What I Know For Sure

Hello!

     Happy Holiday vacation to those of you who are off and able to relax!  During breaks, I always like to take time for myself and READ!  Already, I have been able to finish one book that I think should be read by everyone, whether you are a teacher, student, parent, or not.  Oprah's What I Know for Sure was an uplifting, motivating and inspiring book with great life lessons for all.  Even though I read it for personal pleasure, as always, I can relate many of the pieces of advice to teaching and feel that teachers should instill these thoughts in their classrooms.  Below are some of the many lessons that could be applied to teaching or students:

(http://us.macmillan.com/static/fib/whatIknowforsure/)

• On page 6, Oprah says "Being aware of, and creating, four- and five-star experiences makes you blessed."  Bringing this to our students' attention and having them set a purpose for the day will allow them to become more goal-oriented and notice the great things that happen throughout their school day as well as bring more joy to their own lives. Having students mentally think (or they can physically write down) a five-star experience that could happen to them throughout their day, and then reflect back at its' conclusion can allow the students to recognize wonderful situations that occur.  Additionally, on page 75 Oprah discusses her gratitude journal where she writes down five things in which she is grateful that happened throughout the day.  Combining Oprah's gratitude journal with her idea for creating five-star experiences will allow students to enjoy their time in school even more and be thankful for the opportunities that are given to them.
• Throughout Oprah's career, she constantly mentions how everyone needs to be heard.  That is the sole need of all and shows how we value others.  Children need to be heard also and yet they are usually the first to be silenced.  Allowing students to share pieces of their lives during morning meetings or reading what they have written in their journals (if they allow it) is a great way to give children a voice and show that they have been heard.
• Giving is one of the most important things that we can do in life.  It is a selfish act because the giver feels just as wonderful, if not more so, than the person receiving the giving!  Introducing the act of giving to children is imperative for students in order to create a habit that will last a lifetime.  Having students decide who and how they want to give is crucial for it to be a significant experience.  Oprah's lifelong passion is to give to others and this easily can be translated into simple opportunities for students to do the same.
• On page 129, Oprah mentioned a quote from Elie Wiesel, "In the word question, there is a beautiful word- quest.  I love that word."  This reminded me of problem- based learning tasks that we assign our students throughout the year.  When students are given these tasks, the questions that arise from them lead the students on a quest to find the answers.  Having a task that is intriguing, motivating, and inspiring is what education should be all about.  I love this quote and am going to use it at the start of all of my problem-based learning units.
• Finally, the most important piece of advice from Oprah that teachers can give to their students is this: When you get the chance, go for it.  Students need to hear this mantra every day so that they know that they can be and do anything in which they put their minds.  Having that motivation gives students the power to succeed in all that they can dream.  Oprah quotes Paulo Coelho by saying "When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."  This is crucial for students to learn and feel at a young age.

     Oprah is influential to everyone, but children can take away her lessons as well.  When adults hear Oprah's advice, we sometimes have to revert back to ourselves prior to creating bad habits.  Children do not share in these habits so it is easier for them to receive and act upon the messages.  Including these easy ideas from Oprah into your classroom will help students to "lead their best lives" while they are learning in your room as well as when they leave to continue their journey.

     Enjoy!

Conferencing with Students

Hello!

     A few years ago, a great friend and teacher introduced me to the Daily 5.  I was teaching 5th grade at the time and did not realize how it could be applied to this age group.  Quickly and easily, together we modified a few aspects and found that my students enjoyed Language Arts ten times more than they did previously and that I was able to work so much easier with small groups or students one on one.  I immediately fell in love and have been applying the Daily 5 procedure in my classroom ever since.  The creators of the Daily 5, The 2 Sisters named Gail Boushey and Joan Moser, have a great website with tips and tricks that are emailed weekly.  I joined the newsletter and find their passion for teaching inspiring.  
     Recently, their weekly newsletter discussed conferencing with students individually in writing and reading.  This is one of my favorite things to do with my students because I find so much valuable information about their strengths and the challenges that they are having.  The article mentioned even more specifics about how conferring benefits students.

• It builds relationships by giving children our deserved and undivided attention.
• It allows us to differentiate, set goals, monitor progress, and establish the next steps.
• We can collect essential data.

