10 Picture Books I've Recently Discovered

I love the idea that Cathy and Mandy had for today's picture book celebration--choose 10 picture books that you couldn't live without in your classroom. As I started my list, I realized that I could NEVER narrow it down to 10 so I decided to focus my list a bit. Today, as part of August 10 for 10, I am sharing 10 picture books that I have recently discovered-those that I can't live without. They are not the only 10, but they are 10 newer ones that I have fallen in love with.

CITY DOG, COUNTRY FROG is my favorite book of the year. At first, I wasn't too thrilled to see that Mo was writing about characters other than Pigeon, Piggie, and Elephant. But this book is amazingly powerful for so many reasons. I have read it to children and adults and love it more and more each time I read it.

OTIS by Loren Long is another that is already well-loved in the library. This is a story of Otis, a tractor who is so happy with life until the new big shiny tractor comes to the farm. This is really a story of friendship and loyalty. You will LOVE the characters.

KATIE LOVES THE KITTENS by John Himmelman is a great story for dog lovers. Katie is a dog who gets new kittens at her house. She LOVES the kittens but they don't love her right away.

BELLA AND BEAN by Rebecca Kai Dotlich is a book that I carried around with me for weeks after I discovered it. These two girls are two of my favorite characters of all time and the fact that these girls are poets just adds to the fun.

HOW TO HEAL A BROKEN WING by Bob Graham is one that I read to several grade levels. A great

story about a boy who helps a bird to heal. But if you dig beneath the surface, there are so many great messages in the story and the illustrations. The writing is amazing--not one word wasted.

PETE THE CAT: I LOVE MY WHITE SHOES by Eric Litwin. All you have to do to fall in love with this book is to watch the video of the author sharing it with kids.

I KNOW HERE by Laurel Croza is filled with beautiful writing of home, the place the narrator knows best. Remembering what she loves about her home, she prepares to move to a new place. The writing makes this a great mentor text for kids.

A SMALL BROWN DOG WITH A WET PINK NOSE by Stephanie Stuve-Boden is one of my all-time favorite books about a girl trying to convince her parents that she wants a dog. This little girl is quite clever!

GUESS AGAIN by Mac Barnett is a great rhyming book that is full of surprises!

WAITING FOR WINTER by Sebastian Meschenmoser is a fun book about 3 animals who want to see winter so instead of hibernating they look for snow. Lots of humor in this one too!

Check out all the 10 for 10 Picture Book posts at Reflect & Refine (Cathy's blog) or Enjoy and Embrace Learning (Mandy's blog). Join the fun! Which 10 picture books are the ones you couldn't live or teach without?

PLAYING WITH WORDS: AN INTERVIEW WITH RALPH FLETCHER

If you have not seen Ralph Fletcher's new book, PYROTECHNICS ON THE PAGE: PLAYFUL CRAFT THAT SPARKS WRITING, it is a must-read for writing teachers. In this new book, Ralph shares his wisdom about the need for word play in our work with children. We had the pleasure of interviewing Ralph about the ideas in his new book.

FRANKI: It seems that, although your book is about playing with words, your message is bigger than that. You address the absence of play throughout the day. Can you talk a bit about your concerns with that?

RALPH: Yes. I don't think we value play as a learning environment anymore. We are not teaching corporate executives but, rather, children. Kids love to play. And many researchers have shown that play is a rich learning environment.  Why shouldn't we take advantage of kids' affinity for play?

FRANKI: Why do you think play is important in writing? How can playing with words improve student writing?

RALPH: Strong writing is always fresh and memorable, never formulaic and predictable. When a student writes playfully, he/she imbues the writing with those qualities that make us sit up and take notice.

FRANKI: Talk a bit about how playing with words has been important to your own writing?

RALPH: I play with writing every time I sit down. I'm always wondering: how can I say this in a way that's never been said before? How can I find a new arrangement of words, a new phrase? Wordplay is very important in poetry and picture books, but it's also important in my novels and even my professional books.

FRANKI: When in the process is your language most important? At the beginning or during revision? Do you think all writers focus on language at different times in the process?

RALPH: I once would have answered that question by saying: during revision. Katie Wood recently attended one of my presentations and she stated that she doesn't really think of the stages of writing as being distinct. I realized that she's right! They are all mixed together. I'm thinking about language while I'm drafting, while I'm rereading, and also while I'm revising. So I would say that language play is important throughout the process. It's not confined to any one particular part of the writing process.

FRANKI: You include several lessons in the book to support word play. Do you think there are particular things that kids need to know or be invited to do?

RALPH: Children need lots of examples of wordplay, both from literature as well as from popular culture. They also need to get from their teacher an unambiguous signal to be playful.

FRANKI: Do you think it is more important that children play with words orally or in their writing?

RALPH: Hmmmm, interesting question! I think kids do play with their language in their talk. When they do so, the teacher could "bracket" it, point it out, and invite students to do similar things in their writing. But yes, if we want kids to "have a go" at wordplay, they could try it verbally with another student. Talk gives kids a low-risk high-comfort place where they can begin to experiment with playing around with words. .

FRANKI: You talk about the danger of “naming”. Can you talk a bit about that?

RALPH: When it comes to naming vs. usage I vote with usage every time. Unfortunately, I think we often go no further than having students name the technique. It's nice if students can define alliteration or metaphor, but if they can't use it in their writing--so what?

FRANKI: What is the one thing you hope teachers who read your book walk away with? What is your hope for kids in writing classrooms?

RALPH: I don't know if I can distill it to just one thing. Here are two. First, I think strong writing contains an element of surprise. Wordplay--the surprising, unexpected effect that happens when words rub together--is a great way to create surprise.


