ReviewAnne Lamott voice is very present in Bird by Bird. Even though I have never heard her voice in person, I feel like I don't need to after reading this book. Lamott's pieces of advice are humorous at times, but can become a little long winded. When these long winded bouts of her going on and on or when she would make a dumb joke, I would pause, and say, "Oh, Anne. You're at it again" and close the book. For that reason, I gave the book an Exceptional. The advice on writing and life was very powerful and meaningful to me, especially as I navigated through the Red Cedar Writing Project Summer Institute. Prior to the SI, I did not identify as a writer, but Lamott's writing was the beginning of my realization that anyone can be a writer. Classroom ImplicationsMy favorite chapter in this book was titled "Shitty First Drafts." I think that this chapter is the best one to pull out of the book, make 150 copies, and put it in the hands of my students to read. I bet the word "shitty" will get their attention, along with the fact that no one has to read their first draft ... but they still have to have it in order to go through the writing process. Its not a process if you turn in your only attempt at writing down what you want to say. All of the other chapters provide great advice on whatever the chapter is called. Dialogue. Character. Plot. Perfectionism. Having this book at the ready is important as you and your students go through the writing process every day. So What?
Continuing the ConversationHave you ever read Bird by Bird? If so, what are your thoughts about it? What other books would you recommend regarding writing? Feel free to comment below! I would love to add to my list!
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ReviewThis book is packed with a ton of information. The book opened with helpful definitions to orient the reader with the ideas of inquiry, literacy, and service in the classroom just in case they were not aware of what they were or how the authors were going to be referring to them as. These definitions and the examples that accompanied them provided an excellent scaffold in and out of each detailed unit, essential question, project, etc. that the authors described. I killed several highlighters while reading this book just because I wanted to note and remember all of the excellent concepts, unit plans, essential questions, etc. moving forward. Jeffrey Wilhelm and the authors are all Teacher Consultants for the Boise State Writing Project, and their passion for teaching with inquiry, literacy, and service are very present on every page of the book. Because I read this during my Summer Institute at the Red Cedar Writing Project, I felt an instant bond with these teachers and could see their thought process with the lens of the National Writing Project. This book is Exceptional because it provides the reader with a new approach to teaching, while still being adaptable across grade levels and content areas. As I mentioned before, the book is packed, and at times overwhelming. Jeffrey and the rest of the authors seemed to do everything so fluidly in their classrooms that it made the thought of implementation very daunting, especially for a first year teacher. Classroom ImplicationsThis whole book implies and includes the classroom. I felt the authors did a great job chunking up chapters by the types of service that can be accomplished through this approach.
So What?Out of these chapters, I believe "Service to School" is an important service to focus on because school is often viewed as a place where students have to be rather than a place they want to be. Wilhelm says, “schools need to be places that students find not only safe, but also engaging, significant, and fun” and where they can “engage in personally and socially significant work with other people that they could not do on their own” (59). The chapter focuses on several examples of how students can engage with projects focused on service to their schools. The first project has students becoming “actual historians” as they conduct primary research and explore the multiple aspects that have shaped the history and culture of the school. Both a third space is created and service is provided to the larger community by discovering aspects of the school’s history that may not be known. Through students’ work in their school, whether conducting historical research or transforming school culture, students and their teachers become democratic citizens. Wilhelm et al uses Todd DeStigter’s definition of “democracy” to further the democratic citizens point. DeStigter defined democracy as “a way of interacting with others by which all people have the desire, ability, and opportunity to participate in shaping their individual and collective lives” (64). Continuing the ConversationDo you implement inquiry, literacy, and/or service into your classroom? What projects or units have been the most effective in terms of service? Feel free to comment below!
