Happy New Year! I haven’t been writing much for the blog recently because I’ve been a little busy getting a project live. My friend Tammy Dunbar and I are starting off 2018 with a Skype Global Collaboration project called Cultivate World Literacy.
We are both teachers who are passionate about finding ways to empower students to make changes that impact others. We decided to come together and design a project where people could learn about the issues of literacy and make a difference in the process!
If you believe that literacy is crucial for all children regardless of their circumstances, then this project is for you! Visit our website http://www.cultivateworldliteracy.com/ and register. Be a changemaker in 2018.
The 3rd annual Microsoft in Education Skype-a-thon has officially wrapped up for us at school. This fabulous global learning experiences provides students a chance to open their hearts and minds to new people and opportunities for learning. We played Mystery Location, Mystery Number and Mystery Animal.
Playing these games seems pretty easy until you try it! Imagine 20 questions, except you are trying to figure out where in the world the other classroom is located, or what their mystery number or animal is. The object is to figure it out quickly and using smart “juicy” questions. Think questions such as “Does your state border an ocean” instead of “are you in Florida?” to begin the game.
This year we were able to connect with students and teachers in California, Canada, Nigeria, India, Croatia, Georgia, Kentucky, Virginia and other classrooms in our own school district. Here are a few photos of our experiences.
Iain Reading, author of the Dragon of the Month Club and the Kitty Hawk series visited our school again this week. Here is a presentation about the event.
Iain Reading, author of the middle grade Dragon of the Month Club and Kitty Hawk series came to our school on Thursday for a 5th grade author visit. This was his second visit in two years a…
I first read Wonder in 2012 and lost track of how many times I’ve recommended it. This book about ten-year old Auggie who was born with Treacher-Collins Syndrome which affects a person’s facial features.
“My name is August, but the way. I won’t describe what I look like. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse.” page 3
Now this #1 New York Times bestseller is being released as a major motion picture on November 17th, starring Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Jacob Tremblay, Daveed Diggs, and Mandy Patinkin.
We have a copy of the new version of Wonder which includes full-color movie photos, exclusive content and a foreword by Stephen Chbosky, co-screenwriter/director of Wonder.
I have adored Auggie, his friends and this amazing book for years. As Stephen Chbosky writes in the foreword, “RJ Palacio has given our world- and our troubled times-a ray of light. A silver lining big enough for any gray cloud. A standing ovation for empathy itself. She has taught us that no side “owns” kindness. We can only practice it.”
I am looking forward to this movie. The previews look fantastic! I just hope I bring enough tissues…
“Babymouse is back and sassieer than ever in her middle-grade debut, Babymouse Tales from the Locker: Lights, Camera, Middle School! Using Babymouse’s signature humor and engaging illustrations, sister and brother duo Jennifer and Matthew Holm are now introducing their beloved Babymouse to a new crop of readers sure to embrace the humor and heart of the new graphic novel series as younger readers have done for the original books.”From Random House Children’s Books
I’ve been waiting for a new Babymouse book. I never thought she would turn up as a middle schooler! Babymouse has to grow up? No, say it isn’t true! However, Babymouse has the same issues as before, but now in a larger scale. This time she is the director of a film for the film club, but of course, nothing works the way she envisioned. Laughs and problems only Babymouse could have will entertain fans from beginning to end. The novel/graphic format format will appeal to readers who love Babymouse but are also ready for a longer book.
“Award-winning author Rob Buyea offers a new series of unforgettable characters in The Perfect Score. Kid-friendly and full of heart, this new series is further evidence of Buyea’s masterful understanding of middle schoolers, a reputation first established with his popular Mr. Terupt series.”From Random House Children’s Books:
The Perfect Score is told through the voices of five students in 6th grade. Gavin loves football, but has never done so well in school, Randi is a gymnast who is trying to cope with her zealous mother, Natalie thinks like she is already an attorney, Scott who is almost always a hot-mess, and Trevor who really doesn’t like school, but would rather be there than at home. While they are all different, they share their universal dislike for the CBA standardized tests coming up.
The book is told in a short chapter — switching voices technique similar to Buyea’s previous Mr. Terupt books. I personally yearned for a little more emotional connection with the characters. However, for Bob Buyea and realistic/school fiction fans, I think it will be a hit. A great choice for upper elementary or middle school students. 4/5 star rating
Realistic Fiction
*I was given a review copy by Random House Children’s Books in exchange for an honest review.
From Goodreads, “Can two very different families find their space in the world together? A wonderful wordless picture book offers stylish art, humor, and charm. ”
The wonderful part about reading wordless picture books is that it forces the reader to slow down and thoughtfully engage with the illustrations. Owl Bat, Bat Owl by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick is a great example of a wordless picture book that begs to be read slowly to savor its quiet, yet powerful message. We might be different, but we can all get along is something we all need to remember more.
Good choice for K-2 readers. Especially good choice for teaching inference.
I was given a review copy by Candlewick Press to read and offer an unbiased review.
I’m not usually one to do a theme, but I’m giving it a try this year with a global theme: One Global Library. One of the qualities I love the most about my school is the rich diversity of our families. Besides English, there are 84 different languages spoken by our families.
To celebrate this diversity, I have created a wall outside the library with signs saying Libraries are for Everyonein 51 different languages. These signs were made by Rebecca McCorkindale, a public librarian in Nebraska. They are published on her website Hafuboti. She wants and encourages libraries to download, share, modify and enjoy her signs.
