Someone recently asked me for ideas for a lesson on similes.  I like to use picture books to introduce topics, and I think picture books work well with similes.

I came to Big Universe to see if there might be any possibilities. I did an advanced search for figurative language and got this result: Piggies in the Pumpkin Patch.

I read through the book and found that even though I liked the book, it was not exactly what I was looking for right now.  Instead of just closing the book and moving to another resource site, I decided to look at other books by the publisher of this book (you can do that simply by clicking on the name of the publisher ).

As I looked through the long list of books, I started noticing several that I have written about before, read with my daughter, and told other teachers about.  Here are a few of the ones that I noticed:

• A Call for a New Alphabet
• A Place for Zero
• Alice and Greta: A Tale of Two Witches
• First Day Jitters
• Multiplying Menace
• Super Sam
• The Patch

Punxsy Phil, the weather-savvy woodchuck.

For such a short month, February is living large this year. It kicked off with today’s observation of Freedom Day, which commemorates President Abraham Lincoln’s signing of the 13th Amendment, outlawing slavery. A wreath was laid on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia to acknowledge this historical American watermark.

A troupe of top-hatted men will congregate tomorrow, Feb. 2nd, in Punxsytawney, Pa., to get the weather prediction from Punxsy Phil, the famous weather-savvy Groundhog Day woodchuck. The burg of Punxsytawney was not far from where I grew up, so my family always paid close attention to whether this chubby little rodent saw his shadow or not.

Then there’s Valentine’s Day on the 14th, Presidents’ Day on the 20th, Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras on Feb. 21st, and John Gandolfi’s Leap Day birthday on the 29th. It’s unlikely that most of you know Mr. Gandolfi . He was the ultra-gregarious kid who sat four seats in front of me in homeroom from seventh grade through twelfth. “…Gandolfi, Gaston, Glasser, Golinsky, Granata….” He was a Leap Year baby, so I think he celebrates his 13th birthday this year.

I see these holidays as gateway ops – perfect avenues to promote literacy and chase away the winter doldrums. I suppose it depends on whether you’re an optimist or a pessimist and whether you’re “a natural” when it comes to integrating seasonal activities into the classroom. Whether you use a Valentine’s Day word search sheet or read a biography about a U.S. president on BigUniverse.com, you will be adding “snap, crackle and pop” to your classroom and advance the cause of literacy.

Here’s a starter list to get you in the spirit.

Freedom Day

• Priscilla and the Hollyhocks (Charlesbridge book)
• Harriet Tubman (Teacher Created Materials book)
• Slavery in America (Rourke book)
• Abraham Lincoln (Bellwether book)
• Slavery in America (Teacher Created Materials book)

 Groundhog Day

• Fun Facts About Groundhogs website
• Groundhog coloring page
• Groundhog Day and alphabetical order sheet
• Groundhog Day mask craft
• Groundhog’s Day Contraction Worksheet

 Valentine’s Day

• “Kid Friendly Poems for Valentine’s Day”
• “Valentine’s Day Printables for the Classroom”

President’s Day

• Presidents’ Day Teacher Resources link
• George Washington: A Life of Self-discipline (Bellwether book)
• Abraham Lincoln (Bellwether book)
• George Washington coloring page
• George Washington Graphic Biography (Saddleback book)
• Abe Lincoln Coloring Page

 Mardi Gras

• Online Jester Mask Coloring Page
• “Cajun Alphabet” (Pelican Publishing book)
• Template for a Mardi Gras Mask (Use cardstock. Attach stick.)
• Mardi Gras Vocabulary Printable
• “Mimi’s First Mardi Gras” (Pelican Publishing book)

Leap Day

• Leap Year Coloring Page (PDF)

NOTE: For more general reading, click on “Holidays” – a Teacher Created Materials book at Big Universe Learning. Or, read “An Ode to History and Phillis Wheatley” or “Books Introduce Black History Month Heroes,” blogs that showcase kid-friendly biographies about remarkable Americans.

By the time my students get to me in fourth grade, they are expected to be reading chapter books.  It’s more mature and sophisticated and, well it’s more at their level of reading.  But picture books are still such powerful tools to use in fourth grade and beyond.  Sometimes they provide a great story to read for enjoyment or a well crafted story that teaches a moral.  Lately, I’ve been using picture books to help my students write narratives.

Picture books are a great way to illustrate the basic elements of a story.  Finding just the right book can show how a good story includes a character, a problem, events in a sequence and a solution.  Often you can see a climax and resolution.  My class and I have been looking at various picture books to reinforce these elements, making sure we include them and develop them in our own narratives.  (Fourth graders are required to write a personal narrative for our Massachusetts state test.)

