Sophie and Sadie's Scholarly Site

I love reading, and of course, I love my dogs. I have known some kind, patient old souls who are of the four-legged variety, but the first and best example would be  our  beloved old Max,  my Daddy’s German Shorthaired Pointer, who let so many little children ride him, rough-house, and play with him. When Max was being “loved on,” his  big brown eyes would shine so brightly and that little nub of a tail would wag like it was on by a motor.  He was the most patient, sweet-natured, and kind dog  I’ve ever seen -hands down.

I thought of our old Max when I saw that  therapy dogs were being used to help kids read. I can see Max doing something like this. Max would have been a natural!

Here are several ways that dogs are being used in libraries across the country to help children in learning to read beginning with a story from ABC News.

Therapy dogs are used in the READ program in Salt Lake City.

And in New York, both the dogs and the kids in this library share something in common: They both live in shelters.

You can read more about a similar program using dogs to promote literacy at TALES FOR PAWS.

And here are some great books to read aloud to your own dog. I am sure our old Max would approve.

Get a tissue for this one by one of my favorite authors, Cynthia Rylant.

I just finished reading another chapter of Igniting A Passion for Reading by Steve Layne which prompted me to think about a part of reading that seems to be ignored often by  both schools and parents. By the time kids get into the intermediate grades ( grades 3-5)  and surely by middle school- the practice of a well-delivered read loud is  sadly very often gone. But this chapter also put me in mind of a heart-warming story that inspired and touched  me that was recently in the news:

Meet Alice Ozma!







Here is Alice’s website: Make A Reading Promise
http://www.makeareadingpromise.com/
And the CBS story featuring Alice’s  awesome dad, Jim Brozina…

Some people are not  as comfortable reading aloud as Jim Brozina. Parents often don’t feel they can read well to their own children, and likewise,  there are  many teachers  who often don’t feel that they do a good job reading aloud to their students. This is in evidence from a quote from author Mem Fox:
First of all, a good starting place then is to check out Mem Fox's Ten Read Aloud Commandments for the “how to” of delivering a good read aloud experience.




Second, there are so many great examples of read alouds online. Storyline has Screen Actor Guild members reading aloud like James Earl Jones, Melissa Gilbert, and Betty White although I will remind you: You don’t have to be a professional to do a great job!


http://www.storylineonline.net/
Finally, I would advise parents and teachers alike to HAVE FUN with your read alouds. When I read aloud to my  class, I am like a Shakespearean actor on the London stage. I am a little bit of a “Ms. Pricklepants” ( with a nod to my inspiration in Toy Story 3). I change my voices, act a little, and ham it up to send it over the top sometimes. Just enjoy yourself!


Thanks for reading my blog, and “Happy Reading” to you!

 

“I thought of you.”

I read those words two nights ago in Steve Layne’s Igniting A Passion for Reading, and that just sealed the deal that I am a fan of this man and his beliefs. The chapter that I just finished was “Coaches Know Their Players,” and that title alone should have suggested to me that this guy knows what he’s talking about when it comes to teaching and how students best learn. Being raised by a coach, I know very well that for someone to succeed, you must know your players strengths and weaknesses. You have to watch carefully, study, and make notes not only of what was well-executed but what failed. The best of coaches  help  their players succeed in LIFE, and those words “I thought of you” conveys that feeling in four little words.

Teaching has to be a reflective process if we are going to succeed with those hard to reach students.

Another thing that impressed me is what Layne said about setting goals: The best goals are  the ones we set for ourselves. I think of teachers I know who are successful, and that is their attitude. They do not wait for someone to set a goal for them, they set goals for themselves.They have a personal best that they reach for and achieve, and  that winning attitude reaches their students who in turn are successful.

I am at the halfway point of my summer, and it’s getting time to set some goals for myself for this upcoming school year and to think about how I will meet the needs of the students who will join me this year. I challenge you if you teach to do the same.

