Recycle Your Reads

musings from the Reading Countess: mother of all boys and teacher of teens

   Dec 04

Radio Silence

By talfonsin

Radio silence is used for a number of reasons, one of which is to allow faint distress calls to be heard. Perhaps that is why this blog, which has been a true labor of love, has been experiencing radio silence for the past semester. As Doug Swieteck, the main character in Okay For Now (the read aloud that received two thumbs up from my students) would say, here are the stats:

Year Of Teaching: 13

Grade Level Teaching: 7th ELA

Change In Grades/Levels/Campuses: Yes, Yes, Yes

Number Of Changes In Grade Levels Over the Years: 5th

Sons Playing League Football (In Texas No Less): 2

Number Of Required Practices During School Week: 6

Number Of Games On Saturday: 2

Number Of Days Either Games Or Practices Fell Each Week: SIX

Days Per Week When Family Wasn’t On a Football Field: 1

Number Of Parents In My Household Thankful (Beyond Words) That Football Season Is Over: 2

Number Of Championship Games I Missed Due To Being At NCTE In Chicago: 1 (the only championship game, mind you): but check out session I.17…

Number Of Blocks I Teach: 3 (approximately 75 students)

Number Of Books My Kids Read During the 1st and 2nd Six Weeks: +9,000!

All Students Participating In Nanowrimo: Yes

Times I Forgot To Submit At Least 1 of the 8 Class Attendance Reports Daily: Impossible To Count

Amount Of Time Spent Planning, Meeting, and Grading: Untold

I could go on and on with my semester stats, but the general idea is that radio silence on this blog was purely borne out of necessity. I’m growing some roots in my new grade, basketball season is looking like it won’t be nearly as time consuming, and I am hopeful that Recycle Your Reads will be dusted off and given some much needed attention.

Many thanks to any and all patient readers. This harried mom, wife, and teacher is no longer on radio silence.

 

 

 

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   Aug 08

Because Digital Writing Matters

By talfonsin

Because Digital Writing Matters by National Writing Project with Danielle Nicole DeVoss, Elyse Eidman-Aadahl, and Troy Hicks

As the school year begins knocking at my door and I begin to wind down summer, I have begun to think about what I plan on valuing in my classroom this school year. I have thought rather introspectively the past few months about what is absolutely non-negotiable in order to best meet the needs of my seventh graders. Over the next few posts, I plan on sharing some of the “must haves” in my own teaching.

First, I believe that a teacher today simply must have 21st century skills. Specifically, he/she should have a wide knowledge base about tools available to enhance the language arts classroom, as well as a command of the reasons why it is imperative to integrate technology.

This year, teachers in my district are encouraged to design a google site for students to access; and students are also encouraged to design their own google site in order to track their literacy growth throughout the year. Edmodo will also (still) be a campus expectation. But there are literally hundreds of other free tools available to teachers and students to explore.

If someone was looking for tools and ideas to use in the classroom, as well as the when’s and the why’s of integrating technology into a language arts curriculum, Because Digital Writing Matters would prove very helpful. A primer of sorts for the novice teacher, the book is very reader friendly and full of research to back up the educational reasoning behind utilizing digital writing.

“Why does digital writing matter? Digital writing matters because we live in a networked world and there’s no going back. Because, quite simply, DIGITAL IS.” (Because Digital Writing Matters)

Having read this quick read (150 pages or so) in one sitting on the very night that my oldest son played with/talked to his lifelong friend 300 years ago through the X-Box, I did not need to be sold on the concept of the importance of connecting the written word to the digital world for students. Much of what was discussed squared with my thinking, and will undoubtedly prove helpful when trying to convince the “Yeah, But” people in my community that using appropriate digital tools with kids in a language arts community is educationally sound. In particular, I found the appendix laden with sites helpful for the novice (or not so novice)teacher, as well as “the habits of mind and activities in which students are expected to engage as digital writers”

CONDENSED LIST OF TRAITS AND ACTIONS
1. CREATIVITY AND ORIGINALITY
create, design, develop, express, innovate, invent, produce
2. COLLABORATE
cocreate, collaborate, compromise, contribute, give feedback, receive feedback, share
3. MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP
implement, initiate, manage, lead, plan, prioritize, organize
4. EVALUATION AND DECISION MAKING
critique, evaluate, influence, set criteria, choose, decide, impact
5. DIVERSITY
cross-cultural understanding, diverse perspectices, globalization, interdisciplinary
6. ARTICULATION
articulate, clarify, define, form, frame, select
7. CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING
expand, forecast, identify fallacies, key concepts, solutions, trends, interpret, reason
8. OBSERVATION AND INQUIRY
ask, examine, explore, inquire, investigate, observe, question, research
9. COMMUNICATION IN RHETORICAL CONTEXTS
audience, authorship, perception, point of view, purpose, communicate, connect, interact
10. KNOWLEDGE MAKING
apply, construct, demonstrate, discover, emulate, incorporate, integrate, model, synthesize, analyze, deconstruct, examine, process
11. INFORMATION LITERACY
determine significance, evaluate, gather, locate, utilize
12. PERSONAL HABITS OF MIND
accountable, accurate, adaptable, efficient, effective, flexible, gaining expertise, metacognition, quality of work, responsive, self-evaluation, understanding complexity, valuing diversity
13. REMIX CULTURE
amplify, attribute, circulate, distribute, disseminate, engage, ethical use, modify, participate, publish, remix, repurpose, re-present, share, stimulate, transform
14. TECHNOLOGY KNOWLEDGE AND ISSUES
applications, digital media environments, systems
15. DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP
active, creative commons, copyright, democratic process, fair us, participant, lifelong learner

 

For more information, please read “The 21st Century Skills Teachers Should Have”

Posted in 21st century literacy, Language Arts leadership, Technology, Writing Workshop , | No Comments »

   Aug 01

Your Child’s Writing Life: How to Inspire Confidence, Creativity, and Skill at Every Age by Pam Allyn

By talfonsin

Your Child’s Writing Life: How to Inspire Confidence, Creativity, and Skill at Every Age by Pam Allyn

Pam Allyn is very knowledgeable about education and children’s literacy issues, having been a teacher and now author and motivational speaker. In addition, she “is the Executive Director of LitLife, a nationally recognized organization specializing in transformative school improvement through literacy education, and the Executive Director of LitWorld, a 501(c)(3) non profit organization dedicated to bringing quality education to the world’s most vulnerable children.” With a resume’ as impressive as Ms. Allyn’s, one can expect great things from her.

