Forest Has a Song & So Does Amy LV

Today I'm sending happy thoughts to Amy Ludwig VanDerwater (@amylvpoemfarm) as her new book, Forest Has a Song:  Poems is released!  Today is the day it steps out into the world!  I have ordered my copy and can't wait for it to arrive.

If you haven't visited Amy's blog, The Poem Farm, you'll want to stop by.  The first time I came across Amy's blog was when she was writing a poem a day for a year.  Yes, for 365 days she wrote poems.  At the time I was trying to post a picture each day and couldn't keep up with that.  I had no idea how she came up with a poem every day, but she did.  I was in awe of her perseverance --- and in awe of her poetry.

I've continued to follow Amy's poetry on her blog.  At The Poem Farm, Amy not only shares her poetry, but often the thinking behind her poems.  She often adds photographs and audio recordings of her poetry as well.  As a teacher, I find there are so many resources available on her site.  One of my favorite resources is her "find a poem" page.  This page allows visitors to search for poems by topic or by poem technique.

If you are a teacher, a poet, or a writer, you may also want to stop by Sharing Our Notebooks.  On this blog, Amy features a variety of people who share their notebooks.  It's interesting to see the crafting process of others.

As you can see, Amy keeps very busy.  I'm so grateful that she is willing to share all of her thinking, collecting, and writing with us.  I was so happy to finally have the opportunity to meet her at NCTE in November.  Today, I wish her all the best as her new book is released to the world.  I'm looking forward to having her poetry resting on the shelf in our classroom.

Congratulations, Amy!!!




This post is cross posted at Merely Day by Day where I am participating in Slice of Life Challenge.  

Slice of Life Challenge 

Thanks Stacey and Ruth:  Two Writing Teachers

#slice2013   26 of 31

My First Ed Camp #edcampcbus

EdCamp Columbus

I probably should've taken a picture.  Let's face it, there are important events in our lives that should be documented with photographs:  our first steps, our first lost tooth, our first car, our first paycheck --- and our first edcamp.

On Friday night I was reading posts for The Slice of Life Challenge and following conversations on Twitter when I saw a tweet about Ed Camp Columbus.  A friend had told me that #edcampcbus was coming up, but I hadn't really been able to find any information.  I went back through the tweets of those I thought might be promoting the event, and still couldn't find it.  So on Friday night at nearly 10 o'clock I notice a tweet about the event which was to be held Saturday morning - yes, the very next morning - at 9 a.m..  My calendar happened to be free so at nearly midnight I registered for the event.  Crazy, huh?!

What is #edcamp?
For those of you unfamiliar with #edcamps, they take place in cities across the United States.  When a place for the event is found, and a date is chosen, everyone gathers to learn one from another.  EdCamps really have no set agenda, participants arrive and begin listing what they'd like to talk about on the board.  Sessions are then formed for those wanting to have common conversations around a topic and rooms are assigned.  These aren't really formal presentations like we often experience at professional conferences, but more informal conversations around a topic.  Sessions seemed to always include those in the know on a topic and those wanting to know more about a topic.

Edcamps are FREE professional development so what did I have to lose.  On Saturday morning I got up, grabbed a Starbucks, and headed to the other side of Columbus.  I wasn't sure what I was in for, but I was quite sure I wanted to find out more about EdCamps.

My day was full of learning:  
Using Evernote to Capture Student Learning:  In this session a group of us gathered to talk about Evernote.  As you know, I am a huge fan of EN.  We shared some of the ways we're using EN to follow the learners in our classrooms.  We talked a bit about applications that work with EN.  I discovered that you can share a notebook and collaborate with it if one person has a premium account.  I'm planning to give that a try on Monday.  I shared this resource for getting started with Evernote.

Data and Assessment and The Need for Translation:  In this session there was a wide range of participants:  teachers, administrators, instructional coaches, and technology coordinators.  This group discussed the need for being more vocal about the way our students are being measured.  The question was asked, "Why is there a need to quantify qualitative information?"  I couldn't help but wonder why we are using old ways of measurement (standardized tests) for new world learning.

