Slice of Life: Time to Read

March 17, 2016March 17, 2016 Catherine Flynn12 Comments

“The greatest part of a writer’s time is spent in reading, in order to write;
a man will turn over half a library to make one book.”
~ Samuel Johnson ~

I thought of this quote when I read “Unbalanced Literacy: Reflections on the Common Core” by Thomas Newkirk in the March issue of Language Arts yesterday. If you have access to this journal, I highly recommend reading this piece. Newkirk includes this quote from Michel de Montaigne, which I love:

“Bees ransack flowers here and flowers there: but then they make their own honey, which is entirely theirs and no longer thyme or marjoram. Similarly the boy will transform his borrowings; he will confound their forms so that the end-product is entirely his.”

Newkirk included this quote to support his view of reading as a “transaction between reader and text,” but it applies to writing also.

Halfway through this month-long challenge, I feel desperate for time to just sit and read, for time to “ransack” a book, to borrow words and transform them into something entirely mine. My morning waiting for the furnace repairman yesterday made me crave this even more. When you have a taste of something delicious, you want more! (Furnace is working again, by the way.) The slices I’ve been reading are amazing and full of inspiration, but I miss having time to read a book. What to do? Write a quick slice about what I’m reading, then go read.

I usually have three or four books going at the same time. Here’s what’s on my nightstand today:

Silver People: Voices from the Panama Canal, by Margarita Engle (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014)

Echo, Echo: Reverso Poems about Greek Myths, by Marilyn Singer (Dial Books for Young Readers, 2016)

The Poetry Home Repair Manual: Practical Advice for Beginning Poets, by Ted Kooser (University of Nebraska Press, 2007)

What book(s) is/are on your nightstand? Happy ransacking (reading), everyone!

Thank you to Stacey, Tara, Dana, Betsy, Anna, Beth, Kathleen, and Deb for this space for teachers and others to share their stories each Tuesday throughout the year and every day during the month of March. Be sure to visit Two Writing Teachers to read more Slice of Life posts.

Slice of Life: War & Peace

March 12, 2016March 12, 2016 Catherine Flynn8 Comments

What would you do if a fourth grader brought in War & Peace for their independent reading book?

This happened yesterday, and A.’s teacher came to me for advice.

“Well, we can’t tell her she can’t read it, so let’s help her see that it’s not a good fit for her,” I suggested.

I sat down with A. and asked her about her book choice. “All the other books in the town library are boring,” she said.

“Did you look at the Nutmeg (Connecticut’s state book award) nominees? I know there are some good books on the list.”

“They didn’t have any of those books, so the librarian told me I could look in the Young Adult section and my mom said it was okay.”

Since when is War & Peace kept in the Young Adult section, I thought to myself.

“We’ve talked about ways to choose a ‘just right’ book for a couple of years,” I reminded her. “Why don’t you read the first page to me so we can make sure you can read most of the words.” The five-finger rule is introduced in first grade.

She skipped past the introduction and two pages listing “Principle Characters” before she arrived at Chapter One. Where the first paragraph was written in French. She gave a little laugh and said, “I’ll skip that part.” She then went on to valiantly attempt the maze of Russian surnames.

At the bottom of the page she smiled at me and said, “I could read most of the words that weren’t in French.” She had missed six words, but at this point, it really wasn’t about counting miscues.

“What was happening on this page?” I asked her.

“Well, in the first paragraph, the lady has a cough, but I’m not really sure what was going on in the second paragraph,” she explained.

“A.,” I explained gently, “I’m so proud of you that you want to challenge yourself as a reader, and War & Peace is a challenging book.” Thinking of Teri Lesesne’s Reading Ladders, I continued, “But maybe it should be a book you work toward reading. Why be frustrated reading it now when we can find books that you like that will get you ready to read War & Peace someday.”

She agreed this might be a better idea. I wanted this to feel like her decision, though, so I suggested that she read more of the book over the weekend and that we could talk again on Monday.

I really don’t want to tell her she can’t read this book. But I also don’t want her to miss all the wonderful books that she should be reading in fourth grade. I want her to, in the words of Frank Serafini, assume “an identity as a reader” by reading books like Echo, by Pam Muñoz Ryan, or The War that Saved My Life, by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. Both of these books are much better choices for her, and they both have plenty of war and peace.

