"Publishing" Our Writing

Audience is a powerful motivator in writing.  When you know a piece is going out into the world, you are much more careful with your words.  When you know a piece is going out in the world, you're willing to work hard on your message for your readers.  In my transition to using more digital tools in our classroom, I still find the time to write during Writer's Workshop to be essential.  There's something about capturing the stories of young writers in their words and pictures.

In our classroom, we've started "publishing" some of our favorite pieces digitally using Pixie.  Though there are many other ways you can accomplish this with other software, Pixie has worked for us as it is a software we have much experience using.  In Pixie, students take a picture of each page of their story, then record their voice on each page.  After taking pictures and recording I am able to turn these into a Podcast that can be shared via email with parents, on our blog, or on our news page.  There's nothing quite like seeing the pictures and hearing the voice of the author.  (Note:  You can also create a video which has sharper pictures, but takes more memory.  Podcasts are more easily shared though some quality is lost.)

Students manage this process on their own as I conference with writers.  Students take the pictures, record the voice, and get the story recorded to the best of their abilities.  The only thing I do is convert it to a Podcast which students could probably learn to do too.  

Here are a few examples of published pieces:  

Baseball

Chicago

I Love the Piano

The Forget Man

Keeping Learning Conversational

Our literacy block is 150 minutes long.  You'd think that would be plenty of time for first graders to read, write, learn about words, and talk together about literacy.  However, it is amazing how easily that time can slip away.  That's without even considering the interruptions of fire drills, a tooth that has fallen out, announcements over the intercom, assemblies we must attend, a late arrival, or those other little interruptions that can take time off the clock.

Sometimes in the rush to make sure we have time for Reader's Workshop, Writer's Workshop, and word study, it is easy to forget the power of keeping learning conversational.  Keeping the learning across our day conversational means thinking not only about the point of my teaching, but also about the responses of the children in our conversation.  Watching their body language, thinking along with them, and responding genuinely to their comments is what makes the workshop a perfect place to learn.

Conversations in Conferring
Writer's workshop is one of the places where I really try to be sure I keep the learning conversational.  Over the years I've tried to learn to "teach the writer not the writing".  Taking careful notes for each writer, considering writing over time, and considering the focus of our study help me to do this.   In the rush to keep conferences short, I sometimes have to remind myself that this is a conversation about learning.  I use a flexible structure during these conversations:

Listen:  First I talk with the writer about their current work.  Sometimes I ask, "What are you working on?", "How's it going?" (thanks, Carl Anderson) or comment "I've noticed you've been really working on this piece.  I can't wait to hear about it.".  Then I usually ask students to read their story to me.  While I am thinking about what is next for this writer during this time, I am focused on the meaning of their story.  To begin I keep my conversation about the story responding genuinely to their message.  During this time I try to be sure the child is in charge of the conversation.  

Reflect:  After listening to the story, I try to take a moment to consider what is next for this writer.  Often I come to the conference with a possible focus that has evolved from previous conversations, the child's own goals for writing, and/or the learning we are doing about writing in our classroom.  I try not to get drawn into little problems with a particular piece that are not consistent challenges for the writer.  I also try not to get caught up in challenges with conventions that can be solved editing later in the piece.  This is a conversation about the writer.

Teach:  During this time I have a conversation about the writer about what is next.  Sometimes that means talking further about the goals the writer has set for himself/herself.  We look for places in the writing where he/she may be accomplishing this and places where maybe we can work on this.  Sometimes I make a teaching point with the writer that is closely related to our focus lessons.  It is easy to get caught up in looking for what is wrong with the writing, but I actually find it more powerful to look for what is right.  Finding what is working for young writers, and naming it for them, usually is a much more powerful way to make shifts in learning.  I try to stick to one point here and only one point.  I don't want to take the child away from his/her focus or spend too long in one place.

Plan:  This summer I talked with a group about Patrick Allen's book, Conferring.  Though his book is more about conferring in Reader's Workshop, conferring in Writer's Workshop is the same.  One of the biggest ah-has I took away was the importance of being clear about the plan as we exit.  Here the conversation is about what is next.  What does all this talking we've been doing mean to the writer?  Again, I like the student to control most of this conversation.  I genuinely want to know what they plan to do next.

I enjoy making time in our day for these small conversations with young writers.  I learn so much from them every day and find the work they do inspiring.

Here are a few previous posts about talking with learners:
Discovering What Kids Know
Conferring Ain't Easy
Conferring:  Improving Conversations with Readers
The Conversation Begins

Penny and Her Song

Recently I was given an ARC for Penny and Her Song by Kevin Henkes to be released February 28, 2012.  I was pretty excited when it was placed in my hands.  Kevin Henkes is one of my favorite authors.  His books are always a hit in the classroom.  The children in my classroom can easily identify with his characters who have many of the same experiences and feelings they have.  We love that, like the young writers in our classroom, Kevin Henkes writes his stories AND creates his illustrations.

