In Pictures and In Words Book Study - Chapter 8

So it seems I'm joining the party a lil' late...but, you'll forgive me, right? Join our host, Kathleen at Growing Kinders for the link up. Onto Chapter 8: Precision and Detail...kinda sounds like surgery, huh? I promise my post won't be painful...

In Pictures and In Words by Katie Wood Ray

This chapter continues with descriptions of illustration techniques with a strong emphasis on details, details, DETAILS...that we can use in our writing demonstrations and also during writing conferences with our students. I am going to discuss only a few of my favorites...

How does Mo Willems NOT come to mind when thinking about Technique 13: Crafting Details of Expression and Gesture AND Technique 20...Creating the Illusion of Motion with Detail...I mean, just LOOK at these illustrations...and that face...these are from The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog! but you could use any of his titles...the kids just love 'em!!

use your different voices HERE

and HERE

L-O-V-E that look...

As a reader, you get so much from the simple, expressive, yet vibrant illustrations...there's much more meaning beyond what you see. My kiddos can relate to loving eating hot dogs, someone asking them to share (when they really don't want to), and someone bothering them with their mere presence (brothers and sisters). The books are fun to read, and you get to use voices...ok, well, maybe that's just ME...

How about Amazing Christmas Extravaganza by David Shannon?! His books just scream with Technique 19: Using Authentic, Object-Specific Details...if you've read this book, then you know the pages are FILLED from top-to-bottom and side-to-side with illustrations...it's almost sensory overload, I tell ya! Look at the string of ornaments circling the text, the red and green colors of the quilt, the huddled faces (and bright red noses) of the family under the bed...

The last technique I will share with you is Technique 22: Using Details as an Element of Surprise which brought to mind First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg. It's one of those if-you-played-close-attention-to-the-illustrations...you would have figured that it was about...SPOILER ALERT...a teacher's first day of school (or you may have had a new kid that blurted out said, "I read this at my old school, and it's about the teacher) and not a student's first day of school...

If you thought about it, how many of your kiddos actually have robes? Exactly...plus there's the part where it refers to Mr. Hartwell instead of dad...and there's a lil' bit of Technique 21: Creating the Illusion of Sound with Details (man, I'm getting good at this)...the spilled water and cat screeching...the dog barking...the alarm going off...

This book study is making me fall in love with my books all over again...but you can read more about that here :)

I'd love to hear from you! What will you do differently when introducing the techniques of describing details in illustrations with your kiddos?

Daily 5 Book Study - Chapter 5

So, we meet again...for our collective musings about Chapter 5: Read to Someone and Listen to Reading. Thanks to Kelli from Castles and Crayons for hosting :)

Read to Someone

As I reread this chapter, I realized that in my haste to get Read to Someone up and running, I missed an important aspect of partner reading - focused lessons on three ways to Read to Someone:

1. Check for Understanding with one book

2. I Read, You Read with one book

3. Read Two Different Books with two books

I introduced these options, but more as an afterthought..."oh yeah, you can echo read and read two different books"...oops!!! I see now how helpful it is for my students to check for understanding and build fluency with their partner when making the literacy choice of Read to Someone.

One other rookie mistake I have come to realize is that I allowed my students to pick their partners right off the bat...I should have picked partners first, then allowed them to choose partners once they had a week of Read to Someone lessons under their belt...and a focused lesson on choosing a partner.

I wanted to share part of this wonderful Read to Someone pack by Kylie from Down Under Teacher. (I couldn't find the exact link anymore, she may have taken it down due to all the copyright hub-bub).

 What are your classroom "norms" for Read to Someone?

Listen to Reading

Through our district's technology grant, I was blessed with acquiring four (yes, I said 4) iPads for my classroom. I begged my Campus Technology gal for headphones, but she could only spare two extra sets for my iPads. I also have two student computers and a laptop. That will give me three options for seven students (usually of a group of 22) when introducing Listen to Reading. Woo-hoo! Of course, I will need to use a couple of the iPads when small group instruction starts for the students in the group.

How do you work out the rotation for Listen to Reading? I'm thinking once it's all up and running, I will have five ways for my students to Listen to Reading...two computers, one laptop, and two iPads. I see it working out a little better when we have built up our stamina and have more than one rotation...but in the beginning, when we have one rotation...how do you do it? Tell me, pleeeease... 

