Kirby Larson's Blog, page 39

Teacher Tuesday

Due to a family emergency for the interviewee, today's planned Teacher Tuesday post got sidetracked. But I don't want to let this Tuesday go by without shining a spotlight on the wonderful teachers and librarians in this world.

Each week, I ask interviewees if there has been a teacher in their past who made them stretch in a particularly powerful way. Every single person so far has answered yes. I'm betting that you could answer yes, too.

I know I certainly could. I've been fortunate to have some wonderful teachers but, having gone to many different schools, I don't necessarily remember them all by name. But I do remember 6th grade and Mr. Craig. It was his first year of teaching and my first year at yet another new school. I was dorky and shy and nervous. I have no idea if Mr. Craig knew about the mean girls' campaign to leave cruel notes on my desk each day, but his interest and confidence in me made me want to come to school, no matter what those scraps of lined notebook paper might say.

A voracious reader, I absolutely detested book reports. Until Mr. Craig assigned them. No more dioramas or five-paragraph essays. We were to create (fake) television news reports or plays or radio interviews instead. No matter how crazy a student's idea, Mr. Craig would say the 1960s version of "go for it." 

Recently, I reconnected with a girl I'd known in 6th grade (not one of the note-writers!). She said she remembered my telling her that I wanted to be a writer someday. I don't recall ever saying that; if I had, I certainly lost that dream by the time I left high school. But I believe that Mr. Craig found a way to turn on the tap of my creativity, way back then. So, when I rediscovered my passion for books and words years and years later, that supply was still there, just waiting for me to crank the rusty faucet on.

Mr. Craig and I have stayed in touch, so I've had ample opportunities to thank him personally for all he's meant to me. But I've never had the chance to do so publicly.

Until today!

Thanks, Mr. Craig. And thank you to all the Mr. Craigs of the world.

Friend Friday

Something happened last August that made me a huge consumer of board books: Princess Esme Donna Wyatt arrived on scene and, of course, her grammie wants to read to her! Some of her favorite board books are by Seattle author/illustrator Leslie Patricelli so we can't wait to add the newest to our collection:







The cover cracks me up because it perfectly captures how Winston the Wonder Dog greets baby Esme every time he sees her.

This would be the perfect Valentine for your favorite toddler!

Thursday's Thought

"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step."
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Teacher Tuesday

It hasn't been intentional on my part, but so far, Teacher Tuesday interviews have primarily featured elementary school teachers and librarians. So, I'm very pleased to bring you the thoughts of middle school teacher Andrea Payan. She works with seventh and eighth graders at Morgandale School in Milwaukie, Wisconsin. And she has terrific things to say about read alouds for middle schoolers so let's dive in!
First, a peek into Andrea's past: 
 Favorite school lunch as a kid: Salisbury Steak.  I almost never brought my own lunch so I had to get used to eating school lunches.  This one was the one I looked forward to every month. Best friend in grade school: Maureen Ryan.  She lived two blocks away from me and we spent countless hours exploring the neighborhood and imagining big adventures. Times you were the new kid in school:  In 7th grade we moved because my father got a new job.  Luckily, the middle school where we moved started with 7th grade so I didn’t stick out so much.  Then I moved again in 11thgrade and was the new girl.  My stepbrother was a senior that year so I at least knew him and his friends. Teacher who inspired you to stretch:  I had so many great teachers -- I was truly blessed!  There are three teachers who stand out as inspiring me in some way. Mr. Szudy, my first grade teacher, read aloud to us every day and gave us silent reading time. He even had a loft in his classroom. I remember how happy it made me when it was my turn to be able to climb up there and disappear into a book.  Mr. Fuller, my high school English teacher for both junior and senior years, taught the advanced and AP classes and was a tough grader. In every paper written for his class he gave a point for every well-supported argument. He added up the points and that was your grade on the paper (the goal was 10 points). Students were allowed to revise as much as needed to get the points.  I worked my butt off in those classes and learned so much about refining arguments. Ms. Babcock, my Spanish teacher in middle school, worked so hard to make classes fun for us.  She also cared about us deeply.  The summer after my eighth grade year my father passed away.  The only sympathy card that came just for me was from this teacher.  I was so touched that she took the time to reach out to me in that time in my life and that has really inspired me to make sure that all of my students know I care about them each and every day. The one thing you always wished you could do in grade school but never achieved:  I could never solve a Rubik’s cube.  Eventually, I ended up moving the stickers I think.  I still can’t get more than one side figured out. 

