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Subtitle: a semi-productive cut & paste project to do when testing is over
>How to become a better reader
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Tag Archives: So many books: So little time
>A Good Use of a Sick Day
>Darn this ankle. Thank goodness for a good doctor. He put me on medicines that helped shrink the swelling and another daily maintenance medicine that will help prevent it from coming back. For a couple of days, though, I needed to rest.
I spent a Monday afternoon with an ice pack and then traveled to the clinic for my appointment. After the appointment and a quick run to the pharmacy, I was home with another ice pack. I stayed up late enough to get the doses I needed (watching Monday Night Football, wondering where Deanna Favre was when Brett hit the 500 mark for touchdown passes) and then went to bed.
Tuesday was a sick day for me. Resting on the couch, alternating ice and heat packs, drinking lots of liquids, and getting updated on my work. Preparing a few posts, setting up my weekly guest posts on MidCentury Modern Moms and Green Spot-On, clearing my Inbox, and then finalizing grant application letters.
Yes, dear readers, I’m determined that my students will have books that fit their unique needs. I sent out three letters today and responded to another that had asked for more information.
All that while sitting on the couch with an aching ankle and foot. Sometimes I even impress myself.
>Finding a Good Book
>My poor library media specialist. She thought she retired last year. She came in to volunteer, and there I was asking her an impossible question: to help me find a book when I couldn’t remember either the title or the author. My thought process was something like this.
(Holding a copy of A Million Shades of Gray by Cynthia Kadohata) “I remember a book, I think it was by Cynthia Kadohata, but I don’t see it on the shelf with her books. I don’t remember the title. I remember picking it up because her Newbery winner (Kira-Kira) was such a powerful story. The book I’m looking for has a unique piece; in between chapters, the author “talked” to the main character. It was about a Korean-American family, not a Japanese-American family like Kira-Kira. The main character was raising silkworms for a 4-H style project…. I can’t remember any more!”
Of course she couldn’t help me.
I told my helpful and well-meaning friend that I’d do a little searching online and get back to her. I was just at a loss.
I went home and entered “young adult novel” and “silkworms” and found it. It was almost too simple.
Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park, Newbery Award winner for A Single Shard.
Don’t judge me; it was late on a Friday afternoon.
By the way, Project Mulberry is an amazing book. So is A Single Shard. I highly recommend them both. As for Kadohata? When you read Kira Kira, have an entire box of tissues by your side. And if you have any reading stamina left, find Cracker; the best dog in Vietnam. But stock up on tissues again before you start to read.
>She needs to read.
>Every year about this time my blog changes tone slightly. I’m still eco-conscious, I’m still harvesting from the garden and cooking (and this year, canning) the produce. But as August ends and September approaches, Teacher Me moves to the forefront of my mind and my blog.
I’m reading a new resource for teaching reading: Lucy Calkins’ Units of Study in Teaching Reading. The first in the series is A Guide to the Reading Workshop. I’m reading along, and I keep stopping to contemplate. I think, “I should print out this quote to hang by my desk.” Then I read a little more and think, “This might work for (insert child’s name here). And then I begin thinking about specific children, former students, kids I’ve known, and how reading fit into their lives.
One young woman (she’d seen too much in her short life to really be a young girl) was part of a rather transient family. “Korrie” had moved four times; I was her fourth classroom teacher in one school year. I noticed she’s coming back to our school and rejoiced. She’s a difficult student, one with many problem behaviors, and what she needs most is stability. She’s coming back! The same building, same counselors, same rules and expectations, same core group of kids in her grade.
Korrie liked to read. Admit it, she wouldn’t, but once in a while it showed. She had a winning ticket in a prize drawing and she picked a book: a Junie B. Jones book. Easy to read, good quality writing. One day in a guided reading lesson, she admitted she’d read ahead – against advice. Then she looked down at her lap and muttered, “It’s a really good book.” I couldn’t be mad. I couldn’t help smiling, in fact. She tried to stop, but I caught her smiling back.
When I realized this, I made it a goal to get books into her hands. When she lost two library books and didn’t pay the fines, it broke my heart. Of all students, this one really needed the library. I called her dad. He sincerely cared about his daughter and wanted her to succeed in school. He paid for the lost books and promised to look for them. I promised he’d get a refund when (not if) the books turned up, even if it was a year later.
