Powerful NCTE DOCUMENTS--Ways to Start Thoughtful Conversations

I agree wholeheartedly with Bud the Teacher who recently said of the National Council of Teacher of English (via Twitter) "They're on fire."  I have to say that I have been especially proud to be part of NCTE these last several months. They have published some amazing work and seem to be taking a stand to support the kind of education that all students deserve.  I see lots of potential in these documents--they can all be used to start conversations with colleagues and to begin to examine the way we are doing things in schools. If you haven't had time to really dig into the newest documents, I would highly recommend reading them and finding time to talk to colleagues. The focus on literacy as it relates to 21st Century is key to my personal thinking about learning in classrooms. I worry that too many of these conversations are about the "bling" of the technology rather than the bigger concepts behind this thinking. These NCTE documents can generate great discussions in schools. They've also provided me an anchor for my own personal reflection.

In February, NCTE adopted "The NCTE Definition of 21st Century Literacies". The definition is one that goes beyond tools of the 21st century and helps me define my role in these changing times.

In November, the Executive Committee adopted 21ST CENTURY CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK. I was part of the group that worked on this and learned so much in the process. I see it as a great document for reflection--questions to ask myself about my teaching. I can also envision using it with staff--How are we doing? What are our strengths? What are our goals? etc.

A position statement that I continue to go back to when thinking about 21st Century literacy is the NCTE BELIEFS ABOUT THE TEACHING OF WRITING. As the genres in our students' world expand, the beliefs about writing stand true. The kinds of writing they produce may be different but the process remains.

If you have not had a chance to WRITING IN THE 21ST CENTURY by Kathleen Blake Yancey, it is a great piece that came from her closing address at the November Convention. It is a key piece if about the historical changes in writing and what that means for us today.

Two more important documents--worth reading and thinking about are THE GENTEEL UNTEACHING OF AMERICA'S POOR by Kylene Beers and WRITING BETWEEN THE LINES-AND EVERYWHERE ELSE. In the first piece, Kylene brings up issues that we can't ignore as teachers. A hard piece that is so necessary. The second discusses the differences between in-school and out-of-school writing.

Finally, keep your eye open for news and information on the NCTE sponsored NATIONAL DAY ON WRITING in October 2009. What does it mean to be a writer today and how can we support this idea in our communities? This will be a huge day and a day that all of us are invited to participate in. You can get the word out with this information.

For me, these documents all go together. They help me define and revise my own thinking. They've also invited lots of great conversations with friends and colleagues who have read them. They are where so much of our thinking is and have helped us move forward. I hope they do the same for you. Each one stands on its own as an important piece of thinking. Together, they can give us a vision of where we can go as literacy educators.

Submit a Piece about Your Reading Life to our Local Gallery

We are excited to be hosting a Local Gallery as part of NCTE's NATIONAL DAY ON WRITING CELEBRATION! On October 20, the National Galleries will be open to the public. There are lots of great galleries that highlight the writing that we all do in our daily lives. Mary Lee and I will be curating a local gallery as part of the submission and we are inviting you to join us by writing a piece for the gallery.

Here is the description of our Gallery:

A LIFETIME OF READING

Members of the Kidlitosphere are invited to submit stories from their reading lives. Your submission can be an anecdote from childhood, a recent experience around books or reading, a memory from school (good or bad), a vignette about learning to read, the impact of a particular book--anything about your life as a reader.

We are looking for a variety of short pieces (think blog post length) from anyone in the Kidlitosphere, including bloggers, authors, illustrators, readers of blogs, etc.

We wanted the Kidlitosphere to be part of the National Day on Writing so we started a gallery that went along with the thing we do best--write about our reading lives. Everyone who is a blogger, blog reader, author, illustrator, blog reader, blog commenter, etc. is invited to submit a piece of writing. We hope you'll join us! You can visit our local gallery, "A Lifetime of Reading" to submit a piece and read about guidelines for submission.

Right now, it is empty, but we are excited about the possibilities--a place to share stories of our reading lives! We think the Kidlitosphere can pull together to create a pretty amazing gallery that celebrates the lives of readers!

Blog Birthday Gala, Day 4

The party seems to be winding down a bit today. Everyone is tired from all of the dancing on Monday, the snacks on Tuesday, and they are feeling the impact of those wild party games on Wednesday! Today, most people are just sitting around chatting! Dictionary.com defines gossip as "idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others" OR "light, familiar talk or writing".

Kim and Jason sent over these great birthday cake hats for today's party! And in the back of the room, Jason is running a special showing of Adultitis: Case Study #2: The Birthday for those of us who just can't get into the fun of partying!

You can join lots of interesting gossip today--people talking about things related and non-related to the children's book world. The crowd seems ready to kick back and just chat about life in general. Stacey is showing everyone pictures of the wedding tradition at the wedding she just celebrated. She also has some thoughts on the best way to write a toast for the occasion. And Ruth is sharing a poem that she thought of the day of the wedding.

Many bloggers had new babies born this year and Bud the Teacher and Shannon Hale are busy showing off their new adorable additions! And Mindy from Proper Noun is sharing some of the great new books she bought for her new addition!

A lot of people were sad to hear about the end of an era. Betsy at Fuse #8 decided to end her very popular "Hot Men in Children's Literature" series. She is explaining her decision to a crowd of her disappointed fans. Looks like standing room only.

Mo Willems brought some of his best mail to share with other partygoers. Barbara O'Conner also brought some pretty amusing letters from her readers. Definitely worth a trip to that side of the room.

Favorite holidays are a big topic of conversation. Mother Reader Week was quite a celebration last year. Not yet a Hallmark Holiday, but one that we all enjoyed! Franki is happy to share the news that today is the second day of National Hot Tea Month, a holiday that is equally as exciting as Christmas and her birthday!

There is a small group in the back of the room chatting about the big book events of the year. Franki and Mary Lee are still talking about the "scrotum" controversy surrounding last year's Newbery winner while Monica is sharing her impressions of the Golden Compass movie.
And you can join in on the discussion about the last Harry Potter book at the Scholar's
Blog Spoiler Zone

In April, lots of bloggers went to the Golden Compass movie site to take the quiz and learn what animal their daemon is. Wands and Worlds did a round up. Mary Lee's daemon was the creepiest of them all.

People are also busy chatting about this year's GOLDEN FUSE AWARDS--Betsy Bird's top books of 2007. Sam Riddleburger is listening in--thrilled to have his QWICKPICK ADVENTURE on her list!

