Lit Circle Love

One of my favorite and least favorite times of the year is when my literature and composition class completes a lit circle cycle.  As a teacher, I love the conversations around the books and how excited students get when a classmate brings up a point they hadn't thought about yet.  As a student, sister, friend, I hate that my life becomes even busier for the four weeks that I'm trying to keep up with all six or seven books my sttudents are reading.  However, as a reader, I love that I have a great excuse to put aside time to read six different books!  For our last lit circle cycle of the year, the books I'm reading are all award-winning or nominees. 

As a teacher or school librarian, any of the books below are worth checking out.  Shooting the Moon is an historical fiction novel that could tie into social studies content about the Vietname War.  Savvy and The Apothecary both have fantasy elements tied into and follow female protagonists.  Savvy is a great story for young girls who are just discovering who they are and how they fit into the world, while the The Apothecary is more of a mystery-to be-solved.  Check out the summaries from GoodReads below to find the best new fit for your library.


Shooting the Moon by Frances O'Roark Dowell
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1128364.Shooting_the_Moon?auto_login_attempted=true

 

Saavy by Ingrid Law
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2133795.Savvy
 



The Apothecary by Maile Meloy
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10481268-the-apothecary?ac=1

Simple as Symbaloo

Who knew life could be so simple with Symbaloo?  This on-line website allows users to "tiles" with links to all of your most frequently used websites and it's super easy to use! 
After getting a brief tutorial of Symbaloo's most basic attributes, I was able to join for free and easily had some of the most popular tiles for news, social media, weather, email, etc.  After quickly adding those links with just the click of a button, I could move on to making my Symbaloo more personal. 

By color-coding my tiles, I've been able to add websites that I frequently visit for both my home life and school life.  There's room for 60 different tiles on the first page, which I am quickly filling up as I add tiles I realize I want/need.  I'm amazed at the number of websites I visit in just one day!  For the more advanced users, tools like Webmixes are available and maybe someday I'll make one.

As an educator, I can never find a new technology without thinking how it will impact my students.  Since our district is beginning a one-to-one intiative where each student has a laptop in their hands on a daily basis, websites like Symbaloo are especially interesting.  The whole time I was creating my Symbaloo, I kept thinking how much my students would love and use this tool.  Then I realized, that our district has something very similar.  With http://stuview.unit5.org, students have a pre-made Symbaloo with instant access to websites and programs they frequently use.  The biggest difference is that they can't add tiles on their own.

Igniting a Passion for Reading

My passion for teaching reading has just gone through the roof because I finished reading Steven Layne's Igniting a Passion for Reading.  I've always known that educators who are passionate about books will often inspire that same passion in their students.  Steven Layne knows that too, so his book is full of easy things that teachers and/or librarians could do to get kids excited about books by sharing their own enjoyment. 

Because all of his strategies are amazing, I'll have to narrow it down to a few that I found especially useful.  The "First Read Club" is a a way to get kids to read the new books in a library.  If a student reads a new book first, he or she gets to write his name on a sticker that goes inside the first cover.
"Status of the Class" allows kids and the teacher to quickly hear what is being read in the room.  Each student stands up and says the title, author, and page number of the book they are currently reading.  The reason I love this idea is that it's possible for a student to hear upwards of 20 new titles in a matter of minutes.  It's a great way for kids to build up their "to be read" list. 

There are ton of other ideas in Layne's book - both for individual classrooms and the entire school.  Any teacher could benefit from reading this book, but I think a staff book club would be even better.  Then, all the educators in the building could discuss how it would work in their room.

