Making Books in Real Life

Many teachers, especially at the lower grades, enjoy making books with their students as a follow-up activity to sharing picture books. To this end I highly recommend you visit MakingBooks with Children, Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord's elegant website on creating simple books with children. (And yes, my fellow English teachers, it is, indeed, MakingBooks, without a space between the two words).

In addition to her free activities, she also offers teachers tips on the teaching process, tools, and materials. Her MakingBooks blog offers other terrific ideas, many of them related to the holidays.

Check it out. You'll be surprised how easy it is to create such wonderful books with your students.

Top Ten Stories Behind Dr. Seuss

I'm a latecomer to this, but a post at Mental Floss details ten stories behind some of Dr. Seuss's most popular tales. A quick, fun read for fans!

Also take some time to poke around the site for other fun stuff with which to waste your time (yet possibly fine tune your mind as well).

Comical Relief for Reluctant Writers

MakeBeliefsComix is a terrific interactive site which will help to motivate even your most reluctant writers. Okay, so this isn't my usual "teaching with picture books" content. But lately, I've gotten a few emails from teachers looking for ways to get their hardcore haters excited about writing. "Picture books helped with the reading," one follower said, "but what about the writing?"

First, if you haven't checked out my small collection of Interactive Writing Sites, head over there now. We'll wait. You'll find some really good stuff that has proven effective in many classrooms. There's a poetry generator there that's just perfect for Poetry Month!

Then, check out MakeBeliefsComix. For our graphic novels generation, what could possibly make more sense? I won't spend long selling you on the site, because I think you'll see for yourself that it's well designed, highly intuitive, and very open-ended.

If you'd rather not unleash such unbridled freedom upon your young writers, there's good news for you. MakeBeliefsComix has just launched a printables section, with teachers and parents in mind. These aren't coloring pages! We're talking prompts, people!

If you try any of these activities in your classroom, let me know how they work out!

Daniel Kirk: Words and Images in Perfect Harmony

If you don’t know Daniel Kirk. I’m going to change that. Or possibly, if you're like me, you've seen two or three of his books, but never made the connection that this "one guy" was behind them. This triple-threat author, illustrator, and performer is an incredibly talented and prolific writer whose work is worth a look.

My first experience with Daniel came through a recent school visit. It’s a rare visiting author who can equally charm both kindergartners and eighth graders! Students (and teachers!) at every grade level were entertained and enlightened by his mix of words, images, and music.

My own fourth graders were especially eager to learn about the life and work habits of a writer, and during an up-close-and-personal classroom visit Daniel deftly fielded their myriad questions about his trials and tribulations as a published author.

So where to begin with his books? Most of my students would unanimously select Dogs Rule! as Kirk’s finest. This richly illustrated book is loaded with poems about dogs we all readily recognize: the Bad Dog, The Lap Dog, the poor bulldog with the Purple Rhinestone Collar. Booklist raved: “The pleasures of tail chasing, hanging out a car window, gnawing bones and taking walks past a fire hydrant have never been captured with more slobbery exuberance.”

Other students, however, those I refer to as the “cat people,” would conversely hold up Cat Power as Kirk’s finest achievement. Both Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal praised the illustrations and the unique cat’s-eye view of the world (which is still a mystery to us dog lovers!). Both books come with a CD of the poems set to music, which adds to the reader’s enjoyment.

Kirk’s website provides readers with fascinating back-stories of his books, and teachers and parents alike will appreciate the follow-up questions for each book. For example, Daniel provides these follow-up suggestions for Dogs Rule!:

1. If you were a dog who could talk, what would you say about your life?


2. What would the world be like if there were no dogs? What kinds of pets would people choose instead?


3. Draw a picture of what the world looks like from the point of view of a dog.What kinds of things are important to show? How do things look from down on the ground?


4. Find out more about the different breeds of dogs, the history of dog breeding, and the history of dogs as pets. Find out what kinds of personalities go with the different breeds.


