BRAVE GIRL by Michelle Markel

At Cover to Cover the other day, Beth handed me a stack of books she thought I'd like (She's nice like that:-)  One of the books was one I knew I had to have once I saw the cover. BRAVE GIRL:  CLARA AND THE SHIRTWAIST MAKERS' STRIKE OF 1909 Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909 written by Michelle Markel and illustrated by Mellissa Sweet.

This is a great picture book biography about young Clara Lemlich who fought the working conditions  and led the largest walkout of women workers in US history.

I loved the story. It brings an important issue to a level that young children can understand without taking away the seriousness of it.  It is also a story of a person we don't read about often, but who made a huge impact on our world.

I have been trying hard to figure out how to make our upcoming government unit more accessible to my 4th graders. Such big concepts. Books like this seem to be perfect in helping kids understand democracy, the constitution and how laws are made/change/etc.
Looking forward to sharing this one with kids.

2 Upcoming Wordless Books from Chronicle

I was excited to get a package from Chronicle this week that contained two upcoming wordless picture books. I feel like I can never have enough of these if they are good ones. So many opportunities to teach and explore for all ages.  I love when I find new ones to add to my collection.

Inside Outside by Lizi Boyd is a gorgeous new wordless picture book that captures ordinary days and the way one boy spends them both inside and outside.  There are fun die-cuts in most of the pages that connect the story and that add fun to the book. Lots to notice on each page. And the color choice is unique which I love.  Kids will want to revisit this book often and really, it just makes me happy to read it. I love the story as well as the art and the details make it even more fun.

The other book is Flight 1, 2, 3 is one that didn't draw me in from the start but one that I fell in love with once I opened it up! Now, this book will definitely draw young readers in with the cover--trains, trucks, planes, and cars do that and this cover has lots to look at (airplane, airport, etc.). At first I thought this book would be like the Donald Crews classics about forms of transportation but I was thrilled to see that it was so much more. The book takes the reader on a journey they will take if they go on a flight--from the cab ride to the airport to getting to the destination, this book captures the experiences of travelers today. I love the inclusion of throwing away liquids before security as well as the stop at the restroom before getting on the flight. But I also love the fact that the author has taken the wordless to a new level with information. Throughout the book are signs you will see in the airport as well as a diagram of the seating on a plane. A bird's eye view of how the planes are organized at gates is also shown.  This book is really packed and fun to look at. I can imagine young children will look at it over and over again.  So many possibilities for conversations and learning!

Both of these books are due out in March!

My Reading: Learning More about BYOD

We have a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy at school.  Early in the year, most of my kids didn't have their own devices and those that did pretty much used them for ebook reading. A Kindle, a Nook, an iPod touch. But since  the holidays, more of my students have mobile devices.

Smart phones, iPods, Kindles, Nooks, etc.  All of a sudden in January, kids are involved in all kinds of writing projects and they understand the power of these tools beyond ereading.  They watch me take photos of their work on my iPhone/iPad to drop into my conference folder. They've seen me take notes on my phone when we have a guest speaker or when I need to remember something. They knew I had my twitter feed up during the Newbery announcements (not for them to follow as it was filled with inappropriate spam) but just in case the live feed stopped working.  We have one cart in the school that houses laptops, ipads and ipods.  They learned some apps early and have used the iPods/iPhones/iPads for videotaping, notes, photos, etc. as the year has progressed have started using their devices in new ways.  I have an old iPod and and iPod shuffle that I want to add to the mix of what is available to kids and the kids are (very quickly!) learning new ways to use their devices for learning.  

With all of this comes lots of learning for me. I have a Kindle Fire, but have no idea how to get a child's writing from their Kindle Fire to my dropbox. I have an iPod but again, my notes feature has a setting that automatically drops it in my email. One student mentioned a DS and I have never actually touched one of those.  So, lots of learning for me. How to find the right tools for kids on devices I don't know and how to get their work to where it needs to be. If a child writes a blog post on their iPod, I have to figure out how to get that when the children do not have email accounts.  Not huge things, but interesting challenges, nonetheless.

As I've been reading to find information on these issues, I have come across some great articles.  I have tried to look at articles that do not focus on 1:1 schools, but schools like mine that have some devices and a BYOD policy.  I am going to add these to my Pinterest board so I have them at my fingertips. These are mostly articles I'd read before but with more devices, we have more opportunities for learning. I find at this age, parents of students are very supportive of their students using these devices for their learning. We are all trying to find apps that will help them as readers, writers and learners.

I am excited about the whole BYOD option, especially now that so many more students have a tool. Between the ones they bring in and the school's technology, kids are really changing the focus on their learning.  And I am learning lots too.

Here are the posts/articles I've read recently to help me make sure I am thinking broadly about the way devices can be used.  If you have any others, I'd love to add them to my reading list!

