Thank You, T.A. Barron!

Recently, we got the nicest email through the blog. It was from author T.A. Barron, thanking us for our work with children and all we do on our blog to get great books into the hands of teachers and kids.

Then, nicer still, he sent each of us a big box of books and posters, ranging from his picture book about the day the giant stone heads on Easter Island walked...

The Day the Stones Walked

...to the first five books in his acclaimed Merlin series...

The Lost Years: Book 1 (Merlin)

...to two that feature strong girls (Tree Girl and The Ancient One (Kate Gordon) ), plus his newest

Atlantis Rising

Philomel, September 2013

But the thing that most caught my eye in this big box of goodies was the flier for the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes.

This prize, named for Barron's mother, honors twenty-five young people every year for the work they've done to make our world a better place. 

The heroism of a character in a book of fantasy might seem like just a story, but T.A. Barron shows us that heroism is alive and well and embodied in young people from every corner of the country and every walk of life. His book The Hero's Trail also provides true stories of every day heroism.



What if each of us instituted a prize in our school or community to recognize the brave and important things that the young ones we work with make happen? I'm thinking of the fifth grader in my class who has single-handedly started a student council in our building. Or the third graders that raised money for diabetes when their classmate was diagnosed. We need to hold these kids up, publicly recognize them, and thank them for their vision and passion.

Thank you, T.A. Barron for your books, and for reminding us to celebrate our young heroes!

#nerdlution writing for today

Routines and Rituals and Giving Oneself Permission to Veer

I'm eating the last of my birthday cake as I write. There's a trio of unfrosted sugar cookies waiting when I finish the cake. Permission has been granted to veer from the bowl of yogurt-granola-flax seed that is my typical breakfast. This veer feels a little decadent, mostly because I'm telling the world that I did it. Being in a breakfast routine is something that is hardwired for me. Growing up, we had a scrambled egg, toast, milk and juice for breakfast every school day morning. (This may not actually be true, but it's what I remember.) On Saturdays, Mom let us veer -- we could eat whatever we wanted for breakfast. And it was all kinds of fun (plus it felt a little decadent) to heat up a can of Campbell's vegetarian vegetable soup and eat it right from the pan while I watched Saturday cartoons.

So the power of both the routine and the veer were instilled in me early.

That slice of birthday cake I just finished (YUM!) was a veer. The traditional cake that I make for birthdays is a three-layer from-scratch tower of chocolate. Making that cake has turned into a routine. I wanted to try something new this year. Years ago (gasp -- I just looked at the recipe -- in 2004!), I saved a recipe from Oprah's magazine for a cake whose picture made me drool: "Triple-decker triple threat: chocolate, buttercream, and ganache." I think it's fair to say that back in 2004 I didn't have the baking skills to tackle this cake. But now, almost 10 years later, I was ready to try two new things: buttercream and ganache. If you've never made either of them, they are really fun on the first try. You kind of know what they're supposed to be like in the end, but for the longest time, neither of them resembles that outcome in any way, shape, or form. Then...suddenly...the glop becomes creamy buttercream! Suddenly, the melty mass becomes silky ganache!

So veering is good, because when you get off the beaten path, you learn new things, and learning is fun!

Those sugar cookies I just finished were a veer. Thirty (still kills me to say this)...THIRTY years ago, in my first year of teaching (when I was twelve) I made cookies for my students to decorate. Gingerbread people. One of my students revealed that he had never decorated cookies. I promised myself that as long as I taught, my students would decorate cookies every winter so that if ever there was another child in my class who hadn't decorated cookies they would have that chance. For twenty years, I made gingerbread. And used only two of my extensive collection of cookie cutters -- big gingerbread person, little gingerbread person. This was more than a routine, this was a ritual. But even a good ritual can use a veer. Ten years ago, I decided I wanted to use more of my cookie cutters, and make a different kind of cut-out cookie. So I switched to sugar cookies and now my students decorate people (last year a student made JFK and this year we had Obama), and rhinos, polar bears, bats, doves, chickens, USAs, pigs, flowers, and snowmen (just to name a few without getting up to look). I give my decorators bowls of homemade white icing...and food coloring. While many have decorated cookies before, very few have ever made their own colors of icing. Fun, fun, FUN!

So sometimes you need to veer even the most beloved ritual to keep it fresh.

*  *  *  *  *

And now exactly 30 minutes of writing time is up for today's #nerdlution. Here's what I love about the routine of writing for 30 minutes every morning:

1. I often have no idea what I will write about when I sit down and put pencil to notebook page. I LOVE the surprises that come as I write!

