Book-Hungry Hands: A guest post by Pat Mora

May 1, 2013 – 9:00 am

Pat MoraOur recent grant from First Book prompted us to ask our authors to reflect on why diverse books are important. Guest blogger, Guest bloggerauthor/poet Pat Mora, talks about witnessing the special connection Spanish-speaking children make with books that include their culture and language.

“Once upon a time . . .” A magic phrase that can change our breathing. As far as we know, humans are the world’s story-telling creatures. Let’s think about the unique period in the lives of children when they begin to savor that phrase, when in fresh ways little ones are experiencing their surroundings and deciding where they fit.

For many youngsters, media is their main source of information and entertainment. Children lucky enough to become readers discover that they can read those once-upon-a-time words to themselves—and others. They discover the pleasure and power of words. Since words and books are powerful, how can we doubt that the images of children, families, and cultures in their books have a subtle and significant impact on young readers and their families? Who merits having their stories shared and who doesn’t? How does it feel not to see people like you between the covers of beautiful books? Are all our books created and valued equally?I wish you could see the smiles of Spanish-speaking children when, in reading one of my books to them, I say a word in Spanish.

I wish you could see the smiles of Spanish-speaking children when, in reading one of my books to them, I say a word in Spanish. “Leaves sail through the air/like lazy mariposas,” I say, and the bilingual children smile as they imagine lazy butterflies. Those children delight in sharing their linguistic knowledge. They feel included, a feeling we all appreciate. Makes me wish I were trilingual, multilingual. Luckily, in our diverse country, we have authors and illustrators from many countries excited by sharing their stories. Diversity: our common wealth.

Once upon a time in El Paso, Texas, I grew up in a house with books. I assumed everyone did. Years later, as a new children’s book author, I realized that many homes, apartments, and trailers in this country had no books. Not one. I felt (and feel) a quiet  sYum! Mmmm! Que rico!adness. These children are growing up without the magic found on the page: the stories, facts, adventures, poems; the words that take readers on journeys physical and emotional, that make us feel less lonely, part of the human family.

To share what I call bookjoy, I founded Día: El día de los niños, el día de los libros, Children’s Day, Book Day, to celebrate children and to promote connecting all our children to books, to initiate a national, annual April tradition. Thanks to First Book, many such celebrations place books in the book-hungry hands of children, especially low-income children. Through the years, I see the excitement of children and families. I remember the child who asked, “Is this for me to take home to keep?”

I’m grateful to publishers such as Lee & Low that have consistently published books that belong in our libraries, schools, and homes. Readers, and we are a large and powerful group, need to be enthusiastic and self-interested purchasers of multicultural books. Why self-interested? Because we want to savor our rich and complex literary tradition, and we want this same experience for our country’s children.

Further Reading:

Tony Medina on growing up without books

Joseph Bruchac on the only book in the house

By Hannah | Posted in guest blogger, Musings & Ponderings | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Books for children with autism: Jay and Ben

April 30, 2013 – 7:31 am

Katharine Swanson photoGuest bloggerIn this guest post by special education teacher and Jay and Ben co-author Katharine Swanson, she explains how the book can be used as a tool when reading with children with autism.

During Autism Awareness Month (and all year round), teachers and parents alike think about the importance of educating their child with autism in the most effective way.  The most effective method of instruction varies from student to student and is as wide as the spectrum itself.  However, one universal method revolves around written words being broken down into picture symbols to represent words and sentences.

In my experience in the classroom, students benefit from texts and questions being broken down into pictures to make them more visual and concrete.  People with autism tend to think in visual, concrete ways.  The added visual element enhances their comprehension of the material being presented to them. Therein lies the main benefit of a book like Jay and Ben.  The story is simple and already broken down into manipulative picture symbols to help students of all levels comprehend.  The picture symbols with the book are removable and can be manipulated as needed for different students.

Jay and Ben page, before picture symbols

Jay and Ben page, before picture symbols

Jay and Ben page, with picture symbols added

Jay and Ben page, with picture symbols added

I have found that the pictures provide an extra support for students learning to read through memorization and sight words.  The pictures can then be rearranged and manipulated to create comprehension question choices to check for understanding. Jay and Ben’s use of functional skills brings the story to life: it not only allows kids to practice functional skills but also gets them to connect to a character in the story through mutual activities.

