tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79912813269474781092024-03-05T11:59:36.683-05:00Reading Past BedtimeReflections on reading, teaching, and learning from a bookworm who has never once successfully read "just one more page" before bed.Kate Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01549493677038073532noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991281326947478109.post-76346415726236039422014-03-15T10:41:00.000-04:002014-03-15T10:41:32.135-04:00Five Minute Friday - Crowd<i>Check out the Five Minute Friday posts at <a href="http://lisajobaker.com/2014/03/five-minute-friday-crowd/">lisajobaker.com</a>. I don't usually join in, but I'm making it a goal to do more writing, even if it's just a five minute quickwrite here and there.</i><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Crowd</span></b><br />
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<span style="orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">They're gathered around in a circle, some talking in hushed tones, some speaking loudly over the others. Two spot a favorite title and squirrel it away, running off to find a cozy spot to share it together, out of the din. There are conversations about recess, about the movie that opened last week, about how the sun hits the sparkles on her shirt and makes the library corner look like a discotheque. And then there are conversations about the books. "Have you read this one yet?" "Ooh, I love this one!" "Can I have that when you're done with it?"</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />The crowd in our library corner ebbs and flows as I quietly check off the attendance and lunch count. To the untrained eye, our morning starts with chaos. There are no worksheets, no test prep, no warm-up questions. Just a community of friends, gathering back together for another day, surrounded by the books we love.</span></div>
Kate Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01549493677038073532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991281326947478109.post-30714849807770516032013-12-03T11:25:00.000-05:002013-12-03T11:25:05.456-05:00Slice of Life - My Reader<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8VGZZeWSKJwNojQTrqgrYWooNYZr9q4fSxAStmnK28izI5upSAM-N9oMSVEtANitVAV6axNkynmXQyR4oUaVeCMnd8eQJpZ2w7_UR7WXl0-ovVAbZPSr3IkRuNKGMZJlixhbvwnHzF08/s1600/SOLSC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8VGZZeWSKJwNojQTrqgrYWooNYZr9q4fSxAStmnK28izI5upSAM-N9oMSVEtANitVAV6axNkynmXQyR4oUaVeCMnd8eQJpZ2w7_UR7WXl0-ovVAbZPSr3IkRuNKGMZJlixhbvwnHzF08/s1600/SOLSC.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com/challenges/" style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">Slice of Life</a><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;"> is hosted at the </span><a href="http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com/" style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">Two Writing Teachers</a><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;"> blog every Tuesday. </span></td></tr>
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It's a cloudy afternoon in Maine, and the ground is covered by a new coat of fresh white snow, the first of the season. We sit not quite side by side on the couch, me leaning against the back, her snuggled under her Mickey blanket against the pillow. A library copy of Joy Cowley and Nic Bishop's <i>Red-Eyed Tree Frog </i>sits open between us. The book was checked out for first grade wonderers but hasn't yet made it to the classroom, claimed instead by the curly-haired wonderer at home. Her eyes go from questioning to amusement as we read through the little frog's day. "He sleep all day?" she asks, wondering what kind of silly frog would do a thing like that. Choruses of "What's that?," her favorite question, accompany nearly every page. She giggles at the katydid--"Silly bug"--and her eyes go wide when the frog jumps to escape the boa snake in a dramatic double page spread. The frog goes back to sleep as morning comes to the rain forest, and as I close the book, I hear "Again!" Later she will pick it up on her own, talking her way through the pictures. "Frog sleep all day." "No eat caterpillar." "Jump!" "Frog go to sleep." My baby is a reader. <br />
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One red-eyed tree frog</div>
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plus one wide-eyed two-year-old</div>
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makes reading magic.</div>
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<br />Kate Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01549493677038073532noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991281326947478109.post-29637510939296635462013-12-02T11:46:00.001-05:002013-12-02T11:46:31.999-05:00A Holdout Joins the #nerdlution<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm not sure when this <a href="http://sharpread.wordpress.com/2013/12/01/nerdlution-round-1/">#nerdlution</a> thing started, but somewhere in the neighborhood of Thanksgiving night, a bunch of people on Twitter decided to make resolutions together to commit to for the next 50 days. What started as a couple of tweets snowballed into a full-fledged Nerdy resolution revolution, with new people joining the community every few minutes. From my couch, I briefly got excited reading the resolutions that people were making: writing every day for 30 minutes, walking/running/exercising for 30 minutes, even 100 pushups a day (go @iChrisLehman!). The competitive part of me that doesn't like to be left out wanted to shout my own resolution from the rooftop to match theirs. And then the logical part of my brain took over and announced, "Great ideas. But that's not going to work for you."<br />
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This part of my brain was totally right. There are seasons in everyone's lives, and I am not currently in a season where I can commit to these kinds of resolutions. I'm not in a position to start a new exercise program right now, much as I'd like to. I know that I could try to commit to writing for 20 or 30 minutes every day, but I honestly don't have that time to spare without taking more time from my two-year-old and my husband. So, as I watched #nerdlution after #nerdlution pass through my Twitter feed, I gave up on the whole idea. "I can't do this," I thought.<br />
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But the idea wouldn't let go. I got thinking about what this would mean in my classroom. Sometimes I like to think of my Twitter PLN as a big class--we are a diverse group with different learning styles and different ideas who have come together by building our community and sharing books. That pretty well reflects my first grade class as well. What would happen if I asked my first graders to set goals? Would I encourage them to set the same goals, or would I differentiate, helping each student to set a goal that worked for her, that pushed her to a new level? I would never accept "I can't do this" from a student. I returned to my resolutions to see how I might differentiate for myself. <br />
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In reading through the #nerdlutions, I saw patterns. Most people were choosing two resolutions, one having to do with improving health and one having to do with leading a more literate life (through reading or writing). I started thinking about what <b>I</b> could commit to daily and feel fairly confident about experiencing success. Here's what I came up with:<br />
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<li><b>Drink more water each day.</b> I know, this sounds totally simple. However, I'm not good at hydrating throughout the day, and the health benefits of this one are myriad. </li>
<li><b>Write a haiku every day.</b> I want to live the life of a writer, but I also know that time is precious. I wanted a writing #nerdlution that I could do on my lunch break, or while I'm cooking supper, or quickly before my daughter wakes up in the morning. Haiku are one of my favorite things to write. (I got a reputation for writing snarky ones in some of my less-interesting undergrad classes.) They are also kind of a gateway drug--I think that the more I am thinking like a writer, the more I will write. Whether this means in some kind of a notebook or more blog entries, I don't know, but we'll see where it leads. For now, I'm committing to a daily haiku.</li>
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So, I'm in. Thank you, Twitter PLN, for giving me a push once again. Only the Nerdiest among us set resolutions going into one of the craziest times of the year, but we're in it together. Here's the first of my 50 haiku. </div>
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Writing #nerdlution:</div>
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Fifteen syllables a day.</div>
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I can handle that.</div>
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P.S. I drank half a glass of water while I wrote this post. I've totally got this.</div>
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<br />Kate Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01549493677038073532noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991281326947478109.post-82014350876373452912013-11-30T22:15:00.002-05:002013-11-30T22:22:11.425-05:00Why I'm Thankful for a Cold<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm joining with Ruth Ayres and lots of other bloggers in this week's celebration link-up. Ruth has been inspiring me lately in her book, <i>Celebrating Writers</i>, and her blog, <a href="http://www.ruthayreswrites.com/">Ruth Ayres Writes</a> to consciously make a decision to celebrate successes and blessings daily. Here are my celebrations from this week:<br />
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<b>1. Parent Teacher Conferences</b><br />
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I was attempting (in vain) to fight off a tremendous cold as I met with the parents of my students on Monday and Tuesday, but the parents I met with were more than patient with what was left of my voice. I loved having the opportunity to share my students' growth and learning from the last 50+ days of first grade. I'm making a goal to share more of these celebrations with parents in the future with positive notes and phone calls.<br />
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<b>2. Reading Time</b><br />
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Unfortunately, the cold didn't go away and our plans for two family Thanksgivings quickly changed into pizza and hanging out on the couch for a few days. Last week, I had tweeted that I thought I was being a bit ambitious with my reading plans for the break, but at the end of the day on Wednesday, I was wishing I had brought more home from the library. So far, I'm up to 6 novels. After a long, busy stretch without much time to read, reading through the stack of titles I've been looking forward to felt like sinking into a soft feather bed.<br />
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<b>3. Family Time</b><br />
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I have loved having this time at home, even if Mommy hasn't been much fun this week. Listening to my daughter singing through her repertoire of nursery rhymes always makes me smile. She's growing up too fast--she'll be two in a couple of weeks--but we are cherishing every day with her at this stage. <br />
