Higher! Higher! by Leslie Patricelli

I am always looking for books that support new readers.  HIGHER! HIGHER! by Leslie Patricelli is a new one that I found that does just that. In this colorful picture book, is having a great time on a swing. As many kids do, she asks to be pushed "Higher! Higher!"  On several pages of the book, the words "Higher! Higher!" are the only two words that accompany the illustration.  With each push, the little girl goes higher and higher--past trees, buildings and more.  Near the end of the book, the words on each page change just a bit.  There are still only 2 very predictable words on each page (thanks to the pictures) but they are a bit different from the rest of the book. 

This is the perfect book for new readers. The pictures tell a great story on their own. They are bright colored and cheerful. This is a story that lots of kids can relate to and the simple text is perfect for new readers. 

The 2nd International Cookbook for Kids

I cannot seem to keep good cookbooks in the library at our school. Kids love them. I shouldn't be surprised. My 9 year old is a huge fan of any cooking show she can find on TV. She is also one who checks out cookbooks often. Even though she doesn't make much from the cookbooks yet, she spends lots of time reading about how to make different dishes.

I was thrilled to get a copy of THE 2nd INTERNATIONAL COOKBOOK FOR KIDS from Marshall Cavendish a while back.  My 9 year old got her hands on it and I just found it in her room again! She had trouble giving this one up.  

I can see why she loves this cookbook. The first International Cookbook for Kids by Matthew Locricchio focused on cooking from China, France, Italy, and Mexico. This 2nd book focuses on cooking of Grece, India, Thailand and Brazil.

This is a well-done cookbook and one that I could see using myself.  The recipes are not easy--they are pretty complicated dishes that don't look like they would necessarily show up in a kids' cookbook.  But the author makes the recipes very accessible to kids who are serious about cooking.  The information is very detailed with instructions on how to cut things embedded right into the recipe. Most recipes have a large photo showing the final dish.   Several categories are included--appetizers, salads, noodles, vegetables, potatoes, main dishes, desserts, etc. There are also sections on safety, cooking terms and utensils. 

For children who are serious about cooking or who are interested in foods from these countries, this is a great book with a huge amount of information along with lots of great recipes.

The Fiesta Dress: A Quinceanera Tale

I just received a review copy of THE FIESTA DRESS: A QUINCEANERA TALE by Caren McNelly McCormack and published by Marshall Cavendish.  I love this book and am excited to add a copy to our school library.

THE FIESTA DRESS is the story about Lola, the baby of the family who gets lots of attention. But on the day of her older sister's quinceanera, no one seems to notice her.  Everyone is too busy getting ready for the big event.  But when Lola accidentally lets out the family dog, who then steals the sash from the quinceanera dress, everyone notices her. Lola ends up saving the day and it is a great fiesta!

There is lots to like about this book. Although it is about the preparations for a quinceanera, all kids can relate to the story of a girl who is just not getting enough attention on a sibling's big day.   There are Spanish words embedded throughout the text with a glossary at the end that defines them. The author weaves in some of the traditions of this celebration throughout the story.

A great new picture book! This is just one of the great new picture books that Marshall Cavendish has out this spring.

READ IT, DON'T EAT IT! by Ian Schoenherr

I am not usually a big fan of books that obviously teach a lesson. But I really like this new book READ IT, DON'T EAT IT by Ian Schoenher that teaches young children how to take care of a book. Even though the lesson is a bit obvious, it is very well done and it is a great, supportive book for new readers.

In this book, animal characters teach us the ways to take care of the books we borrow from classrooms and libraries. Each page, gives us a tip on taking care of books such as "Find someplace else to sneeze."  and "Be careful with it at the pool." Each rule is accompanied by a colorful picture of an animal demonstrating the tip.  The text is large and simple and there is much rhyme and rhythm to the book. 

I can see this as a great book to start the year with for K-1 students next year in the library. It will be a fun way to start a conversation about library books and the library.  I can also see this as a great book for K-1 classrooms.  The text is predictable enough for new readers to be able to read on their own--the picture supports are great.

