Sunday, February 15, 2015

DAY 2: Swirl by Swirl by Joyce Sidman (Patterns)

Good morning! As we blast into day 2, remember that you can stock-pile your posts and schedule them ahead of time, which is what I'll be doing this afternoon. Rushing to write my post the morning of is just not working out for me (*hides head in shame*).

About the link: if you can't get it to work, don't worry about it, but at least give it a few tries for a few days. It won't affect you winning any prizes. Yes, it will make it easier for others to hop around from blog to blog, and yes it will allow people to attach their blog posts from your site as well. But, seriously, if you can't get it to work, don't stress over it and don't worry about it. We want this challenge to be FUN and EDUCATIONAL. That's the important thing. The problem about the link lies in the fact that I wasn't able to find an easy way to let you guys copy/paste it. But I think I finally figured it out. Let's try this:

<script src="http://www.simply-linked.com/listwidget.aspx?l=15DBA8FD-BC41-4F97-862A-5FAFD1A92C30" type="text/javascript">


Title: Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature
Author: Joyce Sidman
Illustrator: Beth Krommes
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Year: 2011
Word Count: 153
Top 10 Element: Patterns

This is the perfect book to go along with an art lesson. Not only are spirals a naturally occurring pattern in nature, but the text has patterns as well.

The book begins with:
"A spiral is a snuggling shape. It fits neatly in small places. Coiled tight, warm and safe, it waits..."
 

And continues onto the next spread:
"...for a chance to expand." And the snake is shown slithering off into the spring time.
 Here is the next spread:


The following spread shares what happens next, but with the example of a fern.

The pattern continues, by listing different things a spiral is, with examples of each. Several of the "list items" (i.e. "spreads") utilize the elipses..., but not all of them. This convention helps add suspense for the page turns.

In the back matter of the book, the pattern is expounded upon for each "definition."
  • ...is a snuggling shape (with 3 examples)
  • ...is a growing shape (with 2 examples)
  • ...is a strong shape (with 4 examples)
  • ...reaches out (with 3 examples)
  • ...is clever (with 2 examples)
  • ...is beautiful (with 1 example)
  • ...moves (with 4 examples)
The back matter is fascinating!

So, what can we learn from this amazing little science gem of a book? That it doesn't take much to implement a pattern into your own writing. Whether it be with a page turn, by repeating the definition in different ways, or by repeating the sentence structure. If one of your own manuscripts is missing something and you're not quite sure what it is, try implementing some type of pattern into it. Experiment and have fun with it. You won't know what you can actually accomplish, until you give it a try!

And here's a book talk I found on YouTube. Enjoy!




Here's the link to add your own Top 10 Element example. Keep on keepin' on...

15 comments:

  1. I was fortunate to pick up a copy of this book at a library discard sale, Christie...and I was so glad I did...it is lovely. Great choice for patterns. :)...and I agree, it's hard to get that post out in the morning...but there is just so much else going on, I'm not sure I can do it any other way.

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    1. Oh, yes, there is ALWAYS so much more going on. We can do "anything" for 2 weeks though, right? I'm glad you agree with my decision for patterns. Diving in now.

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  2. Hi Christie! I was able to get your script to work today, but you need to end the closing tag < / script > afterwards (without spaces).

    Best, Katie @ The Logonauts

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    1. Yea! I'm glad it worked for you. I noticed that after I typed up day 3. Finally got it to work PROPERLY. Day 3 has the closing tags.

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  3. Hi, Christie! I'm glad to be part of this 14 day PB tour. Books like Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature are new to me. Thanks!

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  4. I love this book...not only the words, but the pictures as well! Great one for patterns!

    Got the script to work, but put it under the wrong book. Wound up having to delete and redo posts...lost all the nice things people commented :(

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    1. Oh, that is terrible! I am so sorry! Hope it doesn't happen again. Glad you liked my choice for today.

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  5. I don't tell you often enough, Christie, but I appreciate your generosity with these fab posts and how much I enjoyed this one.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Kaye! That means a lot. Be sure to visit everyone else's too.

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  6. What a great example of Pattern, both in the illustration and the text. What a match. The art is beautiful. I'll have to look for this.

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  9. This is one of those books where I find myself saying, "Why didn't I think of that?!" Great idea. Loved watching the video.

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