Readicide -- by Kelly Gallagher

Readicide: How Schools are Killing Reading and What You Can Do About It

by Kelly Gallagher

Stenhouse, February 2009

Kelly Gallagher is a full-time high school teacher in Anaheim, CA. His message about how schools are killing reading is one that every teacher and administrator at EVERY level needs to read. After every teacher and administrator reads this book, they need to put his suggestions about what we can do to prevent or reverse this trend into action.

Gallagher defines readicide this way: "Read-i-cide n: The systematic killing of the love of reading, often exacerbated by the inane, mind-numbing practices found in schools." He outlines four factors that are primarily responsible for readicide:

• schools value the development of test takers more than the development of readers
  
• schools limit authentic reading experiences
  
• teachers are overteaching books
  
• teachers are underteaching books
  

On the first point: amen. We are lucky to teach in a district where it is still possible to focus on the development of readers. Teachers like us are not always popular for focusing more on the readers than on the tests, and teachers like us are not always in the majority in our buildings or our grade levels, but there have been no district mandates that make it impossible for us to stay true to our belief in the fact that, as Gallagher puts it,

"If students are taught to read and write well, they will do fine on the mandated reading tests. But if they are only taught to be test-takers, they will never learn to read and write well."

On the second point: we've made it our life work to surround children with the best books and give them big chunks of time in the school day to learn to become real readers: readers who choose books, read widely, talk and write about their reading, and belong to a community of readers. We believe, as Gallagher does:

"Children grow into the intellectual life of those around them." --Vygotsky

And again, we are lucky to teach in a district that supports these values.

His next two points, about teachers who either over- or underteach books takes a little more introspection. When does breaking into a read aloud for discussion or teaching become overteaching? What kind of support does that fourth grader need to read The Giver, or will she realize on her own that she's over her head and abandon it? When do we need to use role sheets for literature circles, and if we use them, how soon should we abandon them?

One of the things that makes this book so powerful is the amount of research that Gallagher weaves into the book. With every issue he discusses, he reminds of us several research studies that point to giving our kids more authentic reading experiences and providing time for their own personal reading. The research we need to back the argument is embedded throughout the book.

READICIDE is due out soon. In the meantime, Stenhouse has posted the entire book on its website for your enjoyment! We'd suggest you take a look.

And, Kelly will be doing a Blog Tour starting here next week. During his visit, he will do an interview with us and answer questions from blog readers. So, if you'd like to take a look at the book and ask Kelly a question, post it in the comment section of this post before 1/20/09 and the answer will be part of his stop here on the 22nd.

Throughout next week, Kelly will be stopping at some other blogs too!
Kelly's Blog Tour Schedule
1/20 - Here at A YEAR OF READING!
1/22 - THE TEMPERED RADICAL
1/23 - THE DREAM TEACHER
1/26 - THE READING ZONE
1/28 - THE BOOK WHISPERER

READICIDE gives us lots to think about. We think it is one of those books that can start a national conversation about how to give students the reading experiences they need and giving them the skills they need to do more than pass a test.

21st Century Thinking-My Blog Visits

I love when Jen Robinson shares her daily visits on her blog. She gives us so many great links and we get a little window into her thinking about literacy. I thought I would begin to do the same type of thing with my 21st Century Thinking--posting about my current thinking and linking to some great posts that helped my thinking each week-- or whenever I seem to be finding lots of good stuff around the topic.

If you don't know the work of Michael Wesch, his video "A Vision of Students Today" was one of the first that got me thinking that this was something I needed to think about! This week, I found his post entitled, From Knowledgeable to Knowledge-able: Learning in New Media Environments at Academic Commons. My favorite line from this article "Nothing good will come of these technologies if we do not first confront the crisis of significance and bring relevance back into education."

I have found it interesting lately that the technology piece seems to be growing critical at a time when our schools are focusing more and more on testing and skills. So much bigger than technology is the issue of significance and relevance in our schools. But, my thinking is these new tools can encourage us to think harder about significance.

On another topic, there has been a lot of talk about blogging on the blogs this week. Is it already an outdated thing? Will people stop blogging soon? This article by Will Richardson addressed the issue of why blogging is still hard. He says, "Blogging isn’t about what I know as much as it’s about what I think I know, and I find that to be a crucial distinction. For me, it’s the distinction that constantly makes this hard. It’s also the distinction, however, that makes blogging worth it."

I agree and hope that blogging stays around for a while. For me, it is a way to make sense of my own thinking about books and teaching and it has also been a way for me to expand my network and learn from and with others.

Doug Noon at Borderland writes about What We Measure. This post addresses several of the things that have been concerning me lately--especially those dealing with testing and literacy. If we only teach what is easily measured, we are in huge trouble. When you look at those skills needed for 21st Century learning, the problem gets even bigger.

Chris Lehman "Motivation, Motivation, Motivation", Chris Lehman writes about motivation and the ways so many schools are running these days. He says, "If we want to move away from Theory X, we have to offer a different vision of our schools. We have to create a vision of schooling that does not assume that accountability trumps responsibility."

This may be one of my favorite posts of the week. For me, I loved seeing this profile of Rachel, all of the ways that this 5 year old is making sense of her world--using the tools that she needs. From a dad who can see all that she is capable of and who celebrates her many literacies. I was drawn to the post because I always love to see writing and drawing by young children. It will always amaze me. But the tech and movies that were also part of her day made the post complete. A 5 year old in a 21st Century world, learning and growing in a place that values what she has to say. What could be better than that?

An older posts that I just discovered hit on my own thinking this week--much of which came from talk at the English Companion Ning. So many of us, who have just joined in on blogs, twitters, nings and more, are often the only ones in our schools or districts who are excited about the possibilities for our classrooms. Ryan Bretag shares his thinking about Local, Global or Glocal on his blog. He says, "Many of us are excited about Global possibilities but sometimes at the expense of local collaboration." This post helped me to realize that for me, it is about both. Networking with colleagues from across the country and world gives me energy and helps me see possibilities. But I also need a group of local colleagues to think with--to go through the day-to-day struggles with. It can't be an either-or for me. And I imagine that is true for many of us. Both of our networks and the ways that they come together, are needed for our personal learning.

