Literacy Now

by Jen Scott Curwood

In 2008, Australia launched the $2.1 billion Digital Education Revolution. Not only did it aim to provide laptops to public high school students in years 9-12 and establish high speed broadband in all Australian schools, it also sought to develop teachers’ and students’ digital literacy skills. At the same time, Australia was working to develop and implement a national curriculum.

Ambitious? Yes.

Five years on, a recent program review heralds the Digital Education Revolution as a “major success” and argues that it “has achieved, or is on track to achieve, the vast majority of its objectives” (p. 5). However, annual evaluations of the project by Dr. Sarah Howard at the University of Wollongong offer a more nuanced understanding of the impact of new tools and policies in New South Wales schools.

For instance, teachers and students generally report a growing level of confidence with technology. However, students from low socioeconomic backgrounds do not share this confidence, particularly with regard to performing data manipulation and social networking tasks. Across the board, there has also been a steady decrease in students’ belief that technology enhances their learning outcomes.

As teachers have integrated more technology into their daily practices, many have reflected on their pedagogy. One teacher, for example, views the laptop as a tool that provides access to information and can aid in problem solving, adding that, “It might mean that your teaching method and teaching style has to change and maybe everybody goes towards project-based teaching and learning.”

The role of professional development in technology integration cannot be underestimated. While some teachers engaged in sustained and self-directed professional learning, others acknowledged their lack of motivation for learning about the new tools and resources. Some of this was evident in teachers’ perceptions of school leadership with regard to technology. As one teacher put it, “They support it, but I don’t think they really know how to support it.”

Where will Australia go from here? A recent report from the Digital Education Advisory Group offers some ideas.

First, since the implementation of the new Australian Curriculum will begin next year, Australian schools would substantially benefit from the development of digital resources to support students’ 21st century skills and content knowledge. Teachers, in particular, need support as they embrace inquiry-based learning and design thinking. In Australia, teachers in rural and remote areas would particularly benefit from access to high-quality online resources and online professional development.

Second, the Digital Education Advisory Group argues that digital technology can promote effective language learning. They highlight the Language Learning Space project and the Supporting the Australian Curriculum Online initiative as key examples. Another helpful resource for English teachers is the English for the Australian Curriculum website, which offers detailed lesson plans, units of work, and related resources.

For any revolution to occur, the Australian government will need to continue to invest in infrastructure as well as professional development. In many ways, effective technology integration in schools reflects a cultural change in how teachers teach and how students learn.

And after all, not all revolutions happen overnight.

 

Jen Scott Curwood is a lecturer at the University of Sydney in Australia. Her website and blog are at jensc.org.

 

In Eliza Wheeler’s charming picturebook featured below, Miss Maple spends her time caring for orphan seeds. When they are ready to find their roots in the world, she sends them off with this powerful message: “Take care, my little ones, for the world is big and you are small. But never forget…even the grandest of trees once had to grow up from the smallest of seeds.” It is our hope that teachers will find the following collection of books useful for helping grow their students’ small seeds of understanding about gardens and savory foods into grand trees of knowledge.

We hope you enjoy these book reviews from members of the International Reading Association's Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group (CL/R SIG).

 

GRADES K-3

 

Ancona, George. (2013). It’s our garden: From  seeds to harvest in a school garden. New York, NY: Candlewick.

George Ancona’s compelling photo essay documents a year in the community garden at Acequia Madre Elementary School in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Here, children dash out the door to dig their hands in the soil when the recess bell rings. Punctuated with students’ drawings, vibrant photo spreads capture the children’s joy in planting, composting, and engaging in hands-on gardening techniques in their outdoor classroom. When class is not in session, children and community members continue to tend the garden and celebrate the savory fruits of their labor with music and vegetable-topped pizzas directly from the horno (oven) that the children constructed from bricks. Ancona integrates not only the spirit of healthy, multi-generational community building in this photo essay, but also a bounty of suggestions for supporting the school curriculum. This book is a must-have for any classroom that is interested in gardening and/or community projects.

- Denise Dávila, The University of Georgia

 

Barner, Bob. (2013). I have a garden. New York, NY: Holiday House.

Part of Holiday House’s “I Like to Read” series of well-illustrated picturebooks for emergent readers, Barner’s cheerful white dog shows the reader on a repetitious tour through his garden, encountering the many other creatures who live there. However, the message at the end is simple—it is not just his garden but belongs to everyone who lives there. The short and choppy sentences geared for some of the earliest readers contrast with the colorful illustrations that seem deceptively straightforward. Instead, the pale outlines boldly distinguish nicely rounded shapes without adding a sharp edge to the story. The brightly saturated jewel tones that coat the garden appear flat but actually incorporate faint gradation to imply depth without the possibility of extra lines becoming a distraction to the novice reader. Choosing to keep the main character in white works extraordinarily well here, popping off the relatively dark pages engagingly.

- Erin Reilly-Sanders, The Ohio State University

 

Fullerton, Alma. (2013). Community soup. Toronto, ON Canada: Pajama Press.

