World Read Aloud Day

Read Aloud, I cannot imagine a day of teaching without it. On a daily basis I am reading picture books, excerpts from chapter books, guided reading books, current event articles, and our class read aloud book (Currently Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone), to my fifth graders. Two years ago my building switched from self-contained classrooms to semi-departmentalization at fourth and fifth. My biggest frustration? It cut into my read aloud time.

As I’ve written on this blog before, I realized the power of a read aloud when I was in second grade. (1982 if you’d like to know the year). My first grade teacher, Miss Jan Tuck (or Miss Stretchberry to me) asked me to read aloud to her first grade class. I read Monster at the End of This Book to them and felt magic as I read. I have enjoyed reading to my students but also my children. I think the power of a read aloud is palpable.

My student teacher, Jackie,
reading aloud to the class.

I know many teachers question reading aloud after students read a certain age. Just as I still find it important at my home even though my boys can read to themselves, I think read aloud is critical in the older classes at school as well. In my reading classes I read aloud Extra Yarn two weeks ago. I wish I had been able to put a camera on my shoulder to capture the faces of fifth graders as this picture book unfolded in front of them. There were so many magical moments. When they saw Klassen’s “Bear and Rabbit” I had fingers pointed at me, screaming out, “I want my hat back!” When the archduke hired the robbers, there were gasps. When the text said he opened the box, before I turned the page I heard kids whispering predictions to each other. It was amazing. Picture books, fifth graders, a wonderful combination.

When should real aloud stop? In my experience, never. At the elementary grades it should be occurring daily. But even when I was in high school, I remember being read to. Ms. Flock, one of my high school English teachers read to us. I remember her reading part of A Separate Peace as I held my breath. Mrs. Lindsay, another high school English teacher, read Shakespeare to us. I clearly recall her telling us that Shakespeare was meant to be read aloud. I didn’t understand it when I’d read it at home, but she’d read to us, her green eyes flashing, and I was mesmerized. Mr. Engle, my high school Social Studies teacher, would read current events from the newspaper. Barb Dress, my methods teacher in graduate school, would read aloud from children’s literature at the end of every single class. I attribute my deep appreciate for Patricia MacLachlan’s writing to her reading the book Journey to me over two weeks. Amazing.

I think when we read aloud to our students we create wonderful models for them. We bring them to books they might not pick up on their own. We create a community around text. And, we give them role models for reading.

With this in mind, LitWorld is celebrating their third annual World Read Aloud Day on March 7, 2012. 793 million people worldwide remain illiterate. World Read Aloud Day is a day to celebrate the power of words. By celebrating this day in our classroom, we show our students the importance of literacy and the power of words.

Last year I celebrated by Skyping with several authors (Kate Messner, Riley Carney, Laurel Snyder, and with Shannon Miller’s classroom). My students loved it and I couldn’t wait to participate again.

This year I am challenging my district to see how many teachers Kindergarten – twelve can incorporate read aloud into their day. I am asking them to email me how many students they read to, and when, so we can see our reach in a tiny, rural district. I am asking my mom to be a guest reader in my classroom. And while it is, unfortunately, during state testing week, I will find pockets of time to read aloud throughout the day.

Will you join us? You can find more information at LitWorld’s website. Feel free to ask questions in the comments. Let’s join together to show the world that reading and writing belongs to us all and brings us together.

To close, let me share a favorite quote by C. Alexander London.

It’s a fact: people can survive without books. People can even have wonderful, full lives without books. But they can’t long endure without community, and community is built on stories.

My classroom community is built around the stories I read. It is how I share my love of reading with my students and how we begin to speak the language of readers. I hope you will join us on March 7^th. Spread the word.  

The twirl - Slice of Life

Slice of Life is sponsored every Tuesday by Stacey and Ruth from Two Writing Teachers

I lay in bed on Monday night mulling over what to write my “slice” on for this week. At the forefront of my mind was the upcoming World Read Aloud Day, I keep meaning to write about it but haven’t. (And will soon!) But then, something distracted me. I felt a gentle tug on the rubber band in my hair. It slid out, and my hair began to twirl around little fingers.

Liam.

Chris and I have been blessed with two boys. Luke is nine, Liam is six. When they were little we made the decision to co-sleep. I had no idea at the time that people took up sides in regard to co-sleeping. With Luke, it was a matter of survival. With Liam, it was just something we did by then. Luke moved into his own room when he needed the room, around the age of three. Liam stayed in our room longer. We began a remodel of our upstairs to create a “master suite” and he didn’t have anywhere to move until it was done. I thought the transition would be harder than it was, but he has been fine.

One lasting habit of co-sleeping is that Liam loves my hair. He has always gone to sleep twirling it. When I’m out of town and my husband puts him to sleep, Liam bemoans the fact that Chris doesn’t have long hair. We joke that he will need to bring a wig with him to college. But honestly, I love it.

I’m not blessed with much in the way of height. Written as I stretch my entire five foot one AND ½ inch frame. And the downfall to marrying someone who is six foot seven is that your babies aren’t tiny for long. In fact Luke announced (with delight) that when he grows two more inches he will pass me up. His feet already have. Liam won’t need long either. So I treasure any time where they still seem young to me. Luke doesn’t want me to lay with him to go to sleep anymore. Liam does and I treasure it.

