Authenticity, Intentional Decisions and Connectedness - Chapters 3-5

I loved reading about authenticity, becoming intentional decision makers and connectedness in chapters 3-5.  There were so many "a-ha" statements and of course AMEN statements. In my reading and writing workshop I always valued all three of these components.  However, by incorporating digital tools within the workshop it opens new possibilities for us as learners.  Before integrating the digital component we connected our learning within our classroom community or our school community. Now we can have a wider audience which makes the work the students do more authentic, powerful and motivating.  I loved this statement on page 64, "We want students to make decisions about the things they consume and create because they want their messages to be powerful, because they want to make a difference in the world."  These words are like music to my ears and I want to help my students strive for this as learners. 

"In our workshops, we have tried to embed tools into our routines that stretch thinking and give readers new opportunities for understanding. By using these tools collaboratively first, students can then choose to use them independently when the tool seems right for their purpose (pg.38)." This statement is so powerful by focusing on purpose and choice.  When planning a lesson I would think about which tool to incorporate into the lesson and the purpose for using it.  I would also think about how the features of the tool would help us grow in our learning. A colleague, Deb Frazier, said this to me, "I typically focus mostly on the benefits of the tool and the outcomes."  It was important for the students to see how the tool helped capture our thinking, see connections in our learning, and share our work with an audience.  As a class we would use the tool collaboratively first and then students could choose to use it independently.  I was always amazed how children would find new possibilities on how to use the tool and then share that during share time.  Here are some of the tools we used in our workshops:

• Kidblog - kids could share their thoughts about the book or create a book review.  Students could add photos or video to help articulate another layer of their thinking.
• Explain Everything - students could create slides with photos and they could record their thinking or add text.  It is very similar to Educreations.
• Padlet- pg. 39 
• Pixie - is an authoring tool that students can create original artwork or add photos.  The can also add text or record their thinking.  This can be used a slides or you can create a podcast.

New tools I want to try:

• Google forms
• Biblionasiom - similar to Goodreads
• Popplet
• Symbaloo or Diigo
• VoiceThread-web based communication network that allows children flexibility in how they share their thinking. It also is a different way to connect their thinking with a wider audience.
• Canvas- our district has added this as a new digital classroom space as an option for learning.  

I will need to take time to explore these new tools and think about the purpose for using them and the options they offer to propel learning.  It is important that I not only think of purposeful ways to use these tools collaboratively but explain why I chose to use this tool and how it has fueled my learning. It is crucial that students see some of the intentional choices I make so they can begin to think about how they have voice in choice in the work they consume or produce. 

"Authenticity is evident when I look around the room and see kids using various tools that meet their needs at the moment (pg.64)." Franki and William also discuss how authenticity is about choice and ownership. Last year when I started to embrace the messy parts of learning by trusting and valuing the choices the students made our learning community changed.  Students stopped asking me for permission and started deciding which tool they needed at that moment to capture their thinking.  We had reading partners meet before our whole class share and I loved how students would flexibly choose between traditional and digital tools to share out.  Some students would choose to blog their reflections and some would use post-it notes to jot down thoughts.  Other students would choose an App like Explain Everything or Pixie and some would still use their notebooks.  The children started to think about their message and then which tool would best communicate that message.  

It was important for me to notice if students thinking was changing and growing and if not how would I support them to develop a more sophisticated understanding.  Did I need to think about changing their reading partner?  Did I need to offer a digital tool to help them connect to a wider audience so they could get more feedback about their learning?  Was it the book he/she is reading?  Just like I wanted my students to think purposefully about the tool they chose to use I had to think about what is the next step for particular readers and which tool at that moment would help he/she move forward in his/her learning.  I basically noticed that digital tools opened possibilities for my students but it also gave me more flexibility in meeting my students' various needs.

