Poetry Month Begins

This week, we are continuing our study of poetry. I had a really great poetry unit developed years ago, but after a chat about poetry from my book club friends on Twitter, I am rethinking that whole unit. First of all, it certainly didn't incorporate any technology! So it all has to be updated. Or completely changed!

Tomorrow my students will each search for a poem they enjoy. They will practice reading it and share it with the class on Friday.

We will celebrate our poems on Friday with a little treat! 

On Twitter, I got the idea to memorize a poem and share it with my class, too. So that is what I will do!

See, I've already made a rhyme.

I plan on creating a Poet-tree, writing a poem in front of my students, and helping my class gain an appreciation of poetry. (Along, the way, as we read poems aloud, we will no doubt increase our fluency!

One of the books my students love is this one by Bobbi Katz:

I also am planning a special in-school Skype session on Friday! Check my blog on Friday to find out what we did!
***********************************************************************
On another book note:

Lunch Lady and the Mutant Mathletes (#7) was released this week. I bought it, read it, and loved it! I'm sharing it with my class this week. Another funny book by Jarrett. J. Krosoczka! 

It's Monday? What Are You Reading?

It's Monday, so that means I'm linking up with Kellee and Jen over at Teach Mentor Texts for "It's Monday What Are You Reading?" In this meme, we share what we have read the past week.

I finished reading 100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson.

Then, because it was a Book Release Day, I headed straight to the bookstore and bought this on Tuesday:

I'd already read Fake Mustache, but I knew I needed to read Big Nate Goes for Broke before I shared it with my students. (I knew I wouldn't see it again for a while!)

My students are loving both books, and they are passing them around right now.
About Fake Mustache by Tom Angleberger, one of my students said this: "This books is SO awesome!" That is what a teacher wants to hear!

I also read Kali's Song by Jeanette Winter and Drawing from Memory by Allen Say.
I thought Kali's Song was a very nice story about the power of music. It has wonderful illustrations, too.

I'm still reading An Accidental Adventure #1: We Are Not Eaten By Yaks  by C. Alexander London (and I am really enjoying it).

But while I am filling my days with great books, I am also thinking a lot about curriculum design and what it truly means to be a connected educator.
I followed a lot of the tweets from the ASCD conference in Philadelphia this weekend, and many of the speakers were sharing about the power of a PLN. It made me reflect upon my own successes in the classroom.  I know this blog is a step towards being connected.

I'm constantly thinking about these things. Hopefully, they'll become something I can share in a blog post soon.

My Saturday PD

There are so many good things about a Saturday.

A leisurely breakfast.

Trips to the stores for necessary supplies (i.e. food and books).

Having the whole day to yourself. (Mostly!)

But one of the things I love the most is all the learning and reading I get to do!
Today, on Twitter alone, I have already added this to my TO-LEARN stack:

• How do I make an infographic? My students can create these to show their learning!
• Using app to create posters in science
• Having students read aloud (solo!) at home to improve comprehension. 

(The first two ideas come from Sean Junkins on Twitter.)

And today, I will pull the following titles from my TBR stacks:

TRUE by Katherine Hannigan
(A student gave me this book! I love when students share titles with me!)

Kali's Song By Jeanette Winter
(This picture book was just released, and many of my Twitter tweeps say it is wonderful!)

 Nerd Camp by Elissa Brent Weissman
(I picked this one up at my Scholastic BookFair. I've been very curious about it.)

Yes, this is my Saturday professional development session--tailored just for me and scheduled by me!

Reading Conferences

One of the very best parts of my day is when I have conferences with my readers during Reader's Workshop. I pull up next to them quietly, iPad in hand, and wait for them to notice I'm there. If they have a particularly good book, it will be a while for them to come out of the "reading zone" (as Nancie Atwell calls it). 
If they have a book that's not a match, they already know I'm there and they really need a conference.
During today's conferences, I had many great moments:
One student said to me she'd love to try writing humorous pieces because she'd been reading this book:

Then I realized something very obvious, but still important. Independent reading helps writers develop their writing style!