Slice of Life: Thinking About Word Choice and Mood with Sixth Graders

March 6, 2016 Catherine Flynn14 Comments

When you walk into a yarn shop, you are faced with a dizzying array of colors and textures. There are yarns almost as fine as thread to yarns as thick as a pencil and everything in between. When I decide to knit something, a lot of decisions have to be made. Which weight yarn is right for my project? What color and texture should I use? All of these choices affect the “mood” of the finished hat or scarf or sweater.

On Friday, I brought an assortment of different yarns into the sixth grade ELA classes. As I shared the yarn with the kids, we talked about how different each skein was from the other. I asked the students which yarn they thought would be the best choice for a hat for Dad or a blanket for a new baby. They intuitively understood that the function of the finished product influenced the yarn choice.

I pointed out that, just like knitters make choices about yarn, authors choose particular words to achieve an intended effect, and these choices influence how a reader reacts to a piece of writing. To illustrate this, I shared the first stanza of William Blake’s “The Echoing Green.”

The sun does arise,
And make happy the skies.
The merry bells ring
To welcome the spring.
The skylark and thrush,
The birds of the bush,
Sing louder around,
To the bells’ cheerful sound,
While our sports shall be seen
On the echoing green.

(You can read the rest of the poem here.)

As soon as we finished reading I asked them to write down a word describing their mood. Then I sent them back into the poem to find which specific words Blake used that evoked that mood. They shared their ideas with their partners, then with the whole group. I was impressed with the variety of words they chose to describe their mood, but even more impressed with how they were able to cite specific words and phrases to support their ideas. We repeated this process with the other two stanzas to see if the mood was consistent throughout the poem.

Analyzing “the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone,” as the CCSS calls for sixth grade students to do, can be tricky. These students have just started reading Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt’s profound and thought-provoking novel. Babbitt is a master of evoking mood, but her word choice can be subtle, so my sixth grade colleague and I have been working on ways to develop this challenging skill.

The kids did a great job with the work we began on Friday. I’ll be visiting them several times over the next few weeks to continue this work, including looking at several poems that have many words in common but evoke very different moods.

NFPB10FOR10: Our Feathered Friends

February 19, 2016February 19, 2016 Catherine Flynn6 Comments

It’s time once more for the annual celebration of nonfiction picture books! An outgrowth of Cathy Mere and Mandy Robeck‘s August Picture Book 10 for 10, this is an opportunity for bloggers to share nonfiction picture books they love. Be sure to join Mandy, Julie, and Cathy’s Picture Book 10 for 10 Google Community to read about hundreds of wonderful nonfiction picture books.

This is nfpb10for10’s fourth year, and I have participated each year. Here are links to my previous posts:

2015: Lives of the Artists

2014: Nature

2013: Passionately Curious People

This year I’m heading back to nature and focusing specifically on books about birds. I’ve been fascinated by birds my whole life, and have written about bird books before. There are so many books about birds I could have created a list of ten books just about eggs or bluebirds or poetry or any other subcategory imaginable! I did try to limit this list to newer books, although there are a few older titles that are too good to miss. There are also many field guides aimed at young readers that are worthwhile, including National Geographic Kids Bird Guide of North America: The Best Birding Book for Kids from National Geographic’s Bird Experts (National Geographic Children’s Books, 2013), which I chose not to include on this list.

1. Olivia’s Birds: Saving the Gulf, by Olivia Bouler, grades K-3 (Sterling Children’s Books, 2011)

When Olivia Bouler learned of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, she was determined to help save the birds and habitat she loved. In this book she not only tells her story, but provides an introduction to different types of birds, as well as links to organizations where children can learn more about birds. Olivia is an inspiring role model for kids who want to make a difference, and to date has raised over $200,000 to clean up efforts in the Gulf of Mexico.

2. Feathers: Not Just for Flying by Melissa Stewart, illustrated by Sarah S. Brannen, grades K-3 (Charlesbridge, 2014)

In this book, which was named a National Science Teachers Association-Children’s Book Council Outstanding Science Trade Book, and an ALA Notable Book, in addition to many other honors, noted science writer Melissa Stewart combines scientific facts with poetry to describe the many ways birds use their feathers. Sarah S. Brannen’s illustrations capture many fine details of different feather types. Be sure to visit Melissa Stewart’s website for a wealth of information and resources about Feathers: Not Just for Flying.

