Literacy Now

Today’s teachers often look carefully for books that excite their students about reading and writing, and help them see that it can be fun to play with words, whether that word play comes in the form of tongue twisters, puns, homophones or even an invented form of poetry. Cracking the alphabetic code provides entrée into a word-filled world, and through the use of mentor texts such as the ones listed below, young readers may learn to relish playing with words almost as much as playing with their computer games. The following reviews of recent books filled with word play were written by members of the Children’s Literature and Reading Special Interest Group.

GRADES 1-4

Cleary, Brian P. (2011). Six sheep sip thick shakes: And other tricky tongue twisters. Minneapolis, MN: Milbrook Press/Lerner.

Clearly a lover of words, Cleary serves up a heaping helping of 23 tongue twisters that are sure to have readers gasping for breath and forced to rely on outside help in untangling their tongues. This book is filled with unexpectedly strenuous exercises for the tongue as Cleary cleverly plays with language in his usual delightful way. Although the artwork is interesting as well, one of the most appealing elements of this picture book is the author’s suggestions about how to write your own tongue twisters. The information about how tongue twisters are created and why certain words, phrases or letters put together in certain patterns are hard to pronounce is enlightening. This book has great appeal for young readers and will provide more than a few minutes of fun for young and old, possibly prompting the recollection of some old favorite tongue twisters. It is likely that this book will inspire a few more tongues to get tangled as readers try to wrap their mouths around phrases that are almost impossible to pronounce together. Naysayers should try to pronounce the book’s title quickly, and see for themselves just how haltingly the simple phrases fall from the tongue. The vibrant illustrations will amuse readers, sometimes providing clues about how to pronounce the tongue twisters efficiently, but not always.

Barbara A. Ward
Washington State University Pullman

Raczka, Bob. (2011). Fall mixed up. Illus. by Chad Cameron. Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda Books/Lerner.

As autumn comes to an end, this picture book might provide an amusing way to say farewell to the season while encouraging readers to be attentive to detail. But the fall described in the text is somewhat surreal as leaves float into the sky rather than sifting gently from the trees, and youngsters chomp into delicious caramel-covered pumpkins instead of apples. Ouch! The author cleverly mixes the expected with the unexpected so that bears clamor onto tree limbs to gather nuts for the winter instead of hibernating. Under the ground, geese nestle in hibernation, ostensibly taking the place of those large, furry mammals. Readers will enjoy spotting what is not right in the pictures and the mixed-up verses. Readers will laugh with glee at the illustration of a scarecrow keeping watch over rows of candy corn and wince at the description and picture of children frolicking in “heaping piles of sticks” (unpaginated) rather than fall foliage.

Barbara A. Ward
Washington State University Pullman

Banks, Kate. (2011). Max’s castle. Illus. by Boris Kulikov. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux.

As they grow older, all children neglect and/or forget about some of the toys that once were their favorites. In this picture book Max looks under his bed and finds a box of ABC blocks, a dinosaur skeleton and other toys that he hasn’t played with in a long time. He then decides to make a castle using these toys, spelling out words such as WALLS, HALLS and ROOM. Soon Max’s brothers are playing with him and creating an imaginary adventure in which each boy has his own room in the castle with some of the forgotten toys. When Max constructs a MOAT around the castle, his brothers exclaim that they need a BOAT. Later, one of the brothers says, “This castle needs a king,” and Max replies, “I’m the KING.” Each word is revealed through the ABC blocks used in the illustrations. Together, the brothers create an exciting journey with pirates, knights, a dungeon and a dragon. Primary teachers could read aloud this picture book and then provide a box of blocks for children to spell out their own stories.

Deanna Day
Washington State University Vancouver

Lichtenheld, Tom, & Fields-Meyer, Ezra. (2011). E-mergency! Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle.