The better we can get at presenting material to students with autism, the more they will gain from school and education.  It goes without saying that this will make for better prepared adults when they exit the school systems.  The value of informational text and literature being presented in picture form to students with autism is paramount. For someone who thinks concretely and literally, seeing more abstract ideas represented with pictures enhances understanding. Jay and Ben is a simple effective tool that can be utilized in classrooms and homes in multiple ways.  Visual tools are always going to be effective when educating students with autism, and it is our job as educators and parents to provide our children with the most effective tools available.  Happy reading!

Watch Katharine Swanson explain how to use Jay and Ben with children with special needs:

Watch Katharine Swanson read Jay and Ben with a student

Print out free resources to go with the book and learn more

By Hannah | Posted in Curriculum Corner | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Unpacking the Common Core Standards, Part 1: Thinking Horizontally

April 29, 2013 – 7:30 am

Jaclyn DeForgeJaclyn DeForge, our Resident Literacy Expert, began her career teaching first and second grade in the South Bronx, and went on to become a literacy coach and earn her Masters of Science in Teaching. In her column she offers teaching and literacy tips for educators.  

For many educators across the country, this has been our first full year of adapting our instruction to meet the rigor of the new Common Core standards.  One of the best pieces of advice I’ve received lately regarding planning under the new standards is a simple concept that can be a bit challenging to apply:  think horizontally.

It’s so easy to become fixated on the standards *only* for the grade we’re teaching, but thinking horizontally through the strands allows for so much room for "It's so easy to become fixated on the standards only for the grade we're teaching, but thinking horizontally through the strands allows for so much room for differentiation."differentiation.  Most students have only had the benefit of one year of instruction under the new standards, and may not have yet mastered the skills that the Common Core envisions as prerequisites.  For example, the Common Core is written as if this year’s third grader has been receiving Common Core-level instruction since Kindergarten and has mastered all the standards leading up to third grade.  Chances are, this hypothetical third grader probably hasn’t, and may need further instruction around some of the skills and strategies found in the standards. An effective way to fill in the gaps is to work horizontally through the standards using increasingly complex text.

Over the next few weeks, I’m going to walk you through what effective close reading questioning can look like by unpacking one strand at a time using texts of varying complexities.  First up:

READING STANDARDS FOR INFORMATIONAL TEXT K-3, Key Ideas and Details, Strand 3

Yum-Apples

In Kindergarten, the strand reads:  With prompting and support, describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.

Example text:  Yum, Apples by Tina Athaide

genre:  creative nonfiction

Strand-specific questions:

Describe how an apple seed becomes an apple tree sapling.  

  • (Refers to pages 2-3)  What happened to the seed?  How did it change?  Why did the little girl plant the apple seed in a pot and not outside?  How do you know? Use what you learned from the words and from the pictures to explain your answer.
  • (Refers to pages 4-5)  What happened to the little apple tree seedling?  Why did the little girl bring the seedling outside?  What is she going to do with the seedling?  Why? How has the seedling changed since the beginning of the book?  What season is it now? Is it the same season as it was at the beginning of the book?  How do you know? Use what you learned from the words and from the pictures to explain your answer.

Leo-and-the-Butterflies

In first grade, the strand reads: Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.

Example text: Leo and the Butterflies by Jan Reynolds

genre:  informational text

Strand-specific questions:

What do butterflies need to survive and to reproduce?

  • (Literal) How do butterflies use plants to survive and reproduce?  What is a “host plant”?  How are host plants important to the butterfly life cycle? How do you know?  Use what you learned in the text to support your answer. 
  • (Inferential) Think about one of the two key parts of the butterfly garden: the net covering. Why is the net there?  What does it do for the butterflies?  How do you know?  Use what you learned in the text to support your answer.  

Mongolia

In second grade, the strand reads:  Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text.

Example text: Vanishing Cultures: Mongolia by Jan Reynolds

genre: informational text

Strand-specific questions:

Describe how Dawa’s house helps his family travel to find fresh grass and water for their animals.

  • What is a ger? What does it look like?  How do you know?  Use what you learned in the text to support your answer.
  • How is a ger built? What are its parts?  What does each part do? What is it made out of?  How is it built to be both strong and moveable? Why is it important that the house is strong and moveable? How do you know?  Use what you learned in the text to support your answer.

Horse-Song

In third grade, the strand reads: Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence and cause and effect.

