All Dogs Must Go!

by Karen Leggett  Abouraya

All the dogs at the shelter must be adopted before closing day. Will that include Spanky the pup with three legs?

This short story will pull at your heartstrings and provide many opportunities to get young children or teens talking, thinking and writing.

Spanky the Pup was written by Abreona Curtis, Darrin Gladman, Rochelle Jones and Temil Whipple, illustrated by Evey Cahall. That’s right – a team of writers. All teenagers themselves, all working with Shout Mouse Press, a nonprofit writing program and publishing house. As it says in each published book, “Shout Mouse Press empowers writers from marginalized communities to tell their own stories in their own voices and act as agents of change.”

Photo credit: Reach Incorporated

Shout Mouse Press partnered with another nonprofit, Reach Incorporated,  to help teens in Washington, D.C., write their own stories for young children. The teens were challenged to write original, inclusive stories that would reflect the realities of their own communities. 

Four new titles were published in November 2016: 

Time for Change: The Lionand Hyena Story   

Drip Drip: The Story of the Angry Sherbet 

Out of Breath: Kendra’s Big Secret 

Spanky the Pup 

The books may be shared with older students as a project they could replicate. Students of any age can use the books to spark discussion and writing.  

Let’s take Spanky, the pup with three legs who fears he will be left out on the final day of adoptions.  Spanky’s story may help children talk or write about a sensitive topic.

·       What did the dog named Dorothy do to help Spanky (defended him, built up his confidence)?

·       Write about an experience when you felt left out. What do you wish someone had done to help? How could you help make sure someone else doesn’t feel left out?

·       What can you say when you see someone being unkind or hurting someone else with their words?

·       What are ways to act with kindness at home or at school?

As a writing style, it is also possible to talk about the ending of this story which is shown entirely in pictures without a single word.  No spoiler alert here…

Shout Mouse Press would like to know how you use the books written by these teen authors with students. Please share your projects with kathyATshoutmousepress.org.

http://childrensbookguild.org/karen-leggett-abouraya

WINTER WRITING IDEAS

by Karen Leggett Abouraya

Bundling up for an outdoor walk may be time consuming, but it can be worth the hassle, whether you take a field trip to a nearby park or refuge  or just wander the playground or school neighborhood.  Get ready for a winter observation walk by reading Amy S. Hansen’s Bugs and Bugsicles: Insects in the Winter. Youngsters will learn about winter habitats for monarchs, ladybugs and dragonflies but also how Amy creates words like “bugsicles” to describe a woolly bear caterpillar in winter:

“She’s getting ready to perform an amazing trick. She will freeze in the winter, thaw out in the spring, and start all over. Woolly Bear won’t need to breathe while she’s frozen. She isn’t dead. She isn’t really asleep. She’s a bugsicle.”

Now make sure each child has a journal and a good, soft pencil and head outside. Give each child or pair of children a small area to investigate – just a few square yards, like the children in the photo outside the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center in Fergus Falls, MN. (Check the link to see samples of student writing!)

Ask students to use descriptive words to write about their area – what colors do they see? Is there concrete or grass, mud or snow? What do any trees or plants look like?

Are there signs of wildlife? Ask children to imagine where an animal or insect could live in the space they are investigating. Under a log? In a frozen pond? Wrapped in a dry leaf? In the crack in the sidewalk?  

Encourage children to write just single words or phrases that can be turned into poems or prose when everyone is back indoors, where they can also add artwork or research.  There are also several ways to expand this activity:

·       Return in the spring so children can write about changes in the area they observed in the winter. This can be a good “compare and contrast” exercise.

·       Have children write poems about their observations to enter in the River of Words contest. Here is a SAMPLE from Whittlesey National Wildlife Refuge, WI.

·       Partner with a park or refuge to have children write and publish a guidebook, like Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge (NM) Through the Eyes of Children.

 http://childrensbookguild.org/karen-leggett-abouraya

Writing Nonfiction--Look for the Superstar Moment

Guest Post by Moira Rose Donohue

Sometimes it can be hard for students to read nonfiction—and even harder to write it.  But nonfiction can be fun to both read and write if the author strives for the “superstar moment.”

