ALL WRITE!!! Consortium Summer Institute

I participated in the ALL WRITE!!! Consortium Summer Institute last week in Shipshewana, Indiana. It was a great event with almost 500 teachers participating. I had a great time with the teachers and also had a chance to spend time with friends. Pictured above are Smokey Daniels, Sarah Weeks, Lester Laminack and Sharon Taberski. I was able to hear Katie Wood Ray's keynote address as well as Smokey Daniels' session on Inquiry Circles in Grades 4-8. And, I had never met Sarah Weeks and I am a big fan of her work, so that was a treat! It was fun to chat with Sarah because I had just read her new book AS SIMPLE AS IT SEEMS on the way to Shipshewana. It is a great middle great read and it was so fun to meet the author on the day I read the book! There was also lots of informal chat. I was inspired by the whole day.

I also got to see Ruth of Two Writing Teachers very briefly (just long enough to say hello). It is so funny to see her away from Stacey! I think of them as a blog duo and forget that they are 565 miles apart! It was fun to be part of one of her events!

Katie's opening keynote was titled, "Refelctions on Loving Writers and Writing". I knew from the title that it would be an inspiring talk. Katie is always brilliant and always regrounds me. Her talk focused on her own teaching of writing and the writers she knows and loves. She reminded us of the importance of knowing lots of writers so we can bring those writers to our students. Watching her writing conferences is always amazing--the way she talks to students and the writing they produce because of the way she empowers them is inspiring. I am anxious to read her new book IN PICTURES AND IN WORDS!


Then I attended the session on Inquiry Circles by Smokey Daniels. The new book, COMPREHENSION AND COLLABORATION: INQUIRY CIRCLES IN ACTION is one that I have been reading and rereading, thinking about what is possible in the library. I have always been a fan of the work of Daniels and Harvey. And I think this new book on Inquiry Circles may be a new favorite. In his session, Daniels talked about the four types of inquiry circles. He began by talking about Min-Inquiries. I loved what he said about these as a way for us, as teachers, to train ourselves to stop and notices kids' amazing questions and to honor their curiosities. He also talked about Curricular Inquiries, Open Inquiries, and Lit Circle Inquiries. We saw some video clips of some 5th graders talking about their lingering questions. Daniels reminded us that instead of projects or trying to decide what kids should "do" When they finish a book, he said, "We should be asking them --'So what? Now what do you wonder about'". After the session, I asked Smokey if he'd be up for a blog interview around the topic of inquiry circles and he's agreed. So, look for a blog interview by Daniels and Harvey later this summer.

I didn't get to hear Sharon or Lester but did get to hear about their upcoming books. Lester has several coming out in the next few years. I can't wait to see his upcoming picture books. I love all of his books. Sharon has an upcoming book on K-3 comprehension coming out in the fall. Her first book, ON SOLID GROUND has been such an anchor book for so many of us. I can't wait to get my hands on this new one!

Even though I was only in Shipshewana for less than 24 hours, it was a great day. The organizers of the conference put together such a great event for teachers. I am hoping that one of these years, I can attend since it is not that far away from home.

Poetry Friday -- Working Together and Butterflies

THE TUFT OF FLOWERS
by Robert Frost

I went to turn the grass once after one
Who mowed it in the dew before the sun.

The dew was gone that made his blade so keen
Before I came to view the levelled scene.

I looked for him behind an isle of trees;
I listened for his whetstone on the breeze.

But he had gone his way, the grass all mown,
And I must be, as he had been,—alone,

As all must be,' I said within my heart,
Whether they work together or apart.'

But as I said it, swift there passed me by
On noiseless wing a 'wildered butterfly,

Seeking with memories grown dim o'er night
Some resting flower of yesterday's delight.

And once I marked his flight go round and round,
As where some flower lay withering on the ground.

And then he flew as far as eye could see,
And then on tremulous wing came back to me.

