I returned from three wonderful days at the NCTE Annual Convention in Boston late last night. I learned from authors, poets, classroom teachers, literacy coaches, PhD students, university professors, and other literacy leaders. Here's a sampling of some the things I gleaned at this year's convention.
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By: Stacey Shubitz,
on 11/25/2013
Blog: TWO WRITING TEACHERS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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By: Stacey Shubitz,
on 10/21/2013
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By: Anna Gratz Cockerille,
on 10/20/2013
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By: Anna Gratz Cockerille,
on 10/20/2013
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By: Franki,
on 8/21/2012
Blog: A Year of Reading (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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As I mentioned in a previous post, NCTE's Annual Convention marks the end of fall for me. I love the start of a new school year--August, September, October. I love getting to know new students and families. I love the weather (not too hot, not too cold), and I am usually fairly organized after summer vacation. Then when it's time for NCTE's annual convention, I am ready for new learning. I am ready to think hard about instruction with this particular group of children in mind. I am excited to pick up new books that this group of students will love. I am ready to reenergize and focus for the remainder of the school year. Absolute perfect timing for me.
So, I tend to get excited about the convention a little earlier than most. I spent some time this weekend really looking at the newest Council Chronicle with the Annual Convention Preview. I also spent a little bit of time online looking at the searchable program. Here are some things I am excited about already:
*There will be an App for the convention program this year. How convenient! A good reason to purchase the iPad mini or the iPhone5 if they becomes reality before convention, don't you think?
*So many of my newest heroes will be there. I am excited about all of the experts around 21st Century Learning such as Sir Ken Robinson (Friday morning General Session) and Will Richardson. I was able to hear Will Richardson for the first time this summer and learned so much. And I've never had the opportunity to hear Sir Ken Robinson speak in person.
*Presenting with Sara Kajder, Teri Lesesne and Donalyn Miller will definitely be a highlight. These girls are brilliant and I always learn so much from them. And they are fun. What better combination is there?
*I will be doing one IGNITE presentation as part of a panel. I am excited about the challenge it will be to create my first real IGNITE presentation for an audience. Harder than it looks, I imagine! And I love the IGNITE sessions. I am especially excited to attend the one on
BUILDING PROFESSIONAL LEARNING NETWORKS--to hear so many smart people in one session sounds too good to be true!
*There are so many great authors at convention this year. A few that I am especially excited about are
Jon Szieszka, Lemony Snicket, David Shannon, and Sherman Alexie!
*The exhibit hall is always great fun. There are lots of great new professional books out around convention time. Kylene Beers' and Bob Probst's new Notice and Note: Strategies for Close Reading
is one I can't WAIT to read. These two are brilliant! And I've heard Penny Kittle share a bit about her upcoming book, Book Love: Developing Depth, Stamina, and Passion in Adolescent Readers
, and can't wait to read it!
*I loved Ralph Fletcher's Guy-Write: What Every Guy Writer Needs to Know
and a looking forward to his session (with Chris Crutcher) on the topic.
*The Day on Early Childhood is always a great day for elementary teachers. I was thrilled to see Vivian Vasquez as the Closing Keynote for that day--LITERACY PRACTICES IN VIRTUAL WORLDS. I purchased her book, Technology and Critical Literacy in Early Childhood
, the day it came out but haven't had time to dig in yet. Such an important topic!
*There is a session on THE NERDY BOOK CLUB and a few on NOTABLE CHILDREN'S BOOKS. COMMON CORE and MATH LITERACY are other topics I saw when flipping through the preview.
*Many friends and colleagues are participating in sessions that will be great learning for me.
*Katherine and I plan to run on the strip in Vegas. A little healthy exercise before the day begins. Maybe we'll all wear our Nerdy Book Club running attire?
*The exhibits already look like such fun. I am thinking that I should definitely have an empty suitcase for new books for the classroom this year!
*And of course, my favorite part of convention, is always learning informally with others attending the conference. Seeing old friends and meeting new ones--around the topic of literacy education--is always so energizing.
I am sure I won't get to see everything I've listed here and I am certain that I missed lots on my first look through the program. It is never easy to fit in every great learning opportunity at convention. But the possibilities are endless. And this year's conference looks amazing!
By the way, the official hashtag for the NCTE Annual Convention this year is #NCTE12
Let the Tweets begin!
By: Debbie Reese,
on 1/30/2012
Blog: American Indians in Children's Literature (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Mexican American Studies, NCTE, IRA, NCSS, Add a tag
At 8:00 AM, Mountain Standard Time, teachers who taught in the Mexican American Studies Department held a press conference where they read aloud the statement below. It is signed by national educational associations such as the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and the International Reading Association (IRA):
By: Heidi Mordhorst,
on 12/9/2011
Blog: my juicy little universe (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: art, NCTE, children's writing, Eric Carle, Douglas Florian, Leo Lionni, 5-year-olds, Add a tag
At NCTE I found myself laughing at myself, because with 700 sessions to choose from, I managed to attend a session that I had already attended last year! Not so surprising--the concept of "Picturing Writing: Fostering Literacy through Art" is right up my personal alley, and the collage-based approach called "Image-Making Within the Writing Process" is my back door. Thanks to Beth Olshansky and her teacher colleagues for leading me home (two years in a row).
