In scholastic quiz bowl competitions, the questions are as important than the answers, because a player can't answer a muddled question. Good questions equal good games.
Nothing frustrates quiz bowl players as much as a confusing question. Players look at their coaches, wondering if they should risk an answer on a poorly worded question. Coaches frown at each other, wondering if the poor word choice is worth tossing the question. Soon someone buzzes in and gives a possible answer, only to find that the question was misleading. The question is tossed, time is wasted, and everyone wonders, "Who wrote these questions?".
Even though any question that has limited answers is technically a closed question, in the world of quiz bowl, a closed question has two answers, such as yes/no or true/false. These questions should be avoided because if one team answers incorrectly, the other team will automatically get it correct. This is frustrating because it amounts to gaining an unearned point.
In a classroom quiz bowl competition, teachers have more flexibility with questions. It is good practice for students to follow standardized rules so they are not confused during official play on an scholastic quiz bowl team.
Questions need to be short and pointed. Long questions or questions that include unnecessary detail are harder to understand. An example of differences in phrasing can be found in these two questions: "George Washington is famous for having wooden teeth. However, his false teeth were not actually made of wood. What were his teeth actually made from?" and "What were George Washington's false teeth made of?".
Players might buzz in with the incorrect answer of "wood", but they also might buzz in with the correct answer of "bone". Quiz bowls are competitions of knowledge, not competitions of focus.
Questions Should Require One Answer
Embedding questions is akin to asking trick questions. Consider the above question regarding George Washington. If the question was, "What were America's First President's false teeth made of?", it is short, but actually requires players to answer two questions: "Who was America's first president", and "What were the false teeth made of?".
In the case of America's first president, the answer is obvious and looks like it is enlivening the game, but it is hard to draw the line on what is obvious in embedded questions. It is best to stick with one question per question.
Competitions can go more quickly if the players are able to predict the line of questioning. Having questions on specific themes, like "American Presidents" and "Rivers", helps players focus and feel more confident about their question-attack strategies.
Themes can be playful, such as "Words Starting With M" or "Places on The Globe That Are Not America". If there must be a general knowledge category, warn players with a theme name such as "Anything Goes" or "Potpourri". With enough well-written questions, it is possible to avoid catch-all categories.
Once a teacher develops a library of good questions, it is easy to recycle them every few years. Other teachers, coaches, even teams are excellent sources for questions that are written with quiz bowl games in mind. Questions help set the tone of the game. Easy questions make for an easy games, challenging questions make for challenging games, and a well-done questions make for well-done games.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
How to Create Rules and Guidelines in Gifted and Talented Classrooms
Students who leave the regular classroom for gifted classroom often discover they are in a distinctly different learning environment.
Creating and maintaining a positive learning environment in the gifted classroom is essential for student success. Gifted classrooms are often a haven for g/t kids; they are able to reveal sides of their personalities in the increased comfort that is borne of being in a homogeneous group. However, the group is only homogeneous to a degree, and soon conflicts abound. It is important to establish rules and visit them frequently, as new students are often identified and placed mid-year.
Because many gifted students stay with the same teacher for several years, it is to the students' benefit if the teacher makes broad rules that can be adjusted as time goes by. Some teachers like to involve students in creating classroom rules, but because gifted education involves frequent additions after the start of school, it seems unfair to create rules without some of the participants. It may be better to have student input on procedures related to rules, and revisit those procedures on a regular basis. For example, if one rule is that students must bring supplies to class, the class may vote on procedures to deal with students that do not bring supplies. Should the students bring extra supplies to loan out to one another? Should the empty-handed student have to return to his or her locker to get supplies?
Having rules established when students walk in, and posting rules on the wall, helps establish boundaries for students. The rules of the gifted classroom can be discussed with parents during placement into the program. To create rules, the teacher should consider the duration of the program and activities in the classroom.
If students are coming to a pull-out classroom once or twice a week, the classroom rules need to be easy to remember. A lot of rules will lead to a lot of overwhelmed students. If they are allowed to use their pencils in their other classes but only pens in the gifted classroom, the teacher should have a supply of pens. It is not easy for children to remember rules of a class they attend infrequently. Classes that meet daily are able to have more rules, but again, any rules that are atypical for the student's general experience should be highlighted on a regular basis.
