Reflections on VSRA19 Part 2

     VSRA allowed me the opportunity to learn from several of my personal mentors: Pernille Ripp, Kylene Beers and Bob Probst, Laura Robb, and Penny Kittle. These amazing educators have each had an impact on my classroom practices. What an honor to talk with them in person (OK, I didn’t actually get to TALK to Kylene and Bob…I just basked in the brilliance during their General Session. But I promise you…one day, my copy of Disrupting Thinking WILL be autographed!).

The overarching theme of the conference is that OUR KIDS NEED TO BE READING. Each session that I attended presupposed that we are giving our students time IN CLASS to read books of their choice. It sounds like such a simple thing, yet it continues to surprise me how rarely choice reading happens during the school day.

Pernille Ripp presented the General Session, “Passionate Readers” and “Now What? Helping Students Become and Remain Passionate Readers”. What drew me to Pernille’s writing, both on social media and on her blog, is that she actually SAYS what I know so many of us are thinking. One of my major takeaways is that 24% of adults reported not reading a book in the past 12 months. “There are 24% of people who can’t wait to never read another book.” Pernille explained, “You know what scares me? Those people are having kids.” And what scares ME the most is that some of those people are educators.

It’s scary how many times I have seen teachers on Twitter make decisions on behalf of their students like “graphic novels are not REAL books.” Or they limit students’ book choices to a certain Lexile band. Or they complain that students are just reading “easy books.” Pernille’s response? “They’re not just reading EASY books; they’re working on finding their love of reading again. And instead of calling them EASY books, how about if we use the word ENTICING?” As someone who has spent the last 14 years with VERY reluctant middle school readers, I can tell you that I celebrate ANY reading that our students do.

Picture books? No problem.

Graphic novels? They’re the majority of my book budget!

Want to reread a book that you’ve already read? Please do.

Want to abandon a book because it’s not a good fit? You have my blessing.

Let’s try really hard not to judge what kids are reading, and celebrate the fact that they ARE reading.

Pernille asked us to consider what we are doing or have already done that may have harmed the LOVE of reading. This was an excellent place to reflect on one of her earlier statements, “If a program we are using effectively harms a child’s love of reading, then we need to question that program, not just the child or the practitioner implementing it.” And my personal favorite, “Teaching with fidelity doesn’t mean fidelity to the program, but to the kid in front of us.” Can I please get an AMEN???

These are the rights that students have as readers in Ms. Ripp’s classroom:

a.    Choose freely

b.    Challenge yourself

c.    Abandon books

d.    Reread books

e.    Discuss your reading

f.     Share your reading

Another question we were asked is, “What does your school value in reading? How do you know?” Please take a moment to reflect.

I am trying DAILY to get my students to believe what Pernille said to us, “Reading should not be something just to get through.” I have spent huge amounts of time reflecting on my students’ reading behavior. When we give them reading passages and multiple choice questions, they know when they get to the last question, they’re done. They can see the light at the end of the tunnel. But once they finish a book, I want them to start another one. We're never DONE reading. Sadly, not all of my students seem to feel a sense of accomplishment when they add a title to their "Books I've Read" list like they do when they complete an activity or assessment. I'd really like that to change.

In all honesty, I sometimes get very, VERY frustrated in this job. A great deal of my time is spent trying to convince students that they should WANT to read…not just to PASS THE TEST, but for the sheer JOY of reading…to let yourself sink into a book and be transported somewhere else for a little while, to appreciate the language, to feel something, to THINK, and to let the author’s words change you somehow. I believe that a huge part of our problem is how “reading” is presented in school.

Kylene Beers and Bob Probst recommend three critical changes for our classrooms:

1.    Increase VOLUME of reading

2.    Rethink SKILLS taught

3.    Increase accountable student TALK

Here's something to think about. “When we go to a school and there are rich conversations going on in some classes, and in other classes students are sitting on a computer answering questions, there is no equity going on in that school.” They referred to this as “segregation of intellectual rigor”. Think about your school for a minute. Which students are having rich, academic conversations? Which ones are sitting at computers answering questions? Might there be a discussion that needs to happen?

During their session, Ms. Beers and Mr. Probst modeled the Three Big Questions.