So, in our new 2.0 Elementary Integrated Curriculum we are supposed, as winter sets in, to be studying plant and animal life cycles, planting seeds and learning about baby animals. (Never mind that all around us dying, darkening, sleeping.) To tie it all together and to lead us into a poetry project, I chose Leo Lionni's Frederick and Eric Carle's The Tiny Seed, which we have been comparing and contrasting, enacting and evaluating: which parts of this story could really happen? do Frederick and his family do what real mice do?
Meanwhile, each child used watercolors to paint 3-6 papers for collage, in the manner of both Carle and Lionni. As the class worked to see what animals, plants and weather their unpredictable painted papers suggested, I learned quite a lot that will help me support the project next time! (Note to self: 20 collaging kindergarteners at once is too many.) Still, their collages are very pleasing, often striking, and most importantly, quite individual.
This week we're placing our collages in front of us and writing poems. While a couple of the 5-year-olds are able to write their compositions on their own, for most I'm scribing with strategically placed blanks for them to spell juicy words like fish, rain, float and lion. I cannot wait to share the whole collection with you, but for now I have only two to hand. Jordan cut 4 shapes from a pinkish-purple paper, arranged them as a fish on a stripy bluish sea paper, and then painstakingly cut and glued maroon and ochre spots from another paper to create a bubbly surface. Here is his poem.
Mighty Minnow
by Jordan
mighty minnow swimming fast
in a deep, deep sea
pinkish-purple spots and dots
do you see any more colors
or anything else on me?
Ezekial is my youngest nearly 6-year-old and My Project for the year. We worked very closely to make the lion he imagined out of a deep muddyish turquoise paper. Here is the poem we negotiated.
Lion
by Ezekial
the blue dad lion
is walking to his wife
the playground is their house
they eat leaves and grass
they climb up the ladders
and they jump!
Extra poet's note: My plan, of course, was to model the collage-to-poem move using my own giraffe-under-sunset collage...but as my colleagues often say, "Kindergarten happened," and I found myself sitting down to write with children without ever having modeled. Guess what? For this class anyway, it has not mattered. Perhaps the other poetry we've been reading (most recently Frederick's "Sky Mice" poem and Douglas Florian's Beast Feast) and all the singing we've done has been enough. Their words sing, too!
By: Stacey,
on 11/29/2011
Blog: TWO WRITING TEACHERS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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By: Stacey,
on 11/27/2011
Blog: TWO WRITING TEACHERS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: reading, technology, NCTE, Web 2.0, apps, reluctant writers, digital writing, Add a tag
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By: Cheryl Rainfield,
on 11/22/2011
Blog: Cheryl Rainfield: Avid Reader, Teen Fiction Writer, and Book-a-holic. Focus on Children & Teen Books (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Cheryl Rainfield, author presentation, challenged books, SCARS, Jackie Morse Kessler, A. S. King, C. J. Bott, Paul Yee, banned books, ALAN, NCTE, Laurie Halse Anderson, Lauren Myracle, Heather Brewer, Add a tag
By: Stacey,
on 11/22/2011
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By: Stacey,
on 11/21/2011
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By: Stacey,
on 11/17/2011
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By: Sylvia Vardell,
on 11/16/2011
Blog: Poetry for Children (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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By: Molly,
on 11/15/2011
Blog: the pageturn (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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By: Ruth,
on 11/2/2011
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By: Stacey,
on 9/22/2011
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By: Ruth,
on 2/9/2011
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By: Heidi Mordhorst,
on 12/10/2010
Blog: my juicy little universe (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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By: Ruth,
on 12/6/2010
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By: Elaine Magliaro,
on 12/3/2010
Blog: Wild Rose Reader (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Messing Around on the Monkey Bars and Other School Poems in Two Voices
Written by Betsy Franco
Illustrated by Jessie Hartland
The Tree That Time Built: A Celebration of Nature, Science, and Imagination
Selected by Mary Ann Hoberman and Linda Winston
12 Comments on 2009 NCTE Notable Poetry Books for Children, last added: 12/5/2010
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By: Laura Purdie Salas,
on 11/29/2010
Blog: laurasalas (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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By: Heidi Mordhorst,
on 11/26/2010
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By: Stacey Shubitz,
on 11/25/2013
Blog: TWO WRITING TEACHERS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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By: Stacey Shubitz,
on 10/21/2013
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WRITE your slice. SHARE your link. GIVE some comments to (at least three) other slicers. If you’re leaving your comment early in the day, please consider returning this evening or tomorrow to read… Read More 
By: Anna Gratz Cockerille,
on 10/20/2013
Blog: TWO WRITING TEACHERS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Happy National Day on Writing! One way to celebrate this day is to take a moment to reflect on your bottom line beliefs about quality writing instruction. 
