Month: April 2013

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Catherine Flynn8 Comments

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Yesterday, Donalyn Miller, in a post on the Nerdy Book Club blog, confessed that she was in a reading slump. She stated that she loses interest after she starts a book and has even chosen to watch TV over reading! I read all this with relief, realizing I’m not alone. When I went back to her post later in the evening, there were ninety comments! Ninety! Almost all of them were from teachers who were also feeling overwhelmed by their other commitments and hadn’t had the time or energy to read much lately.

I bring all this up because, even though I have stacks of books everywhere, many of the books I tried to read last week have a bookmark after the first or second chapter. I’m afraid my computer is going to crash because I have so many tabs open to blogs I haven’t had time to read. Don’t even get me started on the newspaper!

My solution to this situation? A trip to the library. I know this seems ridiculous: Why bring in more books if you can’t finish the ones you have? Because my library has all the latest picture books and early readers. If they can’t pull me out of a slump, nothing can.

My favorite book from this visit was Penny and Her Marble (Greenwillow Books, 2013), by Kevin Henkes. It is impossible for me to overstate how much I love Kevin Henkes’s books. And Penny is the latest in a long line of lovable characters created by Henkes.

ImageOne of Penny’s most endearing traits is that she is self-reliant. Her problems are hers, and she solves them on her own. In Penny and Her Marble, she sees a beautiful blue marble, which seems to belong to no one, on her neighbor’s lawn and she picks it up and puts it in her pocket. Once she gets home, however, her conscience gets the better of her and she is haunted by the marble.

Penny never mentions any of her worries to her parents, yet they sense that something is bothering Penny. They support her in subtle ways, such as offering to bake her favorite cookies. Penny does the right thing in the end, and is rewarded for her honesty, but not in a preachy, LEARN THIS LESSON kind of way. Did I mention I am in awe of Kevin Henkes?  How does he accomplish this? He never hits a wrong note and he completely understands children and how their minds operate.

When I began this blog, I did intend to write about how I would use certain books to meet the Common Core State Standards, and I do this often enough. And although this book could be used to address several first grade standards, I would read it aloud to kids just because I love it. I would read it aloud to them because Penny is an imaginative, creative character I’d want for a friend. And I’d read it to them because they will recognize themselves in Penny.

Don’t miss Penny’s other adventures in Penny and Her Song (2012) and Penny and Her Doll (2012). They are the perfect anecdote to any reading slump.

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Dont’ forget to find out what others are reading today by visiting Jen and Kellee at Teach Mentor Texts.

A Magnetic Poem for Poetry Friday

Catherine Flynn1 Comment

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I love to sing, but I’m not a musician. I can pick out tunes on the piano, but can’t play the piano. So I was a little surprised a few years ago when someone gave me the Music Lover Magnetic Poetry Kit. It’s turned out to be one of my favorites.

For Poetry Friday, I’d like to share one of my creations from this kit:

Sing a song

Of the world’s 

Shimmering beauty and 

Dazzling grace.

Hear its vivid rhythm:

Music for life.

Magnetic poetry is a great addition to any classroom. Kids love being able to move the words around easily, and the fact that the words are already there is a huge help to those kids who always say they don’t know what to write. Kids also love to be silly, and with a Magnetic Poetry Kit, they can get pretty silly. 

The original Magnetic Poetry Kits can be ordered online. There are many kits available, literally an A-Z of topics, including Artist, Cowboy, Food Lover, Pirate, and more. The company also has a line just for kids. This includes Really Big Words and StoryMaker, among others.

An online version of the kits are available, too. There aren’t as many kit options, but it’s still a fun to get those creative juices flowing. Kids can choose from the First Words Kit and Kids’ Kit. Each has lots of nouns and verbs, but adjectives are limited to simple words like good, fun, fast, or color words. 

A number of apps based on Magnetic Poetry are available for iPads and smart phones, but curiously not from the Magnetic Poetry company itself. Of the apps I played with, I liked iFoundPoetry the best. This app lets you choose word themes and add your own words. It also lets you choose the typeface of the magnets, the background image, and you can share your creations through email or Twitter.

Be sure to stop by Robyn Hood Black‘s blog today for the Poetry Friday Roundup.

 

 

A Slice of Life: A Visit to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

Catherine Flynn11 Comments

sols_6Now that the month-long Slice of Life challenge has ended, I’m hoping to continue sharing slices every Tuesday. Be sure to visit Stacey and Ruth at Two Writing Teachers to read more amazing writing. Thank you for hosting this weekly Slice of Life Challenge!

Last Friday, a friend and I hopped in the car and drove to Amherst, MA and the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art to see their celebration of Garth Williams’s beloved illustrations of Charlotte’s Web.

