This winter break has allowed me some much needed time to peruse the blogs and tweets of published authors and published authors to-be. While nothing takes the place, obviously, of just sitting down and writing, it's nice to "check in" every once in a while with some inspiring writers. Here are some blogs that I've been reading lately as I work on my early reader series and my two middle grade WIPs.
Sarvenaz Tash, as I mentioned in my previous post, is the author of The Mapmaker and the Ghost. I love her blog and website because it just makes her seem so darn friendly (maybe she's not, but I doubt it). Her blog fascinates me because it gives us a glimpse into her pre book release journey and it provides some great links to other writers whose books debuted in 2012. In a word: Inspiring!
Cynsations is always a worthwhile read because its author, Cynthia Leitich Smith, has the most interesting links and tidbits (maybe bookbites is a better term) to share . For someone like me who is just beginning her writer's journey, Cynsations is valuable because it keeps me from getting too overwhelmed by all of the author resources on the web. In a word: Focusing!
Jessica Love Writes is the final blog I want to highlight today. Don't ask me how I stumbled upon her blog, but I did and it's one that I check in on regularly even though we're not even writing for the same age group. She is recently rep'd by Jill Corcoran and I am just so, so hopeful that her YA book will be on its way to publication pronto. She is such a cheerleader for other YA writers - her time is coming soon! In a word: Optimistic!
Are there any blogs that inspire you or help you navigate through the often overwhelming?
Friday, December 28, 2012
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
What I've Been Up To...
Phew! It was a long four weeks since Thanksgiving, with the last one being horrific. Just a thank you, thank you, thank you to teachers and first responders who are just some of the most selfless people I know. Thank you.
I was honored to have a post of mine up at Nerdy Book Club. I was very nervous about it as @colbysharp will testify. I mean, what more could possibly be said about Charlotte's Web? Thank you to all of those who commented and shared their experiences with that damn chapter 21.
I've read two great books so far this winter break. The first one was The Mapmaker and the Ghost by newbie author Sarvenaz Tash. Without meaning to, I'm sure, she hit on two areas of the Virginia curriculum: explorers and Tesla. This book will be an enjoyable read for my third and fourth graders - even without those "curriculum ties"!
The second book seems rather implausible if it weren't for the fact that it's based on a true story! Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri is a about a boy named Cole who joins his father in Philly...as an urban cowboy. A fascinating story with beautiful illustrations by Jess Joshua Watson. Based on a 2005 article in Life magazine. See a wonderful clip from This American Life here.
And finally, some of you know I've been working on an early reader series. This winter break I hope to get a draft done of the second book in the series; my first book is out for review. My goal for 2013 is to find an agent who will be as excited as I am to get this series into the hands of our youngest emergent readers. One of my most favorite parts of being a school librarian in getting a book into the hands of a first grader, seeing that match between book and reader made, and then being able to say, "Yes! There are more in the series!".
Happy New Year to all of my dear friends. The InterWebz has allowed me to meet so many librarians, writers, and all around general do-gooders this year. It's been wonderful! Peace.
I was honored to have a post of mine up at Nerdy Book Club. I was very nervous about it as @colbysharp will testify. I mean, what more could possibly be said about Charlotte's Web? Thank you to all of those who commented and shared their experiences with that damn chapter 21.
I've read two great books so far this winter break. The first one was The Mapmaker and the Ghost by newbie author Sarvenaz Tash. Without meaning to, I'm sure, she hit on two areas of the Virginia curriculum: explorers and Tesla. This book will be an enjoyable read for my third and fourth graders - even without those "curriculum ties"!
The second book seems rather implausible if it weren't for the fact that it's based on a true story! Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri is a about a boy named Cole who joins his father in Philly...as an urban cowboy. A fascinating story with beautiful illustrations by Jess Joshua Watson. Based on a 2005 article in Life magazine. See a wonderful clip from This American Life here.
And finally, some of you know I've been working on an early reader series. This winter break I hope to get a draft done of the second book in the series; my first book is out for review. My goal for 2013 is to find an agent who will be as excited as I am to get this series into the hands of our youngest emergent readers. One of my most favorite parts of being a school librarian in getting a book into the hands of a first grader, seeing that match between book and reader made, and then being able to say, "Yes! There are more in the series!".
Happy New Year to all of my dear friends. The InterWebz has allowed me to meet so many librarians, writers, and all around general do-gooders this year. It's been wonderful! Peace.
Monday, December 10, 2012
The Week in Pre-View (12/10)
Hey everyone! I hope you had a relaxing weekend! My parents were visiting from up north and marveled at the "summer like" weather we're having!
This is a full week with a twist of half day early release. But it's going to be another busy one. Here's the run down:
Kindergarten - This week we begin reviewing possible Caldecott winners. Can you tell what book we looked at first? Isn't that just the cutest picture you've ever seen?
First - We are finishing up our picture dictionary activity. This week they'll write the definitions of their words and if we have time, we'll put our dictionary together...in alphabetical order of course!