Filled with pun after pun, this deliciously delightful book has enough clever word play and visuals to brighten a bleak winter morning. Readers will laugh and want to share some of the lines with others. The 26 letters of the alphabet live together in one house, where they have different responsibilities. When the always reckless E is injured while rushing down the stairs, the other letters must take his place. As they fill in, coming together in several unexpected letter combinations, there are several confusing and amusing results, and words just aren’t what they used to be without E. Who knew that E was so essential to communication? Since O is called upon to fill E's place, many confusing words are created, and everyone except the narrator stops using the letter E. The authors capture the personality of many of the letters quite well: Z is always sleepy; X always marks the spot; Q and U always appear together. Back matter includes a list that indicates how often each letter is used in the English language, something students will enjoy knowing. One of my favorite lines involves E's failure to cry even while hurt. Says O, "Sometimes she's a silent E" (unpaginated). The ink, pastels, and colored pencil illustrations add to the fun and the letters' personalities. The entire book is exceedingly clever and particularly punny. The hidden puns on each page are sure to appeal, and even the book jacket shows E declaring that this is “an E-book!”

Barbara A. Ward
Washington State University Pullman

GRADES 5-6

Katz, Alan. (2011). Poems I wrote when no one was looking. Illus. by Edward Koren. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books.

Alan Katz’s newest book is just plain fun … for all ages! Following the success of his first book of poetry, Oops! (Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster, 2008), this new collection offers one hundred original poems that deal with subjects from pizza to pasta to popcorn, from computers to homework to inventions. For example, the poem “How Inventive!”  consisting of opening lines goes like this:

“My name is Albert Feinstein
I’m here with Thomas Pedison.
We’ll meet with Jonas Salkenbaum,
Who’s working on some medicine” (p. 54).

As children enjoy these poems and add them to the Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky shelves of humorous poetry, this collection begs to be to read aloud or used with group reading, choral reading and performance poetry. Ed Koren’s cross-hatched drawings are the perfect complement to add surprise and delight to the meanings of each poem. The poems are almost contagious because it is just about impossible to stop reading them in order to enjoy the wordplay each poem and sketch presents. Other themes found throughout the book include families, sports, and food. A likely favorite is this pithy poem, “In My Opinion,” written by an opinionated person. It begins,

“Baby sister’s hair: shampooable
Mom’s library book: renewable
Dad’s morning coffee: brewable
Little sister’s vitamin: chewable
Me finishing my homework: undoable” (p. 5).

The first line and title indexes make this a very user and teacher-friendly collection. In addition to the author’s website found at http://www.alankatzbooks.com, Katz has developed a website called “Help the Poemless” (www.helpthepoemless.org). Bringing poetry into the lives of children and adults, this website offers a mailing list, several videos, and future poetry activities. As the holidays approach, young readers might also enjoy his 2005 collection entitled Where Did They Hide My Presents? Silly Dilly Christmas Songs (Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster).

Poem aficionados will enjoy watching the author video available at his publisher’s website:
http://books.simonandschuster.ca/Poems-I-Wrote-When-No-One-Was-Looking/Alan-Katz/9781416935186

Karen Hildebrand
Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Perl, Erica S. (2011). Chicken butt’s back! Illus. by Henry Cole. New York: Abrams.

From the author and illustrator of Chicken Butt! (Abrams, 2009) comes the hilarious sequel Chicken Butt’s Back! In this clever two-voice story, a mother and son visit a grocery store. Each character’s voice appears in a different font type and color, inviting children to read along while laughing at the puns, and then reading them again—and again. Children will learn about homophones and homonyms through this jokester son and his animal friends. When Mom says, “I’ll make this crystal clear: No more ‘Chicken Butt!’ my dear,” the son exclaims, “Your deer?” The illustrations then depict a large deer hiding behind a display of maple syrup. The verbal word game is on with “dear” being exchanged for “deer,” “but” for “butt,”  “bear” for “bare” and “under where” for “underwear.” Henry Cole’s comic illustrations make this wordplay tale even more fun. The “poop or fart” escapades may not be for every teacher, yet most children will be rolling on the floor and requesting more. What’s more: This book is guaranteed to be read numerous times, and the puns will be told and retold, maybe even prompting an original one to be punned—er, penned—in your classroom.

