Picking Up Three - From My Stacks

I've decided to write one post each month to think through and share texts that I have in my stacks.  I have lots of "gems" and sometimes it's helpful to hunker down on the library floor to revisit and "re-vision" how I might use the great pieces of text I've collected.  Many texts are old favorites just waiting to be shared in a think aloud or shared together to nudge our conversations as readers.  Many texts are forgotten books that I discovered along the way, but never got around to using.  Many texts were added to my collection for a specific purpose, but never quite made it into a crafting lesson.  

One of the questions I'm often asked is "What text should I use to teach ____?"

Here's my answer... choose text that you love!  That's the easy part.  But sometimes that's just not enough.  As we plan a strategy study, no matter the thinking behavior we're delving into with our students, text choice is critical.  If we truly believe that "thinking strategies" can and should be applied across genre, across experiences, and across a study, we have to be wise in our decision making as teachers.  What texts lend themselves to the thinking that I'm hoping my young readers will store in their strategy wheelhouse?

If we want our young readers to infer, to synthesize, to activate their schema, etc. we have to be selective as we plan instruction... and then we build a classroom library rich in the kinds of text we're hoping our students will read!

- - - 

Here's my plan.  I've pulled three books out of my collection.  I'll give a brief synopsis of the text and then share one way we might use the text as readers during the crafting portion of reader's workshop; focusing on a specific thinking strategy (although each text lends itself to more than one strategy).  My hope is that you'll begin to search your own collections for that "just right" book to use as you craft* a strategy with your readers during reader's workshop.

My friend and colleague, Susan Logan, gave me When Everybody Wore a Hat by William Steig when she brought a group of visitors to my classroom a few years ago.  It is an autobiographical sketch of William Steig's childhood in which he invites us into his eight-year-old world... in 1916 when "everybody wore a hat."

Strategy Focus:  Drawing Inferences

When you read this text, you can't help but infer.  Readers infer when they create personal meaning from the text by gleaning insight and interpretations.  William Steig's simplicity in thought nudges us to "step into his life" as a young boy growing up in the 1900s.  His is a very unique point of view.  I might use this book as a shared text with my students.  Together, we might work together to draw conclusions and build our schema as we "think through" text together.  This might happen fairly early in a study when I'm nudging learners to speculate, think about questions that lead to an inference, or gather clues from the text.  Together, we might explore a portion of this book to gain insight into our own process of "coming to know" how wise readers infer.  Remember, inferring helps readers deepen their understanding beyond the text and lends itself to broad, personalized experiences.

I bought this book for two reasons:  Jean Craighead George and Wendell Minor.  I love when the two of them were able to collaborate.  The Buffalo Are Back is one of their collaborations; one example of their stunning work.  Together, they tell the story of the demise and return of the buffalo (including Theodore Roosevelt's role in the process) to the great plains.  The text is broken into short sections, each dealing with a specific aspect of the American Buffalo in the west.  I love Wendall's dedication, "To Jean, in celebration of her fifty years of writing wonderful books that teach children the wonders of nature." 

Strategy Focus:  Asking Questions

This text can be used encourage authentic questioning.  As readers, we spend time asking questions before, during, and after reading.  Because this text is full of such rich language, readers can generate questions at the word, sentence, and whole text level.  I might use short sections of this text throughout a study of "asking questions" and "lift" certain passages for students to grapple with independently (later in a study).  I might also use portions of it as a think aloud early on in a study of questioning.  This book ties well into a study of ecosystems or western history and is "question rich" text.  Remember, asking questions helps readers pose possibilities to stretch their own thinking as they develop and explore their wonderings as readers.

I admit it.  I bought this book on the bargain shelf at The Boulder Bookstore.  It just makes me laugh (Jennifer Larue Huget has also written herself into a great mentorship with students as writers).  This book explores the "what if" aspect of running away from home... and what child hasn't threatened that at least once in his or her childhood.  It's funny.  It's a book that nudges readers to contemplate, wonder about, and explore the benefits and consequences of "running away."  

Strategy Focus:  Activating, Utilizing, & Building Background Knowledge 

Wise readers have to learn to activate their schema - blending their background knowledge and background experiences.  I would use this book near the beginning of a study as either a think aloud or a shared experience.  As readers, knowing that differences in text structure affect our understanding, we often use our schema to make sense of text.  This text lends itself to the idea of activating schema before, during, and after reading.  Using schema nudges readers to pay attention to purpose and to acknowledge when their background is either helping or hindering their understanding.  I think using this book to nudge collaborative thinking during a crafting session would be perfect; I picture lots of "turn and talk" as we explore the text.  Remember, activating, utilizing, and building background knowledge and experience is more than "connecting" to the text; it's about using what you know to better understand what you don't know. 

