Reflect & Refine: Building a Learning Community

One Cool Friend

2012-01-10T22:39:00.001-05:00

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

2012-01-08T09:40:00.001-05:00

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!

2012-01-03T06:00:00.003-05:00

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.

A New Year: One Little Word

2012-01-02T17:00:00.000-05:00

"Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone." G. B. Stern

Image from Jumpstart.com

Yesterday I stopped by Enjoy and Embrace Learning to find Mandy's one word resolution: Change. I'm not one to make resolutions. Yes, I've thought of improvements I want to make, but I don't usually keep my resolutions. I am always setting goals for myself and trying to improve, there's lots of room for that, but resolutions are another matter. Yes, I'd like to eat better, exercise more, read more, write more, and make a million other improvements, but resolutions are always far too lofty and before I know it life gets in the way. Reading Mandy's post, I thought I might be able to handle keeping one word in mind all year.

Since reading Mandy's post, I've stumbled upon more "One Little Word" posts from other blogs I follow: Maria - Reflection; Katherine - Be; and Laura - Stand (these posts are inspirational and worth a read). Every time I finished reading a post I thought, "Yes, that's the perfect word." While each of these words stuck with me, I felt I should really think about the word that would make a difference for me.

I wrestled with what my word would be. I've decided it is THANK. I'm very fortunate to have friends and family who do so many things to make me smile each day. I'm always struck by the kindness and thoughtfulness of others. Though I thank people in words and action, I'm not always as good as I should be about putting this thanks in writing. It's hard to find the right words to tell someone how much you appreciate them.

So I'm going to make sure I take the time to THANK family, friends, and students for the ways they make me smile every day. I'm going to resist the urge to put a number on this "one little word," but instead hope to take time to send a quick note, text, picture, card, message or something to let everyone know how much I appreciate them. I found a few ideas for getting started at WiseBread: 25 Ways to Say Thanks.

I found this important reminder at bethankful.com:

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." John F. Kennedy

A New Year, A New Arrangement

2012-01-01T06:00:00.001-05:00

In August
You might remember this empty-walled picture in August as I arranged the classroom for a new community of learners. A few days ago I forced myself out of my house to go to school for a little winter cleaning. It seemed necessary with a new year to rearrange furniture for a new look. However, I really loved this last arrangement. Traffic flowed. There were small spaces, large spaces, quiet spaces, playful spaces. Why change something that works? Who knows...

Now
My daughter, who was there to provide moral support and prepare for her upcoming student teaching advised me to leave it alone if it works well, but I could not. Students will enjoy coming back to a little change. So I started moving furniture. I moved and moved and moved furniture. Hours later I had an arrangement I think will work.

Some Considerations
The Heart of the Room: The center of the classroom should be something that gets at the heart of the community. The small table in the middle of the room is everyone's favorite spot to work. This space fills quickly across all workshops. This is also a favorite table for collaborative work. I wrestled with moving this table away from the window, but I think students will enjoy having it right in the center of everything.

Quiet Places to Work: In our community we talk about the level of sound we like for reading, writing, learning, and playing. I believe students learn best by talking to one another. They can often help each other out without needing me to interfere. For this reason, we spend a lot of time talking about when to talk, where to talk, and what level our voices should be in respect to other learners. Across years this looks and sounds different. There are some children who prefer quiet to work and learn. For this reason, I try to create spaces like this one which naturally filter the noise and movement of the classroom. I tucked this table between a corner and a shelf to provide a quiet place for students.

Spaces for Collaboration: I spread the tables out for students to work collaboratively in small groups. In the previous arrangement I had many tables linked together or against furniture making it hard for students to work and talk in groups. (Yes, there are still a few linked. It's hard to create an arrangement that doesn't feel heavy in tables.) Spreading the tables out around the room should allow small groups to talk together without interrupting other groups.

Spaces for Play: In Ohio, we seem to spend a lot of time indoors at recess. The months of December to February seem to be filled with an overabundance of inside recess days. For this reason, I wanted to create spaces where students could build, play games, and create in small groups all around the room. Spreading the tables out helped to create more large areas of floor space for students to play and work.

Technology: In this arrangement I wanted to maintain a place to easily plug in laptop carts and connect to the network. I left space near the computers to make this easier. Additionally, many students use voice recording to publish their work digitally. For this reason, I moved the tall shelf behind a set of computers (see NOW picture above) to help maintain a quieter space for speaking. This shelf should also help when students are using the webcam for pictures and video as it will filter the movement in the classroom as well.

Books: One of the things I try to do is keep books around the classroom. I like us to be surrounded by the words of authors all day. Having books in all areas of the classroom also helps during reader's workshop as it is easier for students to spread out to read near collections of books. You'll see books on the wall shelves (most all of our shelving is here). I have added books to the shelf near the computers, above the math tools, in our meeting area and near the window. Getting out the collection of winter books made my day! I can't wait to share these titles with the readers in our classroom.

So the room is clean. The furniture is rearranged. New supplies await. Looking forward to a "new start" in our learning community. Should be fun.

Meet Me at the Moon

2011-12-11T18:00:00.038-05:00

One of the highlights at the NCTE conference was shopping for picture books in the exhibit hall. My savvy book shopping friend and #pb10for10 co-conspirator, Mandy, was quite good at spotting arcs for review. I fell in love with this book as soon as I saw it.

Yes, I am just over the moon with this new title, "Meet Me at the Moon" by Gianna Marino to be released on my own mama's birthday, March 29, 2012. In this story Mama must leave her baby elephant to climb the highest mountain in search of rain. Mama Elephant is gone for days and days. Will she return? Will Little One be able to find her again?

The illustrations in this book are stunning. The incredible detail in the drawing of characters, the precision of each picture, and the use of texture and vibrant color in this African setting call readers back to the book again and again.

The delightful illustrations are balanced by the language used to tell this story. There is a rhythm to the words, a beauty in each sentence, and a kind tone that makes the reader fall in love with the characters in this story. Mama tells Little One, "When the night sky is bright, Little One, meet me at the moon, where the sky touches the earth."

I know the young readers in my classroom will enjoy this story. The organization of the story and the structured pattern within can be easily understood, and perhaps considered for writing, by my students. Though I know this book will be well loved in my classroom, I can't help but think it is the perfect book for young children at home. It reminds me of many of our family favorites when my children were young. You'll definitely want to add this book to your list.

Really, a Post About Markers?

2011-12-10T05:00:00.018-05:00

Really, a post about markers? Oh, it's worse than that. My colleagues and I spent an entire lunch period discussing markers in Writer's Workshop. Only primary teachers could obsess over something so minor. (OK, maybe only I can obsess over something so minor.)

I'm not going to lie, for years I did not have markers out for students to use during Writer's Workshop. I know some of you are cheering to hear me say that. I also know some of you are shaking your head in disgust. Markers - like erasing, writing on the backs of paper, using scissors and allowing conversation - are an aspect of Writer's Workshop we don't want to discuss. People feel strongly one way or another about it.

Today I'm a little embarrassed to admit I didn't have markers out for a long time, and over the years I realized I needed to rethink this. The more I read and the more I talked about Writer's Workshop, the more I began to think markers needed to be a choice. So a few years ago I started introducing them. My introduction went something like this, "Here are the markers....listen for the click when you are done using them." For some reason (I wish sarcasm came across better in writing), they just never took off. Students never really chose them. Imagine that.

The Day It Happened
Well, this year was different. I introduced markers as I always do, and they sat. Imagine that. Then one day someone grabbed the markers. I was busy conferring with a student, but had noticed the sudden murmur moving across the classroom.

Finally someone spoke up, "Mrs. Mere, _____ is using the markers." A hush fell across the classroom. Everything was silent. No one moved. No one breathed. Everyone looked at each other. Everyone looked at me.

I glanced at this young writer, marker in hand. She looked at her friends and then she looked at me. I could tell she was worried about her standing with her friends and her teacher. This was an important moment for her. "_____, why did you choose markers for your illustrating," I asked rather nonchalantly (outwardly).

"I thought it would make the pictures look better," ____ replied in a hesitant whisper. (Well, it was something like that. That's really not important.)

"Seems like a smart choice of tools for your writing," I replied matter-of-factly and went back to conferring with writers. Yes, I acted like this choice seemed perfectly logical, but I also knew what was coming.

Here's What Was Coming
Yes, young writers gleefully jumped up from their seats to grab the markers. FREEDOM! Weeks went by and markers were a part of workshop. It was actually going pretty well. Illustrations had maintained a reasonable amount of detail and popped with color on the pages of stories. We had made it through the coloring over our words part of the process, and I was noticing some students were actually better able to draw with markers. They just seemed to sit in their hands more comfortably; it seemed easier to form lines and make circles. I was rather proud of myself for getting over another control hurdle and trusting my students. They never fail me.

Then....

One day, I noticed it here.

I noticed it there.

I noticed it here and there.

Students were writing words with markers instead of pencil. GASP! (This post really needs sound effects.) Now I was the one who wanted to shout, "Teacher, ______ is using a marker to write his words." Actually, you know that feeling you get when what you are thinking, what you believe, and what you practice aren't matching? I knew this was one of those moments.

The Dilemna
FASTFORWARD to our lunch conversation. Should I let students use markers to write words? Thankfully I teach with great friends who will tolerate my worry over little matters and conversations over tedious details. (You all rock!)

The pros:

Some students seemed to be able to write more with markers. It seemed easier to form letters and words with the thick tips of a marker. The size of the marker made it easier to grip. Yes, OTs everywhere are shouting OF COURSE.
The words really stand out when written in marker.
I can easily see the corrections students have made as they were unable to erase.

The cons:

Some students seemed to write much bigger when using markers.
Some students raced through their writing and it wasn't as neat as their pencil work.

Yes, the answer is obvious when you read it like that. As a colleague reminded me, "Some of the kids using pencil need to make their writing look better too." It's true. It isn't really an issue of the tool, but an issue with the process. Students want to write a story that others can read so they have be responsible about some of their choices. I have students in my room who wouldn't ever want to write words with marker. They want their writing to look neat, they want to be able to erase (yes, I let them erase --- another day's post for Writer's Workshop purists), but for others it's easier to create with the flow of the marker. It's easier to get words onto paper.

My Decision
It was decided, at least for now, that students will continue to use markers to write if that is the tool that works best for them and their story. I will continue to teach through it. Yes, it will take a few days, but in the end I'm hoping it will be worth it.

What are your thoughts?

Sharing Our Stories

2011-12-03T10:27:00.001-05:00

Karen, Mandy, Me, Stella
Picture from Stella

Reading the Past, Writing the Future
Every year I rearrange schedules, feverishly complete progress reports, arrange conferences with families, and make travel plans to attend the National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention. It's a lot of work that has to be done quickly and I often wonder if I will manage it all, but every year I do. Every year as soon as I join my friends and colleagues at NCTE I know it was well worth it.

This year was no exception. As I attended session after session the significance of story kept catching my attention. I began by attending the Elementary Gathering on Thursday night where Kathy Short received the 2011 Outstanding Educator Award. Short talked about the significance of story. Her thoughtful keynote seemed to shape my thinking across the entire conference. Every speaker I heard gave me nuggets about story. Every place I went I saw the potential for story.

My favorite NCTE quotes about story from speakers:

About Story: "Stories are such a normal every day occasion that we often overlook their significance." Kathy Short as she received the 2011 Outstanding Educator Award at the Elementary Gathering.
About Story: "Good nonfiction is narrative. Giving kids the gift of thinking about what matters most." Ellin Keene
About Story: "Math stories are everywhere in our world." Mandy Robek as we walked across Chicago (not her exact words, but...)
About Mentor Texts: "Literature can help second language learners connect to, and find, their story." Mary Capelli
About Process: "After I write I read it aloud to hear it in my mind and in my ear." Seymour Simon
About Audience: "I've been thinking about how our vision of audience changes....and how it changes us as writers." Tony Keefer
About Audience: "When I know my writing will be read by others, I work on my writing harder." Meredith age 10 shared by Tony Keefer
About Publication: "Books in hands at school can then be hands at home." Katie DiCesare in talking about having shared texts created in learning community made into digital pieces of writing

Capturing the Stories of Young Writers

Throughout the weekend I wondered how to help my young writers to see the significance of the stories in their lives. How do I help them to capture their stories? I thought about how they race in each morning to capture my attention to tell me their stories. I thought about how they bring in objects to share with their friends that tell their stories. I thought about the conversation I overhear with friends as they enter our classroom each day to tell their stories. Young writers aren't that different from "older" writers (couldn't resist). We are all so caught up in our lives we forget the stories we are living and they slip right be us.