Looks like there is also a typing competition going on started by Miss Erin. She says she can type 83 words a minute. Megan at Read, Read, Read is not so happy about her typing speed! Join in on the fun!

Oh, now this is exciting--it looks like Hank and John from Brotherhood 2.0 have stopped by the party to sing their "Goodbye Brotherhood 2.0 Song". If you haven't seen it yet, you don't want to miss it!

So glad that you could join us on Day 4 of our Birthday Gala! Please stay as long as you'd like! We are thrilled that so many of our friends could stop by.
The party will end tomorrow with a special New Year's edition of Poetry Friday!
See you then!

NCTE Discussion on Support of LEARN Act

If you are a part of the NCTE Ning, you've probably been following the conversation around NCTE's support of the LEARN Act. It is quite the lively discussion and if you haven't followed the discussions, there is lots of important information being shared. Here is an intro from the NCTE site:

Senator Patty Murray (WA) has introduced the LEARN Act along with cosponsors Sherrod Brown (OH) and Al Franken (MN). This legislation--S. 2740, Literacy Education for All, Results for the Nation--is a comprehensive, pre- K--grade 12 bill that features writing and reading and offers alignment from early childhood across all grade levels with support for state literacy plans and money to districts for their self-defined needs.

The Literacy Education for All, Results for the Nation (LEARN) Act, which was recently introduced into the House and Senate, is a comprehensive literacy bill promoting reading and writing across the K-12 levels and in all disciplines. NCTE participated in a coalition of six literacy organizations to write The LEARN Act. The coalition includes the Alliance for Excellent Education, the International Reading Association, the National Association of Elementary School Principals, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the National Middle School Association, and the National Council of Teachers of English.

If you haven't kept up, here are some key posts to catch you up a bit:

-Kent Williamson's Post: The LEARN Act and NCTE from November 17

-At EdWeek, Elizabeth Rich writes "NCTE's Stance on Reading Bill Sparks Controversy Within Ranks"

-Reaction to Comments by Joanne Yatvin

-Kylene Beers Responds to Comments on the LEARN Act

As I said, the discussion on the NCTE NING is definitely a lively one. Some people believe we shouldn't even be at the table--that the LEARN Act goes against too much of what we believe and that it is just an extended NCLB. Language like "systematic, direct and explicit" has come to mean things that many believe that NCTE, as a professional organization, shouldn't be supporting. Others seem to believe that it is time for NCTE to have a voice nationally and that when groups come together, we have influence and agreement but we will also have compromise.

Here is part of Kylene Beers' response about NCTE's role in the LEARN Act--the part of her response that really helped me make sense of this issue:

Listen long enough—and be willing to listen to those with divergent opinions—and you’ll see that NCTE, as I’ve written before, offers each a place and a space in which to come together and share thoughts.

That range of opinions, though, must cohere when NCTE policy is formed. There are two democratic processes that guide Council policy making. Either a majority of the elected Executive Committee members can establish policy, or a resolution that is passed by a majority of members attending the annual business meeting establishes policy. To guide the Council in establishing priorities for changing governmental policy affecting literacy education, the NCTE governmental relations subcommittee creates a legislative platform that is voted on by the Executive Committee. That platform guides the advocacy work of the Council. Some of that advocacy work takes place when members from across the nation gather in Washington DC to visit Congress and discuss issues important to NCTE. And some of that advocacy work takes place when we are asked to contribute to national issues regarding literacy.

Would the LEARN Act as it is today be the legislation that NCTE, working in isolation, would have crafted? No. But an equally important question to ask is if the LEARN Act as you see it today would be the legislation that it is if NCTE had walked away or chosen never to have offered its input. Again, the answer is a resounding no.

This LEARN Act discussion reminds me of the importance of getting involved. What I learned is that it is important, as an educator, to begin to build relationships with the people in Ohio who represent me. In my role as Elementary Section chair a few years ago, I was also part of the Executive Committee. What an amazing group of brilliant people that group is. I was lucky to work with them for a few years. One of the experiences that really stayed with me from my work on the EC was the first time I participated in Advocacy Day. NCTE Advocacy Day is an annual event in D.C. where NCTE members hear about new legislation, learn about NCTE positions, and spend time talking to Congressmen and Senators about issues that are important to NCTE.

After visiting D.C. and being part of the day, I tend to agree with Carol Jago's NING comment, "Maybe I'm a cock-eyed optimist, but I do believe legislators care about what teachers think. They may not always make ultimate decisions based on our views and experience, but I need to continue to trust in the integrity of the democratic process - as witnessed by this free and frank exchange of views among professionals".

I realized through Advocacy Day that it is not about visiting Washington D.C. once when an important bill is out there. Instead, it is about building long-term relationships with the people who represent us--having conversations with them about issues around literacy and education. It is a long process, building relationships, but at this time in education, we can't afford not to have a voice.

One of the most important things that I think NCTE has done in the last few years is to bring voices together. Because of NCTE's Annual Conventions over the past two years, I have been able to learn from people who are experts in the area of 21st Century Learning and Technology. My personal learning network has expanded beyond the members of NCTE. There are many examples over the past several years in which NCTE has brought voices together in a way that help us all learn and understand. NCTE's involvement in the LEARN Act seems to be doing the same thing.

Some have questioned the role of a professional organization. It seems that supporting teachers in doing the right thing is key--helping us grow as professionals. But, I think it is also important that NCTE be involved politically for many reasons. Being involved and having a voice in what happens is key to supporting members. First of all, I trust NCTE and the leaders we've voted in to make the right decisions about how and when to be involved. And I trust that they have stayed more current on the issues than I have. So, when I read the things happening in education, I pay attention to what NCTE has to say as I form my own thinking. Do I agree with all that NCTE says? Of course not. But I know that we are all working for the same things so I am looking for the big picture implications. I want my professional organization to have a voice and to help me understand the things happening that will impact education. I want my professional organization to be part of these discussions.

But, equally important, this conversation reminds me that I cannot count on NCTE to do all of the advocacy work for me. I need to continue to build relationships and have conversations with those in government who represent me. One of the posts on the NCTE Ning that struck me as hugely important was the one by Stephen Krashen "Discussion of LEARN Act with Senator Murray's Staff Member".