• • •

So... until next month, here's your homework.  Choose three books from your stacks.  Think about these things as you read:

• Does this text fit into my current strategy study?  If not, what strategy might I use it with later?
• As I read this text, what thinking strategy to I find MYSELF using?  How am I being metacognitive?  How might I use it with students?
• Is this a book that I want to use for crafting or do I just want to "talk it up" and get it into the hands of children?
• As a reader, do I find this text compelling?  Is sharing it worthy of my time or my students's intellect? 
• How might this mentor author fit into another content... writing, mathematics, social studies, etc.?  

*Craft, to me, is the mini-lesson during reader's workshop.  That's the perspective I'm writing from as I share these texts. 

Jen Bryant - A Conundrum

I have three books in my "new" pile to write about... and they're all by Jen Bryant which is causing me a huge conundrum!  Do I write about them in one entry?  

Nope.  But let me write about two today...

The first book is Georgia's Bones.  It's a wonderful book about Georgia O'Keefe.  Listen to the first lines:

As a child, shapes often drifted

in and out of Georgia's mind.

Curved and straight, round or square, 

she studied them, and let them disappear.

The way Jen Bryant takes us on a "collection of words" about Georgia O'Keefe's life is gentle and spirited.  Even though the book is "fiction," you gather a sense of Georgia O'Keefe's innate curiosity and sensitivity to the natural world.  And Bethanne Andersen blends her illustrations with Ms. Bryant's words almost magically.  As I read it, I felt like I was learning about a part of Georgia O'Keefe's life that I never knew.

How will I use it?  I might use it in a study of "Stamina and Endurance."  Or I might use it to introduce the concept of "Noticings" as we work in our writer's notebooks.  Or I might use in a study of lyrical nonfiction.  Or I might use it during a study of "Line Lifts" to nudge our writing.

• • • • • • • • • 

The second book is Abe's Fish.  This will go into my classroom collection of "Books about Abe Lincoln."  Listen to this writing:

The late-day sun warmed Abe's back and 

deepened the red of a ripe apple that hung

by the roadside, just out of reach.  Abe tried

three times to poke it down with a stick, 

but the apple refused to drop.

I wish I was tall! he thought

Ms. Bryant takes us on a childhood journey of Abraham Lincoln's life that is eloquent and poignant.  Freedom.  The ending pages are breathtaking.  I loved that it focused not on his presidency, but on his childhood.  The author's notes at the end of the book are an example of superb nonfiction writing.  Amy June Bates has illustrated the books beautifully.

How will I use it?  I might use as a "cousin" text to my other Lincoln books.  Or I might use it in a study of "Stamina and Endurance."  Or I might use it in a study of "Evoking Sensory Images."  Or I might use it as an example of "mixing narrative in a nonfiction study." 

• • • • • • • • • 

Jen Bryant is an talented writer.  We loved her River of Words about William Carlos Williams.  She's bringing nonfiction to young readers in the most interesting and breathtaking ways.  Her ability to blend "fiction" with "nonfiction" is the exact kind of book I like to read... it causes me pause.  It makes me reread.  It makes me notice.  It makes me want to read more.  It makes me want to learn more.  Dare I say her writing deserves a closer read?

So what's the rest of my conundrum?  I'll mention that in my next "Jen Bryant" post...

The Eyes Have It!

 From Conferring the Keystone of Reader's Workshop, p. 67

• You know him… he often sits in the back of the group during read aloud.  Usually listening, drawing quietly in his notebook.

• You know him… he came from a school where reading was all about prizes, speed, and tests.  His reading was “accelerated” to the point that his purpose was strictly to read for points.

• You know him… he’s rarely been nudged to “think deeply about concepts of great import.” (Keene). 

• You know him… he’s not quite developed a sense of “self” as a reader—let alone a sense of purpose.

• You know him… he is complacent, but not engaged.  Endurance and stamina seemly foreign words.

The first day he enters the classroom with wide eyes and wonder… books everywhere, rituals and routines lending themselves to ownership, readers talking to one another with authenticity and respect.   There are no worksheets, no fill-in-the-blank forms, no corporate-controlled road maps, no computer comprehension tests.  Readers read a wide variety of text… mostly self-chosen.  Strategy instruction is the norm.  Reader’s roles are defined through collaborative decision-making.  “What are you thinking?” ruminates from reader to reader.  A deer in the headlights?  Perhaps.

