Check It Out

City I Love by Lee Bennett Hopkins is a delightful collection of poems about city life.  A great read as I prepare to start my spring break next week.  San Francisco, London, Rio, Tokyo and Cairo are all featured.  A hydrant, taxi, hot dog vendor, and the zoo, everyday things one might see in the city, and Hopkins has a poem for each.

What I like is how the poems are shaped on the page.  One of my favorites is the poem about the subway. Amazing placement of text.  This is a great mentor text to show students how to shape their poems. And Marcellus Hall’s  illustrations are colorful and playful  in brush and ink and water color.  The traveling dog with backpack is an added whimsical kick. (He looks like my Rusty dog)

Here is a taste:
Sparrow
Lucky to be born
on this balcony, sparrow
awaits city flights.

 Bridge
Even
the strongest
men
in the world

cannot
hoild
as much
steel
as you
can
at
one
time.

Each poem is chock full of words that create strong sensory images for the reader.  Poems that students can enjoy and relate to as they read.  Be sure to put City I Love on your must have list.Title: City I Love
Author: Lee Bennett Hopkins
Date Published: 2009
Pages: unpaged
Reading Level:  All ages
Publisher: Abrams Books
ISBN: 978-0-8109-8327-4
Source of Book: Sent by publisher.

Next week is spring break for me. Are you ready for National Poetry Month?   Students will be immersed in poetry for the month.  My goal: 30 poems in 30 days.  Students will be invited to “Write a Poem Send a Postcard”  Do you want to have a poem postcard delivered in your mailbox?  Let me know.

Poetry Friday is rounded up at The Drift Record by Julie Larios.  It is her first time to host.  I have an original haiku and pantuom at Deowriter this week as well.

Happy Reading.

MsMac

Voting for the Washington Children’s Choice Picture Book Award (WCCPBA) is happening fast and furiously.  There are twenty contenders which I divide between primary teachers and myself.

The Contenders:
Bud and Gabby. Davis, Anne
Cha Cha Chimps. Durango, Julia
Cheese, The. Palatini, Margie
Chester. Watt, Melanie
Chickens to the rescue. Himmelman, John
End, The. LaRochelle, David
Ham the Astrochimp. Hillard, Richard
Help! A story of friendship. Keller, Holly
Ivan the terrier. Catalanotto, Peter
Killer whale’s world, A. Arnold, Caroline
Larry gets lost in Seattle. Skewes, John
Library Mouse. Kirk, Daniel
Louder Lili. Chodenko, Gennifer
Oh, Theodore! Guinea pig poems. Katz, Susan
Peanut. Alsenas, Linis
Velma Gratch and the way cool butterfly. Madison, Alan
When a monster is born. Taylor, Sean
Wolf’s coming.Kulka, Joe
Would I ever lie to you? Buehner, Carolyn
Younger brother’s survival guide. Kopelke, Lisa

Early lead is going to Chester by Melanie Watt, author of the Scaredy Squirrel series.  Voting will continue through out the week.  Results will be sent to the state and a winner announced in early April.

A fifth grader handed me the best note yesterday.  This is in response to talking about experience of listening to The Underneath by Kathi Appelt.

“Dear Mrs. Mac,
I was wondering if you would hold the NEW Book, that you love so much.  I think the way yourecommended the book made me want to red it.  Also I think that the way you said that the person who reads the book to you, read it so smooth.  I hope that you would hold the book for me.  Thank you.

Mikayla, 5th
I, of course, cannot wait for the book order to come in and will have to buy it before spring break is over.

Am enjoying listening to The Graveyard Book and really, thank goodness, it is not as intense as The Underneath.  I find myself thinking about Harry Potter. Wonder if he and Bod could have been friends.

Bringing The Summer Guest on spring break.  It’s our book club choice.  Last night, I picked up Three Cups of Tea and started to get into that book.  Have you seen both the picture book and the middle grade book about the Pakistani schools project?

Reminder if you would like a Poem Postcard.  Let me know.

Happy Reading.

MsMac

National Poetry Month is a week away. Here’s a sneak peak at what I will be doing as well as some great happenings in the kidlit world for National Poetry Month.

