A grand suggestion was made by Betsy at Fuse #8 that we write about why our Newbery Hopes-Predictions made the list. So, I'll start with this one.
I LOVED JEREMY FINK AND THE MEANING OF LIFE by Wendy Mass. I would LOVE to see it win the Newbery. It is a great present-day story that made me feel the same way that I did when I read FROM THE MIXED UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER as a child. Jeremy Fink is a character that is very real, one that sticks with you. I felt like this book had lots to offer kids in the upper elementary/early middle school grades. It was a great story with a great male and female character. There was lots of anticipation as you cheered for Jeremy to find the keys to the box left by his father.
I guess when I think about my favorite Newbery winners, BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE, TALE OF DESPEREAUX, and WALK TWO MOONS come to mind. JEREMY FINK seems to be more in line with WINN-DIXIE and WALK TWO MOONS. They all three seem like great stories for kids. Stories about real, believable kids that stay with you long after you are finished reading them. When I read, I read for the characters. I look for characters like Claudia in FROM THE MIXED UP FILES because she has stayed with me through my adult life. I also think that these stories all have compelling plots--you want to see how things turn out for the characters. I am a true believer that you can make sense of the world best through great fiction. JEREMY FINK is a book that I think can do this for this generation of kids.
I have worried lately that many of the Newbery winners seem to be more Young Adultish to me. Several are books I would have difficulty sharing with my 10 and 11 year olds. The topics are sometimes too sophisticated and the themes would not mean much to them yet. I think BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE and WALK TWO MOONS were great examples of realistic fiction for kids--brilliantly written from an adult perspective AND very real for kids today. Each was a story with characters and a message that kids could relate to and could stay with them for a lifetime.
I am recommending it to everyone I know and I am having big trouble lending out my own copy:-) I think it is definitely a huge contribution the field of children's fiction.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Classroom Design
For those of you looking for ways to redesign your classroom, The Sisters, Joan Moser and Gail Boushey (authors of THE DAILY FIVE) have added some great new photos to their website. I know I need some inspiration about this time of year to refresh the space in the classroom. Joan and Gail are all about beautiful spaces for learning. If you visit their site, you can also read about their upcoming DVD and their "featured favorites". A site packed with great stuff for teachers. Definitely worth a visit for so many reasons!
New Favorite Quote
I would highly recommend a visit to the blog Throwing Marshmallows. (Found it thanks to Mother Reader :-) I knew it was a good blog for me to add to my list as soon as I read the top quote. It is the best quote on learning I have seen in a long time. She has lots of great posts about books, reading, learning, etc.
After School Snack
Do you love dark chocolate? (What a silly question, I know!) M&Ms Dark Chocolate now has a game for you. They've hidden 50 visual puns concerning 50 scary movies in a Brueghel-type painting. I'm as lousy with movies as I am great with children's book titles, so I won't even tell you my score. Don't go unless you have some time to kill!
The Edge of the Forest
The January issue of The Edge of the Forest is up! A great issue with articles, interviews, book reviews and more! If you have not checked it out before, Kelly publishes a new issue each month. Every one is packed with great articles dealing with children's lit.
Monday, January 15, 2007
TENSIONS AND TRIUMPHS IN THE EARLY YEARS OF TEACHING
Esme at PlanetEsme shares a great letter on her blog from a preservice teacher. She then goes on to remind us how a knowledge of children's literature is one of your best tools as a teacher. I would also add that it makes teaching and learning so much more fun!
She brings up some interesting points about new teachers. I loved her book EDUCATING ESME: DIARY OF A TEACHER'S FIRST YEAR when it came out. It gave us all great insights into the challenges faced by smart, new teachers. I also like a new one on a similar topic: TENSIONS AND TRIUMPHS IN THE EARLY YEARS OF TEACHING published by NCTE this fall. (The copies were sold out at the NCTE convention when I visited the booth--it is THAT good!)
"The authors recount their experiences from the preservice year through the first six years of teaching. They share moments of joy and success, but they also tell hard stories about obstacles that drive the knowledge, enthusiasm, and energy of new teachers underground and cause many to leave the profession"
I read this book and recommend it to educators at all experience levels. As a new teacher, it will help you to know that you are not alone--that we all struggle to match the visions we have for our classrooms and students. As an experienced teacher, it reminds me all that our newest teachers have to offer and how best to support them and to welcome them into the world of teaching.
She brings up some interesting points about new teachers. I loved her book EDUCATING ESME: DIARY OF A TEACHER'S FIRST YEAR when it came out. It gave us all great insights into the challenges faced by smart, new teachers. I also like a new one on a similar topic: TENSIONS AND TRIUMPHS IN THE EARLY YEARS OF TEACHING published by NCTE this fall. (The copies were sold out at the NCTE convention when I visited the booth--it is THAT good!)
