Celebrate This Week - May 31, 2014

This year, I am trying to increase my awareness of the many good things that happen, which are frequently overlooked by me.  To help me, I am joining Ruth Ayres'

Celebrate This Week

.

Here's what I am thankful for this week... 

1.  My friend's first of two surgeries went well.

- I have shared in some other Slice of Life posts about my friend who has undergone some very difficult surgeries this year.  For the past few months, things were settling back to normal.  Recently, he was told that he was going to need a couple of surgeries.  The first of the two was this past Wednesday.  The surgery went well and his family celebrated that he came home on Friday evening. This week he will have the second surgery. We are continuing to pray that all goes well and also for his wife and children. It's been stressful for them all though they have been hanging in there surprisingly well.

2.  The 2013-2014 school year came to an end. -

This is the first year that we have finished school before June 1st (and also the first time we started so early in August).  It was an odd year for me in some ways but also wonderful in others.  I still have six more days before I am officially off for the summer so still a lot to do but I know it will be here quickly.

3.  End of the Year conversations with teachers.  -

On Friday, I stopped by several classrooms to chat with teachers that I have been working with. We had some wonderful chats about the work we started this year and the work we hope to continue the next year. I am looking forward to some possible conversations over lunch this summer in between everyone's planned vacation trips. 

4.

Summer Vacation and Summer Learning

-

I talked about my summer goals in my Slice Post this past week.  I am so excited about the various goals and activities that I have for this summer.

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - The Scraps Book

Thank you everyone for all of the great posts each week for the

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge 2014

.

The Scraps Book: Notes From a Colorful Life

by

Lois Ehlert

Beach Lane Books/Simon & Schuster (March 4, 2014)

Audience

: K-3

Memoir * Women Illustrators * Art

IndieBound

*

WorldCat

Description from GoodReads

:

The renowned Caldecott Honoree and illustrator of

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

provides a moving, intimate, and inspiring inside look at her colorful picture book career.

Lois Ehlert always knew she was an artist. Her parents encouraged her from a young age by teaching her how to sew and saw wood and pound nails, and by giving her colorful art supplies. They even gave her a special spot to work that was all her own.

Today, many years and many books later, Lois takes readers and aspiring artists on a delightful behind-the-scenes tour of her books and her book-making process. Part fascinating retrospective, part moving testament to the value of following your dreams, this richly illustrated picture book is sure to inspire children and adults alike to explore their own creativity.

Reviews:

Kirkus

|

HornBook

|

Publisher's Weekly

|

100 ScopeNotes

Extra Material:

HornBook's 5 Questions Interview with Lois Ehlert

|  

My thoughts on this book

:

"When I was little, I read all the books on the library shelf and I thought maybe someday I could make a book."

- Lois Ehlert, The Scraps Book

When I began teaching my first books were by author/illustrators such as Tomie dePaola, Eric Carle, and Ezra Jack Keats. My collection also included dozens of books by Lois Ehlert.  As part of my curriculum, I created many learning activities tied into Ehlert's books. Though I never thought to do an author study on Ehlert, with the release of her incredibly creative memoir,

The Scraps Book

, I am already itching to do exactly that.

Today, Lois Ehlert is 79 years old and still creating art and books. Frankly, amazing anyway you look at it. When I opened up this book, I knew within a few pages that it was coming home with me. Ehlert shares with readers how her family inspired and supported her art. Readers are treated to little facts about the art and ideas she used to create her books.  I loved that she explains that "

I'm mess when I work.

"

The Scraps Book

celebrates the life and art of Lois Ehlert in only the way that she can do it with mixed media and scraps of all kinds and the images that made us love her over the years. As I mentioned earlier, I already want to create lessons and an author study with this book as the center of our inspiration.

An interview with Lois Ehlert (Reading Rockets)

:

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews

:

Slice of Life - Summer Goals

Slice of Life is hosted by

Two Writing Teachers

on Tuesdays.  Join us each week and come to love this awesome writing community.

____________________________________

Summer goals are different than New Year's Resolutions.  First, I don't think I ever manage to maintain any of my New Year's Resolutions.  However, with summer goals, I usually do a pretty decent job completing them. 

Some of these goals or activties are things that I look forward to doing each year because the schedule in the summer is so different. Other items are things that I want to learn but have difficulty making time for during the school year.  All of them provide a sense of structure for my summer.  

This summer, I am looking forward to the following things...

1. 

#Bookaday Challenge

- This will be my fourth year participating in Donalyn Miller's

#bookaday challenge

.  I have met so many amazing teachers and librarians who have become a significant part of my

tribe

through this challenge.  They have all made me a better educator and thinker.

