Fiction in the FACS Classroom--A Novel Approach to Reading.
Sorry that I haven’t posted anything new for a while! Most of the month of July has been devoted to participation in FACS conferences all across the Midwest. The last one for the season is in Michigan next week. Phew! It’s been a busy month! I promise to get back to posting more regularly soon! Hope you’re having a great summer!
Have a Fresh FACS day and weekend!
Ramona
Did you know that July is National Blueberry Month?
The Blueberry Muffins in the photo above were made from my favorite recipe. The recipe was originally published in an old cookbook from Kraft Foods. I’ve used it for years and I’ve yet to find a recipe that is more moist and flavorful. You’ll find this recipe on our website at http://www.freshfacs.com/Recipes/recipes/blueberry_muffins.htm.
Blueberries are nutritional powerhouses. Consider these facts:
If you aren’t in the mood to bake on this hot summer day, how about reading about blueberry muffins. Blueberry Muffin Murder by Joanne Fluke.
In the third novel in the Hannah Swensen culinary mystery series, preparations are underway for Lake Eden, Minnesota’s annual Winter Carnival—and Hannah is set to bake up a storm. But when famous lifestyle maven Connie Mac is murdered at Hannah’s bakeshop, The Cookie Jar, she’s got to find a way to find a killer and save her business.
Reading a novel set against the backdrop of a Minnesota winter should be a cool escape from summer’s heat. You’re welcome!
Have a Fresh FACS day!
Ramona
In case you weren't aware of it, July 7 is National Chocolate Day. I think a day dedicated to celebrating the best candy ever is a great idea, don’t you? So since this blog is all about fiction and FACS, it only seems appropriate to introduce you to a novel with a chocolate connection.
Since chocolate is such a popular food, you can imagine how many novels there are that have chocolate in the title or story line. My favorite chocolate-themed novel is Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke. I liked this novel so much that a few years ago I created an entire FACS curriculum based on this fun novel.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder is the first novel in the Hannah Swenson mystery series.
Hannah Swenson already has her hands full trying to dodge her mother’s attempts to marry her off while running The Cookie Jar, Lake Eden, Minnesota’s most popular bakery. But once Ron LaSalle, the beloved delivery man from the Cozy Cow Dairy, is found murdered behind her bakery with Hannah’s famous Chocolate Chip Crunchies scattered around him, her life just can’t get any worse. Determined not to let her cookies get a bad reputation, she sets out to track down a killer.
Who would have the sheer audacity and the motive to kill the most punctual delivery man Hannah ever had? Topping the list is the high school football coach. What exactly was his wife doing, making the rounds with the milkman? Could Max Turner, owner of Cozy Cow Dairy, have had a secret he didn’t want to share with his top employee? The more Hannah snoops, the more suspects turn up. Why has Lake Eden’s most prominent prodigal son, Benton Woodley, just resurfaced? And what about the mysterious Mr. Harris who seemed interested in buying the property next to the dairy, but then disappeared? This is one murder that’s starting to leave a very bad taste in Hannah’s mouth. And if she doesn’t watch her back, Hannah’s sweet life may get burned to a crisp.
This and all other novels in the Hannah Swenson series includes several original recipes. The Chocolate Chip Crunchies mentioned in the plot summary is included in CCCM so we can safely assume that they were not to blame for Ron LaSalle’s death. Phew! It’s all in good fun and you and your students are sure to enjoy reading it.
The Recipe for Reading curriculum includes activities for all FACS content areas. To learn more about this resource, click on the book image above or go to our website www.freshfacs.com.
Enjoy National Chocolate Day!
Ramona
As I mentioned yesterday, I have been busy lately selecting the novels for the new edition of A Novel Approach to FACS. My search lead me to the Bride Quartet series by Nora Roberts. There are four books in this delightful series which follow the lives and loves of four friends who run Vows, a wedding-planning company.
Each novel in the series focuses on one of the four main characters and their role in Vows: wedding photographer, floral designer, wedding cake designer and baker, and event coordinator. The author does a wonderful job of describing the skills and expectations that are part of each of the girls’ careers. She doesn’t sugar coat anything, accurately describing the long hours, hard work, and challenges of each profession. She also reveals to readers the deep satisfaction the characters experience as they help to make a bride’s wedding day magical and beautiful. In this respect, these four novels could be used very effectively in the FACS classroom. However, due to some mature content, I recommend that these novels only be used as supplemental reading for mature students.
Read the novels for yourself and then decide whether or not they are appropriate for your classroom. Even if you decide not to make them a part of your FACS program, I’m sure you’ll enjoy them. They’re a great read.
Have a Fresh FACS Day!
Ramona
I must apologize for my long absence from posting to this blog! It’s been a busy spring and summer with lots of changes to our websites, revisions to nearly all of our resources and lots of time spent reading novels for our FACS By The Book website. We’re still deeply involved in all of these projects, but I thought I’d take a few minutes to tell you about our new edition of A Novel Approach to FACS—Fiction in the FACS Classroom.
When I originally wrote A Novel Approach in 2007, I wasn’t aware just how quickly novels, particularly teen novels, go out publication. Three of the novels that I included in this resource are no longer available from the publishers: Rules by Cynthia Lord, Chicks with Sticks by Elizabeth Lenhard, and Dish #1: Stirring It Up by Diane Muldrow. Individual copies of these great novels can still be found, but because classroom sets are almost impossible to acquire, I will be replacing those novels in the 2011 edition of A Novel Approach to FACS. I will also be replacing Chew On This, the only work of non-fiction in the 2007 edition.
The novels that will be replacing the out-of-print novels are: Artichoke’s Heart by Suzanne Supplee, Close to Famous and Hope Was Here, both by Joan Bauer, The Cupcake Queen by Heather Helper and Lynn Visible by Julia DeVillers.
The new edition of A Novel Approach to FACS should be ready for distribution August 1. I hope you’ll check out these great teen novels and consider making reading a part of your FACS curriculum for the 2011 – 2012 school year.
Have a Fresh FACS day!
Ramona
