Looking for Newbery - 2013 Style

**This picture is from the Heavy Medal blog**

Happy 2013!!!

Bill and I got together yesterday morning for a long breakfast to catch up on each others' lives and to decide where we want to go with our blog.  Those of you who patiently follow us, know that to say we haven't posted with regularity recently would be a huge understatement.  We thank you for your patience, and want you to know we've decided to continue with our mission here - reading good books and getting them into the hands of students.

I think the thing that put it over the edge for us was our conversation about which book might possibly win the Newbery Award on Jan. 28.  We've done our Looking for Newbery series the past few years and have had a lot of fun with it, but this year we've decided to change a few things.

First of all, there are many sites available to all of us that talk about Mock Newbery lists with much more background knowledge about what really wins the Newbery than we have.  Heavy Medal blog and Fuse #8, both at SLJ, are great examples of this.  In addition, we have discovered Anderson's Bookshop Mock Newbery list, and then there is the Mock Newbery group over at GoodReads.

Bill and I have decided to use these lists as our jumping off points, and then we are both going to try to read the Newbery winner, which we hope might be reflected from one of these lists.  Our goal this year is not to tell you what we think might win the Newbery, but rather to read the books mentioned, and to do a quick review of each.

We'd love to have you follow our journey, as we are sure many of you are also doing some frantic reading just like us, as we head to the big date of Jan. 28.  Let's have some fun talking about books together during the month of January!!

We hope 2013 is a wonderful year for all of you.

Nerdy Awards for Nonfiction Picture Books

I was so delighted to write today's post at the Nerdy Book blog and announce the nonfiction picture books that won the 2012 Nerdies Awards.  If you haven't already seen the post, stop over and check out these 7 amazing books!!!!!

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? - Dec. 3

 I have been so glad to make time to actually get some reading done this past week, and so I decided to dive into some of my ARCs from #ncte12.  I will be quite the hero when I show up with some of these books this week.  In addition, I have been doing even more reading in order to finish all the nominated books in my Cybils category of nonfiction picture books.

With no further ado, I'll start with the Cybils nominees (some of which are also on the Nerdies nominee list as well):

Minette's Feast: The Story of Julia Child and her Cat -- What a lovely story about a famous cook and her cat.  Yet another great nominee for the Cybils nonfiction picture book category.

Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman -- I reread this Cybils NFPB nominee yesterday.  Given how visually oriented my students are this year, both in their own reading and writing, I think this will be a wonderful book to which they will relate.  Add the Skype visit we had with Stephen McCranie of Mal and Chad fame, and they will bring a lot of background knowledge to reading this biography.  They love graphic novels, so getting the inside story on how the Batman comics began will be great for them.  I expect kids to be indignant that it took so long for Bill to get the credit for Batman he so richly deserved.

Words Set Me Free -- One of our 5th grade history standards includes understanding the reality of the slavery situation.  Words Set Me Free would be a wonderful addition to this social studies instruction.  It's the type of biography that young readers will really enjoy.  But the message throughout the story of how it was truly words that set Frederick Douglass free is incredibly powerful.
This is also a Cybils nonfiction picture book nominee this year.

The Camping Trip That Changed America -- This is a great book that does a nice job explaining how the national park system came to be under the guidance of Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir.

FUN ARCs

My Life as a Cartoonist -- I met Janet Tshjian last year at NCTE at a Macmillan publisher dinner. When I ran into her again in the exhibit hall this year, I was delighted to see her and even more happy that she remembered me. The icing on the cake - the 3rd book in the My Life as a Book series was out in ARC format and I got a signed copy. Life is good! I so enjoy this series, and have many students, especially boys, reading it this year. They gravitate to the illustrations, either because they just enjoy them or it provides them enough support to make sense of the story. Which is great, considering Janet's son, Jake, does the illustrations because he had difficulty learning vocabulary words when he was in school.
In the latest book, Derek is still drawing his cartoons, only this time is joined by a new kid to the school, a bully in a wheelchair, Umberto. Turns out Umberto has quite a knack for cartooning as well, even when he is making Derek's life miserable. Fun story that kids will truly enjoy!
Look for My Life as a Cartoonist in May 2013.




