Professional Development--21st Century Literacy

There are several of us who continue to do lots of thinking around the area of 21st Century Literacy. There is so much to think about and it is fun to learn and think together. How do we make these experiences authentic for our students? Especially at the elementary level?

This week, we had another great meeting. We met at my house and shared our learning and thinking. We spent about 3 hours together. We started off talking about the things we've learned this summer and the things we were hoping to learn more about. Then we spread out throughout the house and shared with each other. Some of us learned to do Voicethreads. others learned how to use the Flip Video camera and to edit film. We played with lots of tools and left with lots to think about. You can see that once the whole group chat was over, we spread around the house and learned from/taught each other. Everyone left with something new to think about.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

A few blog posts connected to our professional development this week. We came together to learn from each other because we wanted to-because we trust the people we are learning with and we all have different goals and hopes for ways to use this new thinking in our teaching. Wesley Fryer wrote about professional development in his blog post TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND CHOCOLATE CAKE. I think that there are so many ways for us to learn and summer provides time for some of this more intense learning.

I also thought David Warlick's post Technology and Teaching was very thought-provoking. He asks some hard questions. Definitely something to think about.

We are hoping to have one more of these sessions before school begins and then to meet throughout the school year. A great network of people to think and learn with!

Laurie Keller Author Visit

I am a little late posting this. Okay, so I am a lot late. With the end of the school year, things got crazy as they do. And then I traveled a bit and didn't have the time to give this post the energy it deserved. So, now I finally have the time to reflect on the great author visit that we had in late May. Author and illustrator, Laurie Keller visited our school in May. She also visited the Dublin Branch Library. It was a great day!

If you haven't read each and every one of Laurie Keller's books, every one is great. The fact that she is author AND illustrator is key because so much of the story goes on in the illustrations--and even in the lettering. Her characters are great and her humor is brilliant. Each one of Keller's books is one that can grow with kids. My daughter's personal favorite book is ARNIE THE DOUGHNUT. And, it was the favorite among the whole K-5 school who read and enjoyed all of her books. The story is a fun one--Arnie is purchased by a nice man, only to discover that the man intends to eat him! Arnie is shocked and the story goes from there. I can see why this has been my daughter's favorite for years. The story is fun--the whole concept is pretty fun. And the side comments probably make more sense as her sense of humor has developed. So she can enjoy it on different levels as she grows. All of Keller's books do this.

Laurie Keller was a great author to have visit our school. I was lucky enough to be part of all of the sessions and the students had such a great time with her. One of the things that was so nice was the tie-in to art. She not only talked about her books and her writing process but she spent lots of each session teaching kids to draw those characters that they love. Kids came with pencil, paper and clipboard and they left with quite a sense of pride and accomplishment. Laurie taught us how to draw several things--I was amazed at how simple she made it look. After her visit, many kids in the school created their own stories about the characters she had taught them to draw! (And at the Dublin Library, even children's library, Loren Scully was learned to draw some of Keller's characters!)

Keller's books are all great books for home, classrooms and school libraries. She has a unique format and a unique sense of humor that kids an adults enjoy. Even though I read all of her books to all of our classes, I never tired of them. I laughed every time and during every read, I noticed something that I had missed before.

DO UNTO OTTERS is a book that we have in every classroom of our school. It is a great book about manners and Keller writes it in a way that makes the topic amusing and engaging for kids. It is a great way to start conversations with kids about manners and the ways we treat each other.

OPEN WIDE: TOOTH SCHOOL INSIDE does a great job of teaching kids about teeth and dental health.


SCRAMBLED STATES OF AMERICA and SCRAMBLED STATES OF AMERICA TALENT SHOW are two of Keller's most popular books. She brings each state to life in fun stories so that kids learn about the states. Not only are these books great but the game, Scrambled States of America was quite a hit in the library. 4th and 5th graders had a fun time learning about the states and US geography with the books and the game.

Laurie also shared her upcoming book ME AND MY ANIMAL FRIENDS. This one is written by Ralph Covert of Ralph's World. Laurie Keller's illustrations make the book quite fun and I can't wait to add this new book to our library.

I do not often like video versions of children's books but Weston Woods has done an amazing job with Keller's books. Because there is so much going on in the illustrations, and because the side comments are too good to skip when reading aloud, I loved sharing the videos with the kids at school. The characters really come to life in each of the videos.

I would highly recommend Laurie Keller as an author visit if you are looking for someone. Her books are great fun for students from K-5. And she is great with kids--building a confidence and inviting them to do more with her characters. Plus, she is great fun to be around. She is genuinely excited about the kids and their learning and that shows in the way she talks to them and the excitement she shows about their work. And if you aren't looking for an author to visit your school, I would definitely add Laurie's books to your collection. Her graphics and the humor that she uses are great ways to teach kids about lots of things.

THE ONE AND ONLY MARIGOLD by Florence Parry Heide

I have just discovered a new character that I love--Marigold who stars in the new book THE ONE AND ONLY MARIGOLD by Florence Parry Heide. Marigold is a monkey and she is quite strong-willed. In this book, Marigold stars in 4 stories. I love that there are 4 separate stories about Marigold in this one picture book. Such a fun way to think about and get to know a new character. In the first story, Marigold goes shopping for a new coat, but she loves the one she has. In the second story, Marigold is looking for a new hobby. In the third story, Marigold sets up an alternative to the boring lemonade stand. And in the last story, Marigold wants a fancy new outfit for the first day of school.

