Zoomobile

Our Summer Reading Kickoff was a huge success! I'd like to thank the Beardsley Zoo for coming to us with their awesome Animal Adaptations Zoomobile. The children not only got to see and touch beautiful animals, but the zoo gave them coupons for summer visits as well.

The participating students received 5 science-related books each, according to their reading levels, plus a bag of goodies! Thank you Reading Is Fundamental.

Zoomobile Coming to Bryant School

Reading Is Fundamental has given a $1,000 grant to Bryant School for their summer reading kickoff event. I searched high and low for a science related event, and decided on Beardsley Zoo's Zoomobile. On June 13, the 2nd and 3rd graders will get to see and touch live animals, while learning about their adaptations. Stay tuned!

It's Not Too Early To Start Summer Reading- RIF

Reading Is Fundamental is celebrating its 45 anniversary, and these fantastic people are sharing the fun with Bridgeport Schools. To start off, Bryant School has been given some beautiful picture books for each classroom teacher in grades 1 through 5, as well as the library. Every book comes with a proposed activity, and we are reading at least one book a week to the end of the school year. There's a lot more to come, but I don't want to spoil any surprises. Currently, my favorite book is this:

It is a brief biography of Maria Sibylla Merian, a 17th century naturalist. Since childhood, Merian was fascinated with butterflies, and she made a career of studying their life cycles, right down to the tiniest details. She created beautiful paintings and published her findings. Her books were quite popular, and key in discrediting the theory of spontaneous generation. She also was brave enough to travel all the way to Surinam to study the insect life of South America, which was a very unusual thing for a woman in late middle age to do.

When I read this book to my students, they were appalled and stunned to find that people- adults no less- once believed that insects and tadpoles came from mud. Moreover, people believed that insects were "beasts of the devil" and that if a caterpillar could turn into a butterfly, then a person could turn into a werewolf. Maria Merian helped put an end to these ideas through simple, studious observation. She was a hero of the scientific method. My students smiled at the conclusion that Maria Merian was just humble enough to let the insects tell their own story.

I loved this book so much I went to the public library to read an adult biography,

Chrysalis: Maria Sibylla Merian and the Secrets of Metamorphosis by Kim Todd. It's a wonderful read.

Hot Chocolate Party

I had 7 students complete the Summer Reading Program reading lists, and I owed them a small party. But then there was Hurricane Sandy. Then there was online testing. Then there was Christmas break. Then there was Blizzard Nemo. Then there was February break.

But this past Thursday, just before CMTs swooped down upon the school, we were finally able to book a lovely little hot chocolate party. The girls were given beautiful hot pink scarves, (Sue and I each got one too) and the boys got black ear muffs. We had hot chocolate with marshmallows and candy canes, as well as free books. It was fantastic.

Many thanks to Ms. Walker-Jones for providing the supplies and gifts. It was beautiful. And thanks to the 7 students who read all those wonderful books.

This summer, I hope the party will be bigger!

Snow's Over!

Happy to be back, Bryant School!

Chinese New Year's Craft

According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2013 is the year of the Snake. Chinese New Year is a spectacular holiday that is so important in Asia that it lasts two weeks, with endless festivity. Anyone who's had the privilege of walking through Chinatown during Chinese New Year knows how exciting the streets are during the parade. The banging of the firecrackers and crashing of gongs, and let's not forget the beautiful dragon dances. There is shortage of fun activities to do in school for Chinese New Year. It's a pity I don't have the time to do them all, but here's one that is cheap, fun, and easy to do. It's a simple Chinese dragon puppet.

You simply color, cut, and attach the head and tail to a strip of construction paper 2 inches wide. Then tape Popsicle sticks or coffee stirrers on the back.

Above are the supplies I used and below is my model.

And last but not least, an example of student work!

And wouldn't you know it? I found a perfect book that I don't have to go with this craft. Well, I've ordered it for next year. 

Happy Chinese New Year!

The Stickman Odyssey Books Arrived

And they are every bit as juvenile and immature as I hoped they would be. Enjoy, kids!

