River of Words by Jen Bryant

I learned about poet William Carlos Williams this summer during the National Writing Project.  His name came up during some of our discussions about poetry and once again when one of the student’s strategy lessons incorporated the work of William Carlos Williams.  The lesson used the book Love that Dog by Sharon Screech.  It was excellent.   One of the many lessons I was inspired by this summer.    It made me examine my own instruction and realize the importance of incorporating poetry into my reading classes.  I just shared the book Love that Dog by Sharon Creech as a read aloud (inspired by my classmate). We have been learning about how a character changes over time.  The main character in the book, a young boy named Jack, doesn’t care much for poetry in the beginning and is reluctant to write.  Over the course of the book he develops his confidence and grows into a poet as he shares the heartwarming and sad tale of his dog Sky.  When I was looking for books to choose for my bibliography this one immediately caught my eye.   I am glad it did.  I loved this book.  My class and I talked about the poets mentioned throughout the book  Love that Dog.  I shared the River of Words with them to teach them about the life of William Carlos Williams.  It really excited their interest.   It is a great resource to incorporate in teaching my class about the work of William Carlos Williams.   The book is beautifully illustrated and adds to the simple beauty of the poems Williams wrote about the ordinary things in life.

In researching resources for my bibliography I came across the website: 

http://www.poetryarchive.org/childrensarchive/home.do   children can search the archive for information about the life of poets and examples of their work.  Kids can also just browse the archives for poems about the things that interest them.      I came across an annual art and poetry contest for children ages 5-19 sponsored by Saint Mary's College of education.   A perfect tie in because the contest is also called the River of Words.  Very Cool  :) http://www.stmarys-ca.edu/center-for-environmental-literacy/river-of-words

Advanced Reading Challenge

The 21 Balloons by William Pene Dubois

Beginning in October each year  we hold an Advanced Reading Challenge at my school.  The lists of books come from Imagine Schools. Students who choose to participate select books to read from a list developed for their grade level. After they complete the books they do a creative response project for each of the books.  The goal is for the students to read and respond to 25 books.  Students who complete the challenge earn a $100 savings bond from the Imagine corporation.  The Advanced reading challenge is a great way to provide enrichment opportunities for the readers in my class.  Initially, the program was designed for the higher level readers in my class, but I have a hard time excluding any students from participating.  I tell my kids that even if they do not complete 25 books the fact that they choose to challenge themselves as readers is an accomplishment to be celebrated.  At the end of the challenge I have a party for all the students who chose to participate.  I have read the majority of the books on the list and can recommend books that would be accesible to the majority of the readers in my class.  Every couple of weeks I hold an after school session with the kids to come and come up with project ideas and help them work on their projects.  It is honestly one of the most enjoyable activiites I get to do with my students.   I love seeing how creative my students are and giving them the opportunity to express it.  My 90 minute reading block is so jam packed with lessons and activities that those kinds of projects are often not given that chance.  I allow them to work on projects when they have finished their class assignments, but can focus more time and attention on helping them in out after school workshops.  I had the chance to work with one of my third graders on a project for the book  The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene Dubois.  She decided to create a hot Air Balloon and put facts and information about the book in the basket.  Originally, she used a regular balloon which deflated rather quickly so we decided to try covering the balloon with dilluted glue and water and cover it in different color tissue paper.  It was really great how the project turned out.  I am thinking we might have to add another layer to make it more sturdy, but so far it is holding up pretty well.   I went home covered in glue from  holding the balloon, while she covered it with the tissue paper, but we had so much fun doing the project.  Those are the interactions with my students that I treasure.  To see how excited and engaged they are about responding to books is exciting.

Book Buddies

Every 5 weeks the students in my class participate in clubs.   At the beginning of the year they are given a list of choices of the clubs and choose the one they are interested in.  Last year,  I attempted to start a book club, but not a single student signed up.   I was still stuck on the idea when we were asked to provide a description of the club we would offer.  This year I decided to start a Book Buddies Club.  We have buddied up with one of the primary reading classes on club day.   During our first meeting, I helped my intermediate students choose books appropriate for their younger buddies.  It was honestly one of the most enjoyable days I have had in quite awhile.  Older and younger students alike loved reading the books together.   For our next meeting, the younger students are going to choose a book to read to their older reading buddies.   I am so excited for our next club day.   The interaction between the older and younger students is amazing to watch.  What a great way to encourage reading for both the older and younger students in the group.  I would love to have the opportunity to expand on this idea and have some of my struggling readers become reading buddies on a weekly basis.  It's motivating and engaging and lets them practice their oral reading fluency while practicing the books they share with their buddies.  It really is a shame that I am restricted in my ability to do this more often because of the pressure to perform on FCAT.  In my opinion the relationships, positive impact on self esteem, and the practice both groups get while reading to one another is invaluable.

