Author Profile

Testing Miss Malarkey

Judy Finchler

ISBN: 082787371

This book pokes fun at standardized testing. It reminds me about all the hype that goes around the TAKS testing. It is about the students having to take a new test for the school year call the Instructional Performance Through Understanding Test. All of the staff and teachers at the school prepare the students all year long for THE TEST. In art they are practicing filling in bubbles for THE TEST and in the cafeteria they are feeding them brain food to better prepare them. The teachers stress that THE TEST is not important but their actions and nervous attitudes say differently. Even when the author talks about THE TEST she makes sure to have it in all capital letters so the reader knows its importance.

I also found some neat author websites:

http://www.booksbyomalley.com/

http://www.chrisvanallsburg.com/

www.eric-carle.com/home.html

http://www.seussville.com/

Presentations

I learned a lot of new information from todays presentation. I dislike spiders because they are scary creatures but I learned they do serve a purpose because they do eat a lot of bugs and that keeps the bug population in check so they don't get higher in numbers. Making a spider out of clay was fun and I can see myself doing that craft with a group of elementary students. It would be good for spiders or even Halloween.
The Snow White project was different because it talked about the early stories from the tale that we haven't heard before. Some of the tales were a little strange and definetaly for an older audience. I am not sure if I would read that book to even high school students. I think it is meant to be more for adults.