That's it for this round. Hope you found some links that helped stretch your own thinking. It seems like information-overload some days but I think it is well worth it!

Newbery Appeal--The Conversation Continues

Lots of talk about Newbery appeal this week that I think needs to be addressed.

Monica at Educating Alice says, in her post today, 

"In two weeks and a day, the 2009 Newbery Awards will be announced.  There will be delighted cheers, shocked silences,  and polite clapping at the press conference.  Criticism will be cautious as, of course, no one will want to insult the winners or the hard-working committee. But it will be there, I'm sure.  Is there ever a winner of any award without it?"

We all have our Newbery stories. Favorites that actually won.  Disappointments about what didn't.  Children who have never finished a book but who fall in love with OUT OF THE DUST.  Mary Lee and I actually started this blog after years of trying to figure out which title would win.  For me, it is the conversation and anticipation is as fun as the announcement itself.

When Kira-Kira won the Newbery a few years back, I was disappointed. I had had my favorites and had not heard of this title.  Because my 5th graders at the time were anxiously awaiting the news of the winner and to see the new winner, I picked it up, read it quickly and brought it into the classroom.  I thought it was good, but not "Newberyish". I shared it with my students--said that I had read it, it was good but not my pick for the Newbery and offered it up for anyone to read.

Katie picked it up immediately.  The next morning she came to me with the book filled with sticky notes. She said, "Mrs. Sibberson, this book is amazing. I think you must have missed some lines when you read the book.  Listen to this.." and she proceeded to read me a brilliant line from the text.  She continued, "This definitely deserved the Newbery and I am marking places in the book so that you can see what I mean. Obviously you missed some of these when you read it."  And she had--she had marked line after line of unbelievable writing--things that I had missed because I was unhappy that the books I loved had not won the award. She was clearly disappointed in the fact that I hadn't given the book a chance and wanted me to see that it did, in fact, deserve this award.  A book I thought was lacking "kid appeal".   KIRA-KIRA went on to be quite popular in the classroom--making its rounds as Katie talked it up.  I also came to love the book and it is now one of my favorite Newbery titles. (How could it not be?)

I learned a lot about the Newbery that year.  First of all, who I am to say if the winner will have "kid appeal"?  Just because it isn't my favorite or just because I may not have appreciated the book as an 11 year old, doesn't mean anything.  I think sometimes, we are so hoping that our very favorite book will win, that we don't actually give the winner a chance.   Lucky for us, the kids do.

Susan Patron in today's LA Times writes about this issue in "Don't Discount the Newbery". In the article, she states, (my favorite line of this whole child appeal debate!):  "Were these librarians looking at a demographic such as income level and determining that none of "their" children would respond to the challenge and reward of what I thought were generally excellent books?  That would be a terrible disservice, this undervaluing of kids' intelligence and curiosity, a devastating insult."

I think we all have Newbery stories like my Kira-Kira story. I think this conversation is a good one --just because it makes me think hard about my own work--putting books in kids' hands. This year, I will give the Newbery a chance. I will certainly be cheering for my 2008 favorites but I won't discount the winner  as I have before.  

DUBLIN LITERACY CONFERENCE-February 21

The brochure for the Dublin Literacy Conference is available online. This year, we have lots of great speakers.

Children's Authors:
Johanna Hurwitz
Grace Lin
Asma Mobin-Uddin
Barbara O'Connor
Amjed Qamar

Professional Authors:
Samantha Bennett, author of THAT WORKSHOP BOOK
Ruth Culham, author of 6+1 Traits Writing
Pat Johnson, author of ONE CHILD AT A TIME
The 2 Sisters, Gail Boushey and Joan Moser of THE DAILY 5 and

Come join us! It is always a fun day!

Poetry Friday: Winter Trees

WINTER TREES

by William Carlos Williams

All the complicated details

of the attiring and

the disattiring are completed!

A liquid moon

moves gently among

the long branches.

Thus having prepared their buds

against a sure winter

the wise trees

stand sleeping in the cold.

Poem found here.

Image found here.

The round up this week is at Picture Book of the Day.

Newbery

A little Sneak Peek into the Newbery process--what it must be like in the room as they are deciding on the winners! Thanks Nina at Heavy Medal!

Central Ohio Bloggers Gathering

First of all, we're going to have to find a new name, because Central Ohio Bloggers doesn't quite cover it anymore. It occurred to us that the Kidlitosphere is more than just bloggers -- it is authors and illustrators and poets, too. In keeping, we expanded our invitations this time. I'm thinking: Our Local Kidlitosphere. Any other suggestions?

Our next gathering is January 26 -- Newbery Announcement Day. We will meet at 5:00 at Cover to Cover to dish with Sally and Beth and Karen (the CTC crew) about the winners and the honor books and the how-could-they-not-have-picked-that-ones, and then at about 6:00, we will head over to the NorthStar Cafe on High near Henderson for a yummy dinner.

Here's our rsvp list so far:

The Usual Suspects
A Year of Reading
Literate Lives
Creative Literacy
Talkworthy
bestbookihavenotread

Authentic Learner

Local Authors
Amjed Qamar
Linda Staneck
Julia DeVillers (unless she has to go to D.C. to do some research for her next book)

Trying to Finagle Her Work Schedule
Caterwaulling (CML Librarian)

Waiting to Hear
Tim Bowers

Can't Come This Time, But We'll Keep Them on the List For Next Time
Read,Read,Read
My World-Mi Mundo
Pat Lewis
Margaret P. Haddix
Nancy Pimm

People Who Are Wondering Why They Weren't Invited
You? (If so, you are now officially invited, and we apologize for our goof. You may leave your rsvp and contact information in the comments, or you can contact us off blog -- our email is in the sidebar.)

