Blogging About #txla17

I'm not sure if it is too late to blog about my experience at the Texas Library Association's Annual Conference or not. It's been over a week -- maybe two--and I don't know of any limits on this type of thing -- If there is, I think I'm writing it anyway because I need to record and process my learning. 

And while I've decided to go ahead and blog about TLA 2017 at this late date, I've also decided I cannot do it all in one post. (Does this give you an idea of just how amazing it was?) 

To figure out my starting point, I looked at the camera roll on my phone. My TLA experience started here: 

And on this particular day, I decided my most memorable and profound takeaways came from listening to the opening keynote speaker, Hadi Partovi. 

Hadi Partovi, Founder of code.org

Partovi is a tech entrepreneur and investor, and currently the CEO of code.org. Like many librarians across the country, I participate in the Hour of Code each December (bringing coding to the learners in my library), so I was thoroughly interested in hearing his presentation. 

I was not disappointed. His speech was doubly inspirational: Partovi's own start in the tech world (receiving a Commodore computer as a child) and his mission to ensure the growth of computer science in schools were both reasons why his speech was impactful to me as an educator. 

He presented facts on the need for more computer science majors, including statistics showing the number of current jobs available in Texas, and the need for more graduates to fill them. 

He also issued a challenge to an enthusiastic crowd of already-coding librarians: go beyond the Hour of Code. How about a year of code? As Partovi remarked,  just as we wouldn't only teach an hour of math or an hour of reading, we shouldn't stop at one hour of coding. 

Brilliant! 

Question posed to us by Mr. Partovi

I didn't have to be convinced on the power of coding. It is evident and clear that when students code, they are thinking and problem-solving! They are analyzing and putting plans into motion. I've seen the excitement on my students' faces when they succeed in writing code. But Partovi's presentation helped me better appreciate the value of coding in schools, and that as we support this in our libraries, we are developing future careers! 

I truly was inspired by Mr. Partovi's leadership and commitment. For me, it is yet another example of how one's passion and determination can make a difference in the lives of others-- specifically, my students! 

To learn more about the Hour of Code, click here.

And keep coding!

MOO MOO IN A TUTU by Tim Miller

Miller, Tim. Moo Moo in a Tutu. New York, NY: Balzer + Bray, 2017. Print. 

Where did I first hear about this book?

At TLA 2017 at the Lip Sync Battle session! Author Tim Miller was the winner of the competition.

I saw the cover, and knew that I wanted to read the book!
Then I returned home after a great conference and had it in a couple of days! Thank you, @harperchildrens!

I read the book to kindergarten and a couple of 1st and 2nd grade classes. Each time I presented it a bit differently and saw a little more. I started off by telling students that I had a really silly book to read to them, and of course they all cheered at that! Then I told them that it was about a duck and a cow, and they were really ready for the book.

But it wasn't until I read the title and showed them the cover that I truly knew it was going to be a hit!

After seeing that the ballet is performing across the street, Moo Moo decides to try being a ballerina. A bit unsure about this idea, Mr. Quackers still supports his friend's venture (even though his first attempt is less than successful). Moo Moo makes herself a tutu, and heads down to the ballet to join in the performance. But Moo Moo's style is a bit unconventional, and not quite ready for the stage. Despite the chaotic end to Moo Moo's performance, Mr. Quackers remains a faithful friend, offering praise and congratulations and going along with her idea.

After reading this book a few times aloud, you discover that it is a book about friendship, yes, but also about growth mindset. Moo Moo isn't afraid to try something new, and clearly she has done so before (see her trunk and wardrobe). Also, Moo Moo isn't afraid of failing. (No, she didn't practice, but still her attitude is commendable!)

I asked my students to tell me how Mr. Quackers showed he was a good friend. Most said because he was the only one that cheered Moo Moo's performance. Also, they remembered how Mr. Quackers listened to everything Moo Moo had to say and didn't try to talk her out of being a ballerina. He let her figure that out for herself!

The illustrations brought so much laughter! All I had to do was turn the pages!

