Literacy Now

Every teacher has a favorite book they read aloud each school year or book talk to students. Sometimes we even have a special shelf with our top ten favorite books. In addition, many teachers keep an electronic reading record of what they read at goodreads.com. This social networking site for book lovers helps teachers organize their top picks and put them on a “favorite shelf.” This week members of the International Reading Association Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group (CL/R SIG) chose some of our favorite books that have been published in 2012.

GRADES K-3

Alko, Selina. (2012). B is for Brooklyn. New York: Christy Ottaviano/Henry Holt.

This fun ABC book begins with a map of Brooklyn, a borough of New York City, and an author’s note discussing the layout of the book. Author, Selina Alko, lives in Brooklyn where she writes and illustrates books. Each letter highlights famous landmarks, streets, icons and institutions in Brooklyn. For example, C is for Coney Island, Court Street, Carroll Gardens and Clock Tower. Small child-like illustrations accompany each of these C words along with a gouache and collage illustration of the Coney Island Cyclone roller coaster. Different food stands sell clams, cones, chicken, cotton candy and cheese with a little girl licking strawberry ice cream. Brooklyn is home to many immigrants, therefore I is for Immigrants, Ice cream trucks, Ice-skating and Intellectuals. Each June Brooklyn celebrates the beginning of summer with the Mermaid Parade highlighted for the letter M. This wacky and wonderful parade includes sea creatures, marching bands, drill teams, antique cars and more. After reading this book, children could create their own ABC book about the city or state in which they reside.

- Deanna Day, Washington State University Vancouver

Aylesworth, Jim.  (2012). Cock-a-doodle-doo, creak, pop-pop, moo. Illus. by Brad Sneed. New York: Holiday House.

Rhyming lines and onomatopoeia make this nostalgic picture book describing the sights and sounds of life on a family farm rather noisy. Not only do the hard-working family members awaken to the almost-impossible-to-resist smells and sounds of bacon sizzling in the frying pan, but their days are filled with an animal cacophony while they also notice how "breezes swish” (unpaged) later in the day, and how the welcome “clang, clang, clang” (unpaged) of the dinner bell signals that “It's time to eat" (unpaged). Amid all the daily chores and animal noises, there is much fun and support among the family members, and there’s nary a cellphone or a disgruntled countenance among them. Anyone who thinks country living is quiet needs to take a look at this book. Together, the engaging text filled with all those sounds and the watercolor illustrations depicting lots of movement from the farm folks as they complete their tasks evoke feelings of warmth, comfort, and togetherness that make this one fun to read aloud.

- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Brett, Jan. (2012). Mossy. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons.

Mossy, an Eastern box turtle, lives by the damp, cool Lilypad Pond. Because she spends so much time there, curlicues of moss begin to grow in her carapace, eventually forming a moss mat which provides the perfect place for ferns and wildflowers to grow. Soon Mossy has an amazing garden she carries on her back. Mossy loves her garden. Each day brings her a lovely surprise—a new flower or a strawberry! Just as Mossy encounters Scoot, a male turtle in the pond, she is picked up by Dr. Carolina, the owner of a local museum. Although Mossy quickly becomes the museum’s star attraction, she seems unhappy and possibly lonely. Two artists, Flora and Fauna, paint a giant picture of Mossy with all her plants, and then Dr. Carolina releases Mossy exactly where she had been found, to Scoot’s delight. The book’s simple text and detailed illustrations with information-filled margins will undoubtedly be a big hit with young readers. Children can spend many hours reading the book and poring over the drawings. A fantastic addition for classrooms, the title will be particularly useful to complement lesson plans and units about habitats and plant-animal interactions. Read more about the author in Kathy Prater's Engage post "Putting Books to Work: Jan Brett's Home for Christmas."

- Rani Iyer, Washington State University Pullman

Katz, Jon. (2012). Lenore finds a friend: A true story from Bedlam farm. New York: Henry Holt.

Finding friends to play or eat lunch with isn’t always easy. Just like humans dogs sometimes have this problem too. In bright photographs readers will meet Lenore, a black Labrador retriever, who perseveres and finally makes a friend. As a puppy Lenore tried to make friends with a rooster and donkey, but they crowed or kicked her. Even another dog, Rose, was too busy herding sheep to be friends with Lenore. One day, Lenore met a grumpy ram named Brutus and gave him a big kiss on his nose. Brutus had never been kissed before and didn’t know what to do. The next day Lenore returned and kissed Brutus on the nose again. Rose tried to interfere by barking and growling at this odd animal pairing, but Lenore wouldn’t give up. The next morning she returned to the pasture and found Brutus. They touched noses, ate grass and hung out together. Lenore finally found a friend. Teachers could make a T-chart and invite students to list all of the different things Lenore did to try to make friends. On the other side of the chart students could share what they do to make friends.

