It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 9.29.14

This weekly post comes from Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers.  It's a great source to find new books to use with your students.

Oh my, I think this was the least amount of books read in a week in a very very long time.  They were some great books, but not much reading happened this week!  Here are some quick reviews:

Picture Books


The Farmer and the Clown by Marla Frazee
4/5 stars
I was a little nervous with a clown being one of the main characters but Frazee can make even clowns be ok! Sweet story, pull on your heart strings story, worthy of multiple reads.

Middle Grade


Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
5/5 stars
Dyslexia is a hot topic in education right now. We have new legislation and it seems more and more parents and students are using the word. But what is it and how does it really affect a learner?
Lynda Mullaly Hunt has done her homework and applies it beautifully to her character, Ally. I know so many teachers will recognize Ally, as well as many students will see Ally in themselves or in a peer. 
Your heart breaks for Ally and it celebrates each of her achievements. 
Fantastic book.

Graphic Novels


Smile by Raina Telgemeier
5/5 stars
In getting ready to read Sisters, I picked this book up to look at again. I remember purchasing it over two years ago and my daughter promptly took it over. Guess I never got it back to read because only the first few pages were familiar!
Can't say anything new about this fantastic memoir told in a graphic novel format. Except maybe I don't think Raina wrote this for kids. I think the targeted audience was for all the adults who grew up in the 80s and 90s. Wow, a Silver Spoons reference??? The good 'ol days..

Currently Reading and On Deck

      

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday 9.24.14

We know that a big part of the CCSS is to include more informational texts into ourstudents' reading.  I quickly discovered I had a "gap" in my reading diet - the genre of informational texts!  To help me fill the gap this year, I am going to participate in Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesdays!  This is a great link-up hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy.  Please visit this website to see other educator's link-ups.  My goal is to read at least one informational text each week and post information on the blog.  The more books and subjects I read, the more I can encourage (my #OLW for 2014) other teachers to use in their classroom! 

A couple of new NFPB came in for me at the library this week.


Viva Frida by Yuyi Morales
3/5 stars
I have been intrigued by this book since it appeared on Betsy Bird's potential Caldecott list back in late summer.  My interest was piqued after seeing a variety of reviews come in since then.  My library finally got it in and I was excited to dig in.  Hmmmm.  It was interesting.  My first read of the story I was intrigued by the interesting use of puppets and paintings for the illustrations.  The text is very simple, but interesting that the Spanish translation is included.  After the first read, I felt like I didn't really understand anymore of who Frido Kahlo was.  After reading the Author's Note in the back, I felt like I had a little more information.  After reading that, I went back for a second read.  This time the simple text made more sense and I found more meaning in the illustrations.  I still found this picture book lacking in details of Frida's life, but it was definitely a celebration of artistry found within the illustrations.  It will be interesting at award time to see if it will get recognition.


Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes by Nicola Davies
5/5 stars
Before reading this, I really don't remember studying microbes in school.  I'm sure I did, it sounds like something to do with biology, but I could not give you a definition.  Davies does an incredible job explaining microbes - tiny, living creatures that look different and have different jobs on our planet.  The illustrations work so well to make the learning visual for young readers.  I think this book would make a fantastic mentor text for central message/key details.  This is a book I will be adding to my personal collection!

SoLSC Why is the best PD in your PJs? 9.23.14

 

Slice of Life is a weekly event hosted by Two Writing Teachers.

This past weekend I sat down to participate in The Educator Collaborative Gathering.  Completely free for educators, as a gift from The Ed Collab, it was a day promising to be "PD in your PJ's"!  

What an amazing morning!  How often, in one day, can you say you learned from so many fantastic educators?  Some highlights:

• reminders from Donalyn Miller about using nonfiction literature.  Not only the importance of it, but how to make it fun and engaging, how to find the right kind of literature that kids want to read.  It reminded me of titles I want to pull out and use with students.
• Learning from Kathy Collins about how to challenge our youngest readers.  Just because they are learning to read doesn't mean they can't be asked higher level questions and push their thinking!  I love the idea of the talk and think bubbles - perfect for wordless picture books and making illustrations match the text!
• Two ideas that have been floating around in my head - kidblogs and wonderopolis.  Kristin Ziemke mentioned both of them and reminded me to start using them now!
• Jennifer Serravallo pushed my thinking about getting kids thinking and assessing them when using whole novels.  So often we see kids who are not able to carry thoughts from the start of a novel to the end and their thinking gets lost.  She discussed 4 fiction strands that you want to make sure kids have a grasp on and can use when reading novels.  Definitely something I want to think further about and figure out how I can implement it at school!