We lay down each night on Batman sheets, picking the books to be read together. Tonight, Henry and Mudge topped the charts. Alternating pages we slip into Christmas time with Henry and Mudge. We laugh as Mudge licks up cookie batter in the kitchen. Liam says it reminds him of our dog. Finally we reach the end, books placed to the side, I turn on the same CD he listens to every night, Levon Helm Dirt Farmer. (No idea where this came from – my husband I guess?) Liam lays down, I place my laptop on his side table and lay next to him. Looking over notes from my grad school assignment, I begin to plan my presentation for Wednesday night. My mind bored, it slips to my blog post. And then, I feel his fingers in my hair. The twirling begins. I swear he could give out head massages and people would pay a lot of money.

Tonight he must be tired because he twirls for just a bit and then I hear him whisper, “Mama.” And he’s out. Life is good. Treasure the moments. 

It's Monday! What are you reading?

 I’m joining Jen & Kellee (and many other bloggers) in discussing what we are reading this week. Join us! Go to their site and link up your own blog.

Jen V. - this picture is for you.
My car stores all of my books as well.

This week saw a lack of picture books but I did motor through some of my Newbery books. I read some wonderful books (Norvelt, Stalin’s Nose, 100 Cupboards) and others that I would rather forget (Well, hello two Newbery winners from the 1920s). Overall, I felt that I was back on track for reading but still need to pick up the pace if I ever have a prayer for whittling away at my TBR stack.

Quick announcement – do you have a TBR (To be read) stack? The Nerdy Book Club is looking for pictures of your stack. Take one quick and send it to them by this Friday. CLICK HERE

Anyway, where was I? Yes, here’s what I managed to get read this week:  

·      100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson *

·      The Dark Frigate by Charles Boardman Hawes

·      Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos *

·      Tales From Silver Lands by Charles J. Finger

·      Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Eugene Yelchin *

I placed an * by any book I felt was truly memorable this week.

Plans for next week? I have the three John Green books to dive into. Also, I am in the middle of reading this amazing one on economics for grad school. I posted this picture of it on Twitter this morning. Anyone feeling like they want it after me? Anyone?

Have a great week!

Katherine

Dreams

I often tell my students the story of sitting in the exact spot they are currently sitting, but the year was 1985 (which they think is absolutely ages ago). My mind would wander from the teacher’s lecture, to the book that was “hidden” inside my textbook, to the note I had folded into a triangle to pass to my friend Kara at the water fountain. When my mind would focus back in on the teacher and the lesson at hand, I often found myself wishing for the same thing, that one day I would be the adult in the classroom, the teacher.

My building, built in 1894

Flash forward twenty-seven years. I am now exactly where I dreamed I would be, standing in that ancient building, teaching students. I smile to myself when I see them try and “sneak-read” a chapter as I teach. I still read way too late at night so I can share my favorite books the next day. I often return to old favorites from my childhood and sell those books to a new group of students. Eavesdropping on a group of girls this week I overheard them extolling the virtues of Judy Blume’s Are You There God? It’s me, Margaret. Who knew kids would love it in 2012 as much as I did in 1983?

The thing I love to share with my students is that I’m living my dream. I always wanted to be a teacher, since the time my mom first gave me a grade book. I remember in second grade creating a class roster for my class of stuffed animals in my bedroom. I remember practicing reading aloud by holding up picture books so the animals could see it and reading from the side, like a teacher. I tell my students to close their eyes, visualize what their dream is for their life. If it could happen to me, it could happen to them.

What I haven’t told them, what I’m scared to share, is that it isn’t my whole dream. Don’t get me wrong; teaching is what I was born to do. I know it as sure as I know the sky is blue. But there is another dream, one that pokes me awake at night. The one that makes me pause as I stare out the window. The dream I am afraid of verbalizing because it will be out there, and that is scary. But, like teaching, it is a dream that has been there since I was young and it is getting harder to ignore. My secret dream? I want to write.

I had stuffed that desire, that dream down so far I had forgotten about it. But, luckily, it didn’t forget about me. And, as fate would have it, I met friends who got me on the path back to writing. I’ve started here, and who knows, this might be as far as I go. I love writing on this blog because it gives me a chance to put my thoughts out there, to see what resonates with others. There are other whispers of writing possibilities that nag at me. I’d love to publish some articles on teaching, to write a book for teachers, to write a book for kids. Will I? I don’t know. I’ve given myself this year to let ideas roll around in my head. I tried to start writing this fall, and have a few things on my computer, but grad school overwhelmed me. So now, I let the ideas wash over me. My goal is to think about it, make it through this last semester of grad school, and then, we’ll see. I don’t want to ignore this part of my dream anymore. And I want to show my students, and my own boys, that our dreams can come true, if only we are brave enough to take the leap. 

It's Monday! What are you reading?

I’m joining Jen & Kellee (and many other bloggers) in discussing what we are reading this week. Join us! Go to their site and link up your own blog.