“It’s soup day!” The first line of this story draws readers into a day-in-the-life of Kenyan school community, which Fullerton depicts with mixed-media collage and paper-sculptures that lend a diorama-like depth to each scene. Readers who are familiar with tale of Stone Soup might see similarities in the way children Jomo, Dalila, Matu, and Amundi gather different vegetables from the community garden for the soup. Those familiar with the nursery rhyme Mary Had a Little Lamb will delight in the way Kioni’s herd of goats follows Kioni to school, despite the “No Goat” rule. In accessible prose, the two storylines merge for a happy ending. The final page of the book includes a recipe for vegetarian pumpkin vegetable soup with or without goat’s milk. A satisfying and worthy purchase, a portion of this book’s earnings goes to the Creation of Hope Project, which supports community gardens at Kenyan schools.

- Denise Dávila, The University of Georgia

 

Hayes, Joe. (2013). Don’t say a word, Mama/No digas nada, Mamá. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press.

Rosa and Blanca have always been the best daughters and sisters in the world, says Mamá. So, when they grow up and have their own gardens, it’s not surprising that these sisters want to share their harvests. In the classic storytelling style of Joe Hayes, this modern folktale explores what happens when overly considerate sisters ask Mamá to keep a secret about something as hot as chiles, crisp as corn, and sweet as tomatoes. Richly illustrated in vibrant color, this positive family story also has visual zest. The double-spreads and dual language format makes for an inviting reading experience in both Spanish and English. Spread the word: Don’t Say A Word/ No Digas Nada, Mamá is a perfect addition to any classroom or library.

- Denise Dávila, The University of Georgia

Herrington, Lisa M. (2013). Tomatoes to ketchup. New York: Children’s Press/Scholastic.

Kids will enjoy finding out how one of their favorite foods is made in this perfectly-sized easy reader. The graphic design keeps things simple with appealingly large photographs and the minimal sentences in black on a white page but adds enough interest to the book through side notes, bold headings, and extra facts that it feels fun an active. Plants and products are shown both with and without children and adults and give a good picture of the story behind a common condiment that is easy to take for granted. While great as an individual read, especially for readers who still need some help, this book could also prompt some interesting class explorations into tomato plants, tomatoes, commercial farming, manufacturing, and the other ingredients in the final product. Extra materials include a one-page overview of the process, glossary, and index. Other books in the Rookie Read-About Science series include Beans to Chocolate, Milk to Ice Cream, and Trees to Paper.

- Erin Reilly-Sanders, The Ohio State University

 

Kimmel, Eric A. (2013). Hanukkah Bear. New York: Holiday House.

Eric Kimmel has revised The Chanukkah Guest, originally published in 1990 and winner of the Sydney Taylor Picture Book Award. With its new title and illustrations, as well as shorter text, readers can again experience Kimmel’s beloved story of Hanukkah. Old Bear wakes up from his winter sleep very hungry. He follows a delicious smell to the house of Bubba Brayna, who is preparing latkes for her annual Hanukkah celebration. The elderly cook mistakes Old Bear for the rabbi, so she entertains him with traditional Hanukkah food, games, and rituals. After eating all of the delicious potato latkes, the bear returns to his den and the guests arrive. They sort out the case of mistaken identity, and Bubba Brayna enlists their help to make more latkes. The book concludes with a recipe for latkes, as well as an author’s note about the festival of Hanukkah. Mike Wohnoutka’s colorful acrylic paintings are infused with light, perfect for bringing Kimmel’s story of the Jewish Festival of Lights to life. Read more about author Eric Kimmel in this "5 Questions With..." interview.

- Lisa Patrick, The Ohio State University at Marion

 

Kleven, Elisa. (2013). Glasswings: A butterfly’s story. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers/The Penguin Group.

Elisa Kleven, a mixed media collage artist and storyteller, shares on her website that her collages and stories are about the “power of imagination to transform old into new, familiar into fantastical.” Her newest imaginative book tells the story of Claire, a Glasswing butterfly whose wings are clear as glass. One day, a gust of wind sweeps Claire away from her butterfly family and their home in the country among colorful flowers. The little butterfly finds herself lost in a big city; but luckily, she meets bird and insect friends who help her to find flowers in an empty city lot being tended by neighbors. Her family eventually finds her, joining Claire and her friends in their colorful urban garden. The book includes an author’s note on Glasswings and pollination. Readers can learn more about the book and view early sketches at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast’s interview with Elisa Kleven and at Kleven’s website. 

- Lisa Patrick, The Ohio State University at Marion

 

Lang, Elizabeth. (2013). In the garden. Mankato, MN: The Child’s World.

Elizabeth Lang takes young readers step-by-step through the process of planting a vegetable garden. She explains how plants need water, sunlight, and healthy soil in order to grow, even describing different types of soils and what makes the best soil for plants. Gardeners are advised to pay attention to the climate and types of seeds they are planting in certain weather, as well as the distance between plants. Blue inserts in every short chapter tell about the benefits of worms, historical uses for onions, and how to get rid of slugs. Captions give readers more details about how to compost, what kinds of tools will be necessary, or various vegetables. Lang even includes directions on how to make a wormery, a jar filled with sand and dirt, to learn how worms stir up the soil. This nonfiction picturebook would be nice for young readers who want to plant a garden.

- Bettie Parsons Barger, The Ohio State University

 

Leedy, Loreen. (2013). Jack & the hungry giant: Eat right with MyPlate. New York: Holiday House.