Hide and Seek -- Kate Messner is such a diverse writer. Hide and Seek is the follow-up to Capture the Flag. This time, we see the events transpiring more through the eyes of Jose, even though it is still written in 3rd person. The setting takes all the main characters to the rain forests of Costa Rica, a perfect setting for the action and adventure that takes place in this book. Good guys, bad guys, trying to recover important artifacts for the Silver Jaguar Society - what's not to like? I especially enjoy the author's note at the end, where Kate shares the research she and her family did before she wrote this book. All the nature things in the story came from the trip they took to Costa Rica. And it is an author's note truly addressed to students - it sounds like she is talking right to them. I can really appreciate her teaching background when I read this.
Hide and Seek due out April 2013.

A Tangle of Knots -- A blurb about this book said it is "Savvy meets When You Reach Me", and I think that's a good analogy for A Tangle of Knots. The different points of view make this delightful - the reader becomes very invested in each character. Lisa Graff weaves a plot that is magical with almost everyone in the book having a Talent, but there is also a Talent stealer. I think I am a good reader, but as the story skipped around with characters in the beginning, none seeming to have anything thing to do with the other, I was puzzled and then enchanted. This book is due out February 2, 2013, and fans of Lisa Graff might be treated to one of her best books yet!

Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Summer Vacation -- From the minute I saw the title of the first book in this series, Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading, I knew it would be a hit with kids and I was right.  This series is spreading like wildfire in both of my classes.  So when I had the opportunity to get the 3rd book, Guide to Summer Vacation, as a review copy at NCTE, I grabbed it!
What I like is that Greenwald continues to have Charlie Joe be a schemer and always getting in trouble, but as the books have progressed, so has Charlie Joe's self-actualization.  In a fun series like this, I think that would be a fine line to walk as an author but Greenwald has done a great job.  Great freedom of speech and editorial writing in this last one as well.
Mark your calendars for May - this is yet one more book due out that month.

Please join Kellee and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts, who are the cohosts of this wonderful Monday event!  I love finding out what others are reading, and start planning my next week's reading using some of the participants ideas.

#NCTE12 Reflections

 The theme for this year's NCTE convention was Dream, Connect, Ignite!  As I reflect back on my days in Las Vegas, I think these are great verbs for what happened to me.  Because of the amazing sessions I attended, I can "dream" of how to refine my own teaching practices.  I was able to "connect" in many ways - I connected my learning to others, I connected with old friends, and I connected with new friends as well.  And finally, "ignite!"  As I reread through my notes and my tweets and others' tweets from #ncte12, I am ready to ignite the learning that goes on with myself,  in my classroom, my school, my district, and my PLNs that span the nation.

When you get to hear many wonderful speakers at a convention like NCTE, it is hard to choose favorite quotes because there are sooooo many!  However, I'd like to quote Mary Ehrenworth (she presented with Lucy Calkins and Chris Lehman) right here.  Her quote, more or less, was, "Our students don't need good teachers, they need good schools." She went on to say that our students should not just feel lucky to get a certain teacher in a certain grade; rather, we as schools should be working together so that our students are getting the promise of a good school, so that it doesn't matter what teacher they have; we're all working hard together.  To achieve that, we need to put forth effort in having conversations with colleagues that allow that promise of a good school to happen.

That one concept really started my wheels spinning.  And I knew I wanted to try to pay things forward so that maybe conversations could begin with colleagues that either couldn't attend the sessions I did, or colleagues that couldn't attend the convention at all.  I decided I would take all my notes from Google Docs and share them.  Then, if anyone sees something that sparks their interest in these notes, maybe we could begin a conversation to further examine a topic together.  I'd love to begin a dialogue with anyone interested!!  Learning really is best done as a collaborative effort.

