Picture Books 10 for 10: Genius Hour

I can't believe it is already time for #pb10for10!  Thanks to Cathy (@cathymere) at Reflect and Refine and Mandy (@mandyrobek) at Enjoy and Embrace Learning for creating this great day of learning and books.  It always turns out to be expensive for me as I always discover so many great books that  didn't know about.  It's one of my favorite blog holidays:-)

I decided this year that I'd share 10 books I'll use to kick off Genius Hour.  I want my kids to understand what Genius Hour can be and each of these books give a message I want them to carry into Genius Hour.  I doubt I'll really get through all of these books early in the year but these ten will start conversations that will help us have a vision for what Genius Hour can be. Whether you do Genius Hour or not, they all have a great message about learning.

The Most Magnificent Thing- I reviewed this one here in May.   It's a fabulous story of a girl with perseverance and grit. She works through her obstacles to create something magnificent.

Going Places by Peter Reynolds is a great story about thinking outside of the box and how thinking together is often better than thinking alone! I like the collaboration theme in this one.

Someday by Eileen Spinelli is a great book that invites conversation around working toward goals, trying new things, etc.

The OK Book is a simple book that reminds us that it is okay to not be great at everything--to try things and to just have fun with giving things a try, learning, and having fun.

Rosie Revere, Engineer is a fun book about mistakes, not quitting and finding joy in the journey of discovery.

Bella & Bean is one of my favorites. I love that it is the story of two friends and that one has a passion for poetry. Letting friends explore their passions and celebrating those with them is something I hope this book invites conversation around.

Beautiful Oops! is a fun colorful picture book that reminds us that some of our best ideas come from mistakes!

Imagine a Day (Byron Preiss Book) will invite conversations about imagining a perfect day at school. What would that mean for you?  I want them to know they have ownership of their learning time.

In Rupert Can Dance, Rupert keeps his love of dancing a secret for a while.  We'll use this to talk about those things you always wanted to learn about or try.

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild (Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards (Awards)) will remind us that it's okay to step out of your comfort zone and try something new.

Picture Books 10-for-10: Fairness

Thank you to Cathy (@cathymere) at Reflect and Refine and Mandy (@mandyrobek) at Enjoy and Embrace Learning for inventing and now hosting the FIFTH annual Picture Book 10 for 10 event. It's always fun to see what books everyone chooses and how much we all spend!!

I've shared my beginning of the year favorite read-alouds for community building with so many teachers that it's time to find a new group of books to use! Thank you #pb10for10 for helping me find 10 titles that will get my students and me thinking about issues of fairness. I'm excited to have a mixture of contemporary fiction, historical fiction, folktales, music, and nonfiction. I'll supplement these books with poetry on the same theme.

I found this image without attribution on another blog. This will be our first "text" to "read" and discuss as we think about fairness and justice.

It's Not Fair!

 by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld

This book will continue our discussions about fairness and equality.

Big Red Lollipop

by Rukhsana Khan

illustrated by Sophie Blackall

Sometimes we don't want to share, or take more responsibility 

because we are older.

But it's important to remember that what comes around, goes around.

Each Kindness (Jane Addams Award Book (Awards))
 by Jacqueline Woodson
illustrated by E.B. Lewis

This book will help us to connect fairness and empathy.
Hopefully we will never miss the chance to be kind
to someone in our world.

The Little Hummingbird
 by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas

Is it fair that the hummingbird is doing all the work?

Tops & Bottoms (Caldecott Honor Book)
 by Janet Stevens

Is it okay to make a situation more fair by using trickery? 

The Red Hen
 by Rebecca Emberley
illustrated by Ed Emberley

If you've done all the work, is it fair to keep all the rewards for yourself?

Freedom Summer: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Freedom Summer
 by Deborah Wiles

illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue

With this book, we'll begin to connect fairness and Civil Rights. I'm hoping to read aloud the Kindle edition of Wiles' Revolution (The Sixties Trilogy)

Through My Eyes
 by Ruby Bridges

Is it fair for children of all race, color, ethnicity and religion to go to American public schools?

Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation
 by Duncan Tonatiuh

I'm a new fan of Duncan Tonatiuh after hearing him speak at the CLA Monday Workshop last year.
This book will broaden students' understanding of desegregation
to include the struggles of Hispanic families.

