The Homework Help Center at the Dublin Branch Library

The Columbus Metropolitan Library did not get to be the 2010 Library of the Year for no reason! I am constantly reminded of how lucky I am to have such a resource in my city.

This week, during library classes, each group was able to meet and learn from Miss Val, who runs the Homework Help Center in Dublin. Miss Val was able to meet each class, read some books and poems, and share information about the new Homework Help Center.  The kids were all excited and I am sure many of our students will visit the Homework Help Center soon.  Our students love knowing the librarians at the Dublin Branch. They love to see Miss Loren, Mr. George and Mr. Ray on their visits to the library. They will now know 4 people during their visits.  The outreach they have done has really helped our kids get excited and feel welcome in the library.

Miss Loren shares her Caldecott predictions
 in December. And she was right!

I think the Homework Help Center is a brilliant idea. Kids can go in and get help with their homework. The center is filled with tables, computers and supplies such as markers, scissors, etc.  Miss Val, Miss Jeanie and the volunteers help students from grades K-12 with their homework.  Having that little bit of support can make a huge difference for kids. And Miss Val helped the kids see that it was a fun place to hang out.   I know as a parent, it is often easier to have someone else help with homework after school on some days. And most days, kids don't need much help--so a place like this would help them be efficient about getting it done.  I also love that kids can use the resources in the library--if they are doing research, they have so many resources available to them. I also love that it gets them to library and most likely, they will start to love it there.  And parents can do their own thing in the library while kids are there. It is not a babysitting service but kids can be in the Homework Help Center by themselves while parents read, browse books, etc.

My big goal for the past three years as librarian at Riverside has been for my students to see the library as a hub for learning and thinking.  A place full of resources and possibilities.  A place where you are in charge of your own learning.  The Homework Help Center and the other programs that our CML children's programs offer supports that message completely.  I am excited about this opportunity for our students and our community!

Gabby and Gator by James Burks

GABBY AND GATOR by James Burks is a great new graphic novel. It is the story of Gabby, who doesn't quite fit in. She has lots of interests and talents but the other kids don't quite understand her. And it is the story of Gator, an alligator who also has no friends. Gator and Gabby meet and hit it off right away. They understand each other and they understand what it means to be friends.

The book is amusing. Gator is always hungry-trying to eat things like dogs and squirrels.   In the meantime, Gabby is being bullied. Luckily Gator saves her a few times.

The story is a fun one and has good messages about friendship, acceptance, bullying, etc.

The reason I most like this book is that it is a graphic novel that is appropriate for young readers.  I find that our youngest students love the idea of graphic novels, but so many are meant for older readers. I think the format of a graphic novel is perfect for young readers--so much of the meaning comes from the illustrations.  This particular graphic novel gives kids lots to think about but is written in a way that makes it very accessible to younger children.  And, because it is a graphic novel, the book will also appeal to older readers. It is a fun story and the illustrations will draw in readers of many ages.   The book is a bulky book--lots of pages and a larger than usual graphic novel size.  Many of the spreads have  very few, if any words while other spreads contain more dialogue.  

The characters are well developed and the story is a good one. I am thinking this might become a series. I can see Gabby and Gator going on other adventures.  I am hoping that we see more graphic novels like this in the future--graphic novels that are more appropriate for younger readers, but that will still appeal to older elementary kids too.

Other Reviews:

School Library Journal: Good Comics for Kids

Bookie Woogie

Kid Lit Frenzy

OUT OF MY MIND

My 11-year-old daughter wrote this poem tonight, thinking about the book that is the read aloud in her classroom, OUT OF MY MIND by Sharon Draper.

out of my mind

a word may seem so ordinary
every step you take is as easy as breathing
each movement moves so easily
well, not for me
a word is a gift
a step can be so special
a movement can be so hard
i unlike other people have a boundary
i can only move if you move me
i have never said a word
each movement takes so much work
for what
a stupid looking movement
that looks like nothing
all my life all i see is pointing
staring laughing
you think i cant hear
but i can
i too have feelings
don’t just focus on what i look like
get to know i’m a normal girl
just like you

My January Reading

After a year of lots of travel and coursework, I am working hard this winter to get back into a more healthy life balance.  One of those pieces that helps me feel balanced is getting back to the habit of daily reading. I have never stopped reading, but for a while there, most of my reading during the last year, was for a purpose and I lost track of what I was reading and how much I was reading. I felt like I couldn't keep up and I didn't have control of my own reading.  I found myself meaning to read at bedtime but then falling asleep after just a few pages.  My To-Be-Read stack grew to an overwhelming pile and I just couldn't find the time to enjoy reading when there were so many other things I had committed to.  I am a much healthier, happier person when I read lots.

In November, I attended ALAN at NCTE and came home with a huge box of books. Holiday break provided lots of time to read and I have a semi-calm winter season that is also giving me lots of time to read. Donalyn Miller's #bookaday challenge helped me catch up on my ever-growing pile of books.  Paying attention to Twitter friends, @PaulWHankins, @Donalynbooks and @Professornana on Twitter, I realized how many books were out there that I was dying to read.  And, these people read more than anyone I know.  And then I learned that @MrSchuReads read over 1700 books in 2010! When you hear about so many great books on a daily basis, how could you not make time to read more?

I joined the Facebook group (The Centurions of 2011) of people committed to reading 111 books in 2011.Because of the Facebook group, I have been keeping better track of my reading. I realize that I read a lot that I never really count. Keeping track of picture books is difficult but I am trying.  Hopefully I can keep it up.  So far this month, I have finished 36 books.