My brain was spinning with all the information I heard over four days, but there was also time for fun with friends as well; a huge part of why I love NCTE so much!!  Here are a few of those highlights:

• Mary Lee and I playing our first slot machines ever under the wise tutelage of Franki
• Sight-seeing the first morning with some central Ohio friends and a new poet friend, Amy
• Listening to Natalie Merchant both read and sing poems from her new poetry book
• Capturing Mary Lee holding the teacher's guide she wrote for Natalie Merchant's poetry book
• Re-connecting with an author I met at a dinner last year, Janet Tashjian, the author of the My Life as a Book series
• Getting a personal lesson from Mindi about how to make the braided scarf look while at the Nerdy Book Club party
• Other notable highlights from the NBC party: talking to R. J. Palacio, author of Wonder, for almost 30 minutes, pictures with many NBC friends, watching Jonathan Auxier (author of Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes) tell the story of his book while doing intricate yo-yo tricks
• running into Jon Scieszka while in the exhibit hall and sharing the story of how I lost my first copy of Knucklehead to someone who obviously loved it and having him sign my new copy
• seeing many of my Choice Literacy friends - how proud I am to be associated with their smart thinking and love of fun!
• a very long Saturday lunch with friends, full of catching up on each others' lives
• going to see the Cirque de Soleil show, Love, featuring Beatles music -- it was amazing!!
• Dinners with friends from all over

So there you have it!  #NCTE12 was a fabulous mix of learning, fun, camaraderie, and books galore!  I am very grateful for the experience!

My favorite slot machine - Grease!

Lunch after a morning of sightseeing before convention began

Natalie Merchant

MaryLee and the teacher guide she wrote!

Janet Tashjian - hope to see her in Ohio soon!

Mindi - how do you make a braided scarf? :)

What a privilege to talk to R. J. Palacio and connect as moms.

This pic with Donalyn reflects the attitude of the NBC party! :)

Jon Scieszka appreciating the loss of my first book and the reason for getting another!!

Choice Literacy friends, Joan and Gail - two of my favorite people!

Skype visit with Stephen McCranie

Today, my two language arts classes had an amazing visit with Stephen McCranie, the author/illustrator of the Mal and Chad graphic novel series.  What a fun time we had, and Stephen was a wonderful guest!

He gave some great writing advice:

• Every story should focus on two things: 1) what does my character want? and 2) what is getting in the way of the character getting what they want?  An easy formula for writers to follow.
• He shared that he will frequently write up to 14 or 15 drafts like a screenplay before he ever starts a sketch for the graphic novel.  I have a lot of students who want to sketch frequently during writing workshop; it was great for them to hear from this author that if you don't have a good, solid story, the pictures won't matter.
• Stephen said it is easier to rewrite words online than "rewrite" pictures.
• He stressed how important editing is in his process.
• One of my favorite lines: he told the classes that creativity is a muscle you make stronger by practice.  What great advice for those students who don't feel like they have any creativity - they can work to achieve that creativity. 

Stephen designs his drawings with a special computer program, and he was able to screen share it with us in real time.  Based on his formula, he asked for the students to give him a character - they chose MaryLou.  They decided that MaryLou liked a boy named Bob, but that she was jealous of another girl, Priscilla.  As the students fed him the details for the story, he sketched it all out for them - it was so impressive to have him talking, answering questions, and drawing at the same time.

And if the Skype visit wasn't enough, Stephen also sent us a signed copy of everything he drew today so I can copy it for the kids AND he sent the first few chapters of the next Mal and Chad graphic novel.  What a wonderful experience!!  A huge thank you to Stephen McCranie for his generosity of time, talent, and writing wisdom!!

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? - Nov. 5

I've been a little busy with beginning of the school year, but I have finally begun to read again, and I thought it was time to share some of the books.  It's nice to be back with all of you!!

Adult book:

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - This is the book for my adult book club meeting this week. I was totally into it, especially after, as a friend of mine calls it, the OMG moment.  Can't wait to have a conversation about the very convoluted characters in this book.

