It's Monday! What Are YOU Reading? January 26, 2015

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Shelia over at Book Journey.

Be sure to also visit Jen at Teach.Mentor.Text  and Kellee at Unleashing Readers for links to all of the blogs participating in the Picture Book to YA addition of It's Monday! What Are You Reading!

I'm so happy to be dusting off the blog and getting back to joining this fantastic meme. I'm thankful for those who have reached out to me (you know who you are), encouraging me to return to sharing my passion for literacy here!  While my day job has changed, my love of reading and connecting readers of all ages with fantastic books has remained at the heart of who I am and what I do! For those who don't know, I left the classroom (and the district I taught in for 19 years) to accept a Literacy Strategist role in a district about 35 miles north of where I live. The story of how it all came about is one for another day (and is AMAZING), but I'll just say that this new chapter was one I've been dreaming of for a long time, divinely appointed for this time in my career. I'm LOVING it!

In 2015 I'm attempting to read and post at least one book for each day of the calendar year. So here you will find my posts from the previous week of #bookaday #photoaday postings. 

Day 18: "New to me" picture book. Young girl from a migrant family dreams of owning her own hard cover book. #nerdybookclub #bookaday #photoaday

A photo posted by literacydocent (@literacydocent) on Jan 18, 2015 at 4:26pm PST

 

Day 19: Another #heartprint book from Maine's treasured Cynthia Lord. Preorder it #nerdybookclub friends! You'll want it in your hands ASAP! #bookaday #booklove #readingtime #photoaday

A photo posted by literacydocent (@literacydocent) on Jan 19, 2015 at 4:17pm PST

Day 20: Forgot to post yesterday. Will try this one as a read aloud for the 2/3 crowd. #bookaday #readingtime #photoaday #latergram

A photo posted by literacydocent (@literacydocent) on Jan 21, 2015 at 5:27pm PST

Day 21: Read the author's note first on this one. #nerdybookclub #bookaday #readingtime #photoaday

A photo posted by literacydocent (@literacydocent) on Jan 21, 2015 at 5:36pm PST

Day 22: The ideas for using this "new to me" book are swirling! #nerdybookclub #bookaday #readingtime #photoaday

A photo posted by literacydocent (@literacydocent) on Jan 22, 2015 at 5:18pm PST

Day 23: It's NF. It's about a dog. I ❤ed it. That should be all the recommendation you need. #nerdybookclub #bookaday #photoaday

A photo posted by literacydocent (@literacydocent) on Jan 23, 2015 at 12:34pm PST

Day 24: My favorite part of this debut novel was how the author revealed the special relationship between Theo & Jack. #middleschool #mystery #historymixedin #nerdybookclub #bookaday #photoaday

A photo posted by literacydocent (@literacydocent) on Jan 24, 2015 at 3:05pm PST

Day 25: This deceptive cover wraps around a "pull at your heartstrings" RF story of perseverance, friendship, & family. #nerdybookclub #bookaday #readingtime #photoaday

A photo posted by literacydocent (@literacydocent) on Jan 25, 2015 at 2:22pm PST

So there you have it...another week of reading is in the books!

Have a fantastic week among the pages!

Build a Library Book Shower

We've all been there. We get our first teaching job. Our first classroom. We can hardly contain our excitement about the upcoming year...and then we walk into that new classroom for the first time and reality hits us square in the face! If we're lucky, we are replacing a teacher and so we find furniture, teaching manuals, math manipulatives, textbooks, maybe even school supplies ordered by the previous teacher. For some of us, our position and classroom may be a new addition to the building to address an increase in enrollment. In that case, we *might* find furniture and that's about it. In either situation, one thing we are less likely to find is a well stocked classroom library. More often than not, the bulk of a classroom library is purchased with our own funds, maybe some Scholastic bonus points and various donations. But the bulk of the collection goes with us as we move on to another teaching  assignment.

The latter was the exact situation my friend, Katie, found herself in this summer. She has landed her first classroom and I'm so excited for her and the students who will be blessed to be in her classroom. I saw her one evening back in late June, right after she had made her first visit to see her new teaching space. Excitement was overshadowed by panic as she shared with me that she only found student desks, chairs, and a teacher desk in her new space. I remember the look on her face as she asked me, "What am I going to do about a classroom library? There are no books!"  The look on her face and those words kept replaying through my mind as I drove home that night.

