GUEST BLOGGER! Book Smiles by Lesley Burnap

Ball. That word brings so much joy to my dog, a small, leggy Chihuahua mix. Morning. Noon. Night. I am required to throw the round, bouncy toy until my arm is ready to break off. Inside or outside, it doesn't matter, she just loves the chase!

Ball, the nearly wordless picture book by Mary Sullivan, gets my vote for a #booksmiles post. Just take a look at its cover to catch a glimpse of the dog’s enthusiasm for the ball. Take off the dust jacket and underneath you’ll get a visual treat! (I won’t spoil it for you here!) Open the book and you are greeted by simple, uncluttered line drawings depicting just one day in this dog’s life. The range of emotions exhibited by the dog will elicit squeals of laughter and get you to keep turning the page to discover what happens next!

       

Ball. This clever book takes just one word and shares a special story that young and old will enjoy! Just be sure to include your favorite fur-ball when reading Ball! Well, I’d love to stay longer but my ball-tossing skills are suddenly needed!

(Want to know more about the process to make this 2014 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book? Check out this interview with Mary Sullivan on KidLit TV: http://tinyurl.com/ojx7rtx)

Mia said I had to choose this book. It’s her favorite.

Lesley Burnap (@auntierez)

(Thanks for posting for me, Ann!)

Book Smiles 5

Four days late isn't too late to post for #booksmiles, right?  In my defense, I was traveling out of state and didn't have strong wifi... and no I was NOT shaking uncontrollably and in the fetal position due to lack of internet service so don't even think that.  I thumb my nose at that silly connectivity.

The following book totally made me smile!  I learned about it from my friend Carolanne @RobeyLMC and it's on the Young Hoosier book list this year.

A Home for Bird by Philip Stead:

Vernon, the toad, finds a Bird and makes it his friend. He spends the entire book trying to help Bird find its home.  In the end, you will definitely be smiling as you discover where Bird belongs!  

Check it out!

And join us for #booksmiles!  Write about a book that makes you smile and post it to Twitter using the #booksmiles hashtag.  Happy reading!

Books Make Me Smile 4

Last week I found yet another book that made me smile.  Shocking, I know.

Well, technically, it didn't MAKE me smile.  I chose to smile.  I choose to be smiling now, even though I am completely late with my #booksmiles post!  Yay me for being on time!  Ha!

Last week, I was camping out at Kids Ink bookstore in Indianapolis.  It's the cutest little indie with lots of knowledgeable staff.  I like to plop myself down on the comfy chairs and read through all the new stuff.  I came across this book:

Froodle is an adorable and hilarious book about Little Brown Bird who dared to wonder what else she could say instead of "peep."  She was tired of singing the same old song.  Throughout the text, and mixed in with laugh out loud speech bubbles, all the birds of the neighborhood try to come to terms with Little Brown Bird's new song.

Froodle reminds me a lot of Peter Brown's Mr. Tiger Goes Wild or Mo Willems' Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed.  I would almost put it in a book basket titled something like "Characters Breaking Stereotypes."  I think I might just do that.

Anyway, pick up Froodle by Antoinette Portis.  It will bring a #smile to your face!

Are there books that make you smile?  Join us!  Post about the happy book and use the hashtag #booksmiles on Twitter!  Happy reading!

P.S. #nErDcampMI rules!
P.S.S. I can't wait to read the #booksmiles post from #jasontes5th!

An Intellectual Hangover

So what happens when you take nerdy, passionate teachers from around the country, stick them in one place, and let them talk for two days?

You have nErDcampMI.

Nerds being nerds.

You also might be left with an intellectual hangover by the end.  More on that later.

When I joined Twitter over a year ago, my intention was to tweet classroom events and thinking to students' parents.  I never imagined in a million years that Twitter would lead me to meet people and make actual real-life FRIENDS with other teachers who love reading and writing as much as I do.

It's such an odd phenomenon to become "friends" with someone on the internet and then meet them in real life and realize OMG THIS PERSON IS JUST LIKE ME!  WE ARE BEST FRIENDS!

