10 Reasons Why Children Need a Garden

Thanks, Loreen, for a great blog! Link to see her book recommendations.

10 Reasons Why Kids Need a Garden

• It’s fun to grow your own food whether it’s just one pot of herbs or a multi-rowed mini-farm.
• Homegrown crops taste great!
• Kids are more likely to eat previously rejected goodies they grow themselves.
• Fresh picked fruits and veggies have more nutrients than produce that’s been sitting around.
• A much greater variety of cultivars can be grown that won’t be found in grocery stores.
• Chemicals can be minimized or avoided.
• Gardening saves money. A few dollars worth of seeds can yield a harvest worth much more.
• Gardens save energy. Many food products must be shipped hundreds or thousands of miles to the grocery store.
• Growing your own food is empowering, teaches valuable skills, and encourages self-sufficiency.
• It’s Spring!

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Boys Write Boys Read by Angela Bunyi Gr 3-5

Link to Blog

Boy Writers: Reclaiming Their Voices, Ralph Fletcher

As I type this I am looking at my son play outside. He is playing with the soil in a large barrel by the door. He is pretty much a mess and will require some hosing down before he returns in this house. Personally, I can't relate with how much fun this mess must be, but I think this is a microscopic cataclysm of what happens in the classroom in regards to working with boys. We can't relate (assuming you are a female reader). And some of us don't know where we went wrong.

Which probably explains why I purchased Ralph Fletcher's book (2006) the day it came out. I noticed early on in my teaching career that "teaching" girls to enjoy reading and writing was a walk in the park. Boys, on the other hand, took some convincing. Some, I noticed, didn't want to drink my reading and writing Kool-Aid at all. What was a women to do? According to Fletcher, he cries, "Let the boys be boys!" Let them write about farting, burping, and wars. Let them write outdoors and/or where they feel comfortable. Be generous with their humorous writing style and encourage them to find other authors who write in the same manner. And I couldn't agree more. Here are some of the things Fletcher recommends in working with boys under the literacy framework:

• Boys need an audience. In our classroom, this means daily reading and writing share time. I honestly don't know when the boys swap out their writing to each other but every time a boy says I am going to read-insert silly title here- I hear a murmur of, "Oh, that's a good one." Audience is everything for the boys.

• Boys need to feel at home. This usually means reading/writing in a corner, on the floor, or outdoors. The level of focus is really high when my boys write outdoors. We have a large collection of milk crates from the cafeteria that we store right under the portable. It becomes an outdoor classroom of boys each sunny day.

• Allow your boys to have a "Private" section to their writer's notebooks. This writing, not meant for public consumption, allows students to write freely. This is how you can value that love for war stories that involve some gore.

• Don't automatically outlaw stories with weapons. Especially if you live in the south like I do. One of my students wrote the most fascinating hunting story that involved being caught up in a storm with his father while hunting. If a ban was in place, this story would have never been told.

• Look for the humor underneath the violence you may find in your boys' writings. For my boys, one in particular, violence seems to be mixed with flatulence and/or weddings. It's really quite funny, if I am being honest. And if I am being even more honest, I have laughed so hard that tears come out of my eyes a few times. Each time, those stories have come from the brains of a boy.

• Connect "humorous" writing with published authors. My favorite is Jon Scieska. It might sound like this, "You know, Zach, this writing sounds just like Scieska's work. Have you read The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Stories?" That's all it takes. Trust me.

• Instead of "humor" think "voice" and instead of "silly" think "satire."

• Give more wait time for boys to talk about their reading and writing with you.

• Create some boundaries on language and use of names. For example, in our room you may not include the name of another student without explicit permission (the student needs to know their role in the story).

• Embrace a more visual definition of writing that includes sketches and drawings. Fletcher also calls this, "Sketch to compose."

• Consider creating a mini-lesson that models specific drawing techniques when writing (e.g. Max's Logbook by Marissa Moss).

• Portray writer's notebooks as a space to collect weird facts, feathers, leaves, and interesting snippets of information. This may resonate more with boys that perceive writing as journals and fiction stories.

• Explore many genres. Boys tend to read more nonfiction and really seem to enjoy writing nonfiction as well. As a result, I try to focus on reading and writing nonfiction quite closely throughout the year. Keep your library stocked.

• Finally, just let them read and write. Boys are all about doing...give them time to just do it!

Authors Who Cater to Boys by Angela Bunyi Gr 3-5

Link

Authors Who Cater to the Boys

Anything by Jon Scieska...this book in particular. One true account of peeing on an electrical fence will never be forgotten in my mind. While that may make you go, "Eek," that is exactly what makes the book get glued to your student's hands.

Donald Graves, founder of the workshop approach, wrote this beautiful book of poems. Topics range from stealing, lying, and getting in trouble. I can't think of another serious book where boys enjoy the poetry. They really connected here.

