Literacy Now

With the holidays quickly approaching many families have begun decorating their homes, shopping for presents and making plans for the new year. Two important presents teachers give their students each year are a book filled classroom and the love of reading. In theses last few weeks of school continue sharing the gift of books by reading aloud a title from this list. The International Reading Association's Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group (CL/R SIG) wishes everyone a happy holiday!

GRADES K-3

Alko, Selina. (2012). Daddy Christmas and Hanukkah Mama. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Young Sadie launches the family holiday season with her declaration, “I am a mix of two traditions.” In simple text but vivid and playful gouache, collage and colored pencil illustrations the author describes how this household celebrates Christmas and Hanukkah. Father is Christian and mother is Jewish, yet the reader will find dad making latkes (for Santa, no less!) and kugel dressing for turkey dinner. He hangs candy canes from the menorah on the mantel. As relatives arrive and dinner is served, the extended family share stories about holiday traditions. This unique family situation provides a great conversation starter for those interested in a truly multicultural look at the holidays. Learn more about the author and her books at her website.

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Andreasen, Dan. (2012). The twelve days of Christmas. Mankato, MN.: Sleeping Bear Press.

Though there are numerous book versions of this traditional Christmas song, author/artist Dan Andreasen has created a new volume specifically intended for young readers. A baby partridge begins the story song and each day a new cast of characters arrives illustrated with playful animal characters that prove to overwhelm the young partridge. Funny-looking turtledoves, cats that are milkmaids, rabbits performing as dancing ladies and tortoises banging on drums start the mayhem. Though the words remain the same, this is a fresh look at a traditional English carol for young readers counting the days toward the Christmas holiday.

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Black, Birdie. (2012). Just right for Christmas. Illus. by Rosalind Beardshaw. New York: Nosy Crow Publisher/Candlewick.

For teachers looking for a read aloud about the joy of giving, this new book from Birdie Black is just that right book including repeating phrases that young readers will want to join in with the teacher, especially “That cloth is so red and soft and Christmassy!” This phrase opens the book as the king strolls through the market on Christmas Eve and sees a bolt of red cloth that he knows is just right for a grand cloak for his daughter. When the king’s seamstresses finish the cloak, they put the scraps outside the back door. The kitchen maid walks by and sees the discarded red scraps and she immediately decides to make a jacket for her ma. When she discards the scraps, along comes a badger who sees that he can make a hat for his pa; then a squirrel gathers the scraps to make gloves for his wife; and from the last bits of red cloth a mouse makes a beautiful red scarf for her son. The final pages bring all the characters from the book together at the ice skating rink and readers will see all the red gifts sported around the ice rink. The mixed media illustrations use cloth and patterns and sewing items that add a touch of homespun storytelling to the story. Pair this with Simms Taback’s Caldecott winner, Joseph Had a Little Overcoat. A quick book talk of this book can be found at YouTube.

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Bryan, Ashley. (2012). Who built the stable?; a nativity poem. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Told in rhymed couplets and illustrated with the brilliantly familiar artwork of Ashley Bryan, this story of the nativity brings new thought to the original story of Christmas. The narrator is a young boy apprenticed to his father and training to be a carpenter. When Mary and Joseph arrive in Bethlehem, the young apprentice invites them to stay in the stable. As Ashley Bryan was traveling in an open Jeep across Africa, the bumpy terrain reminded him of the bumpy journey Mary made all those years ago to Bethlehem. Throughout this new book, Bryan has illustrated the pictures with a strong African influence including background pictures of a giraffe, a zebra, a monkey, and an African drummer. Some observers might question these artistic details, but it brings universality to this glorious birth. After the young carpenter boy has cared for Mary and Joseph’s comforts for the coming night, he greets them in the morning and meets the new babe. He proclaims that this child will also be a carpenter and a shepherd. This vibrant new book brings a new slant to the Biblical version as young readers enjoy the story told in rich language with beautiful illustrations. This would make an excellent family story or gift for Christmas. Listen to a podcast on the illustrations of Ashley Bryan. 