Here are some listening resources that my students have used in the classroom (click on the links to get more info...)
Starfall activities range from letter/ sound knowledge/ manipulation and builds up to reading fables
Storyline Online stories read by actors/ actresses
Online Storytime by Barnes and Noble stories read by authors and celebrities
PebbleGo (does require a subscription) wonderful resource for non-fiction reading

I found these Listen to Reading accountability pages, you can find the rest of Stephanie's huge packet here :)

What resources do you use for Listen to Reading?

In case you missed it (I posted Chapter 4 slightly late, uhhh yesterday), here's something I created to help introduce each literacy choice: I Can...Literacy Choice Picture Displays. Your students can reflect on what each literacy choice should look like/ sound like. These can be displayed and replaced/ updated with photographs for visual reminders in your classroom.

get the rest of it here

When introducing the literacy choices to your students, do you follow Read to Self with Read to Someone? I know I read in a later update that the "Sisters" recommend starting with Read to Self then Work on Writing (with student choice being added before a different literacy choice). What order do you introduce these in your classroom?

Daily 5 Book Study - Chapter 4 and a Freebie

Hi, friends...had this been published on the day it was supposed to be, the chapter picture may have been a wee bit more meaningful...but, alas...here I am...with Chapter 4: Read-to-Self. We have layed the groundwork and now we can get started!

But, first a big thank you to our hostesses Jennifer from First Grade Blue Skies and Laura from Tattling to the Teacher!

The basic introduction for our kiddos is the Three Ways to Read a Book:

find the rest of Janaye's packet here

What I think will be a little bit easier for me to explain (in a more meaningful way) is "reading the pictures" due to the other book study that I'm participating in: In Pictures and In Words by Katie Wood Ray. What I have read so far helps me understand that the illustrations have been as carefully chosen as the words the author has used. I needed to help my kiddos "read" the pictures as deliberate decisions and not look just look at them as funny pictures or splashes of color...which is also really cool to look at, though...

As I reread this chapter, I found myself honing in on key phrases that will help make this a seamless part of our classroom culture:

* multiple short practice sessions, with repetition and discussion throughout the first weeks of school (p. 46)
* the tone for the entire year is established during the early weeks of school (p. 47)

It's simple, right? Discussion, model, practice, check-in, discussion, stamina, perfection...right?! Well, ok, not perfection, but pretty close...what I mean is that once we put into place our expectations and explain why it is important to Read to Self, using our I-charts, correct/ incorrect model, and check-in discussions, we should have a good foundation for all the other literacy tasks to come...

Here are some goodies I have found:
I like this Read to Self poster using the acronym RIGHT:

You can find the rest of Leslie's free posters here :)

I found this stamina graph and plan to use it this year. I like it because it shows progression or digression over days:

You can find the rest of Mrs. Magee's free stamina graphs here :)

The one little bitty part that I have struggled with is not making eye contact when they are building stamina and I am at my reading/ small group table. Usually the behavior is fixed once I give "the look" but does it take away from their self-monitoring? Please tell me you do the same thing :)

After some self-reflection and pondering, I have decided that my kiddos sometimes need more help knowing what the literacy activities are supposed to look like and sound like. So, I came up with these: The Daily 5 Literacy Choice Picture Displays. A mouthful, I know, but basically a way for students to show you their thinking and a way for you to display the correct behaviors as ongoing models.

get the rest of them here 

I will leave you with one more: "Your brain will be very busy when you are reading!" (p. 48) Don't you just love that quote?!

What will you do differently with implementing Read to Self this year than you have done in the past?

P.S. If this wasn't enough, or you just want need MORE, you can also find me guest posting at Tori's Teacher Tips...please come check it out!! That's right, double-duty, baby!!

