Introducing What's the theme? Wednesday

Teaching theme has inspired a new linky party!

Each week we will be hosting a link up to a new theme!

To start our first week:
So I probably should explain the way I book shop.  I love... LoVe... LOVE books.
In high school, I used to work at the library.
So when I go shopping for books, I go with a completely open mind.
My first goal is to find a great book.  Then figure out what I am going to do with the book.
I look at lists online, but there are SO many books that never get the recognition that they deserve, so I don't solely rely on those lists.
That being said, some of the books you will see in this post are ones you might expect.  Others are just ones myself or other teachers found.

The first theme is A Place in This World.

A book to talk about how where you are from helps you to be who you are.

A book that shows that even the homeless have a place they consider home.

A book that shows that the place we most want to be is determined by the important people in our lives.

A book that says, "There is no place like home."

A book that shows sometimes a character has to find a journey to know where they belong.

A book about another adventurous animal!

Now it's time for you to join in on the fun.

Do you have a book that would fit this theme?


EmilyK & Antoinette

Next week: Theme Family

The Writing Process

My district dove into Common Core ELA last year with the introduction to Balanced Literacy and reading workshop.
Midway through the year, we introduced writing workshop through the fabulous training of Matt Glover.  Below you will find an image of Matt Glover and a couple books that he has written.
I have enjoyed my training and conversations with him and look forward to our district training that he is presenting this Friday.
Click on the image of Matt Glover to find more information about him and his books.

 

As you know from reading some of my most recent posts, I received training from the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project from New York.

What an experience that was!

And how lucky am I to be part of it!

Click on the images below to read more about Lucy Calkins and Natalie Louis (my presenter from TCWRP).

My training was geared more towards primary and my administrators was towards upper elementary.

A big topic during this time was the writing process.

In my training, Natalie referred to the writing process as Think, Plan, Write, Revise, Edit, Publish.

My principals heard it as Collecting, Developing, Drafting, Revising, Editing, Publishing/Celebrating.

In the world of Matt Glover, he talks of three stages during a unit: Immersion, Close Study, Writing Under the Influence.

On the internet, you most often hear of the process referred to as Prewriting, Drafting, Revising, Editing, Publishing.

Are these all the same process just a spin off of each other?  I mean you can't make money using the same thing as someone else.   You have to make it your own and name and describe it differently right?

As a Teaching and Learning Coach (known as an Instructional Coach to most people)  my job is to guide and instruct my teachers.

That's difficult when you are hearing so many different stories!

What is the "right" process?

With this in mind, I am almost finished with writing a unit on Vignette-style Memoirs.

I love learning knew things, but with fresh information in my brain, it makes revising this unit more difficult.

It makes me question what I have.

Every 5th grade teacher in my district will be using these.

I want them to be the best they can be.

So where do language standards fit into the writing process?

Do they fit at all?  Part of me thinks they should be incorporated into word study time.

At this point in the game, I have them in the revising and editing section.

We are incorporating CCSS L.5.1 and L.5.3 (varied sentence structure and verb tense in particular).

Are these revision lessons or editing lessons?

At first I had sentence structure as revision because you vary them to add to them meaning of your story.  For instance, short sentences can slow down a story and long run-on type sentences create a sense of urgency or excitement.

But now I am thinking now, that it should be editing because it is about structure (simple, compound, and complex sentences).

After spending some time researching on the internet, I found that no one seems to have a good answer to this.

Revising and editing have a blurred line between them.

I have verb tense as an editing lesson.  For the most part I feel good about this decision because it would fall under usage.

But at this point, I am questioning everything!

So what do you think?

What is the writing process to you?

Where does sentence structure fit in the process?

What about verb tense?

Thanks for you thoughts about this!

Antoinette

Chartchums and Types of Anchor Charts

Do you use anchor charts in your classroom?
Do spend time on Pinterest looking for new chart ideas?
I know I do.

I have another resource for you all on anchor charts.
Chartchums...
Have you heard of this?
There is a website and a book.
Click the images below for more information on both.

I have only seen the Amazon glimpse into the book, but loved what I did see and read.
The book goes into why anchor charts are important to learning.
It goes into brain-based learning and visual literacy.
Section 1 goes into what to put on charts.
Section 2 goes into helping students use the charts independently.
Section 3 goes into assessing the success of charts.
I am thinking I am going to need to purchase this book!

