School’s out for summer! Many summer reading lists combine
nonfiction and fiction reading recommendations. It was exciting to see Steve Sheinkin’s Bomb: The Race to Build, another INK contributor, on the list from my son’s
English teacher.
Since summer’s here and it’s time to play, I thought that it
would be fun to add other senses to the mix and a little play. A few years ago
I taught a class at the Games for Education Conference at the Chicago Toy and
Game fair. The class was titled Play and Creativity in the Classroom. Here’s what I wrote about the class on the
INK blog titled Play in Classroom with several nonfiction book recommendations. Why not add a little
kinetic learning to the summer reading schedule?
A teacher friend is taking her children on an extended
vacation to New England this summer. They are reading fiction and nonfiction
books in preparation. When she mentioned that they were creating KWL charts to
go along with the reading, I was curious. Many teachers reading this will know
about KWL charts, but my friend explained, “It is a 3 column chart- list what
they KNOW, list what the WANT to know, and then after reading list what they
LEARNED. It is a great way to assess prior misconceptions as well as knowledge,
see if they learned anything from their reading, and can be a basis for further
research for unanswered questions.” Here’s a link that explains how to make KWLcharts.
Kind of wish I had made a KWL chart before our recent London
and Paris trip. After we were back home, while recuperating from jetlag, I
tried to remember what my preconceived impressions of Paris were. For example,
my mind had a different vision of what Notre Dame was like. Being there right
in front of Notre Dame was rather surreal.
Everywhere we went on our vacation, I would point out what
we were seeing to my children. I think they became a little tired of me by the
end of our trip. Last Christmas, I bought the family a puzzle of the London Underground and a puzzle of a map of Paris. I do this because of my childhood. Growing up, we would go almost every
other summer to Germany for a month to visit Oma. Most of what I
remember was my little brother and I creating a dividing line in the back seat
of my uncle’s Mercedes and constantly tapping my mom on the arm while she spoke
in German to all my relatives. We went to some cool places, but I have no idea
where I was, why the place was significant, or how it related to European
history.
Here’s a few nonfiction and fiction reading ideas for the
summer with some added senses, kinetic learning, and play.
Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World’s Most Dangerous
Weapon by Steven Sheinkin
The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages
Modern Marvels - The Manhattan Project (History Channel)
We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir
Nelson
King of the Mound - My Summer with Satchel Paige by Wes
Tooke
Watch a baseball game or go to a game.
Major League Baseball Scrabble
Eat a hot dog, peanuts and Cracker Jacks
Football Hero: A Football Genius Novel by Tim Green
Sports Illustrated Kids 1st and 10: Top 10 Lists of
Everything in Football by Sports Illustrated For Kids
Jukem Football Card Game by Jukem
Play football in the backyard
My Brother Sam Is Dead by James Lincoln Collier or Johnny
Tremain by Esther Hoskins Forbes
The American Revolution for Kids: A History with 21
Activities (For Kids series) by Janis Herbert
City Doodles: Boston by Chris Sabatino
Educational Trivia Card Game - Professor Noggin's American
Revolution by Professor Noggin
Chicago History for Kids: Triumphs and Tragedies of the
Windy City Includes 21 Activities (For Kids series) by Owen Hurd
A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck
City Doodles: Chicago by Anna M. Lewis
Chicago-Opoly by Late for the Sky
Build a Skyscaper model
Fact, Fiction, and Folklore in Harry Potter's World: An
Unofficial Guide by George Beahm
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Watch Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Starring Daniel
Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson
Eat Harry Potter Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans by Jelly
Belly
(This list could be endless.)
Sandy's Circus: A Story About Alexander Calder by Tanya Lee
Stone (author), Boris Kulikov (Illustrator)
The Calder Game by Blue Balliett(Author) , Brett Helquist (Illustrator)
Make a Mobile
Go to an art museum
For Younger Readers:
The First Teddy Bear by Helen Kay (Author) , Susan Detwiler
(Illustrator)
Made in the USA - Teddy Bears by Tanya Lee Stone
The Teddy Bears' Picnic by Jimmy
Kennedy (Author) , Michael Hague
(illustrator)
Baby Bear Counters by Learning Resources
Gather all your teddy bears and have a tea party
Play the song Teddy Bear’s Picnic
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordecai Gerstein
New York City by David F. Marx
New York for Kids: 25 Big Apple Sites to Color (Dover Coloring Books) by Patricia J. Wynne
50-Piece Double 2-Sided Jigsaw Puzzle - New York City by Pigment and Hue
This list is just a jumping off point to get everyone
thinking about all the possibilities. I had to stop somewhere or I’d be still
writing this blog post.
Please add your recommendations to the comments and I’ll add
it to the list. On my website, I will add a hand-out form when I’m done
compiling.
Here’s to a happy summer with lots of reading and playing.
No comments:
Post a Comment