Education – Page 4 – Unleashing Readers

Author Guest Post!: “Picture Books: Better Than Teddy Bears” By Dawn Marie Hooks, Author and Illustrator of Sarah and Her Twirling Toes

May 16, 2016April 17, 2016 by Kellee

“Picture Books: Better Than Teddy Bears”

I’ve always been a book lover. As a toddler, I fell asleep with my arms wrapped around my favorite book, The Mitten, like it was my teddy bear. A picture book can be read and reread many times for many months or years and still cherished. Kids are creative with their books. He might use his truck book for a car ramp. She might see if her mermaid book will swim. That’s not exactly what I have in mind when I encourage creativity, but you can use those cherished picture books for more than reading. Read, reread, and discover! Do you have music lovers, math wizards, or budding scientists in your home or classroom? You can explore those interests with a great book!

Fun activities with a favorite picture book can weave many topics and interests together. Choose the book the kids LOVE and do an internet search for an activity guide with that book. Many websites (like my author/illustrator website, my publisher’s website, or teaching blogs) include discussion and activity guides. Sometimes, there are printable worksheets and coloring pages. If an activity guide doesn’t fit your needs, it can spark ideas that do! Some of you are experts at creating fully customized activity guides. Others are thinking, “No way!” Either way, teaching guides can inspire you to create activities for your needs using the book you choose!

When I create materials or talks, I am inspired by what I read – whether it’s the book alone, an activity guide, or an article. As a classroom elementary teacher, I wrote lesson plans incorporating my favorite children’s books. Currently, I have the pleasure writing and illustrating picture books and the discussion and activity guides that go with them. Also, when I am presenting, I like to begin by reading a picture book that captures the attention of the group. (At least, I hope it does!) I even do this when I’m talking to parent or teacher groups. (Don’t you think these books can be just as fascinating to adults?) Whatever the topic, a great picture book can turn boring into captivating!

Do you have a favorite picture book? Think of what you can do with it while reading the 14 examples geared toward my new book, Sarah and Her Twirling Toes:

1. Reading: Look at the cover of the book (front and back). Ask kids to predict what the book will be about. Read the book and check if predictions are correct.

2. Discuss Manners: Does it bother you when other people scream? When is it okay to scream? When is it bad manners to scream? Do you have rules in your home or classroom about how loud you should be?

3. Story elements: Discuss the setting, main character, problem, and solution.

4. Writing: Rewrite the story choosing one story element (setting, main character, problem, or solution) to change.

5. Art: Create a new cover for the book. The book is painted using watercolor and gauche. Work with watercolor or choose something else (watercolor pencils, chalk, torn paper art, etc).

6. Letters: This book is full of words that begin with the letter “s.” Search the book for the words. Make a list.

7. Synonyms & Antonyms: Look through the book for the word “scream” and other words that mean the same thing. Can you think of more synonyms? Now think of antonyms for scream.

8. Music and Body Concepts: Sing “Tonsils, Tummy, Heels, and Toes” like “Head and Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.”

9. Cooking and Measuring: Sarah drank honey ginger tea to try to help her throat. Make some and have a cup of tea. Slice lemon thinly until you have ½ cup. Put slices in a jar. Slice ginger root thinly until you have ½ cup. Add to jar. Squeeze honey into jar until lemon slices and ginger are covered. Refrigerate for 24 hours. Stir contents of jar. Put one cup of warm water in a mug. Add two tablespoons of infused honey into warm water. Stir and enjoy.

10. Science: Explore the five senses. Give each child a slice of lemon. Have them describe the lemon using their five senses – touch, smell, taste, sound, and sight. Do the same with ginger and honey, if desired.

11. Health: Research the health benefits of honey, lemon, and ginger.

12. Health: Sarah had “Screamingitis Syndrome,” a fictional condition. Look up laryngitis and compare the causes, symptoms, and treatment to what Sarah suffered.

13. Math: Count how many times Tiger (Sarah’s dog) is in the book. Multiply by two to find out how many dog ears that would be. Multiply by four to see how many dog legs that would be.

14. History: Research the history of tea used for medicinal purposes.

Sarah and Her Twirling Toes doesn’t directly talk about the five senses, synonyms, cooking, measuring, or even good manners. I took actions from the story (like screaming or sipping tea) and created ideas to delve deeper.

