It's Monday Here's What I'm Reading: Newbery Edition

One of the three areas that I am committing to for my blog is sharing more of my reading life. This is so much easier in the summer when I read almost everyday and prepare for Newbery Club 2019 when school starts in August. It's quite the challenge to read as many possible winners and record my thinking in my reader's notebook.

The pile on the left is my completed and on the right is my TBR pile. I take days off to read picture books which I will share in another Monday post. You know that feeling when you're finished with a book and you rate it 5/5 stars on Goodreads and then you read the next one and it's 5/5 stars. That's the feeling I'm having this summer. I would have difficult time choosing my favorite of the summer. It's like ice cream they all have individual tastes but put them all together and you have a perfect summer reading list. Now I would suggest going to get a favorite scoop of ice cream and enjoy a great book. Let me know your favorite book of the summer or ice cream flavor.

Complements of Google Images

Celebrating: Status of the Class

Celebrations are crucial. Some days I search for a celebration; however most days celebrations come knocking at my door.  We are off to a great start in Room 234. 

Choosing to spend the first four weeks discussing and creating our new community. 

Conversations about how we will talk with each other especially when we don't agree (which happens in math quite often).  

Allowing time for everyone to learn about their life as a reader and lots of time searching the classroom library. Yet to be organized except by the color of the spines of the books which makes me so happy. Because it is their library. 

Celebrating that my learners know that I am a reader, and I will be checking weekly with them on how they are progressing.  

One of my biggest celebration was on Thursday - Weekly Status of the Class. At this time of year, status takes forever or at least it feels that way.  I have to admit every Thursday morning I selftalk myself knowing that this time is well spent.  There are two parts to Status of the Class.

• Every reader shares aloud their current JR book and what page they are currently reading.  This is powerful because all 25 readers here a title, make connections and typically ends in at least one book talk. This process takes less than 10 minutes.
• Second, I meet with every reader, one on one, short conference about their JR book.  They track their reading in BoB (Book of Books) and I ask them about their goals and to share their evidence.  This takes at least 30 minutes. I value this time because I am making connections, I'm able to ask hard questions if I need too. Finally I am sending the message that we all will value reading and every Thursday is a set time for this celebration.

Fast forward to lunch and I am getting ready to go to duty. I find a sticky note hidden under my keyboard just peaking out for me to see.  In  our class, on the first day, I tell them that space is my mailbox if you need to tell me something or we need to talk leave me a note. 

Mrs. Caplin, Thank you for status today.  I have always liked reading, I don't like goals. Last year's teacher had us set goals but never met with me alone.  Now I know the importance of goals.  Thank you :)

 Thanks Ruth for encouraging us to celebrate and encouraging us to join in a community of Saturday Celebrations. 

Celebrating: Lifelong Readers

 I am celebrating an amazing group of learners that I get to spend everyday with in our classroom.  

I am celebrating finally wrapping my head around homework vs. home learning.  And loving my decision and where I finally ended up in this controversy. So many conversations, voxer and blog posts.  Thanks to my PLN in helping me.

I am celebrating several students who are choosing to do home learning (enrichment activities) and sharing their learning with the class the next day.

I am celebrating past learners who are in middle school and sending me photos and returning books to me when they come back to visit.  

I am celebrating with my Saturday colleagues who post every Saturday.  I have been reading your posts and celebrating with you although I've been absent.  Thanks Ruth for encouraging us to Celebrate. 

Celebrate Reading

June has slid away and July has crept in. This week I celebrate reading and the gift of time.  The month of June was perfect for me.  Filled with my favorite activities: reading, gardening, visiting, and of course more reading. I also have more time for Saturday celebration blog posts.Thanks Ruth for encouraging us to celebrate and connect with my Saturday friends from near and far. 

My summer office with a view.