And here is how my reading is going so far in 2011:

I am into a better health routine this month. Eating better and exercising almost daily. Since I was pretty out of shape, I started on the stationary bike and have been reading on the Kindle.  I am currently reading RUN LIKE A MOTHER on my Kindle. These authors are marathon runners, which I do not ever hope to be. But I am always interested in ways that busy women fit in healthy habits and I love this book. I am about halfway through and it is the perfect book for me as I try to regain a more balanced life again.

22 picture books (including a few picture book biographies)
6 middle grade novels
3 poetry books
3 nonfiction
2 graphic novels

Some highlights of my January reading that I haven't yet mentioned on the blog have been middle grade books. These, in my opinion are must reads if you are a 4th, 5th or 6th grade teacher.

THE DEFENSE OF THADDEUS A. LEDBETTER by John Gosselink is a great read--probably best for 5th grade and beyond.  It is the story of Thaddeus Ledbetter who has been suspended from school for the rest of the year. This is Thaddeus's story. His defense. His proof that he should not have been suspended. The book is filled with letters, emails, detention slips, etc.  But the voice of Thaddeus is one that I loved early in the book. He is a good kid that has gotten in trouble.  He doesn't mean harm (as he tells us many times.)  As you know, I am all about good characters in my reading and I love Thaddeus. (He even has a great blog.)This is one of those books that is definitely funny but there are also serious issues to consider and discuss throughout the book.

I was able to read both the first and second book in the new series, THE INCORRIGIBLE CHILDREN OF ASHTON PLACE by Maryrose Wood. I LOVE this series and cannot wait for the 3rd book to be released. (I actually read the ARC of the 2nd so the 3rd may not be coming for a while..)  The story is about a governess who is hired by a family to care for 3 children. The three children were found in the woods, and were supposedly raised by wolves.  The governess, Miss Penelope Lumley is by far one of my favorite characters ever and the adventures of Miss Lumley and these incorrigible children are quite fun.  I can see this as a possibility for an early-in-the-year read aloud for grades 4 or 5. A book that will hold kids' attention and interest and one that will give them lots to talk about in order to set the stage for a year of great read aloud. This is a light read--no huge real life issues to think about. It is really the voice of the author that makes it such fun. How I missed this book for so long is beyond me. Betsy Bird let us know how great it was in May.  I would love to meet this author. She has to be totally hysterical.

Other reviews:
Watch. Connect. Read.
Chocolate Air


  

This series is a definite MUST-READ. 

Poetry Friday -- SNOW DAY!!

Too Much Snow
by Louis Jenkins


Unlike the Eskimos we only have one word for snow but we have a
lot of
modifiers for that word. There is too much snow, which, unlike rain,
does not
immediately run off. It falls and stays for months. Someone wished for
this
snow. Someone got a deal, five cents on the dollar, and spent the
entire family
fortune. It's the simple solution, it covers everything. We are never
satisfied
with the arrangement of the snow so we spend hours moving the snow from
one
place to another. Too much snow. I box it up and send it to family and
friends.

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

There's no such thing as too much snow if you're a teacher buried in an avalanche of grading, planning, and data to be analyzed so you can better plan and design assessments to be graded and analyzed and used to inform further instruction. 

And, yes, someone wished for this snow. A whole lot of someones, in fact, both shorter and taller. It's nice when, every now and then, wishes do come true!

Happy Snow Day! Check out the Poetry Friday roundup at A Teaching Life, hosted by Tara.

Adding A New Tool To A Writer's Toolbox

On Tuesday, I introduced my fourth graders to compound sentences. First, we brainstormed nouns and verbs and wrote simple sentences. Then, together, we connected two simple sentences with a conjunction (one of the FANBOYS -- for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so). They all gave it a try with two or three sentences on their own.

Tuesday afternoon, in reading workshop, a student came up to me with DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: THE UGLY TRUTH in hand and pointed out a compound sentence in the book.

Yesterday, Wednesday, we started writing workshop by singing the School House Rock classic "Conjunction Junction." Then I challenged them to write at least one compound sentence for their SpellingCity sentences. (SpellingCity is another post for another day.) Eight out of eighteen who finished sentences wrote at least one compound sentence with some kind of success. Two of the eighteen (the one who sighted compounds in Wimpy Kid, and another very capable writer) wrote exclusively in compound sentences.

Every student in my classroom has a new tool in their writer's toolbox: compound sentences.

Some aren't ready to use this tool (and might never be). They are still struggling to put words together into simple sentences and sentences together in paragraphs that make sense.

Some will overuse this tool with partial understanding and create run-on sentences with a conjunction in the middle, causing more problems than it might have been worth.

The thrill in making this tool available to my writers was watching those two who were really ready to try something new in their writing reach out for it and put it right to work, gleefully creating sentences that were more and better than any they'd ever written.

PRINCESS OF THE MIDNIGHT BALL by Jessica Day George

I had forgotten how much I LOVE fairy tales--especially great retellings. I learned about PRINCESS OF THE MIDNIGHT BALL from Melina at Reading Vacation. It sounded good so I picked it up.  I read it quickly and LOVED IT.

I love Jessica Day George. I have read Dragon Slippers and I have other authors whose fairy tale retellings I read (Gail Carson Levine and Shannon Hale) but I hadn't realized that Jessica Day George had books for older readers.

