Picture Book Month

I know it's a little hard to see this picture, but what's important is this:

 

 

It represents the collective work of my students for about a month. We celebrated Picture Book Month in November. I learned about it on Twitter and decided it was a good goal for my students to work towards. My students love to read picture books already, and I love sharing them. So, all we had to do was count them and keep track of totals.

 

Week 1: 155

Week 2: 187

Week 3: Thanksgiving (We weren't in school this week, so we didn't keep track. )

Week 4: 88 (Lots of things going on at school this week, but still a good amount.)

 

I had volunteers who were ready to keep track and ask other students for their totals. They tallied and totaled. They created this chart for all to see.

 

We worked as a class to accomplish this, mostly by sitting in the library and reading picture books together. I didn't have to do very much except introduce the challenge and provide the reading time.

 

Our grand total was 430 books! I am so proud of my class. 

I confirmed this belief: Students enjoy meeting a challenge, working towards a goal, and working on something together that's connected to the real world.  Along the way, we talked about many aspects of reading: how illustrations tell stories, how the title of a picture book is so important, an author's choice for size of text and more!

 

What makes this even better is that Picture Book Month was a great lead-in for our Mock Caldecott voting in December. By this point, students are good judges of what makes a good picture book.

 

 

We ended Picture Book Month by reading ONE COOL FRIEND by Toni Buzzeo and illustrated by David Small. It's such a fun book!

 

This week, we'll be discussing our favorite picture books as we begin our Mock Caldecott. Read my blog next week to see what picture books are 4A's favorites!

 

 

 



It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! Time for all of us to go back to school and time to join Jen and Kellee for their weekly meme. This meme means even more now because I have met Jen and Kellee and consider them friends (thanks to #nerdybookclub).

Well, school was out this entire past week! I spent the week celebrating Thanksgiving, of course, but mostly, I spent it reading, doing a grad school assignment, and catching up around the house. Also, I spent it resting from NCTE!

Here are all the books I read this past week:

(Scratch Ungifted, Mousetranaut, and Blue Sky! Those were last week's books!)

This week I became really worried about reaching my 600-Book goal for 2012! Would I make it? So I went to the library and--as you can see-- I went on a picture book frenzy!

My picture book favorites were:
THE MONSTERS' MONSTER by Patrick McDonnell
GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE DINOSAURS by Mo Willems
THE HUEYS IN THE NEW SWEATER by Oliver Jeffers
COLD SNAP by Eileen Spinelli
HELLO! HELLO! by Matthew Cordell

At NCTE, I heard David Shannon speak about his latest picture book, JANGLES. I really loved this book, and I highly recommend it!

Chapter books:
PINNED by Sharon G. Flake (YA)
JULIE OF THE WOLVES  by Jean Craighead George (YA)--(Newbery)
ROLL OF THUNDER,  HEAR MY CRY by Mildred D. Taylor (Newbery)
THE LEGEND OF DIAMOND LIL by Doreen Cronin

Graphic Novels:
DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: THE THIRD WHEEL by Jeff Kinney
PAGE BY PAIGE by Laura Lee Gulledge (YA)

After a week of good reading, my book total is now at 443 with 157 books left to read in a little over a month. (Winter Break will help me with this.)

WHAT I'M READING NOW:
BOOK LOVE by Penny Kittle (A GREAT PD book for teachers of reading and writing.)

I had a good reading week because it was fall break. What will be harder for me though, will be choosing WHAT to read--not finding time to read. I added so many books to my TBR pile after NCTE,  I will have trouble deciding what to pick up first.

What are you reading this week? 

NCTE: My (Incomplete) Recap

In my quest to find the professional development that meets my learning needs, I joined the National Council of Teachers of English last year.  Last week, I was fortunate enough to attend NCTE's annual convention. Here, I had the opportunity to hear from some amazing literacy experts---instructional leaders whose books I've read, devoured, and used in my classrooom.

At NCTE, I attended several meetings and many sessions. I'm still processing all I learned and experienced, and it would be impossible to post it all here. But the one thing I can say is that I am more certain than ever that helping our students grow as readers, writers, and thinkers is essential to equipping them to lead successful, meaningful lives.

What did I bring back home with me? Here are a few of the items I couldn't pack in my suitcase:

• Many picture book titles & the realization that I can use these in literature circles (From Releah Lent)
• Strategies to promote thinking and discussion in my classroom (From Ellin Keene)
• The understanding that I want ALL writers in my classroom to think of writing as a experience that they enjoy--not just as something they must do or dread! (From Ralph Fletcher)
• A gratitude that I belong to a reading/teaching community that helps me thrive as a teacher and that I hope I've created for my own students (From Donalyn Miller)
• A peace in knowing that my Twitter PLN is "open 24/7": from Teri Lesesne (a super-advocate for literacy and somone I greatly admire!)
• A new vision for my student book club (from Lynn Eichel)
• A resolution to share with my students: "We're in charge of making ourselves get better." -from Lucy Calkins
• The understanding that performance assessments are a way to examine my own teaching, not just my students' learning (From Christopher Lehman)
• The joy that comes from surrounding myself with a community of teachers who share my passion for literacy (from the Nerdy Book Club!)
• The assurance that through NCTE I have an avenue of service that aligns with my professional development goals (From NCTE!)

