Pebble Go-Great K-3 Tool for Reading and Research

I have been working in the library to get more online resources and varied reading available to our students.  We have a school wide subscription to TUMBLEBOOKS which kids love. We also have started using iPod Touches and Kindles but are at the very beginning stages. I want all of our students to have access to a variety of tools for reading and learning.

One of the huge challenges I have had with many online literacy tools is how inaccessible they are to young children. Even if they are marketed for young children, many do not support students who are new readers.  With my understanding of literacy in grades K-4,  I am really looking for something that supports students as readers, writers and researchers and often the tools aren't build that truly support young children in growing in these areas.

One of my favorite resources that I purchased is a subscription to Pebble Go. Pebble Go is a nonfiction tool designed for students in Grades K-3. There are two databases available--one on Animals and one on Earth and Space.  Our school purchased a subscription to both from Follett for a total of $695 for the year.  One of our district librarians had mentioned it several timed and I looked harder at it at the SLJ Leadership Summit in October.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Pebble Go. This week, I introduced it to 1st-4th graders at our school. The subscription we purchased allows students to access it from home or from school with our school's password.  I can't tell you how many kids told me they visited the site the evening following the introduction I gave.

There are sooooo many things to love about this tool:

-Pebble Go is a great nonfiction resource for kids. The text is simple, yet filled with great information. The images go with the text and there are videos, maps, and sounds that go along with the text.  Each topic is divided into subtopics and "tabs" with headings so students can access specific information.  I love that kids can learn from a variety of media on a topic.  There are also many different ways that information is categorized which is great for kids of this age.

-Pebble Go gives students lots of layers of support.  There are visual searches for students who need that but there is a search box for students who want to type in a search. There is a "listen" option for students who want text read aloud to them or who need search categories read aloud to them.  Students can also choose to read text on their own.  The entire resource gives layers of support and kids can use the supports as needed.

-There are words highlighted for students to get more support. If they do not know the highlighted word, clicking on it gives them a pronunciation and definition (read aloud to them if they'd like). Most of these are science specific words related to the topic.

-There are supports for students who are using Pebble Go for more formal research. There is a button that students can push on each page to "Cite the Source".  A pop-up window provides the info which makes for a great intro to citing sources. Students can also use photos and print articles in a printer friendly format (font and layout continue to support young readers.

I see this as a great intro to research, but more importantly, it is a great source of nonfiction reading for young children. It was a hard decision to decide to spend $700 of our library budget on these two databases but one of our goals has been to add more "readable" nonfiction text.  Although we have a great deal of nonfiction, it is hard to find lots of nonfiction that can be read by new readers.  This tool has hundreds of topics and the nonfiction text is accessible to readers at many reading levels. I also see it as a huge support for content learning and a great language support for our English Language Learners.

An added bonus is that our older kids are enjoying the resource. Some siblings have come in and told me that they've explored the site together. The tool is so supportive of young children, that they need no help to use it well once they've been introduced to the basics.  And it is so interesting in terms of the information, that it is engaging for older kids too.

Pebble Go has a great white paper that shares more details about the product. There is also a video on the Pebble Go site that helps explain it better.

I have never really reviewed an online resource like this, but I am so excited about this one that I wanted to share it.  I think it is well worth the 70 books I didn't buy because of I used the money for this. Instead of having 70 kids check new books, out, all of our K-5 students have access to this great nonfiction 24/7.  One of the things I learned early in the year (through a survey) is that our students spend a lot of time on computers but don't really know of great sites to visit.  I have been trying all year to help them see the possibilities of things they could do on the computer that support them as learners.

I have always been impressed with Capstone's nonfiction resources for young children. They understand the supports young children need. It is so nice to see that understanding transfer to online products.  I hope we see more things like this--things specifically designed to support young readers in ways that are embedded in authentic reading and learning.

Poetry Friday -- In Medias Res

FALL WIND

by William Stafford

Pods of summer crowd around the door;

I take them in the autumn of my hands.

Last night I heard the first cold wind outside;

the wind blew soft, and yet I shiver twice:

Once for thin walls, once for the sound of time.

You can go to the William Stafford Archives and see the drafts (in Stafford's handwriting) as this poem grew out of his daily writing. You can also hear him (I think it must be him) reading the poem. Wow.

Jama has the roundup today at Alphabet Soup, and there are still a few spots open on the Jan-June roundup host calendar. Comment there if you want to host a roundup in the first half of 2011. I'll share the html code of the calendar for your blog's sidebar once the calendar is filled.

And now, a little about the choice of this poem and the title of this post.

