Blogs to Follow

It was a great first week of school and we are ready to start thinking about publishing online. This summer, I thought through the pieces I wanted for my 4th grade writers. I am laughing now because it seemed much more doable in July!  I know it is doable, I just need to take steps in the first six weeks of school and be thoughtful about how we get everything in place.

I want my students to be connected writers AND I also want them to be connected readers.  This week, we'll start doing some online reading. As a shared experience, I want to spend time with students reading blogs and understanding the whole genre of blogging.  I want them to see a variety of blogs, to see what is possible, to learn about commenting, etc.  So, I put out a request on Twitter, asking for classroom blogs that my class might follow. I got a great list from teachers everywhere. I also found some great blogs by kids and/or for kids that I'll add to the collection. I am trying to keep a list for now as I know we'll find some we revisit more often.  Many are just getting started as it is the beginning of the year. Others are older and haven't had new postings for a while. But all of the blogs on this list will help students begin to see the possibilities in blogging. This week will be about immersing ourselves in blogs and what they are about.   It will be about seeing the possibilities open up as we learn from and with people all over the world.

This is the list of blogs I have so far. Thanks to everyone for sharing their blogs with me on Twitter. If you have a classroom blog or student blog you'd like to add, just leave it in the comments. I had a great time pulling this list together--so much to learn from each blog that I visited!

THE SHINY RED APPLE (4th Grade) 

ANNA'S AMAZING LEARNERS (5 year olds in New Zealand)

POTENTIAL AND POSSIBILITIES 

ROOM 17 PINEHILL SCHOOL (New Zealand) 

MRS. YOLLIS'S 3RD GRADE BLOG  (California)

LIL' DOG WHISPERER 

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS' BLOGS

LAURA'S LIFE (7th Grader, Indiana) 

GLOSONBLOG (Social Media, Blogging and Tech Tips from 14 yo in Malaysia)

HAGAN'S WORLD OF AWESOME  (6 year old in Iowa) 

MRS. DAUB'S DUDES AND DUDETTES(4th Grade Classroom Blog) 

THE HOWLIN' GOOD TIMES OF ROOM 226 (4th Grade Classroom Blog)

CRAYONS AND PENCILS (6th Graders) 

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS BLOGS 

ABI'S BLOG (9 year old in Beijing) 

AMELIE'S ANIMAL BLOG (5 year old in Australia) 

AVA'S AWESOME BLOG (Australia)

EM'S CANVAS 

CLASSROOM 2 KIDS (Grade 2, British Columbia, Canada) 

LEARNING HUB 3 @ STONEFIELDS SCHOOL (5-8 year olds in New Zealand)

MR. C's CLASS BLOG http://mrcsclassblog.blogspot.com/

MRS. CASSIDY'S CLASSROOM BLOG (Grade 1)

THE SKINNY (5th Grade) 

MISS ALANIZ'S CLASSROOM BLOG (4th Grade) 

GRADE 5/MRS. TERBORG'S CLASS @RIVERSTONE 

20 SOMETHING KIDS AND 1 KOOKY TEACHER (5th Grade, Missouri) 

MRS. FREDERICKSON'S CLASS BLOG (Grade 6) 

...ALWAYS LEARNING...(5th Grade)

ROBINSON'S FABULOUS FIRSTIES

It's Monday! What are you reading?

Thanks to Kellee and Jen at TEACH MENTOR TEXTS for hosting. 

Pop over there to see everyone's lists.

What have I been reading lately? GRAPHIC NOVELS! 

Binky Takes Charge (A Binky Adventure)

by Ashley Spires

Kids Can Press, 2012

review copy provided by the publisher

Binky the cat is in charge of training a new cadet. But the cadet turns out to possibly be a spy, and definitely to be a DOG. How will Binky keep the space station safe?

Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Return of Tippy Tinkletrousers

by Dav Pilkey

Scholastic, 2012

Really?? The whole series perhaps didn't happen because of a time travel (banana cream pie) paradox? In fact, the whole earth is destroyed, unless Tippy Tinkletrousers can save Captain Underpants? Stay tuned -- we'll all find out January 2013.

