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.

WHAT TO READ WHEN by Pam Allyn

I just got a copy of Pam Allyn's new book on choosing books for kids called WHAT TO READ WHEN: THE BOOKS AND STORIES TO READ WITH YOUR CHILD AND ALL THE BEST TIMES TO READ THEM. I came home from my perfect beach vacation and was thrilled to see this book in my pile of mail. I spent hours with the book last night--instead of doing the laundry I should have been doing from the trip! This book couldn't come at a better time for the Kidlitosphere with the Share a Story Campaign-Shape a Future having just happened! Jen Robinson and others have been busy working to encourage read aloud.

In Pam Allyn's introduction to WHAT TO READ WHEN, she says, "The same way we choose foods to suit our moods--hot soup on a cold winter's night, spicy ribs for a family picnic--we long to choose the 'just right' books that will match the moments we find ourselves in with our children."

Pam talks about the important role books played in her childhood and the important place reading and sharing books has in her relationship with her daughters.

When I think back to my own childhood and the books that have been saved, I know my mother had the same thinking--I have a book about moving day, one about bad days, one about becoming a big sister. My mother-a teacher-also knows the power of story and conversation --the right book at the right time. As a mother, I find myself looking for books that will help my daughters make sense of the things they are working through. Books have been critical to me in the way I see the world and I want that for kids. That is one of the reasons I am thrilled to see this book.

So often, the only way that "just right" books are defined is by reading level. For so long, we have almost forgotten other reasons that a book can be "just right" and in this book, Pam Allyn reminds us that books are about more than reading development.

The book covers a lot for parents. Part I of the book is dedicated to "The Power of Read Aloud"--why we need to read aloud to our kids and how to do it well. Part II focuses on great read alouds for every age. Pam shares her understanding of child development and the kinds of books kids love at different ages and stages.

Finally, Part III is titled, "The Emotional 'When': Fifty Essential Themes". In it are booklists that match so many moments in life--both big and small. Included themes are Birthdays, Being Yourself, Falling Asleep, Death, Loneliness, Adoption, Bath Time, and more. For each of these themes, Pam gives us a great list of books--including old favorites as well as great new titles. She gives us summaries of the books as well as talking points and questions to start discussions with our kids. I can't begin to tell you what a resource this is.

One of my favorite pieces of the book is Pam's answers to Parents' Frequently Asked Questions. She answers the important questions we hear over and over, including:
"Should I still be reading aloud to my child after he or she is reading independently?"
"Should I give rewards to my child for reading?"
"I know my child can read Harry Potter because he can sound out alll the words on the page. So why does he seem unable to finish the book?"

This book will be a must-have resource for parents, teachers and librarians. I am very excited to have it--after owning it for less than 24 hours, it already looks a bit worn--tabs, notes and post-its everywhere! I will be going back to this one often!

What Does It Mean to Be a Literacy Teacher Today

I wrote an article for Choice Literacy titled, "What Does It Mean to be a Literacy Teacher Today?".  It is the first in a year-long series called "Beyond Gadgets" focusing on integrating technology with literacy learning.

21st Century Thinking-My Blog Visits

Another round of great sites I've found that help me think about 21st Century "stuff". In no particular order. Just some posts that helped my personal thinking recently.

MEET ME AT THE CORNER is a great site for kid videos. I have been looking for videos that kids can study as "mentors" when they create their own. This site is full of not only kid-friendly videos,but videos made by kids, videos on how to make videos, and more. A great resource if you are thinking of movie-making with elementary students.

KIDS WHO THINK is a blog that I love. Fun weekly challenges invites kids to use their creativity. So many great ideas--Kids are sooo smart! I worry that we are missing this kind of learning in schools and this reminds me how critical these experiences are for kids.

Will Richardson shares his observations after his 10 day trip to Australia. The kids in charge of the learning. He visited the Wooranna Park Primary School.  This school makes me sooo happy.  There is a great video that summarizes the way the school works on the site.  To me, that is the key to 21st Century learning.  

Kip's post Time to Reflect was key to me in my thinking of how to infuse more technology into my days. The debrief and reflecting is key in our day and I worry that we are losing that in our hurry to "teach" things. I can see the share and debrief as the critical piece of a workshop with new tools. No matter what tools are available to students, the reflective share is key.

