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.

Where in the World is Deborah Now?

This week I am “on the road,” as we say at the office. I am on tour, so to speak, with BER, Bureau of Education and Research. This company sends educators across the United States and Canada to lead full day seminars on all sorts of subjects related to education. Today I am on my way to begin the week in Detroit, then we are off to Chicago, Peoria and St. Louis before heading home. My topic for the week is Increasing the Effectiveness of Your School Library Program. If you live near the areas where I will be, check out the BER website, sign up and join us. I have so many things to tell you while you’re there. I’ll fire you up and send you out. If you aren't in that part of the world, contact me and we can talk about how you can bring me to you.

So I have to tell you. I am on a flight to Detroit and guess who is sitting two people down from me? Jonathan Rand. You would be proud. I didn’t gush when I recognized him- unlike the time I literally ran into Esme Codell. It was pathetic, but she said she liked gushing. "Go ahead and gush!" Rand has been in San Diego and is on his way home. Search him on this blog for info about this author and fabulous speaker for Grades 1-6ish. FYI- he’s working on a story while he flies. So there you have it. Authors write on planes.

I’m also writing on the plane. Delta has Gogo which is a wifi service allowing passengers to use the internet while they fly. Amazing! Since it’s a long flight to Minneapolis, there is time to write on my blog, double-check my power point for tomorrow and catch up on email. I have thirty minutes left of battery, so I had better work quickly. Good thing I brought a book.

Speaking of books, I got my first royalty check this week. Now that is an amazing thing. I hung it on my refrigerator. I have to tell you- it feels pretty good. Now it’s time to start on another. Any suggestions?

I Can't See the Pictures

If I had to name one tool that revolutionized the way I teach, it would be my document camera. How many times have you read a picture book to a class and there is a chorus of “I can’t see the pictures?” Using the camera, or visual presenter, everyone can see both pictures and text. If I find something in today's newspaper that I want to show a class, I can place it on the table and everyone can see the small print. If I want to show an example of a student’s work, I can take it from his desk and show the entire class. Kids get immediate feedback on their work.

A document camera replaces your old overhead projector. It's not loud. It doesn’t get hot. Many models don’t even need to use the lamp, so there is little maintenance cost. No transparencies or pens to buy. It’s a choose-and-go kind of tool. Choose what you want to show and place it on the table. Prep time is minimal and set up is fairly easy.

How can you use a document camera? Let me count the ways. You can use it to do experiments so that everyone can see your hands. You can use it to explain how to complete a worksheet or form. You can model writing samples. You can zoom in to show details of a painting. In a music class, you can show one piece of music and everyone can play it. If it’s too hard or too easy, you can easily change to another piece.

A document camera is great for assisting the visually impaired. Tiny print is now easy to see. When you only have one copy, and you show it on the document camera, you can still use the resource you want, but no copyright violations have occurred. It saves time and money. No overhead transparencies to make. No copies to make. Teachable moments are a reality.

The camera (or visual presenter) that I use only weighs 5 pounds, so it is easy to transport in my luggage or from school to school. My current camera of choice is a Lumens DC166. You do need some sort of projection system to use one. Perhaps you already have a Promethean board or Smart Board. I use an LCD projector and also hook up my laptop. This way I can switch between the camera and my powerpoint or the internet. Where do you get one? Probably the same place you can get an overhead projector. Certainly where you can buy a new LCD projector.

Last year I went to a school and worked with a Language Arts teacher on point of view. We were going to begin with a reading of Jon Scieszka’s The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. When I started to hold the book out to my right to read, there was a loud chorus of “No, Miss Ford. You have to use the document camera so we can all see.” So you, see, even kids know the value of the tool as well. Try it. You’ll never miss your overhead. I promise.

For more ideas, see Educational Technology Network. For lesson plans (all grade levels) see the Document Camera Experts. For even more ideas, check out 101 Ways to Use a Document Camera.

The Boy Who Drew Birds

Thinking that I would love to read a story- kind of Kate Dicamillo-like, I stumbled upon an advance copy of Henry Cole’s new novel. Yes, novel. A Nest for Celeste: A Story About Art, Inspiration, and the Meaning of Home is his first novel. Filled with charming illustrations of his heroine, Celeste, Cole tells the story of a humble mouse who is in need of a safe place to live. A place without the dangers of the cat or the bullying of the rats.

She finds that place in the boot of a young teenage artist. Joseph, it seems, is a gifted painter of backgrounds, just what a young John James Audubon needs as an assistant. On a plantation in Louisiana, Celeste learns that friends come from unexpected places and home is closer than you think.

Beautifully illustrated, the story brings history and ecology into its themes. However, for those of you who think K-3 when you think of Henry Cole, think a little older. It seems that Audubon, beloved painter of birds, shot many of his subjects and then wired them to look "lifelike" before he painted them. (For the record, other painters, shot and stuffed their subjects before painting.) In the novel, Celeste coaches live specimens to pose for Audubon, thereby saving their lives. Celeste seems to have nine lives herself, as she runs into many dangers on the plantation. Thankfully, her kindness to others saves her in the end.

A thorough afterword details Audubon’s life with information that Cole learned while he was writing the story. I love a book that makes me clap at the end and sends me to the library to read more. How can I not know about the shooting and wiring of the birds? I read four Audubon biographies in 2003. So, I reread them. Very subtle. If they do at all ("But he was also a crack shot with a rifle. He loved to explore the woods and study the habits of birds and make pictures of them." Armstrong, 2003), most of the books mentioned his use of a gun in the afterword or author notes. Thank you, Henry Cole, for sending me back for more information.