• Visiting my favorite Ostrander Library weekly and talking to my friends.  Walking in and hearing, "You have several titles on the shelf today."  Discussing which ones that I reserved through Search Ohio that I think the Delaware Libraries should consider purchasing.  I celebrate amazing conversations about books and the opportunity to influence the purchase of new titles. 
• Gift of time to read blogs and tweets. The Newberry Buzz started this week with Elizabeth posting at Fuse 8.  It's like an early Christmas present to see if I am on target or way off the mark.  This year I have done pretty well with my picks so far, and of course there were a few new titles that I wasn't aware of YET.
• Gift of time to discuss books with friends that visit, through twitter, facebook and our BE google list that Bill, Margaret and Ben keep going all summer with new titles and front runners for Newberry.
• I celebrate last year's class and their class gift which were gift cards, so I could purchase my new books for next year's class.  Every year I have a student ask me about the "new books," and I explain how it's important to pay it forward. Explaining that last year's readers are already supporting this year's readers. A full circle moment connecting the end of one year and start of a new year. 
• Visiting my favorite bookstore, Fundamentals and discussing books with my friend Tami. It's always a fun day when she gives me an ARC  and this week I got Wishtree by Katherine Applegate.  I am excited to share that the Scholastic Summer Road Trip will be coming to her store in Delaware, Ohio.  That will truly be a celebration for everyone!!!
  

Celebrating: Math Shifts with Homework

Celebrating this week came on Tuesday evening, and I couldn't wait to write my blog post. I am watching the first game of the World Series.  I don't have a favorite team because my heart is with both cities and their beloved baseball teams.  My second celebration happened subtly.  There are so many posts, blogs, and thoughts about homework that I was overwhelmed. I have tried to wrap my thoughts around homework; my district has allowed me to form my own opinions as long as I can support my decision.  I can do that and I did that at curriculum night the third week of school.  My parent community supported my definition of  homework. 

My definition for Language Arts was simple. Lifelong readers and writers.  Choice with both of them and continue to grow in both reading and writing.  Done!

My definition in Math has ebbed and flowed this year.  I'm at crossroads lately.  I've been on both sides of the track with math homework.  I believe strongly in practice (similar) to reading; however, math computations feels and looks different.   Without going into pages of thoughts on math homework, most of math HW is a review including playing games with parents and writing a reflection, explaining a new skill or old fashion practice of basic facts (which are still  desperately needed needed in fifth grade)

This assignment was a first for me...the idea is home learning.  I composed the email and shared it with my students at the end of math class.  My learners looked a little confused, and I showed them how I had taken a few photos from the day to help help them.  As the emails came in tonight, I realized I had a hit a home run - no pun attended with my first celebration.  Just read what CS wrote me. 

Thanks Ruth for encouraging us to to celebrate throughout the week.  I love when my celebrations stand up and hit a grand slam for me.  

Slice of Life: Connected Readers

I'm celebrating on a Friday night. I'm happy on a Friday night not because it's Friday although I am thankful for this weekend.  If you're reading this I hope you're a teacher because you might just think I am a little crazy. For those of you who know me, I can hear a few snickers.  I'm celebrating because I have been reading my students' Google JR reflections for the past few hours. Although I stopped to make my fish sticks and brought them over to the computer so I could keep reading, I stopped to get more Hellmann's Tarter Sauce because it's the best. And I kept on reading, I couldn't stop.

I introduced digital reading logs this week. My students are going to track their reading along with setting their goals for the week and we have started reading reflections.  This was a crazy but fun week.  Only one afternoon was normal and so something had to go. I wasn't going to lose the chance to set up 24/7 reading connections with my students. The power in 24/7 talk is huge. I was feeling horrible that I had not conferences with every student about their book this week, but now I have. At the time of this post, three students already commented back to me, and they have a new plan for reading this weekend. I would not suggest all 24 on the same day, but I am thrilled to know that all my students are connected and ready to read this weekend.

Choose Kind

I knew when I finished reading Wonder this past summer that it would be on my must read list for this school year's read aloud.  We started the book as a class in December but because so many students had heard about the book, I had to tell them in October that it was our next read aloud.  Many of the students didn't care, they purchased the book and read it first as their JR (just right) book. They knew that we would read it as a class also but that didn't matter to them.  The day we started I had the sign below on our daily schedule...and the buzz started in our classroom.

First I heard, "We don't have a subject called that." Then I heard, "It must because it is December, and we need to be extra kind this month" I laughed secretly on that comment. Then I heard one of students who had read the book reply that is the theme of our next read aloud. BINGO!!  Before we started reading Wonder, I asked how many students had already read the book 9 out of 22 students and 4 more were in the middle of the story.  One of students said, "Don't worry Mrs. Caplin it is such an important story everyone should hear it twice."  With that said I began reading about Auggie.

