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6th May 11
Check out these Home Schooling Curriculum images:
Summer 2010 “Hot Picks” Reading List
Image by University of Maryland Press Releases
PLAY IT!! READ IT!!! BOOKS ABOUT SPORTS!
By Associate Professor Jennifer Turner
The Reading Center
Department of Curriculum and Instruction
College of Education
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Summertime is the right time for getting out and playing sports. Whether it’s playing a quick pick-up game in the neighborhood, joining a league, or attending a sports camp, being active and staying healthy is a good way for kids to spend the summer.
But what parents may not know is that summer sports can be a great way to connect their children to reading. There are lots of wonderful books with a sports theme. Some books have characters who are involved in the sports (fiction), while other books give information about playing sports or about the lives and careers of sports superstars (nonfiction). Either way, these sports-themed books can make reading fun for kids. So this summer, remember to help your kids to PLAY HARD and READ WELL!!
BASEBALL
The Berenstain Bears Go Out for the Team. (1987). Stan and Jan Berenstain. Random House Books for Young Readers.
This beloved series has a book that deals with nearly every issue that a child can experience! In this book, Brother and Sister Bear want to try out for the Bear Country Cub League because they get to play on a real field and wear uniforms, but they realize that they also will feel pressure to win. A great book for young children who are thinking about joining a team.
H is for Home Run: A Baseball Alphabet. (2009). Brad Herzog. Sleeping Bear Press.
In this series, Herzog provides interesting facts and information about baseball according to each letter of the alphabet. Although these are alphabet books, they are not only for younger children. Older children who can independently read this book will enjoy the fun facts and the beautiful illustrations. Note: this series also includes basketball, football, and soccer.
Miracle at the Plate (Matt Christopher Sports Classic). (1989). Matthew Christopher. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
Written by Matt Christopher, this book is fun and easy-to-read. It focuses on a character named Skeeter Miracle, who has the best hitting average in the league, but is scared to field a ball. Baseball terminology, and great scenes from the game, are included in this book, so that readers who are new to the game can get a sense of how to play and what to expect.
We are the Ship: The story of Negro League Baseball. (2008). Kadir Nelson. Jump at the Sun Publishers.
This book, written by award-winning illustrator Kadir Nelson, brings to life the pride and history of the Negro League. Nelson captures the racism and prejudice that the Negro League players encountered, but also conveys the players’ love for the game of baseball. Although this is a picturebook, older children will find it inspiring as well. You can buy the audiobook or MP3 audio version for a powerful narration by Dion Graham.
BASKETBALL
On the Court With&LeBron James. (2008). Matt Christopher.Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
Matt Christopher is a well-known author who has written countless biographies of beloved sports superstars. In this book, he writes about the life and game of LeBron James, who is arguably the best player in the NBA today.
Salt in his Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream. (2003). Deloris Jordan and Roslyn Jordan. Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing.
Written by Michael Jordan’s mother and sister, this fictional book tells the tale of Michael Jordan, who, as a young boy, longed to be taller. The story is funny and heartwarming and remains one of my boys’ favorites, and now there are several others books in this series!
Slam. (2008). Walter Dean Myers. Scholastic Paperbacks.
Set in New York City, this gripping novel features Slam, a basketball sensation, who just transferred to a magnet high school, and is having problems fitting in with his new classmates, his team while staying connected with his old friends in Harlem. The novel is for high school readers.
DANCE
Brianna, Jamaica, and the Dance of the Spring. (2009). Juanita Havill. Sandpiper Publishing.
This book is part of a series with the main character as an African American girl named Jamaica. In this story, the focus is on Brianna, Jamaica’s Asian American friend. Both girls are set to dance in a ballet recital and Brianna is jealous of her older sister, who gets the part of Butterfly Queen and the best costume. But when illness strikes, not once, but twice, Jamaica discovers that the recital most go on.
Dancing in the Wings. (2003). Debbie Allen. Puffin Books.
In this book written by acclaimed dancer Debbie Allen, a young ballerina named Sassy is frustrated by her body because her feet are too big and her legs are too long. But she discovers that her differences make her unique, and most importantly, help her to be a better dancer.
Put Your Best Foot Forward: A Young Dancer’s Guide to Life. (2005). Suki Schorer and the School of American Ballet. Workman Publishing Company.
