It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I didn't go into #bookaday thinking I'd actually read a book a day but I'm actually close to having read a book a day and they are longer books that I've been hoping to read for a while. Here is this week's reading. It has been so nice to catch up. I think I'll end 2013 totally behind in my reading life, but at least I got back to it over break.

So glad that Jen and Kellee created this great Monday blog tradition. Visit their blogs for the link-ups!

Fangirl is definitely one of my favorite books of the year.  For days after I finished, I kept thinking about the characters and wishing I wasn't finished.  I read it in 2 sittings (night before bed and early, early morning.)  A great read. I read Eleanor and Park earlier this year and loved it.  This one is just as wonderful in a very different way  Rainbow Rowell is my new author hero.  So glad to have discovered her in 2013!

Africa Is My Home: A Child of the Amistad by Monica Edinger was another highlight of my reading week.    I have to admit that I knew very little about the Amistad but Monica Edinger made me care deeply about this event in history and the children who were involved. A fascinating story that I am so glad to have read.  It is probably one I will reread as it is amazingly brilliant.

I met author Erin Soderberg at #ncte13. Because I've been so far behind on my reading, her new book The Quirks: Welcome to Normal has been on my stack.  I ended up reading it as one of my #bookaday books and loved it. It is a fun new series about a family with unique "quirks".  They move to a very normal town and try to fit in. This book had everything in it that I loved about stories when I was younger.  That whole idea that something magical could be happening. The Littles, The Borrowers, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, I Dream of Jeanie, Escape to Witch Mountain and Bewitched were some of my favorite. I got that same feeling when I read this--loving the idea that someone I know may have magical powers! This is a new series and the 2nd is due out in February.  I think it is perfect for grades 3 and 4. I can't wait to share this one with my students!

Cold Spell (Fairy Tale Retelling) by Jackson Pearce --I love fairy tales, especially Snow Queen books since I read Breadcrumbs.  This is a fun YA version of the Snow Queen and it was a fun, quick read!  I'll definitely read more by this author.

And right now, I am in the middle of Winger . Amazing read. I wasn't able to read it in a day but I am loving it and so glad I fit it in over break!

Celebrate This Week!

Thanks to Ruth Ayres for this wonderful Saturday tradition!   Visit her blog for this week's link up!

Lots to celebrate this week!

#1  Christmas! It was a relaxing day with family. The girls are both older but it was a different kind of fun working together in the kitchen to get things ready, to clean up, etc.

#2 I made a few cookie boxes. I didn't bake as much as I usually do at Christmastime but I did make a few boxes of cookies. I discovered this box-decorating craft during my concussion-craft months and it is the only one I've continued to enjoy.  Little boxes of cookies = happy!

#3  I seem to have my reading life back. Thanks to Donalyn for her #bookaday challenge. I didn't really think I could do it but I have read 7 pretty amazing (and not so short) books.  I won't meet my Goodreads Challenge this year, but have LOVED catching up on my reading.  And I have loved the books I've read so far.  I'm so far behind in 2013 reading but it is nice to read books I've had on my TBR list.  Life is never as good when I'm not in the middle of a book.  So glad to be back to reading after a long rut.

#4  Having two dogs in quite a challenge.  Especially two dogs that don't like each other at all. But, our puppy does look cute in dorky outfits. Arnie has such a different personality than our older dog, Chloe.  It seems fitting to dress him up, take him to see Santa and buy him new toys.  My daughter thinks he will need his own closet soon.

#5  I love being home. I love days to just hang out at home. That is pretty much what we are doing for most of this winter break.

#6  I did not meet any of my 2013 goals, but I am okay with that.  I took a #nerdlution vacation and  needed it. I have tried for my whole life to not live my life in cycles but I love cycles.  I love working hard and resting hard. I need winters where I sit on the couch and read and winters where I get myself in shape.  I've learned that not meeting a goal or changing a goal doesn't mean I've failed and I've learned that taking a break doesn't mean I've quit.  Realizing this is a big celebration for me:-)

Enjoy your Saturday!!