All of these stories are quite short but the author humor and voice into each.

I just can't get enough of Marigold. Hopefully there will be more books starring this fun new monkey coming soon. Marigold is quite clever and I think kids will love her too.

New Blog on the Block!

Welcome to Shelly and Lisa and their new blog Two Learning Journeys!

Your contributions to the conversation about teaching and learning will be welcome and valuable!

Poetry Friday -- Against Travel

Last Friday, we drove 19 hours nonstop (except for dinner in Lawrence, KS and various restroom and gasoline breaks) between Eastern Colorado and Central Ohio.

We saw the sun set in the rear view mirror...

...and we saw the sun rise through the windshield.

It feels good to be home and NOT be traveling. That's why this week's poem spoke so clearly to me.


AGAINST TRAVEL
by Charles Tomlinson

These days are best when one goes nowhere,
The house a reservoir of quiet change,
The creak of furniture, the window panes
Brushed by the half-rhymes of activities
That do not quite declare what thing it was
Gave rise to them outside.

(the rest of the poem is here)


Are you delighted to be traveling or NOT traveling this week?
What are you against?
What are you for?

The round up this week is at Becky's Book Reviews. (Next Friday it will be here!)

ALL THE BROKEN PIECES by ann e. burg

all the broken pieces

by ann e. burg

Scholastic Press, 2009

review copy provided by the publisher

We don't review YA books here very often, but this is one you won't want to miss.

This novel in verse shows the reader the ways that war breaks people, and the ways that they work to put the broken pieces back together.

Told in first person from the point of view of Matt Pin, a twelve year-old Vietnamese American boy who was airlifted out of Vietnam and adopted by an American family, the story weaves the threads of Matt learning to play the piano and joining the baseball team with his memories of his younger brother in Vietnam having his feet and hands blown off by a land mine. A variety of perspectives on war can be found in the course of the story: Matt's father feels guilty because he went to medical school instead of Vietnam. Matt suffers from the racism of a teammate whose brother was killed in Vietnam and from Vietnam Veterans who resent the reminders of the war in Matt's Vietnamese features. Matt and his piano teacher (a vet who takes him to a veterans' support group) help with the healing of a vet who becomes Matt's baseball coach, and this new coach helps to heal the rift between Matt and his teammate.

The parallels between the Vietnam War and all of the current global conflicts would make this an excellent read aloud or shared reading for a middle school or high school literature or social studies classroom. For those of us who grew up during the Vietnam War and lived in it without really learning about it, this book is an important education.

LUCKY BREAKS by Susan Patron

lucky breaks

by Susan Patron

illustrated by Matt Phelan

Simon and Schuster, 2009

review copy was purchased with my own money

I can't wait to hand this book to my student who read The Higher Power of Lucky at the end of the year last year. She'll love it! Lucky is the kind of character, and Hard Pan (population 43) is the kind of place that stay with you.

Maybe every girl on the brink of turning eleven needs to read this book. Not since Sandra Cisneros' story eleven have I seen this age described so eloquently. (I'm not going to link to any of the online copies of Cisneros' story--they are all violating copyright, so I'll let you find them for yourself if you don't already know the story. It's from Cisneros' book Woman Hollering Creek.) Here are the lead paragraphs of lucky breaks:

"Eleven. Lucky thought from her seat at the back of the school bus, eleven, eleven, eleven, and the idea of it the sound of it threw off sparks in her head. You start with one, two, three: those clunky one-syllable beginner-ages like wooden blocks that toddlers play with. Keep going and you get to eight, nine, ten: the plodding steps you have to climb until, at last, you arrive. Finally, finally, you reach the best age, the one that, when you say it out loud, sounds like a little tap dance or a drumroll.

...She pictured 11 as a swinging double door, a saloon door in an old Western; you push the sides open, bam, with both hands and stride through before they flap shut again, your childhood behind you." (p.1-2)

This is a book that will satisfy readers who read for plot. In the first chapter, we learn (from Miles, who is about to turn six) the story of two miners from about a hundred years ago who loved the same woman who was tragically killed in their fight for her. A piece of her brooch is supposedly at the bottom of an abandoned (or condemned?) well. The story captures Lucky's imagination, and any reader worth their salt is going to know that sooner or later, Lucky will be down that well looking for the missing piece of the brooch and it's a good thing that the book is titled lucky breaks. It would be interesting to use this book in a literature circle or grand discussion and have readers focus on all of the things that break (literally and figuratively) in the book.

This is also a book that will satisfy readers who read for characters. Lucky's friend Lincoln is fully developed in this book. He is still complicated and quirky and constantly tying knots, but he is also mature and stable, which are both lucky breaks for Lucky. A new character is also introduced -- Paloma, who becomes Lucky's first best friend who is a girl.

And finally, this is a book that will satisfy readers who read for setting. Hard Pan, the desert around it, and the sky above it are beautifully described. Matt Phelan's small sketches help readers visualize the vastness and the emptiness of the desert landscape. In this interview, Susan Patron shares that the setting of a fictional former mining town in California's Eastern Sierras was the initial inspiration for Lucky's stories.

The third book in the series is promised for 2010. YAY!

DRAGONBREATH by Ursula Vernon

Dragonbreath

by Ursula Vernon

Dial Books, June 2009

Grades 3 and up

Review copy provided by the publisher

What do you read after you've read all the BABYMOUSE books? DRAGONBREATH!

