Raold Dahl Day

There are many times when I am thankful for the fact that I have started using Twitter. When I first started tweeting it was with my personal account. It was just...ok! It wasn't until I started using it for the Falcon's Fables as a way to connect with my fellow teacher librarians that I starting realizing its full potential.

Case in point, I logged into Twitter today and immediately noticed many tweets with the #roalddahlday. After reading them and investigating I realized that today is the anniversary of Roald Dahls birthday. Now really, who isn't a Roald Dahl fan? There is at least one book out there by him that you have read and really enjoyed. I'm not the biggest Charlie and the Chocolate Factory  fan (blasphemy, I know!) but I simply adore Matilda! I had to get in on the Roald Dahl Day action. I did a quick scan of my lesson plans and realized that I had left KA open for a free day, perfect! I quickly went about the room pulling all our Roald Dahl books off the shelf. I took a quick instagram photo to tweet and post on Facebook and then decided how I would introduce The Man to the children.

Roald Dahl

Thankfully, our only biography on Roald Dahl is Roald Dahl: A Life of Imagination  by Jennifer Boothroyd. This series of biographies is written especially for young children. After introducing them to Roald Dahl, I asked if they had ever heard of him. I got a lot of blank stares. Ok, I know young children don't always pay attention to the authors of their favorite books. Next I mentioned Charlie and the Chocolate Factory  which of course brought on shouts of "I love that movie" or "oh yeah I saw that one on tv". Ok good, so they do know The Man even if they don't know it yet.

Next we read The Enormous Crocodile. This story is about an incredibly hungry and not very nice crocodile. His favorite meal is a plump juicy little child. On his journey to gobble up as many children as he can, the crocodile encounters different animals who find him to be greedy, mean and disgusting. Thankfully, those same animals manage to foil the crocodiles secret plans and clever tricks. I've never witnessed a group of kindergarteners so enthralled with a book. Hardly anyone fidgeted and everyone payed close attention. Truly Roald Dahl does have a way with the imagination.

My favorite moment of the morning was when one of the children looked over to my book display carefully investigating every Roald Dahl book. At last his eyes rested on The Roald Dahl Treasury with its cover of various characters reading different book. He carefully raised his hand with excitement and when called upon exclaimed, "I love The BFG! Do you know The BFG because I know him and love him." Then turning to his classmates our little kindergartener said "Do you know the best thing about The BFG? If Ms. Natalie were to stand next to him she would be teeny tiny".

The BFG

Yes I know The Big Friendly Giant as well as many other famous Roald Dahl characters. They are all special to me and many children young and old. Happy birthday Mr. Dahl, you're The Man!

Saint Philip's Feast Day

Today St. Philip the Apostle School is celebrating the feast day of Saint Philip. This tradition finds the St. Philip school community gathered in Holy Angel Hall, eating pan dolce and hearing about our patron saint. This year there is a little more of a surprise in store for the students. The teachers are going to put on some skits that help remind us all what it means to be a St. Philip student.

Saint Philip is one of those saints that not too much is known about. I tried searching for him on our various databases and didn't have much luck. I did find him in the World Book Encyclopedia and Wikipedia. Have I ever mentioned that encyclopedias are my favorite reference tools? They rarely fail me. There is also an entry on him in the Dictionary of Saints by John J. Delaney.

According to World Book, Philip of Bethsaida was one of the 12 Apostles and can be found many times in the Gospel of John. Present at the miracle of the loaves and fishes (John 6:5-7) it is also assumed that Philip was Greek since he was able to communicate with a group of Greeks in John 12:20-22. Philip was present at the Last Supper and was the apostle that asked Jesus if he could see the father (John 14:8-9). According to Richard Edward, the author of the World Book Encyclopedia article, "This special interest in Philip indicates that he was highly regarded by the author of the Gospel of John".

Lastly, the library does have a dictionary of saints and it has an entry on Saint Philip. I am happy to say that the book confirms the accounts of Philip in the bible according to World Book. Although rest assured, I did also look them up in the bible. The book of Saints tells how Philip is not mentioned further in the New Testament other than being a part of the 12 apostles waiting for the Holy Spirit in Acts 1:13. According to the book tradition dictates that Philip "preached in Greece and was crucified upside down at Hierapolis under Emperor Domitian".

And that is really all there is to know about Saint Philip. Wikipedia does make some other references and I did find a listing on http://saints.sqpn.com that mentions his character and says he is the patron saint of hatters. But I was not able to confirm this information elsewhere. I also was unable to discover why he is the patron saint of hatter. 

Citation:  

1. Edwards, Richard A. "Philip of Bethsaida, Saint." World Book Student. World Book, 2012. Web. 3 May 2012. Delaney, John J. 
2. Delaney, John J. Dictionary of Saints. Doubleday, New York  1982

M.L.