Before I read chapter 5 I thought that I really had dropped the ball on connectedness.  I felt like my students' work did not reach a more global audience to gain more feedback about their learning.  This chapter helped me realize that we did connect our learning in different ways and I can continue to work on adding more opportunities for my students.  One tool we did use quite a bit was Skype.  We were lucky to Skype with several authors to help us grow as writers and readers.  I didn't plan the Skype sessions simply just to connect with authors but I purposefully chose authors that would help us develop habits as readers and writers.  I also wanted my students to see how their reading life impacts their writing life.  I noticed children choosing books or websites to read because they needed to gather info for their writing pieces.  Students would choose to read a particular genre because they wanted to craft a writing piece in that genre.  Skyping allowed my students to not only connect the learning we were doing in the classroom but it helped them see new possibilities as a reader and writer.  In the future I would like to not only Skype with authors but other classrooms to help us share, learn, envision, and reflect on our learning.  

Franki talks about using digital text sets as shared reading.  I LOVE this idea.  "Connectivity with resources starts with being thoughtful about the resources we use across content areas. Rather than choosing texts and resources that teach about a topic, we want to build digital texts that help students explore an idea (pg. 79). "  I think that sometimes I choose resources to explore an idea and then sometimes my resources probably just taught about a topic.  In writing workshop I would carefully use books and videos to help us explore possibilities in our writing.  However, I think that some of the resources I used really focused on teaching us about a topic in science or social studies.  I really need to think about how to collect various resources so that we could explore and expand our thinking about an idea.  Franki's example about the different resources she used to help the students explore the idea of community was very helpful and eye opening.  Franki discussed how she met several goals by using digital text sets.  "It helped me think differently about how I was sharing content with my students, and it helped them see that as readers, we build an understanding as we read, view, and connect one piece with others. They saw the continued connections and recognized that each of these pieces did not exist solely in isolation but were stronger together."  I am super excited to use digital texts in my workshops next year! 

As a learner I have enjoyed participating in online communities.  I can work and read at my convenience and each space always helps me push my thinking.  These learning opportunities also help me reflect on teaching and provides ways for me to build upon best practices.  I look forward to the powerful feedback because it energizes me and propels my thinking.  I think it is important for students to have the same online opportunities so I am going to have my students participate in International Dot Day, The Global Read Aloud, and World Read Aloud Day.  These are some authentic ways we as a class can collaboratively connect our learning with a more global community.  I am hoping that some participants in the #cyberPD would like to connect with my 5th graders through blogging, Google+ Communities, Skype, or Voxer.  I choose which online PD I want to participate in and I would like to offer some choice for my students too.  On page 70 this quote sums up why I am going to work hard for my students to become more connected, "When teachers are intentional about connecting their students learning in several ways and across several communities, students will begin to grow in ways they can't when confined to the community of a classroom." 

Cyber PD- Digital Reading Chapters 1 and 2

 

Chapters 1 and 2

    After reading chapters 1 and 2 I find my mind reflecting about last year and spinning with new ideas for the new school year.  Last year I tried to integrate more digital literacy into my reading and writing workshops.  I showed students how to use different digital tools to compose various writing pieces. Students would choose which tool to craft their writing piece depending on their purpose and audience.  The students crafted reviews, nonfiction pieces, narratives, poetry, etc.  This was a great start but during independent reading time students were not choosing digital pieces to read. Most of the students in my class used technology to write or to research. Even though students could choose the technology tool, what to write about, and what to research on they still needed more.  I realize that I need to think about more authentic ways to help the readers in my room be flexible with various types of texts including digital pieces.   The quote on page 4  really hit home for me: "Digital reading experiences must be a part of the opportunities we give students on a regular basis.  If not, we're discounting much of the reading they will engage with in the future."   

     The words from the quote: opportunities on a regular basis is so key because in the book Franki Sibberson and William Bass mention that we can't view digital reading as an add-on.  The authors mention that students do not have to be competent in traditional literacy skills before we introduce them to digital texts.  As teachers we have to be intentional in providing different experiences so that students can develop skills to navigate digital texts. They need to understand that reading whether it is a digital text or a paper book requires them to use various strategies to make meaning.  Their reading life should impact who they are and change their world.  I know all of this but I didn't think about the importance or even how to incorporate digital pieces on a more regular basis.  

     I used the website Wonderopolis on Tuesdays and Thursdays to incorporate more nonfiction throughout the year.  We would read the articles together and share out what we learned and some fierce wonderings it might have sparked.  I would pick pieces that tied in with either social studies or science standards if possible.  The students loved the website and the videos.  However, I did not observe many students reading this website on their own during independent reading.  Some students did get on the website at home and would discuss what they learned. 