You'll notice some similarities -- the dream sequences in color (green for this book), the imaginative but bumbling main character (Danny Dragonbreath cannot yet breathe fire), the school bully (in this case, a Komodo dragon named Big Eddy) and the intelligent sidekick (Wendell, the green iguana).

And there are also differences -- DRAGONBREATH is a hybrid graphic novel/novel, there is no conversation between the main character and the narrator, and at 146 pages, DRAGONBREATH will take a bit more stamina from the reader.

Danny Dragonbreath is the only mythical creature at the Herpitax-Phibbias School for Reptiles and Amphibians. He is also an incredible procrastinator, turning in a science paper which he writes in less than 15 minutes and which he's hoping his teacher will grade on length and not content, seeing as he completely made up the sea creature featured in his paper -- the Snorklebat. Danny is not so lucky. He gets an F on his paper and must rewrite it by the next day. Luckily, Danny's cousin is a sea serpent who takes Danny and Wendell on a deep sea tour to gather facts for the rewrite. Adventures with a shark and a giant squid ensue, but Danny gets enough good material for an A on his paper.

The next DRAGONBREATH adventure will be ATTACK OF THE NINJA FROGS, but what I really want to know is what happens to the predatory potato salad that Danny uses to get back at Big Eddy in the cafeteria.

A ferocious predator, what the common potato salad lacks in bone structure, it more than makes up for in viciousness. A school of potato salad can skeletonize a cow in under two weeks, assuming that the cow doesn't get bored and move.

The last we see of the potato salad, it is oozing down into a storm drain. I'm sure we haven't seen the last of it!

NANA CRACKS THE CASE! by Kathleen Lane

Okay, I have been totally amused by the new book NANA CRACKS THE CASE! by Kathleen Lane. The story begins with Nana looking through the local newspaper for a job. She quickly finds one that sounds perfect for her:

It did seem that Nana had all of the qualifications necessary to be a detective. Not only did she own the various wigs mentioned in the ad, "but, " Nana said, "I must admit that I can also, when necessary, be a bit sneaky."

Nana is quite an amusing character--full of spunk and humor. Along with her grandchildren Eufala and Bog, she goes off to find a thief.

This is a short book--about 100 pages. It has a plot that will be easy for middle readers to follow. And the writing made me laugh throughout the book. From finding her orange and black spotted wig to going into a Lavatory instead of the Laboratory, Nana is full of fun surprises.

I have been looking for new mysteries and I like this one. A fun, beginning kind of mystery/detective story in which Nana has to find a thief. I was thinking that this would be a series because it certainly lends itself to a great one--a fun character that you want to read more about and a great concept--Nana looking for new jobs or Nana as detective. So, I am hoping that more stories about Nana are on their way.

2 New Series for Transitional Readers

I am excited about two new series that are just out. Both will appeal to transitional readers and I think both will appeal to boys as well as girls.

MAX DISASTER is by Marissa Moss. I think that this book was released a few years ago but seems to have been redone this year. The format is a bit different but it is going to be a great series. I picked up MAX DISASTER #1-ALIEN ERASER TO THE RESCUE yesterday and read it today. I am a big fan of Marissa Moss and love the Amela Books. This series is a similar set up but with a different twist. Max begins the book by saying, "This is a book I found that's perfect for writing scientific stuff in. There's a girl in my class who keeps a notebook of stuff about EVERYTHING in her life. SUPER BORING! I would never, I mean, NEVER do that, but suddenly, I have so many great ideas, I need a place to record them." So this book becomes a science journal and much more for Max. He shares inventions, comics that he writes, and experiments that he tries. The color graphics as well as the humor will make it a hit with kids. As much as Max doesn't want to write about all that is going on, he does write throughout this first book about the tension he is feeling between his parents. Dealing with that while doing all of the other things he does in a day, makes this a pretty realistic book. I think kids will enjoy it and I am anxious to pick up the next book in the series. (2 more come out this fall too.)

HORRID HENRY is the other series that I am excited about. I have 4 of the books but I think that there are 8 available right now. Horrid Henry is quite horrid. He is the oldest of 2 boys. His brother is "Perfect Peter" but Horrid Henry is always gettting into trouble. These books are each less than 100 pages long. There are some illustrations throughout but not necessarily on each page. Each book consists of 4 chapters or stories about Henry. Each chapter stands pretty much alone as a short story which makes this a great choice for kids new to chapter books. The books are funny and cause kids to laugh out loud. Horrid Henry is horrid but not really. He is a pretty likable character and his behaviors are usually pretty typical of kids his age. Thee books were originally published in the UK and are also a TV show there. They were so popular there that they recently began publishing the series in the US. This is a fun new series.

4 Professional Books on Nonfiction/Inquiry

It is funny how fast my pile of to-read professional books is getting lately. I am just finishing TEACHING THE NEW WRITING and will review it soon. I have also just added BLOGS, WIKIS, PODCASTS, AND OTHER POWERFUL TOOLS FOR CLASSROOMS by Will Richardson to my shopping cart. I am on a huge learning curve when it comes to technology and what that means for our elementary classrooms. So I have added a huge new topic to my professional reading life. But I do have a few books that I have ordered and spent some time with that I want to read over the next several weeks. These are the books that I am hoping will help grow my own thinking. I find that much of my professional reading comes from online sources lately. I get lost finding articles and blog posts so I haven't committed the the professional "book" reading that I've done in the past. Thank goodness it is summer so I can catch up on a few. These are the 4 on top of my stack right now. I am looking for ways to create a great library environment next year-one that invites inquiry, collaboration, and student ownership of learning. So my focus for the next few weeks is connected to that specific goal.