In this post, Krashen shares his conversation with the Senator's staff, sharing his concerns about the LEARN Act. To me, this is what it is all about. We all want the same big picture things for our students and for our schools. The key is to pay attention and to be involved. Krashen scheduled an appointment to discuss the concerns he had. ALA's response to the LEARN Act was also an important piece to my own thinking. ALA wrote a letter in support of the Act but also used the opportunity to advocate for things that were important to the organization. Even though the Act was not one that ALA would have written, it is one they can support for several reasons. Although Krashen adamantly disagrees with the LEARN Act and ALA supports it, both took the time to advocate for the things they felt were important connected to the Act.

When NCTE asks for our support, that doesn't mean that we give it blindly. It means that those we've elected to NCTE have put in time to work toward the things we believe as an organization. Being part of a professional organization doesn't mean that we agree with everything that the leaders say. Instead, for me, it means that we are working toward the same vision. We may disagree about the ways to get there but it is the ideals and visions of NCTE that are important to me.

For me, this discussion has helped me realize that I need to give more time to advocacy work--to keeping up with what is going on legislatively with things like the LEARN Act. I need to make time to meet with the people who represent me and to begin to build stronger relationships with them. Because NCTE keeps me informed, I think it is my responsibility to take what I learn from NCTE, to process, listen, discuss and act.

I have always believed that we all have different roles to play in the conversations around teaching and learning. I think that is why I have followed this conversation on the NCTE Ning so closely. There are those of us who are in schools every day who understand first-hand, what is being asked of students and teachers. There are those of us who do the research and share their findings so that we can better meet the needs of students. There are those of us who fight for an ideal vision and those who work to move things step-by-step. The thing I have learned in the last 20+ years in public education is that all of the roles are important. I have learned from every single comment that I have read about this issue. And I have rethought my own beliefs over and over again. None of us can be successful without the voices of each other. It is both our collective voice and our individual voices that will make the difference.

Constitution and Citizenship Day

Monday is Constitution and Citizenship Day. If you're wondering why you should recognize or celebrate it, consider this point of view from the Teaching Tolerance website:

"In many ways, the nation's history can be read as a struggle to embrace who 'We the People' are."

Here are some books and web links to help you plan your recognition of one of the greatest documents in human history -- The Constitution.

BOOKS FOR CONSTITUTION DAY:

1787 by Joan Anderson
Historical fiction from the point of view of James Madison's aide during the Constitutional Convention.

We the Kids: The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States by David Catrow
The Preamble in kid-friendly language.

Shh! We're Writing the Constitution by Jean Fritz
A fun and fact-filled account of the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Illustrated by Tomie dePaola.

D Is For Democracy: A Citizen's Alphabet by Elissa Grodin
An A-Z trip through our country's democratic form of government.

Everyone Counts: A Citizen's Number Book by Elissa Grodin
This tour of U.S. governments is number based. (How many justices on the Supreme Court?)

If You Were There When They Signed the Constitution by Elizabeth Levy
The story of the signing of the constitution in question/answer format.

A More Perfect Union: The Story of Our Constitution by Betsy Maestro
An excellent, well-balanced version of the story of the constitution.

We the People by Peter Spier
This beautifully illustrated 1987 classic is out of print. Check your library for availability.

WEBSITES FOR CONSTITUTION DAY:

Blackwell's Best: Constitution Day
A huge collection of links for Constitution Day.

The Constitution For Kids
From the U.S. Constitution Online comes this EXCELLENT site which translates the Constitution into kid-friendly language. The link is for K-3 students, but you can navigate to versions for older kids from this page.

Teaching Tolerance
Constitution Day activities for the Anti-Bias Classroom.

Constitution Day
Lessons and links from the group that founded Constitution Day.

Teaching With Documents: Observing Constitution Day
Lessons from the National Archives site.

Celebrate Constitution Day
Lessons from The Bill of Rights Institute site.

Poetry Friday Roundup is Here!

Hyacinth Pulls the Covers Over Her Head 
and Goes Back to Sleep

The cues of light are right:

half day, half night.

But it's too cold to be bold:

to open, unfold.

Spring delights?

I withhold.

© Mary Lee Hahn, 2013

Charles Ghinga at The Father Goose Blog shares the poem "Pet Names" from his book Animal Tracks: Wild Poems to Read Aloud.

Bridget at wee words for wee ones chronicles her children's spring break with "Spring Break -- Day by Day."

Jama at Jama's Alphabet Soup has a (self-proclaimed, but I agree) Good Friday Feast. Come ready to drool. Over the French Toast, too!

Buffy Silverman, of Buffy's Blog, shares her process and final poem in the MM2013 Tournament. I was rooting for you, Buffy!

Renee, haven't you been a little busy writing poems these last few weeks? When did you have time for another installment at No Water River in the "Poetry Is..." series (...with guest poster Elizabeth Stevens Omlor and a little Emerson)?

Joyce Ray at Musings shares some really cool ideas for writing poetry with children from her Build a Poem workshop. Cupcake poems anyone? Heidi? Jama?

Tamara Will Wissinger shares her (big) plans for Poetry Month.

Heidi at my juicy little universe has come up with a fun Poetry Month project -- 30words30days: a poem for busy people.

Robyn Hood Black is urging spring along with some e.e. cummings and Poetry Month news.

Laura Purdie Salas is focusing on colors today in another of her excellent Poem Starter videos.

Laura Shovan, at Author Amok, has a fabulous interview with Christy Hale, author of DREAMING UP.

Diane Mayr has a trio of offerings: At Random Noodling, an Easter senryu (like a haiku, but about human nature instead of Nature). Kurious Kitty shares William Blake's "Spring." KK's Kwotes has a quote by Jane Hirshfield.

Linda at TeacherDance has found the perfect William Stafford poem for two online communities -- Poetry Friday regulars and Slice of Life participants.

Matt Forrest Esenwine at Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme has an original crocus poem for this last Friday of March. (His fight with snow, mine just had to contend with oak leaves the year I snapped this shot!)

Lori Ann Grover has "Plumeria" at On Point, and World Rat Day at readertotz.

At NC Teacher Stuff, Matt Barger shares "Just Before April Came" by Carl Sandburg. (The first line is not true where I live!)

Donna, at Mainely Write, shares a poem that grew out of a GoogleChat with her daughter.

Tabatha Yeatts, at The Opposite of Indifference, shines a spotlight on the Little Patuxent Review and poet Elizabeth Dahl.