     We would read poetry once a week for Poetry Friday.  I used poems from books and poems from websites.  I used quite a few poems from Amy Ludwig Vanderwater's The Poem Farm.  This is an amazing site to discuss poetry and the author discusses where she got the idea for the poem.  It is a great resource for kids and teachers.  We enjoyed reading and discussing Amy's poems on Fridays but again the students did not visit the website on their own.  I needed to think about the chart on page 8 figure 1.2 where it discusses what digital reading is and isn't.  

     These are just a few examples of how I tried to incorporate digital pieces into my workshop, but I realize that even though this wasn't a one time event I made these digital pieces available during specific times and days.  I didn't think about other ways to flexibly use these resources.  I also didn't take into consideration voice and choice from the students which is key.  I need to think about the intentional use with each of these digital pieces and a place to house these resources for easy access.  I will need to add links to my class web page so that students might start to access these as readers. I will also use the chart on pages 19 and 20 which is figure 2.2 to help me make decisions about text choices across all workshop routines so that I can begin to help students see more options. Figure 2.3 will also guide my thinking in understanding the differences between a traditional and digital workshop.    

    On page 21 it stated: "We have learned again and again that running an authentic reading workshop in this digital age is a huge challenge as we try to keep up with the technology and tools in the midst of teaching children to read." This is so true but it also makes me realize that I need to be more reflective about the digital pieces I read as a reader and why I choose those pieces.  How do the digital pieces I read impact my world? I have focused so much about how I use digital tools to compose pieces so that I can connect with others to push my thinking.   Most of what I read is still traditional books and then I find a space to share my thinking. I do read blogs and tweets to fuel my professional life but how often do I find digital pieces for personal use?  How can I incorporate more digital pieces to push myself as a reader?  So much to ponder and think about but I want myself and my students to be intentional and active readers who know what is possible (pg. 23). 

      

Picture Books 10 for 10: Community

I am very excited to participate in #pb10for10 and to be thinking about how to build a community of learners in my third grade classroom.  I have been out of the the classroom for two years, and I am ecstatic to be thinking about my "must-haves" to start conversations about how our classroom community will look, feel, and sound.  My list is definitely more than 10 books but here are the ones I absolutely LOVE (right now)! Thanks to Mandy Robek and Cathy Mere for hosting this event.

This book is by the author of the Lunch Lady.  The students just love his books and I think they will enjoy the story of how Peanut Butter and Jellyfish teach Crabby their neighbor the importance of being kind and helping others.

Ruth Ayres shared this book at The Literacy Connection last spring.  I knew I needed to have this book for the beginning of the year.  Brian is very quiet so he often gets left out or overlooked at school.  A new boy, named Justin, comes to his class and Brian is the first classmate to make the new student feel welcomed.  Things start to change for Brian as he works on a project with Justin.  

I just love this book!  Goat is jealous of all the things Unicorn can do and thinks that they could never be friends until they share a piece of pizza. 

 This book is such inspiring story about how an old rundown bus called Heaven and a little girl named Stella inspires their community to work together to transform the bus into a new community center.

This heartwarming story really hits home the importance of working together, failing and trying again and again until you get it right.  It is such a great book to illustrate the importance of creativity and perseverance. 

Enemy Pie will allow children to discuss how important is to get to know each other and to be open and willing to make new friends.

Jacqueline Woodson writes such wonderful books that send a powerful message.  Each kindness really teaches children the importance of how small acts of kindness really can make a difference.

I will have a very diverse class this year and so this book is a "must-have."  This book will help spark the conversation of accepting each other's differences.  

I love all of Peter Reynolds books and really can't imagine building our classroom community without them.  I really want kids to understand that learning is a process that allows you to see things differently, and it isn't always about getting it right but looking at things in an "ish" kind of way.

I want kids to feel safe enough and free enough to think outside the box in our classroom community and this book will help me illustrate that point perfectly!