I have written a number of educational biographies and two books for National Geographic that tell amazing but true animal stories.  And I have learned a simple, but helpful, lesson. After I finish my research, I identify the rock star moment.  Then I draft a general outline, making sure that somewhere between two-thirds and three-quarters of the way through the book, I will hit that big moment. 

For example, if I am writing about Vasco Núñez de Balboa, I need to make sure that his superstar moment—being the first European to see the Pacific Ocean from the New World—is the climax of the story.  Likewise, if I am writing about a kangaroo that rescues his injured owner, that has to happen towards the end of the story.  And if I am telling you about my summer vacation, I need to build up to the best part of it—the day I learned to swim alone.

This may sound a bit simplistic, but it’s a rule that gets easily forgotten when pencil hits paper.  Why?  Most nonfiction writers have learned a tremendous amount about the subject of their report or book.  They want to share it, so they cram in all kinds of data and lose the sense of story and climax that holds the reader’s interest.  That means that bits of information, even really fun ones like a dramatic fight with another explorer over a girl, have to be jettisoned if they don’t advance the story towards the superstar moment.

Next time you assign a biography writing project, or even a “What I Did This Summer” essay, remind your young writers to identify the “superstar moment” and edit their stories so that they take the reader up the mountain to superstardom.  Hopefully that will put them on the road to superstar writing.

BIO: Moira Rose Donohue is the author of Parrot Genius from National Geographic; 13 biographies from State Standards Publishing; and Alfie the Apostrophe and Penny and the Punctuation Bee from Albert Whitman.  Coming soon-- another explorer biography (de Soto) and Kangaroo to the Rescue from National Geographic in Spring, 2015!

#StrongerThan: Writing About Personal Challenges

by Karen Leggett Abouraya

“Let us pick up our books and pens. One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world.”

They are words made famous by Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzai, who spoke at the United Nations on her sixteenth birthday – just nine months after she was shot by the Taliban near her home in Pakistan’s Swat Valley for speaking up for the right of girls to attend school. She has called on young people the world over to stand up for the right of every child in every country to go to school – and to stand up with their words and pens and pencils.  After 200 young girls were kidnapped from a school in Nigeria, Malala spoke out again to show the world “we are #StrongerThan those who deny school girls an education.” (Video)

What are your students “StrongerThan?”  Here is a perfect opportunity to encourage young people in and out of the classroom to learn Malala’s story, feel her courage and resolve and then think about what they are #StrongerThan. What do they have the courage to write about and conquer or achieve?  Children of any age can be asked to write a sentence, a paragraph, an essay or a 140-character Tweet about what they are stronger than -

#StrongerThan bullying?

#StrongerThan my math or reading homework?

#StrongerThan  my ADD or cerebral palsy or other disability?

#StrongerThan unfairness?

Students may choose to focus on personal challenges or issues that trouble them in their community or the world – including the education concerns that so motivate Malala. This initial writing project can grow as much as a child or class wishes by writing group or individual letters to a principal, school superintendent, local newspaper or elected official. My picture book biography of Malala – Malala Yousafzai: Warrior with Words includes several organizations children can join or replicate: School Girls Unite (started by middle school girls right in Kensington, Maryland), Girl Up, GirlRising and Global Campaign for Education, and of course, the Malala Fund itself.

http://www.handsaroundthelibrary.com/

BLACKOUT: Personal Narratives in the Dark

by Jacqueline Jules

With thunderstorm season approaching and subsequent power failures, your students should enjoy an award-winning picture book by John Rocco called Blackout. In this brief story, a city family is too busy for a board game until the lights suddenly go out. Mom’s computer and sister’s telephone don’t work anymore. Dad can’t finish cooking dinner. The family huddles around a candle, making shadow puppets. They go onto the roof of their apartment building to watch the stars.

