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Kellee’s School’s Author Visit with Jennifer A. Nielsen

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Jennifer A. Nielsen visited my school on December 4th, 2018, and today her newest book comes out (Deceiver’s Heart, Traitor’s Game #2!!!!), so I thought today would be the best day to share about the amazing experience she brought to my school and the superb person she is!

Jennifer was kind enough to have a very packed day with us! She did an assembly for each grade level where she shared that the secret to being a writer is asking questions:

  • Do you have stories? Do you have dreams? If you have dreams, your brain is creating a story. Are you curious? You can be a writer.
  • Writers do these things: Collect stupid facts but don’t collect stupid. Ask Questions. Gain knowledge. They write. They work to get better. They keep trying.
  • There are two types of people: One who says they are good enough. You’ll be passed by people who won’t quit until it’s great.

She also gave us a sneak peek of the Resistance book trailer that went live the next week!

Every group of students (at over 375 each) were captivated by her stories, her humor, and her truth.

 

During each grade level’s lunch period, she also was kind enough to eat lunch with students who had read two or more of her books. During this time, they could get their books signed and ask exclusive questions.

This lunchtime experience was so inspiring to these students! They still talk about what she shared and (as you’ll see in the last photo below) they helped write a quite hilarious story with her that was cracking everyone up:

  • Story in her head is like an itch that she can’t reach. She is happiest when she is writing because she is reaching the itch.
  • Story is everywhere. Everyone carries story with them. Just ask questions and tell the story.
  • She starts a story with the character in action. Helps the reader and writer get into the character’s head and puts the character into immediate trouble.
  • When she was younger, she didn’t know writing was a choice for something you could do.

 

 

Then Jennifer even stayed with us for the evening for another quick presentation, book signing, and cross-curricular events that tied her book into all the subjects.

 

All in all, the visit was life-changing for our HCMS students.

After the visit, I had my students write letters sharing how the event affected them:

  • Thank you so much! You have made a great impact on my life. I have never liked writing but your story about when you were in 6th grade made me realize that I can do what I put my mind to do. -Olivia M, 6th grade
  • I love reading your books because when I read your books it is so good that I read for hours without stopping. When I found out you were coming I got excited because I wanted to find out more about the author who wrote my favorite books. You taught me never to give up and to keep going for my dream no matter how long it takes. Your books have inspired me to create my own book and to be a writer in the future. -Jacob K, 6th grade
  • The things you said during your visit made me realize I’ll never get better if I don’t try. -Georgia B, 6th grade
  • I loved your assembly. Your stories were hilarious and you inspired me to write down my ideas. -Emily B, 7th grade
  • Thank you so much for visiting us. It was amazing and super fun. Your presentations were incredible and I loved the stories you told. They were sad but so interesting. Your tips for writing were so helpful and I plan on taking them to heart whenever I write. Your encouragement was inspiring. “All you need is 20 seconds of insane courage and I promise you something great will come of it. (Benjamin Mee)” -Duda V, 7th grade
  • Your books are amazing, the plot twists were breath-taking, and your books are meaningful and are powerful. -Molly N, 7th grade
  • I’m a huge fan of your books and it was a dream come true to meet you! I enjoyed making a story with you during my lunch time, and I will always remember your visit. -Mariana S, 8th grade
  • If you were here to inspire, you hit it on the dot. -Julia R, 8th grade
  • Thank you for not quitting and showing us that just because you fail once, or twice, or even hundreds of times, we should keep on trying. -Lorenza M, 8th grade
  • Everything that you said just inspired me to do something that would forever make the world better. -Jordan K, 7th grade
  • Thank you for all the words of wisdom and encouragement to write, and for that I’ll always be grateful. -Monika A, 7th grade
  • You are such a beautiful soul, and I am in denial that I had the chance to meet someone like you. -Amy C, 7th grade
  • You were right – stories are everywhere!.. You are funny and kind, and I love how you add little bits of yourself into your books. -Maelynn A, 7th grade

And I’ll end with this beautiful work. My friend, who teaches 8th grade ELA, had her students do a 6 word reflection with a visual to summarize either how they felt or what they learned:


“Good writing takes time and passion.” -Alexa F.


“Don’t let your ideas go away.” -Charlie B.


“Don’t think of ideas, execute them.” -Grace G.


“Failure is the pillar of success.” -Ramia A.


“All failures lead to a success.” -Paola A.


“Catch an ideas, don’t let go.” -Lauren T.


