Literacy Now

This year began my first year teaching at Prestige Academy, an all-boys charter school in Wilmington, Delaware. Prestige is a Title I school that serves mostly low-income families and students from an urban environment.

When teaching at a Title I school, funding can be difficult to come by. In some cases, there are needs that simply cannot be met. This often includes foregoing a classroom library.

But for me, having a classroom without a library was not an option. I have always loved reading, and from a young age, I knew that I wanted my future students to learn to love reading as much as I do. Having a classroom abundant in books was important to me. So, I had to get creative.

p: friends.sfpl via photopin

It turns out there are a multitude of ways to create a wonderful selection of books within your own classroom—and your stretched-to-the-max budget. If you’re struggling to build out your own classroom library like I was, consider trying out some of the following:

Donate some of your own books to the classroom library. Chances are, you already do this. But have you stocked the library with some of your favorite books? Students love to read books that their teachers recommend—even the classics that can be read at many ages. For instance, I made sure to include “The Westing Game”by Ellen Raskin, “The BFG”by Roald Dahl, and the Harry Potter series in my library.

A word of caution: Don’t bring in books that have sentimental value to you. They will most likely get worn quickly! This means that autographed copies and special print editions should be left at home (unless you’re completely okay with the possibility that they could become worn, ruined, or lost).

Go to garage sales and Goodwill. This is my best-kept secret! Throughout the spring and summer, pick up as many cheap books as you can at garage sales, where you can often purchase books for as little as ten cents. This allows you to not only buy a greater number of books because of such a low price, but also to expand the genres in your classroom library. Goodwill is also a wonderful resource for similar purchases year round.

Ask for donations. There are so many individuals willing to donate to teachers, and especially teachers in a Title I school. Don’t be shy! If you happen to come across a member of any type of educational, professional, or reading coalition, speak to them. Odds are that they will help you in any way they can. Plus, it’s a great networking opportunity for future events.

A wonderful resource to look into is First Book, a nonprofit organization that provides low- or no-cost literature and resources to schools that are Title I, or serve a large portion of low-income families. You can register online to determine your school or organization’s eligibility.

Create a sign-in and sign-out sheet. In my classroom, I have a specific student responsible for my classroom library. Each time a book is checked out, he writes down the title, the student who is checking it out, and notes on the condition of the book. This helps to cut down on lost books, and ensures that students do not take a new book and return it in less-than-perfect condition. After all, the fewer books you lose, the fewer books you have to replace!

Although creating a classroom library is important, it is equally as important to do something with it. Great educators use their library to inspire their students to love reading. This can mean incorporating read-alouds, excerpts during lessons, and even month-to-month features on different authors.

One thing that I recently began doing in order to instill this quality in my students is a reading group. I felt that I had many students who could be pushed to higher heights academically, and were even longing for additional engagement. About half of my current students elected to join our small “book club.” We decided to begin with “Island of the Blue Dolphins” by Scott O’Dell. Each week, students complete a reading of certain chapters, and are required to fill out a packet of discussion questions. Then, we meet one afternoon during lunch and have a low-key discussion about the story line, elements of literature used, and any other hot-button ideas brought up in their readings. If students complete their assigned chapters and discussion questions, and attend our meeting, they receive extra credit in my class.

So far, I have seen great results from my scholars. This was a simple way to encourage reading, and at the same time strengthen our class culture.

Building a great classroom library can be difficult without the budget to do so. But over time, utilizing the helpful hints above, I’m confident you’ll be able to create a well-rounded library for your students. The key is to persevere, and make the most of every opportunity.

Taylor Swalm is from Middletown, Delaware. She currently teaches 5th grade at Prestige Academy Charter School. She has her B.S. in Middle Level Education  (Spec. English & Social Sciences) from Wilmington University and is pursuing a Master’s degree in School Leadership.

Two years ago my building implemented a one-to-one technology initiative, giving kindergarten through fifth grade students their own iPad or MacBook. With this new technology in the classroom, I am always on the lookout for new ways for students to publish their writings digitally. 

I recently attended a technology conference and learned about Lucidpress.com. Lucidpress is a free, web based publisher that includes a variety of artistic, user friendly templates that when completed can be saved to Google Drive.