Some Schools Actually Want Students to Play With Their Smartphones in Class

Using Smart Phones in the Elementary Classroom

The One iPad Classroom

Adding the Kindle Fire HD to the Mix of BYOD Devices is Easier Than You Think

I found this entire blog on Nooks in the Classroom

Bring Your Own Technology Empowers Educators to Facilitate Learning

44 Better Ways to Use Smart Phones in the Classroom

And I love this newest post by George Couros, BYOB:  A Bare Miniumum--Love his last two paragraphs about it being the least we should be doing and it has to be about what we are doing with these devices.

Looking forward to learning more and in watching to see what my students do with the devices in the future!

January Mosaic

Not many photos in January.
It was a good month, nonetheless.

Poetry Friday

MY LIFE IN MUSIC

When I get in a rut

I remind myself:

rhythm needs jazz.

When I lose my focus

I remind myself:

jazz needs rhythm.

© Mary Lee Hahn, 2013

In January, I created a rut for myself -- I wrote a poem a day for Kathryn Apel's Month of Poetry (#MoP13) Challenge. My routine was to get up, exercise/walk, then sit down and write a poem before getting ready for school. To be able to to ready to sit down at the kitchen table and produce a poem meant that I had to have been "writing" all day long (maybe in my dreams) and during my early morning walk. By "writing" I mean constantly thinking about what I would write for the next day's poem: looking for the story, the scene, the emotion, the rich words that sounded just right together.

The biggest gain was the habit and the attitude of mind. Every poem wasn't great, of course. Very few came even close.

And there were losses. At first I couldn't figure out how to be a good group member on the private #MoP13  site where we posted our poems and commented on others'. I was posting at about 6 AM, which was near midnight in Australia when most of the other participants had already posted, commented, and gone to bed. The more I managed to get involved in the #MoP group, the less I visited Twitter (where I was already sporadic) and FaceBook (which resulted in being the last to know about things like a certain broken wrist).

I'm going to keep this rut in February, but I'm going to jazz it up a bit. I'm going to add some time (a poem every TWO days), use the dictionary (similar to, but not exactly the same way Amy LV did last April), and require every poem to rhyme. I'm also going to take today off (partly because I know what my first poem will feature a "green door").

Jazz. Rhythm.

Music -- and poetry -- need both.

April has the roundup today at Teaching Authors.

Coming Soon: February

Last month, I started a monthly series on upcoming books I am excited about.  I am not sure where January went but it seems that it is time for February's list already! I have read so little this month that I was afraid to look ahead --the last thing I need right now is to add more books to my TBR pile!  But, there are some books that you just MUST have! These are upcoming books that are MUST-HAVES for me in February!

One of my very favorite professional books of all times has a new edition coming out.  WHAT A WRITER NEEDS by Ralph Fletcher is one of the books that changed my teaching.  It is one of the staple books that helped me learn to teach writing and it was the first book by Ralph Fletcher that I read. This 2nd edition of this book is coming out in February. Just looking at the Table of Contents makes me happy--reminds me how much I learned when I read this book and how many times I've gone back to the book in the past 20 years. (And Ralph Fletcher will be the keynote at the Dublin Literacy Conference on February 23. If you haven't registered, you should check it out!)

Follow Follow: A Book of Reverso Poems by Marilyn Singer is a follow-up to one of my favorite books, Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse. Both of these books are filled with Fairy Tale "reverso" poems.  They are fun reads and I continue to be amazed at what the process of writing reversos is. So excited about this second round of reversos from Singer!

Lisa Graff is one of my favorite middle grade authors. I was thrilled to discover that she has a new book coming out in February called A Tangle of Knots. If you don't know Lisa Graff, you will definitely want to read The Thing About Georgie, Umbrella Summer and The Life and Crimes of Bernetta Wallflower.

I can't seem to find enough sports nonfiction to keep my students happy! So I was thrilled to see
Becoming Babe Ruth coming in February. I love author, Matt Tavares and from what I've read this is a great and well-researched story.

I am always paying attention to good, upcoming YA (even though I don't get a chance to read nearly as much as I'd like to!).  But the book I have on my list to remember about in February is Pivot Point. Love the whole concept and the issues around the choices we make.

And finally, a March 1 release (but close enough to February that I thought I'd include it here is Grumbles from the Forest: Fairy-Tale Voices with a Twist by Jane Yolen and Rebecca Kai Dotlich.  I love anything fairy tale but this one looks especially fun.  First of all, I am excited that Jane Yolen and Rebecaa Kai Dotlich worked together on this one. Love those two! Secondly, I love the idea of hearing the voices of fairy tale characters in poem form.  I am VERY excited about this one!

New Wordless Picture Book: FLORA AND THE FLAMINGO

I love to add new wordless books to my collection so I was very excited to get this new book Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle  in the mail from Chronicle Books.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book! It is a very sweet story of friendship and the expressions on the little girl's face make me happy. But there is an added feature to this book--there are flaps to lift throughout the book!   (Molly is a new author for me so I am excited to check out more of her books!

Here are two videos that give a good sneak peek but if you love wordless picture books, you'll definitely want this one! (This comes out next week:-)

Newbery Surprises

Franki and I had a little email conversation late last week. It went something like this:

She: "Are we ignoring the Newbery this year?"
Me: "Kinda. I'll do a 'Newbery Surprises' post on Tuesday because all the winners will be new to me.

