The Olive Books

I discovered the book Olive and the Embarrassing Gift by Tor Freeman this year. It was a great story that made me smile so I bought a copy for the classroom. When I read it to my class, I realized it was a perfect read for 3rd graders. One of the things that is hard for me when being newish to a grade level is finding books that are a perfect fit.  I am always looking for books with enough depth and things to talk about, but books that are simple enough that most kids can access in a mini lesson.  It is often tricky in early 3rd grade to find the right types of books.

In this story, Olive gets a gift from her good friend. But she doesn't like the gift and is embarrassed to wear it. There is humor in the story and a great lesson. It is something 8 and 9 year-olds could relate to for sure.  A fun story with lots to talk about.

I recently discovered that there are three Olive books in this series and I purchased them all because I think they are great for primary students to learn to talk about books and to revisit throughout the year.  Knowing what a good conversation starter the first book was, I think getting to know Olive in three stories will be great fun!  I think these three titles will naturally lead to great conversations around characters and theme.  

Olive and the Bad Mood is about a day when Olive is a little grumpy with her friends. And Olive and the Big Secret is the story about Olive sharing a secret.  I think these books are great for K-3 classrooms.  Fun and simple but with lots of things to talk about!

Math Monday! I See A Pattern Here by Bruce Goldstone

It's MATH MONDAY! Join Mandy at Enjoy and Embrace Learning for the Math Monday Link Up!

I am a huge Bruce Goldstone fan and was thrilled to see his new book I SEE A PATTERN at Cover to Cover last week. I bought it, figuring it might be a bit primary for my kids but that we definitely needed to add it to our Bruce Goldstone collection.  If you are not familiar with this author/photographer, we've reviewed several of his books on the blog!

WOW! Was I surprised. I should have know that Goldstone would teach us more about patterns than I expected. I should have realized that he would take the book in directions I hadn't considered.  The one thing I love about his books is that there are so many places for readers to enter and engage.

As always the photos in this book are fabulous. The size and color draw you in immediately. For young students the visuals will be plenty to learn from and talk about.  For older readers, Goldstone includes options.

He begins the book talking about pattern, what makes a pattern, where we find patterns.  In the bottom corner of the first spread, there is a bright box with the heading "MathSpeak". In it he says, "Mathematicians use special words to describe patterns. Check out these speech balloons if you want to talk MathSpeak, too. Then on pages throughout the book, Goldstone introduces math words that go along with what he is sharing on the page.

Goldstone starts with simple patterns with beads and explains how they are made using slides. He continues on with ideas around rotation and symmetry, scale and tessellations.  There are some activities for kids at try at the end of the book.

This book, as with all of Goldstone's, is one that I am excited to bring to the classroom. Lots of ideas about patterns for kids to explore over time!

April Mosaic -- Two by Two

Two colors of hyacinth (and fun with a lens).

Cars so small that two can fit in one parking space.

Two yellow blooms in a sea of green.

Two daffodils after a rain shower.

 New leaves and new blooms--two unfurling on the redbud.

April this year was a month for writing poetry, not for taking pictures. Hopefully, May will be a month for both!

Poetry Friday -- Emotional

What I love most about my 2015 National Poetry Month project is what I love most about writing poetry: I had the vaguest of notions how the whole thing would play out, and it grew to be more than I ever could have imagined.

I billed the project as emotions from "Anger to Zest," when in fact we went from Anticipation to Relief.

Not I -- we. The most amazing thing about the month was writing alongside Carol, Kimberley, Kim, and Steve. I loved overlapping challenges occasionally with Jone, and also having Carol V., Linda, Heidi and Kevin write with us occasionally. The conversations in the comments both at A Year of Reading and Poetrepository kept me going.

I'm proud of my collection as a whole, but there are a couple with inside jokes I'd like to share.

On April 29, I tucked the adage, "Pride goeth before a fall" into this poem:

PRIDE

Is it branches full of unopened blossoms against
an impossibly blue April sky?