“To write, you mustn’t fear ideas.” -Ishika J.


“The first draft isn’t always perfect.” -Holly C.

Thank you so much, Jennifer, for coming to HCMS and inspiring my students in ways that are life-changing!

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Author Guest Post!: “The Writing Process” by Lauren L. Wohl, Author of Extravaganza at the Plaza

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“The Writing Process” 

Over the course of a career in children’s book publishing, I’ve had the opportunity to hear many wonderful authors speak about their “process” – how they approach that intimidating blank page – whether a notebook, a sheet of paper in a typewriter, or the screen on a computer.  Where do you begin? And then what?

The clearest answer for me was a comment Walter Dean Myers made in a speech. “Writers write,” he said.  That is the literary version of “just do it!”  When you have an idea that’s taken hold of you, start writing.  What you write probably won’t make it into the final version of your project, but it will help you exercise your writing muscles and fire up the connection between your thoughts and your fingers. While doing that, some good sentences will emerge; characters will introduce themselves to you; plots will begin to take shape.

This is not to say that you shouldn’t be thinking about all these elements, too – not just waiting for them to tap you on the shoulder.  Make notes.  Do research.  Ask questions of yourself and search for answers.  All of this becomes the soil your story needs to grow.  But keep writing through it all.  That’s the only way I know of to discover the voice that is right for this particular story – and voice is the hardest part to explain, or force, or fake.

For the three novels in my Raccoon River Kids series of chapter books, I started with a place – a small town where kids have lots more freedom than they do in cities – a place where they can hop on their bikes and go by themselves – even when they are as young as seven or eight — to a friend’s house or venture into the center of town with a park as its centerpiece, a community center, and an old town hall where the doors are always open.

That was the beginning. My early writing was about the town itself, but as I described its geography and places, I began to envision the children who would be at the center of the novels: a third-grade boy and his best friend, a third-grade girl. There was a third boy. too. He stood outside of things and had only contrary remarks about the other children’s plans.  I didn’t know why at first, and I knew I would have to explain it – first to myself, then to my characters, and finally to my readers, of course.

As I developed Raccoon River and the characters in my early unstructured doodling, I also found the voice for these books.  At first I thought I would have the older sibling of one of the characters be the narrator, but it became complicated.  She couldn’t be everywhere the kids were. And, if she had to be involved in everything that they did, the children could never keep a secret from her. And secrets are important to children of this age – I didn’t want to take that option away from “my kids.”

I decided on an omniscient narrator who could get into everyone’s head; a teller who could be behind the scenes and in front of them simultaneously; a non-judgmental, trustworthy observer with a sympathetic view and faith in the characters.

With all these puzzle pieces to manipulate, I started to write. I always begin at the beginning. Opening chapters are important to me.  Wiser authors have told me that I should never get attached to the opening I write.  They universally agree that as the story progresses, beginnings often need to be changed, or moved elsewhere, or simply dropped.  I’m sure that’s true, but I can’t get going until I have at least my opening scene written.

Writers have also advised me not to polish any writing until the entire first draft is written. Again, I’m sure this is good advice.  But I find it impossible not to fix something that isn’t working – whether it’s an ugly phrase, a bad choice of a word, or an entire episode that is … well … wrong.  The first thing I do when I return to a work-in-progress is read what I wrote the last writing session.  And make changes, sometimes big ones, sometimes little tweaks.  That gets me back into the voice of the story.

I write mostly chronologically.  But not always.  If some later adventure has been working itself out as I take walks or make dinner or watch the news, I write it out of order. I figure it will fit in somewhere.  Mostly it does.

When I have a good portion of the whole written, I step away for several weeks.  I might jot down notes if any random ideas come to me, but I don’t put them into the manuscript.  I try to remove myself from the story for a while.  When I return to it, there’s a strange sense that it was written by someone else, which allows me to see things more clearly.

The result of this round is a new manuscript.  I can move chapters around, clarify motivations, polish language, deepen my characters, and strengthen the logic in the plot that will lead readers through the novel.

At the round three stage, I work on chapter endings and beginnings to be sure the story flows through smoothly.  I look for secondary themes to amplify. I examine the actions of the characters and how they speak for consistency. Similarly, I check for character traits or habits that help identify one from the next for readers. Because these are chapter books for relatively new readers, I make sure there’s not too much description but that there is enough so young readers can find themselves in Raccoon River and put themselves into the story.