I cannot even begin to blog about everything I learned in Parma, Michigan those two days.  But I will try to list a few:

1. "Building a classroom library is an act of curation." - Donalyn Miller (Yes!)

2. If you want to teach writing, you need to be a writer yourself. - Jen Vincent (@mentortexts)

3. Google docs can be easily utilized in Reader's Workshop to survey student interests and form small groups. - Franki Sibberson and Gretchen Taylor

4. Comprehension work in 3rd grade could begin with wordless picture books to allow all students access to text. - Franki Sibberson

5. "Lexiles were meant to be tools for librarians.  Not badges for children." - Donalyn Miller (Yessss!)

6. It's never easy to facilitate learning in front of a large audience, but it's easier when you have a trusty sidekick like Lesley Burnap on your side.

My sidekick, @auntierez.

7. The nerdybookclub crew is just as kind and awesome in real life as they are on the internet.

8. The NerdRun/Walk is fun, even if you are 14 minutes late and dying of heatstroke. 

Heatstroke at the 5K with @RobeyLMC.

9. If you come to nErDcampMI, YOU WILL MEET AUTHORS!  Real-life authors!

L to R: Jess Keating, (author of HOW TO OUTRUN A CROCODILE WHEN YOUR SHOES ARE UNTIED), me, Colby Sharp

Liesl Shurtliff, author of RUMP.  I stalked her in the lunch line.

10. You will learn so much and meet so many wonderful people, that you may feel like you have an intellectual hangover when you leave.  Wonderful and exhausted.

And finally...
11. Watch out for participants from Massachusetts like these two.  They look innocent, and are very smart, but they will get under your skin and make you miss them when they are gone!  

Massachusetts friends @auntierez and @jasontes5th

Thank you so much to everyone who made nErDcampMI possible this year.  I know it was so much work, and the freebies are absolutely amazing.

Free swag

So join us next year!  July 6-7 in Parma, Michigan.  Nerdies unite!

Books Make Me Smile 3

In honor of this book's first birthday on June 27, here is a big smile and a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the Crayons we know and love!

Happy birthday, Crayons!

Green Crayon has a beard and glasses?

Why do the Crayons make me smile?

1. You guys are hysterical and slightly irritating.  I mean, really, you kinda act like little trainwrecks sometimes and I can't look away.

2. Your disputatious and slightly whiny personalities remind me of some children (and adults) I know and love!

3. You always replied to our tweets this year when we would ask you questions about your thinking and your lives!

4. Your Author Father visited us this spring and brought you guys with him!  It was so much fun to meet you guys in person!  That definitely made us smile.

And finally...

5. Pink is a boy crayon! Pink rocks!  
Huge smile!

Are there books that are making your nerdy heart smile?  Join us in posting about them, using the hashtag #booksmiles on Twitter!

Happy Reading!

Must Read in 2014: Summer Update

My #mustreadin2014 list has grown f o r e v e r long - much longer than when it started in January of 2014. 

As of July 2014, I have read 21/48 titles.  I started with 30 titles to read.  Yikes!  I will not be adding any other titles to my list!  (Ok, I might add 2 more to make it an even 50, but only because I am compulsive.)

As I look at my list, I'm noticing that I must be on a YA binge since almost all of my YA titles are read.  I just cannot help myself, though.  There are some really incredible YA options and they really need me to read them! 

Since April, I have read the following titles that I highly recommend:

Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff (MG)
I could write an entire dissertation about this book. (Ok, maybe not entirely, but still.)  If you were impacted by the book Wonder by R.J. Palacio, you will adore Absolutely Almost. 

