New Caldecott Logo: Celebrating 75 Years

Learn about the NEW logo and its many characters!

"2008 Caldecott Medal Winner Brian Selznick has cleverly brought together characters from past Caldecott Medal-winning books -- beginning with the very first in 1938 and spanning all the way to the 21st century -- in this logo that he created especially for the 75th Anniversary celebration.  Can you name them all?"  

Click here to see the ten clues and the answers!

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The Things You Can Read

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Revisit Titanic Research From 2011-2012

We are about to start the Titanic Research Project again for the 2012-2013 school year, so mark your calendars to learn more about the research process that continues to evolve at JEJ Moore Middle School.  Here is another of the 2011-2012 projects that did  not get posted last year; enjoy a taste of what is to come.  Please click on the link below to view Lee's PowerPoint presentation entitled Unsinkable-OR view belowTitanic Powerpoint

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The Things You Can Read

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Titanic Research Project Revisited

We are about to start the Titanic Research Project again for the 2012-2013 school year, so mark your calendars to learn more about the research process that continues to evolve at JEJ Moore Middle School.  Here is another of the 2011-2013 projects that were not posted last year, so enjoy a taste of what is to come.  Please click on the link below to view Robert's PowerPoint presentation entitled The Millionaires Special-OR view below

Robert O. PowerPoint Presentation: The Millionaires Special
Titanic Research Project

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The Things You Can Read

Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

Happy Birthday Lewis Carroll

We have to shout-out a Happy Birthday wish to Lewis Carroll, the author of Alice in Wonderland.

Quotes by Lewis Carroll

“One of the deep secrets of life is that all that is really worth the doing is what we do for others.” 
― Lewis Carroll

“Do you think I've gone round the bend?"
"I'm afraid so. You're mad, bonkers, completely off your head. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are.” 
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

“Begin at the beginning," the King said, very gravely, "and go on till you come to the end: then stop.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

“I can't go back to yesterday because I was a different person then. ” 
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

“But I don’t want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, or you wouldn’t have come here.” 
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

“She generally gave herself very good advice, (though she very seldom followed it).” 
― Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to."
"I don't much care where –"
"Then it doesn't matter which way you go.” 
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

“If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?” 
― Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

Do you have a favorite Lewis Carroll quote?  If you do, please feel free to share.  We love to here from our readership!

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The Things You Can Read

Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

Titanic Research Project 2013

Titanic Research Unit 2013

Last year, Ms. Ginther, the media specialist at JEJ Moore, and Ms. White, the Hurricane 7th grade English teacher, worked cooperatively to teach research skills to the Hurricane English students during the months of April and May.  The research unit incorporated "best practices for research" using the 100^th Anniversary of the Titanic disaster to capture student interest.  Students selected topics, which fell into one of the following categories:  The People of the Titanic, The Mighty Ship, The Disaster Strikes, Discovery: Finding the Titanic, and Historical Fiction.  Students then used their research to create original short stories, essays, PowerPoint presentations, and three dimensional models.  We are about to start the process again for the 2012-2013 school year.  So mark your calendars to learn more about the research process that continues to evolve at JEJ Moore Middle School.  

We had a few projects that were not posted last year, so here is a taste of what is to come.  Please click on the link below to view Hayden's PowerPoint presentation entitled The Floating Death Trap-OR view below

The Floating Death Trap-old Version

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The Things You Can Read

Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

Words: Virginia Woolf Speaks

Virginia Woolf

We have a number of Virginia Woolf's novels nearing the top of our reading stack, so we are so happy to have found this recording of the author discussing the art of writing.  According to the description of the video clip: 

"This is the only surviving recording of Virginia Woolf's voice. It is part of a BBC radio broadcast from April 29th, 1937. The talk was called "Craftsmanship" and was part of a series entitled 'Words Fail Me'." 

We are about to start our huge Titanic Research Project:  Be on the outlook for samples from last year that will be posted in the coming days.  We are starting the process earlier this year after reflecting on our unit over the summer.  The research project is a several month process and "Craftsmanship of Words" is key to taking hours of research and developing a product that reflects the writer's topic in a fluid, interesting, and readable manner.

Quotes by Virginia Woolf

“For most of history, Anonymous was a woman.” 
― Virginia Woolf

“You cannot find peace by avoiding life.” 
― Virginia Woolf

“Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind.” 
― Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own

Thanks to the folks over At This Now for sharing this great find!  To see the transcript of this interview click on over to At This Now.