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What are you celebrating this week?Kate Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01549493677038073532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991281326947478109.post-85558267247045743092013-11-11T11:23:00.000-05:002013-11-11T11:23:27.040-05:00Why You Are Not a D: Thoughts on Reading Levels"This book is an F? Wow! I thought I was a D!"<br />
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If I never hear another comment like this again in my classroom, I will be a very happy teacher. As a first grade teacher and former Reading Recovery teacher, I know the value of leveled books in my classroom. I know that my beginning readers will be best supported by the gradually increasing sight word vocabulary, phonics demands, and text structures that leveled books offer. I love to introduce them to characters like Bella and Rosie, or the Bear family, or Kitty Cat and Fat Cat, knowing that their knowledge of these characters will support them as their books get more difficult. I think the quality of leveled books in fiction and nonfiction is better now than it ever has been, and I put as many of them into my kids' hands as I can.<br />
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I think where our use of leveled books has gone off the tracks is when we chose to focus on the level and not the book. I want my students to be, to borrow Donalyn Miller's phrase, wild readers. I want them to be able to pick up a book because it looks interesting, then judge for themselves whether it is just right for them now or will be saved for later. My classroom library is not leveled for this reason. Wild readers need to be able to make that determination for themselves. I am very aware that first graders (and all students) need a lot of support to make that happen, but I worry that in our intention to build a scaffold, we have built a cage instead. Will my first graders who are excited to move from level D to level F grow up to be sixth graders who avoid books like <i>See You at Harry's</i> because it is "not the right level"?<br />
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I do not share or emphasize reading levels with my students. I tell that that there are lots of books with different letters on the cover that will be just right for them for different reasons, and that I try to pick the book that I think will help them grow as readers. I think there are other ways to show students how they are growing as readers besides presenting reading as a video game with levels to be completed. I want them to BE readers, to connect with characters, to get lost in another place, to see the world from the eyes of someone different than themselves. <br />
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To the student who told me, "But I'm a D!", here is my reply:<br />
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No, you are not a D. You are not a letter. You are a reader. <br />
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<br />Kate Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01549493677038073532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991281326947478109.post-52936424164739212072013-10-21T05:00:00.000-04:002013-10-21T05:00:00.707-04:00It's Monday, What Are You Reading? 10/21/13<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm linking up with Kellee at Unleashing Readers and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts. Make sure you check out their book recommendations as well!<br />
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Here are my books for this week. This was not exactly a record-breaking reading week, but we're going with quality over quantity. Most of my new reading was done with my students this week, so these are also their stories.<br />
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David Wiesner's new book, <i>Mr. Wuffles</i>, is a fun wordless book. Mr. Wuffles is generally very picky about his toys, but the alien spaceship that has landed looks quite entertaining to him...much to the chagrin of the aliens. I'm going to share the trailer with my students this week, and then I'm guessing it will probably become very popular. We haven't done a lot with wordless books yet, so my kiddos are not terribly familiar with how they work. Here's the trailer, if you haven't seen it.<br />
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I totally forgot that <i>I'm a Frog! </i>was going to be released this week. I had preordered it, and I was quite surprised when I opened the giant box from Amazon that I thought only contained my daughter's diapers. My students were really excited as well. After I shared it once, we put the book under the document camera and split the class in half to read the parts of Gerald and Piggie. They had so much fun! We will definitely do this with other Elephant and Piggie books in the future. This won the vote for Room 11 Book Pick of the Week in a narrow victory over the next title.</div>
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The story of <i>Otis and the Tornado</i> is subtitled, How My Students Learned About the Wonder of Interlibrary Loan. We shared <i>Otis </i>by Loren Long for Read for the Record Day a couple of weeks ago, and I had told the kids that there were other Otis books. A couple of my students had seen this one in the bookstore, so I told them I'd try to find it in the library. We looked it up together and found it at a library a few hours away. I made the request, and they were so excited to walk in this week and see it sitting on the desk. They are really starting to learn about how readers plan ahead for future reading. Of course, we added<i> Otis and the Puppy</i> and the new Otis Christmas book to our <a href="http://www.shelfari.com/room11readers">Shelfari </a>TBR list. This is a great story to read if you enjoyed the original, and if you haven't read any of them yet, definitely add them to your list.</div>
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I love Kevin Henkes, although I had only read his picture books before this one. <i>The Year of Billy Miller</i> is a great book for late first, second, and early third graders. I like that the book is about a boy. It seems that these types of early realistic fiction (with the exception of Ready Freddy and Horrible Harry) are usually centered around girls (Junie B., Clementine, Ramona, Marty McGuire). That being said, I wish Billy Miller had maybe a little bit more spunk. It was a sweet story, and I like how it focused on his family relationships as well as his school ones. I may share this with my students toward the end of the year. </div>
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I'm currently listening to <i>The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail</i> by Richard Peck on my commute, and I've got a small stack upstairs that I'm hoping to get to soon, including <i>Serafina's Promise</i> and <i>Penny From Heaven</i>. What else should I add to my list?</div>
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<br />Kate Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01549493677038073532noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991281326947478109.post-17412839114904241802013-10-14T10:48:00.000-04:002013-10-14T10:48:18.834-04:00It's Monday, What Are You Reading? 10/14/13<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's been quite a while since I've done an IMWAYR post (or a post of any kind, actually). I'd feel bad about that, but I'm not going to. There is a season for everything, and apparently the six weeks of school is not a season for blogging. Today I am enjoying the last day of my beautiful three-day weekend, which means a little extra sleep, time to read, and Pete the Cat singalongs and plastic pizza cook-offs in our pajamas this morning. <br />
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Although it's been quite busy around here lately, I have had some time to sneak in a few books here and there. I'm linking up with Jen at <a href="http://www.teachmentortexts.com/2013/10/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-101413.html#axzz2hhqWSeql">Teach Mentor Texts</a> and Kellee at <a href="http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=1380">Unleashing Reader</a> for this post today. <br />
Here are some of my favorites from the last few weeks. <br />
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I listened to Jennifer Nielsen's <i>The False Prince</i> on audiobook, and I really enjoyed it. The narrator was just right for Sage, the cocky and infuriating main character. I really enjoyed the plot twists and it was hard to get out of the car in some parts because I wanted to keep listening. Right now I'm reading the second book in the trilogy, <i>The Runaway King</i>. I had a hard time putting it down last night.<br />
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This is a cool picture book. I'm not generally a huge fan of Raschka's illustrations, although I love to use <i>A Ball for Daisy </i>with my students. This one reminds me a little bit of Marla Frazee's <i>Walk On</i> and others like that. I didn't love the illustrations, but the story and the message made it worth reading. It's a great book for encouraging persistence and determination in pursuit of a goal. <br />
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<i>Fall Walk </i>by Virginia Brimhall Snow is a really neat book that a friend recommended. The illustrations are terrific, and I love how only the leaves on each page are in full color. The story is a nice rhyming story about walking through the woods in the fall, and on each page, Snow highlights a different kind of leaf. This is a great one to add to your fall collection, especially if your backyard is as colorful as mine is right now.<br />
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I have been looking forward to Ame Dyckman's new book for a few months now. <i>Tea Party Rules</i> is about a cub who desperately wants cookies and will do ALMOST anything to get some at this tea party. K. G. Campbell's illustrations are hysterical. When I shared the book with my students, we had to take a second look at the illustrations with the document camera. The emotions that he is able to convey in the characters' expressions are perfect. <br />
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My class flipped for <i>Mr. Tiger Goes Wild</i> by Peter Brown. This is such a very cool book. The story is terrific, the illustrations are terrific, and even the design of the book jacket and cover is terrific. This was voted our Room 11 Book Pick of the Week for this week by a wide margin. <br />
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There's not a lot I can say about <i>The Real Boy </i>that hasn't already been said. I absolutely loved it. I wanted to rush through it and savor it at the same time. I love Oscar and Callie and their friendship. I love how Anne Ursu developed her magical fantasy world and the plot twists and turns in the story. I waited to read this book for a very long time and I was afraid that it wouldn't live up to the hype, but it did and then some. This is my favorite 2013 book so far. <br />