Jack’s mother is furious because he sold the cow for a handful of beans! The next morning, Jack climbs the beanstalk that grew overnight where Jack’s mother tossed the beans. As he explores the giant house he finds at the top of the beanstalk, Jack is terrified when he hears a giant! He tries to escape but the hungry giant catches him! Thankfully, the giant, Waldorf, is a kind one. Instead of eating Jack, he helps prepare a nutritious meal for Jack, Waldorf, and his wife, Zofia. Jack learns about the different food groups and how much of each should be on a healthy plate. Waldorf teaches him to limit the amount of added sugars and solid fats. Zofia teaches Jack how important it is to exercise as well. Overall, this provides an entertaining twist to the familiar tale, focusing on the importance of healthy eating and living.

- Bettie Parsons Barger, The Ohio State University

 

Martin, Jacqueline Briggs. (2013). Farmer Will Allen and the growing table. Illus. by Eric-Shabazz Larkin. Bellevue, WA: Readers to Eaters.

An inspiring non-fiction picturebook from the author of Snowflake Bentley, this book moves fresh produce from the farm to the city and then straight into the home or classroom. After introducing Will Allen and his vision, the story flashes back to Will’s childhood and his early hatred of farm work but love of the good food shared with family and friends. It follows Will briefly through his career playing basketball in Belgium and then a “white-shirt job” in Wisconsin before getting into issues of urban farming and Will’s work with Growing Power. The text is formatted as an engaging narrative punctuated by questions, dialog, and information. The illustrations add enthusiastic color mixed in bold patches and active linework to create lovely textured backgrounds that subtly become more saturated over the course of the story. The characters stand out as almost flat with cartoon-like simplicity that allows them to shift dynamically from page to page, creating an almost universal field of helping hands. Concluding with the motivational question, “How big will YOUR table be?” that turns the focus toward the reader, the book also includes a letter from Will, a couple photographs of his farm, an author’s note, and further resources.

- Erin Reilly-Sanders, The Ohio State University

 

McCully, Emily Arnold. (2013). Pete won't eat. New York: Holiday House.

In this charming tale, Pete is not going to eat the green slop he is served. His siblings slurp theirs down and head outside to play while Pete is forced to stay at the table until he eats. Sounds of delight come through the window as Pete watches his siblings, sad that he is not there. Pete's mother frets over her decision to keep Pete in his seat until he eats and finally decides to make Pete something else. As she is making him a sandwich, Pete finally tries the green slop and finds that he loves it! The closing image is of Pete making green slop with his mom the very next day. McCully's lively illustrations, paired with her short text, make this a great discussion starter for young readers. What have you tried that was more delicious than you thought?

- Bettie Parsons Barger, The Ohio State University

Miller, Pat Zietlow. (2013). Sophie’s squash. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books/Random House.

Well, Sophie has a new best friend. They met at a farmer’s market. Bernice likes to do the same things as Sophie. They somersault down the hill, listen to story time at the library, and frequent the farmer’s market. There is one major problem: Bernice is a squash! As Sophie’s parents try to convince her that Bernice was a squash, Bernice grows spots and becomes softer, even though Sophie is adamant that nothing is wrong. Eventually she realizes that Bernice is getting sick. A farmer explains that squash need “Fresh air. Good, clean dirt. A little love” to be healthy. Sophie makes a warm bed in the garden for Bernice and worries about her all winter. As spring comes, Bernice is reunited with Sophie, but she is different. This is a delightful story of a fast-friendship between Sophie and Bernice, along with the life cycle of a plant.

- Bettie Parsons Barger, The Ohio State University

 

Rhodes, Evan. (2013). Nature's super secrets: How do seeds sprout? New York: Gareth Stevens Publishing.

In this simple text, Rhodes describes the lifecycle of a seed. Using close photographs, he explains to young readers how seeds planted in fertile soil need water and air to grow. Readers see tiny seeds, the insides of the sprouting seed, root growth and stem development as they turn the pages of this short text. Rich vocabulary words are written in bold, described in the text and defined in a glossary in the back. Rhodes also includes one page with six small images reiterating the lifecycle of a seed, helping readers recall the fact that they heard, or read, previously. This would be an excellent text to use with young readers learning how plants grow.

- Bettie Parsons Barger, The Ohio State University

 

Rubin, Adam. (2013). Secret pizza party. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers/The Penguin Group.

The creative team responsible for Dragons Love Tacos and Those Darn Squirrels! is back with a picturebook about Raccoon, who really, really loves pizza. Even his bedroom is decorated in a pizza theme, from his pizza-shaped lampshade to his colorful pizza bedspread. Raccoon makes repeated attempts to steal some pizza to eat. But all of his efforts are thwarted by people who chase him away with their brooms. The narrator of the story, who addresses Raccoon directly, takes pity on him and decides to throw him a secret pizza party. This party plan involves a clever disguise and a perfect getaway route. Secret Pizza Party is an entertaining postmodern picturebook for readers who enjoy stories that break the fourth wall between the reader and the audience. Daniel Salmieri’s watercolor, gouache, and color pencil artwork illustrates Raccoon’s hilarious antics. Readers may view Salmieri’s picturebook art, as well as art from his sketchbooks, at his website.

- Lisa Patrick, The Ohio State University at Marion

 

Sheth, Kashmira. (2013). Tiger in my soup. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree Publishers.