I have a dream that one day...

little black boys and black girls

will be able to join hands with 

little white boys and white girls

as sisters and brothers.

I have a dreams today!

-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

August 28, 1963

I believe it is safe to say that we all know this powerful speech. We all understand what Dr. Martin Luther King stood for and how he changed the world. What we may not know is how he became such an extraordinary man who, in his own words, wanted to turn the world upside down. The book, My Brother, Martin by Christine King Farris shares childhood memories of the only surviving member of the King family. Nicknamed M.L. by his family, the book includes the antics of a boy who gradually learned that the world was not equal.

In the afterword of the book, Christine King Farris says she "wanted to reflect another side of Martin's life story. The days that I spent with him, watching him, as we grew older, were valuable and meaningful exercises for me. They set him on his ultimate course". From watching his dad refuse to accept prejudice to loosing a childhood friend due to the color of his skin, these events lead Martin on his ultimate path to becoming a leader for equality. According to Christine, it was the promise he made to his mother, just as a little boy, that set him down that road.

My favorite excerpt from the book is this...

"Why do white people treat colored people so mean?

 She answered simply, Because they just don't understand that everyone is the same, but someday, it will be better. And my brother M. L. looked up into our mother's face and said the words I remember to this day. He said, Mother Dear, one day I'm going to turn this world upside down"

The Immaculate Conception Part 1

Alright Falcons, there is something that seems to confuse many people including Catholics. As you know, we attend mass, as a school, once a week on Tuesdays. Yet this past Tuesday we did not go to mass. Instead we went today. I heard from a few students that they were a little confused as to why. Fr. Dennis did an excellent job of explaining it to us during his Homily but I'm afraid some of our falcons weren't listening. I had to laugh a little when a student turned to me and asked, "why did we go to mass today and not Tuesday?" Mind you this was said seconds after Fr. Dave finished speaking. That's OK, it happens to the best of us! But of course this got me thinking. If you follow this blog you know I have a passion for research.  I will take every chance I get to become The Falcon, supper speedy research librarian extraordinaire! Hey, it is fun!

I did not know today was a holy day of obligation. I am not sure why this year my brain decided to acknowledge mass as a school or that it is a day of obligation. Also, I was once a Catholic who thought the feast of the Immaculate Conception meant it was the day Mary immaculately conceived Jesus. Perhaps in all my years of Catholic schooling it was never explained to me properly OR more likely, I didn't listen properly. Now I know better and am aware that it has to do with Mary herself being immaculate.

All right, that's what I know! Ready? Get your research caps on! Here we go...

GOOGLE: Yes, yes I did Google. 
Immaculate Conception brought up websites for some schools. 
The Immaculate Conception got me Wikipedia! Um no thank you. While, I think of Wikipedia as a great jumping off point I reserve it only for subjects I don't know much about. I use it as a way to get those synapses going. So I skipped over Wikipedia.
What is the feast day of the immaculate conception returned some interesting results and I scanned the various websites for information. All seemed correct and unbiased either written for Catholics or for people wanting to learn about Catholicism. Good. 

But, I didn't want to just trust websites, especially ones I didn't know much about. So I pulled out a book donated by Mrs. Ramirez (the school principal for you non SP readers). 

The Catholic Source Book: A Comprehensive Collection of Information about the Catholic Church. Our copy is from 2000 so it could be considered outdated. I am not 100% sure if some of this information has changed or not.  Here are some tidbits of what I found. 

"There are ten holy days of obligation listed by Rome. In the Untied States six, besides Sundays, are celebrated. The number varies from country to country because conferences of bishops are free to set their country's holy days - with the Vatican's approval. Current practice is to retain at least two: Christmas and one feast honoring Mary." Here is the list, the italicized ones are not obligations in the USA. Christmas, Epiphany, Ascension, The Body and Blood of Christ, Mary, Mother of God, Immaculate Conception, Assumption, St. Joseph, Saints Peter and Paul, All Saints. 

Well that explains why we had mass today instead of Tuesday. Today, the Immaculate Conception is a holy day of obligation. It is also special in that it is a mass that honors Mary, the Mother of God. 
Beyond that there were only some references to symbolism, mainly Mary and the Moon. (more on that in another post)

Back to the internet. 

I found many many websites explaining Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary or the feast day of the Immaculate Conception. While they all said it a little differently this is the one thing that stood out. 
Mary, full of grace from God was redeemed from the moment of her conception. As said by Pope Pius IX in December 8, 1854, "The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin." It was on that December day that Pope Pius IX made it church dogma, that Mary is free from original sin through the grace of God. While the concept was not new, in fact centuries of Catholics believed in immaculate Mary, the church now acknowledges officially Mary's freedom from original sin. Immaculate meaning without sin and conception referring to Mary's conception, not Jesus'. 