This book is George's version of The Twelve Dancing Princesses. I don't know that story well but I do remember having a Golden Book version of it when I was younger.  Jessica Day George tells this story in a way that makes sense and stays true to the original version. This is the story of Galen, a soldier, who has become the king's gardener.  And it is the story of the 12 princesses who are cursed to dance every night from midnight until dawn.  As you can imagine if you know good fairy tales, Galen falls a bit in love with the oldest princess, Rose and wants to free them from this curse.  For me, a book is always about the characters and Jessica Day George does an amazing job at creating characters that are real and believable. And I love these modern retellings because the princesses are always much stronger than they appeared in my childhood versions.

This is one of those Young Adult books that would be a good read for advanced 4th or 5th graders.  I have been looking for books for more advanced 4th or 5th graders lately and it is sometimes difficult due to the content of some YA.

I just ordered the sequel to this book PRINCESS OF GLASS which I am excited to read!

Books I Could Read A Million Times- FAIRLY FAIRY TALES by Esme Raji Codell

I have always loved Esme Codell's work.  I was thrilled to read on her blog last week that she had a new book coming out and couldn't wait to share it with kids.  I knew that it would be a hit.  Well, this book, FAIRLY FAIRY TALES definitely makes it to my BOOKS I COULD READ A MILLION TIMES list.

I have been trying to figure out what it is that makes a book one that I could read to children a million times.  This book helped me solidify that a bit. One thing that makes reading aloud to kids so fun is the looks on their faces as I read. There is really nothing like it.  And when I read FAIRLY FAIRY TALES aloud this week, the look on every child's face was pure joy.  The sound effects (mostly squealing and laughing) were also joyful as they listened.  It was a happy, loud day in the library.

The book is such a great one for young children. Right away, the kids recognize so many characters they love on the front cover.  Many predict that this will be a "Once Upon a Time" story (and they are right).  They are excited to dig right in from the very start.

I loved Esme's story of how she came up with the idea for this book.  Knowing how young children respond to books is key to writing a good one.  And Esme understands children and reading so well.  The story begins with a young child at bedtime....not really wanting to go to bed yet.  The stories that follow are all from familiar fairy tales.  Each page includes simple text describing 4 things that are part of a story.   Well, actually there are 3 things that are part of the story and one that doesn't belong.  (This reminded me a bit of Sesame Street's "One of These Things is Not Like The Other" song/game from long ago.) When we turn the page, we find an illustration of how that 4th item could be incorporated into the fairy tale to change it just a bit. With very simple and predictable text, Esme gives us a brilliant book that has so many layers. Really, the looks on the kids faces as they recognized the thing that didn't belong, the looks when they anticipated the surprise, and the delight at seeing the new version of the fairy tale were all quite fun.

This is a great book for so many reasons. First of all, it's pure fun.  The element of surprise is wonderful for readers of all ages. The pattern of the language, the simple text and the picture support make it great for young readers. (The illustrations are a PERFECT match to the writing if I haven't mentioned that.)  Kids can jump in and read the book on their own after hearing it read to them. The book also served as an invitation for some kids to play with the idea that Esme plays with--adding new elements to favorite stories.  After reading this story aloud, a few kids chose to create their own set of items from a story they loved. For example, one child created a page with a leprechaun, a pot of gold, a rainbow and..... a puppy.  She went on to tell me how a puppy could fit into the leprechaun finding his pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Definitely a must-have book!

Poetry Friday -- Bird Blobs

“Hope” is the thing with feathers

by Emily Dickinson

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -

That perches in the soul -

And sings the tune without the words -

And never stops - at all -

And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -

And sore must be the storm -

That could abash the little Bird

That kept so many warm -

I’ve heard it in the chillest land -

And on the strangest Sea -

Yet - never - in Extremity,

It asked a crumb - of me.

If hope is, indeed, the thing with feathers, what do winter bird blobs represent? Are they hope, amassed, ready to serve where they are most needed?  Or are they all the bits and pieces of lost hope, destined to swirl in synchronous flight, breaking apart, coming together, landing on lines, swarming on crabapple trees, pooping on cars, and frightening the ornithophobic? 

Or are they just a blob of starlings on the soccer field at my school?

EDITED TO ADD (thanks, Blythe): Ultimate bird blob video -- you MUST watch this!

Laura Salas has the roundup today at Writing the World for Kids.

How My Reading Matched Up With This Year's Awards

Main idea:  Both of the "biggies" (Newbery/Caldecott) were COMPLETELY off my radar: never saw them, never heard about them. However, I did pretty well with honor books and the smaller awards.

Disclaimer:  To slightly shorten this gargantuan post, I left out the awards that didn't contain any books I read this year. No offense intended by omission.  All the awards are listed here.


Details:


John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature

“Moon over Manifest,” written by Clare Vanderpool (not read)

Four Newbery Honor Books also were named: 

“Turtle in Paradise,” by Jennifer L. Holm (not read)

“Heart of a Samurai,” written by Margi Preus (next up on my TBR pile)

“Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night,” written by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Rick Allen (LOVED)
“One Crazy Summer,” by Rita Williams-Garcia (LOVED)

Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children
“A Sick Day for Amos McGee,” illustrated by Erin E. Stead, written by Philip C. Stead (not read)

Two Caldecott Honor Books also were named: 

“Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave,” illustrated by Bryan Collier, written by Laban Carrick Hill (LOVED -- heard him speak at the CLA Workshop at NCTE)

“Interrupting Chicken,” written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein (read)

Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award recognizing an African American author of outstanding books for children and young adults 
“One Crazy Summer,” written by Rita Williams-Garcia (LOVED)

Three King Author Honor Books were selected: 

“Lockdown,” by Walter Dean Myers  (read)
“Ninth Ward,” by Jewell Parker Rhodes (LOVED) 

“Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty,” written by G. Neri, illustrated by Randy DuBurke (read)

Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award recognizing an African American illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults
“Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave,” illustrated by Bryan Collier, written by Laban Carrick Hill (LOVED)

One King Illustrator Honor Book was selected:

“Jimi Sounds Like a Rainbow: A Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix,” illustrated by Javaka Steptoe, written by Gary Golio (LOVED)

Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience
“The Pirate of Kindergarten,” written by George Ella Lyon, illustrated by Lynne Avril (LOVED)
“After Ever After,” written by Jordan Sonnenblick (LOVED)

Laura Ingalls Wilder Award honors an author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have made, over a period of years, a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children. 