April is our state testing month so it is a great time for me to immerse students in poetry.  I will be sharing a variety of poems throughout the month, encouraging students to carry a poem in their pocket, and having them write, write, write.

Last year I tried a “Poetry Postcard Project“. Lots of fun.  I am holding the second annual “Write a Poem-Send a Postcard” event with my students.  Students will send off an original poem to people who would like to receive a poem. And we may just drop random poems around the school.  If you wish to receive a poetry postcard, contact me. 

I am committed to “30 Days=30 Poems”  This is my third year of setting this goal for myself.

Other Poetry News:

Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect has planned a poetry extravaganza. I hope I can keep up.  She is interview thirty plus poets over the month. Incredible!

Greg at Gotta Book is posting a previously unpublished poem from a variety of poets during the month.

Anastasia has created a blog for student poems about school.  You can find that at Pencil Talk.  Hopefully some of my students will write a poem about school so I can share it with Anastasia.

Sylvia at Poetry for Children will be talking up lots of poetry books throughout April.

It is going to be a grand month!

Happy Reading.

MsMac

 A big box of books arrived on my doorstep a couple of weeks ago.  Among a new poetry book by Lee Bennett Hopkins, the sequel to The Library Mouse, and others was a new nonfiction book on dinosaurs.  What is it about dinosuars that children love the subject so?

Dinosaurs in Your Backyard The Coolest, Scariest Creatures Ever Found in the USA is written by Hugh Brewster and illustrated by Alan Barnard. The book is chock full of interesting facts about dinosaurs only found on the North American continent.

Did you know that more than 85 different kinds of dinosaurs have been found in North America? Do you know what New England state has fossilized footprints called Eubrontes? (Connecticut) Have you heard of the Gorgosaurus? This dinosaur matched the viciousness of T.rex.   The book details many dinosaurs from  the sea monster types to the  bird types.

The book has a nice combination of text, illustrations, charts, and photos.  Bernard’s illustrations draws the reader along with the photos of the fossils and skeletons from a variety of Canadian museums.

The book includes a timeline, a pronunciation guide (I need that), glossary and index.  A bonus is a listing of where readers can visit to see dinosaurs.  Plan your summer trip now.  Dinosaur books never sit on the shelves for any length of time.  They do not collect dust.  Neither will this one.

Title: Dinosaurs in Your Backyard The Coolest, Scariest Creatures Ever Found in the USA
Author: Hugh Brewster
Date Published: 2009
Pages: 32
Reading Level: Dinosaur lovers of all ages
Publisher: Abrams Books
ISBN: 978-0-8109-7099-1
Source of Book: Sent by publisher.

Pam at Mother Reader is rounding up the nonfiction today.
Happy Reading.

MsMac

I love a good stretch and Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect provided a great one with the “anaphora” form form this week.  In this form a repeating phrase is used. It was one that I used with the poetry club kids.  They had a some success with it.  I shared examples from Tricia’s post, then we created a group one, and finally the students tried their own.

Spring is sweet bee honey
Spring is walking the dogs
Spring is smells like butterflies
Spring is fighting with your brother
Spring is sounds like tweeting birds
Spring is the time you have some fun
Spring is to play outside
Spring is smells like red roses in the yard
Spring is sounds like birds twitching in the morning
Spring is the softest blanket in the world.
“Poetry Club

Spring is in the air
Flowers everywhere
Spring brings bugs to life
Spring has fun and
has its frights.
“Noaa, 2nd grade

Picture me happy
Picture me sad
Picture me being weird
Picture me outside
Picture me being active
Picture me having fun
Picture me running around
Picture me writing poetry
“Malaika, 2nd grade

Spring is sweet as candy
Spring is beautiful flowers
Spring is rainy for flowers
Spring is sweet bee honey
Spring is splashing in puddles
Spring is rolling down grassy hills
Spring is Easter and sunshine
Spring is peace and silence
“Ember, 2nd grade

Picture me happy, my mom walks in the door
Picture me sad as a butterfly
Picture me serious as men
Picture me mad at my friends
“Savannah, 1st grade
I have my original at Deowriter.  Poetry Friday is being hosted at Wild Rose Reader.

