14 Cows for America

14 Cows for America

By Carmen Agra Deedy

Illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez

Published by Peachtree Publishers

Copyright 2009

14 Cows For America is about the Maasai village in Keyna. When Kimeli comes home to visit from America he tells the villagers of the story of September 11th. The villagers wanted to give the Americans something for their loss, so they decided to give them 14 cows because the cow represents "life." So the elders of the village invited the American diplomat to a ceremony where they presented him with the cows.

Fascinating, Heartfelt, Inspirational, Magnificent, Touching

Reading Level/Lexile

3rd Grade/AD540L

Suggested Delivery

Read Aloud

Electronic Resources 

http://14cowsforamerica.com/index.html

This is the website that is focused on the book, 14 Cows For America. It has information on the writer, illustrator and Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah, the person that the book was written about. It also has information on the story, the tribe, and the cows as well. This will be an interactive way for the students to learn more about the story and the history of the Massai tribe.

http://carmenagradeedy.com/

This is the blog of the author Carmen Agra Deedy. It is run by her manager but it has multiple resources for students to use. It provides information on any awards or nominations she has received, it has her biography, information about books she has written, her contact information and also where she will be performing next. This will be an excellent resource for students who are interested in this author and would like to learn more about her.

Teaching Suggestions

1. Use this book as a read aloud on the day of September 11th.

2. Use this book when talking and comparing native tribes.

3. Use this book when teaching students about different cultures.

Vocabulary

1.Guava

2. nomadic

3. Injustice

4. provoked

5. Ritual

6. Remote (adjective)

Before Reading

 I will start off by showing the students a short clip on the events that happened on September 11th. We will then discuss their reactions of this historical clip in a discussion circle. 

During Reading

 Students will take notes in their journals as the teacher is reading. They will write down how they feel with key words. They will also write down any questions or thoughts they have. 

After Reading

 After the teacher reads aloud the students will have a fishbowl discussion on how the story made them feel. 

Writing Activity

Students will be asked to write a reflection about the book and the fishbowl discussion. This will be a one page reflection where they discuss how the story made them feel, they will have to cite at least one example from the book.

Deedy, C. A., Naiyomah, W. K., & Gonzalez, T. (2009). 14 Cows for America. Atlanta, Ga.: Peachtree Publishers. 

Title from the choice awards list

Read aloud for 3-4th Grade

The Beetle Book

The Beetle Book

By Steve Jenkins

Published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

Copyright 2012

The Beetle Book takes you through the anatomy and life of different beetles around the world. It talks about the parts of the beetle, what they eat, how they survive and what conditions they live in.

Educational, Informative, Creepy, Real, Fascinating 

  Reading Level/Lexile

6th Grade, 4th month/920L

Suggested Delivery

Read Aloud/Group

Electronic Resources

 http://www.stevejenkinsbooks.com/

This is the website of the author, Steve Jenkins. The website provides information about the author, his books, how to create a book, a gallery, and science information. This will help the students learn more about the author and his motivation for writing the book.

 http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/hmh/site/hmhbooks/

 This is the publishers website. This will allow students to explore other books that this publishing company has put on bookshelves. They have the website categorized by books, authors or children's books to make it easier to navigate. 

Teaching Suggestions

1. Use this book as a part of a science lesson.

2.  Use this book to talk about how you can set up books in different ways.

3. Teachers can use this book when talking about the life cycle.
 

Vocabulary

1. Antenna

2. exoskeleton

3. Coleopterist

4. Adaptations

5. Larva

6. pupa

Before Reading

The students will receive a K-W-L chart and before they read they will be expected to fill out the "K" column. Under this column they will write any information they know about beetles. They will also fill out the "W" column, where they will write what they want to know about beetles. 

During Reading
While the students read they will write down the facts they find most interesting about the book. They will also answer any of the questions they asked in the "W" column. They will write this information in the "L" column.
 

After Reading
After reading the students will get into groups of two or three, where they will share the questions they had and the facts that they learned from the reading. 
 

Writing Activity
The students will be asked to write their own bug book that is set up similar to the book they read. They will pick an insect and then research that insect. They will then share their book with the class.

Jenkins, S. (2012). The Beetle Book. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. 

Team Moon

Team Moon

By Catherine Thimmesh

Published by Houghton Mifflin Company

Copyright 2011  

 Team Moon tells the story of what happened behind the scenes of landing Apollo 11 on the moon. It goes through the obstacles and challenges that every person had to encounter from the time they started building Apollo 11 until the time it landed in the ocean. It covers the problems from the space suits, to the false alarms, to the gas problems that the spacecraft encountered. 

Informational, Intriguing, Exploratory, Astonishing, Engaging 

Reading Level/Lexile
8th Grade/1030 
 

Suggested Delivery
Read Aloud/Partner
 

Electronic Resources
http://www.nasa.gov/home/index.html 
This is NASA's website, where students can explore more about NASA and what they do. It also provides a lot of information on missions, future, past and present and news about NASA. The website also has a link to a student and teacher page as well.

 http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/apollo11.html
This is NASA's website specifically for Apollo 11 and their mission. This website will allow students to explore more about the mission and compare it to what they learned in the book.
 

Teaching Suggestions
1. Use this as an introduction to a space lesson.
2. Use this book for a lesson on future careers.
3. Teachers can use this book for a history lesson.
 

Vocabulary
 1. Lunar Module
2. Mission Control
3. Pressurized
4. Telescope
5. Consumables
6. glitch

Before Reading
Before reading the students will research the NASA website and tell the class five facts they learned about the program. 
 

During Reading
While reading the students will keep a vocabulary journal full of words that the teacher teaches them and also any words they come across while they read. They will then define the words, so that they are able to clarify and learn new vocabulary.
 

After Reading
After reading the students will have a class discussion on the book. They will be able to make points, ask questions, and state facts that they learned. This will allow students to hear and listen to other classmates perspectives.
 

Writing Activity 
Afterwards students will do a research project on the moon. They will be prompted with questions and they will have to draw the phases of the moon as well. They will be expected to write a two page paper on the moon.

 Thimmesh, C. (2006). Team Moon: how 400,000 people landed Apollo 11 on the moon. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co..