I hope you are inspired to be creative with picture books! Pull out the book that’s being used as a car ramp. Rescue the one that’s swimming in the tub. Explore those books that are better than teddy bears! Have fun and share your ideas with others!!

About the Book: Sarah loves how screaming makes her feel. Her tonsils tickle. Her tummy dances. Best of all, her toes twirl! But one day, Sarah’s scream disappears …

This bright picture book celebrates Sarah’s spunky and endearing personality while showing that she can still be herself, with or without screaming.

Access the “Activity & Discussion Guide” for Sarah and Her Twirling Toes here.

About the Author: Dawn Marie Hooks, M.S.Ed., combines her passion for children’s literature and painting through writing and illustrating picture books. A former elementary teacher, Dawn completed her first book, “Oh, Cookie!” as the final project for graduate coursework. Since then, she hasn’t stopped working on turning more ideas into books. She is a member of SCBWI and speaks to school, parent, and teacher groups.

Dawn currently resides in Vancouver, WA, with her husband, two young daughters, and their feisty puppy, Maui. When she isn’t working, she enjoys family time, Barre3, coffee, sunshine, reading, family vacations, and wakesurfing. Oh, she placed third in Women’s Masters at the 2015 World Wake Surfing Championship!

For the activity and discussion guide and information on giveaways, promotions, and events, follow Dawn Marie Hooks on www.DawnMarieHooks.com, Twitter: @DawnMarieHooks , Pinterest: Dawn Marie Hooks, Facebook: Dawn Marie Hooks. To purchase any of Dawn’s books, find her on Amazon Author Central, B&N, or your favorite book retailer.

Thank you Dawn for the guest post!

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Teaching Young Adult Literature Today: Insights, Considerations, and Perspectives for the Classroom Teacher, Edited by Judith A. Hayn and Jeffrey S. Kaplan

April 22, 2023September 11, 2014 by Ricki

Teaching Young Adult Literature Today: Insights, Considerations, and Perspectives for the Classroom Teacher
Edited by Judith A. Hayn and Jeffrey S. Kaplan
Published: March 15th 2012 by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

GoodReads Summary: Teaching Young Adult Literature Today introduces the reader to what is current and relevant in the plethora of good books available for adolescents. More importantly, literary experts illustrate how teachers everywhere can help their students become lifelong readers by simply introducing them to great reads smart, insightful, and engaging books that are specifically written for adolescents. Hayn, Kaplan, and their contributors address a wide range of topics: how to avoid common obstacles to using YAL; selecting quality YAL for classrooms while balancing these with curriculum requirements; engaging disenfranchised readers; pairing YAL with technology as an innovative way to teach curriculum standards across all content areas. Contributors also discuss more theoretical subjects, such as the absence of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young adult literature in secondary classrooms; and contemporary YAL that responds to the changing expectations of digital generation readers who want to blur the boundaries between page and screen.

Review: This informative text is divided into the sections, “Where Has YAL Been?,” “Where is YAL Now?” and “Where is YAL Going?” I very much appreciated the expertise of the scholars who wrote each chapter.

While each chapter was organized a bit differently, the research is solid. In one chapter, Laura A. Renzi, Mark Letcher, and Kristen Miraglia discuss LGBTQ Young Adult Literature in the Language Arts Classroom. I appreciated their recommendations for infusing LGBTQ texts into the school setting with recommendations tailored to the range of community environments: hostile, ignorant/open, open/accepting, and open. The texts were well-matched with the aims of bringing LGBTQ texts into focus.

Another chapter I loved was “Crossing Boundaries: Genre-Blurring in Books for Young Adults” by Barbara A. Ward, Terrell A. Young, and Deanna Day. They give solid examples of authors who blur genres, making readers question genre classifications as a whole. These authors show the awesomely innovative authorship within the field of YAL.

Steven T. Bickmore writes a well-informed chapter about best-selling adult novelists who write YA fiction. He divides his piece into two sections–writers of adult best-sellers or pulp fiction and writers with literary accolades in adult fiction. I very much enjoyed his insight about this phenomenon.

While I only highlight three chapters in this review, I must say that each chapter was special in its own way. The book begins with the history and background of YAL, and it ends with chapters about where the field is heading. As a researcher of this field, some of the information was not new to me, yet I learned much from the scholars of the text, whose extensive research is reflected in each chapter.