- Deanna Day, Washington State University Vancouver

McNamara, Margaret. (2012). George Washington’s birthday: A mostly true tale. Illus. by Barry Blitt. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books.

The author has created a humorous look at George Washington’s seventh birthday. When George wakes up on the morning of his birthday he starts dropping hints about his special day but no one seems to pick up on his rather obvious hints. His older brother and teacher insist he begin his studies for the day and his father has him helping with chores around the farm. George continues to drop not-so-subtle hints about what a special day it is and remarks about the cold weather. Throughout the book the author and illustrator have cleverly inserted bordered boxes with Fact or Myth about George Washington. Some of the facts prove to be true later in this future president’s life but many of the myths, particularly the “I cannot tell a lie. It was I who chopped down the tree.” (page 15) are simply fabricated. This will be a humorous read aloud for President’s Day in February though the actual amount of information about the first president is scant. Listen to the author during this NPR interview. Listen to the ReadWriteThink podcast, Chatting About Books, entitled “Celebrate Life” which discusses birthdays.

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Schwartz, Amy. (2012). Lucy can’t sleep. New York: Neal Porter/Roaring Brook Press.

Lucy can’t sleep. She tries counting baby otters, mountain goats, kangaroos and even sailing boats, but none of this counting works. She then realizes Dolly and Bear are missing and begins looking for them throughout her house. The detailed and colorful illustrations show Lucy looking way up high and way down low for her friends. After she finds them it is time for an evening snack of strawberry shortcake and chocolate pudding. Even though the house is quiet and her belly is full, Lucy still isn’t sleepy. Next, she moves outside to swing, stare at the sky and listen to the radio. Not ready to shut her eyes, Lucy begins to play dress up—putting on fancy shoes, gloves and lipstick. After spinning and dancing around Lucy finally yawns. All children will laugh when the final page is read and shared. After reading aloud this book children could discuss what they do when sleep doesn’t come quickly.

- Deanna Day, Washington State University Vancouver

GRADES 4-8

 

Bauer, Joan. (2012). Almost home. New York, Viking.

Teachers who are looking for multiple genres within one book that includes fiction, poetry, letters and thank you notes, will find that this book is the answer. Sixth grade Sugar Mae Cole lives in Missouri with her mother and grandfather, and part-time father. Mr. Leeland, the name Sugar calls her father, is a gambler and a loser. When things get bad, he disappears. King Cole, Sugar’s grandfather, is able to help them out for a time but shortly after the story opens, he passes away. Now Sugar and her mother are going to lose the family home. It means they are now homeless. Living on the street, going to a shelter and eventually to foster care when her mother falls apart and is hospitalized, Sugar maintains a hopeful attitude that things will get better. There are still ups and downs to her situation but through the emails and poetry of her wonderful sixth grade teacher, Mr. Bennett, and the supporting foster family she is placed with, Sugar carves out a new life for herself while her mother is getting the help she needs. Joan writes more about this book at her blog Toward Home or visit her website to learn more about her award-winning books.

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Cox, Judy. (2012). The secret chicken society. Illus. by Amanda Haley. New York: Holiday House.

Mrs. Lopez is Daniel’s third grade teacher. One day she announces that the next science project for the class will be watching and hatching chicken eggs as they develop in the class incubator. Daniel is especially excited to learn that there will be a drawing to see who gets to keep the chickens at the end of the year. Being an animal lover and owner of several pets already he convinces his environmentally friendly father right away but his mother is a little more reluctant to give her okay to one more pet.  Daniel barely manages to get his name drawn while other kids learn that their parents will not agree to a take-home baby chick so Daniel ends up with five baby chickens. His brother and sisters help him set up their backyard to raise the chickens but his elderly neighbor, Mr. Grafalo is even grumpier than usual when he sees the chickens. Mrs. Grafalo however is delighted because the chicks remind her of her youthful days growing up on a farm. As the chickens grow, the family is in for a surprise when one turns out to be a rooster, which is illegal in the city. Now how is Daniel going to keep a crowing rooster a secret? The author has included Daniel’s journal at the end of the book that contains all the facts he learned about raising chickens. Learn more about the author at her website or the FaceBook page for this book. For further study, check out the website GREEN AMERICAN and read the article,"The Many Benefits of Backyard Chickens." ReadWriteThink offers other books about chickens and ideas and activities for using these books. Also read Kathy Prater's Engage post "Putting Books to Work: Judy Cox's One is a Feast for a Mouse: A Thanksgiving Tale."