The website has a slew of anchor charts.
Here are just a few examples:

There is also some great information to go along with the charts.  I have only looked at a couple so far but am looking forward to checking this site out more.

Did you know there are different types of anchor charts?
Here is what I learned from the Teachers College training:
Genre- purpose to define and give characteristics of genre currently being taught
Routine- purpose to teach and remind students of certain behaviors
Process- purpose is to break down a specific skill, idea, goal, etc into easy steps
Strategy- purpose is to provide students with a menu of options for a specific skill, idea, goal, etc
Exemplar (annotated text made by teacher, class, and/or student)- purpose is to show strategies in use

Do you use anchor charts in your classroom?

Antoinette :)

Mentor Text SS x3

I love the Must Read Mentor Text linky!
Thanks for hosting Collaboration Cuties!

As you know Antoinette and I have been in Professional Development mode.
I didn't get to attend the Teacher's College sessions, but I did get to attend some classes about reading and technology.

That's where I found the THREE books I am sharing today.  I can't help it.  I find books I love and I must share them.  (It's kind of an addiction.)

Book 1: Henry and the Cannons by Don Brown

Why I love this book:
-It talks about an "every day" person doing an extraordinary thing.
-The writing!!!
        "scant chance of winning"
        "Washington ached for cannons."
   I see a writing mini lesson about word choice and "show not tell" happening with this book.

Book 2: Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom by Shane W. Evans 

Why I love this book:
-The illustrations! The book focuses on finding the light, so the illustrations are dark, until the slaves are free.
-The writing style is minimal.
       "We crawl."  (That's all that's on the page.)
-This would be a great book to teach my Special Education or ELL students about slavery.
-I also think it is a great way for kids to look at writing style.  The author's purpose for not writing many words on each page.  (Since 5th graders write a LOT with no idea why.)

Book 3: Want to be Free by Joseph Slate

Why I love this book:
-The repetitive verse.
      "Before I die, I want to be free. But the Big Man says, You belong to me."
-The book shows the character has a brave spirit and heart.  
     You will be surprised to learn who frees the main character from his shackles.

Do you have a book you can't wait to to share?

EmilyK

Book Talk Thursday...from the AP list

Wow, it's been forever since we have posted.

We have been too busy enjoying summer, I guess.

I have spent many hours reading for fun and reading for grad school (3 weeks left!).

I wanted to take a minute to blog about my 'just because I can' read as part of Reading Toward the Stars Book Talk Thursday.

A moment of background, I have a sister who just finished her sophomore year in high school, where she had to pick a few books off the AP English list.  I have a great friend who used to teach high school English, and now teaches middle school.  She gave me some good recommendations for my sister and some of them actually piqued my interest!

One of them was The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles.

First, I LOVE the structure of the chapters.  Each chapter starts with two quotes from other published works.  One to explain the time period, Victorian England, and one to supplement the story line.
Also, the ending!  It has three possible ending, and you as the reader have to decide what you think really happened.

*I teach upper elementary kids, so I can't read the story to them, but I do plan on using this idea in one of my reading lessons about structure.

Second, I LOVE that the writer puts his voice in the story!

Quote from the book:
“You may think novelists always have fixed plans to which they work, so that the future predicted by Chapter One is always inexorably the actuality of Chapter Thirteen. But novelists write for countless different reasons: for money, for fame, for reviewers, for parents, for friends, for loved ones; for vanity, for pride, for curiosity, for amusement: as skilled furniture makers enjoy making furniture, as drunkards like drinking, as judges like judging, as Sicilians like emptying a shotgun into an enemy's back. I could fill a book with reasons, and they would all be true, though not true of all. Only one same reason is shared by all of us: we wish to create worlds as real as, but other than the world that is. Or was. This is why we cannot plan. We know a world is an organism, not a machine.”

*I plan to use excerpts of this quote with my students, as a lesson in thinking like a writer.

Third, I LOVE the character development.
The characters actually seem relatable even though they're in Victorian England, with social norms that are far different from the day.
The French Lieutenant's woman is a woman who was jilted by a lieutenant that comes to her town during the war.
The people in her town see her as an outcast.  All but one person, who realizes the woman, named Sarah, is actually the smartest and most real person among them!