Developing Student Ownership:  In this session several teachers shared how they have set up units of study in which students work through at their own pace.  They explained the benefits, as they saw them --- and the challenges they've faced.  This session had me really working to define how I view student ownership.  What are the parts of the learning process should students own?  How do we set up our environments so students can own the learning?  What is our role in student ownership?

Rockin' Around the (Google) Docs:  Wow!  I didn't know you could learn so much in a 50 minute session.  Danielle shared some ways to use Google docs in our classrooms.  She shared Doctopus, Flubaroo, and other ways to effectively research, collaborate and create using Google Docs.  I learned ways to research, search for images and annotate right within the doc.  Oh, the things we don't know.

Community
Each session was an interesting and thoughtful conversation.  What struck me the most was the community of learners created in that moment.  Some had come because they had heard about the event on Twitter, some had come because they heard about the event in their districts, but all came to participate, learn, and share their knowledge.  Though I took away much from each session, I also gained a few more connections, some time to talk with teachers I know from other districts, and a few more friends to follow on Twitter.

To top it all off, I won a free year's subscription to Simple K12.  Not bad for a day's time.  Thanks to Gahanna schools for the use of their beautiful Clark Hall facility, Dwight Carter, Toby Fischer, and the many others who helped make the day a success.  I can't wait until #edcampcbus 2014!


Tweetdoc of #edcampcbus 2013

Exclamation Mark!

Have you ever had one of those read alouds where you had the class from the moment you started to read?  Exclamation Mark by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld is just that book.  From the moment I opened the book to begin to read until I closed it at the very end I had my class hanging onto every word.  I'll let the characters tell you a little about it:

?:  Have you read our book?

!:  You really should!

?:  Do you like Amy Krouse Rosenthal?
    Do you like Tom Lichtenheld?  
    Have you read their books?

!:  You should!  You really should!  

?:  Do you like books about friends?
     Do you like books with happy endings?
     Do you like books with fun characters?

!:  We're fun!  We're a lot of fun!  You should read our book!  I was so lonely until I met question mark!  Question mark helped me to be me!

?:  Did I really help you to feel better?

!:  Yes!  You are the BEST friend a punctuation mark could have!  Yes!  Yes!  Yes!







     

Is "I Can" Enough?

I've tried to write this post a hundred times.  I can't find the words.  I can't find the voice.  I'm not clear enough about my own thinking to share it with all of you, but I'm wondering...  

So I've decided to write this post as if you and I are sitting down with a cup of a coffee.  I've decided to ask you the questions that I am pondering right now daily.   I hope you'll take time to read it, think about it, and share your thoughts with me.   

I Can Statements
In an effort to help students take ownership of their learning there has been a move toward "I Can" statements or learning targets.  Many educators are using them with success (How I CAN Statements Can Work for You, How I Am Using Those I Can Statements, Writing I Can Statements).  The belief is, if children understand the focus of the learning and have a clear goal, achievement will be improved.  We've had many interesting conversations about this very topic in our school.

Learning targets are designed to help students understand the expected outcome.  Whether they are class statements or individual statements, they focus students on what they should be able to do in the end.  When I think about these statements, I think they often require me to be clear about my expectations for students.  If I'm clear about my expected outcome, my lessons are likely to be focused to what I want students to take away from them.  As I've learned about these statements I have also found myself asking:

• Are learning targets enough?
• Do "I Can" statements and other targets put student attention on the thinking that will help them grow as learners?
• How do "I Can" Statements fit into the curriculum?
• How many "I Can" Statements are too many? 
• How do we write effective "I Can" statements?  

When I search "I Can" statements, here are some of the first ones I find:  

• I can use ordinal numbers (first, second, third) to order objects.
• I can use exclamation points when I write.
• I can say the beginning and ending sounds of words. 