But you know it’s just a matter of time before he catches on… puts away books that better serve as hand weights (strong biceps, weak minds).  You know it’s just a matter of time before he starts using his notebook to record authentic responses to reading experiences.  You know it’s just a matter of time before his voice floats on “the sea of talk” during crafting lessons.  You know it’s just a matter of time before he realizes that he has important things to say in a classroom where real readers work together to raise the bar of purpose and passion.  You know that eventually your reading conferences will be "deep, not surface."  You know “Where choice lives, understanding prospers!”  And you wait… and watch… and nudge… time moves on...

Then one day, he brings you a book and says, “You have to read this book to the class, Mr. Allen!”  You close your eyes, look down, and you’re surprised to see him holding Edward’s Eyes by Patricia MacLachlan.  “Remember when you read Word After Word After Word.  This is by the same author.  It’s the BEST book I’ve ever read…”

“Why is it the best book?  Tell me about that...”

“Trust me, Mr. Allen.  Just read it.”  So I do.

Have you read it?  To be honest, I hadn’t; one of the few Patricia MacLachlan books I hadn't read.  But I'm so glad I (we) did.  Patricia MacLachlan has created in Edward’s Eyes (click to listen to her interview) a moving portrait of Edward and his family.  Edward lives in the kind of family that we all want to live in... full of respect and love.  His brother Jake narrates this text and takes us on a journey that begins and ends with Edward.  Our first thoughts?  To be honest, we were confused, but then... we were awestruck.

Thus began my classroom's journey into Patricia MacLachlan.  Sarah, Plain and Tall began flying off the shelves (as did the sequels).  Once I Ate a Pie had students laughing and crying during reader's workshop.  Through Grandpa's Eyes caused them to reflect on their own grandparents.  What You Know First started incredible notebook entries about "beginnings."  Baby! stretched readers in new directions... as did Arthur for the Very First Time and The Facts and Fictions of Minnie Pratt.  Waiting lists began appearing on title pages.  And who started the exploration? 

Not me.  I merely listened and nudged. 

This is just ONE of many student-created waiting lists...

"Have you noticed that Patricia MacLachlan writes a lot about movement?  Think about it... in Painting the Wind she wrote about painting the wind... movement, in Edward's Eyes she wrote about the movement of a knuckle ball!"

"I love how she writes about the sea and the prairie and the sea and the prairie!  She writes about what she knows... there's a connection between all her books."

"Edward's Eyes began with Edward and ended with Edward.  I didn't get at first, but I read it again after we read it... it's about new beginnings!"

"She writes about hope."

"She writes about family." 

"There's always a sense of 'song' in her books... I think mostly because of the way she writes with rhythm." 

"I love her words.  And I love when she throws me a zinger... and I have to think!"

• • • • • • 

You know him... 

He's the one who know belongs to a community of readers! 

The "eyes" have it...

Do Good!

Make Magic!  Do Good!  Admire Dallas Clayton!

I could end this blog post right now!  His collection of poetry in Make Magic!  Do Good! is simply stunning.

I wept when I read his poem "Genius" (emotions running high?).  There was something about it that reminded me of our work as teachers... the power of sharing dreams with others.  When I read the line, "...and they'd wake up in the dark of the night with one small idea that would change the world forever..." memories came over me like a steam roller.  

Childhood.  It's so fleeting and I worry about the lives of youngsters.  I had a great conversation with my friend, Katie Keier, this week about play.  And, I think when I got home and sat down to read this book, our conversation was still tumbling through my mind.  The personal connection I had with this poem and others ("Colors," "Try!" "Love Song") makes me excited to get these little poetic gems into the hands of students.

I was joking with a friend about the fact that "blogging" has created a "shopping frenzy" at local independent bookstores around the country.  And, yes, this book is a must have (especially in a certain classroom at Little Elementary, wink!).  And, yes, I'm adding Dallas Clayton's other books to my own shopping list!

Listen to part of the book flap, "I write books and draw pictures, and I travel the world and read stories to children of all ages and talk to them about their lives and jump into water and climb up trees and paint walls and have adventures."  Now who couldn't love a book by an author who says that?  Who does that?  Who lives that?

I'll end this little post with Mr. Clayton's poem, "Travel Stories"

Her quiet stories were best of all

'cause she never wrote 'em down

she lived 'em out by traveling' 

and roamin' in town to town

meetin' folks

and sharin' jokes

as the world went round and round...