Second - We'll be reading one of my most favorite books for this time of year: Recess at 20 Below. It's rare that we get temperatures of 20 Above around here, so my students are always curious.
Some second and third graders will be writing animal poems based on Martina the Beautiful Cockroach. Thanks to @booksandbytes for the great idea!
Third - Third grade will be reviewing the thesaurus again. Thankfully my very own blog reminded me of a fun holiday time activity I did several years ago. You can steal the handouts there if you so choose.
Fourth - Fourth grade will be finishing up their YAPPY Online Safety bookmarks. I hope they take there time since the third graders will snatch those bookmarks up, no doubt!
Fifth - Fifth grade will begin blogging this week! I will post the link to their book recommendations once we have a few up there to share.
What are you up to this week?
This is a full week with a twist of half day early release. But it's going to be another busy one. Here's the run down:
 |
| Can you guess what book we looked at? Picture by G. |
First - We are finishing up our picture dictionary activity. This week they'll write the definitions of their words and if we have time, we'll put our dictionary together...in alphabetical order of course!
Second - We'll be reading one of my most favorite books for this time of year: Recess at 20 Below. It's rare that we get temperatures of 20 Above around here, so my students are always curious.
Some second and third graders will be writing animal poems based on Martina the Beautiful Cockroach. Thanks to @booksandbytes for the great idea!
Third - Third grade will be reviewing the thesaurus again. Thankfully my very own blog reminded me of a fun holiday time activity I did several years ago. You can steal the handouts there if you so choose.
Fourth - Fourth grade will be finishing up their YAPPY Online Safety bookmarks. I hope they take there time since the third graders will snatch those bookmarks up, no doubt!
Fifth - Fifth grade will begin blogging this week! I will post the link to their book recommendations once we have a few up there to share.
What are you up to this week?
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
The Week in Pre-view
This coming week is the first week in EONS that I will see (knock wood) all of my classes. Between teacher work days, elections, hurricanes, book fairs, early release days, and assemblies, we've had nary a full week of library.
This week is CHOCK-O-BLOCK full (which means something will go wrong - knock wood, redux!), but here's my week in pre-view.
Kindergarten - This week I will be starting my Caldecott unit with my Ks. The first week will just be an overview of the Caldecott Medal and then we will look at some Caldecott-winning books together. I will explain to them that over the next few weeks, we will be looking at some books that might win the Caldecott this year. {The books I will be working with over the next four or five weeks are Step Gently Out, We March, Green and Boy + Bot}.
First Grade - This week I will be working on dictionary skills with my first graders. I found this adorable graphic organizer that lets the firsties pick a letter, think of a word that begins with that letter, write the letter, and then draw a picture of their word. I plan to put them up on a clothesline in the library...in alphabetical order, of course!
For my second graders, it's book talking! They seem to be stuck in a rut and it's practically a knock down drag out over a few popular titles. So along with teaching them the fine art of browsing, I'll be introducing them to a few new books that they canfight over peruse.
Third grade is starting a fun thesaurus project that I kind of invented after reading Try Curiousity's post. I pulled wordless books from my collection. Students will rotate through the books and after reading them, they will come up with a one-word review of the book. They can use the thesaurus to jazz up their adjectives.
Fourth grade is a mixed bag. Some of them will continue with Professor Garfield and creating their YAPPY bookmarks, all in the name of online safety. My other third graders will begin note taking in order to prepare them for research projects coming down the pike.
And finally, I'm starting book recommendation blogging with my fifth graders. I have to admit I'm a little nervous even after talking with blogger extraordinaire Oakridge Reads. Purefoy Reads has also been a great inspiration.
My simple wish is to remain healthy for the few remaining weeks we have until winter break. Wishing you healthy weeks too!
This week is CHOCK-O-BLOCK full (which means something will go wrong - knock wood, redux!), but here's my week in pre-view.
Kindergarten - This week I will be starting my Caldecott unit with my Ks. The first week will just be an overview of the Caldecott Medal and then we will look at some Caldecott-winning books together. I will explain to them that over the next few weeks, we will be looking at some books that might win the Caldecott this year. {The books I will be working with over the next four or five weeks are Step Gently Out, We March, Green and Boy + Bot}.
First Grade - This week I will be working on dictionary skills with my first graders. I found this adorable graphic organizer that lets the firsties pick a letter, think of a word that begins with that letter, write the letter, and then draw a picture of their word. I plan to put them up on a clothesline in the library...in alphabetical order, of course!
For my second graders, it's book talking! They seem to be stuck in a rut and it's practically a knock down drag out over a few popular titles. So along with teaching them the fine art of browsing, I'll be introducing them to a few new books that they can
Third grade is starting a fun thesaurus project that I kind of invented after reading Try Curiousity's post. I pulled wordless books from my collection. Students will rotate through the books and after reading them, they will come up with a one-word review of the book. They can use the thesaurus to jazz up their adjectives.
Fourth grade is a mixed bag. Some of them will continue with Professor Garfield and creating their YAPPY bookmarks, all in the name of online safety. My other third graders will begin note taking in order to prepare them for research projects coming down the pike.