By: Anna Gratz Cockerille,
on 10/20/2013
Blog: TWO WRITING TEACHERS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Happy National Day on Writing! One way to celebrate this day is to take a moment to reflect on your bottom line beliefs about quality writing instruction. 
By: Franki,
on 8/21/2012
Blog: A Year of Reading (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: NCTE 2012, NCTE, Add a tag
As I mentioned in a previous post, NCTE's Annual Convention marks the end of fall for me. I love the start of a new school year--August, September, October. I love getting to know new students and families. I love the weather (not too hot, not too cold), and I am usually fairly organized after summer vacation. Then when it's time for NCTE's annual convention, I am ready for new learning. I am ready to think hard about instruction with this particular group of children in mind. I am excited to pick up new books that this group of students will love. I am ready to reenergize and focus for the remainder of the school year. Absolute perfect timing for me.
So, I tend to get excited about the convention a little earlier than most. I spent some time this weekend really looking at the newest Council Chronicle with the Annual Convention Preview. I also spent a little bit of time online looking at the searchable program. Here are some things I am excited about already:
*There will be an App for the convention program this year. How convenient! A good reason to purchase the iPad mini or the iPhone5 if they becomes reality before convention, don't you think?
*So many of my newest heroes will be there. I am excited about all of the experts around 21st Century Learning such as Sir Ken Robinson (Friday morning General Session) and Will Richardson. I was able to hear Will Richardson for the first time this summer and learned so much. And I've never had the opportunity to hear Sir Ken Robinson speak in person.
*Presenting with Sara Kajder, Teri Lesesne and Donalyn Miller will definitely be a highlight. These girls are brilliant and I always learn so much from them. And they are fun. What better combination is there?
*I will be doing one IGNITE presentation as part of a panel. I am excited about the challenge it will be to create my first real IGNITE presentation for an audience. Harder than it looks, I imagine! And I love the IGNITE sessions. I am especially excited to attend the one on
BUILDING PROFESSIONAL LEARNING NETWORKS--to hear so many smart people in one session sounds too good to be true!
*There are so many great authors at convention this year. A few that I am especially excited about are
Jon Szieszka, Lemony Snicket, David Shannon, and Sherman Alexie!
*The exhibit hall is always great fun. There are lots of great new professional books out around convention time. Kylene Beers' and Bob Probst's new Notice and Note: Strategies for Close Reading
is one I can't WAIT to read. These two are brilliant! And I've heard Penny Kittle share a bit about her upcoming book, Book Love: Developing Depth, Stamina, and Passion in Adolescent Readers, and can't wait to read it!*I loved Ralph Fletcher's Guy-Write: What Every Guy Writer Needs to Know
and a looking forward to his session (with Chris Crutcher) on the topic. *The Day on Early Childhood is always a great day for elementary teachers. I was thrilled to see Vivian Vasquez as the Closing Keynote for that day--LITERACY PRACTICES IN VIRTUAL WORLDS. I purchased her book, Technology and Critical Literacy in Early Childhood
, the day it came out but haven't had time to dig in yet. Such an important topic!*There is a session on THE NERDY BOOK CLUB and a few on NOTABLE CHILDREN'S BOOKS. COMMON CORE and MATH LITERACY are other topics I saw when flipping through the preview.
*Katherine and I plan to run on the strip in Vegas. A little healthy exercise before the day begins. Maybe we'll all wear our Nerdy Book Club running attire?
*The exhibits already look like such fun. I am thinking that I should definitely have an empty suitcase for new books for the classroom this year!
*And of course, my favorite part of convention, is always learning informally with others attending the conference. Seeing old friends and meeting new ones--around the topic of literacy education--is always so energizing.
I am sure I won't get to see everything I've listed here and I am certain that I missed lots on my first look through the program. It is never easy to fit in every great learning opportunity at convention. But the possibilities are endless. And this year's conference looks amazing!
By the way, the official hashtag for the NCTE Annual Convention this year is #NCTE12
Let the Tweets begin!
3 Comments on Already Looking Forward to #NCTE12 !!!, last added: 9/8/2012
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By: SSPP Reads,
on 5/16/2012
Blog: SSPP Reads (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: NCTE, Learning Differences, Find a Book, summer slide, Writing Skills, Thinkfinity, Developing Literacy, Interactive Learning, International Reading Assoc, Summer School 2012, Add a tag
Blog: SSPP Reads (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: NCTE, Learning Differences, Find a Book, summer slide, Writing Skills, Thinkfinity, Developing Literacy, Interactive Learning, International Reading Assoc, Summer School 2012, Add a tag
Beat the Summer Slide with ReadWriteThink, a partnership of the International Reading Association, National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE),and Verizon Thinkfinity. Summer slide is the term used to describe the academic loss that kids suffer as they take a break from school during the summer months. Check out the Bright Ideas for Summer campaign for more information, to see the activities, and to print out an informational sheet.