Albie is a fifth grader in New York.  He has some learning difficulties that make life with his parents (and classmates) extremely challenging.  And yes, there are parts of this book that are emotionally painful to read.  But through it all, Albie survives, despite this book's realistic ending.  I also appreciated the short chapters and font choice of this text, which is not something I usually notice. This is a must-read for us all.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart (YA)
Books with many twists and turns are some of my favorites!  We Were Liars is one of those books.  I was so captivated by this novel that I read it in one sitting on a Saturday morning in May.  Set mostly on Cape Cod, Cadence suffers a mysterious accident at age 15 while vacationing with her relatives.  She spends the next two years trying to figure out what happened to her.  

Oh, and the use of metaphor in this book will knock your socks off.  (I *may* have tweeted the author, E. Lockhart, about her use of metaphor.  And she *may* have responded about the use of metaphor.  And I *may* have gotten a little fangirly about it.  Maybe.)

Wonkenstein (The Creature From My Closet) by Obert Skye (MG)
I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Obert Skye last spring in Oxford, MS, which is where I purchased this book.  It became a hit in my class this past May as students realized that the art is hilarious and the plot is awesome!  

In a graphic novel-like format, Robert Burnside is a 12 year old with a really creepy closet stuffed with junk.  He soon realizes that there is a creature in there...who is a cross between Willy Wonka and Frankenstein.  The adventures in this book will keep you laughing and I cannot wait to read the sequel!

You can even follow the main character, Robert, on Twitter at @Potterwookiee

A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd (MG)
Felicity Pickle moves back to her mother's hometown of Midnight Gulch with her family.  She soon discovers that the town has a bit of magic floating around it, and that she might even have some magic inside of her, too.  This book is extraordinarily sweet and smart with a delicious message.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (YA)
After I read this book, I thought to myself, Why have I not read more fiction from this point of view?  Why aren't reservations the settings in more novels?

The main character in this book, Junior, lives on an Indian reservation in Washington state.  He is dorky, goofy, and super intelligent.  He becomes the only teenager from "the rez" to attend an all-white school outside the rez.  Throughout the novel, which is interspersed with cartoons and drawings, Junior tries to come to terms with his own identity.  

This is a voice, a narrator, that needs to be heard.  The characters are sweet and sad and hilarious and heart-wrenching. I found myself in a strange state of mind...wanting to sometimes punch the characters, and then in the next breath, hug them and take care of them. Read this.  It's important.

I am currently reading Wake Up Missing by Kate Messner.  (Middle Grade)

Which titles are you reading?  I need to make my list for 2015!  

If you want to know more about #mustreadin2014, click here for information and links to other bloggers. 

Happy reading!

Books Make Me Smile 2

I recently stumbled across this book:

Oh my goodness.  
Not only did it make me smile, but it made my 3rd grade son smile, too.

It's interactive, it's colorful, it's complex, and it's hilarious! (And if you are a fan of Press Here, then you'll recognize this author!)

I appreciate books like this because on the surface, they seem simply cute, colorful, and funny.  But actually, there are multiple layers of meaning happening in books like this.  These kinds of books can challenge kids' understanding of what makes a book "easy" or "difficult" to comprehend.

Are there books making YOU smile?  Write about them and share on Twitter using the hashtag #booksmiles!

7 Reasons To Go 700 Miles With Two Kids

I recently completed a 700 mile (one way) road trip with my two children.  Although we make this trip multiple times per year, this most recent cruise in the Honda Partymobile was, as my son says, EPIC.

The Honda Partymobile.

Here are 7 reasons why everyone should drive 700 miles with two children.  (My children or yours.  It doesn't matter.)

1. My children are 8 and 10 years old.  We are in the stage of listening to music ad nauseam.  It's not horrible at first, until you listen to a Maroon 5 song about eleventy-hundred times across four states.  

2. The above song not only was played eleventy-hundred times, but my son didn't sing the words correctly.  In fact, even when he was corrected, he continued to sing the incorrect words on purpose.  

The correct lyrics, "...caught you in the morning..." 
became my son's version, "...punched you in the nugget..." 
This continued for hundreds of miles.

Me: "What is a nugget and why is he being punched in it?"
My son: "I have no idea." <punches air with his fist repeatedly while screaming incorrect lyrics>

I don't even know.  Although I know he is frustrated with me over the "punching the nugget" issue.