This book was written by Suki Schorer, who joined the New York City Ballet and became a principal dancer in the late 1960s. Through inspiring photos of young dancers, this book gives wisdom and advice for girls who are passionate about ballet dancing. It reminds them to never give up and to hold fast to their dreams.
FOOTBALL
Kickoff. (2005). Tiki and Ronde Barber. Simon and Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
For children reading chapter books, this fictional book featuring NFL superstars Tiki and Ronde Barber as football playing brothers is sure to please!! Tiki and Ronde have written several other fictional football chapter books as well as picture books for this series.
My Football Book. (2000). Gail Gibbons. HarperCollins Publishing.
This book provides good information about football, including the equipment needed, the field, and a few rules. I have read this book to my 7-year old son, Elijah, so that he knows what to expect when he plays on his football team this fall.
Peyton Manning (Amazing Athletes). (2007). Jeff Savage. First Avenue Editions; Revised Edition.
This book is part of the Amazing Athletes series, which spans other sports like Swimming (Michael Phelps), Basketball (LeBron James) and Skateboarding (Tony Hawk). Using photographs, the books describe the superstar athlete’s life and professional accomplishments.
SOCCER
David Beckham (Sports Heroes and Legends). (2007). Ken Pendleton. Lerner Publishing Group.
In Ken Pendleton’s series, Sports Heroes and Legends, the personal lives and professional accomplishments of soccer megastars like David Beckham are explored.
Kids’ Book of Soccer: Skills, Strategies, and the Rules of the Game. (2000). Brooks Clark. Citadel Publishing.
This easy-to-use reference book will provide your children with everything they need to know about playing soccer, including a brief history of the sport, equipment, rules of the game, and a few strategies for increasing your skill level.
Soccer Cats (series). (2001). Matt Christopher. Little, Brown books for Young Readers.
The first book in a series about kids who play soccer and have all kinds of adventures! Since these books are chapter books, they are best for independent readers in grade 2 and up. Also, take a look at Matt’s other series for older readers, Soccer Heroes!!!
Contacts: David Ottalini, 301 405 4076 or dottalin@umd.edu
16 things about me… (tagged!)
Image by alice.d
I was tagged by my friend, Bakemono.
16 things about me
1. When I was a kid, my dream job was to become a famous egyptologist.
I was so sure about my future, that, when I was 17 y/o I tried to pass the entering test at the School of Louvre, in Paris… which I failed (and never tried again – ever).
2. My second dream job was to own a video rental store (I’ve always been a huge fan of Clerks) thus why I’ve worked 2 times in a rental store. These were the nicest moments of my working curriculum (apart from working for Apple)
3. I believe in old magic and pagan histories. I truly do. This is a legacy from my grandma, on my father’s side. My native place, Corsica, is an island full of myths and white magic still works here. Almost everybody here knows a "healer", someone who can fix bad luck spells someone casts upon you or your family.
My grandma was one of them.
4. I’ve been writing poems, short stories and many-a-thing since I’m a kid.
My rosetta stone is a vampire story I’ve been working on since 1993, still a draft, still open, a perpetually evolving version of my own vision of this good old fangers’ myth.
My many unfinished books may never be published, but I’m glad I’ve created so many characters around, to populate my own imaginary universe.
If I could not write I would probably fade away just like a flower without water.
Thus I prefer my books to people sometimes. If I could own a manor, the biggest room would be for my personal library for sure.
5. One of my personal hero, among many, is Sherlock Holmes. One of the many books of his stories were gifts from my mother. (I love detective stories) She used to say I inherited this passion from her father, my grandpa (whom used to write detective stories of his own when he was younger.)
Sherlock Holmes may be one of the greatest fictive genius of all times, but he truly represents the kind of solide and stand-alone character that a writer dreams to create.
6. On a first meet, you’d give around 20 y/o. Really. And it will make me giggle.
I always loved to see people guessing my age, and always get the wrong answers!
I turned 31 last October.
7. I don’t drink Coke, or any sodas. I’m not a Chocolate addict. No candies. No sugar in my coffee and cream. I don’t eat squids, octopus, urchins, or oysters, and many things that belongs to the sea. Neither do I eat rabbit, duck, other birds and pork.
But I’m not a vegan yet. But definitely doomed with cakes and sweets. Real doomed.