3. Beaks!, by Sneed Collard III, llustrated by Robin Brickman (Charlesbridge, 2002)

Just as he did in Wings (Charlesbridge, 2008), Sneed Collard provides an in-depth look at the wide variety of bird beaks. He describes how each type of beak is perfectly adapted to its owner’s habitat and diet. Robin Brickman’s collage illustrations have a 3-dimensional quality to them and are so life-like you can almost hear the birds singing. Cornell University’s Lab of Ornighology has a page devoted to activities to to along with Beaks! at their BirdSlueth K-12 website.

4. Birds: Nature’s Magnificent Flying Machines by Caroline Arnold (Charlesbridge, 2003)

This book, aimed at an older audience, provides in-depth descriptions of how a bird’s anatomy enables it to fly, as well as details about the many stages of flight. Colorful illustrations include a cross-section of a bird’s body, as well as close-ups of the inside of bird bones and feather structure. Birds: Nature’s Magnificent Flying Machines was selected for The Best Children’s Books of the Year list by the Children’s Book Committee of the Bank Street College of Education, the CCBC Choices 2004, published by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center of the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, among other honors.

5. Egg: Nature’s Perfect Package, by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page, grades K-3 (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015)

Any list of nonfiction picture books about animals wouldn’t be complete without a book by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page. And although this book describes eggs and nesting habits of insects, reptiles, and fish as well as birds, the combination of Jenkins’s stunning collages and fascinating facts make this book irresistible. Details about each animal’s size and habitat are included, as is a list for additional reading.

6. A Nest is Noisy, by Dianna Hutts Aston, illustrated by Sylvia Long, grades K-3 (Chronicle Books, 2015)

Following the same pattern as An Egg is Quiet, A Butterfly is Patient, A Rock is Lively, and A Seed is Sleepy, Aston and Long give readers a glimpse into the many different kinds of nests built by birds and other animals. Again, the miracle of adaptation is on full display, as readers learn how animals use the materials at hand to create safe homes for their eggs and young. A comprehensive teaching guide is available from Chronicle Books.

7. Just Ducks!, by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Salvatore Rubbino, grades K-3 (Candlewick Press, 2012)

In this charming picture book, Davies describes the life of ducks, as seen through the eyes of a girl who wakes up to ducks quacking outside her window every morning. Facts about ducks’ eating and nesting habits, their predators, and more are provided on each page. An index is included, as well as a short note about the many kinds of ducks found throughout the world.

8. Aviary Wonders Inc. Spring Catalog and Instruction Manual by Kate Samworth

The winner of the 2014 Kirkus Prize for Young Readers’ Literature, Aviary Wonders Inc. Spring Catalog and Instruction Manual imagines a world twenty years in the future when birds have disappeared. Samworth has created a “catalog” where bird-lovers can go to create their own birds, choosing from a variety of body types, beaks, and feathers, all based on real birds. The contrast between the fun of creating your own bird with the grim reality of extinction make this book appropriate for older readers. Read more about the book and get a close up look at Samworth’s stunning illustrations at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.

9. United Tweets of America: 50 State Birds Their Stories, Their Glories by Hudson Talbott, grades 3-5 (Philomel Books, 2008)

This book combines history and geography about each state along with information about each states’ official bird. Talbott’s cartoon-like illustrations provide a fun look at the wide variety of bird species in the U.S.

10. The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audubon by Jacqueline Davies, illustrated by Melissa Sweet, grades 3-5 (Houghton Mifflin, 2004)

Named an Outstanding Science Trade Book by the NSTA, among other honors, this picture book biography tells of Audubon’s earliest days in America. Audubon’s passion and curiosity led him to discover that the peewee flycatchers he observed one summer returned to the same woods of eastern Pennsylvania the following year. Melissa Sweet’s collage illustrations depict Audubon’s meticulous observations, a clear precursor to the masterpieces he would go on to paint. A Teachers Guide is available here.

Sharing any one of these beautiful books with a child is sure to spark a fascination with our feathered friends.

Poetry Friday: Blue Jays in the Snow

February 18, 2016 Catherine Flynn13 Comments

I’ve been participating in Laura Shovan‘s Found Object Poetry Project this month, and in addition to drafting a poem every day, I’ve been reading Ted Kooser‘s The Poetry Home Repair Manual: Practical Advice for Beginning Poets (University of Nebraska Press: 2005). Kooser, who served as the U.S. Poet Laureate from 2004-2006, offers exactly that in his plain-spoken, straightforward style. In addition to lots of good advice, he includes plenty of poetry as examples of how “poems freshen the world,” including this beauty from A.R. Ammons.