Allyn’s newest book, Your Child’s Writing Life: How to Inspire Confidence, Creativity, and Skill at Every Age is an open invitation to parents to jump into the seemingly mysterious world of a child’s writing life by encouraging them to be active participants and cheerleaders. As a teacher myself, I see all too often the confidence that parents exude in the areas of reading and math, social studies, spelling and even science; but when it comes to the area of writing, parents stumble. They want to help their child, but they don’t seem to know how. Pam Allyn takes the parent’s hand and walks them through all of the ages and stages of the writing process, demystifying the process along the way.

 Starting with a rather long list of why’s, Allyn wants to ensure that parents understand the importance of early literacy in a child’s life. Answering the question early on about why writing matters: it fosters a child’s emotional growth, it helps develop critical thinking skills, and it leads to guaranteed improvement in academic achievement, Allyn works to ensure that not only is fostering a writing life for your child important, the when of parental involvement is equally important.“We begin valuing writing or even paying attention to how important it is too late, both in school and at home. Sometime around third grade we start to notice or worry if our children are not writing well. But in truth, the child as writer has begun to think about words on the page (or screen) far earlier.” She encourages parents to jump into the writing process with children well before the child crosses the threshold of an elementary school door because those early experiences in writing ensure success in the early school years and beyond. Practical ideas for how to set up a writing area, what books to use with particular ages, and how to talk to kids about their writing at the various ages (which, in my opinion, is always the trickiest part for parents) really demystifies the writing life of a child for a caring parent.

In order for a child to succeed in the art of writing, Allyn asserts they must have five keys in order to be forever writers (spelling out the acronym WRITE): word power, reading life, identity, time and environment. She looks at each of the keys through the eyes of a parent who wants to support their burgeoning writer, providing helpful tips and tools necessary for a child at every age and stage of growth. Word jars, setting up a writing space and providing adequate/fun tools, developing the “voice” of your young scribe, and discovering some fun reads to share with your child in order to stoke the imagination of a writer stalled for ideas are just a hint of the multitude of ways Allyn assists parents. Allyn has forgotten nothing.

Is your child “stuck” with no ideas or words in sight? Allyn has provided her readers with prompts for each age and stage in order to get those juices flowing again. While I am not a fan of prompts in the classroom per se, I do think that the ideas she shares and the books she suggests as partners to them are helpful to parents who want to help but have no idea where to start. Perfect for parents who might be rushed for time as well, this section of the book shows developmental milestones as well as the prompts and book titles. I especially liked how she warned against placing too much emphasis on the proper spelling of words, especially the youngest of writers. All too often in class I see an over emphasis on the mechanics of writing from a parent’s perspective, mainly, I assume, because that is the one area a parent feels he/she can help their child with. “I know this,” they think, and they rush in to “fix” all of the “mistakes” they see in a child’s writing. Not knowing that this in fact stalls or even harms a new writer, Allyn shares the developmental phases of the mechanics of writing. This is a wise and important part of her book, and one in which I hope parents hone in on.

I also completely agree with Allyn when she says at the ten year old stage that “school has gotten a lot more serious now, and your child may be having some anxiety about writing.” In my state, the standardized writing test first appears in grade four. For this reason, writing long and strong is vitally important for a child by this age. Many boys, along with some reluctant readers, often struggle during this year because the art of writing is a painstakingly slow process. My oldest son, and now my middle son, floundered during this time. Dubbing themselves “failures” because they simply had difficulty placing their thoughts on paper (but not when they wanted to orally share them…), Pam Allyn encourages parents to“ask your child, ‘How are you feeling about the writing you are doing in school?’” This is a small, but important piece of discussion for this age. How a child feels about writing and him/herself at this age is critical in the development of a writer. I’m happy that Allyn noted this.

It’s also important to remember that writing is simply hard work. All too often we are at a loss for words, and stare at the screen or blank paper. Allyn knows this will happen and has thoughtfully provided phrases and ways to help a child when they seem “stuck” in a writing assignment. This will certainly be a wonderful aid to frustrated parents wanting to help, but simply not knowing how.

I liked Pam Allyn’s book Your Child’s Writing Life. I think it will be helpful to parents who are searching for ways to help their child write sooner and with more clarity and joy. Her words are encouraging and her ideas are practical and easy to use for a busy parent on the go. She reminds us all that your child’s writing life matters because “while their teachers will teach them to write across the curriculum, as parents, we can help them learn to write across their lives.”

-available August 2. 2011 (free ebook provided by Netgalley)

In the spirit of wonder journals (an idea hinted about in the book), there are two items I wondered about myself in Your Child’s Writing Life: How to Inspire Confidence, Creativity, and Skill at Every Age:

*As an instructor, I saw many educational terms used in A Child’s Writing Life:  mentor texts, writer’s notebooks, seven word memoirs  (though I have read and taught Six Word Memoirs), writing ladders (based, I’m assuming, on Dr. Lesesne’s Reading Ladders) and line jumpers (referred to as “lifting a line” by Aimee Buckner). While seeing current educational terminology peppered throughout her book was reaffirming (what is good at school is still good at home, after all), I wondered about the credit being left out for the original sources of these ideas.

