Special Selection
Literacy Materials with Moxie
Now and Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin
by Gene Barretta, 2006
- Grade level: 3-5
- Reading level: 4.2
- Rating:
- Genre: Informational text
I was searching Pinterest for a mentor text about Benjamin Franklin to read to my fifth graders when I came across the book Now and Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin by Gene Barretta. (What can’t you find on Pinterest!) I checked out the book at the local library and read it to my students. They sat on the carpet and listened intently, so I knew this was a good book.
Now and Ben tells of the various inventions Benjamin Franklin created or had a hand in creating. One side of the page describes an invention being used today, and the other side shows how it began and why Ben created it. For example, page six explains how newspapers today are filled with illustrations, and on the following page, the author explains how Ben Franklin “was the first to print a political cartoon in America.” The book continues like this with 17 other discoveries.
I thought this book was a delightful, easy read aloud for grade school children to learn about the great inventor and contributor, Benjamin Franklin. Now and Ben has an interest level targeting grades 3-5 and readability of 4.2. This makes it both easy to understand and can also be given to students to read independently. I like the layout of how one page shows the “now” and the opposite page shows “Ben” and what he invented, which provides a clear explanation of how the inventions have evolved. The illustrations are full of bright colors that grab your attention and make you want to flip to the next page. If you don’t have this book in your classroom library, I would suggest you consider adding it!
30 Hands app
- Platform: iOS
- Compatible: iPad,
iPhone, iPod touch
- Cost: Free
- Grade level: K-12
- Rating:
- Category: Teacher Apps
Student Showcase
30hands Mobile is a fun and innovative storytelling app that allows students, teachers, or anyone to easily create stories or presen-tations based on photos, images, or slides using a smart-phone or tablet. Comparable to pages in a book, photos or images can be arranged into the preferred order. Once that is complete, the teacher or student records audio over each image. Finally, the story or presen-tation can be published to the device’s photo area or uploaded to a 30hands collaborative learning site such as YouTube.
Strengths:
- Applicable to a variety of ages and contents
- Easy to use for both teachers and students
- Save projects and edit at any time
- Add pictures from inside app or camera roll
- Audio capabilities
- Multiple sharing options
Weakness:
- Multiple devices needed to complete separate projects concurrently
Classroom uses:
Digital storytelling, practicing fluency, making How To… videos, story sequencing, recording narratives, book reports, historical recounts, teacher instruction
Reviewed by Stacie Smith, 5th grade teacher at Richland Elementary School who loves to read, attend sports with her two boys, and travel.
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Reviewed by Dawn Licata, 2nd grade teacher at David Harrison Elementary in Springfield who is pursuing her master's in literacy at MSU.
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