     After reading the article and agreeing wholeheartedly, I continued to scroll and saw that there was a link to The Daily Cafe website.  Here, there is a video which gives a great way to organize data collected from reading and writing workshops and conferences as well as all the sheets they utilized too!  What a wealth of information!  Currently, I use Fontas and Pinnell's conferencing sheet which is helpful but these will certainly be added to my process.  I strongly recommend you clicking HERE to access The Daily Cafe website and gather these treasures for yourself.

(Snapshot taken of the video on The Daily Cafe's website for conferring and the Writer's Notebook)

(Snapshot taken of the Conference Record Form found in Fountas and Pinnell's book Guiding Readers and Writers (Grades 3-6): Teaching Comprehension, Genre and Content Literacy)

     I would love to hear about your conferencing tips and tricks as well as what organizational method works for you.  Why do you love this essential part of the Language Arts block?

     Enjoy using all of these resources during your next reading and writing workshop time!

Herve Tullet

Hello!

     Being that I subscribe to every publisher, author, and book review under the sun, I kept seeing praise for a book called Push Here by Herve Tullet.  It has been on the New York Times bestsellers list for 3 YEARS so I could not believe that I had not heard of it.  
     My research about Herve Tullet and Press Here was extremely interesting.  Tullet is a French author that also illustrates all of his books.  In regards to specifics about Press Here, it has been translated into more than thirty languages, been made into a board game and even has an app for people to interact.  What is so amazing about this book?!?!  The next day, I went straight to the bookstore to find out more about this mysterious book and author for myself.

(http://www.amazon.com/Press-Here-Herve-Tullet/dp/0811879542/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418087522&sr=8-1&keywords=push+here)

     Press Here is an interactive book.  Each page tells the reader to do an action and then the outcome is shown on the following page.  For example, when you tap the dot in the center of the page twice, the next page shows two dots.  It is pretty exciting to do as the author requests and then to see it happen in a hardcover book.  This is something that you might see with an automated book on an iPad but definitely has never been done with a paper book.  It is truly something that you must experience for yourself and you will smile the entire time as you are reading.

     While flipping through this book, I pondered ways in which it could be used in the classroom.  Easily, it could be used in a lower elementary classroom to engage students and teach them about predictions.  When reading the book, there is a pattern that emerges and it would be fun for students to guess what is going to happen next when they follow the directions.  As a read aloud, students would love coming up to the book to do as the author requests.  In the older elementary classroom, teachers could use this to show students how they must always interact with the text and be an active, rather than passive, reader.  Even though this would be read at a much faster pace and seem extremely simplistic for this age group, using it to demonstrate how text should always be interacted with (even if you are not physically touching it) would be a beneficial lesson, especially at the beginning of the year.

(http://www.amazon.com/Mix-Up-Herve-Tullet/dp/1452137358/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418089733&sr=8-1&keywords=mix+it+up)

     After reading Push Here, I had to see other books by Herve Tullet.  Mix It Up is the sequel to Push Here.  Just like the first one, Mix It Up has the reader follow directions and the outcome to the action is shown on the following page.  Unlike Push Here, which focused on numbers and patterns, Mix It Up involves colors and shades. An art class could certainly use this to show what happens when colors are mixed or when white and black are added to a color.  Especially if a teacher does not have the materials or is uncomfortable with allowing students to experiment with paint, Mix It Up can help students to test theories about color without getting messy.

(http://www.amazon.com/Help-Need-Title-Herve-Tullet/dp/0763670219/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418090260&sr=8-1&keywords=help+we+need+a+title)

     My favorite Herve Tullet book is Help!  We Need a Title!  This book not only has adorable, kid-like illustrations, but the author himself makes a cameo as a character in the story!  As soon as the book is opened, the characters immediately start talking to the reader.  The interaction between the reader and the characters reminded me of a few Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggie books where it feels like they are talking directly to you.  The premise of this book is that the characters want to put together a story to entertain us, the reader.  In order to do so, they need to create a few important story elements such as a setting, plot and even a protagonist.  Each of the characters is unique and would make any child (or adult, for that matter) smile with their quirky personalities.  After awhile, they cannot think of any story ideas so they have to call in the main man himself, Herve Tullet!  As a half picture/half drawing, Tullet comes into the story and saves the day, even though the picky characters are not 100% happy with the outcome.