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Going to The Carle is one of my favorite day trips. When you arrive, you’re greeted by this bug:

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As you enter the museum, you step into by a large space filled with light and color. Panels of bright primary colors adorn one long wall of the Great Hall. My friend and I spent some time trying to decide what each panel reminded us of, and which one we liked best.

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Fire or autumn leaves?
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A field of waving grass?
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The ocean or fish, or both?
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Warm summer sunshine!
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A cozy spot to sit and read.

There are auditoriums for lectures and films, as well as an art studio where kids can make their own colorful creations. I’ve always wanted to go in and make some art myself, but it’s really for the kids. More of Eric Carle’s whimsical art is hung in this hallway.

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The West Gallery is devoted to Carle’s work, but the theme shifts on a regular basis. The current show, Feathers, Fins, and Fur, features penguins, cardinals, and more. In addition, there are two galleries for special exhibits. The larger East Gallery has had shows featuring the work of Tomi dePaola, Virginia Lee Burton, and illustrations from various editions of The Wizard of Oz, to name just a few. On display until June 9th is Latino Folk Tales: Cuentos Populares-Art by Latino Artists. The vivid colors and styles of these artists bring the tradition of magical realism to life.

The exhibit in the smaller Central Gallery was the main reason for our visit.

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Some Book, Some Art showcased Garth Williams’s classic illustrations for Charlotte’s Web. It was fascinating to see the early ideas Williams had for the cover of the book and his process of going from rough sketch to finished art. There were also early studies of what Charlotte herself would look like. In one draft, she bore quite a resemblance to the Mona Lisa! This small, humble, gallery is currently filled with radiant, terrific art.

An unexpected treasure of the exhibit was this poem, written by E.B White to his wife, Katherine, just before they were married.

“Natural History”

The spider, dropping down from twig,

Unwinds a thread of his devising;

A thin, premeditated rig,

To use in rising.

And all the journey down through space

In cool descent, and loyal-hearted,

He builds a ladder to the place

From which he started.

Thus I, gone forth, as spiders do,

In spider’s web a truth discerning,

Attach one silken strand to you

For my returning.

I will return the The Carle again and again, just as I return to Charlotte’s Web from time to time. I love the beauty contained within both.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Catherine FlynnLeave a comment

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Poetry, of course! Today is the first day of National Poetry Month! Check out what others are reading today by visiting Jen and Kellee at Teach Mentor Texts.

Dare to Dream…Change the World edited by Jill Corcoran, illustrated by J. Beth Jepson (Kane Miller, 2012) is an anthology of poem that celebrates people who have followed their dreams and, as a result, made the world a better place. A short note at the beginning of the book explains that Jill Corcoran was inspired to create this anthology while listening to a story on NPR about the uprisings in Egypt. Her dream was to “share the spirit of dreaming + action = change and that each one of us can make the world just a little better.”

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This is a beautiful book. J. Beth Jepson has created stunning, vivid illustrations that are perfectly suited to pairs of poems. These pay tribute to people who have made contributions to civil rights, music, medicine, sports, and more. One poem is biographical, the second is a response to the person’s accomplishment. Brief biographies of each individual are included. An all-star line up of poets contributed to this collection, and information about them is also included, as well as links to their websites.

When I first read this book, my mind instantly began thinking of all the possibilities for using it in the classroom, and a curriculum guide is available on the book’s website. The publishers are sponsoring a poetry contest for students in grades 3-8, which you can find out about here.

Jama Rattigan has a much more extensive review of Dare to Dream at her lovely blog, Jama’s Alphabet Soup.

My school is finishing up a school-wide read of Wonder. Before we began reading R.J. Palacio’s incredible novel, we all read Each Kindness, by Jacqueline Woodson. The final poem in the collection, is the perfect bookend to that story, a reminder that our actions have a lasting impact.

Ripples

No one acts in isolation

And no act leaves the world the same.

Words and gestures ripple outward,

What shores they reach we cannot name.

All our lives end in a riddle–

A mystery without an answer,

For even gone we ripple on,

Like a dance without a dancer.

Did you extend a friendly hand?

Did you lift a battered spirit?

The one you helped helped someone else

Ah! Now we’re getting near it.

That second someone dropped despair

Did not give in, instead revived

To teach, to love, to fight, to dare,

And what you’ve done lived on, survived.

On and out the circle widens,

Past all hope of comprehending.

The slightest touch can change the world

Healing, helping, lifting, mending.

Actions last for generations

Our father’s mothers mold our hearts.

We in turn shape all that follows;

Each time we act, a ripple starts.

by Bruce Coville

Where will your ripples go today?