“Winter Scene”
by A.R. Ammons

There is now not a single
leaf on the cherry tree.

except when the jay
plummets in, lights, and,

in pure clarity, squalls,
then every branch

quivers and
breaks out in blue leaves.

FullSizeRender — A blue jay in our apple tree last winter.

I don’t remember where I first read Siv Cedering’s lovely “When it is Snowing,” but it immediately came to mind after reading “Winter Scene.”

“When it is Snowing”
by Siv Cedering

When it is snowing
the blue jay
is the only piece of
sky
in my
backyard.

Please be sure to visit Donna Smith at Mainely Write for the Poetry Friday Roundup.

IMWAYR: Tallulah’s Tutu & More

February 8, 2016February 8, 2016 Catherine Flynn3 Comments

When I was eight, I began ballet lessons. I had been dancing around the living room for years, and I think my mother thought it would be easier on the furniture. (The arms of our sofa made excellent alps when the Von Trapp family had to flee the Nazis in The Sound of Music.) I did love the leotards, especially the ones with satiny fronts that we wore for our recitals, but I didn’t love the disciplined practice. I was also a bit of a klutz.

Tallulah, a budding ballerina who is the star of five picture books by Marilyn Singer, is not a klutz and she does love to practice. From the moment we meet Tallulah, in Tallulah’s Tutu (Clarion Books, 2011), we know that she is going to be “a great ballerina.”

Tallulah’s enthusiasm is irrepressible and shines through in Alexandra Boiger’s watercolors. Tallulah doesn’t understand, though, why she doesn’t get a tutu when she begins her lessons. When her teacher explains that “it takes time and a lot of practice to earn your tutu,” her disappointment causes her to have a tantrum and she gives up ballet. But she really does love ballet. She dances around the neighborhood and through the supermarket. Eventually, Tallulah returns to her lessons and earns her tutu.

In a previous post, I’ve written about A Mindset for Learning (Heinemann, 2015) by Kristine Mraz and Christine Hertz. Throughout her five adventures, Tallulah exhibits all the characteristics of a person with “a mindset for learning.” Although Tallulah suffers disappointments in each book, her optimism and persistence always pay off in the end. She demonstrates resilience and flexibility as she faces challenges. Also, Tallulah learns much from those around her who show her empathy when she feels most defeated.

Tallulah may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but she was exactly what I needed to lure one of my students, a young ballerina who hated to read with a very fixed minset, into the world of books. We have talked about how Tallulah responds to the problems she’s faced with and how we can learn from Tallulah’s resilience and flexibility. While I still have a way to go with this student, I’ve earned her trust by sharing Tallulah’s stories with her and she’s making progress. We sometimes return to these stories if she needs a break or is having a particularly bad day. After all, it’s hard not to feel better after spending time with Tallulah.

You can learn more about Tallulah and her adventures here. Please be sure to visit Jen Vincent at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee Moye at Unleashing Readers to find out what others are reading.

The Poetry Friday Roundup & Irene Latham

January 28, 2016January 27, 2016 Catherine Flynn48 Comments

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”
Marcel Proust

Welcome to the Poetry Friday Roundup! I’m happy to welcome you all today, and I have a special treat for you. To celebrate the publication on Monday of her new book, When the Sun Shines on Antarctica (Millbrook Press), Poetry Friday regular Irene Latham has stopped by to answer a few questions and to share two of my favorite poems from this delightful collection.

In these poems, Irene looks at at the flora and fauna of Antarctica with new eyes and discovers just the right images and metaphors to bring the creatures of this forbidding land to life. At the same time, she skillfully weaves together science and wonder. Fifteen action-packed poems evoke the delicate interaction between a wide variety of species, including penguins, seals, and whales, and the harsh environment of the Antarctic summer, where temperatures remain “well below zero.”

Anne Wadham’s illustrations perfectly complement the playful tone of Irene’s poetry. A glossary and list of books and websites for further reading round out the book, and make it the perfect addition to any classroom library. In conjunction with When the Sun Shines on Antarctica, Irene has launched the Antarctica Explorers Club for young scientists eager to learn more about this remote and fascinating continent and its inhabitants.