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

King, Martin Luther King, Jr. (2012). I have a dream. Paintings by Kadir Nelson. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books.

On August 28, 1968, on the day of the March on Washington D.C., Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The publishers have included a CD of the actual speech in this beautifully illustrated version of the famous speech. Nelson’s oil paintings taken page by page make Dr. King’s ideas come alive for young readers today. Each page and double page spread represent the concepts that Dr. King was so emphatically purporting at the time, representing peace and justice and freedom in a world where blacks and whites would live together in harmony. Listen and watch Kadir Nelson discuss this new book from his speech at Book Expo America or watch Martin Luther King give his speech at You Tube. Teachers might like to try the interactive “Word Mover for ‘I Have a Dream’” from ReadWriteThink. 

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Laverdunt, Damien. (2012). Small and tall tales of extinct animals. Illus. by Helene Rajcak. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publishing Group/Gecko Press. 

Through a series of cartoons, legends, myths, and tall tales, readers are taken on an around-the-world tour of animals that are gone but not forgotten. By using intriguing elements from both science and mythology, essentially incorporating facts and legends, the title makes readers think about the possibilities of a world in which huge beavers could gnaw down trees or dodos could waddle through fields while elephant-birds filled the skies. Young readers will surely be intrigued by the stories about the giant lemur and the woolly mammoth, and several other hard-to-say animals who once called this planet home. Particularly appealing are the questions posed about the future of some of the animals related to those that are now gone. This would be a great addition to any classroom science library and may inspire more thoughtful conservation efforts from today’s students.

- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Murphy, Jim. (2012). The giant and how he humbugged America. New York: Scholastic Press.

The Cardiff Giant, a 10-foot tall stone man, was discovered on a farm in upstate New York on October 16, 1869, owned by William Newell. It started when Henry Nichols and Gideon Emmons went to Newell’s farm to dig a well. Several hours of digging eventually unearthed the stone giant and the questions began. What was this huge being? A legend from the Onondaga Indians? Was it actually a real man? Within days, people were line up paying money to Mr. Newell to see the strange sight. Circus entrepreneur, P. T. Barnum got involved and created a duplicate for his circus entourage. Eventually, the scientists came and within months, the gypsum giant was declared a hoax. Jim Murphy’s talent for collecting newspaper articles, vintage photographs, posters and other primary sources combine to revisit the times that brought this post-Civil War diversion to the public and expose the truth with scientific proof and experiments. Murphy provides lengthy and detailed indexes and resources about his research at the end of the book. Learn more about author Jim Murphy at his website or read more about the back story at School Library Journal. For a visual lesson, teachers might like to show the CBC News Video report on the Cardiff Giant. Just as scientists worked on this puzzle, teachers might like to use “Giant Story Problems; Reading Comprehension through Math Problem-Solving” at ReadWriteThink.

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Sobol, Richard. (2012). The story of silk: From worm spit to woven scarves. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

Author/photographer Richard Sobol returns to the small Thai village where he did his research for his book, The Life Of Rice (2010). He planned to share the new book with the people in the village. When he arrived he discovers they are in the midst of silk season, meaning it is a dry-season activity. The young men of the village are away at school and the silk production industry of the village is in the hands of the women. Sobol writes his book as a learner, asking questions about how silk is actually produced from start to finish. Through his photographs and basic textual information, the readers watches the development of the silk worms, the baskets where they munch fresh mulberry leaves, the pupa stage creating the cocoons, until the cocoons are carefully harvested, boiled, dyed and woven into beautiful fabric known the world over. The author has included a glossary and other useful facts about silk production at the end of the book. To learn more about this author and background information about silk, visit his Traveling Photographer website. Teachers might like to try the Nonfiction Pyramid lesson and graphic organizer found at ReadWriteThink.

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

GRADES 9-12

Carson, Rae. (2012). Crown of embers. New York: Greenwillow Books.

In this sequel to The Girl of Fire and Thorns (2011), Elisa is now Queen of Joya d’Arena but her life is in danger. Being pressured by her council to remarry soon to build political alliances and yet finding unrest in the kingdom, she is reluctant to rush into a marriage.  Though she thoroughly accepts her responsibilities as ruler, she is also falling in love with her protector, though it is a love than cannot be. As Elisa learns more about her new country and is guided by the pulsating Godstone in her belly, she embarks on a voyage to discover and learn about the zafira, the soul of the world. Her life is threatened at every turn and the people that surround her have questionable loyalties. Who can she trust? What must she do next? As she works toward these difficult decisions, the enemy Inviernos invade her camp by means of a traitor and the end of the book has a cliffhanger that will leave readers anxiously awaiting the end of the trilogy. Visit the author’s website to learn more about this planned trilogy. Listen to Chapter One, Part 1 from the audiobook. Teachers can look for more fantasy recommendations at ReadWriteThink’s “Feminist Books for Teens.”