I thought of questions that have no reply,
And would have turned to toss the grass to dry;

But he turned first, and led my eye to look
At a tall tuft of flowers beside a brook,

A leaping tongue of bloom the scythe had spared
Beside a reedy brook the scythe had bared.

I left my place to know them by their name,
Finding them butterfly weed when I came.

The mower in the dew had loved them thus,
By leaving them to flourish, not for us,

Nor yet to draw one thought of ours to him.
But from sheer morning gladness at the brim.

The butterfly and I had lit upon,
Nevertheless, a message from the dawn,

That made me hear the wakening birds around,
And hear his long scythe whispering to the ground,

And feel a spirit kindred to my own;
So that henceforth I worked no more alone;

But glad with him, I worked as with his aid,
And weary, sought at noon with him the shade;

And dreaming, as it were, held brotherly speech
With one whose thought I had not hoped to reach.

Men work together,' I told him from the heart,
Whether they work together or apart.'

The title of my photograph is "Butterfly Bush -- UR Doin' It Right." Franki and I are working together today, leading a Choice Literacy day of fun and books.

Amy has the Poetry Friday roundup at the art of irreverence.

Grandparents and Babies: Two New Books from The Global Fund For Children

Our Grandparents: A Global Album

by Maya Ajmera, Sheila Kinkade and Cynthia Pon

A Global Fund for Children Book (developer)

Charlesbridge (publisher), 2010

review copy provided by the developer

There's a special relationship between a grandparent and grandchild. If you didn't already know that, you wouldn't need the simple text in this book to tell you -- you would only need to look at the pictures. Love and encouragement and pride and hope for the future radiate from every picture on every page in this book -- pictures of grandparents and grandchildren from around the world (each labeled with the country) playing, telling stories, talking, hugging, laughing, making things, doing things.

There is so much to talk about with children as you read this book and look at the pictures over and over again (because I dare you to only look through this book once): family, culture, tradition, memories, and more.

This book could inspire children to create their own simple photographic essay about a topic that matters most to them.

American Babies

A Global Fund for Children Book (developer)

Charlesbridge (publisher), 2010

review copy provided by the developer

I recently watched a friend's 14 month-old baby sort through her basket of board books while her mom and I chatted. She looked at each one, sometimes stopping to open a book to a favorite page and point to a picture and say something to herself. An independent reader who is not even 2 years old! One of her favorite words to say is BABY, so I know she would love this board book. Every page has a happy, sad, serious or eager baby looking out at you. There are babies with blond hair, red hair, curly hair, black hair, pig-tailed hair and no hair. There are babies with every shade of skin and every shape of eye. There are spring, summer, fall and winter babies.

Add this one to your list of favorites for baby shower gifts!

And yet another great dog book for beginning readers....

Just when you think you have enough dog books, you come across another great one that you must have! No matter how many dog books I have--fiction, nonfiction, poetry, etc.--it is hard to keep up in the library. Kids love dog books. The new one I picked up is called PLEASE TAKE ME FOR A WALK by Susan Gal. This book is about an adorable little dog who wants to go for a walk. The text is simple-one line per page. The dog is begging to be taken for a walk and he has lots of reasons for wanting to do so-he wants to see his friends, catch a ball, meet other dogs and more. The repeated phrase "Please take me for a walk" comes up often, each time followed by a good reason or two. The illustrations in this book are happy and fun.

I immediately saw lots of reasons to buy this book. First of all, it is a fun story and I am sure it will be checked out often. It is very supportive of newer readers. One line of text on a page, picture support and a good font--I think first graders will love reading this one on their own at some point in the year. Finally, I love that the dog is narrating the story. I can see it used as a mentor text for kids trying to write from another point of view. This would be a great book to use to introduce the concept of first person voice--older kids will enjoy the dog and his pleading for a walk. The narrator has definitely perfected a puppy voice.

A fun new book with lots of possibilities. (I did not know about Susan's other book--NIGHT LIGHTS, but will now have to add it to my list.)