Andrea, several other teachers and librarians have shared about the importance of read alouds with their elementary students. However, you work with middle schoolers. Let’s explore how read alouds work for older students. Most middle schoolers are fluent readers--why read alouds for this age groups?
Adolescents are not always very excited about reading.  In fact, more and more of them come into middle school grades convinced that reading is boring.  The right book for read aloud can convince a classroom full of students that reading can be rewarding and is not boring.  Getting them hooked on a great book helps me to convince them to read independently and find the same pleasure in a good story.
Hearing a good book is such a community building experience.  Having a book that you know everyone has read because you read it aloud makes it easier to have discussions about literary elements.  Everyone in the class remembers the characters and the situations in the books we read so we can constantly make reference to that story to help understand the concept we are studying.             Also, it is not always true that middle school students are fluent readers.  Yes, there are many students that read fluently, but there are also many students who are still struggling.  Read alouds provide an avenue for think alouds that help students become aware of their own thinking processes.  This in turn helps them to comprehend the books they are reading independently.              How did you come to realize the value of read-alouds with older students?
Read alouds were such an important part of my classroom community when I was teaching younger students that I couldn’t imagine NOT reading aloud.  Being a reader, I turn to professional books for advice when I am facing new challenges.  I spent a lot of time reading about teaching reading to middle school students before I moved to this grade level.  What seemed to jump out at me was that it was going to be important for me to be able to do think alouds to bring my thinking out for my students and to help them understand that reading is thinking.  I always have so many books I want to share with my students and this seemed like the best way to share some of those titles. 
The first time I realized the value of read alouds for older students was the first time that they groaned in protest when I was going to stop reading.  It is amazing to hear kids who started the year with outspoken protests that “reading is boring” start to beg to hear more of a book.  It is also awe-inspiring to hear the silence that falls in a classroom when a group of students is really interested in a book.  They may not say it out loud, but I hear it in their silence while listening to the story…that is when I know they’re hooked.      
Do you have strong memories of being read to as an older student? Could you please share about those?
 I was incredibly lucky in that I attended an amazing elementary school.  I was read to in every grade and have very strong memories of silent reading time in the classroom with cozy surroundings and even a loft in one of the classrooms. 
I remember my fourth grade teacher reading books to us that resonated with me into adulthood.  When I became a teacher, I actively sought out the books I had heard in fourth grade so that I could share those titles with my classes.  I remember vividly being so moved by the book The Island on Bird Street by Uri Orlev that I asked my teacher to leave the classroom one day during a particularly tough scene. This book is about a Jewish boy trying to survive in hiding in the Warsaw ghetto during WWII and his story sucked me in so completely that I could not stand it.
            The librarian at our school was also passionate about reading.  Our library was my favorite place in school and the librarian was one of my favorite people.  Read alouds were always a part of our library time and I have a special place in my heart for Tomie DePaola books because the librarian loved them. 
How does being read to impact your students?
First and foremost, being read to helps my students to gain access to books that they may not have otherwise read or understood.  I try to pick out books that bring a message to my students and teach them about life lessons.  When a book is powerful and speaks to the soul, students learn to focus and stay in the moment with the story.  They also get to see that even the most fluent readers sometimes make mistakes and need to correct themselves.  It is also important for them to hear fluent reading with good inflections so that they can learn to read orally with expression. 
What do you think they learn about reading for themselves from being read to?
 Students learn that there are good books out there with stories that they connect to.  They also learn a little bit about their own tastes in books.  Every student in the class is not going to love every read aloud, but they are exposed to different genres and that helps them to understand what they like.   A big part of my read aloud time is spent in thinking aloud and engaging students in discussions about the books.  This helps them in their independent reading because they learn to think deeply about their reading and hopefully start to discuss their books with others. 
What are some favorite titles? How did you discover them? Freak the Mighty, by Rodman PhilbrickNightjohn, by Gary Paulsen Wonder, by R.J. Palacio Touching Spirit Bear, by Ben Mikaelsen Miracle's Boys, by Jacqueline Woodson Al Capone Does My Shirts, by Gennifer Choldenko
Most of these books were discovered on lists put together by other educators.  When I was moving to middle school, I tried to make sure I was reading books that would be relevant for my students.   Some of the books were ones I knew other educators had used successfully as read alouds, and a couple were books that I took a gamble on because I enjoyed reading them.  I have found that shorter books work better for middle school attention spans, especially in the beginning of the year. 
Obviously, a book needs to speak to you in order for you to want to read it to your class. Talk about the ways in which one or two of these books spoke to you.
Wonder was a book I discovered because of the constant praise it was receiving on Twitter from other teachers and librarians.  This book touched me because it really spoke on a deep level about what it means to be kind to others.  I was particularly drawn to this book because I used to live with my stepbrother who was physically disabled.  I have seen the types of looks that Auggie talks about getting.  I have felt similar feelings to what Via feels.  The author did such a good job of realistically portraying this life and I was glad to share that perspective with my students.
Do you have particular read aloud methods/techniques?
Read alouds are the foundation of my teaching.  I use the read aloud to teach a lesson about the particular skill or strategy we are focusing on.  Students have their reading notebooks out during read aloud and they are actively practicing a strategy while being read to.  For example, when we focus on making inferences, I will stop multiple times while reading to share with students an inference that I am making.  Their job is to write down the inferences in their notebooks along with any inferences of their own.  After a few days of this, students are mostly writing their own inferences while I am reading.  In this way, students practice thinking while reading and I also have their notebooks for accountability to make sure that they are really listening to the read aloud. 
What else would you like to tell us about reading aloud and/or about reading aloud particular titles?            Another great idea for read aloud is to read the first chapter of a book as a way to get students excited about the title.  I love whetting their appetites for certain titles by reading these short excerpts and then watching them as they clamor for that title. 
Andrea, thank you for this testament to the power of reading aloud, no matter the age of the listeners! If you want to learn more about Andrea's work, you can follow her on Twitter, @payanar.

