Fourth Grade Journey

A Fourth Grade Teacher's Journey Through the World of Books

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Treat Tuesday #125 (Wild Rice Soup)...

Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup – 
Crock pot
*After seeing this several times on Facebook, we finally gave it a try and it is perfect for a winter meal.  

Recipe Comes from this Site…

Ingredients:
½ Cup uncooked wild rice
½ Cup uncooked basmati rice
1-½ lb. chicken breast
1 Cup onion, diced
1 Cup carrot, diced
¾ Cup celery, diced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 bay leaves (depending on strength)
6 Cups low sodium chicken broth
2 Cups water
1 tbs. Italian seasoning
1-½ tsp. Black pepper
2 tsp. salt
5 tbs. butter
½ Cup all purpose flour
2 Cups whole milk
Instructions:
Rinse the rice under running water. In a 5-½ qt. slow cooker, place uncooked rice, chicken breast, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaf, chicken broth, water, italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 7-8 hours. Remove chicken from pot during the last 30 minutes of cooking. Allow to cool slightly then shred with two forks.
Add the chicken back to the slow cooker and continue cooking vegetables through. Melt butter in a small saucepan.
Add the flour and cook for one minute. Whisk the mixture slowly while adding the milk, whisking to remove all lumps and until sauce has thickened and become creamy.
Add the bechemel sauce to the slow cooker, stirring to combine. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Let sit 5 minutes, soup will thicken as it stands.


Treat Tuesday:  Middle-Grade Novel










Treat Tuesday:  Young-Adult Novel










Treat Tuesday:  Adult Novel

Monday, January 25, 2016

Music Monday #17 (Humble and Kind by Tim McGraw)...



"Humble and Kind" by Tim McGraw

*One of my favorite things is when a new song drops in my lap without any notice.

*This recently happened to me.  I came across a post on Facebook about the song and artist.

*After listening to it and watching the video, I knew it had to be a Music Monday selection.

*This was our 17th Monday where we featured a musical selection.

*Each Monday I highlight a piece of music to share with my writers.  

*We begin with showing a video that goes along with the musical selection.

*The class will watch the video between 1-2 times.

*After the second viewing, the writers begin to record their thoughts in the notebooks.

*As they write, I play the music in the background (minus the video).

*My fourth graders can record their thoughts, ideas, connections, likes/dislikes, or reactions to the song.  They can also write about the message of the song.  


*I have my students write between 5-10 minutes.  At the end of our writing time, I see if a few of the writers would like to share what they wrote.  

Music Monday Selections (2015-2016)…

Week #1:  What I Am by will.i.am
Week #2:  Proud by Heather Small
Week #3:  Dreamer by Chris Brown
Week #4:  Live Like a Warrior by Matisyahu
Week #5:  Sunshine by Matisyahu
Week #6:  Better When I'm Dancin' by Megan Trainor
Week #7:  Thriller by Michael Jackson
Week #8:  Hopeful by Bars and Melody
Week #9:  Keep Your Head Up by Andy Grammar
Week #10:  The Rainbow Connection from The Muppets
Week #11:  What Does the Fox Say by Ylvis
Week #12:  Hall of Fame by The Script
Week #13:  Clouds by Zach Sobiech
Week #14:  Do They Know Its Christmas by Band Aid
Week #15:  What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong
Week #16:  Am I Wrong by Nico & Vinz

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (1/25/16)...



Thanks to Jen and Kellee for hosting this idea on their site.  Here is a link to their site...
                

Books I Read this Past Week… 




The Terrible Two Get Worse by Jory John and Mac Barnett

*Middle-grade novel

*5 STARS out of 5 Stars!

My Book Review





The Gilded Razor by Sam Lansky

*Adult Memoir

*5 STARS out of 5 Stars!  

My Book Review





Books I Will (continue to) Read this Week… 



Magruder's Curiosity Cabinet by H.P. Wood

*My adult ARC novel









The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens

*My adult novel for BBC (Boy's Book Club)









The War that Saved by Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

*My middle-grade novel









Counting Thyme by Melanie Conklin

*My middle-grade novel

I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios
*My young-adult novel











Take Me With You by Catherine Ryan Hyde


*My adult novel on audio

Saturday, January 23, 2016

The Terrible Two Get Worse by Jory John and Mac Barnett...

How I Heard About It:  I had read The Terrible Two and contacted Jory to see if he would Skype with my class for our book club.  Last school year we read the first book and had a great chat with Jory about the book.  We decided to do it again this year so had our second Skype in December.  While at NCTE15 this fall I saw a display of ARC's of this second installment.  

What It Is About:  Miles and Niles are back for more fun and of course more pranks.  Principal Barkin is still leading the school and trying to figure out who is pulling the pranks, but of course isn't haven't much luck.  When Principal Barkin's father shows up to the school, life is about to change for the pranksters.  He removes Barkin from his leadership role and takes over.  He of course was principal before his son.  There is a long line of Barkins who have served as leaders of the school.  The new principal Barkin has made a new rule of absolutely no pranking in the school building.  Miles and Niles take it upon themselves to accept this challenge and overcome it.  As they implement more pranks and notice that the new principal isn't either noticing them or changing them somehow, they begin to feel frustrated with their pranks.  Working together, and sometimes not together, they come up with the ultimate plan to get this new principal and bring back their old "friend" the true Barkin.  

What I Thought Of It:  I love this series, my students love this series, and I'm already looking forward to the next edition.  This second story was just as great as the first one.  I enjoyed reading more about the pranks that Miles and Niles implemented in this story.  It was also fun to read how the new principal  wasn't going to take anymore pranks and somehow was able to shrug off the pranks that were taking place and "appear" not to notice them.  I think the format is perfect for our young readers and actually really enjoyable for all aged readers.  These books are definitely going to be a "staple" in my classroom library.  