Reading in the Wild Reflections: Part 2

 

       I just finished reading the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth about a week ago (this was a binge read for me).   On pg. 96 Donalyn Miller has a great quote from the book Divergent about communities.  Here is the quote: "To live fractionless is not just to live in poverty and discomfort; it is to live divorced from society, separated from the most important thing in life: community."  We all strive to be part of a community, so that we can continue to grow as a person by collaborating, reflecting, and cherishing each moment that helps us maintain and create our identity.  I mentioned in my first post that I want my students to be active members within a reading and writing community.  Donalyn says on pg. 89, "What my students learn is important, but the conditions that allow learning to happen concern me more.  Successful communities require cultivation, and I spend a lot of time forging relationships with my students and helping them connect to each other. I am the one who- with the help of my students- constructs the classroom environment." 

Keeping the Faith: A must when considering learning conditions:
     As an effective literacy teacher I need to continue to have faith in books and kids.  Penny Kittle, author of, Book Love: Developing Depth, Stamina and Passion in Adolescent Readers reminds me of this.  On pg. 1 in her book she says, "Teenagers want to read - if we let them."  Well, I believe all kids want to read - if we let them.   Penny continues to say on pg. 1, "Students who I believe are committed nonreaders become committed, passionate readers given the right books, time to read, and regular responses to their thinking."  I know that I can help students find books that they will love and share with others.  I hope that as we get to know each other and who we are as readers, we can realize how the books help us define who we are and what we are seeking for. 

How will I start to build a reading community right from the beginning?
      I love the idea of creating a reading door posting all the books I read over the summer.  I am going to also post some reading quotes for the children to enjoy.  I think this will be a great way to connect instantly with students as I start to build some relationships with my students on Meet the Teacher Night.  
     I want to start the first few weeks of school by setting the tone that we will read - lots and lots of books!  I will spark readers interest in books by talking about five or six books a day during the first few weeks of school.  Penny Kittle says, "I want to put a lot of titles out there.  I need to help the many students out there who will struggle to find a book at first."  I have always done book talks in my classroom but I think it is so smart to hit it strong in the beginning.  I am also going to spice up my book talks by reading a preselected short passage and by recording the book talk books near the library in our classroom.  I loved these ideas from Penny Kittle.  After book talks are up and running I will seek out other teachers, students, and colleagues to do book talks in the room to keep our reading community thriving with talk around books, and students will decide which books to add their "to-be-read" list and piles.  Book talks will also open the pathway to talking with the students on how readers make reading plans.

Ideas to implement to help foster the reading community:

• Graffiti Wall - a wall dedicated to selecting and sharing lines and words from books that stand out is absolutely priceless.  I already know that I am going to pick lines from the books titled A Snicker of Magic and Absolutely Almost.  
• Global Read Aloud - this is my first time participating in GRA and I am so excited to do it.  I plan on connecting with other classrooms using Edomodo.  I am going to read The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo.  Kate DiCamillo is an author I really want my students to know.
• Book Commercials - Donalyn Miller says these are impromptu testimonials about books that students and the teacher present.  I think that students could use technology as a way to share their commercials with the class. I really love how Donalyn Miller invites other students to share their impressions on the book if they have read it.
• Skyping with authors - every grade level Skyped with an author last year and I found that once the Skype was over students were reading and discussing books by that author.  The authors we Skyped with were Aaron Reynolds, Bob Shea, Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Nicola Davies, and Kate Messner.  This was a powerful way to spark interest in books which lead to some great discussions. I was so impressed with all the authors willing to connect with students and teachers in Skype in the Classroom Community.  