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Carpenter, Tad. (2012). Sad Santa. New York: Sterling Children’s Books.

It is December 26, and Santa is sad. The presents are open, the cookies are eaten, and everyone is forgetting about Santa. He has the blues. Mrs. Claus tries to cheer him up and suggests going on a beach vacation but this doesn’t work as he just doesn’t feel wanted or needed any longer. Then, one day, a letter arrives from a young boy who is starting on his Christmas list for next year. He is asking for gifts for his brother and his parents. Santa’s enthusiasm returns and he heads for the North Pole to begin the new season’s extra-special gifts. Though he is back to work, the end of the book concludes with Santa’s thought about sharing and the spirit of giving and caring every day of the year. The author got the idea for this book after his recent marriage. The planning of the wedding took months and months and then was over so quickly, it made him think of Christmas in the same way. Enjoy the website dedicated to this book.

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Kelleher, Kathie. (2012). The night before Christmas, deep under the sea. Illus. by Dan Andreasen. New York: Holiday House.

For those collectors of all the parodies and varieties of Clement Moore’s poem, “The Night Before Christmas,” here is a new addition/edition. Narrated by a jolly old lobster, readers will find the undersea marine setting a humorous touch to the traditional poem. Mermaids replace peeking children in this tale of underwater Christmas. When Santa finally arrives, readers will see that he is a blue walrus and sea horses with their own marine names pull the conch-shell sleigh. Using oil and digital artwork the illustrations are often double page spreads that add a luminescence for underwater effect in addition to humorously supporting the text that stays admiringly close to Moore’s original.

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Matteson, George, & Ursone, Adele. (2012). The Christmas tugboat: How the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree came to New York City. Illus. by James Ransome. Boston/New York: Houghton Mifflin Books/Clarion Books.

Many young readers will cherish this book that explains how the huge Christmas tree that graces New York City's Rockefeller Center at Christmas arrives at its destination. Although the story does not cover the selection and the cutting of the tree chosen for this honor, it describes its watery journey along the Hudson River. Based on their own experiences, the authors relate how one family ventures out in a tugboat along the river to guide the tree to its rightful place of honor. The story highlights family love and how the three family members take note of everything along their path while the acrylic illustrations paint the city and its surroundings in eye-catching style, making the route back to NYC seem almost like a parade attended by passengers in boats. Although many readers will be familiar with the lighting of the tree at the Rockefeller Center, few of them will have considered how the tree would be transported. This is a perfect read aloud as the holiday season draws nigh. 

- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Patricelli, Leslie. (2012). Fa la la. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

As is often the case for little ones, Baby is beyond excited as Christmas approaches. Eager for Christmas to come, he seizes every chance to get involved in the festivities, even draping tinsel and lights around himself while his parents attempt to decorate the tree. Parents reading this board book to their own little ones will smile at the less-than-desirable but heartfelt presents that Baby makes for his own parents since they may have received similar gifts themselves. It's all lots of fun, accompanied by vividly-hued acrylic illustrations, and Baby's irrepressible joy for life. Readers will chortle as Baby belts out Christmas carols in a decidedly off key fashion to the annoyance of the family's pets who seek solace from the noise. It’s a good thing the holiday comes only once a year.

- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Schuette, Sara L. (2012). A Christmas cookbook; simple recipes for kids. Mankato, MN: Capstone Press.

Christmas also means cooking! This cookbook is especially designed for young children to enjoy as the subtitle indicates: simple recipes for kids. Large print, simple step-by-step instructions, and color photographs makes this an ideal Christmas cookbook for young readers. Starting with an introduction on Festive Foods that provides a metric conversion chart, kitchen tools and techniques (crush, drizzle, fold, measure, spread, sprinkle, stir, toss) recipes for snacks and drinks will make apprentice child cooks proud of the kitchen products they produce. Recipes include: North Pole Pie, Blitzen’s Bagels, Hawaiian Snowball Salad, Santa’s Salsa Rolls, Stuffed Sleigh Sammies, and of course, Mrs. Claus Cookies and a Popcorn Garland. A glossary and index help with definitions of specific cooking terms. Yummy! Good news for Santas everywhere!