#Tweeter in Training

Some teachers I eat lunch with have been talking about Twitter for the last month.  As a group, we love to hash tag things like #lovechocolate, #whereareyouspring, and #thingsyoushouldn'thashtag.  All this laughter and joking made me think that I should give Twitter a try, so this week I joined the world as a fellow tweeter.
Joining Twitter was pretty simple.  The website walks you through the steps and really encourages you to follow multiple people.  They have you add friends, celebrities or tv shows, and contacts in your email list.  My primary goal when "following" people was to add a few favorite authors and teacher mentors, but I also added my sister, Runner's World magazine, and Mythbusters:)  It's been fun reading the tweets and checking out the videos and websites people hyperlink.  Veronica Roth had some multiple tweets that caught my eye, and Kelly Gallagher and Penny Kittle have tons of ideas they're sharing.  Staying up-to-date with Goodreads and Twitter is definitely going to take time, but I think both are worthwhile because of the great resources and recommendations I'm getting.

  Here's a pic of my first tweet - No hash tags yet :)

Reading Rebecca Caudills

Our school is one of the many in the state that are a part of the Rebecca Caudill Award reading program.  Students in grades 4-8 read at least 3 books from an annual list of nominations and vote for the one they think is best.  Each year a new list of 20 books is posted on the programs website:  http://www.rcyrba.org/ and students have a year to read at least three books.  The Rebecca Caudill program is a big motivator for many students because they get to vote at the end and our school offers a party to students who read all 20 books.  The quality of books is also phenomenal and there is a lot of diversity with genres, plots, characters, so every student can find at least one book they really enjoy.  The winner for 2013 was the graphic novel, Smile  by Raina Telgemeir.  Also, the website is very user friendly, which makes it easy for librarians to register and promote the program within thier school.  Finally, students love that they are the ones who vote for the winners and are excited to read the winning novel if they haven't read it yet.

The nominations for 2014 were recently released, so my spring break goal was to read at least nominee.  Since I'm a runner, The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen appealed to me.  Any former track runner would be able to relate to this book.  The main character, Jessica, loses her leg in a terrible accident and goes through the trying process of learning to walk (and run) with a prothestic leg.  I really liked this book because I think any athlete could relate to Jessica even though she's a high school girl because the story really focuses on the problems with her leg, not typical high school drama.  I'm definitely going to recommend this book to a few of my track all-stars this year and my cross-country team in the fall. 

Simply Scratch-Off

If you asked any student in my classroom about the technology they used, they probably mention devices like computers, cameras, video games, DVD's, e-readers, and the phone that never leaves their side.  Chances are they'd never mention the technologies that aren't as much "fun."  None would say microwave or watch, calculator or paintbrush even though these technologies probably make an appearance in their life quite frequently.  Does that make these technologies less valuable? Of course not!  In fact, without them student's lives would be greatly affected.  There would be no more Easy Mac or beautiful paintings.  Multiplying and dividing would take significantly longer, but they couldn't say by how much because they'd have no way of keeping time.
Sometimes thinking outside of the box with technology is a good thing for a teacher and a librarian.  That's why this week I learned how to make homemade scratch-off tickets from this website http://www.moredesignplease.com/moredesignplease/2010/6/22/diy-scratcher-lotto-ticket.html.  These easy to make technologies could been used in tons of fun and educational ways.  Students could earn them for reading books, returning books, or recommending a good book.  Students could share favorite titles, which are then put on the scratch-offs.  Every day or week the teacher than scratches off a ticket and the winning title is briefly read aloud or book-talked by the nominator.  The uses are endless, but the anticipation of what could be will keep students interested - proof that simple and crafty is just as useful to teachers as flashy and digital. 

Favorite Places to Read

Last week, a couple of bloggers for Nerdy Book Club wrote posts about places to read and write:  http://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2013/03/12/reading-and-writing-in-strange-places-by-jane-nickerson/ and http://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2013/03/16/top-10-best-places-to-read-books-by-darlene-beck-jacobson/.  These blogs got me thinking about the most obvious place to read books:  libraries.  Why had these writers briefly mentioned libraries or passed them altogether?