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I'm hoping to finish <i>The Runaway King </i>this weekend and start on <i>The Year of Billy Miller</i> by Kevin Henkes. I'm also reading <i>Celebrating Writers: From Possibilities to Publication</i> by Ruth Ayres (free preview right now at <a href="http://www.stenhouse.com/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idProduct=9743">Stenhouse</a>). What are you reading?<br />
Kate Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01549493677038073532noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991281326947478109.post-19428762068287228432013-09-09T05:00:00.000-04:002013-09-09T05:00:09.424-04:00It's Monday, What Are You Reading? 9/9/13<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm linking up with Kellee at <a href="http://www.unleashingreaders.com/">Unleashing Readers</a> and Jen at <a href="http://www.teachmentortexts.com/">Teach Mentor Texts</a> today. Check out both sites for some great books!<br />
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This was sort of a crazy week. Tuesday was our first day back at school. I am really excited to be back, but the first week is always exhausting. I'm looking forward to getting into more of a routine. We had a great first week of math thinking, reading, writing, and learning together in Room 11. I just have to remember that we are building stamina for EVERYTHING, not just independent reading. (And I need to keep reminding myself that that includes me too. Perfection is not a smart expectation for the 30th week, let alone the first week.)<br />
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I did get a chance to do a little bit of reading this week, so here are some of the books I enjoyed.<br />
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<i>Carnivores </i>by Aaron Reynolds and illustrated by Dan Santat is an awesome new book. I had heard a lot about it, but I sort of got the feeling that it was a bit old for my first graders. I was definitely wrong. My first graders are definitely going to get a kick out of this one. This was a really funny book. I think I might pair it with <i>Nugget and Fang</i> and <i>Surprising Sharks </i>when I read it to my kids. It also would pair really well with <i>I Want My Hat Back</i>. <br />
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I am so very late to the party on this one. <i>Rabbit & Robot: The Sleepover</i> by Cece Bell was a 2013 Geisel Award honor book. I can't wait to read this one aloud to my students. The dynamic and the dialogue between Rabbit and Robot was hysterical, and I know they are going to be laughing through the whole book. <br />
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Yet again, late to the party on this title. <i>Each Kindness</i> has been getting so much excellent publicity, and for very good reason. This is a story that really needs to be told as many times as possible. I liked that it didn't tie up in a nice pretty bow at the end. I think it's more of a real-life mirror that way. This is a powerful and important book to share with students about the importance of kindness. <br />
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I read the companion book to this one, <i>Okay for Now</i>, earlier this summer and really enjoyed it. I liked this one even more. Mrs. Baker has to be one of the greatest fictional teachers ever. I also really appreciated the historical fiction aspect of it--this isn't a time period I've read much about. If you haven't read this one yet, I would highly recommend it.<br />
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<b>Room 11's Pick of the Week</b><br />
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I actually read <i>Warning: Do Not Open This Book!</i> by Adam Lehraupt a couple of weeks ago, but somehow I haven't written about it yet. I shared it with my students on Friday. Now this being the first week of school, we have really kicked things off with a bang and shared some pretty fantastic books. On Friday afternoon, we voted for our favorite read aloud of the week, and this one was a runaway winner. They begged me to read it again as soon as I had finished it. We watched the trailer 3 times as well. I have to say, I would echo their enthusiasm about it. I actually brought it on a family picnic this weekend so my sister could read it. She and my dad were both big fans. If you haven't read this one yet, or if you haven't seen the trailer, you need to check them out. <br />
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What titles did your students really enjoy this week?Kate Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01549493677038073532noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991281326947478109.post-71185100817137090212013-09-02T10:58:00.003-04:002013-09-02T10:58:59.616-04:00It's Monday, What Are You Reading? 9/2/13<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm linking up with Jen at <a href="http://www.teachmentortexts.com/">Teach Mentor Texts </a>and Kellee at <a href="http://www.unleashingreaders.com/">Unleashing Readers</a> today. Make sure you check them out for some great books!<br />
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I can't believe this is the last IMWAYR post of the summer. I started out the summer with the goal of participating in Donalyn Miller's <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23bookaday&src=typd">#bookaday</a> challenge...ish. I figured that 76 books might be a fairly lofty goal with a toddler at home and our plans for the summer, so I thought I'd just get as far as I could. Well, 76 days later, my grand total is 101 books. I read more than I've ever read before in a summer (which was really my goal to begin with). The breakdown is:<br />
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<li>6 adult novels</li>
<li>5 professional books</li>
<li>4 YA novels</li>
<li>16 middle grade novels</li>
<li>5 early chapter books</li>
<li>65 picture books, including 18 nonfiction</li>
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Thanks to Twitter, the IMWAYR community, and the <a href="http://www.jogtheweb.com/run/QaBjSJjLHSh0/August-10-for-10-Picture-Book-Event--2013">Picture Book 10 for 10</a> event, I had more than enough books to fill my "to-read" list. I'm starting the school year with a bunch of new titles in my teaching toolbox as well as a considerable list of titles that I wasn't able to get to this summer. <br />
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Here are a few of my favorites from this week:<br />
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After waiting all summer, I finally got my hands on a copy of <i>Eleanor and Park</i> by Rainbow Rowell. I had been hearing really good things about it, so I was excited to read it. I thought it was a great story, and I really liked the characters, but some of the language was a little rough for me. <br />
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<i>Over and Under the Snow</i> by Kate Messner was a book I had skimmed before, but hadn't really taken the time to read. This is an incredible mentor text for language, structure, and narrative nonfiction. The illustrations are terrific, and Messner's beautiful language and way of weaving facts in through the story make it a must have. <br />
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This is the book I bought when I went to the bookstore for something else. I couldn't resist adding to my Steve Jenkins collection. As always the illustrations are fantastic and the animal facts will definitely pique your interest.<br />
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<i>On a Beam of Light</i>: A Story of Albert Einstein by Jennifer Berne is another title that has been getting rave reviews on Twitter. I had seen it recommended to a fellow first grade teacher and I thought, "Really? A book about Albert Einstein in first grade?" Yes, absolutely. Berne has crafted a biography that serves as a science mentor for every grade, even if the theory of relativity is a little beyond reach. This is a book about noticing and wondering, and that is the perfect message that I want to give to my first grade friends. We'll be sharing this one early on in the year. <br />
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I know that next week's reading will slow down considerably. Now that I'm back to my school commute, I'm listening to <i>The False Prince</i> on audio. I'm also in the middle of <i>The Wednesday Wars</i> by Gary Schmidt, so I hope to finish that. <br />
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<br />Kate Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01549493677038073532noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991281326947478109.post-1290822066104521302013-08-26T05:00:00.000-04:002013-08-26T05:00:02.081-04:00It's Monday, What Are You Reading? 8/25/13<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My summer vacation is rapidly drawing to a close, and so is my #bookaday challenge. It's getting harder to find time to read in between planning and getting things ready for my kiddos, but I'm going to do my best to get to a couple more titles on my reading list with the few reading days left before my new friends join me in Room 11. I'm linking up with Kellee at <a href="http://www.unleashingreaders.com/">Unleashing Readers</a> and Jen at <a href="http://www.teachmentortexts.com/">Teach Mentor Texts</a> today to share this week's reading. <br />
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I do not like chickens. Not even a little. The very few times in my life when I have been sent on an egg retrieval mission have not been good experiences. So when a book makes me think that owning chickens might not be the worse thing in the world, you know the author has done a good job. I enjoyed Prairie Evers and her story, but I still don't think I'll be adding livestock to our backyard anytime soon. <br />
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<i>Lulu and the Brontosaurus</i> is one of my favorite books to read aloud. The song always gets stuck in my head and the kids sing it all day long. I had high expectations for the sequel, and <i>Lulu Walks the Dogs</i> did not disappoint. I'm excited for the third Lulu book, <i>Lulu's Mysterious Mission</i>, to come out this spring. <br />
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<i>Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library</i> is such a cool book. I loved all of the references to the books that were scattered throughout, and I really had a hard time putting it down as they got closer and closer to solving the clues. If I taught fourth or fifth grade, this would absolutely be an early read aloud for me.<br />
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<i>A Sick Day for Amos McGee </i>is one of my favorites, so I couldn't believe I had missed <i>A Home For Bird </i>by Philip Stead. Vernon is very determined to help Bird find his home, but Bird offers no support or clues. I think my students will enjoy this one as well, and it will give them opportunities to do some good reading work too.<br />
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<i>Number Sense Routines</i>: <i>Building Numerical Literacy Every Day in Grades K-3</i> by Jessica Shumway was a terrific professional read. I can't recommend it highly enough for anyone who teaches math in the primary grades. I had been thinking about revamping my calendar time and the beginning of my math workshop, and this book really helped me see how that would work. I'm excited to use these routines with my students. I really think it's going to make a big difference in math this year.<br />
