Literacy Now

by Marilyn Moore

Two regional winners of the 2010 IRA Award for Technology and Reading made literacy lessons meaningful and significant for today’s students using technology integration.

At Central Intermediate School in Wagoner, Oklahoma, Amy Cantrell’s project, Creation Station, developed writing abilities in fourth graders using various web 2.0 tools. The goal was to connect reading and writing in authentic ways. The sites that were used were Glogster, Animoto, Voki, Prezi, Voice Thread, Bitstrip, and Wordle. After reading a novel, the students used Animoto to create an original story patterned after the novel they read.  Last, they published their creation and shared it with the class and their families. The writing process was learned and followed: prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. Students were happy to write a novel and ecstatic to share their work.

Marlyn Guillen from Lanett, Alabama, teaches sixth grade at W.F. Burns Middle School. She was a regional winner through her project, Building a community of Young Readers and Writers Through Technology Integration. To accomplish the overall project objective of building fluency in reading, writing, and technology skills, students were engaged in three learning activities using Microsoft Word. After reading a novel of their choice, students were asked to type a letter to the author and create a slide show of the novel which was shared with other students in the school library.  In another learning experience, students created an electronic brochure of the lives of Eleanor Roosevelt and Michelle Obama using Microsoft Word. The brochure included pictures and text containing three important facts about Mrs. Roosevelt and Mrs. Obama. A third task included reading the poem, To Young Readers by Gwendolyn Brooks. Then students created their versions of the poem and typed them using Microsoft Word. Students were highly engaged in these projects and some of their poems were published in the local newspaper.

Dr. Marilyn Moore is from National University, La Jolla, California. This article is part of a series from the Technology in Literacy Education Special Interest Group (TILE-SIG). 

Teaching With YouTube by Marjie Podzielinski

Opportunities for Multimedia Reading by W. Ian O'Byrne

Safe Social Networking in Schools by Janice Friesn

As many schools prepare for winter breaks, and shoppers looking for bargains fill stores, readers are reminded that there are all sorts of holidays that give us an excuse to celebrate and express goodwill toward others in the month of December. In addition to Christmas celebrated December 25, there are these important days: Rosa Parks Day celebrated on December 1, St. Nicholas Day on December 6, Poinsettia Day on December 12, Hanukah on December 20, and Kwanzaa on December 26.  You might want to find out more about the Fiesta of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mexican), St. Lucia Day (Swedish), Three Kings Day/Epiphany (Christian), Boxing Day (Australian, Canadian, English, Irish) or even Omisoka (Japanese New Year).  However you spend your remaining days in December, there is surely an appealing book for you to consider. The following reviews featuring books with a holiday slant were written by members of the Children’s Literature and Reading Special Interest Group.  

Warren, Andrea. (2011). Charles Dickens and the street children of London. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.
There are many who might argue that author Charles Dickens singlehandedly revived Christmas celebrations, which had gone out of fashion by the time he wrote A Christmas Carol (1843), his classic story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a man whose heart has hardened so much that he has nary a kind word or thought for anyone. Why waste time or money celebrating Christmas? Over the course of a busy night, Scrooge is visited by spirits who show him his past and his possible future. Today, even this particular character’s name is associated with someone who is miserly, while his change of heart is testimony that each one of us has the ability to change, if we choose to do so. The largesse often associated with holidays should remind us that not everyone is fortunate enough to have abundance, and this biography provides ready evidence on that fact. In sixteen chapters filled with lively text and more than 50 photographs and illustrations readers will explore the life and times of this popular author who used his books to bring about social reforms and change attitudes toward the poor in Victorian England. In addition to A Christmas Carol, the author describes Dickens’s other books as well as his affinity for the poor children who worked in the factories and in London’s streets, vivid reminders of his own days as a factory worker as the result of his father’s careless spending. Readers may enjoy learning even more about the author whose books are so often still read in schools today by checking out these websites: Charles Dickens Gad’s Hill Place at http://www.perryweb.com/Dickens/ and David Perdue’s Charles Dickens Page at http://charlesdickenspage.com/christmas.html.
- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Word Play! Children's Book Reviews

Book Reviews: The Rest of the Story

Animals! Book Review Series

International Reading Association (IRA) Children’s Literature and Reading Special Interest Group (CL/R SIG)

HOME FOR CHRISTMAS by Jan Brett (G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2011)
Pre-K through Third Grade

HOME FOR CHRISTMAS is a story about a young troll right before Christmas struggling to find his way in the world and family. The story opens with the narrator explaining that trolls’ tails fall off when they become helpful and kind. Instead of wanting that to happen, the troll, Rollo, runs away from home seeking to find someplace where he can “do what he wants.”