1.    What surprised me?

2.    What does the author think I already know?

3.    What changed, challenged, or confirmed my thinking?

When we practiced reading a passage using these questions, we were actually THINKING about what we read rather than just extracting information from the text. At the end of the day, isn’t that what we really want our students to do?

On a personal note, if you have not read their book Disrupting Thinking, I highly recommend it. The BHH (Book, Head, Heart) Framework hangs in our classroom, and it is a quick, easy way to have students connect with a text. I wrote a post about it here: How We Read Matters

At Laura Robb’s session, “Bringing Striving Readers into the Reading Life”, she and a team of 5^th grade teachers explained how they totally rewrote their literacy program using BOOKS (no basal reader of any kind).

1.    Self-selected choice reading book (EVERY DAY at the beginning of class)

2.    Anchor Text (picture books used to teach the mini-lessons for the reading strategies

3.    Independent reading book (at student’s instructional reading level for practicing the strategies in their own texts)

Their “striving readers” have 90 minutes of ELA every day PLUS an additional 73 minutes of intervention. Both teachers and students write in their notebooks daily. Ms. Robb explained, “No computer can do this…you need a SKILLED teacher.”

          In her session, “Book Clubs”, Penny Kittle mentioned, “Freshmen in college have As and Bs on their transcripts, but can’t read and write.” (If this fact doesn’t scare you, WHY NOT???) She said that according to Pedro Noguera, the wrong question to ask is, “What can we do to raise student achievement?” The RIGHT question is, “What can we do to challenge, stimulate, and engage readers?”

Ms. Kittle recommends three steps:

1.    ENGAGE the kids

2.    INCREASE volume

3.    Eventually increase text COMPLEXITY

It is so important to remember that reading VOLUME has to come first. After the students have become more engaged readers, then we can begin to introduce more complex texts.

Some of my favorite quotes from Penny Kittle’s session:

“The best intervention is a good book.”

“If they’re not writing, it’s probably because they’re not reading.”

“READING STRATEGIES ARE USELESS IF YOU’RE NOT DOING ANY READING.”

“In our work as teachers, we are agents of change.”

Reflections from VSRA19 Part 1

I was blessed to be able to attend writing sessions by Pernille Ripp and Amy Ludwig VanDerwater. Both of these incredible women had similar messages: in order to teach writing, we need to be writers. Now I’ve been saying the same thing about reading for years, but when someone says it to me about writing, I get incredibly nervous. In the interest of full disclosure, when I’m observed on a day that I am teaching a writing skill, I break a sweat. A monster sweat. A “walking out of a hot yoga studio” kind of sweat. Clearly, I still have a lot to learn.

In Pernille Ripp’s Pre-Conference session, “Passionate Writers”, she first asked us, “Who are YOU as a writer?” This is something that she also discusses throughout the year with her students. Here are some things to consider:

a.    When do you write?

b.    Where do you write?

c.    What do you write?

d.    For whom do you write?

e.    With whom do you share?

f.     What is your writing process?

g.    When do you like writing?

She gave us three minutes to reflect on those questions, and actually complimented us on being able to follow through for that long (apparently what normally happens is that after about a minute people start to “get squirmy”). We didn’t do a whole-group share, but I’m guessing that everyone’s answers were different. This got us talking about how we teach “the writing process” to students (spoiler alert: in real life, the writing process doesn’t necessarily happen neatly in this order: prewrite, draft, revise, edit, publish!).

Ms. Ripp listed things we do as teachers that can HARM the love of writing:

a.    Assume there is only one way to do it correctly.

b.    Force all students to use the same process.

In case you were wondering, I was the one in the second row quietly saying, “PREACH!” For years we have been forcing students to fit THEIR writing into OUR TEMPLATES. If adults don’t all approach writing the same way, why do we think our kids will? Laura Robb even said in a later session, “If we give kids a worksheet that organizes their writing for them, they won’t learn how to organize for themselves.”