Happy Reading.  Happy Spring. (even if it is pouring outside.)

MsMac

You know a book is good when you have to sit in your car and listen to make sure the characters are okay before walking into the workplace.  This is what I have had to do with The Underneath by Kathi Appelt.  I am just about finished and this is probably a good thing because I don’t think my heart could take another couple of CD’s.    Today besides the heart pounding, I had tears in my eyes.

Appelt has braided three stories together in a story that will probably be read for many years.  It is on my book order both book and audio.  Anyone who has pets will fall in love with Ranger, Sabine, and Puck.  I believe readers will revile Gar-Face as one of the most evil characters I have recently encountered.  And the mystical qualities of an ancient story draws the reader into some great magic.

Appelt’s poetic voice is strong.  Her use of repetition and imagery move the story along like on the wings of a hummingbird.

I hate that the book is coming to an end.  It will be one that I re-read. I cannot wait to put it into the hands of my intermediate teachers to read.  It is no wonder it is an Newbery Honor Book.

Speaking of Newbery, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman is beginning to circulate in fifth grade. The first reader returned the book with a big smile and asked, “Do you have any other books like this?”  Close behind him was a classmate ready to grab the book.  I get to pick up the audio version of the book this week (as soon as I finish The Underneath, which should be today).  I wonder if the audio version of Gaiman will be as intense as Appelt’s story.

What is on your nightstand?

Happy Reading.

MsMac

It was busy day on the library today. Today I mentored a colleague as she created a blog for libraries.  Today I wrote to parents about the impact of the budget cuts on the library program.  This blog was put  on the back burner.

This evening however, I want to share the open letter to parents and introduce you to a new blog.  There is also a gour on Facebook.

Dear Parents,
I don’t know how aware of the looming budget challenges facing Washington state. You may have seen in the local newspaper that these challenges will affect the Evergreen School District. It means that Silver Star will be affected.
The district has a proposed list of cuts posted on its website: http://www.evergreenps.org/Pages/default.aspx. It is difficult to know exactly how the cuts will happen until the work of the legislature is complete.
However, I want to share with you that one of the largest proposed cuts affects the library program. It is proposed that the library assistants be cut to half time. In my view, this will affect the entire school. Having a full time library assistant makes it possible:

• For students to be in the library at all times of the school day.
• For students to have two qualified adults to help with research skills.
• For me to collaborate with teachers and provide seamless lessons between the classroom and the library. This is a critical piece in student achievement.
• For students to have two qualified adults who help students to find “just fit” books.

I recognize that there may need to be cuts but I am hopeful that they will be minimal. Evergreen is known for its great library media program throughout the state and now it is facing a pretty dramatic cut.
The district wants to hear from parents and patrons. They have had several public meeting to take input from the community. I am hoping that parents will speak up for libraries and ask the district to re-consider the library media assistant reduction.

There are several places that parents can get information and/or let the public know of their support for libraries and all programs that directly impact students.

Please feel free to visit:
http://cutthecuts.blogspot.com

or on Facebook there is a “Cut the Cuts to Kids” group.

You can also email the school board and the superintendent as well.

In my thirty-five years of teaching, I have never had to ask for parent support in this manner. The district has a goal that students graduate able to compete in the world community. A key component is a fully funded library media program. It makes me sad to think that our school district is going to suffer from budget cuts. This translates into kids losing out.

Sincerely,
Jone Rush MacCulloch, NBCT AKA “Ms Mac”
Library Media Specialist
Silver Star School

I never thought I would have to ask for parents and the community to support libraries.  This makes me so sad.

My colleague and her assistant have created Cut the Cuts: Libraries are Academic, a blog to inform students, parents, and the community about the importance of libraries. Visit and comment especially if you are a member of my school community.

Happy Reading.

MsMac

“I want to do it because I want to do it.  Women must try to do things as men have tried.
When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others.~~Amelia Earhart

March is Women’s History Month. What better way is there to celebrate than to take a look at a book that was nominated for the CYBILS in the Nonfiction Picture Book category (and I believe we ended up moving it because of the text difficulty to middle grade nonfiction)?

