Schoolwide Blog

Think back to your childhood. What got you hooked on reading? For me, it was hearing my teacher read aloud "Mr. Popper's Penguins" by Richard and Florence Atwater.  While I don't remember the teacher's name, I remember her toothy smile and the way the whole class laughed at the humorous parts. From that time on, I was convinced that reading was fun, and I became the voracious reader I am today.

Dr. Bill Brozo, author of "To Be a Boy, To Be a Reader" calls the experience which turns an emergent reader into a fluent reader an entry point. When he speaks to librarians and teachers, he encourages them to recall their entry points as readers. Was it a series like Nancy Drew, a classic like The Secret Garden, or an obscure title you felt was written just for you? Was it a book that an adult recommended or read aloud to you? As teachers and parents, we can help young readers find that special book which puts all the pieces of the reading puzzle together for them. Share books you love with the children in your life.

Jacqueline Jules--author, poet, librarian
www.jacquelinejules.com
 

Here in Fairfield County, Connecticut, our early readers are challenged to read aloud for 20 minutes every night. Each 20 minutes earns them a “step,” and there are medals given when the students reach benchmarks of 100, 200 and 500 steps.

Last school year, my second-grade twin sons read a combined total of just over 700 steps; in other words, my wife and I listened to roughly 235 hours (or nearly 10 days!) of reading.

We learned about the wonders of the Grand Crayon in Airzone, the life of President Usels S. Garant, and the sinking of the Ticonic. We were regaled with tales by Julie Peffer and Mary Poppy Owesbone.

Not much of what they read made perfect sense, either to them or to us.

But we loved every second of it…and we corrected them as necessary to ensure context and clarity of message.

This year, they still chronicle their reading time in steps, but there are no medals awarded. And yet, they still love reading to us, and we love it right back.

One of the twins reads aloud with tremendous passion, dramatizing the action far more than called for, adding sound effects and more (“…and-ker-rack!--he hit a home run! A HOME RUN! And the crowd went WILD! Yaaaaayyy! Roaaaaaar! Whoooo!”). We try to suggest books that are a little more sedate, so he's relating the tale, not screaming it at the top of his lungs.

His brother, a more reserved type by nature, reads more thoughtfully, more deliberately. His understated tone is extremely NPR-like, and frankly, it's often hard to stay focused on what he's reading.   We're trying to get him hooked on some high-energy series.

But they both do a great job, and I'm happy to say that when they get tired (as they eventually do after a long day of learning, recess, food fighting, Little League games, TV watching, web browsing and more), they don't put the books down--they hand over them to us.

And though my wife and I are also tired (she swears she doesn't go to recess or food fight during the day, but I'm not so sure), we read to them all we can. And we have a great time doing it--even if we sometimes do fall asleep before they do. We don't receive medals for these hours of reading, but there are certainly other, more personal, rewards.

And here's my genius thought for the summer: with fewer school-related pressures and more time to relax, we're going to test the notion of having family reading time in the morning. We'll all be fresh, we'll all be rested, and we'll all enjoy starting off the day sharing books together. And when nighttime comes, a well-placed bedtime story will be a happy bonus.

This may or may not be a good idea. We'll see. But the goal is to read together, read together, read together. Please do that with your kids. And if you finish early, you're certainly invited to come and read with mine.

Happy reading!

www.AlanKatzBooks.com

I would hope that most teachers having to help students appreciate poetry have worried over the question of how to read it to them effectively.  But here's a question I suspect few of them have given thought to: how do you present a poem meant to be seen rather than read?  There are such poems, some of them well worth exposing classes to--not only because they are good poems but because they are enough off the beaten track to awaken curiosity.

Here's a simple one by Adam Gamble:

                                                                                  balloon!

                                                         Hold on to your                     

This is a visual poem.  It can be read, but to read it is to seriously diminish it.  Wait.  That's not entirely true.  A sound poet might read its first five words in a low voice, then sing, "balloon!" in a very high voice.  Or a group of children could read the first five words in unison, then all stop but one, who sings the poem's final word in a very high voice, thus suggesting not only the height of the balloon but something of its possible despair at all of a sudden being all alone way up in the sky.

