Give Yourself A Gift,

Take A Break from the

Hustle and Bustle and

Relax with A Good Book

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December meeting.

B e t w e e n t h e

B o o k e n d s 12/2013

Monthly MVUSD Circulations

This Month: 35,547

This Year 162,129

Total: 366,509

See Attachment for details

In Winter, days are shortest and the nights are longest.

No two snow flakes are alike but all snowflakes have 6 sides.

The record for the most snow angels at one time was set in On-

tario Canada in 2004 when a couple of schools joined to create

15,851 snow angels.

Antarctica set the record for the worlds coldest temperature at -

129(degrees Fahrenheit)

Average snowflakes fall at 3.1mph.

Ice is a considered a mineral.

60% of the Earth's fresh water is stored in the polar ice caps.

The tallest snowman was 113 feet 7 inches tall. Named Angus

and made in Bethel Maine in 1999.

The largest snowflake recorded in the Guinness World Book of

Records fell in Montana and was 15 wide.

The all-time world record for the largest snowfall in a single day

was set in the United States on December 4, 1913, when

Georgetown, Colorado received a staggering 63 inches of snow –

more than five feet.

Winter Blues or Seasonal affective disorder (also called SAD) is

a type of depression that occurs at the same time every year.

Chionophobia is the fear of snow.

Hibernation or reduced metabolic activity is common in Winter.

In 1607-08, Londoners held their first frost fair on the frozen-

over River Thames.

Fun Winter Facts

Help promote the EBSCO databases at your schools.

All the buttons, pictures, flyers, etc. can be customized

for your site and placed on your web page, printed and

distributed from the library or classroom. Please note—

they all say “See Librarian for details” so be aware.

User names and passwords are school sites and mascots.

Teachers and administrators will find the Professional

Development collection valuable in supporting PLC and

Common Core activities.

Spot l ight : EBSCO Databases/Promotional I tems

Professional Development Collection Professional Development Collection, designed for

professional educators, provides a highly specialized

collection of nearly 520 high quality education jour-

nals, including more than 350 peer-reviewed titles.

This database also contains more than 200 educa-

tional reports. In addition to full text, indexing and

abstracts are provided for more than 700 journals.

Examples of titles offered in Professional Develop-

ment Collection include: Booklist, Curriculum Ad-

ministrator, Education, Education Digest, Educa-

tional Leadership, High School Journal, Journal of

Education, Journal of Educational Research, Phi

Delta Kappan, Reading Teacher, School Library

Journal, and many others. The majority of full text

titles included in the database are available in native

(searchable) PDF, or scanned-in-color. Full text in-

formation in the Professional Development Collec-

tion dates as far back as 1965.

EBSCO is now functioning in

One Search /Destiny Quest

Click Here to access

all the files for

downloading the

documents.

Subscr ipt ion Database vs. Free Web

Digging Deeper / Common Core / Acquis i t ions

Two offerings delve more deeply into specific topics while shining light on how scientists

evaluate fossil evidence to draw conclusions, new technologies used in research, and the

fact that paleontology remains an ever-evolving field. In Scaly Spotted Feathered Frilled

(Houghton Harcourt, 2013; Gr 5-8), Catherine Thimmesh takes on the question, “how do

we know what dinosaurs really looked like?” Featuring commentary and artwork from re-

nowned experts, this fascinating book describes how paleoartists piece together information

gleaned from fossils, plant studies, geological studies, and other scientific evidence, and

knowledge of comparative anatomy and animal behavior, to create “the most accurate rep-

resentation possible.” A bit of history is provided, and the text shows how earlier depictions

have been rendered obsolete by new scientific findings. Also tackled are subjects such as

how artists reconstruct skulls, determine muscle size, render facial expression, settle on skin texture, and make their best guess-

es about coloration (though color does not get preserved in fossils, new technologies may eventually provide more info). The

text is genially readable, with an irresistible enthusiasm for the topic that invites youngsters to jump into the field and make

their own discoveries. The striking paintings reflect each artist’s style as well as their knowledge of science and provide varying

visions of the long-ago world..

Christopher Sloan’s Tracking Tyrannosaurs (National Geographic, 2013; Gr 5-8) introduces not only

the famed tyrant lizard king but also the amazingly diverse members of its extended family. Recent

fossil findings reveal a variety of species sporting “large crests, long snouts, and horny faces” (and even

an unusually gigantic feathered beast found in China in 2011), indicating that tyrannosaurs did not

simply “evolve in a straight line from small to large” as believed and are closely connected to birds.

Double-page spreads introduce assorted species by describing physical attributes and behavior, habitat,

and where and how they were found. A final chapter covers how scientists use CT scans, computer

modeling and biomechanics, and microbiology techniques and powerful microscopes to study dino-

saurs. Handsome paintings by Xing Lida and Liu Yi reveal an array of razor-toothed cousins adorned

with scales and/or feathers, mostly stalking or feasting upon prey. Helpful family-tree visuals are pre-

sented, and charts show each species’ size in comparison to both a T. rex and a human. Interesting pho-

tos include a model of a T. rex skull chomping and smashing an ostrich bone, and CT scan of the real thing.

Have students compare and contrast these two texts. Kids can extract key details to describe how reconstructed images are cre-

ated and utilized to convey information and speculate about the past. How do paleontologists work and how is their research

conducted? What are the latest developments and technologies used in searching for and fossils and extracting their hidden se-

crets?

The Common Core State Standards below are a sampling of those references in the above books

and classroom activities: RI. 1.9 Identify basic similarities and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustra-

tions, descriptions, or procedures).

W. 1.2 Write information/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic,

and prove some sense of closure.

RI. 2.1 Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

RI. 2.6 Identify the main topic of a text, including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe.