The following are some of the many wonderful books on the Cybils nonfiction picture book nominee list:

Dolphin Baby by Nicola Davies - A delightful book by Nicola Davies that taught me some things I didn't already know about dolphins and their babies. There is one story line about the baby starting with birth, and in addition, there are facts about dolphins placed on appropriate pages. Kids will really enjoy this.

Just Ducks! by Nicola Davies - Much like Dolphin Baby, Nicola Davies has put together a story line about a little girl waking to the sounds of ducks and then watching them throughout the day. Embedded around the text are many facts about ducks. Another kid pleaser.

The Beetle Book by Steve Jenkins - Steve Jenkins is a master of nonfiction and he doesn't disappoint with The Beetle Book. Each beetle represented in the book is masterfully drawn, and is accompanied by wonderful details about that particular species. So much information on each page; this is a book to savor.

Seed by Seed -  This is a lovely book by Esme Raji Codell that starts with two children looking out the window and ending with a journey back to the life of Johnny Appleseed. Readers will get a sense of what a good and kind man he was, and will learn some important life lessons along the way as well.

I, Galileo by Bonnie Christensen -  I have many students that will love this book. The idea of investigating ideas that intrigue you over a period of time - the perseverance Galileo had to have is amazing.

Please join Kellee and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts, who are the cohosts of this wonderful Monday event!  I love finding out what others are reading, and start planning my next week's reading using some of the participants ideas.

Exploration Thursday -- Oct. 4

 These past few weeks I've been focused on how to best use the tools of technology that we have been so fortunate to have in our classroom this year.  I mentioned some of the thinking I've tried to embrace here and here.

My team busy at work learning about our wikis

The new thinking for my 5th grade team this week was how to have students create digital learning objects (DLOs), and then embed them into our class wikis, where it can help us refer to past learning and document learning as we go.  The four of us sat around a table one morning before school this week, and learned the ins and outs of wiki use, and tried to learn how to import DLOs into the wiki.  We made good headway, but still need a lot of practice.

Chart for Digital Learning Objects

While the adults continued with their learning, the students were quite busy as well.  On Monday, we discussed the different devices we have in our classroom, either personal devices or school devices.  On a chart, we listed all the ways we could make a product that would demonstrate learning of a topic (see picture).  We have iPads, laptops, desktop computers, and iTouches (not yet, but soon to come).  I was so impressed with how many different applications students realized they could use.

Comic Life DLO

Because we had spent time in the previous weeks exploring some of the new apps and revisiting some familiar apps, we were ready for the next step which was to make a digital learning object with specific learning targets in mind.  One of my tech PD colleagues suggested always giving students a rubric before they start creating to help them understand exactly what learning they need to demonstrate.

Keynote DLO

Explain Everything DLO

The task they did this week was really meant to be a formative assessment that would help me gauge their progress as they worked through our most recent word study focus, understanding what a noun is and knowing all the different rules for making nouns plural.  The rubric was worth 10 total points: they needed to identify what a noun was, share 4 different rules for making words plural and give at least 2 examples for each rule, and finally their product needed to be clear for the audience, whether that meant through visual means, auditory means, or both.

Popplet DLO

The rubric was invaluable.  After we discussed the expectations, students started working with a partner and began the work of showing their word study knowledge.  I had blocked out a 45 minute time span for this activity and that seemed to be a perfect amount of time.  As the students worked, the energy in the room was exciting.  It was fun to see several things: the app the students chose to make their DLO, the device they wanted to use, and finally how they organized the information the rubric told them they had to have.  The final products were great for our first time.

A variety of apps were used; several groups gravitated toward Popplet.  In addition, other groups used Explain Everything, Skitch, Comic Life, Pages, Keynote, and iMovie.  How delightful that students were able to choose a tool that best suited their needs.

When we were done, we spent two days sharing our DLOs, and providing constructive responses to how well our classmates met the requirements of the rubric.  It was powerful learning!  The students learned so much from each other; getting ideas for future reference and seeing all the different ways to organize and display knowledge.  And to think we've just begun this journey.  I'm eager to see how their products mature as the year goes on.

Now, I just need to learn how to embed these great DLOs on that darn wiki! :)