Tiger in my Soup is an entertaining sibling story about a bowl of soup that contains more than just soup. When his older sister is left in charge for the day, a young boy with a rich imagination tries to get her to read his tiger book to him. She ignores him until lunchtime, when she fixes him a bowl of hot alphabet soup. As the boy stirs his soup, a tiger rises up out of the steaming bowl and chases the boy all over the kitchen, his sister oblivious to the commotion. At the end of the story, she finally agrees to read the book to her brother, who reminds her to roar like a tiger. Ebbeler’s full-page acrylic paintings are alive with action and emotion. For example, he superimposes a tiger’s fierce face onto the sister’s roaring face. The peritext holds many creative details: The tiger book is pictured on the copyright page, and the endpapers show the tiger chasing the boy among cans of soup.

- Lisa Patrick, The Ohio State University at Marion

Tone, Satoe. (2013). The very big carrot. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers.

When six rabbits find a very big carrot, they ponder the possibilities of what to do with it until they find themselves hungry and looking for a very big meal. The story of this translation of a French picturebook is written as a series of questions, each answered with a supposition that trails off into its realization on the following page. Gorgeous illustrations charm to life the simple, swaying text. The soft colors that shift from blue green to yellows and oranges echo the tenderness of the rounded bodies of the rabbits. The pages are often strewn with the gentle textures of flowers and leaves. Perhaps a vestige of Tone’s Japanese roots, the whimsical nature of the story and the enchanting illustrations are reminiscent of Hayao Miyazaki’s animations. Even the small size of this book is adorable with the large carrot falling off the edges of the long pages in order to focus in on the rabbits and their imaginative escapades.

- Erin Reilly-Sanders, The Ohio State University

 

Trent, S. (2013). Farmers’ market day. Wilton, CT: Tiger Tales.

Early Saturday morning, a little girl clinks her piggy bank like an alarm clock to wake her mother and father. It’s farmer’s market day and she has big shopping plans for fruits, vegetable, and other delectables. With coffee in hand, red wagon in tow, and dog on leash, this story follows the family as they wind through stalls at the market filling their wagon and engaging with some vendors. This book’s two-page watercolor spreads could serve as a springboard for examining social narratives about who grows vegetables and fruit and who purchases these products at some farmers’ markets.  At this market, for example, a man with brown skin tone and a guitar sells corn from the bed of an old truck. The family does not appear to purchase any of his corn. Nevertheless, they seem to buy something from nearly every other vendor. The subtext of this book’s illustrations merits critical consideration.       

- Denise Dávila, The University of Georgia

 

Wheeler, Eliza. (2013). Miss Maple’s seeds. New York: Nancy Paulsen Books/The Penguin Group.

Miss Maple’s Seeds, a New York Times Children’s Bestselling Picture Book, is the first book that Eliza Wheeler both wrote and illustrated. Miss Maple spends each summer looking for orphan seeds that were lost during spring planting. She brings them home to her maple tree, where she lovingly cares for each seed. Through fall and winter, Miss Maple nurtures the seeds and teaches them how to grow and bloom. Finally, on a windy morning in spring, Miss Maple sends her seeds out into the world, with this powerful message: “Take care, my little ones, for the world is big and you are small. But never forget…even the grandest of trees once had to grow up from the smallest of seeds.” This book would make a lovely graduation gift and a perfect end-of-the-school-year read aloud. The luminous art was created using dip pens, India ink and watercolors. Readers may visit Wheeler’s website to download coloring pages, view her artwork and portfolio, learn about upcoming projects, and follow links to interviews.

- Lisa Patrick, The Ohio State University at Marion

 

GRADES 3-5

 

Spilsbury, Louise. (2014). How community gardens work. New York : Gareth Stevens Publishing.

Don't let the size of this book fool you! Every page is filled with interesting information about community gardens. Starting with a little history of community gardens, dating back to Victory Gardens in World War II, Spilsbury describes the process of caring for community gardens, including the responsibilities and benefits of working in these gardens. Every page has wonderful photographs of people working in gardens, and many include interesting Eco-Facts that teach readers about pollination, bioremediation and composting. Readers become aware of the careful planning and tending gardens need in order to thrive. Spilsbury also hits on the health benefits working in a community garden can provide: physical exercise, healthier foods, especially organic foods, and nutrition awareness. Overall, this short book is filled to the brim with information, just ripe for the picking, in both the way it is written as well as presented.

- Bettie Parsons Barger, The Ohio State University

 

Brunner-Jass, Renata. (2013). The garden club: Operations with fractions. Chicago, IL: Norwood House Press. 

This is a dream come true for those planning a thematic unit on gardening. This text uses gardening as a jumping off point for a variety of fractions operations. Brunner-Jass begins with information about fractions, including terminology. There are activities for students to do as well as questions to foster discussion. She breaks down most every element of gardening using mathematical concepts. Students learn about dividing a plot equally among a variety of plants, especially among companion plants to eliminate pests. Interesting information, accompanied by photographs, is presented about animals that benefit gardens, like insects and chickens, as well as composting. All the while, Brunner-Jass incorporates questions and word problems. While this might not be a text a reader would pick up on his or her own, there are a number of benefits from using it to plan a unit! It is thorough, in-depth, and interesting.