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg

I just finished reading the book The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg  by Rodman Philbrick. Set during the Civil War, The story chronicles the adventures Homer encounters in his search for his brother Harold.  Harold was sold to the union army by an unscrupulous uncle left in charge of caring for the boys after they are orphaned.  12 year old Homer runs away from his uncle and heads south in attempt to save his brother from the horrors of war.Homer uses his natural talent for lying to get himself out of some sticky situations on his quest to be save his brother from the war.  This book would be great to include in a unit of study on the Civil War.  It teaches students about the Civil War as well as the abolitionist movement.  The website http://suzyred.com/2012_The_Mostly_True_Adventures_of_Homer_Figg.html has some great resources to use in conjunction with book.
National Geographic http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/multimedia/interactive/the-underground-railroad/?ar_a=1 has a great webquest on what a slave may encounter on their journey on the Underground Railroad.  As students progress through their journey they are offered choices on which path to take.  The options they choose determine what path they take and the outcome of their journey.

Motivation to read

One of my biggest obstacles right now is engaging my reluctant readers.  I confer with my students regularly during their independent reading time to discuss the books they are reading, reccommend books that may interest them, and assess whether they are choosing books that are appropriate to their level.  It is extremely frustrating for me because many times I will sit with an individual student and "shelf shop" with them to match them with a book to read during independent reading time.Many times, after we have spent time choosing books, they come to class without their books or abandon the books they chose.  They are not consistent in their reading and hop from book to book.   They have developed a multitude of avoidance strategies to try and get out of independent reading time.  As soon as I transition my students to Independent Daily Reading,  the bathroom requests and the need for passes to the nurse begins.  I have attempted to address the issue with parents by contacting them and expressing my individual concerns.  The struggle I am facing makes me even more aware of the importance of motivation and engagement.  If I cannot connect with their interests and find something they are interested in reading, then I am limited in my ability to improve their comprehension.   It is extremely hard to do when some kids are fighting me every step of the way.

Flawed Dogs

When I was researching the books to include on my annotated bibliography I was excited to see that Berkeley Breathed had ventured into writing children's books.   I always enjoyed the Bloom County cartoons he had written and was a fan of the character Opus the penguin.  I liked the comic because of  it's dry, subtle humor.   I was hoping to find a similar style of writing in the book Flawed Dogs.   I was not disappointed.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.  
The main character in the book is a dachshund named Sam.   The story describes his beginning as a show dog,the tragic circumstances that lead him to become a stray, and the plot he hatches to seek revenge against the evil poodle Cassius, the one responsible for Sam being framed for a "crime" he didn't commit.  The challenges that Sam must face are heartbreaking, but are told in such away that the often tragic events in his life are at times funny. I found myself laughing and feeling such pity for Sam at the same time.  He is the type of character you end up rooting for.   The illustrations in the book add to the humor and help you to visualize the motley crew of dogs that Sam enlists to help him bring down Cassius and expose him for the evil fraud that he is.  I could not put this book down.   The whole time I read I kept hoping for the happiest of endings, not just for Sam, but the extremely lovable " unadoptable" dogs that join him on his adventure.

I just watched Black Power and the Black Panthers via Discovery Education

This video gives a brief background of the Black Panthers role in the Civil rights Movement.  I think I would use this to build background for my students when reading One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia.  The video clip would probably be best suited for middle school age students.  It does describe how the Black Panthers original mission of providing free breakfast and "liberation schools" turned toward violence during the late 1960's.





I just watched Black Power and the Black Panthers via Discovery Education

One Crazy Summer

In the book One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams Garcia three sisters are sent to California to spend the summer with their mother who abandoned the family many years before.  The girls' father felt that it was time that they learned about their mother for themselves.  Reading this book brought me back to my own childhood visits with a father I barely knew.  It made me think of the awkwardness and the feeling of not knowing how to act or behave in the presence of a person that you barely know.    I could identify with the mixture of feelings and emotions that you experience when interacting with a parent that has been essentially absent from your life.  Wanting to hate them for not being there,wondering what was more important to them than being a parent, and secretly longing for them to be the parent you always dreamed of.   I remember struggling  to reconcile the fantasies I invented in my mind of what a parent should be and the reality of who the person actually is.  The main character has such and honest and straight forward way of expressing herself.  Garcia put into words thoughts, feelings, and emotions that I have had a million times in my life, but was never able to express.  In the beginning of the story I could not find anything I liked about the character Cecile (the girl's mother).  I thought of her as selfish, cold, and could not fathom why she would leave her children behind.  In the end, I felt real empathy for her.  I ended up viewing her life circumstances as tragic.  Especially because the hardships she had faced made her incapable of being a loving and nurturing mother.  I felt sorry for her that she missed out on being able to experience the unconditional love that only a child can bring.
I thought it was interesting how Rita Williams Garcia used Oakland, CA as the backdrop for the story.  She was able to intertwine the story of a young black girl struggling to learn about her mother with the civil rights movement.   The girls in the story attend a summer program run by the Black Panthers.  In addition to learning about their long lost mother they develop an understanding of the ongoing fight for equality, discrimination, and understanding their own racial identity.