As a reader, I myself don't spend much time reading in libraries.  The chairs aren't always comfortable or available.  The people talking about books can sometimes be distracting.  I'm constantly thirsty while reading and the water fountains always seem so far away from where I'm sitting.  . Also, I feel like I'm trapped indoors missing out on all the sunshine.  As you can guess, my favorite place to read is on a lounge chair on my back porch in the middle of summer.  I get everything I love: sunshine, comfort, and books! 

Thinking about my own favorite place to read made me realize how personal a favorite reading (or writing) place can be.  That's why public or school libraries probably don't appeal to all.  There's no way a library could be the perfect place for everyone.  However, libraries should be perfect in one way - people of all ages and groups should be able to find the the books they love so they can read it in the place they love.

Good News about GoodReads

I've debated getting a "GoodReads" account for quite a while now.  In theory, I love the idea.  I'd get to share what I'm reading, see what my friends are currently loving, and keep track of the all the titles that I can't wait to read.  It's like a dream website for book lovers everywhere!  In reality, I know that I rarely check my home email because my school email occasionally overwhelms me.  Some of my Facebook friends think I've fallen of the face of the Earth because of my lack of activity, and my Google Readers account currently has 35 new blog posts that I'm yet to read.  As you can see, technology in my social life is sometimes non-existent, so I've been hesitant to add one more account to update.  In the end, I decided to take the plunge and join GoodReads.  While I'm still developing my personal page, the benefits are already obvious. I'm stoked about the perks of being a GoodRead member, because it's like writing to all my favorite book friends about books.

 The advantages for my students will allow them to grow tremendously as readers also.  GoodReads gives them an opportunity to join a community of readers, who are just as excited about books as they are.  The website also encourages many of the same things I do in my classroom, like keeping track of finished books and books on the "someday list."  Talking about books is also highly valued on GoodReads.    The problem with this tool is that almost anyone can be a member on the website, and even though we teach the importance of digital safety, mistakes can still occur.  Because of this, I think it would be best to get parent permission before students join the site.  Testing it out with a small group of students may also be a good idea to see how it would work in the classroom.  GoodReads is full of classroom potential, but I think educators will need to make it work for their students and classroom on their own.

Author Visits 2.0

As I was reading some of my favorite blogs this week, I came across one that made a lightbulb shine bright in my mind.  The blogger behind  "YA Love" wrote the following  blog about Skyping with an author: http://yaloveblog.com/2013/03/04/skyping-with-geoff-herbach/.  While this may seem amazingly obvious to many other people out there, the idea of Skyping with an author blew my mind!

I keep thinking of it as  Author Visits Version 2.0. Instead of paying for the author to travel to your schooland finding a time that works in both the author's and your school's schedules, why not use technology to bring the author into your classroom through the internet.  What's even better is that the meeting is so much more personal for the author and the students.  With a smaller group of students, more questions can be asked and answered, and the conversation can tie directly into what you're teaching.  For example, Mrs. Anderson focused the conversations in her author visits around the idea of revising your writing, something she had been working on with her students.  Since many students don't believe teachers when they say that revising is something all really good authors do, Mrs Anderson decided to bring the real deal into her classroom.  As Geoff Herbach (a real life author!) was looking her students in the face and sharing examples of his own revising, the students couldn't help but start to believe in it's power. 

Now, I realize that authors can't Skype with classes all the time, but there are plenty of other options out there for educators looking for unique ways to bring authors to their class or library.  Creating a twitter account and following a favorite author is one way technology can bring you closer to your favorite writer.  Tons of authors have blogs also.  One of my favorite blogs to follow is Veronica Roth's, http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com/.  She not only blogs about her writing, but also adds tidbits about her personal life, which helps readers relate to her a little bit better. 

As budgets get tighter, teachers and librarians are going to need to be creative when bringing reading and writing to life for our students.  Skyping, tweeting, and following blogs are just a few ways that authors can be at the tip of our student's fingers. 

Discovering "Discovery Education"

Did you know....