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This week, I'm hoping to sneak in a few more titles. I finally have <i>Eleanor and Park</i> after waiting on the hold list for it all summer, and I'm excited to pick up <i>On a Beam of Light </i>from the library as well. What are you reading this week?Kate Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01549493677038073532noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991281326947478109.post-9311716973871700922013-08-19T05:00:00.000-04:002013-08-19T07:49:00.506-04:00It's Monday, What Are You Reading? 8/19/13<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Once again, I'm linking up with Jen at <a href="http://www.teachmentortexts.com/2013/08/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-81913.html#axzz2cPmcIWZD">Teach Mentor Texts</a> and Kellee at <a href="http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=1361">Unleashing Readers</a>. Thanks to both of you for hosting!<br />
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My reading is down a little this week now that I'm spending some time getting my classroom ready. Of course, this involves a great deal of staring at things and trying to figure out where to put stuff. I think I moved a set of dictionaries three times this week. It's starting to take shape, but I'm really glad that I still have a week and a half to work on it before we officially start back. Here are a few favorites from this week.<br />
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I picked up several nonfiction titles at the library this week that I had put on my TBR list after reading Carrie Gelson's blog post about <a href="http://thereisabookforthat.com/2013/07/24/wonder-inducing-nonfiction-read-alouds/">Wonder-Inducing Nonfiction</a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null"> Titles</a>.<br />
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<i>Island: A Story of the Galapagos </i>by Jason Chin is an amazing nonfiction title. It tells the story of an island from its birth until it disappears back below the surface of the ocean. (I didn't even know that could happen. There was a lot of new learning for me in this one.) The book tells how the animals and plants came to the island, as well as the changes throughout its lifetime. It was a really cool book.<br />
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<i>The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audobon</i> by Jacqueline Davies and Melissa Sweet was terrific picture book biography. I love Melissa Sweet's illustrations--there is always so much to look at. I like that the book focuses on Audobon as a young man. I think that some of our students will be able to relate to certain parts of the book.<br />
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<i>Mrs. Harkness and the Panda</i> by Alicia Potter and illustrated (again) by Melissa Sweet is one of the nonfiction titles on this year's Maine Chickadee Award list. I thought the book was very well done, but I had such a hard time getting past the concept of going to China and taking a baby panda out of the wild that I can't say that I really enjoyed it. I think it would be a great title to read with intermediate students to provoke discussion. There is an author's note that gives further information about the issue, including some of the good things that happened as a result of Mrs. Harkness's panda-snatching. I'm guessing that students would have some strong opinions.<br />
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<i>Building Our House</i> by Jonathan Bean is such a cool book. It is based on the true story of how his parents built their own timber-frame house from the ground up as homesteaders. It would be interesting to read this book along with <i>Construction Zone </i>by Cheryl Willis Hudson and <i>Barn </i>by Debby Atwell to compare and contrast the methods and materials used for building. I think my students are really going to like this one.<br />
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Last spring, I listened to the first two books in Ally Condie's trilogy <i>Matched </i>and <i>Crossed</i> on audiobook. I enjoyed them both, but my library didn't have the audio for the third book. I finally got my hands of a copy of <i>Reached</i> this week. I liked this one, although I was a little disappointed in the ending. I felt like after three novels, there should have been more to it, more of a sense of closure. That being said, I would recommend the trilogy if you're a fan of dystopian fiction and you are one of the few people that hasn't read it yet.<br />
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One of the interesting things about reading books that are recommended on Twitter is that you don't often get more than a title to go on. Sometimes you can get a sense of genre, but not always. Kathi Appelt's <i>The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp</i> is one of those titles that I think would be nearly impossible to describe in 140 characters, which explains why I knew pretty much nothing about it when I started. When the first sentence referred to the characters' "paws," I knew I had to revise my thinking. This was a great, funny book. I guess I would characterize it as a tall tale, although there were elements of animal fantasy and realistic fiction as well. I am amazed at the characterization in the book, from our hero, Chap, to Bingo and J'miah, our favorite raccoon scouts (and the owners of the paws). This would make a great read aloud. I really want to get my hands on the audiobook, which is apparently read by Lyle Lovett.<br />
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Next up on my list is <i>Number Sense Routines </i>by Jessica Shumway. I'm revamping the calendar/morning meeting part of my day, and I'm hoping that this will give me some insights. I'm also hoping to make a dent in the stack of books that I still want to read before school starts, but I think it's probably unrealistic to think I'll finish. Happy reading!<br />
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<br />Kate Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01549493677038073532noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991281326947478109.post-80126380544376939072013-08-13T20:01:00.000-04:002013-08-13T20:01:24.610-04:00A Reading LifeThis past week, my husband and I took our 20-month-old daughter on a short trip to Boston. She loves animals, so we were very excited to take her to the zoo and the aquarium. As I was packing for our trip, I only put in one book for myself, knowing that I wouldn't have much time to read. (As it turns out, I should have gotten something to read on my iPad in the dark while she was sleeping. Sharing a hotel room with a toddler has some unique issues.) Even though I didn't actually spend much time reading, I was struck by how much of our vacation was influenced by books.<br />
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We were waiting at the gates when the Franklin Park Zoo opened. As soon as we went in, we went straight to the Tropical Forest exhibit where the gorillas are. My daughter was amazed by the gorillas (as were her parents, though we'd seen them before), and I think she would have been happy to sit and watch them all day. We watched them quietly for quite a while before we were joined by a rowdy group of students that were part of a summer camp. Several of them were egging each other on to bang on the glass and get a reaction from the largest and closest gorilla. All I could think of was Ivan, the gentle but fiercely protective silverback. I wished in that moment for a copy of <i>The One and Only Ivan </i>to pull out of my backpack so that I could gather these kids in front of the window for a read aloud. I know I'll never look at a gorilla the same way again after reading it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gorilla at the Franklin Park Zoo</td></tr>
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As we continued around the zoo, we pointed out some of the animals that were familiar to our daughter. Most of them she knew from reading either her animal book or from our daily readings of <i>Goodnight, Gorilla.</i> We always pointed out when there was an animal that was "just like in your book!"<br />
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When we passed by the farm exhibit, we noticed a rather familiar looking tractor. Even our daughter recognized it and shouted, "Otis!" Loren Long's lovable tractor has been a favorite in our house this summer as well, and she knew what this tractor looked like. Only a Nerdy Book Club family could go to the zoo and find Otis the tractor.<br />
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We left the zoo for the day and headed into Boston to see some of the sights. We went to Boston Common and the Public Garden on a mission. There was no way that I was going to visit Boston without seeing this:<br />
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<i>Make Way for Ducklings </i>has been one of my favorites for a long time, and even if we had to make a couple of laps around the Public Garden, it was worth it to find these ducks.<br />
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Looking back on how much our vacation was influenced by our reading, I am reflecting on how much reading connects to our lives outside our books. I wonder how many of our students have the opportunities for similar experiences. As the school year gets ready to begin, I'm thinking about how I can model not only a love for reading, but a reading life outside of my books as well.<br />
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<br />Kate Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01549493677038073532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991281326947478109.post-4476822096123260042013-08-12T09:39:00.000-04:002013-08-12T09:39:26.663-04:00It's Monday, What Are You Reading? 8/12/13<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm linking up with Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee at Unleashing Readers today. <br />
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We had a fun family vacation week, so there was not a whole lot of reading this week. Here are a few favorites:<br />
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<i>Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great</i> by Bob Shea is a 2013 title that I will be adding to my beginning of the year list. Goat thought he was pretty great, but he's no match for Unicorn's ability to make it rain cupcakes or other mystical, magical things like that. This book is a fun read because of Goat's voice, and it teaches a great lesson about valuing our own unique talents.<br />
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<i>Wild About Books </i>by Judy Sierra and illustrated by Marc Brown is a title that was recommended several times on Twitter to use at the beginning of the year. I picked this one up from the library, but I really think I need to own a copy. I think my kids will really enjoy this story about the Zoobrary! I always use <i>A Sick Day for Amos McGee </i>when we talk about routines, and I think this one will go nicely with that and <i>Pssst! </i>in my beginning of the year zoo collection.<br />