SKELETON CREEK by Patrick Carman

We received an advanced copy of Patrick Carman's upcoming book, SKELETON CREEK. This is a middle grade novel--a ghost story and mystery. I am thinking 5thish through 8thish grades. (I am never sure when it comes to ghost stories.) SKELETON CREEK is a format that is totally different from anything I've ever seen. As Patrick Carman says, "It is a book and a movie at the same time." Here is how it works. The main character in the story, Ryan, has had an accident and is stuck at home in bed recovering. The accident occurred when he and his friend, Sarah, were exploring the spooky dredge in their city, trying to uncover a secret. It helps Ryan to write about his experiences and thinking, so the book is actually Ryan's journal. Because of the danger that Patrick and Sarah seem to get into, they are now forbidden to see each other anymore. But with technology, they communicate via email. Then Sarah begins to send Ryan videos of her own findings. Here's the way it works. You read about 20-30 pages of Ryan's journal, emails, etc. Then, as Ryan checks his email and notices another video from Sarah, you go to your computer to watch the video. When we got the initial information about the book, I was not sold on it. BUT, because I have committed to "stretching my thinking" about these things AND because I know Carman's work, I decided to give it a try. The package came, I previewed the book and read the accompanying letter and was really not sold. I am a reader who likes to be lost in a book. The idea of having to stop every 20-30 pages, go to the computer, and watch a video did not appeal to me at all. Well, my opinion changed rather quickly. I loved it right off. Funny thing was, I found myself counting the pages until I could see the next video. The story is very well done and this format could only work with certain stories. I have seen other attempts at this book/tech connection for novels but this is really the best I've seen it done. They are so interconnected that one doesn't work without the other. The text and video work together perfectly to tell the story. I was trying to think through the things that make it a different kind of read for me. First of all, it took me a long time to "like" Sarah as a character. Because you meet her through video and not text, you actually see and hear her--unlike envisioning her on your own if you were reading. But, I came to like her soon enough so all was well. The combination of knowing some characters through writing and others through video took me a little while to get used to but it worked. The other difference is that the videos make the story a little bit scarier than it would be if the info was in the text if that makes sense. In other children's ghost stories, you aren't actually seeing the scary stuff. You are seeing it in your head. But actually watching a video MAY make it scarier for kids. Now, I am not a scary book/movie person. So I am a bit sensitive to this. For some readers, more scariness might be welcome. For me, I have to read things like this during the day! And the lights had to be on when I was watching the video clips! Killer cliffhanger at the end of this book and I am a little angry at Patrick Carman for this. (I forgave him quickly when I remembered how much I love the book. ) Seems we'll need to wait 6 months for the 2nd (and final) book. So, be ready to be slightly annoyed at wondering for a fairly long time. One of the things that Patrick Carman says about the book is that he is hoping that the 20 page read followed by video clip will appeal to reluctant readers. I have to agree with this. Having worked with many, many reluctant and struggling middle grade readers, stamina is often an issue. They like a book but interest dies out. With this book, it is very hard to lose interest because you are reading until the next clip. It could be a huge support for these kids. Even though it will certainly appeal to others. So, I am so glad that I made a commitment to stretch my thinking a bit about 21st Century Literacies. Otherwise, I am pretty sure I would have missed this book. The concept did not appeal to me. If authors can continue to play with formats like this one--formats that match the storyline and add to the storytelling, then I am all for it. It opens up so many possibilities for publishers and for student writers. If you are interested in reading more about this book, you can visit Patrick Carman's site and you can also read an interview with him here. There is also another site that goes along with the book that you might be interested in (although I would read the book before you visit this site--just my opinion.) It might actually be a great piece to explore while waiting for Book #2.  You can also read an excerpt from the book here.   Mark February 10 on your calendar--the day this book comes out.  Kids are going to love this one!

THREE: the third of three

THREE years ago (in 2006) on January 2, this blog was born.

To celebrate our third blog birthday, we have prepared for you a THREE day festival of THREEs from our third year of blogging. Let DAY THREE of the triads begin!

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

THREE great graphic novels (ML)
The Savage by David Almond
Into the Volcano by Don Wood
Amulet, Book One: The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi

THREE reviews of a TRIO of books (ML)
Back to School Fears
Cardboard Genius
Stories that Dovetail in the Middle

THREE reviews of a TRIO of books (Franki)
Great Characters
Better Than Leveled Books
Airplane Reading

THREE new books to give at baby showers
If Animals Kissed Goodnight by Ann Whitford Paul

In a Blue Room by Jim Averbeck
10 Little Fingers and 10 Little Toes by Mem Fox

THREE times we were interviewed in 2008
At 7 Impossible Things Before Breakfast
At Tales From the Rushmore Kid
At James Preller's Blog (okay, that's not an interview of us, but Karen and Bill mentioned us...)

THREE favorite memes we did

Meme of 5
Passion Quilt Meme
Nearest Book Meme

THREE Wordles we made

4th Grade Class Constitution

The NCTE Framework for 21st Century Learning and Assessment
Our blog (okay, that's a graphic, not a Wordle. Deal with it.)

THREE favorite videos we shared

TRANSCENDING: WORDS ON WOMEN AND STRENGTH by Kelly Corrigan

GREETINGS FROM NOWHERE trailer and A VISION OF STUDENTS TODAY

And, just in case you want one more from the past...

MOM'S OVERTURE (even though we shared this in 2007, I would repost it every day if I could!)

THREE favorite Poetry Friday posts

Walt Whitman Explains the Water Cycle

Bees
Count Ten

THREE elves dancing

This link will eventually expire, as the ones from December of 2006 and December of 2007 have, but ElfYourself will always be one of our favorite times of the year.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Thank you, thank you, thank you

1. for joining us for our THREE-day THREE-year celebration

2. for your kind wishes and comments

3. in advance for A (great fourth) Year of Reading!

THREE: the second of three

THREE years ago (in 2006) on January 2, this blog was born.

To celebrate our third blog birthday, we have prepared for you a THREE day festival of THREEs from our third year of blogging. Let DAY TWO of the triads begin!