- Bettie Parsons Barger, The Ohio State University

 

GRADES 5-8

 

Bacigalupi, Paolo. (2013). Zombie baseball beatdown. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.

This rousing tale of three friends, a fractured baseball team, and brain-eating zombie cows doesn’t fail to subtly unpack serious issues like food safety, immigration, racism, and privilege when something goes wrong at the local meat packing plant. Bacigalupi keeps the tone light and the plot focused on action as Rabi, Miguel, and Joe try to solve the mystery and prove to the oblivious adults that the corporation running Milgrow Meats presents a serious threat to food safety and human lives. In the meantime, while Rabi’s mathematical talents make him an engagingly brilliant strategist, his batting average could use some work. Bacigalupi’s newest book turns the corner from hypothetical futures to a real-life dystopia that exaggerates the issues in the meat industry. However, it easily manages to avoid becoming didactic with unique characters, zippy dialog, and a densely-stuffed action-adventure story perfect for middle grade readers.

- Erin Reilly-Sanders, The Ohio State University

 

Richardson, Gillian. (2013). 10 plants that shook the world. Illus. by Kim Rosen. Toronto, ON: Annick Press.

In 10 Plants that Shook the World, Gillian Richardson explores plants that have had a profound impact, both positive and negative, on our planet. In the book’s introduction, the author explains that these plants are often used with little consideration to their origin or the lives they have affected throughout history. Richardson remedies this lack of knowledge with an in-depth examination of the impact the plants have made on the world. Each of the ten chapters begins with a set of facts and statistics about the plant. Then a more detailed investigation of the plant’s evolution and its role in major historical, cultural, and political events is provided. A wide range of plants and their uses is covered: from plants we eat, to plants we wear, to plants we use for medicine. The book ends with a map of plant origins, a selected bibliography, a list of books for further reading, and an extensive index. Illustrator Kim Rosen provides the colorful artwork for the book.

- Lisa Patrick, The Ohio State University at Marion

 

Tate, Nikki. (2013). Down to Earth: How kids help feed the world. Victoria, BC Canada: Orca Book Publishers.

Connecting kids who may be more used to a supermarket than a farm with the production of their food is a challenge that Tate gamely takes on in Down to Earth. Photographs of children all over the world helping with both produce and livestock provides an important piece to the puzzle, as does the dense saturation of interesting facts and typically detailed captions. The book swings back and forth from the local scale, the author’s small farm on Vancouver Island, to global information and perspectives. The graphic design is attractive with natural-looking brown backgrounds at the beginning of chapters and pastel section headings, but the book presents almost too much information on one page for the reader to take in at once. With well-chosen variety of issues related to food—including genetic diversity, organic farming, food costs, sustenance, staple crops, multiple uses for livestock and their products, breeding, and marketing—the coverage of the book is vast, especially for only 48 pages. As a Canadian publication, the measurements in the book are presented in the metric system, which may present some minimal difficulty for American children.

- Erin Reilly-Sanders, The Ohio State University

 

Wagner, Lisa. (2013). Cool world cooking: Fun and tasty recipes for kids!. Minneapolis: Scarletta.

Experiencing the cuisines of different cultures is fun way to travel around the world and this book is an age-appropriate ticket to Mexico, France, Italy, Africa, the Middle East, China, and Japan. It starts basic with helpful rules for working in the kitchen and visual guides to tools and cooking terms. Each chapter introduces the ingredients of each region with a picture dictionary before moving into basic sides to accompany the recipes. The recipes are on an appropriately simple level but still maintain many of the trademark flavors of the specific country of its origin while also making sure to balance meals with vegetables, fruits, grains, and proteins. With a catchy cover and enticing graphic design, this book keeps things visual with maps, pictures of kids, and photographs that demonstrate the recipe step by step. The little extra bits of information on how food relates to each location really makes this book into a well-rounded cooking adventure.

- Erin Reilly-Sanders, The Ohio State University

 

GRADES 9-12

 

Boffoli, Christopher. (2013). Big appetites: Tiny people in a world of big food. New York: Workman Publishing.

A photographic exhibition that combines both skill and wit, Boffoli’s imaginative food creations make a great crossover book from the adult world that teens won’t be able to help enjoying. Each of his fine art photographs features vivid food items on brightly colored background that are juxtaposed with tiny people inhabiting each unique scene. The graphic design is as big as the food, boldly filling each landscape-formatted page with the image and allowing the white text to float thoughtfully on colored background on the opposite side. The text in the book is minimal, and limited to a brief title and a sentence that humorously reflects on the image. While the pure amusement of an easy but sophisticated visual read shouldn’t be discounted, this book would find a great home in an art classroom as the seed for a still life photography project with the potential to comment meaningfully on people, society, and food.

- Erin Reilly-Sanders, The Ohio State University

 

Knisley, Lucy. (2013). Relish: My life in the kitchen. New York: First Second Books.