At the Exhibition Hall, I met some authors whose work I've read and appreciated for so long! I wished I'd taken more pictures!


Donalyn Miller (my friend/The Book Whisperer/Nerdy Book Club tribe leader/fellow Texan) AND Penny Kittle (author of Write Beside Them and BOOK LOVE -- her latest--oh, and she loves cute shoes, too!)


 Jenni Holm (Author of the Babymouse & Squish books!)
 
Seymour Simon (who writes all those great non-fiction books I have in my classroom library)

 

Rebecca Stead! (Author of When You Reach Me and Liar & Spy which are two of my favorite books!)

 

 Lucy Calkins! (Need I say more? My face tells you how happy I am to meet her!)
(The Art of Teaching Reading & The Art of Teaching Writing are books I keep on my teacher bookshelf and refer to often!)

One of the very best parts of attending the conference was meeting some of my fellow Nerdy Book Club members (great teachers & librarians)! Whenever we gathered, we talked about books & reading & writing, and we had the best time learning & sharing with one another. Yes, we also talked about shoes (because my fellow Nerdy Book Club members know me as someone who loves cute shoes). I thought it would be nice to feature some of their (our) shoe choices in this post:

My cowgirl boots have taken me far. But they're most at home in Texas.  

Cute leopard print!

Guess who? A #nerdybookclub leader!

Party shoes! (Not worn on the exhibition hall floor!)

  

Tall boots. (Worn on the exhibition floor!)

Pink and pretty! (Sorry about the checker effect.
That happens sometimes when I use my camera phone.)



Many thanks to Jen, Jennifer, Niki, & Jillian for sharing shoe talk with me!
(By the way, one of the pictures belongs to fellow 4th grade teacher/friend Colby Sharp! Can you guess which one?)

I know I won't ever fully appreciate just how much I gained from attending this conference. The people I met, the friendships I made, and the worlds I discovered are now part of who I am as a teacher/learner, and the ultimate beneficaries of this are my students--who inspire ME daily!



























 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday. Although I was attending my first NCTE conference this week, I did get some reading done on my flights. That's what I love about traveling.

Most weeks, I join Jen and Kellee over at Teach Mentor Texts in their Monday meme. Teachers, librarians and book friends share the books that they have been reading, and it's a great way to get book titles.

Here's what I read this past week:

JANGLES by David Shannon (picture book)

• I loved this picture book, and listening to David Shannon talk about it was one of the best parts of NCTE. Thanks to Scholastic and the Children's Literature Assembly!

JULIE OF THE WOLVES by Jean Craighead George (Newbery Challenge)

• In trying to restart my Newbery Challenge, I read this book on the flight to NCTE. (It won the Newbery in 1973.) I appreciated the main character's determination and courage. The story made me think about how I would survive in such circumstances. (I would consider this a young adult novel.)

DAY-TO-DAY ASSESSMENT IN THE READING WORKSHOP by Franki Sibberson and Karen Szymusiak (professional development)

• I finished this one on the flight home. This is an excellent resource for someone using Reader's Workshop. The authors give us insight into their thinking and planning. One of the best parts is the section on read-alouds and the use of reader's responses. I highly recommend it!

This week I am off for the Thanksgiving break. I will need the time to process all that I learned at NCTE! Also, I am especially happy about the time I will have to read! (Okay, I am ECSTATIC about that.) 

What I'm reading now:
I'm currently reading PINNED (YA) by Sharon G. Flake.
Also, I'm reading Book Love by Penny Kittle (professional development).
I'm really excited to finally have this title in my hands! I bought it at NCTE.

So many great things happened at NCTE that I will have to post about them tomorrow!

What are you reading right now?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday, and it's time to join Jen and Kellee over at their blog Teach Mentor Texts in a weekly meme called "It's Monday! What Are You Reading?" It helps me stay on track with my reading during some very busy school days.

What I read this week:

MOUSETRONAUT by Mark Kelly--a cute story about a mouse in a space shuttle. Loved it!

BLUE SKY by Audrey Wood--a poetic book with variations of the title

UNGIFTED by Gordon Korman

This book is about a boy who gets admitted into a school for gifted students by mistake (as he tries to hide from a certain mishap he caused at his own school). Donovan tends to get in trouble a lot. So, it's a surprise to him when he gets admitted into the program. He meets with a group of very gifted and interesting students, and as he helps them with a robotics competition, he turns their world upside down and learns a lot about himself. Things are just as interesting at home! I laughed out loud in many places in this book. I enjoyed reading this book. (I won't be putting this in my 4th grade library as I think it's more appropriate for older students--perhaps older than 5th grade.)


What I'm reading now:

I'm reading DAY TO DAY ASSESSMENT IN THE READING WORKSHOP by Franki Sibberson and Karen Szymuziak. This book has already helped with my Reader's Workshop and I am so glad I bought it. I'm reading it cover to cover. I highly recommend it.