Or could it be rows of trees, heavy with fruit in
late summer, yellow jackets hovering?

Look down. Is it in the remains of
the bounty, rotting after October frosts?


©Mary Lee Hahn, 2015

I'm still cracking myself up over the various kinds of interest you encounter at various kinds of banks. (from April 19):

INTEREST

At the bank
it's what you get
without trying.
You just have to be there.
(monetarily)

At the (river)bank
it's what you get
without trying.
You just have to be there.
(open-mindedly)


©Mary Lee Hahn, 2015

But probably my favorite, is this hidden tribute to ROYGBIV, from April 14:

THE WHOLE SPECTRUM, PLEASE

tulip petal

monarch wing

forsythia's shock

first leaves in spring

prairie sky

shadows on snow

thunderhead's tower

dogwood, crow

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2015

There's a whole blogpost to be written about my email haiku lessons from Diane Mayr. In that future blogpost, I will show how this pair, seen here still in draft, have undergone an amazing transformation through a series of gentle nudges by Diane!

The roundup is now at Ellen Leventhal's personal blog, Elementary Dear Reader. 

PO-EMotion -- Relief

Wikimedia

THIS IS JUST TO SAY

I have written

the poems

that were sitting on the shelf

in plain sight

and also the ones

locked in the cupboards.

Forgive me

they were delicious

so sweet

but I've had enough for now.

I think I'll walk

down to the park.

I sh'an't be gone long.

You come too?

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2015

Carol, at Carol's Corner, will join me again this year as often as possible.

"Relief"

Kimberley, at iWrite in Maine, is joining me this month. 

"Relief"

Kay, at A Journey Through the Pages, is joining, too!

"In an Instant"

Steve, at inside the dog, is sharing his poems 

in the comments at Poetrepository.

Heidi, at my juicy little universe, will join us when she can.

Linda, at TeacherDance, will join as often as she can.

Check the comments at A Year of Reading or Poetrepository for her poems.

Kevin (Kevin's Meandering Mind) is back this year,

leaving poetry trax in the comments.

Carol, at Beyond Literacy Link, is writing alongside us when she can.

Jone, at DeoWriter, is doing a "double L" challenge. 

She and I are cross-poLLinating our challenges whenever possible.

PO-EMotion -- Pride

Flickr Creative Commons photo by Todd Shoemake

PRIDE

Is it branches full of unopened blossoms against

an impossibly blue April sky?

Or could it be rows of trees, heavy with fruit in

late summer, yellow jackets hovering?

Look down. Is it in the remains of  

the bounty, rotting after October frosts?

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2015

Carol, at Carol's Corner, will join me again this year as often as possible.

"Pride"

Kimberley, at iWrite in Maine, is joining me this month. 

"Pride"

Kay, at A Journey Through the Pages, is joining, too!

"Piano Pride"

Steve, at inside the dog, is sharing his poems 

in the comments at Poetrepository.

Heidi, at my juicy little universe, will join us when she can.

Linda, at TeacherDance, will join as often as she can.

Check the comments at A Year of Reading or Poetrepository for her poems.

Kevin (Kevin's Meandering Mind) is back this year,

leaving poetry trax in the comments.

Carol, at Beyond Literacy Link, is writing alongside us when she can.
"Bring Spring Inside"

Jone, at DeoWriter, is doing a "double L" challenge. 

She and I are cross-poLLinating our challenges whenever possible.

PO-EMotion -- Optimism

PLANTING BULBS IN THE FALL

It will matter

that I gave them

time 

and 

choice.

It will matter

that they read

widely,

deeply,

voraciously.

It will matter 

that we were family --

accepting

and

respectful.

It will matter

in a someday spring

when they

truly

bloom.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2015

Carol, at Carol's Corner, will join me again this year as often as possible.

Carol has two very different takes on optimism.

Kimberley, at iWrite in Maine, is joining me this month. 

"Optimism"

Kay, at A Journey Through the Pages, is joining, too!