Now travel to your local Indy and buy this one!  Make Magic!  Do Good!

• • • • • • • • • • • 

Read this interview of Dallas, it's "awesome" and so captures the spirit of his work... here's a snippet, "Basically, I wake up each morning to a new letter or a new email or a new article or a new photo of someone telling me that what I have made has helped inspire them in some small way. That’s my reality. Every day! Isn’t that crazy!? It’s like waking up each morning to a kiss on the cheek or a gold medal or a really big warm hug."

Thanks to my friends at Candlewick Press for your brilliant work.

Who doesn't love Douglas Wood?  I picked up Where the Sunrise Begins last week and, like many of his books, it's sure to find a spot on my shelf of favorites.  Wendy Popp's illustrations are calm, serene and match her motto of, "Find work with good purpose and create with passion."  It's a lovely book.
     Like A Quiet Place, this book is written in a lyrical, rhythmical, and predictable voice... answering the question, "Where does the sunrise begin?"  Douglas Wood captures everyday questions and events in the most surprising way.  Added to Nothing to Do and Old Turtle and others, this makes a grand addition to any classroom collection. 
     I think Douglas Wood's books are filled with possibilities to encourage children to fill up their own writer's notebooks with language that's rich, purposeful, and extraordinary.  There's a flow to his writing that might just nudge the most reticent writers in the classroom.  His writing is filled with images, inferences, and insights.
     Check out his website.  Paddle Whispers is on my list for my friends that trek to Boundary Waters with their family almost yearly.  And, many of his songs might just make it into the background of your reader's or writer's workshop.  What a talented man.
     Some say pictures books are a dying entity... But they haven't read Douglas Wood, I would surmise.

She Did Do it!

Patricia MacLachlan's and Emily MacLachlan Charest's second book of poetry I Didn't Do It dedicated to our canine friends is a real treat.  It's the perfect sibling text to Once I Ate a Pie.  They've teamed up with Katy Schneider to create an adorable collection of poetry paired with irresistible illustrations.
     "Every Night" almost made me dash out an get that puppy my family so desperately wants!  Every night you sing the song about the stars and moon.  Every night you pat my head... who can resist these words?
     "Rules" is hilarious.  First the human rules, No tick! No Bite!... then the dog's rules... Eat all you want.  Sleep when you want... Drooling is good.  I laughed out loud when I read this one!  I read it the same day my friend told me his new basset hound puppy ate a muffin off the coffee table... on the run!  
     This is the kind of book that can get young writers writing... about their pets, their lives, their experiences.  Quickwrites, memory writes... the notebook possibilities are endless.  So rich in schema and inferring.  I think this book will find its way into a few crafting lessons when I go back to school next week.
     I adore Patricia MacLachlan.  From my first read of Sarah Plain and Tall to Arthur for the Very First Time to Baby.  From All the Places to Love to What You Know First to Painting the Wind.  There hasn't been a Patricia MacLachlan book that I haven't found compelling, beautifully written, and heart-warming.  Perhaps there's a kindred spirit we meet within the context of words... I think Patrician MacLachlan could be mine.  Maybe it's being from the west!
    I Didn't Do It is no exception.  In fact, she has done it... written another book that should be in every classroom!  When you see the cover sitting on the bookstore shelf... those puppy dog eyes say, "Buy me, buy me!"  And you should...

And Here We Go...

“Read with a pen in your hand and enter in a little book short hints of what you find that is curious or that might be useful; for this will be the best method of imprinting such particulars in your memory, where they will be ready on some future occasion to adorn and improve your conversation.”

~Benjamin Franklin

This is the quote I shared with my students on the first day of school (it's been on my blog page for quite some time).  It's the first thing we wrote in our reader's notebooks.  Because I looped with the majority of my students I wanted to start the year out a bit differently, more metacognitively.  I wanted students to recognize the power of slowing down, of pondering, of reflecting in authentic, meaningful ways.

     We spent some time during our first few crafting sessions of reader's workshop really dissecting this quote... delving into it's meaning (my purpose was two-fold... to share the importance of annotating text and to build a bit of vocabulary right off the bat).  Then we moved into the idea of annotation (discussing its definition, relevance, etc.)... deciding that we can "annotate" three ways... by writing directly on a piece of text (leaving tracks), by jotting thinking on sticky notes or in our notebook, or by using our own hearts and minds as a storehouse.  The important part... holding it for "some future occasion."  