8. My father is a hunter (for pleasure, not money) and the first time he took me for a hunt, I was only 10 y/o, and came back to my Mom’s crying.
We’ve never understood each other. Two strong characters. He is stubborn like I do, but also narrow-minded, and definitely thinks I’m Miss-Know-It-All.
In all our lives, we’ve maybe spoken seriously only a dozen of times. We don’t speak anymore to each other since my grandma died, 3 years ago. And I doubt we will ever speak again.
My parents divorced when I was only a small kid, and I could never imagined them together. They are so different. Sometimes life produced strange things! 
9. Call me a lone wolf in the matter of romance… For I chose to be one.
I’ve had some love stories, been happy, yes, but most of all ended with a bitter taste.
I am a passionate person, but this flame needs care… way more than daily life and occasional surprises can offer. I *really* do believe in Passion (in a very Shakespearian sort of way), that’s why I promised myself that the next boy who enters my life better be my "cosmic twin".
Passion or nothing. This may sounds very stupid, but I need someone whom I can complete and who can complete me too. I’d rather die right away, than stop to believe this special person exists somehow, somewhere, and is also searching for me.
Like Oscar Wilde would have said: "If you are not too long, I will wait here for you all my life."
10. When I was 18, I went to Edinburgh, Scotland. I went there only once, but immediatly felt like something inside of me belonged there. I don’t know if it was the mist, the gothic architecture, or the people living there… I felt like Home.
Since then I’ve been dreaming of this town so many times, even having visions of it at night, that I know, in time, I’ll return there. I could have gone back there many times, but I didn’t. Edinburgh has been haunting my personal writings and poems, and in my heart I know, there will be a special time, a special occasion to go back there.
How could I know? Well, let’s called this a premonition!
11. When I was 3 years, while my mum was sorting out things in the big wardrobe we used to have, I fell on a pile of metal hangers.
One got stuck in my forehead. I did not scream nor cry, though the bleeding was bad.
My mom was afraid of blood but she managed to stay calm and I was taken to the hospital. Result: 3 and half stitches. And many kisses.
Today the scar is still visible, and though I cannot remember anything, I really think I was a very proud baby then!
12. I stopped playing dolls when I was 14 years old. It took me 14 more years to fall in love again with inanimate figures.
First there were Asian Ball Jointed Dolls in 2004. And now, there’s Blythe’s world.
You can call it a decline. But in my opinion, I kinda think that is evolution.
There’s more to the hobby than just "playing with dolls". I’m a firm believer that creating golems is not just a myth.
13. I was born a French girl, and though my native language is French itself, I feel more comfortable with English. It has always been my favorite language; and though most of the people around me think I’m good at it, I truly think I’m not twice as good as I’d wish to be.
14. I have a bad tendency to keep notes, poems and ideas everywhere, but I seldom fill my diaries or write books to the last page. The result is that I always live surrounded by small papers lost in boxes, desks and drawers.
I also love all kind of strange stationery stuff, ranging from non-working pens, injured and miniaturized pencils, and dear old ink pens I’m still writing with.
I have dozen of notebooks I never wrote anything in it; gifts from my family and friends, jewels of my strange bohemian stationery collection.
15. I’ve always wanted to learn the signing language, always been attracted to it though did not have the occasion to. I don’t have any close friends or even acquaintances who’re deaf or hearing-impaired, but I really want to learn it anyway.
16. I’ve been to Japan twice. I’ve grown an overwhelming urge to know anything about it in less than 10 years. My first travel there was in 2004.
Little did I knew back then, I was going to feel the urge to come back for something special, 4 years later… Last Spring, I did the Pilgrimage of the 88 Temples of Shikoku.
and completed this ancient Japanese Buddhism pilgrimage on my own.
I did it in one month: walking, taking buses & trains and even taxis.
I have met wonderful people, young and old, awesome priests and monks, enjoy honest friendship, love and happiness along the way.
It has been the most happiest, healthiest and unbelievable experience in my life to this day.
I have done this pilgrimage for my grandmother, who died in December 2006. There was barely a day you could not see me with a huge smile on my face, because I could feel she was traveling with me.
The day the pilgrim’s road was over, I cried so much it hurt… but I was happy.
Happy in a way everybody on Earth should be.
Happy because this Earth offers more than you think:
Love, Peace and Understanding. Truly.