And that is all for now. I am very interested in this topic, especially the symbolism and artwork. I also have a lovely book written by DEMI. She is known for her award-winning picture book biographies of spiritual leaders. Her book on Mary has some interesting text that I want to do further research on before posting. So stay tuned! 

"This is our cry. This is our prayer. Peace in the world" A Thousand Paper Cranes

There once lived a little girl named Sadako Sasaki. She called Hiroshima, Japan home. She was two years old in 1945 when the atomic bomb was dropped to end World War Two. It took an instant to destroy the city and kill 140,000 citizens. A mile away, Sadako, her mother and father managed to survive. But they could not help breathing in the dust; the radiation that settled on the former city.

Sadako and her family rebuilt their lives and tried to put the horrific past behind them. Sadako was thoughtful, energetic, athletic; her mother's favorite child. When she was eleven she discovered lumps on her neck and  purple splotches on her legs. She was diagnosed with leukemia or as her mother called it, atomic bomb disease. She was dying.

In Japanese tradition, when you have a fervent wish you fold one thousand paper cranes and the gods will grant your wish. Sadako hoped to get better and survive deadly leukemia. She also dreamed of a day where there wouldn't be war and suffering but instead peace for humanity. Some people say Sadako folded the thousand cranes. Others say that she was not able to complete her task before dying and her classmates folded the rest of the cranes in her honor. Either way, Sadako is an inspiration of hope, of love, of strength.

The world, our world, is full of tragedy, of grief and sorrow. How do you move on? How do we remember to love one another when faced with pain? September 11th changed our world as much as the atomic bomb changed Sadako's. On this tenth anniversary we must find a way to continue to learn and heal from such tragedy.

Children's Peace Monument located in Peace Memorial Park Hiroshima, Japan.
Build in honor of Sadako by her classmates. 

Although Sadako's paper cranes could not save her life they have flown to greater heights, becoming a symbol of hope for peace.  Her story, her legend lives on bringing understanding and hope to all who know her.

St. Philip School and Parish has decided to follow her example and fold one thousand paper cranes to commemorate September 11th. The cranes will be on the alter for Sunday masses. The Jr. High students have heard the story of Sadako and in art class will contribute to the paper crane folding. Other classes are learning about the importance of promoting world peace. All this is a beautiful example of how awareness and love for all humans can bring about change. Just as long as hope never dies.

Thank you Sadako Sasaki. You are an inspirations. Your kind heart and dedication has achieved something great!

To read a fictional account of Sadako's story check out
 Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr

Back in January I wrote about interesting and different biographies that can be found in the library. One person I highlighted was John Muir, America's environmentalist. Last week the latest copy of Appleseed Magazine was delivered to the library and low and behold it was all about John Muir. In case you didn't know, Appleseed Magazine is a social sciences magazine for children ages 8-11. Like most classroom magazines each monthly edition focuses on a specific topic. For April 2011 it is Earth Day and John Muir. After reading the magazine from cover to cover here are some things I learned about John Muir.

1. One of America's most famous environmentalists, John Muir is also known as the "Father of Our National Parks". 
2. Muir was an inventor. Some of his inventions include a self-setting sawmill, an automatic feeding machine for horsed and an early rising machine that tipped the sleeper out of bed when an alarm went off. 
3. President Theodore Roosevelt known to be a nature lover himself, requested that Muir take him on a tour of Yosemite Valley to see first hand the destruction humans have on nature.
4. After their trip together Roosevelt was convinced Yosemite Valley had to be preserved and with Congress passed a bill in 1906 making it a national park. 
5. In 1892 John Muir helped found the Sierra Club, named after the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The club helps people explore nature and teaches about plants, animals and landforms. They have a special program for inner city kids to help expose them to environmentalism. 
6. John Muir was an author and poet. His words inspired many people to learn to love and care for nature. 

"Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy" - John Muir

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

What would childhood be without Dr. Seuss? As an adult, when I come across Dr. Seuss books I find myself clutching them to my chest and instantly feeling nostalgic for the days when Green Eggs and Ham and The Sneetches and Other Stories were the most well worn books on my shelf at home.

 As a teacher I am forever grateful to Dr. Seuss for the genius of books, such as The Lorax, which finds a way to send a profound message about environmentalism to the reader in a light, whimsical style.

In honor of Dr. Seuss, who was born Theodor Seuss Geisel on March 2, 1904, and would have turned 107 this year, the National Education Association has designated March 2 "Read Across America," a day devoted to encouraging everyone to pick up a book.

