butterfly project

This year, as part of our Holocaust unit, students are reading poems from children at the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp (referred to also as Terezin). They are then making a butterfly to represent the poem, using ThingLink to annotate their creation, and sharing with the class (and all of our readers!) via their blogs. Students will also find out the fate of the child who wrote their poem, as that is revealed in the appendix of the I never saw another butterfly book, which was used to create the project. Huge thanks to Sarah Larson for her helping me enhance the way I had done this project in the past!

Here's my version of the project. 

The Butterfly, click here to listen to me read the poem.
by Pavel Friedmann

The last, the very last,
So richly, brightly, dazzingly yellow.
Perhaps if the sun's tears would sing
      against a white stone...

Such, such a yellow
Is carried lightly 'way up high.
It went away I'm sure because it wished to
      kiss the world goodbye.

For seven weeks I've lived in here,
Penned up inside this ghetto
But I have found what I love here.
The dandelions call to me
And the white chestnut branches in the court.
Only I never saw another butterfly.

That butterfly was the last one.
Butterflies don't live here,
     in the ghetto.



I like this project for many reasons. First, it's art, and we have so many artistic students, so it's great see learning happen in new ways! Also, this project has meaning. Each day, as students find out the fate of the child who created their poem, they are so happy to find out if they survived, but can be so devastated to find they perished. The strings hanging in the room is a good visual for all the deaths that happened as a result of the Holocaust. While the whole thing is such a tragedy in our world's history, studying it is so important so that we can work to stand up for everyone in our lives who needs a friend.

summer blog party!

Hello friends, teachers, and parents! Welcome to BigTime Literacy! The Reading Crew is bringing you a great blog hop today with tons of ideas for supporting our kiddos literacy development during the summer...and freebies! Then, we'll be back on Wednesdays for weekly linky parties to share reading and writing strategies. We hope you'll join us each week for that, but for now, let's get to one way that you can help your child beat the Summer Slide: reading lots of great books!

As a former middle school teacher, you have to know how much I enjoy young adult literature. Getting great books in the hands of my students is obviously one of my biggest drives as a teacher, and as such, I have to stay ahead of them. This summer, I'm starting off with this stack:

I've already finished brown girl dreaming and Out of My Mind. That being said, I have a freebie for you - a recommended reading list for middle school kiddos!

We'll get to the download in a few, but let me share a few of my absolute faves for middle school kids. These are tried and tested with kids and always get a big thumbs-up!

For Rising Sixth Graders: Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

from Amazon:
Stargirl. From the day she arrives at quiet Mica High in a burst of color and sound, the hallways hum with the murmur of “Stargirl, Stargirl.” She captures Leo Borlock’s heart with just one smile. She sparks a school-spirit revolution with just one cheer. The students of Mica High are enchanted. At first. 

Then they turn on her. Stargirl is suddenly shunned for everything that makes her different, and Leo, panicked and desperate with love, urges her to become the very thing that can destroy her: normal. In this celebration of nonconformity, Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli weaves a tense, emotional tale about the perils of popularity and the thrill and inspiration of first love.

I always loved reading this book to my middle school kids - the scene on the Hot Seat is awesome and the voice I used for Hillary Kimble makes her sound like the brat of a cheerleader she is. Your kiddo will love this story and hopefully, will walk away from it knowing it's okay to be you, no matter what that means.

Rising Seventh Graders: The Boy Who Couldn't Die by William Sleator

from Amazon:
Sleator, a recognized master of sci-fi and horror and a favorite of reluctant readers, is a paperback powerhouse, with more than 600,000 copies of his novels sold in softcover. Here he gives fans a spin on the classic zombie story, following sixteen-year-old Ken as he bargains with a psychic to gain immortality, only to awaken one night with blood-spattered clothes and the realization that he's sold more than his soul.

I actually haven't read this, but I would always give it to the guys in my class who had a hard time finding something they clicked with, and this book would get them every time. My copy is warn and the cover is ratty, but it will hook anyone - pretty much just on the cover art and title alone. Have your kiddo give it a try!

