3rd Annual Stenhouse Summer Blogstitute

June 20 - mid-August

at The Stenhouse Blog

For information about participating authors, 

discounts, 

and give-aways, 

check out this post on the Stenhouse blog.

Poetry Friday -- Novels in Verse

There's lots to love about novels in verse.

Sometimes they introduce us to characters that we want to read about again and again.

Sometimes they offer support to readers who struggle with stamina and fluency by increasing the amount of white space on the page around the text, making the text more sparse while keeping it rich in language and imagery.

It's super-fun when the poetry written by the main character is a part of the poetry of the novel...and when the kid power that saves the day (and maybe even the farm) is poetry and art!

But bestbestBEST of all is when each poem in the novel is a poem that can stand by itself as well as being an integral part of the novel.

If you want a book that's worth its weight in gold, GONE FISHING is the book for you. 

This book would make a great read aloud. It's the classic story of excitement (going fishing with dad all by myself!), disappointment (why does SHE have to come along?), conflict (when will I catch a fish?), and resolution (I only caught one, but it was a doozy of a catfish!). 

The poems are told from the point of view of Sam, his sister Lucy, their dad, a couple of times all three, and once just Sam and Lucy. 

There are more than 30 different poetry forms represented throughout the book, identified below each title and elaborated upon in the endmatter of the book. (Also in the endmatter, a bit about some of the other tools in a poet's "tackle box:" rhyme and rhythm, and poetry techniques such as alliteration, hyperbole, assonance, and more.) 

And the illustrations are spot-on perfect.

Margaret has the Poetry Friday Roundup today at Reflections on the Teche. If you are interested in hosting a Poetry Friday Roundup in July-December, the place to sign up is here.


For more information about the books in this post:

Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie
Like Bug Juice on a Burger
by Julie Sternberg
illustrated by Matthew Cordell

Love That Dog
Hate That Cat: A Novel
by Sharon Creech

Little Dog, Lost
by Marion Dane Bauer
illustrated by Jennifer Bell

Eva of the Farm
by Dia Calhoun

Gone Fishing: A novel
by Tamera Will Wissinger
illustrated by Matthew Cordell

What Happened and What It Might Mean

1. We're getting a new principal, and each grade level/department met with him for about a half an hour this week. My answer to his question about why I don't do book clubs anymore came out sounding weak and off-handed. Defeatist. Like I make instructional decisions based on what someone else is doing. Which TOTALLY isn't true. ...Or is it?

2. I didn't apply for a grant to get iPads for my classroom because the guidelines clearly (to me) said that the grant money couldn't be used for that purpose. "Someone I Know" applied for a variety of devices, and was praised, welcomed and at least partially funded. Am I becoming the kind of person who accepts the rules as barriers, or am I still the kind of person with the energy and conviction to do what I believe is right no matter what?

3. Beginning yesterday morning, the media was in an absolute lather about the storms that were headed our way. While TV weathermen hyped up the storms with color maps and nonstop predictions of doom, the National Weather Service kept it real with just the facts. And so at about 8:00 PM, we walked down to Natalie's Coal Fired Pizza and Live Music (without raincoats or even an umbrella), ate a light dinner, and listened to Juanito Pascual play Flamenco guitar. As far as I can tell, the storms didn't get to Columbus until about 1:00 AM. We got thunder, lightning and rain.

1A. I look forward to having a principal who is an instructional leader and who will require me to be ready to verbalize (not just know for myself) the strong, sound reasons for my practices. Bring it on! It's been...maybe never...that I've worked with this kind of principal!

2A. Next round grant applications, here I come!

3A. I'm trying to apply this Storm Warning logic to my approach to the Common Core -- be informed, try not to get caught up in the panic, and move towards the goal one step at a time no matter how hot and humid it is.

Bullies

Bully

by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Roaring Brook Press (A Neal Porter Book), July 2013

review copy provided by the publisher

Bull is a bully. He is mean to every single animal, and with every meanness, he gets bigger and bigger on the page. That is, until the goat stands up to him and calls him what he is: "BULLY!" 

This causes Bull to experience introspection, deflation, and happy resolution (after he apologizes). 

BULLY is a simple book, but even for older children, there is much to talk about, beginning with an illustration before the title page that hints at why Bull is a bully. Also, not enough can be said, in my opinion, about the power of standing up for yourself. So many students come to me on the playground at recess complaining about something another child did to them, and 9 times out of 10, they wouldn't have needed to come tattle to me if they had simply turned to the other child and asked, in an assertive voice, "Why did you do that to me?" This usually gives the other child a chance to A. realize they did something to cause offense, B. apologize before the child who's been "wronged" runs away to tattle, and/or C. deflate a bit because they've been called out for their behavior.