Second, it's tempting to look at wordplay as some kind of exotic side dish rather than the "meat-and-potatoes" of real writing. I disagree. I see it as central. It's not merely a way to show off or be clever; rather, it's a way to powerfully hone what you want to say. For instance:   Recently at my sister's wedding, my 80 year old father got up to speak. Here's what he said:


"You know the Wizard of Oz, the moment when the movie goes from black and white to color? Well, the first 22 years of my life were black and white. But when I married my beloved wife Jean, my life switched to brilliant color. I had 52 years of glorious technicolor.  And when she died in 2004 my life went back to black and white."  


When my father finished speaking, everybody had tears in our eyes. His wordplay wasn't merely clever--it created a powerful moment we will never forget.

SEASONS by Brenda Power

If you subscribe to THE BIG FRESH, Choice Literacy's free weekly newsletter, then you know how wonderful Brenda Power's leads into the week's articles are. Some weeks (many actually), it is like Brenda knows exactly what is going on in our professional lives and she seems to know exactly what to say to help us. Whether it is setting up the school year, dealing with difficult colleagues, balancing our work and family lives, Brenda has stories that help keep us all grounded in good work.

I was thrilled when Brenda decided to compile the best of these pieces into SEASONS: LITERACY LEADERSHIP WISDOM FROM CHOICE LITERACY. I love having these all in one place. And, although I know I have read all of them, or at least skimmed them when they appeared in my Inbox, there are some that I feel like I missed. I imagine I read them quickly as I was trying to juggle many things on a Saturday morning. It is like I have new pieces to discover. For others, I am thrilled about revisiting again and again. I love having them in book form so that I can mark up and tab my favorites.

Brenda gave these out at several Choice Literacy workshops this summer. As I used various pieces to start off workshops, introduce some thinking and give teachers time to talk around issues, I realized how valuable this book is for many. This is a great gift for teachers--essays that span the cycle of the year we know so well. It is also a great thing for administrators, coaches, librarians, and teachers who are always looking for a piece of text to share at staff meetings, student celebrations and study groups. I can see a few of these used in Back-to-School Parent Nights, others used in staff meetings mid-year, and others put in someone's mailbox at just the right moment.

I have read it cover to cover but find myself going back to it often. I will be working with new teachers and mentors this year. I will be scanning it again for a few pieces that would be great to share with those groups.

This tiny book has so many possibilities:-)

Mini lessons from my summer reading

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet
by David Mitchell
Random House, 2010
I own it. The audio version, too.

We'll spend the first days of the new school year talking about reading preferences: favorite books and authors, book choice, just right books, etc. This year, my mentor text for all my beginning-of-the-year mini lessons will be the best adult book I've read since last December: THE THOUSAND AUTUMNS OF JACOB DE ZOET. (For the record, the previous best book: THE LACUNA by Barbara Kingsolver.)

Here are some mini lessons I'll be able to teach while holding up this book:

BOOK CHOICE: This is the newest book by one of my favorite authors. When I heard David Mitchell had a new book out, I didn't wait to hear what anyone else thought about it. I trust this author. I knew it would be good. I read it as soon as I could get my hands on it. {Who are your favorite authors? What are your favorite books?}

PACING: I read this book through my ears by listening to this book, rather than through my eyes by seeing the print. I noticed many times when I wished I could slow down to figure something out or savor the language, or speed up so that I could see how an exciting part turned out. {Do you read faster or slower sometimes? When? Why?}

CHARACTERS: There are lots of characters with foreign names in this book. I had to pay close attention while I listened so I could keep them straight. It might have been easier if I could have seen the names. The reader of the audio book did a good job giving each character an accent. Sometimes that's how I remembered who was who. {How do you keep the characters straight as you read? What does the author do to help you?}

PLOT/SUBPLOT: There are lots of story lines in this book. It was important to remember what happened to Jacob, the Dutch clerk; Orito, the Japanese woman doctor (pretty amazing for 1799); the many Japanese translators (Japanese/Dutch); Marinus, the scientist/doctor/harpsichord player; Lord Abbot Enomoto, evil incarnate. {What is the main story in your book (plot)? What is one smaller story in your book (subplot)?}

Besides all the main plots and subplots, there were the times when the author would go off on a tangent that didn't really take the plot anywhere -- a character would tell a story or there would be an extended description of a place -- but I trusted the author and went along for the ride. {Tell about a time when you had no idea why the author seemed to go off-topic, but you trusted the author and it turned out to be really important.}

There's a whole lot of plot/subplot in this book, but in the end, I think it was a book about character. (I should have guessed that from the title, right?) {Is your book more strong in plot or character?}

STAMINA: This is a really long book. I stayed with it until the end. {How do you keep going in longer and longer books?}

AUTHOR'S STYLE: I love the way Mitchell writes. At one point, I had to turn off the recording and write down a line as soon as I could get my hands on paper and pencil. By way of telling another character that his story was exaggerated, Marinus tells him that he "...rather over-egged the brûlée." {Let's start a bulletin board of lines we love in the books we're reading. Be sure you write the title and the author of your book, the page number you found it on, and copy the quote exactly as the author wrote it. Use quotation marks. Here, I'll get us started with my quote. You can use it as an example.}

Towards the end, I suddenly realized that a descriptive passage about gulls flying over Dejima and Nagasaki was a poem -- I could hear rhythms and rhymes. I rewound the recording so I could listen to it again. (Imagine my astonishment when I looked at the book and that section was NOT written with the line-breaks of a typical poem. Even the READER would have to discover by listening that there was rhythm and rhyme and poetry there! {Have you ever heard poetry in a chapter book? Or a magazine, or newspaper, or nonfiction? Listen closely. See if you can find an example to bring in.}