The 2011 winner is Tomie dePaola, author and illustrator of over 200 books. (Totally deserving.)

Odyssey Award for best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults

“The True Meaning of Smekday,” written by Adam Rex and narrated by Bahni Turpin.

Four Odyssey Honor Recordings also were selected: 

“Alchemy and Meggy Swann,” written by Karen Cushman and narrated by Katherine Kellgren (I actually listened to this!!  LOVED IT! Loved it so much, I will likely listen to all the Odyssey winners!)

“The Knife of Never Letting Go,”written by Patrick Ness and narrated by Nick Podehl
“Revolution,” written by Jennifer Donnelly and narrated by Emily Janice Card and Emma Bering 

“will grayson, will grayson,” written by John Green and David Levithan, and narrated by MacLeod Andrews and Nick Podehl

Pura Belpré (Author) Award honoring a Latino writer whose children’s books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience
“The Dreamer,” written by Pam Muñoz Ryan, illustrated by Peter Sís (LOVED)

Pura Belpré (Illustrator) Award honoring a Latino illustrator whose children’s books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience
“Grandma’s Gift,” illustrated and written by Eric Velasquez

Three Belpré Illustrator Honor Books for illustration were selected:
“Fiesta Babies,” illustrated by Amy Córdova, written by Carmen Tafolla

“Me, Frida,” illustrated by David Diaz, written by Amy Novesky (LOVED. Heard him at the CLA Workshop at NCTE)

“Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin,” illustrated and written by Duncan Tonatiuh (LOVED)

Robert F. Sibert Medal for most distinguished informational book for children
“Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World’s Strangest Parrot,” written by Sy Montgomery, photographs by Nic Bishop (read)

Two Sibert Honor Books were named: 

“Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring,” written by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, illustrated by Brian Floca (read)
“Lafayette and the American Revolution,” written by Russell Freedman (read)

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for the most distinguished beginning reader book
“Bink and Gollie,” written by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee and illustrated by Tony Fucile (read)

Two Geisel Honor Books were named: 

“Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same!” written and illustrated by Grace Lin (LOVED)

“We Are in a Book!” written and illustrated by Mo Willems (LOVELOVELOVED)

William C. Morris Award for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens
“The Freak Observer,” written by Blythe Woolston (I haven't read her book, but we sat at the same table at the KidLitCon dinner, and she's become a Poetry Friday Regular. Congrats, Blythe!)

TWOSOMES: LOVE POEMS FROM THE ANIMAL KINGDOM by Marilyn SInger

If you are looking for a fun book for Valentine's Day or something unique to add to your poetry collection, you may want to take a look at TWOSOMES: LOVE POEMS FROM THE ANIMAL KINGDOM by Marilyn Singer and illustrated by Lee Wildish.

This is an adorable little book.  It is small in size and each page has two line poems highlighting various animals.  Each poem is quite cute and there is word play throughout that kids will pick up.  The adorable illustrations are set on white background with hearts throughout:-)  My personal favorite poem of the moment is this one:

Earthworms


We're perfect together, I guarantee
that I dig you and you dig me.

I think this would be a fun little Valentine's Day gift for young children. I also think it is a fun addition to any collection.

Really, kids are going to love this all year round, I think!

3 New Nonfiction Books

I continue to look for nonfiction books that are interesting to students and that can be read cover to cover. I have watched over the years and have noticed that our students are great skimmers and scanners but often don't get beyond the skimming and scanning. This is true when reading nonfiction books as well as websites.  As web reading becomes even more important for our students, they need experience reading nonfiction beyond skimming.  When I stopped looking for nonfiction that matched the curriculum years ago, I was pleasantly surprised at how many great and interesting nonfiction books there are for kids.  This weekend, I picked up three at Cover to Cover and I love them all.

POLAR BEARS by Mark Newman is filled with great photos of polar bears. Each two-page spread focuses on one statement about polar bears. For instance, "Polar bears are patient." Following the bold print with the focus statement, a paragraph goes into more detail about this fact. Readers learn a lot about the polar bear and the length of text on each page is perfect for elementary students. This book seems like it would be a great read aloud for younger students. The pages can be read in order or based on interest.  Older students should be able to read this one on their own.

I DREAMED OF FLYING LIKE A BIRD by Robert B. Haas is a fascinating read. Robert Haas is an animal photograph but he takes his photos from the air.  The book's introduction shares the way that he takes photos and then he goes on to tell stories (with accompanying photos) of several of his adventures. The amount of text on each page is very accessible and the accompanying photos pull readers in.  The writing of each adventure is told as a story--as it happened so it keeps readers interested in how things will turn out. I think books are fascinating reads but also help kids see what is possible when they are passionate about something. All of the author's proceeds go to The Humane Society.