*While exploring ways to encourage a six year old’s writing life at home, Pam Allyn recommends opening an email account and thinking of a password he/she won’t forget so that correspondence to and from family members can occur. I wondered about the efficacy of this at this tender age. My oldest son received an email account at ten, and even then I felt that he might be a bit too young for it.

For more information about encouraging literacy at home, please read Pam Allyn’s What to Read When: The Books and Stories to Read with Your Child-and All the Best Times to Read Them or Best Books for Boys: How to Engage Boys in Ways That Will Change Their Lives

My youngest son, Sam, is keeping a summer journal:

 

 

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   Jul 27

Quotes That Provide Food For Thought

By talfonsin

I have always loved quotes. “Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too.” by Voltaire ” is included in my email signature, quotes are used at the beginning/end of my lessons to direct student’s attention, and my students have even crafted their own quote to express their views on life with a Six Word Memoirs twist. Quotes can teach us and make us ruminate on big ideas despite the brevity of the thought.

As I enter junior high school this year, I plan to carry this thinking into my classroom. In fact, I think that analyzing quotes might even make for interesting writing.  For instance, Kurt Vonnegut once said,  “We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be.” “Put your ear down close to your soul and listen hard,” has been ascribed to Anne Sexton. I wonder what can be teased out of both quotes when put together?

I recently requested and read a book devoted entirely to quotes by famous and interesting people throughout history and the world. It would make a great addition to a late elementary school/junior high/high school library. Once again, skinny books with big ideas feed the soul.

 

A Gift of Days: The Greatest Words To Live By

Stephen Alcorn

This book was recommended to me by a teacher friend on Goodreads. Arranged in months and days of the year with famous people and a quote attributed to them marking their birthdays, A GIFT OF DAYS is a quick read that begs to be read over and over and over again. I especially enjoyed the last portion of the book, detailing the important contributions to society that each “contributor” to the book made as well as the wide range of people selected for the entries. Children need to see themselves reflected on the pages of books.

Marked as a “mentor text,” I plan on using many of the quotes in A GIFT OF DAYS with my middle schoolers. Too young to have a complete definition for themselves yet but young enough to begin that definition of  themselves (and others); many/most of the quotes in here should make them stop and think. And that’s a good thing when you’re thirteen (or older…) right?

Here are my favorite passages:

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN: Hide not your talents. They for us were made. What’s a sundial in the shade? EDITH WHARTON: Life is always a tightrope or a feather bed. Give me the tightrope. JACKIE ROBINSON: A life is not important, except in the impact it has on other lives. BABE RUTH: Never let the fear of striking out get in your way. THEODORE SEUSS GEISEL: Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind. ALBERT EINSTEIN: Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted. JANE GOODALL: Change happens by listening and then starting a dialogue with the people who are doing something you don’t believe is right. COLIN POWELL: If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude. MALCOLM X: A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything. JOHN F. KENNEDY: Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth. MICHAEL J. FOX: One’s dignity may be assaulted, vandalized, and cruelly mocked, but cannot be taken away unless it is surrendered. LADY DIANA SPENCER: Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you. ERNEST HEMINGWAY: Courage is grace under pressure. GARRISON KEILLOR: I think the most un-American thing you can say is, “You can’t say that.” ALEX HALEY: In every conceivable manner, the family is a link to our past, bridge to our future. BLESSED MOTHER TERESA: If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. SOPHIA LOREN: Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. It is not something physical. MAHATMA GANDHI: An eye for (an) eye only ends up making the whole world blind. JESSE JACKSON: Amercia is not a blanket woven from one thread, one color, one cloth. ELEANOR ROOSEVELT: Hate and force cannot be in just a part of the world without having an effect on the rest of it. DORIS LESSING: Any human anywhere will blossom in a hundred unexpected talents and capacities simply by being given the opportunity to do so. KURT VONNEGUT JR. We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be. EMILY DICKINSON: Forever is composed of nows. MARGARET MEAD: Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.

What quotes, or words to live by, do you most love?

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   Jul 26

Are YOU Ravenous?

By talfonsin

RAVENOUS: A FOOD LOVER’S JOURNEY FROM OBSESSION TO FREEDOM by Dayna Macy

 If you are like me, and have stuggled with your relationship with food on a daily basis,  then  RAVENOUS: A FOOD LOVER’S JOURNEY FROM OBSESSION TO FREEDOM is for you. It spoke to me. I understood Macy’s squashing of feelings with food, her memory-infused love affair with traditional meals, and her inability to stop eating even when full.

Dayna Macy is a middle-aged mom who begins to take an honest look at her journey with food. Rather than begin a diet, she wants to go to the core of food and her issues swirling around it. Curious about how the food that she loves like cheese, sausage, olives, greens and even beef come to her table, Dayna’s inside look makes her reexamine her relationship with nourishment in a way that no diet ever could. Following each food type that she delves into is a recipe, many of which I am anxious to try myself. Why might there be recipes in a book about overeating? Because food is not the culprit. Our inability to stop eating it is.

RAVENOUS is an easy-to-read book with beautiful phrases peppered throughout. Although Dayna kicks herself for not venturing into writing sooner, she absolutely has a way with words. This is a book for anyone who has tied feelings with food and who struggles to turn away from the table even when your body says “no more.”

*ebook provided by Netgalley

“Eating greasy, salty, fatty food literally pads me, thickens me from the inside out, and that extra padding helps me to feel safe.”

“It will be another 20 years before I figure out that eating can’t replace creating. And that no one can give me permission to write except myself.”

“If people understand where their food comes from and how it grows, they become more connected to their health and to themselves.”

“The kitchen is modest, serviceable, and small. No granite countertops, Sub-Zero refrigerator, or Wolf range in sight. Being a chef and a meditation teacher probably doesn’t pay much. Then again, maybe being a meditation teacher means you don’t need the fancy gadgets.”

“Salt, grease, tasteless pulp in my mouth,” he says, koan-like. “I can never eat enough corn chips to be satisfied because there’s no there there. And if I wasn’t paying attention, I’d keep eating them to try to get what isn’t there.”