    Reflecting on book clubs:
      Last year I had book clubs with third graders and fourth graders during lunch.  My fourth graders were developing readers who needed to not only more read books but they really needed the time to discuss the books.  They were the readers who constantly had trouble selecting books to read next.  I would do book talks about possible books to read next for our book club and they would discuss the books with each other and then we would decide as a group.  I always let them decide how much reading to read each week.  They always picked smaller chunks to read than my third graders.  After reading the quote on pg. 144, Donalyn says, "For students who struggle to finish books or commit to reading, setting small goals helps them achieve success quickly and rack up positive reading experiences, which feed more reading."  These students needed to feel success and once they did it really feed into reading more.  If we would read the first book in a series, I would notice some of the students checking out the next book in the library and their excitement when they would be the first to finish so someone else could read it next. Sometimes the group would split if we had two books they really wanted to read.  At the end of the year I asked them what they enjoyed most about book club and one of my students who really just struggled to read said he enjoyed hearing every one's different perspectives.  After he made that comment I felt like all the struggles and encouraging it took all year had paid off for Rui.  My faith in books and students once again came through.  He found more time to read at home and he read more than last year.  Most of the students would talk about how they enjoyed picking the books together and knowing that any confusing parts would be discussed at book club.  While I know I was just a small part of their reading community I am so glad that I was a part of helping them reach goals by reading and discussing more books than they ever had.
     My third graders would read twice the amount of books as my fourth graders and they enjoyed blogging about the books so that their thoughts could be shared outside of book club.  They constantly would push me and each other.  These students are the epicenter readers in their classes and book club for them offered the opportunity to challenge each other.  Some of them needed to experience new genres and some of them needed the opportunity to talk more about books because they were very quiet and shy.  I realize how important epicenter readers are to the reading community and how their passion and love for books can be contagious to others.  As a reader I have epicenter readers through twitter and I have epicenter readers who are my colleagues.  I need to help identify who will be epicenter readers in my classroom so they can thrive in our classroom reading community but I also want them to find epicenter readers via social media.


Fostering School and Home Reading Communities (pgs. 91-93):
     Donalyn had so many great ideas to help bridge our reading community at school to the students' homes so that parents can help contribute.  I loved some of these ideas found on pgs. 92 and 93...

• Include reading recommendations and tips into weekly newsletters and websites.
• Add a weekly book recommendation to your e-mail signature.
• Have students, the teacher and school librarian create quarterly book lists to share with parents who are looking for gift ideas, vacation reading, and library guides.
• Teach parents simple ways to incorporate more reading into family routines.             

    I know that I also included quotes from Penny Kittle's book but it really is great to read her book along with Donalyn Miller's Reading in the Wild.  Penny even quotes Donalyn in her book.  I learned so many ways from these ladies on how to build a strong reading community that fosters relationships with every reader in my classroom.  

Reading in the Wild Reflections

"Books are my friends, my companions.  They make me laugh and cry and find meaning in life." -Christopher Paolini

     This is my first time participating in #cyberPD and it has been so refreshing to go back and reread Donalyn Miller's book titled Reading in the Wild.  As a literacy coach, who is going to be spending half my day in the classroom next year it gave me lots of fuel to think about as I plan how I will meet the diverse needs of my third graders.  I really need to keep in mind the words I have underlined and read so many times on pg. 8, "No matter what our curriculum requires us to to teach or how little class time we have, children must read a lot in order to attain even minimum levels of reading achievement."  It will be a challenge to meet all the diverse needs of my students and to help more than half of them attain minimum reading achievement. A challenge I look forward to facing and reflecting about daily as the year progresses.  As I prioritize my "must-haves" I know that blocking out a significant amount of independent reading time is desperately needed to help my students gain the confidence and stamina needed to grow into lifelong readers.  I really want my students to see books as companions that help them find meaning just the like the quote by Christopher Paolini says at the beginning of my post.  Donalyn talks about how daily reading time allows students to practice their skills, as well as, practice living like readers.   She also says that students connect with other readers establishing a reading culture.  That is what I am striving to achieve in my classroom a reading community that talks a lot about books which will grow and thrive into a strong reading culture.  This is my dream!

    As I work hard to achieve my reading community there will be road bumps and challenges.  My biggest challenge will be pull outs for my ELL students and my students who receive Title services.  Donalyn Miller says, "Administrators, literacy coaches, specialists and teachers must consider the importance of this reading culture when determining how and when to serve special education and at-risk students. Too often reading intervention specialists pull out students who require additional reading support out of class during independent reading time (pg.10)."  Last year we tried to be more mindful of when we pulled students out of class and we tried to be more purposeful aligning instruction that mirrors what was happening in the classroom.  I tried to build upon the talk around books that was happening in the classroom and bring it into the small group.  This required lots and lots of communication with the teachers and with the students.  We would discuss not only reading strategies and skills, but books the students were reading.  We would celebrate the student who finished his/her first chapter book and the student who was learning about himself/herself as a reader.  As teachers we knew we needed to think about the reading test and the skills needed to pass the test but we also knew we wanted much more from our students... we wanted them to become wild readers! 