My reading this week was light, but I'm glad I managed to read a chapter book. Now I'm ONLY 103 books away from my year's goal of 600. 

This week involves some traveling, so I know I will have reading time on the plane!

What did YOU read this week?

The Power of a Read Aloud

As a teacher, read-aloud time is so important. I don't use it like I did when I first started teaching years (YEARS) ago. Now it is an essential part of my Reader's Workshop, and it's wonderful for teaching so many things.

Today we started HOW TO STEAL A DOG by Barbara O' Connor.

I reread this book this past summer with intentions of searching for a good read-aloud for the year. This summer I thought a lot about this. After all, a read-aloud has to do so many things:

1.) It should be an example of great writing.

2.) It should be engaging and exciting.

3.) It should have characters the students will believe in!

4.) It should have the potential to provoke rich discussions!

I find that I don't use the same read-alouds every year. So many new and good books are being published! And if a book is new or one I've not read-aloud several times, then maybe I won't influence my students with my own thinking of the book. No matter how old the book is, if it meets the above requirements, I will choose it.
(I've also read this in my professional development books.)

We are only in the first 12 pages of the book, but my students are noticing the wonderful phrases, commenting on Luanne and Georgina's friendship, and wondering about everything else, too. I know that this shared experience with a common text will serve us well for future connections & conversations. After reading aloud from THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN, my students still connect & compare events & elements to current topics. It is evident that that each student has held on to a part of the book for future learning. Read-alouds have such potential to teach story elements & model thinking. What are your favorite chapter book read-alouds?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday and that means it's time for me to join Jen and Kellee over at Teach Mentor Texts in their weekly meme. We blog about books we read over the week, and there are always some wonderful titles shared.

Here's what I read this week:

 

Endangered by Eliot Schrefer

Tribes by Seth Godin

Pete the Cat Saves Christmas by Eric Litwin

Moving Day by Robert Kalan

The Chicken Problem by Jennifer Oxley and Billy Aronson

 

Endangered is an intense and thrilling YA novel about a teen in the Congo who does whatever she can to save herself and the bonobo she is caring for. The country is war-torn and she must survive against every obstacle. Exciting! (Not for my classroom library, though!)

 

Tribes is a good book about innovation and leadership and how they work together. Seth Godin's book is a quick read and very insightful.

 

The rest of the books are picture books. Pete the Cat's latest book is fun as always! But my favorite is The Chicken Problem (which involves chickens, pie, and math). I highly recommend it! My students loved it.

 

What I'm reading now:

 

The Red Pyramid: The Graphic Novel (which is EXCELLENT).

Ungifted by Gordon Korman (Just started this one).

Day-to-Day Assessment in the Reading Workshop by Franki Sibberson and Karen Szymusiak (A GREAT book for those of us who use Reader's Workshop. Lots of practical ideas!)

 

I'm proud of how much I read this week. I hope I can keep it up. I'm 187 books away from my yearly goal. Can I do it?

 

Setting the goal of 600 books back on January 1st was a key moment in my reading life. That is the highest goal I've ever had, and the first time I set one for a full year. I realized that because of that goal, I've stayed focused. I've been quick to remember to bring a book with me wherever I go, and on slow reading weeks, I always re-evaluated and caught up. Even with grad school, I'm determined to keep up my reading. It's not easy, but it's possible.

 

Reading goals help my students, too. We set these goals together sometimes, but now they are learning to set their own.

 

What are YOU reading this week? Do you set reading goals?

 

 

 

 

 

Creativity: The Four Cs & My Own Practice

In our classroom yesterday, as part of NaNoWriMoYWP (National Novel Writing Month), we had a great class discussion on the topic of creativity. I asked my students about what it meant to them and here's what they said:

• "It brainstorming."
• "It's about coming up with things no one has thought of."
• "It's about getting ideas."
• "It means solving a problem in a new way."
• "I think it means doing different things."
• "It means thinking of something on my own."
• "It means using your imagination."

Our campus is focusing on the Four Cs: creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. So this topic is timely. And while we were discussing it as it applies to writing a novel (which requries a lot of creativity), it could also apply to teaching and my own practice.

Brainstorming: How often do we (as teachers) brainstorm? We ask our students to do it a lot. When I give myself quiet time to think through topics, I can come up with the best ideas for my own work.

Coming up with things no one has thought of: I'm contemplating this in many areas, but right now, what I am working to do is devise new ways to reach my students and meet their needs.

Doing different things: I'm seeing myself as an instructional designer. That applies to the environment in my classroom, too. I can't always do what has always been done! It's time for innovation.

Using imagination: How can I see past the status quo and instead see the possibility? I want to see through the impossibility of a situation and work towards the "what if". That doesn't always mean using technology. That might just mean asking a question in a different way.

I started the discussion hoping my students would be better equipped to write novels. I'm confident I accomplished that. (They each started writing and planning out their plots, characters, etc.) But in the process, I also showed myself a little something.

Now, I've got to keep on working towards it.