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The Things You Can Read

Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

First Glimpse SYNC 2013

It may only be January but the folks over at audiobooksync are already working on SYNC Summer 2013!  If you are unfamiliar with this wonderful program, now is the chance to sign-up for their newsletter, so you can get in on a really fabulous summer-long event.  SYNC provides wonderful pairings of audiobooks.  These selections are offered all summer, and, here is the best part, it is all FREE.  As we write this they are hard at work, "...assembling a terrific list of SYNC YA and Classic pairings to engage summer listeners. Previous SYNC titles included THE HUNGER GAMES, IMMORTAL, DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE, AND THE AMULET OF SAMARKAND featuring authors such as Laini Taylor, Jonathan Stroud, and Randa Abdel-Fattah. Count on SYNC 2013 to be just as exciting!"  For  more information coming in the next couple of months be sure to watch the SYNC blog found at http://www.audiobooksync.com.  Let us know your favorite audiobook!  We have too many to list, but our most recent favorite is Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day by Winifred Watson. Check it out over at Audible.com.

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The Things You Can Read

Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

Picture Book: Leave Your Sleep

Click here to watch the trailer!

We have been a Natalie Merchant fan since her 10,000 Maniacs days, back in the '80s. Well, 10,000 Maniacs has been a defunct band for over two decades now, but Natalie Merchant's career continues in that unique Merchant manner that made her famous.  She is back, as strong as ever, since taking a self-imposed maternity leave from her career back in 2003.  Her new project is amazing.  Merchant has entered the literary world, and not only that, she has combined poetry and music with her new venture.  On November 2012, Leave Your Sleep hit the book stores, taking Merchant's career to new heights; the poems are classics, the illustrations are gorgeous, and the music is vintage Merchant.  Don't miss this excellent addition to any children's library.  We can't wait to add this one to our own personal bookshelf.  Check out the trailer, and see if  this is your cup of tea; it certainly is ours!  As always, let us know what you think.

Excerpt from the Publisher:

LEAVE YOUR SLEEP IS NOW A PICTURE BOOK

Award winning children's book illustrator Barbara McClintock has lovingly created a picture book based upon Leave Your Sleep, Natalie Merchant's double-album of classic children's poetry adapted to music. Frances Foster Books, an imprint of Farrar Straus Giroux and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group has published this beautiful hard cover, 48-page, full-color book including a CD with 19 songs. Available in stores nationwide.

Additional Information:

NY Times Article: Leave Your Sleep

Natalie Merchant Website

Leave Your Sleep CD

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The Things You Can Read

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Favorite Book Covers of 2012

Do you judge a book by its cover?   Well, some do.  So, The New York Times asked people "in and around the world of graphic design to name one of their favorite book covers from 2012 and briefly describe its appeal."   Click on over and take a  peek at their answers:Favorite Book Covers of 2012.  Tell us about your favorite cover of 2012!

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The Things You Can Read

Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

Writing Lesson: Validation

Are you looking for a great writing lesson to start off 2013?  If you are, click on over to The Writing Whisperer: Lesson 

and check out the instructional lesson using the film, Validation:  

Validation Lesson Courtesy of Film English

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Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

Happy New Year: 2013

“Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.” ― Benjamin Franklin

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The Things You Can Read

Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

January Reading Goal: Infinite Jest

GoodReads

For the start of the year, we are joining forces with Goodreads to accomplish reading Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace.  This has been on our TBR list for awhile.  We started it this past summer, but were not successful.  Hoping that the second attempt will yield better results, we are ready to try again.  If anyone is interested in joining the group, click on over to Goodreads and check it out.  Let us know if you plan to participate, or if you have already read this one, tell us what you thought!

Reading Schedule:
Dec 30-Jan 5: pages 3-95
Jan 6-12: pges 95-198
Jan 13-19: pgs 198-299
Jan 20-26: pgs 299-379
Jan 27-Feb 2: ps 380-508
Feb 3-9: pgs 508-601 (to: “that was a matter of opinion.”)
Feb 10-16: pgs 601-698
Feb 17-23: pgs 698-808
Feb 24-Mar2: pgs 809-902 (to: “knock down.”)
Mar3-9: pgs 902-981 (end)

Note: be sure to read the footnotes as you go along. They contain information and details. It will be handy to have a bookmark in the footnote section to easily flip to them. 

This is the edition being used for page numbers:
Infinite Jest

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The Things You Can Read

Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!