My favorite thing that Pernille said is that teachers tend to “edit the student right out of the piece.” YES!! In our class, I’ve been working on just getting the students to find the joy in writing. When they write in their journals, my feedback is mainly asking questions to help them elaborate. Pernille explained that if we got a paper back completely marked up with pen (and let’s be honest, the color of the pen makes absolutely NO difference), it would make us not want to write. Our kids are the same. It is very important for the students to feel confident enough to share their ideas with me without worrying that I’m going to rip their writing apart. As Pernille said, “Writing means belonging. In order to belong, we must feel like we matter.”

One of the session participants asked about the use of rubrics. Pernille makes sure that the students know SPECIFICALLY what she is looking for in their writing. Here is a link to her blog post on Single Point Rubrics:

https://pernillesripp.com/2019/02/24/using-the-single-point-rubric-for-better-assessment-conversations/

Something else that I took to heart was this: let’s be careful of saying, “GOOD writers do this…”
and just say WRITERS (because if students aren’t doing those things, they may internalize that they are “BAD” writers)! We also, according to Pernille, need to offer more CHOICE in writing (try to offer at least ONE of these choices EVERY time):

a.    How they write

b.    When they write

c.    What they write

d.    How they share

e.    What is assessed

In our curriculum, students may not always get to choose their final product, but we CAN give them some choice during the writing process!

I also attended Amy Ludwig VanDerwater’s session, Keep a Notebook: Romp, Risk, Rehearse. She emphasized that writing has to come from a place that is meaningful to students. “Notebooks”, she explained, “are a safe place to play.” Students need to know that they are not going to face judgment on the things they choose to write about. At the beginning of the year when we start working in our journals, I give the students a mix of prompts and freewrites. Their freewrites are always my favorites! These are a great way to get to know new students, because they share things in their notebooks that they might not be comfortable enough to share aloud.

My favorite quote from this session was, “A notebook is a gift to your future self.” After the first few days of school, we usually use our journals for reading responses…making predictions, practicing strategies, keeping notes about story events, etc. I jot something each day during independent reading time, and encourage our students to do the same. You would not believe how much I love looking back at all of the wonderful books I’ve read, the quotes that I copied and shared, and my impressions about the books. It’s been so helpful for making book recommendations to students, or for pointing out particular craft moves made by authors.

One thing that Ms. Ludwig VanDerwater stressed was the importance of showing students our writing PROCESS. She said when we model our writing for students, it’s not to show off a gorgeous final product, it’s more like, “I wrote this, and I want to show you what I’m TRYING to do here.” This is something that I’ve been trying to work on in our class this year, but I have a long way to go!

So, how do we get students started writing in notebooks? The following suggestions were offered.

a.    Write from a sketch

b.    Write from a read aloud

c.    Write from a quote

d.    Ponder a question

e.    Freewrite

f.     Write from an object (ex. Pick a button out of a bag)

g.    Create lists

1.    Favorite words

2.    Books read

3.    Books TO BE read

4.    Ideas for future projects

5.    Character names

6.    Thoughts

7.    Dreams

One of my book club students is a writer, and we talked about how he didn’t like one of his stories, so he “scrapped the whole thing”. I told him what I had just learned in this session…always hang on to an idea because one day you may decide to come back to it. He told me that he in fact HAD kept a couple of the characters to use in a different story. I believe that Amy Ludwig VanDerwater would have approved!

My takeaway quote: “Reading often begets writing.”

#MustReadin2019

Happy New Year! 🎉🎉🎉

I was a first-time participant in Carrie's reading challenge last year, and I had so much fun! If you consider accepting the challenge, and are even a LITTLE bit like me, please mentally prepare yourself. You agonize over which books to choose...you commit to your list...you put it in writing...and then you look at other readers' lists and realize how many titles you overlooked. The horror! 😱. 

(I'm totally kidding. This is a fantastic way to get great recommendations from fellow readers and add titles to your wish list!)

My goal is to read one of these titles each month. With only two exceptions, I have read other books by the authors on my list, and I am extremely confident that my reading time will be well spent! 

 Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

 Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi

 Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams

 Grenade by Alan Gratz

 Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson

 Odd One Out by Nic Stone

 On The Come Up by Angie Thomas

Pride by Ibi Zoboi

Rayne and Delilah's Midnite Matinee by Jeff Zentner

 The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart

Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus 

What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

#MustReadin2018 Winter Update

Hello, Readers! 📚

This is my final #MustReadin2018 update! I JUST got the last two books in under the wire. This was truly a "so many books, so little time" year for me. But I did discover some amazing titles!