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Anne Ursu's new title, <i>The Real Boy</i>, has been getting huge buzz on Twitter. Unfortunately, it still won't be released for another month and a half, but I hadn't read <i>Breadcrumbs </i>yet either. I really enjoyed this modern fairy tale. It was so beautifully written and wove together seamlessly the realities of a middle grade realistic fiction with the fantasy elements of a fairy tale. I would highly recommend this one, if you haven't read it yet (especially if you're as impatient as I am for <i>The Real Boy!).</i><br />
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This is the fourth John Green title that I've read, and what strikes me is just how smart he is. I already had a sense of this from following him on Twitter and watching his Mental Floss videos, but wow. I think <i>An Abundance of Katherines</i> is the nerdiest of John Green's books (you can probably tell from the cover), which is maybe one of the reasons I really liked it. It's full of trivia, facts, and math. Like his other books, there were great characters and a great storyline. <i></i>I listened to <i>Will Grayson, Will Grayson </i>and <i>Looking for Alaska</i> on audio, and I read this one and <i>The Fault in Our Stars </i>on paper<i>. </i>I think I want to go back and listen to the audio for the two that I read, just because the audio was so well done on the others.<br />
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I am currently reading <i>Teaching Reading in Small Groups</i> (still...this is not a vacation title, so it stayed home this week). I'm also hoping to start <i>The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp. </i>What are you reading this week?<br />
<br />Kate Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01549493677038073532noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991281326947478109.post-8338488882990822132013-08-10T06:00:00.000-04:002013-08-10T13:45:26.954-04:002013 Picture Book 10 for 10 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm joining up with Cathy Mere, Mandy Robek, and lots of other people today to participate 4th annual Picture Book 10 for 10 (<a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23pb10for10&mode=realtime&src=typd">#pb10for10</a>). Here's the thing: I sat down to make a list of my 10 favorite books and very quickly made a list of four or five favorites. Then I got stuck. The problem wasn't that I didn't have five more favorites to fill the list. The problem was that I had about 35 more favorites to fill the list. After chatting with a colleague (thank you, @KristiCharette!), I decided to go with more of a theme. So here are, in no particular order, my 10 favorite* first grade picture book characters.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">*Disclaimer: If you ask me to make a list tomorrow of my 10 favorites, I cannot guarantee that you will get the same results.</span><br />
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1. <b>Bear </b>(<i>I Want My Hat Back</i> by Jon Klassen) Apparently, there's some sort of debate around this book as to whether or not the bear is actually the protagonist. I do not understand this. The bear loses his hat, looks for his hat, and, um, *cough* gets his hat back. Perhaps it is in an unconventional way (for a picture book anyway), but you can't prove anything. #Teambear all the way, people.<br />
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2. <b>Pete the Cat</b> (series by Eric Litwin) I want to be Pete when I grow up. Nothing fazes this cat. Whether he's stepping in really big piles of fruit, rocking out at school, or dealing with wardrobe malfunctions, he somehow manages to keep his cool. (In his newest book, Pete moonlights as a school bus driver and still maintains his very peaceful disposition. Seriously.) Pete is the perfect model of how to just "keep walking along and singing your song, because it's all good."<br />
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3. <b>Scaredy Squirrel</b> (series by Melanie Watt) Scaredy Squirrel could probably use a visit from Pete. He's a little, well, worked up. This is a squirrel with a backup plan for his backup plan. And yet, even though his plan never goes quite the way he imagined, it always works out in the end.<br />
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4. <b>Gracie </b>(<i>The Great Gracie Chase</i> by Cynthia Rylant) Gracie is such a good little dog, enjoying her quiet afternoons in her quiet house, hanging out with the big dog and listening to the fish go "ploop, ploop." When her routine and her peace are rudely interrupted, this poor little dog is driven to desperation. I love her facial expressions throughout the book (thank you, Mark Teague!).<br />
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5. <b>Boy and Bot </b>(<i>Boy + Bot</i> by Ame Dyckman) I'm cheating. This is two characters. These two friends step up when to help when the other is in need. While each is not too sure about what help would be appropriate for his friend, their hearts are in the right place. Is this a great book to check out? Affirmative!<br />
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6. <b>Mouse & friends</b> (<i>The Doghouse</i>, <i>A Birthday For Cow</i>, & others by Jan Thomas) Yes, I'm cheating again. Plus "friend" might be a strong word to describe Mouse who happily volunteers Cow, Duck, and Pig to go after the lost ball in [insert scary music here] The DOGHOUSE. I love reading this one aloud.<br />
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7. <b>Mercy Watson</b> (series by Kate DiCamillo) Everyone's favorite porcine wonder has some pretty funny adventures. While Eugenia may not be a fan, how can you not love a heroine who's always in search of hot buttered toast?<br />
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8. Wombat (Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French) Anyone who has ever had a pet, especially one who likes things done a certain way, will appreciate Wombat's efforts to "train" her new human neighbors. The fact that this story is based on the antics of an <a href="http://www.jackiefrench.com/wombat.html">actual wombat named Mothball</a> makes it even better.<br />
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9. <b>Katie </b>(Katie Loves the Kittens by John Himmelman) Katie wants so very badly to be quiet and gentle and still so the kittens will not be afraid of her but she just. can't. do. it. She's a well-meaning, loving bundle of energy who is trying so very hard to keep herself in check. Sound like anyone you know, K-2 teachers?<br />
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10.<b> Elephant and Piggie </b>(series by Mo Willems) With apologies to the Pigeon, who is probably indignant about being left off this list, Elephant and Piggie are my favorite Mo Willems characters. Their dialogue sharp and funny for children and adults, and their comical adventures keep everyone coming back for more.<br />
<br />Kate Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01549493677038073532noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991281326947478109.post-51768082288792472952013-08-05T09:45:00.002-04:002013-08-05T09:45:58.934-04:00It's Monday, What Are You Reading? 8/5/13<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm linking up today with Jen at <a href="http://www.teachmentortexts.com/2013/08/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-8513.html#axzz2b6IXu9cq">Teach Mentor Texts </a>and Kellee at <a href="http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=907">Unleashing Readers</a>. Check them out for more great IMWAYR posts!<br /><br />
Just a quick post today to share a few of the books I enjoyed this week.<br />
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<i>What Readers Really Do: Teaching the Process of Meaning Making</i> by Dorothy Barnhouse and Vicki Vinton was a great professional read. It really made me think about the way that I teach comprehension and understanding, even at the first grade level. This was not an easy read, but I'm really glad I read it. <br />
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I loved <i>Pssst! </i>by Adam Rex. This is a really funny book about zoo animals with lots of interesting requests for one of their visitors. I think my students will really get a kick out of it, especially since they love anything with speech bubbles!I'll probably pair it with <i>A Sick Day for Amos McGee.</i><br />
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<i>The Incredible Book Eating Boy</i> by Oliver Jeffers was recommended as a good beginning of the year read aloud in a recent Twitter conversation, so I grabbed it from the library to check it out. If you haven't read this one yet, add it to your list. Both the illustrations and the writing are very funny, and it's certainly not your typical "I love books" book. I'm excited to share this one with my kiddos.<br />
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Another book that was recommended on Twitter was <i>Oliver and His Alligator</i> by Paul Schmid. This one is definitely making my first day read aloud list. If you are looking for another lovely by schmaltzy first day book to address first day nerves like <i>The Kissing Hand</i>, this is definitely not it. Oliver takes a very different (more proactive?) approach to dealing with his first day nerves. He does, however, learn a valuable lesson about school in the end. If you are a fan of Jon Klassen's hat books and anything by Mo Willems, check this one out.<br />
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This week, I'm hoping to finish <i>Teaching Reading in Small Groups</i> by Jennifer Serravallo, as well as some of the other books in my stack. I'm starting to get a little concerned that my remaining stack is bigger than my remaining vacation. Have a great week of reading!<br />
Kate Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01549493677038073532noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991281326947478109.post-1816683739673291202013-07-29T08:37:00.001-04:002013-07-29T08:37:02.328-04:00It's Monday, What Are You Reading? 7/29/13<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm linking up with Jen at <a href="http://www.teachmentortexts.com/2013/07/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-72913.html#axzz2aRBbCl5K">Teach Mentor Texts</a> and Kellee at <a href="http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=894">Unleashing Readers</a> today to share some great books! I hope everyone had a great week of reading. It's hard to believe that we are turning the calendar to August this week. Technically, we don't start school until September, but August is always a mix of the panic of vacation slipping away and the excitement of a new year starting. <br />
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Here are some favorites from this week's reading:<br />
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Julie Fogliano and Erin Stead are an incredible author/illustrator
team. They both have a gentle way of telling a story that makes me want
to take my class outside under a tree and whisper it to them. I loved
their first book, <i>And Then It's Spring</i>, and this one is terrific as
well. Julie Danielson at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast had