You might remember that I'm collecting autographs of Poet Laureates. So far, I have stood before Billy Collins, Ted Kooser and Kay Ryan as they signed my books and listened to me babble a bit about my love of their poetry.

My brother has had fun these last several years collecting autographs of long-gone Poet Laureates that have some meaning or connection to me. In 2008, he knocked my socks off with the gift of a book signed by Richard Eberhart, the Poet Laureate in the year of my birth, and a book signed by Robert Frost, who was the Poet Laureate before Eberhart (and who was oh-my-goodness ROBERT FROST!!!)  Last year he sent a signed book about poets and poetry by the very FIRST Poet Laureate, Joseph Auslander.

This year, he asked me to call when I opened my present so he could tell me why it was perfect. This year's book is TRAVELING THROUGH THE DARK by William Stafford, the 20th Poet Laureate. Here's why he picked this particular book/poet for this particular year:

Stafford was born in Hutchinson, Kansas (not too far from our childhood home…). One of the most striking features of his career is that he began publishing his poetry only later in life. His first major collection of poetry “Traveling Through the Dark” was published in 1962 (not too long after you were born…) when he was ALMOST 50 YEARS OLD! It won the National Book Award the following year in 1963. Despite his late start, he was a frequent contributor to magazines and anthologies and eventually published fifty-seven volumes of poetry. He kept a daily journal for 50 years, and composed nearly 22,000 poems, of which roughly 3,000 were published. (Thanks to Wikipedia for help with this info.)

So some parts of life can actually begin at 50! You have a pretty good chance that you still have at least half of your adult life left to do what you want with (like William Stafford did…)! May you have a healthy and happy second half … and beyond!! 

I found one more way this book is the perfect one for this year. The three parts of the book are "In Medias Res," "Before the Big Storm," and "Representing Far Places."  In medias res means "in the middle part." It's also a literary technique where the story begins at the middle, instead of the beginning. My life story is at its middle, and I feel like the good part is just beginning! Hooray for the middle place in life! Hooray for the times "Before the Big Storm!" Looking forward to traveling to all the "Far Places" that come my way!

CRABBY PANTS by Julie Gassman

CRABBY PANTS by Julie Gassman makes me laugh out loud! I actually ordered the book because of the title. I didn't even open it up--just saw it online and knew I had to have it. I figured any author who would title a book CRABBY PANTS has to be great. And, I was not disappointed!

This is a story about Roger.  Who gets CRABBY. A LOT. Roger gets crabby about a lot of things--running out of his favorite food, not being able to go to the zoo, and missing his favorite TV shows.  Roger  often ends up in the naughty chair.  Finally Roger figures out how to stop being such a crabby pants... or does he?

I love this book. Roger makes me laugh. I am not sure how the illustrator gave such great facial expressions to this character but the illustrations work perfectly. I am hoping this author/illustrator team have lots more books in the line-up.

I love this book. I am pretty sure kids will love it too. My thinking is, "How can you not love this book?"

LING AND TING: NOT EXACTLY THE SAME! By Grace Lin

I have been working to find new early chapter books for the transitional readers. As I have always noticed about transitional readers, they jump into complex chapter books too quickly and often get used to reading with minimal understanding. So building a collection of great books that are perfect for these readers is important.  We also have primary teachers who are always looking for great "chapter book" read alouds for their young students. Longer, more complex chapter books are often too long and difficult for students to hold onto over the time they take to read. Also, when we read aloud too many books that are well beyond students' independent reading levels, these become the books valued in the classroom and students are often hesitant to choose more appropriate books.

A new book that I just discovered (thanks to #titletalk hosted by @PaulWHankins and @donalybooks once a month on Twitter), is LING AND TING: NOT EXACTLY THE SAME by Grace Lin. I am a HUGE Grace Lin fan. I love her work--all of it.  and she spoke at our Dublin Literacy Conference a few years ago. So I was thrilled to see this early chapter book by Grace.

Ling and Ting are twins, but they are not exactly the same. This book is a collection of stories or "chapters" about these twins.  The chapters each stand alone, which I like. Each tells a different story.  But they also work together and connect in very clever ways.  This is perfect for young children who are new to chapter books.

Grace Lin understand the humor of students who are transitional readers so well. Each story in this book has a little punch of humor at the end--humor that 7 and 8 year olds will love!

I fell in love with Ling and Ting and hope that Grace Lin has already written several more books about these sisters. Not only are the text and chapter design supportive but the characters and storylines make for a great read for kids. This is the perfect kind of book for transitional readers and I hope to see many, many more.