When I returned to my classroom excited to share my own stories with my students - stories of learning, friends, meeting authors, finding new books - I noticed my students also had brought "stories" with them.

Nathan had brought his story of the new cars he got in Iowa City. He shared the stories of seeing family, visiting sites, purchasing and playing with these new cars on the long ride home.

Natalie had brought her book from when she was a baby. She shared stories of the beginning days she and her twin sister shared together. She told stories of her grandma coming to hold and love them. She told stories of their first Christmas together. She told stories of her life as a twin which her friends had plenty of questions about.

Luke brought his stories from a surprise trip to Disney. He had a notebook --- yes, I was pretty excited about that --- he had made to collect writing ideas from his trip. He shared the story of his favorite ride.

Lily came in carrying a picture of she and her sister decorating the Christmas picture with another picture of the dog and cat chasing each other it. She laughed telling about the challenge of decorating this large tree and the chaos the pets caused shortly after.

Stories are everywhere if we listen. Thanks NCTE (and friends) for helping me to notice the stories right in front of me every day --- and for helping me to make my own new stories.

Beyond Classroom Walls

2011-11-20T18:12:00.001-05:00

On Saturday, November 19th, Julie Johnson of Raising Readers and Writers, Katie Keier of Catching Readers and I shared ways to honor the voices of young readers and move conversations beyond our classroom walls. The NCTE 11 conversation is shared here.

Redefining Choice in the 21st Century

2011-10-21T23:25:00.004-04:00

Students need opportunities for their writing to go forward and go public - to reach audiences outside the classroom and the school - so that they can then begin to see how their words truly affect the feelings, beliefs, and choices of other people in the community. Ann Marie Corgill, Of Primary Importance (p. 23)

I think about these words of Ann Marie's often as children write in my classroom. New technologies not only provide opportunities to make writing public, but also cause us to rethink our definitions of composition and literacy. In a conversation with Julie Johnson of Raising Readers and Writers, we will share our journey in revisioning choice in our workshops at the first ever conference of the Columbus Area Writing Project. This collaborative effort with the Literacy Connection will also feature speakers Troy Hicks, Sonia Nieto, and Asma Mobin-Uddin. Our slideshow (hopefully with links embedded) follows:

The Stenhouse Blog Tour: Math Exchanges

2011-10-05T04:00:00.189-04:00

"Learning occurs when children are actively engaged in their environment and work to create a system of meaning and deep understanding." Kassia O. Wedekind

Sometimes the right book comes along at the right time. That’s what happened when I read Kassia Omohundro Wedekind’s new book, Math Exchanges. Right now in our school, we are in the process of transitioning from using a math program to really focusing on Ohio's New Model Curriculum (developed from the common core), data from assessments (such as the Developmental Math Assessment), and student performance to plan instruction. In the transition I'm spending much time reading and rethinking math instruction in our classroom.

In her book, Kassia focuses on the problem solving conversations teachers have with small groups during math workshop. What are children saying? How are they figuring things out? How is the teacher supporting math learning? While Kassia's book, Math Exchanges, focuses on the significance of small group conversations in developing mathematicians it also helped me to rethink the way we talk about mathematics in our classroom community. Kassia reminds us, "It is the role of the students to raise their own questions, generate their own hypotheses and model possibilities, test them out for viability, and defend and discuss them in the community. (p. 9)"

When I was asked to be a part of the Stenhouse Blog Tour for Kassia’s book I was honored. I’ve been having conversations with Kassia (@kassiaowedekind) on Twitter, and following her blog, Math Exchanges, for quite some time. I've already learned so much from Kassia and enjoyed so many conversations, but to have an opportunity to talk with her about her new book was a bonus. (Speaking of a bonus...remember to leave a comment to possibly win a copy of Kassia's new book.)

Our Interview

Me: In your book you talk about the difference between “mathematics” (ideas and procedures created in the past by others) and “mathematizing” (constructing one’s own ideas and understandings of math). What do students need in math workshop for this type of learning to occur?

Kassia: Lucy Calkins said, “teach the writer, not the writing.” When I began to think in terms of “teach the mathematician, not the math,” my workshop changed. Put this quote on your wall, in your planning notebook, someplace you can look at it when you’re feeling, “I just need to show them how to…” or “I’ll just teach them this easier way to....” Those thoughts creep into my mind from time to time. When I find myself getting into this kind of thinking, I tell myself: Honor the child’s thinking. Meet her where she is. Build from there. I know I can’t rush a child into building understanding overnight. That’s not how true learning works.

When your focus is on “teaching the mathematician,” your workshop will change. Here are some changes that occurred in my workshop when I made this shift:

Focus on fewer problems. Giving just a couple of problems and spending significant time asking “How did you solve the problem?” “How did you figure it out?” “Did you solve it like Clara or did you use a different strategy?” “Why do you think Abdel decided to start counting at 52 instead of 6?” Teach deeply with fewer problems.
Simplify. I used to spend a lot of time planning complicated centers for my students to do while I met with small groups. I hardly had anytime left for looking at student work and my notes in order to plan strategically for the small groups with which I’d work. I learned to simplify my centers or tasks. Giving students collections to count, starting a counting journal (where students count by different numbers and find patterns), writing their own story problems, playing simple math games. Focus on planning simple, truly independent centers or tasks that provide meaningful practice and exploration. This will free your planning time for focusing on thinking about where students are in their thinking and how to move them forward.
Choice. Elements of choice are important for students to feel ownership and self-efficacy in the workshop. Choice of tasks, choice of numbers for a problem (“Choose the numbers that you feel ready to take on. Not too easy, not too hard.”), choice of partners. You don’t need to offer all of these choices all the time, but it is important to always have some element of choice in the workshop.
Joy! How do you feel during your math workshop? How do your students feel? When things are going well, I feel a kind of joyful buzz in the air. Kids are talking to each other. They are trying new ideas. They feel important. Children are excited to meet together in small group math exchanges. If I’m feeling like this most of the time, then I know I’m on the right path. If not, I look for ways to change what is going on.

Me: Tools are obviously flexibly used in your math workshop to solve problems and think about math. How do you create environment in which students know they can flexibly utilize multiple tools/strategies in math exchanges?

Kassia: First you want to create an organized space where kids can easily access tools. Children should know what tools are available and the ways in which they can be used. Give time in the beginning of the year for free exploration of the tools. Have kids make labels for the various tools so they feel ownership over the tools and learn how to care for and organize them.

Help students identify what tools and strategies that help them most effectively and efficiently solve problems. “Jaime, why did you choose to use the sticks of ten Unifix cubes to solve that problem?” Or “I noticed that you used to use … and now you use … Why did you decide to change tools/strategies?” You want to highlight strategic tool use that is appropriate and efficient. You want kids to use the tools when they need them, and then feel comfortable dropping the tools for more efficient strategies at some point. Help them understand and talk about when and why they changed tools and strategies. You’re helping children to self-monitor for changes in their thinking and strategies.

Me: You stated, “the role of teachers is to provide problem-solving experiences that invite questions, wonderings, and space for grappling with new thinking.” One of the pieces I appreciated was reading many examples of language you use with young learners in math exchanges. Can you share a few types of feedback you used to give and what you say now that encourages students to questions, wonder, and grapple with math learning?

Kassia: What an important question! I learned a lot about academic language from Peter Johnston’s book, Choice Words. I re-read this book a couple of times a year (it helps that it’s a short book!) to remind myself of language I want to use. And then I write it down. It takes a while for new language to stick in my mind, so I may need to write down a couple of questions or phrases that I want to use until it becomes natural for me. So, here are some examples I’ve been thinking about lately. There are many more in the book!

Me: I realized when I was reading your book I needed to learn to look at what students do and say in math much more closely to determine what they know and what is next. What resources/practices have helped you to know and notice important shifts in thinking?

Kassia: Yes, I’ll tell you about two books that changed my thinking and practice as a math teacher.

Young Mathematicians at Work: Constructing Number Sense, Addition and Subtraction by Catherine Fosnot and Maarten Dolk. This book examines the “landscape of learning,” the mathematical strategies, big ideas and models that young children construct as they learn mathematics. It taught me what to look for as I analyze children’s work and words, and how to help children make steps forward in constructing meaning. Young Mathematicians at Work is one of those books that perfectly balances research with practice, and offers a lot of classroom vignettes that you can implement in your classroom.
Children’s Mathematics: Cognitively Guided Instruction by Thomas Carpenter, Elizabeth Fennema, Megan Franke, Linda Levi and Susan Empson. This is the foundational work of the idea that children construct understanding through experience with problem-solving. The authors explain the problem types you can work with and the development of strategies towards efficiency and understanding.

Me: You talk a lot about “the stories of math” in life. How do you help students to find the math stories in their lives and share them in the classroom community?

Kassia: I think we all live rich mathematical lives, whether we are aware of them of not. I certainly didn’t think of my life in these terms before I started teaching! It happened slowly. First I’d be in a grocery store and see the perfect array of plums that I needed to take a picture of to share with my third graders who were just beginning to explore strategies for multiplication. Then I’d be at the metro stop and see these hexagon tiles on the floor and start to wonder, “why hexagons?” So, I think sharing this passion with my students caused them to start thinking in these terms as well. I invite students to bring in stories and items from their mathematical lives. I give them time to share them and a space to display pictures and items where other kids can interact with them, ask questions and offer comments on the items and pictures shared. (There’s a post about a Multiplication Museum my kids made on my blog that shows a picture of this kind of thing).

I’ve just returned to the classroom this year as a kindergarten teacher. It’s made me start thinking about how to help our youngest students discover and share their mathematical lives as well. The best parallel I have is to how I teach writing. I learned from Katie Wood Ray and Matt Glover (in Already Ready and their many other books) to say to my students “You could make a book about…” or “You could make a book like that” in reference to kinds of picture books we study or experiences my students have. I’ve started looking for opportunities to say things like that about the math my students are discovering in their play. After they became interested in make long rows of animal toys on parade I said, “Wow! How many animals are in the parade? Would you like to take a picture of this so you could make a sign telling people about how many and what kinds of animals are in the parade?”

I want to thank Kassia for taking the time to answer these questions. Reading her book has helped me to shift my thinking as I move from teaching "mathematics" to supporting "mathematizing". Kassia explains, "The difference between "mathematics" ideas and procedures created in the past by others, and "mathematizing," constructing one's own ideas and understanding of math (p. 40)." I'm looking forward to the journey.

Remember to leave a comment or question for your chance to win a free copy of Kassia's book from Stenhouse. Also, if you haven't had a chance to stop by the other blogs on the tour you will want to take time to visit each blog. I have enjoyed each day's conversation.

Monday, October 3rd: Catching Readers Before They Fall hosted by Stenhouse authors Pat Johnson and Katie Keier. This post discusses some ways to encourage students to talk together about math among other conversation points.

Tuesday, October 4th: Our Camp Read-A-Lot hosted by first grade teacher Laura Komos. This post discusses ways to assess the small group conversations and student thinking. The rubric shared one way to think about the work students do in small group math exchanges.

Wednesday, October 5th: Here

Thursday, October 6th: Elementary My Dear, Or Far From It, hosted by first grade teacher Jenny Orr

Developing Ownership: New Goals for a New Year

2011-09-28T05:00:00.004-04:00

This year is off to a terrific start. I have a fabulous class. Well, I thought I had a fabulous class until my brother stopped by my classroom for a visit and my students were certain - way too certain - he was younger than I. For the record he is, but I would have liked for them to have to think about it a bit longer. Seriously, they are such a hard working group. They absolutely love books so I'm pretty sure we are going to get along quite nicely.