Deanna Day
Washington State University Vancouver

Raczka, Bob. (2011). Lemonade: And other poems squeezed from a single word. Illus. by Nancy Doniger. New York: Roaring Brook Press.

The author takes the letters from one word and rearranges them to create poems in this cleverly imagined take on word play. Thus, from ladybug, for example, you might get

“a
buggy
buddy
a
glad
gal” (p. 20).

The 22 poems are interesting to read and are likely to prompt some young poets to try their hands at this sort of poetry. The topics range from commonplace topics for poetic inspiration such as flowers and spring to less common topics such as television and constellation. Because the placement of letters and spacing is so important for this unique form of poetry, the poems must be seen to be appreciated fully.  One of my favorites is squeezed from the word “spaghetti” and describes someone with a hearty appetite for heaping helpings of the sticky noodles.

Barbara A. Ward
Washington State University Pullman

 

Book Reviews: The Rest of the Story

Animals! Book Review Series

Young Adult Book Review: The Name of the Star

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

IRA Special Interest Group Network on Adolescent Literature (SIGNAL)

 

If we ask our elementary students how they determine which words are important words in content area text, what would they say? Chances are some of our children would say words in bold print or italics are important. Others might go by the length of words. Long, technical words that they hadn’t seen before might also be words they would choose.

Those strategies for identifying important words might work for science and social studies text, but they don’t work with all content text. Math is one example that doesn’t always play by the rules. With math word problems, we must help students recognize important words that normally they might not even notice in text. Small words such as from and more might be skimmed over, but they can be important words when looking at word problems.

We need to work with children to help them take a closer look at word problems.


Step by Step

Arrange the students’ desks so all of the students are in one of four small groups. On a white board, draw a large rectangle with a circle in the middle. Then draw a horizontal line and a vertical line dividing the rectangle in four equal parts. It should look like this:

Review with the students the mathematical operations they have learned so far. Ask the class which type of math problems they learned to solve first. Then put a small addition sign in the top right box. Then discuss which mathematical problems they learned to solve next. Going counterclockwise, write a small subtraction sign in the square at the top left. Continue on putting a multiplication and division symbol in the two remaining boxes. In the circle in the center of the square, draw an equal sign.

Each group will focus on addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division. After the students know which type of math problems their group is assigned, give each group an envelope containing an assortment of word problems which require their assigned mathematical operation. These word problems might be ones created during the year by classmates or published examples. (Ideally the problems will be printed on individual pieces of paper, so students can highlight the important words.) The goal for each group is to work together to read the word problems and identify any important words which might help the reader to identify the operation required. Ask each group to highlight the important words they found in their problems.

Now it is time for students to get feedback from peers. The group looking at addition problems will exchange their envelope of word problems with the subtraction group. The multiplication and division groups can also exchange their envelopes of word problems. Each of the groups should examine the word problems they received to determine if there are any additional important words that might need to be highlighted. If there are additional words, they can be highlighted. Then the envelopes are returned to the original group which was assigned the mathematical operation.

At this time have each student take a sheet of paper and fold it into four equal squares. Then they can draw a circle in the center so that their sheet resembles the rectangle shown on the white board. This will serve as the student’s individual sheet.

It is time for the students in each group to share the important words they found in their word problems which alerted them to their assigned mathematical operation.

As the teacher writes the words shared on a white board, the class can write on their own individual sheets of paper. As ideas are shared, be sure to discuss how the important words in math differ from important words in other content areas. Often the important words in math word problems can be easily overlooked. They don’t draw attention to themselves through bold print or italics, and they aren’t necessarily large words. Often they are words students would see in other text and skim right over. However, in word problems, they must be noticed. Math word problems must be closely read.

After the four groups have shared the important words they found, ask all of the students to glance one last time at their word problems to see if there are any important words that mean equal. Those words can be circled in the word problems and then shared with the class. As the teacher writes the words in the center circle on the white board, students can write them in the center circle on the individual sheets.