QR CODE Book Previews in the Library

I have been working with students in the library on choosing good books. Many students who quit books before they finish, don't always spend much time previewing before they decide on a book.  They get excited about one thing they read or see and then jump in, only to find that the book isn't what they had expected. I am working with them to take more time to preview. There are so many great new ways to preview with the tools available today. Kids can listen to podcasts, can learn about the writing of a book from the author, watch book trailers, and more.  I want my students to know all that is out there around a great book.

As you may know if you read my blog, I am newly obsessed with QR Codes. After reading Jeff Utecht's blogs post that explained the codes, I carry my iPhone around hoping to find one everywhere.  SLJ also ran an article on the uses of QR Codes in the library.  I love the student written QR code review on the sidebar of the article.  I think if kids know what is possible, they can begin to create these.

I created the above sheet of QR Codes to go along with Barbara O'Connor's new book The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester.  Each QR Code takes readers to a different place--the video book trailer, Barbara O'Connor's website, the publisher page for the book, and a blog review.  I think the sheet of QR Codes will allow students to have quick access to sites around books that I may share or book talk. Rather than searching for reviews or typing in URL codes, students can get right to the sites with QR codes. This will give them experience finding lots of information on a book, visiting sites they might want to go back to.  In time, they can begin to create QR codes of their own book reviews as well as sites around books.

QR Codes are a little trickier at the elementary level because most of our students do not carry smart phones with them. But we do have access to a few iPods with cameras and I am looking for a desktop QR Reader that works well with Mac. I want my students to have their eyes open to these QR Codes in the world.

Day by Day: An Interview with Ruth Ayers and Stacey Shubitz

Last month we reviewed the great new professional book by Ruth Ayers and Stacey Shubitz called DAY BY DAY:  REFINING WRITING WORKSHOP THROUGH 180 DAYS OF REFLECTIVE PRACTICE. We love the book and hope you've had a chance to pick up a copy. (They seemed to be flying off the shelf at the Stenhouse booth at NCTE!)  If you haven't at a chance to look at it, you can browse the entire book online at Stenhouse.  Today, we are the first stop on Ruth and Stacey's blog tour! If you want to follow them around for the week, they will be visiting several blogs to talk about their new book throughout the week.



December 7-Raising Readers and Writers
December 8-Write Brained Teacher
December 9-Once Upon a Teacher





Franki interviewed Stacey about the new book, their blog and writing.

Franki:  Tell us a little bit about how you got your idea for Day by Day.


Stacey:  Day by Day is an outgrowth of our blog.  When Ruth and I were approached about writing a book for Stenhouse we envisioned a book that focused on reflective practice, within the context of the writing workshop.  We thought a text like this would be useful to teachers who were trying to get in the habit of being more intentional about their teaching. 

Franki:  What do you hope teachers get out of the book?


Stacey:  There are a few things I hope teachers get out of this book.  First, I hope teachers who’ve been teaching writing workshop without reflecting on their practice daily will begin to make time for reflective practice.  As someone who initially scoffed at the idea of reflecting on my teaching (when I was obtaining my first master’s degree), I’ve come to realize that setting aside time for reflection is what can make one’s teaching much more responsive.  Each of the 180 discussions in the book include a challenge for teachers, as well as two or more reflective practice questions.  Therefore, we’ve made it easy for teachers to get started with their reflective practice journey.


Additionally, we share our triumphs and our shortcomings throughout the text.  I hope our candidness will help teachers develop an awareness that not every minilesson or conference will be perfect, but that they can learn and grow from their successes and challenges by reflecting on them daily. 


Finally, for those teachers who teach writing workshop in isolation, I hope they find this book to be like a compassionate colleague they can turn to at the end of a day.  No one should ever feel as though they’re teaching alone. 

Franki:  Your blog Two Writing Teachers follows your belief about the importance of daily reflection in teaching. Can you talk about how your blog has changed your teaching?


Stacey:  Ruth and I started Two Writing Teachers when I was transitioning to teaching a new grade (from fifth to fourth) in a new state (from New York to Rhode Island).  Blogging about my teaching -- the good, the bad, and the ugly – on a daily basis helped me to become more thoughtful about how I approached the teaching of writing.  Additionally, receiving comments from other bloggers pushed my thinking and allowed me to consider new perspectives and approaches to use with my students.

Franki:  What are the things that you love most about writing workshop?

Stacey:  I love watching the way writing workshop helps children find and develop their voice.  Writing workshop shows students that they have poignant stories to tell and important messages to share with others.  In addition, I enjoy witnessing the transformation of non-writers into confident communicators within the context of a writing workshop. 