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Whelan, Gloria. (2012). Smudge and the book of mistakes; a Christmas story. Illus. by Stephen Costanza. Mankato, MN: Sleeping Bear Press.

Fifteen-year-old Cuthbert is sent to live at the monastery of St. Ambrose on the Irish island of Moracrrick. Living in the Middle Ages and small for his age, his father thinks Cuthbert will never be a warrior and the life of a monk is more suited to him. When he is assigned to the scriptorium to learn the art of writing and creating illuminated letters, Brother Cuthbert is delighted. He loves writing and creating the beautiful letters, though most of the time he is a bit sloppy and quickly earns the nickname “Smudge.” A special project is started at the monastery and is designed to bring fame to the church but due to a mistake in assignments, Cuthbert is selected over the best writer/calligrapher at St. Ambrose to be the illuminator of the Christmas story project. Smudge?? Brother Gregory lends Brother Cuthbert guidance and confidence that he can, indeed, complete this project. Through hard work, diligence and many hours of practice, Cuthbert works his way through this momentous task. When a mistake at the very end of the manuscript threatens to completion of the project. Brother Gregory shows Cuthbert how to turn a mistake into something creative and beautiful. Check out "5 Questions With... Gloria Whelan" on the Engage blog. Teachers might like to try teaching students to practice making an illuminated letter.

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

GRADES 4-6

Kalz, Jill. (2012). Christmas chaos: Hidden picture puzzles. Illus. by James Yamasaki. Mankato, MN: Heinemann/Picture Window Books.

Fourteen puzzles created around a holiday theme give readers a chance to test their patience and enhance their visual literacy and puzzle-solving skills as they try to locate various hard-to-find objects such as a rocking horse, a candy cane, and mistletoe, among others. Although finding them might seem easy, some of the puzzles require combing over the images slowly and patiently several times since the colors blend together. This entertaining book will keep young readers busy as they try to spot all the objects, but don’t be surprised if they ask older readers for some help. Despite the book's title, it also features puzzles about Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Year's as well as a puzzle about the winter season. Many of the pages feature friendly figures enjoying the lighted houses and ice sculptures in their neighborhood as well as standing in line to visit Santa Claus. Successful puzzle solvers can return to the puzzles to look for even more objects, including a cupcake, a mermaid, and a lizard, of all things. While reading this book is great fun, looking at the multi-hued pictures for too long can be headache-inducing.

- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

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. 

In the spring of 2012, a group of English Language Arts educators from Franklin, MA, launched a highly successful middle school reading program around The Hunger Games.  In this five-part special series, the teachers who orchestrated the whole-school read will detail, step-by-step, this year’s initiative. Parts I and 2 focused on how the team made this year’s book selection, The Hobbit, and encouraged student participation. In part 3, Mary Cotillo and Erin O’Leary discuss some of the challenges they’ve faced—and how they’re working as a team to overcome.

We know where we’re headed on this journey—we really do—and we know it’s going to be worth our while. How to get there? That’s another story. 

Our merry band of literature lovers are much like Bilbo and the dwarves—prepared and peppy at the outset, tromping gamely through the Misty Mountains, blissfully unaware of the evils that are lurking around the bend.

If you are planning a school-wide reading program, please take a few moments to benefit from our experience as we highlight the pitfalls—both real and imagined—that line our path.

Challenge #1: Time

Although a read-a-thon may not seem like something that will dominate your life for several months, let us be the first to tell you: it can and it will.

We first hinted at our reading initiative in mid-October. We teased the reveal for about a week and made the surprise part of our journey. While we adults tend to get irritated when people (read: celebrities’ publicists) announce that they are going to make an upcoming announcement about an important announcement, our middle schoolers lapped it up.