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

THREE favorite wordless picture books (Franki)

SOUTH by Patrick McDonnell
WAVE by Suzy Lee
WELCOME TO THE ZOO by Alison Jay

THREE favorite middle grade novels (ML)

The Underneath by Kathi Appelt
Eleven by Patricia Reilly Giff
Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve

THREE favorite middle grade novels (Franki)
GREETINGS FROM NOWHERE

MY ONE HUNDRED ADVENTURES

THE LIFE AND CRIMES OF BERNETTA WALLFLOWER

THREE new favorite versions of old favorites

WHO ATE ALL THE COOKIE DOUGH?

WE'RE GOING ON A LION HUNT

RAPUNZEL'S REVENGE

THREE favorite Kidlitosphere events we initiated

Trading (our favorite) Spaces
Summer Goals (setting and reflecting and reflecting)
Central Ohio Blogger get-togethers (summer, fall)

THREE favorite Kidlitosphere events we took part in
Mother Reader's 48 Hour Book Challenge
21 Day Comment Challenge
Cybils (we're just cheerleaders this year)

THREE authors we discovered in 2008

Ingrid Law

Jessica Day George

Sarah Prineas

THREE other sites that use our name

2008 was The National Year of Reading in the UK
www.ayearofreading.com (a blog that is open to invited readers only)
(My) Year of Reading (Dangerously)

THREE author/illustrator interviews at A Year of Reading
Melissa Sweet
Sarah Prineas
Amjed Qamar

THREE professional author interviews at A Year of Reading
Terry Thompson
Shelley Harwayne

(oops, we only had two)

My New Favorite TRIO of Books-THE ADVENTURES OF MAX AND PINKY

So, what are the chances that I would discover new favorite book characters that star in THREE books during our 3rd Blog Birthday Celebration!? What a lucky week!

Browsing blogs over break, I came across some posts of Maxwell Eaton's Blog Tour here, and here.  Somehow or other, I totally missed discovering his amazing books--The Adventures of Max and Pinky. I am always looking for books in a series for young readers. I think it is so important that kids fall in love with characters who they can read about in more than one book.  As much as I am totally annoyed at myself for missing Max and Pinky, I am so happy that I found them now. As soon as I read the blog tour and visited Eaton's site, I ordered all 3 books.  They are even better than I expected!

Max (a boy) and Pinky (a pig) are best friends who have lots of adventures.  They are great fun. Two of the best friends I have seen in books. There are lots to love about these books.  First of all, the illustrations are great. Bright and simple. Clear and amusing.  The text is simple and the words are large enough for new readers.  There is text on the page that tells the story and there are talking bubbles on nearly every page.  The talking bubbles provide an added layer of fun--the kind of humor that makes these books so lovable.  There is quite a bit of sarcasm in the talking bubbles--a fun, adorable kind--that both kids and adults will enjoy.

Usually, when there are three books about the same characters, there is one that I like better than the others. Not with these book. I LOVE them all. If you teach K-2, I would suggest buying all 3 at one time. I can't wait to introduce these characters in the library.  They might make my list of "Books I Could Read a Million Times" list. I'll keep you posted.

THREE: the first of three

THREE years ago (in 2006) on January 2 (that was THREE days ago), this blog was born.

To celebrate our third blog birthday, we have prepared for you a THREE day festival of THREEs from our third year of blogging. Let the triads begin!

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

THREE new book characters (Franki)

Roscoe Riley
The Trucktown Characters
Amy Hodgepodge

THREE new book characters (ML)
Sassy (Sharon Draper)
Percy Jackson (Rick Riordan) [He's new to me, doesn't that count???]
Julia Gillian (Alison McGhee)

THREE new books about characters we already love (Franki)
WILD BOARS COOK

MOXY MAXWELL DOES NOT LOVE WRITING THANK YOU NOTES

THE YEAR OF THE RAT

THREE new books about characters we already love (ML)
Chester in Chester's Back by Mélanie Watt
Connie Lionheart in Mines of the Minotaur by Julia Golding
Clementine in Clementine's Letter by Sara Pennypacker

THREE new blogs we follow (local--our district)

Literate Lives (born 2/12/08)
Talkworthy (born 5/17/08)
Authentic Learner (born 3/12/08)

THREE new blogs we follow (local--our city, a nearby city, a poet)
Bestbookihavenotread (born 8/8/08)
My World-Mi Mundo (born 4/11/08)
Florian Cafe (born 9/23/08) [okay, he's not local, but it would sure be fun if he was!]

THREE new blogs we follow (local--our profession)
on the learn (born June, 2008)
Open Wide, Look Inside (born Feb., 2008)
The Stenhouse Blog (born May, 2008)

THREE 2008 picture books we LOVE! (Franki)

DRUMMER BOY by Loren Long

THE DOGHOUSE by Jan Thomas

OFF TO FIRST GRADE by Louise Borden

THREE 2008 picture books we LOVE! (ML)
Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears by Emily Gravett

Rabbit & Squirrel: A Tale of War & Peas by Kara LaReau
Everywhere the Cow Says Moo by Ellen Slusky Weinstein

THREE great new nonfiction books (Franki)

DR. FRANKENSTEIN'S HUMAN BODY BOOK

KNUCKLEHEAD by Jon Scieszka

GO GO AMERICA by Dan Yaccarino

THREE great new nonfiction books (ML)
One Hen by Katie Smith Milway
Wish: Wishing Traditions Around the World by Roseanne Thong
Wangari's Trees of Peace by Jeannette Winter

THREE great new professional books (plus one more for the obvious reasons)
OF PRIMARY IMPORTANCE by Ann Marie Corgill
TEACHING WITH INTENTION by Debbie Miller
ADVENTURES IN GRAPHICA by Terry Thompson
Day-to-Day Assessment in the Reading Workshop by Franki Sibberson and Karen Szymusiak

THREE favorite adult reads (ML)
The Moon by Whale Light by Diane Ackerman
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
White Teeth by Zadie Smith

JOIN THE ELEMENTARY GROUP ON THE ENGLISH COMPANION NING!