The library has always been the heartbeat of my own classroom. It is essential to every single aspect of the learning environment. It is also always the MOST expensive part of the classroom to build. Right away I started brainstorming ways I might be able to help Katie build a library for her 3rd grade classroom. I knew I had some multiple copies of books that I could certainly donate, which got me thinking. Maybe other friends and family would like to help with some donations also. I'd seen a few pictures of "book" themed baby showers and an idea of a Build a Library Book Shower started forming in my mind. I called a mutual friend, Sarah, who is also a teacher, to ask if she would like to co-plan and host the event with me. The key was that we wanted it to be a surprise for Katie. 

The planning was SO much fun! I have to say, if I wasn't working in education, I think I would LOVE being a party planner. We planned a menu where each food item was tied to a picture book appropriate for 3rd grade. I created book banners for decorating and Sarah made adorable Book Worm goodie bags for the guests. In the invitation, we made suggestions for 3rd grade appropriate series, author studies, and read alouds to assist guests with ideas. We suggested that books could be new or gently used, and also welcomed gift cards to a local independent book store or Amazon. All the picture books we used on the Food Table were also given to her at the end of the evening.  We pulled off the surprise and Katie left with over three boxes of great books and several gift cards to grow her classroom library!

Coconut Curry Chicken Skewers 

Pasta Salad

BBQ Meatballs

Garden Veggies and Dip

Cheese and Crackers

Mini No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecakes

Southern Sweet Tea

Pink Lemonade

Super cute Book Worm Goodie Bags

Watching Katie go through the boxes was SO much fun! Of course I had to keep stopping her with book talks and gasps of "Oh I love that book (or series) SO much!"

The guest of honor with the party hosts! Love these two girls so much! Students in their classrooms are so, so blessed!

Wouldn't this be a lovely way to welcome a new staff member to your building? You can change up the menu based on the grade level the new staff member will be teaching. Add fun bookmarks or book plates as party favors. Another idea would be to have staff members had their favorite read alouds, favorite quotes, or words for wisdom in a nice journal. The teacher could use the journal to write daily reflections from their first year of teaching, or their first year in a new grade level, building, or district. The possibilities are endless...and the rewards are far reaching as we encourage our new staff members and support well stocked classroom libraries!

2014 Picture Book 10 for 10

Welcome and thanks for stopping by to see my 2014 10 for 10 list! This has certainly become one of my favorite days of the year!I can't believe another whole year has passed and we are once again celebrating this wonderful (and expensive) day for a FIFTH year!  It's so fantastic to have a day where picture books are celebrated across grade levels and contents. 

In the past four years I've highlight my top 10 picture books for Kindergarten readers, top 10 picture books for intermediate readers, top 10 picture books for building character & community, top 10 Maine picture book authors/illustrators, and top 10 picture book book trailers. This year I had a lot of themes swirling around in my head and finally decided on my drive home from New York today to highlight my top 10 picture books about books and/or reading.  All of the titles have become favorites that I love sharing with readers of all ages. 

(description from Publisher's Weekly) With a pinch of the tWith a pinch of the tongue-in-cheek and a pound of perseverance, this droll wolf story is a charmer. When a hungry, nearly penniless itinerant wolf decides to make a meal of some barnyard animals, he finds that they won't even look up from their books. "This is a farm for educated animals," they tell him. The wolf is caught so off guard that he forgets about his appetite and enrolls in school. When he takes his newfound knowledge back to the farm and proudly reads, "Run wolf! Run!" the animals go on "reading their own books, not the least impressed." Not until the wolf makes repeat visits to the library and buys his own storybook (with his last coins) can he read "with confidence and passion," entrancing the cow, pig and duck with story after story.

(description from Goodreads) Cal is not the readin' type. Living way high up in the Appalachian Mountains, he'd rather help Pap plow or go out after wandering sheep than try some book learning. Nope. Cal does not want to sit stoney-still reading some chicken scratch. But that Book Woman keeps coming just the same. She comes in the rain. She comes in the snow. She comes right up the side of the mountain, and Cal knows that's not easy riding. And all just to lend his sister some books. Why, that woman must be plain foolish; or is she braver than he ever thought? That Book Woman is a rare and moving tale that honors a special part of American history; the Pack Horse Librarians, who helped untold numbers of children see the stories amid the chicken scratch, and thus made them into lifetime readers.