5. Read about dogs senses, and how their sense of smell, taste and hearing compare to humans and other animals.

The site also features a number of activities in pdf format, free music downloads of the songs that accompany his books, and a number of interviews that provide a glimpse of a writer’s life.

Whether you’re a lower grade teacher looking for poetry and picture books in a number of topics or themes, or an upper grade teacher seeking writing models for developing students (be sure to check out his highly-praised novel Elf Realm), you’ll find abundant ideas and resources in Daniel Kirk’s books and web site. Truly fun stuff that will get your kids excited about words, rhymes, and writing!

Ralph Fletcher: A Way with Words

Tonight I had the genuine pleasure of hearing Ralph Fletcher speak on Helping Young Writers Develop Writers’ Craft at an event sponsored by the Tri-County Reading Council here in New Jersey. For those who may not know him, Ralph Fletcher is a writer of picture books, novels, and poetry. He is also a teacher of teachers, having created such excellent writing instruction books as Craft Lessons: Teaching Writing K-8 and Writing Workshop: The Essential Guide.

What I personally took away from his talk is that we, as teachers, make writing far too complicated. We perhaps attempt to accomplish too much in any given writing lesson, which makes the average student reluctant to write (How can I possibly get all that stuff right?) and the average teacher reluctant to teach (How can I possibly choose from among all those skills that students must demonstrate?).

Throughout his presentation, Ralph shared many examples of student writing which were equal parts skillful, humorous, and charming. Some pieces made us laugh out loud; another piece, when shared, caused a colleague at my table to remark, “If one of my students wrote that, I would not be able to hold back the tears.” These authentic examples reminded us, in Ralph’s own words, that “story comes first,” and that we, as readers, need time to respond in a natural way to students’ writing.

Interspersed between picture book readings and student examples were the “nuggets of wisdom” we had all come to hear. How shocked we were to learn that we already knew them! As writers, as teachers, we already knew what he had to share. But in our attempts to follow the curriculum, meet the standards, and pound every nail, we had forgotten the simpler things.


Ralph had three straightforward, yet powerful, ideas to share on the topic of Craft Elements His first: Take advantage of micro-texts.

The readers of this blog know how I feel about picture books and the unique role they play in modeling colorful, yet concise, writing. As I posted at the sister site (which provides support for picture books in the middle grades):

When we ask our students to "write a story," we rarely mean a story with chapters. Why, then, should we have students read only those types of books? Picture books provide succinct models for student writing. Nonfiction picture books also exemplify brevity versus exposition in presenting the facts that the reader needs.

Ralph illustrated that very idea by pointing out that in first grade, children write what they are reading: few words with many pictures. This changes as they move up in grades, however, until by fourth grade students are reading novels that they couldn't ever hope to write, given their existing skills. In other words, (mine, not his), children who have little or no access to micro-texts are being denied accurate, realistic models for their own writing.

As an example, Ralph shared his wonderful picture book Grandpa Never Lies. He then recounted a classroom lesson he had observed about that very book, and how the teacher had used the analogy of a snowball rolling downhill, growing ever larger as it progressed. The recurring line of the book acted in much the same way, growing with importance each time it was repeated.

Such a concept is easy to study in the context of a picture book; so much harder to extrapolate from the noise and confusion of a novel.

Ralph’s second observation: Use literature that kids already know. (By the way, I dig Ralph because he uses the word kids. Too many teacher bristle at that!).

Is it okay to reread books? Absolutely! According to Ralph, “Really deep connections come from rereading books.”

And if students say, “But we read that book last year,” your response can be, “Great! Then this time we can read it the way that writers read.” That, in turn, leads to new, fertile ground for understanding: How do writers read differently from readers?

And lastly: Note what your student writers are already doing.

Yes, we can spend time marveling over what professional authors have produced, but are we taking time to recognize our own students as writers? Are we acknowledging their efforts? Are we, in Ralph Fletcher’s words, “putting kids into the game” and allowing them to be in the “circle of authorship?”

Celebrate the successes you see, no matter how small. Use students’ work to model strengths, but never to illustrate deficits.