And again, I step away from what I am now thinking of as “a book” for a while.  If it holds together when I return some weeks later, then it’s ready for some feedback.  And that’s when the process starts all over again.

About the Author: Lauren L. Wohl has had a long career in children’s book publishing. She has a degree in Library Science and has been an elementary school librarian. She served as Director of James Patterson’s ReadKiddoRead program, taught writing at the college level, and now consults with several publishers and literary agencies. Stories she’s been reading in newspapers and seeing on television news programs about children stepping up to make kind, generous, and important contributions to their communities inspired her chapter books about the Raccoon River Kids: Blueberry Bonanza and now Extravaganza at the Plaza. She is also the author of a picture book, A Teeny Tiny Halloween, illustrated by Henry Cole and Zooapalooza, coming August 2019. A native New Yorker, Lauren enjoys life in her new hometowns of Lenox, Massachusetts and Miami Beach, Florida.

About Extravaganza at the Plaza (Raccoon River Kids #2): “It isn’t fair that our town doesn’t have its own theater,” eight-year-old Hannah complains. 

A lot of thinking, planning, dreaming, and list-making, and Hannah–along with the kids of Raccoon River–are up to their ears in a brand new project: saving the town’s old abandoned Plaza Theater. But first, they have to get a look inside. And it’s spooky in there-spider webs and creaky floors, and one slowly-swaying curtain. Can Hannah and her friends save the plaza? 

Lauren L. Wohl tells a story of determination and hard work, cooperation and more than little bit of luck where the kids of a small town make a real difference in their community, the first sequel to BLUEBERRY BONANZA in the RACCOON RIVER KIDS ADVENTURES series. Mark Tuchman illustrates the action with characterful drawings that enrich the tale.

Thank you, Lauren, for your post–it was fascinating to learn about your process!

Author Guest Post!: “The Student Body: Fostering Positive Body Images Among Students” by Leanne Baugh, Author of The Story of My Face

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“The Student Body: Fostering Positive Body Images Among Students”

I recently read a survey on StageofLife.com about how teens view their bodies. The article included the following statistics that are alarming but, sadly, not surprising.

  • 20% of teens are either rarely or never happy with their bodies
  • 31% of teens have at least one body part on which they would like to get surgery
  • 56% of teens feel that media’s advertisements are the main cause of low self-esteem

As a teenager (many, many years ago), I struggled with negative body image and pretty much fit into all the statistical categories above. Needless to say, it was a traumatic time in my life. As a Young Adult author, I wanted to find a story thread to explore this theme without writing an “issue book”. I asked myself the question: In a society that is obsessed with beauty, how would my protagonist, Abby Hughes, a seventeen-year-old with a severe facial disfigurement, overcome obstacles and navigate her way to self-acceptance? In the past months since The Story of My Face was published, I have been gratified to hear from readers—both teens and adults—who have been inspired by Abby’s journey.

Organizations such as Be You, Dove Campaign for Self-Esteem, Common Sense Media, and The Body Positive Site have tried to change the conversation about society’s beauty ideal. But, like Abby’s story in the novel, youth are still bombarded with unhealthy images and societal and media pressures about how they “should” look. And it’s taking its toll. Negative body image may contribute to academic problems, disordered eating, poor self-esteem, abandoning physical and social activities, and depression.

What can teachers do to promote positive body images among their students? Here are a few tips from nedic.ca:

  • Be a positive role model who is accepting of your own body.
  • Examine your own values and beliefs about body size and health.
  • Compliment students on their abilities, character, behaviour and other areas that they excel in, rather than their appearance.
  • Show students a variety of images that reflect diverse physical abilities, body sizes and outward appearances.
  • Reinforce the message that bodies come in all shapes, sizes, colours and weights.
  • Engage students in discussions that challenge messages regarding what society deems are desirable physical appearances.
  • Choose respectful language when discussing bodies and health.
  • Encourage students to accept and care for their bodies.
  • Promote physical activity because of its mental and physical health benefits—not to alter shape or size.
  • Teach students how to challenge body-based bullying.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that teachers have the ability to change students’ lives. Encouraging students to accept themselves, just as they are, could make all the difference in the world.

About the Author: Leanne Baugh has been a waitress, receptionist, teacher, stay-at-home mom, and a screenwriter. Leanne is passionate about books, films, beach walks, and hummingbirds. When she isn’t at home in Victoria, B.C., she’s off traveling the world.