This summer I spent a good part of my time reading professional books, having conversations on Twitter about education, and trying to update and improve my practice. A few weeks ago, Laura Komos at Our Camp Read-A-Lot posted her goals for the coming school year. I was inspired to do the same, but found myself talking more about my goals to continue my professional learning. I would be remiss to not talk about my goals for student learning as well.

Though I have been teaching for several years (I can't say how many as I'm still recovering from my class's declaration that I am obviously older than my brother), I have goals for our classroom community in this new learning year. These are changes I know I want to make to support students in owning their learning.

Classroom Goals

Learn New Curriculum: Learn and use Ohio's new model curriculums for Science, Social Studies, Language Arts and Math in daily instruction.
Math Workshop: For the last few years, I've been trying to move toward using a math workshop which allows me to start with a focus lesson, have students work toward math goals during an independent learning time in which I confer and meet with small groups, and then finishing with a share. This instructional framework will allow students to have ownership of their learning and provide opportunities for differentiation.
Improve conferring in Reader's Workshop: This summer I participated in a conversation about Patrick Allen's book, Conferring: The Cornerstone of Reader's Workshop. For me, it has always been easier to confer in Writer's Workshop. It seems the conversations are usually grounded in the writing students are doing. Writing conversations seem to naturally end in a plan or some type of teaching point that moves the writer forward. However, I find conferring much harder in reading. Reading Patrick's book I realized there needs to be a clear "plan" at the end of our conversation to help students continue to move forward.
Improve Student Learning Conversations: I want to improve the conversations I have with young learners, but I also want those conversations to carry into the conversations students have with each other. My hope is to find a way to help young learners learn to provide feedback to one another. Yes, I know that sounds a bit too "teacher-ish". In our classroom students set their own goals for much of their learning. These goals are based upon their learning, concepts being studied, and assessments given. When conferring with students we often reflect upon these goals and look for evidence of improvement in their work (reading, writing, math, etc.). This year, I want the conversations we are having in our share circle and the conversations students are having with each other to reflect the learning we are doing in a way that helps to move us forward.
Seamless Use of Technology: For me, last year was the first time I wasn't asking what I could do with technology. Instead it seemed I was thinking about our learning and finding that technology often was the perfect way to create, compose, and share our learning. (Yes, Deb, this includes VoiceThread.) For the first time, technology seemed to be more like any other tool we use in our classroom to learn. This year, I want to continue to have students discover ways to use technology as a part of their learning. Here are a few links that speak my technology journey:

Reconsidering technology in my classroom: Digital Writing Workshop: Confessions of a Not-So-Techie Teacher
Some early thinking about possible technology uses here: Creating Meaning with Visual Images. It's a Snap, Right?
A few reasons I blog with students here: Am I Crazy? Blogging with First Graders

It's going to be a great year. I'm looking forward to all I will learn in this new community.

Math Exchanges Blog Tour: Stop by October 5th

2011-09-25T04:00:00.029-04:00

"Envision a workshop as a space for learning in which learners become leaders." Kassia Wedekind p. 15

Transitioning to Math Workshop
I first began using a workshop when I started building a Writer's Workshop after reading Nancy Atwell's, In the Middle. In later years, I used this framework to transition our reading instruction into a Reader's Workshop to give young readers opportunities to not only read, but to develop their reading lives. It wasn't long until I started to notice the disconnect between my literacy instruction and the way we were learning math. The math instruction in my classroom did not reflect what I felt was important for young learners.

Math Exchanges
For the last few years I have been trying to move toward using a math workshop to structure our math learning. This transition hasn't been easy. For some reason it is always a challenge for me to take what I know about literacy and use it to think about math. Obviously, I was quite excited when I heard Kassia Omohundro Wedekind was writing a book to talk about those small group learning opportunities in math; perfect for thinking about those small group conversations during our math workshop.

The Blog Tour
On October 5th this blog will host a stop on the blog tour for Kassia Omohundro Wedekind's new book Math Exchanges.
Kassia (@kassiaowedekind) and I have been having conversations about learning on Twitter for quite some time. I've enjoyed reading her blog. I've already learned so much from Kassia so I'm quite thrilled to be a stop on her Stenhouse blog tour the first week of October. I'm looking forward to talking with her about her new book --- and learning more about making math workshop a place where learners become leaders.

Win a Copy
Stop by October 5th and leave a comment. One lucky commenter will win a copy of Kassia's new book. Well worth the stop!

Creating Learning Spaces

2011-09-24T01:03:00.001-04:00

Our Starting Arrangement

Our Classroom
One of my first graders from last year stopped by yesterday on his way out the door. "You've changed everything," he exclaimed as he stopped in to say hello. After talking to him I was relieved to realize he didn't think it was better or worse --- just different. It's true I've arranged a few things to create the spaces we'll need for learning. Here are a few pictures from before school the year began.

Our Meeting Area

Our Meeting Area
The meeting area is by the chalkboard so I can add our word wall. The magnetic surface makes this a great location for the words we are learning.

Math Area

Math Tools
I like to keep our math tools in a common place. This place is perfect as traffic should flow relatively well when getting supplies and there is room to hang math related charts on the walls around the shelf. A few book baskets with picture books about math help make the area ready for math learning.

Places for Collaboration
I'm most excited about this area. Last year this lowered table was a hot spot for writing, reading, and working in small groups. This year I wanted it by the window. I had picked up a few stools at IKEA that are the perfect size for students. They love reading, writing and working here.

Making use of both sides of easel

Rethinking Furniture
I've opened up the space behind my easel so I can use the back of the easel which I gleefully discovered is magnetic. Oh, the possibilities. Right now we are using it for a daily check-in question, but I think being able to use it for small group word work is another possibility.

To the left you will see our "island" in the middle of the classroom. A colleague suggested I rethink this piece of furniture and I'm glad I did. It is the perfect central location for supplies and recess games. It is short enough that I still have visibility across the classroom.

Author Collection

Rethinking Spaces
I wasn't sure this space was going to work for me. This piece of furniture is always difficult to place and, to be honest, I'm not overly crazy about it. However, my students always love it. Originally marketed for leveled text, I use it for author collections. Every year kids pull up chairs to our author collections and read, read, read. I've learned to like this piece of furniture and surprisingly I like it here. First of all, I usually try to keep my tile clear. It's a weird thing, I suppose. However, I'm never crazy about furniture on the tile. Secondly, I was worried about how this would work with traffic when it is time to clean up at the end of the day. Actually it has slowed down movement as students clean up and is perfect.

I'm really excited about this open space our new arrangement created. We have laptop carts we can bring to our classroom. It is always quite congested when these carts are in the classroom. This new space is right beside all of our plugs and internet connection places. When I bring the carts into the classroom I can park them in this corner, plug everything in for students, and still have plenty of room to move around the classroom.

In the weeks to come the students will begin to shape the way these spaces look and are used. Soon the walls will be covered with their thinking. The charts we create as we learn together will begin to fill the walls. When old students stop by I think they'll find things look different, not better or worse --- just different.

I'm a Versatile Blogger

2011-09-18T09:47:00.001-04:00

I woke up this morning and the sun was shining. My patio called, but my phone said it was only 52 degrees. The skies were a beautiful blue, the birds were chirping (actually turns out it was a convention of blue jays so chirping isn't quite the word), and a mist covered the grass. I had to go to the patio. So I grabbed a pair of sweats, a sweatshirt and my cup of coffee. I had a few things I wanted to get done this morning and knew I should probably get a post on this blog. The post I need to get up isn't quite ready --- but then I realized Mary Lee and Franki from A Year of Reading had nominated me for the Versatile Blogger Award. Perfect - a post to write. Of course, I googled "Versatile Blogger" and found there to be 10,800,000 links which means choosing 15 blogs that haven't been chosen could be a task in and of itself this morning.

It only seems fitting that the two people who started me on this crazy adventure would nominate me. Thanks to both of you for the nomination and all of the learning I've found on the internet. I am a much better educator, learner, and collaborator thanks to you both.

After accepting this honor there are some things we are requested to do:
1. Thank the person (people) who nominated you and provide a link back to their blog.
2. Share 7 things about you.
3. Pass this award along to 15 other blogs that you have discovered.

So, here are 7 things about me:

I have a Twitter addiction.
I started this blog when I found 140 characters on Twitter just wasn't enough to talk about education and literacy.
This is my 23rd year of teaching. I've taught grades kindergarten through 6th and worked as a Reading Recovery teacher and literacy coach.
Having visitors to my classroom makes me a nervous wreck --- even after 23 years.
I love new picture books and chocolate (yes, I know that is technically 2 things)!
This really isn't a very versatile blog, I blog mostly about children, learning, literacy, technology, picture books, and building classroom communities (of course, you will find an occasional politically motivated rant).
This blog collaborates with Enjoy and Embrace Learning each August 10th to host the August 10 for 10 Picture Book Event. (next year will be year 3!)

Here are 15 blogs I would like to recognize (it's not hard to think of 15 blogs):

Barbara at Love to Teach Reading and Writing
Gail at Mrs. Poulin's Blog
Jen at Elementary, My Dear, or Far From It
Jennifer at A Work in Progress
Jackie at Ready, Set, Read!
Jill at My Primary Passion
Kassia at Math Exchanges
Katie & Pat at Catching Readers
Laura at Our Camp Read-A-Lot
Lyssa at My Mommy Reads
Lori at Lori's Lessons
Michelle at Literacy Learning Zone
Scott at Brick by Brick
Sylvia at Ele'Mentor
Tammy at Apples with Many Seeds

That was a fun challenge and walk through many blogs I love to read. I must say, however, I think I could have finished that post that has been hanging over my head in that time. :o)

Discovering What Kids Know

2011-09-07T04:00:00.004-04:00

I love the first days of school when everything is new. New folders, new pencils, new crayons, new paints and, best of all, new students. These first days of the school year are so important for setting the tone of our classroom community. In these first days I want the children in my classroom to begin to see themselves as one community. In these first days I want to learn how they work together, who leads, who follows, who listens, who talks and who builds on the thinking of others. In these first days I want to know what they love to do most. I listen to their stories to learn what is important to them at school and, of course, in their lives beyond our classroom. We discover the ways we are similar and the ways we are different.

In these first days every step is carefully made to help us to live and work together in the coming year. In a teaching world filled with data, I think the best thing about the first days of school is getting to know kids not by numbers, but by living beside them. In these first days of school I want to know what they know. I want to watch them in the messy work of figuring things out, as they settle in with a good book, as they look at that blank piece of paper and plan what they want everyone to know. How do they make meaning? I want to know what they know really well. I watch them for signs of what they have under control, what they may be ready to learn, and what they may need help to accomplish.

In the first days I spend my time talking with children about their reading/writing. It is in these conferring conversations that I learn most about their lives as readers and writers. I learn by talking with students, but I also learn by watching them work in the workshop. By carefully observing how they go about their reading and writing. Much can also be learned by looking thoughtfully at student writing as well and talking with them about books.

Here are a few questions I ponder as I sit beside students to confer and reflect on their learning:

What are the student's literacy attitudes and habits? Do they read/write at home? Do they have books in their rooms? Do they have a library card? Did they go to the library in the summer? Where do they get books? Do they read stories before they go to bed? Do they prefer to read by themselves or with others? Do they have places they like to write? Do they see their family members read/write? Do they approach reading/writing with confidence? Do they have the stamina to attend to reading/writing for a lengthy period of time?
What do students know in reading? How do they make meaning? Do they search for the message of the books they read? Do they have favorite books/authors? What kinds of books do they choose to read? How do they talk about reading? What strategies do they seem to use automatically to make sense of books? Do they monitor their reading/thinking?
What do students know in writing? Where do they get ideas for their writing? Do they write about a variety of topics? Do they easily begin a new piece of writing? How do they plan their writing? Do they prefer to draw first or write words to begin? How do they organize their writing? How do they construct sentences? Do they have a bank of known words? How do they write new words? Can they reread their writing? Do they add details to their pictures/text?
Does the child's oral language support learning and communication? Do they ask questions as they read/write/talk? Are they able to articulate their thinking? Can they connect their conversation to the thinking/discussion of others? Do they use the vocabulary from their reading/writing in their discussions? Do they listen carefully to others?
Do students have a sense of story? Do students talk about their writing as if they are telling a story or just isolated events? Do they connect ideas when talking through the pictures in a book?
What are the connections (and disconnects) between reading and writing? Is it easier to write words than to read them? Is it easier to read words than to write them? Are they more confident in reading or writing? Do they have strengths in one area that might support learning in another?
So in these beginning days I will be sitting beside the young readers and writers in my classroom to celebrate and discover all they already know.