Here’s a preview of the activities:
- Poetry writing: Using the popular poetry interactives–Acrostic Poems, Diamante Poems, and Theme Poems–write a poem about a summer topic.
- Prewriting: Use Cube Creator to organize a super story about a hero with summer-specific powers.
- Character writing: Explore the qualities of characters from your favorite summer books and create Trading Cards to share with your friends.
- Persuasive writing: Craft a convincing argument for a summertime treat or special privilege using the online Persuasion Map.
Check it out, you’ll have some fun, and might even beat the slide!
Graphic from Santa Clara City Library
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By: Debbie Reese,
on 1/30/2012
Blog: American Indians in Children's Literature (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Mexican American Studies, NCTE, IRA, NCSS, Add a tag
[Note: For a chronological and comprehensive list of links to AICL's coverage of the shut-down of the Mexican American Studies Department at Tucson Unified School District, go here. To go right to information about the National Mexican American Studies Teach-in, go here.]
________________________________________
At 8:00 AM, Mountain Standard Time, teachers who taught in the Mexican American Studies Department held a press conference where they read aloud the statement below. It is signed by national educational associations such as the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and the International Reading Association (IRA):
STATEMENT IN OPPOSITION TO BOOK CENSORSHIP
IN THE TUCSON UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
January 30, 2012
The undersigned organizations are committed toprotecting free speech and intellectual freedom. We write to express our deepconcern about the removal of books used in the Mexican-American Studies Programin the Tucson Unified School District. This occurred in response to adetermination by Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthalthat the program “contained content promoting resentment toward a race or classof people” and that “materials repeatedly reference white people as being‘oppressors….’ in violation of state law.” The books have been boxed up and putin storage; their fate and that of the program remain in limbo.
The First Amendment is grounded on the fundamentalrule that government officials, including public school administrators, may notsuppress “an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive ordisagreeable.” School officials have a great deal of authority and discretionto determine the curriculum, the subject of courses, and even methods ofinstruction. They are restrained only by the constitutional obligation to basetheir decisions on sound educational grounds, and not on ideology or politicalor other personal beliefs. Thus, school officials are free to debate the meritsof any educational program, but that debate does not justify the wholesaleremoval of books, especially when the avowed purpose is to suppress unwelcomeinformation and viewpoints.
School officials have insisted that the bookshaven’t been banned because they are still available in school libraries. It isirrelevant that the books are available in the library – or at the localbookstore. School off
0 Comments on STATEMENT IN OPPOSITION TO BOOK CENSORSHIP IN THE TUCSON UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT as of 1/30/2012 7:42:00 AM
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By: Heidi Mordhorst,
on 12/9/2011
Blog: my juicy little universe (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: art, NCTE, children's writing, Eric Carle, Douglas Florian, Leo Lionni, 5-year-olds, Add a tag
So, in our new 2.0 Elementary Integrated Curriculum we are supposed, as winter sets in, to be studying plant and animal life cycles, planting seeds and learning about baby animals. (Never mind that all around us dying, darkening, sleeping.) To tie it all together and to lead us into a poetry project, I chose Leo Lionni's Frederick and Eric Carle's The Tiny Seed, which we have been comparing and contrasting, enacting and evaluating: which parts of this story could really happen? do Frederick and his family do what real mice do?
Meanwhile, each child used watercolors to paint 3-6 papers for collage, in the manner of both Carle and Lionni. As the class worked to see what animals, plants and weather their unpredictable painted papers suggested, I learned quite a lot that will help me support the project next time! (Note to self: 20 collaging kindergarteners at once is too many.) Still, their collages are very pleasing, often striking, and most importantly, quite individual.
This week we're placing our collages in front of us and writing poems. While a couple of the 5-year-olds are able to write their compositions on their own, for most I'm scribing with strategically placed blanks for them to spell juicy words like fish, rain, float and lion. I cannot wait to share the whole collection with you, but for now I have only two to hand. Jordan cut 4 shapes from a pinkish-purple paper, arranged them as a fish on a stripy bluish sea paper, and then painstakingly cut and glued maroon and ochre spots from another paper to create a bubbly surface. Here is his poem.
Mighty Minnow
by Jordan
mighty minnow swimming fast
in a deep, deep sea
pinkish-purple spots and dots
do you see any more colors
or anything else on me?
Ezekial is my youngest nearly 6-year-old and My Project for the year. We worked very closely to make the lion he imagined out of a deep muddyish turquoise paper. Here is the poem we negotiated.
Lion
by Ezekial
the blue dad lion
is walking to his wife
the playground is their house
they eat leaves and grass
they climb up the ladders
and they jump!