We have been part of English Companion NING for a few weeks. No, we really don't know what a NING is but we played on it for a while and now we get it.  (Remember, we didn't know what a blog was for a while either.)  There have been some great conversations going on at the NING and it has grown like crazy since Jim Burke started it. Lots of smart people sharing their thinking. 

We thought it would be nice to have a group that discussed issues specific to elementary. So, we started one! And we started a discussion there about read aloud just because it's what we've been thinking about lately.  

Anyway, we hope you all join us over at English Companion (www.englishcompanion.ning.com). Here's the thing. Don't not join because you don't know what a NING is. We'll all figure it out together. And it is one of those things that you can put as little or as much time into it as you like--when the conversations interest you. Once you get on, you'll probably find 5-6 groups you'll want to join.  Definitely check it out. Then, sign in and find the elementary group and then find others.  Hope to see you there!

2009 Diet Plan

So, last year I committed to daily Boot Camp and did okay for a few months. Summer was hard with the travel and I ended up quitting in October. I am planning on starting again tomorrow although I am thinking up any excuse possible to not get up at 5AM. I found this great new diet from a Twitter friend that I might try instead. What do you think?

Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas

So, of course I will buy any book that Jan Thomas writes from here on out. I loved WHAT WILL FAT CAT SIT ON and I loved THE DOGHOUSE even more. This new 2009 book, is not about the usual characters that Thomas writes about. This new book, RHYMING DUST BUNNIES is about 4 character who are dust bunnies...rhyming dust bunnies. They rhyme.

The illustrations in the book are clearly Jan Thomas's. Bright colors, black borders and great facial expressions. The book is square and easily recognizable as one of Thomas's. And as much as I was hoping for another story about Duck, Cow, Dog and Mouse, I loved reading about these dust bunnies.

First of all, who thinks of these things--dust bunnies as characters. And these dust bunnies are rhyming dust bunnies--well, kind of. Their names are Ed, Ned, Ted and Bob! And they rhyme ALL THE TIME! On each page, the dust bunnies are shouting out words that rhyme but Bob seems to be having trouble--he just isn't rhyming. But, don't worry. We find out at the end the reason for his unrhyming words.

Jan Thomas totally gets young children. She gets their humor. And she understands their needs as readers--she creates great books with pretty sophisticated humor. And she does it with great predictable text so that kids are quickly and easily engaged.

A fun book and another great one for early readers. The kid will be excited to hear this one read aloud and I am sure it will be a popular one in the library.

Great 2008 Read Alouds

I wrote an article for Choice Literacy that was posted there today. 10 of my favorite 2008 novels for reading aloud to middle grade/middle school.  In case you are interested.

Thinking About 21st Century Literacies

We visited imagechef.com today to create the visual that you see to the left. We were thinking that it would be great to tag all of our posts dealing with our thinking about 21st Century Literacies with something that would make it obvious to readers.  We figure that we have lots of threads going on on the blog--lots about books, the Newbery and teaching in general.  But we'll put this visual next to all of the posts that deal specifically with this 21st Century thinking. We imagine that the conversations will become more connected as time goes on, but for now, this is a way for us to organize the threads of our thinking and to highlight these posts for readers.  

For those of you who are also thinking about these issues, please feel free to copy this image and use it on your blog. Or you can put it in your sidebar to indicate that this is an area you are interested in thinking about.  We created it to share so that anyone interested could use it to tag related posts or whatever.  That way, we can connect our thinking between blogs and continue the conversation.

Poetry Friday Roundup Is Here!

Happy New Year!

Leave your link in the comments and I'll round up throughout the day.

I was the earliest early bird of all this week -- I posted on Wednesday about the most amazing gift of poetry ever.

Jules at 7 Impossible Things Before Breakfast treats us to "Burning the Old Year" by Naomi Shihab Nye.

Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect has wild bells ("The Way of the Soul" by Alfred Lord Tennyson) ringing in the new year.

John Mutford at The Book Mine Set is wondering whether poetry must only be heard, or whether it's okay if it's read, too.

Douglas Florian at Florian Cafe gives us a sneak peek, "Baryonyx," from his newest book DINOTHESAURUS, which will be out in March.

Gregory K. at GottaBook shares a New Year's poem, "Resolutions," about...guess what?!?!

TAKE A BREAK FROM POETRY: GO WATCH THIS VIDEO -- 2008 IN THREE WORDS

Lorie Ann Grover at On Point has an original haiku, written to thank a friend for her care and time.

At Readertotz, Lori Ann Grover shares "The Golden An" from Sesame Street. Check it out and see if you understan'!

At The Drift Record, Julie has an original sonnet, "A Sonnet for the New Year," and her favorite quote by a poet in 2008, taken from a September interview of Billy Collins.

Laura at Author Amok was inspired by a New Year's Eve drum line, which reminded her of "The Drum" by Nikki Giovanni.

Janet at Across the Page has a birthday poem for her mother, "A Fable," by Louise Gluck.

At laurasalas, Laura has a poem that will ring true for dog and cat owners alike -- "The (Almost) Perfect Host" by Linda Ashman.

Also at laurasalas, check out the 15 Words or Less poems for this week, inspired by a photo of a chain.

TAKE A BREAK FROM POETRY -- ENJOY SOME AMAZING FIREWORKS!

Celebrities wish London Happy New Year on behalf of LG @ Yahoo! Video

Cloudscome at a wrung sponge is in the mood for Rumi today.

Andrea at Just One More Book! has a podcast review of a rhyming book for toddlers, MY PUP.

Stacey at Two Writing Teachers has a delicious photo and a text message poem to go with it.

Ruth at There is no such thing as a God-forsaken town has a poem to go with her word for the year: look.

Welcome to Lulu at Lulu's Library! For her first Poetry Friday she shares some Robert Frost and her dream that goes with it.

Sara Lewis Holmes at Read Write Believe shares an original, "The Bones of January."

