Battle of the Books

Battle of the Books hosted by WEMTA (Wisconsin Education Media & Technology Association) is winding down. We have just one week left. There were many teams, but we finally narrowed it down to just three top teams earlier this week. They will be competing with a nearby school via Skype for fun soon. The top team is also preparing for the final state battle.

I always enjoy interacting with the students around the battle books. This year we had some amazing books on the list: I Want My Hat Back, Wonderstruck, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Blizzard!, Ella Enchanted and The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe among others.

During battle practice, we used questions about the books. Sometimes we used the iPads as mini whiteboards to answer. We also used Socrative a few times.

With Socrative, the iPads became a student response system. I could see the answers from each team as they worked in various locations around the LMC.  All spread out, they could talk to teammates without worry of being overheard. Since it was new to the students, they found it pretty exciting. The program also emails the results after the quiz ends. Too cool.

I enjoy Battle of the Books, but I am also looking forward to the book club that will begin as soon as we finish up our final battles. We will get to read during lunch time. I can't wait. 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Jen & Kellee over at Teach Mentor Texts host a meme every Monday that invites people to share the children's and young adult books they have been reading over the past week and what they plan on reading the following week.

Past Week:

Professional

This was a great extension for the Teachers Write summer program that I was in this year. Kate provides many helpful strategies for planning, writing, and revising even though the focus is on revision. Loved it!

I also started reading Courageous Conversations about Race in preparation for a conference this week, but didn't get finished.

Early Chapter Book

Kashmira Sheth wrote her first early chapter book. It is funny and engaging as two brothers try to convince their dog-averse mother that their family needs a dog. Our third grade loved it when she shared the first few chapters during her author visit.

Young Adult

I was quite eager to read this collection of sci-fi short stories. The neat thing about this book is that it contains the voices of a diverse group of characters. There are characters from many different countries and backgrounds. I will have a more in-depth review later this week. I truly enjoyed this book and look forward to more great works from this publisher.

Caldecott Challenge & Battle of the Books

A Ball for Daisy is part of the Wisconsin Battle of the Books for elementary schools this year. So, I got to mark one more off for the Caldecott Challenge as I prepare for coaching BOB. Have you noticed it doesn't have text? Makes it tricky for writing questions.

Blizzard! is also on the BOB list. I think Murphy does a fantastic job of weaving the facts into stories that capture the imagination of a reader. I would like to find more of his books. 

For the Coming Week:

I will try to finish Courageous Conversations About Race. I am also starting to read Splendors and Glooms. Other than that, I am not sure what the week will bring. Happy reading!