These picture book biographies are excellent partners to Cole’s novel. Share them with your older students before or after you read Celeste’s story. You may also want to dust off your copy of Birds of America that you can’t bear to discard.

Audubon : painter of birds in the wild frontier -- Armstrong, Jennifer. -- Harry N. Abrams, 2003., RL 5, 40p
Briefly tells the story of this nineteenth-century painter and naturalist who is most famous for his detailed paintings of birds.

The boy who drew birds : a story of John James Audubon -- Davies, Jacqueline. -- Houghton Mifflin, 2004., RL 4.4, 32p
John James Audubon, living in Pennsylvania far from his home and father in France, continues his obsession with birds, and comes up with the idea of banding the legs of his pewee bird friends to see if they will return in the spring to the nests they abandoned in the fall.

Into the Woods by Robert Burleigh. -- Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2003., RL 5.1, 34p
Uses quotes from his journals to help explore Audubon's decision to follow his dream to paint every bird species in North America.

A Howling Good Story

It’s funny that Connie should mention by The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood. I just finished it myself. This is the first in a series, The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place. Wood tells the story of Miss Penelope Lumley and her first job as a governess. Are you a parent? Do you ever feel like your children are wild animals? It seems that Penelope’s charges almost are. Rumor has it they were raised by wolves. They certainly look and sound as if they were. The three orphans were found in the woods by the master of the house while he was out hunting. But keeping children in the barn is unacceptable to this governess, so she rolls up her sleeves and begins to teach the children. Perhaps not the Latin she intended, but certainly what they need to live in the house.

Horrible adults and pressure to perform keep the story moving. Humorous situations keep the story from being too dark. Then there’s an underlying mystery about the whole thing. Where did the children come from? Where are their parents? And why does the master disappear at the most odd moments for long periods of time? I have some ideas, but I shall restrain myself and wait anxiously for the sequel. Maybe not too many moons from now?

Remember that when you find a new book, always look for support material from the author's website. I found a lovely blog by the author. I also found support material on the publisher's website (another great place to look). Why reinvent the wheel? There is a fun game that makes you feel like one of the incorrigibles! Warning: Extremely addictive if you are competitive. Be sure you won't burn down the house before you begin.

LOL-Snort

Sometimes you just know you need to read something funny. A few years ago I got stuck at the car repair shop. I always keep an emergency book in my car, so I took out the book and read while my car was being repaired. The book I had in my trunk was Sold by Patricia McCormick. Though it is a wonderful (and now award winning book), it is not the story a person would want to read while her pocketbook is being drained. That’s the day I decided that only funny stories would be allowed to linger in the trunk. Now I keep a Junie B or a Judy Moody for emergencies.

Two weeks ago, I was speaking to Clark County School Librarians in Vegas. On the flight over, I took Pop by Gordon Korman. So, here I was, back to the car thing again. It was a wonderful, character-driven book about a football star and a 54 year old former NFL linebacker who had early onset of Alzheimer’s. Sigh. Not the most cheerful story. I raced to Borders (sorry independents) and bought one of the best LOL-Snort books I have read in awhile. It almost got me in trouble.

A Whole Nother Story by Cuthbert Soup is just that (Thanks, Connie). Fans of Lemony Snicket or Pseudenomymous Bosch (The Name of This Book is Secret, etc.) rejoice! Soup tells the story of a father with 3 children who are on the run from top secret government agents, international superspies and corporate villains. Their pink hairless dog alerts them to danger and they are off, trying to prevent the bad guys from stealing their almost-working time machine.

After every few chapters, there is a bit of timely advice. I knew I was in trouble when I got to the “much needed advice on tattoos.” “There was a time when, if you encountered someone with a tattoo, you could pretty much assume he was either a sailor or had, at one time or another, been in prison. There was something, it seemed, about men being cooped up together that made them want to draw on themselves.” At that point, I felt a LOL-Snort coming on. Because I was reading quietly in the back, I decided to give myself some timely advice, “When to Put the Book Down Before You Get into Trouble.”

Another hilarious book I recently read puts me in mind of Huck Finn, The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick. Huck doesn’t hold a candle to Homer when it comes to telling whoppers. That boy can scare up a story faster than butter melts off a plate in the desert. Read it. You’ll laugh out loud too. Just be careful about where you are when you start to snort.

The Word is Out!

My first book with Linworth Publishing, Scary, Gross and Enlightening: Books for Boys, Grades 3-12 is out. I have decided that publishing a book is kind of like producing a show. You work really hard for a long time behind the scenes and then you let it go. In a show, you rehearse the cast. You prepare the sets, costumes and lights. Then you let it go and hope for the best. In publishing, the editors and publishing company take over. One day, your copy comes in the mail. There it is.

I remember when I saw the movie, Julie and Julia, for the first time. The day her copy came was an ordinary day. Paul brought in the mail as usual, but there was a big envelope on the bottom of the pile. Like Julia, I opened the envelope, held my book to my chest and then cried. Finally, it was done. The show was delivered.

It actually has been released for awhile. But last week, I got the blessing of the library gods. It was reviewed in Curriculum Connections of School Library Journal- the featured professional title of all things! Being reviewed is one of the most terrifying things. You hope someone will review you, but you also hope he says something good. Getting the blessing from SLJ is amazing.

If you buy my book, I hope you will find it to be useful. I wrote it so that if I can’t get to your area, you can at least have a bit of what I would tell you. It’s for parents and educators who want to get boys to read. But as the review says, I chose great books that will work for all kinds of kids- even girls. Let 'em pick. Let 'em read.