Book Trailer: Sisters

Thank you, Raina Telgemeier, for your latest and greatest.  I know this one will fly off the shelves.  Not only that, it's a fantastic mentor text for memoir.

The Other Teacher in the Room

In one of my recent posts, I mentioned that there are other teachers in the room, and we can use technology to invite them to participate in ways that seemed unimaginable even just a couple of years back.  Of course, these teachers are the students, and they certainly have a  lot to add to every discussion and activity. This week I was reminded of something that I know all too well but forget far too often.  There's yet another teacher in the room, the author.  

Through read alouds, shared texts and independent reading, we sit down with these master storytellers and revel in their work.  We look closely at the choices they make, use them as inspiration, and even try to emulate them in our own writing.  The thing is, with technology these days, the learning does not have to stop with reading their books.  There are countless ways to connect with them.


Email or Skype the Author

Megan, a student of mine, rushed into the classroom during break earlier this week.  "She wrote back!" she beamed.  She was none other than Jennifer Armstrong, author of Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World.  

Just a few days before, Megan handed in her letter to Armstrong as a reading response for my class.  She wasn't too optimistic that she would hear back from her, but she was glad she tried.  She came up with the idea of writing to Armstrong when I showed the class my letter to Goodreads about possible interview questions for Lois Lowry on her new book, Son.  Asked how she got the author's address, Megan answered,  "Simple.  It's online."

But then Armstrong's reply came, and it made all the difference in the world to Megan. In it, Armstrong elaborated on how she came up with the topic and how the publication of her finished product was pure serendipity as it coincided with a nationwide exhibit on Shackleton's trip.  Check out Megan's response to Armstrong's letter:

On lucky occasions, email may lead to something else.  Last year, I was fortunate enough to collaborate with Katherine Schlick Noe, author of Something to Hold. In a culminating activity, my classes skyped her and asked her questions about her book and her writing process.  During the interview, they showed her their extension project work as well.  While some authors may not be as willing to communicate with their readers, you'll never know if you don't ask.



Check Out Blogs and Websites

Nowadays, authors are asked to maintain an online presence.  Whether they're blogging about the books they read and schools they visit like Linda Sue Park or writing some brief photo essays like Debbi Wiles, authors are showing their writing in new ways.  

What better way to get to know authors before reading a book club book or read aloud novel than checking out their websites.  They may even have some hidden treasures there.

In this week's Mock Caldecott meeting, Nancy reminded us of this when we talked about Laura Vaccaro Seeger's amazing book Green.

On her website's link for educators/kids, Seeger showed images of her sketchbook and explained how the ideas for this book grew from the very first seeds.  After reading it, I appreciated the book on a whole new level.


Watch Book Trailers and Related Videos

Another exciting possibility is the book trailer,  Based on movie trailers, these short videos are the book talks of the 21st Century.  And with a potent mix of sound, images and video clips, it's no wonder they are a hit with readers of all ages.  It's not surprising that teachers and students are getting into the mix as well by creating their own book trailers.  Check out these Book Trailers of some popular titles:

But good videos about books aren't limited solely to book trailers.  The other day I was visiting Nancy and Brian M.'s class, and they had just shown this video about Iqbal as a final point of reflection after having read the book aloud in class.  

Log on to Goodreads

Many of our Grade 7 and Grade 8 classes are logging on to goodreads.com.  I'm starting to understand why.  After rating twenty books or so, users get recommendations and notifications of new releases that match their profiles.  Not only that, goodreads sends out invitations to participate in author interviews and live chats.

In fact, if you've read The Future of Us or Wonder, there's a live chat with the authors coming up on October 23rd.  Click here to find out more.


These ideas may just be the tip of the iceberg, but my point is this:  there is no doubt that learning about an author can go well beyond that page or two in the back of the book.  As readers, we need to check out what else is out there.  When we do, that other teacher in the room may quite literally come to life before our very eyes.



Images from:  goodreads.com;  buttontrapper.com

Keeping Track of Readers

"You're not going to believe it," Jackie said as she came into my classroom after one of her first classes of the year.  "Seven of my kids have already read Wonder!"  I have to admit, I was a bit deflated.  I'd read Wonder (see trailer above), a powerful first novel by R.J. Palacio, over the summer and couldn't wait to showcase it in my class.  You know that feeling you get when read a great book and have to share it with others?  Well, it turns out even though Wonder was just released in spring, a bunch of our readers had already devoured it.

If your students are anything like mine or Jackie's, they're amazing readers.  This is good news.  They come to us knowing what genres grab them and which authors work for them.  Not only that, they keep up to date with the latest and greatest new releases.  That's why now more than ever before, we have to be on top of our game in the classroom when it comes to keeping track of our readers.

When I think of keeping track of my readers, I keep the following in mind:  volume, reading rate, and books they're reading.  At the same time, I'm always looking for seamless systems that make these things visible and easily accessible.  

Volume:

For volume (how much each reader reads), I'd been using Reading Records in the back of students' readers' notebooks where students record the books they've read.  Although good in principle, students seemed to forget about it, and I had to collect all of their notebooks to check them out.  

This year, I'm trying something new.  I've adapted an idea that I got from Jackie where I've posted a Reading Record pocket chart in the back of the room.  In it, each student has a card where they write down the title, start and finish dates, and genre of the books they read.  When I introduced it, I likened it to a factory where workers check in and check out by punching a card.  Hopefully that's what they'll do as readers with this system.  

What I like is that I can already see how many books they are reading, how fast they are reading them, and what genres they are trying out.  I can also use them during conferences as an additional talking point.

Reading Rate:

Let's face it.  Knowing a reader's reading rate is important, but it's not the end all be all.  I used to have students fill out countless Reading Logs noting the pages they read and how long it took them.  They hated it, and I don't blame them.  When I tried it out, I hated it too.  And the worst part was, I never really referred to them as their teacher.


So I've modified it.  Now I use them with a purpose.  I have students complete a Reading Log for a given week only.  Then we can analyze that information and figure out the reading rate (words/minute).  As long as I know that students continue to read chunks of text on a regular basis, I don't need to know every single page number and minute read.

Recently, I picked up an idea from Crystal while working with her in her classroom.  She does a snapshot of a log by having students record the pages they read in one sitting on a sticky note.  She then collects them, and instantly, she's got valuable data and can plan meeting with certain kids immediately.

Of course the things I look for are high and low reading rates.  Some readers are blasting through books.  They're plot junkies, and they need to slow it down.  Others are extremely slow.  They might be in a challenging book, they might be distracted, or they might be reading a new genre (i.e. nonfiction).

While I don't consider it an exact science, it's certainly something to think about.  If you're interested in suggested reading rates per grade level generated by Teacher's College, click on this link.

Books They're Reading:

I believe that one of our most important jobs is to match every reader with the right book at the right time.  Like you, I use surveys and one-on-one conferences to make suggestions and give mini-book talks on the spot.  In the back of my mind, I also keep in mind the concept of Reading Ladders from Teri Lesesne.  Her idea is that readers can move through a progression of books based on increasing difficulty in a given genre or theme.

I also try to showcase my library whenever I can.  Years ago, Betsy gave me the idea of having Book Bag Mondays.  For twenty minutes or so, she pulls books out of her beloved bag and gives book talks on them.  Very often they are new releases or must reads, and it's amazing how quickly they fly off the shelf.

These are just a few of the many great ideas that are happening in our classrooms to promote reading.  If you have another idea you think others would benefit from, please leave a comment or have me come and check it out in person.  We'd love to learn from you!