Steve Berkowitz's Blog, page 2

Feathers over Somerville

Tonights sunset was absurdly beautiful; like feathers floating through a sea of orange clouds.

I was on my way to pick up racquets from the City Sports in Porter Square, when I saw it for myself.  Everyone around was stopping to take a shot of it with their phones and probably posting them on Instagram.  As I don’t own a smart phone, I rushed home to get my camera out.  From the second floor balcony I took a few shots of the fleeting beauty.

This is what I captured:

 

 

The Future of Chocrotes’ Egg

While the story of Chocrotes has been written, there are still many other Chickens whose tales have yet to be told.  With every new story, the lives of unique and fascinating chickens will emerge from their Egg.

The adventures of Chocrotes’ friend, Marco Pollo, must be told.  His life, like mine, was also one of travel and curiosity. He will travel the Chicken’s Egg in search of new lands, and he will discover new swaths of land unheard of to the Chickens of his Kingdom.

Another story will follow the chicken who helped Chocrotes discover the hidden tunnels underneath Doodle Doo’s castle.  Her story will also tell a bit of the back story on the Kingdom before Doodle Doo’s terrible reign.  Though not told in this first tale, she was a princess to the old King and Queen, who ruled with love, compassion, and kindness.

Of course we cannot forget other characters such as Doodle Doo and Master Cluck.  Both of their life stories will be told as well.  We will learn why Doodle Doo came to be such an evil rooster, and how Master Cluck became a guru of martial arts.

Three More Dragons

Recently I haven’t had a lot of time to post to this blog… work is exhausting me both physically and mentally this summer.  Today I had the chance to take some more photos of  dragonflies around my parent’s house. I am currently dog sitting for my family’s 17 year old Jack Russell Terrier, so I figured I would use the opportunity to capture some dragons as well as post to MrBsReads.

 

Here is what my camera captured:

 

 

 

Teacher Questionnaire: Chocrotes and the World Without Question

Before school was out I had the honor of visiting two classes of fifth graders at the Mill Pond School in Westborough, MA. It was a wonderful experience and I had a blast speaking with the students.  They had such creative questions and comments about my debut children’s book, Chocrotes and the World Without Question. They were a great audience who listened patiently and intently. They even begged me, when time was running out,  to continue reading an excerpt from my upcoming fantasy tale due out in late 2012, early 2013.

Before visiting the school I sent the two teachers, Ms. Porcello and Ms. Kilpatrick, a questionnaire about their views of the story of Chocrotes and the World Without Question.

Here is Ms. Porcello’s Response:

1. As a teacher, what lesson does Chocrotes and the World Without Question provide to students? Why is it important? 

Chocrotes provides multiple lessons.  It teaches children to embrace questioning, as it is a part of life and it helps increase curiosity and intelligence.  Another lesson is for students to be courageous and speak up, where others would remain quiet.

2.  How would you use Chocrotes and the World Without Question in your classroom? 

The Mill Pond School has won numerous awards and received honors as a National School of Character.  The key value of the month of June is courage.  We are always looking for ways to incorporate the key values to success in our regular instruction routines.  Chocrotes would serve as a great lesson regarding courage and perseverance, two of our keys to success.

3. When reading Chocrotes and the World Without Question to your class, what did students respond to the most? What questions did they ask? What characters did they relate to and/or enjoy? What was their general response to the story? 

My students thought the story was interesting from the beginning, as it was about chickens!  I was sure to vary the voices and try to bring Chocrotes’s passion forth in my read aloud, so that they would learn that he is very passionate about questioning and the right to do so.  They were confused as to why Doodle Doo would not allow questioning, so we discussed what it means to question.  They liked Marco Pollo as a supporting character!  They liked Chocrotes’s perseverance as well.  At times, they felt the story was a tad predictable and wished it was longer!

4.  What is your response to Chocrotes and the World Without Question? 

I thought the story was great!  It had a great message for kids to see the importance of questioning and to stand up for what one believes is right.