Powerful words…

http://www.stevelayne.com/

 

 

http://www.stenhouse.com/shop/pc/viewprd.asp?idProduct=9180&r=eu10010

Childhood Favorites:

• Katie and The Sad Noise
• The Little Brute Family
• The Frances Books by Russell and Lillian Hoban
• Charlotte’s Web
• Where The Red Fern Grows
• All of A Kind Family

 

Classroom Favorites:

• Hank The Cowdog
• Bunnicula
• Charlie and The Chocolate factory
• A Year Down Yonder
• A Long Way from Chicago
• The Teacher’s Funeral
• Frindle
• The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
• Sarah Plain and Tall
• Other favorite authors: Patricia McKissack, Eve Bunting, Cynthia Rylant, Patricia Polacco, Patricia MacLachlan, Lester Laminack, Chris Van Allsburg

Professional Favorites:

The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller

anything by Kelly Gallagher

anything by Rick Wormeli

Wonderous Words, Katie Wood Ray

Strategies That Work 

anything by Pam Allyn

Reading with Meaning  and Teaching with Intention  Debbie Miller 

Igniting a Passion for Reading, Steven Layne

Mosaic of Thought 

anything by Lucy Calkins

Nonfiction Matters, Stephanie Harvey and Ann Goudvis

Interactive Think-Alouds, Lori Ozkus

Reciprocal Teaching at Work, Lori D. Oczkus

Launching the Writing Workshop: A Step-by-Step Guide in Photographs, Denise Leograndis

First Days of School, Harry Wong

Rafe Esquith — Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire and There Are No Shortcuts -

Subjects Matter: Every Teacher's Guide to Content-Area Reading Harvey Daniels and Steven Zemelman —

anything by Laura Robb

Guilty Pleasures:

• Gone With The Wind
• Cold Sassy Tree
• Cold Mountain
• anything by Fannie Flagg
• anything by Anne Tyler
• anything by Lee Smith
• anything by Adriana Trgiani
• anything by Sharyn mcCrumb
• The Sookie StackhouseSeries
• anything  by Phillipa Gregory
• British history books
• Cookbooks
• A Dog’s Purpose

Anything I can get for $o.99 or free on my KINDLE!

Sophie and Sadie have an idea  to keep kids reading this summer.
Summer Reading from Sophie and Sadie

Here is Sophie's choice:) to start the summer.

I love books! I love reading! I LOVE HISTORY!

Unfortunately, those three things didn’t often go together when I was a kid growing up in the 1970’s. There   were some dry, boring history books back in the day, but I was fortunate to have a mother who was an avid reader and a librarian who always choose the BEST books for me and made me a lifelong learner.

With July 4 almost here, I thought I would share some of my favorite children’s literature both old and new on the topic of INDEPENDENCE DAY!


My first choice: Joy Hakim’s History of US ( series)



Why: Joy Hakim’s series are the backbone of my US History read alouds. She engages the reader with details of how things look, smell, and sound as we travel back in time. The series is  an excellent choice for visualizing history, and her writing style is filled with snippets of first-person accounts and documents. I also like the fact that she doesn’t present historical figures as being perfect and  “god-like”. We read about their flaws and failures, and I think this better paints a picture of what leaders are while it also encourages kids to see that sometimes despite setbacks, you can  still succeed.




An Old Favorite: Jean Fritz



Why: Jean Fritz is an old favorite of mine and still is at the top of my list. I read her books growing up. Joy Hakim ( above) actually uses Fritz’s work as a reference often. Fritz makes the characters sometimes quirky and always memorable. My students again see how historical figures are not perfect human beings but have both good and bad qualities. For instance: John Hancock made a horrible soldier and complained about the conditions and went  back home which sparked a discussion on why some folks should or shouldn’t be leaders. I use this set of books to do a fact and opinion activity because in fourth grade, we begin to introduce the idea of bias. These books are excellent to start discussions on whether or not Fritz has reported straight facts or offered her opinions as she writes her biographies so the books are also good for studying the author's craft.



The Liberty Tree



Why: This book has been published under several titles. It is still one of my favorite books because the language is easy to understand and concise but the illustrations and captions add interest. I find that the students read this one on their own, also. I find in our discussions that this is one that they quote from.




If You Lived….


Most of the books in this entire series have a home in my classroom. They are easy to read independently in the intermediate and upper grades ( 3rd-5th), and they have a question and answer format that breaks the text into smaller bits.  I use these books to show the strategy of asking and answering questions. The only flaw I find in the entire set is that I wish there was an index. Instead students must skim and scan the table of contents to locate information that is specific, and for kids, that is time-consuming and often frustrating. Despite that, I would still say the texts are worth reading.


Another favorite of my students by Lane Smith:



Why: I have to say it’s the quirky, cartoon characters that get the kids hooked on this one. I often find this one hidden in a kid's desk!

Something New: I found this one as I was looking over my collection, and it looks from the preview like it would be a good read aloud. I am always looking for read alouds in social studies especially something in the picture book category. It may be a new addition to my bookshelf.


