Happy Slice of Life Eve

Ruth Ayers and Stacey Shubitz, at Two Writing Teachers have challenged us to begin a new habit.....writing every day for the next 30 days. They say it takes 30 days to build a habit. I am so not into habits like this because I more often than not...okay....all of the time...don't EVER develop the habit. Sort of like the "I'm going to have a P90X body and eating the chocolate cake on day three" kind of habit. 30 days is a dang long time to do the same thing over and over and over. BUT, I have to admit that Ruth and Stacey are right. This writing challenge is important. It's important for my students. It's important for my growth as a teacher and as a person. It's important that I learn to recognize that my own writing and my own life have special meaning and that I will learn tons from the online community of writers participating along with me in this challenge. It's just important that I suck it up and do it. If I want to be the writing teacher my students deserve, then they need a teacher who's doing exactly what I expect them to do every single day: WRITE.


Before I begin I have a confession. I'm a procrastinator. I do everything at the VERY LAST SECOND. If I don't absolutely HAVE to do it, I won't. I will choose to do something else....like organize the shoes in my closet....throw out the experiments in my refrigerator, read twitter and re-tweet for hours....make a to-do list of all the things that I won't do until the VERY LAST SECOND. I do everything I can do to avoid writing.

So tomorrow, I'll begin to develop this new habit....of writing when I really don't have to(or want to)....when there's no deadline...no one counting on receiving my draft....no one waiting to hear a response...no one wondering why in the world that girl hasn't finished her work yet....posting my "slices of life".....defined by Webster as this-slice of life

I have no clue what I'll post from day to day, and I think that might be the reason I feel butterflies and a bit of anxiety over not knowing what I'll say....This has got to be the feeling my 6th graders feel constantly. Wow. I'm already stepping into their shoes so it will help us all in the long run. Thanks, Ruth and Stacey, for pushing us all to do this.

One more thing.
Honestly and regretfully, I do have a draft of something that's due first thing in the morning.....so my slice might be that last minute article draft for a possible future professional journal publication. It'll be scary to put it out there for others to read, but, oh well. Here goes.....

Happy Slice of Life Eve!
AM
#slice2012

Amid The Destruction, Poetry Stands

This picture, one taken only a street away from a dear friend’s house, is one of many telling the story of the tornado destruction in my school community of Trussville, AL.

I’m awakened at 3:00am Monday morning to the television, radio, and tornado siren warnings….and it felt like the April 27th all over again. Tornadoes feel all too common in AL these days, and as my students entered the classroom yesterday, their stories of loss and destruction filled the room.

Thanks to our amazing principal, Phyllis Faust, who leads our family of teachers and learners every day, our students feel safe and encouraged because they know they have a school family to embrace them not just in the good times, but the tough ones as well. Those students who were able to attend school yesterday showed strength and saw past the sadness and the destruction. They offered encouragement and hope to our “family”, those friends and community members who lost possessions, homes, and loved ones--not with monetary donations, or clothing, or supplies…..but with poetry.

Ralph Fletcher’s poetry book, A Writing Kind of Day, and his mentor poem, "Poetry Stands", reminded us all that poetry has the power to heal wounds, and when everything else around us falls apart, poetry stands.

Below are a few examples of poems written by my sixth graders to lift the spirits of their friends and community members. (first drafts written in a 47 minute class period, I might add ☺ )

These young writers believe that words do have the power to heal, and amid the destruction in our community, poetry stands.



Branden’s poem

Wesley
Don’t feel bad
Lots of people understand
Mrs. Faust calls us a family
For one simple reason
If one of us goes in
Then we all go through it
I know this day was grim
I know this day was tough
But I also know
We can get through this together
As one big family
On January 23 and beyond


Empty by Sadie

Pain will one day be an old enemy
It embraced us tightly
Yes, the silent tears in my heart remain
The feelings of fear and loss
I’m afraid of my shadow,
Alone in a quiet, dark room

But light shines through
A light of hope
Faith covers my wounds
Peace overlays a destroyed town

And again I hear comforting sounds
Birds chirp.
Angels sing.
Today’s a new day





Noah’s poem

You have feelings of fear and loss
But friends are here to protect

Destruction has happened
Loss has come

You are a part of this city
And we will all help

Be brave.

