Hello I am a New York City High School teacher. I want to start a project where my students look at high school textbooks from around the world. I would like them to study the different interpretations of World War Two from various countries. If you can send me photocopies of your textbook chapters dealing with the war or know how I can obtain this information, please e-mail at moruxo@aol.com.
Libby Bloom Teaching Guide:
Grade Levels: 3, 4, 5
Teaching Ideas
Libby Bloom is a humorous beginning chapter book that keeps the reader smiling,
even through the serious parts. Among the thought provoking themes students will
explore are family, friendship, activism and self-confidence. This guide offers a variety
of interdisciplinary tie-ins.
Thematic Links
Friendship -- Ask students to name the qualities they look for in a friend (i.e. similar
interests, willingness to share, loyalty, a good listener, etc.) Afterward, have the
students find examples of where Libby and Ralph’s friendship have the same qualities
they have listed. Discuss this statement: In order to have a friend, you must first be a
friend.
Family -- Ask students to describe Libby’s relationship with her parents and sister.
Does age difference affect the sisters' relationship? How is her family similar to yours?
Different? How do her parents support Libby when she gets "cold feet" after Mrs.
Whippo invites her to the school board meeting?
Self-confidence-- Have students discuss Libby’s feelings as she compares herself
with her talented older sister, Noel. Bring into the discussion the meaning of envy and
lack of self-confidence. How does Libby eventually become more self-confident? Ask
students what it says about a person who other people call, "having a big head." Help
them to recognize that true self-confidence can only be gained though effort -- when
you are willing to work hard toward a goal.
Interdisciplinary Links
Math*-- The book begins with Libby singing off-key in the school chorus. Ask students
what range of singing voices are in their chorus (i.e. soprano, alto). What does Libby
sing? Lead them to conclude that since Libby struggles to sing the high part she is
probably an alto.
Ask students to count the number of high range voices and low range voices for both
boys and girls in the school chorus. Have them graph the results. Younger students
can construct a bar graph, while older students can construct a pie graph using
percentages.
Prediction: Have students predict how voice range changes as they mature and find
out what other singing voices -- besides soprano and alto -- are in their local high
school chorus (tenor, bass). Make a graph, then compare the two graphs.
Social Studies -- Mr. Cheney, the band teacher, shares this advice: "The things in life
that come hard, that really challenge us, we end up valuing the most. Like learning to
play the tuba or working to make right what we believe is wrong." When he writes an
editorial on budget cuts for the local paper, Libby is inspired to do something herself.
She turns her interest in cartoon drawing into her own political activism.
Ask students what famous and not so famous people they can name who have tried to
"make right what they believe is wrong," bringing into the discussion the term "political
activism" (i.e. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Susan B. Anthony.) Can they name someone in
their own community?
Language Arts -- Ask students to bring in the editorial pages of their local newspaper.
Have them choose an article that they strongly agree/disagree with. Ask them to write
their own editorial response. Or, if they prefer, have them write on another issue that
they feel strongly about (i.e. protecting the environment, use of animal fur, school
dress code.)
On page 4 after Libby burps, the boys "were rolling in their chairs, guffawing." Explain
that this is called figurative speech. Have students make up their own sentences
describing a visual picture of an action that is not literal.
Music* -- Libby takes music lessons from Mr. Cheney, the band instructor. Does their
school offer individual lessons as well?
To introduce the various instruments (brass, percussion, woodwinds, etc.) invite the
band instructor and/or band members to your classroom. Or make arrangements to
take students on a field trip to a local high school during their band practice session.
Only after Libby learns to blow though the mouthpiece properly (purse her lips and
buzz) can she begin to play the tuba. By having students try various instruments they
can discover for themselves how difficult and perhaps rewarding playing an instrument
can be.
Science* -- On page 17 "a deep rumble echoed off the pocked walls. It faded away
leaving only the sound of knocking and rattling from the boiler room across the hall."
Have students make a sound (a handclap, hitting a drum, etc.) in different
environments around the school (i.e. cafeteria, gym, outdoors, classroom, closet.) Talk
about how sound waves travel.
Develop a musical scale: use bottles of the same size; fill each with various amounts
of water to construct the scale.
Art -- Libby draws a political cartoon which she sends to the local newspaper. Have
students draw their own political cartoons illustrating what they have said or say on a
new issue.
Ask how a political cartoon might be more powerful than an article on a similar subject
(i.e., a drawing is visual with an immediate impact on the onlooker, whereas an article
must be read to the end.) What might be a drawback (i.e., information is limited.)
Libby draws a cartoon character she calls Stretch McKinsy. Have students create
their own character and produce a short comic strip (option: use computer software
utilizing clip art.)
Computer -- Have students research their social studies/language arts projects at
home/school through the Internet.
Closure
Tell students that, like Libby, big things get done by people making a difference in a
variety of small ways. Leave students with this thoughtful question: Where can they
make a difference?
*Suggestions submitted by Joan Masters, certified teacher in N-6 Elementary and
Special Education.
Copyright © 1999 by Susan Rowan Masters. All Rights Reserved
Visit Susan Rowan Masters' Electronic Notebook at http://www.madbbs.com/~srmasters
Hi,
I offer internet based computer training courses
that would be of interest to teachers.
Especially the FREE windows 98 course.
Many of these courses are Microsoft
approved and certificates of completion
are awarded.
My mother works as a librarian and often
tells me of teachers who feel they just
don't have the computer/internet skills
they need. These professional courses
are not expensive and are work at your
own pace. Lessons for beginners and advanced
learners.
Contact:
Diana Zimmer
330.898.9193
E-mail meLook for the "Learning Center" link
If you do drama with yougsters, say 6 to 13 more or less, and would like some new material written by a teacher-playwright specially for young actors and audiences, then visit our plays gallery and bookshop:
http://www.the-place.net/in-print and look at the plays by Kate Lyons. These have been tested in performances under her direction, and enjoyed by young and old alike.
Are you a writer who hasn't yet made it into print? in-print! is a club for poets, playwrights and authors with a web-site where you can show your work and, equally important, sell it in hard-back. This is made possible by on-demand publishing and an ingenious instant binding system for short runs -- even one or two volumes. What is more, royalties are generous, and there are no significant up-front costs. Visit
http://www.the-place.net/in-print to join.If you would like to publish any Teacher related Ideas/Annoucements/Etc. on this page(Free of course)
E-mail them to me at.AVIGANOLA@YAHOO.COM