Finally, I LOVE the vocabulary.
As an elementary teacher I read a number of books and stories that are meant for kids, but don't push me as a reader.  This book has totally made me think about vocabulary with words like: platitudinous, ruefully, banal, tetchy...the list could go on and on and on.
The logophile in me has been giddy to see what words are next.

**If you haven't switched to an e-reader, you totally should!  I love how easy it is to highlight passages and create notes!

*** My next 'just because I can' read is a book written by my uncle, currently titled Timm.  He is in the process of trying to get it published.
It's Science Fiction.
I know NOTHING about Science Fiction!
If you consider yourself a lover of Sci Fi, could you please leave a comment to help me understand what makes a good Sci Fi novel.  I would really appreciate it!

Have you been reading something that you just can't wait to share?

EmilyK

Mazel Tov! to learning something new!

Yesterday I attended a coworkers wedding.
My former 3rd grade team member Megan married an amazing guy.
All my former team members were there.

I have been to a number of weddings, but none like this.
It was my (and my former team members) first time attending a Jewish wedding.

It was simple and beautiful.
Rich with traditions I had never seen before.

As I sat there with my hubby watching the ceremony I was trying to understand the symbolism of each ritual.

As we sat down in the reception hall, one of my former team members said what I, and apparently the other ladies, had been thinking the whole time.

"I just kept thinking about Patricia Polacco and The Keeping Quilt."

The chuppah, the 7 circles, the breaking of the glass

Yep...  you know you are a teacher when life events remind you of books!


I am now reflecting on that statement.  Thinking that I am thankful for Patricia Polacco because she offered my team members and me background knowledge into a world we hadn't known.
(BTW, Megan is a HUGE Patricia Polacco fan, so I am sure she would see this as a compliment.)

Have you ever had a life event that reminded you of a book you read with your students?

EmilyK

Mentor Text Linky- Those Rebels, John & Tom

I'm linking up with Collaboration Cuties for their weekly mentor text linky party.

This week is centered around Social Studies!
I LOVE Social Studies!

I also love my school librarian.  She understands that I have an OBSESSION with books.  This title came in a couple weeks ago, and I was the first one to check it out!  (Not that there was much competition.  It just excites me to say that my class read it first. )

This book jacket description begins:
"John Adams & Thomas Jefferson were very different.
John was short and stout.
Tom was tall and lean.
John was argumentative and blunt.
Tom was soft-spoken and polite."

The book describes their childhood differences and personality differences.

Then it takes you to the Continental Congress where John and Tom discover they can get more accomplished by using their differences, and in the process they develop a friendship based on their love for American independence.

You have to read the Author's Note at the end.  It describes that both men died within hours of each other on July 4th, 1826, America's 50th anniversary.  AMAZING!!

Do you have a new book you just can't wait to share?

EmilyK

More Picture Books and a Chapter Book, too :)

Tonight was my last class with discovering mentor texts and I am actually quite sad it is over.  I couldn't even stay for the entire class tonight because of a prior engagement (this was actually a make-up day from the snow day last Thursday).
I mean don't get me wrong, it'll be nice to have my Thursday evenings back, but I really enjoyed hearing the presentations and learning even more about children's literature.

Even though I had to leave early, I was still able to find some great ideas for mentor texts.

And... I am going to share them with all of you!  Lucky!!! :)

The Quiet Place by Sarah Stewart is a book about a little girl, Isabel, who is moving from Mexico to the United States.  She is very sad at first and misses many things from back home; especially her Auntie Lupita.  This story is told through the letters Isabel writes to her aunt.  At first, the letters have a sad tone, but as she has new experiences, they get much better.

Isabel finds a box which she decorates and thinks of as a quiet place where she feels safe.  Throughout the book she collects more boxes and ends up designing a town which brings a lot of enjoyment to the kids which were invited to her birthday party.

I enjoyed this book because it was written through letters and it shows how Isabel changes throughout the story and learns to adapt to her new home.  Many kids go through similar experiences whether it be moving to America or just moving to a new state or school.

I think I have posted about this one before but I really like this book.

The Librarian from Basra is a true story from Iraq about a time of war and destruction.  Alia fears that her library full of valuable books will be destroyed in the war so she asks the government if she can move them to a safe place.  She is denied, but didn't let that stop her.  She, along with many friends, were able to move every single book to a safe spot just in time.  The library was unfortunately destroyed but luckily the books were safe.