Don't Dismiss a Classic

The common wisdom to draw in middle grade readers is to excite them, and focus on their interests. This means keeping up with trends and having one's finger on the pulse of pop culture. The common wisdom is true and important, but the trouble is, it's dismissive of many classic books. Reading an oldie but goodie can be a good idea. Many new teachers fear that focusing on older books is out of touch and even self-centered, but done right I feel the opposite is true.

Students have a right to keep up with the trends of their peers, but that can mean they wind up with a narrow focus.

A couple of months ago, at my other library, the fifth graders were getting restless. There were five minutes left of class, and the work was complete. It was that awful span of time which is too short to do something, but too long to do nothing. So out of sheer panic I pulled out Robert C. O'Brien's Mrs. Frisby and The Rats of NIMH. We had been working on fantasy and non-fiction anyway, but I assumed they wouldn't like the book. Agriculture and forest life aren't part of their world, they've outgrown anthropomorphic animals, and the writing was slightly old fashioned.

They were rapt. I couldn't believe how still and quiet they became. It was so successful that I continued reading it to them and another fifth grade class. Why did they like this dusty old book so much? It has a good, exciting plot, which transcends pratically everything else. So never assume that students don't want their horizons broadened, or that they can't appreciate something from the past.

Stickman Odyssey

I always set aside some money to buy things for my library, buying book care supplies, decorations, lesson materials, and of course, books. Well guess what's in the mail, everyone?

I ordered this graphic novel, as well as its sequel. It came highly recommended from School Library Journal. Here is their synopsis:

Add a little fun to your explorations with Christopher Ford’s entertaining graphic novel, Stickman Odyssey: An Epic Doodle (2011; Gr 5 Up). Banished from Sticatha by an evil throne-seizing witch, “far-wandering” Zozimos is determined to find his way home and claim his rightful place as king. However, along the way, the young hero is waylaid by mighty monsters (he cleverly defeats the gigantic Cyclops-like Boetheos by barfing in his eye), embroiled in breathtaking battles (bravely brandishing his stick sword), and met by challenges that test his courage and perseverance (along with his skill at talking to girls). Ford’s stick-figure characters possess boundless energy and plenty of expression, and the script percolates with snarky dialogue, hilarious expletives (“BY ZEUS’ BUTT!”), and loads of irreverent humor. The action certainly is epic, and numerous (and comically skewed) references to the original are integrated into the plot. For example, Athena intervenes in the affairs of mortals with a few deft strokes of a giant pen (e.g., doodling out a raft for her protégé), and during a perilous ocean journey, Zosimos’s cohorts plug their ears with wax—not to protect themselves from the sirens’ song but to drown out their leader’s complaining. Students will enjoy making comparisons to Odysseus’s adventures and teasing out corresponding themes, characters, and images. The antics continue in Book Two: The Wrath of Zozimos (2012, both Philomel)

My students love graphic novels, fantasy, Greek mythology, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid and these books are all four rolled into one. Graphic novels are a great draw for reluctant readers and I expect this pair will circulate well. I'll also have reason to teach them more content knowledge so they catch more of the puns. Can't wait for them to arrive!

A Job You Love

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.

Confucius

Avoiding Reading Insecurity

One of my students today, eager to feel some concrete progress in her education, kept bringing me incredibly hard books to check out. I had her try the five finger rule to show her that her choices were far above her grade level. She was indignant and upset. Any alternative I showed her she said was far too easy. After about ten minutes of negotiation, I found one that was slightly too hard for her, but not impossible for her to read. The real issue is, two of her friends are advanced readers and she felt insecure that she wasn't on their level, even though she was close. She felt frustrated and insecure.

This is a common problem in my library, and indeed, all the classrooms and home as well. When an adult says "It's not a race" children simply don't believe it. When they notice they are behind, they are embarassed. They then start to check out books above their level, and without progress, eventually start refusing to read at all. We only enjoy activities where we feel some success and progress, so frustrated readers often turn their backs on books.