(description from Goodreads) With the help of Miss Brooks, Missy’s classmates all find books they love in the library—books about fairies and dogs and trains and cowboys. But Missy dismisses them all—“Too flowery, too furry, too clickety, too yip pity.” Still, Miss Brooks remains undaunted. Book Week is here and Missy willfind a book to love if they have to empty the entire library. What story will finally win over this beastly, er, discriminating child? William Steig’sShrek!—the tale of a repulsive green ogre in search of a revolting bride—of course! Barbara Bottner and Michael Emberley pay playful homage to the diverse tastes of child readers and the valiant librarians who are determined to put just the right book in each child’s hands

(description from Goodreads) One sunlit afternoon, a bear discovers a mysterious fragment of paper that leads him to a cabin and to an unlikely friend. Although he can't understand her words, he returns day after day all summer to hear the woman read to him. Each night he carries the sound of her stories--of sailors and goddesses and far-off lands--back to his cave. The stories are from another world, but their sound touches him

(description from Goodreads) Bear found his friend Mouse, but Mouse was busy gathering seeds and didn't have time to listen to a story. Then Bear saw his friend Duck, but Duck was getting ready to fly south. What about his friend Toad? He was busy looking for a warm place to sleep. By the time Bear was through helping his friends get ready for winter, would anyone still be awake to hear his story?  This endearing story of friendship and patience is a worthy companion to Philip and Erin Stead's last collaboration, A Sick Day for Amos McGee, winner of the 2011 Caldecott Medal.

(description from Goodreads) Elizabeth Brown doesn't like to play with dolls and she doesnt like to skate. What she does like to do is read books. Lots of books. The only problem is that her library has gotten so big she can't even use her front door anymore. What should Elizabeth Brown do? Start her own public library, of course! With charming verse and watercolors Sarah Stewart and David Small celebrate one of America's oldest and finest institutions.

(description from Goodreads) Like many children, Henry loves books. But Henry doesn’t like to read books, he likes to eat them. Big books, picture books, reference books . . . if it has pages, Henry chews them up and swallows (but red ones are his favorite). And the more he eats, the smarter he gets—he’s on his way to being the smartest boy in the world! But one day he feels sick to his stomach. And the information is so jumbled up inside, he can’t digest it! Can Henry find a way to enjoy books without using his teeth? With a stunning new artistic style and a die-cut surprise, Oliver Jeffers celebrates the joys of reading in this charming and quirky picture book. It’s almost good enough to eat.

(description from Indie Bound) Tomas is a son of migrant workers. Every summer he and his family follow the crops north from Texas to Iowa, spending long, arduous days in the fields. At night they gather around to hear Grandfather's wonderful stories. But before long, Tomas knows all the stories by heart. "There are more stories in the library," Papa Grande tells him. The very next day, Tomas meets the library lady and a whole new world opens up for him. Based on the true story of the Mexican-American author and educator Tomas Rivera, a child of migrant workers who went on to become the first minority Chancellor in the University of California system, this inspirational story suggests what libraries, and education, can make possible. 

(description from Goodreads) Alia Muhammad Baker is a librarian in Basra, Iraq. For fourteen years, her library has been a meeting place for those who love books. Until now. Now war has come, and Alia fears that the library--along with the thirty thousand books within it--will be destroyed forever. In a war-stricken country where civilians--especially women--have little power, this true story about a librarian's struggle to save her community's priceless collection of books reminds us all how, throughout the world, the love of literature and the respect for knowledge know no boundaries. 

(description from Amazon)  Playful and lighthearted with a subversive twist that is signature Lane Smith, It’s a Book is a delightful manifesto on behalf of print in the digital age. This satisfying, perfectly executed picture book has something to say to readers of all stripes and all ages. Granted I only use this one with adult learners, but I love it SO much! 







It's been so fun to participate in #pb10for10 from the very beginning. I am always excited to see what spin others will take with their lists. Thank you to Cathy Mere (@CathyMere) atReflect & Refine: Building a Learning Community and Mandy Robek (@mandyrobek) atEnjoy and Embrace Learning for continuing to host this fantastic celebration of picture books! 

{Whatever Wednesday} WRAD

 

Happy World Read Aloud Day!

“The fire of literacy is created by the emotional sparks between a child, a book, and the person reading. It isn’t achieved by the book alone, nor by the child alone, nor by the adult who’s reading aloud—it’s the relationship winding between all three, bringing them together in easy harmony.”

― Mem Fox, Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever

Join the {Whatever Wednesday} meme, hosted by my friend David Etkin over at Eat the Book.  {Whatever Wednesday} is a chance to post something you've seen that you really liked...or as David says...you've "really been diggin"!