“My idea of what constitutes real food changed 15 years ago when I started getting a weekly vegetable box from this farm.”

“We talk about the rise of genetically modified seeds, which are patented and therefore owned and legally protected by the huge corporations that produce them. In many cases, farmers sign contracts in which they agree not to save and replant seeds, though farmers have replanted seeds since the dawn of agriculture. Sometimes these contracts also have other clauses, granting access to the farmer’s land and business records. ‘I’m surprised that anyone signse these contracts,’ Judith says.
I’m not. I know companies sell these seeds because they make billions of dollars doing it, and farmers use them because they boost yields and short term efficiency. I’m sure some people at these companies believe they are doing the right thing, but patenting the very foundation of our food supply seems deeply short-sighted and wrong.”

“Ask yourself, why does industrical agriculture only want to feed people starch and sugar?…Because it’s subsidized and cheap.”

“In his seminal work Stalking the Wild Asparagus, Euell Gibbons wrote: ‘We live in a vastly complex society which has veen able to provide us with a multitude of material things, and this is good, but people are beginning to suspect that we have paid a high spiritual price for our plenty…don’t we sometimes feel that we are living a secondhand sort of existence, and that we are in danger of losing all contact with the origins of life and the nature wich nourishes it?’”

“The meaning of life is love. I also catch a glimpse of something else that will take me many more years to really learn: that food is notlove. Food is food.”

“I need to make peace with my father. And whatever emptiness his life and death left in me needs to be healed with something other than food.”

“Glancing back at my old bedroom window, I remember how, as a young girl, I couldn’t find the courage to write a book, and how grateful I am to write this one now. Sometimes there are promises you make to yourself that you have to keep, because if you didn’t life would be too dispiriting.”

“I mourn the creeping invisibility of middle age and the gradual thickening of my body. I mourn the loss of my youthful beauty and all the time I wasted not seeing just how beautiful I was. All because I was never thin enough.”

*I am currently also reading Truly Fed:Finding Freedom From Disordered Eating by Gari Meacham. One of my friends purchased it for me and invited me to come with her on a study of the book.

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   Jul 24

Professional Reading To Quiet Self-Doubt

By talfonsin

This summer, in stark contrast to the past four or five summers, I have relaxed. I’ve done a whole lotta nothin’. While that isn’t completely true (I’ve spent glorious time with my boys, read for hours on end, and am currently working on selling our home and moving), it is a nice respite from summers spent either learning in professional development sessions or teaching professional development sessions.

It’s been glorious. It’s been long-awaited. And it’s coming to a screeching halt in just three short weeks.

A few days ago, I was chatting briefly on the phone with a friend and soon-to-be colleague at my new school. She casually asked if I had begun to think about school. Responding adamantly that I had not and that I technically had nearly one month left before returning, a wave of panic washed over me. What had I done? Had I squandered my two months? Would I be behind the eight ball when I walked into (gulp) junior high?

I spent the rest of the day reassuring myself that the time I spent with my boys was not wasteful. Besides, I reasoned, I had read a large number of books I planned to bring into my classroom in the fall. That counted, didn’t it?

That night, I had one of those panic dreams. Do you know the kind I’m talking about? It’s the one  where you arrive late and frazzled to class only to find out that not only did you miss the all-important exam, but that you seem to have forgotten to get dressed prior to leaving the house. I awoke dripping in sweat and determined to brush up on a little professional development reading prior to stepping foot into my new school.

The two books I read this week to quiet the whispers of doubt in my head did the trick. One was a reread, and one I have been wanting to read since it was published. Both have rejuvenated my desire to enter the classroom with newfound enthusiasm. And you can bet that I’ll also be on time and professionally attired, to boot.

Notebook Know-How: Strategies for the Writer’s Notebook by Aimee Buckner

If I could give more stars, I would. Aimee Buckner, a fourth grade teacher who also has taught sixth grade, knows her stuff. This seven chapter skinny book is simply dripping with easy to implement and practical writing tools for the middle grade writer’s tool kit. I remembered some of her mini-lessons last year, but I’m literally kicking myself for not cracking her book out throughout the year to use all of them.

Clear, concise, and teacher-friendly, Buckner’s book is a must-have. Do you want your students to not only write but write often, skillfully, and carry the skills they learn forever? Check out NOTEBOOK KNOW-HOW. Highlight, dog-ear and flag the pages as much as I have done. Reread it-often. For, as Aimee says, “That is what we want: writers who read and readers who write coming together in a notebook.”

Day By Day by Stacey Shubitz and Ruth Ayres

I’m a big (okay, huge) fan of Two Writing Teachers, so I was thrilled to finally carve time out for this book. My intial thought was that many of their ideas, and there were a lot, were great for elementary aged kids. I worried how it might transfer to a middle school environment. After finishing the book, however, I think most can be changed to fit an older learner. In particular, many of the digital aspects that I plan to implement in my seventh grade classes can easily use infusions of the Two Writing Teachers’ ideas. Phew.

Another thought that I had as I read was how heavily Lucy Calkins was quoted. It brought back memories of my once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend a Reading Institute a few years ago, and I felt confirmation in the best practices they were espousing. Ruth and Stacey know their stuff. I especially liked how the book was organized into cycles with a challenge and reflection piece at the end of each cycle. This proved to be a very reader friendly, at times affirming but most times thought-provoking book. I highly recommend Day by Day: Refining Writing Workshop Through 180 Days of Reflective Practice to any Language Arts teacher of any grade. There is plenty to think about!

Below are the items that struck me as I read the six part book. Some resonated with me, some are things still rumbling around in my head, and some are things I want to hold onto in case I want a refresher. Be warned, though. This rambling list is more for my memory than it is a review.