Blackout delightfully captures how a normal evening can be pleasantly interrupted by a power failure. And it could be a great writing prompt in your classroom. Read this story and have a class discussion about a time when the lights went out. Was it hot or cold? Did your family do something special together like play a board game or go outside for an evening walk? Students might remember eating melting ice cream from the freezer or going to the pool to cool off. Others might complain about having to use a flashlight to go to the bathroom or flipping on the light switch without results.

Ask students to describe the many things in their homes that no longer worked without electricity. Were they frustrated? Or did it become a time for storytelling and pretend games? If the power failure occurred at night, ask your students to describe the glow of the flashlight, the flicker of candles. Did they use their five senses more in the dark?

Since almost all children have experienced it at least once, the story of a power failure can inspire a fun personal narrative with lots of descriptive details. John Rocco’s Blackout is just short enough for a mini-lesson to leave plenty of time for student writing. I hope your classes enjoy this activity as much as mine did.

www.jacquelinejules.com

MAPPING SUMMER PLANS

by Alison Ashley Formento

There’s a change in the air this May, with warmer days and lovely flowering plants and trees. It’s that time of year when we all feel the tug of summer. I’ve been sharing my new picture book THESE SEAS COUNT! at schools and just mentioning the ocean and research I did for this book, makes me yearn for a nice day at the beach.

          What kind of plans are you making for the summer? Camping? Visiting relatives? Planting a garden? People plan summer vacations and authors make story plans, too. Some outline and some map out their ideas using visuals such as paper snowflakes or color-coded index cards. There’s no wrong way, but a story map can be a great guide to help a writer find and create a compelling plot to draw in readers.

          Happy Trails: Creating a fun vacation story map

·        Print out a map of America or use a world map http://www.colormegood.com/socialstudiesandgovernment/mapsandglobes.html

·        Ask students to choose places they’d love to travel this summer and mark them on the map.

·        Research those places and write a few sentences about what they want to see or expect to see in a particular place. Example: Grand Canyon or the Statue of Liberty

·        Write up an itinerary. What is the mode of transportation? How long will this trip last? Include supplies for trip. Example: Take parka for dog sledding in Alaska

·        Estimate travel costs. What will it cost for each meal? Five dollars? Or more? How about extra money for sightseeing? Use math skills to plan.

·        Write a story about the trip you’re planning and what you hope to see in your travels. Encourage students to use their imaginations to share something exciting that might happen on their trip, but to include real facts about the places they hope to visit.

·        Finish story by sharing how it feels to be home after this amazing trip.

Happy travels and happy writing!

         

www.alisonashleyformento.com

SNOW GLOBES AND GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS

by Jacqueline Jules

I remember the first time I was introduced to graphic organizers. It was a professional development day early in my teaching career, probably twenty years ago. The presenter in the workshop was so excited to share them. He gushed on about their usefulness in the classroom as if they were the best thing since sliced bread. I yawned. Freshly baked whole loaves are my preference and I have never personally used a graphic organizer. That doesn’t mean I forgo pre-writing. My writing always flows better after scribbling down some rough ideas before beginning a story or a poem. It’s the graphic organization of those ideas that made me uncomfortable. My brain doesn’t seem respond to connecting circles and boxes.

So I never used it in my own teaching, figuring my students couldn’t possibly be motivated by something that didn’t work for me personally. What an arrogant mistake!

Recently, two second grade teachers at the school where I work showed me the power of pre-writing with graphic organizers. They found a delightful lesson on Deanna Jump’s teaching blog about snowglobes. Each child not only created a snowglobe for the bulletin board, he or she wrote a story about what it would be like to live in a snowglobe.

When I read these second grade stories, I was blown away by the details the children included. They imagined the sensation of having their homes shaken up. They described snowflakes flickering down. Some imagined ways to break out of the snow globe to return to the real world. Others wrote about an idyllic life of sledding and hot cocoa. The stories were detailed and filled with sensory images.

“How did you do this?” I asked my two colleagues. “How did you get your second graders to write such descriptive and imaginative stories?”