Friend Friday

Even if you don't have a sweet tooth, you will love this new book by Loralee Leavitt. Loralee has figured out a way to combine science and sweets -- what's not to like???
 

Here's what Loralee shared with me about her book:


Candy Experiments began as a suggestion from my four-year-old daughter (now 9), when she asked if she could put some Halloween Nerds in water. At first I thought it was messy and wasteful, but I let her do it. A few days later,when she asked again, I realized: she wanted to dissolve all of her candy! I covered the table in bowls of water and we set to work. That’s when we started noticing strange things, like the way the m’s on M&M’s floated off of the candy. Looking back at the science I’d studied in school, I realized I could demonstrate science principles with some of these crazy experiments, and the rest is history (and hard work).
My book covers science topics such as density, melting and freezing, sinking and floating, acid, nutrition, and many others. It also contains really cool experiments like soaking gummi worms in water to make them grow, dipping cotton candy into water to turn it into slime, and dissolving candy to make crystals.
Writing this book has been a great experience doing kitchen experiments, science research, and lots of consulting with experts. It has, I’m sure, been much the same process of discovery that you’ve gone through for your historical novels.

Your local elementary school librarian would love you for donating this. And you'd be uber-popular with neighborhood dentists, as well. 

Just kidding.

But I'm not kidding about getting this book. I'd say more but I'm busy making a giant gummi worm.

Thursday's Thought

"Whatever you are, be a good one."
Abraham Lincoln

Sign of the Times

I don't normally post on Wednesdays, but had to share this:



If any reader out there recognizes this, let me know! I took it at a school I visited but can't recall where it was.