ROUTINES:
30″ rain stick to signal movement
student-generated list of expectations for workshop-but most powerful to do so after they have lived as writers for a few weeks
procedures for taking, using and returning communal supplies
meeting areas for everyone-sit in a circle or oval
plan boxes: not sure about efficacy in my room-reminds me of Atwell’s status of the class (which I like because it places ownership on teacher for the note taking)
explicitly teach academic honesty
signal the end of sharing time w/same phrase(s): “Writers, you should be proud of your work today” or “Tomorrow we will pick up where we left off”
personalize writer’s notebooks: collect bits of life through passing out quart sized bags, give several days to gather important bits of their lives for decorating in class
date and title each entry, use the back of each page
celebrating published work: gallery walk with comment sheet next to work
poetry on grocery bags, placemats, note cards (for retirement community??)

MINILESSONS:
rethink what/how you teach with the focus on the word BY…Connect a teaching point to the bends in the road for the strategies to the skills you want to teach. It helps to link them by adding the word by between the teaching point and the bend. (EX: “Writers create characters that seem like real people by crafting dialogue that moves their story forward.”)
every mark students make on the page as a writer, creates voice in their writing
the value of using fragments to convey emothion rather than writing complete sentences (use mentor texts like FIREFLIES or EARRINGS)
revision is making the meaning clearer; editing is making the writing more standard
if you edit student work in isolation, their writing won’t improve
place a check mark on any line of writing that contains an error with punctuation, grammar, or spelling or that sounds awkward. The minimal marking technique resolves most of a student’s writing errors through self-correcting, allowing you to spend time conferring the with the student about “real” issues
have students read their writing aloud-catch a lot (“Does that make sense?”)
too many mini lessons teaching students the perfect, precise way of grammar!
if you can’t say, “Forever, the rest of your life, you can do this when…” then this is only teaching writing instead of writers
a good deal of the time a classroom looks messy because of pressure from the administration to make sure the tracks of teacher’s instruction are visible around the room
handbook notes: students number each of the pages in their spiral notebook and tape a table of contents chart in front. The date, lesson topic, and page number are noted

CHOICE:
choice of notebooks
choice of “focus spots” for each student: the first week of writing workshop, allow students to try out different places in the classroom during independent writing time. By the week’s end, I’d ask each child for the top two focus spot preferences so that assignment of a focus spot for the duration of the year could take place…
too often students see revision as a punishment for writing poorly in the first place, not as an opportunity to make their decent writing even better
“Bad writing” goes in the trash, writing with glimmers of hope is deserving of revision. “What if…” when revising.

MENTORS:
be on the lookout for wise writing moves/students taking risks. A simple basket labeled “Copy for a Sample” empowers us to collect these samples. The basket sitting near the door would allow a teacher to see it when she left the room. Copying/scanning the work and placing the writing in a basket labeled “Return” so students can easily retrieve their piece would make this an easy routine.
often students will use sophisticated craft moves but the good writing is overlooked due to poor conventions. Train yourself to look beyond it (even retyping it to share w/class)
select 3-5 students you will track during a unity of study or throughout the entire year…only

CONFERRING:
the power of peer conferencing is sometimes overlooked in my room, I need to remember to have my kids lean on each other more
record keeping is a weak point of mine-I like the form given at the back of the book

ASSESSMENT:
I like the standardized testing portion of this chapter
Keep Writing Encouragement during a test:
1. Tired: stretch, rub your eyes, take a few deep breaths
2. Plan too much: watch the clock, make a short plan, write the beginning, then come back to the plan, know your best planning strategy
3. Don’t know what else to write: reread the prompt question, reread your draft, determine the genre and add appropriate details
4. Not interested in the topic/bored: make a connection to the prompt, reread your writing and focus on doing your best
5. Nervous: take a few deep breaths, use positive self-talk
6. Confused by the question: reread the writing prompt, make a connection to a similar situation you have experienced

My next reads are:

Reading Ladders by Teri Lesesne and Shine by Lauren Myracle

Posted in Language Arts leadership, Reading Workshop, Writing Workshop , , , | 2 Comments »

   Jul 14

Revelations

By talfonsin

For months I’ve heard a nearly inaudible whispering in my ear, “Your life is fleeting, enjoy and be in the moment, seize the time that you have with your young sons now…” but it suddenly became a shout rather than a gentle whisper early this week with heartbreaking news. A young mother, friend and coworker lost her two and a half year battle with leukemia. Leaving three young sons and a husband behind, my friend’s valiant fight was peppered with spunky humor: a life lesson to all who were blessed to know her.

This week has also found me beginning The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, and renting “The Five People You Meet In Heaven” from our public library. I’m a barrel of laughs right now…Which is why the book I recently finished about parenting was so timely. The right book at the right time is essential to any reader, and this one came at precisely the right time.

Revelations In the Rearview Mirror: One Mother’s Hard-Won and Hilarious Epiphanies On the Road To the Empty Nest by Louise Bayless Parsley   

I plucked this title quite by accident as I waited for my younger two sons to finish a library showing about bugs this week. The title spoke to me, although I have quite a few years before I can count myself an empty nester. I’ve been looking for inspiration for a while, sensing my own mortality more and more (and increasingly so after the startling death of my friend and coworker earlier in the week). I know my boys’ greasy fingerprints won’t always be on the diningroom table, and I am sure that I will miss the science experiments masquerading as week-old milk glasses carted out of my oldest son’s room when push came to clean. But for now-I need encouragement.

Revelations in the Rearview Mirror has more laughter than it does poignancy, though certainly I dog-eared a few pages for the sheer beauty of the words. Louise Parsley is a local writer, writing what must have been embarrassing tales about her three children’s growing up years with the wit of Erma Bombeck, I am not sure how I missed her articles in our paper.

