Hello Book Bums families!
Here at Book Bums you know we love to think about words and language. But once I learned them, I couldn't resist sharing some math facts about our current year, the number 2025.
• First, it's a perfect square, meaning it's the product of 45x45.
• Second, you can break 2025 into 20 and 25. Add those together and square them and you're back at 2025.
• Third, 2025 is the sum of the cubes of all the single digit numbers. That's a mouthful, but here's what it means numerically: 2025 = 13 + 23 + 33 + 43 + 53 + 63 + 73 + 83 + 93
If that's quite enough math for you, read on for the book recommendations, language insight, and teaching tips that you always find in our newsletter. Enjoy!
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Word of the Week
eruption (ee-rup-shun) noun/person, place, or thing - a sudden outbreak of something
There was an eruption of noise and complaining after the teacher announced the pop quiz.
Literary Calendar
anuary 24 is the birthday of American author Edith Wharton.
• Wharton was the first woman to win a Pulitzer, which she was awarded for her novel The Age of Innocence.
• Many readers and viewers think the show Gossip Girl was inspired by Wharton's books about upper-class New York society.
• If you're interested in giving Edith Wharton's writing a try, the short story "Roman Fever" is the perfect place to start.
From our Bookshelves
When I was an eighth grader (attending Liberty Junior School the first year it opened), I had the opportunity to visit Sicily, Italy with my grandma. She was a teacher, and back then teachers could get vouchers to visit other countries at very reasonable prices. We traveled over our winter holiday break.
After a long day of sight-seeing—including a visit to the active volcano, Mt. Etna, our bus driver was driving us back to our hotel as stars were just beginning to appear in the darkening sky. Unexpectedly, he pulled over onto the side of the road and beckoned to us to join him outside.
Standing there on the side of an old dusty road, I was privileged to observe Mt. Etna as it erupted on Christmas Eve. It was spectacular.
Today, I long to take my husband back to Sicily so I can show him the beauty I experienced as a young teen, and we’ve gotten as far as buying a travel book.
When my sister-in-law (sister-in-love, really) placed The Sicilian Inheritance in my hands, I couldn’t wait to begin reading it. I was in a bit of a reading slump, and this book was just what I needed.
Author Jo Piazza weaves together the history of Sicily and the story of a family mystery involving two women across two generations. She shines light upon women from long ago and women today. She reminds me that each of us has an important story to tell, and that we simply must support one another as we overcome obstacles and live the life we are called to live.
Was the book a top ten favorite that earns five stars? No.
Was it a page turner that I’ll hold close to my chest recalling the beauty I received from its pages? It was.
Wordology Workshop
• The Latin root rupt means to break.
• You find it words like interrupt (to break into a conversation or activity), rupture (a break or burst), disruption (a disturbance that interrupts something), and our Word of the Week eruption.
• What other rupt words can your family think of?
Tips for Families
I am a long-time Huberman Lab podcast listener, and though the episodes can be very long, I have gleaned much value from the time invested. The recent episode where Dr. Andrew Huberman spoke with Dr. Becky Kennedy regarding tools for excellent parenting (and tutoring, and simply relating with humans of all ages) was SO GOOD I just had to share it. I’ve listened to it twice, and I want you to listen to it too.
If you want to raise resilient, emotionally healthy children and you’re open to effective alternatives to typical forms of reward and punishment, please listen. You’ll learn how to teach your kids valuable skills while also strengthening your parent-child bond. This is a beautiful resource for parents who want to raise remarkable kids.
Tips for Raising Readers and Writers
At Book Bums, we spend a lot of time sorting words according to the sounds letters and letter combinations represent. This sound sorting improves kids’ phonological awareness, and that awareness of sounds is crucial for developing strong phonics skills, reading fluency, and accurate spelling—especially for young readers. When we actively analyze and compare words based on their sound patterns, we gain a deeper understanding of how our language works.
Tips for Teachers
Have you ever heard a teacher say of one of his or her students, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”?
Man, I hate that phrase.
You know what I prefer? The repeated line from A Knight’s Tale. “A man can change his stars.”
Let’s not put our students in boxes. We have to see what’s possible for them, and we must help them to see it too.
Practical Grammar
I'm wondering about the who/whom of it all.
In this image "Horton Hears a Whom,” Whom is the direct object, and that's why it should say whom (the objective case).
In the original title of the book, it’s Who because a Who is a person, not just a pronoun.
News from Book Bums
This week I did five assessments. That means we will likely have to place five more students with tutors. And I am booked, more than a month out, for more assessments.
Our customers are very important to us, and we truly understand crazy schedules; but if our families cannot commit to consistent attendance, we may kindly suggest that you take a break and return to tutoring when your schedule permits.
When kids are receiving tutoring only twice a month, we cannot possibly make the gains that are both desired and deserved. And, frankly, our tutors are counting on the income from their sessions. For these reasons, if a student misses more than two sessions in four weeks, we may ask you to take a break until your schedule frees up, so another student may receive the instruction that they too deserve.
Additionally, we’re kindly asking for at least a 24-hour notice for cancellations. We understand that life gets crazy, but so many parents are cancelling at the last minute that we simply must make a change. Effective immediately, families will be charged for a half session when cancelling 24 hours before tutoring session. When cancelling within 12 hours of the scheduled tutoring session, families will be charged for a full session. We hope you understand. Our business simply cannot continue with the desired quality and outcomes you’ve come to expect without these changes.
Just for Fun
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1 thoughts on “Newsletter – Eruption- January 24, 2025”
This post is a fantastic introduction to the topic.