During another conference, a student decided to write her own version of  a poem she read in this book:

Realization: Reading inspires writing!

My conferences are very simple. I sit with a fellow reader, and we have a great conversation. (I try not to make it like a quiz!) During our conversation, we connect as readers, and I know immediately what my students will need next. It's on-the-go assessment!

These conversations have an impact on my class. But as you can see, they also have an impact on me.

Book Release Tuesday

Sometimes Tuesday means I have lunch duty. Sometimes Tuesday means a new book is released.

Today, it means both!

Yes, I had lunch duty today.

And there were new books to be bought! I drove straight to my local bookstore after school and bought a copy of both. Tomorrow I will book-talk them and many hands will go up! I will have to draw sticks or choose a number for the first reader, then the kids will come up with a sign-up sheet. (That's what we do in my class when everyone wants to read a cerain book!)

The two books that will be highly sought will be:

Big Nate Goes For Broke by Lincoln Peirce--(released today by Harper Collins)

Fake Mustache by Tom Angleberger--(I thought this book wasn't going to be released until April 1st, but it was already on sale!)

I've already read Fake Mustache, so now I'm off to read Big Nate!

I can't wait to see the look on my students' faces when I bring these out at the beginning of Reader's Workshop.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I love participating in "It's Monday! What Are You Reading?" This meme is sponsored by Jen and Kellee over at Teach Mentor Texts. They share great titles every week!


This Spring Break, I participated in the #bookaday challenge courtesy of Donalyn Miller, The Book Whisperer.

Here are the books I read during my Spring Break vacation:

Friendship Doll by Kirby Larson (MG)
The Unfinished Angel by Sharon Creech (MG)
Same Sun Here by Silas House and Neela Vaswani (YA)
Sidekicks by Dan Santat (Graphic novel)
Calvin Coconut: Hero of Hawaii by Graham Salisbury (MG)
The Humming Room by Ellen Potter (MG)
Like Pickle Juice On A Cookie by Julie Sternberg

I made a bit of a dent in my TBR pile, but I added to it right afterward with trips to the library and bookstore.

I am still reading this book:

It's very suspenseful, but I slowed down some because I had to prepare for the week. I'm on page 241 (out of 289). My goal is to finish it tomorrow. It surprises me on every page! It's a middle grade fantasy and Part 1 of a trilogy!


It's back to school on Monday for me. I can hardly wait to see my students!  I am anxious to share books with them again! I hope they have some to share with me, too.

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

My shoe choice today:

My personalized TOMS that are super comfortable and super cute!
(A sweet room mom from a few years back gave them to me for my birthday!)

So Many Books & Never Enough Time

I love books.

I love shoes.

I have more books than shoes.

In fact, if my books were pairs of shoes, I wouldn't have to worry about wearing the same pair twice for about a year. Or more.

With all the books I have, it may not make sense to some that I would acquire more.

Why am I going to the library for the second time this week when my TBR pile(s) are doing quite well on their own?

Why am I going to the bookstore when I already ordered some hard-to-find titles on Amazon?

It makes perfect sense to me.

If I read as many books as possible, then maybe I will find the one perfect book for that one student in my class that needs it.

If I read as many books as possible, then I can have an answer ready when a parent asks for a book recommendation at the library/bookstore/school.

If I read as many books as possible, I can then share them with our librarian and she can order them for our library and the whole school can enjoy it, too!

If I read as many books as possible, then I can recognize a good book when I see it and it will be easier to choose quality titles.

I just want to be ready for that next moment when a young reader at my school asks:

"Do you have any book recommendations for me?"

So these are the two books I'm reading now. One of them had been in my pile since our last book fair, and one came home with me today from the library.

100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson

Donalyn Miller wrote about this one, and if she writes about a book, I want to read it. Also, I've had The Dragon's Tooth in my stacks for a while (also written by N.D. Wilson), so when I saw the name, I knew I had to try it out. It's a fantasy/mystery that reminds me a lot of The Humming Room by Ellen Potter. When I finish this one, I'll write about it. (I was ECSTATIC to find out my library had it on the shelf waiting for me!)