Did you miss this day?  Want to see the sessions?  Visit this link and see the great presentations from all of the sessions.  I know there are more sessions I'm going to watch and revisit the ones I already saw - so many great ideas, need to watch them all again!

Did you watch some sessions?  What did you learn?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 9.22.14

This weekly post comes from Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers.  It's a great source to find new books to use with your students.

Don't you love finding a new book or a new series?  Something you're excited to share with students?  Lots of great reading this week!

Picture Books


Frances Dean Who Loved to Dance and Dance by Birgitta Sif
4/5 stars
I loved the illustrations and the colors used in this story!  It has a very sweet central message and one important that all young children should know - believe in yourself, don't worry about what others are thinking!  I thought the writing was lacking a little.  I thought maybe there would be a bigger story line between Frances and the girl who loved music.


Julia's House for Lost Creatures by Ben Hatke
4/5 stars
I know this book is well loved by many people, and I thought it was cute, but again, seemed to be a theme this week, thought it was missing a little something.  But the illustrations were fantastic and because of that, I went back and reread it a couple of more times.  I missed how the house "arrived" the first time!


Nana in the City by Lauren Castillo
5/5 stars
I think this was my winner this week.  I actually read it the day it was released, but needed to reread it a few more times and soak it in.  I adore the picture of Nana and the little boy walking through the park with the bike riders!  I love that Nana lives in the city and sees it as something different and takes the time to talk and explain it to her young grandson.  And Nana has such hip glasses!  Different color frames, what a way for a Nana to accessorize!


Mix It Up! by Herve Tullet
4/5 stars
A wonderful follow up to Press Here!  These books just show that reading is fun!  I can't wait to share it with students.


Back to Front and Upside Down! by Claire Alexander
4/5 stars
This book is perfect for the kindergarten and 1st grade classroom.  I found this book on Claire and Tammy's blog awhile ago, and it has a fantastic message and great characters.  Stan finds forming his letters to be a very difficult task - they turn back to front and upside down!  But he learns that it's not scary to ask the teacher for help and with hard work - and a tactile kinesthetic approach to writing letters! - Stan achieves his goal.  I'll be sharing this book with kindergarteners this week!


Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles
5/5 stars
Wow.  I really cannot wait to dig into Countdown and Revolution after reading this gem!  Amazing.  This book will be used when our 4th grade students go on their "road trip" through the southeast.  It's an important story that needs to be told.  I love that the Author's Note is at the front of the book.  It gives readers just a glimpse into what they are about to read and some background knowledge to help them understand.  Wiles did an amazing job writing about a tough topic at a level young readers can comprehend.


Graphic Novels

      
Bird and Squirrel series by James Burks
4/5 stars
This is a fantastic graphic novel series.  What makes it so good are the characters in the series.  They are full of expression, voice and character.  This series is perfect for the reluctant reader - I think it would be very difficult to NOT get sucked in to the story!
Bird and Squirrel make the best kind of friends - they are total opposites and balance each other out.  Bird is crazy and unpredictable.  He loves to be in the spotlight.  Squirrel is afraid of everything and is very timid.  Both books have fun adventures that find the two working together to get out of the crazy adventure they are on.

Chapter books for 2nd/3rd graders


The Vanishing Coin by Kate Egan
4/5 stars
I had 2 teachers talk about this series this week and figured I should check it out.  I had seen it, but hadn't heard too much talk about it, so hadn't given it a try.  Glad they talked me into it!  This book is going to be so perfect for kids in 2nd - 4th grade.  I think 3rd grade is the perfect age for this book.  I can only imagine how this series will be able to hook reluctant readers.  The main character, Mike, is very relatable to a lot of kids who don't cite reading as their favorite thing:  he has trouble concentrating and sitting still, he'd rather be holding an electronic device instead of a book, he's having trouble figuring out his niche at school and while also trying to figure out friendships.  But then, Mike falls upon a magic shop.  Using magic, Mike ends up figuring out a few of those tricky things while finding something he enjoys.  The author adds in directions on a few magic tricks that will make young readers love the series even more.

Middle Grade


Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
5/5 stars
There is not much I can say about this beautiful book that hasn't been said many times over.  It was a beautifully written story.  I never knew a novel written in verse could grip me like this one.  So many times I paused just to contemplate some words, lines or a passage. I already bought tickets to go to Woodson's lunch at NCTE and I know it's going to be amazing!