ONE more thing...I have a winner for my 200 Facebook Followers and 100 Blog Followers Giveaway!!! Yes, there can only be one...Susan F...your goodies have been sent your way...enjoy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Lil' Bit of Monica...and a Whole Lot of Randomness

Although it is nine days into July, (but who's counting, right?), I am finally able to link up with Farley (for my first time ever) at:


for this month's Currently

July Currently

But, wait, there's more to this than meets the eye...you can't just plug in your stuff...you hafta follow the rules:

for the last question about books:
#1 should be your ALL TIME FAVORITEST BOOK to read aloud...it is THE ONE
#2 is your go-to professional book

and there's more: Farley's RULE OF THREE,

It would be sweet, supportive, and following the rules...to look at the 2 link-ups in front of your link and then come back and look at the one behind yours...I hope there's someone behind me...lol...and comment on those 3...you can comment on more than 3, of course...

But, I'm not done...I was recently bestowed the One Lovely Blog Award

by these sweet bloggers:

Victoria

Carole Dawn

AND the Versatile Blogger Award

by these lovely bloggers: Patty at 2nd in Line and Patti at Tales From a 4th (and 5th) Grade Teacher, and

Sarah

AND the Liebster Blog Award

by this sweet blogger:

Melissa

Thank you, girlies :)

Now for the 7 shades of randomness that goes along with the VB award...(just nod your head if you got that reference...)

1. I moonlight as a cart girl (and sometimes bartender) at a local golf course...when you have a daughter in college, you do what you gotta do...plus, I get adult conversation...wait, after a few holes and a couple of beverages, they're not much different than my 6 and 7-year olds...

my sweet ride...see my friends Jack, Crown, Smirnoff?

2. I know absolutely nothing about golf...see #1 above, but, hey it hasn't affected my duties...all I need to know is Jack, Crown, Smirnoff....

3. I am a self-proclaimed Bon Jovi freak! And, admitting your addiction is the first step...but, I don't want to recover!!! It goes basically like this, "Hi, I'm Monica, I love Jon." Well, not exactly like that, but how else does everybody know that I LOVE THIS BAND?!

4. I have a dog named Jovi...see #3 above...

5. I have a tattoo of the Bon Jovi smirk...see #3 above...I told you...I really wasn't exaggerating...

6. I missed a Bon Jovi concert due to food poisoning at Mason's Geli...I shall not speak the name of the place that nearly killed me...as you can see, I'm still not over my anger and disappointment...and I tell everyone I talk to...so don't go there!!! Ok, I'm better now :)

notice my still untorn/ unused ticket :(

7. I can fit through the doggy door at my house...now THAT needs a lil' back story...my boyfriend and I were about to go to Simply Fondue (where you get to dip everything) for my birthday dinner this past Saturday...we had reservations...well, when we got into his truck, he realized that he didn't grab his keys. So, he looks at me, "Where's your keys?"...I'm like, "They don't fit in this"....(duh!!)

holds phone, I.D., and lipstick ONLY

So, alas...we were locked out...we checked the Jeep (it has a garage remote) and his Infiniti (it has the garage door-button memory thing)...but, for once, they were also locked. My SUV is in the closed garage. I know...two people, four vehicles, don't ask...SO, not only did we not have any keys to drive anywhere, we did not have any way to get in the house to get keys...

UNTIL, he says to me, "You're gonna have to go in the doggy door." Huh, what?! He's watched one too many Mission Impossible movies...I'm thinkin' we're callin' a cab (woo-hoo first-time cab ride), and we'll figure this out later...

You may wonder why that idea popped in his head so easily and freely, and I blame that on my dear daughter...who casually mentioned that she'd done it a few times when she'd forgotten her keys...(and I'm hoping that was the reason...)

BACK to me and the situation (I've kinda always wanted to say that):

REMEMBER, people...I am birthday-dinner dressed, so my hair is done, and I'm wearing a dress (not the usual tank top and shorts)...thank goodness the doggy door is not in the front of the house...else I would have some 'plaining to do to my neighbors...

As I stand there...he's telling me "go feet first"...no way am I doing that...it's not a freakin' slide for cryin' out loud...so I go in head first...thinking I MUST be caught in an episode of Bloopers/ Funniest Home Videos/ Punk'd...

gross, gross, GROSSNESS!!!

BUT, I made it in alive...got refreshed and grabbed not only his keys, but MY keys, too...silently cursed his adult ADD that put us in this situation to begin with...and went on our way...

Arriving with just minutes to spare, dinner was amazing...and I got a slice of cheesecake and some champagne on the house...