Teacher Tuesday

Are we ever back after the holiday break! Adam Shaffer (@MrShafferTMCE), 5th grade teacher at Ten Mile Creek Elementary in Everson, Washington (he can see Canada from his classroom), has a ton of great stuff to share about starting a boys' book club.

Our first order of business, as usual, is to snoop around in Adam's past: 

The young Mr. Shaffer ready to read!


Favorite school lunch as a kid:  I didn’t buy lunch very often, but I always bought when it was “Breakfast for Lunch.” I love everything that has syrup. Best friend in grade school:  Dana. He lived over the hill from me. I probably rode my bike over that hill a thousand times.  Times you were the new kid in school: I was lucky enough to stay in one place all through public school.Teacher who inspired you to stretch: I was very shy in school; good at working hard and doing well and sliding by without much attention. I never had to stretch, though some teachers tried. Here’s the truth: I’ve never been stretched as much as I have in the last year, by Twitter friends and teachers like Mike Hutchinson, Colby Sharp, Mr. Schu, Donalyn Miller, and all of the #nerdybookclub. This last year has transformed my classroom, my teaching, and even my worldview and philosophies.The one thing you always wished you could do in grade school but never achieved: I always thought I should have been able to pass that danged Presidential Physical Fitness test. I think I always got stuck because of the flexibility part.Okay, let's get to how you work to connect kids and books. You started a boys’ book club at your school. What prompted you to do that?