TAKE A BREAK FROM POETRY AND MEDITATE ON THE PASSAGE OF TIME.

One year in 40 seconds - www.ptbdirect.com !!! @ Yahoo! Video

Bookworm at The Bookworm's Booklist is thinking about fresh starts with "My Year Book" by G. Welker.

Bill Varner at The Stenhouse Blog has a poem about fathers and sons this week, "Proud Son of an Honor Roll Student" by Timothy Cook.

Little Willow at Bildungsroman shares a bit of "Hope for the Hopeless" by A Fine Frenzy.

David at Writing Workshop shares two originals today, "Winter Sun" on his website, and another that is steaming up the comments here.

shelburns at Write for a Reader has a New Year poem, "Life I am the New Year," in which the blank book of a new year theme continues from "My Year Book" at The Bookworm's List.

MsMac at Check it Out reminds us to hold onto our dreams in the new year.

TAKE A BREAK FROM POETRY AND WATCH JIB JAB'S 2008 YEAR IN REVIEW.

Linda at Write Time found a perfect poem from Robert Service to share today.

Kelly at Kelly Polark has an original poem this week.

One of The Write Sisters, Mur, has some advice for improving the quality of your life.

Tiel Aisha Ansari at Knocking from Inside has an original villanelle today, "Holiday Debris."

Jennifer Knoblock at Ink for Lit found a poem that speaks to her about writing poems.

Karen Edmisten forgoes the ease of Billy Collins for some (surprisingly satisfying) T.S. Eliot. Good advice, Atticus! Great post, Karen!

At The Poetry University of Kelly Fineman this week, we have "Jabberwocky," by Lewis Carroll, complete with discussion and a performance by the Muppets.

Tadmack at Finding Wonderland shares a fabulous poem for the new year that will remind you to live in the moment.

Susan at Susan Writes gives us another poem to tack to the wall above our desks and remind us to live in the moment.

Sylvia Vardell at Poetry for Children gives us a glimpse into the future with a list of 2009 poetry books that are scheduled for publication, and she has a birthday poem for Jean Little.

Jill at Jill Corcoran Books writes, "in my post of EVEN MORE WRITING TIPS I have included Marilyn Singer's fantastic compilation of Authors, Editors and other Book People's answers to the question: WHAT MAKES A GOOD POEM."

Jennie at Biblio File is in with a song about Julian of Norwich.

Erin at Miss Erin has a New Year haiku for us...by Billy Collins! Why did I not know that he wrote haiku?

Cuileann at the holly and the ivy has a stunning portion of the poem "Käthe Kollwitz" by Muriel Rukeyser. I love this line: "and death holding my lifetime between great hands." Go read the poem, then go to Wickipedia and read about the life and work of Käthe Kollwitz.

Kim at Page After Page ends our New Year Edition of Poetry Friday with "The First Snowfall,"
by James Russell Lowell.

Thank you all for your submissions and your New Year greetings and wishes. I had fun creating the round up and I hope you had as much fun reading and viewing. Cheers!

Wait! Wait! Don't go yet! There's one more. Teach People Not Books did not ask to be rounded up, but I'm going to anyway. If you don't yet read this blog (on the learn) of a very smart (brains AND fashion) first year high school teacher, then you need to. She's in with an ode to Walt Whitman by Neruda.

This just in...Suzanne at Adventures in Daily Living is sharing "The Collector" by Luci Shaw.

An article to begin your 2009 Thinking on 21st Century Literacies

Finally catching up on some blog reading. I found a great article by Will Richardson called "World Without Walls: Learning Well With Others: How to Teach When Learning is Everywhere." at Edutopia. It is a great essay on our roles and the significance of this moment in time for us, as educators. No easy answers of course, but some smart things to think about and some great links. A good way to begin my 2009 thinking about what this all means for the classroom.

Cybils

Finalists Have Been Announced!

Something to Look Forward To In 2009

THE ELECTRIC COMPANY is coming back to PBS in January. We saw a sneak peek at NCTE this year and I just shared some of the preview clips with my 9 year olds. Looks like a fun, updated version. And it was fun to see some of the same routines (Do you remember, "HEY, YOU GUYS!?"). If you want to see what it's all about, I found some preview clips on the site here.

Babbling About New Year's Resolutions/Reading Goals

After reading Mary Lee's reading stats, I am sure you can see how lucky I feel to have her as friend and colleague! I remember years ago when she told me about reading 52 children's books a year. I somehow misunderstood and thought she said 26 so I committed to that! She was also the reason that I started to keep track of my reading and the reason that I blog. Thanks, Mary Lee!

Somehow, I stopped keeping a reading log this summer. I am not sure how it happened or what happened but I just stopped tracking my reading. I guess I figured that I blogged about almost every book I read so it seemed redundant. But, at the end of the year, I hate not having a record. I hate not being able to look back to see what kind of reader I was in 2008. Which months were great reading months? What were some patterns over the year, etc? It is something I like to do at the end of a year--thinking back to how I've changed as a reader by looking at a blog. But somewhere this year, logging my reading seemed like another job so I took a break. I think I've probably read about 45 children's novels, a ton of picture books and almost no adult novels--1-2 maybe.

I feel like 2008 was a great year for reading. So many great children's books that I've read. So many new ones that I am looking forward to. Not sure where my reading life will go in 2009, but I hope to keep up my log again as I am really missing that piece today.