Amulet #5: Prince of the Elves

by Kazu Kibuishi

Scholastic, 2012

This series started out very kid-friendly (for 4-5th grade) and now is getting really dark and REALLY complicated. I probably should have re-read the entire series before reading this one. It might have made more sense. I am having a hard time keeping track of the characters. My students will clamor for it because, like me, they are invested in the series and can't wait for the next book, but I'll let them know that I'm going to read it again after I re-read the first four.

Legends of Zita the Spacegirl

by Ben Hatke

First Second, 2012

review copy provided by the publisher

Zita's back! YAY! 

This time she has to deal with a robot that imprints on her...but who turns out to be as much of a hero as she is.

Her beloved Mouse is captured, and at the end of the book, Zita takes off to rescue him. But of course, that's not enough for author Ben Hatke. He has to throw in a SERIOUS cliffhanger.

Luz Makes a Splash (The Future According to Luz)

by Claudia Davila

Kids Can Press, 2012

review copy provided by the publisher

Second book in The Future According to Luz series. Like the first, takes on a variety of environmental issues, this time focusing around water conservation.

A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel

by Madeline L'Engle

adapted and illustrated by Hope Larson

Farrar Straus Giroux, 2012

review copy provided by the publisher

When I opened the package that contained this book, I gasped, then clasped it to my chest. LOVELOVELOVE what Hope Larson did with this.

Now. That said, I will admit that I didn't actually read it cover to cover. It's too much like watching the movie of this landmark book that's been a part of my life since 6th grade. I like the visuals that are in my own mind. But I read enough to see that Larson stayed extremely true to the story. Practically word for word.

I'll take this copy to school, but I'll have to have another copy to keep with my original Scholastic paperback and the hardback and paperbacks of the 50th anniversary editions.

August Mosaic

Three big photo ops in August. Last Friday of the Summer, spent hiking in John Bryant State Park (lunch after at The Winds in Yellow Springs--YUMMM). I used the pair of fresh eyes to help me find some numbers and letters for the Alpha-Numeric project that I haven't forgotten about, but which has been back-burnered for a couple of months. Top center is a nice Leaf Lady. Top right is a fabulous A. Second row center is an amazing millipede, then O, and Jewel Weed. Third row features 5, J, and a 3, courtesy of Trillium. X marks the spot in fourth row, first position. Fourth row center is me and Jack Gantos. The next one is a page from his writer's notebook. I'll use that one in a writing workshop minilesson soon! Fourth row fifth picture is Hahn with Giant Hahns at the McConnell Arts Center. All the rest (except the lamp at the end) are from Chagrin Falls, Ohio -- another end of summer outing. Fifth row center, probably my favorite of the month -- Just Grace vs. Jeni's Ice Cream...and Just Grace WINS!! The lamp (last photo) I made for my Sweetie Pie, with a photo from last month and a new app I haven't had time to play much with -- WordFoto.

For a better view, you can visit this set of photos on Flickr.

Poetry Friday -- Crazy

i thank heaven somebody's crazy 

enough to send me a daisy

—E.E. Cummings

Here's a patch of daisies for you (Black-Eyed Susans [Rudbeckia hirta], actually)...so I guess that makes me the crazy one. Yup. Feels like that might be true at the end of the first week of school!

Sylvia has the Poetry Friday roundup this week at Poetry for Children.

AWESOME AUTUMN by Bruce Goldstone

When Beth (at Cover to Cover) walked over to hand me a new book about autumn, my first thought was that I was not interested. But I should know by now that Beth only hands me great books!  The book she handed me was Awesome Autumn by Bruce Goldstone. The Subtitle of this book is "All Kinds of Fall Facts and Fun".   I opened it up and knew I had to buy it.  Immediately.  Bruce Goldstone is the author of Great Estimations,  Greater Estimations and 100 Ways to Celebrate 100 Days. I love every one of his books and I love this new one too!

