Parent Cortical Mass

PCM's Top Articles of the Week

Two studies published recently, on parenting style and homework, provide valuable information for parents. Read about the changing role of fathers and new online tools that mercifully guide students through the college application process. Three posts debunking neuroscience myths are worth reading. You don’t want to perpetuate misconceptions, do you? Learn more about the 10,000 Hour Rule, talent and genius. Have you heard of ‘nudges’ in economics? Discover how nudging applies to learning. Arne Duncan, Jeb Bush and Michelle Rhee are in the ed news, Sec. Duncan hilariously so. Educators think parents will come unglued when students face the new, harder, common core standards, so get informed. For outstanding kids’ book gifts, click below on the 2012 winners of PCM's Top 10 Children's Book Awards.

Parenting

Homework: New Research Suggests It May Be an Unnecessary Evil - Alfie Kohn, Huff Post

Parenting Styles Defined in New Report on Family Culture - Lisa Belkin, Huff Post

Are Fathers Getting More Involved? - Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., BabyCenter

Parents Brave to Keep Up with Ever-Changing Tech Rules - Monica Vila, Mashable

Experts Advise Parents to Let Students Take College-App Lead - Caralee Adams, Ed Week

Why Play When You Can Code? - Rebecca Grant, Venture Beat

'Curious George' Boosts Kids' Science, Math, Study Finds - Nirvi Shah, Education Week

Learning

Using Just 10% of Your Brain? Think Again - Chabris and Simons, Wall Street Journal

The Myth of Learning Styles - Riener and Willingham, Change Magazine

Neuroscience Applied to Education - Daniel Willingham, Science and Education Blog

Why Gladwell's 10,000 Hour Rule is Wrong - David Bradley, BBC

Beyond Talent and Smarts: Why Even Geniuses Struggle - Annie Murphy Paul, Mind/Shift

Learning and 'Nudging' - Ben Williamson, DMLcentral

Education

Arne Duncan on The Onion, Tom Friedman, Male Stripper, Sec of State - Huffington Post

Jeb Bush Urges Allies to Stand Firm on Ed Policy - Sean Cavanagh, Education Week

Jeb and Arne, Together Again - Valerie Strauss, Washington Post

Michelle Rhee's Right Turn - Daniel Denvir, Salon

Can Michelle Rhee Save American Education? - Colin Diersing, Harvard Political Review

Common Core Math Standards, a New Kind of Problem - Barry Garelick, The Atlantic

Common Core: What Should Children Read? - Sara Mosle, New York Times

With Common Core, Writing Undergoes a Renaissance in School - Catherine Gewertz, Ed Week

Resources

2012 Holiday Gift Guide - Parents' Choice

Huge Round-Up of Science and Math Gifts for Kids - Melissa Taylor, Imagination Soup

GeekDad Holiday Gift Guide #3 - Games! - Dave Banks, Wired

Minecraft Reality for iOS - Kurzweil News

The 2012 Winners of the Most Prestigious Children's Book Awards - Parent Cortical Mass

Who Won the Top Children's Book Awards for 2012?

These books are the 2012 winners of PCM's Top 10 Children's Book Awards. You can depend on their high quality. The Hans Christian Andersen Award, considered the “Nobel Prize" in children's literature, is given to both an author and an illustrator for their lifelong contribution, not to one of their specific works.

1. Newbery Medal Winner for 2012

Dead End in Norvelt By Jack Gantos For Ages 10-14 The importance of history and reading (so you don’t do the same “stupid stuff” again) is at the heart of this achingly funny romp through a dying New Deal town. While mopping up epic nose bleeds, Jack narrates this screw-ball mystery in an endearing and believable voice.

2. Caldecott Medal Winner for 2012

A Ball for Daisy Written and Illustrated by Chris Raschka For Ages 3-8 In a wordless book with huge children’s appeal, Chris Raschka gives us the story of an irrepressible little dog whose most prized possession is accidently destroyed.

3. Hans Christian Andersen Award Winners for 2012

María Teresa Andruetto Author Award From Argentina The awards jury cited Andruetto’s “mastery in writing important and original works that are strongly focused on aesthetics. Her books relate to a great variety of topics, such as migration, inner worlds, injustice, love, poverty, violence or political affairs.” She was selected from a list of 27 nominated authors.