an amazing <a href="http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/?p=2562">interview</a> with Erin Stead about how she created the illustrations for this one. I am amazed at the process. <br />
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It seems like everyone else in the world has already read Balloons Over Broadway, so I'm a little late to the party on this one. However, if you are one of the last remaining folks who hasn't, put it on your list. Melissa Sweet is a master of the picture book biography. This book is such a cool story, I even made my husband read it. I commented on Twitter after I finished this that I probably could teach with this book every day for 6 months and do something different each day. I loved the mixed media illustrations; there is just so much to look at on every page.<br />
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<i>Chicken Big</i> by Keith Graves is a very funny take on Chicken Little. Three chickens are not too sure what to think when a gigantic chick hatches. They are a bit confused about the identity of this chicken, but guess who saves the day when the sky starts to fall? This is a laugh out loud story that I'm excited to share with my students.<br />
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<i>Rump </i>by Liesl Shurtliff is another take on a classic story. Rump is looking for the rest of his name and his destiny. He discovers an old spinning wheel and an interesting talent: spinning straw into gold. I love the characters and the setting that Liesl Shurtliff has created in this one. (The gnomes and trolls cracked me up.) I can't wait for the two <a href="http://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2013/07/18/exclusive-exclusive-interview-with-liesl-shurtliff-in-which-she-tells-us-things-shes-has-told-no-one/">companion books</a> to be published!<br />
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<i>Out of Nowhere</i> by Maria Padian is a recently published YA novel. I don't usually read a lot of YA, but this one is set in Maine. The fictional town of Enniston is based on the city of Lewiston, which has had a recent influx of Somali immigrants. The story is told from the perspective of Tom Bouchard, captain of the soccer team and resident Big Man on Campus. Through the soccer team, Tom befriends Saeed, an amazing soccer star and recent Somali immigrant. Maria Padian has done an incredible job showing Tom's growth as events in the book unfold. This is a really powerful story, and I think an important one for anyone in high school to read. (Or anyone in Maine, though the truth in the fiction might make you cringe a bit for our state. That part about the mayor is unfortunately based on real events.)<br />
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I'm currently reading Dorothy Barnhouse and Vicki Vinton's <i>What Readers Really Do</i>. Even as a first grade teacher, it's making me rethink the way I frame my reading instruction.<br />
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<br />Kate Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01549493677038073532noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991281326947478109.post-68591059100354228172013-07-22T16:43:00.000-04:002013-07-22T16:43:36.642-04:00It's Monday, What Are You Reading? 7/22/13<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm linking up with Jen at <a href="http://www.teachmentortexts.com/2013/07/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-72213.html#axzz2Zo7oqt7o">Teach Mentor Texts </a>and Kellee at <a href="http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=886">Unleashing Readers</a> today. Check them out for great books!<br />
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I think I'm on track with my summer #bookaday. It was a good week of reading. Here are some favorites.<br />
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These two were excellent, if you haven't seen them. They are great for the beginning of the year. I generally do not like counting books (I find them boring), but I laughed out loud in the bookstore when I read <i>Count the Monkeys.</i> Mac Barnett is awesome.<br />
<img alt="123 versus ABC" height="200" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1358753297l/16248110.jpg" width="200" /><img alt="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1360564793l/16650266.jpg" class="decoded" height="200" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1360564793l/16650266.jpg" width="200" /><br />
<i>Crankee Doodle</i> also cracked me up. I think it would go over the heads of my first graders, but I bet older kids would really get a kick out of it. It has great voice, and I think it would be really fun to read aloud. <br />
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Another book with great voice that I LOVED is The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Dewalt. I will definitely be using this one early in the year as well. I think it would be great with older kids, but not too old for my first graders. It's a great book for getting kids to think about different perspectives. I can't say enough good things about this one.<br />
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I really enjoyed <i>Better Nate Than Ever</i> by Tim Federle. I think it's a story that easily could have been overdone, but as much as a story about a boy who wants to be a Broadway star can be understated, it is. It made me want to visit NYC, but I settled for my showtunes Pandora station. (My copy did not have the book jacket--just realized that Jesse Tyler Ferguson of Modern Family wrote a blurb on the cover. See? Great book. And you don't have to take my word for it. [nodding to LeVar Burton])<br />
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I really liked these ones too. Bee and Melody are both very special characters whose inner strength helps them overcome outward physical issues. <br />
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For professional reading this week, I read <i>From Reading to Math</i> by Maggie Siena. It's a great book that looks at teaching math through the framework of literacy. You can read more of my thoughts about this one <a href="http://www.readingpastbedtime.blogspot.com/2013/07/from-reading-to-math.html">here</a>.<br />
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Up next this week will be <i>What Readers Really Do</i> by Barnhouse and Vinton, and <i>Out of Nowhere</i> by Maria Padian. I've also got a stack of picture books to investigate, including <i>If You See a Whale</i> by Julie Fogliano and Erin Stead. Happy reading!<br />
<br />Kate Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01549493677038073532noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991281326947478109.post-16106791908349634012013-07-19T10:57:00.000-04:002013-07-19T10:57:02.742-04:00From Reading to MathI would probably describe myself as a literacy-first teacher, and my professional reading reflects that. As a student, I was strong in both reading and math, but math was harder for me. My beloved fourth-grade teacher, as she was taking some extra time to work with me one-on-one, declared that I was not "fraction-friendly". It was in an undergraduate internship in a fourth grade classroom where I learned that I actually love to teach math too. While I loved the literacy-focused positions I held, one of the things I looked forward to when I returned to the classroom was teaching math. This book has been on my TBR pile for some time, and I was happy to finally get a chance to read it.<br />
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<a href="http://www.educatorsoutlet.com/images//products/115746DD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.educatorsoutlet.com/images//products/115746DD.jpg" width="320" /></a><i>From Reading to Math: How Best Practices in Literacy Can Make You a Better Math Teacher </i>by Maggie Siena (Math Solutions, 2009) is the perfect book for literacy-minded teachers who also teach math. Whether you enjoy teaching math or you are maybe a little bit wary of it, this is the book for you. Siena takes what we know about good literacy teaching and looks at how that applies to math. Good teaching is good teaching, no matter which part of the day it occurs. Here are some of my take-aways from the book:<br />
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<li><b>Attitude is everything. </b>Siena writes about how we relish our read aloud time with students because we love books. Our enthusiasm and passion for reading is demonstrated every day<b>. </b>How are we demonstrating the same enthusiasm for math? Do we get excited about opportunities in math? Siena talks about the myth of the "missing math gene" that is perpetuated by parents and unfortunately, teachers, who may have struggled as students in math. We need to approach math with a growth mindset for our students and for ourselves.</li>
<li><b>Decoding is important in math too.</b> In her section about decoding, she explained how letters and numbers are both symbols that have different meanings in different contexts. (A <i>g</i> can sound like gem or girl, and a 5 can mean 5 o'clock, 5 apples, or 5 tens in 58.) We teach children to decode letters by creating a print-rich classroom and giving them multiple opportunities across the day to see letters and words in different contexts. We should be doing the same with numbers. This is leading me to rethink how I am dedicating wall space. I took a lot of my math stuff down when I moved my calendar routine onto the Promethean Board, but I will be returning some of those things in the fall. Number lines, hundreds charts, and math word walls need to be where kids can see them all day. </li>
<li><b>We expect higher-order thinking about books; we need to expect the same level of thinking in math too</b>. Our end goal in reading is to make meaning. Math, too, is all about comprehension. It's not about getting the correct answer, but about knowing why the answer makes sense. Fluency in math as well as reading is about doing it accurately and making meaning from what you've done. Siena writes about the kinds of open-ended questions to build understanding, encourage reflection, and anchor math learning to meaning rather than algorithms. </li>
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Siena's sections on the workshop model, comprehension strategies, assessment, and conferring with students are very helpful and worth revisiting. Even though I do these things in my classroom on a daily basis, framing them from a literacy perspective made things a little clearer for me. I know that some of the things I read will be echoing in my head as I'm working with my new students in the fall. My favorite line in the whole book was on page 2 (note: that's when you know you're in for a good read): <br />
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"In my quest to do everything, I've returned to the saving grace: I'm a learner too."<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Kate Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01549493677038073532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991281326947478109.post-27758411713528543232013-07-08T10:11:00.000-04:002013-07-08T10:11:21.739-04:00It's Monday, What Are You Reading? 7/8/13<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After a very long, hot week, it finally feels like there's some air here in Maine! I can't imagine living somewhere where the temperatures stay in the high 80s and 90s all summer. I think I would melt. I'm linking up with Jen at <a href="http://www.teachmentortexts.com/2013/07/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-7813.html#axzz2YSXtppko">Teach Mentor Texts</a> and Kellee at <a href="http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=543">Unleashing Readers</a>. Check out either link to find lots of great books!<br />