For those of you who have not ventured to Twitter yet. Ryan Bretag has a 30 Day Twitter Challenge posted. He has some great advice for those of you missing out on the fun!
30 Day Twitter Challenge

At 59 Minutes, a thoughtful post about the reality of making the changes in the classroom that we often learn about at conferences.

I am always intrigued by any new information about the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia. This article
was recently posted which includes some interesting tours and thoughtful practices.

One of the posts that solidified some of my own thinking was from GENERATION YES BLOG titled "Educational Technology Doesn't Work". I continue to worry that anything on the computer is being tagged in the same category. For me, the key to quality instruction with 21st Century tools is about creation and information. Games and online worksheets cannot be put into the same category. But that seems to be what is happening in many cases.

At Creating Lifelong Learners, there is a great post about priorities in technology purchases. So many tools are coming out so quickly and deciding which will have the most impact for students is a challenge. For me, it is always about student creation and I appreciated the premise of this post. Very smart and helpful.

And I loved the post HOW DO YOU EAT AN ELEPHANT? INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY ONE BYTE AT A TIME at Tea for [Web] 2.0 (I love the name of the blog too!)  So much of this tech is so overwhelming--where do you begin.  She says:

"The process of integrating technology into our libraries and classroom spaces seems daunting at first, much like climbing a mountain or eating an elephant - but if we simplify the process, start small and work our way up and out, great things can and will happen."

Blog Carnival-END the R-Word

If you have not seen the "We Need a New "R" Word" video created by 16-year old Noah Gray and all of the follow-up work this group is doing, today is the day to make time to watch. Take some time today to watch this video and others created by people around the world as part of this campaign.

Tuesday, March 31 has been named SPREAD THE WORD TO END THE WORD:

"It is time to “Spread the Word to End the Word,” and on Tuesday, March 31, events throughout the United States and around the world will make people stop and think about their hurtful and disparaging use of the word “retard.” "

As part of the campaign, Laura at "25 Days to Make a Difference" is hosting a Blog Carnival.

As teachers, helping students see the power of their words is critical. Here at A Year of Reading, we believe books are one of the best ways to start conversations and to help all of us understand the world. We are taking today to share a few of our favorite books that we would use in the classroom inviting long-term conversations about hurtful words. These aren't all books specifically about intellectual disabilities but the conversation is the same. I love the idea of this day. I also know that conversations like this can and should be ongoing throughout the school year. Books are often a good way into these conversations as readers come to know and love the characters they read about. Here are some of the books we've used in the past that help begin and continue conversations about the power of our words.

Rules by Cynthia Lord
Be Good to Eddie Lee by Virginia Fleming
Along Came Spider by James Preller
So B. It by Sarah Weeks
Emma Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis

The Thing About Georgie by Lisa Graff
Stand Tall Molly Lou Melton by Patty Lovell
Edwardo, The Horriblest Boy in the Whole Wide World by John Birmingham

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko (thanks for this addition, Jenny:-)

**We are posting this today, a little early, in hopes that many people from the Kidlitosphere join in on the Blog Carnival to support this important campaign.

Poetry Friday -- New Car

photo credit

My New Name

I'm called Saturn in the U.S.
I'm Vauxhall in the U.K.
but names don't really matter --
'cause I was bought today!

In Australia I'm a Holden
in Belguim, where I was born,
I'm an Opel, but don't worry --
I speak your dialect of Horn.

Today was such a proud day!
When we drove she called me "fine."
She signed, they clapped, then best of all --
She began to call me Mine.

The round up this week is at The Drift Record of poet Julie Larios.

The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything

I just finished my first Kindle Read. Can I say how much I LOVE the Kindle and how happy I am to have read THE ELEMENT by Ken Robinson and Lou Aronica?

One of my favorite features of The Kindle is the highlighting feature. While reading, I can highlight a passage, take a note, and then have those all stored in one place on my Kindle for later reference. So, after reading this book, I was able to quickly revisit all of the lines and passages that really resonated with me.

THE ELEMENT is a great book. I have always been interested in people's creativity and passions and that is what drew me to the book. I am always amazed to meet people who have some unique passion. And I am always interested in how to support this idea in schools. Through reading this book, I did lots of reflection on not only my work with students but about myself and the current climate or our communities. A very thought-provoking book that I would highly recommend.

