The End of Ignorance (John Mighton)

 

John Mighton is the creator of the JUMP program - a math program we use in our school. I have read other books he has written and am confident that he is on to a good thing. Reading this has made me want to re-dedicate myself to digging deeper into the lessons I teach each day in math. 

When I am reading this book, I'm always thinking of other areas of life I could apply these concepts...like Come Follow Me or seminary lessons. 

Goodreads says:

A revolutionary call for a new understanding of how people learn.

The End of Ignorance conceives of a world in which no child is left behind – a world based on the assumption that each child has the potential to be successful in every subject. John Mighton argues that by recognizing the barriers that we have experienced in our own educational development, by identifying the moment that we became disenchanted with a certain subject and forever closed ourselves off to it, we will be able to eliminate these same barriers from standing in the way of our children.

A passionate examination of our present education system, The End of Ignorance shows how we all can work together to reinvent the way that we are taught.

John Mighton, the author of The Myth of Ability, is the founder of JUMP Math, a system of learning based on the fostering of emergent intelligence. The program has proved so successful an entire class of Grade 3 students, including so-called slow learners, scored over 90% on a Grade 6 math test. A group of British children who had effectively been written off as too unruly responded so enthusiastically and had such impressive results using the JUMP method that the school board has adopted the program. Inspired by the work he has done with thousands of students, Mighton shows us why we must not underestimate how much ground can be covered one small step at a time, and challenges us to re-examine the assumptions underlying current educational theory. He pays attention to how kids pay attention, chronicles what captures their imaginations, and explains why their sense of self-confidence and ability to focus are as important to their academic success at school as the content of their lessons.

Favorite quotes:

p. 98 Adults think that repetition is tedious, so they fail to give children the practice they need to consolidate their understanding of skills and concepts. Adults think that familiar facts are boring, so they seldom ever give children enough time to explore those facts. Adults think that extending an obvious pattern is pointless, so they don't allow children to test that a pattern goes on forever, nor do they allow them to demonstrate their amazing ability to handle more and more complex variations on a simple theme. Adults rarely raise the bar for children very effectively or capture their attention in mathematics, because they don't know how to see the world through the eyes of children.

A Boy Called Christmas (Matt Haig)

 

I loved this book so much! It was a really good read aloud for December. I didn't quite start it soon enough and so we had a large number of pages to read every day. We didn't quite meet our daily goal so on the very last day while they were finishing the illustrations on the calendars made for parents, I was reading to them. While they were doing their craft, I was reading to them. It made for a really wonderful last day of school! We also watched the movie, which we also really enjoyed. There was a lot of chatter about things that were different in the movie and comments like, 'oh....this or that is coming next!'. The movie ends quite differently than the book. This prompted a great discussion (initiated by one of my students) about movies versus books. When he said, "I think I like the book better then the movie" my heart leapt for joy!! A Christmas miracle! :) 

Quotes and Signposts:

I haven't taught my class about sign posts so I wasn't really actively looking for them, but this book could be a great one for discovering them. 

p. 93 Father Topo: An impossibility is just a possibility you don't understand yet. 

p. 135 "A drimwick is a hope spell. If you have been drimwicked it gives you powers, even if you are only a reindeer,' said the Truth Pixie.

"What kind of powers?"
"It takes all that is good in you, and makes it stronger. It makes it magical. If you wish for something good, the magic will help. It is a very boring kind of magic. Because being good is boring.'

Nikolas thought about Aunt Carlotta throwing Miika out the door. "No', he gold the grubby-faced pixie. "You're wrong. The whole world - or the world I come from, the world of the humans, is full of bad things. There's misery and greed and sadness and hunger and unkindness all over the place. There are many, many children who never get any presents, and who are lucky to get anything more than just a few spoonfuls of mushroom soup for dinner. They have no toys to play with and they will go to bed hungry. Children who don't have parents. Children who have to live with horrible people like my Aunt Carlotta. In a world like that it's very easy to be bad. So when someone is good, or kind, it's a magic in itself. It gives people hope. And hope is the most wonderful things there is.'

p. 143 Memory Moment:
Nikolas is in jail, thinking of how he wants to escape because the troll plans to kill him and the truth fairy wants to see his head explode.