About The Story of My Face: After being attacked by a grizzly bear in the Rocky Mountains, seventeen-year-old Abby Hughes’ facial scars are all she can think about, and all that she thinks anyone else can see when they look at her.

It’s now September, and Abby’s months of hiding out at home are over. Returning to high school feels as daunting as enduring seven plastic surgeries. She knew it would be hard to show her new face to the world, but she didn’t expect to be rejected by her so-called friends. If she wants others to move past the surface, Abby has to learn to do that herself. Her love of acting and her return to the drama club may be the key to going on with her new life, or it may be the disaster that sends her back into her protective shell.  Reminiscent to the book and film Wonder, Baugh’s story is full of the relatable struggles that teenagers face in high-school.  A character portrait on the importance of self-acceptance, The Story of My Face is a timely novel in the midst of the ever-growing image driven social media landscape.

Thank you, Leanne, for this inspirational post! All we can say is: YES!!!! Body positivity for young girls is so important and is life changing!

Teaching Tuesday: A Virtual Book Signing with Alice Faye Duncan

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A Song for Gwendolyn Brooks
Author: Alice Faye Duncan
Illustrator: Xia Gordon
Published January 1st, 2019 by Sterling Children’s Books

Summary: “The combination of biography and Brooks’ own poems makes for a strong, useful, and beautiful text . . . A solid introduction to a brilliant writer”—Kirkus.

Acclaimed writer Alice Faye Duncan tells the story of poet Gwendolyn Brooks, the first Black author to win the Pulitzer Prize.

SING a song for Gwendolyn Brooks.
Sing it loud—a Chicago blues.

With a voice both wise and witty, Gwendolyn Brooks crafted poems that captured the urban Black experience and the role of women in society. She grew up on the South Side of Chicago, reading and writing constantly from a young age, her talent lovingly nurtured by her parents. Brooks ultimately published 20 books of poetry, two autobiographies, and one novel. Alice Faye Duncan has created her own song to celebrate Gwendolyn’s life and work, illuminating the tireless struggle of revision and the sweet reward of success.

A Message from Alice Faye Duncan: 

“Dear Teachers and Librarians:

Welcome to my FIRST virtual book signing. In this media presentation you will see AND hear me read my new book A Song for Gwendolyn Brooks. It is the poet’s biography told in 9 short poems. Gwendolyn Brooks and her pursuit of words is lesson in audacity, tenacity and victory.  Her life is a journey that young readers can use to navigate this trying world.”

About Alice Faye Duncan: Alice Faye Duncan writes books for young readers and adults. HONEY BABY SUGAR CHILD is a mother’s love song to her baby. The lyrical text sings and swings just like music. One must read it aloud with LOVE, JOY and SOUL!

MEMPHIS, MARTIN AND THE MOUNTAINTOP (The 1968 Sanitation Strike) is a lyrical combination of poetry and prose that explores Dr. King’s assassination and his last stand for economic justice in the city of Memphis. The illustrator is Caldecott Honor recipient, Gregory Christie.

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS IN TENNESSEE is a child’s travel guide across the Volunteer State (GO VOLS!). Two cousins in ugly holiday sweaters visit important landmarks throughout the state, while traveling in a mini-van called the “Reindeer Express.” The illustrator is Mary Uhles.

A SONG FOR GWENDOLYN BROOKS will debut in January 2019. This is the first picture book biography to explore the life and times of Chicago poet–Gwendolyn Brooks. In 1950, Miss Brooks was the first African American writer to receive a Pulitzer Prize.

Have you heard the name, “Pinkney?” Alice’s book–JUST LIKE A MAMA will make its debut on Mother’s Day (2019). The illustrator is Charnelle Pinkney Barlow. Her grand father is Caldecott illustrator, Jerry Pinkney. Charnelle is a master artist too. Get ready to be charmed with impressive images and a lyrical text.

Thank you so much to Alice Faye Duncan for sharing this amazing reading with us! The Virtual Book Signing, more about Alice and her books, and FREE LESSON PLANS for her books can all be found on her website: https://alicefayeduncan.com/.

Author Guest Post!: “Curiosity, Ignorance, and the Big What If” by Jeanne Moran, Author of The Path Divided

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“Curiosity, Ignorance, and the Big What If”

My novels were born of my curiosity and my ignorance.

Books I’ve read and movies I’ve seen about Nazi Germany tend to focus on the war and the horrors inflicted on Nazi targets. These stories are typically told from the perspective of either the regime’s victims or the WWII victors.