3. My daughter spent a good entire state trying to convince me that Christopher Columbus was killed by bears and dinosaurs.  According to Beary, her stuffed bear, people are actually evolved from a combination of bears and shape-shifting iguanas. 

You can read more about Beary's opinions here: http://kingandkids.blogspot.com/2014/06/bearys-bookaday-books-2014.html

Christopher Columbus apparently had an untimely death.

4. This same daughter also insists that the first person on earth was actually named "Hugh-Man" instead of Adam or Eve or even "human."  

5. My daughter's bear, the one who is the ancestor to all humans, also put on a dance show in the car.  'Lil Jon was rapping about turning down for what, and Beary was amazing.  (All parents listen to 'Lil Jon with their kids, right?  Crunk ain't dead, you know.)

Beary says that Crunk ain't dead.

6. After a day of taking multiple trips to the restroom in various truck stops, my son drops his Watermelon Push Pop onto the floor of the car, right where the bottom of his restroom-truck-stop-walking shoes have been all day.  Of course, he picks it up and puts the Push Pop back in his mouth.  Awesome.

I explain to him why this made me gag.  He looks at his Push Pop sadly and says, "I'm going to throw this away.  I feel sick."

Ten minutes later, I look over and the Push Pop is in his mouth again.  I give up.

The 5-Second Rule Doesn't Apply to Push Pops
Image from www.oldtimecandy.com

7. Soon after the bear was done dancing to 'Lil Jon, I hear Veggie Tales turn up and a cucumber is singing about a belly button.  What?  Where did they find this CD after like five years of heaven without it?!  And how do they still know the words?

And so, this completes yet another epic summer road trip, with no speeding ticket or vomiting to show for it.  Success.

Books Make Me Smile

How in the world will I choose just one book that makes me smile?

Oh, the pressure!  The happy books around me are desperately squeaking, "Pick me!  No, pick me!"

There is one book lately that has been making me smile and laugh:

Brief Thief by Michael Escoffier

Why do I love it?
1. It's a little bit gross.
2. It's a little bit twisty at the end.
3. It's a lot hilarious!

Read it!  

Which books make you smile?  Join us for #BookSmiles!  Write a blog post about a book that makes you smile, post it on Twitter, and use the hashtag #BookSmiles.

Beary's #Bookaday Books 2014

Hello.  My name is Beary.  I am seven bear years old.  My favorite foods are gazelle and zebra.  I don't like people that much, except my friend Rachel and her 3rd grade teacher (Mr. Stroud).  I do like to read, especially books about animals.  Here are the books I am reading for #bookaday 2014.

Ladies, look at my muscles.  This pic is for you.

1. I Funny: A Middle School Story by James Patterson

I fake read this book because it's not about animals.  My best friend Rachel liked it though.  She said it was funny.  The character Jamie wants to be a comedian.  He lives with his aunt and uncle whose last name is "Smiley" but they actually never smile or laugh.  Jamie had funny jokes that were not really funny, but that's what made it funny.  According to Rachel.

2. Bunnicula by Deborah and James Howe

I did read this book and I liked it because the cat bit the dog.  I also liked it because nobody turned into a vampire.  This book did not make me hungry for animals.  It made me gag because there were a bunch of vegetables in it.

3. Blubber by Judy Blume

I couldn't read this book because there were no animals in it.  But Rachel said that it was a good book but she didn't care for the ending much because the book didn't really end.  It just stopped.  The main character kind of worked out her problem, but since it wasn't from Blubber's point of view, it was hard to know what Blubber was thinking.  I don't understand what this means because I am a bear.

4. Big Nate Out Loud by Lincoln Peirce

I also didn't read this one.  No animals.  And the main character wasn't even an animal.  Rachel says that it's about this boy named Nate and his life.  She says it's funny because the characters say and do really silly things.  It's a graphic novel so it was pretty easy for her to read.