5.  If you were living in the World Without Question, would you…

a. Flee to the Great Western Woods or Red Mountains of the West

b. Stand up for you right to ask questions and risk expulsion or worse

c. Stay and live in the World Without Question (therefore accepting that no questions can be asked)

d. Other (Please explain) _______________________________________________________________________

 

Thank you Ms. Porcello for the opportunity to visit your students!

I hope you are having a lovely summer

The Long and Bumpy Road

My friends warned of the sandy and pothole ridden road awaiting us as we drove through the darkness, on our way to Gurnet Lighthouse in Plymouth, MA.  The road that would lead us to the secluded village on Gurnet Point was not meant for my friend’s sedan, but the bumps and grooves couldn’t stop us; we had a wedding to attend.

“Go slow,” my buddy Dave warned as he stumbled out of the car with my girlfriend and two other friends, “You will bottom out.”

Following his advice I meandered through the last of the obstacles that weren’t meant for smaller cars. Nonetheless we made it all the way to the isolated, sustainable village that sits on the edge of Cape Cod Bay and Plymouth Bay.

What an amazing venue for a wedding!

As we arrived in the darkness I could barely make out the lighthouse and the surrounding area.  I would have to wait for the sun to rise to see where that long and bumpy road had taken us.  It was well worth the wait.

 

Do you wonder?

I was recently introduced to an interesting website called, Wonderopolis, where they answer questions on common wonders of our world.  This site is interesting for  parents, children and teachers. You can even nominate wonders for their website!  This website is interesting because they answer all sorts of random questions that you may be wondering about at this very moment.  So check it out @ www.Wonderopolis.org

Chocrotes says, “To question is to live, and to live is to question.”

I WONDER what that means to you: Answer below!

If Dogs Giggled

In the future I will release a picture book called, “If Dogs Giggled,” which will be a rhyming story using the question, “what if?”

Today at work I was asked by a first grade teacher to visit his classroom as an author. Now Chocrotes and the World Without Question is not meant for first graders, so instead I chose to read them a couple of my future picture books. While I read them the stories they asked to see the pictures, which as of now do not exist.  Now I believe in the power of a child’s imagination to create images out of words, so I instructed them to close their eyes and imagine what was happening in the story.

Following the reading, we had the students draw the most memorable picture that popped into their minds while I read.  I took the drawings home to show to you what their imaginations cooked up.  Tomorrow I will return them to their rightful owners.

 

School Visit

Today I had the honor of visiting and speaking with a class of fifth graders in Westborough, MA.   The students welcomed me with signs they had painted themselves; and decorated the stage with their own artwork of the characters from Chocrotes and the World Without Question.  The students asked amazing questions and were an excellent audience.  I only wish I had more time to tell them the story that I had planned, but alas it will have to wait until the next time.

After I presented and was handing out bookmarks, one student approached me and gave me a poem he wrote recapping the story of Chocrotes and the World Without Question. I loved the creativity and idea of turning the story of Chocrotes into a poem! He did an amazing job and if you are reading this: Thank You so much, it means a lot to me!

I would also like to send a big Thank You to Ms. Porcello and Ms. Kilpatrick for inviting me  to visit, and Thank You to all of your students for being an awesome audience!

I really enjoyed speaking with you today and I hope you did too!

 

One of the many signs they made for my visit

 

 

 

 

Here is the student’s poem:

Chocrotes Poem from a 5th Grader

Today I had the honor of visiting and speaking with a class of fifth graders in Westborough, MA.   The students welcomed me with signs they had painted themselves; and decorated the stage with artwork about Chocrotes and the World Without Question.  The students asked amazing questions and were an excellent audience.  I only wish I had more time to tell them the story I had planned, but alas.

After I presented and was handing out bookmarks, one student approached me and gave me a poem he wrote recapping the story of Chocrotes and the World Without Question. I loved the creativity and idea of turning Chocrotes into a poem! He did an amazing job and if you are reading this: Thank You so much, it means a lot to me!

 

Here is his poem:

A Garden in the Woods

Today I took a trip out to the Garden in the Woods in Framingham, MA.  I grew up nearby but never knew of this beautiful place until a couple years ago. Walking the trails and stalking the insects was todays goal; here are the results.