21st Century Thinking-My Blog Visits

The end of the year always seems crazy and  I haven't had much time lately to read, visit blogs, and reflect on my teaching.  As the year starts to wind down, things are slowing down a bit and I find myself thinking ahead to the next school year. Where do I want my thinking to go and what do I want to be thinking about over the summer?  This is my newest list of things that have me thinking in terms of 21st Century learning. So many smart people out there doing amazing things. So happy that they are all willing to share so much. 

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about the way that new tools are changing the Writing Workshop. What does it mean to be a writer today?  Kim at Always Learning has a great post where she shares their work in Reading/Writing Workshop.  How do we best meet the needs of today's students? She describes a unit focused on digital literacy. Such a smart way to expand our thinking about workshop.

As I continue to think about what it means to be a writer these days, I continue to search for great mentors for students.  Pieces to read, listen to and watch so that we can talk a bit about craft and creation in our minilessons. If you have not had a chance to visit the Parkway Digital Film Festival video page, it is filled with amazing projects by students of all ages.  The variety and quality are amazing.  I love the whole idea of a film festival as a way to get a community sharing student projects.  But even if you aren't interested in the idea of a film festival, the site is a great resource of pieces by students.  The other video that I LOVE from Parkway is one called "Behind the Scenes" which takes us behind the scenes of students getting ready for the film festival-creating the films that they will enter. This is such a great film about 21st Century Learning and the idea that it is all so much more than technology integration. A great piece that shares the process of the kids' work.

The Longfellow Ten is also a great resource that shares examples of stopmotion film--mostly related to literary terms and science concepts.  Great examples for students.

Another new favorite site for students is East K-8 Book Reporters. On this site, students do a great job of booktalking a variety of books on video. A great way to preview books and a great format for student creation. 

I need to spend lots more time with this great compilation of ways to use your pocket video cameras in the classroom called THIRTY-NINE INTERESTING WAYS TO USE YOUR POCKET VIDEO CAMERA IN THE CLASSROOM. With these small cameras being so reasonably priced, I am loving the ideas of all of the different ways to use them.  This slide show of ideas will keep me from getting in a rut--so many great ideas!

As always, Kim Cofino at Always Learning  gives us something to think about in her recent post, "It's Not Just a Tool:  Technology as Environment".  In this post, she invites us to think with her about the difference between tool and environment and how that might be different for our students.  A smart post worth thinking about.

"Eight Habits of Highly Effective 21st Century Teachers" by Andrew Churches was a good one to read.  An interesting list to look at and to use as a guide for reflection.  A great article sharing IDEO's Ten Tips for Creating a 21st Century Classroom Experience

includes tips like creating from relevance, creating an environment that raises lots of questions by students and more. 10 tips worth reflecting on.

I was fascinated by Jenny at Elementary, My Dear, or Far From It description of their new report cards and the inclusion of Patterns of Thinking as they think about student progress.  I think progress reports are always difficult as it is so hard to share all that we know about our students. But this seems like an exciting way to move forward in our communication with parents.

This-n-That

What I Love About Procrastination (at Indexed)

My Favorite Combination of Truth and Snarkiness (It's Not All Flowers and Sausages)

Rhubarb Cobbler *swoon* (from Smitten Kitchen)

A belated Cinco de Mayo greeting (at LOLdogs)

Poetry Friday -- Speaking of Contraries

from WEST-RUNNING BROOK
by Robert Frost

'Speaking of contraries, see how the brook
In that white wave runs counter to itself.
It is from that in water we were from
Long, long before we were from any creature.
Here we, in our impatience of the steps,
Get back to the beginning of beginnings,
The stream of everything that runs away.
Some say existence like a Pirouot
And Pirouette, forever in one place,
Stands still and dances, but it runs away,
It seriously, sadly, runs away
To fill the abyss' void with emptiness.
It flows beside us in this water brook,
But it flows over us. It flows between us
To separate us for a panic moment.
It flows between us, over us, and with us.
And it is time, strength, tone, light, life and love-
And even substance lapsing unsubstantial;
The universal cataract of death
That spends to nothingness -- and unresisted,
Save by some strange resistance in itself,
Not just a swerving, but a throwing back,
As if regret were in it and were sacred.
It has this throwing backward on itself
So that the fall of most of it is always
Raising a little, sending up a little.
Our life runs down in sending up the clock.
The brook runs down in sending up our life.
The sun runs down in sending up the brook.
And there is something sending up the sun.
It is this backward motion toward the source,
Against the stream, that most we see ourselves in,
The tribute of the current to the source.
It is from this in nature we are from.
It is most us.'