Thank you for reading my blog.  I will be back to add more to #bookaday after this commercial break.  I'm off to get some coffee and a gazelle burger.

To Leave or Not to Leave

Follow Your Heart?

Really?  This cliche always seemed enigmatic.  I teach because it's in my bones.  It's a part of me like breathing.  I never thought I had to look to my "heart" to decide what I wanted to do with my life.  I always knew.

I get it now.

Not long ago, I was given the opportunity to leave the classroom again.  It was a fabulous offer and I know that I would have loved it.  I would have loved my colleagues and the opportunity to work with teachers again at the district level.  I was flattered that a district outside of my own would want ME (of all people) to work with them.

I turned it down.

I know that some people would probably think that I am crazy. A higher level position, better benefits, no papers to grade...

Sigh.

I want to stay with kids.

It's sad sometimes that a lot of the most passionate classroom teachers end up leaving for other positions.  But I understand why.  Classroom teaching is exhausting.  Sometimes I want to die when I see the stack of papers to grade or when I realize that I will be spending my entire Saturday at school because I am not even close to being ready for the next week.

Also, working at a district level or higher allows us to impact children on a broader scale.  Sometimes we have a calling to work with education at a more global level.  I know this. 

But I love teaching kids.  I love being able to connect kids with books and authors.  I love helping kids develop agency.  I love watching them become empowered.  I love modeling for them that it's o.k. to be completely and utterly nerdy.

I can't do these things outside the classroom.  I mean, I could.  But it's just not the same.  We adults come with so much baggage.  (I know because I carry the baggage in my luggage cart, too.)  It's not nearly as fun to be a passionate and ridiculous dork in front of adults as it is with kids.

Last week, three of my former students came to see me again.  They are in college, they are amazing kids, and I would be lying if I said this didn't impact my decision to stay. Leaving the classroom would mean no more visits like this.  And yes, these kids are awesome, even though they make fun of how many Instagram followers I have.  (Thanks a lot, TW and CC.)

They let me know that I need more Instagram followers.

Sometimes I wonder why, in education, does it seem like we always must move up, up, up the professional ladder?  Why is staying in the classroom with children not something you do when you are successful?  I need to push back on that thinking.

This decision was hard.  I didn't sleep for a few nights, sure.  But I chose to follow that "heart" voice, wherever it may be coming from.  I chose the little people, who really aren't that much different than us adults.  In fact, maybe experience and size are our only differences?

So thanks, Heart.  Now that I know how you sound, I will listen for you.

I Thought I Knew

You would think that I would know my students, considering that we only have three more weeks of school.

You would think that I would know basic information, such as where they were born.  Or how long they have lived in the United States.

You would think.

I was wrong.

This week I learned that I have a student in my class whose grandfather is one of the most important Ministers in the Republic of Guinea, Africa.

I didn't know.

I had also assumed that this same child, an English Language Learner, was born in Guinea and had moved to the United States when he was 7 years old.

I was wrong.

This past Friday, when his grandfather visited our class (oh my gosh!), I learned that this wonderful student was actually born in the United States.  When he was 1 year old, his parents sent him BACK to Guinea so he could spend his formative years learning from his grandfather, learning French, and going to school in Guinea.  He returned to the U.S. when he was 7.

Wow.  Would I do the same with my own children?  Would I have the courage to send my child away to another country for seven years to be with my parents?

I am continually amazed at my students and the life experiences they have.  Watching my student translate for his grandfather while our class asked questions was the highlight of my month.  

How better for 9 year olds to learn about the French Colonization of Guinea, than from one of the Ministers of Guinea himself?

I need another year with these kids.  I really do.

And I look absolutely ridiculous in this shirt while next to these beautiful people.

Writing Prompts are like Video Games

My good friend Katie Wood Ray once taught me that writing to a prompt is not real writing.  It's test-taking writing.  And it should never be called "Writer's Workshop."  

Ok, so maybe it is just in my head that Katie Wood Ray and I are good friends...although I do have a few pictures with her.  I promise I don't stalk her!