We Shall Overcome: The Story of a Song
 by Debbie Levy
illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton

The story of this classic Civil Rights song will give us the "So What Now?" in this picture book unit. What will we do to work towards more fairness in our classroom, our building, our community, and our world?

Poetry Friday Roundup is HERE!

The last of my Summer Poem Swap poems will be mailed tomorrow. I have combined my poems and photos to make magnets. I just about snorted my morning tea when I read this poem from The Writer's Almanac last month:

Poem on the Fridge
by Paul Hostovsky

The refrigerator is the highest honor
a poem can aspire to. The ultimate
publication. As close to food as words
can come. And this refrigerator poem
is honored to be here beneath its own
refrigerator magnet, which feels like a medal
pinned to its lapel. Stop here a moment
and listen to the poem humming to itself,
like a refrigerator itself, the song in its head
full of crisp, perishable notes that wither in air,
the words to the song lined up here like
a dispensary full of indispensable details:
a jar of corrugated green pickles, an array
of headless shrimp, fiery maraschino cherries,
a fruit salad, veggie platter, assortments of
cheeses and chilled French wines, a pink
bottle of amoxicillin: the poem is infectious.
It's having a party. The music, the revelry,
is seeping through this white door.

Leave your links in the comments and I'll round you up after water aerobics tonight and between meetings and classroom work on Friday.


Maureen has a summer storm poem for us at Free Range Readers.

Carol shares special memories of her grandmother at Beyond Literacy Link.

Ruth (and many of the rest of us, I'm sure) are driven to despair about the news out of Iraq and Syria. We can think about that situatio through the lens of the Holocaust Museum poem she shares at her blog, There is no such thing as a God-forsaken town. 

Violet Nesdoly is featured in The Haiku Garden at Michelle's Today's Little Ditty.

Robyn, at Life on the Deckle Edge,  celebrates her daughter -- a brand new 3rd grade teacher -- with a Taylor Mali poem that gets me every time. Survive this first year, Morgan, and then go on to have a brilliant career. Leave a legacy.

Irene treats us to a summer swap poem and a selection of Ralph Fletcher poems at Live Your Poem.

Linda, at Teacher Dance, has felt a change in the air and the light. Fall is coming!

Matt is celebrating the second Blogiversary of Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme...and his anniversary.

Holly, at Reading, Teaching, Learning, takes us with her to Prague with an original poem about that city.

Keri shares a back to school poem at Keri Recommends that gives a little nod to a Lee Bennett Hopkins classic.

Let's balance back to school with some vacation mode from Violet at Violet Nesdoly | Poems.

Bridget, at wee words for wee ones, is gearing up for a slumber(less) party.

At Writing the World for Kids, Laura shares a favorite from Joyce Sidman's UBIQUITOUS.

Diane has the perfect poem to hang on her fridge door! Check it out at Random Noodling. Her Kurious Kitty has some information about the Perseids and another (??another??) super moon...plus a skywatching poem by Douglas Florian.

I'm going to let the Author Amok Laura tell you about her post: "It's #5 in my "Summer Reads: Chapter & Verse" series. Today, I'm pairing Holly Black's vampire novel THE COLDEST GIRL IN COLDTOWN with Sarah Beasley's poem "Grief Puppet." Together, they would prompt a great discussion for the upper HS classroom. (Plus, there is some Marceline fangirling for Adventure Time fans.)"

Joyce Sidman interviews Irene Latham at Poetry For Children, brought to us by Sylvia!

Myra, at Gathering Books, takes us back to the Holocaust with a review of ...I NEVER SAW ANOTHER BUTTERFLY...

Lest your heart is heavy (or because current world events can't help but weigh it down), read the pair of poems Tabatha gives us today at The Opposite of Indifference.


***

Well, after a promising start this morning, I've kind of lost control of my day. My meeting was productive, and then a colleague came to my classroom and gave me some suggestions about ways to tweak my use of the space. In particular, ways to make my (extensive) classroom library more accessible to students. I started a bit of shifting and pitching, and suddenly it was time to come home and eat some lunch and go to the eye doctor. After my checkup, I'll be blind for a few hours, so it won't be until later this evening that I can get back and round up the rest of the posts. Sorry! But I will be back!

***

Still half-blind, but back!

Catherine takes us on a picnic at the beach...at Reading to the Core.

Anastasia, at Booktalking #kidlit, is in today with Shaping Up Summer (Math in Nature) by Lizann Flat (and a call for STEM book bloggers)

Carol wrote a poem for the brand new teachers in her district, but it's one I need to copy and put up on my fridge. Head over to Carol's Corner. You'll see what I mean.