     For any grade level, students would love to read this book independently or have it read to them.  It could also be used to teach a myriad of writing skills from story elements to characterization to dialogue.  Even taking Herve Tullet's "so-so" story (as the characters describe it) and adding more suspense and action using the foundation that is given would be a creative writing project for older students.  All around Help!  We Need a Title!  is a highly recommended read for teachers, parents and students of all ages.

     I am so happy that I took the time to not only find Push Here, but then to seek out other books by Herve Tullet.  He is certainly an imaginative, unique, and innovative author that brings hardcover books back to life.  Enjoy reading these and others by this incredible author!

Blogs!

Hello!

     Summers are wonderful for teachers not only for the rest and relaxation that comes along with it, but for the time we are now allowed to study and research on teaching topics that we usually cannot afford throughout the year!  One of the items that I researched this summer were teacher blogs.  I receive so many emails about other teaching blogs that I was interested in checking them out.  Hearing about them last year also gave me the idea to start one of my own!
     With the thousands of blogs on the web today, where did I begin?!  Scholastic has created a list of their Top 14 Teacher Blogs which was a great resource for me.  This is where I found one of my favorite blogs, A Year of Reading.

(http://readingyear.blogspot.com/)

     A Year of Reading has a countless number of kid book reviews.  The bloggers on this site are two teachers; one in 5th and another in 3rd.  The slight difference in their grade levels allows them to review a myriad of children's books from all ages.  Sometimes, they even include an adult book or two.  :) There is such a variety that many are some in which I have never even heard!  I love reading about books that might not be on the Bestsellers List but are still great resources to use in the classroom. This blog also includes poetry, uses for the poems and books that are reviewed, book lists, author and illustrator websites as well as a list of blogs that the bloggers follow.  This is where I found another blog that I find is filled with great information, The Nerdy Book Club.

(http://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/)

     Besides the fact that I LOVE the title of this blog, it is quite unique because it involves various book reviewers rather than just the creators.  The Nerdy Book Club blog asks other bloggers to submit reviews, top ten lists, and posts about their reading lives.  They are reviewed and if chosen, are posted on the blog.  This format gives multiple bibliophiles the opportunity to be published with a wide variety of tastes, styles, and interests.  If the reviewers have a blog, that is also featured.  Maybe I will be featured on the blog one day.... :)

(http://stepintosecondgrade.blogspot.com/)

     When I was told that I was moving to second grade from 4th and 5th, I truly did not know where to begin.  In order to combat some of my anxiety, I started researching information on the Internet right away.  One of the first resources that I found was from Amy Lemons, a second grade teacher in the south.  Her blog, Step Into Second Grade, is so much fun and made me love my grade change right away!  Her ideas are innovative, creative, and engaging.  I have already taken many from her website and used them in my classroom immediately.  My students LOVE the activities!  One that Lemons created was using the text, The Recess Queen.  What a great book to start the beginning of the year to teach about kindness, respect, school rules, and community.  She posts almost daily and includes student work, pictures, and links if she found her ideas from another website.  Many of her resources are located on Teachers Pay Teachers and a few are even freebies!  She is certainly a dedicated teacher who is passionate about her job; it shines through her blog!

(http://www.3rdgradethoughts.com/)

     Finally, through Pinterest I came across the blog Third Grade Thoughts by a teacher named Stephanie.  I utilized this blog often when I taught 4th and 5th grade due to variety of Daily 5 activities that she posts.  Even though she teaches 3rd grade, I was easily able to modify them to meet my older students' needs.  Now that I am in second grade, it is easier to use the ideas as is.  Just like Step Into Second Grade, the Third Grade Thoughts blog posts pictures of student work to show exactly how it has been used in her classroom.  She also works with Teachers Pay Teachers but many of her items I have gotten as freebies.  Additionally, Stephanie's blog has been featured in many different organizations such as NBC News, Scholastic's Parent & Child magazine, and Really Good Stuff catalog.  This is another great blog to check out!

     I would love to learn about more successful and helpful blogs that I could use in the classroom.  Please feel free to share as well as enjoy the ones I have posted today!

Project-Based Learning

Hello!

    2nd Grade has taken up a lot of my time but I have been thinking about this blog everyday!  Time to get back into things!
     Project-Based Learning is on the forefront of everyone's mind, especially since our Core Curriculum Content Standards as well as our teacher rubrics during observations focus on this type of learning as being more effective.  This means that we as teachers have to change our style of teaching to one where students are at the center and are problem solving.  This is a very different approach from one where students are used to being passive and were "fed" the information rather than interacting with it.  My district had IDE Corp (Innovative Design for Education) come to our school to teach us how to make a problem-based learning classroom.  My training ended some years ago and now that I have moved grade levels, I have been trying to get back into this type of learning and teaching, especially since I saw that my students were much more engaged in the material and focused on working together to solve a common and relevant problem.