THE POWER OF DISCUSSION: When I was about two-thirds of the way through listening to this book, AJ started reading it. (When he got to the "over-egged brûlée," I had him turn down the corner of the page -- that phrase has become one of our favorites.) We have had quick discussions about the book over the last week or so. ("Where are you in the book -- what's happening now -- what did you think of this or that?") {Talking about books will be an important part of our reading workshop this year...}

I found JACOB DE ZOET at my place at the table this morning so I know we'll be able to talk about the ending now. I can't wait. As much as I've enjoyed reading this book, I'll enjoy it even more because I can TALK about this book with someone else who has read it. I'm still not sure what the title means. Maybe AJ will be able to help me think that through. {Who do you think would enjoy the book you just read? What topics do you hope you will you talk about?}

One of the things AJ and I have been talking about while I've been waiting for him to finish the book, is the difference between novels and mysteries. I think I finally understand why I don't like reading mysteries. But this is getting long, so I'll make that another post for another day!

Poetry Friday -- Two Cats

TWO CATS
by Katha Pollitt

It's better to be a cat than to be a human.
Not because of their much-noted grace and beauty—
their beauty wins them no added pleasure, grace is
only a cat's way

of getting without fuss from one place to another—
but because they see things as they are.

(the rest of the poem is at The Writer's Almanac)

Laura has the Poetry Friday roundup this week at her blog, Author Amok.

Planning for the Year in the LIbrary

I learned about this great new tool from Buffy Hamilton. Mindomo is a great tool for brainstorming.  I will definitely be using this quite a bit and I think it is a great tool for students too.

I used this tool in a way similar to how Buffy used it--to really think through my big goals for the library this year.  It helped me visualize the big areas of focus for the year and to see how far along my thinking is in each of the areas.  Here is some of the expanded thinking on some of the ares of my mind map.

I blogged about the Design of Space earlier this week.  Really thinking through the space and the messages it gives is huge.  I hope that the space will work in the ways we are envisioning it.

Supporting Independence in Learning and Library Use
One of my big goals for the year is independence in use of the library. When I think about Design for Independence, I am changing a few things this year. First of all, we will have mostly self check-out.  I have always believed that the library is about sooo much more than check out.  But I am amazed at how much of the staff time we spend on checking out students and teachers.  It seems to consume us sometimes and then we are not free to do the teaching and support that is possible.  We are including 2-3 new stations for check out that students and teachers can use on their own.  If students need to check something out and the staff is working with someone else, this should help.  Although we encouraged self check out before, the space was clearly a "librarian space" and people felt funny using it.  This year, we are getting rid of any space that looks like we own it. Just as I got rid of the teacher desk years ago in my elementary classroom because it gave the message of teacher as power, I will be getting rid of the Checkout Desk that seems to give a message other than independence.

In THE LANGUAGE OF SCHOOL DESIGN, the authors discuss the messages we give kids when they have to wait for us to learn or create.  For the past two years, I have started library classes with a class meeting including a read aloud, minilesson, etc. but in a 45 minute session, this seems to give a bad message. The authors say the message goes something like this, (p. 41) “Wait until the teacher enters the room and tells you what to do before you do anything. You are not capable of directing your own learning.” This is the exact OPPOSITE message that I want kids to get in the library.  So, this year, I want kids to come in with a plan for their learning and use the library as needed. I want them to use it that way during their assigned time and I want them to be able to come in throughout the day as needed and feel like they can do what they need to do. We'll work on that early in the year.  I will still pull the entire class to teach some skill or strategy but most of my teaching will be individual and small group in the midst of their learning. I can see calling over a group who needs a film editing lesson or a few kids who need support in research skills. I feel like  I know the kids and teachers well enough to move toward this now.  It has taken 2 years to set the stage for this but I think we are at the point where kids can use the library more independently.

Web/Online Presence
Another big goal is to create an online presence, especially for our students, teachers and community.  I think it is critical for students to be able to access tools 24/7. I have been looking hard at great elementary library websites. There are so many great examples on the School Library Websites Wiki. I have been exploring some of these to see what might work for our school and district.  I had the pleasure of hearing Joyce Valenza speak at BLC10 in July and am inspired to create an online space that will give kids the tools they need whenever they need them. I also see a good website as a way to share resources with teachers, create stronger connections with the community, and invite more participation from students.  I have just started to work on this and am excited about the possibilities.

Teacher Support
I know that I need to do more to support teachers. So often I don't get a chance to share the best new resources or to collaborate because of time.  We did create a room off the library that will house Literacy Resources. Although this is not technically a part of the library, we are hoping that the room creates a place for teachers to look at resources in a more relaxing way, think about ways to use them, enjoy some chocolate and chat.  A website with a Teacher Resource page is one goal and hosting a few events to help teachers see the new things in the library will be important. Last year, I worked a bit with our Instructional Technology Specialist to share various tools with teachers. I am hoping we continue with these sessions this year. They started great conversations.

Even though I have been in the district for 20+ years, it always takes a few years to really get to know people, the ways they teach, and the resources they are looking for.  I am hoping we can put a few things in place that make things more accessible for them.