I am also excited to read COMPREHENSION AND COLLABORATION: INQUIRY CIRCLES IN ACTION by Stephanie Harvey and Harvey Daniels. I am excited to see how the thinking of these two experts have come together when thinking about small-group projects around inquiry. I worry that we have gotten so far away from students' own questions in school. I love that this book is for all levels. Early in the book, the authors say, "This book is for everyone who teaches because the big ideas and processes of education, the really big ones, truly do apply to all learners. From Pre-K to college, we are in the business of teaching thinking. And that's something we are never done with: we don't start children off thinking in the primary grades and then assume we're finished. Nor do we hold off on thinking until middle school, give them a couple good years of instruction, and then shut down, figuring they're now ready for anything." We teach thinking all year, every year: we teach students how to listen, view, read, gather, and engage with information; we make sure students acquire cognitive strategies, weigh ideas, develop judgement, and build knowledge; and just as important, we help them to remember, care choose, and take action." Can't wait to read more!

Another book that is connected a bit to the one above is SCIENCE AS THINKING: THE CONSTANTS AND VARIABLES OF INQUIRY THINKING by Wendy Ward Offer. I was excited to receive this book when I did a workshop with the PEBC in Colorado last week. I learn from every single piece that any of the teachers associated with them write. The work is amazing and has influenced so much of what I do with kids. In the library position, I am thinking hard about kids taking charge of their own learning and creating a place in the library where this is possible. From what I can tell after a pretty lengthy preview, the author uses a workshop model for her science teaching. The blurb on the back hooked me immediately. It says, "Inquiry is how we learn about the world. Every day we ask questions, gather evidence, make observations, and draw conclusions. SCIENCE AS THINKING shows how powerful instruction can connect the natural curiosity students bring to class to the science curriculum. No matter what my content, I have always learned a great deal from science teachers--inquiry is their content and I am excited to learn more from this book.

Finally, I would like to spend more time with NONFICTION MENTOR TEXTS by Lynne Dorfman and Rose Cappelli. I loved the authors' first book, MENTOR TEXTS and was even more excited about this one--focusing on nonfiction. So much of our students' world is filled with information. Nonfiction is such a key to the ways they gather and communicate information. This book focuses on the writing of good nonfiction with the use of good mentor texts. I am thinking that this will help me in several ways. The tie in to 21st Century Skills is key. If we want our kids to be able to synthesize and communicate information, having great models for this type of communication is key. This book is packed--with not only lessons and booklists, but also so much to think about when it comes to communicating information. I can't wait to dig in.

I love the new Lucy Calkins Series "WORKSHOP HELP DESK". I love the size and focus of these little books. I picked up the first four and am amazed at how much they have packed into each one. The one that I am most anxious to read is "A QUICK GUIDE TO BOOSTING ENGLISH ACQUISITION IN CHOICE TIME" by Alison Porcelli and Cheryl Tyler. I have always believed in Choice Time and have seen how much students learn when given time to explore, inquire and discover. I love the idea of this book--the fact that it focus on this time as a way to boost English acquisition. Like I said, I love the focus of these books. A way to look deeply at a very small topic. The photos throughout the book were the first things to draw me to this book. The play factor is huge and I am hoping to build more time for this into the library next year.

I Don't Want a Posh Dog by Emma Dodd

I am a fan of Emma Dodd. I think her books, especially DOG'S COLORFUL DAY, are adorable. But I DON'T WANT A POSH DOG! has a different look and I didn't even realize it was one of Dodd's when I decided that I needed it.

Dog books in classrooms and in the library are quite popular. It seems that there are always a few kids shopping for dogs. Or dreaming of a new puppy. In this book, a little girl is thinking about what kind of dog she wants. But instead of telling us what she wants, she tells us all of the things that she doesn't want in a dog (posh, bouncy, growly, etc.). Each page highlights a colorful illustration of a dog to go along with the words. The text has a rhyme and rhythm to it which will make it a great read aloud.

This book is pure fun! The end pages are filled with dog biscuits and every dog is quite lovable (even the snooty, attitudey dog!). Kids will love the concept as well as the humor. So excited to add this one to the library:-)

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

by Grace Lin

Little, Brown and Co.

on shelves July 1, 2009

ARC received, compliments of Grace, at the Dublin Literacy Conference

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a magical book that explores the power of story. It is about sacrifice, friendship, faith, the transformation of a journey, and the joys of home. More than anything, it is about thankfulness -- about learning that one's fortune does not need to be changed; that fortune is more than gold and jewels.

Minli's mother, Ma, is full of bitterness and discontent about their hard life in the shadow of Fruitless Mountain. Minli's father, Ba, on the other hand, tells stories to easy their hard life. Minli believes in the possibilities of Ba's stories and wants to do what she can to ease Ma's discontent, so she listens to a talking goldfish (just like the ones in Ba's stories) and runs away from home to ask The Old Man of the Moon to change her family's fortune.

Along the way, Minli meets many characters, including a dragon who also has a question for The Old Man of the Moon and who comes along with her. You'll be reminded of The Wizard of Oz, but Minli is no Dorothy -- she is much smarter and more resourceful.

At a crowded market, Minli must find the King. She notices an old beggar man that no one is helping, and she buys him a peach. Experienced fairy tale readers will know at once that she has certainly done the right thing, and probably found the King in disguise.