     Yesterday was day five of the school year and I've already seen students becoming more aware of word level quandries, sentence level wonderings, and whole text ponderings.  Our conversations are grander and our thinking more precise.  And, I think it's going to lead into our first thinking strategy study with more complexity as we strive to remember, understand, extend meaning, and make our reading experiences memorable.  We've been working together on short pieces of text for the past few days.

     This year, we're going to be reading How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O'Connor as our first read (I got a copy for each student).  Together... as a whole group, in pairs, as individuals, we're going to annotate our own copies.  I've never done this before, but my friend Lori Conrad found starting the year with a common text beneficial with her fifth graders.  Building the foundation with rituals and routines merging with our daily reading lives (strategy book clubs, response notebooks, independent reading, vocabulary development, etc.) on some common ground may just lead us down the path of slowing our thinking down and really delving into text.  By the way, students will, of course, be reading their own text during reader's workshop... we'll be using this text as a touchstone for our crafting (mini-lessons) for the next few weeks.  I can't wait to see what happens.

Planning...

This morning, I was playing around with planning a unit of study that couched both reader's workshop and writer's workshop within the context of a specific thinking strategy - specifically Creating Sensory Images.  I pulled out our new standards, some of my favorite resources, a planning guide, some old charts and files, my notebook, and then went to work...
     In Carl Anderson's book Assessing Writers he asks several great questions to think about when planning a unit of study in writing:
     What are our students' needs? 
     What are our students' interests?  
     What have the students studied in previous grades? 
     What units of study do we know well enough to teach?  
     What curriculum mandates are we required to meet?"  
Good questions to think about, eh?  I read a bit of Katie Wood Ray's Writer's Workshop: Working Through the Hard Parts and They're All Hard Parts, Shelley Harwayne's Writing Through Childhood, and Don Graves' A Fresh Look at Writing.  I always find it helpful to go to the mentors I trust, with whom I've learned, and that I hold in esteem.  The mentors from whom I've come to understand writers.  The mentors who taught me about the power of being a writer.  The mentors who spent years perfecting, revising, and perfecting their craft.
     I pulled out the work of my favorite poets... Kristine O'Connell George, Georgia Heard, Ralph Fletcher, Jane Yolen, Donald Graves, Randi Allison, Lee Bennett Hopkins.  I pulled out other helpful resources from my bookshelves... A Note Slipped Under the Door by Nick Flynn and Shirley McPhillips, Awakening the Heart by Georgia Heard, Writing Toward Home by Georgia Heard, For the Good of the Earth and Sun by Georgia Heard, Study Driven by Katie Wood Ray, Notebook Connections by Aimee Buckner, Poetry Matters by Ralph Fletcher.  I pulled out my own notebooks to look for writing of my own that might be work re-exploring.  I pulled out notes on previous attempts of teaching both Sensory Images and poetry.  I searched.  I pondered.  I jotted.  I surmised.   I wondered.  I wrote.
     Then I sketched out a preliminary plan - paralleling sensory images and poetry.  I think the possibilities are amazing (and endless) when we look carefully at the what and how we teach specific skills and strategies when we investigate them within the auspices of a specific "thinking strategy."
     It seems that so often teachers are asking for a pretty packaged curriculum, something they can follow step-by-step.  I can't tell you how often I hear teachers say, "Just tell me what to teach!"  The problem is, if we say that too loudly and too often and too quickly, it happens... someone tells you exactly what to teach and exactly when to teach it.  But I don't think in a "Stepford" manner, so for me the quest of my own inquiry, based on my students' needs and interests, gives me the energy to investigate... to challenge... to experiment... to forge ahead.  
     If we want every child to be a writer, we don't need a canned curriculum to teach from... we need to use our own writing, resources within our reach, and the depth that great writing teachers offer us.  Now, don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with using something as a preliminary guide... but who knows our students better than we do?  My friend and colleague, Lori Conrad, once told me that the "scope" of what to teach is what our children are showing us they need (based on what our district/state curriculum and what we see/hear children doing) and the "sequence" is when our students are showing us they need it (or we deem it important within a specific study).
     Am I finished, nope.  But I have an idea of where I'm headed when I track back on at the end of April.  And... once I'm in front of my students, then I'll be able to see where this study leads.  But for now, I have some more thinking to do... if you need me, just slip a note under the door.

Mary Smith

I love Andrea U'Ren's illustrations.  Mary Smith is one of my favorite books.  I use it for think alouds and shared experiences with Drawing Inferences, Synthesizing, or Activating Background Knowledge or Background Experience.  It's a terrific read!