Enter my curiosity. As a second-generation American of German descent, I wondered about the German experience. If my grandparents hadn’t emigrated, my parents would have grown up in Nazi Germany. Their school curriculum would have been Nazi-designed and approved. They would have been members of Hitler Youth, as was the law. They would have been bombarded with the regime’s version of news through government-controlled media. Perhaps they would have been caught up in the fervor of a torchlight parade or an enormous rally.

I knew the Nazis were good at brainwashing their citizens – they had spewed propaganda into German minds for six years before war broke out. But I wondered, what if a regular teenage German thought for herself? What if he was headstrong and independent and refused to go along with the crowd?

My curiosity led me to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. There, I bought a little brochure in their Victims of the Nazi Era line simply labeled “Handicapped.” As the sister of a developmentally disabled woman and as a practicing pediatric physical therapist, I was curious.

Then I was stunned. There I was, 50 years old, learning for the first time about a Nazi pogrom focused on exterminating people with disabilities. I had literally spent my entire life surrounded by people with disabilities, and yet I was ignorant of this T4 pogrom.

When I asked a few librarians, they spoke of titles that ‘may have mentioned it’ but knew of none that specifically showed people with disabilities as targets of Nazi aggression. Since I couldn’t bear the thought of readers missing that important piece of history, I wrote the YA novel Risking Exposure.

When it was published, I was satisfied that I’d told the complete tale of those characters. Some readers, including my own mother I should add, contacted me to say, “And? What happened next?” Although delighted that readers wanted to spend more time with my characters, I dismissed requests for ‘the rest’ of the story. I needed respite from the darkness of Nazi Germany.

A year later, and I tell you this in full trust that you won’t call the men in the white coats, I awoke with a grouchy old man’s voice in my head. Without knowing who he was, I stumbled to the computer and documented his words. About five hundred words into his dictation, I realized he was an unrepentant Nazi. After another five hundred words, I recognized him as the antagonist from Risking Exposure, but six decades older. The seed for his half of The Path Divided was sown.

When I revisited the character of the antagonist’s sister and found her still in 1938 (I’m not a time traveler, just a writer,) her story grew also. I interwove her historical narrative with his more contemporary one.

My research for The Path Divided turned up some lesser-known Nazi initiatives and events. My poor characters. I allowed her to get caught up in the crowd hysteria of the Nuremberg Rally. I made him participate in the systematic kidnapping of ‘Aryan’ children for the Lebensborn program. Those details not only create the backdrop for a historical tale that ‘could have happened,’ they also give a truer perspective of what it must have been like to be a teen caught in the insidious grasp of Nazi protocols.

I also learned that the Romany people were early targets of Nazi aggression, another seldom-mentioned group for the victim list. When some Romany characters presented themselves to me for inclusion in this novel, they brought their magic with them. How wonderful, I thought as I wove bits of magical realism into the novel, the Nazi era could have used a little magic.

To balance the need for historical accuracy (and a touch of magic) with my own need for hope and decent behavior, I was delighted that my research uncovered a seldom-mentioned effort called the Kindertransport. That international program created a safe means for the mass emigration of vulnerable children from Nazi Germany and its occupied lands. Ten thousand (yes, 10,000!) children who probably would have been killed by the Nazis during the war years were instead saved through this program. Legally and with the cooperation of the Nazi Party and the governments of the host nations, these children were identified and sent to foster homes in England and several other European countries. What an outstanding example of cooperation and kindness before the dark curtain of war fell across the world.

After a decade of research and writing, I can say with some confidence that I am no longer ignorant about the Nazi regime. My curiosity about that era is satisfied. As a writer, I’m done with the Nazis.

But then again, what if…

Book Summary:

Because every choice has its consequence….

When a magical picture frame reveals the danger facing a teenage traitor, her best friend hatches a plan to sneak her out of Nazi Germany. Options are few. Choices are desperate.

Decades later, an aged Nazi hiding under an alias plans to die with his secrets intact. Confronted with his role in the fate of his sister and her best friend, he must decide: maintain his charade or face the consequences of the path he chose so long ago.

In this powerful conclusion to Risking Exposure, interwoven tales of guilt, sacrifice, and hope crack the divide between personal safety and loyalty to those we claim to love.

Author bio:

The author of Risking Exposure (2013,) Mikey and the Swamp Monster (2016,) and The Path Divided (2018,) Jeanne Moran reads and writes stories in which unlikely heroes make a difference in their corner of the world. In her everyday life, she strives to be one of them.