Rising Eighth Graders: A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron

from Amazon:

This is the remarkable story of one endearing dog's search for his purpose over the course of several lives. More than just another charming dog story, A Dog's Purpose touches on the universal quest for an answer to life's most basic question: Why are we here?

Surprised to find himself reborn as a rambunctious golden-haired puppy after a tragically short life as a stray mutt, Bailey's search for his new life's meaning leads him into the loving arms of 8-year-old Ethan. During their countless adventures Bailey joyously discovers how to be a good dog.

But this life as a beloved family pet is not the end of Bailey's journey. Reborn as a puppy yet again, Bailey wonders--will he ever find his purpose?

Heartwarming, insightful, and often laugh-out-loud funny, A Dog's Purpose is not only the emotional and hilarious story of a dog's many lives, but also a dog's-eye commentary on human relationships and the unbreakable bonds between man and man's best friend. This moving and beautifully crafted story teaches us that love never dies, that our true friends are always with us, and that every creature on earth is born with a purpose.

I came across this one the last time I had been teaching eighth grade and loved it - and so did my students who were animal lovers! This book follows the soul of a dog who is born, lives a life, and then is reborn to a new body. With each life he lives, he learns new things and impacts the families that love him in different ways. This book is beautiful and I highly recommend it!

and something new for high school readers....

Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

from Amazon:

Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he's pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he's never met.

Incredibly funny and poignant, this twenty-first-century coming-of-age, coming out story—wrapped in a geek romance—is a knockout of a debut novel by Becky Albertalli.

This book came to my attention via Twitter, and I think from someone who writes over at Two Writing Teachers. I just started it yesterday and am already halfway through! Simon is the narrator, and in such a hard position because someone read one of his emails and now is asking for a favor in return for keeping his private information confidential. The chapters alternate between Simon narrating and emails between Simon and a secret friend, Blue, who is also gay and hasn't come out yet. The book is peppered with mature language and engaging high school conversation and so cute. Highly recommended for those older readers!

So those are a few I have loved recommending and reading, hopefully one of them will speak to you! If not, please jump over to my Teachers Pay Teachers store for my freebie: a list of recommended reading in the following categories:

• Rising Sixth Graders
• Rising Seventh Graders
• Rising Eighth Graders
• For the Girls
• For the Guys
• Mature Reads

What are your favorite middle-school level books to read? Please leave me a comment below and let me know!

If you like what you've read here, be sure to follow my blog!

You can also find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Let's get connected!

After you grab your freebie, head on over to Growing Little Learners and grab some writing ideas from Pixie Anne!

Happy Summer!

book obsession

ICYMI, we made a collaborative blog for the community at my elementary school. So far we have a few posts from a few different teachers, including one that was a Wordle of all the places you could read over the summer. One of our fifth grade classes came up with that, and it was a cool idea! I tagged it as "reading habits" and then I got to thinking about reading habits and reading rituals and that got me thinking about all of my bookshelves!

I love my bookshelves, especially when they are super organized. (I just fixed up my home book shelf before I did it's photo shoot!) Here it is:

This is from IKEA and it's survived move after move. I don't think it's going to make one more though, but I love it so much I'd buy it again.

Anyways, across the top I Have some of my favorite books - I was obsessed with Nicholas Sparks and used to read everything he would release. By the 10th book, it was the same story over and over again - set in the charm of the South by water with a love story that has some kind of terrible problem. But, loved them when I was into them! 

Then of course you see the Twilight books. Don't judge! Twilight was the first book I reread - I went through that series when I was doing my reading specialist certificate. Loved them...and I will always have a special place in my heart for those books!

Across the middle row I have lots of books about teaching and professional topics. I brought a few home from work that I need to revisit this summer. Then I have another favorite author, Jodi Picoult:

She's in the middle of that one - I had more of her stuff but took them to school when my eighth graders were nearing the end of our time together....The way she unexpectedly twists her stories will leave you like....whoa! Highly recommend her stuff- some of it is darker than others, but great stories.