Events and Celebrations/Home School Connection
I think if the library is to be a place for collaborative learning and thinking, lots of events should happen there.  Last year, we had a few student groups that came in for lunch book clubs, Graphic Novel Club with Ray from CML, worked on projects, played games, etc. We also had a few speakers (George from CML is always a favorite!)  But I want to include more of this.  I am hoping for more family events and more choice events. I think that "Campfire Space" that I discussed earlier this week. If a student has something to share, I am hoping we have the capacity to offer it to others in the school. We have kids with great passions and talents and I see the library as a place for them to share these with other learners. I am also excited about our collaboration with the Dublin Library (Loren is AMAZING to work with--we are so on the same page with our bigger goals for kids. Pajama Story Time is now an official Riverside Tradition! )  It is amazing to see the relationships being built between our students and the public library because of these collaborative events.  (It pays to have the 2010 Library of the Year here in Columbus, don't you think?)  We also will continue with Book Fairs, Author Visits, and speakers but I am hoping to host some Family Library Events as well as opening the idea up to the kids for input. 

Moving Toward a Tech-Rich Library

We have been working to create a tech-rich library at our K-5 school. During the first year as a librarian, we wrote a district grant to put laptops in the library.  Access to these all day has made a huge difference for our kids.  Last year, we received cameras, flip video cameras, and ipods. We also have a projector, a document camera and gigantic speakers. We have set the stage to use all these well and students are beginning to see so many possibilities. With the big things in place, I think it is the little things that will support students in using the tools for creativity, collaboration and communication.

One of the things we are doing this year is moving the SMART BOARD to the other side of the room. I believe STRONGLY that Smartboards should almost never be in the center of a room.  The message a Smartboard gives in the center is that it is a place for one person to talk and teach and for others to listen. l  Instead, I want the Smartboard to be a tool for collaboration-one that can be used no matter what else is going on in the room.  I saw amazing things last year when students used the Smartboard to create music on Garageband, edit in iMovie, to tell stories with original illustrations, etc.  I think the Smartboard really invites a collaboration that is pretty amazing--kids talking and creating together in a way that isn't quite possible with the other tools. So, the Smartboard is being moved to a space where it can be used with a whole class, a small group, or an individual child.   Our Smartboard Team should get to work right away in September thinking through more possibilities for our students.

We also have some great Flip Video Tripods that were not very accessible to kids last year. This year, they will be in the project area for kids to use as needed (and they come in lots of fun colors!).  They are a great tool and at a great price!

I purchased two new things that I am VERY excited about. I purchased a pair of iHome Speakers and plan to purchase one more set for the library.  Although we have a huge set of speakers in the library, these iHome speakers are much more portable and seem easier for elementary students to use. They are perfect for a classroom size presentation. Even when a few kids are sharing something they've created on a laptop, it is often difficult for even a small group to hear the audio.  I hope these speakers will invite more sharing between students--both formal and informal.

I learned about the Belkin RockStar 5-Way Headphone splitter from @KathyCassidy following her presentation at BLC10.  I have been looking for a way to better utilize the iPods for young children and to have more opportunities for audio books, songs, etc.  for our students. These headphone splitters will allow for that as well as more sharing of student-created projects. 5 sets of headphones can be connected! For the price (less than $10 each), these are my most exciting purchase of the summer!

Web 2.0 Tools--Teachers as Learners

We have an annual Leadership Academy in our district. This year, we both did a session for district teachers on Web 2.0 Tools.  We believe strongly that in order to move forward, we must all be users of these new tools in our lives. Just as we need to be readers and writers, being users of new tools is crticial to our teaching and learning lives.  Below are the slides from our presentation. The slides include the sites that we discussed.

As an added bonus, we used Googledocs to create this slide show and we went paperless in our presentation--no handouts. We included all info right in the embedded slides so that participants could access them with a specific link. We learned so much in the process!

Some Favorite Spaces in the LIbrary

If you read yesterday's post, you know I have rearranged some things to better match the library space to the vision we have for it. Today I decided to share some of my favorite spaces for students.

This is my new favorite space in the library. I wanted a space to have that cafe feel for the kids. Our library looks out to a great courtyard. When I arrived, there were bookshelves against the window so the view from the windows was blocked. We moved shelves to open up that space last year. This year, I am adding tables and stools that overlook the courtyard. The tables I chose do not block the view or the light and I think it creates a great workspace for kids. I envision kids writing, sketching, working on laptops, etc. I imagine kids can work alone or with a partner in this area and the courtyard view will add to the feel of the space.

These stackable tables provide great spaces for many kinds of work. Because they are such a great size, they can be moved around often. I sometimes use them as temporary displays on the ends of bookshelves. I put new books or games on these as invitations for exploration. But the reason I really love these tables is because they allow children to create the spaces they need, where they need them. They are small enough for kids to take to any are of the library to work. If a child needs a quiet space, they can create one. The tables are also a great size for building and they make great game tables. I love the flexibility that they provide.

One of the things we needed was a larger space for sharing and for storytellers and guests who visit the library. We figured out a way to create a great space, but then the space seemed too big for times when it wasn't being used campfire style. The 3 large rugs make the space look a bit less empty. The rugs provide an anchor and they also allow for various groups of kids to be in this space together. (As you can see, they are not totally spread out as they are still partially rolled under as they straighten out.) Eventually, the comfy pillows, etc. could be stored here and the space is divided in a way that gives it good flexibility.

This is a great little space that is actually part of the big space. The shelves around it store building toys and games and the low table was quite popular last year. Since it is so large, it accomodates quite a few kids. It is a great place to read, play games, create stopmotion on laptops, etc. The pillows in the background will need a new space but this has been a space where kids enjoy working.

I love this little table tucked in this quiet spot. It is a great size and invites lots of great collaboration. Lots of kids use it as a spot to share books together. This table tends to get moved often but no matter where it lands, kids gather around it with books.

July Mosaic

July's gone. No more hibiscus blooms. (No more posing with plastic men, Franki.)  No more parades. No more berries on the vine. The puppies will have their eyes open and be weaned when we see them again in a couple of weeks. The new "puppies" will soon be walking nervously into room 222, and we'll all be wondering what adventures this school year will bring.

