Black History Month Book Recommendations


This is Deniece from This Little Piggy Reads.
In February, my school celebrates Black History Month with a huge program that every grade level participates in.  Over the past decade we have celebrated many ways, including "faux wax museums", poetry readings, choir performances and plays.  It is standing room only!  

During the month I make it a point to read a variety books to my students.  I try to read both fiction and non-fiction texts that introduce them to new people/characters they can relate to.  I normally do not read the entire book.  Instead, I read a chapter to hook them!  I consider this to be more like a book trailer and/or a book review.
I Have A Dream by Martin Luther King, Jr. Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
This book is Dr. King's speech beautifully illustrated.

Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges
This book includes primary sources and is a pretty amazing read.

Let's Read About Ruby Bridges by Ruby Bridges and Grace Maccarone, 
Illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu
An easy reader that's a good introduction to non-fiction.

Little Rock Nine by Marshall Poe, Illustrated by Ellen Lindner
I've read a few books about The Little Rock Nine.  I haven't read this specific book; however, it is a graphic novel and my kiddos LOVE all graphic novels.  I have a feeling this book will end up in my classroom library this year!

 
This series of books is AHHH-MAZING!  I love these quick reads.  I have a small variety of the What Was books and a larger collection of the Who Was series.  These are perfect non-fiction texts for biography studies.

 The Tuskegee Airmen Story by Lynn M. Homan and Thomas Reilly
I have this book and another one about the Tuskegee Airmen.  My boys are obsessed with the Tuskegee Airmen!  Last year for Black History Month, we made paper mache' airmen helmets.  If you'd like to read about my adventure into paper mache', click here

This book is a great option to incorporate STEM.  
My students love aviation and this book was a hit last year!

I am a teacher on a mission.
My mission is to ensure that my students see themselves in the literature that they read.  It is incredibly important for children to see themselves in the stories that they read.  I highly recommend adding any of these books to your classroom or school library.
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
This quick read is definitely for 5th grade and up.  If memory serves me right, there are pieces that are written like a diary.  The 3 sisters in this book have to deal with their unconventional mother.  The good news is Rita Williams-Garcia continues the girls' story with two other books.  

 

Thunder Rose by Jerdine Nolen, Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
I love this book and highly recommend adding it to your Tall Tale Unit.

Ellray Jakes (series) by Sally Warner, Illustrated by Brian Biggs
If your boys don't know Lil' Ellray Jakes...they are missing out.
This is a good introduction to reading a series of books.  It is an easy read and the characters are very relatable.

Liberty Porter, First Daughter by Julia DeVillers, Illustrated by Paige Pooler
This is a new series about the First Daughter.  It is on my "to buy list".  There are a few books in the series and I have a feeling my students will definitely like Liberty!

Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine, Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Have you heard of Henry "Box" Brown who mailed himself to freedom?
I found out about him a few years ago during Black History Month when our Kindergarteners studied him.  It is a pretty amazing story.  I added this book to my library last year and it both shocked and intrigued my GT students.  We ended up getting a box and many of them would sit inside it when they read the book.  Interesting.

Sugar Plum Ballerinas by Whoopi Goldberg.
I will admit, I heard about this book while watching The View.
It is a newer series, but has been successful.  I have one of them and some of my younger girls will read them.  Again, I think it's a good beginner series.

 
I know we have many primary grade teachers and although I do not own these books, I did read them when they were at our book fair.  I thought both were beautifully illustrated.  Music is a great way to introduce books in a PK/K classroom.

Do you have a favorite book to celebrate Black History Month? 

January CVC Center and Assessment: Word Building at it's BEST!

January CVC Center and Assessment: Word Building at it's BEST! Helping students crack the code of CVC word writing, builds a foundation for spellng!
Let’s start 2015 off with a bang.  What else could be more of a bang than making sure our earliest readers and writers are using what they know and what they hear to write cvc words correctly.  I typically teach students to write cvc words using a stoplight.  Green for the beginning, yellow for the vowel, and red for the ending.  It is imperative that students are using these skills consistently and correctly.

As a Center

January CVC Center and Assessment: Word Building at it's BEST! Helping students crack the code of CVC word writing, builds a foundation for spellng!
This January CVC center is perfect for an ABC Center or a Writing Center.  I originally created the center to be used as a center that was printed in color and laminated.  Students get a board and the letters appropriate for that board.  Each student gets a different board to ensure students are doing their own work.  Each student uses the cards to spell the words and a dry erase marker to write the words.  The students work is checked before they clean up the center.  This center can be used for 5 weeks, as each week the students choose a different board. 

If dry erase markers and reusable letter tiles aren’t for you, you can use this center as a cut and glue.  Each week the sheets are copied and put in the center for students to complete and turn in for checking.

As an Assessment

If you need an assessment for report card data, using this as a cut and glue assessment is an easy way for the students to demonstrate understanding.
Enjoy!