Peter Sis Illustrator Award From Czech Republic The jury praised Sís’s “extraordinary originality and deep creative power to relate highly complex stories that can be interpreted on many different levels,” noting “his use of different design and artistic techniques.” He was chosen from 30 nominated illustrators. He is the first children’s book illustrator to win the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship.

4. Horn Book Awards for 2012

Extra Yarn By Mac Barnett, Illustrated by Jon Klassen Picture Book Award Winner, for ages 4-7 When young Annabelle finds a small box containing a never-ending supply of yarn of every color, she does what any self-respecting knitter would do: she knits herself a sweater. Then she knits a sweater for...

No Crystal Stair By Waunda Micheauz Nelson, Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie Fiction Award Winner, for ages 12+ Lewis Michaux opened the National Memorial African Bookstore in Harlem at the end of the Great Depression with an inventory of five books and a strong faith that black people were hungry for knowledge. His store became a central...

Chuck Close: Face Book Written and illustrated by Chuck Close Nonfiction Award Winner, for ages 8+ Chuck Close’s art is easy to describe and especially attractive to children because he creates only portraits—in almost every possible medium...In this Q&A–style narrative, Close himself answers with a clear voice without a hint of famous-artist self-aggrandizement or angst.

5. National Book Award-Young People's Literature, 2012

Goblin Secrets By William Alexander For Ages 8+ Rownie, the youngest in Graba the witchworker's household of stray children, escapes and goes looking for his missing brother. Along the way he falls in with a troupe of theatrical goblins and learns the secret origins of masks. Now Graba's birds are hunting him in the Southside of Zombay, the Lord Mayor's guards are searching for him in Northside, and the River...

6. Coretta Scott King Award for 2012

Heart and Soul By Kadir Nelson Author Award Winner, for ages 10+ The story is told from the viewpoint of an elderly woman who shares her life story while highlighting pivotal historical events including abolition, the Great Migration, World War II, and the Civil Rights movement.

Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom Illustrated by Shane W. Evans Illustrator Award Winner, for ages 4+ Effective interplay of dark and light—dark blues and greens that represent fear and oppression; bright golds that signal the joy of freedom—characterizes this portrayal of a band of slaves’ nighttime escape. They run, rest, get help from others, and...

7. Jefferson Cup Award for 2012

Okay for Now By Gary D. Schmidt Young Adult Award Winner, For Ages 10+ Schmidt is able to sensitively craft a story about a fractured family that starts to put the pieces together in ways that are perhaps a little unexpected. There are moments in this book that will make the reader cry interwoven with moments that will lead to laughter, making it a wonderful story that deserves...

Balloons over Broadway By Melissa Sweet Juvenile Award Winner, for ages 4+ Melissa Sweet takes the true Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade and uses watercolor paintings and mixed media collage to bring this story to life.

8. Pura Belpre Award for 2012

Under the Mesquite By Guadalupe Garcia McCall Author Award Winner, for ages 12+ Garcia McCall, writing in emotionally riveting free verse, gracefully conveys the experience of growing up in a bicultural community in Texas with geographical accuracy and a radiating authentic voice for its main protagonist 14-year-old Lupita, the oldest of 8 children who is dealing with her mother’s terminal illness.

Diego Rivera: His World and Ours Written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh Illustrator Award Winner, for ages 5+ Highlights the accomplishments of Mexican painter, activist, and muralist Diego Rivera. Through eye-catching digital collage, Tonatiuh juxtaposes contemporary Mexican life with the past.

9. The Hugo Award for 2012

Among Others By Joe Walton For Young Adults Startling, unusual, and yet irresistibly readable, Among Others is at once the compelling story of a young woman struggling to escape a troubled childhood, a brilliant diary of first encounters with the great novels of modern fantasy and SF, and a spellbinding tale of escape from ancient enchantment.

10. Children's Choice Book Awards for 2012

Three Hens and a Peacock By Lester L. Laminack, Illustrated by Henry Cole K-2 Book of the Year Nothing unusual ever happened on the Tuckers farm. Until the day that peacock showed up...When a glamorous visitor lands unexpectedly in their midst and begins attracting customers, three hardworking hens protest: How come we do all the hard work and he gets all the attention?