And then the biggest surprise of all:

I've read it three times (self, aloud to fourth graders, aloud to fifth graders).

And right there on my picture book shelf were the Caldecott and several honor books!

There's a Coretta Scott King Author Honor book on my chalktray...

...and we just confirmed the Coretta Scott King Illustrator, Bryan Collier for the 2014 Dublin Literacy Conference.

I listened to the Odyssey Award winning audio book.

This Stonewall honor book is being passed through my two fifth grade classes like wildfire...

...and this one needs to be read by every high school and college student.


Pete the Cat, with his attitude ("Did he cry? Goodness NO!") and his Zen-like reminder that "Buttons come and buttons go," made the Geisel Honor list.

So the biggest surprise that came with this year's ALA Youth Media Awards? How many I know, and own, and love!

For all the winners, check out ALA's Official Press Release.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

For more It's Monday! What Are You Reading? posts, visit Kellee and Jen's blog, Teach Mentor Texts.

Nancy Gilson, features editor at the Columbus Dispatch, asked me if I had a group of students who would like to help compile the Dispatch's yearly list of best children's books. (I've been on the panel for several years now.) Boy, do I ever! About twenty fifth graders from across the entire grade level have signed on to read as many 2013 books as they can this year -- including through the summer and the first couple of months of middle school. We keep in touch and share opinions on a Kidblog blog. Many of them have also joined Goodreads. That's another post for another time -- what it's like watching voracious kid readers use that site as their reading playground.

We took an after-school, parent-drivers "field trip" a couple of weeks ago. We visited the two library branches the kids are most likely to use, met the librarians, located the reserve areas, and a couple of students who didn't have one yet got a library card. Then we trekked down to Cover to Cover Books for Young Readers. Sally, the owner of CTC, generous to a fault, had a cart heaped with 2013 ARCs to give to the student-readers! We've also received ARCs from Abrams, and review copies from Groundwood and Kids Can Press. Great fun!

Some of the 2013s I've read won't be out until March, so I'll just tease you with the covers, and review them closer to their release dates:

Here's what I've got on deck:

Happy Reading!

The Year of Kira-Kira

It was January 2005. As always, I was very excited about the announcement of the Caldecott and Newbery Awards. There was no social media and we had not started blogging....yet.  Mary Lee and I had our own little conversations and predictions and we were pretty much never completely right.

But, on the day that Kira-Kira was announced as the winner of the Newbery Award, I was totally annoyed. Not only had I not read the book but I'd never even HEARD of it. I could not figure out what the committee had been thinking... I had spent my whole year reading great children's literature and making predictions about what might win. I understood that my pick probably wouldn't win, but to have a book win that I'd never heard of was quite heartbreaking.

As a dutiful 5th grade teacher, I bought a copy of the book (hard to find since no one seemed to have it on their radar) and read it in a sitting or two. I read it quickly so I could bring it into my classroom.  It was okay.  I enjoyed it okay. I didn't love it and I certainly did not think it deserved to win the Newbery.

The next Monday, I brought it into class. I did a semi-pathetic book talk and said to my class,  "This is the book that won this  year's Newbery.  I read it this weekend. It was good. I didn't think it was great but it was good. I am not sure why it won the Newbery, but it did.   If you want to read it, here it is." (maybe not that pathetic, but close!). Well, one of my avid readers, Katie, jumped on it.  She said she wanted to read it and off she went.

About 3 days later, Katie requested a conference with me. She came to the table with my copy of Kira-Kira filled with sticky notes. She said, "Mrs. Sibberson, I think you need to read this book again. You said you didn't think it was that great but I started marking these amazing lines in the text and look at how many there are!  I think you must have really missed a lot of this book because it DEFINITELY deserved to win the Newbery."

I have since reread Kira Kira (as did many other students in that 5th grade class) and it is one brilliant book. It is a book that has stayed with me for years and years and years. I am now a huge fan of the author and am dismayed with myself for not being open to the book during my first read. Instead of being annoyed at it winning, I should have been thrilled at the chance to discover a new book that I had not known about before the award announcement.  And I have Katie to thank for helping me see what I could not see on my own.

So, every year at this time, especially on this day, I thank Katie for everything she taught me that day.  She taught me about books and awards and about being a reader.  It is on the eve of the ALA announcements, when I am wishing, wishing, wishing for my favorite books to win awards, that I try to remember to be open-minded and to celebrate the winner--no matter what happens.  I remember that I may have missed lots in a book that others could see so clearly. I remember that there are so many good books and I love the journey of discovering them far more than I love award day.  And I remember that no matter which book wins, this is another great opportunity to have amazing conversations with fellow readers.

Thank you, Katie and Happy Newbery Eve, Everybody!

(And to help you understand tomorrow's decision a bit better, don't miss Monica Edinger's post at Nerdy Book Club, Top Ten Things You May Not Know About the Newbery Award.