Poetry Friday -- the roundup is here!

It's the last Poetry Friday of the year, and I celebrate our community! What a blessing to spend the 52nd Friday of the year with YOU, and with POETRY!

Leave your link in the comments, and I'll round you up into the post in between cooking for Mom so that she has leftovers in the freezer for the months to come (and making a pan of Browned Butter and Sea Salt Rice Crispy Treats in spite of all of the other holiday goodies that beg to be nibbled), playing hours-long games of Sequence at the kitchen table while chatting about nothing in particular, long walks in the ol' hometown while listening to my current audiobook, The Goldfinch, and other assorted thises and thats Mom finds for me to do.

But first, let's give thanks for a three-hour plane trip home. (Translation: time to read!)

After the River the Sun
by Dia Calhoun
illustrated by Kate Slater
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, July 2013

review copy provided by the author

Last summer, Eva of the Farm (also by Dia Calhoun) made a brief Poetry Friday appearance with a whole group of other verse novels. I love the spunky character of Eva, who saves her family's farm -- an apple orchard in north central Washington -- with her art and poetry.

In this companion verse novel, Eva helps Eckhart Lyon to heal his heart. Eckhart's parents were killed in a white water rafting accident and he has come to live with his curmudgeonly Uncle Albert whose orchards are next to Eva's family's. Eckhart's passion for the story of King Arthur frames his quest for a permanent home and redemption for his parents' deaths, and helps to forge a connection between him and Eva. In a satisfying conclusion, even Uncle Albert finds a much-needed peace.

*    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *

Without further ado, here's the roundup:

Keri, at Keri Recommends, is in first with the villanelle that Robyn wrote for her for the Winter Poem Swap...

...and Robyn shares the Winter Poem Swap Keri wrote for her at Life on the Deckle Edge.

Jone has a poetry pairing at Check it Out.

Myra, at Gathering Books, shares a poem to fill a hungry soul.

Charles, at Father Goose, has his eye on snowflakes.

Diane has another winter poem swap poem to share at Random Noodling -- the one Margaret wrote for her.

Kurious Kitty shares a Denise Levertov poem for the new year.

At KK's Kwotes, there's a quote from Douglas Kornfeld.

At Today's Little Ditty, Michelle has a Five for Friday Celebration for the new year.

Dia Calhoun, author of the verse novel After the River the Sun (reviewed above), shares an excerpt to further tempt you to read this fabulous book!

Julie, at The Drift Record, has images by the Finnish painter, Elin Kleopatra Danielson-Gambogi, and a poem by Jane Kenyon.

At The Opposite of Indifference, Tabatha shares two poems by Emily Dickinson.

Margaret is sharing one of the poems from her "10 Poems Over Break" personal challenge at Reflections on the Teche.

At The Drawer, MM Socks has a poem about crows.

Donna give Spiny Pine his own poem over at Mainely Write.

Betsy has some "little bits" for us today at I Think in Poems.

Lori is flying high with her haiku at On Point.

It was a quiet roundup this week. If you've got something to add tomorrow or Sunday, the roundup offer does not expire.

Later this weekend, I'll update the roundup calendar. Stay tuned.

To inspire your next poems, I'll leave you with this:

It's Monday! What Are You Reading

Love this Monday tradition hosted by Teach Mentor Texts. Visit their blog to see what others are reading this week!

I'm only kind of doing Holiday #bookaday this year. I am hopeful, but the way 2013 has gone with meeting goals, I am realistic that it might not happen.  16 days off would mean 16 books. We'll see.   Some I am dying to read are very long (like Goldfinch) so I may give up on #bookaday just to read books I love. But I started out with #bookaday because I love it and we'll see where it take me. Here is how it's gone so far:

Odette's Secrets is a great novel in verse. A great addition to any collection of Holocaust books for children. This one is based on a true story and is accessible for upper elementary/middle grade students.

Ivy in the Shadows seems to be a good story for middle school kids. Ivy is going through a hard time as her father just left and her mother has to find a full-time job. Lots of real life middle school issues in this one but nothing too big.