It is so tempting, he says, to try to teach everything (voice, leads, character development, etc.). This leads to teachers “mentioning” elements of writing rather than actually teaching them. One of the most important skills that we miss, due to our efforts to “teach it all,” is that of having children critically reread their own writing. How can they improve their writing if they never take time to reflect upon it? It is so much more beneficial to take your time, focus on just a few aspects of writing, and teach those well.

In closing, Ralph reminded his audience that when looking at student writing, it’s important to “respond as a human being first and a teacher second.”

I’m glad he said that. Sometimes I forget. Even though I already knew it.

So check out Ralph’s work, both for your students and for yourself. Craft Lessons is my favorite (I bought my third copy tonight, since colleagues have “borrowed” my previous two), A Writing Kind Of Day: Poems for Young Poetsis hugely popular in my class during Poetry Month in April, Marshfield Dreams: When I Was a Kid is an autobiography with authentic voice, and Grandpa Never Lies is on my “Gotta Have” list after hearing it tonight. (These and several others are featured in the slide show at the bottom of this page).

Also check out Ralph Fletcher’s homepage, which features tips for teachers and young writers, plus additional information about the author and his work.

Ish

Ish
by Peter Reynolds

Universal Themes:
Creativity, Identity, Uniqueness

As five and six year-olds in kindergarten, children have a high opinion of themselves as artists. Ask a kindergarten class, "Who here is an artist?" and you'll be awash in a sea of eagerly waving hands. Over time, however, that opinion changes; some educational commentators, such as Daniel Pink, even argue that it's school's emphasis on "right answers" that is partially to blame for this.

Why is self-concept so important in learning? How large a part does a child's opinion of his or her abilities play in the risk-taking process?

That question is answered simply, skillfully, and lyrically in Ish by Peter H. Reynolds.

Before Reading Questions

• How many of you are artists? What are some of your favorite things to draw?
• How many of you think that your pictures are good enough to be in a museum?
• What is one thing you're really good at? Can you do that without ever making any mistakes? How should people react when they're not perfect at something?

Summary

Ramon loves to draw; he draws anything, anytime, anywhere. That is, at least, until a careless word from his brother makes him overly critical of his work, and he becomes less and less satisfied with his drawings. Because he can't be "perfect," he no longer enjoys what was once his greatest pleasure.

Then one day he notices his younger sister grabbing one of his discarded sketches. Chasing Marisol to her room, Ramon discovers that she has hung all of his crumpled works on her wall. "That was supposed to be a vase of flowers, " Ramon sighs, "but I couldn't get it right."

"Well, it looks vase-ISH!" Marisol exclaims.

Examining the drawings on her walls, Ramon begins to see them in a whole new way. "They do look... ish, " he says.

Feeling energized and less burdened to be perfect, Ramon begins to draw what he feels. "Thinking ish-ly allowed his ideas to flow freely." He also realizes now that he draw his feelings as well (Reynolds provides some exquisite examples of abstract feelings realized visually).

And Ramon lived ish-fully ever after.

After Reading Questions

• Why did Ramon have trouble drawing his pictures after his brother's comment? If you were Ramon, would you have reacted the same way? What could Ramon have said to his brother?
• What does Marisol mean when she says that the picture is vase-ISH"?
• What are some new ideas Ramon finds for his art once he starts to see the world in this new, an -ish way? Why hadn't he thought of these ideas before? (point out to students that his earlier work habits required that he always look at what he was attempting to draw)

About Peter H. Reynolds

Although you may not at first recognize his name, you do know Peter H. Reynold's work, including the Judy Moody books and the most recent reincarnations of the Fudge series by Judy Blume. Many of the extensions described below are drawn from his excellent official site as well as his FableVision media site.

Teachers and parents, you may also be interested to know that his many of his whimsical drawings are also offered as clip art at his North Star Resource Library.

Extension Ideas: Language Arts

• From Peter's official web site, have students choose one of his watercolors for a picture prompt. While you could assign the same picture to all students, I find that they feel greater ownership, and thus greater responsibility for the quality, when they choose their own picture.
• From his FableVision site, Peter offers some creativity tips in a section called Sparking the Creative Spirit. The ideas shared there may kindle an idea for you and your students.