We Flagged: “[T]eachers need to gain insider perspectives by reading the books presented to their students. As a result, a wider range of quality adolescent literature will reach the hands of adolescents, and teachers will become increasingly confident about the merits of teaching with YAL”(Elliott-Johns, Chapter 3, Teachers as Readers of YAL section).

Read This If You Loved: Articles from The ALAN Review, Young Adult Literature in the 21st Century by Pam B. Cole, Literature for Today’s Young Adults by Alleen Nilsen & Ken Donelson

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Professional Books

April 22, 2023May 27, 2014 by Ricki

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because The Broke and Bookish are particularly fond of lists (as are we!). Each week a new Top Ten list topic is given and bloggers can participate.

Today’s Topic: Top Ten Professional Books

These are the professional books that have molded us as teachers. We tried to limit our list to just ten books each, but we couldn’t stop. So here are the top TWENTY professional books. We did our best not to repeat any texts.

Ricki

1. Making the Match: The Right Book for the Right Reader at the Right Time, Grades 4-12 by Teri Lesesne

If you want to help match students with books, this text is a must-have. It focus on three areas—knowing the readers, knowing the books, and knowing the strategies. Making the Match represents everything I believe about teaching. Even though I felt that I was experienced at matching books with readers, it gave me so many new ideas to try!

2. Readicide by Kelly Gallagher

As I read this book, I kept saying, “YES!” out loud. A fairly quick read, Readicide uses research to prove why we are systematically killing the love of reading in schools. The evidence is overwhelming.

3. In the Middle: New Understandings about Writing, Reading, and Learning by Nancie Atwell

I read this book in college and constantly used the ideas in my classroom. I can’t say enough positive things about the value of reading and writing workshops (both of which are promoted in this text). Atwell made me want to open my own school! This book is chockfull of mini-lessons and ideas for teachers. It is a very practical, useful guide.

4. The English Teacher’s Companion: A Complete Guide to Classroom, Curriculum, and the Profession by Jim Burke

When I read this in college, I had to go out and buy a new highlighter. It was like a bible to me because it had so many ideas. Whenever I felt down or discouraged while teaching, I would flip through this book and feel like I just came back from NCTE. There are so many great strategies and teaching ideas that you will feel reinvigorated every time you open it.

5. Black Ants and Buddhists: Thinking Critically and Teaching Differently in the Primary Grades by Mary Cowhey

This book is written for elementary school teachers, but as a high school teacher, I learned a lot. Cowhey gives real classroom examples of how she promotes social justice, action, and independence in the classroom. I use this text to teach my students who are pre-service elementary school teachers, and they love it.

6. When Kids Can’t Read: What Teachers Can Do About It by Kylene Beers

This is my go-to book for struggling readers. It is a phenomenal resource and is incredibly helpful for those moments when a student reads a passage, turns to you and says, “I don’t get it.”

7. Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, Research, and Practice by Geneva Gay

Geneva Gay’s writing is very well-researched and thoughtful. She gives very useful tools for responding to all of the cultures in our classrooms. I highly recommend this text to teachers. I couldn’t stop highlighting!

8. Commando Classics: A Field Manual for Helping Teens Understand (And Maybe Even Enjoy) Classic Literature

Daria Plumb’s approach to classic literature is accessible and exciting. I love the text sets she provides. They are invaluable for teachers.

9. Reading Ladders by Teri Lesesne

I can’t help but repeat this one from Kellee’s list. It is a fantastic resource for teachers who want to challenge their students while still granting them freedom as they read.

10. Experience and Education by John Dewey

This is where it all began, isn’t it? Written in 1938, this book is lightyears before its time. Dewey is a foundational thinker who changed education today. It is not a surprise that he is continually cited for his good work.

Kellee

1. The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller

I thank this book, and its author, for helping me reform my teaching and focus on what is important.

2. Reading Ladders by Teri Lesesne

Reading ladders have been something I think about constantly when working with my struggling readers (I am a reading coach and taught intensive reading). I find out where the students are and using the idea of Lesesne’s ladders, I work on moving them up.

3. Pedagogy of Freedom: Ethics, Democracy, and Civic Courage by Paulo Freire

Although Freire’s theories seem like fantasy, they are the utopia that I wish we had here in America’s school system.

4. Teaching With the Brain in Mind by Eric Jensen

This text is important for all teachers to read, so they learn specifically how to reach their students.