And finally, I'm starting book recommendation blogging with my fifth graders. I have to admit I'm a little nervous even after talking with blogger extraordinaire Oakridge Reads. Purefoy Reads has also been a great inspiration.
My simple wish is to remain healthy for the few remaining weeks we have until winter break. Wishing you healthy weeks too!
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Annual Annals - Books We Re-Read Every Year
An hour or so ago I posed a question to my tweeps via Twitter:
Is there a book you read annually, for a special occasion, perhaps? I read Summer's Lease by Mortimer.
The responses I received (and continue to receive) are too good to just mark as favorites, so I'm listing them here as a kind of Annual To Be Read (Again) list. I hope you discover some new bookish traditions!
@nicoeatsbooks One of my most favorite books is Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos and I reread it at Christmas
@playthrutheday We read The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson every Christmas.
@AnIowaTeacher Before each basketball season I read this: "Leading With the Heart" by Mike Krzyzewski. Gets me in the right frame of mind!
@rachelwrites007 Whenever I'm upset I read A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN by Betty Smith. It's my favorite book in the world. <3
Is there a book you read annually, for a special occasion, perhaps? I read Summer's Lease by Mortimer.
The responses I received (and continue to receive) are too good to just mark as favorites, so I'm listing them here as a kind of Annual To Be Read (Again) list. I hope you discover some new bookish traditions!
@nicoeatsbooks One of my most favorite books is Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos and I reread it at Christmas
@playthrutheday We read The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson every Christmas.
@AnIowaTeacher Before each basketball season I read this: "Leading With the Heart" by Mike Krzyzewski. Gets me in the right frame of mind!
@rachelwrites007 Whenever I'm upset I read A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN by Betty Smith. It's my favorite book in the world. <3
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Ignore the Common Core?
Hey Alaska! What's up, Minnesota? Hellllloooooo, Nebraska! Howdy, Texas!
It's me! Virginia! Welcome to one of the most exclusive clubs in the United States of America! But what shall we call ourselves? The We-Don't-DO-Common-Core Club? The Un-Common Cores? The Rotten to the Cores?
From twitter to the book vendor tables at conferences, the world, it seems, is ga-ga over the Common Core. And by "ga-ga" I don't mean they necessarily like the CC; I just mean that it's all about the CC. So where does that leave the states that are not official adopters of the CC? Where does that leave school libraries?
Of course, my state of Virginia has its own Standards of Learning and the State has demonstrated how they align with the Common Core. But with so much of the literature we're seeing now, from recommended nonfiction series to lesson plans now proclaiming that they "Align with the Common Core!", what are you, non-Core states, doing with them? Ignoring them entirely? Forcing a fit with your state standards? Concentrating solely on your state standards?
Hope to hear from you soon!
Sincerely,
Virginia
It's me! Virginia! Welcome to one of the most exclusive clubs in the United States of America! But what shall we call ourselves? The We-Don't-DO-Common-Core Club? The Un-Common Cores? The Rotten to the Cores?
From twitter to the book vendor tables at conferences, the world, it seems, is ga-ga over the Common Core. And by "ga-ga" I don't mean they necessarily like the CC; I just mean that it's all about the CC. So where does that leave the states that are not official adopters of the CC? Where does that leave school libraries?
Of course, my state of Virginia has its own Standards of Learning and the State has demonstrated how they align with the Common Core. But with so much of the literature we're seeing now, from recommended nonfiction series to lesson plans now proclaiming that they "Align with the Common Core!", what are you, non-Core states, doing with them? Ignoring them entirely? Forcing a fit with your state standards? Concentrating solely on your state standards?
Hope to hear from you soon!
Sincerely,
Virginia
Monday, November 12, 2012
Teacher Requests - Book Lists
Some of you read my post about The Best Email I Ever Sent. I took the responses and made them into a giant To-Do list. It feels really great to have projects that are eagerly awaited for by my teachers!
So last week I created two book lists using GoodReads. The first was a list of books about art and the second was a list of books about music. They aren't comprehensive lists of all the titles I have in my collection. I chose titles that I think have been overlooked or titles that are fiction and have an art/music connection. The real purpose of these lists is to have a place to list new books as they come in to my library.
So far my art and music teachers have been very thankful. Next up is a list requested by a fourth grade teacher for grade-level reads. This is such a difficult topic to address. By reading level? By age appropriate-ness? How do you handle requests for books by grade level?
So last week I created two book lists using GoodReads. The first was a list of books about art and the second was a list of books about music. They aren't comprehensive lists of all the titles I have in my collection. I chose titles that I think have been overlooked or titles that are fiction and have an art/music connection. The real purpose of these lists is to have a place to list new books as they come in to my library.
So far my art and music teachers have been very thankful. Next up is a list requested by a fourth grade teacher for grade-level reads. This is such a difficult topic to address. By reading level? By age appropriate-ness? How do you handle requests for books by grade level?
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