Extension Ideas: Tech

• At FableVision, Peter has created a simple tutorial for working with Flash, the popular animation program. After students view Peter's animation of a tumbling boy, as well as a simpler animation created by a second grader, they can try the process for themselves.
• If you're looking for software that will inspire the -Ish in your students, you might consider Peter's own Animation-ish, the "world's easiest animation software program." Click on the link to check it out, and to see a free demo.

Other interesting Peter R. Reynolds links:

• For those who enjoy writing and illustrating, and may be considering a book for children, Peter gives some tips in the Strathmore Artist Newsletter (pdf download).

One Grain of Rice

One Grain Of Rice: A Mathematical Folktale
by Demi

Universal Themes:Cause and Effect, Change, Ingenuity, Magnitude, Patterns, Resourcefulness, Wisdom

Before Reading Questions

• Who here receives an allowance? Are you required to work for that allowance?
• Would you walk my dog each day if I paid you $2.00 a day? Would you do it if I paid you just one penny a day?
• Suppose I paid you one penny on the first day, two pennies on the second day, and four pennies on the third. What pattern develops? Would you work for that pay for one whole month? Let's each make a guess as to what the total number of pennies would be by the month's end.
• Today's tale is set in India. Who can locate India on our map? What can you tell me about India?

Summary

Long ago in India, a raja ruled wisely and fairly. Or so he thought. He was wise in that he required much of the rice that was grown to be stored away, in case of famine. He was fair in that he would provide the people of the land with rice, should famine ever strike.

When it does, however, the raja is reluctant to let the rice go (even though it was never his, of course). "Who knows how long the famine will last?" he wonders to himself. "What if there is finally no rice left, not even for the raja himself?"

One day a clever young girl named Rani does a small favor for the raja, who wished to reward her accordingly. He's surprised when she asks for just one grain of rice. Today, that is, and then two the next day, and four the next, and so on for thirty days. The raja agrees, stunned that the girl should not want more.

Over the next thirty days we see the rice being delivered by a colorful procession of animals. We also see the amount of grains delivered each day growing larger and larger, until the author/illustrator is forced to use fold-out pages to show the dozens of elephants required to bring the rice on the last day.

As Demi proves in her chart at the book's close, this simple doubling pattern produces 1,073,741,823 grains of rice (compounded total) by the end of thirty days. If this were pennies, the sum would total $10,737,418.23.

The raja is dumbfounded by the math, and dismayed by his new-found scarcity of rice. Rani informs him that the rice will be used to feed the people, but that she will leave a basket for him if he promises to be "wise and fair" from then on. And he does.

After Reading Questions

• Were our guesses about the total number of pennies for thirty days close to what Rani received?
• At the beginning of the book, the raja believes that he is wise and fair. If that's so, then why wouldn't he share the rice with his people?
• At what point did the raja begin to realize the effects of the doubling?
• Why didn't the author tell us about every single day?

Extension Ideas: Language Arts

• Compare this book to The King's Chessboard, a similar mathematical tale also set in India. Have students discuss and list the differences. They may also want to compare and contrast the two rulers, and compare and contrast the two beneficiaries, noting their motives in their requests for the odd form of payment.
• The book is full of authentic, specific words such as implored, famine, and plentifully. Discuss with students how context clues helped to define those words. If a word could not be defined through context clues, did that affect the reading of the story?
• Compare this story to other Indian folktales. Are there common characters or themes?

Extension Ideas: Math

• Rather than offer math ideas, I would like to introduce my readers to Mathwire, an awesome math site which features lesson plans for math-related picture books, as well as free, downloadable related resources for classroom use. For One Grain Of Rice, for example, the site features a lesson plan with pdf handouts, and an interactive website called The Million Dollar Mission. 
• On that same Mathwire page you'll discover Two of Everything, a Chinese folktale describing a pot which has magic doubling powers. This book makes another terrific comparison piece for discussion.