After the reveal comes the reading. Not a big deal, right? Maybe not with a modern, popular young adult book with a glossy cover featuring knock-out models. But we’re not talking about heartbreakers; we’re talking about a furry-footed Hobbit. We needed to keep our initiative in the forefront of kids’ minds and capitalize on the tween desire to belong. Don’t get left behind! We peppered the school with propaganda, aired weekly videos encouraging reading, and ran daily “caught reading” contests. All of this takes time.

Here’s how we created our schedule: We knew we wanted the kids to see the movie as close to the release as possible, which gave us the target date of Dec. 14 (before Christmas break—thank you, Peter Jackson!). Now, back up one week for those permission slips. If you want your students to have some level of accountability—a riddling or reaping or what have you—subtract at least one more week for that. That put us at a “due date” of December 3.

Which means our students had seven weeks to read The Hobbit. Literally, seven weeks.

Of course, our read-a-thon will not end when we walk out of the theater. The field trip is what requires the most planning and generates the most excitement among the kids, but we also rock some post-viewing school-wide events. In fact, we decided to save most of the activities for after the movie. It gives us some time to regroup, and also gives our little hobbits the chance to reconsider and join the throng. Last year we picked up an additional thirty-something tributes after the movie. Apparently, they didn’t know how cool we were.

Challenge #2: Faculty Support

Like any initiative, if your school is like ours, you’ll have reactions ranging from immediate “This is awesome! What can I do to help?” buy-in to “You’ve got to be kidding me, I can’t handle one more thing before Christmas” resistance.

If your budget allows, order copies of the book for your teachers. Make them signs for their classrooms, offer lessons, news stories, and articles, and provide logistical updates for your faculty as you are able. It’s not always easy, but don’t stress too much. Most are only concerned if an event interferes with their teaching day. If you can provide advance warning, most will happily accommodate.

However, there are some teachers who’ll be armed with a laundry list of questions, and you won’t always have answers. (See “Doubts” below.) Learning styles are evident even among adults. Some need to see the “big picture,” while others crave minutia, playing the “what if?” game. If you’re concerned with collegial dynamics, have the important stuff come from above. That’s what Gandalf is for. Remain as positive and kind as humanly possible; if your faculty isn’t excited about your initiative, the kids will suffer.

Overall, we’ve been blessed with incredible support that far outweighs any stray negativity that comes our way. We have more offers for support (and requests to chaperone) than we can possibly accept. We’ve found teachers are more than willing to tolerate disruptions to their schedule in exchange for the unifying effects of a school-wide adventure.

Challenge #3: (Self) Doubts

An adventurer’s greatest enemy is not a goblin or a giant spider or a dragon, but oneself. We intrepid few who willingly embark on such grand missions must be prepared to come face to face with our own doubts and fears. And, as was so beautifully illustrated to the Horace Mann Middle School contingent recently, we must be willing to stay the course.

The Hobbit is not The Hunger Games. Last year we had students falling over themselves to participate. This year, the readers are much more reluctant. The book is long. It has old-fashioned language. There are no mutts or fireballs or love interests. It wasn’t long before we faced what Mary at least considered to be a disastrous realization: we were highly unlikely to fill six buses.

“But we have to fill six buses,” the doubting voice in Mary’s head cried. “We have a mandate! We have a precedent! If we don’t meet these new, higher expectations, what will happen next year? We’ll lose our budget! We’ll have to fight tooth and nail for support just like we did last year. Not filling six buses is not an option! We need to change the program!”

So we did…almost.

First, we did some research to figure out where the first movie ends (The Hobbit film adaptation will be a trilogy) and figured that students would have to read roughly five chapters to understand the first movie. We talked about eliminating the requirement to read the book, opening up the field trip to those students who had read at least the first five chapters. This would encourage those students who were stymied by difficult language, bolster our numbers, and ensure our literacy initiative would be funded in years to come.

Oh, and the message the kids would receive about not having to read the whole book? The lowering of our standards? We’ll just ignore those issues for now. We’ve got six buses to fill, people!