Amelia Earhart, the Legend of the Lost Aviator by Shelley Tanaka is a great addition to the biography section of any library. The main focus of the book is her career as an aviator from her first flight to her disappearance in the South Pacific.

The book is rich in archival photos, quotes, time lines, and an extensive resources at the end including the index.  The color illustrations are an added bonus and bring the text to life.  It is a book that will appeal to those readers in the upper elementary grades and beyond.  I can see teachers using portions with students to model think alouds and determining importance. 

This book demonstrates to readers of all ages the importance of following your dream despite the challenges.

Title: Amelia Earhart,The Legends of the Lost Aviator
Author: Shelley Tanaka
Date Published: 2008
Pages: 48
Reading Level: Upper middle grades and beyond
Publisher: Abrams Books
ISBN: 978-0-8109-7095-3
Source of Book: Sent by publisher for CYBILS consideration.

L.L. Owens is hosting Nonfiction Monday here.  See what else is available in the nonfiction world.

Happy Reading.

MsMac

This week Brandon, a fifth grader who has published before, turned in another incredible poem.

Time and Life

Time is the thing that slips down your spine.
Life is the thing that tangles you up.
Time is that thing that catches you in its web.
Life is the thing that blows you away in the wind.
Time is the thing that you follow.
Life is the thing that blows you in and out.

–Brandon, 5th grade

 Then in conversing with a second grade teacher about writing poetry, he offered up this from one of his students:

Royal Family Kids’ Camp

At Royal Family Kids’ Camp
You get to go swimming
You get to go scuba diving

At Royal Family Kids’ Camp
You get invited to a tea party
I don’t think the boys get invited.

At Royal Family Kids’ Camp
You get to build stuff like
Chairs and stools and boats.

At Royal Family Kids’ Camp
You have to be in foster care
You get to go for five days

–Brigit, 2nd grade

 What I love is that the teacher saw this in rought draft form and nudged the student into crafting it into a poem.

I am writing this and Andrew, another fifth grader, came to me with a quote:
“Every time a branch on the tree of life falls, a new one sprouts.”  When asked where he got that idea he said, ” We were making sympathy cards for Cierra because her grandmother died and I though well, Cierra just got two baby brothers, so I thought of it. It happens a lot”

A good week for poetry.  More poetry for Poetry Friday can be found at The Miss Rumphius Effect.

Happy Reading.

MsMac

I have a goal that fifth graders will leave this school knowing how to select a “good fit” book for themselves and loving reading.  I also want them to start knowing who they are as readers.

I changed the practice of checking out books this year.  Instead of cramming it in the last three to five minutes of the library class, I have either extended the class time and invited teachers to be with their students or have found another time for the classes to come down for book check out.  Having the classroom teacher involved with book check out is making a difference.  Both of us are talking with students about their choices and guiding them along.

I have witnessed a group of fifth grade boys devour Katherine Lasky’s Ga’Hoole series.  One boy even wrote to her and received a response in return. Was that ever a motivator!   When I was informed that I didn’t have the second half of the series, I drove to the local book store and got what I could. We are still missing a couple as the store was out.

Other fifth graders are enjoying the Great Illustrated series.  Bryanna is in the midst of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I like these series for the sole purpose to introduce students to the classics.  They are getting worn and tattered.

Casey, another fifth grader is engrossed in the Fudgemania series by Judy Blume.  he loves the camping and the humor of the book.

Tiffany is learning more about President Obama through the book, Yes We Canby Garen Thomas.

A few months ago, I noticed that more students treated book check out time as a social event.  Lately, the time is being used to talk more about books.  I do fear that if the library is not fully funded next year, I will have to return to book checkout within the class time.  That would be most unfortunate. However, without staff to checkout which enables me to circulate among students, I doubt there will be the availability to offer separate times for classes.  In turn, will fifth graders leave elementary school as readers who can make good choices and know who they are as a reader.

I just finished listening to Mick Harte was Here by Barbara Park and On My Honor by Marion Duane Bauer.  It has been awhile since I both books.  I am struck by how both pull the reader in and you understand how each character deals with the loss of the people close to them.

I am currently reading a history of Key West and Grandparenting Through Love and Logic.  What are you reading?

Happy Reading.

MsMac