Or how about a teacher's giving one student a secret job in advance: standing on a table and saying or singing, "balloon!" just after the teacher has written the poem's first five words on the board (or projected them onto a screen) while reading it aloud with the class?  As the student on the table says or sings, "balloon!" the teacher will write it.  This, to me, seems the very best presentation.  The poem is read aloud by teacher and students while it is also shown.  That way it will go into each student's reading brain and hearing brain.  Meanwhile, students will get some idea (it is to be hoped) of how a visual poem works, and how a sound poem works: a balloon escapes from someone's grasp the way a word printed high above the sentence it's in escapes that sentence's grasp--and the way a word uttered high above a crowd's reading of its sentence does. . . .

                                                                                                   --Bob Grumman

Last night in class we were discussing the fact that young readers and writers often experience more challenges when working with expository text than they do when interacting with fiction.  This is due, in part, to the fact that they typically have fewer experiences with this type of text.  Research demonstrates that students who are read to at home primarily hear fiction stories, and teachers in the classroom read aloud more fiction than any other genre.  Therefore, it makes sense that students are more successful with fiction to begin with because its structure is more familiar.  

When is the last time you really considered the titles you chose to read aloud in your classroom?  Have you ever stopped to reflect upon why you chose certain books?  Do you read an equal amount of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry?  Teachers tell us it’s a challenge to find nonfiction/expository text that is appropriate for early readers and writers.  The books they find have too much text for short attention spans or contain illustrations that aren’t engaging.  Remember, it is not necessary to read the whole book in one sitting.  Just like with a good story, there are stopping points that invite discussion and cause students to anticipate what comes next. 

Keep looking for those great books!  Below are a few titles that recently crossed our desks – ones that we think you and your young readers and writers will enjoy.   Please let us know what nonfiction titles your students enjoy and how you are using them in the classroom.   

Campbell, Sarah C.  (2008).  Wolfsnail: A backyard predator.  Photographs by Sarah C. Campbell and Richard P. Campbell.  Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press.

*Designated a Theodore Seuss Geisel Honor Book for 2009

This book contains amazing close-up photographs of a wolfsnail as it hunts for food among the leaves of a hosta plant.  The large font situated in a clean white space is perfect for early readers.  Additional facts and a glossary are located at the back of the book.

Cowley, Joy.  (2005).  Chameleon, chameleon.  Photographs by Nic Bishop.  New York: Scholastic Press.

Sparse text and large, colorful photographs describe a chameleon’s search for food in this engaging book.  Readers learn how a chameleon must be aware of its surroundings and how it communicates with other chameleons by changing the color of its skin.  The photograph of the chameleon catching a caterpillar with its long, sticky tongue always catches the students’ attention.

Kirby, Pamela F.  (2009).  What bluebirds do.  Photographs by Pamela Kirby. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press. 

The detailed photographs in this beautiful book tell the story of a pair of bluebirds who raise a family in a backyard nest box.  Written simply, the text shares a number of facts about bluebirds and their behavior.  A glossary, additional book resources, and websites are located in the back of the book for further research and exploration.   

Sayre, April Pulley.  (2009).  Honk, honk, goose!  Canada geese start a family. Illustrated by Huy Voun Lee.  New York: Henry Holt and Company.

Illustrated with cut paper collage, this book tells about a pair of Canada geese who raise a family near a pond.  The text describes how the geese work together to hatch the eggs and protect their chicks from predators. 

*Students might find it interesting to compare the parenting behaviors of the geese in this book to that of the bluebirds in the book above. 

…is what my 6^th graders would say to me everyday when they walked into the room.  That year, I had taken over a maternity leave of a teacher who never did interactive read-alouds with her students.  That was “baby stuff”.

I started reading to these students from day 1 in that middle school classroom and the ate it up!  They looked forward to hearing the story, as well as how it would lend to our writing.  They could see the connection.

            We had a lot of great dialogue at the Literacy Workshops in Staten Island on March 20, but what stuck in my mind was the topic of middle school students and their generally negative attitudes towards reading and writing in particular. 

What happens to that enthusiasm that oozes during elementary school? 

The love of books, authors, drawing, creating, sharing? 

What happens to our students as they cross through the doors of  middle school, that they dread when they are asked to read or write?