Endings and beginnings. Comfortable routines and the discomfort of change. Time to put all my summer learning into practice...

Library Redesign--A Work in Progress

Good libraries have alwys been places where personalized learning takes place.  Good libraries...have a variety of spaces for individuals and small groups to work toegehter and often have a place for larger group presentations as well. Of course, they are also text-rich.  The message in this type of architechture is, “Here are some of the tools for you to learn with.  You are a trusted learner.  Go for it!” 

From  The Language of School Design, page 182

It seems that redesigning the library is an ongoing project.  Going into my third year as librarian at our school, I feel like the space is finally becoming what I had imagined it could be.  There is still lots to do but we are moving in a direction that invites great learning.  In May, during the Ohio Summit, Christian Long recommended THE THIRD TEACHER: 79 WAYS YOU CAN USE DESIGN TO TRANSFORM TEACHING AND LEARNING.  So, if you have run into me at all this summer, I have probably mentioned the book.  It has had a huge impact on me.  We have passed it out in several Choice Literacy workshops and the audible squeal from the crowd has been quite fun!  After loving THE THIRD TEACHER sooo much, I moved on to another book by the same authors, Prakash Nair, Randall Fielding, and Jefrey Lackney, called THE LANGUAGE OF SCHOOL DESIGN. I read this one cover to cover and have gone back to it over and over again.  I have also spent a lot of time on the authors' website, DesignShare.  It has been fascinating for me to read about school design from people who design schools. My learning about this has always been limited to educators. This book helped me think about design and environment in a much more strategic way.  Although I had always thought long and hard about the creating great spaces for learning, this book helped me understand so much more about learning and design.  

So, we are redesigning the library a bit. There are still boxes and things that need to be done but some big changes are in place.  One of the big things that happened over the summer that was more cosmetic than anything, was that the library was painted. Really bright colors. (really bright:-) I am finding that students, parents, and community all come into the library with a traditional expectation of what should/could happen there. I want to expand that idea for everyone so I want them to come into something new this year.  With the help of our amazing art teacher and brilliant custodian, we picked bright primary colors and created a plan for changing the entire feel of the library.  The colors help set the stage for an expanded definition of the library.  (I admit, they are a bit bright but once we add student art, book displays, plants, etc.  it should be perfect. It just might take a few months.)

I have often said I loved the feel of coffee shops and that is what I am trying to create in schools.  I love the socialness but I also love the fact that there are options and depending on the goal of my visit to a coffee shop, the space I choose changes. After reading an article by Prakash Nair and Annalise Gehling, they shared their own findings of these spaces.  They say, "There are interesting things happening.  There are invitations to participate.  There are places to meet. There are places for solitude and reflection."  Isn't this what we are trying to create in our libraries?

The authors of THE LANGUAGE OF SCHOOL DESIGN share four kinds of space that I have been thinking about (they share others but these are the key types for me right now): Watering Hole Space, Cave Space, Real World/Life Project Space, and Campfire Space.  I had always created spaces like these but had never had them named for me. Learning from the authors of THE LANGUAGE OF SCHOOL DESIGN helped me to become more strategic about the spaces I create for students.  

Watering Hole Space is able to provide for small group work and socializing.  This is often  my space of choice when I work. I want many spaces in the library where kids can create, think, socialize and collaborate. Whether they are sharing thoughts on a book they are reading, playing a game, creating a film, or debating an issue they are researching, space needs to be available for this type of interaction.  

Cave Spaces are places for individuals to learn and think.  Our library is small so I worry about having enough of these. But the authors state, "Since students are able to concentrate and think more clearly in different kinds of Cave Spaces, the important thing is to provide a variety of nooks and crannies."  (The Language of School Design, page  141). Once we get into the routines of school, I'll be better able to see how student use the space but having flexible seating that can be moved to different parts of the room to create these cave spaces seems important.

We created a space that is much bigger--one that will allow
for large groups to gather.

Campfire Space is that space where a large group can gather in order to watch a presentation, listen to a storyteller, etc.  Since our library is small, this space has been hard to get.  It has been a missing piece--one that limits the things that can happen in the library and one that limits the ways students can share their own learning.  But this year, I moved one shelf to a new location and have now created a much larger floor space in front of our courtyard window. This space will allow for great learning--a large group can gather when needed but other activities can happen at other times.  The space is not ideal--just a large floor space. But it will allow for a type of sharing that wasn't possible before.

Project Space is the space where kids can create real projects.  I feel like we have good space for that. My challenge is that I want students to have access to pencils and sticky notes in the same way they have access to cameras, laptops, and iPods. Storing these in a place that is both secure and accessible is key.  I want students to be independent in the library so I want them to be able to get the tools they need to support their learning as quickly as possible.   I've created a corner space with a large table, the laptop cart, etc. I think kids will move all over the library but this space provides one great place to spread out and create.  

Yesterday, my daughter and I took a daylong trip to IKEA where we picked up some great things to add to the library. Once we had the big spaces in order, it is time to create some flexible spaces for kids and a variety of workspaces. If I think of all that can go on in the library, a variety of options for students is key.  

I am excited to think more about this. I have always believed that space and environment were key and it has been fun to rethink the space as I move into my third year as librarian. I feel like we have set the stage to expand the things that are possible in the library and I hope that the new changes will make the space even better.


Stay tuned for more info on the library throughout the next week or two.










**On a side note, if you are interested in thinking more about elementary design, Christian Long will be speaking at the fall Literacy Connection event on October 2.  On the homepage of his Be Playful site, he says, "Be Playful is a collaborative design studio empowered by the wisdom of play and focused on changing the way we learn."  Gotta love the whole philosophy that is behind this kind of design.   It should be a great day to continue thinking about design for elementary learners. 