Example text: Horse Song by Ted and Betsy Lewin  (works well as a Read Aloud paired with Mongolia as shared reading)

genre:  narrative nonfiction

Strand-specific questions: 

  • Describe the festival of Naadam.  What happens the day before? During the Naadam? During the closing ceremony?  Retell each part of the festival in order, using evidence from the text to support your answer.
  • Describe the parts of the ger and the customs and practices associated with each.  Why is there an opening at the top of the ger?  What function does it serve? What does the roof ring represent? How do Mongolians use their animals and surroundings in the construction of the ger?  Use what you learned in the text to support your answer.

 Further Reading:

 

By Jaclyn DeForge | Posted in Curriculum Corner, Resources | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Poetry Friday: Tony Medina on Pablo Neruda’s “To Wash a Child”

April 26, 2013 – 12:33 pm

Tony MedinaApril is National Poetry Month, and we’re celebrating by asking some of our own Lee & Low poets to share their favorite poems with us. Today, poet and Guest BloggerHoward University Professor Tony Medina (I and I Bob Marley, Love to Langston, DeShawn Days) shares:

A poem I keep going back to—and one I frequently share with my students—is Pablo Neruda’s “To Wash a Child.” It is the ultimate ode to what Neruda refers to as “the oldest love on the earth.” The poem is rich in nuance and specificity, bringing the seemingly mundane, daily task of bathing a child to such a heightened act of beauty, frustration and mischief.

Image from "Baby Born"As if sketched in charcoal (“First the hair was a torturous/snarl crisscrossed by charcoal,/sawdust and oil,/soot, wiring and crabs,/till love’s/patience/established its buckets and sponges”) from a cartoonist’s pencil, the child comes to life to rambunctiously resist being washed (“the child issued newer than ever before”), running out to take on the day, only to get messy and dirty again (“ran from the hands of its mother/to straddle its cyclone again,/Looking for mud, oil, urine, and ink”), the poor, helpless parent, left with wash bucket and a floor of splashed soapy sloppiness.

What Neruda does beyond elevating the mundane into a praise poem of everyday activity—bathing a toddler—is reveal to us the carefree, rebelliousness of childhood and youth—and how suddenly it can be washed away by the insistence on “practic[ing] a habit of cleanliness” only to “live lifelessly on.” What Neruda tells us about growing up and conforming here is as breathtaking as the rich details and imagery he issues forth in this timeless and beautiful ode.

Here it is in the original Spanish, via Spanish Poems (where you can also find an English translation, though not the same one quoted above):

Para lavar a un niño

Sólo el amor más viejo de la tierra
lava y peina la estatua de los niños,
endereza las piernas, las rodillas,
sube el agua, resbalan los jabones,
y el cuerpo puro sale a respirar
el aire de la flor y de la madre.

Oh vigilancia clara!
Oh dulce alevosía!
Oh tierna guerra!

Ya el pelo era tortuoso
pelaje entrecruzado por carbones,
por aserrín y aceite,
por hollines, alambres y cangrejos,
hasta que la paciencia
del amor
estableció los cubos, las esponjas,
los peines, las toallas,
y de fregar y de peinar y de ámbar,
de antigua parsimonia y de jazmines
quedó más nuevo el niño todavía
y corrió de las manos de la madre
a montarse de nuevo en su ciclón,
a buscar lodo, aceite, orines, tinta,
a herirse y revolcarse entre las piedras.
Y así recién lavado salta el niño a vivir
porque más tarde sólo tendrá tiempo
para andar limpio, pero ya sin vida.

Further Reading:

Marilyn Singer’s favorite poems

Lee Bennett Hopkins’ favorite poem

 

 

By Hannah | Posted in Holidays | Tags: , , , | Leave a Comment

Children’s Book Press Titles Back In Print

April 25, 2013 – 12:43 pm

Children's Book Press logoMany of you were fans of Children’s Book Press (CBP), an award-winning multicultural children’s publisher, long before it was acquired last year by Lee & Low Books. If you’ve been wondering which of your favorite titles have made it back to print under our new CBP imprint, I present you with our shiny new 2013 Children’s Book Press catalog:

You can find more information about each CBP title we carry on our website, along with reviews, previews, and teacher’s guides. And if you want to be kept up-to-date about new CBP titles that we’ll be reprinting in the future, subscribe to our monthly e-news.

