Seattle/Tacoma Choice Literacy Event

I flew into Seattle/Tacoma on Monday for a Choice Literacy workshop. The week was a great balance of work and fun. I worked with The 2 Sisters and Brenda Power on a new workshop "Simply Beautiful Classroom Design". It was fun to work together and to think hard about the environments that best support literacy learning, and then I did another on my own. But the days left lots of time for fun, exploration and hanging out with friends. As you can see in the pictures, we all had lots of fun!

Some highlights from the trip were the Glass Walk that is part of the Tacoma Art Museum. I wasn't that familiar with Dale Chihuly's work but am now totally in love with it. And I just found out that his work has been on exhibit at the Columbus Art Museum and I just missed it!? I also had a chance to visit Pike Place Market in Seattle as well as the original Starbucks. In Tacoma, the workshops were held at the amazing Hotel Murano. We had a great meal at Indochine Asian Dining and enjoyed dessert from Hello, Cupcake!

The week was a good one. I met lots of great teachers from around the world, worked hard, played a bit and saw some new sites. Definitely a place I want to visit again!

Poetry Friday -- No Luck Searching

Apropos of nothing in the poem, Lotus Blossom, Two-O-One B&B, Annapolis Maryland, June 2010

NO LUCK SEARCHING

There are no poems on the Internet

for the four unsorted bags of books from ALA

still sitting there

by the chair

where the cat can hide behind them;

or for the fruit on the counter:

pineapple, plums, kiwis, nectarine,

(and in the refrigerator,

bags of limes and cherries);

or for the need

(on July 2nd, for heavens sake!)

to go put on a sweatshirt and socks

because it's so chilly in the house,

sitting here at the kitchen table

with my cup of tea

trying to find the perfect poem for today.

by Mary Lee Hahn, copyright 2010

Amy has the Poetry Friday roundup at The Poem Farm, and it's just occurring to me that today was the perfect day for an original poem, since Amy is the QUEEN of original poems, seeing as she's on #93 out of 365 in her poem-a-day project/challenge/celebration/routine/ritual. I think we should throw a party for her next Friday when she hits the 100 poem mark!

June Mosaics

June started with one rainy day after another, hence the fungus theme in the first row (and another at the start of row 3). Early June flowers were ordinary: clematis, daisy, yucca and butterfly bush, but I ended June with a lotus bloom. There are three butterflies this month, but the one floating above the black-eyed Susans came out looking like a hawk. We stayed at a great B&B, witnessed a great summer storm, and ate GREAT food in Annapolis. It was the perfect end to a hectic three days at ALA. (More on ALA in another post)

I was inspired by Toby Speed at The Writer's Armchair to take more pictures of the sky this summer. Toby is taking "A Sky-a-Day." I didn't quite manage one a day, and I'm not at all as good at finding shapes and stories in the clouds as she is, but looking at the sky has fine-tuned my awareness of the world around me by one more notch.

I wonder how I can get a digital camera for each of my students to carry in their backpack so they can capture moments of their lives in image the way we try to capture small moments with words in their writer's notebooks...

Get Your Credit Card Ready!

Do you love your office supplies and gadgets? Have a complete wardrobe of purses and bags for every occasion? Want to be on the cutting edge of travel apparel? Look no further!

At a recent Choice Literacy workshop, The 2 Sisters (Gail Moser Boushey and Joan Moser, authors of The Daily Five) modeled their new SCOTTEVESTs:

In a related post from last summer, here is Debbie Miller demonstrating an iPhone app.

And finally, here's the SCOTTEVEST version of The Sisters' tour, as an iPhone spoof:

THERE WAS AN OLD MONKEY WHO SWALLOWED A FROG by Jennifer Ward

I received a copy of the new book, I KNOW AN OLD MONKEY WHO SWALLOWED A FROG by Jennifer Ward from the publisher, Marshall Cavendish, and I am so excited about it! I love versions of this fun song! And this new one is especially fun.

The book takes place in the rain forest and the monkey is quite amusing. I love his facial expressions throughout the book when he is deciding what to eat next. This monkey definitely has personality. He never gets that miserable face that shows he has had too much to eat! He eats mostly animals--things like frogs, sloths, and tapirs. But he also eats things like cocoa (to sweeten the frog). I am excited to add this book to the shelf in the library. I think this is the perfect book for read aloud, to add to a basket of song books, to support new readers who are already familiar with the original story, and more. This is a really fun and well-done version of a favorite cumulative tale.

I reviewed another of Jennifer Ward's books last year, THE BUSY TREE. And, I noticed on Jennifer Ward's site, that she has an upcoming book (2011) called THERE WAS AN ODD PRINCESS WHO SWALLOWED A PEA--really, one of my favorite stories in this format. I can't wait to see what she's done!

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