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Clayton, Colleen. (2012). What happens next. New York: Little, Brown Books/Poppy.

A high school ski club trip to the slopes ends up changing the life of sixteen-year-old cheerleader Sid Murphy when she is date raped but unable to remember anything about the incident. She tells no one what little she can remember about what happened, not even her mother or two best friends, Kirsten and Paige. Her initial avoidance of her friends angers them, and they shun her at school, leaving her to fend for herself. When she volunteers to work in the AV room rather than attend one of her classes, she is at first repulsed and then attracted to Corey Livingston, a classmate with a reputation as a drug dealer. As the two grow closer, Sid starts seeing herself and Corey differently. But there's just this "little" thing that keeps her off guard—how she was raped by someone she thought she could trust. Desperate to erase the voluptuous parts of her that seem to attract male attention, Sid began running at all hours of the night and eating next to nothing. She clearly needs help, but she keeps everyone at arm’s length. The author has created a likeable but understandably confused character in Sid while exploring her emotions and actions thoroughly. Because she feels as though she has so little control over many parts of her life, she controls the things she can control. Recognizing their own high school years when gossip and assumptions prompt drama, many teen readers are sure to race through the pages of the book to find out what happens next. In the end, while everything doesn’t turn out perfectly for Sid, she has the resources to survive and to begin to heal.

- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Reef, Catherine. (2012). The Bronte sisters: The brief lives of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne. New York/Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Clarion Books.

This new biography provides glimpses into the lives, times, and personalities of the Bronte family. Surprisingly, three daughters of a minister who lived in Haworth in the north part of England all wrote and had books published during a time when the expected lot of women was marriage and family and  few published women writers. To read this carefully-researched biography is to learn about loss--the death of the girls' mother a few months after giving birth to her last child, the early deaths of two Bronte girls, the early promise and later dissipation and wasted potential of their brother Branwell, the deaths of Anne, Emily, and Branwell, all within an eight month period. But their lives weren't always filled with loss and bleakness; as children, the creative siblings played games and invented characters and stories, drawing strength from one another. The fact that even today Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights remain in print and are widely read refutes those who claimed that women were incapable of creating lasting works of literature. This is a superb introduction to three intriguing women, providing as it does, a study into their characters, but also an examination of times when women's rights were restricted and health care was rudimentary at best. Teen readers may ponder what other stories were left untold by the early demise of these women, all of whom died when they were in their thirties. Back matter includes notes and a bibliography for those who are curious to learn even more. English teachers will certainly want to add this to their bookshelves for the insight it gives into writing and Charlotte's stubborn refusal to change a word of Jane Eyre when it was published.

- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman.

Willner-Pardo, Gina. (2012). Prettiest doll. New York/Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/ Clarion Books.

All of her life thirteen-year-old Olivia Jane Tatum has heard how lucky she is to be so pretty. Yes, she knows she is fortunate, but she also longs to be known for much more than her looks. From the book’s opening pages, it’s clear that it’s only a matter of time before Olivia leaves the beauty pageant circuit with its endless rounds of walking, smiling, answering questions, posing in gowns, and searching for a talent that will impress the judges. But after she's no longer defining herself through her looks, how will she know who she actually is? The author does a good job of describing the small town world of Luthers Bridge, Missouri, where Olivia lives and her concern about who she is beneath all that pageantry finery, makeup, hairstyle, and smiles. A chance meeting with Danny, a fifteen-year-old runaway on his way to Chicago because he doesn't want to give in to his own mother's pressure to take growth hormone shots so he can grow taller, leads her to accompany him to Chicago in order to settle some of her own issues. Olivia’s journey to Chicago leads to the realization that being true to herself and following her own dreams rather than her mother's will make her a winner in the end. Readers will enjoy getting a glimpse into the life of someone for whom her appearance has been a ticket to success--or has it?

- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

These reviews are submitted by members of the International Reading Association's Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group (CL/R SIG) and are published weekly on Reading Today Online. The International Reading Association partners with the National Council of Teachers of English and Verizon Thinkfinity to produce ReadWriteThink.org, a website devoted to providing literacy instruction and interactive resources for grades K–12.

 

As a writer, I enjoy creating poetry and fictional stories. But I think that writing nonfiction is one of the most exciting genres because it allows me to delve deeply into a subject in which I’m interested.