The whole poem is here. The round up this week is at Picture Book of the Day.

The Pain and the Great One Chapter Books

Friend or Fiend? with the Pain & the Great One

by Judy Blume

illustrated by James Stevenson

Random House, May 12, 2009

review copy received at IRA-Phoenix

best for grades 2-4

How did I miss this new(er) series by Judy Blume? This is the fourth one!

There's lots to love about this book. It starts with a one paragraph introduction of each of the characters (The Pain -- Jake the first grade brother, and The Great One -- Abigail the third grade sister). 

Each chapter can stand alone as a short story -- great for guided reading groups, literature circles, or mentor texts. But some of the chapters are linked in fun ways, like the ones in this book that featured Fluzzy the cat in some way. (There's even a chapter from the point of view of Fluzzy!)

The chapters are sometimes told from the point of view of The Pain, and sometimes from the point of view of The Great One. You can tell by the picture at the beginning of the chapter. 

Problems and solutions are very clear in these short chapter-stories. There is sibling rivalry, mean cousins who make siblings grateful, conflicts between friends, the embarrassment of mistakes made in public (at school), mean neighborhood children who bring the best out in The Great One, and a chocolate ice cream cone that winds up smushed on The Pain's forehead that actually solves more problems than it causes!

Teacher Appreciation Day

Teacher Appreciation Day is when the high schooler whose youngest brother is in fourth grade comes back and chats with me during bus duty, breathlessly telling me that he is going to be a photojournalist, that he has "grown a brain" since I had him in fourth and fifth grades, that he only shaves for dances and other special occasions.

Teacher Appreciation Day is sitting down in the teachers' lounge with a first grade teacher who was in my fourth grade class.

Teacher Appreciation Day is seeing a student make her idea come to being: a play she wrote based on the book HACHIKO WAITS being practiced on the stage in preparation for performance for the whole grade level.

Teacher Appreciation Day is an email from a former parent who still checks my (pathetically maintained) classroom website to see what's going on in fourth grade and who writes with periodic book chat and recommendations.

Teacher Appreciation is a Minnie Mouse watch in the mail from a family whose children I had 19 and 13 years ago. They long ago moved many states away, but we have continued to exchange Christmas cards all these years. The watch was a "gift of time" in recognition of my 10 year celebration.

Teacher Appreciation is hearing from our school librarian about her daughter, who was in my 5th grade class, now a voracious reader that had to be teased and tickled along back then, who is graduating from college and entering the Peace Corps this fall.

Teacher Appreciation doesn't just happen on a certain designated day in May. It's all the little things that let me know that what I have done with my life for the past 20+ years has made a difference -- small differences in the moment, and lasting differences that have changed lives.

April Mosaic

I'm 120 days into the Project 365 challenge on Flickr, and I'm still having fun! 

In June, when I'm halfway through the year, I think it will be fun to pull together some of the small themes that have emerged: the cat, blooms, pictures out my classroom window, food pics.

Carrying my camera with me at all times has continued to change the way I look at and interact with the world. We stopped and watched the geese with their nest in the median of a shopping center parking lot, and I took pictures until Papa Goose came at me with his neck out, hissing. I didn't get a shot of Lynn's wine glass at our book club dinner because the waiter brought our food and the moment was gone, but I lost myself in the red of the wine and the way it was sparkling in the afternoon sun.

It may or may not be related to this photo project, but I'm starting to use my writer's notebook again -- capturing "snapshots" in words -- and it's good to get back to that.