Activities Impact Classroom Rules
Preserving student safety and teacher sanity should be the primary goal of rules. If students are not safe, they will not learn. If teachers are uncomfortable with the amount of movement and noise in a room, the quality of their teaching may reflect their discomfort. It is best to have a rules that everyone can understand and follow. Rules should be given with situations and procedures to help students understand the how to follow the rule. For example:
Rule: Students will respect their classroom materials.
Situation: If a student is working in a center, he or she will leave the center clean and ready to be used by the next person.
Procedure: When a student is done at a center, look at the checklist and make sure all of the supplies are returned to their original areas.
Gifted classrooms have more flexibility than regular classrooms, but students need rules to take advantage of the opportunities a flexible classroom offers. A supportive classroom has boundaries, and boundaries designed with g/t kids in mind will actually increase the sense of flexibility in the classroom.
Creating and maintaining a positive learning environment in the gifted classroom is essential for student success. Gifted classrooms are often a haven for g/t kids; they are able to reveal sides of their personalities in the increased comfort that is borne of being in a homogeneous group. However, the group is only homogeneous to a degree, and soon conflicts abound. It is important to establish rules and visit them frequently, as new students are often identified and placed mid-year.
Because many gifted students stay with the same teacher for several years, it is to the students' benefit if the teacher makes broad rules that can be adjusted as time goes by. Some teachers like to involve students in creating classroom rules, but because gifted education involves frequent additions after the start of school, it seems unfair to create rules without some of the participants. It may be better to have student input on procedures related to rules, and revisit those procedures on a regular basis. For example, if one rule is that students must bring supplies to class, the class may vote on procedures to deal with students that do not bring supplies. Should the students bring extra supplies to loan out to one another? Should the empty-handed student have to return to his or her locker to get supplies?
Having rules established when students walk in, and posting rules on the wall, helps establish boundaries for students. The rules of the gifted classroom can be discussed with parents during placement into the program. To create rules, the teacher should consider the duration of the program and activities in the classroom.
If students are coming to a pull-out classroom once or twice a week, the classroom rules need to be easy to remember. A lot of rules will lead to a lot of overwhelmed students. If they are allowed to use their pencils in their other classes but only pens in the gifted classroom, the teacher should have a supply of pens. It is not easy for children to remember rules of a class they attend infrequently. Classes that meet daily are able to have more rules, but again, any rules that are atypical for the student's general experience should be highlighted on a regular basis.
Activities Impact Classroom Rules
Preserving student safety and teacher sanity should be the primary goal of rules. If students are not safe, they will not learn. If teachers are uncomfortable with the amount of movement and noise in a room, the quality of their teaching may reflect their discomfort. It is best to have a rules that everyone can understand and follow. Rules should be given with situations and procedures to help students understand the how to follow the rule. For example:
Rule: Students will respect their classroom materials.
Situation: If a student is working in a center, he or she will leave the center clean and ready to be used by the next person.
Procedure: When a student is done at a center, look at the checklist and make sure all of the supplies are returned to their original areas.
Gifted classrooms have more flexibility than regular classrooms, but students need rules to take advantage of the opportunities a flexible classroom offers. A supportive classroom has boundaries, and boundaries designed with g/t kids in mind will actually increase the sense of flexibility in the classroom.
Parents andTeachers as Partners: Parent Involvement in the Classroom
Most parents want to be supportive participants in their children's classes, but they want the classroom teacher to provide opportunities to be involved.
Teachers who involve parents in their class activities will find that they have increased parent support at home, because parents have a deeper understanding of what their children are experiencing in the classroom. Even as students get older, teachers can find meaningful ways for parents to be involved in their classes.
In early elementary, parent volunteers are eager and plentiful. As students get older, parents often become less involved. Perhaps they have younger children in other classes, perhaps their children are less enthusiastic about seeing their parents at school, and perhaps schools offer fewer opportunities to be involved in school. Teachers can create a parent community in upper-grades by reaching parents in new ways and involving them in the classroom on different levels.
Reaching Parents
Depending on a tween to bring home letters to parents is risky if the child is reluctant to have his or her parents in the classroom. Mailing newsletters, updating classroom websites, and using email lists are excellent ways to "eliminate the middleman" and reach parents directly.
Many schools have webpages available for teachers, but if that is not an option, there are free internet resources for teachers. Many of the blog-hosting sites are free, and a blog is an easy way to update parents on classroom needs and opportunities. Blogger.com and Wordpress.com are free, popular, and easy to use. For a more comprehensive page, education World also offers a list of free websites that allow teachers to create homepages for their classrooms.