An Accidental Adventure #1: We Are Not Eaten By Yaks by C. Alexander London

I picked this one up at the book fair. I am loving it so far. It's very entertaining and I love the writer's style.   

In Everything I Do

Spring Break has really never been about the beach for me. But it has been all about the rest. By the time I reach this part of the calendar, I need the sleep and the clear schedule. Sleepy days with nowhere to be but my couch with some books.  That's very spring-like to me.

But this time I had a goal in mind: Spring Break #Bookaday. (Translation: Read a book a day during the week of Spring Break and post it on Twitter.) I had no problems sticking to the goal. In fact, there were several days where I read two books.

I was in heaven. I had no complaints. I made one trip to the bookstore and one trip to the library. Complete happiness.

After I read a book, I wrote something about it, or tweeted it out to my tweeps.

When I made a visit to the dentist, I even gave him a book recommendation for his grandson.
And that's when I realized something:
Literacy is part of everything I do. And that sits well with me.

Here is what I read yesterday:

Sidekicks by Dan Santat

This is a very fun graphic novel about super crime-fighting pets! I can't wait to share this with my class. I finished it in one sitting.  

Stink #1: The Incredible Shrinking Kid by Megan McDonald

This is a chapter book suited for 2nd -4th grade--a quick read with a fast-moving story. 

I also read:

Same Sun Here by Silas House and Neela Vaswani (I consider this one a YA novel.)

Humming Room by Ellen Potter (Middle grade dark mystery. My review is in the works!)

Calvin Coconut: Hero of Hawaii by Graham Salisbury (Quick-read chapter book--fast-paced for young readers who like action. Setting: Hawaii.)

And then there is Wonder by RJ Palacio. That post is coming. If you haven't read it, read it as soon as you can. It's a magnificent must-read.

My Shelf Treasure

Our libraries hold treasures we can only imagine. In shelves and displays, rich stories wait for determined and desperate readers.

As a teacher/reader, I relearned this lesson recently.
Before my spring break began this week, I checked out some books from our school library.  For me, this week did not mean days on a beach with seashells. It meant a week on my couch with books. One of the titles I took home was The Unfinished Angel by Sharon Creech.

The Unfinished Angel by Sharon Creech
Published: September 22, 2009
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 176

I was captivated from the start. (You know a book is good when you've turned 10 pages and haven't looked up once!) That's not an easy task for a book these days, especially because I've read some really awesome titles recently (Wonder, The One and Only Ivan, Mighty Miss Malone).

But Sharon Creech isn't just any author. She's a Newbery Medal winner.

In this book, the narrator is a confused angel who resides in a stone tower and floats around a village in the Swiss Alps. For many years, the angel has been waiting for a mission, until one day, a girl named Zola comes to the village to live. When they meet, Zola is undaunted. The two characters are very unique: Zola is confident and has her own sense of style, and the angel speaks in a quirky language using words like "peoples" and "specialful" and "surprisement".

There isn't much happening in their village. The neighbors live in side-by-side discord,  and days roll by just like previous ones. But Zola notices things the angel doesn't, and suddenly this village isn't the same. With each chapter, the reader (along with the angel) becomes endeared to Zola and her calls to action. Sharon Creech lulls you in word by word, page by page--with syllables that are both melodic and conversational. Here, the angel describes Zola:

"She is called Zola and is skinny like twig-tree, with hair chip-chopped in a startling way. Her eyes--gray with large black poppils in the middle--her eyes are big and round like a cow's. She appears, overall--I don't know how to say--like maybe a fawn who grew up with humans." (p. 8)

The book, for the most part, has a light, enchanting tone to it. I finished it in two sittings! I still had some questions afterward, but that was fine with me. Just like the readers in my class, I don't want the author to explain everything to me. I want some room somewhere for my own explanations.