We read aloud four days a week no matter what ( and yes I mean no matter what including reading the last few paragraphs before we left for lunch which is pretty important in fifth grade) The students are recording their thinking in their Reader's Notebook and for many of them they are reading along with me using their copy of the book. It's exciting to see students offer to share their copy with another student that does not have one.  Choosing kind within our read aloud.

As we finished our first section, Auggie's point of view, I asked the students to stop and reflect.  I struggle with this part of read aloud and when I say struggle I deeply mean that.  I desperately want my students to enjoy the story (Bill Prosser taught me that lesson when we team taught together-Thanks Bill!) But I want to know what my students are thinking, how are they feeling about the story, what are their thoughts about August?  I tried something new with Wonder.  I asked students to do a reflection based on 10 points.  We brainstormed the ideas and filled up our dry erase board, students chose their own topic for their reflection.  I was so pleased that I took this step - it was a big one for me, but one that I will do again.  It didn't ruin the read aloud for us, and it gave me a glimmer of what my class was thinking.  I love knowing what they are thinking about as we read each day.  

Finally Found the Lost Piece

For those who read my blog regularly, you know that I have been struggling with the direction I was given at my school to use guided reading groups in my classroom.  First let me say again, I am not opposed to guided reading groups however in fifth grade it is extremely difficult not to have them turn into redbird, bluebird and greenbird in my opinion.  I tried everything last school year, I changed the group members frequently, focused on reading levels, focused on strategies, focused on vocabulary but I never found the missing piece of the puzzle.  I spent all summer thinking about how to change guided reading groups since I knew I would have to use them again this school year. This school year, I chose purposefully not to start guided reading groups until second trimester which gave me 12 weeks to build our reading community.  To help all students become readers, allowed me enough time to learn about my students, and most importantly we had a established community of readers from Preprimer (my new ELL student) to Junie B. Jones,  to Andrew Clements, to five students participating in Newberry Club to classics including Moby Dick.

With our classroom rapport established, the first change was to name my guided reading (Book Clubs) what a difference in the opinions of 10 year old.  Second, I placed the students based on their reading lives not their fluency level, DRA level, not if they are in special ed or in our LEAP (gifted) program, but who they are as readers. Already I felt better about the reading groups.

Enjoying A Day's Work by Eve Bunting

Next I extended the time of the book clubs, I allowed them to choose the days of the week they met, they were able to bring a drink for one club meeting, and they decided if they would have homework. I started with four book clubs based on picture books that I knew each group would connect with because I knew my students as readers.  Ownership of the club became theirs.  Huge with fifth grade students!

I did set the focus for the clubs: to practice the fictional reading strategies that we had learned the first trimester.  I gave them a rubric that I would use to grade their thinking in addition a timeline of expectations.  Again they were in control with my guidance.  Powerful! 

Finally I was able to meet with each group on drop in visits.  I would just pull a stool up to the club and listen to their conversations. I would take some notes if I needed to touch base with a student later to ask a question.  Occasionally I would leave a note with a club to help guide their conversations for the day:  How did the character's motivation influence his choice at the garden?  

For the first time in two years, I am pleased with my reading groups now officially called book clubs.  My students view book clubs as an extension of our classroom reading and most importantly they value the time they spend in their small group discussing, learning and extending their reading lives. 

Enjoying Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco

Finding the Right Track with Reading

I have written about my concerns about how there has been a shift in the focus for instruction in reading. I am not going down that path again, so I am going to take you on my journey on how I am trying to shift my thinking.  

Whenever I am confused, disgruntled, or just searching I typically find my answers on twitter or blogs.  For me the digital world is an amazing learning ground because there are so many different perspectives. I love that about connecting with others.  I read blogs and think how can I apply that?  I read a tweet and bookmark it for a future unit.  I participate in #5thchat on Tuesdays (the BEST) chat in my opinion and walk away after an hour feeling like I have been to a conference.  Back to my shift.....

Learning With Joy What's Important? An Annotation Intervention
Either 1. a whole lotta nothing underlined or 2. a whole lotta everything underlined.  When I mentioned my observation, I asked how people know what to underline or highlight in a text: "You underline what's important, Mrs. Taylor."  I was reminded the importance of slowing down and helping students remember what to highlight. In our class we call it (HH = highlighter happy).  