She has indeed found the King, who helps her by giving her what she's looking for -- a "borrowed line." This "borrowed line" comes in the form of the King's family treasure -- a page "borrowed" from the The Old Man of the Moon's Book of Fortunes that has a line of text that changes depending on the situation. (Thus, the "borrowed line.") The line tells the King, "You only lose what you cling to," and he realizes that, "...by choosing to give you the line, I do not lose it." (p.140)

At the same time that Minli is in the King's walled courtyard getting "the borrowed line" that she needs to present to The Old Man of the Moon, the Dragon is at the city gates making friends with the stone lions. Dragon learns that the city the lions are charged with guarding was once in danger of breaking apart because of political turmoil. The Old Man of the Moon gave them a string to tie around the city if it seemed it would split. The city eventually recovered, but they still had the string, which the Dragon recognizes must be "the borrowed line" that Minli is searching for.

When Minli and the Dragon reunite, they resume their journey to The Old Man of the Moon with not one, but two "borrowed lines!" As they travel into the mountains, Minli is attacked by a Tiger. Dragon saves her, but is seriously injured. Minli races to a nearby mountain village to get help, and the story of how the village came to be there connects back to the city and the King that Minli and the Dragon just left.

You'll have to read the rest on your own to find out how all the stories are masterfully woven together, and how Minli's journey parallels the "journey" of her parents, especially Ma's. You'll have to read it on your own to appreciate the "perfect pitch" of Grace Lin's (fairy tale/fable/ modern/ancient/timeless) voice in this book.

This is a book you'll want to read aloud in grades 3-6, but which is also eminently readable by 3-6th graders. (One of my students, who also got an ARC at the Dublin Literacy conference, read it the Sunday after the conference and made a sign-up sheet for her classmates to borrow it from her -- she didn't get the book back until May, and it had been read by at least a dozen other 4th graders!) This book will also be great for Grand Discussions, Literature Circles, and partner reading.

Keep your eye on this one -- it's a real pearl of a story!

Grace's blog -- gracenotes

Grace's website

the online launch site for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Grace's recent blog tour

June Mosaic

This month began with outdoor theater and the end of the school year.

There was an MG event and a fish-a-thon, and fun with "The Moniques."

Food seems to have featured strongly this month: fish and chips, omelet, chips and salsa, pastries, mutant strawberries, and Thai beef salad.

The yucca bloomed (those are little white moths to the right of the stamens!), and the prickly pear bloomed, and the lilies bloomed (and smelled positively heavenly). None of which were in my garden!

Willie Morris makes two appearances, as do mom's cats.

We were visited by two therapy dogs while mom was in the hospital -- this happy golden and a wheezy American Bulldog.

For me, meadowlarks are an iconic bird of the eastern high plains. It was a particular tragedy to find one dead in the gutter on Main Street. It likely fell off the grill of the vehicle it was not quick enough to fly away from.

There are now 180 photos in my Project 365 set.

The Blue Sweater

I read THE BLUE SWEATER: BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN RICH AND POOR IN AN INTERCONNECTED WORLD by Jacqueline Novogratz a while ago. I just haven't had time to share it. I first heard about this book on Seth Godin's blog and was happy to receive a copy after filling out the form requesting one. I feel terrible that it's taken me this long to review, but I wanted to give this book the time and energy that it deserves. And I figure it is summer, so many of us have a bit more time to read.

THE BLUE SWEATER is a great story about so many things. Jacqueline Novogratz is one of those people I would love to meet. Someone who is spending her life making a difference in the world. Someone who has a vision of what could be. She is founder of the Acumen Fund which I didn't really know about until I read this book. She is someone who wants to make a difference but also someone who understands banking and financing. She believes in people and believes that in empowering them in authentic ways. Her organization supports entrepreneurs in developing countries and THE BLUE SWEATER chronicles much of her work. In the book, we meet many people--people from all over the world who are committed to the things that Novogratz is committed to. We also meet the people who are the entrepreneurs and hear many amazing stories.

For me, this book was one about people and relationships. Jaqueline Novogratz is not successful because of her banking background. Although that piece is important to her work, what struck me was her undying belief in people and the ways in which she build real relationships with people. That seemed key to me.

I love stories about people who are doing things that matter to them. People who use their passions to make a difference in the world. This is one of those stories.

Since reading THE BLUE SWEATER, I've followed some of the work of Acumen and continue to be impressed and excited about their work. As a teacher, one of the video clips that really struck me was the one called "Kids Put the Fun in Acumen Fund". On Take Your Daughter/Son to Work Day in 2009, Acumen hosted a great day for kids where they were active in learning so much that is part of the organization. The way that the organization ran this day for children is another indication to me that the work has a vision.

Now that I have read the book and discovered the work of Novogratz, I have learned so much from her. I keep up with some of the work on the Acumen Fund blog, follow Novagratz on Twitter, and have read more of her work. I was also thrilled to see her TED TALK from 2006. And then again in one from 2007. An amazing person who is committed to an important cause. This story is an amazing one no matter what your cause. It is the story of how connected we all are and what a difference we can make when we believe in people. Put this one on the top of your stack. It is a great story that is an important one to know and one that will stay with you for a very long time. So much packed into one book.

ALSO KNOWN AS HARPER by Ann Haywood Leal

After reading Bill's review of ALSO KNOWN AS HARPER by Bill at Literate Lives, I had to put it at the top of my stack. I finished the book this week and LOVED it! I agree completely with Bill. This is a great read. One that I am happy to have put on the top of my stack.