He attempts to live with many animals along the way and comes to a realization about helping. He thinks he won’t have to make a bed when he is with the owls’ family but then is forced to try to fly. With the bear family, Rollo was enjoying the luxury of not cutting wood until having a close call with a hive of bees. He also tried living with an otter family, a lynx family, and a moose family. Each place had its own trouble although it was different trouble than what Rollo was running away from. Rollo realizes that home is where he needs to be and has quite a creative trip getting back home with the aid of a shed moose antler. Once returning home, Rollo has a change of heart about helping out and the cat gets a new chew toy—Rollo’s tail.

As is common in Brett’s books, the inset pictures tell another side of the story. They show the actions of Rollo’s family missing him while preparing for Christmas on the left side of the story, and give hints to the next page’s events on the right side. As always, there is a picture story within the picture story.

Cross-curricular Connections: Character Education, Science, Reading, Art, Math

Ideas for Classroom Use:

Helping Out (Pre-K through Third Grade)

The purpose of this activity is to engage the children’s prior knowledge and events at home to help build on work ethic, reinforcing the skill of retelling and composing. After reading the book to children, discuss as a group or in small groups, the actions Rollo chose when confronted with work that might be boring or difficult. Talk with the students about different types of work done by each animal in the book and how each animal felt about their own work. Also discuss the change in Rollo’s behavior as he was exposed to new jobs and ideas.

Apply this knowledge to the students’ own lives and have them share in pairs or small groups what they find difficult or mundane as a chore at home. Have students work in pairs or individually to create a story about what they feel is a difficult task and compare it to something that could be even harder.

Final products could be written compositions for older students, or drawings with dictation for younger students. Have students share their work with classmates and encourage discussion. Remind students to use positive statements in order to be kind to other authors.

Timelines (Second and Third Grade)

The purpose of this activity is to have students compare the time Rollo spends away from home with the time it appears to be taking in the inset pictures, reinforcing the skill of sequencing. The story says that Rollo stayed with the owls until the owlets started to fly and with the bear family until the end of the summer. Have the students document changes through the pictures and the narrative of the story, estimating the number of days Rollo stayed in each place.

Then, in small groups or individually, have students create a time line of events in the story words and in the pictures on each page. Timelines should be written and illustrated with explanations. Display the time lines together so students can compare their time line to other groups. Discuss the differences between the perception of time for Rollo, the understanding of time by the groups in the time lines, and actuality.

Animals and Challenges (Pre-K through Third Grade)

After reading the story, talk with students about things animals do that we may not think of as work, reinforcing connection of prior knowledge to stories in books. Have students choose an animal to illustrate and tell about what the animal does that may be hard for a person to do. As a contrasting activity, have students discuss some things their animal does that a person may be able to do as well. Older students can research unusual animals and younger students can use familiar animals such as a dog or cat. Share information in a newscaster type setting for older students or in group meetings for younger students.

Additional Resources and Activities:

Jan Brett's website This website is the home of Jan Brett and includes links to her many books, activity pages, and interactive content. At the time of publication, no activities were included for HOME FOR CHRISTMAS, but many other activities would be adaptable to use with the book.

Wild Animals A-Z This website, hosted by Discovery, has a list of wild animals of all kinds. Mammals, birds, invertebrates, etc., are all included with videos, links to additional information, and interactive quizzes. This site would be a good starting point for choosing and learning about an animal.

Timelines: A Timeless Teaching Tool This article contains advice and ideas on using timelines to teach students of all ages. The information is broken down into subjects and grade levels. There are also multiple links to additional information concerning timelines.

Kathy Prater is a Reading Specialist and Pre-Kindergarten teacher in Starkville, Mississippi. She tutors students with dyslexia and teaches as an Adjunct Professor at Mississippi University for Women in Columbus, Mississippi. Her passions include reading, writing, and helping students at all levels to find motivation for lifelong reading and learning. She believes that every child can become a successful reader if given the right tools and encouragement. She has been teaching Christmas Around the World for multi-grade students for the past 18 years.

WANT TO WRITE FOR ENGAGE? Send your name, the grade level(s) you teach, the title of book that you put to work, and a line or two about how you use it in your classroom to engage-membership@/.

The Literacy Empowerment Foundation (LEF), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, invites schools and other literacy projects to apply for free books for Read Across America Day.

LEF Reading Resource Project books are available in a limited quantity on a first come, first served basis. Orders must be received by February 11, 2012.

Reading Resource Project books come in sets of 100 books per set. There will be at least 10 different titles in each set. Reading levels are available for Pre-K through Second Grade. Book selection and quantity is dependent upon availability, so there is no guarantee of specific titles. Books are sorted and shipped as close to a project's needs as possible, with regard to reading level and topic. Recipients merely pay shipping, handling, and administrative costs, which is only $0.68 per softcover book ($68 per set of 100 books). Most sets are shipped within 2 weeks.

