Fantastic Book Friday

Where The Mountain Meets The Moon is the story of a young girl named Minli.  Minli and her parents live in the poor village of Fruitless Mountain.  Their tireless work, day after day, provides them with only the smallest amount of food.  Ma is dissatisfied with the life they have and would love nothing more than a change in fortune.  Inspired by Ba's exciting stories, Minli decides to leave home and seek out the Old Man of the Moon, in the hopes that he will tell her how to change her family's fortune.

Thus begins a long and dangerous journey.  Along the way, Minli befriends a lonely dragon, and he becomes her constant companion, as he, too would like to ask a question of the Old Man of the Moon.  Together, they outsmart some monkeys, search for the Guardian of the City of Bright Moonlight and a borrowed line, encounter an evil green tiger, and listen to a wealth of old stories.  They also make many new friends who are more than happy to assist Minli and Dragon in whatever way they can.

Meanwhile, Ma and Ba are worried sick about their precious daughter and fear they may never see her again.  Will Minli succeed in finding the Old Man of the Moon?  And if so, will he be willing to help her?  The ending of this exciting tale may surprise you.   

Check out the book trailer for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Breakout EDU

Thalberg 5th grade Tech-sperts participated in Breakout EDU. Breakout EDU is a problem solving challenge that requires critical thinking and teamwork.  The students had to utilize technology to decipher a series of clues to unlock their box.  This particular Breakout session focused on the Hour of Code.  Here are the students in action.

The Hour of Code

December 7 - 11 is the week of the Hour of Code.  The Hour of Code is a global movement to introduce students to computer science.  It is designed to show students how much fun coding can actually be.  Thalberg students are completing the Hour of Code tutorials during their Media Skills classes this week.  Here are some Vines of our students coding!

First Graders Learn About the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award

First grade students have been learning about the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award.  This is the award that is given annually to the best book for beginning readers in the United States from the previous year.  We have read several winners and honor books together.  After we read the 2006 Honor Book, Hi Fly Guy, written by Tedd Arnold, the students worked with a partner to create Sock Puppet show telling their favorite part of the book.  Here are some of their puppet shows.

Fantastic Book Friday

The Book With No Pictures a hilarious story that will make the reader sound silly and goofy.  One might not expect a book that doesn't have any pictures to appeal to children, but this is a book they will want to read again and again.  It demonstrates that words can be just as exciting as pictures, and reading is a whole lot of fun.  I highly recommend reading this book aloud to children of any age.  It will be an experience you won't forget.

Check out this video of author B.J. Novak reading the book aloud.

Fantastic Book Friday

One Crazy Summer is the story of eleven year old Delphine and her two sisters, Vonetta and Fern.  It is the summer of 1968, and the three girls have been sent to Oakland, California to spend a month with the mother who walked out on them years ago.  Coming from Brooklyn and their loving Papa and Big Ma, this is a significant shift in their reality.  Their mother, Cecile, is cold and unwelcoming and makes her displeasure at having these house guests readily apparent.

Cecile, who has rechristened herself "Nzila," wants nothing but to be left in peace and quiet so she can work on her poetry and printing.  As it is at home, Delphine is tasked with watching over her sisters and keeping them well fed.  Cecile sends the girls to a summer day camp run by the Black Panthers at the nearby People's Center.  There, the girls slowly make friends and learn about Huey Newton, Bobby Hutton, and how to protect their civic rights when dealing with the police. 

Will the girls ever develop a relationship with their mother?  How will the rest of their summer play out?  Find out in the award winning book One Crazy Summer, by Rita Williams-Garcia.

Check out the official book trailer

Fantastic Book Friday

Wolfie the Bunny is a sweet story about a bunny family who comes home one day to find a baby wolf in a basket on their doorstep.  Mama and Papa are smitten, but Dot isn't so sure.  She fears that Wolfie will one day eat them all up!  As Wolfie grows, Dot becomes convinced that one day the Bunny family will be his dinner.  Will Dot's prediction come true?  Or will she realize that families can come in all shapes and sizes?   

Check out the book trailer to help get you excited about Wolfie, Dot, and the rest of the family!