Did you ever play the Sesame Street game, "One of these things is not like the others."?  Here are four more statements I found.  Think about how they are different:

• Math:  I can add to 10. (applying)
• Science:  I can investigate balance. (analyzing and evaluating)
• Language:  I can use exclamation marks when I write.  (applying)
• Social Studies:  I can use a compass rose to show direction.  (applying)

Language for Learning
Language is important in learning.  Will Richardson just wrote an article for ASCD, Students First - Not Stuff, in which he discusses student learning during these times of technological advancement.  Richardson asks, "What if we focused on developing kids who are "learners" instead of trying to make sure they're "learned"?  In other words, are we asking our students to know or to understand how to learn? Are we shaping learners who are able to figure things out in a world where so much knowing and learning are right at their fingertips?  In a push toward standardized assessment, are we creating standard children?  Is that really enough?

I'm going to be honest right now and tell you I likely lean toward a constructivist philosophy of learning.  I think learners construct their own knowledge when given authentic opportunities to learn.  Spending years learning about inquiry has solidified this for me.  For this reason, I think the language we use with children is key in shaping students who take on a learning mindset.  Language is important in creating agency and in shifting students away from thinking they have to be right and toward thinking they can figure things out.

This model was shared by 
Overbaughand Schultz, Ohio Dominion University

"I Can" in Context
Though I want students to have ownership of their learning and their achievement, I keep wrestling with "I Can" statements.  Let's consider this scenario using the revised version of Bloom's Taxonomy.  Gardening is something I enjoy attempting each year, but honestly it rarely goes well for me.  Let's say my statement is, "I can plant a garden."  The "I can" in my statement assumes application, but can I plant a garden that produces healthy vegetables?  This "I can" statement assumes as I learn I will be able to apply information to plant a garden.  Honestly,  I can plant a garden.  I can till our garden, plant the seeds, and wait for the plants to grow.  However, I must confess my garden rarely produces the quality of vegetables I hope it will.

Let's say instead of an "I can plant a garden," I ask "How do I produce healthy vegetation in my garden?".  I think the "How" changes my frame my mind.  My goal is still to plant a garden, but now I'm wondering how do I plant a successful garden.  Soon I'm wondering:

• What steps help to create a garden that produces healthy vegetation?
• How do I prepare the soil for gardening?  
• Do certain plants grow better in certain conditions?  What do my tomato plants need (for example)?
• How do I keep plants healthy as they grow?  

Which will help me to improve the quality of my garden?  For me, "I Can" suggests I will do it, but "How do I" suggests I'm going to figure it out.  "I Can" suggests I own the result, "How do I" suggests I own the process.  Now that I've asked "How," I'm going to have to read, research, ask experts, and experiment.  By setting out to understand "how" I'm going to have to understand, analyze,  and evaluate.  In the end, I should be able to create a garden with better vegetation.

Is "I Can" Enough
I think of "I Can" statements in much the way I think of goals.  I've been using goals in my classroom for quite some time and it is a process I'm always trying to improve.  We set goals in our classroom because I want students to own their learning.  Some of the quickest shifts are made in learning when students own it.  I'm constantly trying to figure out the best way to word these to get the desired outcome.

Recently Barry Weaver, an educator who supports gifted students in our building, came in to work collaboratively with our classroom to support mathematical reasoning and thinking.  I explained where we were in this process, that students often searched for the answer quickly and weren't always able to rethink and talk about their understanding.  He came into the classroom with this learning target, "I can think creatively or differently (analyzing, evaluating, creating)."  You can imagine the difference this created in the way students went about their work.  It wasn't enough to just solve it.  Were there other ways to solve it?  Can you show different ways to solve it?  What if his target would have been, "I can solve word problems using addition and subtraction (applying)."?

Building a Learning Mindset 

I suppose "I Can" statements may be used as a way for students to measure progress.  It seems to me "I Can" statements, though perhaps useful in measurement, are not as powerful for learning as the deeper questions that guide our studies.  If we want students to be learners in today's technological world we want students who can ask questions and find their own paths to learning, understanding, and creating.  

While these types of targets may show measurable short-term progress, I'm wondering if these kinds of statements result in shaping the kinds of learners who can communicate effectively, think creatively, and work with innovation.  Yes, we want students to understand where we are headed and to be involved in the ways we measure (see Bud Hunt's post on Data Dashboards for some interesting thinking on this), but do we want them spending more time measuring than creating?  Do we want them applying their learning or using it ways to evaluate, analyze and create?  In our classrooms are we producing students who can take tests today or shape our world tomorrow?  I'm just wondering....