Signing up for teachers and students is easy! Simply go to Lucidpress and enter your name and email address. If your district is a Google Apps for Education district, students can click the “Sign up with Google” button. If your students do not have their own email addresses, they can use the Gmail +1 trick to sign in. Once logged in, click “Create” and choose “Document.” From there, students can choose from over thirty digital templates to find the best fit to support their writing.

My students enjoy using the newspaper and book templates to assemble their writings. Some students choose to type on the template the entire time, while others opt to type in Google Drive and then paste their work on the template. No matter which drafting option they choose, students find the process easy to accomplish and gratifying.

Once the Lucidpress templates are completed and saved as a PDF, students can log into another free website, FlipSnack.com, which transforms PDFs, and other files, into flipping eBooks. These eBooks can then be embedded in the students’ online portfolios as a way to document their accomplishment and growth.

The possibilities of digitally publishing student work using Lucidpress and FlipSnack are endless. Whether you are looking for a web based platform for students to publish their work, or a unique way to transform the typical typed student work into a flipping eBook, I encourage you to check out these digital publishing tools.

Stephanie Laird

You may recognize International Reading Association (IRA) member Shanne Bowie from the February/March issue of “Reading Today” in which she and Gerri Settoon wrote a lovely piece welcoming colleagues to Louisiana for the IRA Annual Conference in May. Bowie is the current President of the Louisiana Reading Association and a longtime elementary school teacher. In this “Reading Today” interview, she shares her inspirations, proudest moments, and what refreshes and renews her spirit.

When did you know you wanted to become a teacher?

I wanted to become a teacher in Kindergarten when Mrs. Frasier read to me while I sat on her lap. Later in high school, I wanted to become a teacher because I thought they got summer vacations. My first year to teach, I knew I wanted to become a teacher when my sixth grade student didn't want to leave my room on the last day, and she tearfully said, "No one will ever care about me like you." I knew then, I wanted to become a teacher.

Did any children's literature influence your decision to become a literacy educator?

I loved Hans Christian Anderson's tales as a very young child. I would make up my own tales to tell my sister. Later, I was fascinated by Caddie Woodlawn, a story of a frontier girl. I loved it because she was a tomboy just like me. I promised myself when I became a teacher, I would read Caddie Woodlawn every year, and I have done so for the last 28 years.

How did you begin your career, and what led you to your current position?

I began my career in a sixth grade classroom, but my heart was really in the lower grades where I have spent most of my time as an educator. I came to my current position the year after I completed National Board certification. My school is known for its literacy emphasis and deep commitment to helping children learn to read and write well. I knew it was the place for me.

What can literacy educators do to motivate kids to want to read?

I believe the most important way to motivate kids to read is by modeling reading. Show them reading is fun by reading books you love to them. When children see a teacher's love for the written word it opens a door to a world of which every child can be a part. The teacher can then get down to the basics of what the child needs to be able to read a good book with fluency.

Which professional development books have you found influential in your education?

I come home from an IRA conference with several new reads. Staying abreast of best practices, latest research, and cutting-edge techniques is key to continued professional development for me. “The CAFE Book: Engaging All Students in Daily Literacy Assessment and Instruction” by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser validated for me a teaching style I already used, but they modeled a way to organize the literacy block that was easily implemented. Their techniques really release the power of personal reading growth to the students. I recently read “Text Complexity: Raising Rigor in Reading” by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and Diane Lapp in a professional book study. The authors focus on instruction and assessment of complex texts through close readings and complex discussions. I'm currently reading “Notice and Note” by Kylene Beers and Robert Probst. IRA's website has a wonderful resources section with recommended reads.

How long have you been a member of the International Reading Association?

10 years. I learned about IRA from another teacher. She encouraged me to join. After I attended my first conference, I was hooked.

How has membership influenced your career?

The professional growth experiences I have received through my IRA membership are without measure. I have never attended a conference that I didn't return with techniques to implement, professional and children's books to read, new professional contacts, and a renewed commitment to my profession. IRA's website has a wealth of resources to access daily. Check it out!

What are you looking forward to doing at the Annual Conference in New Orleans?

I am looking forward to networking with other professionals and hearing the "rock stars" of education that IRA always provides at conferences. I know I will leave New Orleans motivated and energized to teach children at my school. I won't forget to enjoy some delicious food and culture of the historic city of New Orleans either.

