SOL 28: The 38 Degree Game

“Why am I still cold?” my husband just asked me.

“Because we sat outside for over two hours and froze tonight,” I replied.

We definitely love our son. Wes had his first baseball game. The sky was a beautiful clear blue. The sun was shining. Was that beauty ever deceiving! The temperature was 38 degrees with some wind. Brrrrrr. I haven’t taken my sweatshirt off yet.  Our toes froze wrapped up in a blanket.

I had packed hot water bottles in a small cooler, heated up the heat packs, and hoped Wesley could stay warm in between innings.  Did you know those 8 hour hot patches for a back really do help keep fingers warm?  Wesley puts one in his back pants pocket. In between pitches, I kept noticing him slip his hand in his pocket. One of his teammates came over holding a hot pack. “These are awesome. I’m getting one for Wednesday’s game.”

Wednesday, oh, I hope it’s warmer. I love my son, but I would prefer to love him in  warmer weather.

 

 

Firefighters to the Rescue

Kersten Hamilton uses a poem as the text for the narrative. The book isn’t just a story about firemen, but informational too.  Bold words and some conversation accent the text.

The setting is not in present day but more like in the 1950’s.  Notice the cars, clothing (many women in dresses), the movie theatre (Roy Rogers in Trigger Jr.), cameras are a few items to point out to your students.  I know one first grade social studies standard is to compare past to present. Firefighters to the Rescue would be a great conversation starter.

The story is told through Rich Davis‘s illustrations in Firefighters to the Rescue! The fire engine races through the streets as people make way.  A house fire blazes.  A little boy cannot find his dog. The crowd waits and hopes. The fireman brave the elements, and yes, the dog is rescued.

Savorings for reading and in writing for Firefighters to the Rescue:

• Compare past and present – Retro/historical
• Suddenly – all on its own page for emphasis
• Bold print
• Inging verbs – cooking, mapping
• Teacher Resources – check out Kersten Hamilton’s website.  You can connect through the link on her name above.  She has teacher resources for her books.  An interview is linked as well.  I think it’s great when children can “meet” the author.