Hope is an Open Heart

Hope is an Open Heart (Help for Haiti Edition)

by Lauren Thompson

Scholastic, 2008/2010

review copy purchased for my classroom library

This is not a book to take off the shelf once in the spring before state tests to "teach" metaphors. True, the text is a lyrical series of metaphors about hope. However, the strength of the book lies in the photographs and in the explanation of the photos in the back of the book.

There are pictures of children from Alabama and New Orleans who lost their homes to Hurricane Katrina, children from Sri Lanka whose school was washed away by the tsunami in 2004, children from East Timor who have lived with political violence, and children from Haiti who lost everything to the recent earthquake.

With images and information in the media about the ever-spreading oil spill in the Gulf, we will need to be ready to have lots of conversations with our students about hope, and about the things they can do to make a difference. The blog ripple, begun on June 3, 2010, has this mission: "A small sketch -- a small donation -- each small act helps. Together we can cause a ripple in the oil soaked waters of the gulf." Read artist Kelly Light's first post and complete mission statement, and think about the kinds of small ripples you (and your students) can make so that you don't simply feel hopeless or disconnected from this disaster that will ultimately touch all of our lives in some way.

More reviews:

Cathy at Reflect and Refine: Building a Learning Community

Mandy at Enjoy and Embrace Learning

Daydreams of a Solitary Hamster by Astrid Desbordes and Pauline Martin

I just discovered DAYDREAMS OF A SOLITARY HAMSTER and it is quite fun. I purchased it because I saw it described as a graphic novel, but it is actually several separate comic strips put together in a book.

This is a picture book size book and includes several stories about Hamster and his friends. Most strips are simple stories that take up the two page spread. The characters are quite amusing and the more you read, the more you come to know each one.

I like a lot about this book. First of all, I like that is is several short comics. They are simple and fun and each provides something to talk about. I am always looking for short pieces to use in minilessons, book clubs, etc, and it is difficult to find these in graphic form. But this one will work well for many purposes. The fact that there are many stories about these characters will allow kids to really come to know them.

I love the illustration and the size of this one. Kids are loving this graphic format, but so many graphic novels/books are not appropriate for younger children and they are dying to read them. This one would definitely work for young readers and it is fun enough to engage older elementary reader as well. I think the thing I love most about it is the huge range of readers that will be engaged by it.

The Secret Lives of Princesses

The Secret Lives of Princesses

by Philippe Lechermeier

illustrated by Rebecca Dautremer

Sterling Publishing Co., 2010

review copy was purchased because every page I looked at made me laugh

You thought you knew all there was to know about princesses because you've read every version of Cinderella, Snow White and Rapunzel? Well, think again. You've never met Princess Somnia who sleeps, Princess Paige who reads, or Princess Molly Coddle who is spoiled (plus more than a dozen others).

This book is equal parts parody and word play. It fits into the category of books that work really hard to look like nonfiction even though the topic is fictional -- this one has definitions, diagrams, cross-references, charts, graphs, tables, a glossary, a bibliography, an index, a list of proverbs and a test you can take to find out what kind of princess you are.

It's a GORGEOUS book -- oversized with red and pink as the dominant color-scheme -- and there is so much to look at on every page, complicated by the cross-references from one princess to another, that it is more of a book for browsing than reading straight through cover to cover.

One of the joys of this book lies in the diversity of the princesses. They come in a variety of sizes, shapes, skin colors and cultures. (There is even one princess who is a prince.) They have incredibly unique talents and personalities...just like the reader, who is encouraged to find someone familiar (perhaps yourself?) in these princesses.

This book is for older readers (sophisticated humor and high level vocabulary), for anyone passionate about princesses, and even for readers who aren't really all that into princesses, but who appreciate humor and creativity no matter what the topic.

The book has its own website.

Another Review:

Welcome to My Tweendom

DARK LIFE by Kat Falls

I read DARK LIFE by Kat Falls this week while traveling and I really enjoyed it. It is definitely science-fiction/fantasy. It is a futuristic story of a city under the sea. Because land is scarce, people are packed in on the earth. Ty is sixteen years old and is one of the few children that has been raised in the ocean.