Putting all these well-intentioned parents to use is easy with a little brainstorming. Many parents enjoy helping with classroom displays, decorating desks, creating bulletin boards, and hanging up work samples and student art. This gives them a chance to be in the classroom and enjoy the atmosphere without having to be in charge of any children. Parents also like coming up and reading with students, guest speaking, and helping make class run more smoothly. If teachers are playing games to prepare for a big test, parents can come help monitor activities and be leaders. Teachers can also depend on parents to help judge classroom contests, be an audience for students presentations, and take pictures of classroom activities in action.
Everyone wins when parents increase involvement in the classroom. Students who see their parents and teachers working together and feeling supported will realize that classrooms are communities that extend beyond school boundaries.
Teachers who involve parents in their class activities will find that they have increased parent support at home, because parents have a deeper understanding of what their children are experiencing in the classroom. Even as students get older, teachers can find meaningful ways for parents to be involved in their classes.
In early elementary, parent volunteers are eager and plentiful. As students get older, parents often become less involved. Perhaps they have younger children in other classes, perhaps their children are less enthusiastic about seeing their parents at school, and perhaps schools offer fewer opportunities to be involved in school. Teachers can create a parent community in upper-grades by reaching parents in new ways and involving them in the classroom on different levels.
Reaching Parents
Depending on a tween to bring home letters to parents is risky if the child is reluctant to have his or her parents in the classroom. Mailing newsletters, updating classroom websites, and using email lists are excellent ways to "eliminate the middleman" and reach parents directly.
Many schools have webpages available for teachers, but if that is not an option, there are free internet resources for teachers. Many of the blog-hosting sites are free, and a blog is an easy way to update parents on classroom needs and opportunities. Blogger.com and Wordpress.com are free, popular, and easy to use. For a more comprehensive page, education World also offers a list of free websites that allow teachers to create homepages for their classrooms.
Putting all these well-intentioned parents to use is easy with a little brainstorming. Many parents enjoy helping with classroom displays, decorating desks, creating bulletin boards, and hanging up work samples and student art. This gives them a chance to be in the classroom and enjoy the atmosphere without having to be in charge of any children. Parents also like coming up and reading with students, guest speaking, and helping make class run more smoothly. If teachers are playing games to prepare for a big test, parents can come help monitor activities and be leaders. Teachers can also depend on parents to help judge classroom contests, be an audience for students presentations, and take pictures of classroom activities in action.
Everyone wins when parents increase involvement in the classroom. Students who see their parents and teachers working together and feeling supported will realize that classrooms are communities that extend beyond school boundaries.
Use Quiz Bowl and Academic/Scholastic Bowl Competitions in Class
Many secondary schools have official academic teams, and being on a scholastic bowl team is a rewarding experience. However, not every student can be involved in extra-curricular teams. Quiz bowl is an excellent gifted classroom experience, because all students can participate in all steps. Everyone gets a chance to buzz and shine individually, but there is the security of working together in an setting that encourages healthy competition.
Setting Up A Classroom Quiz Bowl
Having a real buzzer set makes all the difference, because students can answer in a split second and the buzzer will indicate who really did buzz in first. Buzzers can be found by searching for “quiz system buzzers”, “lock out buzzers”, or “player recognition systems”.
Arrange the desks to face the person asking the questions, not the opposing team. An outlet needs to be accessible for the buzzer set, and a scoreboard (such as a white board) should be visible.
You'll need students to fill these roles:
* Score-Keeper (allowing everyone can see the score)
* Questioner/Judge
* Team A Team B
* Audience/Substitutes
To prepare students for joining future bowl teams, one might create teams similar to competitive teams by sorting students into groups of four, and having two groups of four complete against each other.
Mixing quiet and outgoing students works well. A team needs some cautious players and some risk-taking players. Sometimes kids shine in brain training games but are too shy to speak out during competitive games.
Creating Questions
It is tempting to just open a box of Trivial Pursuit cards, but it is best to get quiz bowl questions from research. Students enjoy researching questions and answers, and question libraries grow quickly.
Questions need to be open, meaning they are not multiple choice or yes/no. Usually, questions are written on a theme, such as “Award-Winners”.
It is important that the required answer is clear. The question, “Which states border Utah?” is less clear than“Which six states border Utah?”.