Recent Reads about Shaping a Learning Mindset:

• Mind Set by Carol Dweck
• Making Learning Whole:  How Seven Principles of Teaching Can Transform Education by David R. Perkins
• Fires in the Mind by Kathleen Cushman
• Opening Minds by Peter Johnston
• Choice Words by Peter Johnston

Why Twitter Makes Conferences Even Better!

Yesterday was the Dublin Literacy Conference.  If you've been following for awhile you know I LOVE this conference.  There are always so many smart speakers each and every year.  The combination of professional educators, authors and illustrations of children's books, and a dedicated audience always makes the day full of learning.  (Oh, and books ---- lots of books.)

In the last few years, that learning has been exponentially increased by Twitter.  How does Twitter change a conference you ask?  Let me tell you!

• Virtual Attendance:  Torn between sessions?  Have to present when your favorite speaker has a session?  No worries.  Twitter friends will tweet the highlights from all over the conference.  By following the conversation, in this case #dublit13, there is no need to miss anything.
• Back Channeling:   Back channeling makes conversations even more engaging.  Being able to follow the thoughts of other educators in the same session highlights important points, carries the conversation deeper, and helps me think about topics in a new way.  
• Humor:  Thanks to Twitter you get an extra laugh every now and then.  There is usually a side conversation or two with a little bit of humor that makes the day even more fun!  (Especially when friends like @frankisibberson and @tonykeefer are in the house.)
• Resources:  Through Twitter resources from sessions are shared.  Educators in sessions often tweet their own related resources they have created or discovered.  There is always much to learn and discover in these conversations beyond the general points of the session.
• Meeting Tweeps:  Though I look incredibly ridiculous walking around conferences trying to recognize the people I follow on Twitter, it is fabulous to finally find success.   I'm not very good at visualizing the 2D avatar and spotting the 3D face, but I did manage to meet, catch up with, and get to know @aruddteacher100  @jenorr  @mbheartsbooks  @laurakomos (yes, we've met at several conferences, but because of distance I always look forward to catching up) @dahlia_constant @wizardozteacher.  Unfortunately I missed a several people I was hoping to meet.  We really need to wear special tags or plan a meeting place.  I think I saw a few others, but couldn't definitely match a name with the avatar.  My apologies if I looked right at you, but didn't make the final connection.  
• Professional Conversations:  Thanks to twitter many of us have been having conversations across Twitter and blogs for awhile.  It is very easy to see each other in a session, sit together at lunch, or chat in the hallway about education and learning.  Friends on Twitter are always advocates for children and public education.  Our lunch table was filled with Twitter friends discussing sessions and education.  
• Continued Professional Learning:  The conversation doesn't end at the close of the conversation. Thanks to Twitter these conversations will continue.  

Yes, the Dublin Literacy Conference was amazing, but the new thinking I'm taking away from the conference is a result of a combination of thoughtful sessions, informative tweets, and great conversations with colleagues.  Thanks to everyone!  

Dublin Literacy Resources
Tweetdoc collection of #dublit13 tweets

Dublin Literacy Conference

Dublin Literacy Conference
Today is the Dublin Literacy.  It is truly my favorite conference as it is reasonably priced, full of great speakers, and the perfect place to connect with so many smart educators.  The conversations in the halls are as thought provoking as the speakers who share with us.  This year I am presenting in two sessions. You'll find the resources here:

Supporting Primary Nonfiction Literacy Learners

The new Common Core has created much conversation about nonfiction. Nonfiction is a big part of our reading lives. The structures of nonfiction can by various and challenging for young readers. How do we help young literacy learners navigate nonfiction? In this session, Mandy and I will take a look at the Common Core and share ways to weave nonfiction into our classroom communities.