     Back in the days before there were alarm clocks, there were "knocker-ups" whose job it was to wake the townspeople for a few pennies each week.  When I first show the cover to students, they are sure it's a work of fiction about a woman who "likes to shoot spitballs" or "shoots peas at a target."  But the moment I open the book to the opening photograph of the real Mary Smith, they realize that there's more to this book than they first imagined. 

     It's a wonderful tale of Mary, whose peas hit windows of the townsfolk each day with a "Tock! Tock! Tock!" or a "Click Clack Snap!"  She wakes the laundry maids, the fishmonger, the mayor.... The mayor tells her, "Without you, everyone would still be asleep in bed, no one would be working, and I wouldn't have a town to run because everything would be shut down!"

     BUT, Mary forgets to rouse one person... which makes for a surprising and humorous ending (you want to know who, don't you)!  I love that Andrea U'Ren provides an historical note at the end of the book which explains a bit about Mrs. Mary Smith and the role of the turn-of-the-center "knocker-ups."

      Andrea U’Ren re-creates for the reader a delightful narrative of a typical morning in the life of Mary Smith... one of many turn of the century "knocker-ups".  You can visit her work at:  http://andreauren.com 

     Read about real-life knocker-ups and listen to a sound bit at: http://www.cottontown.org/page.cfm?pageid=1291&language=engMore...

Peter Brown... Curious.

Just ran across Peter Brown's book The Curious Garden. 
     In the book, Liam discovers a patch of wildflowers that are trying to survive in the city.  Liam discovers the joy of being a gardener and rejuvenates the garden... which goes about exploring the city as it is tended, bringin a new look to the city.  The book brightens as the garden grows stronger; the illustrations are so unique and the style of the illustrations caught my eye.  Liam tends his garden with care and even a song or two and eventually color overtakes the dull, gray drabness of the city.  The city is transformed into a green, colorful place of beauty and bounty.  There's an underlying message in the book of stewardship and care of our surroundings.  I thought this was a perfect cousin text to Eve Bunting's book Secret Place.  It would be interesting to read both during a study of synthesis and see where the reading leads...
     I read an online interview with Peter Brown and he was asked What is your idea of bliss?  His answer:  "My idea of bliss would be a life where almost every day included the following things: two cups of good coffee; reading, writing, and drawing in a big art studio that overlooked a beautiful place; a bulldog; plenty of music; a picnic; NPR; and a dinner party with seven of my best friends."  Isn't that a great question... I'd add "finding a great book like The Curious Garden."  You can see more about Peter Brown and his art on his website, which can be found at:  http://www.somebrownstuff.com

Put Thinking to the Test

It's that time again... state testing in Colorado.  And third grade readers are the first children tested in our state.  After two days of testing, I'm reminded again of a Dave Barry quote my coauthors and I used in Put Thinking to the Test (Stenhouse, April 2008), "At one time, the purpose of public schools, at least theoretically was to educate children; now it is to produce higher FCAT scores, by whatever means necessary.  If school officials believed that ingesting lizard meat improved FCAT performance, the cafeterias would be serving gecko nuggets."  The quote is followed by a wonderful essay by my friend and colleague Cheryl Zimmerman, called, "Education, Fear Factor Style."  
     Have you read it?  It's a courageous essay (we all miss Fear Factor, don't we?), filled with humor, sincerity, and truth.  Something we're reminded of this time of year.  Take a gander if you missed it (you can read Cheryl's essay online at Stenhouse.com).  So many of the lessons we learned during our inquiry and while writing the book come to light at this time of year (and as we found interspersed throughout the year).   
     If you haven't read the book, consider taking a look.  It focuses "test prep" through a different lens without solely relying on mundane test preparation packets (I heard a teacher call them recently "study guides"... but they are still packets).  My coauthors and I look closely at the types of strategies students use on a regular basis and how to encourage students to use the same strategies as they become once-a-year test-takers.  We look closely at thinking strategies and their role in testing. 
     Through our inquiry we learned that "we must remain true to what we believe, true to our sense of professional integrity."  We ended the book by saying, "We are hopeful that those of you who are trying to change the testing situation in our country won't give up.  We are hopeful that those of you who are under administrative pressure to increase scores won't abandon everything you know about your students and their learning.  We are hopeful that those of you who have ignored high-stakes testing will become more test savvy.  We are hopeful that you won't give in to pressure."  So true. 

Those Shoes

Another purchase in Portland... Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts.  My friend, Mimi, recommended this book to me and it quickly went on my purchase pile.  I was shopping with my friends and colleagues, Mimi and Shannon, from Seattle.  They made the trek down so we could eat, visit, share stories, and shop!  And, laugh... a lot!