(http://bie.org/)

     A great site that I explored in my graduate class was BIE (Buck Institute of Education)'s website which is completely about problem-based learning.  Not only does it explain the concept, but it gives countless websites and resources for teachers to utilize in their own classrooms.  One of the sites I am looking into now is about communities.  This is a topic we discuss in the second grade.  On the site, it gives me a week by week plan of what the model classroom did, gives examples of books that were used in the unit, and even uploaded the final project of a class magazine.  This is all available for teacher's to use and modify for their own needs.
     Another PBL that I viewed was for the upper grades.  It made an "Amazing Race" type project for students to study different continents and countries around the globe.  Even though the 5th grade does not study this content, they do study the regions of the United States.  Taking a PBL such as the "Amazing Race" idea and modifying it to fit the 5th grade curriculum would be easy to do with all of the materials offered on the site.
     One criticism I have of BIE is that it is not as user-friendly as I would like.  There is so much to offer but the viewer definitely has to take some time to look around and see what works with his/her classroom as well as where certain resources are located.  If you take the time, you will find a wealth of information.

     If you have used the site or are instructing in a problem-based learning classroom, I would love to hear your successes, troubles, advice, and sites that you use to develop your units.
     Enjoy!

Picture Books From This Summer

Hello!

    I have taken a little summer hiatus, however, now I am back!  And even though I have not written on the blog in a few months, I have certainly continued reading books that my students would enjoy and thinking about great activities to do in the new school year ahead. Here are some new picture books that can be used for multiple grade levels:

(http://www.amazon.com/Monkey-Goes-Bananas-C-P-Bloom/dp/1419708856)

     The Monkey Goes Bananas by C.P. Bloom is a wordless book with humor, action, and suspense.  Kids of all ages would find it hysterical and would be so excited to turn the page and find out what happens.  Besides the basic idea of story telling and having the students explain what is happening on each page and why, this book is perfect to teach inferencing and predictions based on the illustrations.  Speech and Language Pathologists would find this picture book perfect of their lessons since students would have to be detailed in explaining why the monkey acts the way he does and what they think the consequences of his actions may be.  Students will love the silly ideas that the monkey has but also the unlikely ending.

(http://www.amazon.com/Fairy-Trails-Susan-Middleton-Elya/dp/1582349274/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407788801&sr=8-1&keywords=fairy+trails)

     Fairy Trails by Susan Middleton Elya is a book that incorporates exactly what you would think from the title and cover illustration: fairy tales! I love fairy tales but this book gives an additional twist; not only does it rhyme but it incorporates spanish words throughout!  It's perfect for teaching students some simple spanish words, especially since they can guess the meaning of the word based on the context of the story.  Spanish teachers who instruct on basic spanish words would love it for multiple grade levels.  The storyline is also cute being that the two main characters meet different fairy tales throughout which help them accomplish their main goal.  It was fun for me to ask my student which fairy tale the characters were in on each page and even read to her the ones that were unfamiliar to expand on her learning and help her understand the story even better.

(http://www.amazon.com/The-Eraserheads-Kate-Banks/dp/0374399204/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407789439&sr=8-1&keywords=the+eraserheads)

     One of the most clever stories with the most detailed illustrations is the book The Eraserheads by Kate Banks.  It takes you through a day in the life of erasers with a little boy who loves to draw.  The three erasers have big jobs on their hands but learn to love their "gifts" and "talents" in the end even though they have many struggles throughout the way.  I actually found this book to be geared more towards the older grades.  It is perfect for teaching message and theme with 4th, 5th and 6th graders and to have them use the text and illustrations to support their ideas.