By Hannah | Posted in Curriculum Corner | Tags: , , , | Leave a Comment

Growing Up without Books: Discovering DeShawn

April 24, 2013 – 9:00 am

Tony MedinaIn light of our grant from First Book we asked our authors to reflect on why diverse books are guest bloggerimportant. Guest blogger, author/poet Tony Medina talks about growing up in the projects without books and later as an author witnessing the true power of connecting multicultural books with children of color.

As a child in the Throgs Neck Housing Projects in the Bronx, I did not grow up with books. The only person I saw reading was my grandmother, who occasionally read mass-market paperback fiction and her Bible that was as big as a phone book. If the Bible fell from the top of the dresser where she kept it, it could take your kneecap off and crush your foot in the process! The only time I recall being exposed to children’s books was at school when the teacher took us to the school library and the librarian allowed us to take out Curious George books.

This boy exclaimed about me, the author, How does he know about my life?"It was as an adult that I really began to appreciate children’s books. I remember being fascinated by the marriage of art and text. The stories and poems were depicted so beautifully and richly that it seemed as if they blended together seamlessly, creating a world by which even adults would be captivated. I knew right then that I wanted to be part of that magic. I thought, if I as a grownup can be taken with the majesty of these portable art galleries and museums, children must truly love them.

Soon after, I began buying children’s books and taking some out from the library. I not only found myself interested in the wonderful stories and poems, I wanted to teach myself how to write them—by reading them. The more I browsed through shelves in bookstores and libraries, the more I noticed that many of the books I came across did not speak to or from the point of view of a kid like me from the projects. I yearned to read about what a child from the ’hood had to say about his life and his world. I remember reading an interview with the African American novelist and Noble Prize-winner Toni Morrison, She said she wrote the books she wanted to read. That nugget of wisdom stayed with me as I made my way to fulfilling my dream of becoming a writer.

By the time I decided to write my own children’s books, a child’s voice began to present itself in my mind. It belonged to a kid named DeShawn Williams, and he was talking about his life growing up in the projects. Not surprisingly, his words seemed to mirror my experiences as a child. Poems in DeShawn’s voice began to take hold of me and I began to write them down. Before IDeshawn Days knew it, DeShawn was telling me about the people he loved and lived with: his mother, who was in college; his grandmother, who helped raise him; his uncle, who stood-in for his absent father; his cousin Tiffany, who was like his sister, even though they fought like crazy; and his best friend from school, Johnny Tse, who taught him Karate, which he assumed was from China, but finds out was from Japan. Thus, DeShawn Days, my first book for children, was born.

There was no greater feeling than to see the publication of DeShawn Days, which was initially embraced in manuscript form by my editor and subsequently published by multicultural children’s book publisher, Lee & Low Books. At that time, no books like DeShawn Days were around. The only thing that topped seeing DeShawn Days out in the world was sharing it with children, particularly children who came from a world similar to DeShawn’s. I remember encountering a youngster who had the same name—DeShawn—who was also being raised by his grandmother. This boy exclaimed about me, the author, “How does he know about my life?”

This experience made me realize in a real way, outside of my own literary aspirations, the power of books: how they can matter and make a profound difference in a child’s life, especially when they speak to and from the child’s own experiences and validate his or her life.

—Tony Medina,
Howard University

By Jason Low | Posted in guest blogger, Musings & Ponderings | Tags: , , , , , | Comments (4)

Reading Biographies to Reflect on Core Principles and Create Belonging

April 22, 2013 – 9:00 am

Katie CunninghamGuest blogger Katie Cunningham is an Assistant Professor at Manhattanville College. Her teaching and scholarship centers around children’s literature, critical literacy, guest bloggerandsupporting teachers to make their classrooms joyful and purposeful. Katie has presented at numerous national conferences and is the editor of The Language and Literacy Spectrum, New York Reading Association’s literacy journal. 

Spring is here and with that spring fever for many students who will be graduating from a significant milestone and moving on to the next stage of their lives. Graduating students will hear speeches that urge them to seize the day, to work hard, to stand out amongst the crowd, and to answer the question “Who will you be?”. The Common Core State Standards are written with this day in mind. While the standards are designed to raise the level of education that any child receives regardless of socioeconomic status, race, gender, and language, the standards alone do not put children on the path to college and a career. We cannot overlook that some students see themselves from a very early age as “card carrying members” in college settings while others feel displaced. Before we can ask our students “Who will you be?”, we need to wonder “Who do our students believe they can be?”