J. Patrick Lewis is making a rock-and-roll appearance at Greg Pincus' GottaBook.

I'm so glad that Catherine, at Reading to the Core, found Mary Ann Hoberman's THE TREE THAT TIME BUILT! She shares "You and I" from this excellent collection.

Three from Sylvia Vardell: at the Poetry Friday Anthology blog, a loose tooth poem by Carole Boston Weatherford; an announcement about upcoming "poem movies" at the Poetry Friday Anthology/Middle School blog; and at Poetry for Children, her own blog, an example of a "poem movie" made by 6th graders at an international school in the Netherlands.

Tara @ A Teaching Life has some Walt Whitman to help us think about the week's current events.

Margaret, at Reflections on the Teche, has ambitious form-a-day plans for herself and her students for National Poetry Month.

Ruth has a Good Friday poem-hymn for us at There is no such thing as a God-forsaken town.

Spring is coming to Steve's valley. His original poem is posted at inside the dog... .

Travis has a book spine poem (and an invitation to submit yours) at 100 Scope Notes. (Can't wait for the review of the book of book spine poems!!)

I love pomegranates and I love the story of Persephone. I hope Katie, at the blog a time for such a word, doesn't mind being rounded up via a Poetry Friday Google search. Maybe she'll join us every week!

MotherReader has a new installment in her "songs as poetry" series. Do you recognize it?

At Following Pullitzer, Gerard Manley Hopkins' "As kingfishers catch fire" for Good Friday.

Through the Looking Glass Book Review wraps up Women's History Month with VHERSES by J. Patrick Lewis.

Orange Marmalade shares "These Three" by X.J. Kennedy for Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

Andi has a "text message found poem" at a wrung sponge. If you haven't cleared out your texts, you probably have one there, too, waiting to be found!

I'm pretty sure that in real life, Amy LV is still floating after the release this week of her first book, FOREST HAS A SONG. But for today, she's got her feet on the ground with a red boots poem at The Poem Farm.

At Douglas Florian's Florian Cafe this week, [in Just-] by e.e. cummings.

Anastasia Suen has a snippet of SPRING BLOSSOMS by Carole Gerber at her blog Booktalking, and she's started a new Poetry Blog for National Poetry Month (and beyond)!!

Cactus are blooming at Joy's blog, Poetry For Kids Joy!

Janet at All About the Books With Janet Squires is featuring KEEPERS: TREASURE-HUNT POEMS by John Frank.

Violet writes from an interesting point of view in her Good Friday poem today. "Betrayer" is at Violet Nesdoly / Poems.

At The Drift Record, Julie Larios spotlights the line-up for the 2013 Kidlitosphere Progressive Poem.

Samuel Kent posts 5 new poems every week at I Drew It. His favorite this week was inspired by #MM2013: "Banking on the Tooth Fairy."

Betsy at Teaching Young Writers found the seed for this week's poem in her writer's notebook.

Cathy wrote a rhyming poem to honor her card-playing mom. I hope there's a little bit of hyperbole in her poem, too! You can find it at Merely Day By Day.

Keri at Keri Recommends is late to the roundup because she and her husband were working with their bees all day. She wrote a trio of haiku in honor of the day.

Iphigene at Gathering Books shares a Good Friday poem: "Todo y Nada/All or Nothing."

Jone is in with a poem that perfectly captures the last days of school before spring break. She posted it at her blog Deo Writer.

Poetry Friday Roundup is Here!

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE A REDBUD IN SPRING
by Mary Lee Hahn

Burst
first.

Amaze
with the cavalier way
you explode whole constellations of purple stars
from your smooth grey bark.

Add glory
to the understory.

This is my 2nd round poem from the Madness! 2012 kids' poetry writing tournament, along with the redbud in our backyard that saved me from writing a poem about dandelions. A tip of my poet's hat to Elaine Magliaro, champion of the List Poem form. You're still a great teacher!

Voting for the First Flight of the Regional Semifinals has closed! Regional Semifinals, Flight One

Voting for the Second Flight of the Regional Semifinals remains open through today!
Regional Semifinals, Flight Two

Add your Poetry Friday links in the comments. I'll start rounding them up as soon as you start sending them in!

Jone is looking for recipients for her students' Poetry Postcard project in April. Go to Check it Out and sign up! It's fun!

Robyn has cherry blossoms -- and A.E. Houseman -- on her mind at Read, Write, Howl.

Julie shares all three of the poems she's written for the Madness! 2012 poetry tournament over at The Drift Record. We "shook hands" via email before we got our words and agreed that no matter which poem won, we would have fun. Julie is an amazing (Capital-P) Poet and I am honored to have played a round with her!

April continues the Teaching Authors tribute that this blogging group has been giving in honor of team member Jo Ann Macken.

Charles shares his collection of poetry books for adults at Bald Ego.

Linda is combining Slice of Life and Poetry Friday today at Write Time with a poem she's written for her DARLING granddaughter, who just turned two.

Here are Diane's posts for this week:
At Random Noodling I have Donald Hall's "O Cheese."
Kids of the Homefront Army continues with "Selective Service."
Kurious Kitty has Richard Wilbur's "The Writer." And, Kurious K's Kwotes' P.F. quote is by Rita Dove from the introduction to the The Penguin Anthology of 20th Century American Poetry.
At The Write Sisters we have a delightful poem called "Shadow Dance" by Ivy O. Eastwick.

Tara, at A Teaching Life, is also combining her Slice of Life with Poetry Friday. Like Robyn, she has cherry blossoms on her mind, but she brings us some Billy Collins to enjoy while the petals flutter down.

The bloggers at Gathering Books are celebrating Women's History month. Myra brings us a poem and a song that have her thinking about women's voices and women's silences.

Linda at TeacherDance is writing a series of poems of goodbye. Her poems say goodbye to different stages of growing up, and are written for her grandchildren. Linda is also a Slice of Lifer.

Violet shares an original "grandma" poem titled "To Liam when he asks, What's green?" It's at Violet Nesdoly / Poems.

Oh, YAY! David Elliot has a new book of poems, this time about the sea. Mary Ann, at Great Kid Books, gives it (and Holly Meade's illustrations) a glowing review.

At The Opposite of Indifference, Tabatha is linking poems with favorite book characters. She starts things off with poems that Hagrid, Calvin, and Hobbes each might have chosen. My fourth graders are her first guest contributors. They chose poems for the main characters from A Wrinkle in Time. Watch for more in this series, and if you want, you can play along, too!