Keeping an Eye on the Road Ahead: Professional Learning Goals

2011-09-04T10:12:00.000-04:00

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." Mahatma Gandhi

It's been a great first two weeks of school, but it has been all I can do to keep up with my colleagues on Twitter. Additionally, reading and commenting on blogs --- let alone posting --- has been virtually impossible (yes, that was my attempt at cyber-humor this morning). All I have been able to manage is an occasional glance at my Twitter feed or a quick read of a post on my phone in small snippets of time I have found. Donalyn Miller uses books for her emergencies, I use my phone (it has my books, blogs, Twitter colleagues, etc. always at my fingertips).

In the midst of the first days of madness I caught snippets of this Twitter conversation between Michelle Nero (@litlearningzone) and Laura Komos (@komos72):

Being a person who loves "a challenge" and a bit of #cyberPD, I thought I'd add my post to this conversation which began at Laura's Camp Read-A-Lot, The Big Picture for 2011-2012. Here Laura shares her goals for the upcoming school year in a post written to help her stay accountable to them. I'm a bit nervous about posting my goals so publicly as I know there will be no turning back. I considered making my goals: eat more cookies, sleep in on the weekends, give up laundry, but I knew you wouldn't buy any of that.

So falling to peer pressure, here are a few of my goals for the coming school year:

Professional Learning Goals:

In an effort to continue to grow as an educator I think it is necessary to read, interact, and share our learning beyond our classrooms. In these tough times for public education, I want to be more "transparent" (not a fan of the word, but it works here) in all that I believe about education. It is important to maintain our professional lives and share them with the public so they move beyond the notions of education predominately shared in the media (stepping off soapbox...oops).

Currently, I am reading Kassia Omohundro Wedekind's book, Math Exchanges, published by Stenhouse (and, I believe, now available). This blog will be one of the stops on Kassia's blog tour. I'm looking forward to talking with Kassia about her book (and hopefully getting a few answers about my math workshop).

In October, I will be attending the Columbus Area Writing Project's Fall Conference: Writing and Reading Our 21st Century Lives. At the conference, I will be joining Julie Johnson to share ways literacy is moving beyond our classroom walls. In October, I'm also considering attending the Literacy Connection's session with Troy Hicks and OCTM's conference in Toledo.

In November, I will be attending NCTE's conference in Chicago: Reading the Past, Writing the Future. Love, love, love this conference! Like Laura, I have to pay for this conference myself --- and use personal days (ouch!), but it is always worth it. This conference always energizes my teaching and thinking. I'm really looking forward to presenting with Katie Keier and Julie Johnson (ok, not the presenting part, but the working with friends part) in our session: Beyond Classroom Walls: Honoring Voices of Young Readers in the 21st Century.

In February, I will be attending Dublin's Literacy Conference. Going to conferences can be EX-PEN-SIVE! I love this conference as it is reasonably priced and full of great speakers and learning conversations. This year's list looks exciting with picture book authors Bob Shea & Eric Litwin (Pete the Cat!), and professional authors Ruth Ayers and Donalyn Miller among the many sharing their thinking with us. If you are within driving distance (even if you're not), I highly recommend a trip to Ohio (in the snow and cold) to attend.

On the TBR professional list: Comprehension Going Forward, Write Like This, So What Do They Really Know?, Investigate the Number System.

Twitter, Twitter, Twitter. I will never be able to articulate all I learn, all the professional development opportunities I find, all the conferences I stalk, or all of the great thinking shared here. Just know I am trying to find a way to be sure to keep up with it all.

Reading and Commenting on Blogs: During the summer I tried to make it my goal to comment on at least 3 blogs per day (ok, some days it didn't happen). I am pretty sure I can't keep that pace during the school year. My goal is to comment on at least 10 posts per week (for those of you that like math, that is likely going to be 3 each day of the weekend and 1 each evening --- with a day off).

Blogging: At least once a week I will share something I've been thinking about in teaching children. Yes, I'm going to make it a priority to go back to posting at least once a week. There, I said it.

Writing: While I am on the subject and just making myself accountable for things, let's talk about writing. I do believe being a writer (in any terms) is important to teaching writers. I've been struggling a bit to get back into my writing routines...ok, I've been struggling a lot. The weekly blogging goal is an attempt to fix this as is my commitment to writing weekly. (Still debating on whether to set the goal by words per day/week or minutes per day/week. Pondering - and taking suggestions.)

Classroom Goals
While I am throwing it all out here, I might as well add classroom goals. However, I need a bit of time to get those thoughts into an organized list. So in the coming days, I will post my goals for my classroom. I think you'll see they are tied to the above professional learning goals.

"I'm a big believer in growth. Life is not about achievement, it's about learning and growth, and developing qualities like compassion, patience, perseverance, love, and joy, and so forth. And so if that is the case, then I think our goals should include something which stretches us." Jack Canfield

The Wrap Up: Our 2nd Annual Picture Book Event August 10 for 10

2011-08-12T00:58:00.001-04:00

Thank You
This week was our second annual picture book event: August 10 for 10 (#pb10for10). While Mandy Robek and I co-hosted the event, the real success of it came from the diverse group of participants willing to share their picture book expertise with one another. The result of this collaboration is a resource we can all return to throughout the year. This year's event included books for preschool children, nonfiction lists, picture books for math, multicultural literature, old books, new books, borrowed books, blue books (ok, I'm getting a bit carried away). Thanks to everyone who took the time to post, to e-mail, to tweet (and retweet), and to tell friends. You rock! (And a special thanks to Mandy for joining me in another year of crazy fun.)

August Event Links

Jog the August 10 for 10 Picture Book blog collection (just click on left)
Archive of #pb10for10 Twitter conversation
2010 August 10 for 10 blog collection

If you'd still like to post, I'm not much of a rule follower so I'll be happy to add your post to the collection. Just comment here (or on my 10 for 10 post) or mention (or DM) me on Twitter.

It's hard to explain to other people what I have gained from professional interactions on the internet. The networks I've come to rely on through Twitter and the blogging world are such a big part of the learning I do. I've gained a positive community of educators willing to help one another. This event is a perfect example of what happens when we all join together. You inspire me! Thank you.

August 10 for 10: Authors I Just Can't Live Without

2011-08-10T00:10:00.001-04:00

It's here! Today is our second annual picture book event: August 10 for 10. If you love picture books, you'll love this event which I'm excited to be hosting with Mandy Robek. For weeks we've all been wrestling with the 10 picture books we just can't live without in our worlds. You'll find picture books for your classroom, your library, and your bookshelves at home in this year's collection of posts. If you'd like to have your blog linked to the conversation, just comment with the link for your picture book list here or at Enjoy and Embrace Learning. You can also send us a link on Twitter using the event hashtag #pb10for10. If you don't have a blog, but would like to join, there are lots of ways to participate.

Authors We Can't Live Without
Last year, I shared my list of 10 picture books I just couldn't live without. This year I'm going to share 10 picture book authors I could not live without in my classroom. I cannot even begin to imagine how I would teach without a collection of picture books. The authors of these books are such a part of the discussions that take place in our learning community. They are the books we read to learn, laugh, and talk together. Not only do these authors help us to grow our reading lives, but they also help us to learn to live the life of a writer. Authors are an essential part of our classroom. Here are some must-have authors:

Eve Bunting
Eve Bunting is an author I just can't live without in my classroom. Her books are perfect for young readers no matter what the grade level. ANYtime I need a book that is a good mentor text for writing or a read aloud that will evoke discussion I know I can go to his author to find a book that will work. Most of her books are written in first-person from the point of view of the main character. Choosing a favorite is a bit of a challenge, but children always enjoy Ducky written by Bunting and illustrated by David Wisniewski. Bunting wrote this book after reading about a box of plastic toys lost at sea (book includes an author's note). In this story, Ducky spends days lost at sea hoping to be saved. He has to be brave as he tries to survive.

Mem Fox
Mem Fox is one of those authors children just love. I'm always amazed by the reactions her books get when being read aloud. I love Mem Fox's books for young readers and writers for the very reason she wrote them; they put the sounds of language into the hearts and and minds of children. Children love to hear books written by Mem, and those books then turn into great writing mentors in our classroom. Young writers can learn a lot about language, repetition, and story from Mem. I couldn't live without Harriet, You'll Drive Me Wild by Fox and illustrated by Marla Frazee. My classes always love this story about a small girl, Harriet, who seems to have a hard time staying out of trouble and a mom who sometimes finds it hard to be patient.

Mo Willems
I must admit I was a little slow to get on the Mo bus. However, it didn't take me long to realize the power his books had with children. Mo is a bit like Mem in that as an adult I look at his books and say, "That's a pretty good story." Then kids get ahold of the books and shout joyously as they turn the pages. Children seem to come alive at the crack of a story by Mo Willems. Now my classroom is full of Mo Willems books. My students just can't get enough of his books. They are a perfect way for emergent readers to choose real picture books in the classroom and not just leveled readers. So I have to choose a favorite? Just one? I think my class from last year would want me to tell you about Elephants Cannot Dance. In this story Piggie tries to teach Gerald how to dance, but no matter how hard he tries he just can't move like Piggie. Will Gerald ever find his groove?

David Shannon
David Shannon is the perfect author for a classroom full of beginning readers. Shannon's character, David, is always one of the characters students love most in our classroom. I can't imagine starting a year without David Goes To School. In this story, David seems to have a hard time following the rules of the classroom. As in many of Shannon's books, the pictures tell the real story. This is good book for beginning a conversation about ways to make the classroom a place for learning and how each of us can help to do that.

Robert Munsch
Every classroom has to have a collection of books by Robert Munsch. How can young readers resist stories in which the adults are always a mess and the children always save the day? The repetitive phrases in Munsch's books make them easy for young readers to reread after the story has been read to them. Kids love the humor in Robert Munsch's work and his books are always being taken home from our classroom. Again, picking a favorite is tough, but I'm going to have to say Alligator Baby is always a hit. In this story, written by Munsch and illustrated by Michael Martchenko, Kristen's parents go to the hospital to have a baby but keep coming home with an animal baby instead of a people baby. It seems they got confused and went to the zoo instead of the hospital. Kids love guessing the animal as Kristen slowly lifts the blanket to find the new baby doesn't have "people" characteristics. Can Kristen save they day?

Todd Parr
I love Todd Parr's books for the message, but the bonus is that young readers love them too. I think his books are perfect for the beginning of the year when students are first learning to use pictures to tell a story. Parr's use of shapes and bold colors are perfect for helping young writers begin illustrating their own stories. Being the literacy geek that I am, I couldn't live without Reading Makes You Feel Good (thanks, Deb Frazier). It is perfect for the start of the year as we begin our Reader's Workshop and share our love of reading. (Oh, and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of his new book, The I'm Not Scared Book. Yes, I think I might have just bent the rules a bit and slid in an extra book.)

Eileen Spinelli
Eileen Spinelli is the perfect author to help teach the craft of writing. Spinelli varies her choice of crafting techniques in her books creating a strong collection of mentor texts for young writers. My favorite mentor text for young writers is In My Yellow Shirt. In this story a young boy receives a yellow shirt for his birthday. What would be considered by many to be an ordinary gift turns into an extraordinary gift as he shares all he can be in his new yellow shirt. This imaginative tale demonstrates the use of repetition, strong vocabulary, and a seesaw pattern of text among other techniques.