5. A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Ruby Payne

This one is specifically important for teachers who grew up out of poverty. It gives a better sense of addressing students living in poverty.

6. Book Love by Penny Kittle

The Book Whisperer for high school. I love that it shows that the same ideas Donalyn laid out can be applied to secondary education.

7. Thrive by Meenoo Rami

I read this right when I was returning from maternity leave, and it was just what I needed.

8. How to Differentiate in a Mixed-Ability Classroom by Carol Ann Tomlinson

If you teach in a mixed-ability classroom, differentiation is key to make sure each student gets the best education. Tomlinson’s ideas can be used within any curriculum.

9. Yellow Brick Roads: Shared and Guided Paths to Independent Reading 4-12 by Janet Allen

I read this in my young adult literature class. It is very practical for class and assessments.

10. The Reading Zone: How to Help Kids Become Skilled, Passionate, Habitual, Critical Readers by Nancie Atwell

The beginning of it all. I am always striving to do as Nancie would do.

What are your favorite professional development texts? Which did we miss?

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Blog Tour, Review, and Author Guest Post!: Thrive by Meenoo Rami

April 22, 2023April 23, 2014 by Kellee

Thrive: 5 Ways to (Re)Invigorate Your Teaching
Author: Meenoo Rami
Published March 5th, 2014 by Heinemann Educational Books

Goodreads Summary: As a novice teacher, Meenoo Rami experienced the same anxieties shared by many: the sense of isolation, lack of self-confidence, and fear that her work was having no positive impact on her students. In Thrive, Meenoo shares the five strategies that helped her become a confident, connected teacher. From how to find mentors and build networks, both online and off, to advocating for yourself and empowering your students, Thrive shows new and veteran teachers alike how to overcome the challenges and meet the demands of our profession.

Praise for Thrive:
-“Whether you are entering your first year of teaching or your 40th, Thrive feels as if it were written just for you. At a time in our profession when many of us are feeling stretched thin, Meenoo Rami offers strategies to reignite our passions and rediscover why we chose to teach.” -Christopher Lehman, coauthor of Falling in Love with Close Reading
-“Teaching is a profession that eats its young. Meenoo Rami offers guidelines for surviving the challenges of the classroom as well as the faculty room.” -Carol Jago, author, teacher, and past president of NCTE
-“Thrive includes a mosaic of dynamic teacher voices from many grade levels and content areas. Reading their stories deepened my thinking about the immense untapped potential of our profession. Meenoo Rami’s vision of teaching and learning can sustain us all.”-Penny Kittle, author of Book Love

Join the conversation on Twitter at #edthrive.

About the Author: Meenoo Rami is a National Board Certified Teacher who teaches her students English at the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, PA. Mixing moments of joy, laughter, risk and encouragement, Meenoo pushes her students to think critically about their connection to the word and the world. Meenoo did her undergraduate work at Bradley University in Illinois in areas of Philosophy and English and completed her Master’s degree in Secondary Education at Temple University. Meenoo also contributes to the work of school-wide events and professional learning communities at SLA. Meenoo works as a teacher-consultant for the Philadelphia Writing Project. She has shared her classroom practice at various conferences such as: NCTE, ISTE, ASCD, EduCon, Urban Sites Conference for National Writing Project, and #140edu. Meenoo also runs a weekly twitter chat for English teachers called #engchat which brings together teachers from around the country to discuss ideas related to teaching of English. Her first book, THRIVE from Heinemann will be out in March 2014. In her free time, Meenoo can be found on her bike, on her yoga mat or in her kitchen tinkering with a vegetarian recipe.

To connect with Meenoo, you can find her on these social media networks:
Thrive
meenoorami.org
Twitter
Facebook
Google Plus

Kellee’s Review: In this modern day of education where CCSS and testing seems to have become the most important priority and we’re being attacked in the media for having an easy job and are failing our students, it is very difficult to stay positive—much less thrive. Meenoo Rami says that there is definitely a way to overcome all of these hardships, and she lies it all out in 5 “steps.” Although some of what you might find in this book may seem like common sense, it may not be to other teachers, specifically new teachers. It is also important to get reminders about how to stay true to ourselves. I think this is a book that each teacher needs to read and own so they can read it whenever they need a reminder that there is a way to thrive in this profession that we love.

