May Book(S!) of the Month!

We identified two titles for our Book of the Month in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a title for our younger learners and a special book for our middle schools.

For our older readers, our book is Queen of Physics: How Wu Chien Shiung Helped Unlock the Secrets of the Atom.  This book is written and illustrated by author Teresa Robeson, and illustrator, Rebecca Huang. Chien Shiung was an incredible scientist, who growing up 100 years ago, experienced racism and sexism in her life to eventually be dubbed the “Queen of Physics” by Newsweek magazine. The book strikes a great balance between teaching about her impact on the field of Physics while striving against many barriers. The illustrations are a beautiful compliment to the story.

Our book for younger readers is TenBlocks to the Big Wok: A Chinatown Counting Book by Ying-Hwa Hu. This lovely book is a bilingual English/Mandarin counting book that follows a father and daughter walk through Chinatown while introducing the reader to the numbers one through ten in Chinese while also sharing symbols of Chinese culture. A sweet and fun way to count and explore Chinese culture and food traditions!

April Book of the Month: We Are Water Protectors

Our Book of the Month title for April is We Are Water Protectors. Written by Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Michaela Goade, Indigenous author and illustrator. The book is timed purposefully for April, the month of Earth Day!

This Caldecott Medal winning picture book tells the story of the many Indigenous-led movements to protect water sources. The poetic story shares imagery of a snake representing oil pipelines and the activism of Indigenous peoples to push back against negative impacts on water resources. Children and adults can understand this authentic story about activism on behalf of nature and our environment. The detailed information in the back matter also shares important context about these efforts. The pledge in the back of the book is great for families to consider as we get closer to Earth Day and children consider what they can do for the environment.

Check out this title at the Reading Public Library and Whitelam Books!

Family Math Night

Reading/Wakefield Family Math Night  Come experience a math lesson!   

Monday, April 3, 2023 6:30-8:00 PM

Galvin Middle School, 525 Main St, Wakefield, MA 01880

Outline of the night 

• Introduction led by the Wakefield & Reading Curriculum Coordinators
• Learn more about the Illustrative Math curriculum
• 30-minute Illustrative Math lesson taught by Wakefield and Reading teachers
• Experience what math looks like and sounds like for our students each day
• We will host classes in some grades within the K-6 grade band
• 30-minute exploration
• Play some of our curriculum centers & explore resources

Students are welcome to attend with their guardians.

Please fill out this interest form if you might join us! https://bit.ly/RW_MathNight

Women's History month

In recognition of Women's History Month, we take time to recognize so many important figures in STEM that have been under-recognized/celebrated in the past.  Enjoy these curated resources that open up some conversations about contributions of female scientists, engineers, and mathematicians in the STEM fields.

March Book of the Month: What Miss Mitchell Saw

Our March title for Book of the Month is What Miss Mitchell Saw.  This title was recommended as a Book of the Month by our Reading Public Librarians due to the author being a local writer! This title is written by Hayley Barrett and illustrated by Diana Sudyka. 

This beautifully illustrated book is a biography of “America’s first professional female astronomer” Maria Mitchell. A Massachusetts resident (from Nantucket) this story celebrates her discovery of a comet that came from her deep curiosity and study of the sky and space.  The illustrations help the reader fall into the feeling of starry night skies while this story shares but one event in Mitchell’s remarkable life in the 1800s. We love this title as a great way to recognize and celebrate Women’s History Month! This book is a great discussion launch for social/emotional/community conversations (perseverance, gender norms, etc.), art (illustrations that are integrated into the text), science (space, technology, tools, travel), and of course, the rich literature connections in the reading and writing techniques used. 

Each of our Reading Public Schools preK-8 received a copy of this book along with a teacher guide to facilitate book conversations. Please visit Reading Public Library or Whitelam Books to find this beautiful title.

Black History Month

In recognition of Black History Month, we take time to recognize so many important figures in STEM that have been under-celebrated.  Enjoy these curated resources that open up some conversations about
contributions of Black scientists, engineers, and mathematicians in the STEM fields.

February Book of the Month: Uncle John's City Garden

 The February Book of the Month is Uncle John’s City Garden. This title is written by Bernette G. Ford and illustrated by Frank Morrison. Both author and illustrator have made significant contributions in children’s’ literature in their contributions as black author/publisher and black illustrator raising up black stories and voices. It’s a beautiful title to share during Black History Month.

This beautiful book is a semi-true autobiography, and tells the story of a family turning an undeveloped lot into a city garden with beautiful images to show growth, size, and the final products that turn into a delicious succotash (with a recipe in the back!!)  This story is a beautifully accessible story for all ages, creating science and math connections for younger learners, while also allowing for deeper discussions on topics such as cultural traditions and fresh food access for older children.

The book highlights growing vegetables that all can be used to make succotash. The word “succotash” is derived from the Narragansett Indian word msickquatash meaning boiled corn kernels. This dish featuring corn, beans and other vegetables is of Indigenous peoples of New England origin. Okra is an ingredient that originated in Africa and it came to America by enslaved Black people by way of the Middle Passage. Enslaved Black people grew this ingredient, which is responsible for a lot of dishes that we consider to be southern. There is a recipe for succotash in the back of the book and lots of great opportunities for learning within these pages!

Each of our schools preK-8 received a copy of this book along with a teacher guide to facilitate book conversations. Please visit Reading Public Library or Whitelam Books to find this beautiful title.