Kevin Henkes
Kevin Henkes is another must-have author for any classroom. Children love listening to his stories. His new book, Little White Rabbit, is a book I just couldn't live without in my classroom. In this story, rabbit wonders what it would be like to be different. After each page in which little rabbit wonders what it would be like to be different, a beautifully illustrated double page spread shows what it might be like. For example, little rabbit wonders what it would be like to be tall. Readers turn the page to find a double page spread showing rabbit taller than the fir trees. A group of us have been discussing using wonder to frame discussions of inquiry in our classroom. Maria Caplin has shared Wonderopolis and an idea using wonder jars to start inquiry with students. I'm thinking this book might be perfect for a collection of books about wonder to help in this experience.

Amy Krouse Rosenthal
I really have to thank Franki Sibberson for this next author. She has often mentioned Amy Krouse Rosenthal in posts at A Year of Reading. Eventually I started to put two and two together and realized how many books I had by Rosenthal, and how many more I needed to check out. I'm still in the discovery stages of noticing all this author can offer the young readers and writers in my classroom. However, I'm quite sure she belongs on this list of must-have picture book authors. My students would want me to tell you about Duck! Rabbit!, but I'm going to suggest another favorite Little Hoot written by Rosenthal and illustrated by Jen Corace. In this story Little Hoot doesn't want to stay up all night like the owls. Will he ever talk his parents into letting him go to bed early? Kids love this play on tricking parents at bedtime.

Eric Carle
Though these authors are in no particular order, I suppose it makes sense to end with the tried and true work of Eric Carle. I don't think I have to tell anyone about all that Carle's work teaches my young writers about illustrating and story telling. I love, that like Henkes, Willems, Parr and Shannon, Carle writes AND illustrates his own books just like the young writers in my classroom. They love the innovative ways he presents books to children and this usually inspires some innovation in student writing. Yes, Eric Carle brings out the scissors and the glue invariably...and a lot more. Not only are Carle's books perfect as writing mentors, readers love rereading his books over and over again. It is truly impossible to pick a favorite from Carle's collection, but I suppose A House For Hermit Crab ranks high on my list. In this story Hermit Crab gets too big for his shell and has to go out searching for a new home. Will he find the perfect home for him?

There they are; 10 authors I couldn't live without. A big thank you to the authors who share their stories in our classrooms shaping the reading and writing lives of the young children in our classrooms.

Let's Quit Hiding Behind Our Classroom Doors

2011-08-09T06:00:00.001-04:00

Close Our Doors?
A little over a year ago I wrote this in Putting Politics and Policies Aside:

As educators, we know children deserve more than a role as political pawns in a game in which there are no winners. So while the politicians debate, we'll be in our classrooms because we believe the best use of our time is working to help our students learn and achieve. We believe in the children who enter our doors each day eager to inquire, discover, and create meaning in their worlds. We know they are the scientists, the peace makers, the writers, and the problem solvers of our tomorrow. We understand the significance of the work we do.

Tough Times For Public Education
Times are tough for public education across America. Here in Ohio, as in many states, public education has seen major reductions in funding as "public" charter schools have received increases in dollars with little oversight. Additionally, the increased use of standardized testing to measure public schools, teachers, and children has resulted in a narrow curriculum. One could ask if these tests actually measure the things we value in learning, such as innovation and creativity, which have helped to make this country great. I think the argument could be made that many of the current complaints about public education, especially those made by politicians, will find their roots in the test driven policy that has come from No Child Left Behind laws.

Since I wrote that post over a year ago, you might say, nothing has changed. In fact, you might argue, it has gotten worse. I feel a growing concern that public schools will soon be a place of segregation once again. This time a place of economic segregation. As more and more states find ways to move educational funds to charter and private schools, as more and more states raise income limits for vouchers, public education loses again. Children lose again.

You might say nothing has changed, but...

Advocating For Public Education
Something has changed. The willingness of educators to continue to allow politicians and corporate leaders to dictate educational policy is changing. Events like the SOS March are part of an effort for educators to collectively raise their voices about the significance of public education. As educators it is no longer enough to close our doors and teach. It is time to stand up for our profession, the children we work beside each day, and the necessity of public education for our nation to thrive.

Something has changed. I no longer am satisfied to, as I said last March, close the door to my classroom and teach. The best use of my time, of our time as educators, is in creating the narrative for education not being a victim of it.

Standing For Children
The voice that is lost in all of this is the voice of children. To say that they are our tomorrow is to ignore what they already are today. Children deserve learning environments where they have time to learn and to grow. We must be thoughtful about the ways we ask them to use their time. School should be a place where they work together, ask deep questions, seek answers, read real books, write real pieces and learn to live in this world that extends far beyond their neighborhoods.

I hope you will join me by opening your door, lifting your voice, and advocating for public education. Let's create our own narrative for children and learning.

Where To Begin?

Share your classroom: Having a blog is the perfect place to help parents, politicians, as well as other educators know all of the amazing work going on in public schools. There is a positive narrative weaving across the educational blogging community.
Get informed: Find ways to follow the work of elected political officials. It's probably wise to have their e-mail address and phone number too. Raise your voice.
Share your work: Tell parents, administrators, and public officials about the work you do outside of the classroom. Talk about the groups you belong to, share the professional development opportunities you've participated in, and discuss the ways you collaborate with other educational professionals. (Thanks, Karen. @karenterlecky)
Say "I am an educator" with pride: When asked what you do proudly announce that you are an educator shaping this country's future....not "just a teacher." (Thanks, Deb @frazierde) Share your concerns about your profession and the future of public education with friends and family. Spread the message.
Build Networks: One of the biggest problems for educators is we have not established a common voice. While billionaires and politicians put money into advertising their agendas, we do not have these resources. Twitter is one place teachers can network and collaborate to raise our voices about educational policies. (I'm advocating at @PublicEd4Kids)
Read. Read. Read: Thanks to the internet there are many blogs, e-newspapers, and other media to help stay informed about your state and public education.
Add other thoughts in the comments below: What do you do to advocate for public education? I hope you'll share.

If you're looking for public education advocates on Twitter, here are a few lists I've made:

So You Don't Have a Blog: 10 Ways to Still Join August 10th Event

2011-08-05T10:52:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, August 10th, is our second annual picture book event. Last year nearly 40 blogs joined the conversation by sharing their favorite 10 picture books. This year looks to be full of great posts, but what if you want to participate and you don't have a blog?

A few suggestions:

Start a blog (or resurrect an old one): You know you've been thinking about it and this is the perfect time to get started.
Comment on one of our blogs: You can leave a comment with your favorite picture books on Enjoy and Embrace Learning or Reflect & Refine: Building a Learning Community (or any other participating blog).
Tweet your favorites: If you have a Twitter account you can tweet your favorites using the hashtag #pb10for10 on the day of the event (Wednesday, August 10th).
Join Posterous*: Posterous has a simple format that will allow you to share your books, and other thoughts, quickly.
Attach your list to your Wiki*: If you already have a wiki, just put your list there.
Make a Glog*: Sure, why not.
Use Wallwisher* for your favorites: Add a post-it for each of your favorite 10 books and easily create links to books.
Create a Listmania* on Amazon: I'm sort of a Listmania nut. The great thing about Listmania is everyone will easily be able to quickly purchase books off of your list. ;o)
Create a Google.doc: Just type your list in a Google.doc and publish it to the web.
Surprise us!: Oh, I love surprises and there are probably a million more ways to publish your list. How fun is that??

*I think I will be able to add these formats to our collection of posts on JogtheWeb. I love a challenge.

You can see we are quite flexible in this event. We really just want an opportunity to talk about picture books. Is there a better way to get excited about the new school year? If you have other ideas about how to publish your list feel free to share them in the comments --- or surprise us on August 10th. Whatever you decide, remember to comment with your link on one of our blogs or tweet it using the #pb10for10 hashtag. I can't wait! (Oops, I better get busy on my list! I'm such a procrastinator.)

I hope you've been saving your money because you won't be able to resist purchasing a few titles.

Growing Conversation Through Blogging

2011-07-28T11:07:00.000-04:00

Growing a Conversation
This month a conversation about summer professional reading between Jill Fisch (Summer Reading), Laura Komos (Summer Reflection and PD) and me (What Are You Learning?) went a little crazy. Before we knew it, we planned an event that would allow us to read Patrick Allen's book, Conferring: The Keystone of Reader's Workshop together. Our hope was that others might find the learning interesting enough to join in the conversation and, thankfully, that is exactly what happened. During this conversation between blogs I learned a lot about improving the ways I confer in my classroom. The conversation helped me to create some goals for the new school year, and also helped me to build a community of colleagues I know will be ready to help as I continue my journey. For me, this event affirmed the significance of blogging with the students in our learning communities.

The Significance of Blogging
Last year, many of you followed my journey into blogging with my class. One day I just decided I was diving into it, and I never looked back.

After a bit of coaching from Katie DiCesare, I decided I would use Kidblog.org for my students. Though there were are other possibilities, Kidblog would be easy for my young learners to navigate, it would allow them to attach images and video, and it provided a variety of security settings.

As we introduce new technology into our learning communities, I think we have to ask ourselves some tough questions. For blogging I think we have to ask, how is it different from picking up a piece of paper and writing?

Blogging builds conversations in learning through:

Community: Blogging provided an opportunity for me to reflect with others
Thinking: It required me to synthesize my reading and connect it with my world
Sharing: It allowed me to "listen" to the thinking of others without interruption
Authentic Feedback: It provided an opportunity to respond thoughtfully to the thinking of others
Valuing All Community Members: It gave everyone an equal voice
Motivation: It motivated me to keep up with my reading

So What's Different?
I've been following along with the learning at the Boston Learning Conference #blc11 on Twitter. Yesterday Ewan Mcintosh tweeted this:

My reply:

If we're just blogging and tweeting to say what we think, we are missing an important piece of learning. However if we are listening, responding, and building on the thinking of others we are taking learning to a new level. It is in these interactions that blogging becomes more than writing on a piece of paper.

Let's Chat About Conferring with Patrick Allen

2011-07-21T04:00:00.001-04:00

The Conversation End (or begins?)

It's been a great three weeks of #cyberPD. When I placed Conferring: The Keystone of Reader's Workshop in my summer reading pile I knew I needed to read this book to think more carefully about conferring with young readers. What I did not know was that I would find a group of educators who also wanted to read the book and share our thinking across weeks of discussion. Reading the book has taught me a lot, but reading everyone's reflections has exponentially increased my learning. I have so much to think about as I begin conferring this school year. Most of all, I think I've found a community of teachers to continue this discussion into the new school year.

A Chat with Patrick Allen
On Monday, July 25th at 7 PM MST (9PM EST), we will have the privilege of having author, Patrick Allen (@ColoReader), join us for a Twitter chat as we talk about conferring (#cyberPD). If you notice he is typing slowly it is likely because he is wearing a sling from all of the arm twisting. Actually, Patrick has been wonderful about agreeing to join us. I know he's been quite busy this summer. I think we've all felt like we've been spending our days with Patrick. Perhaps Nicole says it best when she shares her sadness to see the conversation end. However, I have a feeling the conversation is just beginning.

Twitter Chat #cyberPD
Whether you've been posting away during this professional learning opportunity, reading and commenting along the way, or just want to join a live talk about conferring, I hope you'll join us in the Twitterverse Monday night. Jill Fisch (@JillFisch), Laura Komos (@Komos72) and I (@CathyMere) will be moderating the discussion to keep it going. (That will be new for me. Should be interesting.) If you're new to Twitter chats you can find more information about chatting at Cybraryman's website (@cybraryman1). I am always happy to help.

To join the chat:

Go to Twitter on Monday, July 25th 7PM MST (9PM EST)
Type in the hashtag #cyberPD
When commenting make sure to include the hashtag #cyberPD to keep tweets grouped

Hope to see you then!

"Conferring Ain't Easy"

2011-07-20T11:47:00.000-04:00

Today is the final day of our cyber bookchat about Conferring by Patrick Allen (#cyberPD). I'm a bit disappointed to see it end. This summer I really wanted to take time to reflect the purpose and effectiveness of conferring in Reader's Workshop. I had planned to read Allen's book, but I hadn't planned to learn so much from so many others reading it at the same time. If you haven't had a chance to read all the posts, you'll want to find time to do so.