Franki:  What are your biggest challenges in writing workshop?


Stacey:  The greatest challenge I’ve had teaching writing, in a workshop setting, has been around conferring.  I never felt as though I was getting to enough kids.  Even when I’d make it to five students during independent writing time, I always questioned if it was enough… if I met with the right kids on a given day… if I met with someone too frequently…  Reflecting on my teaching helped me to work through those internal struggles; I became more confident about my decisions (i.e., who I conferred with on a given day or in a given week) once I thought about them, after-hours, more deeply.

Franki:  Which resources do you go to as you reflect on your practice in writing workshop?

Stacey: There are a few books I turn to again and again when I need to be inspired about the teaching of writing.  I find myself turning back to Assessing Writers and How’s It Going, both by Carl Anderson, when I want to think more deeply about my conferring.  When I taught full-time, I always found myself paging through Georgia Heard’s The Revision Toolbox, when I wanted to present my students with new revision techniques.  Finally, Choice Words by Peter H. Johnston always reminds me to be mindful of the language I use when I work with 

Poetry Friday Roundups Jan-June 2011

Stick a fork in in -- the schedule is DONE!  Stay tuned for the HTML code for your sidebar.  Thanks, Everyone!!  Looking forward to a great year of Poetry Fridays!!

December 2010
31 Carol (Carol's Corner)

January

7 Irene (Irene Latham)

14 Laura (Writing the World for Kids)

21 Tara (A Teaching Life)

28 Elaine (Wild Rose Reader)

February 

4 Dori (Dori Reads)

11 Carol (Rasco From Rif)

18 Mary Ann (Great Kid Books)

25 Sara (Read Write Believe)

March

4 Ben (The Small Nouns)

11 Liz (Liz in Ink)

18 Andromeda (a wrung sponge)

25 Mary Lee (A Year of Reading)

April

1 Amy LV (The Poem Farm)

8 Madigan (Madigan Reads)

15 Diane (Random Noodling)

22 Kate (Book Aunt)

29 Tabatha (The Opposite of Indifference)

May

6 Terry (Scrub-a-Dub-Tub)

13 Jama (Alphabet Soup)

20 Julie (The Drift Record)

27 Heidi (My Juicy Little Universe)

June

3 Toby (The Writer's Armchair)

10 Anastasia (Picture Book of the Day)

17 Jone (Check It Out)

24 Carol (Carol's Corner) 

November Mosaic

There are lots of doubles in this month's mosaic. There are two Epcot balls, two friends riding into a possible Jetson-like future, two big stuffed Disney characters, two tropical flowers, two shots of a rainbow, and two kinds of popcorn. Two flowers were blooming in our house at the same time: the hibiscus had one last fling while the Christmas cactus was ramping up. There are two yummy dishes -- grilled cheese and red beans and rice -- from Skillet, our new favorite restaurant (thank you, Meredith!), and there were two crab cakes and two spears of asparagus on my plate at a dinner "Off Property" (ie: NOT Disney) at NCTE. The two people are Julie Johnson, who received the Donald Graves Excellence in Teaching of Writing Award and Steph Harvey, who was thrilled with her flight of Margaritas at Maya Grill. (There was an advertisement for the Maya Grill in the elevator of Coronado Springs Casita 2 proclaiming that if you ate there, you would be "besieged by enchantment." If that isn't a Disney mission statement, I don't know what is.)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARY LEE!

Mary Lee is celebrating a "landmark" birthday (in her words) this weekend. Sing along and wish her a happy day!   Happy Birthday, Mary Lee!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

On The Eve of a Landmark Birthday

The Woodcutter Changes His Mind
by David Budbill


When I was young, I cut the bigger, older trees for firewood, the ones
with heart rot, dead and broken branches, the crippled and deformed

ones, because, I reasoned, they were going to fall soon anyway, and
therefore, I should give the younger trees more light and room to grow.

Now I'm older and I cut the younger, strong and sturdy, solid
and beautiful trees, and I let the older ones have a few more years

of light and water and leaf in the forest they have known so long.
Soon enough they will be prostrate on the ground.

"The Woodcutter Changes His Mind" by David Budbill, from While We've Still Got Feet: New Poems. © Copper Canyon Press, 2005. Found on The Writer's Almanac. Reprinted with permission of the author.  Thanks, David! This is the perfect poem for how I'm feeling today.

Today's Poetry Friday roundup is at The Miss Rumphius Effect. Thank you, Tricia, for rounding up our PF posts!