Of course I have a collection of picture books in my room, but Big Universe has provided me with an extensive collection which has been so practical and useful.  The last time we were in the Computer Clubhouse, I asked students to search through their own online bookshelves and other places on Big Universe to find a picture book that tells a good story; a picture book that has all the great elements of a story.

Here are some books on Big U that we found that fit this criteria:

• When Pigs Fly
• Sink or Swim
• Nana Star
• Dorothy and the Glasses

For a listing of ALL of the picture books on Big Universe, click this link.

Through discussion and sharing, students were able to see time and again what a good story contains.  The journey of becoming a writer is a long one, but this step is definitely a good one to take along the way.

Happy reading and happy writing.

~EMP

Josh Schneider wins the coveted 2012 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award.

An announcement in Dallas this week made Josh Schneider a very happy man. The author and illustrator is the recipient of the 2012 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for his children’s book, “Tales for Very Picky Eaters.”

The Theodor Seuss Geisel Award is given to the author and illustrator of the book deemed as the “most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year.” The Association Library Service to Children (ALSC) – a division of the American Library Association (ALA) – administers the award annually. This year the award was announced in Dallas during ALA’s mid-winter meeting, Jan. 20-24.

The award is given in memory of Theodor Geisel, the renowned children’s author known as “Dr. Seuss,” and to recognize contemporary winners for “their literary and artistic achievements that demonstrate creativity and imagination to engage children in reading.” The first Theodor Seuss Geisel Award was presented in 2006 to author Cynthia Rylant and illustrator Suçie Stevenson for their book “Henry and Mudge and the Great Grandpas.”

Schneider and other honorees will receive their awards in June in Anaheim, Ca., during the ALA’s annual conference.

“Tales for Very Picky Eaters” is a five-chapter book about a boy named James, who refuses to eat foods he considers disgusting, smelly, repulsive, lumpy or slimy. His clever dad plays a big role in the storyline, offering outrageous suggestions and rationale to get his son to be more daring with his dining. The text is paired with cartoon-like illustrations executed in watercolor, colored pencil, and pen and ink.

“The dialogue presents some preposterous situations but even the most challenging words are presented in context so beginning readers can easily discern their meaning,” said Carole Fiore, head of the Geisel Award Committee. “The touches of humor make this book an engaging page turner.”

Three additional Geisel Honor Books were named:

• “I Broke My Trunk,” the story of an elephant, written and illustrated by Mo Willems and published by Hyperion Books for Children.
• “I Want My Hat Back,” a story about honesty and loss, written and illustrated by Jon Klassen and published by Candlewick Press.
• “See Me Run,” a dog-infused story, written and illustrated by Paul Meisel and published by Holiday House.

With more than 4,000 children’s librarians, literature experts, publishers and educational faculty in its network, ALSC is dedicated to the support and enhancement of library service to children to create a better future for the next generation. Big Universe Learning also is a champion of children’s education and literacy. At last count, the online learning community had:

• 272,389 members from 166 countries
• 3,506 publishing company books, read 2,384,653 times
• 673,494 books stored on members’ personal bookshelves
• 172,575 bookshelves followed by members
• 42,500 books created by members

 ***NOTE: Humor is a great way to engage readers, both young and old. Check out “Humor: Be Still My ‘Beeting’ Heart,” a blog I wrote about another children’s book that deals with eating issues. It’s on Big Universe, and it’s one of my favs!

Ever wonder why students seem to remember rules, operations, or facts when put to a catchy tune?  Have you ever wanted to create or find a song for that concept that just seemed to be too difficult for some to remember or learn?  After becoming quite frustrated that some of my students in my word study group were not catching onto the “vowel consonant-e” pattern, I began to think of a way in which I could get it to “stick.”

A colleague of mine recently found many songs on YouTube that related to various concepts, including word study.  In previous blog posts, I have commented on using YouTube for science or social studies, but also wanted to make readers aware of the songs teachers can use during Language Arts.

As always, it is best practice to view the complete video before showing them to students.  It is also best practice to monitor the advertisements and commercials that tend to come with some of the videos on the site.

Word Study Videos:

The Electric Company: Veronica Jackson’s “Bossy R”

Super “e”!!!! (hip children’s song by Mark D. Pencil)

Vowels Save the Day

Short Vowel Song

Song About Contractions: A Contraction has an Apostrophe by Miss Jenny

Contraction Rap 1st Grade

Teaching By Magic- Homophones

Song About Compound Words: Compound Word Whiz With Miss Jenny

Prefixes and Suffixes

Eight Parts of Speech! 

Parts of Speech Music Video

It was amazing how many different videos were on YouTube related to these various concepts!  The visual and audio aspect of learning is captured during these types of learning experiences, and can really impact a particular child’s understanding.  When all else has failed and you are about to pull your hair out (haha!) just remember to think outside of the box, or use modern technology to help you out!  It is amazing what our kids remember and connect to in this generation…good luck and rock on!

