Spice it Up a Notch 2008

Project Information

Welcome to Spice It up a Notch with Nutmeg! , a collaborative, authentic, engaging, book project for students in grades 4 through 8. In this project, students read and discuss the Nutmeg Book Award nominees online and contribute to an online encyclopedia (wiki) for each individual book. Students participate in the experience of collaborate writing. They edit, enhance and revise each other’s content, contributing to a published online resource for anyone to read and use.

Project Activities

Students:

Read, respond to and discuss the Nutmeg Book Award nominees in their classroom.
Participate in online discussions about the books.
Contribute to the Spice it Up a Notch with Nutmeg! WikiProject.

2009 Nutmeg Book Award Nominees

Intermediate (4-6)	Teen (7-8)
Blood on the River by Elisa Carbone Close Encounters of the Third World Kind by Jennifer Stewart Eager by Helen Fox Free Baseball by Sue Corbett Golden and Grey by Louise Arnold Gossamer by Lois Lowry The Homework Machine by Dan Gutman MVP by Douglas Evans Shakespeare's Secret by Elise Broach Three Good Deeds by Vivian Van Velde	Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock Day of Tears by Julius Lester Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin Heat by Mike Lupica The Schwa Was Here by Neal Shusterman Uglies by Scott Westerfeld Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver

This project:

Addresses National and State Standards
Promotes discourse as a way to build knowledge and understanding
Encourages student voice through persuasive writing and dialogue
Requires students to defend/support their position citing evidence
Includes research-based effective teaching strategies
Helps students develop 21st Century Literacies and 21st Century Skills.
Has students researching and sharing background knowledge necessary for deeper comprehension
Develops Big Ideas

How to Join!

Although the Nutmeg Book Award is a Connecticut book award program, classrooms from anywhere in the world can participate!

Join the project at any time by sending an email to sblc@eastconn.org with the following information:

Your name
e-mail address
School name and town
Grade Level

You will receive a confirmation e-mail with additional participation information.

Project Timeline
You can join the project at any time!
This timeline is meant to serve as a guide. All activities are optional. Pick and choose to best meet your teaching objectives.

	In the Classroom	On the Computer
Prepare for the Project	Begin to obtain multiple copies of the Nutmeg Book Award nominees. 2009 Intermediate Nominees 2009 Teen Nominees	Register for the Project. Send an email to sblc@eastconn.org with the following information: Your name e-mail address School name and town Grade Level You will receive a confirmation e-mail with additional participation information.
Read and Respond to the Nutmeg Book Award Nominees	Read and discuss the books. You may want to use some of the following activities to help students deepen their comprehension, prepare for book discussions, and organize their thinking before contributing to the wiki. Literature Circles Story Elements Layered Look Book Journal Response Three Quarter Book Interest Book	Discuss the books using the discussion boards on the wiki.
Collaborate on the WikiProject	Research interests related to the Nutmeg books. Create Book Trailers	Write about the story elements of the books on the WikiProject book pages. Participate in the wiki's Features Pages: Character Yearbook Favorite First LInes Who Said It? MyCharacterSpace Book Reviews Use your research to create links to information on the WikiProject book pages. Embed your Book Trailers in the wiki.

Read The Story Behind Spice it Up a Notch with Nutmeg!

A GetReal! Project