      In this book, Jeremy, the main character wants "those" shoes... the ones that everyone in school is wearing, the cool shoes.  His wise grandmother tries to explain the difference between want and need, reminding him that that new snowboots are much more necessary.  

     One day at school, his old shoes completely fall apart and the principal finds him a pair in lost and found... and the embarrassment of wearing them makes him want the "cool" shoes all the more.  He finds a pair at a thrift store and his grandmother lets him buy them with his own money and despite the fact that they don't fit he buys them... 

     He tries to wear the shoes, but realizes that wearing shoes that are too small just isn't worth it.  He realizes that the things he has (needs) like warm boots and a grandmother who loves him far outweigh the pain of the new shoes (wants) and he leaves them on the doorstep of his friend who has smaller feet...  

     The last page of the book has the two friends running off in the snow to play.

     This is a delightful book that wil lend itself to some great discussion about the difference between wanting something and needing something... I plan to use it during our upcoming study of Synthesis as a shared experience on the gradual release model.  And, I might just let my own children take a look (we seem to be having this discussion a lot lately).

Our Tree Named Steve

Another great find at The Boulder Book Store... Our Tree Named Steve.  When I picked up this book (mainly because it was illustrated by David Catrow), I had no idea how good it would be.

     It's perfect mentor text to teach letter writing, but it's more than that, it's a wonderful story about family, and change.  In the book, a father writes a letter to his children explaining that their tree "Steve" (named by the youngest child who couldn't pronoun "tree") to tell them that the tree fell during a storm.  The tree had drawn the family to the property originally and "Steve" became an important part of the family's life--holding swings, laundry, a hammock... and the secrets of first crushes and loving parents.

     I laughed and cried when I read this story... it's both endearing and bittersweet.  Its simple text combined with perfect illustrations make for a special read.  I read it aloud this week to a group of adults... they loved it too.  It would be perfect for inferring... using the illustrations of the dog especially.

Sparrow Girl

This story is based on Mao's Great Sparrow War in 1958 in which he "declared war" on sparrows because the birds ate their wheat.  They decided to try to eliminate the sparrow population.  I did a little research and the following excerpt is from a Shanghai newspaper with the headline "The Whole City is Attacking the Sparrows."  

     "On the early morning of December 13, the citywide battle to destroy the sparrows began.  In large and small streets, red flags were waving.  On the buildings and in the courtyards, open spaces, roads and rural farm fields, there were numerous scarecrows, sentries, elementary and middle school students, government office employees, factory workers, farmers and People's Liberation Army shouting their war cries.  In the Xincheng district, they produced more than 80,000 scarecrows and more than 100,000 colorful flags overnight.  The residents of Xietu road, Xuhui distrct and Yangpu road Yulin district also produced a large number of motion scarecrows.  In the city and the outskirts, almost half of the labor force was mobilized into the anti-sparrow army.  Usually, the young people were responsible for trapping, poisoning and attacking the sparrows while the old people and the children kept sentry watch.  The factories in the city committed themselves into the war effort even as they guaranteed that they would maintain production levels.  In the parks, cemeteries and nurseries (of young plants) where there are fewer people around, 150 free-fire zones were set up for shooting the sparrows.  The Nanyang Girls Middle School rifle team received training in the techniques of shooting birds.  Thus the citizens fought a total war against the sparrows.  By 8pm tonight, it is estimated that a total of 194,432 sparrows have been killed." (from The Chinese Sparrows of 1958. By Sha Yexin. August 31, 1997)

     In the picture book, Sparrow Girl, Ming-Li was quite upset because she liked sparrows.  When she talked to her older brother he said, "Our Leader's plans are always perfect.  They told us at school.  Now, go to sleep!"  The Chinese were declaring war against the sparrows, claiming they were their enemies.  But Ming-Li looked up and in her heart she couldn't imagine a sky empty of birds.  Although her country's leader called the birds enemies because they were eating the grain, she decided she didn't want to be a part of the annihilation.  Villagers scared birds away with firecrackers and gongs and guns, and the birds flew from the trees and fell to the ground "frightened to death."  Ming-Li decided she had to do something and vowed to save as many sparrows as she could... one at a time... and she saved seven sparrows in the barn she picked up from the ground, hoping one day they will again fly free.

     In fact, ultimately millions of people died because of this ecological mistake... because of the lack of sparrows the locust problem grew and contributed to a huge famine.