KAKAPO RESCUE:  SAVING THE WORLD'S STRANGEST PARROT by Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop is my new favorite in this Scientists in the Field series.  I was thrilled to see that Nic Bishop was part of this book as I love all of his work. I knew nothing about the Kakapo until I read this book.  This unique parrot is one of the most endangered species in the world, with only 91 living Kakapo at the time this book was written.  This book is a fascinating look at the island where scientists are working to rebuild the Kakapo population. The island and its scientists are dedicated to this one cause.  The book shares the work done by the scientists and also shares interesting information about the Kakapo, New Zealand, and endangered animals in general.  This would make a great read aloud for upper elementary students.  I can't say enough about how much I love this series--it really allows readers to see the work of scientists in so many capacities.

Award Committees

Today is the finish line for a year of work for the readers on the Newbery and Caldecott committees.

The NCTE Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts committee is starting the final sprint towards our finish line in mid-February. We have 65 books for grades K-8 on our "top shelf" right now, and we've received +/- 250 nominees since the beginning of October that need to be read and evaluated.

You'll forgive me if I've been paying attention to this...

The charge of the seven-member national committee is to select thirty titles each year that best exemplify the criteria established for the Notables Award. Books considered for this annual list are works of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry written for children, grades K-8. The books must meet one or more of the following criteria:

1. deal explicitly with language, such as plays on words, word origins, or the history of language;
2. demonstrate uniqueness in the use of language or style;
3. invite child response or participation.

In addition, books are to:

4. have an appealing format;
5. be of enduring quality;
6. meet generally accepted criteria of quality for the genre in which they are written.

...rather than Newbery criteria and Caldecott illustrations.

But that doesn't mean I won't be anxiously awaiting today's news!!

Dentistry and Teaching

I had a little bit of oral surgery during our week off. I'm in awe of the surgeon's skill, efficiency and "chairside" manner. He knew exactly what to do and didn't waste a minute getting right down to his work. He documented every step with photos so that he would leave nothing to memory or guesswork. He told me what to expect in the week after surgery. My family dentist forwarded the pictures (I'll spare you) and the surgeon's report, which included phrases like, "pedunculated gingival lesion in the interproximal papilla." The surgeon never used language like that when he was talking to me.

What does all of this have to do with teaching 4th grade? Just that if my oral surgeon could watch me at work in my classroom, I hope that he would be equally impressed with my skill, efficiency, and "deskside" manner.

I hope he would appreciate the number of decisions I make and small teaching moments I experience in a day (or even an hour). Last week he could have seen me move from Italy's invasion of Albania in WWII to facts about omnivores to the Indiana Pacers to the life cycle of the koala during reading workshop. He could have seen me move from chemical reactions, to words in context in a read aloud, to compatible numbers in estimating division, to nonfiction text structures. All in the course of a day of teaching, all without missing a beat. (It was a good day!)

I hope he would appreciate the variety of ways I document my teaching and student learning. I, too, use photos, along with voice memos, video, charts on clipboards, sticky notes, and anchor charts on the SmartBoard and chart paper.

And I hope he would appreciate the lack of "education-ese" in the conference I had with a parent after school on Friday. (And the parallel between the way he worked me in to get that surgery done during break and the way I stayed late on a Friday so that the parent, student and I could get a fresh start next week.)

My gum is healing nicely -- the last of the stitches fell out yesterday. And now I need to go grade some papers and craft some lesson plans for the week ahead.

Poetry Friday: Winter Shadows Haiku

Winter shadows lean
and reach, stretch and yearn...for what?
Spring, of course. What else?


Irene has the roundup today at Live. Love. Explore!

Books I Hope Win Awards

There are so many great books from 2010, that I can't possibly choose the one book I hope to win the Caldecott and Newbery medals. This is a list of books I've loved that seem like contenders.  I'd be happy if any of these books won an award. They are all deserving.  There are others too but these are the ones that come to mind first.


Caldecott
Chalk
A Fabulous Fair Alphabet by Deborah Frasier
City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems
All Things Bright and Beautiful by Ashley Bryant
Mama Miti by Donna Jo Napoli
Mirror by Jeannie Baker
Mirror, Mirror by Marilyn Singer
A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Phillip Stead


Newbery
Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
Keeper by Kathi Appelt
Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine
A Million Shades of Gray by Cynthia Kadohata
A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
Touch Blue by Cynthia Lord
As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth by Lynne Rae Perkins
Countdown by Deborah Wiles
The Water Seeker by Kimberly Willis Holt
Penny Dreadful by Laurel Snyder

Dublin Literacy Conference 2011

We LOVE the Dublin Literacy Conference. The conference is an annual one sponsored by Dublin City Schools (Ohio, not Ireland:-) and run by a committee of teachers. 2011 is our 22nd year and we host between 600 and 800 teachers each year. We have both been on the planning committee for as long as we can remember and the planning is almost as fun as the day itself. Most of our teachers come from around the Central Ohio area but we have been getting people from all over.  It is a great one-day event and we love it. It is a great day of learning and literacy.  If you are free and live close enough to drive, you should think about joining us!  (We have written lots about this conference over the last 5 years. You can read more in these posts.)

This year, the Dublin Literacy Conference will be held on Saturday, February 25.  It looks to be another great year and we are both so excited about our speakers. We typically host 4 featured professional authors and 4 featured children's authors. This year, the following speakers are part of our conference.  If you want to see more details, the printable program with registration information is on our district website. 

Professional Authors
Kelly Gallagher, author of READICIDE, DEEPER READING, TEACHING ADOLESCENT WRITERS and others.  Kelly will be our morning keynote. If you'd like to know more about his work, you can read a recent interview we did with him here.

Patrick Allen, author of CONFERRING: THE KEYSTONE OF THE READING WORKSHOP and PUT THINKING TO THE TEST will be another of our featured speakers.  Patrick also has an amazing blog about his teaching and learning life.