After I read a children's book, I usually ask myself two questions:
To whom would I recommend this book? (upper elementary)
What will I keep from this book?
Two lessons:
1.) Pay attention to the world around you.
2.) Kindness changes everything. 

I found my treasure in the library. But don't worry. I know there's more than enough for you, too.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Once again, I am so grateful to Jen and Kellee over at Teach Mentor Texts for hosting this weekly event! Last week was a busy one (deadlines, meetings, Open House!), and I didn't get to participate. But it is Spring Break for me, so I get to link up this time!

Here's what I've been reading:

Voices of the Alamo by Sherry Garland

Since last week was Texas Public Schools Week, and March 6th was the anniversary of the fall of the Alamo, we read this wonderful history picture book. In a timeline/journal format, we hear the voices of different people who lived around the Alamo and had a part in the history of Texas. My students knew the battle story, but now they know so much more. To complement, we wrote poems about the Alamo and built replicas, too!

One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo and illustrated by David Small

This was one of my Scholastic Book Fair purchases. Someone on Twitter mentioned it, so when I spotted the cover, it immediately went into my basket! It was such a fun book, reminiscent of Mr. Popper's Penguins (even mentioning Captain Cook). I know my 4th graders will love it. David Small's work is amazing! The drawings on each page are "Small" surprises for the reader.

Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie by Julie Sternberg

This cute book is on the Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List for 2012-2013. It's a sweet, endearing little chapter-book about a girl whose babysitter must move away, and the adjustments she makes (perfect for elementary--3rd grade on up).  Many of my students have already read it.

And then this weekend I finished this book:

Friendship Doll by Kirby Larson

I've had this book on my dining room TBR table since before the holidays, but it never felt like the right time to read it. I know why now! I was supposed to read Mighty Miss Malone first! Two of the characters in this book reminded me of Deza. This is a heartfelt, rich book full of stories centered around a doll named Miss Kanagawa. I also thought of The Miraculous Jouney of Edward Tulane when I read it.

Finally, I also read The Unfinished Angel by Sharon Creech. But I will post about that book tomorrow!

This week's reading:

The highlight of my Spring Break will be participating in #bookaday with Donalyn Miller (The Book Whisperer). My students and I made sure we had plenty of books for the week---making several visits to the school library and the book fair before it closed.

I hope to read these books: An Accidental Adventure #1: We Are Not Eaten By Yaks by C. Alexander London, Winterling by Sarah Prineas, and Countdown by Deborah Wiles.

I'm off to read! I hope you have a week filled with great books!

BOOK FAIRS MAKE ME HAPPY

It's like having your own bookstore for a week! When the Scholastic Book Fair comes to our school, it's a wonderful time. This time of year is so busy and hectic, and the book fair is happiness for my class. Each day, several students head down to spend allowance or birthday money. They come back with treasures, smiles, and joy only a book can bring.  We always watch the video before it opens, and we all "ooh" and "aah" over the trailers.  I enjoy it just as much as they do. Definitely!

This year, I noticed The Book Whisperer is one of the featured titles! I tell everyone I know to read this book. 

Here was another title I recognized: WONDER by RJ Palacio. This is an amazing book I finished in two days.

And here are the selections in my wish basket:

This time, I only filled one wish basket. As parents visit, they purchase books for our class library. I buy whatever is left.  On Friday, I will walk out with some great books for my Spring Break #bookaday!

New Challenges Are New Opportunities

Earlier this week I blogged about our classroom community. I'm not only the leader: I am also a member.
So as a member, I am also learning. My learning is different from my students' learning in many ways, but in some it is the same. Don't we learn the same lessons? Here are some lessons I've learned these past few days:

• Read all you can. You never know when you'll have the opportunity to talk about what you read.
• If you accomplish something you're really proud of, it was more than likely very tough to do.
• Be strong!
• Ask questions. They lead to learning you didn't expect.
• Listen to the people around you. You'll discover good things about them you never knew!