Libraries are for Everyone in Bulgarian.
I have enjoyed watching students walk down the hallway and point out the language they speak to their peers. I believe having their language celebrated is just one more way for our English Language Learners to feel included at our school.
When our ELL teacher saw the display I thought she would never stop smiling. She now has her country display next to ours so we can have a united message of unity and acceptance.
This theme will tie into my focus on global citizenship as well as learning about the Global Goals, also known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how they pertain to literacy.
Finally, the wait is over. The summer is a distant memory. We are four weeks into the school year. The behind the scenes project that took us an entire year to accomplish is in place and working!
Our everybody picture book area has been switched from a traditional book shelving system to a category based shelving system called Picture Book City. Now we have a seamless system for early to intermediate readers to find books easily.
I was an early converter to a genre based fiction system. I’ve done some Dewey modification in animals and sports. There’s more work to be done, but I’m happy overall with the changes we’ve made so far.
And then there’s the everybody section. I couldn’t stand seeing young children frustrated in their search for a book. They had more trouble finding books that the older students. I decided something had to change and I started the research process.
Lucky for me, other librarians paved the pathway before me. Amy Koesler, The Show Me Librarian wrote about her experience converting her picture book area in 2012 after going to an ALA conference session about re-organizing the picture book section. She coined the term Picture Book City. She also has generously licensed her work with a Creative Commons Share Alike License, so anyone can use her ideas! YES!
Storytime Katie, an early literacy public librarian near Chicago also wrote about her process in switching her library in a series of blog posts.
Then the icing on the cake was when our local public King County Library System converted the picture books in every branch in their entire system to a category based program. The blog post Finding Picture Books Can Be Child’s Play published by the Urban Libraries Council outlines the innovative reasoning and research behind their decision to move away from traditional book shelves for their young readers.
If these three public libraries could take this innovative step, then so could I. We spent all of the last school year deciding on the categories and getting the books ready. After students left in June, I re-arranged all the picture books so we could open in September fresh with the new system.
Soon we will have a new logo. The temporary one I made will be replaced by one that a graphic artist at one of our high schools has designed. I can’t wait to see it. I will also write more about our process from beginning to end in a series of blog posts.
When I think about teachers who give their hearts to teaching, these ladies are at the front of the line. Tinny (left) and Vernice (right) teach at Pula Madibogo Primary School in Limpopo Province. Tinny and Vernice began the Reading Club there and we have been connecting ever since. We send their students books and then we Skype and their students talk about their reading. These are some photos of our calls through the years.
After I visited their school in 2015, I knew I would have to come again. Unfortunately with my schedule on this trip, I was only able to come for a few hours. We did see each other at Phuti’s Community Reading Club Project launch party so we were able to re-connect before I got up to their school.
Tinny teaches 6th grade and believes with her heart and soul in the saying Readers are Leaders.
She also knows how to make a person feel special. When I arrived on campus, I saw some drum majorettes practicing in front of the school. I thought they were practicing for a competition. No, they weren’t. The Drum Majorettes greeted me and led me into the school where the student body was waiting for a special ceremony.
The students were in charge complete with a ceremony leader and a schedule of events.
From beginning to end, I was touched and overwhelmed with emotion. My students and I send this school books, but the kids at Pula Madibogo are the superstars because they are using the books to improve their reading. Yet they were treating me like I was the superstar as they shared their gratitude.
All morning long, the students impressed me with their passion for reading and school. I have been able to live a life where education was something I expected and I have at various times taken it for granted. By many standards, I have lived a life of privilege. From my small town in rural Massachusetts to California, Oregon and Washington, I have been able to live and teach in areas with quality public school districts.
The ability to have access to a quality education is not always possible and certainly not in rural Limpopo Province. Yet at this school where the women still cook in an outside cook shelter using traditional cooking pots, the teachers are determined to make things different for this next generation of learners.
Women like Tinny and Vernice, as well as the other teachers at Pula Madibogo do everything in their power to bring the best out in their students. I felt honored to spend time with them and share teaching ideas. I loved hearing the students read passages from books, sing songs, or tell fun stories. They have passion for learning.
In the classroom Tinny’s students continued the presentation with story-telling, posters, a lovely embroidered towel and a heart-felt plea for more books. Honestly as I looked at the books they were holding, I realized they had worn them out from reading love! They even had a book that I had sent at least three years ago.
As I walked around campus after the presentation, students came up to say hello. One girl I recognized immediately from when I was at her school in 2015. I had a selfie with her then, and we did it again!
Photo from 2015
Photo from 2017
Another boy, Nathaniel and I had a longer conversation. He is now in 7th grade, which is a critical grade in South Africa. Very often children do not have the opportunity to move on to secondary school. He remembered my previous visit and really wanted to assure me that he is taking his studies seriously.
I shared my card with Nathaniel and sincerely hope he stays in contact with me. He has the drive to go far in life. I just hope his dreams don’t fade with age and the hardships of life.
I will be boxing up some books this month and sending them so they have some new choices before the end of their school year. I can’t forget these teachers and students and their needs for materials. The thing is, we can’t do it alone.
This is the last post in the series and I hope that other teachers and students will consider joining our program or starting their own. Anyone who is interested can contact me through the Books to Africa Partnership website. Books can change lives. I’ve seen it come true and so can you.