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I'm trying to participate in the <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23bookaday&src=typd">#bookaday</a> challenge this summer, which is looking a little more like #bookaday-ish. I did manage to catch up this week with a stack of picture books, so I think I'm back on track now. Here are a few favorites from this week's reading:<br />
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<i>Chu's Day</i> is a very cute book about a little panda with a sneezing problem. I think my first graders will really enjoy this one because it is not as predictable as it first appears. Adam Rex's illustrations are great, as always, and the text is simple and accessible to earlier readers. </div>
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I love anything that Steve Jenkins does, especially his book <i>Actual Size</i>, so when I heard about this one, I had to find a copy. It doesn't disappoint. The book looks at a lot of animals that I had never heard of, so I think kids will really enjoy it. I thought it was really interesting, and I'm glad that there are no longer 6 ft. millipedes!<br />
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I found this book as I was perusing the shelves at my local library. I picked it up because it is written by Patricia MacLachlan and her daughter, Emily, who also teamed up for two of my favorite poetry books, <i>Once I Ate a Pie</i> and <i>I Didn't Do It</i>. (If you haven't read either of those titles, I suggest you add them to your list! They are class favorites year after year.) This is not a poetry book, but it is a very cute story that I know kids will enjoy. <i>Bittle </i>is about a dog and a cat who are not really sure what to think when a new baby arrives at their house. The book follows the antics of the dog and cat as they get used to the baby and come to love her as one of their own. I think I'll pair this book with Denise Fleming's <i>Buster </i>or Kevin Henkes'<i> Julius: The Baby of the World</i>. <br />
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I loved <i>Okay for Now</i>. The book had amazing voice, characters, and themes. I'm sure there are more than a few middle grade students who can relate to Doug and will appreciate finding themselves as the protagonist in a novel. Reading this book has made me reflect on the Dougs I've taught over the years and whether I could have done more for them. It's a novel that will stick with me for a long time, I know.<br />
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Assessment in Perspective by Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan is a title that has gotten a lot of buzz on Twitter and blogs this spring. I was excited to finally get a chance to read it. It's a quick read and definitely worth your time. I wish that something like this had existed when I was taking my undergrad assessment courses, since it explains all of the different types of assessments in a very clear way. The last two chapters of the book, "Assessing Authentically, Every Day" and "The Student's Role in Assessment" really made me think about my assessment practices. I got several new ideas that I'll be testing out in the fall. I highly recommend this one for professional reading.<br />
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I'm hoping to get back to the library for some new books today or tomorrow. I'm excited to read <i>Beholding Bee</i> by Kimberly Newton Fusco, which is waiting on hold for me, and I'm hoping to find some other books on my list as well. Kate Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01549493677038073532noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991281326947478109.post-76606273725541448362013-06-24T11:12:00.001-04:002013-06-24T11:12:39.441-04:00It's Monday, What Are You Reading? 7/24/13<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Having survived the mountain of paperwork and other endless end-of-the-year tasks, I am very happy to be on summer vacation with some time to actually READ! I'm linking up with Jen and Kellee at <a href="http://www.teachmentortexts.com/">Teach Mentor Texts</a> today. Check them out if you need some new titles for your TBR pile.<br />
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I loved this book. It's a short chapter book with five stories that can stand alone. The story is told by Down Girl, a dog with a large brain and an interesting canine perspective on what is important. I was laughing as I read it, and I know my students will do the same when I read it to them next year. I'm going to look for the other books in this series.<br />
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My daughter and I really liked this new picture book from Eve Bunting. It had a fun, rhyming story, and Sergio Ruzzier's illustrations were great. It was a fun book to share. I love just about everything Eve Bunting was done. (Sidenote: I met her once when she presented at the University of Maine. She's a wonderful little white-haired lady with an Irish accent and I was a little bit in awe of her. She asked me to pass out some papers for her and I'm sure I had the exact look on my face that my first graders do when I give them a Very Important Job.)<br />
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<i>Hold Fast</i> is a book that has been on my TBR list for quite a while. I know it got a lot of buzz on Twitter, so I was excited to read it. I really liked this book. I think that the perspective it gives on homelessness and shelters is important for a lot of kids, to show some kids a reflection of themselves in a book and to help others be more accepting of classmates who may be going through similar issues. Balliett creates such a strong character in Early. It's interesting that there are two highly regarded 2013 books with main characters named Early, with this one and the title character in Clare Vanderpool's <i>Navigating Early</i>. My only issue with this book, which I highly recommend, was that the ending wrapped up a little too neatly for me (again, a similarity to <i>Navigating Early</i>). <br />
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I started <i>A Girl Called Problem</i> yesterday morning and couldn't go to bed last night until I had finished it. Katie Quirk has written a fantastic debut novel about Shida, a Tanzanian girl whose name means "problem". The story follows Shida and her extended family as they move from their village of Litongo to Nija Panda, a nearby village. Shida and her cousins are the first girls to go to school in the new village as well. Quirk spent some time teaching in Tanzania and her depth of knowledge of the people and village life is obvious in her writing. This one is a must-read. <br />
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I'm currently working my way through the bag of books I picked up at the library last week after I finished cleaning my classroom. I'm thinking that <i>Sugar and Ice</i> by Kate Messner might be next. I'm also excited to read the picture book biography <i>Annie and Helen</i> by Deborah Hopkinson. <br />
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Kate Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01549493677038073532noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991281326947478109.post-83916868413930058422013-05-27T09:34:00.000-04:002013-05-27T09:34:08.281-04:00It's Monday, What Are You Reading? 5/27/13<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Check out all the links at <a href="http://www.teachmentortexts.com/">Teach Mentor Texts</a> today! The sun is finally out after a soaking week of rain. Hooray!<br />
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<b>Picture Books</b></h3>
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I picked up Ted Kooser's <i>House Held Up By Trees</i> because of Jon Klassen's illustrations. The origin of this story is interesting. Ted Kooser actually saw a house that looked something like this, then developed the story to go along. The writing is beautiful, though there is not much of a story. I expect that it will go right over the heads of my first graders, but it will be interesting to see what they have to say about how Klassen's illustrations compare to his other work. <br />
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I loved this book. Fans of Jackie French's <i>Diary of a Wombat </i>books and Doreen Cronin's <i>Diary of a Worm</i>, <i>Spider, </i>and <i>Fly </i>will appreciate this one. Tim Bowers' illustrations are fantastic. I love how the eyes of the fish are so expressive. I expect my kiddos are going to be big fans of this one.<br />
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<i>The Great Fuzz Frenzy</i> was another new-to-me title that was highly recommended by a colleague. I was teaching alliteration and it fit in quite well, but as I read through, I realized what a great mentor text it was for so many things. If you haven't read it, it's the story of what happens when strange fuzzy object (a tennis ball) falls into a prairie dog burrow. I'm thinking it would make an awesome reader's theater script--that might be a project for this summer. I ended up buying my own copy for my classroom. <br />
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<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320479821l/165856.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320479821l/165856.jpg" width="135" /></a><i>Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy </i>by Gary Schmidt was recommended to me on Twitter. I got into a bit of a Maine kick after I read <i>Navigating Early</i>, so this was naturally on the list. I have to say, I was a little disappointed. I always feel funny when I don't like a book that so many other people really like. I had a hard time getting into it. I appreciated the story, especially since it was based on real events, but I don't think I was ever really invested in the characters. <br />
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<b>Adult</b></h3>
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I had seen this title on a lot of lists and knew almost nothing about it except the title when I started reading. This is a memoir, written by Will Schwalbe about the unofficial book club formed between him and his mother during her cancer treatments. This was a tribute to reading and how books can bring people together, and I have to say that it added a few titles to my TBR pile as well. It was interesting to read this one and <i>The Fault In Our Stars</i> at the same time. There were two very different perspectives on a similar situation. I would recommend this one.<br />
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I'm currently still listening to <i>Matched </i>on audiobook, although it is rapidly coming to an end. I'm thinking about taking the long way to and from work tomorrow. I just started Touch Blue by Cynthia Lord (yes, another Maine title!) and I'm really enjoying it so far.<br />