Troy Hicks' work focuses on the Digital Writing Workshop. His books (THE DIGITAL WRITING WORKSHOP and BECAUSE DIGITAL WRITING MATTERS) , blog posts, presentations and tweets have helped so many of us move forward in our thinking about this issue.

Christian Long is another speaker who has great insights into 21st Century Learning. His company Be Playful Designs focuses on school design and innovative environments.. He is a school planner, technology expert, and advocate for innovative communities and educators.

Children's Authors
Brian Pinkney is our afternoon keynote speaker.  His work includes so many powerful titles.  His newest book, written by Andrea Davis Pinkney is SIT-IN: HOW FOUR FRIENDS STOOD UP BY SITTING DOWN.

Loren Long is an Ohio author and illustrator that we love. We first met him when he visited Columbus on the TRUCKTOWN tour with Jon Scieszka.  We have since fallen in love with OTIS, DRUMMER BOY and most recently, President Obama's picture book OF THEE I SING.

Amy Krouse Rosenthal's work has been an inspiration to so many of us, especially her BECKONING THE LOVELY project. (If you have not watched the video, you must do it right now!). Her newest book is THE WONDER BOOK. Others include LITTLE HOOT, DUCK RABBIT, COOKIES: BITE SIZE LIFE LESSONS and BEDTIME FOR MOMMY.

Wendy Mass is another children's author that will be part of our conference. Her newest book CANDYMAKERS is quite fun and popular with middle grade/middle school children. As are all of her books. Those of you that read this blog may remember when I wanted to start a Wendy Mass fan club after reading JEREMY FINK AND THE MEANING OF LIFE. 

On top of our amazing list of featured speakers, we run about 20+ concurrent sessions two times during the conference.  These sessions are put on by Dublin teachers as well as others who submit proposals. If you are blog readers, you will recognize lots of people from our local bloggers' group on the program.

Local Bloggers 
Cathy Mere (REFLECT AND REFINE) and Katie DiCesare (CREATIVE LITERACY) will be talking about "Picture Book Possibilities: Using Literature to Collaborate with Learners.

Mary Lee Hahn  will share ideas for "Promoting Reading Engagement In and Out of School"

Scott Sibberson (SCOTT SIBBERSON) will present on "Web 2.0 Tools for Teachers".

Mandy Robek (ENJOY AND EMBRACE LEARNING) session is titled, "Something Old, Something New"

Julie Johnson (RAISING READERS AND WRITERS) and colleagues will present "Count on Communication: Weaving Writing and Conversation into Your Math Class".

Maria Caplan (TEACHING IN THE 21st CENTURY) will be presenting with her school's Technology Specialist on "Integrating iPods and Technology into Your Classroom".

Bill Prosser and Karen Terlecky (LITERATE LIVES) "The Best and the Brightest Books of 2010".

Tony Keefer (ATYCHIPHOBIA) "Crafting Digital Picture Books".

and I will be talking about  "How Can Technology Tools Impact the Reading Workshop".

Add these to the amazing Dublin teachers who are sharing their learning, how can it not be an amazing day of learning. I wish I could hear everybody!

On top of the great speakers, they'll be lots of great books for sale, time for lunch and chatting with colleagues, a Technology Playground and student work on display.    What a great way to spend a Saturday. It is one of our favorite days of the year! We hope you can join us.

#bookaday -- Mary Lee's Pile #7-#12

#7 They Called Themselves the K.K.K.
by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Grim, but important in understanding Reconstruction, Jim Crow, the Civil Rights Movement, and where our country is today in terms of race relations.

#8 Tortilla Sun
by Jennifer Cervantes

This book was a welcome relief after a string of tough reads. The characters and the setting come to life in this debut novel.

#9 The Serpent's Tale
by Ariana Franklin

It's cheating only a little to count this one as #bookaday -- it was an adult audiobook that I finished listening to on day 9, but I didn't read the whole thing on day 9. This is the second book in the first adult mystery series I've ever loved. Great strong medieval woman main character.

#10 Noonie's Masterpiece
by Lisa Railsback

Add Noonie to your list of favorite spunky girl characters -- she's right up there with Clementine and Frankly Frannie, and Gooney Bird Green.  She's an aspiring artist, and it's her art that helps her make it through some tough times.

#11 Vocabulary Unplugged
by Alana Morris

Maybe this book won't "revolutionize" how I teach vocabulary, but I sure did get some good ideas that I'm going to try out immediately.

#12 I Can Make a Difference
by Marian Wright Edelman

Great collection of quotes, poems, songs, folktales, and fables from around the world on 12 different themes that all illustrate that any person can, in lots of small ways, make a difference in the world.

#bookaday SUGAR AND ICE by Kate Messner

I read SUGAR AND ICE by Kate Messner as one of my #bookaday books.  I decided that I loved it so much that it deserved a post of its own.  I was surprised by how much I loved this book--the outdoors, the cold, a maple farm, competitive sports--none of these are in my list of favorite things.  But I think I maybe love them all now.  (Well, okay maybe not the outdoors in the cold...)

SUGAR AND ICE (An Amazon Best Book of the Month) is the story of Claire, a skater from a small town who is chosen to train at Lake Placid. She accepts the scholarship and begins training.  Claire is a good skater and does well but the training means that she has less time to do other things she loves--spending time with family, hanging out with good friends, skating on the pond, working with younger skaters, etc. She also has to learn to deal with the pressure of the training.  Although many of the other skaters become friends of Claire's, she has to learn to deal with the mean girls in the group--the girls who are threatened by her success. In the end, Claire has to decide what it is that she wants and how to fulfill her dream as a skater.

