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.