There are a couple strategies I use to prevent reading insecurity. I take a look at nonfiction books if they have particular interests, like animals. With their exciting pictures and valuable information, nonfiction books are great for reluctant readers. If a student is passionate about cheetahs, he won't worry about the book's grade level being low. Graphic novels have quite a lot of text in them, and students of all levels enjoy them, so lower readers don't feel inadequate checking them out.

The trick is to be kind and discreet, and letting students know that they aren't alone in their struggle to read. They needn't be ashamed- just keep working to get better every day. And most students truly want to do that.

Daughter of Earth

School Library Journal has a lovely tribute article to Caldecott award winning author and illustrator, Gerald McDermott. He died on December 26 at the age of 71. I only found out recently, and was terribly sad to hear it. There is one book of his that I use frequently for all the grades in my library. Even the 5th and 6th graders are still enchanted with it. It's unlike McDermott's usual work, it is obscure, and tragically, out of print. Daughter of Earth: A Roman Myth tells the Roman version of Persephone and Hades, or, in their Latin names, Proserpina and Pluto.

Children of all ages are enthralled by Greco-Roman mythology. It's a great way to help them on their path to cultural literacy, giving them much needed content knowledge to succeed in high school and college. This breathtaking picture book has striking, colorful illustrations that clearly tell the story. I'm floored that it didn't win a Caldecott, and indeed, went out of print. So if you find this book used online, or in a second hand bookstore, or at a flea market, grab it and treasure it.

For a fun, here is a link to the most adorable, child friendly site about Greek mythology I have ever seen.

Infant Literacy

Anyone who has cared for an infant knows that babies have no attention span, are wiggly and impatient, and not the world's best audiences. So is it even possible to do literacy activities with them? Yes! Since I have a 13 month old son, this subject is of interest to me too. The best part is, everything you can do with a baby is pretty much free. These activities take no special training or materials, and anyone in the family can do them. (I would strongly encourage older children to help out). Here is a helpful link.This PDF from ZERO to Three is short, too the point, and has helpful information of what to pick up at the library as your baby develops.

It's important to remember that you don't have to read an entire book to a baby. You don't need to start on the first page or finish it. In fact, instead of reading the text straight up, try talking about the pictures, pointing to characters and saying what they are doing. "There is the doggy! He's chasing the cat! Our dog likes our cat, though." Let your baby handle the book herself, if she likes. And let her catch you in the act of reading her books on your own. Even if she can't understand the words or sit through the whole books, she's getting great benefits. She is learning that reading is pleasurable and fun, she is picking up vocabulary, and she is learning about the wonders of books.

Even If The Movie Isn't As Good As The Book.....

This is an old subject, but I think I'll post about it. The common wisdom about movies and books is that if a book is turned into a movie, no one will bother with the book anymore. I completely disagree. My informal research and experience indicates otherwise.

The Lightning Thief series are excellent books, but they are large, thick books with tiny print, and would seem ambitious to many of my students. But I don't go a week without several of them being checked out, with numerous requests for renewal, and to reserve the next installment. Why?

They've all seen the movie. Since they loved it, they are certain that the book is also good, and can't wait to give it a try.

So if there is a book you would like your child to read, like Charlotte's Web or Holes, and he/she is skeptical, try sharing the movie!

The Results Are In!

My informal survey is finished, or rather, the data collection is. Let's start with 4th grade. 50 students were surveyed.

90% have read a book and saw its movie.
52% read before falling asleep.
70% have made something by reading directions.
40% have gotten a book as a gift.
84% have parents who like to read.
56% read parts of the newspaper.
46% like nonfiction better than fiction.
80% like to hear stories read aloud.
78% like to read books by the same author.
74% read the cereal box at breakfast time.
50% own at least ten books.
16% prefer mysteries.
20% have read all the Harry Potter books.
42% have magazine subscriptions at home.