Thank goodness, once again, for coolheaded administration. When we approached our Gandalf with our worries and suggested plan of action, we were quickly set straight. It mattered not if we had 50 or 500 students participating; our program (and budget!) was safe. We were reminded to keep our eye on the real prize. We are in this not for movie premieres, not for newspaper coverage, but for the kids. We are encouraging a love of reading and literature, and to do that we absolutely must require the students to read the whole novel.

And as for Mary’s worries that we’d only have a handful of kids participate? That was proven wrong on the day before Thanksgiving break, when we held a surprise early-riddling. Twenty-five students qualified in an hour. Not too shabby!

Mary Cotillo and Erin O’Leary both teach English Language Arts at Horace Mann Middle School in Franklin, MA.

Read the rest of the series here:

Six Buses: The Quest for School-Wide Reading Begins!

The Quest, Part 2: Monday Morning Hobbit-Backing

The Quest, Part 4: Some Shall Not Pass

The Quest, Part 5: The Journey Pays Off in Unexpected Ways

This post originally appeared on the Engage/Teacher to Teacher blog in November 2011.

The holidays present a host of challenges for teachers. Whether you are trying to preserve instructional time or simply break free of traditional holiday activities, here are ten titles that can help you reinvent your classroom’s holiday traditions. For each non-traditional holiday title below you will find a brief synopsis and an idea for connecting the book to the work of your classroom. What holiday season do you want in your classroom this year?

’Tis the Season to Notice

WE ARE AMERICA
Written by Walter Dean Myers
Illustrated by Christopher Myers

In their latest father-son collaboration, New York Times bestselling author Walter Dean Myers and Caldecott Honor artist Christopher Myers create a stunning journey through American History. The free-verse, non-fiction poetry and the epic illustrations offer homage to the diversity of people who have shaped America across its vast and complicated history. Offering resounding respect both for America and for those who have shaped it, Myers and Myers have found a way to say “Thank you” to all those we owe a debt of gratitude, from brick makers to presidents.

The cross-curricular connections for using this book are extensive. Our favorite, however, offers a variation on the traditional writing prompt: “I’m thankful for...” Instead, let children think about whom in history impacted the way they live their lives today. If they could say “thank you” in person, how would they say it and what would they say?

’Tis the Season to Break Stereotypes

NAVAJO YEAR: WALK THROUGH MANY SEASONS
Written by Nancy Bo Flood
Illustrated by Billy Whitehorne

The Navajo year begins in October, when summer and winter meet each other. In NAVAJO YEAR: WALK THROUGH MANY SEASONS, Coyote walks the reader through the thirteen months of the Navajo calendar. Illustrated by Billy Whitehorne, who lives in the Shonto-Black Mesa area of the Navajo Nation, this book captures the Navajo seasons with images and words. Presented in poetic form, with graceful and precise language, Flood manages an economy of words that makes the innate challenges of poetry appear easy. The book closes with a Navajo pronunciation guide produced by Berlyn Yazzie, Sr. The guide offers narrative descriptions as well as phonetic pronunciations of each of the months of the Navajo calendar. This book was carefully vetted, and offers a present-day counterpoint to stereotypes of Native Americans that abound around Thanksgiving.

You can use this book in math to make comparisons between our traditional calendar and the Navajo calendar. Use it in social studies to challenge students’ assumptions about Native Americans. NAVAJO YEAR is most valuable, perhaps, for the opportunities it offers to explore community, traditions, and special days across a calendar year. This book also lends itself to classroom events marking New Year celebrations.

’Tis the Season to Rethink What We Thought We Knew

THE ARRIVAL
Written and illustrated by Shaun Tan

Ask most students to describe a “pilgrim” and you will likely hear descriptions of women in bonnets and men in pointy hats with buckles on their shoes. You can help your children see Thanksgiving Day afresh (not to mention giving them a break from the common school traditions they endure over and over again) by showing them that “pilgrims” still exist.

THE ARRIVAL, Shaun Tan’s beautiful, wordless masterpiece is an award-winning book about an immigrant’s experience that will broaden your students’ definition of the word pilgrim, and offer new depth to what it means to be thankful. A beautifully complex text, THE ARRIVAL offers something for students of all ages. The wordless images will engage younger students, while older students can work through Tan’s invented alphabet, which allows readers to experience the same confusion immigrants experience as they face a new language in a foreign land.