One OLDIE and Another Newbie:
One of the people who is a part of both our American Revolution and Constitution units is Thomas Jefferson. I have several of the Marvin Barrett books which are extremely easy to read for fourth graders, and they seem to get kids hooked on reading biographies. It must work: this series has been around for a while.
In my search, I also found a book by Cheryl Harness. I have several of her books ( like the one on Daniel Boone), and while it’s not filled with colorful pictures, the information is outstanding for a history nut: sketches with labels, maps, and also a timeline of what else was going on as far as world history during the spot-lighted person’s life. Her writing style is also  enjoyable to read and conversational- almost like you are being taught firsthand.





These are just a few to get your kids and students thinking and reading INDEPENDENTLY for the July 4!

I told myself that I needed to take it easy on the professional books this summer ( after all I  still have to buy groceries, pet food and keep that AC hummin’ hear in good ole SC) so I’ve indulged my thirst for professional knowledge by mostly following several blogs.

HOWEVER, because I do feel like I need to feed my mind in many different ways,  I decided I would allow myself one or two professional books during my summer vacation, and with only a few days left of June, I made one  of  my first choices:

"I believe that classroom environments are most effective when they are literate and purposeful, organized and accessible, and most of all, authentic."

Debbie Miller,
Teaching With Intention

from http://www.literacy-builders.com/free-resources/quotes-we-love

If you are not familiar with Debbie Miller and her work with reading comprehension, you may want to view these videos to get a better idea of the authentic, literate, and purposeful classroom environments that she is speaking of.
These were a few videos of her teaching style in action on You Tube which were posted by Stenhouse Publishers:







As you think about what you want  to go on inside your classroom, you may want to check  out Reading With Meaning which is definitely one of my  teaching “anchor texts” for teaching reading comprehension. My  hard copy is now about ten years old, and I have a backup copy on my Kindle.



TEACHING INTENTIONALLY: Why Do We Do What We Do?

If  your interest is piqued, you may preview several chapters of Teaching With Intention at the Stenhouse site like I did:

http://www.stenhouse.com/html/millerpreview.htm?r=n144


In reading reviews of this book on Amazon, one or two reviewers said the book was “ a good summer read.” That  kinda sounds like “fluff”  to me, but after reading the first few pages, I understood what the reviewers intended: Summer is a good time to reflect on our classrooms not just the decorations and furniture arrangements, but our reflections should focus on what goes on inside those classroom walls. Everything we do, think, say, and believe as teachers should be reflected in our classroom: the  arrangement, the overall environment, our lessons, our words- all create an atmosphere of who were are as teachers and what we believe in.

This idea spoke to me so strongly because it reminded me of the words that were spoken about what was important  to my family as evidenced in my home.

Gary Smallen , an assistant football coach at Coastal University in Conway, SC, has for all intents and purposes been a big brother to me. He was a player for my father Don at  Dentsville High School in the 1960’s. The two remained lifelong  friends, mentor and student, player and coach, father and son until my Daddy passed away in 2005.I asked Gary to speak about my mother Iris when she passed away in March 2010.

Gary began his eulogy speaking about how you can tell a lot about people just by going into their homes. He said he had spoken with his son ( and my father’s god-son Jason,  and the two men came to the conclusion that  when a visitor  comes into your home, it is almost like a profiler gathering evidence and information. And so a speech was born! 
Gary said that anyone could tell a lot about my mother and me by the home I created that we shared for the past several years. ( I moved three years ago to  the small town where I have now taught for almost 20 years, and bought my dream house- a nearly 100 year old farm house). Gary spoke of the  old family photographs, the old sports memorabilia, the Biblical quotes, the  old handmade   objects like quilts and churns, the many books in almost every room, and how each object included and displayed in this home was something precious that held a story and was of some importance. But these objects in my home also reflected what my family held dear: our love of family and our past, our love of sports, our strong faith, and our love of knowledge. I cherished the words he spoke that day because now as I look around my home, I remember that each and every place I look- I see and feel LOVE.

When I read Debbie Miller’s first chapters, I felt like her words were speaking to in the same way that Gqry’s words did that day. They were powerful, strong, and thought-provoking. That’s what I want my kids to feel when they look around my room this year. My plans for this year must be done intentionally.

Some of the challenges and questions I had  on my mind were:

• What do people see when  they come into my room?
• Is what I value about learning evident?
• Does what I have displayed reflect my own beliefs about learning?

Thinking about the answers to these questions is empowering and  can also somewhat sobering.

