechyDad and I sat in the school cafeteria to watch our oldest son finish his first year at elementary school. Some people may have cried as they walked their child into kindergarten the first time, I was more emotional at graduation.

I spent all that year calling NHL my Kindergarten Kid – and suddenly it was over. He was moving onto first grade and the more real side of elementary learning. He could read, write, and was learning about so many things. I even wrote about the poem that made me cry. To me, it symbolized the last day he was a little kid, he was moving up in the world.

May means that people are starting to think about graduations. College students are finishing up their tenure, high schools are starting to practice their ceremonies, and younger children will be moving from one school milestone to another. Although I do not need any graduation cards this year, many other may need some.

Now it is time to go. I need to cherish these moments with my children. Before I know it – they will be off to college and beyond!

Disclosure: I wrote this post as part of a Global Influence campaign for Tiny Prints. By sharing this information with my readers, I will also receive a Tiny Prints gift code to thank me for my participation. No other compensation has been given.

Global Influence Network