Capstone Connect

Visit Us at Book Expo America!

Jennifer Glidden — Thu, 31 May 2012 11:23:09 -0500

Next week we are exhibiting at Book Expo America (BEA) in New York City. The conference marks the official launch of Capstone Young Readers, our new trade publishing program, and we’ll be celebrating with a party! We also have several signings scheduled in our booth (#2968), including:

Michael Dahl signing advance reader copies of Troll Hunters and Hocus Pocus Hotel at 10:00 a.m. on Tues. June 5 & Wed. June 6.

Fran Manushkin signing advance reader copies of Katie Woo Rules the School at 2:00 p.m. on Wed. June 6.

Art Baltazar signing an exclusive DC Super-Pets poster at 9:30 a.m. on Thurs. June 7.

Stop by and see us at the show!

For those of you not able to attend in person, you don’t have to miss all of the fun. BEA will be live streaming many of the author events and special programs on their website. And there’s also the Armchair BEA blog, which hosts tons of book giveaways from publishers and authors. We have three book/book bag giveaways on there, so check it out!

Through the eyes of an administrator

Lynn Walker — Wed, 30 May 2012 23:17:50 -0500

It's clear that technology in education has changed over the years. To create a new understanding on how myON reader is transforming reading in Columbia Missouri, take a moment to review just a part of the article below:

Wireless learning

Several schools are already piloting wireless learning programs. Parkade and Blue Ridge elementary schools have MyOn Reader. The program is an “Amazon.com” type of model that allows students to download books based on interests and reading level.

Students can read a book anywhere and at any time with a mobile device. Some students already own a mobile device, and others will need one from the school. In a few short months, students at Parkade Elementary School have read more than 8,000 titles. More importantly, it is the student’s choice and not connected to a specific assignment.

While our students are natives to educational technology, many of the adults are technology immigrants. Students demand real-time access to information and want to have a degree of control over content and sources. Teachers want to make their curriculum more authentic and relevant.

Informational technology may be the perfect fit to connect the needs of the students with the needs of the teachers.

TO VIEW THE COMPLETE ARTICLE, CLICK HERE!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Maryellen Gregoire, M.Ed. — Tue, 29 May 2012 11:32:53 -0500

An article in USA Today announced the May 29, 2012 release date of Michelle Obama’s first book, American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America. With this book, Michelle Obama has started a conversation about the importance of feeding our families quality food and the process of growing a garden. She includes some amazing stories about communities creating gardens specifically for the visually impaired and for those in need. The book includes recipes from the White House and stories about how gardens are transforming the lives and health of citizens.

We at Capstone want to make gardens accessible to young children, so we developed a set of books to help even the youngest child create a garden. The Gardens set covers everything from tools and compost to creepy-crawly residents found in the garden. It's a great resource for very young learners and has some amazing photos!

Have you started a garden with your children this year? How have they been involved in the garden? Let us know!

Inspiration for Life in the Arts, from Neil Gaiman

Amanda Robbins — Mon, 28 May 2012 07:30:00 -0500

On this Memorial Day, I was thinking about all the people in my life who have passed away, along with the recent deaths of artists like Whitney Houston and Maurice Sendak. Their art will live on, of course, and we can take solace in that. For a bit of inspiration this Memorial Day, Neil Gaiman's recent commencement speech at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia is perfect. His point? Make good art. If you can find some time, give it a watch. It's about 20 minutes and it will leave you feeling uplifted about a life in the arts.

A few choice quotes:

"A free-lance life, a life in the arts, is sometimes like putting messages in bottles on a desert island and hoping that someone will find one of your bottles."

"When things get tough, this is what you should do: Make good art. I'm serious. Husband runs off with a politician? Make good art. Leg crushed and then eaten by mutated boa constrictor? Make good art. IRS on your tail? Make good art. Cat exploded? Make good art."

"People keep working in a freelance world...because their work is good, they're easy to get along with, and because they deliver the work on time. And you don't even need all three. Two out of three is fine. People will tolerate how unpleasant you are if your work is good and you deliver it on time. People will forgive the lateness of your work if it's good and they like you. And you don't have to be as good as everyone else if you're on time and it's always a pleasure to hear from you."

And he even discusses the flux of the art world, including publishing:
“The distribution systems are in flux. That’s intimidating and immensely liberating. Rules are breaking down, gatekeepers are leaving their gates. Old rules are crumbling and nobody knows what the new rules are, so make up your own rules."

Gillia Olson, Managing Editor

Fiction Friday: Memorial.

Beth Brezenoff — Fri, 25 May 2012 11:31:41 -0500

On Monday, we honor all the men and women who lost their lives fighting for our country, remembering that they were not faceless soldiers but members of families, friends, colleagues.

Our BLOODLINES series follows a family through multiple wars, tracing their bloodline as different family members fight.