Nonfiction is also one of the first genres children are interested in, well before they can understand a fictional concept. Young children want to read about trucks, helicopters, and dinosaurs. As they get older, kids should be encouraged to delve into nonfiction topics for both research and writing purposes. The process of finding answers to questions when writing nonfiction is exciting and interesting. As long as students can explore a topic of personal interest, they’re more likely to be enthusiastic and committed researchers.

Teacher and nonfiction writer Deborah Hodge says, “Children have a keen and innate enthusiasm for the natural world. It is the nonfiction author’s job to observe what you are writing about, be it bears in the wild or butterflies in the backyard. There's no way to be authentic and to convey enthusiasm for a subject unless you've actually felt or witnessed it for yourself.”

Take students on a schoolyard exploration. Form partner teams of two and ask teams to look for interesting things in nature. In an inner city school yard, this might be a spider’s web, leaves changing color, or even weeds growing in the cracks of the pavement.

Writers are curious. Encourage students to ask questions, such as:

• What kinds of bugs do they see?
• What do these bugs eat?
• How long will each bug live?
• How does a bug reproduce?

After observations, taking notes and writing down questions, invite each team to select one question to which they do not know the answer. I noticed ants carrying crumbs and leaves, so my sample question will be “How strong is an ant?”

The next step will be to find answers. Take students to the computer lab and show them how to use a search engine to do research. Type in key words of your question. I might type in my entire question or some key words: strength, insect, ant.

When the endless list of possible sites with answers pops up, I scan the URL first. Show students how to judge this information. I do not accept anything listed on a site like Wikipedia since anyone can post information. Encourage your students to look for sites with “edu” or “gov” in the link, or from trusted sources like National Geographic.

I may need to narrow down my search by adding words like “red ant” or “ant carrying weight.” Look for a minimum of three sites posting the same answer. Record these answers, together with the source.

The next step is to use the information and to retell it in your own words. Have students retell the gathered information to their partner in a fun and interesting way that’s all their own:

Ants are so strong they can carry 10 to 20 times their own weight. That is about the same as you lifting a horse over your head!

Note that I had to do a lot of research, reading, and note taking to end up with just one interesting answer to my question. Deborah Hodge says, “The most important task of a nonfiction author may be deciding what to leave out of a book. You don’t want to clutter a topic with superfluous facts or have it bog down, and end up losing the interest of the reader.”

Have fun researching and writing with your students about any topic in the curriculum!

Margriet Ruurs’ latest nonfiction book is AMAZING ANIMALS (Tundra, 2011), a book of world records for animals. She is currently working on a book about global families.

In September of 2011, Lesley Morrow wrote the following post that analyzes and asks questions about six primary covered by the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts. The response was overwhelming; nearly 9,000 people worldwide not only read this past IRA president’s words, they talked back.

Last week, IRA issued its Literacy Implementation Guidance for the ELA Common Core State Standards. So, we thought it was the perfect time to give this post a second look. We hope you do, too.

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are an attempt to coordinate the education of the children the United States. So many families move from one place to another that we need continuity in the teaching of reading throughout the country. The CCSS raise questions of concern that deal with how to implement them and are their goals really the right goals for the children we teach.

One of the elements I like very much about these standards is that they are manageable. They don’t involve a list of hundreds of skills to acquire in one school year. The standards are like a spiral staircase. That is, a standard in third grade builds on the same one in second, first and kindergarten. You can see a definitive continuum. Skills and strategies are repeated but at a more complex level as one goes up the grades.

The ultimate goal of these standards is for students to become critical thinkers about what they read. Text becomes more complex and therefore the child is asked to engage in higher order thinking. The standards ask that the teacher expose children to varied types of text with equal emphasis on informational literature, and narrative literature. The standards guide children to read magazines, poetry, novels, newspapers, and more.

The CCSS are also intended to help children learn information and increase their vocabulary in many areas of the curriculum. To do this, the standards put an emphasis on integrating the use of literacy strategies into content areas such as social studies and science. Using themes for learning will help to achieve that goal. The standards also emphasize the need to be literate with technology.

Although there aren’t any Pre-K national standards just yet, I believe there will be. Many states have Pre-K standards for literacy already. Therefore, it is important to include Pre-K in the discussion of the CCSS. At this time, we can adjust them for four-year-olds.

Most importantly, the standards suggest that every teacher is a teacher of reading and writing. That is, every teacher is teaching reading and writing whether it is during language arts, science or social studies.

The standards discuss six areas which include (1) Narrative Literature and (2) Informational Literature. In each of these two standards there are anchor standards that are the same and they include: Key Ideas and Details, Crafted Structure, Integration of Knowledge and Ideas, Range of Reading, and Level of Text Complexity.