Welcome Two New Blogs to the Kidlitosphere!

We are excited about two new blogs that you might want to check out.  Meeting people at Choice Literacy Workshops is always a treat.  We learned about both of these new blogs there. Now that we can all stay connected beyond the few days that we are together is so exciting.

I have been a fan of Lori's on Twitter for a while. So I was thrilled that she started a blog too. Lori's Lessons is a new blog by Lori Sabo (@lorilovesbooks on Twitter).   Here's a teacher who looks at life (body image, trip to the chiropractor, coffee with a friend, new haircuts, and more) and finds lessons for her teaching practice. Good stuff. (And she is HYSTERICAL!)

I lucked out and just happened to sit next to Mandy at a Choice Literacy workshop last week.  After we chatted a while, I learned that she is starting to blog with a friend and colleague--Word From the Corner. They have their first post and the blog will focus on literacy and learning.  From talking to her for a bit at the breaks, I can tell this is a blog I'll want to follow!

Much Ado About Nothing

There's a summer tradition in Columbus -- Actors' Theater performs three different plays throughout the summer in German Village's Schiller Park...for FREE (donations are encouraged). We saw Treasure Island earlier in the summer, and got a wonderful dose of Shakespeare last night with Much Ado About Nothing, performed in the round.

We started out sitting back there by the light/sound table, thinking we were on enough of a hill that we'd be able to see. Our picnic dinner from Whole Foods was spread and we were enjoying curried turkey salad and cranberry tuna salad (and looking forward to the Laceys), when a hoard of chickie-booms planted their chairs in front of us, effectively blocking the view. It was then that we decided to take the usher up on a seat on the stage.

This was our new view!  Much better!

A little bit of truth in advertising about me and The Bard. I don't go to Shakespeare Camp, like Sara Lewis Holmes does. I don't spend all of June brushing you up on your Shakespeare, like Kelly Fineman does. (Nor has The Old Spice Guy made a video response to any of my tweets, like he did for Kelly...)

In fact, on the way home from the play, I wondered aloud how it's possible that I can't understand half of the lines in Shakespeare, and yet I can perfectly follow what's going on in the story?!?! (It does get easier in the second half. It's like your ear gets tuned to Shakespearean English.)

I didn't get any pictures from the first half of the play, because I hadn't figured out how to silence my new camera, and what with sitting at the edge of the stage, I couldn't have all that beeping and booping. 

Needless to say, Don John was evil and meddling, Beatrice was sharp-witted and strong-willed, Benedick was so set against marriage that even the dullest audience member had to know he'd be hooked by the end of the play, and Hero was sweet and demure and so pure that when Claudio spurns her at the altar...

...you want to get up there on the stage and smack him upside the head!

Here's when Benedick and Beatrice fall in love...but only because they each have been tricked into believing that the other is in love with them.

Now the "cops" have captured the meddlers that Don John hired to convince Claudio that Hero was not a pure woman. This little guy played Boy as well as "cop." In the program, his bio tells that this play "marks his professional debut, though he has appeared in a number of church Christmas pageants and school plays.  Favorite roles include the title character in the Gingerbread Man, 2nd Billy Goat Gruff and 3rd Angel From the Left. When not onstage he enjoys fried chicken, the Wii game system, and Cub Scouting. He begins fourth grade in the fall." (could he be in my room, please?!?)

This is the part when Dogberry (little guy's dad in real life) tries so hard to convince everyone that it should be written in the record that he's been called an ass. 

And then all the tangles get untangled and all the right people get married and the evil meddler is dispatched, the end.

But not quite the end. On the drive home, I checked to see if Kindle has Much Ado About Nothing. For less than a dollar, I downloaded it wirelessly to my iPhone Kindle (there's an app for that), and now I'll be able to go back and find my favorite lines and parts while they are fresh in my mind.

Poetry Friday -- Visual Verse

Last week, when I had a chance to spend the day in Denver visiting friends, Carol and I browsed the children's book section of Tattered Cover pointing to books we'd read, heard about, wanted to read, and loved dearly. Both of us were trying hard not to spend too much money, and the talk must have satisfied some kind of need, because we each only bought one book. Carol got Out of My Mind and I bought a 2005 Ed Young book that I had somehow missed.

The minute I opened Beyond the Great Mountains, I knew I had to buy it. You've made flip books with your students, haven't you? Check this out inside:

When the pages lay flat, you can read the poem -- each line is on the edge of the page. Open a page and you find the illustration and the Chinese characters (ancient and modern) that echo the image.

This book could be a mentor text for writing about a beloved place or person, or even about oneself. Research findings might be written poetically and illustrated symbolically. So much to love about this book!

Here is an excerpt from the Author's Note:

"Once, I asked a Western artist to use Western symbols to describe his concept of the word leisure. He immediately chose to describe it with a person floating on his back in water. The Chinese mind chooses to be less literal--for instance, one can place a moon between two panels of a doorway to show a state of mind by which one not only notices but also admines the quiet beauty of a moonbeam peeking in through that sliver. I think of this as visual verse. Rather than showing a particular instance of the idea, it reminds us that ideas are bigger than a single instance."

You can find a conversation with Ed Young at Chronicle Books.

The Poetry Friday roundup is at Irene Latham's blog, Live. Love. Explore!
Along with a Happy Poetry Friday, I'll make the name of her blog my wish for you today!