A few things I am sure of;

“activities” (as they are referred to in elementary school) become “assignments”,

“reading” becomes “homework” and

“discovery” becomes “research”.                                                                

And I suggest that us teachers have the power to change that mentality.

        How?

We can show our students how we engage ourselves in the reading and writing process and how we are passionate about our own reading and writing by:

·        sharing good literature and reading aloud to our students on a regular basis

·        humanizing authors by reading about them and their passions for writing

·        writing in our writer’s notebooks, as our students write

·        sharing our notebooks with our students

·        encourage risk taking by reducing the assessment of every written word

What other ways can we show our students our passions and that we are lifelong readers and writers? How can we revise the ideas in our middle school classrooms that reading and writing are nothing but classroom tasks?

We want all of our middle school students asking, “When are you going to read to us again?”

Author Studies can help students find a mentor author who can serve as a model and inspiration over and over again. Ask professional writers about a mentor author, and they will likely point to more than one writer who motivated them to write or keep reading.   In What You Know by Heart, Katie Wood Ray writes about how one book by Cynthia Rylant, The Whales, taught her more than 30 things about writing.  When a writer finds an author who inspires them to read more, to analyze writing, to incorporate writing techniques they've observed into their own writing, then that writer has found a mentor who can help them take their writing to a whole new level.  Cynthia Rylant, Patricia Polacco and Donald Crews are just a few of our favorites.  Who are some authors that inspire you?  And why?

In the New York area?  Check out Schoolwide’s upcoming Literacy Workshop focusing on Authors Studies in Grades K-5.

http://www.schoolwideworkshops.com/May.html

We know from working with teachers in our area and surrounding states that they are being asked to teach biographies to their students, and in turn, have them write biographies.  Yet, when we ask teachers what they want their students to know as a result of reading and studying this genre, teachers themselves are unclear.  What is biography and whyshould students read and discuss them?

In actuality, here’s where the real work begins.  Biographies can take several different formats and structures.  For example, a biography may contain a number of chapters and chronicle an individual’s life from birth to death.  Other biographies may only focus on one or two main events in the person’s life and present the information in a picture book format.  Some recently published biographies convey information through verse or poetry. In fact, when the American Library Association announced its 2009 book and media award winners last week, biographies written in a variety of styles were among the winners.

If students are going to be asked to write in this genre, it’s imperative that they be exposed to a number of biographies written in different formats.  Teachers need to know that biographies take many “shapes and sizes” and are appropriate as well as engaging for students of all ages and reading levels.  Through exposure and study of the many presentation forms of biographies, students come to understand that they have choices when developing their own biographical text. Check out these amazing titles as you prepare for your own biography genre study.  If you and your students have a favorite biography or two, let us know.  We’d like to hear what texts you are using in your biography genre study.

Barretta, Gene. (2006).  Now and Ben: The modern inventions ofBenjamin Franklin.  New York:Henry Holt and Company. (picture book – prose)

Bryan, Jen. (2008).  A river of words: The story of WilliamCarlos Williams.  Illus. byMelissa Sweet.  Grand Rapids, MI:Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. (picture book – prose)

*This was named a 2009 Caldecott Honor Book. 

Kerley, Barbara. (2008).  What to do about Alice?: How Alice Rooseveltbroke the rules, charmed the world, and drove her father Teddy crazy.  Illus. by Edwin Fotheringham.  New York: Scholastic Press.  (picture book – prose)

*This was named a 2009 Sibert Honor Book.

Krull, Kathleen. (2003).  Harvesting hope: The story of Cesar Chavez.  Illus. by Yuyi Morales.  San Diego: Harcourt. (picture book –prose)

*This was named a 2004 Pura Belpre Honor Book.

Stone, Tanya Lee, & Gibbon, Rebecca.  (2008).  Elizabeth leads theway: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the right to vote.  New York: Henry Holt and Company.(picture book – prose)

Weatherford, Carole Boston.  (2008).  Becoming Billie Holiday.  Illus. by Floyd Cooper.  Honesdale, PA: Wordsong.  (poetry – older readers)

*This was named a 2009 Coretta Scott King Honor Book forAuthor.