I REALLY enjoyed One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus! Set in high school, five students show up for detention, and only four walk out alive. Lots of suspense! And JUST when you think you've got it all figured out...BOOM. 😕

They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera gives a clue right on the cover that this book is not going to have a happy ending. What I will remember most  is wondering whether it would be good or bad to know your death date, and what would be the non-negotiables that I'd need to complete before the time was up.

The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street by Lindsay Currie is a FANTASTIC scary story!! Many of my students enjoy ghost stories, and I was so excited to introduce them to Tessa. Her family moves into an old house in Chicago, and creepy, goosebump-raising things begin to happen...crying, electric disturbances, things moving around...and then there's that ventriloquist dummy. 😱

I read The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser this month, which was perfect because the story begins on December 20 and leads up to Christmas. The Vanderbeekers have been told that their lease is not being renewed and they need to move out by the end of the year. The kids decide that the answer to the problem is to make the landlord (AKA "The Biederman") like them. But will they have enough time??? This book celebrates family in all of its forms, and is a perfect read for the holiday season! 🎄

I absolutely LOVED Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli! Words cannot do an adequate job of describing how much I adore her writing. Leah's story is both moving and hilarious. For those who have heard me describe something as a big bag of suck, my favorite quote was, "Embrace the suck" (which, let's face it, is fantastic advice!). Ms. Albertalli perfectly depicts all the angst of senior year: pre-college jitters, high school disappointments, family, relationships, drama, and friendship. I highly recommend this book to everyone!

Granted by John David Anderson, is the delightful tale of fairy Ophelia Delphinium Fidgets, who has been tasked with granting a young girl's wish for a purple bicycle. There are MANY obstacles in her path, and some life lessons to be discovered. This book is also filled with little bits of wisdom like, "...even an old doughnut with enough frosting is better than most other things she could imagine" (163). On her journey, Ophelia meets Sam, the dog who has just become my new favorite MG character. My middle school students loved when I read aloud the part when Ophelia meets Sam for the first time. I'm ashamed to admit I almost missed this one because I put other books ahead of it, but this is definitely a title you should have on your shelf!

Many thanks to Carrie Gelson for starting #MustReadin2018 and encouraging me to work on my blog. 

I look forward to continuing my reading journey in 2019, and wish you all Happy Reading in the New Year! 📚

Thoughts From The Book In Question by Carol Jago

This book is an immediate call to action for all educators, not just English teachers. 

Let's begin with the problem:

"...too many students are choosing not to read. As a result they are less informed, less articulate, and I believe less understanding of others" (14).

I agree, and immediately connected this to the work of Rudine Sims Bishop. Please click the following link to a short video in which she discusses the importance of reading diverse books:

Rudine Sims Bishop on Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors

Additionally, you may want to check out We Need Diverse Books.

Jago explains, "Fictional characters are invaluable facilitators of dialogue concerning delicate topics" (115). She specifically mentions the importance of reading books like The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. I would recommend exploring any or all of the books on the Project LIT Community reading list.

"...the importance of working toward the goal of ensuring every child grows up to be an able and avid reader cannot be overstated" (25).

At the end of the first quarter, I surveyed my students at length about their attitudes toward reading. Needless to say, they don't all love it. I'm constantly inundated with, "all these books are trash," or "there's nothing to read in here." Further conversations have revealed that many were not given time to read books that they chose in earlier grades. Reading was mostly done for the purpose of answering questions. Is it any wonder that many students see reading as a chore, or something just "for school"?

So educators, what are we going to DO to change these negative perceptions of reading?

"While a well-stocked classroom library and a passionate reader-teacher are critical ingredients of a vibrant reading program, they are not enough. You need to create a culture of reading within your classroom" (28).

I believe that the culture of reading needs to be present within the entire school. Our staff publicly posts what we are reading, and have been challenged by one of our Library Media Specialists to read 1000 books during the school year. Our wonderful art teacher has made a visual representation of our progress and placed it near the cafeteria for everyone to see. But I don't believe what we're doing is enough. We need to TALK about our reading with students. I came back from a doctor's appointment and told my students about the book I finished while I was in the waiting room. One student asked, "Wait, you mean you really read, like FOR REAL?" I enthusiastically replied, "YES!" Our kids need to understand that reading is a LIFE skill. 