The answer was pre-writing with graphic organizers. Before beginning their stories, the class discussed snow globes at length and the children were asked to fill out two sheets.

One sheet asked the students to fill in ideas of what it might be like to live in a snowglobe using an organizer from Valerie Noles' blog.

Another sheet asked the students to complete sentences. If I Lived in a Snow Globe, I would see…., I would hear …. , I would smell…, I would feel… from the First Grade Blue Skies blog  

This humbling experience not only convinced me that graphic organizers are useful teaching tools for pre-writing, it reminded me of all the wonderful resources teachers generously share on the internet. I am a little embarrassed I didn’t embrace organizers before, but sometimes, even the best of us, overlook good teaching practices.  

www.jacquelinejules.com

MINI DIARIES FOR WRITING AND RESEARCH

by Mary Amato

Keeping a mini diary is a fun way to encourage both writing and research. Share Cronin and Bliss’s funny picture books, Diary of a Worm, Diary of a Spider, and Diary of a Fly. First read for enjoyment. Then read it again and ask students to identify what facts they are learning about the animal. Next, invite students to create their own Diary of a…. Here’s how:

1.     Have students choose an animal that they really love.

2.     Take students to the library and let them find books about their animals and/or do web research.

3.     Ask students to create a fact sheet on the animal for reference.

4.     Make a simple blank book by taking four sheets of paper, folding them in half and stapling at the fold with a long-arm stapler.

5.     Invite students to pretend to be the animal and write one diary entry. Students can add illustrations and keep adding entries each day for a week.

At the end of the week, share your diaries.

www.maryamato.com

Creating Stairs: The Importance of Paragraphs

by Jacqueline Jules

Like most teachers, I want to inspire creativity and place more importance on content than mechanics. But it is not always easy to decipher a student’s long block of text unbroken by paragraphs. Here are some quick tips for helping elementary school students make their writing easier on the reader’s eyes.

1.     Show your class a screen of unbroken text. A good place to find an example is a student online encyclopedia. You can copy and paste a short article on a gecko or other unusual animal that is typically broken up into the three categories of what the animal looks like, how it eats, and how it reproduces.  Remove the paragraph breaks and see what students say about reading the block of text on the screen. Most students will readily identify the absence of paragraph breaks as the reason why the article is hard to read. You can then show the paragraph breaks and discuss how each paragraph explains a specific aspect of the animal.

2.     Discuss ways text can be broken up into paragraphs a) Spatial Order—what something looks like. b) Chronological Order – the order in which something happened. c) Logical Order—a statement followed by supporting details. Examples of these kind of paragraphs can also be easily found in student online encyclopedias, some from the same short article on an animal.

3.     If you use graphic organizers as a pre-writing exercise, encourage students to create paragraphs with the same groups they used to graphically put down their ideas.

Lack of paragraphs can be just as much a problem in fiction writing as nonfiction writing. Remind students of the following.

1.     Quotation marks shouldn’t touch. If a new person speaks, start a new paragraph.

2.     Traveling. If your character goes to a different room, place, or time of day, that is a good place to start a new paragraph.

3.     Break in the action: If a battle or other dramatic scene ends, start a new paragraph. 

Finally, ask your students to eyeball their writing. Does it look like a dingy block of concrete or a set of stairs? Creating manageable steps makes it a lot easier for your reader to climb into your story and reach new heights.

www.jacquelinejules.com

WISH POEMS

by Mary Amato

I'll piggyback on Joan Waites' Snowy Day post and share a holiday season idea that I adapted from poet/teacher Kenneth Koch. Wish Poems. First gather up the kids and have a chat about wishes. What is a wish? Have you ever had a wish come true? Does a wish have to come true for it to be meaningful? What are you wishing for right now? What do you think your grandmother (or your goldfish or that old man who lives on the corner) is wishing for?

After brainstorming for a while about wishes, write two wish poems...one silly and one serious. I really believe in the importance of letting kids express both types of sentiments. The wish poems can be illustrated and/or shared aloud.