This book would provide for great conversations.  So many kids today have talents and opportunities and many give up some things they love to pursue others. I've taught grades 3-5 for most of my career and it seems that this is the age where kids either become more committed to a passion they have or they become burnt out.  It is an important age for deciding what is important.  Kate Messner understands this well and captures the struggle of a child in this type of situation well.

The characters are great (a requirement for any book I love).  Very believable characters with real gifts and real problems.

I am trying to decide whether Claire's coach belongs on our 100+ Cool Teachers in Children's Literature list.  My gut is that he does. He takes kids with a natural talent and passion and helps them move forward. He is intense and isn't always about the whole person, but there is something about the way he watches and listens and knows where to go next with a skater that makes me think he belongs. He builds a confidence by helping skaters at what they need individually.   I need someone else's opinion first, though!

Love this book and I think it would be a great book club book. It provides so much to talk about when it comes to following dreams, giving up one thing to make time for another, things worth working for, etc. I think kids would naturally find so many issues that they deal with on a daily basis in this book. This is definitely a perfect middle grade book.

This is the second book I have read by Kate Messner (Marty McGuire was the first) and I am anxious to read more.  I have THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z. on my TBR stack and am also anxious to read her upcoming professional book on revision being published by Stenhouse.    And she is a middle school language arts teacher! (Yes, I know, I too am wondering how she does it all...)I so love when I discover a new author I love who has lots of upcoming books!  Really, what could be better?

Happy Birthday to Us!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

A Year of Reading is FIVE YEARS OLD today! We thought we'd share a few sets of "fives" with you to celebrate this half-decade landmark!

TOP 5 (ish) POSTS FROM 2010!

Thank You, Jon Scieszka!

Creating Reading Challenges for Ourselves

Predicting the Caldecott and Newbery Winners 2010

KidLitCon -- Real Or Imagined?

Poem #25--A One-Word Poem
ties with
100 Things About Me as a Reader

5 TRIVIA QUESTIONS ABOUT A YEAR OF READING


Who did we interview for A Year of Reading's first author interview?
CLICK HERE for the answer

From which blogger did we get the idea for 100 Cool Teachers in Children's Literature?
CLICK HERE for the answer

When did we expand our social network from just blogging to blogging AND Twitter?
CLICK HERE for the answer

In which year did we have the most blog posts?
ANSWER:  In 2007, we had 423 blog posts! A record for us since we average in the high 300s.
Our highest month was January 2007 with 55 posts!

How many Poetry Friday posts are on A Year of Reading?
ANSWER: 186!

5 (ish) PEOPLE WHO INSPIRED OUR LEARNING IN 2010

(this is in addition to our local community of bloggers/friends/colleagues from whom we learn on a regular basis)

Franki

1-Donalyn Miller(@donalynbooks), Teri Lesesne (@ProfessorNana) and Paul Hankins (@PaulWHankins) inspired me to read more and to remember how much I love YA.  (Plus they have entertained me immensely with their humor, wit and brilliance:-)

2-Chris Lehmann's blogs and online talks have kept me grounded in my beliefs about students and learning. 

3-I was lucky enough to hear Adora Svitak and Zoe Sprankle at BLC 10. Take some time to watch their TED Talks when you can.  Very inspiring speakers.

4-Bud the Teacher continues to connect technology to solid learning theory and I continue to learn so much from his work.

5-Buffy Hamilton (@bufffyjhamilton) shares her brilliant thinking on blog and via Twitter. Her work has helped me to create a vision for our library. 

Mary Lee

1-Amy LV inspires me every day with her amazing year-long poem-a-day project!
2-Brenda Power inspires me with her fabulous weekly essays on Choice Literacy and her incredible generosity!
3-Audible.com inspires me to keep up with my adult reading!
4-Diigo and Delicious inspire me to keep track of my links!
5-Foodspotting inspires me to share the joy of good food!

5 BOOKS FROM 2010 THAT WILL LIVE WITH US FOR A WHILE

Franki

The Third Teacher

Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper

A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

Before I Fall by Lauren Olier

In Pictures and In Words by Katie Wood Ray

Mary Lee
The Help by Kathryn Stockett

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob DeZoet by David Mitchell

Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

Traveling Through the Dark by William Stafford

5 NEW BLOGS WE FOLLOW

One of the things we love most about blogging is that we find new blogs to learn from every day. We have discovered many new blogs this year. Here are just a few (5 :-) new blogs we began following in 2010.

Franki

The Daring Librarian 

Fed Up With School Lunch

Teaching in the 21st Century

Laura's Life

Family Blogs--My Husband's Blog and My Daughter's Blog

Mary Lee

AM Literacy Learning Log
thxthxthx
1000 Awesome Things
Hyperbole and a Half
Joy to the World

Things I Am Thinking About as the New Year Begins

Photo by c r i s via Flickr

I usually write resolutions.  I start the year with big plans. When I look back, I am not sure that my resolutions help me meet goals.  This year, I am not making resolutions but I am thinking about things I'd like to do better.

1.  I've been working a ton this year. Between my regular job, the travel that I do with consulting, writing and coursework I've taken for my library certification, it feels like working is the only thing I've done in 2010. I have learned a ton and I love the work and the people I've worked with in 2010, but I am hoping to have a more balanced year.  I have done better at scheduling travel, completed my library coursework for the school year and been more organized about school and home work lately. So, I am hoping to still work lots but to leave more time to for other things. I am never a person who is balanced on a daily basis. But I hope to be balanced over time--making time for more than just work.

