Silence For Sandy Hook

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What are you reading? I'm asking the question along with Jen and Kellee over at Teach Mentor Texts! I join them every Monday in this meme.

Here's what I read this week!

It was the last week of my grad class, so with two assigments due, I stuck to picture books. My middle grade chapter books are waiting! I'm halfway through THE UNWANTEDS by Lisa McMann, and I am loving it!


My two favorites were:

FIFTY CENTS AND A DREAM by Jabari Asim (illustrated by Bryan Collier)

Wow! That's what I said to myself as I read this book. I turned the pages and noticed brilliant things Bryan Collier had done with the illustrations. Booker T. Washington's story of perseverance resonated with me. I was inspired, and thought that this nonfiction book was superbly done. I will be coming back for more and plan to reread this again and again. I can see it addressing so many aspects of writing. Still thinking about it!

Give yourself a holiday gift and buy your own copy.

DRAGONS LOVE TACOS by Adam Rubin (illustrated by Daniel Salmieri)

I'm about to help you spend your money again! DRAGONS LOVE TACOS is funny and clever,  and it's one I will use in Writer's Workshop for circular leads and endings. It's great for elaboration, too. It's got a little surprise that made it a very smart book in my opinion! I immediately recommended it to my librarian.

This week I will finish THE UNWANTEDS, and then pick up something else from my TBR piles such as:  

• Boy 21 by Matthew Quick  OR
• Cloak Society by Jeramey Kraatz

Either way, the fact that I can sit and read without worrying about an assignment is truly wonderful (I finished my semester yesterday). Before I started back to grad school, I think I took reading time for granted! Like my pair of cheetah print slippers that are always around, I thought I would never have to hunt for my reading time. Now I know that if I have an hour to read each day (or more), I have something that's worth so much.

I'm off to read now! I have read 510 books toward my 2012 Challenge of 600 books. My students think I can do it! I can't let them down.

What are you reading?

Bake A Cake/Write A Paper

One of the very necessary components of graduate school is the writing of the papers! Though they all have various titles & topics, they require the following:

First, the writer (me) must READ.
Then, the writer (also me) must THINK.
Next, the writer (me again) must PLAN.
After, the writer (a little tired now, but still me) must WRITE.
Also, the writer (yes, me) must REVISE.
Finally, the writer must EDIT.

HOWEVER, eventually all of the above steps get jumbled, rearranged, and if I expected to just follow the checklist and be done, I'd be very disappointed.

Writing isn't a procedure. It isn't like the directions on the cake mix box. Sometimes the writing mix calls for more thinking, less planning, and a bigger spoonful of revision.

Why can I speak with some assurance about baking a cake? I can do so because I have baked a cake before! How would I know about writing? It's because I have written before!

No matter how much I read about HOW to bake a cake, or listen to someone TELL me how to bake a cake, I won't KNOW how to bake a cake unless I BAKE myself.

It's the same thing with writing. The act of writing itself (by me, the teacher) helps me write better and better each time and helps me understand my students' needs as writers. What does your story need? A little more flavor! (Details) How can we make sure the sentence is just right? Work with it some more because it's not done! (Needs to bake some more.)

Another interesting note: when I follow the cake mix directions, I--for the most part---- get a cake that looks the same every time.

(But when I follow my own unique writing process, I never know what I'll get!)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday, and I'm joining Jen and Kellee in their Monday meme on their blog: Teach Mentor Texts. In this meme, teachers and librarians share their weekly reading.

Here's what I read this week:

 

 

 

Yes, I got serious about my reading. 

 

My favorites:

 

BOOK LOVE by Penny Kittle (professional development)

This book makes so many great points about the importance of students AND teachers having a "reading life". I highly recommend it for any teacher who cares about WHAT and HOW MUCH and IF their students read!

 

EVERY DAY  by David Levithan (Young Adult)

This is a great young adult book about an incredible happening--that keeps happening. I couldn't put it down. I read it during a very busy week at school. I stayed up late reading it. David Levithan is an amazing writer.

 

CREEPY CARROTS by Aaron Reynolds (Peter Brown, illustrator)

It's a fun story that my students loved! It's one of my new favorites.

 

A BALLOON FOR ISABEL by Deborah Underwood

This isn't a new book, but I just discovered it by pulling books out randomly from shelves. Isabel is a porcupine who thinks creatively! I loved it and I can't wait to buy my own copy. (It was on the Texas 2 X 2 Master List for 2011 compiled by the Texas Library Assocation. Thanks to Melanie for that info!)

 

I'm glad I got a lot of reading done this week. I think a goal really moves me forward.With the end of the year FAST approaching, it's important to look back and reflect. But I still have time to get some things done. I still can bring change, produce something, or cause an effect. Just because the end of the year is here doesn't mean I sit back and wait for it to come.

 

I will also ask my students to reflect and make their own plan for moving forward, both in their reading and their learning. And then we will see together what we can do!

 

My 2012 reading goal is 600 books. So far, I have read 487.

 

I have 28 days. 

 

I can do this.  

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!