It is important to establish if teams are allowed to discuss answers before buzzing. In Scholastic Bowl competitions, discussion is limited to written portions of games, but classrooms have flexibility.
Read the question, and allow ten seconds for a response. Only accept the first answer. If the answer is correct, the team gets a point. If it is incorrect, the opposing team has a chance to answer. Incorrect responses do not penalize a team in competition, but in a classroom competition removing points for incorrect answers can heighten the competition, if necessary.
After ten questions, students are substituted with other students, so everyone gets to play and everyone has a stake in the building scores of the two teams. This makes watching more engaging and allows for odd number populations to play. One team just has fewer substitutes.
Taking Grades
Grades for participation or sportsmanship are obvious; it would be unfair to take grades for performance, as more than one person might know the answer. The only “performance” grade that could really be measured would be the ability to press a buzzer, which is not an especially academic task.
Shy students who are not ready to risk buzzing in are usually willing volunteers to keep score or read questions, thus allowing everyone to be involved on classroom quiz bowl days.
Impact in on Gifted Children
Gifted classrooms are important resources to gifted children; these are the classrooms where they find understanding teachers, friends with similar abilities, and challenging environments. Using quiz bowl sets to create gifted classroom cooperation and competition is a worthy activity for the immediate experience. Additionally, following rules similar to established scholastic bowl rules allows students to easily move into the world of academic bowl in junior high and high school, a time when gifted education is often replaced by AP classes. By participating in established academic teams, gifted students can continue to enjoy cooperation and competition.
A quiz bowl buzzer set is an excellent investment for a gifted classroom, because students enjoy competition, benefit from new challenges, and build skills for future opportunities.
Setting Up A Classroom Quiz Bowl
Having a real buzzer set makes all the difference, because students can answer in a split second and the buzzer will indicate who really did buzz in first. Buzzers can be found by searching for “quiz system buzzers”, “lock out buzzers”, or “player recognition systems”.
Arrange the desks to face the person asking the questions, not the opposing team. An outlet needs to be accessible for the buzzer set, and a scoreboard (such as a white board) should be visible.
You'll need students to fill these roles:
* Score-Keeper (allowing everyone can see the score)
* Questioner/Judge
* Team A Team B
* Audience/Substitutes
To prepare students for joining future bowl teams, one might create teams similar to competitive teams by sorting students into groups of four, and having two groups of four complete against each other.
Mixing quiet and outgoing students works well. A team needs some cautious players and some risk-taking players. Sometimes kids shine in brain training games but are too shy to speak out during competitive games.
Creating Questions
It is tempting to just open a box of Trivial Pursuit cards, but it is best to get quiz bowl questions from research. Students enjoy researching questions and answers, and question libraries grow quickly.
Questions need to be open, meaning they are not multiple choice or yes/no. Usually, questions are written on a theme, such as “Award-Winners”.
It is important that the required answer is clear. The question, “Which states border Utah?” is less clear than“Which six states border Utah?”.
It is important to establish if teams are allowed to discuss answers before buzzing. In Scholastic Bowl competitions, discussion is limited to written portions of games, but classrooms have flexibility.
Read the question, and allow ten seconds for a response. Only accept the first answer. If the answer is correct, the team gets a point. If it is incorrect, the opposing team has a chance to answer. Incorrect responses do not penalize a team in competition, but in a classroom competition removing points for incorrect answers can heighten the competition, if necessary.
After ten questions, students are substituted with other students, so everyone gets to play and everyone has a stake in the building scores of the two teams. This makes watching more engaging and allows for odd number populations to play. One team just has fewer substitutes.
Taking Grades
Grades for participation or sportsmanship are obvious; it would be unfair to take grades for performance, as more than one person might know the answer. The only “performance” grade that could really be measured would be the ability to press a buzzer, which is not an especially academic task.
Shy students who are not ready to risk buzzing in are usually willing volunteers to keep score or read questions, thus allowing everyone to be involved on classroom quiz bowl days.
Impact in on Gifted Children
Gifted classrooms are important resources to gifted children; these are the classrooms where they find understanding teachers, friends with similar abilities, and challenging environments. Using quiz bowl sets to create gifted classroom cooperation and competition is a worthy activity for the immediate experience. Additionally, following rules similar to established scholastic bowl rules allows students to easily move into the world of academic bowl in junior high and high school, a time when gifted education is often replaced by AP classes. By participating in established academic teams, gifted students can continue to enjoy cooperation and competition.