Remember
Happiness rules
Where fear can’t go.



My January 23rd Dream

I rest in a night of sleep
Pushes and nudges
Awaken me to the feelings of
Fear and loss
I fly to the window
Not seeing life
The tv is blaring
Weatherman

It takes a while
Until I realize
The faint sound of the alarm


The rain
The thunder
The lighting
The wind
Drained the sound
Of the noise I remembered
Not too many months before

The signal
That destruction and debris
Would be all that’s left

Until the sun begins to rise
January 24, 2012.

Lessons in Photography and Keeping Your Mouth Shut

In November I had the privilege of sharing my sixth grader’s nonfiction writing and my thinking behind this work with a wonderful audience of colleagues…and with co-presenters Linda Hoyt, Ellin Keene, and Seymour Simon at NCTE in Chicago. (Yep. You are so very correct. O. M. G. is what I thought when Linda called and asked me to present with them…three literacy mentors and superstars I tend to stalk at professional conferences.

So here’s the story that leads to every other blog I will post in 2012...

I was the last to speak in our presentation at NCTE, and after I finished, Ellin opened the floor for questions. Heart still pounding from nerves and adrenaline and feeling pretty proud that I didn’t make a fool of myself, I sat up a bit taller in my chair than I was sitting before the presentation began. Armpits were soaked and my ears were red, but I was feeling good.

I look out into the audience, and this nice lady in an orange shirt raised her hand and asked, “Do you take all your photographs?”
This is where pride and confidence get in the big fat way.
I quickly answered her with a strong, “YES, I take all my pictures!”, thinking to myself that she was impressed with my iPhone 4 skills and the photos imbedded into the slides of my presentation.
This is when I quickly feel a Linda Hoyt elbow in my side and the kind, emphatic whisper in my ear of “she’s not talking to you……”

Mmmm. Hmmm.
I quickly realize that, OF COURSE the question is for Seymour Simon, PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER who takes the majority of the photographs for EVERY SINGLE PHOTO ESSAY he writes!!
Remember the “I didn’t make a fool of myself” feeling?
Yeah.
Well.
That’s gone now.

Graciously, Seymour answers the lady’s question and explains… (God knows what because I was so beyond embarrassed I didn’t hear a word he said and was plotting my crawl under the table to die)
Seymour finishes his answer and then I babble like a fool and get a strong, “JUST SHUT UP!!” from the author of over three hundred amazingly crafted, beautifully photographed nonfiction books for children.

Just. Shut. Up. Great advice from a great man, writer, and photographer.

So since that embarrassing November moment, “shut up” has been at the forefront of my mind. Just shut up. It's critical to let the kids do the talking and the thinking….and make it my job to listen, photograph, videotape, and write about every second of learning that is taking place.

My blog posts from now on will be one of those iPhone 4 photos that captures a pivotal moment in the learning, thinking, and growing of this classroom of sixth grade readers and writers....and the learning, thinking, and growing of this sixth grade teacher.

So now when I’m in doubt about what to do to help my students, I’ll embrace the smart phone and shut up.

To learn more from these wonderful writers, thinkers, photographers, and people, visit their websites below.
Linda Hoyt
Seymour Simon
Ellin Keene

:),
Ann Marie

The Room Grows with the Children: Thoughts From an Inconsistent Blogger

The last time I posted (yep, that would be the first week of school back in August), I started a "Setting Up the Classroom Series" of posts. I should know better. Note to self: Never start a series of anything the first month of school and never promise to do more than you know is ridiculously impossible. I will say that you can expect me to blog about the cool things that kids do and the fun literacy work I'm fortunate to be a part of, but it will only get posted on those early mornings with coffee when I put my butt in the chair and just write. Here's to more mornings like this!