Joyce's Musings holds a terza rima inspired by a trip to Kathmandu.

Katie, at The Logonauts, continues her exploration of haiku in the classroom with part two in a three part series.

Amy left The Poem Farm to go to the fair, and she witnessed magic!

Karen Edmisten and I are soul sisters -- shifting books here and there, donating some (never the poetry) and STILL winding up with not enough shelf space!

At Reflections on the Teche, Margaret shares an original poem about chasing a beautiful sunset.

Tricia shares a pantoum perfect for writers and readers alike over at The Miss Rumphius Effect.

Little Willow shares In the Gloaming at Bildungsroman.

Ben brings The Small Nouns back to Poetry Friday with a poem for all parents.

Elaine comes to us from Flowers for Socrates. She's got a post about clerihews, including a few of her own.

Colette's got lots to say (way more than her 100 Words a Day) about Van Gogh's Starry Night and various examples of ekphrasis about the painting. (ekphrases about? exphrases of? ekphrastic descriptions?)

Lori Ann Grover is On Point with a sunset poem that pairs nicely with Violet's sunrise poem.

Charlotte reviews  Above the Dreamless Dead: World War I in Poetry and Comics at Charlotte's Library. I can't wait to see this book!

Douglas Florian is in the house! He's got a poem and quote by Mark Twain over at The Florian Cafe.

Donna, at Mainely Write, should just stop trying to rein in her brain!  Plus, I think her Noah Cat should join us more often for Poetry Friday!

Book Lover's Day is tomorrow! Becky's got a post and poem about it at Tapestry of Words.

Cathy's feeling a little lost as she starts the new school year in a non-classroom position. She found the perfect poem as she finds her "new HERE." Read it at Merely Day By Day.

Welcome to Stacy Lynn, new to Poetry Friday, and sharing an original poem "Garden Beans" at her blog, Warning the Stars.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Head over to Teach Mentor Texts for the It's Monday! What Are You Reading? round up.

I had a great reading week.  Vacation and being in the car for 25+ hours helped!  I've read some great books lately. I know I'll have far less time to read with school starting but glad to have read the books I did. Here are some of the great books I've read lately--love and recommend them all.  Every single one was fabulous!

I just don't fit enough enough adult fiction so I made sure to do that on vacation last week. Both were great.

Landline

Where'd You Go, Bernadette: A Novel

In anticipation of Global Read Aloud in October, I reread

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

WOW! I have always loved this book but haven't read it for probably 6 years. Loved it even more this time and am excited to share it with kids as part of Global Read Aloud.

A heartbreaking book set in the Lower Ninth Ward during Hurricane Katrina.  Love the main character of this one. A Must Read!
Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere

A novel in verse that is set in Guatemala during the civil war.  A great book--I think this is probably intended for middle school.

Caminar by Skila Brown

A graphic novel (coming out in September) that I loved. Another Must Read!

El Deafo by Cece Bell

Celebrating Kate Messner!

Flickr Creative Commons Photo by Will Clayton

Even though our blog birthday was on January 1, we are celebrating it all year! On our 8th Birthday, we decided to celebrate 2014 by celebrating others who inspire us every day. Each month, on the 1st (or so) of the month, we will celebrate a fellow blogger whose work has inspired us. We feel so lucky to be part of the blog world that we want to celebrate all that everyone gives us each day.


This month, we are celebrating the amazing author and educator, Kate Messner. We have learned from Kate Messner in so many ways. Real Revision: Authors' Strategies to Share with Student Writers was important for both of us as writers and teachers of writing. Her children's books resonate with readers and have an important place in our classroom libraries. And as a former teacher she shares generously --she is an advocate of classroom visits by authors, offering free Skype visits to classes for many of her books, and maintaining an extensive list of children's, YA, and adult authors who will also Skype for free.

But the reason we are celebrating Kate today is because of her blog and her initiatives to support teachers--especially Teachers Write! Kate has worked tirelessly for the past several summers to support teacher writers. The community is a strong one and the Summer Camp is amazing.

To honor Kate, we we are making a donation to one of our favorite local organizations, The Brian Muha Foundation. This is an organization that supports children in our local area. We love the story of the foundation and believe strongly in their mission. You can learn more about the foundation and the Run the Race Club on their website.