Ricki’s Review: Meenoo Rami hits the nail on the head with her suggestions to teachers. With as many as 56% of teachers leaving the profession (Rami 3), we need to make a change. Beginning teachers must be prepared for the difficulties they will encounter on the job. This book is cleverly crafted with a variety of text features that are sure to engage readers (QR codes, tweets, figures, etc.). I teach pre-service teachers and am very particular about the texts I use. Too many professional texts are watered down and chockfull of obvious information, and I don’t want my students to purchase a book that will be a waste of their time. Rami achieves the perfect balance of narratives and information, and I will be ordering this book for my students next year. I love how she emphasizes that we, as educators, must constantly hone our art of teaching. I strongly believe that we need to practice what we preach, and we, too, must be lifelong learners.

Guest Post: Meenoo’s Tips for Dealing With Negativity and Other Issues That Keep Many of Us From Staying Positive and Thriving in our Profession

There is a common refrain I often hear when I talk to teachers these days. In hushed tones, they admit that they are tired, weary, and depleted by what they face in the their schools everyday. There are some repeated themes amongst the things they tell me:

I am being asked to deliver a prescribed curriculum, not create my own:

If you find yourself in the position where you’re required to use a prepackaged curriculum, consider how to balance it by incorporating the authentic inquiry that your students bring to your classroom, for example:

In an Environmental Science class, invite your local government representative to answer questions prepared by your students regarding how local policy is impacting local ecology.

The focus on testing has taken the joy out of my classroom:

Try to find the balance between teaching with the inquiry stance and test-prep is you are up against the constant pressures of testing in your school. Can you bring inquiry to this task by having your students actually create the test that they will be asked to take? See my colleague Larissa’s thinking around this here .

I have to sit through mind-numbing, inauthentic professional development every week:

What would it look like if you or your colleagues offered to prepare professional development in your school. Our administrators are often at a loss when it comes to finding creative ways to meet teachers’ professional development needs. What if there was a balance between what needs to be on the agenda and what teachers would like to see on the agenda. Perhaps, your faculty can form personal learning communities and take turns providing professional development to the rest of the faculty. Yes, this will be more work but it can meet the actual needs teachers have in terms of professional development.

I am surrounded by negative colleagues:

Try to listen if you can, persistent complaining might be a cry for help and support. If you cannot do that, offer your support to share resources, ideas, and problem-solve.

Thank you to Jen Vincent for hosting this blog tour, thank you to Meenoo Rami for her amazing guest post, and thank you to Heinemann for proving us copies for review.

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Make sure to check out the other stops in the Thrive blog tour:

4/9/14|
Jen Vincent at Teach Mentor Texts
http://www.teachmentortexts.com/

4/10/14
Franki Sibberson and Mary Lee Hahn at A Year of Reading
http://readingyear.blogspot.com/

4/11/14
Alyson Beecher at Kid Lit Frenzy
http://www.kidlitfrenzy.com/

4/12/14
Kira Baker Doyle at Kira J Baker-Doyle, Ph.D.
http://kbakerdoyle.wordpress.com/blog/

4/13/14
Sarah Mulhern Gross at The Reading Zone
http://thereadingzone.wordpress.com/

4/14/14
Christina Cantrill at Digital Is (National Writing Project)
http://digitalis.nwp.org/

4/15/14
Kate Roberts and Maggie B. Roberts at Indent
http://kateandmaggie.com/

4/16/14
Beth Shaum Use Your Outside Voice
http://useyouroutsidevoice.blogspot.com/

4/17/14
Linda Baie at Teacher Dance
http://www.teacherdance.org/

4/18/14
Troy Hicks at Hickstro
http://hickstro.org/

4/19/14
Joy Kirr at Genius Hour
http://geniushour.blogspot.com/

4/20/14
Tara Smith at The Teaching Life
http://ateachinglifedotcom.wordpress.com/

4/21/14
Antero Garcia at The American Crawl
http://www.theamericancrawl.com/

4/22/2014
John Spencer at Education Rethink
http://www.educationrethink.com/

A Response (Ahem…Rant) Regarding E. D. Hirsch Jr.’s Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know

April 22, 2023March 6, 2014 by Ricki

GoodReads Summary:

In this forceful manifesto, Hirsch argues that children in the U.S. are being deprived of the basic knowledge that would enable them to function in contemporary society. Includes 5,000 essential facts to know.