Extra poet's note: My plan, of course, was to model the collage-to-poem move using my own giraffe-under-sunset collage...but as my colleagues often say, "Kindergarten happened," and I found myself sitting down to write with children without ever having modeled. Guess what? For this class anyway, it has not mattered. Perhaps the other poetry we've been reading (most recently Frederick's "Sky Mice" poem and Douglas Florian's Beast Feast) and all the singing we've done has been enough. Their words sing, too!
6 Comments on picturing writing: literacy through art, last added: 12/10/2011
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By: Stacey,
on 11/29/2011
Blog: TWO WRITING TEACHERS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Pinterest, NCTE, Web 2.0, social networking, mother, Twitter, Add a tag
A couple months ago I started seeing images that had the words “via Pinterest” on my friends’ Facebook news feeds. It took about a week ‘til my curiosity was piqued enough to find out what Pinterest was. Once I found out what it was, I requested an invite. Once I received a Pinterest account, I [...]
By: Stacey,
on 11/27/2011
Blog: TWO WRITING TEACHERS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: reading, technology, NCTE, Web 2.0, apps, reluctant writers, digital writing, Add a tag
One of the fantastic sessions I attended at NCTE was called “Beyond Classroom Walls: Honoring Voices of Young Readers.” It was led by Julie Johnson of Raising Readers and Writers, Katie Keier of Catching Readers, and Cathy Mere of Reflect and Refine. Let me start by saying that all three of these women are the [...]
By: Cheryl Rainfield,
on 11/22/2011
Blog: Cheryl Rainfield: Avid Reader, Teen Fiction Writer, and Book-a-holic. Focus on Children & Teen Books (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Cheryl Rainfield, author presentation, challenged books, SCARS, Jackie Morse Kessler, A. S. King, C. J. Bott, Paul Yee, banned books, ALAN, NCTE, Laurie Halse Anderson, Lauren Myracle, Heather Brewer, Add a tag
So…after two months of worrying about me being on a panel speaking about challenged books in front of 500 people, and then two weeks of anxiety, and then a day of absolute fear right up to (and during) the panel…I “did good”! I knew I had a lot to say–Scars has been challenged at least once formally that I know of, and informally in Meghan cox Gurden’s op-ed. My abusers tried to silence me most of my life; I don’t want to be silenced any more. But actually speaking about it all in front of 500 people live felt pretty scary. I think I spoke well, though–honestly, emotionally, passionately, and intelligently. I still can’t believe I spoke well! It took a while for me to know it–but I started taking it in afterward from the many responses and from people telling me that in so many ways.
I know public speaking is hard for many people, at least at first. It is for me, too. But for me there’s also the added layers of all the abuse training–my abusers repeatedly telling me they’d kill me if I talked (and since they’d murdered other children in front of me I knew they could), and abuse that happened on raised stages (like child porn), and all the years I learned to be silent, quiet, and not speak out, except through my writing and my art. But yesterday I learned that I CAN speak publicly, even to a large group, and it can be okay and even a good experience.
Me speaking, photo taken by Sandi Walden
Some of the time before my panel I felt alone and scared and insecure as the hours stretched on, so I took a breather, and sat in the hallway against the wall. But doing that I felt like I was socially awkward and sticking out, the way I had as a teen. And then who should come by but A.S. King (Everybody Sees the Ants, Please Ignore Vera Dietz)! She sat herself down beside me so easily, and we sat, backs against the wall, talking. Amy was reassuring and understanding, and so down-to-earth. I loved hearing about her own experiences, and just…spending time. Hearing Amy talk about ALAN so enthusiastically made me want to join.
I also got to meet C.J. Bott in person–she recognized me as I passed by, and we talked briefly, and then she sat down for a bit with A.S. King and me. C. J. Bott did a lovely review of Scars, and we’d talked back and forth via email a bit, so it was cool to meet her in person. She’ll be vice president of ALAN next year!
I also talked a bit with Professor Melanie Hundley, who was an incredibly friendly, bright spot in the day, introducing me to other authors and to teachers, pointing out my handouts to others, and just being lovely.
It helped to have such friendly, caring people around!
The whole experience was also made better by my wonderful book publicist Julie Schoerke, picking me up at the airport, taking me to dinner, and then coming the next day to be with me for my panel. I was getting more and more scared the closer it got to my panel, and thankfully Julie arrived about an hour before. She sat on the floor with me i
10 Comments on My personal highlights from ALAN (and being on a panel), last added: 11/23/2011
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)
By: Stacey,
on 11/22/2011
Blog: TWO WRITING TEACHERS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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I made a beeline for Alan Sitomer, Jon Scieszka, and Gordon Korman’s session, “AUTHOR STRAND: THREE YA AUTHORS TALK COMEDY, FUN, AND SMILES (A.K.A. THE POWER OF GETTING READERS TO PEE THEIR PANTS!)”, on Saturday afternoon at NCTE. I managed to get a seat for myself, Ruth, and two other colleagues in the second row [...]