The potential student responses to this book are many, but this book should probably be left to work its magic without extensive teacher direction. If anything, a simple, post-discussion writing prompt like, “I used to think..., but now I think....” can lend some consistency to student responses that could form a class poem or book.

’Tis the Season of Observing

NABEEL'S NEW PANTS: AN EID TALE
Written by by Fawzia Gilani-Williams
Illustrated by Prioiti Roy

While teaching your students about Eid, the celebration that takes place after the fast of Ramadan, NABEEL’S NEW PANTS will also show your students the ways that family holiday preparations are universal. From buying special gifts for family to preparing holiday food, this sweet tale carries a traditional note that any child can recognize, regardless of family traditions.

Roy’s gouache, watercolor, and ink illustrations help create a cheerful story of a mishap that leaves Nabeel with a most unusual pair of pants for Eid morning. This is a lovely and truly multicultural book: the author and illustrator are from India, the story is Turkish, and the glossary in the front of the book explains the Arabic terms used throughout.

Let your students use this book to observe the commonalities in holiday traditions. Students may discover that, even if cultural traditions vary, most holidays share the same, core elements, such as family reunions, giving, and anticipation.

’Tis the Season of Peace (In and Out)

THE PEACE BOOK
Written and illustrated by Todd Parr

Author/illustrator Todd Parr’s books present straightforward, accessible illustrations to teach sophisticated ideas, such as tolerance and love. While people celebrate certain seasons of peace in particular, we can think about the importance of peace throughout the year.

Parr lends concrete examples to this complex word, defining peace as multi-faceted. His illustrations show a range of peaceful moments, from caring for the earth to learning a new language. Use THE PEACE BOOK in your classroom to broaden classroom conversations beyond holiday calendar limitations.

For a deep discussion that can verbally prime comparably deep written responses, ask your students to think about whether peace is on the inside of them or on the outside. For further analysis, as what they think about this distinction, how inner and outer peace are connected, and whether it matters. You can even go page-by-page through THE PEACE BOOK and think about whether each illustration shows peace within or peace without.

’Tis the Season for Enough to be Plenty

THE SPIDER'S GIFT: A UKRAINIAN CHRISTMAS STORY
Written by Eric A. Kimmel
Illustrated by Katya Krenina

Spiders at Christmas? Children may wonder if you are talking about Christmas or Halloween. This story introduces a culturally significant holiday tradition that may be unknown to many of your students. In the Ukraine, spiders and their webs represent good luck. Many Ukrainians decorate their Christmas trees with spiders and webs.

THE SPIDER’S GIFT is a retelling of this tradition and its spider legend. This book is perfect considering the economic difficulties many will face this holiday season. The opening line will pull your students in as they learn that Katrusya’s family must figure out ways to turn little into plenty.

Let this story launch a campaign of holiday decorations or projects that appreciate nature and illustrate that something doesn’t have to be expensive to be beautiful. Paired with conversations about the dimensions of holiday traditions that aren’t sold in stores, students might find that getting down to earth, literally and figuratively, may introduce a new simplicity to a typically frenzied season.

‘Tis the Season of Our Own Celebrations

SEVEN SPOOLS OF THREAD: A KWANZAA STORY
Written by Angela Shelf Medearis
Illustrated by Daniel Minter

SEVEN SPOOLS OF THREAD explains, in classic folktale form, the origin of Kente cloth as well as the seven Kwanzaa principles. Use this title to give your students an overview of this holiday, established in 1966. Minter’s bold, brilliant linocuts convey the strong family ties in a Ghanaian village that serves as the setting for this tale of seven constantly quarreling brothers. With a glossary, pronunciation guide, and craft activity section, this book supports numerous opportunities for exploring and understanding Kwanzaa.