It's the end of September, and I'm reflecting on my six weeks with a group of sixth graders...a group that I will have to give back to their real teacher on October 17th. It's been a gift and a pleasure to teach and learn with these kids over the past weeks. It's been especially fun to see the room (and their writing and reading) grow right before my eyes.

I've found that children only become invested in the work we ask them to do when it's meaningful, connected to their lives outside school, and co-created with them. As we finish our first writing study, we look forward to sharing our work and commenting on the work of the writers in Tony Keefer's fourth grade class in Ohio. Check out their class website and give these young writers a new audience!

Below you'll find photos of our classroom anchor charts and kids working--a visual representation of their thinking and growth over these past six weeks.

As my friend and principal, Phyllis Faust says,
To the Possibilities of This New Day.....
love,
AM

Setting Up the Classroom Series....

It's that time of year when we think about setting up our classroom for new groups of readers, writers, mathematicians, social scientists, and problem solvers. Over the next few weeks, I'll be sharing some ways to organize classrooms that will support students in both their academic and social growth. So, for the next few weeks, my blogging will be about my 10 for 10 list of picture books and ways to set up our classrooms for our students.

Below you'll find the link to a blog I wrote for my friends and colleagues at Developmental Studies Center. It's all about setting up the meeting area in the classroom to create that central location for reading, writing, thinking, talking, and problem solving.

The Meeting Area: An Invitation to Read, Write, Think, Talk, and Problem Solve

love,
AM

10 Picture Books That Help Us Face Life's Challenges

This is my first post in a VERY long time. Thanks Cathy and Mandy for creating this wonderful event that would push me to write again.
This list of 10 books have in some way or another helped me face life's challenges with courage and strength this past year. I'll be telling the stories of these books in the coming weeks on the blog, but for now, here's the list....with the book covers below (I've already forgotten how to make the right book title and author fit nice and neatly next to the cover!)
1. The Little Hummingbird by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas
2. All In a Day by Cynthia Rylant
3. I'm In Charge of Celebrations by Byrd Baylor
4. Saturdays and Teacakes by Lester Laminack
5. Junkyard Wonders by Patricia Polacco
6. Zero by Kathryn Otoshi
7. The Secret of Saying Thanks by Douglas Wood
8. A Box of Friends by Pam Munoz Ryan
9. Courage by Bernard Waber
10. Believe: A Gift to Celebrate New Beginnings by Dan Zadra and Kobi Yamada

Because It's Just Fun To Read, an interview with Jack, Age 8

Meet my nephew, Jack. Above are just a few photos of the pivotal reading moments in his life.
...listening to mom read aloud as an infant
...eating breakfast cheerios with Moo Baa La La La
...learning colors with Eric Carle and Elmo
...loading new books on his Nook with Dad Christmas day
...potty training with the Toys R Us catalog
...studying the deer in Papa's Field and Stream magazine
...re-reading his favorite nonfiction author, Steve Jenkins
...enjoying afternoon partner reading with Granny
...unwrapping the gift of literacy

He's a second grader, a violinist, an artist, a T-ball catcher, and as you can see from the photos above, a lifelong reader (all eight glorious years of it!).
Last night I had a phone conversation with Jack about reading and homework.

Below is a transcript of our conversation: (and if I was tech savvy enough like my amazing blogging and teaching friends, I'd have a podcast of our conversation attached to this blog.....Ok guys, I need lessons on this, please! Soon!)

AM: Hi Jack, it's Ann Marie. Do you mind answering some questions about reading for me?

Jack: OK. I'm hungry and waiting for Mama to finish the spaghetti. (My sister was happy for me to distract hungry Jack for a minute or two so she could get dinner on the table.)

AM: First, can you tell me what you're reading now?

Jack: Well....The Voyages of Dr. Doolittle with Dad, The Magic Treehouse, and Lives of the Presidents.

AM: Three books, huh? Why those books?

Jack: In Dr. Doolittle the animals talk and I love that. You know Jack and Annie travel to different places and I like that too. And Lives of the Presidents tells you all about the presidents. Like all about them.