Looking at my class’ reading data showed another item: despite her stubborn attitude and frequent absences, Korrie had made a year’s progress in reading. She was still slightly below grade level, but she was learning. She was progressing.
Despite her chaotic life – an absent mother, frequent moves, very little money, difficulty making friends – this tense and angry ten-year-old could and did read.
I’m making a note to myself: talk to her fifth grade teacher. Let him know that reading is key with Korrie. Maybe, just maybe, we can help her be a child again – through reading.
>Something Tomato-Inclusive
>I don’t know if tomato-inclusive is really a word, but it should be one for August. Tomatoes keep ripening, a few every day. I have a big bowl of plum tomatoes, a colander half full of yellow pear tomatoes, several Romas in a size larger than I’ve seen in stores (and much more tasty, I assure you), and a few paste type tomatoes, too. I don’t have quite enough to can; I did some of that a few days ago. What now? Eat tomatoes. Cook tomatoes. Look for ideas with tomatoes.
BLT sandwiches – preferably on homemade bread – are popular with three out of four in the family. Grilled cheese with a thin tomato slice works; even better, add enough herbs and a little ham or turkey and call it a panini. Salads, of course, incorporating as many tomatoes as possible. But that might not be enough. I predict tomato soup soon. Next week I start school, which means the crock pot will become a mainstay of supper preparations. Crock Pot Tomato Soup on the way! Or maybe minestrone. Minestrone (a.k.a. Oops Soup) is good with a tomato base.
I was reading Michael Perry’s book Truck: a love story (wonderful read – I highly recommend it) and found myself paging through the first chapters not for details of his International Harvester pick-up truck, but for a simple tomato recipe he mentioned. In his then-bachelor cooking style, the dish described was more a concept than a recipe, but it sounded good.
The plant yielded some good tomatoes. I roasted them in a deep pan with salt, olive oil, cloves of unshucked garlic, and sprigs of thyme. You ladle off the juice every twenty minutes of so and freeze it for a sweet, delicate stock best consumed during snowstorms. The residual pulp gathers body from the garlic and spirit from the thyme. The spent garlic, when squeezed warmly from its husk directly upon your tongue, will slacken your face and make you shimmy.
-from Truck: a love story by Wisconsin author Michael Perry
I think I’ll try this. We can have it fresh over rice or pasta, and I’ll freeze the rest for winter. What should I call it? Perry tomatoes? MP herbed tomatoes? Garden Garlic? Readers, help me out. What would you name this tomato dish?
>Back to School: Are your kids ready? You can help.
>Sometimes my teenager amazes me. A few days ago he reminded me that we should start getting adjusted to school time. Both of us have been sleeping in – me past 8 a.m., and he past 10. When we have to get up at 6:30 or earlier to get ready for school, it could be a shock to our systems.
That’s one tip for getting ready for school: start adjusting the wake-up and bedtimes a few weeks before school starts.
Here’s another: take inventory together before school supply shopping. Yes, I said Together. I did this when La Petite was young, and we kept it up for her and for her brother as they outgrew crayons and markers and grew into jump drives and cell phones. Reusing the previous year’s scissors and rulers and backpacks saved us a bundle every August. Buying a good quality backpack one year meant I could avoid that cost for the next several autumns, too. Involving the kids meant fewer surprises and less begging. They knew what they already owned and knew what they’d need to buy.
Thinking ahead is a big help. Preparing for waking up early, reading the school handbooks as they arrive in the mail, filling out paperwork as soon as possible: all save time and headaches later. If your paperwork needs a signature, such as a medication form, drop it off at the appropriate doctor’s office now. Many physicians are inundated by sports physicals and medication permissions as school starts; give them time to review files and sign the forms.
Obvious though it may sound, read the school’s supply lists and follow them. Teachers agonize over these before putting them together; there’s a reason for everything. Let me trade my parental blogger hat for my teacher thinking cap for a moment.
Brand names count. I’ve had to open generic glue bottles many, many times over the years. If the teacher suggests Elmer’s, please buy Elmer’s. Your child will be relieved to start gluing his projects right away while the others are fighting with their clogged bottles.