To celebrate, the second graders this week are listening to a read aloud of a book that I just discovered on the SPA library shelves last week: Hooray for Diffendoofer Day by Seuss, Jack Prelutsky, and Lane Smith.
This book was new to me when I found it, but it has already become one of my favorites for its incredible back story.  You see, before Theodor Geisel passed away he had spent several years sketching and writing a story about a teacher named Miss Bonkers but it was never completed before his death in 1991.

After Seuss died, his editor took the sketches and verses Seuss had been working on  to Jack Prelutsky, the famous children's poet,  to see if he might be interested in finishing what Seuss had started. Prelutsky joined forces with Lane Smith, the illustrator of  The Stinky Cheese Man and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, and what came to be is an amazing compilation by three incredible talents.
With Hooray for Diiffendoofer Day! Jack Prelutsky and Lane Smith do indeed pay homage to Dr. Seuss, but in their own distinctive way.  The result is the union of three one-of-a-kind voices. While reading it with the second graders today they were delighted to identify cameos of Seuss's beloved characters within the pages. Can you spot some of Seuss's characters in this illustration?

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

Earlier I wrote about finding unique biographies. I love learning about people and their accomplishments. Because of this I have been taking a close look at our biography section. We have a wonderful collection of biographies for all ages. Many of them are picture books meant to introduce children to influential people. While perusing the biography section I came across a beautiful book titled John Muir America's First Environmentalist by Kathryn Lasky and Illustrated by Stan Fellows.

Kathryn Lasky, quotes from John Muir's diaries to engage the reader in the life of this famous environmentalist. Told in the form of a children's story the book follows Mr. Muir's life from Scotland to Wisconsin and Florida to Alaska. Each chapter is written as a new adventure in John Muir's life following his many talents as writer, inventor, scholar, farmer, explorer and naturalist. The influence he had on America is quite remarkable. It is due to his love of waterfalls, mountains and the giant sequoias that the first national park was founded.

Lasky's book is wonderfully organized by events in John Muir's life and yet it reads like a story book. Stan Fellow's artwork is colorful and artistic. This book is great for all types of readers who are interested in the environment, art, science and conservation.

"A good starting place for science and biography projects, this book will also appeal to young activists with its message about people needing 'beauty as well as bread'". -Booklist.

Biography

The 5th graders have been busy checking out Biographies for their book reports. To be quite honest I love and hate this time of year. I love the idea of the children learning about remarkable people and history makers. I love that the children get to read these books and perhaps be inspired by other people's accomplishments. But, there are aspects of the biography book reports I greatly dislike. The first is the page limit. While necessary, it is difficult to find biographies that are age appropriate and at least 100 or 150 pages. The second is that more often than not the children gravitate toward the typical biographies. Usually when I suggest a biography the children aren't interested because it isn't someone really popular. Yet, I keep trying. So here are some of my suggestions of really good biographies about people you may know a lot about.

Belva Lockwood: Equal Rights Pioneer
By Jill Norgren
A biography of United States attorney, politician, educator, and author Belva Lockwood, that chronicles her struggles to receive an education and law degree and her run for president with the Equal Rights Party.

Ernest Shackleton: Gripped by the Antarctic
By Rebecca L. Johnson
A biography of Sir Ernest Shackleton, the daring, charismatic Antarctic explorer who fell short of his goal of crossing Antarctica, but accomplished a far greater feat by bringing every member of his crew back alive.

Agness de Mille

By Judy L. Hasday

Presents a biography of Agnes de Mille, discussing her illustrious family, her interest in dance and determination to become a ballerina, and her eventual success as a choreographer.

Bessie Coleman
By Philip S. Hart
Presents the biography of Bessie Coleman, the first African-American woman pilot and chronicles her childhood and desire to fly and the struggles she and others faced to overcome racial 
discrimination.

Escape!: The Story of the Great Houdini
By Sid Fleischman
A biography of the magician, ghost chaser, aviator, and king of escape artists whose amazing feats are remembered long after his death in 1926.

Pope John Paul II: Young Man of the Church
By George E. Stanley
A brief biography of Pope John Paul II that focuses on his childhood, early years, and events that led him to being named Pope.

Sylvia Earle
By Beth Baker
Describes the life of this groundbreaking marine biologist and diver, from her childhood in New Jersey and Florida to her deep sea explorations of the 1980s and 1990s.

Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story Kids Edition
By Gregg Lewis
Ben Carson used to be the class dummy. Today he is one of the world's most brilliant surgeons. Gifted Hands Kids Edition tells the extraordinary true story of an angry, young boy from the inner city who, through faith and determination, grew up to become one of the world's leading pediatric neurosurgeons.

Johannes Gutenberg: Inventor of the Printing Press
By Fran Rees

Presents a biography of Johannes Gutenberg, inventor of the printing press, and provides information on the Renaissance world, the Gutenberg Bible, and the impact his invention had on the world of books.