Tommysaurus Rex
by Doug TenNapel
GRAPHIX, 2013
review copy purchased for my classroom

TOMMYSAURUS REX is more about losing a dear pet than it is about bullies, but there is a really mean one who plays a key role in the story. (The bully is a boy whose dad has left his mom and him, and I'm getting a little tired of that over-simplified formula for a bully. But we'll set that irritation aside for now and continue with the review...)

Ely's beloved dog Tommy is hit by a car and killed, and to help him get over his grief, his parents let him spend the summer on his grandfather's farm. While there, Ely discovers a Tyrannosaurus Rex who escaped extinction, becomes fast friends with (**spoiler alert**) her, and then has to figure out a way to raise money to pay for the damages she causes and convince the town that he should be able to keep her as his pet. Randy, the bully, dashes Ely's every hope, but there are a couple of plot twists in the end that result in multiple happy endings.

Just like in BULLY, the ending is just a little bit too easy -- neither book is an accurate portrayal of real-life bullies and what it's like to deal with them. But both books (together or separately) will be great for classroom (and family) conversations about what's possible, and strategies that need to be attempted, whether or not they work the same way in life as they do in literature.

Books for 3rd Grade: Galaxy Zack

I will be moving from 4th grade to 3rd grade next year. One of the things I have not kept up on in my reading life is series books.  I knew moving to 3rd grade, that I'd need to read lots of newer series books to be able to put the right books in the hands of my students next year. When my doctor said I could start "light" reading, I figured this was the perfect time to read the books I'd missed out on. So I put out a tweet asking Twitter friends for recommendations of new series books or other titles that I should read. Of course, they came through with great titles and these have been perfect "light" reading for me over the past 2-3 weeks.

I tend to read the first one or two books in a series so that I know what to expect in terms of content, text complexity, etc.  One of the series I have newly discovered is GALAXY ZACK by Ray O'Ryan. This is a fun series that I think will appeal to lots of kids.  The format and text of this series reminded me a bit of the Stink series. The plot/content reminded me a bit of The Jetsons!

The first book, Hello, Nebulon! (Galaxy Zack) sets the stage for the series.  The series is set in the year 2120 and Zack and his family are moving from Earth to a planet called Nebulon. Kids will love the idea of space travel, the gadgets used in the book, and the universal feelings one has when moving to a new place.

It looks like there are 2 books available in the series with a 3rd coming out today. 3 more are due out later this summer/early fall. So, by the end of the year, there should be 6 books for kids who fall in love with this series.  This is a fun series that I am excited to add to my classroom library!

Concussion Mosaic

What do you do when you can't read, write or have much screen time? A good question!  As many of you know, I have had a never-ending concussion that required me to take the last 6 weeks of school off. The concussion happened in February and I am still not 100 percent.  I am much better, but for the last 6-12 weeks, I have done very little reading, writing, or screen time. (OR Blogging--Thank You, Mary Lee!)   It is amazing how hard it is to rest your brain!

Over the last 6 weeks, I have been really, really good about brain rest.  But it took me a while to figure out how to spend my days. I've been working on balance for the last few years but this "brain rest" really forced me to be creative with trying new hobbies and finding new ways to spend my time. I tried some crafts, tried some new recipes, tried to appreciate nature, etc.  The above mosaic captures my weeks without reading or writing.

Life without reading, writing, TV, running, etc. has been a challenge and I am happy that it is not something I have to keep up forever. Over the last few weeks I've been able to do some light reading (lots of transitional series books and picture books that you'll hear about soon.) but even with that, I miss the days filled with hours and hours of reading.

So, I am finding new hobbies, but I have yet to find one that I love as much as reading!

Poetry Friday: The Day After the Last Day of School

The Day After the Last Day of School

It's like you've been on a long hike
through deep mud
in boots that don't fit
with a pack that has gotten progressively heavier
(the weight was added gradually;
you didn't notice so much).

Then suddenly before you
there is a grassy meadow
a cool brook
tall trees and deep shade.

The pack evaporates,
the muddy boots disappear.
With the weight gone, it feels like you are floating.