Find her at https://jeannemoran.weebly.com, or connect with Jeanne Moran, Author on Facebook or Instagram.

Thank you, Jeanne, for your post! What a great example of author’s thinking!

 

Author Guest Post!: “Shaping the World: Industrial Design” by Carla Mooney, Author of Industrial Design: Why Smartphones Aren’t Round and Other Mysteries

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“Shaping the World: Industrial Design”

Why are chairs shaped like…chairs? How do engineers get ideas for improving the design of cars, phones, packaging—everything?

Since the earliest times, people have searched for better solutions to specific problems. They have tried to improve stone tools, cooking pots, weapons, and more. When creating each new item, they have thought hard about it—what problem are they trying to solve, what are they trying to accomplish, how can they make it work better?

Answering these questions, they made a design. Through design, people have created the key inventions of our civilization.

You might not know it, but you, too are a designer. Have you ever rearranged your room or desk to better suit a specific use? Maybe you wrote a quick computer program to make your gaming system work better. By thinking about what needed to be improved and finding a way to improve it, you used design skills.

So what’s industrial design? Industrial design is the process of brainstorming and planning every aspect of a product before it is made in mass production. Most of the things we buy today are made in a factory. Someone, an industrial designer, decided what the product would look like, how it would work, and developed a process for it to be manufactured.

Industrial design includes making decisions about how a product is used by a person, what technologies it uses, the materials it is made from, and how it looks and feels. Industrial design is a problem-solving process.

People have been designing things since the first fire pit! As technology grows increasingly complex, the methods of design have grown more sophisticated, but the beginning spark is the same. Spot a problem? Design a solution!

Try your hand at industrial design with these hands-on projects!

DESIGNER VS CRAFTSMAN

The growth of factories and mass production allowed companies to produce goods that were affordable for many people. At the same time, separating design from manufacturing can cause some problems. In this activity, you will explore some of the differences between craft-based design and mass production.

To begin, you will play the role of a craftsperson. Choose something that you can make, such as a piece of art, a stick picture frame, a simple wooden train and tracks, or a magnetic clip. Gather your supplies and get to work designing and making your item. Think about the following questions.

What design decisions did you make for your item?
When did you make these decisions—before you started working or while you were making the item?
How were the design process and the making of the item connected? How were they separate?

Now, imagine that your item will be mass-produced in a factory. You are still the designer, but will not be making the items. How will you convey your design ideas to the people who will manufacture and assemble the items? How will you ensure that the mass-produced items match your design, regardless of who makes them?

Have several friends or classmates follow your design instructions and make the item without you. After they have finished, compare their items to your handcrafted original.

Are there any differences? If so, what are they?
What difficulties did you and your team encounter while mass-producing the item? Why do you think this occurred?
What problems will it cause if there are differences between a design and the manufactured products? What about between the products themselves?
What could you do as the designer to ensure there are very few differences between the original design and mass-produced items?

Try This!

Think about how ornamentation affects mass-produced industrial design. Ornamentation is everything added to an object for decoration. It could be the type of finish or painting on an object, scrolls in woodwork, or even added jewels or metalworking. What is the effect of ornamentation on an object’s form, function, manufacturing process, and cost?

DESIGN A CHAIR

Design solves a problem and meets a need. When industrial designers create and improve products, they make sure their designs meet the needs of users. In this activity, you’ll design a chair that meets the needs of a specific type of user.

Consider the following chair users.

An 80-year-old man who walks with a cane. He spends most of his day in a chair, watching television. It is difficult for him to get in and out of a chair.
A 15-year-old student who spends eight hours a day at school. He has a large, heavy backpack that he carries from class to class. In every class, he needs a place to work and store his backpack.
A 30-year-old marathon runner who spends much of her time moving. Because she often has sore muscles, she prefers a cushioned, comfortable place to relax and prepare for the next day’s run.

Choose one of the users and make a list of what they need in a chair. How are these needs related to design requirements for a chair?

Choose a variety of materials to work with. Possibilities include black permanent markers, paper, scissors, corrugated cardboard, pipe cleaners, modeling clay, cotton balls, tape, and toothpicks.

Following the design process and considering your design requirements, design the chair.

Draw several sketches of the design. What elements will you use in the design? How do these elements meet design requirements?

Using your materials, make a simple model of your chair.

