Literacy Now

What can you do with a single word?

Plenty.

For my latest children’s book, I gave myself the challenge of telling a complete story using only one word. I almost succeeded. On the final page, I needed to introduce a second word (and sharp-eyed students are quick to point out that there are four additional words used in the illustrations).

While working on the story I had great fun imagining all the ways that a single word, (in this case “moo”) could be depicted (Moo. Moo? Moo!), and how these variations could be strung together to form a story. Long before the book was published I began showing a dummy of the book with accompanying sketches to students during my author visits. When I did so, three things invariably happened:

1. Everyone (including the teachers) laughed.
2. The students spontaneously mooed along with me as I read the text.
3. At least one student would say, “You should write a sequel called Baaaa!”

My response was always the same. “No, YOU should write the sequel.”

And frequently, they did. At the end of the day students of all ages would present me with one-word books they had written during recess or free time. These miniature books, made from notebook paper folded in half, were filled with illustrations of animals having wild adventures, and each was composed of a single word. Some of the students had developed an entire series of books based on a single animal sound, starting with baaa, then moving to quack and meow, and finally circling back to moo again.

It made me happy that my silly book idea was motivating so many young people to write their own books. As a former elementary school teacher myself, I was also secretly glad at all these young authors were learning in the process.

What can students learn from writing a one-word book?

Plenty.

A one-word book is the perfect way to show how punctuation drastically affects the meaning of text. Beginning writers can practice using question marks and exclamation points to indicate inquiry and excitement:

Meow? Meow!

Older writers can experiment with more sophisticated techniques, using ellipses to suggest suspense:

Meow, meow, meow…

Or dashes to indicate an abrupt stop mid-word:

Meow, meow, meo-

And underlines to indicate emphasis:

Meow, meow, meow.

A one-word book also highlights the importance of visual clues in understanding a story. In the book MOO!, the illustrator Mike Wohnoutka creates a sense of danger and urgency on one of the spreads by focusing in on a close-up of the cow’s face, painting the background red, writing the word moo so large that it extends off the page, and slanting the entire composition at an angle.

Ask your students how they might use visual clues to make an animal look sleepy. Stir their visual creativity with questions like: What colors would best depict this mood? How would the animal’s face and body look? What type of line would be most appropriate for the illustrations: thick, thin, jagged, rounded? What size and style of lettering would they choose? How would all of these choices be different if they were trying to show an animal looking mad?

Understanding how an author/illustrator uses clues like these to convey meaning, and then practicing them in their own one-word books, strengthens students’ visual literacy, a skill needed when reading everything from graphs and charts to food labels and comic books.

Because a one-word book requires minimal spelling and vocabulary skills, even the youngest author can have success writing an entire book that they, and their classmates, can read and enjoy.

Finally, there’s one more benefit from having students write a single-word book. Along with being a way to reinforce skills and concepts mandated in curriculum guidelines, writing a one-word book is fun. Writing can and should be fun, and in my humble opinion, that’s justification enough for any writing project. In fact, writing a one-word book might be so much fun that your students will say, “Moo!”… or “Oink!” or “Roar!”

For a guide to using MOO! in your classroom, please click here.

David LaRochelle is a former fourth grade teacher who has been creating books for young people for the past twenty-five years. His other titles include IT’S A TIGER!, HOW MARTHA SAVED HER PARENTS FROM GREEN BEANS, THE BEST PET OF ALL, and 1+1=5 AND OTHER UNLIKELY ADDITIONS. The first picture book that he both wrote and illustrated, ARLO’S ARTRAGEOUS ADVENTURE!, was released in August. When he’s not writing, drawing, or visiting schools, David loves to carve creative jack-o’-lanterns, which can be viewed at his website http://http://www.davidlarochelle.com.