Currently Reading


Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Loving Ally's story so far!

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday 9.17.14

We know that a big part of the CCSS is to include more informational texts into ourstudents' reading.  I quickly discovered I had a "gap" in my reading diet - the genre of informational texts!  To help me fill the gap this year, I am going to participate in Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesdays!  This is a great link-up hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy.  Please visit this website to see other educator's link-ups.  My goal is to read at least one informational text each week and post information on the blog.  The more books and subjects I read, the more I can encourage (my #OLW for 2014) other teachers to use in their classroom! 

Tooling Around:  Crafty Creatures and the Tools They Use

by Ellen Jackson

What is considered a tool?  Some animal scientists define a tool "as an object that an animal uses to accomplish a goal." (pg. 2).  How similar are animals to humans?  This picture book, perfect for primary classrooms, sets out to inform the reader how animals uses tools to obtain food, attract mates, protect themselves and conceal nests.

Jackson uses rhyming verse on the left side of the page to give a young reader just a bit of information.  For example, at the start of the woodpecker finch page the reader finds this, "Finches with a cactus spine dig for bugs on which to dine." (pg. 3) The right side of the page has additional narrative, giving additional information about the way the animal uses the tool and for what purpose.

Many of the animals will be very familiar to young readers, yet others will learn about some new animals.  The author also introduces new vocabulary to the readers, for example, "bower", which is a structure the male bowerbird creates in order to attract a female.  Is this the same as a "man cave"??? :)

The back of the book has a wide variety of resources.  There is an author's note that gives further information about scientists' discussion on if animals are truly smarter than we give them credit for - are they learning about these tools as a result of human intervention, or did they create the use on their own?  There is a section titled "Where Do These Crafty Creatures Live?" which gives additional habitat information on each animal presented in the book.  Finally, there are lists of resources - books and and websites - that provide additional information.

This is a fantastic book to add for primary classroom libraries.  This would be a rich read-aloud that would spark great conversations!

SoLSC Survey Says.... What do you ask in a reading survey? 9.16.14

 

Slice of Life is a weekly event hosted by Two Writing Teachers.

A couple of weeks ago I posted about making reading visible.

Then I read a couple of blog posts about classroom libraries here (by Katie @ The Logonauts) and here (Michael @ The Thinker Builder).

This made me think about what we have in our classroom libraries.  Are there book gaps?  Are there books missing that we need?  Will every reader find books to read in the classroom library all year long?  How will we know?  

This thinking made me think about reading surveys.  The last time I used a reading survey was back in my masters program so probably 13-15 years ago!  Through recent professional reading, I've found some more "updated" surveys.  I've even heard that teachers are using technology, such as google surveys, to administer reading surveys. 

But what I want to know, what are you asking on the surveys?  What questions are most helpful to you?  How do you find out about your reader's interests?  What does a reading survey look like in 1st grade?  In 4th grade?

If you have any answers to these questions, please leave a response in the comments section.  Have an example and don't mind sharing?  Leave a link or an email.  Can't wait to share the learning!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 9.15.14

This weekly post comes from Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers.  It's a great source to find new books to use with your students.

Another tough week to find time to read.  I squeezed most of these picture books in on Sunday night!  I have quite a few more picture books to read and I always have more chapter books and I even have some adult reads waiting for me.  I need to find a way to not sleep!


Picture Books


I Know a Bear by Mariana Ruiz Johnson
3/5 stars
I thought this book was hard to rate.  I really wanted to like it.  It had a sweet character and I liked the story ok, but I thought the central message, while a good one, could be easily misinterpreted by a younger audience.


Telephone by Mac Barnett
4/5 stars
Very cute story about birds telling each other, one at a time, a message to pass on to the younger bird.  


Louise Loves Art by Kelly Light
5/5 stars
How can you not love a book that exclaims on the opening page, "I love art!  It's my imagination on the outside."  That line grabbed my attention and my heart, and I knew it was a book I would love!  I love the characters - Louise and her passion, Art and his desire to please his sister, and the cat who knows how to own a pose!  Kids will love this book!


Patient for Pumpkins by Linda L. Knoll
4/5 stars
Primary teachers will want to see this book!  Teaching the life cycle of a pumpkin compared to other fruits and vegetables sold in a farmer's market in a narrative style.  A young boy is excited to get a pumpkin, but must be patient for fall's arrival.  The far left side of the page shows what a pumpkin is doing during that month the boy visits the market.  For example, when the boy visits in July, the cutaway shows the pumpkin plant flowering and a bee pollinating it.