Greg serves up a strong cup-o-Joe at GottaBook -- one of his poems from the Madness! 2012 poetry tournament. He is "versing" Susan Taylor Brown in the regional semifinals. Their poems will be live and ready for your votes at the tournament site, Ed DeCaria's Think Kid, Think, later today.

Heidi praises the process of "the curious and wonderful phenomenon that this March Madness has become" (the poetry tournament, that is) and shares a priceless poem composed by one of her kinders. Her blog's name -- my juicy little universe -- seems particularly apt today.

At Growing Wild, Liz has an original poem that will appeal to all cat lovers!

Jama has some drool-inducing strawberry shortcake for you today...if you have enough time to read that far! Be prepared for a laugh today at Jama's Alphabet Soup.

Renee shares an entomological love poem ("The Moth and the Flame") by the "pre-published" poet Cathy Mealey. Stop in at No Water River and enjoy the poem, the interview, and be sure you click through to see how Cathy met the rhyme challenge Renee offered up!

Carol's Corner is blooming with daffodils today! She's got a Ralph Fletcher poem for us, from a book with a title I adore: ORDINARY THINGS: POEMS FROM A WALK IN EARLY SPRING.

Welcome to Poetry Friday first-timer Natalie, who blogs at Wading Through Words. She discovered this fabulous community by participating in the poetry tournament at Think Kid, Think! She's got an original poem for us today, to make a monumental occasion in their household. The photo makes a great punchline!

Speaking of the poetry tournament, at Mainley Write, Donna shares an amazing grouse story that lies just behind her winning first round poem for the tournament, "Fox and Grouse."

Joy has a dream poem and a writing exercise for us at Poetry for Kids Joy.

Happy belated World Poetry Day (March 21)! Sally, at Paper Tigers, shares a site that features the seven winners of a poetry-writing contest inspired by the ancient poet Eratosthenes.

Pentimento shares a starting-over-in-Spring poem by Steven Kestenbaum.

Sherry, at Semicolon, has a great quote about form in poetry and Tennyson's "Ulysses."

Amy LV has written a poem that came from a seed planted in her writer's notebook TWELVE years ago! She also shares some happy publication news today at The Poem Farm.

Books 4 Learning reviews MIRROR, MIRROR by Marilyn Singer: "Mirror Mirror is a celebration of the vigor and potential of language." So true!

Karen Edmisten shares a different sort of starting-over-in-Spring poem by Gary Young. Compare/contrast with the one Pentimento shared (above). Turn and talk to your neighbor.

Sing along to "Gold," by Fergus O'Farrell with Little Willow over at Bildungsroman. This song can be heard in the film ONCE and the new stage adaptation of ONCE, which is now on Broadway. Little Willow shares links, in case you need some help with the tune!

At Wild Rose Reader, Elaine has an original acrostic using the word bud, and proud-grandma pictures of her family's little bud!

Laura (Author Amok) writes: "To celebrate spring, I have a gardening poem by Susan Hendrickson and an invitation to participate in my 2012 National Poetry Month Project, 30 Habits of Highly Effective Poets (odd or practical, you choose)."

Spring is bringing rain and a Sara Teasdale poem to Dori at Dori Reads.

Lori Ann Grover has two links for us today: "Little Bobby Snooks" at readertotz, and "Periscope" at On Point.

At Musings, Joyce reviews Paul Janeczko's REQUIEM: POEMS OF THE TEREZIN GHETTO. She's right -- it's not a fun book, but it's definitely an important book.

Betsy, at Teaching Young Writers, has a sidewalk chalk haiku for us today!

Thank you, Ruth (at There is no such thing as a God-forsaken Town) for the Billy Collins TED Talk! I missed that one and now I will not have to go any further than your blog to watch it!

15 Words or Less are accumulating at Laura Purdie Salas' Writing the World for Kids.

100 Scope Notes is gathering book spine poems again this year for Poetry Month. Start pulling books of your shelf and get your camera ready!

A slam-dunk review of Hoop Kings by Charles R. Smith can be found at All About the Books with Janet Squires.

Kelly Fineman, at Writing and Ruminating, is the interviewee, instead of the interviewer now! Congrats!!

Cathy has the perfect poem for the beginning of spring break, comparing the perceptions of eighth graders to first graders as they face a week away from school. You can find Cathy's poem on Slice of Life blog, Merely Day By Day.

THANK YOU, JON SCIESZKA!

On January 3, 2008, the Library of Congress named Jon Scieszka "Inaugural National Ambassador for Young People's Literature". The world of children's literature could not have been happier! Jon Scieszka took his role seriously from the first minute and made a huge impact on children's reading. Jon Scieszka (See here for the official pronunciation of his name) had already been an unofficial ambassador. His work has been influential and important for as long as I can remember. (If you have not had a chance to read his latest article reflecting on his term, it sums up so much of what he believes and so much of why he was the perfect inaugural Ambassador!) As the Library of Congress gets ready to announce the next Ambassador, The Kidlitosphere wants to take this opportunity to thank Jon Scieszka for all that he has done over the last two years.

We have always been fans of Jon Scieszka and his work. We met Jon Scieszka years and years ago when he spoke at one of our first Dublin Literacy Conferences. You can see in the photo that I am much younger. This was probably 18 years ago as that is my 19 year old daughter that I am holding. Jon Scieszka was a featured author after the publication of his great book, The True Story of the Three Pigs. We have been huge fans every since. From GuysRead to Knucklehead to Trucktown, Jon Scieszka continues to make an impact on children and reading in all that he does. Join us in celebrating Jon Scieszka's work! Thank you Jon Scieszka!

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THE KIDLITOSPHERE SAYS, THANK YOU, JON SCIESZKA!!

Sara at Read Write Believe says There Should Be Laughter.

Mary at Writing a Book takes time out from all things Maasai to say Thank You!

Wendie at Wendie's Wanderings appreciates Scieszka's representation of all children's book writers.

Corinne at Paper Tigers shares Scieszka's reflections on his term along with her words of appreciation.

Kristine at bestbookihavenotread declares Scieszka to be Ambassador Extraordinaire!

Mary Ann at Great Kid Books proposes a toast to Jon Scieszka...with Fresca, of course!

Monica at educating alice thanks Scieszka with a whole LIST of great qualities.