Weatherford, Carole Boston.  (2008).  Before John was a jazz giant: A song of JohnColtrane.  Illus. by SeanQualls.  New York: Henry Holt andCompany. (picture book – prose)

*This book was named a 2009 Coretta Scott King Honor Bookfor Illustration.

Weatherford, Carole Boston.  (2008).  I, Matthew Henson.  Illus. by Eric Velasquez. New York:Walker and Company. (picture book – prose)

This past week I spent a day with a small group of teachers.  I had met with them twice before but in a different location selected by their district curriculum director. This time I was in their school. During the previous sessions I spent most of the time talking about using a picture book to “think aloud” about how you would introduce a reading strategy and link it to a test taking strategy. I repeatedly used the term “think-aloud”.

When I had the session in their building I modeled one of the lessons we talked about with a group of fifth graders. After the lesson one of the teachers said to me, “I wasn’t really that familiar with the term “think aloud” when we talked in the other sessions, but when you modeled it during the lesson and we discussed what you did after the lesson I really got to understand what you were talking about.”

I realized that it doesn’t matter if the student is nine or 29 both need to be in comfortable surroundings with a teacher they trust before they will open up about their confusions. Doesn’t it make you think about how districts allocate professional development money?

The first time I walk into a school I often hear things like: “Staying the night?” or “Are you going on a trip?” My suitcase is quite deceiving at first.  Inside my well worn suitcase is a bundle of books. Anywhere from 10-30. My job as a literacy consultant takes me from school to school, district to district, state to state. I recently realized that during the past 13 years of teaching teachers I have never gone into a school without books. Maybe it’s because I am often an outsider and my books offer comfort, like a familiar friend or companion.

Like many teachers I know, I am book obsessed. I can never have enough books and as many books as I know (and I know a lot), there are always new ones to discover.

My work this year has been largely focused on primary writing. When I read a children’s book I start to imagine how it can empower the young writers I encounter. That’s why this excerpt from Choice Words by Peter Johnston spoke to me.

Children becoming literate need to learn the significant features of text, how it is organized, how it relates to spoken language, how to recognize the little tricks authors use to compel readers, when to use which sort of written language, and so forth. However, no learner can afford to be dependent on the teacher for everything that needs to be noticed, so teachers have to teach children to look for possibilities. . 

Books are an essential part of writing workshop. As a writing teacher, I have been reading books differently for many years. I read like a writer.  As soon as I hold a book in my hands I can’t help but think of all the writing possibilities it holds and I can’t wait to share the possibilities with my students. I want them to look at a published book by an author we admire and think, “I can do that!”

I read or I should say re-read for the tenth time, Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems, to my son’s kindergarten class. Knuffle Bunny is one of those books that holds so many writing possibilities for kindergartners. Together we started to notice all the cool stuff Mo does with his words and pictures. I would stop periodically and think aloud. “I’m noticing Mo’s black and white photographs and drawings.  The photos show where Trixie is and the drawings show Trixie.”  Ali points out, “I notice that sometimes the people are coming out of the picture, like that man jogging.”

Together we notice a lot of interesting things Mo does. This is some of what we noticed:

• He use bold print when he want to emphasize a word or idea.
• He uses  speech bubbles to show characters talking
• he uses different punctuation (., !,?, ….)
• he does zoom in or close up pictures
• his characters facial expressions show the reader how they feel.
• He uses interesting words (“boneless”)
• He tells a “time when…” story from beginning to middle to end.
• His dedication tells us this story came from his life.

The best part of this read aloud, actually it was more like a shared reading (the kids memorized most of the words), was when I opened the book and Mark said, “Look! Mrs Cohen there is pictures of Knuffle Bunny in the washing machine!”

 

“Aha. Why do you think Mo did that?”

“He is giving us a clue about what is going to happen in the book!” proclaims Wade.

I respond, “Wow, what a cool thing for him to do, he puts a clue page before the book even begins! I wonder if Mo does that in his other books or if other authors do that too.”

“Do you think you might want to try this when you make books?”  Of course they reply, “YES!”

These children know how to read like writers. They know how to notice and name the writer and/or illustrator’s techniques. They know they are part of a community of writers and that community includes their good friend Mo Willems. 

That night I asked my son Zach if he liked when mommy came in to read. He said yes mom and you know something, you’re a good “noticer”.