I will never look at the doggy door the same way again...

And that, my friend, is all...you probably feel like you got to know me a wee bit more than you wanted to, huh?!

What have YOU had to do when you've gotten locked out of your house???

In Pictures and In Words Book Study - Chapter 7

Well, friends, I feel a little like the kiddo who is bringing her homework late...but better late than never, right? Pretty, please :)

I usually try to work ahead since I am working on two book studies this summer. But, last week I attended a 2 1/2 day Literacy Conference with a view like this from the 37th floor:

Since we had mostly air-conditioned chartered buses (that drove us to and from the hotel) and Starbucks coffee and snacks at our breaks, it was a nice change of scenery from the usual district building (one story, no views, no snacks).

Which leads me to Technique 1: Crafting with Distance Perspective from Chapter 7: Ideas and Content of In Pictures and In Words: Teaching the Qualities of Good Writing Through Illustration Study by Katie Wood Ray.

link up with Mrs. Wills Kindergarten

Although I try to bring my personal photographs into the classroom to share with my students, I had not thought about using them as illustration examples until now. The photograph of the buildings is a great example how to show the range of far away and up close to illustrate perspective.

As I read through the other 11 illustration techniques throughout this chapter, I felt like I was transported back to my art classes from college with terminology like perspective, viewpoint, physical space, scenes, movement, action, etc. With a minor in art, you would think I would be more in tune with my students' illustrations, but with everything else I have to teach, I allowed our art teacher to do most of their instruction in this area.

Another technique that stood out to me was Technique 3: Crafting the Background. This is one that my students have difficulty illustrating. Katie explains that while illustrations can range from being busy to having little or no background, it is by careful consideration in regards to the text. Many of my students leave their backgrounds blank, but not on purpose. They do this because they have not been taught to illustrate the background. That's where I come in.

However, one technique that we see frequently in texts is Technique 6: Using Scenes to Capture the Passage of Time. I feel that this technique is one that my students will recognize in text and use frequently in their own illustrations. Non-fiction books contain illustrations that are "frozen in time," like those that are found in life cycles, ordered from left to right or top to bottom.

Other key ideas I want to remember from this chapter:

• include illustration techniques as teaching points during writing conferences
• discuss my thinking behind my illustration decisions during writing demos
• use books with different people as the author and illustrator as well as books that have the same person as both author and illustrator
• introduce illustrating as a narrator (sounds challenging for my firsties) Technique 12
• illustrations can be in contrast with the text for humor (hmmm...your thoughts?) Technique 11

Now, I am excited to put my art background to good use. I feel as if I'm going to be reading my books for the first time, with an illustrator's eye.

Please leave me your thoughts, comments, suggestions, and questions. What technique will you use first with your students?

Shiver Me Timbers, It's Time to Celebrate! A Giveaway

I am speechless...and for the ones that know me, that would be hard to believe...It's hard to understand how this blogging world has changed me...my teaching...and my outlook towards other teachers. We teachers teach because we love it, but teacher bloggers seem to really get it. And if you don't have a blog yet, get one...quick :)

border by Coffee, Kids, and Compulsive Lists

It's all about the collaboration of ideas, the online support, and the belief that these fellow bloggers have become your friends...not in a grown-up version of an imaginary friend...but a virtual friend...and that is amazing.

Some of my bloggy friends have generously donated to my virtual treasure chest of prizes. So please show them some bloggy love and appreciation by following their blogs, FB pages, and TpT stores. There's a lot of talent out there!

Arlene from LMN Tree

one lucky Pirate will get:

Sally from Elementary Matters

one lucky Pirate will get:

Fern from Fern Smith's Classroom Ideas

one lucky pirate will get:

Kim from Finding Joy in 6th Grade


one lucky Pirate will get:
$10 from KPM Doodles




Jeannie from Kindergarten Lifestyle




one lucky Pirate will get:

Molly from Classroom Confections



one lucky Pirate will get:

and from Me
one lucky Pirate will get:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I want to thank all of you that have read my ramblings, peeked inside my classroom, and took the time to follow my blog and fan page. It.means.a.lot!

As always, I would love to hear from you! How did you stumble into the blogging world? How has it impacted you and your classroom?