Candace at BookBookerBookest teaches us (with lessons and a poem) to spell Scieszka.

Stacy at Welcome to My Tweendom thanks Scieszka for writing for ALL ages.

Kevin at Kevin's Meandering Mind thanks Scieszka for making reading and writing FUN!

Stella at My World-Mi Mundo says GRACIAS to Scieszka and takes us down the "path" of his life as a teacher and writer.

Travis at 100 Scope Notes shares his Scieszka tribute, not surprisingly, as a comic.

Greg at GottaBook cheers for the first ambassador with a reissue of Scieszka's poem for GottaBook's 30 Poets/30 Days project last April.

Laura at laurasalas: Writing the World for Kids has a surprising (but appropriate) thank you for Scieszka!

Tanya at books4yourkids.com shares a round of applause for Scieszka from the parent perspective.

Reading Tub at Scrub-a-Dub-Tub is one of Scieszka's most recent and enthusiastic fans.

Jeanne at Teaching Authors offers Scieszka multiple blessings.

Betsy at A Fuse #8 Production celebrates Scieszka, not surprisingly, with videos!

At Booklights, Jen Robinson reminds us of so many of Jon Scieszka's great books and accomplishments!

Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect highlights two key Scieszka books in her tribute.

Boni at Life On the Bookshelf attributes her desire to write children's books to one of Jon Scieszka's books!

Abby at Abby (the) Librarian can't imagine a better choice for First Ambassador than Jon Scieszka.

Jules at 7 Impossible Things Before Breakfast has a fabulous caricature of Sciezka and great memories from his 2007 interview at 7-Imp.

Tasha at Kids Lit keeps Scieszka books in her "never fail" pile.

Jarrett at the JJK Blog has a fabulous story about how Jon Scieszka came to be on his Book by Book video.

Patrick at All-en-A-Day's Work elaborates on the word AMBASSADOR and finds that Scieszka is "all that" and more.

MotherReader feels like she KNOWS Jon Scieszka.

Marge at Tiny Tips for Library Fun sends her PROPSZ to Jon Scieszka.

Brimful Curiosities shares family stories of love for Scieszka's books.

Kathy at forwordsbooks finds Jewish values in Scieszka's very secular books. There is even a fabulous connection to the Torah today!

Elizabeth at Elizabeth O. Dulemba shares her favorite Scieszka book.

Teaching Heart Mom puts The True Story of the Three Little Pigs at the top of her list of 10 Favorite Children's Books.

Madigan at Madigan Reads remembers hearing Scieszka speak at the 2009 L.A. Festival of Books.

a. fortis at Finding Wonderland speculates about Jon Scieszka's shoe size...since they'll be big ones to fill!

Carl at Boys Rule! Boys Read! chooses Knucklehead as his favorite JS book.

Karen at Literate Lives thanks Jon Scieszka for writing stories that boys can SO relate to (I agree with her about the "sword fight" chapter in Knucklehead!)

Kelly at Writing and Ruminating has a great thank you to the" all-around good guy" that he is. Liz at Liz in Ink thanks Jon for bringing both humor and seriousness to the role of National Ambassador.

Sarah at The Reading Zone can relate to Scieszka's experiences growing up since she was the oldest of 6!

4IQRead adds her thanks to the list.

GreenBeanTeenQueen remembers meeting Scieszka at ALA last June.

kristydempsey once shared the stage with Jon Scieszka.

Matthew Holm says Thanks!

Shelly at Two Learning Journeys is thankful for the Guys Read website.

Brianna at The Paper Wait is inspired by Scieszka's writing.

Carol at Carol's Corner has an AMAZING poetic tribute to Ambassador Scieszka.

Blog Birthday Party Gala, Day 3

Woo-hoo! Day Three! The party's really hoppin' now! How about some fun and...

Games
3 Silly Chicks, Lisa Yee, and HipWriter Mama are all busy sharing the fun contests they've run on their blogs. The contests have been quite creative and have given us lots to talk and laugh about. Anne at Book Buds is talking up her new CYBILS contest--you have to be quick to join--the deadline is January 5!

What would the Kidlitosphere be without the fun and games of memes? (Yes, I do know how some of you feel about this, but either play along politely, or take your snacks and move on to another part of the room! There's lots of fun for everyone!) Here's a Meme for teachers at My Breakfast Platter and 6 of our memes from 2007.

Sometimes it's fun to play around with the way we look at the world, or you can make a comic to show the world what you're thinking!

Writing Fibs is fun and games for Gregory K. at GottaBook. He even Fibbed about some games this year: golf, football, and hockey!

How about some word games? Try out Free Rice and Eight Letters in Search of a Word. But watch out, you might get addicted!

You might want to join the folks who are over by the fireplace. They are playing Name Your Favorite 2007 Carnival of Children's Literature. I'm hearing the10th, the State Fair, the Carnival carnival, the Fiesta, the Good News Carnival, The Play's The Thing Carnival, and the Tips Edition Carnival.

Are you working on your 2007 reading goals? There are some intriguing reading challenges at The Shady Glade. Maybe before you decide on your goals, you'd like to join in on a few (more)

Book Conversations
GoodReads took the Kidlitosphere by storm this summer and gave us yet another place to talk about what we're reading.

I know you've been admiring the table runners on our tables...we made them out of booklists! This one is our Master List of Books about Books and Reading, on that table over there is our 100 Cool Teachers in Children's Literature (we're up to 107), and over there on the longest table of all, you can see Mother Reader's Best Books of 2007 (so far) Megalist. After all the Best Books of 2007 posts are up this week, we'll probably be able to make wallpaper rather than just table runners!

Book conversation doesn't get much better than Kelly's Weekend Reviews at Big A little a. Lois Lowry recently highlighted a couple of great historical fiction titles for adults. Lots of book conversations get started by podcasts and other unique kinds of book marketing.

Hugo Cabret is a GREAT book for starting conversations. Children's Illustration gives us some new ways of thinking about the book and so does Planet Esme (along with a long ramble about other good books and trips and lives around books).

Stephanie invites us to join The Children's Literature Book Club, not just check out what they're reading.

The topic for discussion in this corner is, What's your Desert Island 10?

Over here, some teachers are comparing notes for the new year and asking, Have you found any good mentor texts recently?

This group is reminiscing about the Summer Blog Blast Tour -- One of our favorite author interviews Cecil Castellucci at Tea Cozy, what was yours?