My Favorite Day is Coming!

Children's author Katherine Paterson once said "The best way to cultivate [children's] tastes is to read to them, starting at birth and keeping on and on. 'Let me hear you read' is a test, 'Let me read to you' is a gift."

On Wednesday, March 6, 2013 people all around the world will be celebrating the gift of reading aloud. World Read Aloud Day , sponsored by LitWorld, is about taking action to show the world that the right to read and write belongs to every person, regardless of race, age, or economic situation. It is intended to motivate children, teens, and adults worldwide to celebrate the power of words, especially those words that are shared from one person to another. 

It's not too early to start planning! Here's a look at how my school celebrated World Read Aloud last year.

 

 

Won't you join me in participating in World Read Aloud Day 2013? You can get started by registering here! 

With Love and Prayers

There But For the Grace of God...

I, like so many teachers across the country, was in shock as the events in Newtown, CT unfolded and were being reported out yesterday.   As I looked around my classroom I was reminded of the sense of innocence that had now been stolen by this unthinkable act, certainly for those children in  Sandy Hook Elementary School, but also for all children across our country.  They would go home and undoubtedly hear about this horrific massacre.  The world as they knew it when they entered our building that morning was not the same world they were going to enter back into that afternoon. It had been  forever changed by the events of the day.

 

Once they had all left the building, my colleagues and I began to gather in the hallways to share our sorrow. Predictably the conversation led to the reality that this tragedy could have happened anywhere, including our location. To say that's an unsettling realization would be an understatement. We all agreed that we would lay down our own lives for our students...it's who we are. But we also talked about the false sense of security so many schools work under.  Emergency plans look good on paper. Evacuation and lock down drills are good.  But have we done enough?  I won't specifically share the safety concerns I have for my own teaching situation. I don't think that's wise...but I do have them...and I plan to voice them, on behalf of my students, to the appropriate school administrators.

 

I thankfully happened upon this guest blog post of Kristofor Still, a Nebraska officer with the Scotts Bluff County Sheriff's Department, and husband of a teacher. With he and his wife, Beth's permission, I am re-posting his post in it's entirety. Please take the time to read it all the way through.

My name is Kristofor Still (@kris_still). As you have probably guessed by now, I am married to Beth Still, who is the author of this blog. Before I dive too deep into this guest blog that Beth has asked me to write, I feel you need to know who I am and the level of experience I possess in my fields of expertise.

I have been in Law Enforcement now for almost 19 years; the last 13 years have been with the Scotts Bluff County Sheriff’s Department in Nebraska. I have been a SWAT team member for the last 11 ½ years and a SWAT sniper for the last six years. I am also one of the department’s two firearms instructors. In May of 2012, I was given a great opportunity as I was one a select few from across the state who were able to gain a certification as an Active Shooter Response Instructor. I now teach a two day class to area Law Enforcement Officers along with my Sergeant, Troy Brown and Scotts Bluff Police Officer and fellow SWAT team member, Ian McPherson.

As most of you probably know by now, today was one of the most horrific days in the history of the United States. A killer walked into the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut and killed 20 children and 6 adults. Of those killed, a majority of them were Kindergartners.

When something like this happens and innocent children are killed, it tears at the hearts of a nation. Destroying what we as parents hold dearest to our hearts shock us to the core. It makes us realize how fragile life really is and how one crazed, sick person can take it away in the blink of an eye.
As I mentioned above, I am one of three instructors in our county that teach active shooter response to our area Law Enforcement Officers. Because of this, my wife knows that I am passionate about making sure that our officers are prepared both mentally and physically to go in and meet this evil head on and terminate it as quickly as possible in order to stop the killing.

Like most parents across our nation today, we talked at great length when Beth arrived home from school about what we can do as Law Enforcement Officers and Educators to stop this from happening. Beth came to me because she knows that I have also in the past gone to two of our area schools and provided them in-put on ways the school and teachers can protect themselves and the children. The sad thing about all of this is that my advice fell on deaf ears. I know that neither school followed through with any of the recommendations provided to them. I believe the reason that nothing was done was two fold. First of all, too many administrators fall into a comfort zone and genuinely believe that this kind of evil will never happen here. The second reason is because of the all mighty dollar. In both schools that I went to, I talked about purchasing certain items that could be used to aid teachers in protecting and or keeping intruders out of their rooms in the case that they were unable to escape. I felt that in both cases, I lost them once it came down to spending money.
I am often asked by people and teachers what they need to do in the case of active shooter in the building or school in which they are located. I start off by telling them to follow the acronym A.D.D. This stands for AVOID, DENY, DEFEND. I tell teachers, administrators, law enforcement officers, and citizens the same thing.