"The authors recount their experiences from the preservice year through the first six years of teaching. They share moments of joy and success, but they also tell hard stories about obstacles that drive the knowledge, enthusiasm, and energy of new teachers underground and cause many to leave the profession"
I read this book and recommend it to educators at all experience levels. As a new teacher, it will help you to know that you are not alone--that we all struggle to match the visions we have for our classrooms and students. As an experienced teacher, it reminds me all that our newest teachers have to offer and how best to support them and to welcome them into the world of teaching.
Mock Newbery Round-Up
We're a week away from the announcement by the ALA of the official winners of the Newbery Award, named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery and awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.
Here are the UNOFFICIAL picks, as of today:
A Year of Reading
Franki's Picks:
Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass
Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy
The Loud Silence of Francine Green by Karen Cushman
Gossamer by Lois Lowry
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
Mary Lee's Picks:
Gossamer by Lois Lowry
Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge (I know, I KNOW! But I refuse to take it off!)
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata
A True and Faithful Narrative by Katherine Sturtevant
Educating Alice:
The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
A True and Faithful Narrative by Katherine Sturtevant
A Drowned Maiden's Hair by Laura Amy Schlitz
Wabi by Joseph Bruchac
Alabama Moon by Watt Key
Porch Lies by Pat McKissack
Gossamer by Lois Lowry
Semicolon:
Clementine by Sara Pennypacker
Alabama Moon by Watt Key
Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata
Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy
Rules by Cynthia Lord
Mother Reader:
Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy
Gossamer by Lois Lowry
Shug by Jenny Han
Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata
New on 1/16 from Children's Literature Book Club:
Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy
Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata
Rules by Cynthia Lord
Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass
Nina's Newbery chose A Drowned Maiden's Hair by Laura Amy Schlitz.
Born Librarian reports on the choice of Kansas City librarians: Gossamer by Lois Lowry.
Sullivan County BOCES picked Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy, Isaac Newton by Kathleen Krull, Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata, Porch Lies by Pat McKissack, and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo.
Rhode Island Librarians chose The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo.
Northport-East Northport (NY) Public Library Newbery Book Club chose Gossamer by Lois Lowry.
Allen County (IN) Public Library chose Clementine by Sarah Pennypacker.
Anderson's Bookshop has a list of 25 from which they'll be choosing this week.
Wake County (NC) Public Library has a short list of 8. No announcement date given.
Stillwater Public Library has a short list of 11 (scroll down) and it looks like they will announce January 17 or 18.
Reading With a Teacher's Eye, Ear, and Imagination
Franki and I have been working together and growing together as teachers for so many years, there's not much more I can add to her list of questions she asks herself as she reads with a teacher's eye.
I'll just say, "Ditto for me."
The one thing I would like to add is the role my imagination plays in making decisions about books for my classroom. If it's a book that seems like one I might want to use for a read aloud, I imagine myself doing just that. I "hear" what the words would sound like read aloud, and I "listen" to the conversations we might have at certain points in the book. I can imagine what individual children might say, and when the class might laugh out loud.
If it's a book I think my best readers will enjoy independently, I imagine, as I read, what I will tell them about the book as a hook to get them into it. Because I know my students' reading tastes and reading histories, I think of ways I can pitch this new book in the context of what they've been reading in the past few months.
If it's a book for my struggling readers, I imagine myself seated next to them as they read, and I try to find the parts they might struggle with so that I can build their prior knowledge before they start reading, or mark a few pages with a sticky notes to let them know they need to come talk to me when they get to those parts.
I'll just say, "Ditto for me."
The one thing I would like to add is the role my imagination plays in making decisions about books for my classroom. If it's a book that seems like one I might want to use for a read aloud, I imagine myself doing just that. I "hear" what the words would sound like read aloud, and I "listen" to the conversations we might have at certain points in the book. I can imagine what individual children might say, and when the class might laugh out loud.
If it's a book I think my best readers will enjoy independently, I imagine, as I read, what I will tell them about the book as a hook to get them into it. Because I know my students' reading tastes and reading histories, I think of ways I can pitch this new book in the context of what they've been reading in the past few months.
If it's a book for my struggling readers, I imagine myself seated next to them as they read, and I try to find the parts they might struggle with so that I can build their prior knowledge before they start reading, or mark a few pages with a sticky notes to let them know they need to come talk to me when they get to those parts.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Newbery Hopes--Reading With a Teacher's Eye
Betsy at Fuse #8 suggested that we write about the reasons for each book on our list of Newbery Predictions. We thought that was a good idea, but we must remind you again that we are really not good at this! We just do it for the fun of having an excuse to read as many new children's books as possible!