Who Should Read It:  The first and this book are perfect for the third, fourth, and fifth grade classroom.  I also think they are perfect for a possible reluctant reader.  The short chapters, the illustrations, and the action packed plot will entice any reader.  The story would make for a perfect class read aloud, a book club selection, or to put in the hands of an individual reader.  Happy Reading!  

Rating:  5 STARS out of 5 Stars

The Gilded Razor (A Memoir) by Sam Lansky...

How I Heard About It:  I read a review of this book in People magazine where Sam had been an editor and now works at Time.  That same day I was at the local bookstore and saw the title on the new release table.  I read the inside cover and thought it sounded like a fascinating story.  It had been awhile since I had read a memoir so I thought it was time to add one to my list of books read.

What It Is About:  Sam lives in New York City with his father and his father's girlfriend.  His parents are divorced and his mother is out in Oregon where he grew up.  It is Sam's senior year and he has started to apply to different colleges.  His dream school is Princeton.  There is just one problem.  Sam has become addicted to drugs.  During high school he began using pills.  After the pills he ventured into the world of harder drugs.  Sam also knew that he was a gay teenager and wanted to create a type of "fantasy" world for himself.  He began to find older men in the city where they would supply him with drugs and fill a void with sex.  After not getting into Princeton, Sam ends up at Vassar.  The drugs and men continue and he finds himself spiraling out of control.  Sam's father finally intervenes and sends him to Aspen.  It is a wilderness program out west.  Sam spends time there and then finds himself a bit lost because he isn't quite an adult for further rehab, but not young enough for a teen program.  Sam works hard to find himself, find out why is needs drugs and men to fulfill his life, and begin a path of clean living.  He learns though this isn't as easy as he wants it to be.  

What I Thought Of It:  After reading this memoir, I realized I should include them more in my reading life.  I also enjoy them and get so much out of a person's story.  This memoir grabbed me from page one and I couldn't put it down.  Sam's is an excellent writer and told of his experience with truth, grace, and a bit of edge.  It wasn't always easy to read about his experiences, but I know many people in our world suffer with the use of drugs and also looking outside of themselves to find true happiness.  The story was honest and raw, but I appreciated this technique.  There were so many times while I was reading the book that I just wanted to jump into the pages and help him out.  I could completely feel the out of control feeling Sam had and the pain he was going through.  

Who Should Read It:  This is definitely a read for high school and adult readers.  I think it could be helpful to people that are struggling with addition of any kind.  Many times we think true and "deep" addition occurs in the 20's and 30's, but this story shows it can happen to our high school and college kids.  If as a reader you enjoy reading memoirs, then this is definitely a story you should experience.  Happy Reading!  

Rating:  5 STARS out of 5 Stars


Friday, January 22, 2016

Friend Friday #124 (A Whole New Ballgame by Phil Bildner)...

Hi!  I am Jacob and I read the book/series called A Whole New Ballgame written by Phil Bildner.


I think this book/series is great because it has basketball in it and I play basketball and I could see myself being friends with Rip and Red.  


My favorite part in the story is when the team played their last game because it got me really excited about the story and I kept reading and reading.  




The character that I liked best was Rip because he played the most basketball and I think he would make a great friend.  


I think the author wrote this book because he likes basketball and wanted to write a story about kids in a fun classroom that also played basketball.  


I would recommend this book to my friends because it has everything in it that kids like to read about and I know they would love it as much as I did.  


Reading to me is fun because I don't have to talk and can get completely involved in a story.   


*We Skyped with Phil this morning.  

*The discussion about this book was awesome, fun, and engaging.  

*It was so fun to watch Jacob enjoy this book and the chat with Phil Bildner.  

*He has been reading from just a couple of different series this year so it was great to see him branch out and try this particular book.  

*I know he is in "line" to read the second book in the series.  We have an ARC in my classroom.  





Thursday, January 21, 2016

Life Lesson #16 (Be Brave/Part Two)...


*It is Thursday and that means it is time for another "Life Lesson" video clip.

*I've used this video before and it always gets me right in the middle of my heart.

*There is so much heart, love, and giving in this short clip.

*The message/story takes several viewings for my writers to truly "get" it.

*I'm always trying to find ways to help my students reach their full potential.  

*Each Thursday I feature a different video with a "life lesson" in it.  

*After viewing the video once or twice, we chat a bit about it as a group.

*I then have the writers record their thoughts in their writer's notebooks.

*They can write their thoughts, reactions, connections, wonderings, learnings, or whatever is on their mind regarding the video.

*Encouragement is also given to reflect on the "message" of the clip.

*After about 5-10 minutes of writing, we listen to a few of the students share what they wrote.

*It is my hope that through these "life lessons", my students can become the best young people they can be.


Life Lessons (2015-2016)...
Lesson #1 - Be Courageous 
Lesson #2 - Be Kind
Lesson #3 - Be Courageous (part two)
Lesson #4 - Be Motivated
Lesson #5 - Be a Buddy, Not a Bully
Lesson #6 - Be Inspired
Lesson #7 - Be Spooky (Halloween Edition)
Lesson #8:  Be Kind (Kindness Retreat)
Lesson #9:  Be Shoutful
Lesson #10:  Be Happy
Lesson #11:  Be a Reader
Lesson #12:  Be Powerful
Lesson #13:  Be Merry
Lesson #14:  Be a Team
Lesson #15:  Be Giving