   I know that as I strive to reach my dream of a thriving community of readers there are some habits and behaviors I need to help students understand that avid readers do.  Donalyn's books have inspired me to be a more avid reader as an adult and to use breaks/vacations as a time to read lots and lots of books.  Here are some quotes from Reading in the Wild that I need to revisit closer to the beginning of the year as I strive to build a reading community:

• It is difficult for many children to become wild readers if they don't read during the edge times.  But if they don't have frequent reading time, reading habits never take hold.  Teaching specific students to find reading time outside school requires explicit conversations about their individual schedules and how reading fits into it (pg.13). 
• Captivated and interested readers make time to read (pg.17). 
• Having students document for a short period of time when and where they read help students reflect on their reading habits and determine patterns they might not recognize day to day (pg.18). 
• Fake reading and reading avoidance commonly occur when students lack independent reading habits, confidence, or adequate reading skills (pg.25).
• We need to do more than catch students who are fake reading and call them on it.  We need to intervene and provide individual support (pg.26).  
• Regular reflection reinforces the importance of keeping notebooks, but increased technology, larger class sizes, and my commitment to fostering wild reading behaviors have changed our notebook use.  The tools we use must support our work as readers and writers, not define or limit our work (pg. 33). 
• What matters is that our daily work in the classroom values best practices and doesn't become bogged down with a lot of must-dos and tired activities that crowd authentic learning opportunities for our students (pg. 40). 
• In order to develop strong literacy skills, our students need reading, writing, and discussion --and lots of it (pg.40).

    I look forward to meeting and learning along side my third graders next year as we embark on a journey to create a strong reading community developing into wild readers!  

Summer = Personalized Learning

icanread.tumbler.com

     It is summer and that means sunscreen, ball fields, sand volleyball, camps and lots of summer reading.  Summer break allows me to figure out what I want to focus on and how I want to go about learning it.  I love that I can personalize my own learning!  There is so much to learn and time is already ticking away.  Here are a few books from my stack that I am planning on reading and discussing with my colleagues.  

     I also plan on reading the Units of Study by Lucy Calkins and rereading the book titled Reading in the Wild by Donalyn Miller.  I am so excited to participate for the first time in the #cyberPD which is going wild.  The #cyberPD is hosted by Laura Komos, Cathy Mere and Michelle Nero.  This seems like a wonderful way to connect and share my thoughts about the book titled Reading in the Wild by Donalyn Miller.  If you would like to find out more about the #cyberPD here is a link to Cathy Mere's website: Reflect and Refine: Building a Learning Community which has the assigned readings and the dates.   I am super thrilled because I read the book over winter break so I can't wait to rediscover new things and gain new perspectivies from this cyber experience. 

    I really want to focus on how to integrate more technology into my reading and writing workshop, so on top of reading professional books and blogs I plan on doing some exploring with new apps.  I want to take some time to get to know Educreations and Padlet.  I took Deb Frazier's and Cathy Mere's class titled "Sharing, Collaborating and Connecting."  They suggested to play around with a few apps so you feel confident to implement these apps with students. I love how Deb and Cathy said, "When implementing new ways to use technology it is just like teaching a new reading strategy or writing craft.  You will use the gradual release model."  

     My students will continue to use individual kidsblog as a way to connect, celebrate, and collaborate with others inside and outside our classroom walls.  I am going to think about and explore ways for each student to have a digital portfolio.  My teaching partner, Sara Firestone, and I are pondering over whether to use Kidsblog, Google Docs, or Weebly.  So, that will require some exploring and collaborating over the summer to help us visualize how this will work with the students. 

     In August I will be participating in EdCampILECbus, and my school will have a retreat where we can choose to participate in workshops that show different ways to use technology as a tool for assessments, collaborating, and connecting with others.  Both of these well be a great experience that will continue to help me grow as a connected educator and think about different ways to use technology in my workshops with students.