I love this book because it teaches that books are valuable.  Alia tells the government that they are more valuable than a mountain of gold.  She also speaks of the history that would be lost if they are not saved.  It's just a great book and helps the students become aware of other countries and the difficulties they face.

Love, Love, LOVE this book!  This is a chapter book which is written by Natalie Babbitt.  It tells the story of a young girl, Winnie Foster, who is unhappy with her high class life and wishes to run away and find adventure.  When she finally does run away, she encounters a handsome young man, Jesse Tuck, and with him, adventure she definitely finds.  The Tucks are not your normal family.  They drank from a spring (which is what Winnie first spied Jesse doing) which gave them everlasting life.  The Tucks number one goal is to keep this spring secret as they foresee disaster if people find out (We all know that would be the case.).  When Winnie finds out, each member of the Tuck family feel it is necessary to share their personal feelings about having everlasting life.  Most share to warn her against it, but Jesse would love for Winnie to join him in an infinity of adventure.  This is a huge decision for Winnie to make and you might be surprised to find our what she decides.

This book is beautifully written and is perfect for character's point of view, as each character has a story to tell which play a key role in how the story unfolds.

After reading this book with my students, I provided them with a cup of water which would give them everlasting life (not really lol).  We would review each characters' perspective on everlasting life and then they would decide whether to drink or not.  You would think that 5th graders would jump at this opportunity, but surprisingly and thankfully, most dump their water instead of drinking it.

LOVE this book!!!  It was made into a movie which was done quite well but as you all know, the book is ALWAYS better than the movie.  I would always do both. :)

Hope you enjoyed my book shares.  Sorry there weren't very many, but like I said, I had to leave early!

What are some picture books and/or chapter books that you use in your classroom?

Can't wait to hear from you! :)

Antoinette

Top 5 Favorite Picture Books

Need some more picture book ideas?  Getting tired of reading the same books that everyone else is reading?  Well I had class again tonight and as I stated last week, I am going to tell you about my top 5 picture books that were shared tonight.

It is such an amazing class because we all either get paid or earn PGC (professional growth) hours for reading and learning about great books to use during reading and writing workshop.  Pretty sweet huh?

So my top 5 picture books tonight are... (drum roll)

Wild Child by Lynn Plourde

I might have shared this book before, but it is worth repeating.  It is a book about Mother Nature and seasons changing.  Wild Child is a great book for making inferences, asking and answering questions, and how illustrations enhance the meaning and beauty of a text.  Those skills are what I have used in the past, but when I was rereading it through the lens of a writing teacher, I found that it is also great for rhyming, alliteration, and creative endings to stories.  There are three other books that go along with this one.  I have not read them but can bet they are cute also.

We Are in a Book by Mo Williams

This book is absolutely hilarious.  Gerald the elephant and Piggie discover that they have an audience... the reader.  It is great fun for them at first but they begin to worry when they realize the book is drawing to an end.  This interactive book is very engaging and great for beginning readers.  There is a quite a variety to choose from.

14 Cows for America

Have you heard of this book?  WOW is the first word that comes to mind.  I literally cried while reading the endnote.  Such a touching true story about a man from Kenya who was studying in America during the 911 attacks.  His people were known warriors but his culture also taught him to be compassionate and strive to heal wounds.  So after the horrific attacks, his heart ached for the Americans and he decided to give a gift of a cow (which is precious to his people).  He returned home to ask for a blessing on this very special gift and his pain for the Americans touched the hearts of his people.  Instead of 1 sacred cow, they presented 14 and cried, with their hands across their chests, along with the Americans they presented it to as our national anthem played.  Like I said, WOW!!!!
These words below come from Amazon and are so powerful.

"A mere nine months have passed since the September 11 attacks, and hearts are raw. Tears flow freely from American and Maasai as these legendary warriors offer their gift to a grieving people half a world away."

Grandfather Twilight by Barbara Berger

This book is a beautiful story about Grandfather Twilight who takes a single pearl and takes a walk which brings on night.  As he walks, the illustrations display the oncoming night which grows larger throughout the book.  In the end, he sets the single pearl free to take its nightly place in the sky because after all, what would night be without the moon.  This book is wonderful for making inferences, asking and answering questions, and using illustrations to add to the meaning and beauty of a text.