2. Because of the work thing, I feel like I've had an unhealthy year. Not exercising, eating poorly, just not being balanced in general.  So I joined The FIT42 Challenge started by Twitter friend TEACH42 as part of that plan. I'd love to lose lots of weight, but more importantly, I really want to put healthy habits back into my lifestyle.  I can already tell that this community will be a good one.  I want to make more time to grocery shop and cook healthier meals. (Actually, Scott cooks almost every meal so I'd like to help a bit more with that too:-)  I'd also like to get an exercise routine going. I love to exercise when I am in shape but it is so hard to get back to any type of "in shape" that I hate the beginnings. After a year of weight gain and almost no exercise, I am pretty sure this will be no fun for a while. I've tried to organize piles, work, and home to really focus on building exercise into my routine 5-6 days a week in January. I am hoping that by March, I enjoy it a little bit again:-)

3.  I want to read more. Because of my coursework and writing, I don't feel like I've read as much as I like. One of the things I've learned about being a K-5 librarian is that it is nearly impossible to keep up with reading. When I was in the classroom, I found myself reading for those 25 kids--reading and sharing books with kids or read aloud or something in mind. Now, I feel like I have to read every book that might work for one of the 420 kids or 50 teachers at our school. Thanks to Twitter friends @donalynbooks, @ProfessorNana and @PaulWHankins, I feel like I am reading more. Listening in on their conversations, hearing about great books, and joining in #bookaday has helped me jump back to reading lots and I now love my TBR pile (for a while, it seemed like a chore.) Attending ALAN helped me remember how much I love YA. I don't have a huge amount of time to read YA, but after reading BEFORE I FALL and MATCHED, I intend to make a bit more time for YA this year.

I've always been amazed at how much people read. (Mary Lee and I have talked about this for years since I have always been amazed by how much time she makes for reading.)  I am not sure these people sleep. And now, after hearing that @MrSchuReads read 1700 books, I am inspired to not only read more, but to do a better job of tracking my reading.  I have not been good about logging my reading lately and I've never kept track of picture books, etc. but I am going to work to figure out a way to do that.

4.Every year, I organize my book room. I used to call it my office, but I don't often work in there. I store books, look for books, find books, etc.  During vacation, as I do every year, I pulled it back together a bit.  It is still packed and books are still taking over my life, but I passed some boxes of books along. I get lots of review books and many that don't match the age group I read for. So, thanks to Donalyn Miller who inspired me, I sent along books I couldn't use--sent them to people who could use them. I hate to part with great books, But to send them along to those who could use them was a great way to make room for new books. Hopefully, I'll do this more than once a year from now on.

5. Near the end of the NCTE Convention this year, someone asked me for a pen. I had a hard time finding one.  It wasn't until that point of convention that I realized how paperless I had gone at convention this year. I bought a new purse that perfectly fit my iPad and used EVERNOTE and my iPad iPhone for any recording I needed. I still needed the paper program (not sure I could do without that!) but I came home inspired to go a bit more paperless in life. I get about 10 magazines each month. Some months I read them, some months I don't.  So I decided not to reorder and to try to do more of my reading on the iPad. Although I'll always read children's novels in print form so I can share them with kids, I downloaded the Kindle App to my ipad so I can read more that way. (I also have a Kindle).  I just started using FLIPBOARD and am loving it as a reading tool. It makes my Google Reader and my Twitter links so much easier to read and navigate. So, I am going to change my reading habits just a bit and try to keep track of what I read beyond books in some way. Go a little more paperless here and there without spending much time looking for new tools and apps that I love.  Just really using the ones I know well.

6. Lotion.  I need to do a better job with lotion and vitamins  things that I seem to need more of as I get older.  Habits I am not so good at. I usually am so tired by the time I go up to sleep, that I don't have good, healthy routines--don't make time for taking care of myself.  This all goes back to working too hard --no, not too hard, too much. I work on something until I can hardly keep my eyes open. I am going to try to wind down a bit this year to give myself some time between work and sleep.

So, the big thing I am thinking is this--I am amazed at how other people do all of this. I read blogs and follow people on Twitter who read a bazillion books, do great things at their job, write regularly, go on fun excursions with their families and somehow have time to share their daily 10 mile run via RunKeeper or some other tool.  I would love to know how it is that people get all of these things done. Maybe they do not need sleep, I'm not sure.  In the ideal world of 2011, I'd love to have balance. I love my life and everything that is part of it but it doesn't often feel balanced. I don't always make time for enough of the things I should make time for.  So, I am going to try that.  To do more of the things above and spend just a little less time working.  My problem has always been that I love my work and it is far more fun than exercising or putting on lotion or cooking healthy meals. But I am going to try to do more of that this year. ( I know that one way to do this is to play less Bejeweled Blitz but I don't think I can do that.  It is my daily fun and I hate to give that up so I'm hoping I can do some of this without giving that up completely!)

So, although these are not resolutions, this is my thinking as I go into 2011.  Spending some time and energy to get back to living a healthier, more balanced life. Not big changes, but a few little shifts here and there to build healthier routines.

Happy New Year!

Cybils 2010 Short Lists!!

Check it out HERE or here:

Easy Readers & Early Chapter Books

Fantasy & Sci Fi (MG)

Fantasy & Sci Fi (YA)

Fiction Picture Books

Graphic Novels (MG)

Graphic Novels (YA)

Middle Grade Novels

Nonfiction (MG/YA)

Nonfiction Picture Books

Poetry

Young Adult Novels



THANK YOU, PANELISTS, FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK AND FABULOUS CHOICES!!

The Cybils are 5 years old this year.  Hmmm...hold that thought until tomorrow...