Katie Cunningham quoteThe last few springs I’ve hosted seventy-five fifth graders to the college campus where I’m an Assistant Professor. These fifth graders attend a school where 93% are of Latino descent, 85% have reduced or free lunch, and almost 40% have limited English proficiency.  For many of them this experience is their first time on a college campus and the vast majority will be the first generation in their families to attend college. The trip is only five miles by school bus, yet our campus is a world away for many students. The trip is designed to give fifth graders the sense that they are card-carrying members. That they belong here. That they are on the road to college as a pathway to a career.

As educators and parents, we know that college and career-readiness cannot simply be reduced to a series of skills-based standards. Rather, it’s a complex topic with social, cultural and political considerations that go far beyond the classroom. I believe we can enact curriculum that centers the standards in engaging and joyful ways, but what can we do to rewrite history for many of our students who face obstacles inside and outside our classrooms everyday? We can bring them to college campuses and support them to see themselves as members of intellectual communities. We can also support students beyond single events to routinely consider what guides us and what has guided people before us to reach their dreams. Harvard Professor Ronald Ferguson established five core principles I believe our schools must teach long before and alongside any reading, writing, or math lessons:

  1. Be a caring and trusting person
  2. Share your voice
  3. Set high expectations
  4. Persist persist persist
  5. Reflect on how far you’ve come

These principles can be strengthened by the sharing of great stories about remarkable people. I’ve chosen some of my favorite Lee and Low books that provide strategic opportunities for discussion around these principles to support students to consider who they are and who they want to be. The following biographies shed light on real people who led their lives by strong principles.  I’ve chosen some of my favorite passages from these books alongside text-dependent questions that incorporate the five core principles. Consider creating a biography text set for your class where students have the opportunity to read across texts. Discuss how these figures were alike, how their lives were different, and which core principles guided them. View videos like the Make the Difference campaign and consider how the children in Koh Panyee relate to the biographical figures in these texts. Then, ask your students “Who will you be?” and listen.

Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story
Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds front cover

The sign at the swimming pool read, MEMBERS ONLY. Twelve year old Sammy Lee knew exactly what that sign meant—only whites were permitted to enter even though it was a public pool. This was

the practice in 1932. Sammy would have to wait until Wednesday, when people of color were allowed to go inside.”

“Although his father wanted him to be a doctor, Sammy knew he wanted to be an Olympic Champion.”

  • How does Hart’s support of Sammy demonstrate a trusting relationship?
  • How does Sammy share his “voice” with the world?
  • What does Sammy overcome to persist in his pursuit of diving success?
  • Reflect on Sammy’s journey. What can we learn from his life that relates to our own lives? What specific moments in the text can you refer to in support of your ideas.

Game, Set, Match, Champion Arthur Ashe

“WHOOSH! With one smooth swing of his arm, the young black man sent a forehand shot sailing into the opposite court. I wish I could do that, Arthur thought.”Arthur Ashe front cover

“Arthur’s arms and legs were as skinny as soda straws, but he was strong and had quick-fire reflexes. He soaked up everything Ron taught him, including the rules of the game.”

“Arthur started winning, and his confidence grew—a little too much. In a match against a child his own age who was less skilled than he was, Arthur blasted shots past his opponent.”

  • Who supports Arthur Ashe in his quest to become a tennis champion?
  • How does Ron help Arthur to become a sportsman not just a champion?
  • What does Arthur overcome to persist in his pursuit of tennis success?
  • Reflect on Arthur’s journey. What can we learn from his life that relates to our own lives? What specific moments in the text can you refer to in support of your ideas?

Baby Flo: Florence Mills Lights Up the Stage
Baby Flo cover

“Goat Alley—that’s where Florence got her start. It was in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Washington. Jobs were hard to come by. Florence’s daddy took whatever work he could find, but there was never enough money. Not for food. Not for clothing. Not even for coal…” but “like a little bird. She filled the room with song.”

  • How does Nellie, Flo’s mother, demonstrate care to her family and to her customers?
  • What encourages Flo to share her voice and to persist with her passion for singing?
  • How does Flo set high expectations for herself?
  • Reflect on Flo’s life journey. What can we learn from her life that relates to our own lives? What specific moments in the text can you refer to in support of your ideas?