The premise for the book is this: "We need to create environments-in our schools, in our workplaces, and in our public offices-where every person is inspired to grow creatively. We need to make sure that all people have the chance to do what they should be doing, to discover the Element in themselves and in their own way."

I have been lucky to spend lots of my life doing things that I love. But I have worried for a while about the impact on our kids who have gone to school in this testing era. I worry that they leave high school without having a passion or an interest in something because they haven't had the opportunity to know the possibilities.

I feel like much of our work in schools should be about opening the possibilities for our students--letting them discover who they are and what is possible out there for them.

The Element helps us think through the issues of creativity. They book defines creativity as "the process of having original ideas that have value" Much of the book is spent examining creativity--what it is, why it is important, why standardized IQ tests miss so much about a person's intelligence.

Some of my favorite chapters of the book dealt with Tribes--connecting to others who see the world as you do. People who share your passions. I rely completely on the people who I can think with and I want the same for my students.

The authors share with us so many examples of people who have found their passion outside of school. The patterns of doing work they love and the impact on their life are so interesting. The end of the book focuses on implications for schools. We hear about several schools that value creativity and individuality. The authors argue for customized, rather than standardized education for our students. They state, "The stakes could hardly be higher for education and for all who pass through it."

This book is a must read. I imagine I will reread it soon. So much to think about as teachers and members of so many communities. How do we support each other in finding our individual voices that are so critical?

STINK-O-PEDIA by Megan McDonald

Again, I am not sure how I missed this one since it's been out since January! But the new Stink book is quite fun. STINK-O-PEDIA:SUPER STINKY STUFF FROM A TO ZZZzzzz by Megan McDonald is quite a treat and will appeal to lots of readers. The book is technically nonfiction--filled with lots of true facts from Stink. It is set up in alphabetical order (since it is an encyclopedia) and has a variety of visuals throughout. In the same style as the Stink books, this book is full of fun illustrations, diagrams, comics and more. The information is inspired by the Stink and Judy Moody books and includes "Guinea Pig Mania" and secret codes. You find out early in the book that there are exactly 20 spelling errors throughout the book and as a reader, you are challenged to find them!

The book is full of fun facts. So many of my students love to check out nonfiction that is filled with interesting trivia. This book will appeal to them and I think they'll be able to read this one cover to cover--unlike some of the others that they just browse. I can see this book also appealing to kids who don't know Stink--those Diary of a Wimpy Kids fans may be drawn to this one.

I am pretty excited about this new Stink Book and the creativity that McDonald used in creating it. I think this is a great way to get to know a favorite character in a whole different way.

Bubble Homes and Fish Farts

Welcome, Fiona Bayrock, author of Bubble Homes and Fish Farts! We are delighted to be the third stop on your week-long blog tour.

On Monday, Fiona was at The Well-Read Child.
Tuesday's stop was at Abby (the) Librarian.
Thursday, she'll be at Celebrate Story.
And she'll end the week at Becky's Book Reviews.

My 4th graders saw this book on my desk and they were dying for me to read it to them -- talk about a catchy title!

Here are the interview questions my students wrote for Ms. Bayrock:

How did you come up with the title of your book?

A good title will get a book taken off the shelf, opened—with help from the cover—and read. That's a lot to expect from a few words! I spend a fair bit of time trying different ideas to come up with a title I hope will flex that kind of muscle. In my search, I look for:

• a title that's fresh and unexpected - bubble+home and fish+fart are both unusual combinations not seen in a book title before, way more interesting than plain old "Animal Bubbles", which is accurate, but *yawwwwn*.
• a title that'll get possible readers asking questions so they'll want to read the book to find the answers - Bubble Home? What could live in a bubble home? What would that look like? Where would it be built? How?...
• a title that matches the tone of the book - in this case, light and fun. Can you say "fish farts" without smiling? If it had been a more serious book, I would have chosen something else instead.

Bubble Homes and Fish Farts accomplished all that in a way none of the other combinations from the book did.

Why did you “hide” the section about fish farts?

Hee hee...it does look like I hid it, doesn't it? But, actually, the placement in the book just happened to work out that way. As with most list books, the order in Bubble Homes and Fish Farts isn't random. The animals are grouped according to function: movement, warmth, finding food etc., and where possible, the sections are linked in some way. The whale and seal spreads talk about using bubbles to catch fish—a great lead-in to herring—so the fish farts come after those spreads, which ended up coming where they do as the result of much rearranging to create the strongest logical flow.

