Arcade And The Triple T Token by Rashad Jennings
Eleven-year-old Arcade Livingston has some typical kid problems–he’s moved to a new city and is the new kid at school, some bullies have him in their sights and having to take the subway everywhere makes it difficult to check out all the library books he wants. But he also has one very unusual problem… a mysterious token that seems to be transporting him on some pretty crazy adventures.
Together with his older sister, Zoe, Arcade will learn to navigate his new home, while trying to uncover the secrets of this magical token that appeared out of no where.
Discussion Questions:
What is this book about? What are the main themes?
Arcade leaves his home in Virginia and is now living in a new city and going to a new school halfway through the year. How would you feel to be the new kid? Have you ever been the new kid?
What do you think the T.T.T on Arcade’s token stands for?
Which of Arcade’s token adventures would you most like to go on and why?
If you had Arcade’s token and could ride an elevator into any adventurous career, where would you go?
When discussing how many sides there are on a stop sign, Zoe tells Arcade that there are eight sides and “Don’t go thinking any other way.” What is Zoe trying to say here? Is she wrong, right, a bit of both?
Arcade’s dad leaves him a note that says, “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” What do you think this means? Does Arcade “sharpen” and of his friends?
What does Mr. Dooley think a guidance counselor is a perfect career choice for Arcade?
What do you think you want to be when you grow up? What career would you present for the career expo?
This is the first book in a series, three others have already been published. Where do you think the story is heading? Can you make any predictions?
STEM Activity: Dusting for Fingerprints
Supplies: Honey, light or dark powder (coco powder or baking soda/powder sugar); black or white paper (coco powder=white paper, baking soda/powder sugar=black paper); a make-up or medium sized paint brush; clear packing tape;
How To:
In Arcade and the Triple T Token, Amber is interested in being a K9 trainer and we get a glimpse into one of the sides of being a police officer. Arcade also interacts with police when his suitcase is stolen. Let’s look at another side of being a police officer—the forensics and dusting for fingerprints.
Take a small dab of honey and cover the tip of one finger, wiping off any excess. Your fingertip should be covered but not globbed on.
Press your finger firmly onto a smooth surface—table top, glass, vase, ceramic cup.
Next take your powder and sprinkle it over the fingerprint area until covered.
Take the brush and gently brush away any excess powder. If done correctly, the finger print should appear.
Take a piece of tape and carefully stick it on the print.
Peel it up carefully and put the tape on your paper. Remember, if you used white powder you need a dark color paper, if you used a darker powder you can use white paper.
You have just dusted for finger prints and successfully gathered a print!
The Science:
A fingerprint is the trace a human finger leaves on a surface. Fingerprints are made up of ridges and in between these ridges are pores. Pores are attached to sweat glands under the skin and the excretion of oil from these glands is what leaves prints behind. Any oils, food, lotion, etc. on the hands, get caught in these ridges and can also contribute to the leaving of fingerprints.
Did you know that there are three types of fingerprints? They are loop, a whirl and an arch but the patterns they come in are unique to each person. Each person has their own set of fingerprints that are unique to them. This why fingerprinting is an important part of forensic science.
Sources:
How’d it go: This is another one run by my colleagues while I am out on maternity leave. This was a really fun read and I hope everyone enjoyed it!
-M-