W. 2.7 Participate in shared research and writing projects.

RI. 3.5 Use text features and search tools to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently.

SL. 1.2 Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud….

SL. 3.2 Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or information presented in

diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

RI. 3.7 Use information gained from illustrations…and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding

of the text.

RI. 5.9 Integrate information from several texts on the same topic to wrote or speak about the subject

knowledgeably.

W 5.3 Write narrative to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, de-

scriptive details, and clear event sequences.

W 5.7 Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation

of different aspects of a topic

Inquiry and Integrat ion Across the Curr icu lum

By Myra Zarnowski and Mary Ann Cappiello on November 9, 2013

A major goal of social studies instruction is to create engaged citizens capable of making informed and reasoned decisions

for the public good. More recently, the idea of global citizenry has come under discussion in classrooms across the county.

This month we consider one example of active citizenship by focusing on the life of the Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari

Maathai.

Dr. Wangari Maathai (1940-2011) is known for her extraordinary work as an environmentalist, political activist, and support-

er of women’s rights. To achieve her environmental goals, she founded the Green Belt Movement, a campaign that expanded

beyond her native Kenya to other African nations. Her extensive grassroots projects to combat deforestation earned her the

name Mama Miti, or “the mother of trees.” As a member of the Kenya’s Parliament, she worked to promote voter registra-

tion and constitutional reform. Her efforts to support sustainable development, democracy, and peace earned her a Nobel

Peace Prize in 2004.

The College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards emphasizes the use of compelling

questions to promote inquiry. By drawing on the core disciplines of civics, economics, geography, and history, the frame-

work helps educators introduce their students to the disciplinary perspectives needed to pursue inquiry in the social studies.

Suggested performance indicators for each discipline guide us in shaping this approach. This framework also points to the

many connections to Common Core State Standards in the language arts and literacy.

Civics: In order to act responsibly, citizens must learn the rules by which groups of people make decisions, govern them-

selves, and address public problems.

Economics: Economic decision-making involves making choices about how to use scarce resources to maximize the

well-being of individuals and society.

History: An understanding of history requires an understanding the process of change and continuity over time.

Performance Standards: The College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards:

D2.Civ.6.3-5. Describe the ways in which people benefit from and are challenged by working together, including

through government, workplaces, voluntary organizations, and families.

D2.Eco.1.3-5. Compare the benefits and costs of individual choices.

D2.Eco.2.3-5. Identify positive and negative incentives that influence decisions people make.

D2.His.3.305. Generate questions about individuals and groups who have shaped significant historical changes and continui-

ties.

Common Core State Standards: (corestandards.org)

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.1-4.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis

for the answers.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.2-4.2 Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support

the main idea.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.2-4.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and infor-

mation clearly. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.2-4.2 Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or information present-

ed in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

Inquiry and Integration

Topic/Essential Question: Why is Wangari Maathai considered a global citizen?

Grade Span: Grade 3-4

Disciplinary Lens:

Do you have any of

these titles in your

library?

Ins ide Stor ies About Memorable Books

Maria Modugno, editorial director, picture books,

Random House Children’s Publishing

They say you always remember your first…

I had just arrived as a newly minted editor at the

San Diego offices of Harcourt Brace Jovanovich,

and was faced with the daunting task of publishing

the first list of children’s books from the West

Coast. During my last week in New York, I had

met an artist who told me he lived in Santa Barbara

and was interested in illustrating picture books.

“Look me up if you’re ever in town,” I said casual-

ly, trying on my new laid-back California style.

Much to my surprise, he showed up in my office

with several book dummies that he had collaborat-

ed on with his wife. “I like to think of picture

books as my own portable art gallery,” he said as

he showed me his work.

His paintings were unlike anything I’d seen before

in picture books. At the same meeting, I fell in love

with a word-perfect manuscript his wife wrote, a

gently rhyming text with an

ending that made me laugh.

“I’d like to see this text illus-

trated in this art style,” I said,

hoping it was okay to take

what I had been shown and

mix it up a bit.

A new dummy for The Nap-

ping House by Audrey

Wood, illustrated by Don Wood, arrived a few

weeks later, and our art director Rubin Pfeffer en-

thusiastically endorsed my find. Maybe this editor

thing is going to be easier than I expected, I

thought. If only!

Beverly Horowitz, v-p and publisher, Delacorte

Press, Random House Children's Books

I believe that one of the deep purposes of reading fic-

tion is to sustain a sense of

connectedness. Delacorte

published The Sisterhood

of the Traveling Pants on

September 11, 2001. I re-

member that the year be-

fore, when the project ar-

rived, we were instantly

riveted by Ann Brashares’s

beautiful prose and unfor-

gettable characters. We

knew we wanted this novel

and that it would make a

difference for young wom-

en. In The Sisterhood, readers find the stories of four

young women who have grown up together. They

formed a tight bond long before they find the pants at

a thrift store. Certainly pants that fit and flatter very

different body types and seem magical is a fabulous

story element, but the book is not just about that.

I think The Sisterhood resonates so strongly because

it depicts young women who actually like each oth-

er—sadly, a rarity in media for and about this demo-

graphic. The book eschews the competitiveness and

cattiness so often ascribed to young women, and

shows them the way I have always experienced them

to be: generous, funny, confused, raw, and looking

for support. The girls of the Sisterhood lead inde-

pendent, sometimes lonely lives that summer they

spend apart, but they’re buoyed by their love for one

another. Each has inner strength, and although they

sometimes make bad decisions, they grow from their

mistakes.

Every few years we might change the cover art or font,

but the novel’s universal appeal never changes. The book

finds a new audience and is reread by those who love it

and always will. I am proud to be part of the Sister-

hood now and forever.

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