During this time of year, I am usually at the bookstore buying a new Self-Help book. A new diet plan, a way to clean the house in 7 days, some plan for looking younger. And every year, I am sure that it will be the thing that helps me to be more efficient. This year, I looked at the self-help book table and sadly enough, I have most of the books they were marketing!? I knew them all quite well and had tried many of them during a recent January Resolution stage. So, I decided that there will be no goals for 2009! No New Year's Resolutions at all. No reading goals. No new diet plan. No new exercise plan. No plans to organize my house. I have come to terms that balance in my life means balance over the course of the year. Some months I read a lot. Some months I don't. Some days I eat really healthy. Some days I don't. Some weeks I am a workaholic. Some weeks I relax more. Sometimes my house is really clean. Sometimes it is a mess. Sometimes I go too long without seeing good friends and sometimes I spend lots of time with them.. And, some years, I am better at keeping track of my reading than other years! I think the biggest thing I've realized this year is that I like the way that this balance happens even if it feels chaotic. I am better at enjoying whatever mode I am. I am happy enjoying what comes my way in 2009 without giving myself the pressure of reading a certain amount of books, losing a certain amount of weight, attending boot camp every day, etc. I hope to do all of those things but without the pressure of a resolution!

I am giving myself the gift of a year without resolutions!

Poetry Wednesday: Feeling Bubbly

I have the best brother in the whole world.

My Christmas/birthday gift this year was two inscribed books of poetry. Two inscribed books of poetry by former U.S. Poet Laureates to add to my "collection" (Billy Collins and Ted Kooser).

One of the two is THE QUARRY, by Richard Eberhart, who was Poet Laureate in the year of my birth.

The other is IN THE CLEARING, by Robert Frost. (Robert Frost!!)

This gift literally took my breath away. Still does.

Here is a quote by Richard Eberhart:

"Poetry is a maneuvering of ideas, a spectacular pleasure, achievement and mastery of intractable material, not less than an attempt to move the world, to order the chaos of man, insofar as one is able. Love, harmony, order; poise, precision, new worlds."

Here is a poem by Frost:

In a Glass of Cider

It seemed that I was a mite of sediment
That waited for the bottom to ferment
So I could catch a bubble in ascent.
I rode up on one till the bubble burst
And when that left me to sink back reversed
I was no worse off than I was at first.
I'd catch another bubble if I waited.
The thing was to get now and then elated.


Thank you, brother of mine, for the gift of poetry, and for a moment of elation!

Reading Goals

Twenty-plus years ago, a teacher I admired greatly casually mentioned that she read, on average, a children's book a week. In an effort to be just like her, I made a new year's resolution to read 52 children's books that year (not counting picture books). I met my goal that year, and I've met or exceeded that goal every year since. Reading lots of books, keeping track of my reading in literature logs, participating in book clubs, and now, blogging about books, has made me the reader and the teacher I am today. 

Somewhere along the line, I added an additional goal of 20 adult books per year. I don't always make that goal. I won't this year because of all my reading for the NCTE Notables committee. 

There have been years when I challenged myself to read more nonfiction, and in 2009 Franki and I will be challenging ourselves to read more diversely.  

Here are my stats for this year:

92 children's/YA novels

11 adult novels

8 audio books (some children's, some adult)

3 professional books (good thing I looked back -- I didn't remember reading any!)

and +/- 600 2008 picture books/non-novels for the Notables (holy cannoli!)

I Should Be Working

And I am, really. I am cleaning up the desktop of my computer. In doing so, I ran across the Class Constitution my fourth graders wrote. I keep a copy in my sub folder. Here is a Wordle I just made of it:

REFLECTIONS ON TWITTERING (not the correct verb)

Mary Lee and I joined Twitter while we were at NCTE and have been trying to figure it out ever since. Joining Twitter was partly because of the things we learned at NCTE's Annual Convention and our commitment to really think about what this means for our classrooms. It is all part of Stretching Our Own Thinking.

I have been Tweeting (that might be the correct verb?) for a little over 5 weeks. I thought I'd take a minute to reflect. After the first few days, I was ready to quit. I hated it and decided that it was a huge waste of my time. But I knew that frustration would be part of the learning curve so I decided to give it a good try for 6 months. Now, 5 weeks later, I am pretty comfortable with it, it is much easier to navigate and I am finding it pretty useful and much less time consuming.

It helped that several of my already-made friends joined. It also helped to get some advice from friends who had been part of Twitter for a while. But mostly it was about figuring out how it worked, how to navigate the huge amount of information, what to ignore, etc.

Today, Twitter only takes a few minutes now and then in a day. I find lots of great links and have learned lots from people I would have never learned from.

I'm not saying that I love it yet. But I do see that it is worthwhile and that it will get easier over time. I think sometimes, as teachers and adults, when we don't see the benefit of something right away, we toss it out and that is a huge mistake these days. So many tools we could be using for our own growth and for our students.

So, I am going to continue to keep Twitter as part of my days for at least 5 more months, knowing that I will learn more as the time goes on. And this month, I think I'll explore NINGs just a little bit. See what that is all about.

If you are a Twitter person, let us know. Or find us at Franki22 and MaryLeeHahn.

DIVERSITY ROCKS CHALLENGE

Ali at Diverse Books has posted a reading challenge for 2009 that we are both going to commit to. Ali says, "The point of this challenge is to ensure racial and ethnic diversity in the authors that we read." There are lots of ways to participate. But no matter how you decide to participate, you will be committing to reading more books by authors of color. It sounds like the people at Diverse Books focus more on adult books but this would be a great challenge for those of us in the Kidlitosphere.

Two Countdowns

First, the entire Kidlitosphere community is counting down to the announcement of the Cybils shortlists on January 1. The bloggers who have read through all the nominations in their category to create these shortlists deserve pats on the back and sighs of relief. (We know; Franki and I have both been there!)

Second, over at Literate Lives, Karen and Bill are counting down to the announcement of the Newbery with a daily post on a possible winner. Go check your reading and your opinions against theirs.

Bullies, Part Three: The Girl Who Could Fly

The Girl Who Could Fly

by Victoria Forester

Feiwel and Friends, 2008

review copy provided by the publisher

What's with all these books about bullies all of a sudden, you're wondering. I'm wondering that, too. I finished The Savage and picked up The Girl Who Could Fly, never expecting to find more bullies.

The inscription is by e e cummings, and it sums up the story quite well:

To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best,
night and day, to make you everybody else
means to fight the hardest battle which any human
being can fight; and never stop fighting.