2. It was scary to sit down to this blog post and have no idea what I was going to write about until I admitted to my off-the-beaten-path breakfast. But, I LOVE the surprises that come as I write!

3. I actually have the beginnings of a Choice Literacy article waiting for me to work on tomorrow. And even though I have an outline, I know I will still be surprised by the way it turns out. I LOVE the surprises that come as I write!

4. To summarize: I LOVE the surprises that come as I write!

The Real Wonders of the World

I have been working hard to rethink the nonfiction portion of our classroom library to better meet the needs of third graders. I am looking for books that invite reading without having an overwhelming amount of text.  I find that kids need a transition from skimming and scanning to reading nonfiction and putting together all that is in text and visuals.

One new book I discovered at Cover to Cover last week is  Lonely Planet Not For Parents Real Wonders of the World. I am excited to share this with my students.  It might be hard to get it to school as my 14 year old keeps grabbing it to read. It is definitely a book that appeals to lots of ages.

The book is organized into several sections with a great Table of Contents to support readers.  Stupendous Structures, 102 High Tech Wonders and Fright Night are 3 of the categories.  Each category describes about 10 wonders.  Each wonder is described on a two-page spread.

The two-page spreads are really engaging thanks to the photos, color and interesting fonts. There are a few paragraphs of text on each page and there are also short facts, interesting "Wow Factors", great headings and more.  Years ago, we used to do a mini unit of study where kids created two-page spreads. This book reminds me what a powerful study that was as there are so many decisions that an author makes when creating a two-page spread.

We've been doing a lot of talk about skimming and scanning versus reading.  I like this book to help kids think about when to skim and scan and when to read more closely.  These are some of the first decisions a reader makes when approaching a nonfiction book like this.

There are lots of possibilities with this book. At first glance, it appears to be similar to lots of others that kids skim and scan but this one is of pretty high quality so I can see lots of learning coming out of this if I use pieces and parts for minilesson and small group work. Lots of possibilities!

Hour of Code: It's All About Literacy

Last week, one of our Technology Support Teachers invited me to the district's Technology Center for an Hour of Code. I hadn't paid much attention to Hour of Code as it didn't look that interesting to me, but a trip to the Dublin Technology Center doing something she seemed excited about made sense to me. I knew we didn't need a field trip to participate in this but a trip to our district Technology Center seemed like a real treat and a way to make this a big deal for my students.

I had about 3 days between the time Lynsey invited us to participate to learn a little bit about what this Hour of Code thing was. So I visited the site, watched some videos and played a bit.  I did a few lessons with my kids that introduced coding without using a computer.  The more we chatted, the more excited we all got as we were really learning the language of computers.

The day was a hit and the kids learned a lot. I am certain what they learned will change the conversations we have in the classroom.  While we were there, one of the news reporters asked me why I decided to participate. Was I a coder? A gamer?  Was this about career ed?

Luckily, I had thought about this as I looked at the site and got us ready for our trip.  As a classroom teacher, I am always thinking about how things like this fit into the bigger conversation of what we do in the classroom, especially in the area of literacy.  Obviously, this #hourofcode was worth it even if it was a one hour event and we never talked about it again. The thinking and problem solving kids did in such a short time was amazing. The response to mistakes and trying again made me happy. The fact that we were truly all learning together was powerful.  I am sure that one hour of code impacted them as learners overall.

But for me, this #hourofcode was about literacy. Maybe because I learned it with the kids. Maybe because my head is all around where the literacy is in digital tools. Maybe it was because of where our conversation had been before #hourofcode when it came to authors and decision-making.  But I knew that this hour of code would change the way my students would approach their reading and writing.  I knew that if they understood the behind-the-scenes work of digital creations, they would see what was possible in their own creations and they would also read and view more critically. Just as classroom author visits give us a sneak peek into some one's process, #hourofcode gave us a sneak peek into the whole digital creation process.  My students learned that everything that is programmed by a coder has to be decided upon and they realized how many decision go into a short digital creation.

I remember the first time I showed the clip of the Spaghetti Harvest to my students years ago.  The first few years I showed it, they believed that if something was on film, it must be true. I think that is still true for many of our kids today. Every year when I showed this video clip, the conversation changed as we discovered what the creators did to make it so believable.  The impact on student writing and reading was almost immediate as they began to read more critically and create with more intentionality.

