BridgesofdaBK

Rachel, Stephanie, Sarah, Arleen

Book Discussion

//You Wouldn’t Want to Work on the Brooklyn Bridge! An Enormous Project that Seemed Impossible// By Tom Ratliff

Hey everyone! I found this series form my last placement in a 4th grade read-aloud/discussion and I think it would be appropriate for our project. I saw it at the library and I had to get it! J -Sarah

This is such a great book! I love the premise of how the book invites you to imagine what it would be like to be different people. This will fit in with our unit so well because we often ask them to imagine themselves as different people involved in the bridges. The illustrations are also really cool and colorful. I think this book will be really engaging for the kids and the teachers too! - Rachel

I find it interesting that this book is written in the 2nd person. It really gets you into the story. –Sarah

I think its great that they have a biography on John Augustus Roebling. What I found interesting is the materials he chose to use- iron wire instead of the weaker hemp rope! -Arleen

The comic strips really enhance the paragraphs. These text features are similar to textbooks but in a more accessible and interesting for the students. It clarifies words, gives dates, and gives more detail than the main text. I also noticed similarities between this bridge and the Verrazano Bridge. -Stephanie

The book has a really great description of suspension bridges and why they are the most effective bridges for this type of water. I feel like the language is very accessible to many students, either through read-alouds or independent reading and the pictures offer great visible support for our lowest level readers. -Rachel

I love that the illustrations follow the historical information that I found when researching my topic for my paper. They are very accurate in showing the physical descriptions and the uniforms of the men at the time. –Sarah

The timeline gives an idea of how long this story takes place. The date ranges in each page chapter gives you a good reference on how long it all took. - Arleen

Does anyone know how to pronounce “caisson?” –Sarah

The glossary and the index are really helpful parts of this book, too. It makes it feel more like a history textbook. – Stephanie

I looked up “caisson” on Merriam-Webster and its “kays-on.” – Rachel