Discovery Education has videos about almost every topic you would teach in a school classroom?
Discovery Education allows teachers to create folders where they can save videos they find useful?
Students can be given usernames and passwords so that they can complete class or individual assignments?
Teachers can add writing prompts to videos and assign these to students?
Quizzes over topics can be found by searching for a topic and can be created and assigned by teachers?

Before taking a class last week from a fellow teaching, I thought the only reason teachers use Discovery Education in their classrooms was to show videos.  I was so surprised to learn all of the other amazing uses for this great resource! 

Not only did I become aware of quite a few ways to for teachers and students to use Discovery Education, I also was able to start implementing some lessons in my classroom the next day.  That's how easy it is to use!  The first step is to purchase a license to use the program, which my district has already done.  After creating a username and password, you can add individual students to your various classes, start saving videos to "My Content," or create an assignment for the students to complete.  I was able to add three videos and create a class in less than hour! 

If you don't have a phenomenal fellow teacher willing to teach you how to do all of this, Discovery Ed has a "user guide" available in almost every area.  It provides clear step-by-step instructions that often include screen shots of what you'll be seeing throughout the process.

This tool isn't only for teachers though.  Librarians can find videos and lessons about teaching research or upload on-line book talks for share with teachers and students.  When collaborating with teachers, school librarians can also share content with other staff members. 

Discovering "Discovery Education" is easy to do and will add value to any school classroom or library!

Book Love by Penny Kittle

                "Every child can read...if you let them."  This is the title of one of Penny Kittle's chapters in Book Love, and I think it is so true!  So oftens, teachers tell students what we want them to read, what they can't read, and how much to read, but do we ever just let them read?  Unfortunately, the answer is to that question is no in too many classrooms across the country.  Penny Kittle points out that the ever increasing demands of standardized testing and upcoming Common Core standards cause teachers to feel as though teaching the assigned literature is the best way to meet all these standards.   One question Penny asks to those teachers is:  isn't reading more books well, better than learning just a few through the eyes of a teacher?   She believes so, and it became her  ultimate mission is to guide as many students into their lifelong love affair with books as possible.  To do this, she's sharing all she believes and has learned with other teachers and many are nodding their heads in agreement.   
                So where do school librarians come in to all of this?   Well, if teachers want to develop "book love" in their students, then school librarians are in the perfect position to help them.  Why?  School librarians love books!  School librarians who keep their libraries full of a variety of text and love many books in that collection can help students find that perfect fit, especially when it takes multiple tries.  School librarians can talk to kids about the books they're reading, creating even more enthusiasm for books.  Finally, when students start to love books and grow as independent readers, school librarians can listen to students and find out what books would be good additions to the school's  bookshelves.  Creating "book love" in children is going to take work, but with passionate and knowledgeable teachers and librarians working together and using Penny Kittle's strategies, I think it's within every school's reach. 

What's New in Your Reader?

            Google Reader allows users to subscribe and manage all the blogs you like to follow in one easy-to-use (after getting some pointers from one of the technology coaches in my district) space.  The five blogs I’m following post frequently and Reader allows me to see all the updates at once, making it easy to glance at new posts and choose what is worth reading.  Setup was easy, but I’m not sure I love the overall appearance of my Reader page.  I wish it looked more inviting like the blogs themselves with colorful backgrounds and interesting fonts.  In the end, creating and using a Google Reader page has made me so excited to start reading blogs again, that I wrote a short Acrostic poem for the occasion.

Reading the blogs I love has become

Even easier

After discovering Google Reader!!  How

Did I never

Ever hear about this before?

Rarely before, has reading blogs been so accessible!

