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 :)