If you would like the January cvc FREEBIE, click the link!

If you would like to look at the full January CVC Word Building Set on Teachers Pay Teachers click the link or the picture below. 



Winter Wonders Blog Hop and Blogiversary!


Happy Birthday to us!

And we are going to celebrate in a BIG way!

Yesterday you met our new authors.  They are excited to work with us as we venture into 2015!

We hope that you have enjoyed the hop through all of our blogs and can use the freebies in your classroom throughout the winter.  If you haven't had a chance to hop through the blogs, you can start over at Reading Toward the Stars to grab your first freebie.

Now it's time to enter the Rafflecopter to win one of 4 $25 gift cards to Barnes and Noble!  Imagine all the books you can purchase for your classroom!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy 2015 from Literacy Land!





Welcome New Members of the Royal Court!


2015 is here, and Literacy Land will be turning 1 tomorrow!  It is so hard to believe!  This has been a fun adventure for all of us, and we love sharing our love of literacy with all of you.

And our love of literacy has led us to some new members of the Royal Court!  I am excited to announce them to you, our readers!

Through our guest blogging, we found five wonderful bloggers who are excited to share their love of literacy with you!  We are proud to introduce them to you!

Cathy joins us from her blog The W.I.S.E. Owl.  She works as a Reading Specialist for grades K-2, and loves Kindergarten!  She is honored to be a blogger for the International Reading Association (IRA).  She enjoys presenting at conferences and for school divisions.

Jen joins us from  her blog An Adventure in Literacy.  She has had experience in many different grade levels from PK-2 and as a Reading Specialist and Special Education Teacher.  She is married with one cat and enjoys traveling, running, and baking.  She loves integrating literacy into all subjects and using interventions to help students become successful readers.  Her favorite way to help students learn is through games and game-like activities.


Pixie joins us from her blog Growing Little Learners.  She has been the literacy leader in her school and is now the leader for maths this year.  When she started teaching, she started in year 6 (5th grade) and took the plunge two years ago to work with the younger students.  She loves every minute of it!  In her free time, she enjoys reading, sewing, pretty stationary, and pyjama days!  She also enjoys her two cats, Pomme and Oak.

Jennifer joins us from her blog Stories and Songs in Second.  She loves to use music in her classroom and to enhance her students' learning.  Along with being a second grade teacher, she is the volunteer coordinator for the READ TO SUCCEED program at her school.  She organizes author/illustrator visits and other fun literacy celebrations.  She has met Patricia Polacco, who inspired and enchanted her by her spirit, talent, and personal strength.  Throughout the year, she uses her books as mentor texts for many lessons in her classroom.  The books The Junkyard Wonders and  Thank You, Mr. Falker speak to her philosophy that all children are uniquely gifted and talented.
Tara joins us from her blog Looney's Literacy:  Mind Matters.  She has been married to her best friend for 12 years and is a mom of two lovely daughters, ages 7 & 11. She enjoys reading and writing and hanging out with her girls.  She is a firm believer in differentiated instruction, standards based grading and her new study is using formative assessments to target instruction.  Because she loves to research and learn new things, she often becomes very passionate about the current topic she's studying.  She has enjoyed meeting and making new friends in this blogging world and looks forward to many more friendships and learning opportunities in the years to come!

We are excited to have all of these ladies join us as we venture into 2015!    Join us each month as they share their love and knowledge of literacy with everyone!







Writing Across the Curriculum

Hi everyone! It's the end of the year- can you believe it? I want to wish you Happy New Year from everyone here at Adventures in Literacy Land! I'm Bex from Reading and Writing Redhead and I am stopping by to talk about writing across the curriculum.


Whether you are a reading specialist, a literacy coach, or a classroom teacher, you know writing is a major part of all of the content areas. I am currently working as a second grade teacher and we use the Everyday Math series. All of you Everyday Math teachers know that this program is language - heavy. Just this fall, we got the "beta" version of the new edition. This new edition is very, very writing heavy. There is a ton of work relating to the standard of mathematical practice for explaining your mathematical thinking which is part of the CCSS. Not only are students expected to explain their mathematical thinking in writing (not just during class discussions) from the very beginning of the year, but they are often given mathematical situations with fictional students and they have to explain how the fictional student may have thought through the problem. There are also some problems in the challenge section of the quizzes where they have to act as the teacher. Students have to read a math problem, look at what a fictional student did, and explain why he is correct or why he is wrong, and if so, how he could fix the problem.

Phew! I am exhausted just talking about it. Teaching it is no cakewalk and it has been challenging for the students. I am interested to see what happens next year when I get students who have been exposed to this new edition in first grade. 