Bad Kitty Meets the Baby By Nick Bruel Grade 3-4 Book of the Year Kitty's owners are home with a big surprise for Kitty. But what is it? Kitty, reeling in horror, thinks it’s a . . . dog. The neighbor cats are convinced it’s a cat. But we all know that it’s really a BABY! With Nick Bruel’s trademark mix of antic humor, this may be the funniest Kitty book yet, and the one that hits closest to home.

Bad Island By Doug TenNapel Grade 5-6 Book of the Year Something on this island is up to no good? When Reese is forced to go on a boating trip with his family, the last thing he expects is to be shipwrecked on an island-especially one teeming with weird plants and animals. But what starts out as simply a bad vacation turns into a terrible one, as the castaways must find a way to escape...

Clockwork Prince: The Infernal Devices, Book 2 By Cassandra Clare Teen Book of the Year True love is shrouded in secrets and lies in the #1 New York Times bestselling second book of the Infernal Devices trilogy. In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced...

Diary of a Wimpy Kid 6: Cabin Fever By Jeff Kinney, for ages 9+ Author of the Year Greg Heffley is in big trouble. School property has been damaged, and Greg is the prime suspect. But the crazy thing is, he's innocent. Or at least sort of. The authorities are closing in, but when a surprise blizzard hits, the Heffley family is trapped indoors. Greg knows that when the snow melts he's going to have to face the music...

Wonderstruck By Brian Selznick Illustrator of the Year Playing with the form he created in his trailblazing debut novel, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Brian Selznick once again sails into uncharted territory and takes readers on an awe-inspiring journey. Ben and Rose secretly wish their lives were different. Ben longs for the father he has never known. Rose dreams of a mysterious actress...

Here's who won in 2013! If you enjoyed this book list, please email it to a friend, or share on social media. Thank you!

PCM's Top Articles of the Week

In this week’s article round-up discussion focuses on gifted education and its frequent co-subject, the most perturbing of all parent questions, to helicopter or not to helicopter. In public discourse, have you noticed a rise in the use of the word “empathy”? (Even pollsters asked which candidate had more.) Find out how empathy, grit and other ‘non-academics’ are linked to learning and education. The subject in education this week is teachers: how to train, certify, evaluate, test and retain them. Hear from PCM Top Influencers Michelle Rhee and Linda Darling-Hammond on these topics. GeekMom presents some gorgeous puzzles. Don’t miss the stunning literary comics in Maria Popova’s post.

Parenting

Real Problem with Helicopter Parents? There Aren't Enough of Them - Brink Lindsey, Atlantic

The Parenting Trap: Schools Are Ruining Our Kids - A. A. Gill, Vanity Fair

10 Myths About Gifted Students and Gifted Programs -Carolyn Coil, CNN

Early Predictors of Math Success - Bill Jenkins, PhD, Science of Learning Blog

Kindergarten Redshirting Different For Each Child - Donna McClintock, CNN

Learning

The Empathy Formula - Sam Chaltain, Huff Post

Kiss My Grit - Nancy Flanagan, Education Week

The Academic Value of Non-Academics - June Kronholz, Education Next

Harvard Wants to Know: How Does Tinkering Shape Kids' Brains? - Katrina Schwartz, Mind/Shift

Googling is Not Researching - Annie Murphy Paul, Mind/Shift

Education

Joel Klein: We Need a Bar Exam for Educators -Jordan Weissmann, The Atlantic

Michelle Rhee, George Parker Talk Tenure, Report Cards -Lindsay Harrison, Fast Company

A Better Way to Grade Teachers - Linda Darling-Hammond, E. Haertel, L.A. Times

Historian D. McCullough: No Professional Teacher Should Major in Education - V. Strauss, WP

Are Teachers Born and Raised (Not Trained)? - Robert Bligh, Washington Post

Even a Bad AP Score Can Be Good - Jay Mathews, Class Struggle

US Needs to Focus Educational Efforts on Talented Americans - Jonathan Wai, TechCrunch

Resources

Puzzles Are a Brain Workout for the Whole Family -Laura Grace Weldon, GeekMom

6 Tools to Prepare Students and Parents for College -Jeet Banerjee, Getting Smart

20 Educational Apps Approved by Parents -Katie Lepi, Edudemic

Literary Comics: Lewis Carroll to Bronte Sisters by Way of Darwin -Maria Popova, BrainPickings