Ugh. Ugh, Ugh, Ugh. I just didn’t read a lot this week. I mean, I read some but not my normal amount. Which, by looking at my bookshelves, I really need to step up my reading, not decrease! I have so many books I haven’t brought to school yet it is insane.

So what happened? Well, I can tell you – I met John and Hank Green. Not really, I mean I met them through the Internet. See, I’m a bit compulsive. When I “meet” a new author and love their writing, I am then driven to learn all I can:

What else have they written? Do they have a blog? What are they like?

So, after reading (and obsessing) The Fault In Our Stars last weekend, I looked John Green up. Holy Moses – what the heck is Brotherhood 2.0? Vlogbrothers? And then my free time went down the tube, YouTube that is. Hours of hilarity ensued but my husband began to wonder if I was going to jump on I-74, drive two hours east, and begin stalking John Green.

Not necessary. Chris and his brother, Andrew, are eerily similar to John and his brother, Hank.

At any rate, if you have spare hours on your hands, I highly recommend their videos – but only if you don’t have a lot of reading to do.

So, what did I read this week?

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate *

999 Tadpoles by Ken Kimura

Tony Baloney by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Nothing Like a Puffin by Sue Soltis

Owly  Wormy, Friends All Aflutter by Andy Runton


* indicates my favorite reading of the week

I’m currently ½ way done with 100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson (great so far!) and since my boys and husband are watching WWE pay-per-view, I figure I still have an hour of reading time to go. (Unless I am drawn back to the evil awesomeness that is Vlogbrothers).

And, you might have noticed what I DIDN’T read. That’s right; The Dark Frigate is still sitting on my dining room table. I’m having a hard time wanting to pick that up. But, what would you do?

This?

Or ANY of these which are all sitting by my bed right now to begin after 100 Cupboards.

         

                                              

Really, it is becoming increasingly difficult to pick up. Well, I’ll let you know next Monday how that plays out, but it isn’t looking good. Have a great reading week everyone! 

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS BY JOHN GREEN

I don't even know how to properly write about this book, much less talk about it. That being said, I decided to create a vlog. Not sure what I was thinking - maybe it kind-of fits considering John and his brother Hank vlog weekly? After trying many takes I can safely say I won't be doing this often. Much easier to just teach. But had to share my love of this book. Check it out. (And WOW am I looking good there. Love the way you freeze.)

Reflecting on Award Season - Slice of Life

Slice of Life is sponsored every Tuesday by Stacey and Ruth from Two Writing Teachers

So as many of you in the field of education or in the world of books know, yesterday was a pretty big day. I might not know which teams are going to the Super Bowl but I do know that today was the ALA awards. As you might have guessed from reading a few posts on this blog, I was pretty excited. But, until today, I didn’t realize how invested I truly was.

Arriving to school I rushed to my classroom to log on to the live feed. My student teacher, Jackie, and I watched the first few awards come in. I cheered for a few, showed Jackie where those books were in my classroom library, and gave some impromptu book talks. Then the students strolled in. Quickly they figured out what was going on and a group gathered in front of our Promethean board to watch before we had to switch classes. Then, darn it, I had to work. I tested students for their fluency benchmark all morning long. Between students I’d check Twitter. The Caldecott was announced, I knew all four books, had just read the medal winner yesterday. Then, the Newbery. I had read Inside Out and Back Again, I had heard of Dead End in Norfleet but I hadn’t read it yet. Hadn’t even heard of Breaking Stalin’s Nose. Honestly, I saw those titles and my first reaction was a letdown. There were so many books I LOVED this year – where were they? My feelings were like a roller coaster rolling between letdown, angry, hurt, and more.

Then I began to process. First, I realized that what I always preach applies here too, not every book is for every reader. I LOVED Breadcrumbs by Ursu, my mom wasn’t a huge fan. (If you are reading this by some miracle, sorry Anne!) I thought it was a magical world, it wasn’t my mom’s cup of tea. Doesn’t mean it still isn’t an excellent fit – just not for my mom. And honestly, I haven’t read two of the Newbery’s yet – I might love them. I was just angry for my favorites (books and authors – to be honest, I was having a hard time separating the two.)

So my healing had begun. It fully swung around after reading Teri Lesesne’s blog post tonight. She said it better than I ever could. Just go here, read it, and come back. I’ll wait.

Goddess of YA Literature

Read it? Isn’t she brilliant? And if you don’t follow her on Twitter, remedy that immediately. She’s @professornana on there and what a reference she is! Amazing. Anyway, I loved how she said what I was attempting to point out above. Not ever book is for every reader. But I bet I can find a reader for Dead End in Norfleet and that kid will love it just as much as I loved Laurel Snyder’s Bigger than a Bread Box. (And, while I’m handing out directives today, if you haven’t read that – remedy that as well.) So, was I a bit disappointed today, yep. But I now have several books I’ve added to my “to be read” pile. Not a bad thing. And for a while today, books dominated the “trending” list on Twitter. Happy Day! I congratulate all the winners and look forward to another year of racing through books to try and predict again. 

ALA AWARD LIST