Additional Ideas

Allow students to keep their individual sheets of paper or place the sheets in their math notebook. That way they can continue to add words on to the sheets as they encounter more word problems during the year. It might even be desirable to print a large copy of the ideas on the white board to put on the wall as a form of local text. This not only familiarizes children with the terms, but it also serves as a basic copy should their copy be lost.

Teachers working with very young children can modify the activity by dividing the paper into two parts so students can focus on only addition and subtraction. The class can also complete the sheet as a whole class activity. This activity also helps students to realize that important words aren’t always the ones that stand out to the reader. Small words such as more, plus, take away, left, is, and others can be very important in solving word problems.

Let’s Extend the Activity

Students might also use some of the words on the sheets to create math word problems for other students to solve. This not only helps with writing skills, but it gives them additional practice with math word problems.

Jennifer L. Altieri, Ph.D. is the Literacy Division Coordinator at The Citadel in Charleston, SC. She has worked as a reading consultant with elementary and middle schools in St. Louis, Missouri, and an elementary school in Beaufort, South Carolina. Her interests include sharing multiethnic literature, creating poetry with young children, and developing disciplinary literacy skills.

Jennifer recently released her newest book, CONTENT COUNTS! DEVELOPING DISCIPLINARY LITERACY SKILLS K-6.



Where’s the L in STEM?

Teaching Tips: Building Content Literacy with Math Word Problems

by Judith A. Hayn

Johnson, M. (2011). The name of the star.  New York, NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

Maureen Johnson’s latest novel for teens features Rory Deveaux, who has arrived from her Louisiana bayou home as a new student in a London boarding school.  Auspiciously, a modern day Jack the Ripper has just begun a rampage which mimics the actions of the 1888 killer who was never caught.  Rory swears she saw Jack, but no one else can confirm it.  Her roommate Jazza and her crush Jerome, a Ripper conspiracy theorist, offer support but are confused.  Then she meets three young adults who offer an explanation.  They are now Shades, ghosts who work secretly for the government.  They inform Rory that a near-death choking experience has given her the sight.  She can indeed see ghosts, and Jack the Ripper is one!  Jack is coming after Rory to stop her from identifying him, and the stakes are high.  This paranormal romp is filled with adolescent angst and hormones, but nothing stops the growing terror until the final showdown in a boarding school bathroom.  Rory is forthright and funny, and readers will follow her adventures with empathy.  The city of London emerges as more than the setting, developing as a character that gives realism to the plot.

Dr. Judith A. Hayn is an Associate Professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. 

This article is part of a series from the Special Interest Group Network on Adolescent Literature (SIGNAL). 

 

Young Adult Book Review: Bronxwood

Young Adult Book Review: The Dry Grass of August

ReadWriteThink

 

Tell me if this sounds familiar.

It’s the end of the day. Your friends have been dismissed. You return to your classroom to deal with the remnants of learning left all over your floor and spilling out of your beautifully labeled baskets. You pause to eat the chocolate that you snagged from the secretary’s desk on your way back upstairs. And then, it is go time. You begin to move systematically and purposefully through your classroom, organizing and setting up for tomorrow.

Empty the homework basket and make a pile to take home? Check.
Erase the board and write a new morning message? Check.
Straighten up the library and set out tomorrow’s read alouds? Check.
Move to your back table and begin to organize books for tomorrow’s guided reading groups? Check.

Are you picking up what I’m putting down? If not, let me just come right out and say it.

(Ahem.)

Teachers are creatures of habit and routine. We thrive on predictable patterns and are the epitome of efficiency when left to our own devices.

Am I right or am I left? When we really want to get things done, we create a system, incorporate it into our routine and cruise through these rituals, moving on autopilot.

Let me paint you another picture.

It’s Friday. It’s been a long week. One of those weeks. Your friends are totally packed up and ready to go. And, despite your best efforts at timing, there are still twenty minutes left to go in the day. You reach for a read-aloud to help blissfully pass this miscalculation in time.

