Oh! The Places We'll Go

Celebrate the joys of reading!

Happy Read Across America Day! Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss! Every year across America readers flock to our classrooms to celebrate reading and the birth of beloved author/illustrator, Theodore Geisel. From The Cat in the Hat to Green Eggs and Ham, kids of all ages will look back on the classics of childhood. Readers from all walks of life will take time from their busy schedule to talk about reading and share a book with a classroom of students.
Today I am reading at two schools. This morning I'll go to Penn Elementary. Pam Kester has been hosting this event for years and is a champion at choreographing the events of the day. I'm taking several books to read to my class, including I Want My Hat Back and Otto the Book Bear by Katie Cleminson.

Tonight Aunt Betty is going to Longfellow Spanish Immersion Magnet School to do some Mo Willems' stories. Her friend will be reading Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus in spanish while she translates. I'm afraid it could be hysterical. Then they will do a choral reading of We Are In a Book. It promises to be a great deal of fun and we are thrilled to go there. The library tech asked us in July!

Here's my Seuss boots!

So today, whether you read to a classroom or not, take time today to read.Check out the Seussville website for books and activities. Take time to think about how important reading is in your life now. Maybe you can think back to the people who helped you to learn to read or to love to read. Send a note of thanks. Next year volunteer to read in a classroom. (It's usually March 2.) And remember- reading is reading.

Words are Only Half the Story



Register for this FREE webinar,
hosted by yours truly.

 It appears that my fifteen minutes of Comic Con fame have been extended. Imagine my delight when I checked my voicemail only to discover a message from John Mason of Scholastic Trade, Inc. inquiring about my interest and availability to participate in a webinar about graphic novels. Could I write some lesson plans? Would I be willing to Skype in as the educator specialist for this panel of graphic novelists? (Can we say Dance of Joy?)

In spite of my recent after-cruise sickness, I jumped in and created the lesson plans to support the webinar. During a conference call with the director, producer, and marketing folks, we discussed the direction of the webinar itself. The following weekend, I was at ALA in Dallas and ran into the Scholastic Trade group at an author function- which was one of the highlights of my trip by the way. It seems they had made a production decision and wondered if I would be interested in flying to New York and hosting the webinar live!! (Can we say Dance of Joy with High Fives All Around?) I'm not sure I'm still not on the moon.

Here's the information so you can participate.

Join author/illustrators Jeff Smith, Kazu Kibuishi, and Raina Telgemeier as they share how words and pictures can work together to tell stories in unique ways!

Graphix: Words are Only Half the Story!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT

This free webinar should be a great deal of fun for you and your students.
· Learn how to draw Bone. (Bone Series)
· Find out how real life becomes a comic novel. (Smile)
· Watch Kazu color in a graphic novel panel. (Amulet series)

By registering in advance, you’ll ensure a reminder to participate that day and a sorry we missed you if you miss it. Go to Scholastic Graphix to register for the event:

The webinar teaching material is now posted. The script is being written. Conference calls continue to occur. It's becoming a wonderful experience in behind the scenes of production. Now to pack for New York!!

California Young Reader Medal- 2.0 Style

Tomorrow is my day at IMC, so I’m presenting another Saturday Matinee. Topic: California Young Reader Medal- 2.0 Style. In this fast-paced one hour session, participants will learn a little bit about the CYRM and the resources that are available for including it into their curriculum or library program.

Launched in 1976, this reader’s choice award program has 5 different categories: Picture Book (K-3), Intermediate (3-6), Middle (6-9), Young Adult (9-12) and Picture Book for Older Readers (Grade 4 and up). It is the only national reader’s choice award to be sponsored by four different professional organizations: California Association of Teachers of English (CATE), California Library Association (CLA), California Reading Association (CRA), and California School Library Association (CSLA). A committee of representatives from each organization coordinates CYRM activities at the state level.

California children and teens can read the nominated books from May through March and vote for their favorites. Teachers and librarians introduce the nominees, often reading them aloud. They provide ballots for voting, compile vote totals, and submit results to the CYRM committee. CYRM ballots must be postmarked by April 1st of each year. Winning titles are announced in May. New nominees are announced on February 1.