I started Guys Read eight years ago because our librarian was running a Mother-Daughter book club and I wanted in on the fun. I then found the wealth of resources Jon Scieszka has collected for Guys Read, and felt like I found one of my callings. Things took off from there. I will never stop doing it.
What do you think are the key ingredients of a successful book club for boy readers?
Here’s what one of my guys, Abbas, said once: “I like Guys Read because the leader is Mr. Shaffer, the coolest person ever. He is not strict like most teachers, and he is childish but grown up at the same time.” 
If we dissect that statement a little, I think we can get a sense of what might be needed. I’ll gloss over the “coolest person ever” part and point out that Guys Read clubs shouldn’t be burdened by rules or requirements. No “can’t come if you’re missing homework.” No “can’t attend if you haven’t read the book.” It must be welcoming and open to all. The only requirement for Guys Read is showing up. And you don’t even have to show up every time! So that’s the ”not strict” part.
Now, “childish.” What did Abbas mean by that? Here’s my take: it’s important to understand what your guys like, what they’re interested in, how they think, what makes them laugh. “Childish,” in this case, doesn’t mean immature. It means truly understanding children.
Other than that, all you need is a place to meet and a great book! Oh, and delicious treats help, too.
How often do you meet?
Our club proper meets at the end of each month, in the evening. During the month we read a book, preferably with an adult, preferably a dad or brother or other guy. I want boys to have male reading role models. In the last few years I've had more and more dads come. In the beginning it was very rare--we often had all moms (which is fine! I love moms!).
Describe a typical meeting.
We talk about the book, eat snacks (often connected to the book in some way), and have fun with books. I really try to let the guys roll. I’ll ask questions when there’s a lull, and parents chime in, too, but I want the guys to be doing the bulk of the talking. Things get pretty silly or gross sometimes; these are 4thand 5th grade boys, remember. I know the guys are starting to feel comfortable in the club when we start talking about farts. It's a role that allows me to step slightly to the side of "teacher." I'm always a "reading friend" as a teacher, but there are a lot of strings attached to what we do in a classroom, whereas Guys Read is about nothing except fun.  Sometimes we get some parent eye-rolls.
How do you select which books to read?
It’s kind of a mix between some old reliables and new stuff. There are some books—Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, Wringerby Jerry Spinelli, Joey Pigza by Jack Gantos—that I will always keep in the rotation. But I’m always on the lookout for new titles. I read a lot, often with the eye of a middle grade boy, so I’m always adding books to my list. I also try to have a mix of genres. Always a sci-fi or a fantasy, some realistic and historical fiction. I always include something nonfiction.
I usually look for books with male main characters, but not always. When we do read books with girl main characters (Jackie’s Wild Seattle by Will Hobbs, When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead, Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt), it’s something we discuss in our meeting, just as we discuss how well female authors write boy characters.
I’ll be honest, book selection also depends a bit on whether we can get enough copies for the library.  Our budget is tight, so we don’t read too many brand new books. We’re a paperback kind of club. I always keep those new books in mind, though, for later years.
What are your thoughts on a female teacher/librarian leading a boys’ book club?
I’m all for it! Be brave and jump in, ladies!
This actually came up recently. Some of my guys who moved up to the middle school approached the (female) middle school librarian demanding the establishment of a boys’ book club. She tried to find a male teacher to take the lead, but couldn’t get any takers. The guys agreed to let her lead it on a “trial basis.” I’m sure it will be a success.
That said, I think a big reason why some boys grow up to be non-readers is that they look around and don’t see any men reading. I do think it is veryimportant that boys have adult males reading role models, especially males they perceive as cool. “He’s cool, he reads, so reading is cool.” But I’m also a realist. In our middle school with several male teachers, not one volunteered to lead the Guys Read club. So I’m in full support of enthusiastic women taking over when the men in the house don’t step up.
Guys Read, or any kids’ book club, isn’t about the leaders. It’s about the kids. Different leaders can have different impacts, but being there is the only impact that truly matters. Without you, there’s nothing!
How has the book club evolved in the past eight years?
I've tried to add some extra-curricular fun to our extra-curricular fun. We made rockets to launch to the moon after reading Hugo Cabret. We were lucky enough to be asked to make an intro video for Patrick Carman at the WWU Children's Lit Conference. We've Skyped with Mac Barnett, Tom Angleberger, Stephanie Tolan, and Stephen McCranie. I’m always looking for new ways to connect reading with the idea of "fun."
Last year, I started a cross-continent Guys Read offshoot with Mr. Hutchinson's 6th graders at Salem Middle School in North Carolina. Mr. H and I had been following each other's GR blogs for a while. We named our new joint club the Intercontinental Ballistic Reading Group. It was a lunchtime club, and we read a common book and made videos back and forth. It was a lot of fun, and allowed some guys who can't make an evening meeting to join in the Guys Read festivities. We just restarted the IBRG this year, and it’s a ton of fun. 
Has social media impacted the club in other ways?
Joining Twitter marked a milestone for the club. Suddenly, we’re communicating with authors, 140 characters at a time. Even in small doses, it blew the boys' minds. Twitter and Skype have opened up whole new worlds.
Why do you feel a boys’ book club like Guys Read is important?
For me, Guys Read is all about getting books into the hands of boys, connecting reading with fun, and showing that reading is cool and that we are cool for reading. It’s a fight against the stigma of reading, of being a little nerdy. I remember a “cool” student who I once asked why he hadn’t joined Guys Read.
Student: “Ehhh…I just don’t think it’s my thing.”Me: “What do you mean? I definitely think you’re cool enough to join us. We’d let you in!”Student: “Uhhh….right.”
He didn’t join.
I know that all the “cool” kids hear about the fun stuff we do. They see the fun swag we get. They salivate over the delicious treats we get. A few of them join; most don’t. Book club? Can’t, I’ve got to go play sports.
Everyone wants to find a place where their interests and ideas are valued. For some kids, that’s sports. For some it’s choir. Guys Read is that place for anyone who wants to join in (they don’t even really have to love books—we can work on that). For some kids, it’s the only place they feel that way. Where would they be without it?
What impacts have you seen on your students?
My bond with Guys Read members is pretty strong. It’s a relationship I enjoy building. And a lot of them are readers already—for them, there’s not much academic impact. But I noticed something really different last year, when I started the IBRG during lunch. Suddenly, I was reaching some kids that seemed unreachable. Students were joining who couldn’t come to Guys Read proper—either their parents couldn’t manage it or they weren’t interested. They were socially awkward. They weren’t even readers, necessarily. But they were coming to lunchtime book club, demanding that I read more, wanting to participate and be involved in a way that didn’t match their classroom behavior (task avoidance, disruptive, etc.). These were kids that other teachers griped about constantly. In the whole school there was nowhere they felt welcome, accepted, valued. Always a weirdo to their peers; always a problem to their teachers. But, wait! Fun videos? Wacky puppet shows? Hilarious read alouds? Maybe a lunchtime book club… Thatwas a place for them.
For a couple of them, it was hard to transition to a place where they would be treated with respect and where they were expected to be respectful (instead of adults assuming misbehavior). I kicked a boy out one day for being rude; told him to try again the next day. He  came back and never acted that way again.
These are the types of things that make me wish I could just do book clubs all day, every day. I love teaching, but I love my book club.
What has most surprised you about running a boys book club?
I wish this wasn’t a surprise—that I’d expected it—but I’ve been really encouraged and excited by the increase in dads participating in Guys Read. For the first few years, we often had only moms and boys. Most of these were not split families; the dads just weren’t interested.
In the last few years, that’s been shifting. Now, dads outnumber moms quite easily. During our meeting this month, there wasn’t a mom in the room. I said before, I love moms. I would never turn them away! But I also mentioned the need for male reading role models. I’m glad to see so many dads recognizing the importance of reading, and valuing it. Even more, I’m overjoyed to see so many dads recognizing their sons’ love of reading, and valuing that.
What are some of the club’s favorite books?
Oh, so hard to pick favorites! Here are some that we’ve really loved:Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen. The ultimate boy book.Replay, by Sharon Creech. Silly, crazy family fun.The Book of Three, by Lloyd Alexander. Time for the name pronouncing game!Ben Franklin’s Almanac, by Candace Fleming. Read “Fart Proudly” with a straight face.The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick. ‘Nuff said.Aliens on Vacation, by Clete Barrett Smith. A hometown author’s hilarious sci-fi.The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity, by Mac Barnett. Clever and funny—a reader’s mystery.To name a few…
Why would you encourage other teachers to launch a book club, be it for boys or girls or both?
It is the most fun you will have all month. It’s a chance to connect with kids on a different level.
What other resources could you recommend, in addition to Jon Scieszka’s Guys Read website?
There are a lot of Guys Read clubs around the country (and world). A lot of them have blogs. I’ve utilized them when selecting books. James Patterson’s ReadKiddoRead.com is also great for finding books. And of course, just hop on Twitter! Use the hashtags #titletalk or #nerdybookclub and you’ll tap into a wealth of knowledge and experience. Not many people use the #GuysRead hashtag, but I do! We could start a revolution with a conversation.
Is there anything else you’d like us to know about Guys Read?
Yes. We’re cool because we read, and we read because we’re cool.
Adam, thank you for kicking off this new year with such a passionate post. Your enthusiasm gives me chills. And hope.
Read on!
And here's the link to the Guys Read blog!