A champion of children at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, her work with their youngest patients is admirable. I especially liked, “…I realized that I was unable to change the cards life had dealt these young patients, and each time we parted company was challenged to find appropriate ways to honor their journey. I finally came to understand that the greatest homage I could pay them would be to savor my own kids, to appreciate and celebrate the time I have with them…and even to cry with them.” This particular passage spoke to me after learning about the untimely death of a young mother/friend/coworker earlier in the year. Gone are her times with her brood. But I can revel in my own times with mine and honor her. I needed to read that.

Other favorite gems not necessarily witty but thought-provoking:

on holiday meals with family- “Family gatherings. Ticking off milestone events. Our stories. As individual as puzzle pieces fitting together to illustrate the larger picture of who we are and why we’re here. Bite-size pieces of life, purpose, hope, and gratitude. Tiny sprigs of appreciation for the ones around us. The ones who make us, us…each one a part of everyone else. Blessings in disguise only take a moment to savor-and a lifetime to forget.”

on returning summer after summer to their little home on the Guadalupe River to capture lightning bugs in a jar- “The lightining bugs lit my way to maturity. But somewhere along that journey, I stopped seeing them. Perhaps life took on too may distractions. Perhaps I spent my days and nights providing the things one needs to survive and forgetting the things that make us smile.
When I had children, the lightning bugs returned. Maybe they were waiting for me to return, too. As I pulled down from the shelf the container of my childhood, I felt the magic return. Watching them cup their small hands around these creatures confirmed the value of holding things you love loosely…and learning to let them go.”

on her son’s graduation from high school- “On the teachers, the men and women adorned in gowns of black and jewel-toned hoods, a special document of honor should be conferred. While we provided support, they connected the dots, outlining boys-to-men, giving them the tools to color in with their dreams. Our task, a labor of love; theirs, an answer to a higher call.
Believing in potential-of what ‘could’ be–I handed my son to them. On their walk together, potential blossomed into purpose…and he has emerged full of what ‘would’ be. The teachers, having achieved their goal yet another year, remain behind to push the next class up the mountain.”

 I enjoyed Revelations In the Rearview Mirror because it came at just the right time for me. It was both a lighthearted as well as a touching look at parenting and life, and filled me up when I needed it most.

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   Jun 29

Writing Young Adult Fiction For Dummies

By talfonsin

Have you ever fancied yourself an author of YA books? If so, then Writing Young Adult Fiction For Dummies by Deborah Halverson is for you! I am anxiously awaiting a copy myself, but what I have read online looks really intruiging. Be sure to check it out after its release on July 5.

In addition to a book full of helpful tips for those looking to dip a toe into the industry, Halverson is hosting a seven day event full of unique information and giveaways from June 29-July 5! On her writers’ advice website DearEditor.com, she is featuring daily “Free First Chapter Critique” giveaways, free downloads, excerpts from the book, and profiles of the 13 amazing authors, editors, and agents who so generously contributed sidebars to the book (M.T. Anderson, Karen Cushman, Jane Yolen, Jennifer Donnelly, to name a few). And if that isn’t enough, she is giving away a “Free Full Manuscript Edit” on the final day of the launch.

So check out the book, her writing advice, and enter to win help editing your manuscript…you know, the next biggest YA book! :)

Posted in YA books , , , | 2 Comments »

   Jun 27

ebooks

By talfonsin

From School Library Journal:  

Last year LJ/SLJ benchmarked the state of ebooks in academic, public and school libraries across the United States. Some things we learned were:
  • 94% of academic libraries offered ebooks to their users.  Academic libraries spent 7% of their materials budgets on ebooks. CIRC of ebooks was expected to rise 18% in the next 12 months.
  • 72% of public libraries had ebooks in their collections. Ebooks represented 2.5% of their materials budgets. CIRC of ebooks was expected to increase 36% in the coming year.
  • 33% of school libraries offered ebooks to students/faculty. Almost 3% of their materials budgets were spent on ebooks. School library media specialists projected that ebook CIRC would increase 26% in the next 12 months.”

In my last post, I was all a-flutter over our family’s most recent purchase-a gift, of sorts, to our dear old dad. This gift was swiftly snatched away by first my middle son, and then by my husband’s greedy  eager wife. It’s been one week, and already I have too many titles downloaded to admit (although a few of them are for my ever patient spouse, mind you).

Here’s what I checked out with my  Papa’s our Kindle this week:

A Storm Called Katrina by Myron Uhlberg 

Ten year old Louis Daniel and his family are natives of New Orleans, so when a Hurricane Katrina comes knocking on their door, it’s business as usual. But when the water begins rising quickly, Louis’ family is forced to flee. The quick thinking boy grabs his beloved trumpet, and his parents and he float down what was once their street. Spotting a passing dog on debris, he begs them to take the pooch with them. Unable to rescue him, they continue on their journey until they reach the Superdome. Louis is both surprised by the enormity of the stadium as well as frightened by the noise and people milling around. When his Mama and he are separated from his Daddy, will Louis prove to them that he isn’t “The Baby” they think him to be?

This title spoke to me personally, since I remember with vivid detail this particular great storm. Living so close to New Orleans, my community welcomed many people affected by Hurricane Katrina. In fact, we still count many New Orleans as permanent residents. I think all children will appreciate hearing this tale, but particularly children directly affected by the storm and resulting flood/emergency. The illustrations in this forty page picture book were beautiful and realistic, adding a great deal of depth and intensity to an already tension-filled time. The honest portrayal of conditions as they were encountered will surely open a great deal of dialogue either at home or in class when shared.  

available 8/1/2011, previewed courtesy of Netgalley

© 2011 by Tess Alfonsin of Recycle Your Reads. All rights reserved. All Amazon links in this post are affiliate links, and may result in my receiving a small commission on purchases (with no additional cost to you).

Can You Surive the Titanic?; an Interactive Surival Adventure (You Choose: Survival) by Allison Louise Lassieur 

Decisions in life are what make our personal roads twist and turn as they do. But what would you do if a decision you made was the difference between living or dying? The reader in this interactive book make life or death choices, but thankfully in the safe confines of an informative book. That is one of the millions of reasons why I love books: kids can learn about the nuts and bolts of life through the pages of a book well before they are ever confronted with a similar issue in real life. Literature can teach and guide kids in ways that we take for granted!