What do you consider to be your proudest career moment?

The day I became a National Board teacher was pretty up there, but my proudest moment in my career so far was when I was a new teacher and Clinton, a struggling reader, read fluently for the first time. He smiled, and I cried.

What do you like to do when you're not wearing your educator hat?

When I'm not wearing my educator hat, I travel quite a bit. I recently went to a bookstore in Lyon, France. I quickly had to find the English section. I also read and write for fun!

What's the best advice you could offer someone new to the profession?

I would advise new teachers to find a professional teacher/mentor who is devoted to children. I would encourage them to attend professional conferences like the International Reading Association conference. They should be a part of their local reading council, too. I would invite new teachers to read professional books. Finally, I would tell them to allow relaxation time to refresh and renew their spirit, so they can return to school energized and ready to teach children to read and write well.

Sara Long is an editor/content manager at the International Reading Association.

I have been a teacher for quite a while. I truly love working with my kindergarten kids. Every year there are new challenges to teaching, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are definitely one of these challenges. But not in the way that many people think.

I read the CCSS the first time they were accessible for public review. I have now been teaching kindergarten with the new standards for a couple of years. I don’t really find the standards to be much different than what I have been teaching for many years. I believe the difficulty is in the approach to teaching and the expectations that may be put on teachers to deliver these standards.

p: woodleywonderworks via photopin

As I review the CCSS again I think it is important to pay attention to the language used in the standards. Many of the standards insert “With prompting and support” before the focus of the standard. When I read “With prompting and support” I interpret that to mean that one should, as I have always done in my class, teach students the concept, provide them opportunities to practice the concept and give support through the entire process. 

One of the reading standards for literature states, “With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.” I have always expected my students to be able to do that. As far back as 15 years ago I asked my students to provide key details in a text. Some students did this easily and others required prompting and support.

One area of the standards that have been hotly debated in education forums, faculty meetings, PLCs, and even happy hour discussions at a local restaurant, has been close reading. Everyone seems to be asking, “What does it mean?” The CCSS state “Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.” When I read this it sounds like an awful lot for a 5 year old. But let’s look at what close reading should mean in kindergarten.

Close Reading in Kindergarten:

• Rereading (having text read to them) over several days
• Exploring key vocabulary in the text and discussing vocabulary in the context of the text
• As students listen to the story they are asked text-dependent questions.

That’s a lot, right? The truth is most of us have done this for years. There are many texts that we read multiple times in the classroom over the course of a year. We explore texts repeatedly to gain meaning from the text. When I read a text that has academic vocabulary that may be unknown or challenging we discuss it in the context of the book.

I ask my students what the author tells us to help understand the meaning of the word. For example, if I am reading an informational text on bears that uses the word hibernate, I may first ask students if they are familiar with the word. If a student can provide a definition we will write it on a chart for that book. If no one can define the word then we will reread the section and see if we can get a definition from the context. If not, then I may either look it up in a dictionary with the students or simply provide the definition and use it in a sentence. If I am reading a challenging text I will often provide some vocabulary before reading the text to the students.

After reading the text at least once I will usually have students use their reading notebooks or sticky notes as they listen to the text again to write down a key detail. What does this look like in kindergarten? It may be a picture of a bear, a cave, or just a few letters from a word. Of course there are some students that will be prepared to write about the key detail. My purpose for this activity is not to see how much they can write, but to trigger their thoughts about the key details in a text. And yes, this takes practice.

The CCSS ask students to be able to retell key details from a text. As I ask text dependent questions throughout reading, the students are asked to jot down their thoughts about what is happening in the text. I might ask “What important details did the author use to support why bears hibernate in the winter?” The students can draw a quick sketch to show the lack of food, they may write a word or two about the lack of food or write a complete sentence about a fact taken directly from the text. Any of these responses shows me that the student is able to identify a key detail. We then turn and talk about these facts or have students come up and share their sticky notes on a chart.

When I am finished with reading this text over several days I will ask students to complete some form of performance task to demonstrate their understanding of the texts. This is the part that we have done well in kindergarten. I don’t always have to ask students to go to their seats and write about what they learned. In this example of an informational text on bears, I might break my students into groups and have each group create a poster that represents a different season (which was discussed in the book) and what they know about how bears survive during that season.