Some of the other books in that stack I tried but didn't finish - like Anna Karenina and Wuthering Heights - I think I need to try again. The Promise of Stardust - don't remember the plot of that one but I remember it was super good. So how is that for a recommendation? :-)

Finally, most of my collection of my critical literacy books:

When I taught eighth grade, we always had our year-long theme be "You can change the world," which came from ideas from these titles. I'm hoping this summer to work on my units for the Social Justice Projects and publish them to TpT!

Well that's what is at home, along with assorted books laying all over the house:

At work, I have two more shelves - This one (also from IKEA) houses all my professional reads:

and this one holds all the picture books that Christine and I have:

This is some $20 book case that is on it's last leg, but it holds fiction on the top and NF on the bottom. When I was in grad school that's when the major book purchasing began happening. Here are a few of my favorites to teach with:

This one is about a rat who has a lisp and gets bullied. Then one day, his lisp comes to his aid as he (unintentionally) makes his school community better. This book is adorable and great for building community in your classroom!

Chato's Kitchen is a book about a low-riding gangster cat. I love this book because I totally do voices for the cat and the mice. Pretty sure there are some other books that feature Chato, too. 

I love Chewy Louie - it's a great text for an easily identified plot line. The dog chews up everything and the family goes through all these steps to help the dog stop chewing, including a singing therapist lady. Great book!

I've used Freedom Summer as part of my middle school Social Justice unit. Anyways this story is set in Mississippi in 1964 and is about two boys - one of which cannot do the same things as the other because of his race. It's a great way to open conversations about racism - in the past and current day!

So there you have it, all of my book cases! Do you feel any particular affection for yours? I'm sure you do, if you love books as much as I do!

Quick announcement: This summer on July 1st, I will be doing a PD for our district so teachers can get their own blogs going. I am going to hold a BigTime Blogging Challenge, too, with prompts for each of the days in July! I'm going to add this topic to the list, so get your ideas ready for July so you can link up with me! Of course, the purpose of blogging is to come up with your own ideas, so at any point throughout the challenge, you can always write about a different topic rather than the prompt, but just know I'll have a link-up every day of July. I hope you can join!

Have a great weekend! Only three days left of school for me (plus two of curriculum the week after!)

SOLSC #18: Awkward at first....but then, you're engaged!

WRITE. Every day in March write a slice of life story on your own blog.

SHARE. Link your post in the comments on each daily call for a slice of life stories TWT.

GIVE. Comment on at least three other slice of life stories.

Okay, I'm still reeling from this video we saw at our Institute Day today. Watch it first thing.

Did you know our district is a 1:1 computing district? Yes, we are. One kid: One Device. I've always been lucky in that in all my schools, I've had crazy access to 1:1. My first year of teaching, a fellow teacher nominated me as the AzTEA (Arizona Technology in Education Alliance) Teacher of the Year. (LeeAnn - I'm still humbled at that nomination!) So crazy, but that was 10 years ago! I was able to be 1:1 in Phoenix...here's a few pics from my fourth or fifth years?

Anyways, this is a luxury that I've always had, which may be why I haven't really mentioned it much on this blog, but today I was *blown*away* by my school district.

We had an Institute Day today since it was a voting day. We usually start with "Ignite" sessions - five or six teachers will share 3 or 4 minutes of a quick technology presentation to ignite interest in various apps with the computers and iPads. Well, today....it was beautiful - because students were the ones who presented. That video you watched up there - that's Nadrian, little brother to a former student I had a few years ago. And what he knows about blogging now, as a seventh grader, is what it took me until my early 30's to discover!

I just feel so honored to work where I do. I need to remember that it's a pretty big deal that our whole district is 1:1, and even though it's been a great privilege for me over the course of my whole teaching career, some teachers are never met with these kinds of experiences!

One more awesome thing my district did: have all staff members tweeting about our Institute day throughout the morning. They had a Tweet Deck up and as you tweeted in real time, it would come up on the screens in the front of the room. If you want to see our conversation, check out #ilearnbsd100 on Twitter! (And please connect with me on Twitter @BigTimeLiteracy!)

Thank you, School District 100. I'm totally energized all over again and am so proud to be a part of your family!