A quiz bowl buzzer set is an excellent investment for a gifted classroom, because students enjoy competition, benefit from new challenges, and build skills for future opportunities.
Gifted Kids and Reading: How to Locate Books for Gifted Kids and High Ability Readers
Reading habits are understandable characteristics of giftedness; gifted children are cognitively more developed than is normally expected. However, gifted readers need guidance in book selection. A child reading at a college level is not necessarily ready for college material.
Students of all reading abilities tend to enjoy books about people slightly older than they are, so a ten year old will relate to and be interested in books about thirteen year olds more than books about twenty year olds. Finding books written at a high interest, high ability level requires time and work.
Doing an advanced book search at Amazon.com and highlighting the appropriate age range is one tool. Amazon also provides book reviews, and reading those reviews is an excellent start. The reviews are usually written by adults, but sometimes there are child reviews. If there are no child reviews, beware: this is not a book for children.
Sorting through reviews can be time consuming, and teen readers can finish books and return them to the public library before their parents see them. Reading the back of the book or the book jacket yields a lot of information, as does flipping through. However, the best approach is just to ask your child one question, “If this book was a movie, what would you rate it?”
Whatever the answer – even the safe “G” rating – should be followed up with discussion. This widens those narrowing lines of communication, gives parents insight into their children, and helps promote communication skills in general.
Just because a child is involved in a higher-level book does not mean it should be taken away, of course. Knowing that a child is reading a book with death, violence, or illicit activities means that parents need to read the book, too. If that is not possible – and it often is not – parents need to open the door for conversations. Children may leave books with inaccurate perceptions, and it is not unheard of for children to have nightmares from the frightening book they fell asleep reading.
Parents should not discount non-fiction as a reading choice. Adults have a blend of non-fiction and fiction reading; children tend to read non-fiction books as assignments and fiction as free choice reading. Parents may want to share their own reading choices, not as material to be read, but as examples of genre. If parents are reading National Geographic, then National Geographic Kids is an obvious connection for children. Teachers can use parent newsletters to help keep parents up to date on books.
Often non-fiction, especially historical readings, are often as fascinating as historical fiction without the elevated drama that requires some life experience to appreciate. Helping gifted children pick out appropriate reading materials helps keep them in common experience with their peers and helps preserve childhood a little longer, which are admirable goals in themselves.
Students of all reading abilities tend to enjoy books about people slightly older than they are, so a ten year old will relate to and be interested in books about thirteen year olds more than books about twenty year olds. Finding books written at a high interest, high ability level requires time and work.
Doing an advanced book search at Amazon.com and highlighting the appropriate age range is one tool. Amazon also provides book reviews, and reading those reviews is an excellent start. The reviews are usually written by adults, but sometimes there are child reviews. If there are no child reviews, beware: this is not a book for children.
Sorting through reviews can be time consuming, and teen readers can finish books and return them to the public library before their parents see them. Reading the back of the book or the book jacket yields a lot of information, as does flipping through. However, the best approach is just to ask your child one question, “If this book was a movie, what would you rate it?”
Whatever the answer – even the safe “G” rating – should be followed up with discussion. This widens those narrowing lines of communication, gives parents insight into their children, and helps promote communication skills in general.
Just because a child is involved in a higher-level book does not mean it should be taken away, of course. Knowing that a child is reading a book with death, violence, or illicit activities means that parents need to read the book, too. If that is not possible – and it often is not – parents need to open the door for conversations. Children may leave books with inaccurate perceptions, and it is not unheard of for children to have nightmares from the frightening book they fell asleep reading.
Parents should not discount non-fiction as a reading choice. Adults have a blend of non-fiction and fiction reading; children tend to read non-fiction books as assignments and fiction as free choice reading. Parents may want to share their own reading choices, not as material to be read, but as examples of genre. If parents are reading National Geographic, then National Geographic Kids is an obvious connection for children. Teachers can use parent newsletters to help keep parents up to date on books.
Often non-fiction, especially historical readings, are often as fascinating as historical fiction without the elevated drama that requires some life experience to appreciate. Helping gifted children pick out appropriate reading materials helps keep them in common experience with their peers and helps preserve childhood a little longer, which are admirable goals in themselves.
Happy Birthday Dr. Suess - Barnes and Noble has Rachel Ray Reading Green Eggs and Ham!