<br />Kate Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01549493677038073532noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991281326947478109.post-80426960919151029472013-05-20T21:04:00.002-04:002013-05-21T20:41:31.865-04:00It's Monday, What Are You Reading? 5/19I'm linking up with Jen and Kellee at <a href="http://www.teachmentortexts.com/">Teach Mentor Texts</a> today. <br />
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We just received a shipment of new picture books at our school to use as mentor texts. It was like Christmas! I wanted to sit in the book room and read, but alas, there were spelling tests to correct and other such fun paperwork to be done during my prep time on Friday. I did manage to read a few, but there are many more that will be calling my name before the year is out.<br />
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<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355038097l/13773937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355038097l/13773937.jpg" width="200" /></a>Among them were two awesome books that I might just need to purchase for my own classroom. Both are going to be staple mentor texts in my Writing Workshop next year, I'm sure. The first, <br />
<i>Ralph Tells a Story</i>, is author Abby Hanlon's first book. Anyone who has taught first grade writers has taught a "Ralph." Ralph cannot think of anything to write, and so he rather comically avoids the task. It does, of course, have a happy ending, which makes it a great book to have in the classroom.<br />
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<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1350532222l/15815400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1350532222l/15815400.jpg" width="200" /></a>I loved <i>Exclamation Mark</i> by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Not only is it a great mentor text for punctuation, but there is so much in the story as far as theme, vocabulary, and character development. The illustrations are simple and fun and work so well with the text. This one is a must-have.<br />
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Finally, after a long and not-so-patient wait, I read John Green's <i>The Fault in Our Stars</i>. I had previously listened to <i>Will Grayson, Will Grayson</i> and <i>Looking for Alaska</i> on audiobook and loved them both, so I was really looking forward to reading this one. It did not disappoint. As I finished, I wanted to go right back to the beginning and start again.<br />
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This week, I'm reading <i>Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy</i> by Gary D. Schmidt. (Hooray for another book set in Maine!) I'm listening to <i>Matched </i>by Ally Condie on audiobook, which I suspect will probably take a while, but I'm enjoying it so far. Kate Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01549493677038073532noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991281326947478109.post-26700210254577472642013-05-19T12:19:00.001-04:002013-05-19T12:19:38.722-04:00Why Author Skypes Are AmazingDisclaimer: I am very much an introvert. I got nervous about posting my first Tweet, which I believe was in a TitleTalk full of people I had never met. I have heard wonderful things about Skyping with authors, but I never imagined that I would do that with my kids. Skyping? Yes, maybe. With a complete stranger? Hmm... With a complete stranger who is also a well-known children's author? Certainly enough to give anyone pause. <br />
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Enter the fabulous Ame Dyckman, author of <i>Boy + Bot</i>. Ame has a gift for making everyone feel comfortable. I "met" Ame on Twitter a few months ago. She somehow manages to express unlimited enthusiasm in limited characters, and her love of kids and books is obvious. <br />
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I work with a small group of first grade kiddos in an after-school writing club. As a way to wrap up our spring session, I wanted to do something special with them. Feeling brave, I sent Ame a message and asked her to Skype with our kiddos. The result? Total and complete awesomeness. Here are the top 3 reasons that a Skype visit is amazing:<br />
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<b>1. </b> <b>Show kids that authors are real people</b><br />
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My little friends often think of capital-A Authors as these magical Others who live in a land filled with unlimited supplies of white paper and writing tools. There's nothing like a conversation with an author to make that person real for the kids. It helps when your author mentions that she needs to go pick up her daughter from the bus stop soon, tells her cats to stop fighting, and shows you her bag of books from the library. Authors are real, people.<br />
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I think Ame mentioned somewhere around 10 titles during our 30-minute chat, showing us the books when she had them handy and mentioning a few others in the context of the conversation. There's nothing like an author telling your kids to read to drive the point home. I recommend books all the time, but a different (and famous!) voice doing the same is certainly a benefit. This is a picture of the newest book tub in my room. I think it's empty now. <br />
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<b>3. Encourage kids to be authors NOW</b><br />
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There's nothing like a published author asking about your writing to encourage you to make more of it. Ame's enthusiasm for my students' writing and illustrating will go a long way. <br />
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My first Skype author visit will definitely not be my last. If you're on the fence, be brave and make a connection. There are tons of authors who are willing (and excited) to Skype with your kids. It never hurts to ask, right? Thank you, Ame, for saying yes and for being awesome!Kate Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01549493677038073532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991281326947478109.post-86023543218992835132013-05-13T08:00:00.000-04:002013-05-13T20:38:48.937-04:00It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 5/13/13<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I hope there's nothing weird about a Monday the 13th. Sounds sort of ominous to me. I'm linking up with Jen and Kellee at <a href="http://www.teachmentortexts.com/">Teach Mentor Texts</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1343922153l/14289259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1343922153l/14289259.jpg" width="131" /></a>I read some awesome books this week. First, I finished <i>The Water Castle</i> by Megan Frazer Blakemore. This book was just fantastic. I didn't want to put it down. I loved the flashbacks to the early days of the castle and the dynamic between Ephraim, Mallory, and Will. This one, like a few others I've read recently, makes me wish I taught a middle grade so that I could hand it to my students. I've seen it mentioned in some early Newbery murmurings, and for good reason. <br />
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I love it when I visit my library and the new arrivals shelf is full. That's what happened this week, and I checked out some great new titles. I'm really excited to share <i>A Hen for Izzy Pippik</i>, by Audrey Davis, with my first graders. I'm interested in the discussion that will follow that one. My daughter LOVED <i>Again!</i> by Emily Gravett. I have to admit, I may have gotten a little excited when I saw the last page of it too. She loved reading along ("Again! Again!") and pronounced it a "good book." <br />
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<a href="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1360206420l/11870085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1360206420l/11870085.jpg" width="129" /></a>I'm currently reading Will Schwalbe's <i>The End of Your Life Book Club</i> and after a couple of month wait, I finally have The Fault in Our Stars from the library. I am so excited to read this one. I listened to <i>Will Grayson, Will Grayson</i> and <i>Looking for Alaska</i> on audiobook and loved them both.<br />
<br />Kate Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01549493677038073532noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991281326947478109.post-44136895954179482972013-05-11T15:04:00.000-04:002013-05-11T15:05:03.781-04:00The Need for SpeedConfession: I'm a recovering speed reader. When I was in elementary school, we lived for a few years in a town without a library. (GASP. I know. It was hard.) Once a week, we would drive twenty-five minutes or so to the nearest out-of-town library to pick up some new books. I would pick out my limit of two books, we would get some groceries, and we would head home. There were many days where I would have finished or nearly finished at least one of my books by the time we pulled in the driveway. By this point, I had already read everything in our house that was remotely age-appropriate, and of course, I wanted to spend quite a bit of my time reading. My poor mother was pulling her hair out trying to keep my in reading material.<br />
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At the height of my speed reading, I'm pretty sure that I would just read down through the center of the page. I've still been known to skip the first paragraph on the page as I'm flying through books. Obviously, I was missing out of quite a bit of the text, which also lead, not shockingly, to comprehension issues. Somewhere in late middle school and high school, I managed to slow down enough to curb the comprehension problems, but there are times when the need for speed remains.<br />
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I have recently read some truly fantastic books, books where I wanted to savor every beautifully crafted sentence and plot twist. (Three come to mind immediately: <i>Navigating Early, The Center of Everything</i>, and <i>The Water Castle.</i>) I started these books doing just that, reading slowly and taking it all in. However, as the plot grew thicker and picked up speed, so did I. There's a point in each story where it's like the peak of the roller coaster. You start careening toward the end of the ride, and it's impossible to get off or to slow down. Were there lines and beauty to be treasured in the final treasures of each of these? Most likely, but in my hurry to JUST KNOW what happened, I probably missed them. <br />
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I think about my students, especially my high-flying first grade readers. I can see myself in them, finishing books one after the other without much thought or savoring. I want to tell them to slow down and take it all in, but there's a balance. I also want them to know what it's like to get sucked into the story to the point where they lose control of their own reading. I guess it's about knowing yourself as a reader, and knowing that while you can never read a book again for the first time, you can always read a book again. Kate Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01549493677038073532noreply@blogger.com0