(http://www.amazon.com/Slam-Tale-Consequences-Adam-Stower/dp/1771470070/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407790299&sr=8-1&keywords=slam%21+a+book+of+consequences)

     Finally, the last book that I have read this summer that would be excellent to use with students in the upcoming school year is the book titled Slam!  A Tale of Consequences by Adam Stower.  This is another wordless book (these types of books are quite popular this year!) with lots of details and adventure.  From the beginning, the main character's first action causes a ripple effect into lots of other actions that change the entire town.  The boy is so focused on his own life, and is completely tuned out to the world around him due to the headphones that he wears, that he misses all of the events!  This book would be perfect to teach students cause and effect, onomatopoeias (since the only words are "bam!" and "whack!"), and have the students explain the point of view from each character that was affected in some way by the first event.  It could also be used to show students how being "present" in their own lives and focusing on the world around you is so important so you do not miss something exciting!  This is a great lesson to start teaching our students now, especially since the whole world seems to be focused on technology rather than the experiences that surround them.


     While planning lessons for the upcoming school year, take a look at these books to incorporate in your teaching.  Adding something new to your plans can keep you fresh as a teacher and excited about the new year ahead!

Scholastic Summer Reading

(http://247moms.com/2013/05/4-free-summer-reading-programs/)

Hello!

     Since it is almost May, summer is right around the corner!  This means sun, relaxation, and READING!  There is no better time than to read over the summer.  Since students are not in school during this time, teachers need to get them into the routine of reading prior to leaving us to start their vacation.

     Last year, I enrolled my class in the free Scholastic Summer Reading Program.  It is a very easy online program that has many incentives for students to read during the summer.  The teacher has to put the students' names into his/her account, but otherwise, that is all he/she has to do!  Once the students receive their usernames and passwords, they can log on to their accounts and add minutes after they have read.  Throughout the summer, Scholastic sets goals for the students to achieve and if they do so, they receive tokens on their "walls" and unlock games that relate to books.  Scholastic also created an introductory letter to send home to parents, letters to send home throughout the course of the summer to remind families about the program, and book lists for parents and students to get recommendations.  What is even better is that Scholastic allows you to begin the challenge in May which helps to get the students into a routine before the vacation begins.  There is so much to keep students motivated on this site and I loved participating last year!  

     I cannot wait to get my students enrolled in this program once again!  As you can see, it is student and teacher-friendly, exciting, and keeps kids engaged in reading throughout the long, hot summer months so that they are ready to start in September.  
     Please feel free to share ways you keep your students learning through the summer.  Enjoy using the Scholastic Summer Reading Program!

Erica :)

The Best Wordless Book EVER

Hello!

     Through my search of wordless books, I have come across many that I enjoyed and some of which I believe words would have made them more exciting.  Today I am going to share my favorite of all the wordless books I have "read" and then I am going to take a break from this topic and start reading books with words once again. :)

(http://www.bigpicturepress.net/our-books/welcome-to-mamoko/)

     Welcome to Mamoko by Aleksandra Mizielińska and Daniel Mizieliński, is a wordless book with many stories in one.  On the first page, the authors introduce you to the interesting and unique characters you are going to meet throughout the book with a question relating to each one's adventure (some examples are: Mrs. Full Wool who is a grandma sheep or The Hop Family, a family of 5 rabbits).  Then you turn the page and are astounded by the picture you see.  Not only is it filled with lots of details (think Where's Waldo or I Spy) but it is the beginning of the day in the town of Mamoko.  As you flip the pages and find the characters, they continue their daily activities as they go around the town.  The characters are fun to follow and you truly do not know how each one is going to end their short but exciting journey.

     This wordless book is great for all ages.  I used this with the younger students I tutor first.  They enjoyed choosing a character in the beginning to follow, exploring the pictures and then identifying the character of their choice on each page, and finally putting the entire story together at the end.  We would also return to the first page to answer the question relating to the character they chose.  Additionally, I could use this with my older students to tell me what happened in the character of their choice's life prior to the start of the book or have them continue the rest of the story.  Finally, I could teach about point of view by having my students write pretending to be one of the characters.  I shared Welcome to Mamoko with my mother who is the speech-language pathologist for my school.  She said that her students enjoyed the book immensely and was able to use it when working on language, especially with predictions and inferencing.  

     All around, this was my favorite wordless book I have come across this year and had to share it with you.  Enjoy working with this excellent book!

Erica :)

2014 Caldecott Award Winners

Hello!

     In January, the Caldecott medals are announced for picture books that have been published during the past year. Back in mid-March, I blogged about a wordless book, Journey, that received a Caldecott honor award.  From reading this fascinating book, I decided to explore the other winners from this year.  Here are the very different and interesting books chosen as the Caldecott winner and honor books.