Harper Lee Morgan is named after her mother's favorite writer, Harper Lee. Harper loves writing and loves school. But when her father leaves and her family gets evicted from their home, lots changes for Harper.

This is the worst time for things to fall apart--Harper has been anxiously awaiting this year's poetry contest at school. Now, with nowhere to live, Harper can't go to school for a few days.

While Harper's mother goes to work and tries to get the family back on its feet, Harper takes care of her younger brother, Hemingway. She also meets new people and continues her writing.

Harper is a great character--one that you want only the best for throughout the book. Her writing that is spread throughout the book gives her character even more voice. She is definitely a character who writes to make sense of the world. She doesn't just write. She truly lives her life as a writer and impacts others with her words.

The story is about homelessness, but more importantly about family and growing up. Harper learns a lot about herself and what is important. This book would be a great one for middle grade students.

Marketing

Seth Godin is "America's Greatest Marketer."

Here's his take on the purpose of a book cover.

And a post to read if you want to try to get your head around the world in which our students/children will be adults: "In a world of free, everyone can play."

Poetry Friday -- Work

TO BE OF USE
by Marge Piercy

.

.

.
The work of the world is common as mud.
Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.
But the thing worth doing well done
has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.
Greek amphoras for wine or oil,
Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums
but you know they were made to be used.
The pitcher cries for water to carry
and a person for work that is real.

(the rest of the poem is here)


The round up this week is at Tabatha A. Yeatts.


photo from the Flickr Commons

The Best Kind of Professional Development

We had the best professional development yesterday. A group of us who teach in the same district, got together informally to share our thinking and to learn from each other about some of the new tech tools. It is a huge learning curve for all of us but it is such fun to think together about what technology means for our elementary literacy classrooms.

During the school year it is hard to find the time to sit around and learn from each other. So, we decided that we'd just spend a few days this summer hanging out at someone's house, sharing things we were learning, teaching each other new skills and processing about the things this means for the classroom. (This was our first meeting--thanks to Shelly for organizing and hosting!) We started talking and thinking about the Flip Video. Shelley shared a piece that they took on their vacation and then we looked at 39 Interesting Ways to Use Your Pocket Video Camera. A great reminder and a great conversation starter. We played a bit with video editing on iMovie. Some teachers shared their Wikis from the school year. Some shared projects that their students had done. There was not a tight agenda --but just an informal sharing. We chatted as a whole group and in small little clusters. We all left with lots to think about and new tools to try. I think all of us have spent today trying out some of the new things that we learned about last night.

This morning when I read Will Richardson's must-read article WHY SCHOOLS SHOULD BREAK THE WEB 2.0 BARRIER, I was reminded of the importance of what we are doing. He says:

"It's becoming more and more obvious that the longer we wait to embrace these shifts, the less prepared our children will be." He goes on to say, "As professionals, these shifts require us to be learners first and teachers second. If we are to fully appreciate the transformative connections that these technologies afford for our students, we must understand them for ourselves."

Will Richardson is someone who understands technology, someone who understands literacy, someone who understands learning and someone who understands authenticity. I think as literacy educators, we are looking for ways to make these new tools authentic in school settings. But we can't do that unless we are using them in authentic ways ourselves. And the learning is pretty fun! We are having a great time and our heads are often about to explode with all that we are finding is possible. We'll meet again in a few weeks-who knows what we will have each learned between now and then. But we are open to all that each of us learns and we are excited about learning from each other. Summer is a great time to dig in without the stress of time.

Jacqueline Woodson Marathon

"Sometimes, when I'm sitting at my desk for long hours and nothing's coming to me, I remember my fifth grade teacher, the way her eyes lit up when she said, "This is really good." The way, I -- the skinny girl in the back of the classroom who was always getting into trouble for talking or missed homework assignments -- sat up a little straighter, folded my hands on the desks, smiled and began to believe in me."

According to Jacqueline Woodson's website, none of the four books I read during my Jacqueline Woodson Marathon are autobiographical. It's probably just unavoidable, though, to find bits of truths from the author's life in each one.

For instance, the opening quote could be Lonnie (aka Locomotion) or Frannie (in Feathers) talking. Although she was born in Columbus, Ohio, Woodson has lived in Brooklyn since she was 7 years old. City life features strongly in all four of the books I read. She speaks ASL, which is important in Feathers, as Frannie's brother Sean is deaf. Music is very important to Jacqueline Woodson, and the music and lyrics of Tupac Shakur are central to the plot of After Tupac and D Foster. Woodson sometimes sits on the stoop to write. The narrator and her friends Neeka and D in After Tupac and D Foster spend hours (in all weather) on the front stoop. And if she couldn't write, Woodson admits to a desire to play for the NBA for the Knicks. One of Neeka's brothers in After Tupac and D Foster goes from basketball crazy to a basketball scholarship to Georgetown over the course of the book.

Locomotion

by Jacqueline Woodson

G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2003

review copy: public library

"Lonnie's voice was in my head." This novel in verse is told in the voice of a fifth grade boy who is in foster care. His sister is in different foster family. Writing poetry is lifesaving for Lonnie. This book would be interesting paired with Love That Dog by Sharon Creech.

