Barbara DaCosta's Blog, page 4

A Profound Lesson on Learning

How to encourage students to love the process of learning! Awesome work by students and teacher Maricela Montoy-Wilson alike! Here's an article to go with the video.

Pluto, a Blue Moon, and Go Set a Watchman

Three rare events come together, improbably in one month!A good time to reflect on the wonders of the Universe.
Pluto, viewed by New Horizon spacecraft (NASA)[image error]Earth's moon, full, called a "blue moon"
when a full moon appears twice in one month.
The unexpected pleasure of a new novel,  
Go Set a Watchman, by Harper Lee,
author of  To Kill a Mockingbird.

Pluto, Go Set a Watchman, a Blue Moon

Three rare events come together, improbably in one month!A good time to reflect on the wonders of the Universe.
Pluto, viewed by New Horizon spacecraft (NASA)[image error]Earth's moon, full, called a "blue moon"
when a full moon appears twice in one month.
The unexpected pleasure of a new novel,  
Go Set a Watchman, by Harper Lee,
author of  To Kill a Mockingbird.

Nighttime Ninja Wins Award!

Thank you, everyone! What an honor!From Publishers Weekly: The winners of the sixth annual Children’s Choice Book Awards were announced May 13 at a ceremony in New York City hosted by the Children’s Book Council. Book of the Year awards went to: Nighttime Ninja by Barbara DaCosta, illus. by Ed Young (kindergarten to second grade); Bad Kitty for President by Nick Bruel (third to fourth grade); Dork Diaries 4: Tales from a Not-So-Graceful Ice Princess by Rachel Renée Russell (fifth to sixth grade); and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (teen). Jeff Kinney was named author of the year for Diary of a Wimpy Kid 7: The Third Wheel , and Robin Preiss Glasser was named illustrator of the year for Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet, written by Jane O’Connor.

Nighttime Ninja Finalist for Awards: Vote Now!

The prolific author James Patterson started a children's literacy project called Read Kiddo Read, and Nighttime Ninja is a picture book finalist among this year's books! You can vote here.http://www.readkiddoread.com/



Nighttime Ninja is also a finalist for the Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards  the only national book awards program where the winning titles are selected by young readers of all ages, at www.bookweekonline.com. 30 finalists have been announced in six categories, representing kids’ and teens’ favorite books, authors, and illustrators of the year. Last year, almost 1,000,000 votes were cast, more than doubling votes from the previous year. Young readers can vote at www.bookweekonline.com or their votes may be tallied and entered by booksellers, librarians, and teachers into the group ballot at www.bookweekonline.com until May 9, 2013. 

Nighttime Ninja Finalist for Read Kiddo Read

The prolific author James Patterson started a children's literacy project called Read Kiddo Read, and Nighttime Ninja is a picture book finalist among this year's books! You can vote here.http://www.readkiddoread.com/

When Lilacs Last in thd Dooryard Bloom'd

At times of overwhelming universal sadness, as we mourn the loss of so many lives in Sandy Hook, poetry sometimes captures things best:

When lilacs last in the dooryard bloom’d, And the great star early droop’d in the western sky in the night, I mourn’d, and yet shall mourn with ever-returning spring.
Ever-returning spring, trinity sure to me you bring, Lilac blooming perennial and drooping star in the west, And thought of him I love....

Walt Whitman's poem, an elegy to President Lincoln, can be found in its entirety in many anthologies, and online at the Poetry Foundation.

When Azaleas Last in the Front Yard Bud: An Ode to Global Warming

When azaleas last in the front yard bud,
Last week in an odd early winter heat,
Before the temperature did downward thud,
And snow crunched beneath my feet.

©Barbara DaCosta
December 9, 2012

Landfillharmonic--Making Music Out of Trash

Landfill Harmonic movie teaser from Landfill Harmonic on Vimeo.

More inspiration for recycling: "Cateura, Paraguay is a town essentially built on top of a landfill. Garbage collectors browse the trash for sellable goods, and children are often at risk of getting involved with drugs and gangs. When orchestra director Szaran and music teacher Favio set up a music program for the kids of Cateura, they soon have more students than they have instruments. That changed when Szaran and Favio were brought something they had never seen before: a violin made out of garbage. Today, there’s an entire orchestra of assembled instruments, now called The Recycled Orchestra. Our film shows how trash and recycled materials can be transformed into beautiful sounding musical instruments, but more importantly, it brings witness to the transformation of precious human beings." See Landfillharmonic for more information and innovation!

Cardboard Mania 3: The Proof is in the Box!

More proof that cardboard boxes are a more evolved species of toy and lead to more brain power:
A Wellington, Ohio schoolteacher opted for cardboard boxes instead of toys, and the kids didn't bat an eye...but instead, actually concentrated more.
"Kids who had trouble separating from their parents in the morning or just were quieter in the classroom, we have actually seen them become leaders and we have seen them grow,” Kaser said. It's not all about racing marbles and role playing; the teachers say that the kids are learning more than just playing with boxes.
"There are negotiations when one person says it's a hotel and someone else says it's a rocket ship, being able to solve those problems and also be flexible,” said Jill Webb, Head of Lower School at Wellington. NBC4