Evaluate your chair’s design. Does it meet the design requirements? Does it work as intended? Is it aesthetically pleasing?

Test your design by having other people evaluate the chair. What changes or improvements do they recommend?

Retest it with potential users. If needed, redesign your chair based on the testing feedback. After you have the final design, consider the following questions.

What did you change during the design process? What did you learn from your models and prototypes?

What materials did you enjoy working with the most? Which did you enjoy the least? Why?

Try This!

Try building a model of the same chair using different materials. How do different materials affect the design? How does the choice of materials affect how well the chair meets the design requirements?

REDESIGN A KITCHEN UTENSIL

There are a lot of utensils in the kitchen—knives, forks, spoons, whisks, peelers, pizza cutters, ice cream scoopers, spatulas, and more. Can you find any that could be improved by industrial design?

With an adult’s permission, take an inventory of your kitchen utensils. Consider the following questions.

What types of utensils do you have? How many of each kind?
What materials are they made from?
Are they ergonomic?
Are any utensils hard to hold or difficult to use?
Are any broken or rusty?
Can you use them right-handed or left-handed?
Do the handles wobble and make gripping the utensil difficult?
Does the utensil have sharp edgesthat cut into your hand when holding?
Do they look aesthetically pleasing?

Choose a utensil to improve through industrial design. Follow the steps of the design process:

Understand the problem
Define design requirements
Generate ideas
Choose the best solution
Develop the solution
Make a model/build prototype
Test and redesign

Present your new and improved utensil design to family members. What are their reactions?

Try This!

Can you design a product to organize your kitchen utensils?

About the Author: Carla Mooney has written more than 70 books for children and young adults. Her work has appeared in many magazines including Highlights, Faces, and Learning Through History. Carla lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Website: carlamooney.com
Facebook: facebook.com/carlamooneyauthor

Industrial Design: Why Smartphones Aren’t Round and Other Mysteries with Science Activities for Kids
By Carla Mooney
Published August 3rd, 2018 by Nomad Press

About the Book: What is industrial design? Why do microwaves open with a swinging front door? Why aren’t smartphones round?

In Industrial Design: Why Smartphones Aren’t Round and Other Mysteries with Science Activities for Kids, readers ages 10–15 engage in and learn about the engineering design process from its earliest beginnings, when individuals designed and crafted their own tools, to today, when engineers work to find the best design for products that are then manufactured in bulk by automated machines. Engineers consider the user experience of every product they design to ensure that users have the best experience possible. Good design combines the right materials, colors, details, and form to make a person want to buy and use a product. A well-designed product is easy to use and does what it is meant to do!

Thank you Carla for these classroom and independent friendly inquiry activities!

Author Guest Post!: “Big Questions, Big World, Big Data!” by Carla Mooney, Author of Big Data: Information in the Digital World

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“Big Questions, Big World, Big Data!”

Did you shop online today? Write an essay in Google docs? Send a snapchat to a friend? If so, you’ve been using data!

Data is a collection of small bits of information. It’s what we know and can measure about the world. Data has been around since people could count and write down their observations, which means we’ve been creating and using data for many centuries.

Now, because of computers and the internet, the amount of digital data in the world is vast. There’s so much data, we’ve taken to calling it “big data!” People generate data every day. When we shop, when we listen to music online, when we use fitness trackers, when we text, when we simply visit different websites—all of these actions generate data about who we are and what we like.

But…why? Great question. Many organizations and businesses use data in innovative ways to help create new products and processes that improve the quality of life for people around the world. Others have used data for financial gain. Data can be used for many different purposes.

But there are problems. How do we store all of that data? How do we access it when we need it? How do we know what is good, trustworthy data and what is bad data? And what about keeping things private? Not everyone wants the world to know where they shop or what they eat or how much money they have in the bank. How do we make sure that our data isn’t being accessed when we don’t want it to be, or used in ways that are harmful?

These are critical questions that lots of different people are working on finding the answers to. The first, very important step is to understand what exactly data is, how it works, how we collect, store, and access it, and how we can protect it.

Try these hands-on projects to start thinking about data!

WHERE’S THE DATA?

Data can be found everywhere in the world. You generate data about yourself everyday—at home, at school, at work, and with your friends. In this activity, you will collect data about yourself and others. Then you’ll use the data you have collected to create meaningful information.

To start, find a partner—a classmate, friend, or family member—who is willing to participate in the activity with you. Together with your partner, brainstorm sources of data about each of you. Here are some ideas for data sources.