(http://www.amazon.com/Locomotive-Caldecott-Medal-Brian-Floca/dp/1416994157/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397083828&sr=8-1&keywords=locomotive)

     Locomotive, by Brian Floca, is a highly complex picture book with a vast array of information about how trains work as well as the beginning of travel in the United States.  Students will enjoy the descriptive pictures and history of the time period when Americans expanded the country and were able to communicate with others thousands of miles away for the first time ever.  Facts about the first American railroad are dispersed throughout the book; everything from the types of bathrooms that were on the train (FYI: it was inappropriate to use the train bathroom when it was stopped at a station) to the job of a switchman, who attached the engine to the train and usually did not have all of his fingers due to the dangerous work pushing and pulling the train cars together while holding them in place with links and pins, were included in this publication.  The content and subject matter are not the only unique items in this Caldecott winner; the author uses various fonts to portray sounds of the train which make it visually pleasing.  The Caldecott Committee Chair stated that “The committee was impressed with Floca’s ability to creatively capture the immensity and inner workings of the early locomotive and combine it with a family’s adventurous journey west," and I completely agree.

     This book has many uses for students but I would recommend it for older children, being that the content is of a much higher level even though it is a picture book.  Besides teaching about Westward migration and early American travel, students can learn about the struggles that people go through in order to have a better life, where the beginnings of our transportation and communication system began, as well as the simple machines that are used to make larger machines function.  I would also use this book to teach writing and show the use of onomatopoeias, in addition to displaying how font choice alters the way a piece of writing is read.

(http://www.amazon.com/Flora-Flamingo-Molly-Idle/dp/1452110069/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397085367&sr=8-1&keywords=flora+and+the+flamingo)

     Flora the Flamingo, by Molly Idle, is another Caldecott honor winner for 2014.  This was an interactive, wordless picture book; MUCH different than the winner.  It was interactive in the way that there were flaps to move and reveal the main character, Flora, in different stances, pretending to be a flamingo.  Students of all ages enjoy moving pieces of a book, especially since this is usually not found in books beyond the age of three.  I felt that this book involved friendship from two very unlikely characters.  It also showed the reader how even though "copying" is a form of flattery, being unique is also important as well as helping others who need to learn this lesson.

     This is definitely a story for younger children, especially since the storyline is relatively simple.  Older elementary students would find it too easy a read but would still enjoy the interactive elements.  I would enjoy sharing with my older students the background of the illustrator; she is an artist with a studio.  This can show my students that many professions, not only authors, need to understand story elements and what makes an appealing plot, even if you are not using words.

(http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Wuffles-David-Wiesner/dp/0618756612/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397085394&sr=8-1&keywords=Mr.+wuffles)

     Finally, the last Caldecott honor book for 2014 is Mr. Wuffles by David Wiesner.  Wiesner is not new to the Caldecott circuit; he was a medal winner for his book, Tuesday.  This book is about a group of aliens that are trying to escape from the prying eyes of Mr. Wuffles, the house cat.  This wordless book switches back and forth between the point of view of Mr. Wuffles and the aliens.  Not only are the pictures elaborate and brightly colored, but the alien language that is represented in word bubbles makes the book entertaining.

     This book can easily be used in the classroom with students of all ages.  Younger students will enjoy the storyline and it would be educational for them to retell the story verbally or in written form.  Older students could fill in the word bubbles which currently have alien language.  What would they be saying if they spoke English?  Students would have fun creating the dialogue of the intelligent species.

     It is fascinating for me to find out the Caldecott winning books each year.  Some of the winners I agree wholeheartedly with, and others I am shocked that they would be chosen.  Either way, it is exciting to see the choices and view new publications to use with my class.  Enjoy reading these great new stories!

Erica :)

21st Century Skills

Hello!

    For my graduate class, I had to read articles related to 21st century skills.  These are buzzwords that are heard often in the education field and ones in which teachers must implement in their classrooms in order for their students to be competent citizens and successful in their future workplaces.  When reading the article entitled "'21st-Century' Skills- Not New, but a Worthy Challenge" by Andrew J. Rotherham and Daniel T. Willingham from the periodical American Educator from the Spring 2010 issue, there were many concepts that authors discussed which should be given some reflection.  