Writer's Workshop guru Katie Wood Ray and I (geeking out) before her retirement from speaking.

What's not just in my head, however, is the reality that kids must write to a prompt on our state standardized assessment.  They must address all the questions asked in the prompt.  They must use correct capitalization, punctuation, grammar, and spelling.  They must stay on topic.  They must use "sparkly" vocabulary and describing words.  They are encouraged to write a lot and stay only on the lines provided.  They have 55 minutes to do this.  They are subsequently scored on a 6 point rubric.

My sweet third grade students were not looking forward to this.  We write a lot in our room.  Actually, some of my students are close to being obsessive writers and Writer's Workshop is their favorite time of day.  You know, the kind of writers that have to be reminded to "please put your writing away...I can see you trying to write while we are learning about fractions."  It's wonderful.

The issue is that these kids DETEST writing to a prompt.  Abolutely abhore it. 

The first time we practiced prompt writing, numerous kids were crying.  I was devastated and many students simply shut down.

So.  I went back to a book I read while I was a Literacy Coach.  Writing to a Prompt by Janet Angelillo has an entire section in her book about how writing to a prompt is really like playing a video game.

I brought an old PS3 controller into school one day and set it at the front of the room.  It caused a stir, but I refused to say anything about it until writing time.

When it was finally time to have the conversation with my students, they were completely perplexed  Um no...there is no way on this planet that writing to a prompt is like playing a video game.  How could I be so ridiculous?

Lo and behold, though, my students finally realized what I was trying to help them understand.  Here is the teaching chart we created:

It truly made all the difference.  

My students realized that yes, they do have some power in controlling the direction of their writing in a prompt.  And although they must follow the "rules" of the "game," they can use their imaginations to create and go in so many different directions.

We just recently finished the writing prompt portion of our state test.  And although my students were nervous, nobody cried.  

They knew that they were "playing a game" and that they had the power to win.

Tweets, Skype, and Pink Icing

"Always be yourself.  Unless you can be a vampire unicorn.  Then always be a vampire unicorn." - Drew Daywalt

This quote hangs on our classroom wall.  It's very popular in our third grade room, mostly because it came from Drew Daywalt, author of The Day the Crayons Quit.  (And also because vampire unicorns are the best.)

We love not only this picture book, but Mr. Daywalt himself.

Maybe love isn't the best word.

Adore would be more like it.

A few months ago, we reached out to Mr. Daywalt via Twitter because his book was having a huge impact on our Writing Workshop.  So many students were inspired by the format and the hilarious personification.  You can read about that experience here http://kingandkids.blogspot.com/2013/10/two-tweets-that-changed-everything.html

We recently were able to Skype with Mr. Daywalt on a very cold Thursday afternoon.  (And yes, we know it was 60 degrees in L.A. that day.  Thanks for sharing, Mr. Daywalt.) We were crazy excited and nervous.  After all, THIS was the author of one of our favorite books...and authors are rock stars!

Well.  Not only did Mr. Daywalt show us the actual box of crayons that inspired his book, but he also showed us each individual crayon from the box while discussing their personalities!  My students were in awe.  I was too.

He later answered our questions and encouraged us to keep writing and illustrating - but not necessarily to stay inside the lines.  We learned that pink is his favorite color.  It was perfect, as we are talking so much about stereotyping lately.  

Our Skype session motivated my students' writing and reading lives.  Definitely.

But more than that, talking with an author they love pushed their thinking even beyond their literate worlds.  Drew Daywalt likes pink?  He colors outside the lines?  He reads The Twits?  I could teach my students that it's ok to be different, but hearing it from a rock star makes it true.

The next day was my student Ivy's birthday and she brought in cupcakes to celebrate.  Unfortunately, there were only 12 Star Wars cupcakes. The rest were Elmo or Princess cupcakes with pink or green icing.  

"Mr. Daywalt's favorite color is pink," one boy said as he ate the pink icing.  "Yeah, it doesn't matter what color it is," said another.

Vampire unicorns forever.