What data can you discover about a person from their cell phone?

What data can you discover about a person from their computer history?

What data can you discover about a person from their schedule and activities?

What can you discover from social media sites?

Now that you’ve identified several sources of data, you and your partner should select three sources from which to collect data about the other person. Decide how you are going to record or log this data—by hand, in a spreadsheet, or in a Word document. Collect and record your data.

Once you have three data sets about your subject, what can you do with the raw data? Is it meaningful in its raw format? Why or why not?

How can you organize the data so that it is more useful? What information can you learn from the data you have collected? For example, can you use the data to discover your partner’s favorite hobbies, websites, or television shows? What does this tell you about your partner? Is this information accurate?

Consider This!

As more devices collect data about your activities online and offline, what issues do you think this could cause? Who sees and owns this data? What should they be allowed to do with the data? What restrictions should be put in place?

EXPLORE WEATHER DATA

What’s the weather like where you live? Weather is one type of data in the world around you. It can be measured and described in many ways, including temperature, rainfall, wind speed, and humidity levels. Every measurement is a piece of data that can be used in a variety of ways.

To start, you’ll need to select two cities along with your own city. You will be collecting weather data for all three cities during a two-week period.

Every day for two weeks, use the internet and local weather sources to collect weather data. Consider collecting the following types of data.

Temperature, both high and low

Wind speed

Wind direction

Air pressure

Sky conditions– sunny, cloudy, partly cloudy

Precipitation–type and amount

Humidity

Meteorologists and other scientists use graphs and charts to look for trends in data. Create graphs for each category of weather data to compare and contrast the data from the three cities.

Now that you have organized your weather data, you can analyze it for useful information about the weather in the three cities. Use the graphs and charts to think about the following questions.

How would you describe the temperature changes in each city?

What was the highest and lowest temperature in each city and when did it occur?

What was the average temperature in each city?

Which city had the most sunny days, cloudy days, and rainy days?

Is there a relationship between sky conditions and temperature?

Is there a relationship between wind direction and temperature?

Which day had the most precipitation? Which had the least?

What was the total precipitation for the two-week period in each city?

How did air pressure change in each city? Did you spot any trends?

Is there a relationship between air pressure and the sky conditions of the next day?

Data can help us better understand the world around us. How are you able to use the data you collected to better understand the weather in your city and the other cities you tracked? What can you do with this information?

Try This!

How can you use your weather data to predict future weather? Based on the graphs and data analysis that you completed in this activity, what information have you learned that could help you predict weather in your city?

LEARNING ABOUT COMPUTER HISTORY

Many people, discoveries, and milestones were part of the history of the computer. From counting on an abacus to designing the first computer game, many people had a role in creating the technology behind today’s computers. In this activity, you’ll have the chance to learn a little more about a person or discovery you find especially interesting.

To start, think about an area of computer and data history that you want to learn more about.

You can pick a topic from this list, browse through the Computer History Museum’s website for ideas, or choose one of your own.

Abacus

Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace

Hollerith’s punched cards

Grace Hopper

Colossus computer

The six ENIAC programmers

First IBM personal computer

Apple Macintosh

Microsoft Windows

Google search engine

Using the internet and your library, research your chosen topic. Why is your topic important? What problem did it solve? How did it contribute to computer history?

Create a short video or PowerPoint presentation to share what you learned.

Consider This!

What is the connection between the topic you chose and how we collect, store, and use data today? How did this discovery or person in computer history impact the world of data today?

About the Author: Carla Mooney has written more than 70 books for children and young adults. Her work has appeared in many magazines including Highlights, Faces, and Learning Through History. Carla lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Website: carlamooney.com
Facebook: facebook.com/carlamooneyauthor

Big Data: Information in the Digital World with Science Activities for Kids
Published August 3rd, 2018 by Nomad Press

About the Book: Have you watched videos online today? Did you post photographs on social media? Did you upload your English essay to Google docs? All of these are questions about data!

In Big Data: Information in the Digital World with Science Activities for Kids, readers ages 10 to 15 explore the definition of data and learn how essential it is to our everyday lives. They learn about the history of data, the transition from paper to computers, and the role that search engines such as Google play in handling data. By making connections between the relationships among data, computers, and people, middle school kids also acquire the tools they need to become better digital citizens!

Thank you to Carla and Nomad Press for this great post with perfect activities for any STEM/PLTW/ICT, etc. classroom!