Peace, Locomotion

by Jacqueline Woodson

G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2009

review copy: provided by the publisher

"This book started out being about one kind of peace and then became about the many ways we search for and eventually find peace." In this book, Lonnie writes letters to his sister in an attempt to keep safe the memories of their childhood (both before their parents were killed in the fire and now that they are living in two different foster families). Both Lonnie and his sister Lili are becoming more and more a part of their separate foster families and they have to find peace with that. One of Lonnie's foster brothers comes home from the war without part of one leg -- he has to find peace with his new body. Lonnie's new friend Clyde struggles to be accepted for who he is -- another way of finding peace.

Feathers

by Jacqueline Woodson

G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2007

review copy: public library

"...I wanted to write about the many ways people find Hope in the world." This book has a complicated mix of themes: race, organized religion, the holiness of living without organized religion, false assumptions, bullies, and, in a surprise plot turn, mixed-race adoptions.

After Tupac and D Foster

by Jacqueline Woodson

G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2008

review copy: public library

"I think Tupac was an amazing activist..." Two strands are woven in this book. First, there is Tupac Shakur -- his music, his lyrics, his life (and his mother's life) as an activist for disenfranchised black youth. And then there is family -- tight city neighborhood family, foster family, families that include a gay brother who is wrongly jailed for a crime he did not commit.

As a middle class white woman who grew up on a small rural town, I read Jacqueline Woodson's books from the outside looking in. The worlds she writes about are as foreign to me as another country. She writes with language I do not hear in my everyday life, and the urban world in which her characters live is far different even from the small city in which I now live. Reading these four books made it abundantly clear to me how few books there are in my classroom library or in our school library that are written from anything but a white middle class world view. After Tupac and D Foster is a bit too YA for my 4th grade classroom, but the other three are on my to-buy list.

2 Great New Nonfiction Picture Books About Endangered Animals

I just visited Bookies in Denver.  A great bookstore packed with books.  My friends here are taking such good care of me. It has been a great trip and today I did a bit of shopping.  I had never been to Bookies, so it was fun. (I also got some GREAT earrings at 5 Green Boxes. If you are ever in Denver, I would find this store. Very cool stuff.   

I picked up two new animal books for the library.  I have found that it is hard to find great nonfiction that younger readers can read on their own.  And, it seems like we never have enough books about animals. So I found two new nonfiction picture books that meet both needs. And both have great photographs that readers will love.

PANDA KINDERGARTEN by Joanne Ryder tells about a day in the life of the baby pandas at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda at Wolong Nature Preserve.  The photos of the panda cubs are adorable and the author gives us a peek into their day.  After the baby pandas are born and cared for they go off to "Panda Kindergarten" where they play with other panda cubs and discover new things. It is a great look into a place that is helping to protect the Giant Panda. The text is perfect--since so much of the story is told in photos, the text is perfect for younger readers.  6-10 lines of text are the average per page.  Lots of information about a great topic in a very kid-friendly book.

TIGER PUPS by Tom and Allie Harvey is the second book that I purchased.  At the Safari Zoological Park in Kansas, 3 Tiger cubs were born.  For some reason, the cubs' mother stopped taking care of the cubs so Tom and Allie Harvey's golden retriever, Isabella took over.  Tom and Allie and Isabella took care of the pups in their home until they were big enough to live outside. This book is a great story for all ages. Great photos accompany text that is perfect for primary students.  You can find lots of information about the pups as they grow on the zoo site.

These books are exactly the kinds of books I have been looking for for the school library--great animal stories that can be ready by young children and enjoyed by all ages.

Poetry Friday -- An Abecedarian Love Song to My Hometown

At the edge of nowhere,

Burlington,

Colorado is a place most

Drive through, not

Ever stopping

For more than

Gas and fast food by the

Highway.

If they took time to explore, they'd find the

Jewel of the town: the

Kit Carson County Carousel.

Listed as a National Historic Landmark, it's also listed in the

Memories of all who grew up here -- hot summer

Nights at the county fair, riding the carousel

On your favorite animal (hippocampus for me)

Perfection.

Quiet Main Street is 3 blocks away.

Remaining businesses do not thrive, but they

Survive. Farmers' pickup

Trucks cluster around Daylight Donuts at 6 a.m.

Under a

Vast sky and unbounded by

Wide horizons

Xpect to feel small here, even if

You are

Zipping by on I-70.

Miss Rumphius has a round up of abecedarian poems from her weekly poetry challenge.

This-n-That

A simple lesson in economics, and a big thank you Jessica Hagy for giving teachers credit where credit is due. Found at Indexed.

Way cool interactive timeline of children's literature.

Fabulous interview with Jan Thomas at 7-Imp.

New Mo Willems character unveiled!

The Sleepy LIttle Alphabet

Another pairing of two of my favorite people--How could I not like THE SLEEPLY LITTLE ALPHABET when I saw that it was written by Judy Sierra and illustrated by Melissa Sweet. This book reminded me a bit of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom when I read it.  All of the letters are trying to fall asleep but they really can't.  H is busy standing on her head and i and j are jumping on the bed.  So goes the story of the letters at bedtime.  The book goes through the alphabet and the letters are finally in bed. 

This is a great alphabet book to add to your collection if you teach primary grades.  The illustrations--as I have come to expect from Melissa Sweet--are amazing.  Different from some of her other work but really fun and wonderful in the details and uniqueness. The illustrations give the book a very fun feel. 

This book can be enjoyed by kids learning the letters and or letter sounds of the alphabet.  Letters on the end pages, on every page of the book and then in their beds at the end of the story will be fun for kids just starting to understand print.  This would also make a great read aloud--at home or at school.  And the story is a fun one, especially when you put the text and the illustrations together. These letter characters have quite the personalities!