"An Inconvenient Optimism"

Steve, at inside the dog, is sharing his poems 

in the comments at Poetrepository.

Heidi, at my juicy little universe, will join us when she can.

Linda, at TeacherDance, will join as often as she can.

Check the comments at A Year of Reading or Poetrepository for her poems.

Kevin (Kevin's Meandering Mind) is back this year,

leaving poetry trax in the comments.

Carol, at Beyond Literacy Link, is writing alongside us when she can.
"Optimism"

Jone, at DeoWriter, is doing a "double L" challenge. 

She and I are cross-poLLinating our challenges whenever possible.

PO-EMotion -- Contentment

this parsley --

all I want from life --

until it's not

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2015

Carol, at Carol's Corner, will join me again this year as often as possible.

"Contentment"

Kimberley, at iWrite in Maine, is joining me this month. 

"Contentment"

Kay, at A Journey Through the Pages, is joining, too!

"Just a Glimpse"

Steve, at inside the dog, is sharing his poems 

in the comments at Poetrepository.

Heidi, at my juicy little universe, will join us when she can.

Linda, at TeacherDance, will join as often as she can.

Check the comments at A Year of Reading or Poetrepository for her poems.

Kevin (Kevin's Meandering Mind) is back this year,

leaving poetry trax in the comments.

Carol, at Beyond Literacy Link, is writing alongside us when she can.
"Contentment"

Jone, at DeoWriter, is doing a "double L" challenge. 

She and I are cross-poLLinating our challenges whenever possible.

PO-EMotion -- Zest

A CLERIHEW FOR JAMA RATTIGAN

Jama shines above the rest,

cooks up blog posts filled with zest.

She's not gilding on a lily,

she's the allspice in our chili!

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2015

Flickr Creative Commons Photo by Cicely Miller

TURN THE HEAT UP

In our haste 

to pack away 

sweaters and mittens

we forget 

that spring is fickle.

Abandoning 

the tulips 

to the frigid deluge,

we stir more garlic, chiles, and cumin

into the steaming soup.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2015

Carol, at Carol's Corner, will join me again this year as often as possible.

"Zest"

Kimberley, at iWrite in Maine, is joining me this month. 

"Zest"

Kay, at A Journey Through the Pages, is joining, too!

"A Few Clerihew"

Steve, at inside the dog, is sharing his poems 

in the comments at Poetrepository.

Heidi, at my juicy little universe, will join us when she can.

Linda, at TeacherDance, will join as often as she can.

Check the comments at A Year of Reading or Poetrepository for her poems.

Kevin (Kevin's Meandering Mind) is back this year,

leaving poetry trax in the comments.

Carol, at Beyond Literacy Link, is writing alongside us when she can.

Jone, at DeoWriter, is doing a "double L" challenge. 

She and I are cross-poLLinating our challenges whenever possible.
Jone's word today is ALLSPICE.

PO-EMotion -- Cheerfulness

Wikipedia

GOLDFINCH

flash of gold 

not smelted 

newly molted

lilting flight

burbling song

undulation

concentrated

coruscating

cheer

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2015

Carol, at Carol's Corner, will join me again this year as often as possible.

"A Recipe for Cheerfulness"

Kimberley, at iWrite in Maine, is joining me this month. 

"Cheerfulness"

Kay, at A Journey Through the Pages, is joining, too!

"Family Portrait"

Steve, at inside the dog, is sharing his poems 

in the comments at Poetrepository.

Heidi, at my juicy little universe, will join us when she can.

Linda, at TeacherDance, will join as often as she can.

Check the comments at A Year of Reading or Poetrepository for her poems.

Kevin (Kevin's Meandering Mind) is back this year,

leaving poetry trax in the comments.

Carol, at Beyond Literacy Link, is writing alongside us when she can.
"Celebrate Life"

Jone, at DeoWriter, is doing a "double L" challenge. 

She and I are cross-poLLinating our challenges whenever possible.