AM: When do you first remember loving to read? What book do you remember first loving?

Jack: DOGS! (I could hear him talking to his mom...Hey Mama, it was Dogs because it had all that crusty breakfast stuff all over it. Like cheerios stuck to the pages." Remember?! And that bird book that Daddy read to me that had all the bird sounds. That one too.

AM: Jack, does homework help you to be a better reader?

Jack:Umm....I think so.

AM: Can you tell me how it helps you be a better reader?

Jack: It teaches you better fluency. And expression.

AM: Anything else?

Jack: Nothing else.

AM: Who are your favorite authors?

Jack: Jan Brett, OH! Rosemary Wells...you know she writes Yoko and Friends and Max and Ruby, Dr. Seuss.

AM: Hey Jack, what do you think made you like to read or be a great reader? Was it reading homework? Getting things to do for homework that had to do with reading? Or something else?

Jack: Something else. Hey, can we go back to my favorite authors now?

AM: Yes, of course.

Jack Steve Jenkins. Definitely Steve Jenkins. I have no idea how he draws his pictures so good and he has lots of information and his indexes. And Tomie DePaola! I just love Strega Nona. It's so funny. He writes good stories and just writes funny books too. But I'm a nonfiction man. Cause I can read and tell everyone what I learned and say, oh I know that. I read it in a book.

AM: I know you like books, Jack, and I can certainly tell you love to read from your answers to these questions, but why?

Jack: because it's just fun to read! (answering me in this "this is a dumb question" voice.)

AM: Jack, what advice would you give to teachers who want to help their students love reading as much as you do?

Jack: Hmmm...I'd tell them to get more interesting stories and books for their students. And tell them that the book will take their mind places. That's what I would tell them. And then they would love it. I know they would."


I just love Jack.
But mostly today, I love the honesty, the passion, and the sincerity with which he spoke about his life as a reader.
Yes, Jack has been blessed with a mom, dad and family who all recognized on the day he was born what it took to help him become a reader and lover of literacy.
Unfortunately, that's not the case for all children who enter our classrooms each day.
Jack reminded me what it takes for us as teachers to "grow" these kinds of readers in our classrooms. So.... what can we do to ensure that all children leave our classrooms being readers and choosing to read for a lifetime?

Just a few important pieces of advice from eight year old Jack....
1. Get more interesting stories and books.
Children need to be reading books and magazines and short stories and fiction and nonfiction and poetry and everything they want to read and CAN read. All day, every day. So fill up your classrooms with those interesting books. Keep collecting books from yard sales, class book orders,local libraries, bookstores, family collections, etc., etc. and have those interesting books on the shelves and at your students' fingertips.

2. Books will take your mind places.
Yes, books can do that if teachers will demonstrate, model, lead by example, and show their students exactly how to read and comprehend. We want our students seeing demonstrations and then practicing and reading daily to allow these books to "take their minds places".

3. Reading helps build fluency.....
AND background knowledge and oral language and vocabulary and reading/writing connections and strategy usage---and all of that leads to comprehension and enjoyment! (see my friend, Sharon Taberski's blog All About Comprehension and her new book Comprehension from the Ground Up for more information on the pillars of reading)

4. Go back to your favorite authors now.
Re-read them. Soak in their words. Study their illustrations. Have conversations about them. Question their motives and their techniques. Listen to what others think about your favorites and then learn about theirs. Wonder with others about them. Try to write like them. Love them. Go back to them often. Click the link above for an interview with Helen Lester, a favorite author, posted by my colleagues at the Developmental Studies Center.

5. Read because it's just fun.
Not to answer questions at the end of the chapter. Not to get points. Not to earn a pizza party. Not to be the star student reader of excellence of the year. Not so you can say you did your homework.
Read for a reason and a purpose that matters....and just because it's fun.

Thanks to Mary Lee and Franki who gave me this "homework assignment" and got me thinking about reading and what matters for students in our classrooms today.
and with respect for all the amazing reading teachers everywhere,
Thank you!
Ann Marie