Glory Be

 This week's quote of the week is:

                                                   "Unless someone like you
                                                     cares a whole awful lot,
                                                 nothing is going to get better.
                                                              It's not! "

from The Lorax
Dr. Seuss

Following our month's guiding principle of responsibility, we are encouraging each other to take a responsible risks by standing up for what we believe is the right thing.

On the 2013/14  DCF list is a perfect book for this theme. Glory Be, by Augusta Scattergood, takes place in the summer of 1964 when Glory is about to turn 12. Her town of Hanging Moss, Mississippi  is beset by racial tension when town leaders close her beloved pool rather than segregate it. Glory finds herself having to make some tough choices as she comes to understand the full impact of what the town officials are trying to do.

Give it a try and get your name up on the chart!

Encyclopedias

We have bought subscriptions to both World Book Online and Encyclopedia Online. Both offer access at different levels of scholarship. In other words, there are articles available for adults as well as students.

The student versions have cool videos, maps. and interactive games and are fun to just browse. There are always interesting facts to learn!

To try them out click on Encyclopedias and other Data Bases on the right column of the screen. World Book is a one click entry. Encyclopedia and Brittanica require a user name and password which are posted.

Enjoy!

                                           Do the Right Thing!

This month Oak Grove School has been focusing on the guiding principle of Responsibility. Every week students are given a quote to consider, and this week's quote is "do the right thing".

Here are 4 biographies of famous people who struggled with different issues and chose to do what they considered to be The Right Thing. ALl books are available at  the school library.


Teammates by Peter Golenbock

This is the story of how shortstop Pee Wee Reese stood up for Jackie Robinson, who was the first black man to play in a major baseball league, when he thought that Robinson was being treated unfairly.







Who says Women Can't be Doctors? by Tanya Lee Stone

Elizabeth Blackwell was interested in many things, but chose to become a doctor when a very ill friend told her she would have much preferred to be seen by a woman. This was a time when women were not encouraged to have a profession, but Elizabeth persisted against the odds and became the first woman doctor in America.
Nelson Mandela by Kadir Nelson

Nelson Mandela has been a champion against apartheid (or segregation) in South Africa  since he was nine years old. He has lived a life filled with purpose and has won  the Nobel Peace Prize. This story is richly illustrated by Kadir Nelson, an award winning artist. A real treat!

Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist makers Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markle

Clara Lemlich immigrated to the United States at the turn of the 20th century. Her family moved into a New York tenement building and Clara went to work in the garment district to help support her family. The conditions are terrible, and Clara is infuriated. When she learns that some men are trying to form a union, she encourages her fellow female workers to join as well. She attends rallies, call the women to strike in protest, speaks out, and in the end convinces the bosses to agree to shorten the workweek, raise salaries and form unions.