Here’s a perfect example of how Irene sees a familiar creature with new eyes:

“Krill in Space”

The sea
is their universe

as they swim,
sway,

drift—

a trillion
tiny astronauts

without
a ship.

They weave
through galaxies

of gobbling
nets,

dodge
black holes

that look like safe
caves to explore—

but aren’t.

And this poem makes me want to go sledding with these penguins!

“Emperor Penguins at Play”

At the top of the hill
they belly flop,

drop,

slide, and glide on built-in sleds.

Out in the ocean,
eager to fly,
they swim, breathe, swim
as they leapfrog waves.

In need of rest,
they board an ice ship
where they ride and revive,
play endless rounds
of Red Light, Green Light,

Penguin Says,

and I Spy.

Welcome, Irene!

Thank you, Catherine!

The jacket flap copy says that your “exploration of Antarctica began when [you] read The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean. Can you elaborate on how you came to write this book?

Many (all?) of my books arise out of my obsessions. But first, a confession: until I read THE WHITE DARKNESS, I never really gave Antarctica much thought. Like many folks, I lumped the poles together –Antarctica and the Arctic, as if they were one and the same, just on opposite ends of the globe. It never occurred to me that the cartoons showing polar bears and penguins together couldn’t possibly be true! I had a lot to learn, obviously. So, THE WHITE DARKNESS. In addition to being a riveting story, this book oh so poetically places the reader in Antarctica. One line from the book really started it all: McCaughrean describes Antarctica as “a mosaic of white puzzle pieces saying, ‘solve me! Solve me!’ How’s that for an invitation? I started reading everything I could about Antarctica, and eventually poems began to emerge. It helped that I had just done DEAR WANDERING WILDEBEEST, which also focuses on the animals in a unique ecosystem. ANTARCTICA was a logical follow-up, and I’m thrilled to share both books with illustrator Anna Wadham.

Can you briefly describe your research process?

Since I’ve never visited Antarctica, my research involved reading lots of books about Antarctica, reading Antarctica scientist blogs, visiting websites, and talking to experts like fellow Birminghamian James McClintock, who has made nearly 20 research trips to Antarctica! Jim recorded many of his adventures in a book titled LOST ANTARCTICA: Adventures in a Disappearing Land, and I’m thrilled that he and I will be presenting a program together to celebrate my book’s release.

How do you decide on the form for each poem?

I love writing free verse poems, so it’s not wonder these are all free verse — with a little rhyme and alliteration and rhythm thrown in! It wasn’t a decision so much as just the way it happened. The fun part was coming up with imaginative ways to present each animal: Mrs. Weddell shopping for a new coat; an Adelie penguin placing a personal ad; elephant seals wrestling WWE style; and so forth.

Your website is full of wise advice for writers and poets. This is my favorite: “Keep on writing until your words shimmer and shine and actually produce electricity.” Do you have any specific advice for teachers and students who are inspired to use When the Sun Shines on Antarctica as a mentor text for writing nonfiction poetry?

Thank you! Shimmer and shine and electricity are certainly worthy goals, aren’t they? Two things come immediately to mind when I think about advice for writing nonfiction poetry: specificity and surprise. I think the impulse when writing nonfiction poetry is to include all the facts in the poem, kind of a big-picture look at the animal, when what poetry demands is going small, looking closely, choosing one moment or detail that you really want to showcase. Our goal as poets is to explode the moment. So, for Mrs. Weddell, the poem is only about the transition from wooly winter coat to sleek summer style, nothing else. It’s SO HARD to be specific, because that means making tough choices. But tough choices are exactly what being a poet requires. The second thing is to focus on surprise. Sometimes the subject itself is the surprise, such as the brinicle poem in this collection. Who (except Laura Purdie Salas) has ever heard of a brinicle? (View a great video here!) Or the surprise can be making a surprising comparison, like the krill poem, which presents krill as astronauts lost in space. This is where the joy and magic happens — when we as poets allow ourselves to be imaginative and whimsical and creative in the connections we are making between one thing and another. Sometimes it takes many drafts to find that magic, so patience is also required!

Who are your poetic influences? Favorite poets?