• One of those concepts include the fact that many of these 21st century skills are not in fact new.  Critical thinking and problem solving have been around for centuries, from the time of sea exploration to the industrial revolution and further.  What is more meaningful now, is that our economy and the world or dependent upon these skills.
• Since knowledge is constantly changing and being discovered at a rapid pace, teachers cannot be expected to know it all.  Instead of content being the main focus, we need to teach students how to locate and know various ways to understand the information more than the actual information itself.
• Teacher training or professional development programs of the past have never focused on how to teach self-direction, collaboration, creativity, and innovation to students.  Instead, we learn how to teach long-division or the year that the Declaration of Independence was signed.  Students need to be given more opportunities to experience these 21st century skills but teachers also need to learn how to teach them to their students.
• Most teachers do not argue against project-based learning- they already believe that this is a great way to teach.  What teachers do not receive is training in this type of instruction, including lesson plans that deal with high cognitive demands and potential classroom management problems using student-centered methods.  Teachers need to practice these strategies and the chaos that could happen at the beginning of a project-based lesson with tools to help them overcome these challenges.  Otherwise, teachers may abandon these practices which are beneficial to our students' success in the future.

     In a second article, entitled "Comparing Frameworks for '21st Century Skills'" the author, Chris Dede from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, wrote in 2009 that many people and organizations have different views and definitions of 21st century skills.  Just like in the previous article, Dede mentions that the skill of collaboration is not new; society has been using this skill for centuries.  Instead, teachers need to instruct students on how to collaborate with others who they may never meet face-to-face and may be across the world using various forms of technology.

     Dede also mentioned various frameworks that are developing based on these 21st century skills.  One of the frameworks is called the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21).  In this framework, unlike others, there is a section for "life skills".  P21 explains that teachers need to incorporate these into their teaching because they are essential skills that need to be taught in schools.  These skills include:

• leadership
• ethics
• accountability
• adaptability
• personal productivity
• personal responsibility
• people skills
• self-direction
• social responsibility

     Comparing Dede's research to that of Rotherham and Willingham's, how do we teach these skills to students?  What practice and professional development opportunities do teachers need in order to instruct their students on these 21st century skills?  Educators are going to have to reach out to other professions in the field (counselors, psychologists, teachers of the gifted and talented, etc.) to seek their advice and expertise.  Through my own graduate studies and research, I hope to provide some answers.  In the meantime, please feel free to comment and provide insight of your own. 

     Enjoy pondering these thoughts just as I have!

Erica :)

Wordless Books

Hello!

     Back in January, the Caldecott and Newbery medals are announced for books awarded by the American Library Association.  This year one of the honor books was without words!  It made me think that we have to teach our students to analyze all types of art, not just novels and chapter books, but drawings and illustrations as well.  When I learned about this different type of book, I had to check it out of the public library and see how it became an honor winner.  I, of course, wanted to see my students' reactions as well. :)

(http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecottmedal)

     Journey, illustrated by Aaron Becker, is a story about a lonely, unenthused girl who finds a magical red crayon that takes her on adventures all over the world.   The magical crayon helps her to escape drama and trouble as well as erase her boredom.  The illustrations are incredibly and beautifully detailed.  I enjoyed how the colors changed from browns and grays when the main character is at home and jaded, to vibrant and bright when her thoughts come alive.  It has a great message to children about how powerful your imagination is and what happens when it is used.  

     When I gave one of my tutoring clients the book to read, he quickly flipped through the pages, glancing at the illustrations briefly.  When I told him that we were going to discuss the story when he was finished, he flipped back to the first page and focused on each one slowly and carefully.  Just like a picture book with words or a novel, wordless books have to be comprehended with as much, if not more, focus.  After reading it, this child commented that it is similar to Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson.  I agree but Journey has a much more advanced storyline. :)

     Even though this book lacks words, it can certainly be used in the classroom.  Candlewick Press created questions that could be used with younger students and a trailer!  Some of the questions include: Where does the red door lead?  Who are the people who greet the girl?  How do the canals work in this city?  What other transportation methods are there?  Who wants the purple bird?  Why? Older students could create the words for the story and students with difficulties could retell the story verbally.  Analyzing the pictures and how they aid in understanding the story is also a great way to connect to the Common Core standards.

     This is the one minutes book trailer from Candlewick Press.  It is a great motivator to use before starting the lesson and certainly will intrigue any student to want to check it out.