Readers of Can You Survive the Titanic go along for the ride as a medical crew member, a staff member to a wealthy employer in charge of young children, and a twelve year old expert to the nuts and bolts of the grandest ship to ever set sail at the time. Written in the second person, the use of the words “you are” really make the voyage and its occupants very important decisions (should you give your blanket to a fellow lifeboat inhabitant or should you offer to share it?) literally spring to life. The interactive way the book is arranged (to follow another path, turn to page ___) would make a superb entryway for a parent or teacher to segway into life choices, informed decision making and the luck of the draw.

Impressionable readers could learn a great deal more than history in this deceptively skinny book. Can You Survive the Titanic reminded me of Meanwhile: Pick Any Path by Jason Shiga in its organization. So popular is Meanwhile, that I was forced to put out a hostage notice (an idea gleaned from Donalyn Miller) in order to locate the popular book’s whereabouts. I predict Can You Survive the Titanic will be equally as popular in my classroom, and look forward to the book’s publication.

available 8/1/2011, previewed courtesy of Netgalley

© 2011 by Tess Alfonsin of Recycle Your Reads. All rights reserved. All Amazon links in this post are affiliate links, and may result in my receiving a small commission on purchases (with no additional cost to you).

Sorry I Pooped In Your Shoe by Jeremy Greenberg

I admit it. I couldn’t resist checking out this book based solely on the title itself. Yes, I judged a book by its title. Who wouldn’t? But when I investigated further, I found the 64 page tongue-in-cheek read to be simply doggone fun (I couldn’t resist).  

The premise is simple, yet effective: a humorous gorgeous photograph of a pooch caught in the act of doing something naughty is coupled with a letter written earnestly from the dog’s perspective to its owner. But the voice within each letter made me laugh out loud.

As a writing teacher, I am always on the lookout for new gems to use in my class as mentor texts. Sorry I Pooped In Your Shoes would make a great addition. Writing to a specific audience, the use of voice, and pairing a picture (pet or no pet) snapped by a student with a text are but a few of the endless possibilities a teacher could employ to help jump start the writing workshop.

available 10/11/2011, previewed courtesy of Netgalley

© 2011 by Tess Alfonsin of Recycle Your Reads. All rights reserved. All Amazon links in this post are affiliate links, and may result in my receiving a small commission on purchases (with no additional cost to you).

Go the F**k To Sleep by Adam Mansbach

Here’s another title that I couldn’t steer away from based solely on the title alone. Who hasn’t felt exasperated when a stubborn child refuses to go to bed? Written perhaps to assuage those feelings  that parents undoubtedly have about their wee little ones, the book’s attempt to mimic the look and feel of a nighttime read aloud makes it even funnier than it already #$@) is.

ebook courtesy of Netgalley

© 2011 by Tess Alfonsin of Recycle Your Reads. All rights reserved. All Amazon links in this post are affiliate links, and may result in my receiving a small commission on purchases (with no additional cost to you).

Hoopskirts, Union Blues, and Confederate Grays: Civil War Fashions From 1861-1865 by Kate Havelin

Crammed from beginning to end about all things fashionable from before the Civil War until the beginning of the 20th century, Kate Havelin leaves her readers spinning-and wanting more.

Did you know…

*this was a time when women’s complete and proper attire (hoop skirts included) weighed a staggering thirty pounds and only allowed three women to fit comfortably in a room?

*the style of men’s cuffed pants began in 1850 by a visiting Englishman on his way to a wedding as he walked through a downpour?

*Levi Strauss jeans began in 1853 and were made first out of tent canvas? What about the oldest known pair fetching $46,500 at auction in 2003?

*Stetson cowboy hats were sold for twenty dollars? That is astounding when you consider that a cowboy’s monthly pay was only thirty dollars. Then again, one hat would last a lifetime.

*a slave was lucky to receive seven dollars’ worth of clothing per year (amounting to roughly one outfit for the winter and another for the summer), but yet a slave owner would pay three hundred dollars for one slave?

*buttons on soldier’s jackets had letters (A, I, C) designating their assignments: artillary, infantry, or calvary?

*due to a difficulty in cows being available/tanning factories running,  many Southern soldiers were fighting sans shoes? That is, until clever soldiers went further south to Florida and hunted alligators.

*standard sizingbegan during the Civil War when outfitting a soldier quickly and efficiently was a must?

*the Singer sewing machine in 1850 made not only sewing at home more practical, but within nearly every citizen’s grasp thanks to the first idea of installments? For only five dollars, a customer could walk away with the one hundred dollar invention. This, along with the new idea of patterns, revolutionized fashion for the everyday woman.

*The “Cast Iron Palace” was the country’s first ever department store? Spanning one block., the eight story shop in New York City was the predecessor to such Goliaths as Macy’s, Lord and Taylor’s and Tiffany and Co. These eventually opened the door for catalogs to make an entry into homes.

These are but a hint of what can be found in this intriguing informational text about a time long ago. The photos, the captions and the absolutely enthralling details hidden within are sure to captivate even the most reluctant reader. I look forward to sharing this title with my readers and explore the various elements of nonfiction with them.

available 10/1/2011, previewed courtesy of Netgalley

© 2011 by Tess Alfonsin of Recycle Your Reads. All rights reserved. All Amazon links in this post are affiliate links, and may result in my receiving a small commission on purchases (with no additional cost to you).

Christmas Is Not Your Birthday by Mike Slaughter (cover not available)

An astounding $1660 per two parent household was spent on food, decorations and presents during Christmas in 2010. How did we get to such a consumer-filled state, and how do we stop and remember the true reason of the holiday? Slaughter takes his readers on the spiritual journey they must remember to stay on if Christmas is to truly remain holy in the home and heart.