AVOID: Escape the scene as quickly as possible. If you are able to run, do so until you are sure you are in a safe place.

DENY (entry): If you unable to get out, barricade yourself in a room. Pile all of the furniture and heavy items in front of the door as possible and then quietly hide in the room in an area that would provide cover and concealment from an active shooter who wants to try to shoot into the room. Remember that an active shooters main goal is to kill as many people as possible to provide the greatest shock factor to his or her audience. They do not like to get hung up on a closed and locked door. This will slow them down too much for them to effectively accomplish their mission or goal. Most likely, they will move on.

DEFEND: If you are unable to escape or secure yourself in a safe room, you need to fight for your life. Find any items that you can use as a weapon. These are items of convenience such as a fire extinguisher, coat rack, trash can, chair, etc. If you are able to, find others in your same position that are of the sound mind and body to assist you in fighting for your life as well as the other innocent people who could fall victim to the senseless killing that is happening.

Another major problem that I am seeing in our schools is that our teachers are given a policy or a flip chart to follow in times of an emergency. This may work if you are talking about a fire drill or tornado drill, but teachers need leeway in their decision making when they are dealing with an active shooter. Most teachers are by nature known to be rule followers. This creates problems as they tend to fall back on a flip chart or policy and ignore that sixth sense about what they should do. The way I describe this to our new law enforcement recruits is by telling them that if something doesn’t seem right, it probably isn’t. Learn to follow your sixth sense and do what you feel is right.

Early on in this post, I spoke about certain in-expensive items that I recommended these schools purchase for each teacher or each room. Below is a list of these items that I recommended to them and am now recommending to you.

1) Tactical door wedges. These can be found on-line and typically cost between $15 and $20 a piece. These secure the door to the floor from inside the room, so the door can be permanently locked. If done properly, the only way you can open the door is to tear it down with an axe or chainsaw.

2) A claw hammer with a long handle. These can be used as both a weapon to fight with or a tool to break and rake windows to aid in escape if your room has exterior windows.

3) Medical kit to include a turnicate and a clotting agent. Remember that the first responders that are entering the building are not there to provide medical attention to those that are injured. They by-pass the injured and going straight to the threat so they can stop the killing as quickly as possible.

4) Rope or fire escape ladders. To aid in escape through an outer window if you are on the second or third floor of a school or structure.

5) Emergency blankets. These can be used to help comfort the wounded or to throw over the broken glass in a window pane prior to escape.

6) Cell phones or emergency radios for each classroom. Communication is key to any law enforcement officers or tactical teams arriving on scene. If you are able to provide pertinent information to police dispatch, you can aid in response time by providing the locations of the shooter(s) inside the structure.

7) A box, tote, or five gallon bucket to hold all of these items as they are stored in a safe place inside the classroom.

As you can see above, these are not high priced items. Push your administrator to purchase these for each classroom and tell him or her why you feel it is important. If they refuse to help your school, find ways to make this happen on your own. Some of the items above may be lying around your house or garage and could easily be transported to your school. The rest that needs to be purchased could easily be justified as inexpensive life insurance policy.

As an educator you are responsible for protecting your students if at all possible. Too many times in these cases of school shootings, there were red flags that many noticed, but failed to report until after the unthinkable happened. If you see or hear something that you consider to be red flag with a student, report it. Start by telling an administrator or counselor. If this fails and you believe they pose a true threat, talk to one of your trusted law enforcement officers.

In closing, I want you to ask yourself this; could you live with yourself if you failed to prepare, act, or report a possible future threat that resulted in the death of a student, wife, husband, son, daughter, grandparent or co-worker. You owe it to yourself and your students to be their first line of defense by educating yourself and making good sound decisions!

Now that you've read this information, do the right thing and advocate for the safety of the children in your community. Share it with the administrators in your school district. Share it with your local School Board members.  Share it with teachers. Share it with parents. Keep sharing it! Our students deserve all the precautions we can take to minimize the loss of life in crisis situations.

I would like to thank Officer Still for writing this post. Also, thank you to his wife, Beth Still, for posting it and allowing me to re-post it here. If you have specific questions for Officer Still you can post them on the orginial blog post found at Nebraska Change Agent.