Buzz-Worthy Titles

Jennifer Glidden — Thu, 24 May 2012 11:36:46 -0500

Capstone authors and illustrators are a talented bunch. Of course, I am partial, so don’t just take my word for it. Their fellow colleagues, librarians, educators, and parents have spoken with a crop of recent awards and honors for their books, some of which include:

2012 Eric Hoffer Book Award Grand Prize

Too Shy for Show-and-Tell by Beth Bracken, illustrated by Jennifer A. Bell

2012 Mom's Choice Awards

Bear Says “Thank You” by Michael Dahl, illustrated by Oriol Vidal

The Little Bully by Beth Bracken, illustrated by Jennifer A. Bell

2012 Distinguished Achievement Award Finalist, Association of Educational Publishers

Captured History series by authors Shelley Tougas, Michael Burgan, Don Nardo, and Pamela Dell

2011 Midwest Book Awards Finalist, Midwest Independent Publishers Association

Migrant Mother by Don Nardo

2012 San Diego Book & Writing Awards Finalist, San Diego Book Awards Association

Dog Tricks by Liz Palika

2011 Connecticut Press Club Communications Award, Connecticut Press Club

It’s a Pattern by M.W. Penn

2011 Young Adult Top Forty Titles, Pennsylvania School Librarians Association

Over 30 Capstone series made the annual lists! You can find the complete lists (Nonfiction, Fiction, and Reference) here.

Personalizing Learning

Lynn Walker — Wed, 23 May 2012 13:01:00 -0500

21st Century Skills, Striving Readers, Common Core State Standards and the list goes on. All of these are important initiatives that schools are dealing with to help raise the proverbial education bar in the United States and help students prepare for college and career readiness.

Personalized learning for each student should be the goal of every administrator in the country. After all everyone, regardless of age, learns differently, comprehends at different rates and levels and generally have different interests. We can always be reminded that the world is going to a more personalized approach, look at Amazon, iTunes, NetFlix, and the list goes on. Now, it seems like Washington DC is embracing personalized educational programs AND providing some fund to help implement!

"We need to take classroom learning beyond a one-size-fits-all model and bring it into the 21st century,” Secretary Arne Duncan said in a statement.

To win a share of the money, according to the article in Chicago Tribune there are funds to help promote personalization based on, "districts must come up with a way to personalize education, so that each child can advance at his own pace and explore his own interests, the rules state. Districts must also ensure that students move on only when they have truly mastered a skill - not when they have completed a packet of worksheets or listened to a semester of lectures."

Just in case you were wondering, myON reader is a personalized literacy environment that matches students interests and their reading level to a recommended book list from over 2600 digital books. With embedded assessments, students, educators and adminsitrators can monitor and measure their progress. All students whether gifted readers, struggling readers, ELL students can take advantage of the largest online digital personalized library that soon will be able to be accessed anywhere and on any device. Click here for more information! Just saying...

Is There a “Right” Way to Teach Math in Preschool?

Maryellen Gregoire, M.Ed. — Tue, 22 May 2012 11:09:18 -0500

In a daily e-newsletter written yesterday by ExchangeEveryDay, Francis Wardle is quoted from his 2007 article Math in Early Childhood. He states that “Math is about manipulating things” that represent the world. Whether it’s objects, shapes, constructing, building or estimating, using concrete experiences is the 'right' way to teach preschool children math.

As a former third grade teacher, all I can remember about teaching math is that each child had his/her own way to understand math concepts. Some children needed manipulatives, some needed pencil and paper and others could figure it out in their minds.How do you think math should be taught to preschoolers?

NATO Fever! Catch It!

Amanda Robbins — Mon, 21 May 2012 07:30:00 -0500

If you’ve been paying any attention to the news, you’ve probably heard something about the NATO Summit taking place in Chicago. As I write this (on Friday), the streets around our office are eerily quiet with a very visible police presence. The first major protest is to occur sometime today at Daley Plaza, which is only about a block away from where I am sitting. Several thousand people are expected to be there. I just hope that the protesters are treated fairly and with respect by law enforcement and, in turn, that the protesters remain peaceful and stay well within the bounds of the law. Let’s hope that no bad eggs spoil it for everyone. (I’m especially looking at you, creepy, balaclava-wearing, so-called anarchists! If you’re protesting peacefully, why cover your faces?)

To say the least, it should be an interesting weekend! Protests are supposed to continue throughout the weekend, really picking up on Sunday, when the conference begins. If you happen to be reading this on Monday, our office is closed. For our own safety, we’ve been asked to work from home. Yikes.

So, what’s the big deal? Well, NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) is a political and military alliance between the member countries. Founded in 1949 by the 12 original members, it has now grown to 28 countries. NATO summits don’t happen very often and are rarely in the United States.

During a NATO summit, many of the world’s most powerful Heads of State and Heads of Government all gather in one place to meet, talk, and strategize. This time around, they’re all here in Chicago. So, you can understand why there’s such a strong security presence. It’s also not surprising that protesters around the world are gathering here, as well. It’s partly symbolic, as many are not protesting NATO itself. But since the world’s media is also in Chicago, it is a real opportunity for their (hopefully peaceful) voices to be heard.

It’s really a great thing that we live in a country where we have freedom of speech and the right to protest. Of course, we shouldn’t forget that we aren’t the only country where people have these rights, but many countries definitely do not. For those choosing to exercise their rights this weekend, I sincerely hope it all stays civil, safe, and respectful.

If you know any readers with a desire to learn more about global politics, we’ve got a great new series coming out in the fall—Ethics of Politics is a sophisticated four-book series that will help readers understand and analyze international political structures, both modern and historical, through an ethical lens. Titles include International Relations, Leaders, Political Systems, and Voting and Elections. Look for it on our website next month!

--Adam Miller, Senior Editor

Fiction Friday: Hot one!

Beth Brezenoff — Fri, 18 May 2012 10:16:59 -0500

It may still be spring, but it sure feels summery around these parts. Have a great weekend!