Honda: The Boy Who Dreamed of Cars

“Soichiro’s mother wove cloth. His father worked as a blacksmith, hammering molten iron into fishing hooks, shovels, and farming tools. The oldest of nine children, Soichiro liked to watch his father make these things.”Honda cover image

“One day when Soichiro was seven, a man drove a rumbling Ford Model T through town. Soichiro had never seen a car before. He ran beside it, amazed by the many moving parts.”…

“Someday I will learn how a car works and make one myself, he thought.”

  • In what ways does Soichiro persist in his dream of learning how a car works and making one himself?
  • What obstacles did he face in achieving his dream?
  • How does Soichiro share his voice with the world?
  • Reflect on Soichiro’s life journey. What can we learn from his life that relates to our own lives? What specific moments in the text can you refer to in support of your ideas?

Silent Star: The Story of Deaf Major Leaguer William Hoy
Silent Star front cover

“With this game-saving play, Hoy had made history. He became the first player ever to throw out three runners at home plate in one game! The crowd erupted into cheers. Then the fans did something
else, something they always did to show their appreciation when Hoy made a great play. They threw confetti up in their air and wildly waved their arms and hats and handkerchiefs. The fans made such a visual commotion because William Hoy was deaf.”

  • What are defining moments for William Hoy in his journey to become a major league baseball player ?
  • How does he show pride in what he does even before becoming an inspirational figure?
  • How does William Hoy demonstrate determination in pursuit of his dreams?
  • Reflect on William Hoy’s life journey. What can we learn from his life that relates to our own lives? What specific moments in the text can you refer to in support of your ideas?

Shining Star: The Anna May Wong StoryShining Star front cover

“There was nothing Anna May enjoyed more than sneaking off to the cinema. Watching a movie, she could escape from her everyday life, travel to interesting places, and experience new things.”

  • Where does Anna May find her true self?
  • How does Anna May demonstrate determination in pursuit of her dream to be a film star?
  • What obstacles does Anna May face in achieving her dream?
  • How does Anna May’s determination for quality roles make a difference for not only her own life but for the lives of girls from all backgrounds who deserve meaningful roles in films?
  • Reflect on Anna May Wong’s life journey. What can we learn from her life that relates to our own lives? What specific moments in the text can you refer to in support of your ideas?
By Amanda | Posted in Book Lists, Curriculum Corner, guest blogger, Resources | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Poetry Friday: Marilyn Singer’s Favorite Poems

April 19, 2013 – 9:30 am

April is National Poetry Month, and we’re celebrating by asking some of our own Lee & Low poets to share their favorite poems with us. Today, poet Marilyn Guest Blogger Singer (A Full Moon is Rising) shares:

Marilyn SingerOne of my favorite poems is by the late Karla Kuskin:  “Write About a Radish…,” which begins:

“Write about a radish/Too many people write about the moon.”

I always find it elegant and profound in its simplicity.  To me, it’s about the power and majesty of those things we don’t always notice, those mundane things that deserve our attention as much as more obviously impressive objects.   You can read the entire poem here.

A related poem I love is Naomi Shihab Nye’s “The Traveling Onion,” which lived on my refrigerator for many years.  Its opening lines are:

“When I think how far the onion has traveled/ just to enter my stew today, I could kneel and praise/all small forgotten miracles.”

As a poet, I am always appreciative of miracles such as radishes and onions.  Here is the whole poem.

Image from Rainbow Stew

Further Reading:

Lee Bennett Hopkins’ favorite poem

Marilyn Singer on how to read a poem out loud

By Hannah | Posted in guest blogger, Holidays | Tags: , , , , , | Comments (1)

The Only Book in the House

April 17, 2013 – 9:00 am

guest bloggerJoseph BruchacIn light of our recent grant from First Book we decided to ask our authors to reflect on the idea of receiving one’s very first book. Guest blogger, author Joseph Bruchac talks about the influence books have had on his life and the continued importance of books in the lives of children today.

What does a book mean to a child? A book all his or her own? I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have books. I was raised by my grandparents in a house full of books that belonged to my grandmother. I loved to pull the books off the shelves and look through them, even when I didn’t understand most of the words.

But what meant the most to me was having my own books. It wasn’t easy to get books when I was a child. This was long before Borders, Barnes & Noble, and ordering books online. We lived in a small rural town, far from the nearest bookstore. One of the most exciting things for me was when my grandmother drove me to Glens Falls, twenty miles away, where there was a bookstore with a small children’s section. For the two dollars saved from my monthly allowance, I could buy a book—usually about nature—such as one of those in the Old Mother West Wind series by Thornton W. Burgess. All the way home I’d sit in the back of our old blue Plymouth, clutching that new book, eager to open its pages and be lost in the world it created for me.

