PSHall

 The following links are to the individual blog posts I wrote containing my professional reading lists for LBS 724.  Enjoy! Government Resources Primary Sources State, Local, or Community Resources Web Resources

The following are some professional list of web resources. Reading Storynory - Free Audio Books For nearly 20 years, Storynory provides free audio books, including Fairy Tales  by Hans Christian Anderson. This is a great way for younger students to have an opportunity to listen to books of interest, but that they may not have the ability to read independently.  The audio recordings have supporting background sounds and are very good sound quality.  This is a great resource to use when elementary students come into the classroom after a transition.  It can be playing while the students quickly settle quietly so they can listen to the audio.   Writing starryai Starryai generates multiple images based on the text you enter.  Artificial Intelligence (AI) is here to stay, so it is critical for our students to learn how to use it in positive ways.  Students from elementary to high school can improve their descriptive writing by entering a description in starryai.  Then the writer can make r

This past week I read Beneath the Wide Silk Sky  by Emily Inouye Huey.  I enjoyed the book so much, I visited the author's  website  where I read, "Perfect for fans of Ruta Sepetys and Sharon Cameron ."  The books listed below are by these two authors.  Each of the books listed below is set in or just after World War II and has a teenager as a main character. Cameron, Sharon, The Light in Hidden Places.   (Scholastic Press, 2020).  Stephania is a 16 year old Catholic living in Poland in 1943 and working for in the grocery store of a Jewish family.  The Nazi invade her town and send the family she is working for to the ghetto.  Plot twist, one of the family members escapes and seeks shelter with Stephania and her younger sister.  Eventually Stephania comes to harbor additional Jewish people before the Nazis knock on her door. Sepetys, Ruta. Between Shades of Gray .  (Penguin Putnam, 2012).  Lina is a 15 year old girl who is captured by Soviet police in 1941 and deported t

The romance books listed below were all found on display at the Westwood Public Library with a take away sheet of "Teen Summer Reading Picks 2023 for Grades 6-8." Marquis, Krystal. The Davenports .  (Dial Books, 2023).  This first book in a series sheds light on the everyday life of a wealthy black family living in the 1910s.  The sisters are coming of age and discovering love and considering marriage, but who else likes their chosen suitors?  I highlighted this book as it is historical fiction and depicts an affluent black family with slave roots. Chao, Gloria.  When You Wish Upon a Lantern.  (Viking Books, 2023).  After an embarrassing incident, Liya and Kai are no longer best friends, but after Liya resumes a tradition she shared with her grandmother to grant wishes, will she recognize her own wish to be with Kai?  I highlighted this book as it illustrates the need to take care of yourself while helping others. Santat, Dan.  A First Time for Everything.  (Harper Kids, 2023

The horror books listed below were found in Nancy Pearl's Book Crush   under the section entitled, "Ghosts I Have Loved".   Bunting, Eve. The Presence .  (Clarion Books, 2003).  A teenager girl slips into a deep depression after losing her best friend in a car accident and attempts to contact her to ask for her forgiveness.  I've included this book as it addresses mental health and the supernatural. Soto, Gary. The Afterlife.  (Clarion Books, 2005).  Chuy is violently stabbed and dies but learns in the afterlife how much he is loved as well how brave he actually is.  I've highlighted the book as it highlights strong family and friend relationships. Whitcomb, Laura.  A Certain Slant of Light.  (HMH Books for Young Readers, 2005).  A female ghost has been haunting the same English classroom for 130 years and today one of the students notices her and they begin a complex relationship.  I chose this book as a reminder that all relationships face challenges, even ones

The Fairbanks House Built circa 1637, the Fairbanks House is the oldest timber frame house still standing in North America.  It is located in Dedham, Massachusetts.  The website not only provides a gallery of photos as well as 3-D tour of the house, but also offer a rich history of the 8 generations of Fairbanks who resided in the home for 268 years before it became a museum in 1904.  This community resource is important for a variety of reasons including that it is listed on the National Register of Historic Homes and the fact that the home contains many historical items such as a chest that was commissioned for the family circa 1660.  This is a great community resource for second graders who are studying local colonial history in the curriculum as well as high school architectural and design students. Hale Education In 1918 Robert Sever Hale granted permission to a Boy Scout Troop to use his land for camping, farming, and building shelters.  Twelve years later in 1930, Scoutland whic