The View from the Leslie Library Windows: Muncha Math

Friday, April 11, 2014

Muncha Math

Came in a bit early since it was Friday. Opened the windows to let in all the gorgeous sunshine. Turned on the computers and got them ready for OAKS testing today. Had my last LLI day with my group and they graduated and are on their way to other things! Back to the library and I worked through all my kinder classes, putting out my overdue/lost notes for the kids that needed them and getting their barcode bookmarks ready. I think it worked really well. I could hand the bookmarks out to each kid, then the ones that had books out that weren't overdue, then the notices to the kids who need to take care of book business! My first class today was my sweet kinders who are all so quiet! They really are a joy! I had them all do hand motions with the Muncha, Muncha, Muncha book and they were so cute, making little mouth moves with their hands and whispering 'muncha, muncha, muncha!' with me. But then I learned that we were to have an earthquake drill, so I quick printed off their class list and got them all lined up at the back door. The drill came and they all dived under the tables, then we went out the library back door and their teacher met us on our way out. Back in for my next two classes who not near as well behaved. Then my lunch, then cafeteria duty and straight back for my last class of the day. Some library time. Looked for my books for next week, focusing on recycling. Then up to Mrs. M's class for math. Ugh. I really drag through math. Again Mrs. L and I took the second graders downstairs to work on their math. Mrs. L really is amazing. She could be a teacher, and did a great job trying to work through the exercise with the students. We had about a third of them get it, but the rest seemed pretty clueless. Back up to watch a bit of Because of Winn-Dixie since Mrs. M just finished reading the book and then the kids left. Closed windows, shut down monitors, sorted books. Signed a card for our instructional coach, what a great guy, and his brother passed away last night. A stroke, and nothing to be done for him. So heart sorry for his family.

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What I'm Reading

The Butchering Art by Lindsey Fitzharris was a great non-fiction read! Love a good non-fiction! Joseph Lister worked hard, studied hard, never gave up on his ideas that something outside was causing untold numbers of people to die after surgery. His quest to find the answer was long overdue and he was the one to craft it and make it a medical standard. Brilliant!
Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy by Emmanuel Acho was so good. I liked it even better than Stamped. His honest and open look at what is was like for him growing up really brings the issues into focus. Highly recommended!
Verify by Joelle Charbonneau - what if everything went digital which gave the government and people in power a way to change history, past and current. What happened to some words, like the word 'verify' that is no longer in the digital dictionary. Meri has lost her mom and her dad drowns sorrow in liquor. Meri is entranced by her mom's last art pieces and is given a slip of paper (the horror! what about the trees? recycling?) and on it is the word 'verify'. Atlas gives her a dictionary, a paper one and an old history textbook. Meri jumps on the train with him so they can change the world.
Kalahari by Jessica Khoury - what a ride! I even took this home one night to finish! Sarah lives with her dad doing research deep in the Kalahari. A group of students are sent to see if they can qualify for a grant and when her dad goes missing when he heads off after poachers, she is left to take care of them. Her dad doesn't return and the poachers are after them. They come across a white lion stalking them, but wait? It isn't white it's something else. They come across a lab and realize there is a virus, that has been let loose on the Kalahari that could destroy the whole world. So exciting!! Great ending as well!
The Year of the Buttered Cat by Susan Haas with Lexi Haas - Okay. I have to admit that I got this book because of the title. Buttered cats, what an intriguing thought! But the real intrigue is the persistence, the optimism of Lexi. Because of jaundice, she was disabled and this story is about her decision to take a chance on ground breaking surgery to try and get some mobility, speech and live her gifts. She has five she had to find. Read it for Lexi (and maybe to find out about that buttered cat).
Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram. There are spaces only you can fill, and Darius learns this as his family travels to Iran to see his grandfather who is dying. Along the way he deals with his depression, makes a friend, has innumerable Star Trek references and also learns that it's okay, to not be okay. I must admit, I had to look up some of the places he got to visit. What a rich heritage. I thought Zoroastrians were long gone, but no, they are still practicing today in Iran. Great book, totally okay.
The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin - perfect book lover tale of a woman captivated by a man and a bookstore and how she made more impact on her fellow book lovers and the man who got her to read than any bomb that fell during the Blitz. Very lovely!
The Girl From the Channel Islands by Jenny Lecoat - Lovely WW2 story by Jenny who actually grew up on one of the Channel Islands. Hedy fled Austria only to find her island haven invaded by the Germans. And though she is wary, she falls in love with a German officer. The twists and turns of German occupation test them both as each find a way to help the allied forces win.
Ancestor Approved edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith. I loved these short stories that all center around a modern day Native American Powwow. My fave was Rez Dog and they were all a great window into culture that I have rarely seen. I watched some videos on Fancy Dancing because of this and I would love to attend one, but feel a bit like a looky loo if I did. Fun, eye opening and full of information. Loved it!
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams Loved this fictionalized tale of the daughter of one of the lexicographers of the first ever Oxford Dictionary. As Esme goes from hiding under the sorting table, to one day being a lexicographer herself, we see her story unfold along with the people attached to the dictionary. It was really wonderful as we glimpsed her life and how the words she found and rescued formed the backbone of this novel. Really well done. It will stay on my shelves.