While I didn’t discover anything new: By giving to others, or “mission miracles,” we can remember that it is HIS birthday that we honor. Even if we find ourselves in a season of trouble, we must celebrate in the midst of it. Increasingly, Americans are becoming spiritually poor. If we live more simply, others may simply live. Less is more-simplicity reduces stress, Christmas Is Not Your Birthday reminded me of what is and should always be central in my own life…regardless of the season.

available 8/1/2011, previewed courtesy of Netgalley

© 2011 by Tess Alfonsin of Recycle Your Reads. All rights reserved. All Amazon links in this post are affiliate links, and may result in my receiving a small commission on purchases (with no additional cost to you).

Migrant Mother: How a Photograph Defined the Great Depression by Don Nardo

Reading and teaching biographies is one of my all-time favorite things to do. I absolutely love this genre. I especially like to share lives of people who are not who I grew up reading about. One of my college professors called them “old, dead, white guys” jokingly; but she was absolutely correct. Highlighting people that young readers can actually say, “Hey, he/she looks like me,” is really important. Seeing themselves in a biographical character might be the only reason a reader even tries out a biography.

That’s why I enjoy sharing about Dorothea Lange. A strong and accomplished woman during a time when it was difficult for women to be so, Lange’s lasting legacy will be enjoyed and studied for generations to come. I have shared the biography Restless Spirit: The Life and Times of Dorothea Lange by Elizabeth Partridge many times. But Migrant Mother offers something much different.

Migrant Mother: How a Photograph Defined the Great Depression shows the reader six photographs that explified a time in the country like no book or article ever could. Migrant Mother walks us with Dorothea as she swings back around to the pea picking farm against her better judgement since it had been raining. We see, like she did, the hastily arranged lean-to with a mother and three children sheltered underneath. We learn about the ten-minute (ten minutes!) session with the silent subject and her daughters, and truly see the artistry that lies behind the eternal pictures Lange snapped on that eventful day.

I was surprised to find out that the subject that Lange made famous, the woman whobecame the face of the Great Depression, felt that she had somehow been cheated by the photographer. I found it fascinating, too, to learn about the many trials and tribulations Florence Owens Thompson (“Migrant Mother”) went through during her life. This brief biography taught so much about the art form of photography, the desperate times in which people found themselves in during the 30′s and one woman who was able to document the time behind a lense.

Interestingly, the photograph Lange became famous for is one in which I routinely turn to year after year to teach inferring. I have found that my students have little or no background knowledge about Lange or the photo, so it is a wonderful tool to ask what might be happening in the photo and for my readers to back up their thoughts with text evidence. They are excited to learn about Lange and her work after the inference lesson, and many students turn to the biography section or the history section of our library to learn more about the life and times of Dorothea Lange. I’m excited to have another title to share with them next year, and excited that the book focuses in on just the Migrant Mother. I think my students will be equally as pleased, too.

ebook courtesy of Netgalley

© 2011 by Tess Alfonsin of Recycle Your Reads. All rights reserved. All Amazon links in this post are affiliate links, and may result in my receiving a small commission on purchases (with no additional cost to you).

 

Posted in 21st century literacy, middle grade books, Reading Workshop, Writing Workshop , , , , , | No Comments »

   Jun 21

Reading the Past, Writing the Future

By talfonsin

My sons and I gave my husband a Kindle for Father’s Day. I think my middle son was just as excited as he was when we powered that baby up. You see, my oldest son is a card carrying hold-that-book-in-your-hand kind of guy. He is my lover of books. The smell, the feel, the look of them lined up like obedient soldiers on an overstuffed bookshelf keep him going back for more.

But my middle son has been slow to warm up to reading. Don’t get me wrong. He is a good reader. But finding “the right” books for him have been challenging. When we finally do strike upon that magical combination of adventure series, he has to be cajoled and prodded to complete them. So I really wasn’t surprised when my middle boy asked to buy a book on Dad’s new toy-first, before he even selected a title.

I was more than happy to oblige. Quickly, I turned to the 2011-12 Texas Bluebonnet list, our state’s suggested reading list for grades 3-6, and we settled on The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity.

Fast forward two days, and now my reluctant reader has gobbled up an astounding 50% of the book! I would never have guessed that he could make it to chapter eight in two short days. Whether it is the novelty of the Kindle,  seeing percentages creep up as more and more reading is completed (as my husband suspects), or something else; I am simply grateful for his excitement and rapid progress. When  asked about his secret, he giggled and said, “I think it’s just a just-right book for me.”

Whatever the reason…I’ll take it.

For more information on reaching and teaching children in the 21st century, I invite you to attendNCTE’s Annual Convention: Reading the Past, Writing the Future. Mark your calendars and make plans for  My colleague,  friend and co-presenter, Evelyn Oros, will be sharing a session together. Entitled ”Two Bytes @a Time: Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop For the 21st Century,” we will focus on best practices in the junior high language arts classroom with a digital twist.

Are you still not convinced? Download NCTE’s short film about where we’ve been and where we are headed in the field of literacy:

NCTE Centennial Film: Reading the Past, Writing the Future “Illustrated by vivid archival photographs, dramatic readings from historical documents, and lively scenes from contemporary classrooms and professional conventions, Reading the Past, Writing the Future is a wide-ranging, thought-provoking documentary that chronicles the influence and importance of the 100-year-old National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). The film was created in cooperation with the NCTE Centennial Task Force by English teacher John Golden and his cinematographer partner Laura Lull. Incorporating the voices of today’s students and teachers and featuring numerous interviews with literacy leaders, Reading the Past, Writing the Future both celebrates the centennial of NCTE and raises important questions and observations about American literacy education. ” -NCTE 

VIEW a preview clip of the film on YouTube.

DOWNLOAD or VIEW the entire film (50 minutes / 266MB).

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