As I continue to reflect on this book it may lead to further writing, but I'm going to end this post with what I consider to be my personal call to action.

"We should be concerned about the large number of students who don’t read every bit as much as we worry about those who can’t" (10).

Why Is Book Access Important To You?

This question was posed to the participants of the #ProjectLITChat on Sunday, November 4. It was suggested that we might benefit from having all of the fantastic responses in one blog post. I accepted the challenge! 😊
If I missed your response, I sincerely apologize. 

• Book access is important to me because students need to see for themselves there is more to reading than the books read in English classes. Access and choice build reading lives and validate what authentic reading really looks like. Students deserve access to that world. ~Christine Larsen
  
• Book access is crucial, but almost as important is teachers/librarians showcasing titles. Kids looking at stacks and stacks of books can be overwhelming. Finding a way to hook kids on a title is how we'll keep them coming back. ~Jonathon Myers
  
• Book access is important to me because it's an equalizer in our society. Everyone has the right to read and access information and ideas, not just the wealthy or privileged. ~Kelsey Collins
  
• Students need access to books to increase literacy. Believe it or not, students are pretty shocked when I tell them they can request and have any book shipped from within a library system for free. That's empowering. ~Sidney Thomas
  
• Book access is important because readers learn they're not alone in whatever struggle sets them apart. Characters and settings like themselves can be found between the lines of the stories recorded in books.
  ~Joy Barnes-Johnson, Ph.D.
  
• Book access important to me because poverty keeps people bound. Books, especially from classrooms and libraries in print and digital forms allow people to experience other worlds at the low, yet valuable cost of time. ~Joy Barnes-Johnson, Ph.D.
  
• Book access is crucial, as it can give students a representation of life/the world. The more diverse the library, the more accurate the representation. ~Basil E. Frankweiler
  
• I enjoy watching a young reader disappear into the work of the writer as both unite as one. Book access helps me sustain that enjoyment. The more books, the merrier. ~Manuel Garces, Jr.
  
• Your classroom library should reflect your current students, so book access is everything. You want your students to be reading material that represents them, intrigues them and makes them wonder. ~Monika Moorman
  
• Books save lives. Students silently deal with so much doubt, pressure, and trauma. Books are a reminder that they are not alone. Also, books just make us better humans, no? ~Isabel Morales
  
• Book access is just the beginning, then we need to give everyone time to read and time to talk about what they've read. Talk--not complete worksheets--but have conversations, book chats, book blessings, chat-chat-chat! ~Kris McGee
  
• When I think about book access, I think about my young readers, but I also think about my preservice teachers I teach. They need access to books too, just like our inservice teachers do. Readers become stronger by reading. ~Kris McGee
  
• As a librarian, book access is at the heart of what I do! I want my students to have access to all kinds of stories offering both windows and mirrors and find their passion for reading! ~Shannon DeSantis
  
• Book access means a chance to learn about one's self and the world. I also link it to freedom. ~Sarah Williams
  
• Books are powerful. Every student deserves access to the ticket that a book holds. This ticket can not only transport a reader into a magical world, but it can also teach empathy, and reiterate the idea that you are not alone. ~Tyler Sainato
  
• People need to be able to have books--not just any book, but relevant and interesting ones. Many times it's not the lack of desire to read, but the lack of resources which prevents reading. ~Tracy Mitchell
  
• Book access creates community, inspires wonder, and is foundational in the work for equity in education. ~Dan Dooher
  
• Book access is important because the stories young readers need are often restricted, or not available to them. ~Teresa Easterling, M.Ed.
  