     I love the artwork by Yoko Tanaka...it's simple and beautiful and captures the mood of the story.   Sara Pennybacker's Sparrow Girl would be perfect during a study of synthesis... your thinking certainly changes as you read it (add actual pictures and accounts of the event and you'd have fodder for a great discussion).  There are many short articles available describing the "Chinese Sparrow War of 1958" and how it affected the environment at the time... this book is a perfect cousin text to Chris Van Allsburg's Just a Dream.

Inferring... A Synthesis

We just finished a strategy study of how wise readers (and mathematicians and writers) Draw Inferences.  As part of the culmination of our study, my third graders brainstormed the following list of "What We Know About Inferring."

     Each statement on their list is followed by clarifying statements other students made in response.  I love these discussions and hearing student's thinking about this strategy after several weeks of study and how it applies to their own learning.  If our goal is to get students to use thinking strategies independently, talk lays such an important foundation at the beginning of a study and at the end.  It's so important to compare their initial definitions to their thinking after intense study.  It's about being metacognitive.  Enjoy...

What We Know About Inferring 

If a book leaves you hanging, you can infer what is going to happen next. (J.)  “You come to a part you don’t understand and you can’t figure it out, you don’t know what’s going to happen next, you infer because you’re not sure.” (L./J.) 

I know that you need schema, text clues, and predictions to equal an inference. (B.) “If you didn’t it wouldn’t make any sense, you’d just be guessing because you don’t have enough information to go on in order to infer.” (P.)

If you don’t understand a sentence in a book, you can infer to find out what you don’t understand. (L.)  “If you go past it without knowing what a word is or something you ask yourself ‘What did I just read?’” (B.) 

I know that your head and heart are in inferring for feeling, for getting a sense of the text. (J.)  “The text doesn’t know what you’re feeling. (J.)  You have to catch yourself inferring… so that those feelings will emerge.  You just can’t hold it in!” (B./L./Mr. A.) 

There are three puzzle pieces to inferring:  background knowledge/background experience, text clues, and predictions. (R.) “These three parts have to happen – they are tools to help you understand, remember, make it memorable, and extend meaning.  Emotions, thoughts, and ideas are three more parts that you have to have to infer.” (P./I.) 

I know that inferring is important: you use background knowledge, text clues, and predictions to infer what is going to happen. (I.)  “You need to have all these things happening to infer.  You have these things happening and you have to lead yourself through them to lead yourself ‘up to inferring.’” (K./T.) 

You can’t leave one step out, you have to use them all because otherwise it’s not inferring. (L.)  “The secret to inferring is: not all writers tell you everything, not because they ran out of paper, but because they want you, the reader, to figure it out for yourself.” (Unknown) 

You don’t use inferring just in reading, you use it in math and writing too. (P.)  “It’s a strategy you use everywhere, anytime.” (I.) 

If you have a question, it can be confirmed or disconfirmed. (R.)  “If it’s confirmed it means that you inferred well… if it’s disconfirmed, you may have to go back and try it again and look for other clues.” (P.) 

Inferring means to understand.  If you don’t understand a word, you infer what it might mean. (P.)   “Inferring is about personal meaning.  To understand the meaning you have to infer so that you can read on otherwise you won’t be able to understand the rest of the story.” (Mr. A./R.) 

You need to know what inferring is to be a better reader, writer, and mathematician. (K.)  “If you just use one strategy all the time you won’t get better at the other strategies that you know.  Inferring helps you understand meaning and to get better as a reader; it adds another strategy to your brain.” (P.) 

I know that confirmed means that “I got it” and disconfirmed means “Try it again because I didn’t really get it.” (T.)  “If you don’t you wouldn’t know if your inference is in the ballpark.  If you don’t notice you won’t go back to see what you missed.” (R./I.). 

I know that with picture clues you can figure out what a picture is trying to tell you. (M.) “Sometimes the text doesn’t give you enough.  Sometimes the pictures give you what you need.” (L.) 

Inferring helps you understand the meaning. (E.)  “I know that when a book doesn’t give you enough information, you have to give yourself information, you have to be metacognitive about your inferring about what you’re doing.  It’s just going through you if you don’t pay attention.” (P.)  

You have to ponder when you’re inferring. (J.) “If you didn’t ponder, you’d have too much in your head and wouldn’t be paying attention.  When they slow down, it helps wise readers to make decisions.” (P./L.) 

You have to have a book that you understand or it will be really challenging. (T.)  “If you have a book that is too hard, you can’t infer because you’re not picking up text clues.” (I.)