Details count. If the teacher requests rulers that measure to the 1/4 inch or 1/8 inch or have centimeters and millimeters on one side, the math or science curriculum probably requires those measurements.
Many teachers color-code notebooks and folders to help kids organize. Seriously, moms and dads, when I ask 28 students to take out their math and I see a sea of blue, I know they’re ready for class.
Teachers usually have a few extras, but not enough for the whole class. One of my pet peeves is the child who refuses to bring in a box of crayons, saying, “I can just use yours.” No, honey, that’s not what the teacher’s crayon box is for. That box helps when a child loses his red or his blue and has to borrow one to do the puzzle correctly. If a family can’t afford to replace a box of crayons, I have connections to get those supplies donated. But a family who can afford to buy pencils and doesn’t? That’s simply not acceptable.
Stepping off my soapbox, setting my teacher thinking cap aside, I’m back to being Mom. Making my lists, checking them twice, and remembering to make time to read. After all, it is still summer. Summer means relaxing, and reading is a big part of that. Offline I go, on to the printed page.
I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms blogging program to be eligible to get a HarperCollins book set. For more information on how you can participate, click here.
>Reading, reading, reading.
>Amigo is grumpy today. He slept until 11, which is not typical for him. He’s a teenager, but as teens go, he’s a morning person. Sleeping past 10 is unusual for this kiddo. When he’s grumpy, there’s usually a point at which I just get sick of dealing with him and I have to walk away. When that happens, I think to myself, “Thank goodness for audio books.”
We make regular trips to the public library. I get books for pleasure reading (as opposed to professional reading that I do year-round), and he gets books on CD and books on Play-aways. The Play-away is a cool new kind of technology. It’s tiny, the size of an MP3 player. People who check out a play-away provide a AAA battery and a pair of headphones or earbuds, hook them up, and they’re all set to listen. Amigo likes to pick out two books on CD and two play-aways. At the rate he’s going, he might go through the library’s entire young adult collection before summer ends. He’s already brought up the idea of bringing play-aways on road trips because they take up so little space in his luggage.
Our public library is a hoppin’ and rockin’ place this summer. Finding parking is never easy. Frankly, taking the bus is easier. Librarians have mentioned that the hot weather helps; families want to take advantage of the free air conditioning, and if it means the kids are reading more, great!
Amigo is at an age where I have less influence on how he spends his leisure time. However, he still reads. In part, that’s because our summer reading has always been about fun: sit down on the outside swing, enjoy the breeze, read aloud together. I’ve never pushed him to read from a specific book list or topic. Many times he reads the Braille copy and I have a print copy and we ready together. Sometimes he tucks himself into a bean bag chair with an audio book and just enjoys the story.
When a parent asks me, “What should my child be reading?” I answer, “Let them choose.” Choose a book, enjoy the book, and have fun reading all summer long.
>True friendship lasts: The Girls from Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow
>The phone rang just as President Obama started speaking. I thought, “Oh, no! I’ll let voice mail catch it.” Then I saw the caller ID in the corner of my TV (technology is handy that way), and I leaped out of my chair.
It was a close friend calling to tell me that another close friend had lost her father to kidney disease. He’d been failing for a while, and they all knew it was coming, but she needed us. All of us, her closest friends.
We became friends through work and school: five teachers in the same elementary school building earning our graduate degrees together. The others in the program nicknamed us the Fab Five. We car pooled together, we exchanged ideas on projects, rehashed the good and the bad from our weekend on Mondays in the teachers’ lounge. And after our final projects were mailed and graded, after the diplomas arrived, even after I moved to a new job in a different school, we remained friends. We still share the good, the bad, the hilarious, and the traumatic. We email each other. We turn up in each other’s dreams. We still get together to drink coffee and shop, but mainly to talk.
I imagine the ten women who call themselves the Girls from Ames are a lot like us.
The Girls from Ames: a story of women & a forty year friendship is true. It reads like a novel with history and flashbacks, but the back stories are based on scrapbooks and diaries, not an author’s imagination. The book is illustrated with a photos from then and now, but more than that, it’s illustrated with the stories of relationships.