Friend Friday

What better way to begin the new year than with this lovely story. A few years ago, I was honored to learn that a young reader from California, Eleanore Hamilton, received an honorable mention in the Letters About Literature program for a letter she wrote to me about how much Hattie Big Sky meant to her. (find my post about that here)

A few weeks ago, I received this charming email from Eleanore:

Hello Mrs. Larson!
It's Eleanore Hamilton. I wrote the letter to you about Hattie Big Sky through Letters About Literature 3 years ago. Remember? :)
Well! You won't believe what has happened since then! I wrote and published a book! It is called Violin Notes, A Playing Journal with Tips and Tricks to keep the Violin Fun. It is meant to turn violin practice into play.
I just wanted to tell you that because it it kind of a full circle: you wrote a book; I read it; I wrote something about your book; you read what I wrote; you wrote something about what I wrote; and now, I have written a book and I want to inscribe and send a copy to you! 
Thank you for being the very, very original spark to write something that will affect someone in a good way.

I am on cloud nine about Eleanore's book, and though I am most musically un-inclined, I can't wait for my own copy. I suspect to find great tips that could apply to writing as well as making music.



Learn more about Eleanore by listening to this interview and check out her beautiful website. She (and her sister) have definitely inspired me to host a parlor party in 2013!

Thursday's Thought

I will have to rely on that painful teacher, experience.
Hattie Big Sky (Kirby Larson)