By: Stacey,
on 11/21/2011
Blog: TWO WRITING TEACHERS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: community, NCTE, Slice of Life Story Challenge, Add a tag
I had the pleasure of meeting several Slicers, not just the ones I blogged about last Friday, when I was in Chicago for NCTE. I had breakfast with Bonnie (and Tuvia) and Sarah who slices with us every March. I ran into Elisa at a session. I also saw folks who Slice with us at [...]
By: Stacey,
on 11/17/2011
Blog: TWO WRITING TEACHERS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: NCTE, Add a tag
We’re excited to be in Chicago for NCTE! Last night we had dinner with Patrick Allen, Mary Helen Gensch, and Troy Rushmore. This morning we’re meeting up with some of the Slicers for breakfast. Tomorrow afternoon we’ll be presenting with Patrick and Troy. After our presentation we’ll head over to the Stenhouse Booth (#303) in [...]
By: Sylvia Vardell,
on 11/16/2011
Blog: Poetry for Children (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: NCTE, Add a tag
I'm heading off to the NCTE convention and looking forward to several poetry sessions and will be presenting one myself along with a lovely panel of poetry people. I hope to report on those sessions with film and video when I return-- J. Pat Lewis is receiving his NCTE Poetry Award, as well as speaking, there will be a "parade" session of other poetry award recipients, Joyce Sidman and Pat Mora will be speaking at the annual "Master Class" session, and Joyce is also the CLA Breakfast speaker (where we'll be finalizing the art auction, too). Plus, informal gatherings and excellent exhibits. Very fun and poetry-filled!
But first, I would like to toot my own horn, if you don't mind. Plus we have a freebie to promote! Here are the details on my session if you're in Chicago and free early Saturday morning! Janet Wong and I are offering free copies of our forthcoming e-book of holiday poetry for kids to all who come early.
Poetry for Paupers from Recitation to E-Books; Infusing Poetry into the Classroom
National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention
Chicago, IL
Sat., Nov. 19, 2011
8:00am-9:15am
Chicago Hilton
PRESENTERS:
*Yours truly
*Janet Wong, Author and Poet, sponsored by Charlesbridge
Autographing Sat., Nov. 19 (3-4pm) at Charlesbridge booth #1120
*Laurie Purdie Salas, Author and Poet, sponsored by Clarion Books
Autographing Sat., Nov. 19 (11am-12pm) at HMH booth #105
*Stephen Young, Program Director, Poetry Foundation, Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest
*Youssef Biaz, Alabama, 2011 Poetry Out Loud national champion (great to have a teen on our panel!)
Here's the session des
cription:
Why is poetry for young people so important? Poetry embodies emotion and imagination that help connect readers and listeners across barriers of culture, ethnicity, and even age. As Emerson said, poetry teaches us the power of a few words, helping us see old things in new ways. It can make us laugh out loud, or stop and think. How do we find ways to share poetry when financial resources are so tight? Inexpensive teaching materials and resources, from the old fashioned tried-and-true to the cutting edge e-reader, offer new and inexpensive approaches for connecting kids and poetry. These resources allow us to bring poets and poetry into the classroom through multiple media using print, visual, and digital tools.
This session will introduce participants to a variety
3 Comments on Poetry and me at NCTE, last added: 11/16/2011
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By: Molly,
on 11/15/2011
Blog: the pageturn (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: young adult, Authors, Conferences, NCTE, YA Books, award, Awards, HarperCollins, YA, teens, Books, Add a tag
Look who we have here, why, it’s Veronica Roth, author of mega-loved dystopian YA novel DIVERGENT. 
And what’s that she’s holding? Why it’s an award from the National Council of Teachers of English for “outstanding performance in writing,” awarded to her in 2005 while she was still a wee high school student. And now it’s all come full circle– Veronica will be at NCTE’s Annual Convention this year (the 100th anniversary!), signing DIVERGENT in the HarperCollins Children’s Booth (#513) and speaking on an ALAN Workshop (Assembly on Literature for Adolescents) panel about future worlds. Those NCTE folks sure know what they’re talking about!
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By: Ruth,
on 11/2/2011
Blog: TWO WRITING TEACHERS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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I. Am. So. EXCITED! I can’t wait to present with Stacey, Patrick Allen, and Troy Rushmore. We are discussing the way our personal reading and writing lives influence our teaching. It’ll be fast paced, useful, and fun. If you plan to attend, make sure to say hello. I get to visit with people I only [...]
By: Stacey,
on 9/22/2011
Blog: TWO WRITING TEACHERS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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The Third Annual National Day on Writing is coming up on Thursday, October 20th, 2011. What will you do to celebrate the art of writing in your classroom next month?
By: Ruth,
on 2/9/2011
Blog: TWO WRITING TEACHERS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: NCTE, independent writing, Add a tag
It’s been striking me recently how self-confidence and independence as a writer hinges on knowing your voice matters. When young writers know their words make a difference, then they are more confident, are willing to take risks, and are motivated to write. I also believe this is a difference in classrooms where students are encouraged [...]
