This week I received a birthday card from my older sister Mary.  Tucked inside was a gift that made me laugh out loud - the worn front title page from the copy of Green Eggs and Ham we had at home decades ago when we were kids.  Mary sent it because she knew I would enjoy the handwriting on the page.   Mom had written "Mary, Brenda and Suzy's Book" in one of her feeble (and ever-failing) attempts to get her daughters to share nicely.  Birthing three girls in four years must have been exhausting enough, but it was nothing compared to the fatigue of 3 Daughters + 1 Shared Bedroom = Constant Catfights Over Every Little Thing.
 
In the case of Green Eggs and Ham, "Brenda" and "Suzy" had been crossed off on the title page, with "Mary" circled boldly.  To emphasize the point, written below Mary's name was the phrase "Mary JUST Mary's Book!" in a child's scrawl.  One of our favorite ways to taunt each other when we were growing up was to go through our library of children's books when no one else was around and cross off our siblings' names, writing our own name in pencil or crayon to claim possession.  Some books had a dozen Marys, Brendas and Suzys written and crossed off in an escalating ownership battle. (This was just one of our many successful sisterly techniques for driving our mom and each other crazy.)
 
Mary's gift got me thinking about how magical it is when a child is able to read (or at least recite the memorized words) of a book for the first time.  To actually own the book is even more powerful.  I spent years in first-grade classrooms, and I was struck by how at any given moment, there was always a child dragging the same book around for a week or more.  It was "the book" - the first they could read, and they held onto it almost like a security blanket.  
 
The incredible childhood excitement of owning a book you can read is hard to recapture as adults.  Most of us have stacks of professional books and novels in our offices and on our night tables we've purchased and look forward to reading.  Yet it takes an event publication of a book like Mockingjay this week to rekindle that thrilling feeling of holding a book you've been dying to own.
 
What do you have in place in your classroom or school to allow students to own "the book" they love reading most?  I know there is virtually no money for anything labeled a frill, and many priorities in schools are deemed more essential than gift books. But in the midst of tight budgets, the last thing that should go in allocating funds for young readers is the money needed to hand over a copy of a book a child adores and say, "You love this so much.  This book is yours to keep." That is a moment a lifelong reader never forgets. (By the way, you'll notice my sister Mary sent me the title page but not the actual Green Eggs and Ham book.  She is still hoarding our childhood library - the difference is now she shares the books with her grandchildren.)
 
This week we have a terrific article from the archives to help you slow down and build a little reflection time into those busy first days of school.  Plus more as always - enjoy!
 

Brenda Power
Editor, Choice Literacy
 
 
Free for All

 
From the Choice Literacy Archives, Debbie Miller writes about the importance of Putting Ourselves in Our Teaching.   This is a wonderful essay to read early in the year if you're feeling rushed, and already want to hit the "pause button" to remind yourself of what really matters in the classroom:
 
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/316.cfm
 
The start of the new school year often presents a dilemma for teachers - should you talk with your students' former teachers or not about last year's performance?  Lisa Parisi weighs the benefits and drawbacks of discussing current students with former teachers in this provocative blog post:
 
http://bit.ly/cE16gA
 
Principal David Truss shares practical examples of materials to include in a "Parents as Partners" section of a classroom or school newsletter:
 
http://www.connectedprincipals.com/archives/613
 
Megan Palevich defines what makes a "great teacher" through a simple list.  This would be a fun topic to discuss as an icebreaker during an early year staff meeting, with colleagues adding their own prized attributes:
 
http://bit.ly/c6FV97
 
Are you headed to Orlando this fall for NCTE?  Come a day early and attend a Choice Literacy Workshop.  Presenters include Gail Boushey & Joan Moser ("The Sisters"), Franki Sibberson, Jennifer Allen, Clare Landrigan, and Tammy Mulligan.  You can download a description of the event and registration form at this link.  This is a two-page PDF file:
 
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/orlando2010.pdf
 
 
For Members Only
 

 Katie Doherty has two suggestions for quick and fun literature-based lessons early in the year that can help middle school students make connections with many of their classmates before those dreaded cliques form:
 
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1258.cfm
 
Literacy coaches are often torn during early inservice days between using professional development sessions to build community, and giving teachers the time they need to accomplish all those nitty-gritty start of the year tasks. In From Teacher to Coach, Melanie Quinn explains how she strikes a balance:
 
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1257.cfm
 
If your students think the only way to improve writing is to add more text,  a lesson on revising titles is an easy way to expand their view of revision.  In this week's video, Franki Sibberson takes her students through the process of revising titles, using a short poem as a mentor text:
 
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1259.cfm
 
Mandy Robek finds a move from third grade to kindergarten challenging, especially when it comes to integrating technology into the classroom design.  She describes the process of redesigning her classroom, and shares photos from the finished space:
 
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1253.cfm
 
We have a two-minute Quick Takes video bonus this week.   In Selecting Mentor Texts for Writing, Aimee Buckner explains her criteria for mentor texts, as well as the importance of using a mix of published, student, and teacher-created texts for writing lessons:
 
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1260.cfm

 
Video Updates:  We continue to repost many videos in new formats and players (with higher resolution and full-screen options).  As we make these improvements, we'll announce them in the newsletter. Here is an updated video you may want to revisit -
 
Spacing words is an important and difficult concept for young writers to master.  In this three-minute minilesson, Andie Cunningham uses her own writing and a brainstorming web to teach the concept to her kindergarten students:
 
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1261.cfm
 
 
 
That's all for this week!
 
 

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