Happy Tuesday!

PS - Nadrian - You're awesome! I love this video you created!

SOLSC #15: Hold Tight

WRITE. Every day in March write a slice of life story on your own blog.

SHARE. Link your post in the comments on each daily call for a slice of life stories TWT.

GIVE. Comment on at least three other slice of life stories.

Have you ever met a celebrity? Well, today, I met Nancie Atwell. I mean, we didn't sit down for coffee or anything, but I asked for a picture, and since there was no one around, it was a selfie:

Isn't she beautiful?

I'm so excited. This isn't just anyone - but the teacher-researcher who wrote In the Middle - a guide to reading and writing workshop in the middle grades. When I began to study literacy development in grad school...it was one of the first important books I found in my hands:

I heard her speak this morning at breakfast. Although it was a 7am breakfast, it was so worth it. She reaffirmed everything I believe about literacy instruction: It's not about fads or a "magic bullet" or a new set of standards or basal readers and questions. It's about two things:

When kids read - voluminous reading - and they read great stories, they escape and live the lives that the characters are living. They have those "lived-through experiences" that take them to another place, make them consider different situations, and become immersed in the lives of others. As Nancie said, this really is a super power of English teachers - to offer up beautiful stories to all students, including their most reluctant - and bring them into a world of literature.

Additionally, when students use writing as a form of self-expression, not only do they learn how to be good writers, but they find ways to be funny and express feelings and record memories. When there is an authentic audience, students strive to entertain their peers and they care about what their community thinks about their writing. 

Nancie reaffirmed what I've always believed: If we "hold tight to that thread of stories and self-expression," everything else will come. We don't need to substitute close reading and worksheets to achieve the CCSS. Stories and self-expression through writing will naturally do that, and then some, because our students will leave our classrooms with powerful skills and tools to change the world. What worksheet could ever do that?

This, and nothing more, is why I love what I do.

Happy Saturday!

Loving Literacy Blog Hop: Stop #12: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Welcome to...

Welcome to BigTime Literacy! I'm Michelle and this is my first year as a Literacy Coach, but my 11th year teaching and loving literacy. I'm going to share a great book with you - one in which the character learns what it really means to love another.

But before I get to that, here's a little bit about me...

I actually never knew I was to be a reading specialist or a literacy coach - I was not a fan of reading until I became a teacher. I went back for a Master's in Language and Literacy because I'd have students - as sixth graders - who couldn't read. I had no idea what to do!

Through my coursework, I began reading so much great literature. I'm not sure how I stumbled on The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, but I remember I read it in one sitting (on a raft in my mom's pool in Arizona) one afternoon. To say I fell in love was an understatement. It's a beautiful story of how a china rabbit learns what love really means. He happens to get lost from his owner, and then over the course of his life, bounces around from family to family. Only then does he learn to appreciate what he had.
  

My product is a unit based on this novel. It can be used with third-sixth grade students, as a read aloud and together as a whole class, as a shared reading, or in smaller book clubs. The whole unit focuses on the character development of Edward Tulane and answers the guiding question, "How does Edward Tulane change as his journey progresses?"

Prior to getting started, you will have to give a few mini-lessons on character traits (review meanings) and making inferences. Perhaps the class as a whole will work on the beginning the novel together, and then gradually release responsibility to individual students. Students also need to be shown how to cite evidence from the text to back up their claims about the character traits they select. Details of Edward Tulane's transformation will be recorded on a chart and at the end of the book, students will write a response to literature to answer the guiding question.

The unit includes notes about character development, chapter summaries, and suggested vocabulary. The freebie version includes these notes for chapters 1-5. You will be able to purchase these notes for all chapters if you'd like to! (Please note: I don't have vocab suggestions for all chapters...but most!)

One last little goodie - a stationary page to use for writing those responses. Gotta make the writing cute when you publish!

You can find this product in my Teachers Pay Teachers store at this link. It's free for the weekend! Additionally, if you'd like to purchase the notes for the entire book, you can find those here.

So that's that. A story of one china's rabbit journey to know what love feels like...right in time for Valentine's Day!