A while back I attended a workshop on reading instruction and one thing that really struck me (and the rest of the group) was the value of independent reading.  I have been asking my students to Drop Everything And Read for as long as I’ve been a teacher (13 years so far), but during this workshop I was forced to realize how I had strayed from purposeful, reflective, independent reading.

There are some students, of course, who will sit with a book for hours if you let them and those who will turn pages creating the illusion of reading.  My job then becomes to coach both types and levels of readers (and all those in between) and to help them engage more with their reading.

Holding students accountable for their reading balanced with time to reflect on their reading after a period of time is important and the model which I have committed to use for the remainder of the year.  I expect students to keep a log of what they read, including the title, author and dates they read the book or story.  I am also asking students to take a reflection moment at the end of our time to write down what they are thinking.  It may be a question, a comment, a connection or a prediction.  The students are deciding what is the best way for them to do this individually.  Some are using sticky notes and putting them in the pages of the book.  Others are using sticky notes and placing them on the back of a recycled piece of paper to keep in their binder.  Others are writing their thoughts on a lined piece of paper, noting the date and page number as well as their idea or question.

Some students love reading independently on Big Universe.  These students can use sticky notes or a log to keep track of their thoughts and questions or use an online resource to do so.  Evernote could prove to be useful.  The favorite among online users, though is to create a Google doc to track their ideas as they read through a book, toggling between Big Universe screens and Gdoc screens.

Giving students this 2-5 minutes of reflection time on their own independent reading has been great.  It allows struggling readers to think back about their text and check for understanding and it allows high level readers to think even more deeply about their texts.  And I must say that more and more students are enjoying the opportunity to take a quick trip to the Computer Clubhouse or Lab to do their independent reading on Big U.

How do you structure your independent reading time?

~EMP

I recently came across this image and really like the way it explains the pieces of Balanced Literacy.

I have written several blog posts in the past concerning Balanced Literacy and Big Universe Learning:

• Do you know the benefits of to, with, and by?
• Writing to go along with books
• Using Big Universe with Shared Reading
• What is Balanced Literacy?
• Going on a Scavenger Hunt
• Keeping the Balance

I recently attended a workshop that focused on the Common Core Standards, and specifically, on the shifts in literacy instruction that are taking place to support these standards.  The new Standards will require students to read more informational texts, and so teachers will be required to embed literacy into every subject and discipline. Reading materials will become increasingly complex, and students will need to read carefully, and to support their responses with evidence to prove comprehension of the text. During this workshop we learned to design a Close Reading Literacy Task, in which the students and teacher read a short, rich text together, and use questions and evidence-based answers to derive meaning from the text.

Big Universe is perfectly suited to support Close Reading Tasks and the increasing demand for concise texts on a variety of topics. Since the exercise begins with the students reading the text independently, teachers can assign specific books to the students, and check that students have read the material before the group activity begins. The class can use a display unit so that they can view the text together when the selection is re-read.  During this group reading, the teacher should  be sure that all students understand the vocabulary that is being used. The students can then share responses to questions as a group, to ensure that they understand the content, and the author’s purpose for writing the text. The answers should require that the students return to the text, rereading and using specific passages to support their reasoning. The questions check that the students understand the meaning of words and phrases within the text, of sentences and how they relate to the story as a whole, to passages within the selection, and how they help develop the whole, and of the story as a whole, including possibly its themes and morals.  Students can then read related stories in Big Universe, or books with similar themes.

Since the books in Big Universe are leveled, teachers are able to choose appropriate material on a wide variety of topics for a Close Reading Task. And, as the books can be read individually or collectively, and saved in Bookshelves for future reference, Big Universe provides an instant resource for Literacy instruction and for supplemental texts for any subject.

For more information about the Six Shifts and the Common Core Standards, see EngageNY, (http://engageny.org/resource/common-core-shifts/) and this site about the Common Core which describes the Six Shifts: http://commoncorestandards.com/ela/6-shifts-in-learning-ccss-style/

My daughter is in Kindergarten and has been coming home the last few days telling me that they are having trouble with Lily because she is not behaving. I started trying to figure out who she was talking about …

There is not a Lily in her class ..

There is not a Lily in her dance class …

There is not a Lily in her daycare class …

So I had no idea who she was talking about … until I looked at the class newsletter yesterday ..

Lily is one of the bears they have been watching by logging in to view a “Den Cam” (that would be a web cam focused on the den of the bears). The North American Bear Center offers 3 Live Den Cams:

• Lily & Faith
• Jewel
• Honey & Lucky