Saturday, April 03, 2021
National Poetry Month: #haikudiary.3
Friday, April 02, 2021
National Poetry Month: #haikudiary.2
Thursday, April 01, 2021
The Poetry Friday Roundup is HERE!
You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
Click here to enterNational Poetry Month 2021: #haikudiary
Saturday, March 27, 2021
Text Set: Keeping Track of Characters
Texts for this Text Set have been posted daily on Instagram.
Follow @TextSets there to get daily updates!
Friday, March 26, 2021
Poetry Friday -- Writing From a Mentor Text
photo via Unsplash |
by William Carlos Williams
I have eaten
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold
This Is Just To Say -- I'm Retiring
by Mary Lee Hahn, 2021
I have taught
many decades
mostly in
this district
and now
you are probably
planning
for next year
Remember
this work is important
so energizing
and so necessary
Saturday, March 20, 2021
Text Set: Word Study and Vocabulary
Texts for this Text Set have been posted daily on Instagram. Follow @TextSets there to get daily updates!
We want to have joy and inquiry at the heart of our word study and vocabulary work. This week, I'll share a set of books that will celebrate words in various ways. Word study cannot happen without understanding the power and impact of words.
The Great Big Animal Search Book is a fun book, and at first glance I had no idea all that was in here connected to words and vocabulary. This is a giant search book with really fun illustrations and so many facts about animals. It is a book readers can spend hours and hours with. AND it ALSO introduces readers to a variety of collective nouns (a WADDLE of penguins, a HERD of cows). Such a great way to discover the fun in collective nouns and to explore new vocabulary in the process.
The Invisible Alphabet gives readers a unique way to think about words. This book is full of words that are invisible--things you don't see (such as AIR). Reading through this book and then playing with other types of alphabet lists you could create based on a unique category like invisible would be great fun!
I love Ambitious Girl and they way that it takes a single word--ambitious-- and defines and expands on the definition through the whole of the book. Thinking deeply about the perfect word and all that it can be in descriptions and actions is worthy of conversation.
Of course you'd have to spend weeks with Have I Ever Told You Black Lives Matter before you brought it into word study. The book is powerful and says so much. The fact that there are only words and no illustrations is powerful. The way the words are set on the page is powerful. So many Black voices are shared in this book. A perfect book for talking about the power of words, the word we remember, the power of quotes, whose words have power, whose words do we study and remember, etc. could all be important conversations using this book as an anchor.
This week's books were linked at Cover to Cover Children's Bookstore. If you are looking for a fabulous children's bookstore to support, this is an amazing one. We are lucky to have them in Central Ohio!
You can find a downloadable pdf of this list at frankisibberson.com.
Thursday, March 18, 2021
Poetry Friday -- A Poetry Challenge
picture via wikimedia commons |
Sleigh Ride
By: J.L.
For: Irene Latham
Here we go, very fast
Off to make the good times last.
Our sleigh is zooming,
Our fun is blooming,
Out on our wondrous Sleigh Ride.
No need to hide,
No need to cry,
As we ride our worries away.
Here we go,
Happy today.
Out on our wondrous Sleigh Ride.
SLEIGH RIDE
shhh
say the runners
sliding through the snow
smack
say the reigns
asking horse to go
ching ching
say the bells
on the harness and the sleigh
flap flap
say the wings
of the crows that show the way
say moon and clouds
thanks for coming out to play
© Mary Lee Hahn, 2021
Saturday, March 13, 2021
Text Set: Metaphors
Texts for this Text Set have been posted daily on Instagram. Follow @TextSets there to get daily updates!
When we think about teaching metaphor, it has to be about more than naming a metaphor and far more than knowing the difference between a metaphor and a simile. Metaphors help us think about bigger meanings in text. They help us understand at a deeper level. This week, I'll share a set of texts that starts this bigger conversation about metaphors.
I have been using Marla Frazee's book Walk On: A Guide for Babies of all Ages for years. This is the perfect introduction into metaphor because it is scaffolded so well. I read the book first and discuss with kids what it is "about". Then we go back and visit the author's note at the beginning of the book--"To my son Graham, off to college" and think about what the author was REALLY saying. What is "walk on" a metaphor for? Because the text is so simple, readers can go back into each line to discuss the intended meaning of each line within the bigger metaphor.
If You Plant a Seed by Kadir Nelson is another great book based on the metaphor of planting a seed. This is a very accessible metaphor for young readers so going page by page and discussing intended meaning will help readers see how to gain deeper understanding of an author's message through metaphor.
Lift has a graphic novel feel and is an immediately engaging story. Once children understand the possibility of metaphor in text, this is an easy transition to discussing the two (or more) possible meanings of the title word "lift" in this story. With some examination, children should see the idea of lifting people in ways beyond the literal one.
This powerful new picture book, Standing on Her Shoulders celebrates women who have made a difference in our world. The title is explored throughout the book as we are introduced to various women who have paved the way for so many. Each page helps us understand what it means to stand on someone's shoulders. (At the end of the book, you learn more about each woman introduced throughout.) A fabulous book for so many reasons.
Short films are such a powerful way to explore metaphor with students. A new favorite for me is Pixar's Float by Bobby Rubio. The metaphor of float can mean different things to different people and the author has his own reasons for using it which you can find in several online articles and interviews.
This week's books were linked at Cover to Cover Children's Bookstore. If you are looking for a fabulous children's bookstore to support, this is an amazing one. We are lucky to have them in Central Ohio!
You can find a downloadable pdf of this list at frankisibberson.com.