You are very tired.
You lean back against a welcoming tree and sleep.
You dream of hiking.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2013




Happy end of the school year to all who've gotten there! I hope your final gift was not the gift of one more round of the "class crud" (mine was).

Now comes "The Long Weekend." Time enough for friends and family, for reading and writing, for professional learning, for making plans for the next big hike (how to keep that pack lighter, finding boots that fit better, looking for a path that stays on higher ground...)

Tabatha has the Poetry Friday Roundup today at The Opposite of Indifference.

If you'd like to sign up for a Poetry Friday Roundup slot for July-December 2013, the calendar is here.

Poetry Friday Call For Roundup Hosts

It's that time again. Six months have passed since last we queued up to host the Poetry Friday roundups.

If you'd like to host a roundup between July and December 2013, leave your choice(s) of date(s) in the comments. I'll update regularly to make it easier to see which dates have been claimed.

What is the Poetry Friday roundup? A gathering of links to posts featuring original or shared poems, or reviews of poetry books. A carnival of poetry posts.

Who can do the Poetry Friday roundup? Anyone who is willing to gather the links in some way, shape or form (Mr. Linky, "old school" in the comments-->annotated in the post, Jog the Web, or ???) on the Friday of your choice. If you are new to the Poetry Friday community, jump right in! If you've never participated, but you'd like to get started, choose a date later on so that we can spend some time getting to know each other.

How do you do a Poetry Friday roundup? If you're not sure, stick around for a couple of weeks and watch...and learn! One thing we're finding out is that folks who schedule their posts, or who live in a different time zone than you, appreciate it when the roundup post goes live sometime on Thursday.

How do I get the code for the PF Roundup Schedule for the sidebar of my blog? I'll post it in the files on the Kidlitosphere Yahoo group, and I'd be happy to send it to you if you leave me your email address. Speaking of the the Kidlitosphere Yahoo group, I'll set up reminders on the calendar there. Plus, I'll send the schedule to Pam to put on the Kidlitosphere Central webpage.

Why would I do a Poetry Friday Roundup? Community, community, community. It's like hosting a poetry party on your blog!

And now for the where and when:

July

5   Keri at Keri Recommends

12 Michelle at Today's Little Ditty

19 Jone at Check it Out

26 Sherry at Semicolon

August

2 Margaret at Reflections on the Teche

9 Mary Lee at A Year of Reading

16 Lisa at Steps and Staircases

23 Betsy at I Think in Poems

30 Tara at A Teaching Life

September

6 Laura S. at Author Amok

13 Jen at Teach Mentor Texts

20 Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference

27 Amy at The Poem Farm

October

4 Doraine at Dori Reads

11 Laura at Writing the World for Kids

18 Cathy at Merely Day By Day

25 Irene at Live Your Poem...

November

1 Linda at TeacherDance

8 Diane at Random Noodling

15 Jama at Jama's Alphabet Soup

22 Katya at Write. Sketch. Repeat.

29 Carol at Carol's Corner

December 

6 Robyn at Life on the Deckle Edge

13 Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference

20 Buffy at Buffy's Blog

27 Mary Lee at A Year of Reading

I Love Audio Books!

Flickr Creative Commons Photo by Niclas Lindh

Last summer I learned about the Sync (Sync YA literature into your earphones) free (FREE) summer downloads.

Each week, they pair an adult book with a YA book, and it is free (FREE) to download the pair of books for that week.

Check out the pairs they've got lined up for 2013!

How do you get these free (FREE) audiobooks?

1. Download the OverDrive Media Console (computer) or App (portable device).
2. Create a free (FREE) Adobe account.
3. Go to the Sync website.
4. Follow the links and download the books.
5. Listen to the books...whenever! They are waiting there for you in your OverDrive app!
6. Lather, rinse, and repeat every week all summer long! (perhaps you should sign up for email or text alerts to remind you to go back to the site for all the free (FREE) book pairs they are offering)

It's Monday! What are you reading?

A weekly meme from Jen and Kellee at Teach Mentor Texts

Here are my recent reads. Reviews to come...

Gone Fishing: A novel

by Tamera Will Wissinger

illustrated by Matthew Cordell

Houghton Mifflin, 2013

Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin

by Liesl Shurtliff

Alfred A. Knopf, 2013

The Real Boy

by Anne Ursu

Walden Pond Press, 2013

The Center of Everything
by Linda Urban
Harcourt Children's Books, 2013

The Truth of Me
by Patricia MacLachlan
HarperCollins Childrens, 2013