Previous Conversations:
Entire conversation is here: Conferring the Keystone to Reader's Workshop
Part I: What Brings About a Good Conference Anyway?
Part II: What Are the Essential Components of Conferring?

Today we are discussing Part IIi: “What emerges from our reading conferences?”. Today's conversation is hosted by Laura Komos at Camp Read-A-Lot. You’ll want to stop by to join the conversation.

Conferring Ain't Easy, But It's Important
Yesterday one of the participants in #cyberPD had been talking with a friend about conferring, likely sharing her excitement. The friend replied, "Where's the research on conferring?" Questions like these make me shake my head, not because they're not important but, because they're often asked to avoid change. When I read the question I wished I was at school where I could get my hands on research, but in reality I know the difference conferring makes for my young learners. I also know that the success of conferring has a lot to do with factors beyond just placing myself in a chair beside one student.

Quick Shifts: In Support of Conferring
Yesterday I was reading the Mac page my computer opens to and realized a new operating system, OS X Lion, is coming out (yes, I live under a rock). Now as a learner I could read more online to figure this out. I could take a class to learn about the new operating system. I could sit with a small group and learn about the system. OR I could sign-up for a Mac one-on-one session. Yes, I will learn in all of these situations, but I will learn a lot quickly sitting one-on-one with a knowledgeable instructor.

The challenges:

Online learning: I'm going to have to spend a great deal of time reading and searching to find articles, videos, and conversations that answer my questions. There will be a lot of information within these I do not need and may not understand. There will not be someone close by to answer questions.
Large Class: Have you ever taken a technology class? If so, you know the challenges. There will be learners in the room wanting to know how to turn on their computer, learners wanting to know why they need to change, and learners who are trying to learn how to reprogram OS X.
Small Group: I might be able to find a small group learning about OS X. Here I will likely be able to find some answers, especially if the leader is knowledgeable. However, the needs of each person in the group will have to be negotiated.
One-to-One "Conference": Sitting down individually with an "expert" would allow me to have my questions answered. The "expert" would be looking at my computer, s/he would be able to consider the way I use the computer as s/he answers my questions, s/he would be able to show me the way the new operating system will most help me do the work I do. I could learn a lot quickly in this instructional context.

I'm not saying any one of these instructional contexts do not hold merit in a classroom. They each provide important avenues to learning and growing, however time vs. learning conferring has to be important. If we look at some of the times in life we have learned the most we will likely find it was sitting beside an "expert" in something we like to do. In Fires in the Mind, students tell us "some encouraging person guided them past that point [of frustration] by giving them an engaging task that lay just beyond - but not too far beyond - their skill level." (p. 44 eReader version)

"The people who sit next to you have a big part in how you get better at something." Janiy (student FIM, p.16)

The Whole Game and Conferring
Recently I read, Making Learning Whole by David N. Perkins. I found it interesting how much workshop models parallel playing "the whole game" as he calls it. In his book, Perkins tells us, "In a setting of learning, a whole game is generally some kind of inquiry or performance in a broad sense (p. 35)." He shares a few indicators of the whole game in a learning setting. The Whole Game: "Walk-Aways" Perkins states (Making Learning Whole pp. 35-36 eReader version):

It's never just about content. Learners are trying to get better at something.
It's never just about routine. It requires thinking with what you know and pushing further.
It's never just problem solving. It involves problem finding.
It's not just about right answers. It involves explanation and justification.
It's not emotionally flat. It involves curiosity, discovery, creativity, camaraderie.
It's not in a vacuum. It involves the methods, purposes, and forms of one or more disciplines or other areas, situated in a social context.

When I compare this list to Allen's "walk-aways" (Conferring pp. 158-162) it is easy to see the value of conferring. As I begin the new year with conferring on my mind, I will be recording conversations to see what the "walk-aways" are for my young readers. My hope is to improve the power of these conversations as the significance (and likely the research) isn't in the fact that I am sitting beside a student, but in the learning conversation we have together.

Conferring: Improving Conversations with Readers

2011-07-13T11:18:00.000-04:00

“There is something lasting about sitting down next to a child and having a conversation as fellow readers.” Patrick Allen p. xv

Today is Part II of a cyber bookchat about Conferring by Patrick Allen (#cyberPD). Last week, the conversation began here as we discussed Part I: “What Brings About a Good Conference Anyway?”. You’ll want to visit the Part I posts at our Conferring Jog. Today we are discussing Part II: “What Are the Essential Components of Conferring?”. Today’s conversation is hosted by Jill Fisch at My Primary Passion. You’ll want to stop by to join the conversation.

The Importance of Conferring

It has been several years since I changed the structure of my Reader’s Workshop and moved away from a workboard (students at centers while I worked with groups) to using a structure similar to Writer’s Workshop. It just seemed to make sense that if I wanted my students to be readers they needed more time to read. Reader’s Workshop allows more time for children to read independently, to enjoy books with friends, to talk together about books, to develop the strategies we are learning, and to grow their reading lives.

The Structure of Reader’s Workshop:

Focus Lesson: Each workshop begins with a focus lesson.
Independent Reading: Then students read (Allen calls it composing time) while I confer with readers and work with small groups. During this time you will find students reading alone, with a partner, discussing books, thinking, learning, writing, etc..
Share: Our workshop always ends with time to share and reflect.

Reader’s Workshop not only gives me time to work alongside readers in a variety of contexts, but it gives me the opportunity to get to know them as readers. There is no doubt that conferring is an important part of my Reader’s Workshop. Reading Allen’s book has given me time to reflect on how significant this time really is for young readers, for learning, and for teaching. Last week Mandy Robek shared all she has missed when she was not conferring, and I’m going to post this in my classroom as a reminder of the significant work occurring in these small moments.

Mandy said:

I have missed regularly conferring with students. I have missed...

-"Purposeful conversations that provided me with meaningful instruction-rich in strategy, inquiry, vocabulary, and skills.

-"...conversations that stretched my thinking and monitored my understanding."

-"Purpose is uncovered during the reading conference,..."

-"Conferring helps me find out new things about the reader and provides an intimate opportunity for a shared "coming to know"

-"Conferring helps me uncover a reader's learning in a manageable, thoughtful way while leading to documentable data..."

Allen shares his reasons for conferring (p. 34). Reading his book has given me an opportunity to really think about the importance of conferring. Time to confer provides opportunities to:

Establish a trusting relationship with the student
Get to know each reader
Reinforce and/or extend focus lesson conversations (differentiate)
Learn what the reader is “thinking”, wondering, “discovering” p. 99
Record progress over time
Address specific needs that are more targeted to the reader
Teach at the edge of student learning
Empower the reader with new skills, strategies, and understandings
Shape the life of a reader
Smile, laugh, cry, wonder, discover, and learn from authors, characters, story events, and books together --- reader-to-reader

The Challenges of Conferring

Though I find conferring in Reader’s Workshop to be worthwhile, I do not find it to be easy. For some reason, conferring in Reader’s Workshop is more challenging for me than conferring in Writer’s Workshop:

It is harder to stay consistent with time spent conferring in Reader’s Workshop
Reading work (more in the head) is not as concrete as writing work (more on paper)
In writing conferences I seem to be more comfortable letting students take the lead
It is easier for me to choose teaching points in Writer’s Workshop (perhaps because I keep more to the focus lesson conversations)
It is easier to name concepts, strategies, etc. in writing than in reading (again because work is concretely in front of us)
Writing conversations seem to be more forward thinking with goal setting, clear expectations
I seem to use reading conference more to find out about student thinking, but writing conference more to move writer forward

The Change

The reason I wanted to participate in this professional opportunity to discuss conferring is I wanted the time to look – really look – at conferring in Reader’s Workshop. What do I need to change to make it more effective? How do I help readers move forward in these small snippets of time? How do I help young readers to develop ownership of their reading and learning? What can I learn from others to make conferring in Reader’s Workshop more effective? What can I learn from writing conferences that would improve reading conferences?

When I worked as a literacy coach conferring with readers in classrooms was hard. It was easy to make conferences about “the reading” and not about “the reader” because I lacked the knowledge of history. I didn’t know the conversations shared, literature read, strategies taught, or learning discussed. To me, conferring as a classroom teacher has the potential to be much more powerful for learners because I have the knowledge of history. I know the conversations the community has had about reading. I know the books we’ve read together. I have seen the progress of the reader sitting beside me. I know the strengths of the reader. I know where the reader needs support. As a classroom teacher, it is much easier to have a conference that is about “the reader” and not the reading. Still there are changes I need to make to make improve conferring in Reader’s Workshop.

The Plan

Change my conferring structure from listen, reflect, teach to listen, reflect, teach, PLAN.
Learn to let readers lead reading conferences (listen more).
Never, never, never compromise conferring time.
Be more explicit in plan, purpose, goal setting part of reading conference. This is the time Allen calls (the P in RIP) plan, progress, purpose. (pp. 102-104)
End the conference with an intentional plan. p. 102

The Take-Aways

Teaching doesn’t always come from telling it often comes as we name what readers are doing.
“When a student leaves a conference, I want her to have something in mind that may help her remember, understand, extend meaning, or make her reading experience memorable.” p. 104
“Keep the conference and teaching short enough to accomplish something important, meaningful, and applicable.” p. 129
“We want to think carefully about the language we use with readers from the moment we sit down beside them. And we also have to remember that often that language comes from the student.” p. 137
“The reader is better served if his voice, his thinking, fills the airspace during a conference.” P. 148

Still Pondering:

While I have found a recording system that works well for me, I’m wondering about adding a student-recording component. Katie DiCesare’s post, School Shopping: Blank Books, has given me more to think about here.
Like many in this #cyberPD group, I am wondering about switching from my notebook to recording conferences using an application that would allow me to take pictures, use audio to record student conversations, and continue to record observations.
This year I plan to record more conferences to look closely at who is doing most of the talking, the true structure of the conference, the power of the teaching points, the types of conversations I’m having, patterns, trends, etc..
I also want to compare the conversations I have with different types of readers. I want to be sure that my readers needing the most support are having high level conversations about books, reading, and thinking.

August 10 for 10: Our Second Annual Picture Book Event

2011-07-10T09:54:00.002-04:00

Start Searching
Mandy Robek, of Enjoy and Embrace Learning, and I are so excited to announce the 2nd Annual (cue flashing lights and loud music) AUGUST 10 FOR 10 PICTURE BOOK EVENT (#pb10for10). Yes, that's right. It's time to dig through your stack of picture books and find the 10 you just cannot live without in your classroom (library or home). Now I know many of you have been participating in #bookaday, making wishlists on Amazon, and racing to the door when the delivery truck arrives with new books so you might want to look through those new book stacks too.

What is August 10 for 10?
Last year, Mandy (her 2010 post is here) and I (my 2010 post is here) began wondering about the "must have" books for our classroom. You know how it goes, one conversation leads to another and, before we knew it we were hosting this event. Last year over 40 blogs participated. Each blogger chose 10 picture books s/he could not live without and wrote a post about the titles. Each blogger put her/his own spin on a collection, and at the end of the event we had a resource with over 400 "must have" picture books.

So start searching. What are the 10 picture books you could not live without? This isn't going to be easy but here are some tips (Choosing Picture Books and More About Choosing Picture Books) . There are so many things to consider when narrowing your list (especially when there are so many amazing books). After you have finalized your list, write a post about your favorites. On the day of the event, August 10th, place a link to your blog in the comments of one of our posts. We will then link your blog to the other participating blogs. If you don't have a blog. No worries. You can share your favorites on Twitter using the hashtag #pb10for10 (or you can start a blog **wink wink**).

Join Us
Pass the news along to your friends and join us August 10th for a virtual picture book party! You might want to save your money as last year this event resulted in some new picture book purchases. Contact us on our blogs, on Twitter (@mandyrobek or @cathymere), or by e-mail to let us know you are joining this event. On the day of the event - August 10th - we will be linking all the "must have" posts. Can't wait!!