Session A7 (10:30)  Room B172  Mandy Robek and I

Looking for nonfiction?
Visit #nf10for10 jog
26 bloggers share top 10 nonfiction picks

Using Evernote to Capture Literacy Learning

In education today it is more important than ever to document student learning.  Formative assessment, observation notes, and work samples which illustrate a student's learning journey are essential in planning, monitoring growth, collaborating with support staff, and keeping parents informed.  "Kidwatching," a term coined by Ken & Yetta Goodman, can be captured using Web 2.0 tools.  Evernote allows audio recording, capturing snapshots, written notes when conferring, tagging, sorting, and much more.  

Session  B16  (11:30)   Room B156   Deb Frazier, Karen Terlecky and I

Looking for resources?
Get started:  Capturing Student Learning Journeys

Nonfiction Top Ten: #nf10for10

Those of you who follow this blog know that August is our big picture book event.  During #pb10for10, blogs join us in celebrating 10 picture books they just can't live without.  The result is always a great resource full of must-read books.  Last August, Julie Balen (Write at the Edge) suggested it might be fun to do the same thing with nonfiction.  Mandy Robek (Enjoy and Embrace Learning), my co-conspirator in #pb10for10, and I thought it was a great idea so Julie, Mandy and I worked to create a plan.

Today is our first nonfiction event, #nf10for10.  I'm looking forward to reading everyone's posts.  We're hoping you'll join us today!

Ways to participate:

• Write a post with your 10 favorite nonfiction books and link it here today.  In the coming days, I will create a jog of all the posts.
• Leave a comment with your favorite nonfiction book(s) here 
• Stop by Enjoy and Embrace Learning or Write at the Edge to comment
• Tweet your favorites using the hashtag #nf10for10 

Nonfiction for the Classroom
Since planning the event, I've been considering my list of ten nonfiction books I can't live without in my classroom.  Honestly, the task seemed a little overwhelming.  To me, the line between fiction and nonfiction is sometimes gray as nonfiction comes in many structures and sub-genres.  When a book task seems daunting, I head to my favorite bookstore to get some inspiration.  There's nothing like a few hours over good books to clarify one's thinking.  I felt better after some time with books and an interesting nonfiction conversation with Salli Oddi at Cover-to-Cover bookstore.  I think you'll find a few of my new finds on this list.  

So this is my disclaimer:  I do not know, or claim to know, too much about the true lines of nonfiction. This post considers nonfiction as I see it and does not necessarily represent the thinking of nonfiction gurus.  :o)  

To get myself out of this dilemma, I created a little plan to make up my own ways to divide nonfiction.  Since I teach first grade and enjoy counting by 2s, I decided to divide my list by characteristics I consider when choosing nonfiction for the classroom.

Clearly Nonfiction:  These are the books I like to use for whole group discussions about nonfiction.  These books often have the features we commonly associate with nonfiction.  They make strong exemplars for getting the conversation about nonfiction started with children.

How Things Work in the House (2012) by Lisa Campbell Ernst:  How does a crayon work?  How does a toilet work?  How does a cat work?  You can find out in this book about how things work in the house.  Each double page spread is a new question about something in the house.  The author uses labels, small snippets of text placed around the item, and drawings of the items to tell more about them.  This book is a great mentor text for short pieces of writing in a matter unit of study.

Time to Eat (2011) by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page:  Katie Dicesare of Creative Literacy first introduced this collection of titles to me.  In addition to Eat, Jenkins and Page have Time to Sleep and Time for a Bath.  Young readers are interested in the unusual facts about organisms and their eating habits.  Each page is a new organism and information about what they eat.  Each page has an illustration of the organism and a funny comment beside it.  The final pages share more information about each of the organisms discussed in the book.  This makes an excellent mentor text for young nonfiction writers.  The book's focus on one topic across animals requires a different viewpoint and more synthesis of a deeper subject than typical animal information books.  The structure of the book with one animal and information only on its eating habits is a structure easily understood and utilized by young writers.  

Literary Nonfiction:  Yes, I know there is a debate about whether this more narrative version of nonfiction is even really nonfiction.  However, this is a quickly growing genre in children's literature.  There are many books that use the narrative structure to help readers learn more about a subject.  These books make great conversation starters for, "Is this nonfiction?".  These books also make wonderful read alouds to share and demonstrate to young writers how facts can be turned into story.