So as I am preparing for my new school year, I need to be careful, selective, and thoughtful  not only in how the room looks ( and Lord knows, we teachers LOVE to plan  and decorate our rooms) but what goes on when my class arrives MUST BE DONE WITH INTENTION.

As I am picturing my room filled with children, I have to think “How am I going to get them to that place that is my ideal, my dream classroom?”

These questions have given me what I need to start.

Yesterday I finished the book Learn Me Good by John Pearson. This  humorous book was about an engineer who takes a job as a third grade math teacher in a school with high poverty and mobility ( meaning that the kids move  a lot, not as in “upward mobility” AKA “rich” kids). I laughed out loud, many , many times and thought of some of my students ( everybody has had a Marvin), but I guess I kept waiting for that moment where there would be another side of this teacher realized- a profound moment of awakening in the midst of the humor and day-to-day account, but it never happened.
So when I finished I thought “Well, it was  no “The Water is Wide” (  by Pat Conroy)!”

It made me think of books and stories that inspired and encouraged me as a teacher.

When I first started teaching  a long time ago in a town even smaller than where I am  right now, one of my  fellow teacher friends  ( or as we were called  by a veteran teacher,  one of my fellow “baby teachers”)  said  she was telling some stories of the children we taught and their conditions and our struggles and woes as teachers. She related her tales  to one of her high school teachers, and he said “You need to read a book written by one of my classmates.” How funny. Her teacher was a Citadel grad, and that classmate and friend was Pat Conroy.
First, let me tell you that Pat Conroy has written many good books, but unfortunately for many of  you, those books  became movies so you’ve never actually READ one of his many books. Sorry, seeing the movies here doesn’t count. You need to read A Prince of Tides, and trust me, no disrespect to Ms. Barbra Streisand, but the book is even more moving and emotional than what was portrayed on-screen.
The Water Is Wide has a classic ( OLD) version starring a young Jon Voight ( you know Angelina Jolie’s dad for you younger folks). A very good movie, but still…

Conroy wrote the book based on an old folk song. Here’s a version by James Taylor (*sigh*):



“The water is wide, I can't cross o'er
And neither have I wings to fly
Give me a boat that can carry two
And both shall row, my love and I”

( lyrics from lyricsfreak.com)

The teacher in the story ( Conroy) tries his very best to give his students  “wings to fly” despite the poverty, racism, and ignorance of  both the island dwellers and the outsiders.

I  also came up with a list of books that involved teachers as characters or teachers as authors. The book Among Schoolchildren  is by an observer in a classroom rather than a teacher,  and  so it is interesting just because it gives a different point of view of the daily lives of a class and its teacher that was followed for a year. Other books about teaching that are noteworthy are linked below.




My final category is my own “I’ve seen the movie, but I’ve never read the book.”  I loved the movie Freedom Writers, and here is the book the movie is based on.

Finally, I am adding something I came across yesterday as I was looking over my Daddy’s Wake Forest Alumni Magazine. What an incredible story about a teacher ( yes, GOOD COACHES ARE GREAT TEACHERS) whose selflessness is inspiring. Read  “The Gift” here:

http://magazine.wfu.edu/2011/06/03/the-gift/

Technorati Tags: Pat Conroy, Marva Collins, Wake Forest University, " The Water is Wide", teaching

I discovered this little gem in the Kindle Summer sale in the $0.99 to $2.99 price range. There are so many Kindle books that are free that I have become quite stingy when it comes to paying for a book, but I read the reviews, and BUY WITH 1-CLICK, and it was downloaded immediately to my collection.
I only started reading Learn Me Good yesterday. If you are expecting  a Ron Clark-type story, then you are in for a surprise. Here’s a quick synopsis: A down and out engineer ( a Duke grad) goes back to school after becoming laid-off and becomes an elementary teacher. The story is told through a series of emails from the engineer back to a friend at his former job.
Sad thing is it’s true, and if you’re a wise person you can figure out for yourself that  most engineers ( God love ‘em) and little kids don’t generally mix.
Admittedly I went into reading this book with a shield up: I am not going to laugh because he is probably going to make fun of teachers, and as far as teaching goes, he’s an outsider.

That’s exactly why  LEARN ME GOOD by John Pearson is so good. A “fish out of water story” it is, but he is not laughing at us because he is one of us. John Pearson became  a teacher.

I have only read roughly about a third ( it’s on my Kindle so I’m at about 30%), but I had to put it down because I was wiping tears from my eyes.  It was that funny, and I was laughing that hard.
All I can say is if you have taught school you’ve met the kids in Mr. Person’s class, and if you say you haven’t as they kids say “you lie!”