Finally create a special box for secret wish poems and explain that anyone can write a secret wish poem and that the author should NOT sign his or her name. Kids can put a secret wish poem in the box anytime. Secrets generate a lot of interest and even your reluctant writers will want to do this. After about a week or two, on a specified day, share the secret wish poems aloud, not revealing the authors. I guarantee that your students will love this activity.

 Make sure to check out Koch's wonderful book, Wishes, Lies, and Dreams: Teaching Children to Write Poetry.

www.maryamato.com

TIPS FOR USING TECHNOLOGY

by Jacqueline Jules

          Recently, I visited a third grade classroom, at the request of his teacher, for an individualized writing conference. Cameron (fictitious name) and I sat down in a quiet corner of the room with a laptop.

          “Can you log in to the computer for me?” I asked him.

          Cameron’s face went blank.

          “Do you know your login?”

          “I think so.”

          My school, like many, gives each child his or her own login, so everything created is stored on personal server space. This works fine as long as the child remembers how to access his or her information or there is a teacher available who does. Unfortunately for us, there was a substitute in the classroom that day. Without his login, Cameron couldn’t even open up a word processing system. We ended up logging in under my name and starting a new story that day, which I stored on his grade level server space. I showed him where it was on the S drive.

          “Do you think you can find this tomorrow to continue your story?”

          “I think so,” Cameron answered tentatively.

          On several occasions, I have seen students spend more time unloading and loading the laptops from a mobile cart than actually writing. Not only does it take time to remove the computers from the cart, it takes time to get the computers functioning. Elementary students make typing mistakes, creating a need to attempt login more than once. And a networked computer can take several minutes to boot, not to mention shut down. Precious little time is already allotted to writing workshop. Should it be spent logging on and booting up? And what about the need to share the mobile cart between classrooms? The demand is high and teachers must adhere to a rigid schedule so everyone gets a turn. Just when your students are settled in and feeling their words flow may be the moment when computers must be shutdown and put back in the cart for the next class to use.

          Writing time should be devoted to trying to make a story work, not a computer. Efficient use of technology is essential. Here are a few suggestions:

·       Teachers lucky enough to have classroom workstations should assign a classroom helper to boot up and log in the computers first thing every morning. Classroom computers should always be ready to go when a student has a piece ready to type.

·       Teach students to save their work on a shared drive. This means that students don’t have to log in individually to access their work. This also allows teachers to review work in progress and write conference notes to students. It is often difficult to reach all students in person who want to conference each week. Give yourself another option for the student you didn’t have time to meet with in class.

·       Backup work on individual flash drives. If students can’t purchase their own flash drives, petition the PTA to purchase them. When each student has a flashdrive, work cannot only be backed up, it can be taken home to finish.

·       Allow students to finish typing pieces at home. Thirty minute writing workshops do not provide adequate time for a mini-lesson, composing time, and typing time. Students need to learn how to compose a story on a computer. This requires the ability to type. Typing is a skill that takes hours of practice. We don’t have hours at school, particularly on the elementary level, for any activity. Allowing students to type at home gives them the practice they desperately need in an unrushed environment without the distraction of friends.  Many teachers are reluctant to allow students to work at home because they are afraid the product will have too much parental involvement. While I will accept that this is a real concern in some households, it is not the case in most. Schools do not have to be like the airports which require us all to suffer through security hassles for a terrorist minority. Just because a few parents will take over student writing projects doesn’t mean that all children should be robbed of the opportunity to practice writing at home. Besides, parental help can be helpful. My mother taught me to punctuate. She insisted I correct my papers before I turned them in. After seeing numerous students in grades 3-5 pass in stories absent of any punctuation at all, I sometimes wish more parents were like my mother. Teachers don’t have time to do everything. And we must acknowledge, as Alison Hart so aptly discussed in her introductory Pencil Tips blog, writing is complicated. It takes the acquisition of many skills. We need to give our students the opportunity to practice writing skills at school and at home.

 http://www.jacquelinejules.com/