Barnes & Noble.com Online Storytime March Exclusive: Rachael Ray to Read The Dr. Seuss Classic Green Eggs And Ham
New York, NY - March 1, 2011 -Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world's largest bookseller, today announced that celebrity author and chef Rachael Ray will read the Dr. Seuss classic Green Eggs and Ham for the Barnes & Noble.com March Online Storytime (www.bn.com/storytime). Barnes & Noble chose the Dr. Seuss favorite as the March selection to celebrate the March 2nd birthday of the beloved children's author. Ms. Ray, a fan of Green Eggs and Ham, is excited to participate. Beginning today, visitors can listen to the exclusive narration by Ms. Ray of the children's classic.
"Dr. Seuss Enterprises is thrilled to participate in Barnes & Noble's Online Storytime in March. And, it's timed perfectly with Dr. Seuss's birthday," said Susan Brandt, President, Licensing and Marketing, Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P. "We love seeing this classic Dr. Seuss story told to children by Rachael Ray in a new and energizing way. This interactive initiative makes reading fun for kids and their parents, which Dr. Seuss would be so pleased to see, and we wholly support."
Barnes & Noble.com will feature a Green Eggs and Ham page with a selection of Dr. Seuss books and toys (www.bn.com/storytime). Barnes & Noble.com customers will receive a 40% discount on select Dr. Seuss items and several Rachael Ray cookbooks, for a limited time. To celebrate the Online Storytime, Barnes & Noble stores will feature Green Eggs and Ham and other Dr. Seuss books on in-store displays for the month of March.
A monthly feature, Barnes & Noble.com's Online Storytime is perfect for children ages two through six and showcases favorite children's books read by well-known authors and celebrities. To enhance the Storytime experience, illustrations and artwork are brought to life through pan-and-scan technology. Previous selections have included Fancy Nancy: Bonjour Butterfly read by author Jane O'Connor; Judith Viorst's Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day; Ian Falconer's Olivia read by Saturday Night Live alum Ana Gasteyer; Where the Wild Things Are read by author Maurice Sendak; The Mitten read by author Jan Brett; and The Polar Express read by author Chris Van Allsburg.
New York, NY - March 1, 2011 -Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world's largest bookseller, today announced that celebrity author and chef Rachael Ray will read the Dr. Seuss classic Green Eggs and Ham for the Barnes & Noble.com March Online Storytime (www.bn.com/storytime). Barnes & Noble chose the Dr. Seuss favorite as the March selection to celebrate the March 2nd birthday of the beloved children's author. Ms. Ray, a fan of Green Eggs and Ham, is excited to participate. Beginning today, visitors can listen to the exclusive narration by Ms. Ray of the children's classic.
"Dr. Seuss Enterprises is thrilled to participate in Barnes & Noble's Online Storytime in March. And, it's timed perfectly with Dr. Seuss's birthday," said Susan Brandt, President, Licensing and Marketing, Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P. "We love seeing this classic Dr. Seuss story told to children by Rachael Ray in a new and energizing way. This interactive initiative makes reading fun for kids and their parents, which Dr. Seuss would be so pleased to see, and we wholly support."
Barnes & Noble.com will feature a Green Eggs and Ham page with a selection of Dr. Seuss books and toys (www.bn.com/storytime). Barnes & Noble.com customers will receive a 40% discount on select Dr. Seuss items and several Rachael Ray cookbooks, for a limited time. To celebrate the Online Storytime, Barnes & Noble stores will feature Green Eggs and Ham and other Dr. Seuss books on in-store displays for the month of March.
A monthly feature, Barnes & Noble.com's Online Storytime is perfect for children ages two through six and showcases favorite children's books read by well-known authors and celebrities. To enhance the Storytime experience, illustrations and artwork are brought to life through pan-and-scan technology. Previous selections have included Fancy Nancy: Bonjour Butterfly read by author Jane O'Connor; Judith Viorst's Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day; Ian Falconer's Olivia read by Saturday Night Live alum Ana Gasteyer; Where the Wild Things Are read by author Maurice Sendak; The Mitten read by author Jan Brett; and The Polar Express read by author Chris Van Allsburg.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Learn about the Newly Dated Voynich Manuscript with Google eBooks
Learn about the Newly Dated Voynich Manuscript with Google eBooks: "On February 9, 2011, researchers from the University of Arizona dated the Voynich manuscript. Learn more about the mysterious images in free Google books."
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