Jerry Spinelli is usually well-received by my boys. I usually get students acquainted with his style through Maniac Magee. The title above is Spinelli's autobiography. I'll admit that this book has not been read by any of my students this year.

The Royal King...

Gary Paulsen has spread through our room like wildfire. Select any book by him, and you are bound to have success. At this moment, five different titles are being read in my room right now. All boy readers. When I read My Life in Dog Years, the boys were hooked. Here is an excerpt from one of my boy's books, Guts.

What do you do when you're being charged by a red-eyed furious wall of brown fur that is an insane moose? How do you make a weapon with your bare hands? How do you sneak up on a grouse or a rabbit, kill it with a well-aimed arrow, and cook it over a fire--without a pot? All this and lots more is essential learning for Brian Robeson, the young wilderness survivor in Gary Paulsen's classic novel Hatchet. In writing that book, Paulsen was determined that everything that happened to Brian--the survival techniques and the physical and emotional traumas--would be drawn closely from reality and his own experiences. In Guts he reveals the stories behind Hatchet, as he lived them.

Scholastic's Angela Bunyi's Gr 4 Classroom Blog

http://blogs.scholastic.com/3_5/

Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out Ages 8+

Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out. 108 contributors-- authors (from Katherine Paterson to Kate DiCamillo to Jon Scieszka), illustrators (from Leo and Diane Dillon to Peter Sis to Brian Selznick), and famous folks (from Charles Dickens and Walt Whitman to Richard Nixon and Dick Cheney). At 242 well-designed pages, this anthology is a tribute to American history, a multi-faceted jewel for family sharing and endless uses in the classroom (to be developed on its companion website ). A few poems and short stories and plays sprinkle the mix, but mostly this is a nonfiction account of history as it affected our White House—the emphasis on our—and a call to learn more about being an American citizen (Candlewick, ages 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 ). FROM:

Imagine a Dragon Ages 7-9

You might think Imagine a Dragon would be collection of fluffy poems going nowhere special, but you’d be wrong. Instead, esteemed science writer Laurence Pringle has compiled a treasury of true stuff about this beast, illustrious but wholly imaginary. Starting with the earliest rumors in China, Egypt, and present-day Iraq, a dragon worked nicely as an explanation for natural disasters, scientific phenomena, anything that seemed scary. Pringle zooms around the globe to glean the primo dragon facts and legends, while lush paintings in acrylic by Eujin Kim Neilan make the pages swirl. Good example of a handsome nonfiction picture book, and an appealing choice for kids shifting out of fairy tales (Boyds Mills, 2008, ages 7, 8, 9). FROM:

Lady Liberty: A Biography Ages 5-8

...and more or less in tune with 4th of July partying.

Pickers of nits may have a tricky time classifying the gorgeous new picture book about our emblem of freedom-- Lady Liberty: A Biography. What is noted author Doreen Rappaport doing with these free-verse poems, in the various voices of all who had a hand in creating the Statue of Liberty? The first poem is autobiographical, describing her Latvian grandfather seeing the statue for the first time. Then, from French sculptor Auguste Bartholdi to others famous and not so famous, the voices tell a true story-- how the statue was conceived and built and what it’s meant to immigrants ever since. Here is the voice of poet Emma Lazarus: “Soon when people arrive in the New World,/they will be welcomed/by a caring, powerful woman,” Rappaport writes, segueing into Lazarus’s own invocation: “Give me your tired, your poor,/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” Besides being inspirational, the poems are obviously the fruit of mountains of research, and meanwhile Rappaport has collected every possible fact you could want to know into the back matter. Somber paintings by Matt Tavares swoop from unusual angles to heighten the drama. The format is large and inviting, with a “ta-da” fold-up page unveiling the completed Lady in all her magnificence. This is history, biography, and a tribute evoking genuine emotion-- all at the same time. I would call it seriously creative nonfiction (Candlewick, ages 5, 6, 7, 8). FROM:

Lang Lang: Playing with Flying Keys Ages 9+

Anyone who saw him play piano at the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony will be fascinated by Lang Lang: Playing with Flying Keys, an autobiography written with Michael French. Search for “Lang Lang” on YouTube, and be intoxicated by this Chinese master of Western classical piano music. No superlative is too super to describe his showy technique and pure emotion—think Chopin, Liszt, Beethoven-- and he’s still only 26. His life is a harrowing mythical journey from being a child without a childhood—a prodigy in a poor family, with a loving if strict-unto-abusive father-- all the way to rock-star-like fame and fortune. Along the way, readers will absorb a considerable amount about China, its history and culture, as well as the power of all kinds of music, particularly classical. A recent New Yorker reports that 40 million children in China are currently studying piano—the “Lang Lang effect” that could easily migrate here (Delacorte, ages 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 15, 16, 17, 18 ). FROM:

The Way We Work: Human Body - Ages 10+

It’s surely the nonfiction event of the year—David Macaulay’s The Way We Work: Getting to Know the Amazing Human Body. No wonder he won a “genius grant” from the MacArthur Foundation, which in part allowed him to complete this 336-page event, I mean book. Really, all you can say is “wow”—at the structural magnificence that is the human body and at Macaulay’s dramatic, clear drawings conveying every detail. Like a 21st-century Leonardo da Vinci, though presumably without the real corpses, he gets inside us and dissects like mad, and not for his own edification (like Leo), but ours. This tome has tremendous amounts of info, boiled down to its essence, and obviously thoroughly vetted by experts. Kids who persist with the somewhat textbook-y text, co-written with Richard Walker, will learn how we pick up an apple, breathe, think, blink, digest, reproduce, and everything else the body does. To me the most interesting of the seven chapters was “Battle Stations,” about the way we try to fight off flu and other threats. I would think this book would be of special interest to kids who have had anything go wrong with their bodies, but it's also a gift for budding biologists, and anyone who likes to browse (Walter Lorraine/Houghton Mifflin, ages 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18). FROM:

Nonfiction Writing: From the Inside Out

Posted by Kathleen Krull

In deciding which new nonfiction books to urge for the holidays, I’m squeezing my thoughts into one mother-of-all-recommendations: Nonfiction Writing from the Inside Out: Writing Lessons Inspired by Conversations with Leading Authors (Scholastic).

Usually, the teaching of writing emphasizes fiction and poetry, all well and good, but it’s expository writing that takes the cake in real life. The entire nonfiction writing process-- how to organize, research, think about a topic, find a voice, convince or inform-- these are skills that will carry students through life, helping them to be clear-thinking citizens and better at whatever career they pursue.

The author of this book, Dr. Laura Robb, has been a noted teacher for over forty years. I can’t say enough about the book—it’s the best possible gift for teachers, librarians, parents, anyone who wants their children to be able to write clearly. She details, step by illuminating step, how to get kids to write essays, plus book reports, diaries, interviews, letters, indeed any kind of creative writing that calls for persuasiveness and simplicity. As Dr. Robb writes, “We must help our student writers find their voices and approach nonfiction writing as an exciting craft they will want to fine-tune throughout their lives.” Her book is one savvy way of helping students open that door to becoming lifelong learners.

And I swear I’m not pushing it because she interviewed me. The authors from whom she gleans pointed tips about what makes good writing tick include Russell Freedman, Kathryn Lasky, Walter Dean Myers, James Cross Giblin, and a gaggle of other professionals.

Happy holidays, Laura Robb and all such dedicated teachers.

Sing My Song

"Sing My Song" book and CD

$20.00

Award-winning songwriter Steve Seskin has long helped budding balladeers discover the songs within them. Now, in a book based on his elementary school songwriting workshops, he shares the creative process that led him to seven number-one hits, including "Don't Laugh at Me."

Through author's notes and songs written with students, Seskin shows readers how to come up with a title, create lyrics and rhymes, and use emotion and imagery. Each song appears with an original illustration by a top artist. The accompanying CD, which features this spirited collection of songs performed by Steve and a chorus of kids--plus four instrumental tracks to pair with new lyrics--will inspire readers to put their own feelings, whether silly or sincere, to paper and write a song of their own.
Steve Seskin Website
Ink Kathleen Krull

Integrating Literature in the Content Areas

Finally, who wouldn’t love a book with this sentence: “If I were an administrator or literacy coach in a middle school, I would encourage my faculty to conduct a school-wide author study of [insert your name here].” Well, Sharon Kane kindly inserted my name into her Integrating Literature in the Content Areas: Enhancing Adolescent Learning and Literacy, but never fear, she mentions plenty of other authors. Her book is packed with 300+ pages of tips for getting literature into the classroom—fiction, poetry, and (saints be praised) “The Why and How of Using Informational Trade Books,” whole chapters on incorporating biographies, how-to books, etc. An amazing resource (Holcomb Hathway, for teachers).
INK Kathleen Krull

Jen Robinson's Book Page

Promoting the love of books by children,
and the continued reading of children's books by adults.

My Book Lists

• Books About Books and Literacy
• Books Read in 2006
• Books Read in 2007
• Books Read in 2008
• Books Read in 2009
• Cool Girls of Children's Literature
• Futuristic, Speculative, Science Fiction and Dystopian Fiction for Young Adults
• Index of My Reviews
• My Personal Classic Books
• My Review Policy
• Recommended Adult Books (Mostly Mysteries)
• Recommended Children's Books by Age Range