Week of Oct. 28 - Nov. 1

ROOM ON THE BROOM

First graders listened to Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson, then they all got to work to design a new and improved broom for the witch and other creatures.  They were very creative and came up with some great features to allow more passengers to ride the broom!

 

HALLOWEEN STORIES

All the grades enjoy hearing Halloween and scary stories, so October is fun! Books such as Creepy Carrots, Big Pumpkin, Pumpkin Jack, The Monsterator, I Want My Mummy, The Bones of Fred McPhee, The Tailypo, are a few we have been enjoying. 

Mary Shelley and Intro to Science Fiction

I shared the book She Made a Monster: How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein by Lynn Fulton with 4th graders.  We learned that Shelley was only 18 when she began writing Frankenstein, and how in the early 1800's it was considered scandalous for a women to be writing such a dreadful story.  According to the author's note, "Just like Victor Frankenstein, Mary Shelley was creating something new--the kind of story that today we call science fiction." I shared with them some books from the science fiction section, and I was glad that some of them took a chance with a genre they don't typically check out. 

Creepy Carrots

Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown is such a wonderfully creepy (and silly) book! In the story, Jasper the rabbit thinks nothing of taking carrots for a snack from Crackenhopper Field.  Every time he walks through the field he grabs one or two. Why not, he thinks, they are free and so fantastic.  Until one day, the carrots start following him…

This book has just enough creepiness in it for those students who love spooky books, but the humor in the story balances it out for the kids who don’t enjoy scary stories.  This book won a Caldecott Honor award, and is a perfect story to share around Halloween time!

Here is a short video about the making of the book and its illustrations.  In the interview, illustrator Peter Brown shares with us that he was inspired by classic horror films and also old episodes of The Twilight Zone.  You can watch the interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ag0LPVYpIu4

Big Pumpkin

There are so many other fun Halloween stories written for children.  Big Pumpkin is always a favorite with the younger students. A witch grows a gigantic pumpkin and wants to make pumpkin pie but can't pick it off the vine.  Even though they are bigger, the ghost, vampire and mummy can't pick it off either.  When a little bat flies up, they all laugh since there's no way HE can pick it if they can't.  But he has an idea....  I ask the students what idea the bat might have, and I love it when they guess that they use teamwork.  A fine idea!

Here's a link to a recording of the book on You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHkuZKAW7bs

Pumpkin Jack

Although the majority of the book takes place AFTER Halloween, it's a classic story with so many lessons.  When Tim carves the perfect pumpkin, one that was "fierce and funny," he decides it deserves a name.  So he calls it "Jack" and keeps it in his room, where the candle inside makes shadows dance on the wall.  As expected, the pumpkin begins to rot and his mom tells him to throw it away.  Tim can't bear to throw it in the trash, so he places it in their garden and covers it with dirt, even though all that is left of it is "brown ghosts of last summer's plants." Tim continues to visit "Jack" until the pumpkin is covered with snow, and then he forgets all about it.  Until something magical happens in the spring, when the first sprout pokes out of the ground.  

Students love sharing how they have carved their own pumpkins at home, as well as what they have grown in their own gardens. Some children even compost at their houses, and it is so interesting to hear them all make connections to this story on many levels.