Lucy Knisley is a versatile artist, author, and musician. She is a comic artist, cartoonist, and puppet maker; an author and food/travel writer; and a singer, songwriter, and ukulele player. Knisley’s first published book is French Milk, a graphic journal about a six-week trip during which she and her mother ate their way through Paris. Her second book is Relish: My Life in the Kitchen, an engaging graphic memoir about growing up in the food industry. Knisley explores the evolution of her love for cooking and eating through words and art. From a childhood spent in her chef mother’s kitchen, to her art college years spent working at a gourmet food store in Chicago, Knisley’s life has been continuously immersed in food and cooking. The colorful artwork illustrates important memories and lessons she’s learned about food and life. Each chapter ends with a mouth-watering illustrated recipe. Readers may view Knisley’s comics, illustrations, and a range of other artistic endeavors on her extensive website.

- Lisa Patrick, The Ohio State University at Marion

 

These reviews are submitted by members of the International Reading Association's Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group (CL/R SIG) and are published weekly on Reading Today Online. The International Reading Association partners with the National Council of Teachers of English and Verizon Thinkfinity to produce ReadWriteThink.org, a website devoted to providing literacy instruction and interactive resources for grades K–12.

 

 

My classroom is filled with hermit crabs, a beta fish, a bearded dragon, a box turtle, worms, and a fire-bellied toad. Outside of the traditional nurturing skills and responsibility children gain from having these classroom pets, they also enrich our classroom learning experiences.

p: crazyoctopus via photopin cc

In third grade, my students are expected to be able to describe how living organisms interact within their habitats. Instead of limiting their learning to DVDs and textbooks, I challenge the students to transform into scientists as they make discoveries through hands-on learning and driving questions they formulated themselves.

I allow students to choose their own groups, rather than assigning them, based on the living organism they are interested in learning about further. Once groups are formed, students research five to seven facts on their living organism using Google and information guides from local pet stores.

After gathering facts, students brainstorm ideas for their living organism investigation by generating problem statements. Some examples include: Is a turtle attracted more to lettuce or turtle food? Does a hermit travel faster going east and west versus north and south? Will more worms travel to an apple or a cracker?

Once the students agree upon a problem statement, they formulate their own hypothesis. Next, they collaborate on materials needed, how they are going to gather their data, and a detailed procedure. Then they carry out their investigation. While doing this, they use digital cameras to gather video and images for their culminating movie. Students work together to discuss whether or not their hypothesis was correct, as well as what they learned and what they would do differently if they performed their experiment again. Finally, they write a script detailing facts about their organism and each step of their investigation.

At last, it is time for their movie! Students use Windows Movie Maker to document their experience. This software is a free Windows program allowing users to create, edit, and share movies.

How do you use Windows Movie Maker? Well, it is actually quite simple. After uploading any videos and images onto your computer, you will need to open up Movie Maker. Under Capture Video, there are options to import pictures, video, audio, or music. Anything uploaded will go into your Collections. Images can be captured with a digital camera, cell phone, iPod, or any other device that allows you to upload images or video to your computer.

Everything needs to be placed on the storyboard. If the order of the images doesn’t matter, feel free to select the “Make an AutoMovie” option. Movie Maker will automatically create the movie with special effects and transitions. If a specific order is needed, you’ll need to drag and drop the photos or videos from your Collection box into the storyboard frame. Don’t forget to add a title and credits for your movie by clicking on the “Make titles or credits” under the Edit Movie tab and following the instructions.

You can also insert transitions after adding each image on your storyboard, or you can wait until everything is arranged how you would like it. You may also opt not to add any transitions at all. These appear under the Edit Movie tab along with video effects. Some of the many things you can do with effects are blur images, slow them down, make them black and white, fade them in or out, mirror them, or rotate them.

Once you have completed this, you can add audio by clicking on the “Show Timeline” option at the bottom. When doing this, you can place the audio wherever you would like on your movie. Highlighting it allows you to edit the length of the audio. Sometimes it will take a few times playing with the add/delete arrows when editing to get the audio or video clips the exact length you would like them. Click Play to preview the volume. If it is too loud, click the set audio levels icon and adjust the volume as needed.

If you are looking to narrate your movie, you will need an internal microphone on your computer or an external one you can purchase for as little as $10. If using an external microphone, plug it into your computer. Click on the “Narrate Timeline” icon that appears on the bottom left-hand corner (it looks like a little microphone). Start the narration and speak into the microphone. When finished, click “Stop Narration” and a box will appear, prompting you to save the file as Windows Media Audio (WMA). Once you have done this, it will automatically upload into your collections where you are able to drag it to the audio section of your timeline.

After each step, be sure to hit the “Save Project” button. Preview your movie one last time to see if any changes need to be made. On the task menu, click File, then “Save Project as.” Type a name for your movie and save it on your computer. You’ll be prompted to select the quality of the video you want. This will take a few minutes depending on the length of your movie. Once it is complete, click “Finish” and you can preview the movie on Windows Media Player.

For the class project, students upload captured images and video to their movie and add in transitions, effects, titles, and credits. They use the narration feature to record their investigation script. Following completion of the movies, we have a film festival where parents are invited to view their movies. Of course, don’t forget the popcorn!

Creating a movie works perfectly with this project, but there are unlimited other applications for it, too. Other ways I have used movies in the classroom are filming movie scripts students have written from stories we have read in class, crafting student biographies, and identifying geometric shapes in the real-world.

By allowing students to use Movie Maker in the classroom, I have noticed an increase in creativity, problem-solving skills, collaboration among students, and engagement in their learning. Outside of the film festival, I upload all of their movies on our class blog for friends and relatives. An authentic audience has always instilled my students a sense of motivation to work harder. It is important to present the students with the opportunity to take ownership in their learning.