I already see similar things happening because of #hourofcode. My students are already playing on the sites and apps they were introduced to.  Possibilities were opened up when it comes to what they can create.  They feel empowered as they have so many great choices in creation.  But I've seen a different stance in their reading as well and I imagine it will continue--Why did the author/creator do that?  How did that decision make the piece stronger is one we talk about across format, genre, media and this is a question that they now understand a bit more deeply. They understand that a person, a person trying to share a message or create a story, makes decisions about things on every game, website and video they see.  This is a big aha for them. And for me, this is an important piece of critical literacy.

Since our experience with Hour of Code, lots of little things have popped up around the classroom.  From my understanding, there will be a Code Club Meeting on Monday during Indoor Recess. Over the weekend, members were to try out some of the links they had played on and sign up to share their learning/tips.

And on the way out of school Friday, one of my students let me know he was taking his writer's notebook home for the weekend.  He informed me that two of them decided they wanted to create a video game. They weren't sure how to do it but they knew they could figure it out.  And they were going to work in their notebooks this weekend to work on the story and the plan.  

For me, Hour of Code is less about coding and all about Literacy. It opens up possibilities for creation and changes the way my students will interact with all forms of media. 

Last time I checked, over 15 million kids participated in Hour of Code. If you haven't had a chance to take a look at the site, check it out.  And if you want to read the news article in our local paper about Hour of Code, you can find it here.

Celebrate This Week

Thanks to Ruth Ayres for inventing this great weekly celebration! Visit her blog to see the link up!

1.  #Nerdlution is going well. I am not hating apples so much and I discovered Honey Crisp which I actually don't dislike.  This is a big deal. I can actually eat it without peanut butter. I am getting up every morning to walk on the treadmill at 5:45 and when I don't want to walk, I just walk REALLY REALLY slow but I do it. This is also a big deal.  Finally, I write every day for 30 minutes on the book I am working on. I have discovered that I tend to work on many projects at once as a way to procrastinate the writing I should be doing. This is a big discovery.  

2.  Other people's #Nerdlutions make me happy.  If you did not get a chance to listen to Kevin Hodgson's #Nerdlution Song, it was definitely a #Nerdlution Celebration!  I love my mornings reading all that people are doing.
3.  I discovered a great article on Imposter Syndrome thanks to Lee Kolbert (whose blog I love!).  Who knew that I am not the only one who thinks that some day people will realize I don't really know what I am doing?   So glad to know I am not alone in this:-)

4. I loved this post from Kristin on Fitting It All In.  Brilliant and connected in some way to #3;-)

5. I am celebrating this post by Clare at Assessment in Perspective because it is brilliant and maybe it will bring us (as a country) back to our senses when it comes to assessment.

6. Hour of Code may have been one of my favorite hours of the year.  More on this in a separate post.  But really--total learning joy.

7. My kids seem to have turned a literacy corner in terms of engagement. They are laughing aloud, squealing when they see new books by their favorite authors and asking to take their writers' notebooks home over the weekend.

8.  Our 2nd grade students put on a holiday program this week and we were able to see the dress rehearsal. Nothing better than kids singing.

And if you have not had a chance to see kids singing and  missed this video that has gone a little viral, take a few minutes to watch it and read the accompanying article.  

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Poetry Friday -- Plowing

Flickr Creative Commons Photo by richardghawley

Another row plowed.

Seeds are planted behind me.

So much work ahead.

One more row, then rest.

Free the horse from the harness;

leave the plow ready.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2013

Today I offer a pair of haiku for the Friday that's a week away from Winter Break. 

There are still a few openings on the Poetry Friday Roundup Schedule for January through June. Would you like to host? 

Tabatha has the roundup today, at The Opposite of Indifference.

Hotdogger (and Ignoramus)

Hotdogger (The Aldo Zelnick Comic Novel Series)

by Karla Oceanak

illustrated by Kendra Spanjer

Bailiwick Press, September 1, 2013

review copy provided by the publisher

It's winter in Fort Collins, Colorado, where Aldo lives, and winter in the Front Range of Colorado means skiing.

But Aldo doesn't want to go. Doesn't want to with a passion that only the most avid couch potato (that would be Aldo) can muster.

What I like about this eighth book in the alphabetic Aldo Zelnick series is that Aldo finally starts to show some glimmers of being able to change his ways.



This just came in the mail, so I'm officially behind in the series, but looking forward to what's up next for Aldo and his crew:

Ignoramus (The Aldo Zelnick Comic Novel Series)

by Karla Oceanak

illustrated by Kendra Spanjer

Bailiwick Press, December 15, 2013
review copy provided by the publisher

Aldo's birthday is on February 14! Poor Aldo! I'm sure this is going to bring out his curmudgeonly best worst.

Stamina in Nonfiction Reading

Locomotive
by Brian Floca
Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books, (September 3, 2013)

Review copy from the public library, but I have a feeling I'll be buying this one!