Librarians, take a peek under the dust jacket for a case cover surprise!

I had a great time reading this book aloud in my library!

Learn more about author/illustrator Tim Miller here in his post for the Nerdy Book Club!

A Great Gathering: #txla17

I am very excited to be attending the Texas Library Association's Annual Conference this week! I call it a "great gathering" because that is indeed what it is! Librarians from all over Texas (as well as some from other states!) come together in this week to learn, grow and collectively contribute to our wonderful profession.

I look forward to the conference for several reasons:

1.) Connecting in real life with members of my PLN

I learn so much from my Twitter PLN, and I get the opportunity to see them at this conference. We already "sort of" know each other, but here we can have conversations and connect even more.

2.) Attending informative sessions that help me learn and grow

This year, I am especially looking forward to the Future Ready Librarian session with Mark Ray. It is very exciting to work toward this effort of making our libraries "future ready".

Of course, I also look forward to hearing about new books and hearing from amazing authors who help my students become lifelong readers with their work!

AND: I look forward to attending the AASL 101 session with Audrey Church!

3.) Celebrating libraries!

I think it's perfect that our conference is held during School Library Month! At TLA, we will hear about wonderful library programs throughout the state and get ideas for our own libraries!

It will be a busy week, and I hope to fit everything in! At the end, I will reflect!

P.S. I only packed FOUR pairs of shoes this time!

A Few Books I've Read Recently

I have quite a few books to read right now, and I really want to read them all!! But where do I start? I walk around my office(s), scan my to-read piles, pick up many of the books and try to decide which will be next. Sometimes it just clicks and the mere act of lifting the book in my hand helps me know which one is next. But most times, it is not so easy!

When I do finally decide, and I look back at my Goodreads READ shelf, I always smile ---because they bring me back to the good memories each book carried. I wanted to share a recent list here and tell a bit about them-- not a full review but enough to give my perspective. 

Korman, Gordon. Masterminds. New York, NY: Balzer Bray, 2016. Print.

I just finished the first installment of the Masterminds series by Gordon Korman. (I know I should have read it sooner! I know!) This one is part mystery, part science fiction, part coming-of-age middle grade. What do you do when you find out your life is not as you think it is? When everything and everyone (including your parents) aren't who you think they are? That's what these characters face, and each of them is very compelling. What I especially enjoy about Gordon Korman is his ability to keep us guessing and then bring in a point of plot we weren't expecting at all! I am not trying to read the next two installments and hoping I get time to do that. 

Gravel, Elise. Olga and the Smelly Thing from Nowhere. New York, NY: Harper, an Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2017. Print.

Olga and the Smelly Thing from Nowhere is a very different kind of book with a very different kind of main character! It's a quirky chapter book/graphic novel about a girl who finds a mysterious pet that is indeed VERY strange. It's pink and covered in trash and not any recognizable animal that we would know at all. Olga's love of science, observations, Jane Goodall, and animals drive her to figure out what this pet is and to take the very best care of it.  It reminded me a lot of the Pusheen the Cat books for some reason -- with much more of a storyline and a strong voice! 

Kelly, Erin Entrada. Hello, Universe. New York, NY: HarperCollinsPublishers, 2017. Print.

I finished this one in one sitting which is very rare for me. (I still think about Erin Entrada Kelly's previous book The Land of Forgotten Girls and how much I was moved by that book.) This one is about a boy's search for acceptance through random (or not so random) events. I didn't expect it to have as much suspense as it did, and the plot moved fairly quickly. There are four major characters and the other is a bully -- all are unforgettable! I'll say it is a middle-grade must-read! 

Butler, Dori H.  King and Kayla and the Case of the Missing Dog Treats. Illus. by Nancy Meyers. Atlanta: Peachtree, 2017. Print.

This is the first installment in a new early reader mystery series from Peachtree Publishers and a definite page-turner! King, Kayla's dog, tells us the story, and he is a very endearing narrator! Kayla has baked some dog treats for a friend's dog, but three of them are missing! Together, they use clues to solve the mystery. I thoroughly enjoyed this one!  The second book in the series is King Kayla and the Case of the Secret Code. 