Who knows? I may have the next Spike Lee or Steven Spielberg sitting right in front of me!

Brandi Leggett is a National Board Certified Teacher in Middle Childhood Generalist. She received her Master’s in Elementary Education from Arcadia University in Glenside, Pennsylvania. She currently teaches third grade at Prairie Ridge Elementary in Shawnee, Kansas.Her classroom website is www.usd232.org/bleggett and classroom blog is http://teambleggett.blogspot.com/.



TILE-SIG Feature: Digital Storytelling

Think Outside the Trash: Global Recycling Project-Based Learning

by Janice Friesen

This year I worked on a project with a second grade teacher (Stephanie) which totally changed the way she approached teaching and learning in the classroom. She was influenced by Ewan MacIntosh, a Scottish educator who does keynotes on innovation, design thinking, and creativity.

Learn more about Design Thinking on Ewan's Company website or on his blog.

Design Thinking and Learning

Design thinking emphasizes the importance of design in how we do everything. When you look at most classrooms from this perspective you see very teacher-centered rooms. The teacher's desk is the most prominent item in the classroom. The teacher designs all that happens in the room and asks the most questions. In fact students are most used to asking questions with “yes” or “no” answers.

In order to make this drastic change in her classroom Stephanie had students helped her empty her classroom of everything, including the teacher's desk. They also cleared the walls of the classroom so that they were starting with an empty slate. She explained to the students that the classroom is where they come to work every day. They spent some time brainstorming and talking about what was important for them so that they could learn, and then they all worked together to make a large banner that showed what mattered to them.

The students decided that they needed to have the white boards lower so that they could work on problems using it. They also decided to try a classroom without a teacher's desk.

Two large dry erase boards will be purchased and posted on the walls this summer before next school year, and the teacher did experiment with no teacher's desk.

Chromebooks

Stephanie also received a Google Grant and decided to spend the money on Chromebooks, which are small laptops that work entirely on the browser Chrome. She decided on Chromebooks because they cost around $250. (She could maximize the grant that way.)

Chromebooks do not have another operating system; they use only the browser Chrome. Currently there are many websites available that are interactive, so a browser is effective in the classroom. The Chromebook is not a good choice for people who use software like Photoshop, because there is no way to do some of those things on a browser yet.

The students are all part of the school's Google Network, and they have safe email addresses and accounts with Google so that they can use all of the tools. Google allows them to search the web the same as you would do with any browser. They can do their work in Google Drive, and it is saved right in their own separate area in Google Drive. The students then share their work with their teacher. She can easily access all of the students work in one area of her Google Drive. She can write them notes and save the document, and then the students can see what she has written the next time they open it up.

Google Drive is especially good for working collaboratively on a project. A group of students can set up a document that is shared between them. Then each student can work on it on their own and all of them will see the work. Sometimes it is good to designate a color for each person so that everyone knows who has changed the text. Even better is the fact that Google keeps the history of the document, so if someone accidentally deletes something it can easily be found and copied and pasted back into the document or you can just start again with the older document. (Read more about Google Drive in Marjie Pozielisnki's May TILE-SIG piece.)

The combination of design thinking and Chromebooks has made Stephanie's classroom much more student centered. She still guides the learning to make sure that the standards are covered, but she does not ask or answer the questions. She wants students to realize that the teacher does not have all of the answers and that they can think like professional workers.

To read more about this project go to: http://bit.ly/1aihiQs. You can contact Stephanie at stephanie.cerda@austin.utexas.edu, or on Twitter @Ms_Cerda.

Janice Friesen is a self-employed teacher. Her business I’m not a Geek.com helps people to be successful using technology. Her searchable blog http://helpimnotageek.blogspot.com offers tips for successful use of technology.

This article is part of a series from the International Reading Association Technology in Literacy Education Special Interest Group (TILE-SIG).

When I visit schools, one of the most frequent questions students ask is where I get ideas. One way is to find a fact and then ask questions.

p: Samyra Serin via photopin cc

Many of my fiction books began by reading nonfiction. As I’m reading, I’m looking for something I call a “story seed,” a fact that a story can grow from. Once I find that story seed, I start asking questions, beginning with “What if…?” Just by asking this question you can get a story going in your mind. Since I am writing for children, my “what if” questions will include how that story seed would affect a child’s life.

TUKI AND MOKA, A TALE OF TWO TAMARINS began when I was reading an article in the Smithsonian Magazine about animal trafficking. Accompanying the article was a picture of a boy with two tamarins. The topic of the article and wondering about that boy’s life made up the “story seed” that led to my initial what if question: “What if there was a boy who befriended a couple of tamarins but animal traffickers stole them?”

Even though my story will be fiction, it will also be about the real world, so I have to research into that world. Research will not only answer questions, but lead to more questions. The more questions I ask, the better my story will end up. Some of the information I research will never be used in the story, but I won’t know what I will want to use and what I won’t, so I tend to research way more than I’ll ever need. This way I have lots of choices. Plus, I may find some little tidbit that will make a real difference in my story. Information about Brazil nuts was one such tidbit which greatly influenced TUKI AND MOKA.