I bolded two of the results because they concerned me. While we have RIF books each year, and books are not hard to come by, half our fourth graders claimed they owned fewer than ten books. Less than half are given books as gifts. I suspect one reason is that Bridgeport has no functioning book store, and the nearest book store is at least 20 minutes away. We know that students read better when they are surrounded by books. One solution may be to make parents aware that many online book stores sell even fairly new books used, often at extremely low prices. A better solution would be for a book store, retail or used, to open in the city. Frankly, transportation and disposable income are the biggest obstacles- 93% of 4th graders at Black Rock School said they owned at least 10 books. Black Rock students usually have more access to transport.

Let's see how the 5th graders did. 35 were surveyed.

74% have read a book and saw its movie.

71% read before falling asleep.
100% have made something by reading directions.
69% have gotten a book as a gift.86% have parents who like to read.

57% read parts of the newspaper.

46% like nonfiction better than fiction.

80% like to hear stories read aloud.

83% like to read books by the same author.
80% read the cereal box at breakfast time.

71% own at least ten books.

51% prefer mysteries.

0% have read all the Harry Potter books.

91% have magazine subscriptions at home.

I bolded the numbers that interested me.  I am puzzled that only 74% of 5th graders said they have read a book and watched its movie, compared to 90% of the 4th graders. The demographics are slightly different, which may explain it. I am happy to see that roughly 70% of 5th graders had gotten books as gifts and own at least ten. My guess is they request books as gifts more often. I would like to increase the numbers to be as close to 100% as possible.

Numbers like these, however, really do emphasize the fact that we need programs like RIF and the more programs we have, the more our students benefit.

While I teach at two elementary schools, I am a big fan of Teen Librarian Toolbox, a blog about youth services in public libraries. There's plenty of food for thought to be found there, and students as young as fourth grade can start reading young adult literature. But this post really caught my attention. Here is a quote from the author Stephanie Wilkes:

The discussions continued and as we got to know each other a little more, I realized that my teens were looking for characters that identified them but not necessarily by race, gender, or even life situations...they were looking for key traits in characters or even sometimes, just a certain feeling evoked by a genre.  For example, some of my boys were madly in love with a set of Sarah Dessen books that I brought.  SARAH DESSEN.  For incarcerated African-American male youth.  Seriously.  And even though I never wish to judge my teens to wonder what they are reading...it blew my mind. 

I don't work with incarcerated teens, obviously, but her work can be applied to all young readers this way: basically, all readers want the same things. They want good plots and interesting characters, but they also want escapism and wonder. For the same reasons we watch comedy shows and cartoons and dramas rather than solely the news, young readers want to be taken away by a book. They don't want to be lectured however creatively, and they don't always need a familiar situation to enjoy a story, otherwise fantasy wouldn't sell.

I find that the best fiction has characters that are relatable due to character traits. That shouldn't dismiss relatability by age, race, gender, or orientation. But the readers should view the characters as people, not flat symbols for an issue or moral. While I'm a fan of fiction that addresses current issues, I think such fiction should be guided by the characters first, plots second, and the issues will become brighter and more important as a result.

Know Your Readers!

After many surprising life changes and generally overwhelming schedules, I am now able to blog again about Bryant School and the literacy issues we face as a school.

Currently, I am doing some (perhaps unscientific) research on our students. While it's helpful to look at trends in School Library Journal and other library blogs, it always pays to get information directly from your own students.

I modified a questionnaire activity from Stretchy Library Lessons: More Library Skills called "Know Your Readers." Using it, I am surveying the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades. While not all the data has been gathered yet, I did get enlightened on a few things: first off, surprisingly few of my students have read all the Harry Potter books. I thought this was a classic stand by, but my students don't think so. Rick Riordan books are more current, my students said, and they do circulate like hot cakes. I was also surprised that so many students enthusiastically said that they liked Charlotte's Web, since my classics don't circulate well.

What I liked about the questionnaire is that it is completely non-judgmental. There are no questions like "how many minutes or hours do you read after school?" or "do you read chapter books above your grade level?" The students didn't walk away wondering if they are good enough. Instead, they walked away realizing that they liked reading better than they thought. Since success builds on success, an epiphany that they don't actually dislike reading will encourage them to read more!