He remembered the day his mother died. Hiding from the brown bear, in the well, holding onto the chain holding the bucket, then losing her grip. The wail, as she fell, while Nikolas watched in horror from the cottage. 
On that day, and for a lot of days after (let's say one thousand and ninety-eight) he had believed that things could only get worse and that he would wake up in tears for the rest of his life, feeling guilty that he hadn't stayed with her, even though he thought she was running too.
He prayed, somehow, for her to come back.
Joel kept on telling him he looked like his mother but his cheeks weren't as red so sometimes Nikolas used to grab some berries and crush them on his cheeks and look at his reflection in the lake. And in the blurry water he could also imagine it was her, looking back from a dream.
"It's funny, Papa," he once said, as his father chopped a tree. "But I could probably have filled that well with tears the amount I have cried."
"She wouldn't want you to cry. She'd want you to be happy. Jolly. She was the happiest person I ever met."
And so the next morning Nikolas woke up and didn't cry. He was determined not to. And nor had he had his usual nightmare about his mother falling, falling, falling down that well. So he knew that terrible things - even the most terrible things - couldn't stop the world from turning. Life went on. and he made a promise to himself that, when he was older, he'd try and be like his mother. Colorful and happy and kind and full of joy.
That was how he was going to keep her alive.

p. 145 That was the point of magic, wasn't it? To do the impossible. 
(reference back to quote at front of book: Impossible - and old elf swear word)

How Civil Wars Start (Barbara F Walter)

 

American politics isn't in such a good place right now and Canadians love to follow American thought. This book certainly gave me reason to pause and think about politics in our world today. This should be required reading for everyone....especially if you want to be an informed voter.   

Using information civil wars that have occurred in many countries, she makes a strong argument for everyone to sit up and pay attention to this issue. 

Goodreads says:

Civil wars are the biggest danger to world peace today - this book shows us why they happen, and how to avoid them.

Most of us don't know it, but we are living in the world's greatest era of civil wars. While violence has declined worldwide, civil wars have increased. This is a new phenomenon. With the exception of a handful of cases - the American and English civil wars, the French Revolution - historically it has been rare for people to organise and fight their governments.

This has changed. Since 1946, over 250 armed conflicts have broken out around the world, a number that continues to rise. Major civil wars are now being fought in countries including Iraq, Syria and Libya. Smaller civil wars are being fought in Ukraine, India, and Malaysia. Even countries we thought could never experience another civil war - such as the USA, Sweden and Ireland - are showing signs of unrest.

In How Civil Wars Start, acclaimed expert Barbara F. Walter, who has advised on political violence everywhere from the CIA to the U.S. Senate to the United Nations, explains the rise of civil war and the conditions that create it. As democracies across the world backslide and citizens become more polarised, civil wars will become even more widespread and last longer than they have in the past. This urgent and important book shows us a path back toward peace.

Cold Paws, Warm Heart (Madeleine Floyd)

 

Cute story! It led to a good discussion about why sometimes people have cold hearts. Usually, they have been hurt or have some reason for not having a loving heart. Sometimes a little understanding is all it takes. 

Goodreads says:

A kindhearted girl seeks out a solitary polar bear in a tender story of an unlikely friendship that is sure to warm even the coldest of hearts.

Far away in the land of snow and ice lives Cold Paws, a lonely polar bear. With only his silver flute for company, Cold Paws shivers and wonders why he always feels cold inside. But when young Hannah from the nearby village makes friends with him, that chilliness inside Cold Paws begins to melt away. A woolly scarf, a game of jumping jacks, a mug of steaming hot chocolate — what warm gesture will finally take the polar bear's icy feeling away for good?

Beatrice and Croc Harry (Lawrence Hill)

 

There were things I loved about this book and things I did not like at all. He works with some difficult themes (racism, friendship, etc.) in a magical and brilliant way.

I thought it could have been way shorter. It's too long for kids. Maybe it should be a series?? I don't know. I also thought the use of fancy words was at times, pretentious and too much.

p. 34: The writing, in perfect purple calligraphy, indicated exactly what to do. It even instructed her to find, hanging from a nail in the pantry, a giant spoon with a three-foot-long handle. Beatrice lowered her rope ladder, carried the glue fixings and the spoon to the pit near the river, set a fire, hung a pot over the burning embers and followed the instructions. Easy as pie. She did not know why people said easy as pie, because good pie was surely hard ot make. Making glue would be easier.

p. 118  "It must be awfu to not know what you did, but to still feel bad about it," she said.
"It feels like I am trapped," Croc Harry said.

A flight flicked on in Beatrice's brain. Now she understood that crocodiles also had deep, unexpressed feelings.

p. 123 Beatrice read the message aloud. "Cue number 3. Crocodiles are social reptiles, so why does Croc Harry fail to fraterize? Why does he never swim, hunt or eat with other crocodiles? Is Croc Harry who he says he is? Is he worthy of your friendship? Find clue number 5 on Croc Harry's belly.

Later she finds out his belly is soft and lovely....quite the opposite of his scutes you normally see.

p. 217 Friends are like books. You carry them with you forever, regardless of mundane impediments like geography.

p. 241 Horace to Beatrice: Sometimes you anno me, but even then I don't stop liking you.


Goodreads says:

One of Canada's most celebrated author's debut novel for young readers

Beatrice, a young girl of uncertain age, wakes up all alone in a tree house in the forest. How did she arrive in this cozy dwelling, stocked carefully with bookshelves and oatmeal accoutrements? And who has been leaving a trail of clues, composed in delicate purple handwriting?