By: Heidi Mordhorst,
on 12/10/2010
Blog: my juicy little universe (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: children, Poetry Friday, NCTE, poetry awards, Add a tag
Just before Halloween we got our second cat, partly to keep Cat #1 "entertained" and partly to acknowledge the achievement of our sixth-grader, who soldiered through two nights away from home at Outdoor Ed with her new middle-school peers.
He was named Oak by the shelter and the kids decided to keep that name, although at the time I thought Acorn would be more appropriate. No more. At almost 5 months, he resembles our son, long-limbed and lean; when Oak stands on his hind legs to scratch at a fresh section of the parlor sofa his reach comes easily to my hip now. (But I'm short.)
How fortunate that right here in my new copy of Paul B. Janeczko's A Foot in the Mouth I have "A Tomcat Is" by J. Patrick Lewis, newly named winner of the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. Our Oak now has a model to strive towards, as do we poets--between midnight mouthfuls of marshmallow paws!
A Tomcat Is (excerpts)
J. Patrick Lewis
Night watchman of corners
Caretaker of naps
Leg-wrestler of pillows
Depresser of laps.
...
The bird-watching bandit
On needle-point claws
The chief of detectives
On marshmallow paws
A crafty yarn-spinner
A stringer high-strung
A buttermilk mustache
A sandpaper tongue
....
See the complete poem here and then buy the book! Scholastic resources here and here, if you like that sort of thing.
Today's tasty Poetry Friday round-up is at Jama Rattigan's Alphabet Soup, where I find that she's highlighting J. Pat too. Coincidence, or fate?!?
*********************************************************
Follow-up from last week's gingerbread man post (and thanks to all for the comments on Mrs. Oven's poem):
Here's the recipe I'll be using to make dough today;
baking and photos tomorrow!
Gingerbread Cookies
(6 dozen gingerbread men or 10 dozen stars )
Cream 1 ½ cups shortening with 1 ½ cups sugar.
Beat in 3 eggs, 1 ½ cups dark molasses, 3 T. apple cider or white vinegar.
Add 7 ½ cups flour, 2 ½ t. baking soda, ¾ t. salt, 1 ½ T. ginger,
1 ½ t. each cinnamon and cloves.
Mix thoroughly and form into dough disc. Chill at least 3 hours.
Roll out thin on floured surface with floured rolling pin.
Cut in shapes and bake on parchment-lined cookie sheet 5-6 minutes at 375*.
1 Comments on tomcat apprentice, last added: 12/13/2010
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By: Ruth,
on 12/6/2010
Blog: TWO WRITING TEACHERS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: process, NCTE, independent writing, Add a tag
This week I’ve been thinking about how the writers in our classrooms can find their own writing process. To help give weight to some of my ideas I’ve been rereading some of my notes from NCTE. Here are some of the snippets lingering in my brain: “Children can have the look of independence. We ought [...]
By: Elaine Magliaro,
on 12/3/2010
Blog: Wild Rose Reader (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Poetry Friday, children's poetry, NCTE, Add a tag
Just two weeks ago at the NCTE Annual Convention in Orlando, the NCTE Excellence in Poetry Committee--of which I am a member--presented a session titled Poetry for Children and Teachers at Its Best: The 2009 Notable Poetry Titles. We read from and shared impressions of our favorite children's poetry books of last year, offered suggestions for incorporating poetry in the classroom, and talked about some of the best new titles of 2010. We even did some choral reading with the audience.
**********
Members of the NCTE Excellence in Poetry Committee: Barbara Ward (Chair), Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Jonda McNair Mary Napoli, Terrell Young, and Elaine Magliaro
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Here are our 20 Notable Poetry Books of 2009. I have provided links to review of the books.
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Poetry Book Reviews by Wild Rose Reader
Messing Around on the Monkey Bars and Other School Poems in Two VoicesWritten by Betsy Franco
Illustrated by Jessie Hartland
The Tree That Time Built: A Celebration of Nature, Science, and ImaginationSelected by Mary Ann Hoberman and Linda Winston
City I Love
Written by Lee Bennett Hopkins
Illustrated by Marcellus Hall
12 Comments on 2009 NCTE Notable Poetry Books for Children, last added: 12/5/2010
By: Laura Purdie Salas,
on 11/29/2010
Blog: laurasalas (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: poetry, ncte, j. patrick lewis, Add a tag
 | I hope all my writing and teaching friends had a fabulous time at the Orlando convention for the National Council of Teachers of English. I know there were loads of terrific sessions, and I was especially sad to miss the poetry panel, led by Sylvia Vardell. It was a great lineup, and I wish I could have heard what everyone had to say. One exciting thing I did hear: |
| J. Patrick Lewis, one of my favorite poets, has been chosen as the 2011 recipient of the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. What fantastic news! Pat is a joy, and his diverse poetry knocks my socks off. I mean, what can you say about a guy whose range goes from The Underwear Salesman to The Brothers' War: Civil War Voices in Verse. Pat does it all, beautifully and skillfully. Congratulations, Pat, on this undeniably-deserved honor! |  |
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By: Heidi Mordhorst,
on 11/26/2010
Blog: my juicy little universe (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: The Big Question, my own work, poetry, science, NCTE, anthologies, Add a tag
I have a new favorite book. I'm late to the party as usual, but through the 2009 Poetry Notables session at NCTE last weekend I heard about a slew of books new to me, and ordered several titles on the spot using my handy-dandy wireless device. It was an eminent body of work that arrived on my doorstep, but the most thrilling was The Tree That Time Built. I had not heard of it at all, nor read a single review, so I was taken by glorious surprise.