ReviewIf you are an English educator stuck or tired of your current grammar techniques then you need to check out Mechanically Inclined. Not feeling like you're the best at grammar? Don't worry! Anderson claims he is not the best either. This kind of humility and a touch of tried and true methods are sprinkled throughout the book to provide easy to understand grammar instruction. The first half of the book is a run through of the established tools Anderson uses in his classroom, including the Writer's Notebook, Wall Charts, and the Editor's Checklist. The second half of the book is sectioned off into mini grammar units with simple lessons to get your stuck-grammar-mind out of the maze and onto something great! I gave Mechanically Inclined an Exceptional rating because some of his methods and activities are great for connecting with students with grammar. Anderson is a middle school teacher, so as a high school minded teacher, it would take a bit more thought and creativity on my end to come up with a lesson or activity just as exceptional. I'm not looking for cookie cutter lesson plans to copy and implement immediately, but I do find it difficult to build some of the lessons to a high school lessons. Classroom ImplicationsI first read Mechanically Inclined during an undergraduate course titled "Crafting Teaching Practices" for English education students. We read and reviewed the rationale of the day-to-day practices of Anderson and his middle school classroom. For lesson planning and teaching practice, each of us in the class was assigned a lesson from the back of the book. We were required to modify, as needed, and teach it to our peers. This was a great way for us to plan and implement ideas in a supportive, reflective, low stakes environment. The classroom implications for preservice teachers are endless. My second read of this book was for the Red Cedar Writing Project Summer Institute. We set up our Writer's Notebooks the way Anderson suggests (see below for more information). All of our writing, if done by hand, was written in our Writer's Notebook. By doing this we were able to enact what it would be like to have Jeff Anderson's Writer's Notebook as a student. So What?"What's up with the Writer's Notebook movement? Why should students write only in a notebook? How I am going to collect that and grade it?" Nonbeliever of the Writer's Notebook Nonbelievers of the Writer's Notebook "movement" are often quick to jump to conclusions about the potential of the Writer's Notebook. Like many educational nuances, they are unable to try out and incorporate a new idea into their classroom. I am a believer of the Writer's Notebook. I was first introduced to the idea of the Writer's Notebook upon my first read of Mechanically Inclined. I kept it in my toolbox, and was introduced to another version during my internship in an Oakland County School. This "so what?" section will present these two versions of the Writer's Notebook, along with one of my RCWP colleague's version from her classroom. I will present the ideas that I think will work best in my classroom moving forward. Jeff Anderson's Writer's Notebooks are composition notebooks that need to be meticulously set up prior to use. In addition to this strict set up, rules are established regarding the use of the Writer's Notebook, such as never tear out a page of the notebook to only write on the right-hand pages (30). The sections of the Writer's Notebook are as follows:
Oakland Schools English 9 Writer's Notebook is implemented right off that bat according to the scope and sequence of the traditional English 9 curriculum. The concept of a Writer's Notebook is the be reintroduced to students, as previous grade levels have already used it. The first lesson of using the Writer's Notebook is based off of Ralph Fletcher's quote: "A writer's notebook works just like an incubator: a protective place to keep your infant idea safe and warm, a place for it to grow while it is too young, too new, to survive on its own." The Writer's Notebook is to be a "place to record observations, questions, thoughts, drafts of writing, memories, etc." In addition to this mindset, it is encouraged that teachers write alongside students and share frequently. Students and teachers are encouraged to make the notebook their own by decorating the front cover "with their own values and interests." Jessyca Mathew's Writer's Notebook is divided into five sections. Students are required to have a new notebook each semester they have her. Rather than only writing on the right-hand pages, Jessyca's students are able to write on any of the pages.
My Ideal Writer's Notebook would be divided into sections similar to Anderson's and Mathew's. I like the organization that sections affords students. I like the idea of only writing on the right-hand pages to write, record, take notes, etc. and have the left-hand side be used for edits, revisions, and/or brainstorming. I have found this sandbox space to be helpful towards my writing. Personalizing the Writer's Notebook is a great idea, too, and, if time is allotted in class to decorate, it allows students to build a community of writer's. Reviewing these formats of Writer's Notebooks have given me a solid start to designing my own use for them in the classroom. As the fall approaches and curriculum is planned out, I will look back on these set ups and develop a useful Writer's Notebook for my students and I to use. Continuing the ConversationDo you use Writer's Notebooks in your classroom? If so, what is your format? If not, why? Feel free to comment below!