Don't you hate it when the perfect book for one of your social studies standards comes out the year after they change your standards? ARGH!

I struggled to find ways to make the Transcontinental Railroad accessible to urban 5th graders, most of whom had never traveled out of the state, let alone across the country by any means of transportation, and who had never seen a train, let alone a steam engine, up close.

Well, just because the Transcontinental Railroad is no longer in our social studies standards doesn't mean I can't use this book as a part of our nonfiction unit.

One of my goals for my students in this unit is that they will build stamina for reading longer and longer nonfiction. One of my goals for read aloud this year is that I'll actually DO what I've said I would do for years now -- integrate nonfiction read alouds.

This is the perfect book to support both goals.

We will study the endpapers -- the maps in the front and the diagram of a steam engine in the back -- using the document camera. 

The poetic text filled with the sounds of the train will draw us in and keep us going. 

We will read the notes in the back (even though there are a lot of small words on the page), maybe even doing a close reading to fuel a discussion of cause/effect, compare/contrast, and "what next?" (another goal for this nonfiction unit is that my students will find topics and authors that lead them from one nonfiction book to the next).

Here's a great video on the history of steam trains to watch before or after reading the book:

2 New Wordless Picture Books

I love wordless picture books. I decided really digging into wordless picture books when we get back from holiday break would be a good idea.  We'll need to ease back in AND kids will be ready for some sophisticated thinking. I love thoughtful conversations around wordless books because kids at all levels participate equally.  These conversations usually raise the level of talk in the classroom.

I discovered two new wordless books to add to my collection while I was at NCTE.  One is called Here I Am by Patti Kim. I found it while I was just browsing books. The cover is pretty stunning and the book is amazing. The book tells the story of a young boy who moves to a new country. It captures the struggles and joy in the move. Lots to talk about and the illustrations are gorgeous.












The other is called Holland/1000 Things About Holland Set

. This is an amazing picture book in which each page seems to stand alone. But Kathy Short suggested that I purchase it in the package along with the One Thousand Things About Holland book.  This companion book goes through and gives textural information to match all that she put into each illustration. It is unbelievable to see how much the author fit into one illustration and I imagine it will invite some great conversations in the classroom.

Excited about both of these books!

Have You Registered for World Read Aloud Day?

There are so many opportunities for our classrooms these days that it is often hard to participate in everything that looks worthwhile.  For the past few years, I've wanted to do more on World Read Aloud Day and this year I am committed to that.

World Read Aloud Day will be held on March 5, 2014. It is sponsored by LitWorld. If you don't know this organization, you need to. The do amazing work to support literacy around the world.   The website says this about World Read Aloud Day:

Imagine a world where everyone can read...

World Read Aloud Day is about taking action to show the world that the right to read and write belongs to all people. World Read Aloud Day motivates children, teens, and adults worldwide to celebrate the power of words, especially those words that are shared from one person to another, and creates a community of readers advocating for every child’s right to a safe education and access to books and technology.

By raising our voices together on this day we show the world’s children that we support their future: that they have the right to read, to write, and to share their words to change the world.

The last few years, I haven't been able to participate. Things were already on the calendar for those days and it was one thing I couldn't fit in. But I followed along and saw the amazing power this day had. So this year, I am committed to taking part in this day in lots of ways. I am still just thinking but there are so many options for this day. Here is what I am thinking right now:

-I'd like my focus to be on literacy as a gift. How we take our life with literacy and books for granted, but also that we can give gifts of literacy. I worry that too often our kids think that the only way to give is in a monetary or material way, but I want them to know that you can give with books. You can give story. You can read aloud to someone. You can write a letter. The power of literacy as a way to give back to the world is huge and I want to do something around that.

-I'd love to get some authors to read aloud to my class that day via Skype. They'd be thrilled to meet some of their faves that way. And I hear some of them are willing to do this. Crossing my fingers!

-I'd like to do some Family Event around World Read Aloud Day. I'm not sure what it will look like yet but I think this component is important.

-And I want my students to know about organizations like Litworld and Booklove and Reading Village--organizations that are committed to getting books into the hands of kids. My kids know how strongly I believe in literacy but I don't think they know that many people have no access to books or education. To know how many great organizations are doing things to support literacy around the world in various ways will be part of our conversation.

So, like I said, at this point, all I've done is put the date on my calendar and register. And I've started to think about how I hope this day impacts my students' learning. And how I want it to be part of our yearlong conversation around community and literacy and giving.


Have you registered yet? How will you celebrate?