My Review:

This text left me nodding vigorously at some sections and wanting to rip out the pages of other portions. Hirsch gives an impressively extensive background of the establishment of the English language. When my students ask, “Who made these grammar rules and spelling decisions?” I can now give them quite a long answer. I love a book that makes me think, and as an educator, this text truly made me ponder my beliefs about education. Hirsch contends that literate adults know things that illiterate adults do not. They have cultural literacy, and there are common ideas, phrases, and words that literate share that allow them to hold intelligent discussions and read newspapers. I agree with this notion, and Hirsch proves it well.

He then continues by arguing that teaching skills is not enough, and we need our children to learn these extensive facts in order for them to become functioning, literate adults. My biggest problem with this idea is his list. The appendix contains 5,000 words and phrases (about half of the book). If we spent time teaching from this list, our students would suffer. School wouldn’t be about inquiry—but about facts and cold information. I am more aligned with Dewey’s approach. Our students must be given exploratory opportunities to enact inquisition. If we teach our students to be curious, they will want to read and learn, and then they will slowly learn these words and phrases. I imagine educators agreeing with this text and wanting to create multiple choice tests.

My other issue with this text is the fact that Hirsch is narcissistic enough to think that he can create the list of the words and phrases cultured, literate Americans should know. He tries to validate this by arguing that he worked with a few others and they received feedback from over a hundred people. I was not impressed and found this to be quite pompous.

Hirsch ends with practical ways we might approach the integration of these words and phrases into curricula. I was extremely unhappy with his suggestion to provide a test for students at different levels to ensure that they are learning the facts. More tests? We would kill the love of learning with his approach to education.

While there are elements of Hirsch’s argument that are sound, I was disappointed by many of the ideas he put forth. I agree that students need to become culturally literate, and I found this concept to be quite interesting and important, but I don’t think that all educators will agree about which facts are most important. Hirsch does seem to understand this and explains how the process of picking these words and phrases is messy, and for me, the creation of this list is where many of the details of his argument are flawed.

He begins his book by explaining how saddened he is that a literary reference (“The tide falls”) is lost on many people. I understand this allusion, and I disagree with Hirsch. If I used this phrase in a conversation and another person didn’t understand it, I would explain it. That is the power of education and teaching each other. We are always learning, and we can always grow as cultured, literate adults. Knowing these specific 5,000 terms (or the many more his more extensive version) do not make us culturally literate.

Are you culturally literate? I included a few random words/phrases you should know from the “5,000 Essential Names, Phrases, Dates, and Concepts” section:

Luxembourg

metaphysics

microfiche

The Little Red Hen (title)

Interstate Commerce Commission

hubris

L’état c’est moi

Dolley Madison

Planck’s constant

philistinism

wildcat strike

Benedict Arnold

MX missile

juvenilia

intransitive verb

How did you do? Did you get a few?

Thrice Told Tales: Three Mice Full of Writing Advice by Catherine Lewis

February 9, 2014January 2, 2014 by Ricki

Thrice Told Tales: Three Mice Full of Writing Advice
Author: Catherine Lewis
Published: August 27th, 2013 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

GoodReads Summary: Three Blind Mice. Three Blind Mice. See how they run? No. See how they can make all sorts of useful literary elements colorful and easy to understand! Can one nursery rhyme explain the secrets of the universe? Well, not exactly—but it can help you understand the difference between bildungsroman, epigram, and epistolary.

From the absurd to the wish-I’d-thought-of-that clever, writing professor Catherine Lewis blends Mother Goose with Edward Gorey and Queneau, and the result is learning a whole lot more about three not so helplessmice, and how to fine tune your own writing, bildungsroman and all.

If your writing is your air, this is your laughing gas.*

*That’s a metaphor, friends.

Review: This is one of those books that is so clever, I am depressed that I didn’t come up with the idea myself. Reading and writing teachers will adore the way this book is constructed and be excited to use it in their classrooms. A different writing term is creatively interpreted on each page within the context of the Three Blind Mice nursery rhyme. At the bottom of each page, Lewis gives an explanation of the writing term and how it can be employed in writing (see the flagged passage below). I loved the ways Lewis humorously portrayed each term. For example, on the page about style, she takes a line from the nursery rhyme and rewrites it in the style of famous authors like Dickens and Hemingway. As a bonus, I learned about a few literary terms that I didn’t know! It was so fun to read. I shared it with my pre-service teachers, and they also adored it and were excited to use it in their own classrooms.