2. 

Presentations, Conferences, and Trainings

- From June to July, I will be doing a couple of presentations, attending the American Library Association Annual Conference, and also a training on Project-Based Learning.

3.

Teachers Write!

-

Kate Messner

,

Jen Vincent

, and

Gae Polisner

started this as a virtual writing camp a few years ago.  I have always been a bit afraid to participate, but after doing this year's March Slice Challenge, I think I am ready.  I may have to keep saying this to myself so I won't lose courage, but it's my goal for now.

4. 

Mock-Newbery Club

- One of my favorite Indie Bookstores is

Once Upon a Time in Montrose

.  I will be helping out one of the staff lead a Mock-Newbery Club with students ages 9 to 12.  I have been working on a list of books to share with them and we have some special surprises.

5. 

Reading & Writing Project

- Based on all of my recent work, particularly with first graders, I will be planning for a series of workshops and trainings that I will be leading.  Additionally, I want to set up a space on our District's website for providing resources for the teachers that I am working with.  I have wanted to do this during the school year but unfortunately, kept running out of time.  Additionally, I would like to play with some apps that might benefit teachers as they work on reading comprehension and writing with students.

Finally, on the personal end of things...I have two simple goals...to get back into a regular exercise routine, and tackle a few household organization projects.

With summer vacation nearly upon us, I would love to hear what others are planning on doing?

It's Monday! What are you reading? From Picture Books to YA - 5/26/14

It's Monday! What are you reading?

is hosted by Sheila of

Book Journey

.  Jen from

Teach Mentor Texts

and Kellee and Ricki from

Unleashing Readers

have adapted it to focus on

Picture Books to Young Adult Books

.

As I get wrapped up with the final days of the school year, my reading for fun takes a back seat.  Looking forward to starting #bookaday on June 1st. 

Here is what jumped out of the stack...

Zoe's Jungle

by Bethanie Deeney Murguia (Arthur A. Levine, May 27, 2014) - Zoe and her sister have more fun and this time an adventure in the park. I love how Murguia captures exactly the feelings of the children and the mother in her Zoe series.

The Scraps Book: Notes From a Colorful Life

by Lois Ehlert (Simon & Schuster,

March 4, 2014)

-

Many of us have used Lois Ehlert's books in our classrooms.  With her characteristic style, she has created a memoir of sorts that tells some of her life and lots of the stories behind her stories. 

Big Bug

by Henry Cole (Simon & Schuster, April 15, 2014) -

Beginning with a bug, Cole takes readers on a journey of big and little and how perspective can easily change.

Perfect for younger readers. 

Little Elliot, Big City

by Mike Curato (Henry Holt and Co., August 26, 2014) -

A small elephant, an even tinier mouse, and cupcakes...do you really need more?! Loved the artwork and this story on perspective. and friendship.  

So, what are you reading? 

Celebrate This Week - May 24, 2014

This year, I am trying to increase my awareness of the many good things that happen, which are frequently overlooked by me.  To help me, I am joining Ruth Ayres'

Celebrate This Week

.

Here's what I am thankful for this week...

My typical

Celebrate This Week

focuses on five things that I want to celebrate.  As I thought about this past week, I decided that I wanted to celebrate one thing.

Over the past few months, I have regularly referred to a class of first graders that I have been working with.  Yesterday was my last time to see them for this school year.  I am going to really miss these 24 kiddos.  I am thankful for how the teacher and students welcomed me into their learning community.  When I come on campus, and I run into one of the students in the hallway (outdoor walkways in CA), I get huge grins and big hugs.

As part of what I have been working on with them, we have done a lot of writing. And having two adults in the room, has also allowed more time to conference with students about their writing. Students have grown as writers during this time.  While reading one student's reflection writing, I realized that he had gone from barely writing one line to now writing six or seven sentences.  He is also willing to ask for help, and by that I don't mean that he wants me to dictate what he should write, but instead, we dialogue about options and ideas for what he can write. Also, his drawings show an amazing amount of understanding about what we have read.

I am also celebrating those students who have started to write even when there are no sentence starters or the word they are looking for isn't on the word wall.  I praise their courage and willingness to take a risk.

And, I am celebrating those students who trusted me enough to dialogue about what challenges them most when facing a blank piece of paper and asked to write something down.  When they get even a couple of sentences down on paper, we celebrate their words.

Though I may not be working directly with these students next year, I want to work with this teacher again.  I believe we can do more to encourage authentic writing and that even our English Language Learners can become confident writers. For this, I celebrate teaching partnerships.