Miracle Mudd (2013) by David A. Kelly:  This is the story of Lena Blackburne who was a baseball player and coach, but is perhaps most known for his special mud that took the shine off the baseballs so they are easier for players to see and better for pitchers to grip.  The book is the story of Blackburne's brief career that soon led him to the discovery of this special mud.  The back of the book has a short biography of his life and this secret mud.  I know this book will be a hit - actually a home run - in my classroom.

How the Dinosaur Got to the Museum (2011) by Jessie Hartland:  This book is a fun read aloud for young children.  It goes through the steps of locating the fossils of the dinosaurs, bringing them to the museum to sort, and recreating the dinosaur for people to view.  In this cumulative story the author tells important information in the process and then repeats the previous in rhythmic phrases.  The vocabulary in this book is challenging, but fun.  Kids are fascinated by dinosaurs, and will love joining in during the repetitive read aloud.    

Want more literary nonfiction?  Stop by to see my Listmania of literary nonfiction.  

Nonfiction Poetry:  This is another growing genre.  In nonfiction poetry, poets use careful observation and/or study of information to write a poem about a topic.  

An Egret's Day (2010) by Jane Yolen:  

I must admit that personal interest likely plays a large part in putting this book here.  I'm fascinated with egrets (and herons).  This poetry book has an interesting structure in which Jane Yolen shares a poem with a fact on the opposite page throughout the book.  My favorite poem from this egret collection is Egret in Flight.  Yolen has many other published poetry books that follow this format.

A Full Moon is Rising (2011) by Marilyn Singer:  This book begins by sharing information about the phases of the moon.  It then shares poems about the moon set in places around the world.  The poems speak of the moon's role around the world.  In the back of the book there is more information about the moon across many countries.

Want more nonfiction poetry?  Stop by to see my Listmania of Nonfiction Poetry.  

Book Apps:  I felt in today's digital world I needed to give some thought to the nonfiction book apps currently available for young readers.

Penguin's Family by Kathleen M. Hollenbeck:  This app has beautiful illustrations that help support the story of this penguin learning to live on his own.  Readers learn about penguins as they listen to this literary tale of penguin learning about his world.  This app will read to the reader as it highlights words.  The reading is nearly fluent.  The end of the app shares facts about the humboldt penguin.

Bats!  Furry Fliers of the Night by Mary Kay Carson:  I'm going to have to be honest here.  This apps amazing 3D pictures caught my attention.  The app has read aloud capabilities.  There's just something amazing about watching the bats swoop and seeing the dense forest ahead.  This app is organized into seven chapters about bats.  Readers will enjoy the animation and the information in this engaging app.

Want more iBooks and book apps?  Stop by to see my Pinterest Nonfiction iBook and App Board.  

Accessible Nonfiction:  We're so fortunate to have a growing number of nonfiction books for young readers.  I can't help but read nonfiction with an eye toward my primary students.  These titles are books that students can often read independently and find engaging.

True or False Amphibians by Melvin and Gilda Berger:  The readers in my classroom spend hours with this book every year.  On one page readers are given a statement such as, "Toads jump like frogs do.  True or false?"  Then when the page is turned the answer awaits with more information.  I know you want to know if toads jump like frogs, but I'm afraid you'll want to find a copy of this book to find this answer and many more.

Why Do Cats Meow?  by Joan Holub:  I wish you could see the copy sitting on my lap right now.  It's been read and reread.  It's been taped and retaped.  The pages are worn and the book is well loved.  This book, and the other "why do" titles, are a big hit every year in my classroom.  This year's group INSISTED we have a "why do" basket.  They're obsessed with these titles.  There is a lot of text on each page, but my young readers pour through to find out more.

Want more accessible nonfiction?  Stop by to see my Listmania of Nonfiction for Kids to Read.

Remember to leave a link to your post in the comments below.  You'll want to stop by the other blogs to find more nonfiction titles for your classroom.  In the coming week, I will bring the posts together into a  jog which will be a smart resource for nonfiction.