This weighty collection of about 125 poems is much more than a themed anthology. I find myself wishing that I were a 5th-grade science teacher so that I could use it as the basis for a whole year's study of what might ordinarily be called evolutionary biology. The cover says the poems were "selected by" Mary Ann Hoberman, 2008-2010 Children's Poet Laureate, and Linda Winston, a cultural anthropologist and teacher. However, the work they did in compiling this rich array of poems by everyone from William Blake to Emily Dickinson to Langston Hughes through to Douglas Florian, Alice Schertle and quite a handful by Hoberman herself goes way beyond "selection." (You might call it "supernatural selection.")
The title doesn't give it away, so I opened The Tree That Time Built expecting a "celebration of nature, science, and imagination." But this collection is really a tribute to the towering ideas of Charles Darwin, two anniversaries of whose were celebrated in 2009, and is an examination of the ways that the work of scientists (and particularly naturalists) and the work of poets resemble each other. "Science and art have often been cast as opposites," says the Introduction, " but the division is an artificial one. Scientists, like poets, depend on imagination for many of their core insights. And poets, like scientists, observe and explore connections within the natural world." Through their thoughtful selection and arrangement of the poems, Hoberman and Winston layer pockets of tiny detail, swathes of rock-solid description, and seeping realizations on a grand scale. Then, through their commentary on both the science and the poetry at work in each poem, they cut a cross-section through those layers to expose a whole new view of our natural history and the way we humans have expressed our understanding of it.
I've always been a fan of the idea of evolution and its grandeur, and the notion that it all happened without any hint of human agency save for naming it tickles my mind. Pumpkin Butterfly includes a poem called "Guest List: Charles Darwin's Garden Party." I reprint it here, juxtaposed with a simple, elegant piece by Mark Van Doren.
Guest List: Charles Darwin's Garden Party
balsam fir
spotted dolphin
pink verbena
garter snake
fragrant white water lily
grizzly sow
Crater Lake
gnarled pinyon
Painted Hills
tag alder
red bat pup
bee balm and bluebonnets
mountain lion
fungus cup
swallowtail
coneflower
Death Valley
prairie dog
Virginia creeper
Keyhole Arch
black-browed albatross
Moose Creek
paperbark
columbine
tiger shark
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By: Sara Lewis Holmes,
on 11/23/2010
Blog: Read Write Believe (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: NCTE, military children, Operation Yes, Add a tag
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By: Sara Lewis Holmes,
on 11/23/2010
Blog: Read Write Believe (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: NCTE, military children, Operation Yes, Add a tag
As promised, here's the resource list we handed out at our NCTE talk. Rosanne Parry, Suzanne Morgan Williams and I all contributed to the list, but it was Suzanne who did the heavy lifting of putting all the links in one cohesive document.
Some Resources – Connecting with Students from Military Families
National Council of Teachers of English, 2010
provided by Sara Lewis Holmes, Rosanne Parry, and Suzanne Morgan Williams
The Military Child – School Support:
http://www.militaryimpactedschoolsassociation.org/misa/documents/Educators_Guide.pdf A guide for educators on reactions of students to deployment with many suggestions and additional resources. From the Military Impacted Schools Association. General website is Military Impacted Schools Association www.militaryimpactedschoolsassociation.org
www.ourmilitarykids.org which provides funding for extra support during wartime, including tutoring and extracurricular activities for military kids whose parents are in the Guard or Reserves.
Student 2 Student and Junior Student 2 Student: a student-led program at the high school and middle school levels to support students who are transitioning to and from their school. For more information regarding Student 2 Student, email [email protected].
Operation Military Kids: http://www.operationmilitarykids.org/public/home.aspx -- great booklet for helping military kids in school at this website.
For the Military Family:
Military One Source: www.MilitaryOneSource.com Education, relocation, parenting, stress - Military OneSource helps with just about any need. Available by phone or online, this free service is provided by the Department of Defense for active-duty, Guard, and Reserve service members and their families.
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Yay! I can't wait for #NCTE12! Last year was my first convention, have been looking forward to this one since the day I got home. :)
I'm excited too! I'm hoping I'll be able to go to ALAN this year too.
I can't wait! Last year was my first year, and I'm excited about Vegas, presenting with Sylvia Vardell and others, seeing many poetry friends, and connecting with lots of enthusiastic teachers:>) See ya there!