Of course, immediately I noticed that Penny and Her Song is the size of a beginning chapter book.  When I opened the book I found that is exactly what Henkes has done.  He has written this story in two chapters about Penny who wants to share her song with her family.  Penny goes to her mom to her share her song, but her mom is worried she'll wake the babies.  She goes to her dad to share her song, but he is worried she'll wake the babies.  Finally in chapter two Penny gets to share her beautiful song and a dance party ensues.

Young readers who have been eagerly awaiting their entry into the chapter book club will be happy with this book.  Kevin Henkes has used a story structure young readers will be able to understand.  The repetition of the phrases throughout the story not only make it easier for young readers to read independently, but also add an irresistible rhythm to the story.  Most of all, young readers will love Penny.  She's delightful as she waits patiently to share her song (a lesson Lilly, Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, might be able to use).  Penny is the perfect big sister!

I'm not going to lie, I love Kevin Henkes in picture book format where his illustrations dance on the pages around his words.  He is such a talented storyteller and illustrator.  However, kids everywhere excitedly wait to move into chapter books and this is the perfect bridge to joining that club.  I'm hoping Kevin Henkes will continue to create his magic in regular picture book formats, but in his spare time I'm happy to see him send these beginning chapter books to young readers who love his work.  There will always be plenty of room on our library shelves.

Penny and Her Song will be released at the end of the month.  I can't wait to add it to our classroom library.  (I suppose it is unlikely, but I'm hoping soon we'll be able to find it in reader format as I think the book lends itself nicely to that.)

Kevin Henkes talks about Penny and Her Song here.

I just had to share this video of Kevin Henkes sharing his thinking as an illustrator.  My students will love peeking into the process of his storytelling.

Tagging in Evernote

Evernote is my new app I can't live without.  I have it on my computer.  I have it on my phone.  I have it on my Kindle.  I use it at home.  I use it at school.  With Evernote I'm able to work with or without a WiFi connection.

I spent last summer starting to use it and have fallen more in love with it every day.  Though most use Evernote for their daily lives, I have discovered using it in my classroom has made my life so much simpler.  Though I'm still not quite as quick as I'd like to be typing my notes, I've found it to the be the perfect way to track the learning in our classroom.  (You can read more about the ways I use Evernote in the classroom at Choice Literacy in "Capturing Student Learning with Evernote.")

While keeping notes in Evernote has helped me to capture student learning, tagging has simplified organization and my ability to reflect on these notes.  In my notebook each student has his/her own notebook, but finding particular pieces of information can still be daunting.  By tagging, I am able to search notes by student name, topic of learning, or other key words.

Tagging
When conferring with a child I record information in the note and then tag it for easy retrieval.  I tag each note with the student name, the workshop in which we conferred, the concept/understanding/focus of our conversation, and other key words that might help me later locate, sort or group notes.

Here are a few examples:

• In a recent reading conference with Caden I sat down to chat about nonfiction.  Caden was reading a book about foxes.  He had divided his paper in half and had written two questions he had about foxes.  Upon talking to him I realized he was using the pictures to ask questions and not the words.  He had looked at a picture of a fox on a rock and asked, "Why do foxes sleep on rocks?"  However the text was about the bushy tail of the fox and how it helped the fox to survive.  I tagged this note:  Caden, Reader's Workshop, nonfiction, questioning, pictures and text.
• In a recent conversation with Meredith during Writer's Workshop I listened to her piece about losing her tooth.  Meredith read what she had written so far and I listened to her story.  As many first graders do, she turned to me often to add more to the story she had not included in her piece but wanted me to know.  We talked about all of those interesting parts of her story she might want to add so other readers would know exactly what happened.  It isn't every day your mom accidentally knocks your tooth out!  Meredith has been working on developing her writing so we found places in the story where she had already accomplished this and places she might want to go back to add.  I tagged this note:  Meredith, Writer's Workshop, personal narrative, details, developing writing.
• Gabby had been working on making her own fact families when I sat down beside her in math workshop.  She had drawn a triangle with the numbers 30, 16, and 46.  I was blown away by her thinking.  Gabby's many examples of self-created fact families not only demonstrated an understanding of the relationship between addition and subtraction, but also pointed to a flexible understanding of using tens and place value concepts.  Keeping up with Gabby is going to be tough!  I tagged this note:  Gabby, Math Workshop, fact families, addition/subtraction relationship, place value, tens.

These are just a few examples from my virtual notebook.  Tagging makes it easy for me to later retrieve these notes to look closely at learning.  If I have a conference with Gabby's parents I can just search "Gabby" and all of her notes will come up.  If I want to look at the learning around nonfiction in our classroom I can just search "nonfiction" and notes from every conversation about nonfiction will be found.  I'm discovering tagging to be important in Evernote, blogging, collecting bookmarks and many other parts of my virtual world.  The transition away from paper is surely helping to keep me organized, and effective tagging is an essential part of this process.    

One Cool Friend

Talk about a timely post.  One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo and illustrated by David Small was released today.  I picked up an ARC of the picture book while at NCTE in Chicago.