My most favorite poets are Poetry Friday poets! I am never more inspired/educated/delighted than when I read Poetry Friday posts. The first poets I loved as a child were Shel Silverstein and Dr. Seuss. As a teen I loved Khalil Gibran. Other well-known poets I turn to again and again are Mary Oliver, Langston Hughes, Pablo Neruda, Naomi Shihab Nye, Sharon Olds. I’ve often said that if I was stuck on a deserted island, I would want with me GOOD POEMS, edited by Garrison Keillor. In the world of children’s poetry, I don’t think it gets any better than Valerie Worth. I keep ALL THE SMALL POEMS AND FOURTEEN MORE on my nightstand year-round.

Your next book, Fresh, Delicious (WordSong/Boyd’s Mill Press) will be out in March. What’s on the horizon for you after that?

Thank you for mentioning FRESH DELICIOUS! I had so much fun writing poems about farmers’ market fruits and vegetables, and I am in love with Mique Moriuchi’s illustrations. Next up is a book I co-wrote with Charles Waters called IT’S NOT BLACK & WHITE. It’s about a white girl (me) and a black boy (Charles) who are forced to work together on a 5th grade poetry project, and they have a conversation about shoes and hair and church and recess and more — all through the lens of race. It’s largely autobiographical, and it was one of the toughest, most rewarding projects I’ve ever worked on. The book will release from Lerner in 2017 with illustrations by Sean Qualls and Selina Alko.

Thank you again, Irene, for stopping by and sharing your poetry and wisdom with us today!

And now for the roundup! Please click to add your link and read more poetic offerings.

Slice of Life: Reading Resolutions

January 12, 2016January 12, 2016 Catherine Flynn10 Comments

“The stories humans tell are a long conversation about what it means to be human.”
Gene Luen Yang

Twitter and Facebook were filled with reading challenges for 2016 over New Year’s weekend. Because I’m always reading at least 2 books, I don’t usually pay much attention to these challenges. But I was drawn to the last item on New York City’s Strand Book Store’s “Reading Resolution” list: “Read the book you’ve lied about reading.”

There is one Very Famous Children’s Classic that I have never been able to get through. As an English major and a reading teacher, this has bothered me for many years. I have tried reading it as an adult to no avail. So I vowed this would be the year. (I’m not telling which book, but I am currently on page 112.)

Back at school last Monday, I was meeting with Anita, our 5th grade Language Arts teacher, about their current reading unit when I noticed their 40 book challenge display. Some kids were making great progress, but others only had one or two books listed. “Why don’t we make reading resolutions with the kids?” I suggested. She loved the idea, but we agreed that we should change lying about having read a book.

A quick Google search led me to Modern Mrs. Darcy’s challenge. She has twelve categories, one for each month. I took a few categories from her list, along with a few from the Strand’s list to create a list of resolutions for the fifth grade.

MMD-2016-Reading-Challenge — Modern Mrs. Darcy’s list

I introduced this list with a general discussion about why we read in the first place, and shared the above quote from our new Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. Then we talked about resolutions and setting goals in general, and the importance of making a resolution that was realistic. I pointed out to the kids that even though some of them were making great progress toward forty books, the categories on our list might help them if they weren’t sure what to read next.

I offered a few suggestions, including confessing to them about the Very Famous book I’ve never read, although I told them it intimidated me when I was a kid. I think that made a few of them quite determined to read it now! These kids were born in 2005, the year after The Tale of Despereaux was published, so I brought that along as a possible option. The movie version of Roald Dahl’s classic, The BFG, is coming out in July, so I suggested that as a book they could read before they see the movie. We also watched the movie trailer, and quite a few of them thought that would be a good place to start their reading resolutions.

Soon there was a long list of recommendations from friends on the board, and kids were encouraging their friends to try a book they’d abandoned earlier in the year. I created official “Reading Resolution” forms that we all filled out, including Anita, our principal, and myself. These are on display so we can help each other along as we work toward keeping our Reading Resolutions.

A week later, most of the kids are still buzzing about their books, although a few confessed to me yesterday that they hadn’t read over the weekend because they were too busy. I resisted my urge to scream and gently reminded them that there must have been at least ten minutes somewhere over two days when they could have read a few pages. Maybe that’s where our resolutions should have started!

I’ll keep you posted about our progress. What are your reading resolutions?

Thank you to Stacey, Tara, Dana, Betsy, Anna, Beth, Kathleen, and Deb for this space for teachers and others to share their stories each Tuesday. Be sure to visit Two Writing Teachers to read more Slice of Life posts.