Wolf and Dog (Gecko Press Titles) is a novel in verse about two friends. This book--the story, the friendship and the voice--reminded me a bit of Frog and Toad.

The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way is one I am listening to, so it may take me a while. But this is a fascinating read in that it is told in a kind of narrative--in a way that helps us see the differences between US's educational system and others.  It follows three American exchange students and we learn different things from each one.  So glad I discovered this one.

Celebrate This Week!

This is week 10 of the habit of keeping an eye out all week long for what we'll celebrate with Ruth and the others who link up at ruth ayres writes.

There was no question in my mind what I would celebrate this week. I emailed Franki immediately and claimed the Celebration Post for this week.

I wanted to celebrate the last day before Holiday Break. No, not because it was the last day before break (...okay, maybe a little), but because of what we did and the feeling we left with.

About a month ago, the Tech Support Teacher (TST) with whom I've been working sent an email suggesting we try Common Craft Videos. Here's a video that explains what they are and how to make them:





After break, our fifth graders are going to be doing persuasive presentations on the topic of their choice. My students have worked with Keynote, so I wanted them to have another tool from which to choose for the way they would present their argument. Common Craft videos seem like they'd work.

But before jumping in and doing it with their persuasive topic, I knew they would need to experience the process themselves.

I decided we would make a Common Craft music video on the morning of the last day before break.

Crazy, right?
Wrong.

They were motivated and focused. They worked really hard. They collaborated without arguing. I got to do that thing where you get them started and then step back and watch them take over and make it happen. Leaders emerged. Followers willingly followed. Not that my heart was Grinchily small to start with, but I did have a "heart growing two sizes and breaking the frame" moment as I watched them work, and when we celebrated our success at the end of 2 hours.

Yup. Two hours, start to finish:
1. watch the Common Craft video
2. listen to the song (just visualize possible images)
3. listen to the song with lyrics in front of you (sketch possible images)

4. take volunteers to make each image

5. draw, color, cut

6. practice, problem-solve, practice, teacher messes up, practice, success!

getting the images in order to slide under the camera

iPad is ready to record, iPhone is ready to play music,
images are ready to slide through the recording space,
team is ready with script to catch the images that need to
come back for the chorus

7. students and teacher spend the morning singing this song together:

Poetry Friday -- Poets Laureate -- And a GIVEAWAY!

Flickr Creative Commons Photo from the Boston Public Library

WE'RE BUILDING THE SHIP
AS WE SAIL IT

The first fear
being drowning, the
ship's first shape
was a raft, which
was hard to unflatten
after that didn't
happen. It's awkward
to have to do one's
planning in extremis
in the early years--
so hard to hide later:
sleekening the hull,
making things
more gracious.

©Kay Ryan, 2010
in The Best of It: New and Selected Poems



(I think this is perhaps the story of my year...)


Kay Ryan is one of the three US Poets Laureate I've met in person (also Ted Kooser and Billy Collins). These are the "live" autographs in my collection of books signed by Poets Laureate. This week, my birthday package from my brother arrived, and three more autographs have been added to my collection: Daniel Hoffman (1973-74, totally new to me), W.S. Merwin (2010-11, a book of his short stories from SW France), and...

Kay Ryan's newest collection, The Best of It: New and Selected Poems, First Edition, hardback.

So here's where we get to the give-away. I already own Kay Ryan's new collection...in paperback. Since I have a signed (first edition) hardback, I think YOU should have the paperback edition! Sunday night, I'll randomly choose from the commenters and I'll send it to YOU!

Updated: Sunday, 9:17 PM. The random number generator at random.org picked #8, which is Violet Nesdoly! You are the winner of the Kay Ryan book!

Buffy has the Poetry Friday Roundup this week at Buffy's Blog.

Two dates are One date is left on Check out the roundup calendar for the next 6 months!! Now that the calendar is complete, I'll put the html code in the files on the Kidlitosphere Yahoo group and into the calendar there, and send the dates to the Kidlitosphere web page webmistress. Shoot me an email if you want me to send you the code for your blog's sidebar.

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.