Stop right there. What book did you pick up? Just now, in your imagination. Was it the same cute-pictures-seems-funny-saw-it-on-the-wall-at-the-bookstore read-aloud you always choose?

If you are like me, that "go-to" read-aloud looks the same every time. That’s not to say that these books were bad choices—it’s more that they represented the same choice every single time. A read-loud rut, if you will.

However, one vacation (when I actually had a moment to read for pleasure!), it hit me like a ton of nerdy little bricks. When I read for pleasure I read all sorts of texts—professional journals (nerd alert!), trashy magazines (reality check), embarrassingly popular young adult novels, children’s picture books, cooking magazines, anything memoir, home decorating blogs, humor blogs, and snippets of the newspaper on my iPad. You know, I really mix it up. But when I read for pleasure with my class, the text I choose always feels the same.

In that moment, I thought to myself, “Self, what are you doing? How are you modeling a layered, bold reading life for your friends? How are you developing their sense of identity as readers? How are you exposing them to a variety of texts so they can decide if they are a trashy magazine person or a self-help book person or a DIY blog person?

So, in true teacher style, I spent most of my vacation working. (Bye bye pleasure reading!) I looked up and bookmarked free online news websites for kids. I found and followed several kid friendly blogs that covered a range of topics. I clipped my favorite recipes. I bought a few graphic novels and other texts that previously felt out of my comfort zone. I took all of these texts and I worked them into my rotation. I pushed myself to change my old habits because the reality is there are always going to be days when I find myself with ten extra minutes and forty expectant eyeballs. What I do with those ten minutes? Well, that’s where I can change.

When it comes to cleaning up at the end of the day, checking homework or making sure that our emails get answered, this type of routine is just plain survival. Years of having more on your plate than seems humanly possible will do that to you.

However, as this calendar year draws to a close, I’d like to invite you to rethink some of the other ruts routines you’ve created for yourself. Are some of them brilliant moments of hyper-productivity? Or are some of them an opportunity for growth and change?

Mrs. Mimi is a pseudonymous teacher who taught both first and second grades at a public elementary school in New York City. She's the author of IT'S NOT ALL FLOWERS AND SAUSAGES: MY ADVENTURES IN SECOND GRADE, which sprung from her popular blog of the same name. Mimi also has her doctorate in education from Teachers College, Columbia University.



In Other Words: To-Do Lists—Your Best Friend or Worst Nightmare?

QUIET! Teacher in Progress: Focus on the 'How'

Educational publisher Zaner-Bloser is accepting entries for their 21st Annual National Handwriting Contest, a healthy, educational competition that rewards everyone, builds students' self-esteem, and generates positive public relations for schools.

This contest, which promotes legible handwriting, is free to enter and open to all students in grade one through eight. The contest now includes a new Special Needs category, the Nicholas Maxim Special Award for Excellent Penmanship.

Over $100,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded. Prize packages for students, teachers, and schools include an all-expenses-paid trip to IRA’s 57th Annual Convention in Chicago, Illinois, for the eight outstanding teachers of the Grand National Grade-Level Winners. Watch this video to learn more.

Visit the Zaner-Bloser website to download contest entry forms. The deadline to enter is January 23, 2012, which is National Handwriting Day.

With a history dating back to the late 1800s, Zaner-Bloser is one of the premier publishers of research-based reading, writing, spelling, handwriting, and vocabulary programs. Their focus is on distinctive programs that inspire all students to become engaged, literate participants in the global society. Zaner-Bloser became part of Highlights for Children, publisher of the popular children's magazine, in 1972. Zaner-Bloser Handwriting has been a national institution for several generations. The company also publishes Spelling Connections, Zaner-Bloser Voices Literature & Writing, Strategies for Writers, Reaching All Readers, Read for Real, and Word Wisdom. Ever able to adapt to the changing educational landscape, the company continues to grow through the addition of technology products.

For more information, visit the Zaner-Bloser website at http://www.zaner-bloser.com/hwcontest.

 

Awards and Grants at the International Reading Association (IRA)

IRA Annual Convention

IRA Publications and Books Catalog