Slice of Life: NCTE Book Recommendations

December 1, 2015December 1, 2015 Catherine Flynn7 Comments

There are many things I love about NCTE’s Annual Convention. I love learning from authors, teachers, and researchers I admire. I love meeting friends from blogging and Twitter in real life. And I love all the free or discounted books, posters, and bookmarks being given away by publishers in the Exhibition Hall.

Something else I love are the book recommendations presenters make during their sessions. Teachers are readers, and presentations are always grounded in research. So, in addition to coming home with a suitcase full of books to share with my students, I brought home a list of professional books and other “adult” reading that I’m looking forward to diving into. Here, in no particular order, are some of the titles I’ll be reading in the weeks to come.

During her session, “Tracing the Shape of Human Thinking,” presented with her husband, Randy, Katherine Bomer referred toThe Best American Essays 2015, edited by Ariel Levy. I picked this up over the weekend and have already read Anthony Doerr’s lovely “Thing with Feathers That Perches in the Soul.” Katherine’s presentation was based on her upcoming book, The Journey is Everything. She closed her part of the session by telling us that “the act of writing without boundaries leads kids on a magical journey where they can hear what they think and say what they have to say.” I cannot wait to read more of Katherine’s thinking about changing they way we teach essay writing.

At the Wonderopolois Breakfast (which deserves it’s own post), Georgia Heard talked about Elizabeth Gilbert’s new book, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear. In this book, Gilbert urges her readers to live “a life that is driven more strongly by curiosity than by fear.” Sounds like good advice.

Amy Benjamin and Barb Golub’s session, “Infusing Grammar Instruction into the Workshop Model” was packed to the rafters and full of practical suggestions for implementing a “concept-based approach to grammar.” Fortunately, Benjamin and Golub have written a book, published by Routledge, to help us implement “activities [that] build language knowledge for ALL learners.”

This list is by no means complete, and doesn’t begin to address all the kids books now piled on my desk. But it perfectly illustrates that the learning from NCTE reaches far beyond the Minneapolis Convention Center. Happy reading, everyone!

Slice of Life: Every Picture Tells a Story

November 17, 2015November 17, 2015 Catherine Flynn13 Comments

On Thursday, I’ll be heading to Minneapolis for my third NCTE Annual Convention. The previous two conventions have energized and inspired me. It’s such a thrill to meet nationally known educators and authors. I’ve also had a great time meeting fellow Slicers, bloggers, and Twitter friends. This year, my anticipation is even greater because I’ll be presenting “Every Picture Tells A Story” during a poster session on Saturday morning.

Many years ago, when I first read Keane & Zimmerman’s Mosaic of Thought (Heinemann, 1997) and Strategies that Work, by Harvey & Goudvis, I was inspired to find ways to provide my students with additional practice using comprehension strategies to develop their understanding of texts. I also realized that many kids who struggle with decoding weren’t getting enough opportunities to utilize the strategies. They were exerting so much energy decoding, they had nothing left for the higher level thinking needed for a deep understanding of their reading.

So I began incorporating art into my reading instruction as a way to give kids with decoding difficulties chances to practice and feel successful with comprehension strategies. It was quickly apparent that all students would benefit from learning to “read” the art. I’ve used paintings and illustrations to help first graders develop their retelling skills and third graders practice inferring and drawing conclusions. WPA photographs were a huge help when sixth graders were building background knowledge before reading Bud, Not Buddy. The possibilities for using art and photographs in the classroom are endless.

Paintings, illustrations, and photographs are also perfect for close reading. Strategies spelled out in recent books such as What Readers Really Do: Teaching the Process of Meaning Making (2012), by Dorothy Barnhouse and Vicki Vinton, Falling in Love with Close Reading, by Christopher Lehman and Kate Roberts, and Notice & Note: Strategies for Close Reading, by Kylene Beers and Robert L. Probst can all be introduced and practiced using art. After gathering details and developing ideas, students can also work on incorporating details that support their thinking into their writing, something our students always find challenging.

Constructing meaning from visual images has grown in popularity over the past ten years or so. There are many books and articles that offer additional ideas and suggestions for incorporating them into the curriculum. Later this week, I’ll be sharing some of these resources, as well as a lesson I recently taught in fifth grade.

Hope to see you in Minneapolis! Thank you to Stacey, Tara, Dana, Betsy, Anna, Beth, Kathleen, and Deb for this space for teachers and others to share their stories each Tuesday. Be sure to visit Two Writing Teachers to read more Slice of Life posts.

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