Ness, P. (2011). A monster calls: Inspired by an idea from Siobhan Dowd.  Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

Author Siobhan Dowd died from cancer in 2007 before finishing this book, and Patrick Ness completed it at the request of her publisher. The novel is a fantasy built on the unrelenting reality 13-year-old Conor O’Malley faces as his mother is dying, also from cancer. Set in England, the plot finds Conor virtually alone as he faces the looming catastrophe. He hates his grandmother for her bossiness and stubbornness even though she will undoubtedly inherit his care since his father has remarried and has a new wife and child in the United States. He is bullied at school and has shut out his former childhood best friend while the disease continues to ravage and waste the only person he really cares about. Many nights at exactly 12:07 a.m., a monster, apparently the yew tree behind the house, comes to him wherever he is. The creature is horrific and terrifying; he tells Conor a series of seemingly random bizarre tales and demands in return a story that must contain the troubled boy’s truth. Is the monster a frightening nightmare? Then what is the source of the yew berries and leaves left on his bedroom floor after a visit? Who destroys the grandmother’s sitting room in an act of violence? Who lands the school bully in the hospital after a ferocious beating?

A children’s story, but much, much more, Ness uses his skills to produce a staccato-like narrative that draws the reader into the compelling and tragic tale. The book could become maudlin, but humor seeps through the horror of both plotlines. Conor has to know his mother is dying, and all the last-ditch efforts being tried are not going to stop the course of the disease. The suspense is whether he can survive both terrors.

Dr. Judith A. Hayn is an associate professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

This article is part of a series from the Special Interest Group Network on Adolescent Literature (SIGNAL). If you are interested in other books like this and ways to include them in your curriculum, join SIGNAL. 

In the not-so-distant past—December 18, 2006—the headline on the cover of Time magazine enticed readers to learn, “How to Build a Student for the 21st Century.” Inside, authors Claudia Wallis and Sonja Steptoe noted that the national conversation around education at the time focused on ensuring that no students were “left behind” rather than how American children would be able to compete in a global economy which required the abilities to work in teams, think abstractly and reason through problems, analyze the quality of information and communicate in a language other than English. Wallis and Steptoe (2006) identified the 21st century skills students need to be successful and suggested that teachers need to bring their methods and the curriculum “in line with the way the modern world works” (p.56).

Seven years later, readers of the P21Blog: Connecting the 21st Century Dots: From Policy to Practice are asked again to consider the needs of students who must learn both the 3Rs (content knowledge) and the 4Cs (Creativity and Innovation, Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, Communication and Collaboration) to be successful in the 21st century workplace (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, n.d.). The P21 Blog, an outgrowth of over a decade of work by a coalition of educators, business leaders and policy makers to improve 21st century readiness, addresses issues surrounding the implementation of 21st century skills and deeper learning in American schools. Beginning this academic year, the P21 Blog, housed on the website of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, doubled its posts to provide weekly information that focused on answering a driving question about implementing 21st century skills.  

The thoughtful entries offered by a growing group of education experts, business leaders and more recently classroom educators from the P21 Exemplar Schools, are definitely worth reading. Topics include book reviews, policy discussions and most importantly practical articles addressing implementation of 21st century skills in real classrooms. Educators will find entries like “How Can Technology Empower Deeper Learning in a 21st Century School?” and “How Do Teachers Become Deeper Learners?” valuable as they consider how to incorporate critical thinking and problem-based learning activities in their instructional plans. Although commenting on blog entries is encouraged by Jim Bellanca, blog editor and Executive Director, Illinois Consortium for 21st Century Skills and Senior Fellow at the Partnerships for 21st Century Skills, few readers are taking advantage of this opportunity. One thing is evident in reading through the posted comments—divergent opinions are accepted and open for discussion. In addition to commenting, readers are invited to contribute anonymous posts to the blog as “The Secret Educator” taking any position for or against 21st century learning practices and policies. Contributors are asked to be respectful in their discourse and prepared to accept pushback on their point of view. The P21 Blog clearly has potential to become a significant resource and discussion forum for those seeking information about the needs of 21st century learners.