Another Great Baby Gift

Beth at Cover to Cover handed me ALL OF BABY NOSE TO TOES by Victoria Adler and I had to buy it right away. This book is precious. It is a square little book with an adorable baby peeking at you on the cover.  The colors are soft, but not quite pastel.  This is a great book to read to a baby or small child.

The first page begins with the words, "Baby's got eyes, bright little eyes."  Then the next page the eyes are described as "round as pie eyes", "just the right size eyes" and more. The spread ends with, "Who loves baby's eyes?"  And of course, on the next page, it says, "Me! I do." The book follows this pattern continuing on with the baby's nose, ears, tummy and more.  So many people love the baby!

A great fun and happy book!  Definitely on my list of new favorite baby gifts.   I'm also thinking it would be a great text to use in Writing Workshop. The language and the way the baby is described would make for a great conversation about word choice and language.  Just love this book!

CYCLE OF RICE-CYCLE OF LIFE: A STORY OF SUSTAINABLE FARMING

I just read CYCLE OF RICE-CYCLE OF LIFE by Jan Reynolds.  This is a longer nonfiction book, meant for older elementary and middle school students.  The photos throughout the book are stunning and make this a very engaging book.

This book is not an easy one if you are not familiar with farming and production. But I so glad that I took the time to read it from cover to cover. I learned so much. On the island of Bali, a community has an amazing system for growing rice--one that involves everyone in different ways, one that understands the natural cycles of the earth, and one that connects to the spiritual lives of the people.  For a very long time, this system has been incredibly successful and has been able to sustain. The first part of the book explains this system, how it works, all of the components. The author helps us to see how much the farming of rice and the people of the community are connected.  Then we learn that because of the success of the system, the government decided to make it even more successful by interfering with the natural cycles and by spending lots of time and money to improve the system--interfering with many of the important things that made it successful. The last part of the book shares the work of J. Stephen Lansing, an American anthropologist who helped share information that helped Bali reinstate the original system.

This is an amazing story--one that helps us see more than the story of Bali and rice but also the importance of community, the ways in which we are clearly a global society and the ways in which new technologies do not always make things better. This is not an easy text but it is one that I am excited to share with kids.  There is a lot to learn and a lot to think about.  Whether it is a topic that is new to you or one that you are familiar with, this is a great read.

I have been thinking a lot about nonfiction books for middle grade readers.  As I have gone through the nonfiction section of our school library, it has become more obvious how nonfiction has changed in the last 20 years.  For so long, nonfiction for children was almost nonexistent.  The books were very encyclopedia-like and not really that much different from the actual encyclopedias.  But then we started to get some quality books, written specifically for kids.  One pattern I noticed later was that so many of the books that are in our library are on more of a "magazine" style--with photos, captions, etc. spread out all over the page. I realized that kids were spending lots of time with these books but were having trouble gathering information from them because of the volume and variety of information. So, I have been on the lookout for nonfiction books that can be read to cover to cover. 

I think if we think about our students and the types of content reading they will be doing in their lives, depending on their fields of study, sharing great nonfiction with them is hugely important.  I will be honest, this book was not an easy one for me to understand.  I read it through once to get the general idea of the concepts described.  I read it a second time to pick up more of the content details.  At first I couldn't imagine reading this book to elementary students but then I realized that so much of our nonfiction reading is about working through topics that are new and interesting to us. After having spent time with the book, I think it would be a perfect book to share with students--to think and wonder though together, to go back to adding more information than during the first read.  A great book and a great message for everyone.

Scaredy Squirrel Sighting (and a love letter to independent bookstores)

"Such a discouraging time for people who love reading. Independent bookstores are struggling, all those magical places built by people who loved books from the moment they could hold one, and wanted to share that love with others. Helen recalls one such store where she did a reading a couple of years ago, how inviting the place was, with its broken-in armchairs and lamps glowing a deep yellow, with the cat named Melville, who slept on his back in the front window. It was a browser's paradise, books so thoughtfully and attractively displayed you wanted everything you saw, whether it was a nonfiction book about cod, or a volume of poetry, or a fat novel with ragged-edged pages, or a cookbook featuring winter soups. It was a time -- the only time, as it happened -- that Helen had arrived far too early for her reading, and she spent forty minutes wandering around the store. In the children's section, she eavesdropped as a mother read Scaredy Squirrel to her son; both mother and child laughed aloud at the inclusion of sardines in Scaredy's emergency kit, and at his first step in what to do in case of emergency: "panic." Helen laughed, too, and stopped just short of asking if she could sit down and listen to the rest of the story." (p.227-228)

Poetry Friday -- Not a Poem

No poem this week. Instead, a quote from home safe by Elizabeth Berg:

"She opens the novel again, reads one page, another. Then another. And finally, everything in her own life surrenders to the one being presented here. An uneasy pain thins, lifts, disappears. Dan once had a friend who died from metastatic cancer. Toward the end, Dan visited him with some frequency; and each time he would call before going, to see what his friend might want or need. Each time, his friend requested the same thing: books." (p.39)

The round up this week is at Carol's Corner.

Surprise!

Mom and I went out to eat here...

Right next to here...

Where I noticed this...

And lookie who I saw!

That's J. Patrick Lewis and his daughter, continuing the promo of their new book that started at Cover To Cover in Columbus, Ohio!