The next major heading is (3) Foundational Skills. The anchor standards in this area are Print Concepts, Phonological Awareness, Phonics, Word Recognition, and Fluency for Kindergarten through Grade 2. In Grades 3 to 5, they are Phonics, Word Recognition, and Fluency.

Writing is given a prominent spot in these standards. (4) Writing is thought about carefully and given the importance it should have. In Writing, the anchor standards are Text Types and Purposes, Production and Distribution of Writing, Research to Build and Present Knowledge, and Range of Writing.

The next standard is (5) Speaking and Listening; the anchor standards in this category are Comprehension and Collaboration, and Presentation of knowledge and Ideas.

The final standard is (6) Language, and the anchor standards are Conventions of Standard English, Knowledge of Language and Vocabulary Acquisition.

Based on what has been discussed so far, and the manner and order in which the standards are listed in the document, the skills in Narrative and Informational Literature, which focuses on comprehension, is emphasized. Foundational skills such as phonological awareness and phonics have been emphasized for early literacy as coming before comprehension in the past, but the opposite is listed here. This is not a bad thing but one hopes that the instruction needed in phonics will continue.

Writing is given a prominent spot in these standards and is finally getting the emphasis it should receive. The last two standards, Speaking and Listening and Language don’t seem to get the emphasis I think they should have. Oral language is an important skill our children need, and vocabulary is crucial to success in comprehension, yet it’s listed all the way at the end.

What many states are doing at this time is looking at their own standards and comparing them to the CCSS to see how they match. They are finding that their own state standards have many more required specific skills to learn, whereas the CCSS are more interested in depth rather than breadth. I am very much in favor of the fact that the CCSS are not as packed with an enormous numbers of skills that can’t be accomplished. Teachers and children are overwhelmed about what they need to teach and learn in a given year and most children aren’t given the time to really learn them all. The CCSS have a spiral effect and build on fewer skills but over a longer period. The same skill however requires more complex thinking as it goes up the grades. For example in writing under “Anchor Standard Research to Build and Present Knowledge,” one of the kindergarten skills is:

a. With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.

The exact same skill is listed for first grade:

b. With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.

In grade two this standard is to:

c. Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.

The only difference here is that it does not involve guidance and support from an adult. For third grade it is:

d. Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories.

For fourth grade:

e. Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources.

For the fifth grade it is:

f. Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources.

You can see the continuity between grades and the addition of one more element that makes the task a bit more complex but with time to keep practicing the task.

There are suggestions for creating units of study in social studies and science that include the CCSS as well as the content in these areas. This is an important idea but one that will require teachers to be engaged in professional development to learn how to do it. If this is done then reading will be taught all day long in school, which is a necessity. Reading is a skill, not a content area. When we read we can learn information from other fields.

The question that arises in my mind is this: should the content such as social studies and science be a part of the language arts block when explicit literacy instruction takes place especially in the early childhood grades? When reading in small homogeneous groups for skill development, should there be little books about a science theme such as hurricanes or volcanoes, and different levels of little books be created for the different achievement groups? On one hand it would give a purpose for reading. On the other hand, one might argue that it will detract from the explicit instruction.

My other question has to do with complexity of text. How complex should we require texts for children to be so they are considered proficient and fluent readers? How complex should we require texts for children to be so they are considered ready for college or to pursue a career that doesn’t require college?

In the previous paragraphs, I ask questions to which I don’t know the answers. I do believe that we are dissecting reading into too many skills and we need to select the precious few we really need. Sometimes less is more. Being able to do fewer skills proficiently might be better than doing more but not doing them very well. I do feel strongly that reading and writing need to be emphasized all day long in school through content areas, as it is the only way our children will become critical readers.

Lesley Mandel Morrow holds the rank of Professor II at Rutgers University’s Graduate School of Education where she is coordinator of the literacy program. Her area of research deals with early literacy development, and the organization and management of Language Arts Programs. Dr. Morrow has more than 200 publications that appear as journal articles, chapters in books, monographs and books. She received Excellence in Research, Teaching and Service Awards from Rutgers University. Dr. Morrow was an elected member of the board of directors of International Reading Association (IRA) and served as President of the organization in 2003-2004. She was also the recipient of the IRA’s Outstanding Teacher Educator of Reading Award, as well as Fordham University’s Alumni Award for Outstanding Achievement.

by Marilyn Moore and Kareem Captan

Integrating the iPad

Kareem Captan, a high-school teacher, uses iPads in his teaching every day. Teachers at the high school in Long Beach, CA, received iPads last school year to use in class. They underwent training and attended seminars in order to effectively use the iPad in the classroom. Students at the high school received iPads this year for classroom use. Students may also take the iPads home and use them to complete homework.