References

Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.) The champion for today’s students and tomorrow’s workforce. Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/P21_2013_Brochure.pdf

Wallis, C. & Steptoe, S. (2006, December 18). How to bring our schools out of the 20th century. Time, 168(25), 50-56.

Joan A. Rhodes is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Reading Program at Virginia Commonwealth University. 

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

Good books have always served as venues for lessons on life. Wilbur and Fern taught us about friendship, persistence, and trust in Charlotte’s Web. Anne of Green Gables taught us the value of a great imagination and the strength of friendship. Books can mirror our own lives or create windows into worlds we've never dreamed of before. This month’s theme for book reviews from the IRA Children’s Literature and Reading Special Interest Group is friendship. The books selected range in age level and type of friendship, but the central theme of each is the power of friendship and the different forms friends often take.

AGES 2-7

Dyckman, A. (2012). Boy + Bot. New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers.

A friendship boots up between a robot and a boy in this sweet story about finding friendship in unlikely places. The two play and have a great time until the robot suddenly stops responding (his switch has been turned to off). The boy takes him home and tries all sorts of things that would make a boy feel better, from feeding him applesauce to reading him a story. It’s not until his parents accidentally bump a door into the robot’s switch that the robot comes back on. Likewise, when the little boy goes to sleep the robot believes he has malfunctioned. Finally, the robot’s inventor helps to set things straight in this gentle story of friendship.

- Nancy Hulan, Western Kentucky University

Stead, P.C. (2010). A Sick Day for Amos McGee. New York: Roaring Brook Press.

A winner of the Caldecott Medal, this book beautifully tells the tale of a zookeeper who befriends the zoo animals where he works. Each day he does the same thing, playing chess with the elephant, running races with a tortoise that never loses, reading stories to the owl…until one day he wakes up with the sniffles. When Amos does not show up to the zoo, his friends decide to pay him a visit. This story and the wonderful illustrations portray the many things we do for dear friends and the ways friends help us when we are under the weather.

- Nancy Hulan, Western Kentucky University

Stephens, H. (2013). How to Hide a Lion. New York: Henry Holt Publishers.

Sometimes our parents just don’t see the good in our friends. Such is the case when a lion comes to town to purchase a new hat and is chased by grownups in true Frankenstein and villagers style. Iris finds him hiding in her playhouse and tries to hide and protect him from the grownups. Ultimately, the lion proves his worth and goodness and still hopes to purchase that hat.

- Nancy Hulan, Western Kentucky University

AGES 8-12

Applegate, K. (2012). The One and Only Ivan. New York: Harper Collins.

The One and Only Ivan is written in first person from the point of view of Ivan, an artistic silverback gorilla living in a shopping mall. When we meet Ivan, he seems sadly complacent with his lot in life and barely ever thinks of his past in the jungle. His companions at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall include Bob, a stray dog, Stella, a motherly elephant, and Ruby, a baby elephant who inspires Ivan to make some changes. Ivan wants to save Ruby from a lifetime of captivity like his own and uses his artistic expression to help keep her from living a life like his. Winner of the 2013 Newbery Medal, this story demonstrates the power that each individual has to make extraordinary change in the world. 

- Nancy Hulan, Western Kentucky University

House, S. & Vasmani, N. (2012). Same Sun Here. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

Written in letter-form, this book spans a year in the lives of River and Meena. River, a coal miner’s son in the mountains of eastern Kentucky and Meena, an immigrant from India who lives in New York City become pen pals through a school project. They realize that they have found kindred spirits in one another and their unlikely friendship empowers the two pre-teens to find the strength to stand up for themselves and their ideals. They confront one another truthfully about issues of race, religion, culture, gender, creativity, and uncertain futures. With one another’s support, River stands up to coal companies and their use of Mountaintop Removal and Meena struggles to keep her family intact through uncertainty of immigration and shaky citizenship status. This book would be a great tool to foster discussion on issues of immigration, environmentalism (specifically MTR), cultural differences, and acceptance.