The Conversation Begins: "Conferring" Bookchat

2011-07-06T04:00:00.011-04:00

"If someone walked into our classroom, who would he or she say owned it?" Patick Allen

The Conversation
This week I've been reading "Conferring" by Patrick Allen to prepare for the start of our professional reading cyberchat (#cyberPD). The list of participants (some are here) has grown since last week, and it's never too late to join. Please scroll to the bottom to find links to other blogs participating in the event. If you'd like to participate in our discussion about Part I, here are a few ways to join the conversation (see end of post for other event dates).

You can:
1. leave a comment at the end of this post.
2. write a post about your reflections, and place your link in the comments below. I will then link your blog to this post.
3. comment on Twitter using hashtag #cyberPD.
4. visit other blog reflections and comment.

Who Owns Our Classroom?
Patrick Allen spends much time in Part I, discussing the ways he builds a classroom environment in which conferring can happen. As I was reading "Conferring" the above quote caught my attention. Allen asks, "If someone walked into our classroom, who would s/he say owned it?" I wonder about this a lot. It is my hope that when someone walks into our classroom they know it is a place where children belong and where learning is valued. From the table that sits close to the ground for readers/writers/learners/friends to gather, to the books surrounding the room in baskets with covers facing out to call to young readers, to the work and thinking hanging on the walls, I want the room to be a place for children to talk, think, dream, learn and work together. I want students to feel at home when they enter. It's their place.

When someone walks into our classroom, I not only hope they will see students own it but, I also want them to hear that children own it. Allen states, "Giving them a voice in defining the structure and expectations makes the 'work' of the workshop theirs (p. 92)." As I read the chapters of Patrick's book, I couldn't help but hear his students own the classroom. They own the thinking taking place within the community. They own the tone of the room as they talk together about learning, books, and writing. They own the time in which they work as they talk and learn beside one another. They own the purpose behind the learning taking place. It is their voices that matter and resonate throughout the pages.

How is Conferring Important in a Learning Community?
Allen reminds us, "Conferring provides an opportunity for my students and me to discuss and explore ideas together (p. 32)." I couldn't help but think about the way the small conversations we have as we confer with children lead into, and out of, the bigger conversations taking place across our classroom community. Voices from conferring carry back into the learning of the classroom. I found this quote by poet Ryunosuke Satoro, "Individually we are one drop. Together we are an ocean." I couldn't help but think about the way each conversation, as we confer, contributes to the deeper understandings we discover as a classroom community. In our learning communities, each voice matters. It is through conferring that we shape readers, and these conversations are "the keystone to reader's workshop".

A Few "Amens"!

"There is something lasting about sitting down next to a child and having a conversation as fellow readers." (p. XV)
"Conferring is the keystone of effective instruction. Without conferring, my reader's workshop flounders." (p. 24)
"Learning is about continuity." (p. 27)
"Reading conferences don't depend on us taking the lead." (p. 32)

Now I'm Pondering...

Why do I confer?
How will the beginning of my year look different as a result of reading Patrick's book?
Though reading and writing conferences share many similarities, I am thinking about the ways they differ. How does conferring look different in reader's workshop?

Today's Conversation

Jill Fisch talks about "counterfeit beliefs" at My Primary Passion. She reminds us of the power of conferring conversations in moving students forward and the opportunities to confer across our day.
Chris Rayner shares her goals for next year at Reading Amid the Chaos as she reflects on "Conferring"in Conferring Book Club. This post speaks to the power of community, conversation, and writing in reading.
In her "Reflections on Conferring," Shelley Carter reflects on her past experiences conferring in her classroom and the many attempted systems to organize the information gathered. At Thoughts of a Teacher, Shelley reminds us to consider why conferring is important for our students as we look toward a new year.
Michelle shares her CyberPD: Conferring reflections at Literacy Learning Zone where she talks about the obstacles we all face when trying to make conferring work in our classrooms.
Tony Keefer joins the "cool kids" and adds to the discussion. Stop by Atychiphobia (Tony, I have to look at your title EVERY time I type it!) where Tony shares his thinking in Conversing about Conferring....with a few other humorous asides.
Stop by Love to Teach Reading and Writing where Barbara shares her thoughts in Reflection...Conferring the Keystone of Reader's Workshop Part I. Barbara discusses her guiding principles and the ideas she is willing to fight for in Reader's Workshop and, most importantly, for her students.
Laura Komos shares her reflections on ~~conferencing (kidding Laura & Patrick)~~ conferring at Our Camp Read-A-Lot. In Conferring, not conferencing! Laura reflects on her reading with some interesting points about conferring, a confer app for iPad, and her goals for students. You'll want to stop by her blog.
Somehow in the midst of a crazy busy day, Carol shares her reflections at Carol's Corner. In Cyber PD: Conferring - The Keystone of Readers' Workshop, Carol looks toward her new journey back into the classroom. Stop by to read Carol's "take-aways" from Patrick's thinking and the impact it will have in her new classroom.
I am so excited that Randi Allison a mentor, colleague, and friend of Patrick Allen has decided to join our conversation. You won't want to miss this post at Tastes Like Chocolate (you have to love a name like that!). In "Conferring" Randi shares Patrick's journey, and reminds us of our own journey as teachers.
First of all, best wishes to Australian blogger, ecksposition, as the journey of a new teaching career begins. "Talking About Reading" is a reflection of "Conferring" and what it might mean in this new grade 3-4 setting.
Mandy Robek considers the struggles of balancing conferring with small group instruction in at Enjoy and Embrace Learning. In Conferring: The Keystone of Reader's Workshop, Mandy shares the challenges of meeting with kindergarten readers who attend school every other day.
Nicole, from Nicole's Book Nook, joins us with her reflections in Conferring Part I: Changing Misconceptions. Nicole shares her thoughts on adding conferring to her work with young emergent readers.

Event Schedule

Today:

Part I: What Brings About a Good Conference, Anyway?

Hosted here at Reflect and Refine

July 13th:

Part II: What Are the Essential Components of Conferring?

Hosted by Jill Fisch at Primary Passion

July 20th:

Part III. What Emerges from Our Reading Conferences?

Hosted by Laura K at Camp Read-A-Lot

July 21st:

Join us for the final conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #cyberPD.

Join Our Blog Bookchat

2011-06-29T04:30:00.003-04:00

"Conferring" Book Blog Chat

Working your way through your professional reading stack? Wishing you could chat with someone about all you are reading and thinking? Join us for a blog book chat about Patrick Allen's book, Conferring: The Keystone of Reader's Workshop.

Recently a cyber-conversation between Jill Fisch (Summer Reading), Laura K (Summer Reflection and PD), and me (What Are You Learning?) spun wildly out of control into a plan for action. As we realized we had a few common books in our professional reading piles we decided we would learn so much more if we could talk together about the book as we read. We thought we'd learn even more if we could get more educators to join us.

We decided to try a blog bookchat - a cyper-chat of sorts. Recently I had hoped to participate in a professional reading party started at PreK pages (you might want to check out "Literacy Beginnings Party"). I thought it was a terrific idea, and a similar plan might work for us. We wrestled with how best to share our thinking and have a conversation. Here's the plan (and we are hoping you'll join the conversation):

July 6th:

Part I: What Brings About a Good Conference, Anyway?

Hosted here at Reflect and Refine

July 13th:

Part II: What Are the Essential Components of Conferring?

Hosted by Jill Fisch at Primary Passion

July 20th:

Part III. What Emerges from Our Reading Conferences?

Hosted by Laura K at Camp Read-A-Lot

July 21st:

Join us for the final conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #cyberPD.

Read Jill's post
Read Laura's post

How to Participate:

On your blog: As you read each section of the book, write a post to reflect on your reading. Then link the post on the event date to the hosting blog in the comments section. Your link will then be moved into the hosting post.

In the comments: No blog -- no worries -- you can join the conversation by commenting on the host blog.

Twitter: Comments along the way, applicable links, and other information can be tweeted with the hasthag #cyberPD.

To Purchase the Book:

Conferring: The Keystone to Reader's Workshop Click the "preview online" button to read sample

at Stenhouse (an eReader version is available here as well)

at Amazon (a Kindle version is available here)

So grab a comfy seat, your favorite cool drink, and your book. Then join us for this learning adventure.

What Are You Learning?

2011-06-23T06:00:00.002-04:00

Yep, it's summer. The time to catch up on professional learning. This week Gail, @poulingail, asked what we were doing for our summer professional development (#summerPD).

It was then that I realized I had my online learning planned for the summer, but had not really thought much about my professional reading.

Without hesitation I knew I wanted to:

Attend #rscon3
Learn more about Edmondo (this link may help), Animoto, and LiveBinders
Catch up on a few Nings: Educator's PLN and English Companion
Read blogs and comment on at least 3 each day
Get posting back to once a week
Participate in Poetry Friday
Of course, more learning conversations on Twitter

But what about professional reading? Usually there's a stack of books waiting for me to read, but I hadn't really formed a plan. What has happened? I knew I wanted to reread Patrick Allen's, Conferring, but what other books should I read? I put the question out to my colleagues on Twitter and got this response from @Komos72.

I thought this picture was inspiring....so I made my list.

Summer Professional Reading Rereads

Conferring, Patrick Allen

Choice Words, Peter Johnston

Summer Professional New Reads

The Castle in the Classroom, Rana Bhattacharyya

First Grade Readers, Stephanie Parson

Engaging the Eye Generation, Johanna Riddle

Creating Lifelong Readers Through Independent Reading, Moss and Young

Already Ready, Ray and Glover

Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics, Van de Walle and Lovin

Please comment to tell what are you reading and learning this summer.

You're Finally Here!

2011-06-21T10:17:00.001-04:00

You're finally here. Thanks for stopping to read my post about a new book by Canadian author, Melanie Watt. This was among my purchases as I wandered the shelves of Cover-to-Cover after our recent bloggers' breakfast. This year my students found Watt's characters, Scaredy Squirrel and Chester, irresistible so I had to pick up this newest book by one of our favorite authors for our classroom shelves.

I am certain this will be one of those read-alouds students will not be able to resist. In You're Finally Here, rabbit is glad his reader has finally decided to join him, but wonders what took so long. He begins being a bit grumpy about the fact that it took so long for the reader to come to the pages of his story. Then he decides it might be better if he were a bit more celebratory about the arrival.

The changes in font size, use of speech bubbles, and double page spreads, in which rabbit explains how keeping him waiting has made him feel, are all worth a peek inside this new picture book.

A Word About "Levels"
The teacher in my can't resist a little soapbox sidebar about levels. When I stopped by KidsCanPress, I couldn't help but notice that the book is listed with a grade level of 2, a Fountas & Pinnell level K, and a Reading Recovery level of 18. Once I got over my sadness that levels are so quickly placed on books for young readers, I thought about all the PK-1 classrooms that might think, "This book is too challenging for my young readers." I thought about all the parents who might say after looking at the font (without really reading, noting the vocabulary, and thinking about the story), "This book is too easy for my child."

The format of the book could be a bit tricky for emergent readers. Not only do they need to know to move left to right, top to bottom, but they will need to understand how to navigate the pages with four picture/text boxes on a page. However, that being said, I believe after a few times of hearing this story in read-aloud it is one a variety of young readers will be able to revisit and reread. To me the opportunity to be able to reread this book after a few times hearing the story will help develop vocabulary, word recognition, and book handling skills of emergent readers. I have a feeling this book will be one of those in which students are highly engaged while reading. It is a must for my shelves. Thanks to Melanie Watt for writing about another character my students are sure to enjoy --- no matter where they are in their reading journey.

Other Links of Interest:
A glogster of Melanie Watts
Check out Scaredy Squirrel on YouTube

Thanks Twitter #FF Post

2011-06-17T07:21:00.001-04:00

This week I led a session with Deb Frazier talking about professional development available on the internet. During this time I was reminded again how much Twitter has helped me to grow professionally. The community of learners on Twitter always pushes my thinking, has helped me envision new possibilities, and has helped move my classroom beyond our four walls that surround us each day.