The SEVEN SPOOLS OF THREAD also invites an exploration of all kinds of holiday traditions. You can support discussion and writing by asking a few of the following questions: What did the creators of Kwanzaa have to consider as they developed this holiday? What does Kwanzaa include that was missing from other holidays? What is the same about Kwanzaa and other holidays? What makes the particular holidays that students observe meaningful for them? What makes a holiday your own?

‘Tis the Season to Start Something New

I LIVE IN TOKYO
Written and illustrated by Mari Takabayashi

Brilliant illustrations accompany the authentic text that sometimes reads like a journal and other times like a caption. For each month, Takabayashi offers a two-page spread that chronicles one year in the life of Mimiko, a seven-year-old school girl who lives in Japan.

With special emphasis on Mimoko’s holiday observances and other family traditions, I LIVE IN TOKYO offers students a new perspective on family celebrations. Takabayashi’s illustrations are intricate, while the ideas are simple but rich. The book ends with a glossary of Japanese terms. I LOVE TOKYO is the perfect book for welcoming in the New Year. Each page offers its own writing prompt, such as favorite foods or hometown landscape. Combined, these prompts offer an authentic mentor text for an illustrated journal across a year.

In January, share this book with students and let them begin their own monthly journals. Each month they can add a two-page spread. When school ends for the summer, they will have enough of an investment in their journals to continue writing during the break. Perhaps you will be greeted next fall with last-year’s student’s returning to share their summer writing with you.

Jan Miller Burkins is the founder of Jan Miller Burkins Consulting and Literacyhead.com, and is an author of PREVENTING MISGUIDED READING: NEW STRATEGIES FOR GUIDED READING TEACHERS (IRA, 2010).

Rachel Watkins is the Assistant Editor of Literacyhead.com and the Children’s Book Specialist at Avid Bookshop, an independent bookstore in Athens, Georgia.



Holiday Book Reviews

Putting Books to Work: Judy Cox's ONE IS A FEAST FOR A MOUSE: A THANKSGIVING TALE

This month, Reading Today features Stephanie Grote-Garcia, an Assistant Professor of Teacher Education at The University of the Incarnate Word and founding member of the new Texas Association for Literacy Education (TALE). Stephanie shares her thoughts on literacy education, her experiences working with IRA Past President and What's Hot? expert Jack Cassidy, and why she's excited that the IRA Annual Convention is in San Antonio. 

When did you decide that you wanted to work in the education field?

Many factors led me to work in the education field. However, I did not make the conscious decision until I was a sophomore in college. Looking back on the decision, I believe the two most significant factors were the speech difficulties that I experienced as a child and the wonderful teachers that guided me through grade school.

My speech did not develop the same as my peers. When I was three years old, my speech equaled that of a 15 month old child. I continued to experience speech difficulties throughout Junior High, particularly with pronunciation. Since oral language impacts one’s development in reading and writing, you can imagine how this impacted my academics in grade school.

With this experience, I could have easily reacted as a “carrot,” but instead chose to react like “coffee.” You must think this sounds silly, but it actually makes perfect sense. When faced with adversity (i.e., the boiling water) the carrot falls apart ― I could have easily given up. However, the coffee reacts in a way that changes the very circumstance that was meant to break it apart. That is, the coffee changes the water into a treat that is recognized by stunning aroma.

In relation to this story, I have turned something that was very difficult for me into a true love. I have accomplished this by becoming an advocate for oral and written language.

My grade school teachers also influenced me. To this day, the teacher I most often think about is my pre-kinder teacher. I must admit, after all these years she still checks on me.

How did you begin, and how did your career progress?

My career started in a small rural, elementary school in Texas. I was a reading teacher for grades K-2nd. After my third year in the classroom, I became a certified Reading Specialist and Master Reading Teacher. I then worked in a lab school on the campus of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christ (TAMU-CC) and later as a Reading Specialist for an urban school district. Most of my elementary teaching involved working with struggling readers and writers.

Over time, I earned a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Reading from TAMU-CC. I also completed additional graduate coursework in Special Education. After completing this degree, I stayed at TAMU-CC for one year as a visiting assistant professor. I then moved to The University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas. There I am an Assistant Professor of Teacher Education.