Each page in this book is pretty much a stand alone. Each page looks at some different aspect of fall-How Does Autumn Feel? In Autumn, Some Birds Leave Town, What Do People Do In Autumn? etc. The photos on each page make you want to spend a lot of time there.  Although some pages are mostly photos and labels, other pages have a great deal of text. Just the perfect amount of text for kids to dig in and read.

This is a gorgeous book that is packed with information.  It can be used as a read aloud and it will tie nicely into science units around seasons or weather.  I can see younger readers spending lots of time with the book and I can see my upper elementary students reading it from cover to cover. It is filled with so much to look at and to learn.

Plan Ahead for Poetry Friday

The Poetry Friday Anthology (Common Core ALL GRADES (K-5) e-book) (The Poetry Friday Anthology E-book Series (Grade-by-Grade)) is now available as an eBook in whole book AND specific grade level Kindle editions.

Why would you want the Kindle edition? Well, if you get the free (FREE) Kindle app for your computer (or iPad), you can project each week's poem for your class to read together and enjoy!

Why else would you want the Kindle edition? You will get it INSTANTLY and be able to start Poetry Friday in your classroom this week!

IT'S MONDAY! WHAT ARE YOU READING?

Thanks to Kellee and Jen at TEACH MENTOR TEXTS for hosting. Pop over there to see everyone's lists.

It's not been a huge reading week. Getting ready for the first day of school has pretty much consumed me this week. But I did fit in a little bit of reading here and there.  I've been thinking a lot about nonfiction reading and trying to find books that might make good read alouds or that kids might read that feel a little more like narrative. I find that these books discourage skimming and scanning and kids build stamina with nonfiction with nonfiction narrative.

A book I LOVED this week was Seed by Seed: The Legend and Legacy of John "Appleseed" Chapman by Esme Raji Codell is one of the best books about Johnny Appleseed that I have read. This is a gorgeous picture book that shares the stories and legends about this man.  I liked the writing in this one as well as the messages to readers. And the art is gorgeous.

I am a HUGE fan of the Scientists in the Field Series and one that I dug into this week was Extreme Scientists: Exploring Nature's Mysteries from Perilous Places (Scientists in the Field Series). This book takes a look at several scientists who work in dangerous places to do research needed.  I enjoyed the story about the storm chaser and I think my students will too. It really shows the research happen when it comes to weather.

Citizen Scientists: Be a Part of Scientific Discovery from Your Own Backyard by Lorree Griffin Burns was another that I think will be a great cover-to-cover read.  It tells the story of people who participate in collecting data right in their own areas. The message that everyone is a scientist is a good one.

And a new professional book I just received in the mail that I am anxious to start is Christopher Lehman's Energize Research Reading and Writing: Fresh Strategies to Spark Interest, Develop Independence, and Meet Key Common Core Standards, Grades 4-8. I'm not sure I'll have time to get to it in the next week or two with school starting but I am hoping to dig in soon!

Poetry Friday -- Poetry is the Main Line

"...I always loved English because whatever human beings are, we are storytellers. It is our stories that give a light to the future. When I went to college I became a  history major because history is such a wonderful story of who we think we are; English is much more a story of who we really are. It was, after all, Miss Delaney who introduced the class to My candle burns at both ends; /It will not last the night; /But, ah, my foes, and, oh, my friends— /It gives a lovely light. And I thought YES. Poetry is the main line. English is the train."

This is an excerpt from the prose poem "In Praise of a Teacher" by Nikki Giovvani. The entire poem can be found at The Writer's Almanac. 

Dori has the Poetry Friday roundup today at Dori Reads.