Saturday Matinee Focus
The class focus will be on reviewing and voting for the nominated books. We’ll review using Photo Story and Power Point games. We’ll look at the free resource booklet that is available at the program website. Reader’s Theater scripts are available for all awards.

We’ll also look at how teachers and librarians can use their whiteboards for interactive voting. Even without all the bells and whistles, educators who have access to computers can create online surveys that take the counting out of voting and put the fun back in.

Looking Ahead
Though this class is only an introduction, we are planning more training for teachers and library staff. Mark your calendars now for our Second Annual SDUSD CYRM workshop. Wednesday, November 16. From 2:30 to 3:00 we’ll have poster sessions, door prizes, shopping with Yellow Book Road and refreshments. The program will be from 3PM to 4:30PM with continued door prizes, poster sessions, shopping and refreshments until 5PM. All are welcome!

Resources
Destiny
California Young Reader Medal official site- (complete resource guide available)
100 Web Resources for Teachers
Libraries Matter wiki CYRM page
TeachingBooks.net http://www.teachingbooks.net/quicksearch.cgi

And the nominees are…
PRIMARY K-3
On Meadowview Street by Henry Cole. Greenwillow Books, 2007.
Let’s Do Nothing by Tony Fucile. Candlewick Press, 2009.
The Odd Egg by Emily Gravett. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2009.
Princess Hyacinth: The Surprising Tale of a Girl Who Floated by Florence Heide. Illustrated by Lane Smith, Schwartz & Wade Books, 2009.
I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll. Illustrated by Howard McWilliam. Flashlight
Press, 2009.

INTERMEDIATE 3-6
Violet Raines Almost Got Struck by Lightning by Danette Haworth. Walker & Co., 2008.
Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School and Other Scary Things by Lenore Look. Schwartz & Wade Books, 2008.
The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis by Barbara O’Conner. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2009.

MIDDLE SCHOOL/JUNIOR HIGH 6-9
Revolution is Not a Dinner Party: A Novel by Ying Chang Compestine. Henry Holt, 2007.
Waiting for Normal by Leslie Conner. Katherine Tegen Books, 2008.
Every Soul a Star, by Wendy Mass. Little, Brown & Co., 2008.

YOUNG ADULT 9-12
Graceling by Kristin Cashore. Harcourt, 2008.
Beastly by Alex Flinn. Harper Teen, 2007.
If I Stay by Gayle Forman. Penguin Group USA, 2009.

PICTURE BOOKS FOR OLDER READERS Grade 4+
Goal! written by Mina Javaherbin. Illustrated by A.G.Ford. Candlewick Press, 2010.
Henry’s Freedom Box written by Ellen Levine. Illustrated by Kadir Nelson. Scholastic Press, 2007.
Wabi Sabi written by Mark Reibstein. Illustrated by Ed Young. Little, Brown & Co., 2008.

Let 'em Pick! Let 'em Read!

I remember years ago I taught a boy, Calvin, who checked out the same book every week for almost his entire kindergarten year. For awhile, it drove me crazy that he would only read There’s a Nightmare in My Closet. I tried everything. More Mayer books. Books about monsters. Books his classmates liked. Nothing interested him.

One day, Calvin came to me and said he needed a book about eagles. I was stunned. So, I took him to the 590’s and showed him his options. He chose two eagle books. I was thrilled. We have a break through, I thought.

The next week he came back. "What would you like to read this week?" I asked him.
"Books about eagles."
"Which books?" I asked.
"Any books about eagles."
So, we made a break through. The days of There’s a Nightmare were over. Now it was all about eagles.

We all have kids who get stuck on an author, a genre, a book. At some point, the reader moves on. Really, they do. Sometimes we are the motivator. Sometimes not. Whatever the case, if we let a reader read, and don’t hinder him with the number of pages, variety, or other factors, kids move on. What difference does it make if they read the same thing over and over? Don’t we eat at the same restaurant over and over? Watch the same movies or television shows?

So let ‘em pick. Let ‘em read. You’d be surprised at the results.