     As a literacy coach, I need to be an avid reader and know tons of books so that I can help our students develop stamina and passions as readers.  I also have another stack of books I am reading to help me connect with the intermediate students in my building.  I already finished a book called A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd.  I loved this book so much and I highly recommend it.  Here are some of the other books I plan on reading so I can help our students become "wild readers." 

I look forward to lots of learning, relaxing, and reading this summer.  Happy reading and rejuvenating!

Nonfiction 10 for 10

This is my first time doing the nonfiction 10 for 10.  Honestly, I thought it would be easy to pick 10 nonfiction books I can't live without but it wasn't.  In January I really wanted to think about how to use more nonfiction books with students and to add some great mentor texts to my rather small collection.  So I have been putting books on hold at the library and looking on twitter for any new nonfiction books I could get my hands on. I have really enjoyed reading so many nonfiction books over the past month and I just love author notes because the page includes additional information about the topic and we learn the author's purpose for writing the book. I decided to keep some of my absolute faves and sprinkle in some new titles.  Even as I am crafting this blog I keep thinking about the choices I have made and if I will change my mind on a few?!  So here is my stack of nonfiction must haves:


I stumbled across this book while browsing for some nonfiction texts and I absolutely love it.  The photos are wonderful and they take up most of the page to peak your interest.  On each page Seymour Simon shares facts that you may not have heard about 20 animals with bad reputations, so that readers gain a new appreciation of what these animals do in order to survive. In the intro Seymour Simon's last line is this: "You may never love a rattlesnake, a cockroach, or an octopus-but his book may help you begin to understand and respect them for what they are."  I love how he starts his intro with a question grabbing the readers attention and sparking curiosity. It is a nonfiction text that kids will take time to ponder both the words and pictures while learning new facts along the way.

I have shared this book with a small group of third graders.  We used this book to figure out what a page was mostly about and the important details that support the main idea.  Each day the students would walk in and try to guess which animal we would read about and discuss.  I wanted them to understand that readers read nonfiction and think about what the page is mostly about so that they can then share their new learning with others. I have to say I really enjoyed reading and discussing the animals in the book right along the side of my students.

I love to read biographies about people who have made great contributions that open doors for others to follow.  Elizabeth Blackwell is a courageous and curious girl who lives in the 1830s.  She never really thought about being a doctor until she went to visit her friend Mary Donaldson.  Mary was very ill and she told Mary that she would have preferred to have a woman doctor.  Mary urged Elizabeth to become a doctor.  Elizabeth wondered if a woman could actually become a doctor, why would she want to be one?  This idea gnawed at Elizabeth and she thought about it all the time.  She decided to ask some doctors and friends.  Most of them didn't think that a woman could become a doctor and some said it wasn't right.  Some people even laughed at Elizabeth when she shared the idea.  However, Elizabeth thought it was a fine idea and pursued her dream.  Readers will enjoy the many obstacles Elizabeth overcomes and her strong pursuit of becoming the first female doctor.  

Some other books I would also share with the students to discuss people who have made great contributions would be the following: On A Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Eistein, The Boy Who Loved Math, The Tree Lady: The True Story of How One Tree-Loving Woman Changed a City Forever,  To Dare Mighty Things by Doreen Rappaprt, and Nelson Mandela by Kadir Neson.

This book by Nicola Davies has been a longtime favorite of mine for nonfiction.  There are so many things I truly love about this book.  I love the bold words, how she uses repetition to get her point across to the reader, how she addresses the reader, the diagrams and the circular beginning and ending.  I love this part at the beginning of the book, "What's the one word that turns your dream into a nightmare? What's the one word that makes you think of a giant man-eating KILLER? SHAAAAAAAARK!  At the end of the book she says, "If you were a shark swimming in the lovely blue sea the last word you'd want to hear would be... HUMAN!

I always use this book to show how writers can use voice in their nonfiction pieces.  I love how her factual information is stated in a persuasive way so that readers understand that sharks really aren't monsters. They are important part of the ocean food chain and not all sharks are dangerous to humans.  After you are done reading this book you will have gained a new appreciation for sharks that just might surprise you!