I'm My Own Dog by David Ezra Stein
4/5 stars
Use this for point of view.  Use as a mentor text - have students write from another point of view!

Wordless Picture Books

      
The Girl and the Bicycle and The Boy and the Airplane by Mark Pett
I really enjoyed both books, but I thought The Girl and the Bicycle had a better story to follow.  I think The Girl would be a great book to use when taking about characters.  I liked the beginning and end of The Boy, those parts brought the idea of the book together.

Middle Grade


Death by Toilet Paper by Donna Gephart
5/5 stars
Fantastic middle grade read.  Your heart will break for Ben and you'll want to open your arms to Ben's family and help them out.  You heart breaks for Ben not only because of the things he has to deal with, but because you know there are kids out there today dealing with these issues:  the death of a parent, wondering where your parent is going to get the money for the rent, and clothes and food, and in Ben's case, toilet paper, dealing with a loved one who is going through memory loss, the ups and downs of friendship and the worst, peer bullying.  Ben goes through all of this with a grace that you wish you had an ounce of, to get you through situations that don't seem quite as bad as Ben's.  Gephart has captured the feeling of loss but having just enough hope to get you through.


Currently Reading


Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
I've been reading this for a couple of weeks now, but I'm going to have to finally finish this beautifully written book this week!


Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
I was fortunate enough to receive an advanced copy of this book. Can't wait to really dig in.

Celebrate This Week! 9.13.14

It's always good to end the week on a positive note.  Sometimes we concentrate on the negatives.  We have a choice.  Choose positive.  Choose to celebrate.  I will be joining Ruth Ayres and her weekly link-up, Celebrate This Week.  Check out all the other celebrations HERE

Ever since school started, it has been harder and harder to get everything in - reading, writing, posting.... They have taken a back seat to everything else that needs to get done.  Today I'm taking some time to write some quick celebrations down.

Celebration #1:  Family weddings!   My brother got married last weekend to a wonderful person.  We love Kristi, and are thrilled to have her in our family.  Their wedding took place in Indianapolis which is about 3-4 hours away from most of our family.  I was thrilled to find out that all of my aunts and uncles and 15 out of 19 cousins would be present!  It was a fantastic weekend.  So much fun and laughter.  Dancing and singing.  It was a day to celebrate!

Celebration #2:  I meet with 3 intervention groups per day.  I've been working with them in one of our intervention rooms and we happened to enhance our classroom library in that room this year.  Then by chance, we inherited a fantastic book stand.  I've been spotlighting some books and I have kids who beg to take home extra books.  Fly Guy, Elephant & Piggie, and the Pigeon series have been flying off the shelves!  Kids have told me they've read them or they've taken turn reading them with parents.

Celebration #3:  I'm ironically celebrating my daughter's allergies.  They've been horrible this week!  Runny nose, barking cough.  Her sleep has been affected and she's been so tired.  As a result, she stayed home tonight from swim practice.  While that doesn't sound good, it's allowed us to have a slow, easy night at home.  I'm reading and writing. 

Celebration #4:  Get your cowboy boots and hat out tonight!  I'm going to see Garth Brooks! It's been a looooong time since he's performed in Chicago and I'm very excited to see his show tonight.  I've heard great things and can't wait to kick up my heels :)

Hope you've had moment to celebrate this week!

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday 9.10.14

We know that a big part of the CCSS is to include more informational texts into ourstudents' reading.  I quickly discovered I had a "gap" in my reading diet - the genre of informational texts!  To help me fill the gap this year, I am going to participate in Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesdays!  This is a great link-up hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy.  Please visit this website to see other educator's link-ups.  My goal is to read at least one informational text each week and post information on the blog.  The more books and subjects I read, the more I can encourage (my #OLW for 2014) other teachers to use in their classroom! 

A favorite new series I've come across this year is the Scientists in the Field series.  While not new, I've only recently found this series and have come to really enjoy them.  I am fascinated by the study of animals in their natural habitat.  While I enjoy visiting zoos and appreciate them, I also feel a little twinge of sadness that the animals aren't in their natural habitat.  I appreciate that this series, while doing research and gaining new information and insights of the animals they are studying, manage to do their research without taking the animal away from its home.  The books are thorough and the illustrations are breathtaking.