ReviewIf you have ever read a Kelly Gallagher book then you know about the sheer brilliance, research, planning, and thought that goes into his work. If you have never read a Kelly Gallagher book, but are familiar with his name then you finally get to experience the essence of him. If you have no idea who Kelly Gallagher is then welcome. Enjoy this book for all it is and reap the benefit of now understanding Kelly Gallagher. A lot of this book was a repeat of what Gallagher has mentioned in past books and in his Twitter feed. The book breaks apart the CCSS for English and provides a unique perspective by complimenting it with excellent detail and showcasing the great aspects, but also shining a light on the no-so-great parts. One of the themes of the book is that we, as educators, should not become attached to the CCSS because a new set will roll into town eventually and have the potential to be something completely different. He reviews and assesses practices that align with the CCSS, but are also in the best interest of our students. The book is hot off the press (2015), takes a critical approach to the CCSS, and provides a lot of excellent examples of ideas that I want to implement now. I killed a lot of highlighters in this book highlighting everything I wanted to remember and keep in my back pocket. This book is a must read and is Monumental! Classroom ImplicationsWhile I wouldn't reference this book as an excellent read to my students, this book would be a great mentor text to further what the Activist Learner represents. The book dives into Gallagher's inquiry into what truly is best for our students. It also is a great mentor text for teachers. Teachers can use this book and follow its format, adding personal classroom experience in letters to department chairs, building and district administration, lawmakers, parents, etc. The audience that could be reached with this book is huge! So What?As mentioned above in the overview section, I would love to have the writers of the Common Core State Standards read this book with a critical lens towards their product. To be a fly on the wall during the reading of the book, bookclubs between themselves, and/or discussions with Kelly Gallagher and the teachers trying to navigate through the standards would be amazing. As long as everyone approached the book and discussion with a clear, open mind, I think the conversation could begin to move forward in two directions - 1). What's next? and 2). What is in the best interest of our students? Yeah, that's right, Kelly Gallagher. I added a word there - "our." My students differ from your students. Your students and their needs, wants, goals, desires, dreams, etc. are different than my students. I have to keep in mind what is in the best interest of my demographic. Continuing the ConversationWhat are your thoughts on the Common Core State Standards? Love 'em? Hate 'em? Feel free to comment below!
I gave the book a "monumental" rating because it is just that - monumental. The first half of the book provides the reader with a detailed look into how and why people procrastinate, and it is very fascinating. I'm not much of a science guy, but because I have a history of procrastinating, I was able to relate to the instances that were given. The authors also provided a lot of their own experiences with procrastination. This allowed the reader to relate with them and made the authors not seem so high and mighty. The second half of the book provided suggestions to avoid procrastination. I was able to take out a few of the suggestions and apply them to my life. These tips include: dividing projects into small, manageable chunks; making daily to do lists; starting small by taking just twenty minutes to sit down and do something; and placing time worked on projects in my calendar after I have completed it. Overall, I have seen a lot more projects getting completed on time and I hope to continue this trend as I step into my first classroom in the fall!
I feel that this book would be great for other runners to read. It doesn't matter if you are an Olympian runner or a recreational runner, like I have turned into. This book is great. It is easy to read and follow. Lear chronicles practically each day of the 1998 season. The team and individual dynamics are captured well with quotes, reflections from different runners' journals, and candid moments of both pain, suffering, and victory. The book was "exceptional" in my opinion because of the nostalgic feelings it gave me. It also serves as a great mentor text for journals/diaries. I had some issues with the formatting of quotes between people, some occasional typos, and random musings that carried on for longer than I desired.
I'm not sure if it was because of the mundane daily entries or learning more information about the highly anticipated secret that the narrator holds very close to her. I could not connect with this book. I provided it with a "reasonable" rating because I believe that it would make an impression on another reader. It didn't move me in ways that it may move others. Would I have this in my classroom library? Absolutely. I did find Melinda's daily high school perspective to be entertaining at times, including her take on the school's struggle to find a suitable mascot, the descriptions of her teachers, and her generally dry sense of humor. Laurie Halse Anderson allowed the characters to come alive, but did not develop a meaningful or engaging plot for the characters to navigate and live through. Goodreads Reading Challenge Update This Reading Round Up was jam packed with potential for the Reading Challenge I participate in a Goodread's group. Each book counted for 15 points and allowed me to move up in the leader board. As of this post, I have completed four tasks, four books, and have earned 55 points. As far as reading challenges go, I have always enjoyed them. I have been participating in this group's reading challenges for several years now, and they motivate me to read and allow me to be competitive at the same time. I think reading challenges with categories and points would be a fun way to develop an Independent Reading unit. I thought about developing one during my teaching internship, but came up with #BookBracket2015 instead.
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The Avalanche of Books
As an educator and avid reader, I am constantly hearing about books. I feel like I am being chased by a giant, rolling avalanche of titles and authors. Rating System
5 books - New fave! Read it now!
4 books - Shelf worthy 3 books - Quality read, but ... 2 books - Borrow it 1 book - Skip it Archives
December 2017
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