A Year of Reading Visuals in Non-Fiction Here are pictures of our hallway display and some of the students' work. They had a lot of fun with this. As you see, they could use their life and their interests. I'm hoping that when we do more nonfiction writing, they remember that they don't need to do research to write nonfiction!  I was reminded the importance of allowing students to create their own display to show understanding and most of all allow time for fun.

A Teaching Life Slice of Life: Thanksgiving Togetherness As we move from one period to the next, his mood does not lift.  Concerned, because he is usually a rambunctious sort of kid, I catch him on his way out the door to lunch.  Normally, he is the first bounding out of the door, but today he moves reluctantly.John, I ask, is everything alright?  He pauses, thinks, and, just as I prepare to hear of some terrible news, he says, I guess I just miss the Thanksgiving togetherness.  I was reminded the importance of taking time to read my students faces, notice when they are not so rambunctious and most of all ask, is everything alright?

Thinking Stems OLW: Listening When Planning Small Group Instruction Over and over again, you see "Behaviors to NOTICE, TEACH, AND SUPPORT" written on almost every page.  It took me to January of this year to make the connection to my recording tool.  It is simple.  I write NOTICE, TEACH, SUPPORT at the top.  Then, six boxes to record student information.  I do not plan out the week.  I plan out the day.  This form encourages me at the end of each reading group to reflect and reminds me that what I notice is important.  I was reminded to slow down and not plan the week ahead. To take time to notice my students, plan (teach) appropriate lessons and then support their learning.  

A Year of Reading  Classroom Charts  love the story our classroom charts tell at this time of year.  I looked around the room today and loved looking at the evidence of the conversations and learning that have started our year.   I was reminded even when the schedule gets too full and I need to save time don't lose the time to develop anchor charts.  The conversations and the time spent is crucial to introduce the new focus but also to learn about where my students are as learners.

There seems to be a pattern in the blogs that I look back and reflect on.  Remembering to slow down, observe my students as readers, and remember they are 10 years old.  

Me as a Reader

I love the first few weeks of reading for several reasons.  First I enjoy learning about my new class as readers.  I already know that I have a huge group of students who love fantasy and another group that likes classics.  I have several students who aren't sure how to find time for reading in their lives. Finally and most exciting my students know that their teacher loves reading and is a reader. I shared with them the different books I read this summer and some of my different reading communities including blogging and twitter.  We created this anchor chart:  Reading is Fun.  I am excited for students to begin to write about "Me as a Reader"

"Me as a Reader" is an amazing community building experience for our new class.  Each student brings in a photo of where they like to read.  I ask each student to be in the photo reading a book.  After we share our photos (yes I share mine also) we start discussing their lives as readers. If you were able to eavesdrop in our classroom you might have heard students sharing their favorite spots, favorite titles, how it is fun to read under the covers with a flashlight.  

Finally we ended our conversation with Wonder #611 Do you Judge a Book by its Cover?  What a great way to weave community building into reading.  After watching the video which is from Britain Got Talent (Susan Boyle singing for the first time) one of the students said, "Mrs. Caplin why did they judge her before she sang?" From there we discussed the multiples meaning of this phrase and discussed the importance of previewing new books before making a decision as well as new friends in our class.  We left our first class comment and we're off and WONDERing for the new school year.  I suggested for homework that the students should go home and share the wonder of the day and leave a comment.  It's going to an amazing year of reading in Room 228

Pathways to Common Core

Pathways to Common Core has been on many of the summer PD reading lists, and I had already ordered it so I was pleased to see it getting so much attention on twitter also. Last school year, I spent time reading the CCSS (Common Core State Standards). I have been printing different articles and saving them for this summer to study in more detail.  So my summer PD begins…As I read Chapter 1: An Introduction to CCSS it really helped me understand the background as well as some great strategies about starting to unpack the standards.

*CCSS represent the most sweeping reform in K-12 curriculum in the history of American education.  "Teachers are free to provide students with whatever tools and knowledge…that is most helpful for meeting the goals of the standards."  I felt better after reading this because I can continue the best practices in my classroom and align them to CCSS. I don't have to change everything I just will have to choose which practices support the new CC.