Anytime we get out chart paper, markers, glue, construction paper, even glitter, my students are highly engaged and they can certainly show me in a creative way that they are able to identify key details from a text. If you are interested in checking out some of the other creative ways to address close reading check out my website at www.sharpenyoungminds.org.

I really want to challenge my fellow kindergarten teachers to explore the standards. Reread them and remember that many of these standards are asking us to do the things that we have always done. It may just be the language is a little different. And don’t forget those words, “With prompting and support!”

Sam Williams is a kindergarten teacher in Tampa, Florida. He is also a published author, and is a professional development writer and trainer. He owns an educational resource company that supplies resources and professional development for teachers around the country.  You can find Sam at www.sharpenyoungminds.org.

As residents of Alabama, my students and I rarely experience much in the way of snow. A few flakes are a treat, and any accumulation has the potential to be an event. In the midst of the snow days resulting from last week’s wintry weather, a colleague suggested via Twitter that students would likely have stories to share from their snow-and-ice-capades. Other teachers joined the online conversation, and a few tweets later we had a plan for collecting and sharing their experiences with each other and with the world. We spread the word through Edmodo, Twitter, text messages, and Instagram itself, asking our school community—students, teachers, and parents alike—to share their stories through a photo and a six-word memoir. Our chosen storytelling platform: Instagram.

Getting Started with Instagram
We selected Instagram because it is both widely used already and user-friendly for beginners and because it allows for the sharing necessary for a successful community event. To start using Instagram, first download the app, which is available for iOS or Android, then create an account. When signed in, users can take photos using the app itself or import photos already in their device’s camera roll. Instagram allows a limited degree of photo editing, including cropping and adding filters, and adding a caption is the final step before sharing a photo on Instagram and in other spaces such as Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr.

Instagram Video
In addition to photos, Instagram also allows users to film short videos, up to fifteen seconds in length, and post them using the same method used for posting photos. Much like the photo options, there are some options for minor editing and filtering of videos once their shot.

Using Hashtags
You may choose to follow other Instagram users within your school or community, and others may follow you. However, hashtags offer a way to connect your posts with others’ without the need for a follow. For example, our school uses the hashtag #RQMSJags to connect social media posts. For our snow day storytelling, we asked participants to include #RQMSJags in their photo captions, so a search for the hashtag on Instagram would yield all the relevant posts. You might develop a similar hashtag for your entire school or choose instead to create a class, grade-level, department, or event hashtag for your purposes. Whatever you choose, communicate your desire to use a hashtag to ensure that all participants’ posts are included in the ongoing conversation.

Collecting Instagram Posts
At times it may be helpful to gather a collection of related Instagram posts in one place for easy viewing and sharing. Storify is the perfect tool for this job. Users can log in to Storify using an existing Facebook or Twitter account or create an account on the Storify website, then search for and collect desired posts across social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Google+. The collection of posts can be rearranged, and edited to include a title, story description, and headers to guide readers along the way and then shared via a link or embedded on a website or blog. See our collection of snow stories below.

Storytelling
Instagram may be used as a platform for documenting a shared experience like our snow days or a school field trip. However, there are other options for utilizing this tool for storytelling purposes. Instagram photos can serve as writing prompts with students building collaborative stories in the comments or writing individual stories elsewhere. Posts might offer teasers for upcoming class content or ask students to make predictions about future events in a novel, as well. 

Grammar and Vocabulary Practice
As part of ongoing grammar and vocabulary studies, I often ask students to seek out examples of word usage or common errors “in the wild”—on signage around town, in their favorite publications, and online. Instagram offers an easy way for students to document these sightings and share them with me and with their classmates. Additionally, students can post photos that demonstrate understanding of new vocabulary or literary devices and practice vocabulary usage or grammatical forms through comments in response to posted photos.

Other Uses for Instagram
Instagram is a flexible and powerful tool that allows for a wide variety of uses. In addition to those mentioned above, it can be use for showcasing student work, sharing daily activities within a class or whole school, and much more. Please share your ideas for using Instagram in the comments section below.   

Laren Hammonds teaches 8th grade language arts at Rock Quarry Middle School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Her interests include media literacy, cross-curricular collaboration, and the design of learning spaces. Connect with her on Twitter where she goes by @_clayr_, or read more at her blog, Game to Learn.