               How could this help me in my teaching?  Reader allows me to keep up with my blogs so that I can occasionally share posts about I read with my students -  like when a blogger raves about a book she recently read or a good book trailer surfaces.  I’ve even shared the links to a few blogs I subscribe to, like the “YA Love Blog.”  This has given my students one more resource to use when looking for the next “book they can’t put down.”  However, I’m yet to share Google Reader with my students.  I think they need to be taught more about blogs before this tool can really be of use to them.  Once they do know the value of blogs and RSS feeds, I think Reader could help them become more digitally literate people.   Having a one place to help you keep up with all the information technology helps people find is something Discover would probably call “priceless.”   

Too Much to Read, Too Little Time

As with many things in life, there is always too much to do and not enough time to do it all.  Dishes, laundry, dancing, spending time with friends and family, exercising, reading, cooking, cleaning, and sleeping are just a few of the things that I would like to accomplish on a daily basis.  Do they all get done?  Maybe within a week's time, during the summer, when I dont' need to grade any papers :)  On top of this, I had an additional goal for the week:  read one post a day from one of the five blogs I follow on Google Reader.

On day one, I read a post!  Not only had I read this blog, http://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2013/01/26/top-10-urban-fiction-books-by-jennifer-fountain/, I had even jotted down a few titles that I wanted to read and purchase for my classroom library.  This item on my to-do list was going to be crossed off in no time at all!

 On day two, I read our literacy coach's blog:  noseinabook5.blogspot.com and learned about "Good Reads."  I loved the idea of reading and sharing about books on a social media site!  Who knew accomplishing a task on the neverending to-do list would be so much fun to do? 

 Day three came with a new blog:  "YA Book Love,"  and I was starting to notice a trend - there are a lot of great reads out there and not a lot of time to read them all.  In three days, I had already added three books to the To Be Read list, but hadn't started one.  At this rate, I was going to need a lot more paper for the TBR list, and would probably turn into a macaroni and cheese eater just to save time to read great books people blog about!

The fourth and fifth day were tougher because I was busy with school and I was started to crave time to start one the books on my recently enlarged TBR list, but I managed to pull through.  Once again, bloggers like Cindy Dobrez and Lynn Roten, brought forth a whole new list of books to one day love.   Friday finally came and I was excited because I put aside blogs for the weekend and enjoy some good old-fashioned books.  The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate was my book of choice and the cold weather made sitting on the couch all that more enjoyable.  In one week, I checked task off the to-do list and a book of the To be Read list - way to go me!

Blairy Blogger and the Half Read Book

Want to know the hardest thing about creating a blog?  Some may guess it’s choosing a design, picking a font, or creating an on-line profile.  On the contrary, websites like Blogger and Word Press make those steps remarkably easy for a novice user like me.   What those sites don’t make so easy is choosing the perfect title for a blog.  They don’t tell you which name will represent who you are as blogger and what the blog is going to be about in an eye-catching nutshell.  No, they leave the tough stuff to the blogger, so I got to work creating a title that would say to the world “Here is Blair – lover of books and future librarian”

“I Heart Books” or “Blair’s Blog” were my first feeble attempts at titling my blog, but they didn’t seem to encompass all that my blog hoped to be.  After a few days of thinking and even more unsuccessful attempts at creating a title, I turned to a fellow teacher who was both creative and funny.  Together we tried to think up names that explained me as a reader and a blogger by putting a twist on the titles of some of my favorite books like Harry Potter, Pride and Prejudice, and Divergent.  We came up with “Blairy Blogger and the Half Read Book” and “Love and Libraries.”  Another teacher joined in the fun with “Fifty Shades of Blair” and “The Adventures of Blair the Blogger.”  While those made us chuckle, they just didn’t seem to be the best fit for my blog.   

As the days wore on, the ideas continued to come and quickly go.  Finally, the perfect one struck me “Girl Meets Book.”  I could blog about the new books I’m reading, the old books I love, and the different ways I’m discovering books through my librarian classes at ISU and the student’s in my classroom.  With the title chosen, I was able to complete my first blog ever without the aid of a magic wand or members of the Erudite faction.