Comments on: Investigating my Reaction to Terrorist Files http://deepthinking.blogsome.com/2007/09/29/investigating-my-reaction-to-terrorist-files/ The art of contemplation and commentary explored through the mind of a school librarian. Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:47:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.1-alpha by: Diane http://deepthinking.blogsome.com/2007/09/29/investigating-my-reaction-to-terrorist-files/#comment-169 Sun, 20 Apr 2008 01:00:14 +0100 http://deepthinking.blogsome.com/2007/09/29/investigating-my-reaction-to-terrorist-files/#comment-169 Thanks Amanda! I have since then visited many other series that I can happily use with middle school and 11-14 year olds that I am NOT convinced work with 8-10 year olds. When I first read the book, I was perplexed about the interest, but the reaction of all other adults around me who work with the little ones was what surprised me most. It's not just the sentence that caught their attention, it's the detailed illustrations. I continue to gather opinions from students. The little ones just aren't interested in that disaster that happened a long time ago and didn't directly impact them. They also do not care about the tornadoes that devastated Nashville ten years ago and remain vivid in adult minds. The older students 11-14 have a better ability to understand complexities and appropriateness. Older students are interested in the process of investigation. That's why the series works better for older students in my own opinion. I love blogging and commenting because I do respect your opinion and I'm glad you shared it here. Thanks Amanda! I have since then visited many other series that I can happily use with middle school and 11-14 year olds that I am NOT convinced work with 8-10 year olds. When I first read the book, I was perplexed about the interest, but the reaction of all other adults around me who work with the little ones was what surprised me most. It’s not just the sentence that caught their attention, it’s the detailed illustrations. I continue to gather opinions from students. The little ones just aren’t interested in that disaster that happened a long time ago and didn’t directly impact them. They also do not care about the tornadoes that devastated Nashville ten years ago and remain vivid in adult minds. The older students 11-14 have a better ability to understand complexities and appropriateness.
Older students are interested in the process of investigation. That’s why the series works better for older students in my own opinion. I love blogging and commenting because I do respect your opinion and I’m glad you shared it here.

]]> by: Amanda Bendeich http://deepthinking.blogsome.com/2007/09/29/investigating-my-reaction-to-terrorist-files/#comment-168 Sun, 20 Apr 2008 00:20:42 +0100 http://deepthinking.blogsome.com/2007/09/29/investigating-my-reaction-to-terrorist-files/#comment-168 Sentence from the book: "A bomb made from plastic explosives was hidden inside a Toshiba cassette player." Not a very exhaustive and detailed intruction on how to make a bomb. I think you are over-reacting. These books are for 11-14 year olds and these titles are quite popular with the students at my school. Sentence from the book: “A bomb made from plastic explosives was hidden inside a Toshiba cassette player.”

Not a very exhaustive and detailed intruction on how to make a bomb.

I think you are over-reacting. These books are for 11-14 year olds and these titles are quite popular with the students at my school.

]]> by: Dave Taggart http://deepthinking.blogsome.com/2007/09/29/investigating-my-reaction-to-terrorist-files/#comment-144 Sun, 28 Oct 2007 07:45:18 +0000 http://deepthinking.blogsome.com/2007/09/29/investigating-my-reaction-to-terrorist-files/#comment-144 1. The right call. 2. Don't make a big deal out of it. You can't buy everything. There's plenty of stuff out there; why not save this for middle grades. It isn't like you soaked it in gasoline and burned it out by the flagpole (did you?). 3. I'm really not sure how much actual interest the kids will have. Publishers don't realize how quickly the world turns. 1988 is a generation ago -- this is about something that happend when their parents were in elementary school -- like expecting me in 1964 to get all excited about a new book about the battle of Iwo Jima. I get this all the time from science textbooks. In their rush to relevancy, they pull things from their recent memories, and confuse those with current events, Scicnce textbooks treat the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens as common knwledge, something kids woul dhave seen on TV; in reality, lots of their parents don't even remember it. 1. The right call.

2. Don’t make a big deal out of it. You can’t buy everything. There’s plenty of stuff out there; why not save this for middle grades. It isn’t like you soaked it in gasoline and burned it out by the flagpole (did you?).

3. I’m really not sure how much actual interest the kids will have. Publishers don’t realize how quickly the world turns. 1988 is a generation ago — this is about something that happend when their parents were in elementary school — like expecting me in 1964 to get all excited about a new book about the battle of Iwo Jima.

I get this all the time from science textbooks. In their rush to relevancy, they pull things from their recent memories, and confuse those with current events, Scicnce textbooks treat the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens as common knwledge, something kids woul dhave seen on TV; in reality, lots of their parents don’t even remember it.

]]> by: Sandraent http://deepthinking.blogsome.com/2007/09/29/investigating-my-reaction-to-terrorist-files/#comment-142 Thu, 04 Oct 2007 19:11:07 +0100 http://deepthinking.blogsome.com/2007/09/29/investigating-my-reaction-to-terrorist-files/#comment-142 Diane, I believe your next to last sentence is key. This material does not meet the educational needs of our students. I will not purchase that series. Diane,

I believe your next to last sentence is key. This material does not meet the educational needs of our students. I will not purchase that series.

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