Make sure to follow me on Bloglovin' for literacy ideas, TpT products, news, and ramblings of yours truly!

Our hop doesn't end here! Cruise on over to Teacher's Take Out to see what Stacy has for you!

Have a fabulous weekend!

My fave stories for Teaching Memoir in the Writing Workshop

A few days ago I wrote a post about getting kids to love writing through memoirs and literature and list making. You can read that post here. At the end, I said I'd be back with my favorite picture books to spark ideas for memoir....so here you have it!

Just a sidenote - I used all of these with seventh and eight graders, but since I've become a Literacy Coach, I've used them with almost all grades K - 5 as well. You might think it would be weird to have middle school kids gather on the rug in the center of our room, but that was a ritual that we developed, and they loved it after they got used to it! And, it totally works with primary as well - they just need *lots* of rehearsal. With K-1 - lots of drawing and talking about what they drew! After all, telling stories is the precursor to writing, right?

Anyways, onward with the books.... Enjoy!

I first heard this story during my Master's Program for my Reading Specialist certificate. I can't remember if a teacher read it to our class or another student in class did, but they did this super snotty voice for Lilly, the big sister to Julius. She's such a pain, and does some awful things to her baby brother, but then she learns an important lesson. This is one of my favorites to read! If you want to have your students write small moment stories about their brothers or sisters, this is a perfect read.

Well clearly there's a pattern here, because the teacher in my Master's Program who read this book to our class also did voices. (I highly encourage them - even with middle school kids!) Anyways, this is a story about the most unexpected friendship that forms between Amos, a mouse, and Boris, a whale. Boris helps Amos out in his time of need, and then wonders how Amos could ever repay the favor. Read to find out how a squeaky mouse does so, and to show a beautiful friendship that forms. Then, ask your students to think of, rehearse, and then write about small moments of friendship with their besties.

I found this book recently in Fletcher's Craft Lessons book. It's the story about all different kinds of courage - the courage to eat your veggies before you eat the part of the dinner you like best, courage to talk to the person who no one wants to... I actually modeled a Writing Workshop session with our Writing Core Facilitator and read this book to my staff. We then asked them to write about a time they had to use courage - and the stories that were composed would bring a tears to your eyes. This would easily work with all kids as well!

This book is stacked with beautiful language and a sweet memory of a child who is finally old enough to do that special activity (in this case going owling) with his or her mom (with both third grade and middle school kids we've looked closely to determine if this child is a boy or girl - this is great for inferring, too!) In addition to the beautiful language, the pictures are gorgeous and the owls are heard with their, "Whoooo, whoooooo, whooooooo-ing." Your kids, young or old, will love this, and then love to write about the special things they get to do with their parents, great aunt, cousin, or abuelita.

Ever had a teacher or another special adult help you learn something or grow in a particular way? Such is the story in Thank you, Mr. Falker. He helps the young girl to learn to read after he notices how she has such a difficulty with it. There's no doubt in my mind that your students have someone special who helped them out at some point. Word to the wise though: This particular book is pretty long - will probably need two sessions to get through.

Ohhhh I love this one, and Cynthia Rylant. This is a collection of short stories all about animals in some way or another. In the stories, the people help the animals, but the animals also help the characters learn to love and appreciate the blessings in their lives. Great stories to inspire writing about the special pets or other animals in our lives.

Well, this story is cute and will illicit stories for sure - but they really might turn out about enemies. (Hey, writing is writing, right?) In the story, the boy hates this enemy who lives down the street, so the boy's dad tells him that he will make "Enemy Pie" for him. The dad asks the boy to invite the enemy over and says he'll make the pie while they play for an hour or so. I'm sure you can guess what happens :-) Perhaps this book will inspire stories about unexpected friendships!

Well, those are just a few. My bookshelf is at work and so I'm struggling to remember others, but this is a good start at least.

Your Turn!
Do you have any other great literature you read with your kiddos? Please share with me...I'd love to add some more titles to my collection!

And now, I must go clean and take down the Christmas tree. No fun.....

Happy Friday!