Have A Blast

"I bet those guys are really scared."
 Yesterday I helped out at a Cub Scouts Troupe Meeting with twelve other students from my school. Our purpose? To teach the rock cycle.

I was assigned to the Igneous Rocks section. A couple groups of four or five Scouts had come to our table so far. We had some rocks (granite, obsideon, diarite, and basalt), and some books with awesome illustrations and pictures.

(this is not the same picture, but a similar one)
Source of Photo

One of the Scouts was looking at one of these books. The full page was covered in a photograph: A volcano spurting orange lava straight into the air, with a helicopter in the foreground watching. Hence his comment "I bet those guys are really scared."

I wanted to let him know that some people are so interested in things like volcanoes that the helicopter in the picture was probably there on purpose, not some random passerby. In conclusion, I told him, "They are probably having a blast!"

I'll give you one guess as to what he did next.

He laughed!

I was very confused, not sure what was so funny... he explained.

"You said 'blast', and the lava is blasting up!"

Blogoshpere

The Blogoshpere is huge. I mean, seriously- how many hundreds of thousands of blogs are out there?
But sometimes, it shrinks in a way that reminds me of the 'its a small world' song.

I found out that a classmate of mine has a blog!
here, you should check it out.
http://melanietherese.blogspot.com/

My favorite thing about her blog is her 'College Wisdom' that she writes at the end of some posts, listing a few interesting things she's learned. They made me laugh so hard, and I may possibly do something similar. Eventually, anyway. Check out her blog!

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah

Things Making Me Happy:

the weather

remembering this song from forever ago, that makes me think of weather like most of this week's weather


talking with my cousin over the phone for one hour and fourty five minutes

That most of my homework for the week is finished

poetry

world war two era books

non-fiction books, when they are not assigned but read for fun

that my sister got a signed copy of The Giver for me

taking notes on an unlined piece of paper, and including lots of pictures

my grandparents visiting me at school

my family skyping me so I could be a part of a birthday celebration back home

the prospect of spring coming

seeing shoots of flowers and plants peeking out from dead leaves and dirt

friends

laughing

waking up feeling absolutely refreshed

learning about prayer

finishing crocheting another scarf- even though its not cold out anymore

thinking about this summer

deep breaths

latin being mentioned in books and during lectures, and myself having an idea of what they mean even before it is explained

wearing non-prescription glasses

finding out the vending machine has fruit snacks, and tail mix

being able to tell others about what makes me happy

hearing what is making others happy (hint hint)

Passion & Purity by E. Elliot

Elliot, E. (1984). Passion and Purity. Revell.Grand                Rapids, MI. p 184

Elisabeth Elliot's Passion and Purity is subtitled 'Learning to Bring Your Love Life Under Christ's Control.' It is riddled with excerpts from her journal, from letters written to her, with letters from Jim Elliot, and with scripture. It is a sort of autobiography or memoir of those five years between meeting Jim and marrying him that lets the reader into their life and thoughts.

There were some good points, some quotable parts, and several chapters or paragraphs that hit home. But overall it seemed so distant, so far removed from myself. It seemed I was entering a private book, one I wanted to finish, but didn't necessarily relate with one hundred percent. And the letters from Jim? I was surprised at them, actually. He was rather... forward. Often I felt slightly embarrassed to read them. The story itself is beautiful; two people mutually attracted to each other and in love, but wanting to serve God first and foremost even if it meant being away from each other, or never being married. That story in itself has many lessons to teach us about surrender and trust, lessons that apply in many areas of our lives and not just the love life.

Frindle by A. Clements

From my Literary Journal in my Children's Literature class:

Clements, A. (1996). Frindle. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing. 106 pp.

            (Grade Level 3-5).

            Nick is entering the fifth grade and he has Language Arts with Mrs. Granger. She was the only fifth grade Language Arts teacher, and she was notorious for loving the dictionary. In class one day, she comments that each and every person makes words mean what they mean by using them and keeping their meanings. The next day, Nick invents the word Frindle, to take the place of the word 'pen', and gets his friends to use it, too, thus creating a new word. The word catches on despite what Mrs. Granger does to prevent it, and it spreads all over the country.

            This story was fun and colorful, and would be enjoyed by many middle-schoolers. The characters are interesting, even though some of them are rather flat, and the point of view the author  uses pushes the book along very quickly. After the book is read, I think a discussion about 'enemies' in our life would be important (as Nick finds out, Mrs. Granger didn't really dislike him, she was actually rooting for him the whole time) and how we don't always know what other people are thinking. It could also lead into a discussion on the origins of words, and how new words are created, copyrights, what things are important and what things we should just 'let go', and even on how news is made and the process it goes through before it is broadcasted. 

The Twelve Clever Brothers and Other Fools

From my Literary Journal in my Children's Literature class:

Folktales from Russia, adapted by Ginsberg M. (1979). The twelve clever brothers and other fools. New York, NY. J. B. Lippincott. pages 1-19  (Grade Level: 1st-4th).

            In this first of fourteen folktales, the twelve brothers decide to go to town for some things they need for themselves and their families. They leave, but do not reach town before nightfall, so they stop at an inn. Thinking themselves clever, they each turn their sleds towards the direction they must continue in the morning, but while they sleep the mischievous innkeeper turns the sleds around. The twelve brothers do not even realize they have been tricked until they reach home again, and one of the brothers' dog comes running up to them.

            This is an interesting story that reminds it readers not to think themselves too clever. The brothers thought they were being exceptionally smart, but their plan backfired, and they were, in the end, too dull to notice. This story could be used in the classroom to talk about Russia, transportation in Russia, travels, and of course about pride. I do not like the ending of the story, though, because the brothers do not necessarily realize they were tricked by the innkeeper, also, they decide traveling is too confusing and too much of a hassle, and decide to stay home from then on, and never get the supplies that they needed. 

The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook by E. Davis

From my Literary Journal in my  Children's Literature class:

Davis, E. (2009). The secret science alliance and the copycat crook. New York, NY.

            Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children's Books. 154 pp. (Grade Level: 3rd-7th)

            Julian is excited about moving to a new town because he wants a fresh start, one where he is not the nerd. He tries this at his old school, but does not like it very much, and eventually cracks and lets off how smart he is. This leads to his inclusion in the secret science alliance, where the three members design and create inventions. Until, that is, their notebook full of all their ideas is stolen, and the thief builds their inventions and passes them off as his own.

            This graphic novel was fun to read, full of colorful frames and lots of information. Some of the characters spit out facts and history rather often, and they would be easy for students to pick up and remember. I liked that there were a couple twists in the plot, and I also liked the friendship exhibited by the three Secret Science Alliance members. This would be a valuable addition to the classroom because of discussion of friendship, and how we treat each other and ourselves, and it would also be an interesting time to have students create an invention and describe it on paper, and present their blueprints to the class. 

Scholastic Link

Here is a link to the Scholastic website.

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3755506&eml=BNL/e/20110316/email///March_BookUpdate/SIG///////

This link will take you to a page with a list of types of books. This list was created by teachers and for teachers, but that doesn't mean non-teachers cant use it or will have no use for it. Its really interesting, actually.

You click on the link of the type of book you want, and it takes you to another list. This is the list of books the teachers compiled. The title, author, and cover art. Some books even come with quizzes. Check it you, you may find some pretty cool books!