I grouped these two together because they both share a common theme.  Two completely different settings and groups of people find beauty and love in their surroundings.  There is something beautiful and something to love in all of our lives.  Sometimes it is easily recognized and sometimes we have to look beyond the bad to see all the beauty.

Hope you enjoyed my book shares.  Have you read any of these? What are some of your favorite books?  I would love to hear about them! :)

Antoinette

Reunited... and it feels so good!

Is your stress level astronomically high?
It's that time of year, I guess.

What better to relieve stress than a Girls Night Out?

That's just what Antoinette and I had tonight with 5 of our close teacher friends.

We were finally in the same place at the same time! (For those of you who are new to our blog, we used to work in the same building, but Antoinette is now a Teaching and Learning Coach at 2 other buildings.)

We all aired our grievances, shared stories, and had plenty of laughs.

We even talked about some teaching ideas, hopefully we will get around to sharing them soon.

How do you relieve stress this time of year?

Now onto something you can possibly use!
We are talking about narrative non-fiction in my classroom.
So of course I had to read Tarra & Bella.

Then we watched the videos of the them.  If you click the image it will take you to the CBS page with the videos.  (I only got watery eyed this year!)

I really wanted to emphasize to the kids that narrative nonfiction can be great for kids that don't like non fiction.  Heart warming and emotional, not just facts.

I had several other examples for kids to read during readers workshop.
Of course they are all knew:

and a Show Me Award (MO book award) nominee:

What books do read to start a more in depth study of non-fiction?

EmilyK

October Currently

It is time for the October Currently hosted by Farley at Oh' Boy 4th Grade.  Gotta love a Currently!  Emily's comments will be in... black. Antoinette's comments will be in orange.

I usually go with blue, but it is October!  I love October!  It is my second favorite month of the year.  My birthday month (June) is my fav of course. lol :)  I LOVE fall and Halloween!  Orange is such an October color and I have felt for quite some time that it is an under-appreciated color; which is crazy because it is SOO cool.

So let's talk about The Stranger...

When I first read this story years ago, I didn't like it at all.  I thought this book is way to hard for kids to really understand what it is about.  Well little did I know that it was really my teaching that was the problem. I was so early in my career and wasn't teaching my students deeper comprehension skills (those poor kiddos lol).  Isn't that how all new teachers feel??  As my teaching skills grew and strengthened, so did my love for this book.  Now it is one of my fav's; especially this time of year.

If you have never read this book, YOU MUST!!!  There is little about the stranger that is stated explicitly so it is great for making inferences.  Read it to find out why it is perfect for this time of year.

Well it is 12:15 AM and as I stated in my Currently, I am NEEDING a better sleep schedule.  That being said, time for bed.

As friends and co-bloggers we have some interesting late night conversations!

I went to see the newly reunited Ben Folds Five last week- AMAZING!  (You may not know this, but my hubby and I are music freaks and go to all kinds of shows.)

I love the time of year that welcomes soups and chilis. (Hello crock pot!)

My wardrobe is in serious need of an update!  New long sleeved shirts and jeans need to get in my closet! (As Farley would say!)  

I love Goodnight Goon!  Its such a great way to talk about parody writing.  

BTW, have you checked out our 150 follower give away?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Enjoy your scarves, football, and Halloween candy!

Antoinette & EmilyK

Teaching about Sandwiches

There has been quite a bit of press about sandwiches lately. 
It made me think of a great book, that our counselor reads every year with the 3rd graders.

It is the story of two friends who are very different then each other.  One girl brings a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch everyday, and the other girl brings hummus.  They end up swapping sandwiches, and learn that it's ok for friends to be different.

I love this story, and it seems to be very socially relevant at the moment.

EmilyK

Website & Book Recommendation

You know you're getting sick when, you are administering a student's reading assessment, and you are nearly falling asleep!

Yep that was me yesterday.

I'm sick.  Not the death warmed over sick, but the sinus trouble, coughing, soon loosing my voice sick.

So, I am home, trying to take one day to get back on my feet.

That is good for you though!

I finally have time to blog about a great website and a great book.

The website is 

It will take a YouTube video and remove everything from advertisements to comments.  

It's great!

Then I have a book recommendation for you.  Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea.

It has some very interesting characters.  They each write from their point of view.  Alexia was my favorite to model for the kids.

Hope you have a great Wednesday! I am off to get some meds, so I can return to work tomorrow.  :)

EmilyK