(http://www.amazon.com/Sidewalk-Circus-Paul-Fleischman/dp/076362795X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1395176435&sr=1-1&keywords=sidewalk+circus)

   Sidewalk Circus by Paul Fleischman is another wordless book that is incredibly entertaining.  It did not win a Caldecott medal like Journey but is similar in the fact that both show the power of imagination.  This book follows a day in the life of a young girl who starts by seeing announcements for a circus coming to her town.  As she sits and looks about, she sees that the circus acts are already around her.  The girl doesn't have to go to the circus, she can be entertained just by looking throughout her world!  I love how this book shows ordinary people doing everyday activities but the girl sees action and adventure!  
     When viewing this book, another one of my tutoring clients said how this book showed the power of looking at the world in a positive light and how it can make everything seem different.  So powerful and what an uplifting message!  He also loved pointing out the subtleties in the pictures and how the longer you look, the more "hidden" realizations you will make about what the child sees and what is actually there.
     Just like Journey, students can write the words to this book as well as analyze the illustrations.  Sidewalk Circus also uses colors to tell the story- when focusing on the main character in the beginning, the character is in color while the world around her is in shadows.  Helping students to notice these decisions made by the illustrator will help them "close read" and analyze the pictures for deeper comprehension.


Enjoy viewing and "reading" these literary works of art, wordless books!

Erica :)

Graphic Novels- Part 1

Hello!

     Looking around my classroom the other day, I noticed that almost every single student was reading a graphic novel!  They were enthralled and intrigued with what they were reading, talking to each other about their books, and sharing parts that were interesting.  I was shocked because usually one or two students like this type of book format but not the whole class!  Girls, boys, struggling readers, and readers who like a challenge- they were all in love!  I had to learn more about this new phenomenon right away!  So in order to educate myself I went to the public library and checked out a variety of graphic novels and now I understand their appeal- they are hysterical, entertaining, exciting, and filled with knowledge all at the same time.  Here are some of the ones I read for you to share in your own classroom.

(Found on: http://www.andyrunton.com/owly/)

     When I first started reading Owly: Flying Lessons, I found it extremely difficult to comprehend.  This was one of my first graphic novels and it did not have any words!  Even when the characters "spoke" they communicated their feelings and thoughts through pictures!  Looking at the comics, I was not able to follow the storyline.  Then, I started saying the story in my head and found it to be fascinating! It is certainly a completely different way to comprehend a story and took a lot more concentration than a regular novel.  Owly has the most adorable characters that are lovable, have great friendships with one another even though they are very different creatures, and has a strong message at the end.  This series is perfect for students who are learning a second language, readers who struggle, or children who do not like to read.  It will certainly give them the confidence to pick up a book and not feel embarrassed by all of the pictures.

 (Found on: http://www.littleblogofstories.com/2012/11/lunch-lady-for-president.html)

     The Lunch Lady series came as a strong recommendation from my students.  I was a little skeptical as to whether I would like a book about a superhero lunch lady but once I started reading, I could not put it down.  It was action-packed, filled with funny food lines ("Oh doughnuts!" and "Sweet potatoes!"), realistic students, clever villains, and an unlikely but lovable superhero.  I laughed out loud when reading about her "weapons" (a hair net that grows larger when thrown and wraps around villains, fish stick nunchucks, and chicken nugget bombs) and was captivated by the plot throughout the whole novel.  This series would certainly be enjoyed by readers of all ages, young and old.

(Found on: https://www.capstonepub.com/product/9780736865531)

     The Graphic History series was one that I found on my own in the public library.  It includes varies events in United States history, from the Salem Witch Trials to how Betsy Ross created the American flag, plus many other topics.  In the graphic novel that I read, The Story of the Star-Spangled Banner, there was so much interesting information with great pictures to help the reader understand exactly what is happening.  Some of the fascinating facts that I learned was that the "Star-Spangled Banner" was not the original name (the previous name was "The Defence of Fort McHenry"), when it was written by Francis Scott Key it was a four verse poem but we only sing the first verse, and the Armistead Family (the family who kept the earliest American flag that inspired the song prior to it being housed in the Smithsonian) gave pieces of the flag to guests to take with them as keepsakes!  Eight feet of the material is missing due to this.  Plus there are many other facts that I had never learned in my classes growing up.  These graphic novels are perfect to use with any history lesson.

     Enjoy checking out these great graphic novels and using them in your classroom.  Many more recommendations to come!

Erica :)