KidLitCon 2012 -- New York City

At A Year of Reading, we are proud members of the Kidlitosphere. We've been blogging since 2006, and can remember when the term Kidlitosphere was invented. Mary Lee's gone to three of the KidLitCons-the original one in Chicago, which started off as kind of a joke, the one in D.C., and the one in Minneapolis. Alas, life and finances will prevent either of us from attending the New York City KidLitCon. Even though the conference is FREE this year. Yes, I said FREE. But don't let that stop YOU! Here are the details (borrowed and modified from the Kidlitosphere Central website):

The sixth annual KidLitCon will be held in the heart of New York City on September 28th and 29th, 2012. It will be held within the main branch of New York Public Library, the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building.

Your host will be Elizabeth Bird of A Fuse #8 Production) along with Monica Edinger (Educating Alice) and Liz Burns (A Chair, a Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy).

In the same vein as last year’s con, the conference is being expanded into two days with a special “pre-conference” on Friday.  Friday events will include special visits to the publishers of New York City with blogger previews of their upcoming seasons.  Publishers will be assigned on a random basis to all attendees.  The final list of publishers is currently being hammered out.

Registration will max out at 175 attendees.

Cost before September 21st:

• $55 Full Conference, including pre-con, Friday dinner, and Saturday con
• $35 Pre-Conference without dinner
• $0 Saturday Conference 
• $55 Pre-Conference with dinner (special guest speaker: Grace Lin)
• $50 Friday dinner (extra diner or only)

Please note that there will be no Saturday dinner.  However, there is a possibility of a Kidlit Drink Night that evening.  Information to come.

The last day to register is September 21st.

The Pre-con: Includes a dinner.
Conference Day: Lunch.

If space is still available, onsite registration will be possible for $80. Pre-con price remains the same.

My Classroom Takes Shape

Here is Room 228 after summer cleaning, but before I really start to make it my own. On the left, cubbies are filled with picture books, poetry, and nonfiction. All of the chapter books are boxed and stacked, along with the shelves, to the right. My first decision -- where will the IWB go? I decide on the board near the TV, back on the left by the window.

I'm starting to get a sense of where the shelves will be. Picture books on the plank and block shelves left of the window and poetry in the white shelf to the right of the window. Nonfiction in the tall shelf to the left, chapter books left and center in the lower shelves. I have moved all of the chairs into the meeting area and will arrange the desks around that empty space.

The big L shaped shelf arrangement took up too much space and blocked the entry path, so it became a J. Four tables of six are ready for students. If I have more than 24 students, there are places at the "office" table straight ahead under the "pink" bulletin board, and at a table behind the camera view to the left, on the tile between the door and the cubbies. (You can see the end of it in the second picture, still stacked with boxes and tubs of books.)

Pretty much ready to go at this point. That corner where the chapter book shelves make their bend turned out to be the perfect place for the clipboards. The tops of the chapter book shelves are lined with tubs of popular series. Yes, I do have a little nook of a desk area in the bottom right corner. I try to take up as little real estate in the classroom as possible (and especially not the prime real estate of the window, in spite of the fact that Room 228 faces the playground and it might [ha--"might"] be a distraction), but I'm not "evolved" enough to give it up completely. I'm going to take everything off the top of the desk that I don't want to share, and it will be another place for a student to work when my computer is over at the IWB. Plus, I have a fun idea for how I want to use that whiteboard beside my desk, and it will require that students have access. (More on that in another post...)

This is the view from the window, looking towards the door -- the opposite view from those above. You can see just a bit of the poetry shelves to the left, then the office table. The built-in shelves along the left wall hold reference books (dictionaries, encyclopedias of all kinds, thesauruses). Next the chalkboard, my desk and shelf, the sink area and the door. Continuing to the right of the door, you see built-in cupboards in the back corner and the table on the tile and the cubbies are back there, but hidden in this picture. Continue around and you see the fiction, nonfiction, IWB, and picture books!

EDITED TO ADD

Well, the white board for the IWB (on the left) was longer than the space I left between the tall NF shelf and the picture books. So, the NF shelves moved straight ahead beside the poetry (covering half of that bulletin board...oh, well). Just goes to show that it's a work in progress, right up to the last moment!!

All of these panoramas were made with the Pano app on my iPhone.