We both read middle grade novels with the eye of a teacher. We are familiar with the Newbery criteria and love the anticipation of waiting for the winner to be announced. I consider my main job on the day of the ALA announcements to be to get as many of the winning books as possible to share with my students the next day.
This is part of the bigger picture of my teaching. I think it is hugely important for kids to be part of the world of reading outside of the classroom. Paying attention to new books, internet sites, movies-from-books, author gossip, awards etc. all help them to be part of the world of readers that has nothing to do with school. I think this is a critical part of my job--hooking them up to this world that I love so much! One that they can be part of for their entire lives. This Newbery/Caldecott piece is just one part of that. Inviting them to be part of a big day in the world of children's literature.
As a teacher, here is how I make decisions about books and questions I ask myself when reading a new book:
**Is this book so amazing, that I should read it aloud to my students? (Since in the course of the year, we only have time to read about 10 novels, the book has to be REALLY good to meet this criteria.)
**Will this appeal to most students in my classroom or is it one that will appeal to a certain group of kids with certain tastes as readers?
**Which books is this like? Are there other popular books that give me the same feeling when I read it?
**Am I really excited to bring this into the classroom or am dying to tell other teachers/friends about it?
**Is this book surprising in some way?
**How does this book compare to other books by the author? How does it add to his/her body of work? (I LOVE finding great books by new authors or books that change my view of an author completely!)
**Do I think about these characters long after I am finished with the book?
**Is it hard for me to move to another book when this book is finished because I don't want this one to be over yet?
**Do I find myself getting online to look for other books by this author right away?
**What do the reviews say? I always check the reviews. I know that I am reading with the eye of a teacher and not an expert in children's lit. So, I trust the reviews and blogs and read them carefully to see what others are saying about the title.
**I pay attention to any real-world issues in the book that I need to be aware of as a public school teacher. Is the issue written in an age-appropriate way? Is it presented to this age group in a way that will help them make sense of it or one that I see as too much for this age?
**Is there depth to this book that is accessible to my students? Is the theme one that students can understand from the book or one that is not really accessible to them in the writing?
**Can most of the students in my room read this book on their own? What will the challenges be for their independent reading? How can I support them in getting past these challenges if they choose to read it independently.
So, later this week, and before the Newbery Announcement on January 22, I'll share my thinking about a few of the books on my list. I just wanted to process what it is I think about when creating my list of Newbery Hopes.
We both read middle grade novels with the eye of a teacher. We are familiar with the Newbery criteria and love the anticipation of waiting for the winner to be announced. I consider my main job on the day of the ALA announcements to be to get as many of the winning books as possible to share with my students the next day.
This is part of the bigger picture of my teaching. I think it is hugely important for kids to be part of the world of reading outside of the classroom. Paying attention to new books, internet sites, movies-from-books, author gossip, awards etc. all help them to be part of the world of readers that has nothing to do with school. I think this is a critical part of my job--hooking them up to this world that I love so much! One that they can be part of for their entire lives. This Newbery/Caldecott piece is just one part of that. Inviting them to be part of a big day in the world of children's literature.
As a teacher, here is how I make decisions about books and questions I ask myself when reading a new book:
**Is this book so amazing, that I should read it aloud to my students? (Since in the course of the year, we only have time to read about 10 novels, the book has to be REALLY good to meet this criteria.)
**Will this appeal to most students in my classroom or is it one that will appeal to a certain group of kids with certain tastes as readers?
**Which books is this like? Are there other popular books that give me the same feeling when I read it?
**Am I really excited to bring this into the classroom or am dying to tell other teachers/friends about it?
**Is this book surprising in some way?
**How does this book compare to other books by the author? How does it add to his/her body of work? (I LOVE finding great books by new authors or books that change my view of an author completely!)
**Do I think about these characters long after I am finished with the book?
**Is it hard for me to move to another book when this book is finished because I don't want this one to be over yet?
**Do I find myself getting online to look for other books by this author right away?
**What do the reviews say? I always check the reviews. I know that I am reading with the eye of a teacher and not an expert in children's lit. So, I trust the reviews and blogs and read them carefully to see what others are saying about the title.
**I pay attention to any real-world issues in the book that I need to be aware of as a public school teacher. Is the issue written in an age-appropriate way? Is it presented to this age group in a way that will help them make sense of it or one that I see as too much for this age?
**Is there depth to this book that is accessible to my students? Is the theme one that students can understand from the book or one that is not really accessible to them in the writing?
**Can most of the students in my room read this book on their own? What will the challenges be for their independent reading? How can I support them in getting past these challenges if they choose to read it independently.
So, later this week, and before the Newbery Announcement on January 22, I'll share my thinking about a few of the books on my list. I just wanted to process what it is I think about when creating my list of Newbery Hopes.
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