Early in the story, Ty meets Gemma, who lives "Topside" but has come under sea to look for her older brother. They have quite an adventure. It seems that outlaws are attacking the undersea community and chaos is part of daily life. It is up to the citizens of the city to find the outlaws. Ty and Gemma get involved in the search and face many dangerous situations.

One thread throughout the book is the idea of "dark gifts". Some people believe that children who were born and raised under water have unnatural gifts due to the water pressure. Ty denies having one of these "gifts" as do the other character. This is a thread that comes up throughout the story.

At first, I thought this book was like CITY OF EMBER. That is the thing that drew me to it. In a way, it is that kind of a book--a futuristic story in which the children take on grown-up problems and try to save their home. But this book was a much different read. Ty has no desire to leave the underwater city. As a matter of fact, he is working hard to stay there. His parents were original settlers and researchers of the settlement and he believes in what they are doing and in the hope that he can soon own his own land underwater. This story is also a bit more complex than City of Ember. For me, it was a bit more difficult to envision the underwater city and the buildings, weapons, vehicles, etc. that were part of it. I had to do a bit more work to understand. And, finally, there was a bit of a romance between Ty and Gemma that makes this seem to be meant for more middle-school readers. (Many reviews say that the book is for ages 9-12. It seems more like it is 11-14ish to me but I could be wrong.)

Overall, a really good book. A great book for kids who have read and enjoyed the City of Ember series and a great one to stretch kids who love fantasy, adventure, and survival stories.

DANCING FEET by Lindsey Craig

Books with rhythm and rhyme--books that are fun for young children--are some of my favorite books. Sally, at Cover to Cover, shared DANCING FEET by Lindsey Craig with me during my recent Cover to Cover visit. It is great fun and so much for young readers to love.

First of all, this is a fun, rhythmic book. One of my favorite books is TANKA TANKA SKUNK. This one has that same feel for me. There is fun with words, sounds and rhythm. This is definitely a book that kids will want to join in for--it asks to be read together.

Another reason young children will love this one is that they love to guess what is coming next and this book is designed for them to do this. Each rhyme covers two pages. On the first page, the readers gets clues in both pictures and in words as to which animal's feet are being described. For example:

Stompity! Stompity!
Big gray feet!
Who is dancing
that stompity beat?

The next page answers the riddle with a chant in the same rhythm and an accompanying illustrations.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the illustrations in this book. They are made with cut paper--you can see that the illustrator, Marc Brown, used several textures. This is a new type of art for Marc Brown and I LOVE it! Looking more closely at it as I write this, I am thinking that this may be on my short list of Caldecott hopefuls. The illustrations are definitely engaging, colorful and unique.

I am excited about this book--it will make a great fun read aloud. I know this is a book that kids will want to read again and again and again. And I am pretty sure I won't get sick of it. (And it looks like this is Lindsey Craig's first children's book. Can't wait for the next one!)

One-A-Day Updates

Summer goals. We used to do big summer goal posts. (2009F, 2009F, 2008F, 2008ML, 2007F, 2007ML)

I like the switch to a one-a-day commitment. If I try to do one new thing each day all summer, maybe I'll keep doing that one thing the rest of the year.

...or not. A poem a day in April didn't stick...but that's what made April special, so I'm okay with that.

Here's an update on the One-a-Day Crew (original post here):

Donalyn is still reading a book (or more) a day.

Amy is still writing a poem (or more) a day.

I am still writing a thank you note (or more) a day.

Toby jumped right in and started taking a picture a day of the sky.

Jone is writing a haiku a day.

JoAnn is getting ready to move by giving something away every day.

TinyReader and Baby Lily are reading a book (or more) a day.

Mandy is playing a game a day with one or two or all three of her kids.

Carina is going to try to get outside for some unscheduled time every day...just to be outside!

InNeedOfChocolate intends to do some yoga every day.

What have you vowed to do once-a-day each day this summer?