• Students aren't always exposed to the subjects, people, professions, mentors, attitudes, optimism, and other traits they need to create a successful life for themselves. Having access to books and stories that guide them and help them cope can be lifesaving. ~Brandy Sue Alexander
  
• Book access is access to lives. ~Clint Whitten
  
• Book access is everything! The only way I know to create authentic readers is to provide books that speak to real teenagers. There is no universal book that fits everyone, so we must have access to MANY books. ~Lynn Hagen
  
• All kids should be flooded with great books, period. We know how impactful it is to have good books at your fingertips and so it should be a right for all; not just the lucky, the privileged, the wealthy, or the kids with "high enough test scores." ~Ashleigh Rose
  
• I truly believe that fiction books are crucial in building empathy and allowing readers to imagine themselves in worlds other than their own. Everyone deserves access to different perspectives. ~Miss Rachel CY
  
• Book access is central to literacy, which is fundamental to equity. ~90-Second Newbery
  
• If we want students to become expert learners we need to help them find all the ways to do so. Book access is at the top of my list. The more tools we can put in their hands the better learning and living can be. ~Kelley Culp
  
• We can't expect our students to read if we don't give them access to great books! ~Jennifer Green
  
• Providing students with access to books that are interesting to them gets them wanting to read. I don't know how many students have told me this it the first they're read a book in a long time. ~Saral Gillman
  
• Book access is important because it allows all students the opportunity to read, learn, and experience life. ~ELA with Urquhart
  
• Books have the power to change and save lives. And despite what MI courts may say, literacy IS a fundamental right for ALL people. ~Jessica Sherburn
  
• As a librarian, book access = the heart of our profession. If we're doing it right, book access means access to books--a flood of books--that reflect our students, their interests, and their lived experiences. Books save lives. Books save all of us. ~Julie Stivers
  
• I'm finding that my students are reading much more now that I have a constant supply of amazing books available that they want to read. Access makes kids readers because they are within reach when the desire strikes, and it's not an extra effort. ~Molly Castner
  
• The only way to foster a love of reading is to have access to books that interest students. ~Dr. C. Tennyson
  
• I believe limiting or eliminating access to books that are culturally sustaining is a deliberate move that affects lives and futures in ways that ultimately impacts society as a whole. ~Julia E. Torres
  
• Book access is important to me, because I believe that reading is transformative. Kids just need time to read and access to great books. ~Nicole Russell
  
• Book access is important because if we do not flood our students with text, if we do not make it easy, if we do not make it accessible, it is easier to just not read, and not have your life changed by wonderful stories. And that would be a shame. ~George Evans
  
• Reading is important. Period. We have to bring back the love of learning. Because of Project LIT book selections, I have been able to hook students into reading again. ~Sara Devine
  
• Book access leads to literacy and engagement, empathy and an opening of horizons, revealing what is possible, and creating conversations. Storytelling is universal. ~Derrick Schellenberg
  
• Book access should lead to book choice, with students empowered to inquire into current topics and author styles of interest to them. Kids should be subjected to a wide variety of types of texts and engage in reading levels that meet them where they are. ~Derrick Schellenberg
  
• Book access is important to me because ALL students deserve to be surrounded by quality books they can use as mirrors, windows, or doors. As a teacher, I can help make sure my students have access. ~Sarah Levy
  
• Book access to me means choice. The more books students have access to, they will more likely find that book that "speaks" to them, or the book that hooks the reluctant reader. It also opens students to worlds beyond their own. ~Dayan Shannon
  
• Book access is important to me because I know how much I use books as part of my own emotional story. Everyone deserves access to tools that help them feel all the feels. ~Mrs. Schimizzi, NBCT
  
• Book access is important because I want reading to compete with video games and sports as entertainment and not just something you do in English class. Build the knowledge and skills while being entertained and kids will do it. Make it hard, and they won't. ~Amanda Kremnitzer
  
• Acknowledging book access (or lack thereof) demystified the struggle my kids were having with reading confidence. Once I updated my library and provided MEANINGFUL texts for my kids, reading was no longer a battle. Kids will read a book if it matters to them. ~Zaz the Teacher
  
• Everyone needs to see himself/herself/themselves in books AND others need to learn about them. Then we all need safe spaces to talk about them. ~Veronica B Dougherty
  
• Book access is such a huge deal on so many levels: building empathy, bridging learning gaps with powerful reads, ensuring our students have an escape with reading, etc. Just always want to get those great reads in their hands! ~Mrs. Criswell
  
• (Book access is important) because my choice of learning is limitless. It has grown my vocabulary, my questioning, my beliefs, etc. ~Barbara Page, M.Ed