One of the new books to the series, Park Scientists:  Gila Monsters, Geysers, and Grizzly Bears in America's Own Backyard, is no exception to the thorough and breathtaking qualities I've come to expect from the series.  I really appreciated that this book is not just about the animals that are found in our national parks, but also the vegetation and other natural phenomena that is found in "our backyard".

The book covers three of our main national parks - Yellowstone National Park, Saguaro National Park and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  We learn about the geysers and the grizzly bears that call Yellowstone home.  There is a lot of discussion as to why the grizzly bear numbers were declining for so many years.  Next we learn about the gila monster that calls the Saguaro National Park home, as well as the saguaro cacti that live there.  Cacti are such interesting plants because they have completely adapted to their environment and live for so many years.  Finally, traveling to the Smoky Mountains we meet some native salamanders and fireflies.

Just like the other books in the series, the research is all done on site, in natural habitats.  The illustrations are beautiful and give so much information that words can't always show.  Full of nonfiction features, readers can pour over each page for a long time and still not be able to absorb everything.  

Pick up this book and learn more about your home, the United States!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 9.08.14

This weekly post comes from Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers.  It's a great source to find new books to use with your students.

I am coming off a very busy week and weekend.  Even though we had Monday off, there is always so much to do.  We had Back to School Night this past week and then this weekend my brother got married!  We had a great weekend in Indianapolis, but it did keep us busy.  I'm trying to pull this post together late Sunday afternoon, so most of my reviews will be carbon copies of my Goodreads reviews.  

Picture Books


Cheetah Can't Lose by Bob Shea
5/5 stars
Ok, when you write a book and you use the phrase "I am very skilly", you have to laugh!  And I did at this hilarious book.  I love how so many of Shea's books have the underdogs being crafty and clever, but always with a big heart.  Use to teach central message - you don't always have to win.  Pair with Pizzoli's Number One Sam.  
In some people's review they talked about how they wished Cheetah had changed more, had a bigger transformation.  I would agree with that.  But I still loved the book!


Inside My Imagination by Marta Arteaga
4/5 stars
This book has many possibilities for teaching writing - ideas, similes, creativity. Great book to use in elementary schools.


Hana Hashimoto, Sixth Violin by Chieri Uegaki
5/5 stars
Thanks to Carrie Gelson for both this book and the Imagination one.  Great recommendations!
Beautiful story of persistence and working hard for something you want to do.


Aw, Nuts! by Rob McClurkan
3/5 stars
Young kids are really going to like the antics of squirrel in his quest to have the perfect acorn!


Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I don't) by Barbara Bottner
4/5 stars
I love the message of finding the book that speaks to you in this book!


Miss Brooks' Story Nook by Barbara Bottner
3/5 stars
Follow-up to Miss Brooks Loves Books! This one shares the message that everyone has a story inside of them. Cute, but not as fun as the original.


Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson
5/5 stars
So frequently, the older the grade level, the less frequently picture books are used in daily teaching. This book is a perfect example of why picture books need to be used in elementary, intermediate and middle school classrooms. 
Beautiful story of how each generation creates a Show Way quilt to tell and teach the story of how slaves helped each other move from the south to the north and continue to fight for freedom over the years.


Middle Grade



A Million Ways Home by Dianna Dorisi Winget
4/5 stars
I loved Poppy's story! My heart went out to her and I wanted to make sure everything was going to be ok. When the book begins, Poppy is living in a home for orphaned/abandoned children while her Grandma Beth recovers from a stroke. Her Grandma Beth is the only family she has, and she means the world to Poppy. When Poppy tries to go visit her, Poppy inadvertently sees a horrible act of violence and is seen by the gunman. 
Go on Poppy's journey as she is protected by a policeman and ends up finding something she is good at (working with dogs) and making a new friend.
This story reminded me a lot of One for the Murphys. My heart went out for Poppy just as it did for Carly.
Thank you Scholastic and Net Galley for the early review copy. This book was released Aug. 26.


The Time of the Firefles by Kimberley Griffiths Little
4/5 stars
Part mystery/ghost story/historical fiction. Really enjoyed this story that takes place in the Louisiana bayou. Larissa's family seems to have a lot of bad luck that happens generation to generation. But after some mysterious phone calls, on a phone that doesn't even work, Larissa goes on some mysterious time warp trips that helps her understand more about her family's bad luck streak.


Currently Reading


Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
I've been putting off reading this one too much because it's just so beautiful.


Death by Toilet Paper by Donna Gephart
I've heard some really great things about this book!