I wonder what my Goodreads shelf will show me next week!

How do you decide what to read next? 

DANIEL FINDS A POEM by Micah Archer

Archer, Micha. Daniel Finds a Poem. New York: Nancy Paulsen, 2016. Print. 

It is the second week of National Poetry Month, and I wanted to share more poetry with each grade level. The checkouts have been very high in the section, and I have to replenish the supply almost once a day so I know poetry is being read in our building!

With kindergarten, my first lesson involved having them illustrate a poem I read aloud. The poem was "Recess" by Avis Harley from The Poetry Friday Anthology TEKS K-5 Version: Poems for the School Year with Connections to the TEKS  by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong.

For the next lesson, I knew I wanted them to get a glimpse of more of the beauty of poetry, so I chose Daniel Finds a Poem by Micha Archer as my read-aloud.

What I appreciated about this book was that it truly helps in understanding poetry in a way that is like a story.

In the book, the main character Daniel learns about a poetry event in the park he frequents. But he doesn't quite understand what poetry is. So he asks his animal friends in the park, and they each give him a reply -- suited to their world, and rhythmic and lovely!

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Archer, Micha. Daniel Finds a Poem. New York: Nancy Paulsen, 2016. Print. 

Part of the book is a repetition of the days of the week, as Daniel chats with a different animal each day. I had students repeat the days with me, and I asked them to tell me what day came next and before. 

With each animal's reply to the question "What is poetry?" I picked out a particularly perfect phrase from each one and had them repeat it. If you do this lesson, you won't have any difficulty picking them out. 

Along the way, the illustrations are stunning and will bring you to nice stopping points. Leaves, water, trees, rocks--- all of them vividly done in perfect collages. In a double page spread, Daniel runs alongside a squirrel, his legs extended across the gutter creating an authentic sense of movement. Archer also employs a masterful use of scale evident in a page in which Daniel towers over a cricket, deep in thought and conversation. 

At the end, Daniel writes a poem collected with all of the phrases the animals shared with him. When I read this aloud to learners they applauded afterward, almost as if they were listening to him share the poetry in real life! (This was a particularly beautiful moment in the read-aloud.) After, we went through each line and looked back at which animal contributed to Daniel's poem. 

The beauty of this picture book? It shows us that poetry is indeed all around us, ready to be discovered. 

I am happy with what we accomplished: each kindergartener listened to rich, melodic lines of poetry, adapted for their curiosity of the natural world. I hope they will think of this book the next time they are out with their families exploring the outdoors. I have hopes that they might also write some lines about what the creatures and living things they will encounter-- and bring these verses to me to enjoy! 

How do you introduce poetry to kindergarten? 

It

National Poetry Month Begins!

I celebrate National Poetry Month every year, and every year I enjoy it even more.

I started out with a few specific ideas for the month,  but find that I am adding and adapting as I go. I keep finding new things I want to do and incorporate, and sometimes I can't fit it all in.

The first part of my quick lesson was a reading of two of the poems in this book from Lee Bennett Hopkins:

I read "The Poetry Section" by Alice Shertle and "Librarian" by Joan Bransfield Graham. 

I re-introduced everyone to the poetry section and featured titles in a simple display. It made me so happy that I had to replenish the display every day because students were checking out poetry books.

The photo above is what the poetry display looked like on Monday after the first two classes came through!

I suggested that readers find a friend and read poetry together , and this is exactly what some of them did. These two readers enjoyed Sequoia by Tony Johnston (illus. by Wendell Minor). 

With kindergarten, I read aloud "Recess" by Avis Harley and had the students illustrate what they love to do at recess. I also had them join in as I read the poem the second time. I found this poem in The Poetry Friday Anthology TEKS Version (K-5). 

Next week, I am planning on poetry readings and getting my Poet-Tree together. Here is one from a previous year:

I used this Poet-Tree to introduce poets to my readers and showcase their books. 

There are so many great ways to celebrate this special month! How are you celebrating?