*"There is a shift in our country. There is an urgent call for learning to shift because twenty-five years ago 95% of jobs required low skills. Today low skill jobs are only 10%. With this major shift, we need to provide all students with a thinking curriculum with workshops, book clubs, research, debates, and think tanks."  Again I agree with these practices, and I am already incorporating many of them. 

*Emphasis on higher-level comprehension with students analyzing text and different levels noting similarities and differences including different points of view. "Students need to move away from simply reading for information, toward reading for much more of an analytical stance." This concept was important for me to read because I don't typically go deep enough in this area, and I will need to focus more on strengthening higher-level comprehension. (on a side note this connects wonderfully with #cyberPD ).

*Finally I was very excited to see how much reading and writing are intertwined throughout the CCSS. "It is suggested that students become fluent, fast, structured and proficient writers. Supporting the writing across the curriculum may be one of the most potent ways to help all teachers in a school." This was huge for me because I will continue to link writing in all areas but if you only teach science then CCSS must be integrated into your lesson planning. I would hope that Common Core could pull ALL teachers together for strong conversations about weaving CCSS into all curriculum areas.

Quick Thoughts

Beautiful view in Charleston

I just got home from a weekend trip to South Carolina with our daughter.  I committed to three days away from twitter, blogging and Facebook.  A little detox program for me as well as my family.  But now that I am home, I can't believe all of the posts and tweets that I missed.  Two hours of blog/twitter learning-loving it!

First of all #cyberPD has been announced, and they chose Opening Minds by Peter Johnston.  I have not read this book but I have read Choice Words and really liked how he focused on words. "As teachers, we have to decide what to be explicit about for which students and when to be explicit."  I am thrilled to be actually joining #cyberPD this year instead of silently watching like I did last year.  Do you want to join me and the other members? 

Next, my friend Tracy at Teaching Stems is in the process of writing the Top Five Things she learned this year.  She has posted her Top 4 and all of them were insightful and made me stop and think.  But #3 Eyes on Print really hit a homerun with me.  I have never required my students to record the number of minutes they read or have to make connections/apply a strategy to their at home reading.  I am one of only or very few in my building that have this philosophy.  I feel strongly about this for many reasons, but it really is based on my own two children who aren't readers. I believe because they weren't encouraged to read for the joy of the story or allowed to choose their own books.  They both had structured reading:  set genre months, set pages or minutes to be recorded and finally must read number of books each month.  It saddened me and still today I am heartbroken that my influence did not change them as readers. I still encourage them and they still see me reading all the time. We'll see maybe over time they will enjoy reading-I certainly hope so.

Finally, I got caught up with my Wonder Year team, and they posted some great connections with wondering and wonderopolis.  Thanks team for some amazing posts. 

Jon at The Wonder Years

Barbara at Wondering Through at 2012

Sarah at Wandering and Wondering

Sam at What a Wonderful World

Melissa at Off We Go Exploring and Wondering

 

 

Looking Back on Digital Reading in our Clsssroom

If you had a hidden camera on our classroom, one of the biggest differences from years past are the wider variety of technology tools my students have been using for their reading. All year there were been four different tools used in my classroom: computers, nooks and or kindles, iPad and iPods. Students have brought in their nooks and kindles more this year, and I have encourage them to do so.

This has been an interesting shift in my classroom as I observed the digital tools. Some students shifted between their choices of technology tools. Our class iPad has been a huge hit however with only one I have used it more for sharing digital stories with the whole class which has been an integral part of our reading community. Many students asked to borrow the iPad afterwards to read or listen to the story again.

In addition, students listened to stories on their iPods. The students created persuasive commercials using Sonic Pic on their iPods.  Through our class web page, I linked the commercials so students can listen to their friend’s story.  In addition, many students read and listened to book trailers which was a been a brand new avenue for me this year.  I also am pleased the students continued to use their iPods for the variety of apps that have been loaded to support the curriculum.

Finally I personally still love the feel of a book as I turn the pages. I want to teach my students to honor books. On twitter I found this quote from Same Sun Here pg. 87 "I like that library books have secret lives. All those hands that held them. All those eyes that have read them."  I love books; I love the smell of them when they are new and love them even more 60 years later when my grandmother gave me her original copy of Poor Mrs. Quack by Thurston W. Burgess.I am not sure if digital books will carry the same meaning in 60 years when they are passed down to their great granddaughters?