- Nancy Hulan, Western Kentucky University

AGES 10-14

Gantos, J. (2011). Dead End in Norvelt. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux.

Jack is grounded for life after accidentally firing his father’s Japanese rifle and mowing down his mom’s corn crop. On top of that, his nose spews blood at any little excitement. His summer looks dreary until a call from Miss Volker, an elderly neighbor whose hands are too arthritic to type her obituaries of the last remaining original Norvelters. She enlists Jack to type and drive and in doing so provides him with some salvation. Jack’s imagination and love of history help him through summertime boredom and the wild adventures that accompany each obituary he and Miss Volker write. Through wax hands, unusual bodily tactics to save a deer, arson in a utopian town, mysterious deaths of old ladies, and raids by Hells Angels, Jack and Miss Volker forge an unlikely and powerful friendship. Dead End in Norvelt won the 2012 Newbery Award. Gantos has recently published the sequel that continues the adventures of Jack and Miss Volker in From Nowhere to Norvelt (2013).

- Nancy Hulan, Western Kentucky University

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.

Just like many of you, I am also “playing” and experimenting with different technologies and web tools in my classroom. I have a vested interest in e-readers and how to use them effectively in the classroom to promote student reading, comprehension, and learning. In addition, I am searching for different iPad applications that will support my instruction and my students’ learning in the secondary grades. As I continue to use and research mobile learning in K-20 learning environments, the “pebbles in my shoe” are represented in the following two questions:

• How often do educators use mobile learning and for what purposes? 
• How can technology help bridge the divide between what is taught in the classroom and what happens in the “real world”?

In my journey to answer these questions, I have come across a plethora of iPad applications (apps) for teaching and learning across multiple grade levels and topics. In this blog post, I share four free iPad apps that show considerable promise for content area teachers in grades 6-12 and I pair each app with at least one example of how secondary students are using them to deepen their understanding of real world concepts.

• Molecules is an interactive application that allows students in science classes to see a three-dimensional image of molecules and manipulate them using their fingers.  Students might use this app to identify different elements of molecules, examine molecules from different perspectives, or compare molecules. 

• History: Maps of World includes interactive digitized maps from 1800s and 1900s students can use in history and English language arts classes. This app illustrates geopolitical and geographic shifts over time. In a middle school history class, students can use this app to examine a map about the spread of colonization from 1600s-1700s. In a high school language arts class, a map about colonial America can illuminate students’ understanding of the geopolitical influences on colonial and revolutionary literature.

• Graphing Calculator is a graphing and scientific calculator for math and science classes. This app is especially useful for graphic equations and data, and visualizing functions.

• Flipboard works very well for creating personal magazines about a topic of interest, person, or event and can be used across the content areas. At the moment, this app is my favorite because it allows students to use their creativity to select images and other information to build their own magazine. It also helps build their background knowledge about what they are studying in class and it gives them choices to represent and collect information on what they are learning.

As you explore these apps, I am sure you will think of other ways they can be used to enrich your own content area lessons. As always, it is important to remember that neither applications nor e-readers actually “teach”; teachers do. Teachers make instructional and curricular decisions about how to use technology and tools to promote, support, and extend student learning. There are many online resources and tools to enhance teaching and learning in ways that bridge the divide between classrooms and “the real world.” iPad applications will not replace textbooks or additional materials.  Instead, they offer interactive benefits that can promote student engagement with learning, build student background knowledge, and promote motivation to continue to learn. The four apps described above provide a snapshot of teaching and learning possibilities.

Vicky Zygouris-Coe is a Professor in Reading Education at the University of Central Florida, School of Teaching, Learning, and Leadership, Vassiliki.Zygouris-Coe@ucf.edu. 

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