So begins the adventure of a brave and resilient Black girl's search for identity and healing in bestselling author Lawrence Hill's middle-grade debut. Though Beatrice cannot recall how or why she arrived in the magical forest of Argilia--where every conceivable fish, bird, mammal and reptile coexist, and any creature with a beating heart can communicate with any other--something within tells her that beyond this forest is a family that is waiting anxiously for her return.

Just outside her tree-house door lives Beatrice's most unlikely ally, the enormous and mercurial King Crocodile Croc Harry, who just may have a secret of his own. As they form an unusual truce and work toward their common goal, Beatrice and Croc Harry will learn more about their forest home than they ever could have imagined. And what they learn about themselves may destroy Beatrice's chances of returning home forever.

Say Something (Peter Reynolds)

 

I bought this book quite a while ago and was waiting for just the right time to use it. 

This week our admin is doing a "book tour". They pick a book they want to share as part of a character theme and go around and read it to all the classes. This was the book. 

It has a great way of talking about how we can speak up in many different ways. 

Goodreads says:

The world needs your voice.
If you have a brilliant idea...say something!
If you see an injustice...say something!

In this empowering new picture book, beloved author Peter H. Reynolds explores the many ways that a single voice can make a difference. Each of us, each and every day, have the chance to say something: with our actions, our words, and our voices. Perfect for kid activists everywhere, this timely story reminds readers of the undeniable importance and power of their voice. There are so many ways to tell the world who you are...what you are thinking...and what you believe. And how you'll make it better. The time is now: SAY SOMETHING! 

Even Superheroes Make Mistakes (Shelly Becker)

 

This is a super cute and simple story with a great message. Kids love superheroes and so this is a great way to teach character traits we want to devleop. 

Goodreads says:

What do young superheroes do when they’ve blundered and bungled? They don’t get mad; they get SMART! This fun follow-up to Even Superheroes Have Bad Days teaches kids another humorous lesson in overcoming adversity.
 
Even superheroes sometimes slip up and err. And when that happens, do they say, “It’s not FAIR?” or give up in despair? NO! “Ashamed Superheroes who goofed up somehow . . . First STOP . . . then CONSIDER what’s best to do now.”  Whether they’ve nabbed the wrong guy by mistake or bashed into a planet while zooming through space, all superheroes ‘fess up their mess-up, get on with their day, and keep on saving the world in the most super way!

The Gardener of Alcatraz (Emma Bland Smith)

 

The illustrations in this story are detailed and really held everyone's attention. My class was totally silent as I read it. I think they were struck by the idea of a story about criminal. One of our students had visited Alcatraz and so she told us a bit about it to start, which was really great. This is a great story of how people can change and the value of nature. 

Goodreads says:

A prisoner gardens his way to freedom in this inspiring picture-book biography.

When Elliott Michener was locked away in Alcatraz for counterfeiting, he was determined to defy the odds and bust out. But when he got a job tending the prison garden, a funny thing happened. Thoughts of escape were replaced with new interests and skills--and a sense of dignity and fulfillment. Elliott transformed Alcatraz Island, and the island transformed him.

Told with empathy and a storyteller's flair, Elliott's story is funny, touching, and unexpectedly relevant. Back matter about the history of Alcatraz and the US prison system today invites meaningful discussion. 

Harriett's Ruffled Feathers

 

This is the true story of a lady who had an awakening about how they were using feathers as fashion and she changed her ways and got all her friends to change their ways....even Queen Elizabeth! 

My class wasn't totally enamored with this story. There was a lot of play on words that they didn't catch on to. If I read it again, I'd take the time to talk about those things so they can catch the double-meanings.

Goodreads says:
This picture book tells the story of Harriet Hemenway's boycott of fashionable feathered hats, which saved millions of birds and led to the founding of the Audubon Society. 

The Rise (And Falls) of Jackie Chan (Kristen Mai Giang)

 

The boys in my class LOVED reading about Jackie Chan. It was a good reminder to read about all his foibles in school and see how successful he became by being true to himself. We had a serendipitious moment in that another student brought in a biography of Bruce Lee, which is also mentioned in this book. Jackie Chan met Bruce Lee, starred in many of his movies, and seemed to use Bruce Lee as a role model. 

Goodreads says:

An action-packed picture book biography about Hollywood actor, stuntman, and beloved superstar Jackie Chan! A great read for Chan fans hoping to share their love of Rush Hour, Supercop, and Jackie's original brand of martial arts with their ready-to-tumble tyke.

Pow! Bam! Wow!

Jackie Chan has been making movies and amazing audiences with his original and comedic stunts for decades.

Pow! Bam! Ow!

But before he was an international star, Jackie grew up in relative poverty in China, studied martial arts at the grueling China Drama Academy, and worked for years trying to find his way in film.

Pow! Bam! How?

Twist, tumble, and train alongside martial arts hero Jackie Chan in this picture book biography from lauded author Kristen Mai Giang and illustrator and Hong Kong native Alina Chau. Discover how Jackie used his goofball acrobatics to make a name and a style all his own.