What drew you to researching and writing about reading diagnosis, patterned books, and teaching students with special needs?

After reading about my speech difficulties as a child, you can guess why I enjoy researching and writing about reading diagnosis and teaching students with special needs. However, I imagine you are wondering about my work with patterned books.

As a child who struggled in reading, I depended on several clues from the author. One of the most useful clues was predictable text patterns. The patterns assisted me with identifying difficult words and guided my comprehension. Pattern books also increased my engagement and in response motivated me to read and write. I found these patterns to be highly clever and entertaining. I loved text patterns so much that I even structured my own writing into predictable patterns.

I started researching and writing about patterned books when I met Dr. Mary Ann Zipprich who also recognized patterned books as powerful literature. Since meeting, we have collaborated on a number of projects.

This summer, you worked with IRA Past President Jack Cassidy on the What’s Hot, What’s Not Literacy Survey. What was that experience like?

The experience can be summarized as ― wonderful. Jack Cassidy is a fabulous mentor and friend. I was thrilled when he asked me to collaborate with him on the 2013 What’s Hot, What’s Not Literacy Survey. In addition, interviewing the literacy experts was truly enjoyable because I take pleasure in speaking with others and hearing multiple perspectives.

This year six literacy topics were identified to be the center of attention ― adolescent literacy, common core standards, college and career readiness, comprehension, high-stakes assessment, and informational/non-fiction text. Jack and I will elaborate on these findings at the IRA Convention in San Antonio, Texas.

You’ve been involved in the recent creation of the Texas Association for Literacy Education (TALE). What encouraged you to get involved, and how has it been going?

by S. Michael Putman

As you read the title of this post, I am sure many of you immediately noted the implicit reference to Pinterest, a website that has quickly gained a tremendous following, especially among teachers. However, my goal is to actually introduce you to a new website, called Learnist, which has been referred to as the “Pinterest for education.” In what follows, I’ll provide a brief overview of the tool as well as describe a few potential benefits and uses of this social learning platform.

Identified as a multimedia learning platform, Learnist represents a tool that allows users to gather or examine multiple digital resources about a topic (tag) in what’s referred to as a learning board. The advantage of Learnist over other similar tools is that content resources presented on the board can consist of more than just a series of pictures or links. In fact, Learnist is capable of displaying imbedded resources in diverse formats, such as text, audio, video (including YouTube and Vimeo), and Google maps and books. Extending this flexibility, the resources can also be ordered, thus creators can provide a presentation-like environment, progressing users through a specific set of materials in sequence. Taking advantage of the communicative function of the platform, users can follow specific people, comment on and “like” boards as well as share boards through other outlets, including Facebook and Pinterest. The interface is very much like other social networks, but rather than trying to explain how it looks, I would suggest going directly to the site and examining the learning board that offers a quick tour. Not only will you see what a board looks like, but you’ll also be able to examine a number of videos and text-based sources that introduce the website in more detail and explain how to complete some of the common actions necessary for active and productive use of the site.

Learnist has great potential for use by educators, both as an instructional tool and as an informational resource. In regard to the former, teachers can “send” their students to a learning board on a particular topic that offers a finite set of resources organized around a particular topic. In essence, the website offers the opportunity to minimize the need for students to search the Internet for resources or information, potentially saving instructional time. Utilizing the flexibility of formats for content resources, teachers can also potentially meet multiple learners’ needs as concepts and materials are introduced and reinforced in several ways within a board. As a professional development tool, Learnist provides access to a wealth of information on a variety of educational subjects. For example, there are multiple learning boards with content addressing instructional methods to meet the Common Core State Standards. Other boards function primarily as resource centers about particular topics, e.g. how to use iPads within instruction or 21st Century Learning.

I feel Learnist offers some new and exciting possibilities for educators, beyond simply getting ideas from pictures pinned on walls. Hopefully you’ll take a look and find multiple ways to use it as an instructional resource as well as one for professional growth.

S. Michael Putman is an associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

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