Speaking of tours, lots of folks in the Kitlitosphere this year went to

Conferences
Of course, the biggest conference news in the Kidlitosphere was the Kidlit Bloggers' Conference in Chicago, and Jen Robinson gave us a very thorough summary of the Conference, as well as the implications of that conference for further promotion/development of the Kidlitosphere. Kelly did a roundup of all the conference posts. There were lots of bloggers at National Council of Teachers of English Conference in NYC.
Chris Barton attended Texas Book Festival and gave us thoughts from an audience member's chair about being on the stage. Mother Reader shares great gossip from ALA. Mary Lee shares details from NEA, and Read Roger shares the news from the Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards.

Thanks for joining us again today! The fun's not over -- tomorrow is the last day of the party! Hope to see you again then!

BLOG TOUR: Kelly Gallagher Joins Us Discussing His New Book READICIDE

Today, Kelly Gallagher begins his Blog Tour with a stop at A YEAR OF READING to discuss his new book READICIDE: How Schools Are Killing Reading and What You Can Do About It. We reviewed the book here last week and hope that many of you had a chance to check it out at Stenhouse. A much needed book at a time when testing seems to be controlling so much of what we do in our schools.

We had a chance to talk with Kelly about his new book. And many of you had additional questions that you sent in after we reviewed READICIDE last week.

What made you write this book? How did you get to the point that you felt that you needed to write?
The idea for Readicide came out of my own classroom, where I have noticed that the number of students who like to read dwindles with each passing year. The only reading many of my students do is school-mandated reading—and frankly they don’t do academic reading very well. For the most part, my students can read text on a literal level, but when you ask them to think a bit deeper—to evaluate, to analyze, to synthesize—they really struggle. My current seniors have been under the NCLB testing gun for six years now, and beyond struggling when it comes to reading academic texts, they have lost their desire to read recreationally. In chasing test scores, we are killing the love of reading. We may succeed in raising our test scores, but we pay a large price to do so. The sad part, of course, is we have spent $1 billion on Reading First programs, and the students in this program did not score any better in comprehension than students who did not participate in the program at all.

Readicide is also influenced by the number of great teachers across this country who have shared their horror stories with me. The elimination of novels. Drowning students in worksheets. Scripted programs. Think about it. If you had to do what our students have to do, would you like reading?

What are you hoping that this book will accomplish?
To raise the consciousness of curriculum directors, administrators, and teachers. Most educators I know have a genuine desire to do what is best for our children. I am hoping that this book will start a conversation—a conversation about what the latest research has to say about developing the critical thinking regions of our brains, a conversation about how shallow assessments drive shallow thinking from our students, a conversation about how our classroom practices may actually be contributing to the role of readicide.

I want educators to ask themselves an important question: In the quest to raise test scores, am I damaging the long-term prospects of my students becoming lifelong readers? I hope the book generates hard talk between educators.

How would you prioritize the work we have to do?
First, the evidence is very clear: our students are simply not reading and writing enough. The National Commission on Writing recently noted that our students should be writing twice as much as they are currently writing, across all content areas. A number of studies have indicated that students are simply not getting enough reading practice. You have to play a lot of piano before you can play the piano, and you have to do a lot of reading and writing before you can read and write. Let’s put this question on the front burner: are our students reading and writing enough?

Second, the cliché is true: if you teach students to read and write well, they will do fine on tests. However, if you only teach students to take tests, they will never read and write well. We need to challenge them with the kind of reading and writing experiences that foster deeper thinking. As teachers, we need to move beyond being information dispensers and focus on getting our kids to be thinkers. This is not possible in a sea of worksheets.

Another thought: we cannot lose sight of the value of recreational reading (the kind of reading we want students to do the rest of their lives). Academic reading is important, but when schools emphasize only academic reading, recreational reading gets lost. Students need much larger doses of light reading, stupid reading, amusing reading—the kinds of reading that we, as adults, do when we are not at school. Schools who graduate good test takers who never read again are not doing anyone any favors.

How do you get these conversations going with teachers you work with?
Someone has to be the discussion director on your campus and in your district. I am fortunate in that I am in my 23rd year at my school, and I have a strong professional relationship with the staff on my campus. To be honest, however, I have not done as much as I would like with my own staff. This is due in large part, frankly, to having an administration that has not been real interested in doing the hard work required to implement authentic reading and writing. Fortunately, I have a new principal this year, so I am hoping this sets the table for real dialogue.

What do you suggest for teachers who feel like they are the one person who is carrying the flag for authentic reading?
Arm yourself with the research found in Readicide and in other places (see Kellygallagher.org for some of these studies). Make it your mission to get one other teacher to see the light. Start a “school-within-a-school” movement. Ask to share some of the research on staff development days. Share your concerns with administrators, board members, and newspaper editorial staffs.
If you really are the Lone Ranger at your site, never lose site of what is best for your students. Resist the political in favor of the authentic.

What are the most important things you could do with teachers in a very short period of time (at staff meeting)?
Discuss the importance that assessment plays in developing deeper readers and writers. Earlier in my career, Jim Cox, who is a guru in assessment, heavily influenced me. Jim reminds teachers to never forget WYTIWYG (pronounced “witty-wig”), which stands for What You Test Is What You Get. If your assessment is shallow, it will drive shallow thinking. If your assessment is rich, it will drive richer thinking.

I always teach to a test. The key is teaching to a test that drives deeper thinking. When teachers spend hour upon hour preparing students for shallow tests, the effects are devastating. Test scores may rise, but in the process we are denying students the opportunity to develop the regions of their brains that are crucial to them becoming deeper thinkers. I would ask teachers to carefully consider their assessments. Do they drive deeper thinking? Let’s start there and work backwards.

QUESTIONS FROM READERS
From Dani in NC: Accelerated Reader program made me feel validated as a parent. I have seen firsthand how it has negatively affected each of my kids' opinions of reading over the years. Although AR is strongly emphasized here, it isn't part of their grade so I finally gave my kids permission to forget about it. Three of them have a renewed passion for books, but I still have one daughter who has become a reluctant reader and I don't know if I can change that.

Kelly:  Regarding AR, I think the first thing parents can do is challenge the school’s decision to use the program. Ask to see justification—studies that indicate that there is a long-term benefit from using the program. Share the McQuillan study (and others) cited in Readicide. Ask administrators what we are really teaching kids about reading when we tie all their reading activity to earning points from shallow multiple-choice assessments.
That said, both of my daughters were subjected to AR in school and survived as readers. However, they were already avid readers before being subjected, and they were surrounded by high-interest reading materials at home. This is not the case for many of the students under the AR treatment.