For my new friends interested in Twitter, here are a few people to consider following as you build your learning community. To my Twitter colleagues, thanks once again for making learning a part of my day - EVERY DAY! (Note: I am sure I have forgotten some amazing people here so keep an eye on the comments. I will likely have to add as they come across my feed over the next day or two. If I have forgotten you, my apologies. Feel free to leave a comment with your name or the name of other educators I should be sure to follow.)

My local tweeps:
For the most part, these are educators living near me and teaching in local districts. I'm fortunate to be able to, not only follow these people on Twitter, but see them regularly. They are a smart group, and continually inspire me. You won't want to miss @frankisibberson, @KatieDicesare, @MaryLeeHahn, @Jreaderwriter, @karenszymuziak, @karenterlecky, @mandyrobek @stellavillalba, @ssibberson, @ProsserBill, @frazierde, @michelleosu, @lizbrary, @carcarr819 @kavecr, @mariacaplin, @billygiacomelli, @wjmere, @juliekeefer and @tonykeefer.

Smart Educators to Follow:
These are educators that constantly share what is happening in their classrooms and in education in their area. They tweet valuable resources, ask great questions, and thoughtfully respond to conversations on Twitter: @gret @Grade1 @paulawhite @whatedsaid @4thGrdTeach @DoeMiSo @KathyPerret @ccampbel14 @4thGrdTeach @dlpd17 @kassiaowedekind @tenteacher @vickyloras @Saskateach @tcash @soingirl @nancyteaches @aliharper20 @kristenmarie123 @mgraffin @ohionicole

Literacy Tweeps:
These colleagues are smart literacy resources. They tweet about books and all things literacy. They not only demonstrate leadership in literacy, but keep me thinking and growing as a literacy educator: @lorilovesbook @the1stdaughter @alybee930 @mentortexts @bluskyz @asharuiz @ReadingCountess @PaulWHankins @literacydocent @linkstoliteracy @gregpincus @acorgill @KateMessner @JensBookPage @readingteachsu @hickstro @MrSchuReads @jmalphy @ColoReader @ChocolateAir @amylvpoemfarm @CBethM

Children's Literature
These authors and illustrators are keep me posted on the latest:
@toddparr, @KatieDavisBurps, @KatGirl_Studio, @caitstuff, @taralazar, @LouiseBorden , @RileyCarney, MitaliPerkins

Early Childhood Tweeps:
As a first grade teacher, these early literacy colleagues always remind me the importance of preserving the child in my learners. They have great suggestions for working with young learners:@LiteracyCounts @maggiecary @teachmama @poulingail @Teach_Preschool @playactivities @JenDobson27 @sxwiley @LAMHRainbow @hechternacht @Matt_Gomez @Mr_Fines

Links to Great Resources:
These people not only filter great tweets and pass them along in the Twitterstream, but they locate smart information on the internet and share it regularly. These colleagues are important for locating resources that will help improve our classroom practice. @kevcreutz @joycevalenza @ghewgley @elizbtheastman @soltauheller @rmbyrne @lizbdavis @cybraryman1 @djainslie @GaryBrannigan @Struggle2Learn @MissCheska @pragmaticmom

Great Conversations:
These colleagues always keep the conversation going:

@dmcordell
@missmac100 @TeachJohnson @thehomeworkdog @newfirewithin @2ndgradetchr @doriedance @kelalford @jillfisch
@Mollybmom @famousmistered @louwinsr @thompseg
@surreallyno @ccoffa @BarbaraDay @geraldaungst @jafhedlund @lookforsun

Always Ready to Help:

It seems every time I put out a call for help, these are some of the first to respond. You should add these "first responders" to your list: @cyndiejacobs @nsharoff @m_yam @weemooseus

English Language Learners:
If you have English Language Learners in your classroom, you'll want to follow @MultiLingLiving @KarenNemethEdM @judiehaynes @PreKlanguages

These Tweeps Keep Me Thinking:
These tweeps really make you ponder: @AngelaMaiers @davidwees @thenerdyteacher @bhsprincipal @mbteach @21stprincipal @dogtrax
@MaryAnnReiley @langwitches @snbeach @thecleversheep @mcleod

Tech Tweeps
Here are a few technology tweeps to get started with:
@EdTechSandyK @EdTechSteve @digitalnative @iteachgrade2 @rkiker

Public Education Advocates
With the recent push to place funding into charter schools, and take funding from public schools, I felt it was time to advocate for public schools and the children they serve. For this reason, I started @PublicEd4Kids which is a new account created to advocate for public schools and children. Here are a few public education advocates I recommend following: @ForTrueEdReform @nancyflanagan @TeacherSabrina @RachelAnneLevy @juliecavanagh15 @KenMLibby @leoniehaimson @TeacherReality @SOSMarch @susanoha @starsoflove, and with reservation @DianeRavitch (Though she seems to be a key figure in getting education out of this mess, I cannot move beyond the fact that in some ways she got us INTO this mess. Though I'm trying to keep an open mind...and she does share quite a bit of relevant information.)

Some Ohio tweeps who keep me up-to-date on legislative issues: @plunderbund @Notgvn @Elishico @real_large

The Movers and Shakers:
These people are "must haves" for your Twitter list. Odds are you already follow them, but I'm going to talk about them anyway. These are the people who seem to have their pulse on the internet. I'm pretty sure they don't sleep. They share great links and seem to be developing a professional online community that is amazing: @ShellTerrell @tomwhitby @teachingwthsoul @web20classroom @ktenkely @tonnet @courosa @gcouros.

Library Picture Book Searches: A Lost Art?

2011-06-16T19:00:00.001-04:00

Photo by Emily Sibbet via Flickr

Sometimes it just hits me how much my world has changed in the last few years. This week I was preparing for a couple of sessions I was leading with Deb Frazier in our district's Summer Academy. Looking at the list of participants I realized I needed a few more intermediate books for our audience. Though I had quite a collection of picture books, I decided to stop by our local library to browse for a few new titles.

My time was limited so I quickly headed to the children's section of the library and started to look for picture books for intermediate teachers to use in their classrooms. I looked. And I looked. And I read. And I searched. It was then that I realized how much my ways for discovering picture books had changed in the last few years. It seemed I had forgotten how to search for books on rows of shelves with tightly packed - spine out - books. Could it be that shelf searching has become a lost art?

How book searching has changed for me:

I rarely go to the library without a list of books that have been recommended to me or titles I know.
Friends, colleagues, and students recommend titles and authors they love.
I find new picture books for my classroom following blogs like Katie DiCesare's: Creative Literacy, Mary Lee Hahn & Franki Sibberson's: A Year of Reading, Karen Terlecky & Bill Prosser's: Literate Lives, Mandy Robek's: Enjoy and Embrace Learning, Danielle Smith's: There's A Book.
I discover many new titles on Twitter from colleagues like @MrSchuReads @LiteracyDocent @MentorTexts @jmalphy @alybee930 @lorilovesbooks.
Amazon thinks it knows me.....and it works sometimes.
Booktrailers catch my attention and make me want to find out more about a book.
Authors' websites and tweets often guide me to their latest releases or previous books I have not discovered.
ChoiceLiteracy articles send me searching for particular titles.

Standing in the library, looking around at the shelves of books shoved tightly together, I realized how much I have changed the way I find books. Make no mistake, this is not a post to say we no longer need libraries. I believe quite the opposite is true, and have campaigned to help restore funding in Ohio. I love my library (libraries!). I frequent the library often --- actually I frequent three libraries, but rarely do I sit among the shelves for hours to look for books. Usually I find books online, place them in my library bookbag, and stop by to pick them up when they are available.

Though I have fond memories of sitting in libraries among the shelves of picture books, I love the way I find books now. It occurs to me that I am fortunate to have a grown a large community of readers who love to talk about books. I'm thinking this is a change for the better.

Beginning the Summer Conversations

2011-06-15T05:00:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow I'll be leading two sessions with Deb Frazier for our district's Summer Academy. I'm really looking forward to the first session, "What's All the Tweeting About?", as we're going to be talking about building a professional learning community on the internet through blogs, wikis, Nings, and social media networks. That means I get to talk about Twitter! I'm hoping to bring a few more people to the dark side.

I've attached our slideshow that will accompany our discussion and exploration (links should be embedded), as well as a few other links that may be helpful for participants.

What's All the Tweeting About? (Collaborative Google doc and links)
Who to Follow?: A New Year #FF Thank You
My Twitter Lists

The second session is about a topic I love and get to talk about often - reading. I'm looking forward to the conversation in our session: ~~Teaching Readers of Tomorrow,~~ Shaping Readers of Today. For me, this session will be a bit different as I'll be sharing, not something I've been working on for awhile and have seen work but, something I'm in the middle of thinking about. We're going to be talking about moving student conversations about literacy beyond the classroom and out into the world. We'll be looking at the connections to literature available on the internet such as book trailers, author websites, and other literacy connections. It is a great group so I'm excited about the learning and conversation I know will take place.

Again, I've placed the slideshow we'll be using during our conversation here as well (links should be embedded).

Shaping Readers of Today (Collaborative Google doc & Links)
Listmania of Books Shared Today I
Listmania of Books Shared Today II
Book Trailers: A Place in Our Classroom Communities?
Am I Crazy? Blogging with First Graders

Book Trailers: A Place In Our Classroom Communities?

2011-06-13T20:32:00.000-04:00

It's summer and I'm sitting here thinking about book trailers. Yes, book trailers.

This year my students were so interested in connections between the internet and literature that I want to spend some time investigating these links. I hope to learn more about author websites, literacy apps for iPod/iPad, picture books available on e-readers, and other ways literature links to their world.

One connection I think may be powerful in our reading community is book trailers....but where to start?

Where do you begin looking for book trailers? What do you look for? How will they be useful with young readers? I wasn't sure. So, I did what I always do now. I asked my colleagues on Twitter.

Who better to begin this summer investigation than Mr. Schu Reads? I must admit that Mr. Schu may be the reason I have been thinking about trailers. He is good about tweeting links to new trailers and keeping us informed of books soon to be released. You'll want to follow his blog, Watch. Connect. Read., as he is constantly sharing new information about children's books. I asked for help, and he was quick to my rescue (thanks, Mr. Schu).

Like I said, he's an expert. I began looking through the trailers he had suggested. Here are some of my thoughts as I watched.

Some book trailers seem to be intended to advertise and generate interest.

These book trailers create interest in reading.

Shoe-La-La! Karen Beaumont (author) Leuyen Pham (illustrator)

They help get kids excited about new books with favorite characters like Knuffle Bunny.

Knuffle Bunny Free by Mo Willems

They tell kids about books by favorite authors as in these trailers:

Mo Willems

Bob Shea

They bring new book possibilities to young readers.

Little Chicken's Big Day Jerry Davis (author) Katie Davis (author, illustrator)

While some trailers generate excitement about what a story will be about, others tell the story in purposeful ways.

Young readers can listen to stories at home. Repeated readings can help support young language learners.

Llama Llama Red Pajamas Anna Dwedney (author)

Like repeated readings, listening to stories can make them more familiar and easier to read independently.

Pete the Cat: I Love Me White Shoes by Eric Lutwin (author) James Dean (illustrator)

Listening to books can help children develop a sense of story putting the sounds and rhythms of language in their hearts and in their heads.

Ladybug Girl Goes at the Beach Jacky Davis (author) David Soman (author, illustrator)

Some trailers can support learning about the craft of writing.

Book trailers can help young writers learn how authors and illustrators work.

Yes Day! Amy Krouse Rosenthal (author) Tom Lichtenheld (illustrator)

Authors and illustrators can help young writers know what is essential in good stories.

Little White Rabbit Kevin Henkes (author)

I'm thinking there is some potential with book trailers so I'm going to keep searching and pondering. How do you use trailers with young readers? Where do you find them? Are there particular characteristics you look for in trailers? I hope you'll share your thinking. Is there a place for book trailers in our reading communities?

A Few Channels For Trailers:

Harper Collins Channel

Scholastic Channel

Penguin Storytime Channel