That was more than sixty years ago. Do books still hold that sort of magic for children? Is having a book of one’s very own meaningful to a child in the 21st century when mobile devices make it possible to connect with the world in ways unimaginable in my childhood?

I firmly believe the answer is yes. It’s not just because I write books for young readers. My belief is based on what I’ve seen and continue to see when I visit schools. Kids cherish their books. Sometimes they express it to me in person or through letters and e-mails that they write to me, saying how much they’ve enjoyed a book, asking questions, and even offering suggestions for additional books I ought to write about the same character. When I see fifty excited third graders standing in line waiting for their chance to have their books signed by the author, I am certain that connection between children and a personal copy of a book is still strong.

I’ve seen this connection in children from every conceivable ethnic and economic background. It’s been my good fortune to be able to frequently visit schools on Indian reservations and in inner cities. There, rather than having a home full of books, children’s own first book may be the only one in the house.

Several years ago I did author visits to schools on the Pine Ridge Lakota Reservation in South Dakota. Pine Ridge is perhaps the most economically disadvantaged community in the United States, situated far from any place where jobs can be found. Even the water on most of the rez is undrinkable and pure water must be brought in by tanker trucks. Levels of alcoholism, suicide, and abuse are shockingly high. Yet some of the finest people I’ve ever met still live on Pine Ridge.

I was being taken around by one of the school bus drivers. As we passed his house—a single story dwelling not much larger Jim Thorpe's Bright Paththan an average two-car garage—he turned to me.

“Know how many kids we have living with us?”

I shook my head.

“Eleven,” he said. “Only four of them are ours. The rest are all kids who were homeless.”

I just nodded. He wasn’t looking for praise, simply letting me know how things were. The traditional Lakota way is to view all children as your own, to care for any child in need.

Then he smiled. “Today,” he said, “every one of those kids is going to get a book.”

And later that day, when one of those children handed me her copy of my book Jim Thorpe’s Bright Path, she said, “I really like where this book takes me.”

By Jason Low | Posted in guest blogger, Musings & Ponderings | Tags: , , , | Comments (3)

Why use thematic text sets?

April 15, 2013 – 7:00 am

Jaclyn DeForgeJaclyn DeForge, our Resident Literacy Expert, began her career teaching first and second grade in the South Bronx, and went on to become a literacy coach and earn her Masters of Science in Teaching. In her column she offers teaching and literacy tips for educators.  This is the fourth in a series of posts on thematic text sets.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been sharing some examples of thematic text sets, or groups of books that cover one topic and span multiple genres and multiple reading levels. Many of the coaches and administrators I’ve met with have been really excited by the prospect of planning this way, but have been (understandably) a bit overwhelmed, too.

Between choosing a topic and finding enough books from all the different genres and levels you’ll want to include, compiling these text sets can be time-consuming and potentially expensive, especially given the resources you may or may not have available. That said, the academic payoff is absolutely worth the work.  Students gain a more in-depth understanding of the topic or theme being addressed and are able to engage with said content via multiple means and modalities. As a result, they are often able to internalize a far greater amount of information.

The benefits of utilizing thematic text sets:

  • Selecting both fiction and nonfiction texts across various genres ensures you’ll be able to hit both literature and informational text reading standards.
  • Selecting texts on a variety of levels allows for differentiation (ex: a book that’s independent reading for a higher reader serves as a great guided reading text for a lower reader; advanced readers may work in pairs to tackle passages from complex Read Alouds, etc).
  • Independent reading texts reinforce the basic, foundational concepts that are later expanded upon by the more complex, rigorous Read Alouds.
  • Guided and Shared Reading texts allow teachers to address key foundational skills as well as literature and informational text reading standards.
  • Complex texts selected as Read Alouds allow teachers to address key speaking and listening standards through discussion
  • Reading a variety of texts allows for discussion or written responses on a variety of topics (ex: identify author’s purpose, compare and contrast two texts, generate persuasive opinion pieces, etc).

Text Set on the Himalaya

What themes or topics would you love to address using a thematic text set?  What are your questions or suggestions around their creation?  Add your thoughts to the comments below!

Examples of thematic text sets:

By Jaclyn DeForge | Posted in Curriculum Corner, Resources | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment
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