Blogger and writer Deva Delporto said, "The Common Core requires students to think and learn in a much deeper way, and one of the best ways to facilitate that deeper learner is to get kids writing. Not just in English class, but all the time." Steve Peha, founder of Teaching that Makes Sense, commented, "The Common Core and its associated tests set a much higher bar  for student achievement...kids are going to have to be much better writers than they ever have been before. Writing regularly in all subject areas, but especially in math, science, and social studies, is going to be crucial".

What's my  take on why writing in math (and other) class is important? I like to think beyond the Common Core and beyond tests and school. When students grow up and begin looking for a career and success in their chosen field,  think about what they will need to succeed. Writing is one key to success with social media - which isn't going away anytime soon. Plus, if she is trying to convince their boss to give her new idea a chance, she is  going to need to explain it either in person or in writing why her idea will work. She will need to be proficient at explaining her thinking in writing. I also strongly feel that many of our current students will become entrepreneurs and/or be self-employed. In order to "sell" his new product to customers, or to investors, he will need once again to be able to clearly and thoroughly explain it.

So, let's talk about writing in math class. Why is it important? How can you help your students (and you)?
  • When students write in math class, they use higher-order thinking skills to come up with mathematical explanations that support their thinking.
  • When students write in math class, they are forced to really reflect on how math works, and not just (like I did) memorize the steps to solve a problem without having any clue as to how or why it works.
  • Writing in any subject area gives students more math practice, and more practice leads to improvements in writing. 
  • It gives teachers a glimpse into how students think about math. This gives us more information about our students and can inform our instructional decisions.
  • It gives teachers a way to communicate with parents about how their child is doing in math and about their progress in math.
  • It tells us if they understand and can use math terms.
  • It helps us see common errors in students' work and enables us to address them with the whole group.
Let's take a look at some student's writing in math and talk about how to support our students as they write in math, science, and social studies (I wish I had more examples of student writing but I did not come up with my topic until I was already home on vacation so I had to go with what I happened to have at home).

First, in math class, I have to say: practice, practice,  practice. Almost every day we do something like this as a class. The students also have a problem like this on many of their math journal pages. I also have incorporated rubrics to help students see their progress. The rubric needs to be in kid friendly language. We also look at exemplars so student can see different types of writing and can see what a successful explanation might look like. 

Check out this sample, the one for part C. He explains how he solved 9-7 by using both making a 10 and by working backward. To solve 9-7, he thought that 7 + 3 = 10, and he knows 9 is close to 10. His explanation gets a little confusing halfway through but it is clear he knows 7 + 3 can't equal 9, so to adjust for the fact 9 is 1 less than 10, his answer must be 2. (7 + 2 = 9). I know he understands the math but could use some help finessing his answer. We might try to write an explanation together that is a little more succinct.


Here is a different student's explanation for the same problem. He makes more connections, stating all the steps  that got him to the solution, and he is doing a nice job of starting out his answer by telling that he figured out that 9-7 = 2 because... Some students don't state which problem they figured out, leaving me to have to guess if they are talking about a or b. 


Here is an example of when a student has to read a sample problem and think about how a fictional student may have figured it out. This student did a fairly good job at explaining that 8 + 2 = 10 is going be the first step and then they need to add 2 more to get the answer to 8 + 4. I would probably push her a little to explain more about why she added 2 more (the 4 in 8 +4 is 2 more than the 2 in 8+2) but I gave her credit for this answer -it was only October! Everyone has to start somewhere.

I'm not going to lie, it is hard to me to explain and talk about these second graders' math writing. I think that I would benefit from working with a math coach myself or to do some professional development with an expert (can we get Marilyn Burns to come to my school?) .
Time after time, I have seen Marilyn Burn's book Writing in Math Class, as the essential go-to resource for teachers who need to teach students how to explain their mathematical thinking in math class. I guess it is time for me to go shopping! Click on any of the book covers to get more details or learn how to buy them. 


As for writing in science and social studies, I have a few social studies examples. I would not call the second grade social studies curriculum terribly interesting (basically geography and immigration) but we do learn about different holidays around the world. I like to incorporate narrative and opinion writing into social studies. Of course we did this assignment in December, so you know what holiday everyone wrote about...

         

One thing that I think is important in writing across the curriculum is to hold students to the same standards as they use during writing workshop or language arts. The checklist is the same we use during L.A. and I routinely send students back to edit writing in the content areas when they have no capital letters, punctuation errors, etc. A few things I am going to incorporate to help my students with their writing this spring: make them read their writing aloud to me or a peer before saying, "I'm done". They catch so many errors by doing that; having them then transition to reading it to themselves when they are done; try peer editing of writing in the content areas; edit backward- i.e. cover up all of the words except the last one, check for spelling and other errors of just that word, then work backwards, one word at a time, finally checking the entire sentence, then doing the last word of the previous sentence, and so on and so forth.

I am by no means an expert in writing across the curriculum, but I have been working hard to help my students with it this year. What are your favorite tips for helping your students? What is hardest for you? Please comment and let us know!