This is one of those rare treasures I found at the Scholastic Book Fair.  David FistzSimmons does an awesome job of using personification to help you learn how some factual tidbits on each curious critter.  He addresses the reader and each page is truly unique. I think this would be a great book to use for a read aloud and for shared reading with intermediate students.  You could focus on how he uses punctuation in interesting ways and the way the author plays with words. Here is a snippet from a page about the Virginia Opossum...

I wrote a little poem, but I'm afraid to read it to you.

What if you don't like it? 

You really want to hear it? All right, here goes...

Ode to Opossum

by O. Possom

Opossum! Opossum! How I love you!

You carry your kids like marsupials do. 

Whenever your bothered, you run on ahead.

If further provoked, you pretend you are dead.

But what I was wondering in writing these lines

is why say "Opossum, " Possum? No "O" is fine!

This book by Renee Watson is about the singer named Florence Mills. She was a member of the  Harlem Renaissance elite.  Florence was blessed with a sweet, birdlike singing voice during a time of racism.  She used her talent not to promote her own celebrity status world wide but to help promote other African American performers.  She used her voice to cry out for equal rights and to entertain her audience.  I love this book because Florence has a big and powerful voice along with a kind heart.  I read this book to students so Florence's beautiful voice can resonate through the author's words and so her kindness can continue to be carried on!

Frog Song focuses on the importance of frogs within different ecosystems and the wonderful songs each frog sings from Costa Rica to the Australian desert.  I love the onomatopoeia bold words and the beautiful illustrations by Gennady Spirin.  Students will love hearing the book read aloud and learning factual information about several frog species.  Make sure you check out the additional information about the different kinds of frogs mentioned in the back of the book and the author's note about why frogs are in trouble.  This book truly helps you gain a deeper appreciation for frogs, which will help you embrace the wonder of frog songs.

I love how the author invites you to eat, search, hunt, climb, bath, forage, and prepare like a bear.  Read and enjoy some of the language from this book...

Can you hunt like a bear?

It's June. Find Food.

But where?   

An elk calf has strayed from its herd.

Press paws. Give chase! Body bounding, race!

Find...

I love the use of alliteration and the short sentences that help to create a nice rhythm when reading aloud!  There is additional information in the back of the book so readers can continue to find answers to their fierce wonderings about bears.

I have been a big fan of Jim Arnosky and I use his books as mentor texts when crafting nonfiction pieces in writing workshop.  My colleagues bought this book for me and I love how it is a collection of Jim Arnosky's sea stories along with a collection of his paintings of the ocean dwellers that inspired him.  The giant fold out pages have intricate detail and many of them are life-size paintings.  Jim also includes sketches on different pages throughout the book. The introduction is a special note to the readers that includes his signature at the bottom of the page.   Children will enjoy learning about the different sea animals from the text, beautiful illustrations and the wonderful fold out pages.  

If you enjoy the Macy's Day Parade than you will want to read Balloons Over Broadway.  This book is about Tony Sarg, puppeteer and the genius behind the giant balloons that float in the skies on Thanksgiving Day.  Tony was a creative and curious boy who loved to figure out how to make things move.  When he was older he moved to London and started making marionettes for kids. His genius mind figured out a way to make the marionettes movement so lifelike that word spread quick about Tony's fabulous marionettes.  Macy's hired him to make a "puppet parade" for Macy's "Wondertown" windows.  Then Macy's had a bigger job in mind for Tony because they agreed to put on a street parade for their workers.  You will need to read and find out how one simple idea and one extraordinary man created one the biggest events that continues to take place every year on Thanksgiving Day.  

Sandra Markle's beginning includes onomontopoeia words that begin the life cycle of a young godwit.  Here are a few words from the book: Crackle! Crackle! Crunch! What's hatching from that egg? It's a young bar-tailed godwit. 

This bird is born during the summer in Alaska.  The yound godwit will learn to hunt, fly and escape predators in the Alaskan terrain.  The long, long journey will begin when it leaves Alaska in October to migrate all the way to New Zealand.  Oh yes, the godwit travels 7, 000 miles nonstop!  This long journey is actually the longest nonstop bird migration ever recorded, how fascinating is that!  I also love the amazing facts in the back of the book about the godwit, so make sure you check it out!