Below, I’ve shared some of the questions I asked while writing TUKI AND MOKA. You will see how the answers helped to build the story.

What if there was a boy who befriended a couple of tamarins but animal traffickers stole them?

Remember, this was my initial “what if” question. It set up the problem for the story. But I also had to think about where the story was going to go, what I wanted the final outcome to be. Of course, I wanted my character to save his animal friends! But before I could go much farther, I needed to get to know this boy, which led to the question most people ask when they meet someone.

What’s your name?

When naming a character, you must think about where and when he lives. Because my character would befriend tamarins, I started my name search by researching tamarins. They live all through the Amazon rainforest. I also researched the laws of different South American countries regarding capturing wild animals. I learned that in Ecuador, only indigenous people can keep wild animals but they can’t sell them.

So, I decided my character would be a Native South American who lives in Ecuador. Even though he may speak a language native to his ancestors, my story would be set in modern times, so he would also speak Spanish and could have a Hispanic name. I personally like names that have a connection with the story, so I researched Hispanic names. I chose Eduardo because it means “rich guard.” My character would not be rich monetarily, but he would be rich with animal friends, and he would want to protect them.

So, now I have Eduardo, an indigenous boy in the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador who has befriended two wild tamarins. Which leads to another question:

What do people do in the rainforest?

More research led to finding out that in Ecuador, only indigenous people can gather Brazil nuts in the rainforest. But now, more questions, questions about Brazil nuts and Brazil nut trees, where and how they grow, how the nuts are gathered, prepared and sold. That led to learning about an agouti, the only animal that can bite open hard Brazil nuts. While researching all this, I still have to keep in mind about the animal traffickers: More questions! More research!

How do the animal traffickers capture wildlife?

With traps and nets, and, they sometimes chopped down trees to get to bird nests. Then, they take the animals outside of the rainforest by boat to sell them. Like a jigsaw puzzle, my answers are fitting together to make my story: Eduardo must leave the rainforest too, in order to sell the Brazil nuts. What does he see on the way? Where does he go and what’s his life like there? And, then I had to use my imagination to answer the most important question.

How will Eduardo save Tuki and Moka?

I’ll let you read the story to find out the answer!

Getting an idea might seem an insurmountable wall, but as you can see, by asking questions and then combining research and imagination to answer them, a story can form. So, here’s an activity third to eighth graders can do to get a story seed and let your story grow. You will need a bunch of index cards.

Get a nonfiction book. Find an interesting fact and write it down on an index card. (Sleeping Bear Press has a whole series of nonfiction alphabet books about each state in their Discover America series. You may want to use them. They are filled with interesting facts!)

Under your fact, write a “what if” question about a kid.

Stories have beginnings (introducing the characters), middles (a problem) and an end (how the problem is solved). Take four index cards. At the top of one write: Main Character. On another put: Problem. On the third, put: Solution. On the fourth put: Interesting Details. These cards will be your categories for other cards.

Now, on your Character card, write down who your main character is. (Mine was: a boy with two tamarins.)

Now, think about your “what if” question. The problem for your story is probably hiding in your “what if” question. If you don’t see a problem, ask more questions about your “what if” question until you find something your character has to solve or take care of. Write your problem on your Problem card. (Mine was: animal traffickers stole tamarins.)

On your “Solution” card, write down “I want,” and then write what you want to have happen at the end. Not how the character solves the problem, just what the outcome is. (My outcome was: I want the boy to save the tamarins.)

Now lay your cards out in order: Character, Problem, Solution. This is your basic story. Put your Details card to the side.

To build on the basic story, ask questions about the words on your cards and write down the answers on other cards. You don’t have to write whole sentences, just enough to remember when you come back to them later. Then, put these cards under one of the four categories. For instance:

Ask about your character: what he looks like, where he lives, what he likes, what he does. Get to know him by asking questions about him. Put all the index cards about your character under your Character card. (Things like “he gathers Brazil nuts” would go under your character card.)

Likewise, ask questions about your problem and write the answers on more cards. Put them under your Problem card. (Mine were answers to: How did the animal traffickers capture the animals? Did they capture other animals? What did they do with them? How and where would they sell them? )

Ask questions about your solution and, again, write the answers on more cards. (Mine answered things like: How does the boy find the tamarins? Where? What are they kept in? How could he get them out of there without being caught? What will he need? How did he get a knife?)

Under your Details card, include any other interesting facts that come along in your research. (Mine included info about an agouti, how Brazil nuts are harvested, etc.)

Now, use your index cards to write your story! Sprinkle some of the facts you’ve learned into your fiction to make it come alive. If you “get stuck,” ask more questions. NOTE: Don’t start your story with a description of your character. That can be sprinkled in, just like the facts are. A better way to start is to have your character doing something – an active sentence.

Judy Young is the author of over a dozen award-winning children’s books, including A PET FOR MISS WRIGHT, A BOOK FOR BLACK-EYED SUSAN, MINNOW AND ROSE, THE LUCKY STAR, and R IS FOR RHYME, A POETRY ALPHABET. TUKI AND MOKA, A TALE OF TWO TAMARINS releases in August, 2013, and the first of four K1 leveled readers, DIGGER AND DAISY GO TO THE ZOO comes out in September, 2013. Learn more about Judy Young’s books at www.judyyoungpoetry.com.