The “Girls” became friends when they were young. Eleven individuals, all unique, bonded with each other during their high school years in Ames, Iowa. Their hometown, a Midwestern college town, provided the kind of stability and small-town atmosphere typical of America’s heartland in the 1960s and 1970s. After their high school graduations, they separated to attend colleges in different states. In a pre-Internet age, without the benefit of email or cell phones, these women stayed in touch and shared marriages, divorces, children, family illnesses, even the death of one of the original eleven.
I’ve heard it said that men take a long time to get to talking, while women take a long time to get to companionable silence. This is a book about women, written by a male author, chronicles the uniqueness of friendships that have lasted more than forty years. Jeffrey Zaslow (also co-author of The Last Lecture) earned the trust of the Girls from Ames and learned from their talk and their silences. He pulled together eleven different life stories into one coherent collection, much like the eleven women still pull together for each other. His book is truly their story: the story of friendship, life, and love.
The Girls from Ames has a companion website with pictures, video, discussion, questions, and other women’s stories of friendship.
I’ll be joining the rest of the Fab Five on Monday to support one of our own friendship circle. Blog readers, as you read The Girls from Ames, I hope you will continue to cultivate your own friendships, strengthening and maintaining bonds for life.
Gotham Books provided me with a copy of The Girls from Ames in order to read it and write this review. I received no other compensation for the review.
>Saturday thoughts
>Maybe I’m overworked. Maybe I’m just feeling a little cabin fever. But really, why has this robin been around our house for so long? Most of his friends headed south last fall. He stayed through the winter. He must be freezing his tailfeathers.
And who is this? Did I really work one of my students to the bone? Has he or she really collapsed and wasted away to nothing in the Book Nook?
I’m not sure, but I think it is sporting a few artificial joints, too. Did this one get retained in fourth grade a few too many times?
Perhaps it’s just the season. I think I’d better turn off the camera – or at least start teaching a new science unit!
>The Crimson Rooms by Katharine McMahon
>The Great War touched everyone in London. The men went to war, became injured, died, or came home with internal emotional damage that no one could see. The families left behind suffered along with their beloved soldiers.
In The Crimson Rooms by Katharine McMahon, Evelyn Gifford is a free-spirited young woman in a London that doesn’t know what to do with a forward thinking female. Trained as a lawyer, she successfully finds herself a position with a free-spirited firm, where she advocates well for her clients even as the judges hold back their respect because of her gender. Evelyn assists in the case of defending an accused murderer – one who had come home from the war depressed, yet a dependable and caring husband. On a weekend picnic his wife disappears, only to be found shot to death. The war-damaged widower must have killed her, or so the public thinks. Evelyn is determined to prove otherwise.
Meanwhile, Evelyn grieves for her own older brother James, killed in the war. She idolized him in life and continues to hold his angelic image in her head and heart. When a young battlefield nurse turns up on the doorstep with a young boy, James’ son, Evelyn and her family are at a loss.
The complex plots and subplots wind together for a story suspenseful, surprising, and sensual. Evelyn’s visits to avant-garde London society with her brother’s lover are almost too colorful for her shades-of-gray family. Her mother, aunt, and grandmother continue to disapprove of her career even while they depend on her income to pay their bills. The presence of their new family member and his mother bring back memories of the deceased James, but also bring tarnish to his perfect image.
The Crimson Rooms is a page-turner. It was difficult to put down; the dark moods and increasingly complex plot twists kept me rooting for Evelyn even as I wondered how much more she could realistically handle. Readers will admire her strength and still want to help heal the pain caused by the war and its aftermath, the travails of making her way into the men’s world of London’s courts.
Reading The Crimson Rooms encouraged me to look for more of Katharine McMahon’s work. She has also written The Rose of Sebastopol and The Alchemist’s Daughter. The Crimson Rooms will be available on February 8 from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Indiebound online. Please looks for it at your local booksellers, too.
I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by MotherTalk on behalf of G.P. Putnam’s Sons / Riverhead and received a copy of the book to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate. The book is an advanced reader copy; I will pass it on to friends and family so that others can enjoy the fascinating and well-written story.