This is the story of Piper, a girl who can fly. She is gently pressured by Dr. Letitia Hellion into going to a special school, an institute, where there are others like her. She is told it is a place where she will belong. She believes and trusts Dr. Hellion, only to find out later that Dr. Hellion is not any kind of friend. Learning that kind and caring adults are actually cold and calculating bullies is a scary twist.

One of the first children Piper meets is Conrad, a bully who is instantly bent on her destruction. Later she finds out that Conrad is her best friend.

Instead of a place where Piper will be able to develop her unique abilities, the institute's mission is to erase the special talents from each child and make them "normal."

Against all odds, Piper has integrity. She stands up f0r what is true and right, not just for herself, but for all of the children at the institute.

Bullies, Part Two: The Savage

The Savage

by David Almond

illustrated by

Candlewick, October 2008

review copy provided by the publisher

I had just finished the Shredderman series when I picked up The Savage. Here's a completely different take on bullies and how to deal with them.

I won't tell you lots about the story in The Savage. Sorry. It's one you have to read for yourself. And see for yourself. It is a graphic novel hybrid (an "illustrated novel") with bold, disturbing, beautiful pen and ink drawings.

I will tell you that The Savage is about a boy named Blue Baker, probably late elementary or middle school aged, who is getting over the death of his father. To do this, he writes a story about a savage boy who lives in a cave under the ruins of a chapel in the woods.

And The Savage is a story about how Blue deals with a bully. The bully in this book is a much harder, scarier bully than Alvin "Bubba" Bixby in Shredderman. Hopper walks around "smoking and sneering and spitting and swearing." In the course of the story, he turns downright vicious toward Blue. But Hopper is quieter in the end of the book, "not quite so stupid, not quite so horrible." And you'll have to read the book to find out how that happens.

MY ONE HUNDRED ADVENTURES by Polly Horvath

MY ONE HUNDRED ADVENTURES Is a book that is showing up on several Mock Newbery lists and one that I wanted to be sure to read before the Newbery announcement on January 26. Let me say that I would be VERY, VERY HAPPY if this book wins the Newbery. I love it. It is DEFINITELY one of my favorite reads of 2008. I am not sure how kids will respond to it or whether it should be in a K-5 library. It seems like 5th/6th/7th grade for me. I am not so sure about the age 9-12 marketing--not sure that the issues aren't above 9-10 year olds. I don't think that matters though--it deserves every starred review it has received--and it has received many.

I have always been a Polly Horvath fan. EVERYTHING ON A WAFFLE hooked me to her work right away! This is by far her best, in my opinion. It seems to be a tiny bit different from her other books. MY ONE HUNDRED ADVENTURES still has the quirky characters and events that make Horvath's books unique. But there is something about the writing of this book that makes is more powerful than the others. It just seems to have a different feel--if that makes sense.

I knew early in the book that it was going to be a great book, when I read:
"The library in summer is the most wonderful thing because there you get books on any subject and read them each for only as long as they hold your interest, abandoning any that don't, halfway or a quarter of the way through if you like, and store up all that knowledge in the happy corners of your mind for your own self and not to show off how much you know or spit it back at your teacher on a test paper."

The writing is definitely Newbery-worthy. So many lines jumped out at me throughout the reading:

"They wear hats with fruit on them. When I get bored I stare at their fruited hates. I wonder if we can convince some of the younger old ladies to take up fruited straw hats. Like passing the torch. Or will they regard this as some kind of next-in-line-for-the-tomb designation?"

"Suddenly I realize that everyone in the whole world, is, at the end of a day, staring at a dusky horizon, owner of a day that no one else will ever know."

"No one really understands a family but the people in it and even they each understand it differently."

"We all belong here equally, Jane...Just by being born onto the earth we are accepted and the earth supports us. We don't have to be especially good. We don't have to accomplish anything We don't even have to be healthy."

I do this often when I read great books. Tab pages of lines that I love, that I want to revisit. Then, when I am finished with the book and am having that feeling where I wish I wasn't quite finished, I go back and reread the pages that I've tabbed, looking for the lines I've loved. It is a great way to reexperience the book and to reread some of those favorite lines. A habit I started when I read WALK TWO MOONS years and yeas ago. Only when the book has lots of lines that seem to hit me as wanting to go back to.

I love this book and would love to see it win the Newbery or any other award. It is one that has great characters and great messages about life and people.

Bullies, Part One: Shredderman

Shredderman: Secret Identity

by Wendelin Van Draanen

Alfred A. Knopf, 2004

I was lucky enough to be seated at the same table as Wendelin Van Draanen at the Random House dinner at NCTE back in November. She's an author who's been in my peripheral vision for a long time (Sammy Keyes mysteries were a favorite of a former colleague; Franki has talked about Shredderman) and it was good to meet her and hear about her books. The Random House crew set aside arcs for me of her new spin off (from Shredderman) series (on the "to be reviewed" pile, I promise), and, being the reader that I am, I went out and bought all four of the Shredderman books so that I would a) check out some books that will likely be perfect for a handful of readers in my 4th grade classroom, and b) understand the origins of The Gecko and Sticky.

In case you don't know Shredderman, it's about a geeky kid named Nolan who, along with his classmates, is tortured by a bully named Alvin (nickname, "Bubba"). Nolan creates a superhero named Shredderman and builds a website devoted to "truth and justice." On the website, he "gives bullies what they deserve."

Nolan is clearly the good guy and Bubba is bad to the bone (mostly, but it takes most of the series to discover this). Nolan is clearly doing what he does on his website to make the world a better place. Nolan is a self-proclaimed cyber-superhero, via Shredderman. And I keep having this little niggling thought that the tactics Nolan has used boil down to cyber-bullying. Maybe I'm being too left-brained about this. I'll chat with my students after they've met Nolan and Bubba and Shredderman and see what they think.

In the meantime, there are some powerfully good messages about believing in yourself, playing to your strengths, following your dreams, and the power of niceness over meanness.

Shredderman's website, including a webquest and activities to download for each of the four books in the series.