The Reading Resource Project is an ongoing program that runs throughout the year. The program distributes softcover books FREE of charge for Read Across America Day, National Drop Everything and Read Day, Children's Book Week, International Children's Book Day, and other literacy programs. During the past year, LEF has distributed over 3,000,000 books to schools all across the country for Read Across America Day and other literacy projects. Visit the LEF website for more information.

 

IRA Books

ReadWriteThink Lesson Plans

Last month, I compared research to a row of tumbling dominoes, using my own experience in researching and writing the biography SACAGAWEA.

I’ve written novels, too, and if I could name one thing about the process that has most surprised me, it’s this: Writing fiction often requires as much research as writing nonfiction.

When you think about it, it makes sense. Any made-up story, regardless of genre, must have an element of truth. Truth lends a story integrity; it allows the suspension of disbelief. This is an obvious tenet for historical fiction, but it’s equally true for contemporary stories. THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN reads like a tall tale, until Sherman Alexie confides that the story truly is “absolutely true.” (I’ll happily interpret that as “absolutely mostly true,” because even autobiography benefits from good story structure. But that’s another blog post.)

Science fiction and fantasy must also contain elements of truth; perhaps even more so than realistic fiction, since the suspension of disbelief is even more important. WHEN YOU REACH ME, by Rebecca Stead, is set in a gritty, realistic 1970s New York City. This setting is so vividly rendered, and the characters are so true-to-life, that the story’s fantastical elements are readily accepted.

Even the highest fantasy requires research, though perhaps of a different sort. The completely fabricated world of THE HOBBIT builds upon ancient lore and languages, giving Tolkien’s story an aura of integrity and a connection to authentic culture and history.

In my own contemporary YA novel, JUMP THE CRACKS, a young teen tries to help an abused toddler, only to find herself running away with him. In order for readers to accept this premise, I needed to create a protagonist who would believably do such a thing, when confronted with a difficult choice. And so I establish that Victoria is mature enough to ride a train alone (and living in a place where train travel is common), yet immature enough to be impetuous—a child of divorce, with an emotional axe to grind.

Next, I needed to make Victoria’s journey logically possible, if not precisely, then at least nearly so. And so I studied Amtrak schedules and calculated the cost of train tickets. I checked the price of diapers. I read up on the GPS capabilities of cell phones (circa 2003). I don’t expect readers to put down the book and check Amtrak schedules (I hope they don’t!), but if they did, they would discover that Victoria’s journey was entirely possible. An author owes it to readers to get a story’s underpinnings right, or she will lose her readers’ trust.

How can this information be used in the classroom? Flip the author’s process and conduct backward research. For instance, instead of researching a topic first and then writing about it, students could choose a favorite piece of fiction—a picture book, a novel, even a fairy tale—and trace back one or more facts of the story.

Some stories’ facts are contained in small, telling details. For example, from CHARLOTTE’S WEB: Do farmers really bathe their pigs in buttermilk? Why? Why is Charlotte’s full name Charlotte A. Cavatica?

Other stories might be traced back to their origins in history. For example, the Pied Piper legend is supposedly based on true events in the real-life town of Hamelin, Germany. And vampire stories have been around for a long time. For how long? In what cultures? What purpose did the stories serve? Were the original vampire tales based on real people or events? Is there more to the origin than Vlad the Impaler?

Here are a few more examples of backward research that students might do:

Rumpelstiltskin: Is it possible to spin real thread made of gold? How is it done? How is gold thread used in science, or in art? Find some examples.

GOODNIGHT MOON: Notice the moon rising outside the window and moving across the sky as the pages turn. Younger kids could go home and record the movement of the moon outside their own windows. Older kids might consult an almanac to determine what time of day it is in the story, based on a chosen calendar date. Or, using the almanac again, imagine it’s 7:30 p.m. in the story. What might the calendar date be?

Hansel and Gretel: Write a recipe for gingerbread large enough to build a cottage ten feet wide and ten feet long. (This can get more complicated: What will the roof be made of? Will gumdrops be involved?)

As these examples show, any genre of fiction is fair game, and the level and depth of research can be adjusted to fit the grade level. Projects can span the curriculum, tying literature to history, science, math, and art.

In more ways than one, research is a way of getting at the truth—even the truth behind any work of fiction.

Stacy DeKeyser is the author of the nonfiction books SACAGAWEA and THE WAMPANOAG. Her YA novel JUMP THE CRACKS received a Truman Reader’s Award in Missouri, and has been nominated for South Dakota’s YARP Teen Choice Award. Her newest novel, THE BRIXEN WITCH, will be published in June 2012.



Beyond the Notebook: It's Only Natural to Write Nonfiction