Sassy

Sassy: The Birthday Storm
by Sharon Draper
Scholastic, 2009
review copy purchased for my classroom

Sassy: The Silver Secret
by Sharon Draper
Scholastic, 2010

review copy purchased for my classroom

I'm thinking about starting the year in my fourth grade classroom with a unit of study on series books, so I'm gathering up a couple of books from a lot of new series this summer.

Franki reviewed the first book in the series, Sassy: Little Sister is NOT My Name!  I love Sassy for many of the same reasons: she's a spunky girl with a personality all her own. She's got this great "Sassy sack" that her grandmother made for her -- a purple, silver and magenta bag with lots of pockets and compartments that holds everything Sassy needs -- and it's as much a character in the books as Sassy is!

In The Birthday Storm, Sassy and her family go to Florida to visit their grandmother for her birthday. A hurricane changes all the birthday plans and makes it necessary for the family to help save a nest of sea turtle eggs on the beach.

In The Silver Secret, Sassy has to find her own way to shine in the fourth grade program because she has a terrible singing voice! She makes a fabulous stage manager and she even has a chance to let her "silver secret" -- her piccolo playing -- out of the bag to save the performance when one of the singers gets sick.

Let's Help Rebuild Her!

Andrea Ross of Just One More Book was diagnosed with breast cancer on October 6, 2009.  On October 3, 2010 she will run in Canada's version of The Race For the Cure.

In 8 days, she's raised over $2000. Let's give her a boost and see if we can get that number over $5000. It won't make up for all she's been through this year, but she and her family will know that there are bunches of Kidlitosphere friends who are throwing confetti for her first year and cheering her on as she begins her "me-ternity."

You can read Andrea's story here.
Go here to help her raise money for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

Bogus

Bogus
by Karla Oceanak
illustrated by Kendra Spanjer
Bailiwick Press, 2010
review copy provided by the publisher

Aldo Zelnick is back with his second sketchbook filled with cartoons, rock-candy words starting with B (amusing illustrated glossary in the back of the book), and a mystery that's worth $1000 to solve: what happened to the ring he thought was bogus, but which has turned out to be quite valuable?

In Artsy-Fartsy, the first book of this alphabetic "comic novel" series (I reviewed it here), we met Aldo, his family and his friends. We found out how Aldo came to be writing and drawing in his sketchbook, and we fell in love with him, even though he's a little bit chubby, a little bit lazy, and he'd rather play video games than do anything else...except eat!

In Bogus, Aldo (somewhat reluctantly and very realistically) learns to put the needs of others before his desire for a giant flat screen TV. In book three, Cahoots, (out later this year) it sounds like Aldo is up for some more character-building when he has to spend time on his cousins' farm with no technology and lots of chores!

My fourth graders last year LOVED Artsy-Fartsy and were disappointed that Bogus would come out after they'd left my class. This new group is going to have two books in the series to devour and a third to look forward to by the end of the year!

Just for fun, you can follow Aldo Zelnick on Twitter: @AldoZelnick.
You can also check out his website: AldoZelnick.com.

2 New Games for the Library

I have been building our board game collection in the library over the last few years. Buffy Hamilton's recent mention of adding new games to her library this year inspired a quick shopping trip! Her post reminded me that I wanted to add some new games to our library too and I was near one of my favorite local toy stores.

When I think about my big goal for the K-5 library, I want kids to see it as a place for learning, thinking, exploring, discovering and creating. I want them to know that there are lots of tools for these things and that the library has a variety of tools to support the different learning they might do. Books, laptops, Legos, puppets, board games, cameras, magazines, and ipods are some of the tools available to kids in the library. I want them to think about which tool will support their learning and have access to a huge variety. I want them to see the library as a place that will support them with whatever tool it might be that they need and I try to fill the library with the best learning tools for elementary students.

In terms of games, some of the popular games that we have in the library are BANANAGRAMS, SCRAMBLED STATES, SET, and COUNTDOWN. Each of the games we have in the library supports learning in a different way. Some are strategy games, others connect to books. Some connect to specific learning that K-5 students do. Along with more strategy games (which I believe you can never have enough of!), I hope to pick up the new DON'T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS board game as well as a FANCY NANCY board game for the younger kids. Some of the fourth graders asked about learning to play GO this year and having GO Tournaments, after reading HIKARU NO GO.

I picked up two new games that I am excited about today. The first is MULTIPLAYER PENTAGO. We have two of the regular (2 player) PENTAGO games in the library and they are a huge hit. If you don't know Pentago, it is a great visual strategy game for two players. Kids of all ages loved this game and after the first few days, I never won a game! This new 2010 version, is the same game but is made for more than 2 players. The board is colorful and up to 4 players can play this one. The 2 Pentago games were almost always in use so I am sure the kids will be excited about the new challenges and fun that this one provides. I also just discovered that you can play Pentago online--with a friend or against the computer. That will be another way kids can enjoy this great strategy game!

I also picked up SQUARE UP. It looked like a good game and I trust the Parents' Choice Award when it is on a game. This is a pattern/puzzle game in which two players race to slide cubes in order to match a given pattern. Although this is designed to be played with two players, it looks like there are ways for individuals to play and learn.

I also like to have some puzzles in the library. Most are either strategy puzzles or puzzles that go with books. I think puzzles encourage collaborative work in a way that other tools don't. When I saw the CRAZY CHEESE MATCHING PUZZLE, I thought it would be a great thing to put on a table during Student/Parent Walk-Through Day. I love to put things out that encourage parents and children to explore together. I think families could have fun with this one.

I don't have a huge budget for games but I do want to add a few more quality games this year. I would love to hear what other librarians are putting in their libraries in terms of games.