This book is a fun story to read.  I am pretty sure it is a lesson for parents about why it is important to listen.  In this story Elliot's father takes him to the aquarium for family fun day.  Upon arrival at the aquarium Elliot's father sits down to read his magazine and sends Elliot off to "have some fun" by himself.

Elliot doesn't go to the exhibits everyone else loves, instead he visits the penguins and finds them delightful.  He asks his father if he can have a penguin.  His father looks at sign advertising "Today's Special Plush Penguins $19.95," and hands Elliot money.  However it wasn't a plush penguin Elliot wanted for a friend, but instead a real penguin from the aquarium.

Elliot brings his penguin, Magellan, home and works to make him comfortable while keeping his father from knowing about his new friend.  Fortunately for Elliot, his father is not very observant.  Young readers will enjoy all the ways Elliot works to make his penguin friend feel at home.  Finally it is time for Magellan to take a swim in the tub.  When Elliot's father goes to take a bath and finds Magellan swimming you won't believe what happens.

Moo Hoo: A Story of Friendship

Every year our guidance counselor spends time in our classrooms talking about a green circle and friendship.  Honestly it is one of my favorite lessons she shares.  The green circle represents our circle of caring.  It represents friends and family.  The people we care about, and the people who care about us, are a part of our circle.  The circle represents the friends we have at school, in our neighborhoods, and in other parts of our lives.  She talks about how we want to keep growing our green circle by making new friends and not leaving others out.

I think she'll want to take a look at this new book about friendship published by Walker and Company, a division of Bloomsbury Publishing.  I happily received this ARC while visiting Bloomsbury at NCTE in Chicago.  It is scheduled to arrive April 10th, 2012. Moo Hoo written by Candance Ryan and illustrated by Mike Lowery is a story of two great friends, Cow and Owl.  Cow and Owl love to do everything together.  They play together, fix things together, and go places together.  Then one day Kangaroo shows up.  Kangaroo wants to join the fun, but Owl and Cow aren't sure they like the idea.  Will Kangaroo ever be let into the "green circles" of Owl and Cow?  Will they be friends?  You'll have to read to find out.  Hint:  I like happy endings.

Kids will enjoy listening to this story.  The words rhyme and have a rhythm which helps to make the story perfect for reading aloud.  The illustrations focus on the characters and help to show the friendship between Cow and Owl, as well as the uncertainty of adding a Roo to the equation.

When I read this story I couldn't help but think about Chester's Way by Kevin Henkes, and I'm sure my students will pick up this connection quickly too.  Chester and Wilson, Wilson and Chester, two friends who do EVERYTHING together.  They are, as the parents in the book say, two peas in a pod.  Then one day Lily comes along.  Lily has her own way of doing things.  Will these three be friends?  These two books would make a great pair for building community and talking about friendship.

You can read more about Moo Hoo at Mandy's blog:  Enjoy and Embrace Learning.

#Nerdcott, Here I Come!

The Challenge

Keeping up with Twitter over the holiday was a bit of a challenge.  My kids were home from college, my mom visited from out of state, and our house was the hub of family, food, and fun for most of two weeks.  However, in between baking cookies, playing games, fixing meals, and other Christmas traditions I would steal a moment to check up on Twitter updates.  I started to notice tweets about a Caldecott Challenge (#nerdcott).  I first noticed a tweet from LibLaura5 and then MrSchuReads.  I know there were a lot of other people creating energy for this challenge so I apologize in advance for the others I missed along the way.  

Learn More About #NerdCott

The challenge is to read the Caldecott winner and honor books since the award was first given in 1938.  You can make the challenge work for you.

Find out more about the #NerdCott here:
Ready, Set, Go - #NerdCott and Caldecott Challenge 1938-Present (participants are here):  LibLaura5 shares her view of this stress free challenge

Cadecott Challenge:  Anna Zbacknik @a-to-z-library (cohost) 

Caldecott Challenge 1938-Present:  Mr. Schu shares his plan

Learn More About the Caldecott

I see it as an opportunity to learn more about picture books, art, and the history of children's literature.

You can start here:
Caldecott Winners and Honor Books

Art Mediums of Caldecotts (thanks, Mr. Schu)

Covers of Caldecott (thanks, LibLaura5)

My Plan

My first thought was to read quickly through the award winners and post reviews, but I quickly rethought that plan.  I want to be able to take time to really consider each award winner and honor book.  I want to compare the similarities and differences in publishing across time.  To accomplish this, I've decided to read Caldecott winner and honor books by decade and post at the end of each month.  I'm hoping to not only learn about the books, but to discover some of the similarities in art over time.  At the end of the year I hope to synthesize all I've learned, talk about a few books I think should have been Caldecott (why not), and then look toward the new winner.  

2012 #NerdCott Posts
January - 1930s (begins 1938)
February - 1940s
March - 1950s
April - 1960s
May - 1970s
June - 1980s
July - 1990s
August - 2000s
September - 2010s
October - Books that should've been Caldecott (an opinion post).
November - Trends in Caldecott.
December - Review of possible Caldecott winners for 2012

Off to reserve books at the library!  This will be fun.