Mr. Captan was especially excited about one lesson using the iPad. The students watched a short historical video on their iPads. Since they watched it individually on their iPads, they could start, stop, rewind, and watch at their own pace. As they watched it, he had them participate in an online discussion about the material. The ongoing discussion was projected on the overhead. The result was an active and ongoing virtual discussion during class that the students could then refer back to for studying and reviewing. At the end of class, students shut the iPads down and had a verbal discussion about the material. At the conclusion of the lesson, he stated, “I was shocked on how effective this lesson worked.”

Literacy activities using iPads

During literacy instruction in the classroom, Mr. Captan uses iPad activities that focus on reading, writing, and peer editing. The following are a few examples of how his students are using iPads this year:

• Discussion Boards: Students post written discussions on the class website discussion board. The posts are viewed by the entire class and commented on by other students. Surprisingly, students are more conscious of their vocabulary, sentence structure, and grammar because they know their peers will critique them. 
• Research and Reading: By using the Internet, students search for secondary and primary sources through academic websites. They read and analyze the material and comment on them on a class discussion board. The students create a collaborative reflection and analysis of primary and secondary sources.
• Dictionary App: When students don’t know/understand a word, they use the Dictionary App to find the definition. In addition, the Dictionary App pronounces the word for the student. Students have created collaborative vocabulary lists as a class. This has been a huge help for English Language Learners and students with learning disabilities. 
• Note Taking App: This app is used while students read online articles on their iPad. They are able to read an article on their iPads and highlight, bookmark, and make notes on articles or books. This app also organizes notes for students. Once again, this has been a major assist for English Language Learners and students with special needs.
• Peer Editing: All students post their essays on the class website and edit their peers’ papers online. This transparency has benefited students who learn from each other and are exposed to the expectations of high-school writing. Moreover, the writing process has a more collaborative as opposed to an individual feel. 
• Group Essays: Students are assigned a topic and assigned to a group. Each group composes one paragraph of a larger essay. These paragraphs are posted on a discussion board, and the students blend the paragraphs into a cohesive and meaningful essay.
• Resources and Tools: The iPads provide the students with instant resources and tools online. This keeps students focused and less frustrated in class. Also, they enjoy exploring resources and tools.

Mr. Captan has concluded that since the students have received their iPads, students are reading more, writing more, asking more questions, researching more, working together more, and are excited about being creative with their iPads.

Dr. Marilyn Moore (mmoore@nu.edu) is a Professor at National University in California and serves as the Faculty Reading Program Lead. 

Mr. Kareem Captan is a teacher at St. Anthony College Preparatory High School in Long Beach, California and a Masters Degree student at National University.

I haven’t always been a children’s author. Previously, I was an advertising/marketing copywriter. I did this for about 15 years—even though I didn’t feel passionate about my craft. Don’t get me wrong. I knew I loved to write. I just didn’t love what I was writing.

My professional life shifted 11 years ago when my daughter, a second grader at the time, became the target of some bullying friends. It was one of those experiences that had a profound effect on both of us.

How do you explain to a 7-year-old…

… the complexity of friendships?
… why her best friends one day can become her worst enemies the next?
… how to gravitate to kids who can accept all the goodness she has to offer and give it back in kind?

I went into research mode to find out as much information as I could about relational aggression, a form of emotional bullying hidden within friendships that often goes below the radar of parents and teachers. I learned that relational aggression (i.e., gossiping, spreading rumors, intentional exclusion, the silent treatment, etc.) is evident as early as preschool and appears to peak in middle school. Researchers report that relational aggression is much more pervasive than physical aggression in our nation’s schools. Kids—both boys and girls—also find it more hurtful than physical aggression.

In my search for age-appropriate books to address the very real and rampant problem of social cruelty among peers, I came up empty-handed. Frustrated with this resource gap, I wrote MY SECRET BULLY (Riverwood Press, 2003) to help empower children to make healthier friendship choices. The outpour of positive reviews and heartfelt responses from young readers, parents, educators, and bullying prevention experts and organizations gave me the impetus to continue writing more books to help kids connect with their peers in helpful, rather than hurtful, ways.

Because the social world of today's children is very complex and difficult to navigate, I try to incorporate into my books the wisdom and insights of young readers who preview my stories, so that they resonate with the authenticity of real life experiences and views. I also collaborate with renowned experts in the field to ensure my messages of empowerment are on target with the latest bullying prevention research findings and practices. Equally important, I have the added pleasure of creatively tapping into my own inner child—letting her laugh, cry, and simply breathe. I've finally reached the point where I not only love to write, I truly love what I'm writing.