IN PICTURES AND IN WORDS: An Interview with Katie Wood Ray

If you have not had a chance to read Katie Wood Ray's new book, IN PICTURES AND IN WORDS: TEACHING THE QUALITIES OF ILLUSTRATION THROUGH ILLUSTRATION STUDY, it is a must read. As always, Katie has given us new things to think about when it comes to our writing classrooms. Her message is always about student ownership, teaching with intention and giving students the tools they need to be decision-makers in their writing.

I have been thinking a lot about what writing is today. There are so many ways to communicate messages. I worry that when we talk about 21st Century Literacy, we think that the inclusion of technology tools is the goal. Really, I think it is bigger than that. I think it is about expanding our definitions of writing to composing, but in a way that includes what we know about the process of creating. Two people who have helped me think through this are Bud the Teacher and Kevin at Kevin's Meandering Mind. I think we are just beginning to think about what this all means for young children. How can we expand the possibilities for our students while using what we know about early literacy? I think what Katie has done in this book is brilliant. When I think of the talk around visual literacy and composing, Katie has nailed this idea for young children. As always, Katie's work is about helping kids be intentional about their work, and sharing possibilities with children so that they can make wise decisions about whatever it is they are writing/drawing/creating. I was struck as I read this because I see the transfer of conversations with our youngest writers being very powerful. What they can learn through illustration study will help them create meaningful pieces no matter what the tools or format. To me, that's the key.

I had a chance to interview Katie about her new work. Her insights are brilliant, as always!

Franki: Your focus in all of your writing on helping students be intentional is one of my favorite things about your work. Students as decision-makers is key and I love the focus on illustrations for this one. Do you see illustration study as a separate unit of study or something that would be part of every piece throughout the school year?

Katie: Both. It certainly can stand alone as its own unit of study - we've studied it in Lisa Cleaveland's classes for years as its own study. But what happens is, after that initial study, talking about the illustrator's decision making becomes just a natural part of how books are studied in writing workshop, and it becomes a part of every future study as well.

Franki: How did you get interested in illustration study?

Katie: These last few years, spending so much time conferring with kindergarten and first grade writers, I just realized how much thinking there is that goes into the composition of a picture - especially for some children. I would marvel at it, really. And then more and more I began to think about what it would mean to get behind that thinking, name it and support it, and help them engage in it even more deeply. The desire to do that led me to study illustrations much more carefully, much as I did when I was first learning about the written craft of language. The more I studied illustrations, the better able I was to help children imagine new possibilities in their composition work around pictures.

Franki: How do you see illustration study supporting all students as writers?

Katie: When teachers teach into the composition aspect of children's illustration work, children are gaining valuable experience with all the processes of composing - planning, drafting, revising, editing. To experience this kind of compositional thinking in a parallel context no doubt supports the same kind of thinking in a different context - with written text. Also, as I try to make the case in the second half of the book, children can be introduced to many key qualities of good writing in the context of illustration study.

Franki: What have you found about students that struggle with writing? How does illustration study support them?

Katie: For many of them, it gives them a way to more fully express their meaning (as it does with all writers), and this can be very liberating for them. There is this idea that language is something you can either get right or wrong, and most children and adults don't have this same idea about illustrating, so this is what is so freeing about it. Of course, some children don't feel very confident as illustrators either, and in this case, they have to be supported to celebrate and understand the role of approximation in learning both illustrating and writing.

Franki: You brilliantly mention 21st Century literacies early in the book. Explain how you see illustration study as fitting into the bigger goals of 21st Century Literacy.

Katie: I believe that if the teaching focus is on composing - making meaning with whatever tools you have at your disposal (written text being just one of those tools) - we do a much better job of preparing children to make meaning in a world where tools and means for communication will likely be changing throughout their lives, as they have throughout ours. It's all about composing, really, and illustration study is just another avenue for teaching into this valuable thinking process.

Franki: How do you think a study like this is different for young children (K/1) than it is for older children (2nd/3rd)?

Katie: I just think it would get more and more sophisticated as children move along in their development, much as a writing study grows and gets more sophisticated with children over time. For example, Kindergartners and 3rd graders might both be studying how to write engaging informational text, but the study of it and the products students produce will be more sophisticated the further along in their development children progress. I also believe that as children develop and move through school, illustration study can eventually move out of picture books and into other kinds of texts in the world that are a mix of the visual and the verbal - magazines, newspapers, websites, etc.

Franki: You include 40+ Techniques Worth Teaching in the book. Can you talk about these - why you think they are important, how you think teachers might use them, etc.?

Katie: They're important because in naming them, they will help people see so much more in illustrations than they might currently see, because once you start noticing, you can't help but notice more and more. And of course, every illustration decision you can name and articulate its use becomes a meaning-making possibility you might offer a child. In teaching, I'm a strong believer that knowledge is power, and this section was written to empower teachers. By naming all these techniques, I hope I created a valuable resource for teachers to grow their own knowledge base about the decisions illustrators make when they compose with pictures. I also tried to show how these decisions have very direct parallels to the decisions writers make when they compose.

Franki: I love the section on design and layout. Often we are quick about that piece of writing when working with kids. Why do you think that is an important part of the whole process - one worthy of time and intention?

Katie: Design is everything in the world of texts these days. We know that readers respond not just to the meaning of texts, but also to the look of them. Just think about how many have so totally designed what their email messages will look like - something as simple as that. Unfortunately I'm not one of those people (mine are kind of blah), but I love when I get a message that has nice color and a pleasant font, and a little meaningful symbol or saying tagged to it. Layout and design are just so critical.

To read more about Katie's book,

Patrick Allen at All-en-A-Day's Work has a great interview with Katie.

A book review is up at Enjoy and Embrace Learning

Katie will be presenting on her new work at NCTE's Annual Convention in Orlando in November.