When I face a challenge, I sometimes wonder: have my students ever faced something similar? Do they experience the same frustrations, successes, and questions?  Yes! This realization inevitably helps me be more aware of my students' needs.  That makes me a better teacher.

Now, here is a great book I finished this week:

FIG PUDDING by Ralph Fletcher

This isn't a new release by any means. It's been out since 1995. But I'd heard about it on Twitter, and I already knew Ralph Fletcher as a great writing teacher. So I figured any fiction he wrote would be excellent. I was right. Fig Pudding is the story of a boy named Cliff and his large family. We get a glimpse into their daily lives---funny, chaotic, filled with normal family events.  But it turns into something so much more. It was a rich book, and I think every writing teacher should read it.

I also recommend Ralph Fletcher's books on writing, particularly Writer's Notebook:Unlocking the Writer Within You.

What's My Prize?

I stopped sending home reading logs for parent signature years ago.
I no longer place cute smiley face stickers on charts for finished books.

Given these two actions, what result would you predict?

Here's what it has meant for my class of 4th graders:
My students have read a total of 1,040 books since the beginning of this school year.

With a color printer and PowerPoint slide, they make a sign and post it outside our classroom for display. When teachers, parents, or administration visit, they all get directed to the sign and a conversation begins. I stand back proudly and think about how it all began.

This was our total in December. My students would be sure to tell you the number is higher now!

It started when I read a blog called  The Book Whisperer. (I'd been on a blog-reading frenzy searching for a while, reading everything I could about teaching and education.) Donalyn Miller, a fellow teacher from Texas, wrote about how she had created a community of readers. I was hooked from the first post. Her words rang true with me. I wanted my students to be avid readers, too.

I started with having my students read books of their choosing. I gave them time to read in class. I shared Donalyn's 40-book challenge: read 40 books by the end of the school year. We discussed the books they'd read, and with each conversation, I became more familiar with my students' preferences, interests, hopes, and challenges. Through mini-lessons, guided reading, and conferences, I supported their reading and gave them tools and strategies to use when they were on their own.

I surrounded them with books in our classroom library. It's just three tall bookcases filled with book-stuffed plastic shoeboxes, but it's a focal point in our class. So many times a day, my students and I head to the shelves in the corner and pull out a title for reference. So many times a day, students in pairs or groups do the same.  I always know what my students are reading. And my students know what I'm reading because I read alongside them every day.  They also know my own love of books and my never-ending need to acquire more, as I share my own reading life with them. (In class and at home, I read as many middle grade and picture books as I can. Because of that, I  can usually recommend a good book to a reader on-the-spot.)

When students read their 40 books for the year, they don't stop there (just as Donalyn said!) But they do share the accomplishment with me, and we all celebrate together--with high-fives and cheers and admiration. Not once do they ask: What's my prize? I think it's because they know they've already earned it.

I don't know what the total will be in June. We might predict it! Or not. But on our way to the total, one thing is certain: we'll enjoy some really great books together. 

(Donalyn Miller's blog is now a book, too. Read The Book Whisperer as soon as you can. I have three copies: one is signed by Donalyn, one is my working copy, and one is a copy I lend out.)

Would I Want to Learn in My Classroom?

My classroom is my second home. I spend a lot of time there--many late nights. Some weekends.
But my classroom isn't just a place. It's a community. And I'm not only the leader of the community---I'm also a member.
I started off the week asking myself: If I were a student in my own classroom, would I like it here?
That question got me thinking.
What conditions were right for me?
What's my wish list?
I'd love to read what I choose. And I don't want to have to do a worksheet or book report after I'm finished. But please let me talk about it with others!
I would love to get help from fellow learners if I didn't understand something.
I'd love to try something out before I get evaluated on it.
I'd love to be able to move around and sit in a comfortable spot. Or sit at my desk. Or not.
I'd like to be able to use multiple sources for information.

 I work toward this goal each and every day.

OUR classroom is our home. It should be a great place to be.