From Kathy:  I do have a question for him, even though I have not read the book, I would love to know his opinion on a school having a well stocked (and that also means have a certified media specialist in there) media center and if he thinks that has an impact on students reading.

Kelly:  It is critical that every campus has a well-stocked library with a librarian/media specialist. I know there have been studies that have found a correlation between the quality of a school’s library collection and its test scores. Libraries, and librarians, are the core of any school. My librarian is particularly helpful when it comes to finding books for my students that fit a particular theme or unit. She also helps by doing a number of book talks.
That said, I have also found that establishing a classroom library—where students have daily access to interesting books—may be the most important thing I have done as a teacher. Students need to be surrounded by books every day. It has been my experience that it is extraordinarily difficult to turn my reluctant readers on to reading by taking periodical trips to the library. For maximum effectiveness, I have found it better to bring the books to the students.


Kelly has a busy week--touring at several blogs for the next several days.
Just like band groupies, we know that some of us will follow Kelly to each of the spots on his blog tour.
1/22 - THE TEMPERED RADICAL
1/23 - THE DREAM TEACHER
1/26 - THE READING ZONE
1/28 - THE BOOK WHISPERER

Poetry Friday -- Round Up is Here!

One of the books I won in Elaine's drawings last spring during National Poetry Month was American Wits: An Anthology of Light Verse, edited by John Hollander. Here's a poem by Robert Frost to set the tone for this week's Poetry Friday:

In a Poem

The sentencing goes blithely on its way,

And takes the playfully objected rhyme

As surely as it keeps the stroke and time

In having its undeviable say.

Leave your link in the comments. I'll round up throughout the day.

IN (ACCIDENTAL) HONOR OF THE ROUND UP HOST

Readertotz has a Syrian poem about chickens this week. My last name means rooster in German!!

ORIGINALS

Linda, at Write Time, has an original villanelle that perfectly captures the frustration of how to tell someone something they already (intimately) know.

Kelly, at Writing and Ruminating, wrote her original poem for a writing exercise. She says the poem "went someplace she didn't expect it to go..." You'll likely agree.

Gregory K., at GottaBook, has baseball on his mind because of the perfect game that was tossed yesterday.

Diane, at Random Noodling, wrote a poem in honor of "National Drive-Thru Day," which is today!

Diane, at The Write Sisters, wrote a poem inspired by the photo of a child dripping in lace, and shares look at both sides of the story.

Andromeda Jazmon, at A Wrung Sponge, distills the sport of basketball into a haiku.

Jone, at Check it Out, gives us a glimpse into her own writing process as she walks us through her revision of a haiku based on her own personal summer book study.

Jim, at Haunts of a Children's Writer, has an original limerick that will be his toast at his son's rehearsal dinner.

Elaine, at Political Verses, has another poke at Palin. There's an element of "you gotta hear this" in her post as well.

Susan, at Susan Writes, is hosting the 15 Words or Less Poems again this week.

Charles Ghinga (aka Father Goose) started blogging in June. He's posting an original poem every week! This week's poem explores "What's A Meadow For?"

Lori Ann Glover, at On Point, shares her "Midsummer Fairies" today.

Here's what Marjorie, at Paper Tigers, says about her post this week: "I'm in this week with some original rap poems written via a youth project as a part of a local Community Opera production, Everyman, a modernized version of the 15th Century Morality play."

CLASSICS

Eisha, at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, had a close encounter with Walt Whitman this week, and that's why she picked one of his poems.

Carol, at Carol's Corner, has an ee cummings poem that's as quiet as Eisha's Whitman pick is loud!

Kurious Kitty, at Kurious Kitty's Kurio Kabinet, shares two classics by Christina Rossetti.

Little Willow, at Bildungsroman, shares a poem by Emily Dickinson that is almost as loud as the Whitman that Eisha shared...but not quite.

Martha, at Martha Calderaro, has been enjoying Karla Kuskin this week.

Pam, at Mother Reader, uses the classic "I, Too" by Langston Hughes to make a strong point about a controversial book cover.

SEASONAL

Shelf Elf has a very summery grasshopper poem for our delight this week.

Beth, at the Stone Arch Books Blog, shares a very relaxing water poem.

HUMOR

Tabatha A. Yeatts has a little bit of this-n-that this week. Be sure to check out her Christopher Morely picks.

FOR HARD TIMES

Elaine, at Blue Rose Girls, shares "Otherwise" by Jane Kenyon.

EVENTS

Abby, at Abby (the) Librarian, tells about the (FABULOUS) poetry program she did in her library yesterday.

Zsofia, at The Stehouse Blog, uses Billy Collins' "Introduction to Poetry" to remind all teachers that the Stenhouse Poetry Contest is still going on! Check out this post for information about how to enter.

POETRY FORMS

Laura Shovan, at Author Amok, posts about "portrait or persona poems" and shares the bio of her fellow Maryland poet-in-the-schools MiMi Zannino.

Esther Hershenhorn, at Teaching Authors, describes how she uses successive "name poems" (adjectives, then verbs, then nouns) to flesh out the characters in her novels.

YOU GOTTA HEAR THIS

Pudding the Bear posted this week for Jama at Jama Rattigan's Alphabet Soup. He's got a boatload of funny teddy bear pictures and a recording of the song "The Teddy Bears' Picnic" to go with them.

Heidi, at My Juicy Little Universe, shares her discovery of The Favorite Poem Project. Scroll down and listen to photographer Seph Rodney read Sylvia Plath's "Nick and the Candlestick."

Liz, at Liz in Ink, is sorting through the pros and cons, weighing the ups and downs of the writerly life. You can listen to Garrison Keiller read her pick: Frank O'Hara's "Autobiographia Literaria."

REVIEWS AND LESSONS

Elaine, at Wild Rose Reader, reviews two collections of city poems this week.

Sylvia, at Poetry for Children, has a review of a perfect collection for summer -- vacation poems!

Anastasia, at Picture Book of the Day, has a word choice lesson to go with the book, I LOVE CATS.

Becky, at Becky's Book Reviews, has a peek at a new collection by Jane Yolen that is illustrated with photos by her son!