How did you decide what animals to put in this book?

I started with a list of all of the animals I could find that used bubbles, and then pared it down to include one animal for each distinct purpose. It wasn't a long list, and as luck would have it, didn't contain a lot of duplication. When two similar animals had a similar purpose to their bubbles I chose the more interesting one (backswimmer over diving beetle, moth over grasshopper), or the one that wasn't already represented on the list. e.g. both dolphins and beluga whales play with bubble rings, but I already had a "whale", so the dolphin was in and the beluga out. One animal from the original list was cut when the research didn't support the bubble use the preliminary research had shown, and a few animals were added along the way as I became aware of their bubble use during the research process (violet sea snail, water shrew, and star-nosed mole).

How did you do your research for this book?

To get the initial list, I entered various animal names and "bubbles" into an online search engine and thumbed through the index of several large resource books about animal survival and adaptation. Then I used a combination of sources: journals, videos, local library books and interlibrary loan (I heart librarians!), and specific online sources such as NOAA, National Geographic, university labs, research papers, and Notes from the Field (my fave was by an Antarctic researcher during one of her research trips).

Once I'd done all the research I could, I turned to experts, one or two for each animal, to fill in any missing details. They checked my similes for accuracy, and helped me understand the sensory aspects (the frog really does sound like "fwap-fwap-fwap-fwap" and the pile-driving like a church bell). Some invited me into their labs or provided further material not available to the public, such as crittercam footage or photos to show what it was I was writing about. That was extremely helpful.

How long did it take you to write the book?

I researched and wrote half the book in a few weeks of solid work. That included the "easy" animals—the ones I was already familiar with and for which the research and experts were readily available. The second half of the book took a lot longer (over 18 months) partly because the animals were more obscure, and took more digging and waiting for materials to come via interlibrary loan and scientists to come in from the field, but also because I was working on other projects at the same time.

Which is your favorite animal?

If you'd asked me this question as I was writing the book, my answer would have been whichever one I was working on at the moment. Now that the book is complete, I still don't have one that stands out. Usually I do have favourite parts in whatever I'm working on, but I guess the bubble connection made for a list of animals that were interestingly quirky in their own ways, because I enjoyed writing about them all. It was a happy day when the book was expanded from 32 to 48 pages so I didn't have to cut any.

Did you always want to be a writer?

Nope. I kind of fell into it. I knew from a very young age that at some point in my life I would write a book. I didn't know what it would be about, whether it would be fiction or nonfiction, or for adults or children, but I thought it would be in *addition* to a career in another field, not the career itself. Now that I *am* a writer, I can't imagine myself doing anything else. Sometimes life throws you a curve ball and you catch it.

What are you writing now?

Aside from "answers to blog interview questions"? ;^)

I always have several book and magazine projects at various stages. Right now, that includes mostly quirky cool animal science, with one project focusing more on the scientists, and one involving an experimental format.


Thank you, Fiona Bayrock for answering our questions and for including us on your tour!!

Fun, Fun, and More Fun!

POETRY MONTH FUN

Gregory K., at GottaBook, announced his project, 30 Poets/30 days: "Every day in April, I'll be posting a previously unpublished poem by a different poet."

Tricia, at The Miss Rumphius Effect, is sharing her interviews with "the most amazing writers of poetry for children on the planet." She'll have 36 interviews in 30 days.

Jone, at Check it Out, will be doing a variety of poetry projects with students in her school, as well as challenging herself to write 30 poems in 30 days for a 3rd year!

Anastasia Suen, author of PENCIL TALK AND OTHER SCHOOL POEMS, has started a new blog just for students' poems about school. She'll feature a student's poem every day in April.

Here at A Year of Reading...well, we're on spring break, so our National Poetry Month plans are a little fuzzy right now. Or fizzy, as the case may be. We're pretty sure there will be some kind of poetry post every day in April. Book reviews, links, Irish Dancing, original poems, student work, and 21st Century Poetry are all possibilities. Stay tuned.

BATTLE OF THE BOOKS FUN

And Monica, at Educating Alice, is having lots of FUN with BOB.