But writing stories is just one part of my job. I also spend a lot of time traveling throughout the US, presenting at conferences and in schools to provide children, educators, and parents with practical tips, tools, and resources to help them create safer, kinder school communities.

Turning Stories into Teachable Moments

Numerous studies have shown that literature—with proper adult guidance, supervision, and assistance—is an effective supplemental tool at home, in the classroom, and in the counseling practitioner’s office to build social-emotional learning (SEL) skills, teach empathy, and foster perspective in children.

In her book, TREATING CHILD AND ADOLESCENT AGGRESSION THROUGH BIBLIOTHERAPY (Springer, 2009), Dr. Zipora Shechtman states, “Through the imaginative process that reading involves, children have the opportunity to do what they often cannot do in real life—become thoroughly involved in the inner lives of others, better understand them, and eventually become more aware of themselves.” And the more competent children are in SEL skills, the more successful they will be in school and in life.

There is a wonderful Chinese proverb that I take to heart: “I listen and forget. I see and remember. I do and understand.”

When I present to children in elementary and middle schools, I don’t want the students to just listen to me as a guest speaker. I also want them to do activities with me to help them better connect with the characters in my books, with themselves and, most importantly, with each other. Some of my activities include:

• the use of paper dolls for younger audiences to show how our words and actions can break down or build up the human spirit (click here to download a detailed description of this activity);
• a bully web to show how bullying negatively affects the entire school community; and
• a role-playing activity with my “Empower Tools,” as described in my sixth book, CONFESSIONS OF A FORMER BULLY (Tricycle Press, 2010). In this activity, I provide kids with a starter set of communication tools that allow them to respond to hurtful comments in nonviolent ways and to help them get away as quickly and as safely as possible, with their dignity intact.

photo: edenpictures via photopin cc

Adult-guided activities help instill critical thinking skills in children, getting them to understand and engage with the stories they read and with each other in constructive, pro-social ways. Role-playing scenarios, introspective essays, creative drawing/writing projects, and discussion questions are a few ways to accomplish this goal.

I also encourage teachers to visit authors’ or publishers’ websites for ready-made lesson plans. To see an example, take a look at the guide I recently penned to accompany R.J. Palacio’s WONDER (click here to download “Teaching WONDER with Trudy Ludwig”). Another option is to do a Google search on the Internet by entering the title of the book chosen for a class reading, followed by the words “lessons,” “activities,” or even “Teacher’s Guide.”

What I’ve Learned from School Visits & My Hopes for the Future

I’ve presented to tens of thousands of school children over the years and I continue to walk away from every author visit feeling reassured that most kids are decent and caring people. But you don’t have to take my word for it. Numerous experts including technology journalist and Internet Safety advocate Larry Magid and researchers Dr. Justin Patchin and Dr. Sameer Hinduja report that most kids think it’s uncool to be cruel—online or offline.

The reality is that kids make mistakes. Our job as caring adults is to help ensure they don’t keep repeating those mistakes and move forward in their lives in more positive, healthy ways. We need to be better role models, not only “talking the talk,” but “walking the walk” in modeling how to deal with those we encounter in life.

Last and equally important, we also need to drive the vital message home that every person—regardless of age, gender, physical appearance, sexual orientation, political or religious beliefs, race or ethnicity—has value. While we all may not agree with one anothers’ opinions, while we all may not end up being friends, we all deserve to have our presence acknowledged and to be treated in a civil and respectful manner.

References:

Committee for Children (2012). Why Social-Emotional Learning? Retrieved from: http://www.cfchildren.org/advocacy/social-emotional-learning.aspx

Hinduja, S.and Patchin, J. (2012). School climate 2.0: Preventing cyberbullying and sexting one classroom at a time. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Shechtman, Z. (2009). Treating child and adolescent aggression through bibliotherapy. New York: Springer: 26-37.

Trudy Ludwig is a member of Random House Speakers Bureau, a children’s advocate, and the bestselling author of seven books: MY SECRET BULLY, JUST KIDDING, SORRY!, TROUBLE TALK, TOO PERFECT, CONFESSIONS OF A FORMER BULLY, and BETTER THAN YOU. She is nationally recognized by educators, experts, organizations, and parents for her passion and compassion in addressing friendship, bullying, and cyberbullying issues. An active member of the International Bullying Prevention Association, Trudy collaborates with leading U.S. experts and organizations and has been profiled on national/regional television and radio and in newsprint. For more information, visit http://www.trudyludwig.com.