Teacher’s Tools for Navigation: Teachers can hand-pick terms they want to teach to their students. I wish this book was published when I was teaching because it makes the literary terms very accessible. Teachers can take the terms and ask students to reinterpret them within the context of a different nursery rhyme (or even within the context of a song or movie).

Discussion Questions: How can I rewrite a nursery rhyme to show a literary term?; How can I employ these literary/writing terms to make me a better writer?

We Flagged: “Developing one’s style is like developing a sense of fashion. You may start off by trying on a lot of costume jewelry; big showy ten-dollar words. They’ll get attention all right, but maybe you’ll discover there’s something better out there for you. Perhaps you’ll try a charm bracelet full of dangling modifiers. Or a simple silver bracelet and an onyx ring. Keep experimenting for pleasant combinations, and a truer picture of yourself and your work will begin to emerge” (p. 134).

Read This If You Loved: In the Middle by Nancie Atwell, Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, Writing Workshop by Ralph Fletcher, Celebrating Writers by Ruth Ayres with Christi Overman

Recommended for:

What is your favorite book for teaching writing? Can you think of creative ways to use this in the classroom?

Celebrating Writers: From Possibilities Through Publication by Ruth Ayres

April 22, 2023December 26, 2013 by Ricki

Celebrating Writers: From Possibilities Through Publication
Authors: Ruth Ayres with Christi Overman
Published: November 28th, 2013 by Stenhouse Publishers

GoodReads Summary: Writing begins before students even pick up a pencil, but there are many reasons to stop and rejoice between the idea and the finished project. By helping students celebrate each stage of the writing process and applauding success, we help our students persevere through what can be an extended and challenging process.

In their innovative new book, Celebrating Writers, Ruth Ayres and Christi Overman discuss dozens of ways to respond, reflect, and rejoice along the journey to a finished project. This type of celebration nurtures students, makes them better writers, and helps them recognize that writing is a process filled with notable moments, not simply a result where publication is the only marker of success. From traveling notebooks to lunch-table writing, from author interviews with a writing partner to silent reflection, from swapping stories around a “campfire” to tweeting favorite lines, Ruth and Christi share dozens of fun and effective ways for you and your students to commemorate their progress as writers. As the authors write, “It’s time to expand the idea of celebration to include the process of writers and the products they create. Let’s build an approach that weaves celebration into the heart of all writers. Be ready to learn to refuel the writers in your classroom, even on the tough days.”

Review and Teacher’s Tools for Navigation: I know a professional development text is a good one when I feel compelled to get out of my bed to nab my highlighter. There are many flag-worthy passages in this book. My focus is Secondary English Education, and even though this book seems to be primarily focused on Elementary Education, I plan to share some of the ideas from this text with my students tomorrow. The true audience of this book is all teachers of writing. Ayres and Overman provide a plethora of ideas to help students celebrate their writing. They state, “When we celebrate throughout the process, we help students become people who know their words can influence, encourage, and incite change” (p. 7).

While I always thought I celebrated my students’ writing, this book taught me so many MORE ways to help them rejoice in order to truly nourish them as writers. Some of the ideas the authors include are methods for students to respond to their peers’ writing, ways for students to formally assess and reflect upon their own writing, ideas for students to examine their own strengths and weaknesses as writers, and numerous modes for students to share their writing with online communities. There are a variety of handouts that are all downloadable from the companion website (a HUGE plus for busy teachers). The fifth chapter of this book is my favorite—it details forty formal celebration ideas. These are ideas that are much more clever than asking students to bring in cupcakes.

Discussion Questions: How do I teach my students to rejoice in their writing? Why is this important?; How do I help my students share their writing with online communities?; How do I help my students learn to rejoice in the writing of their peers?

We Flagged: “Response, reflection, and rejoicing position us to celebrate the writer in addition to the writing. These frames also allow us to celebrate throughout the writing process instead of solely at the end. They move us to a focus on learning as writers. Our celebrations nourish writers, nudging them to continue writing with expertise and energy” (p. 15).

Read This If You Loved: Black Ants and Buddhists by Mary Cowhey, In the Middle by Nancie Atwell, Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, Writing Workshop by Ralph Fletcher

What is your favorite book for teaching writing? Have you read this one? What did you think? Please share your thoughts!

**Thank you, Stenhouse Publishers, for sending me this book for review!**