Greetings from the wilds of Maine, where we're buried in snow. The mood in many schools isn't the best by mid-February. As one friend noted wryly this week: "Half my class is out with the flu...and why is it the wrong half every year?!" Poet Roberta Chester captures the when-will-winter-end feeling perfectly:

Cabin Fever

At the end of February
When there isn't a matched pair
In the house--
No socks, boots, mittens
And even the man,
On a day that was unseasonably warm,
Left for an idea--
I find myself ready to elope,
Before the plumbing freezes,
With the first travelling salesman
On his way south.

The people who have
Lived here forever,
The ones who have
Great grandmothers sitting
In the trees and knitting mittens
With needles that click in the wind,
Say we've turned the corner
And I would like to believe.

Roberta Chester (from Light Years)

Even if you live in a part of the country or world where you don't get a flake of snow, it's easy to find yourself "down to your last mitten," so to speak, by this time of year - the year slogs on, testing casts a shadow over everything, and it just feels like the l-o-n-g-e-s-t stretch till spring.

We can't promise a cure for the Common Cabin Fever, but we do have some heartwarming stories of friendship and literacy leadership in our announcement of the "Chocolate Leadership" contest winners. Plus a fun new quote collection on writer's notebooks, some suggestions for helping reluctant or stuck student writers, an intriguing booklist on read alouds that provoke an emotional response, and more video from our CAFE series on reading assessment. I hope one of this week's new postings helps you turn that corner toward spring. Enjoy!

Brenda Power

Editor, Choice Literacy

www.choiceliteracy.com

***Free for All***

We've posted the winners of our "Chocolate Leadership" contest - what an inspiring bunch! Many thanks to all of you who sent in so many wonderful nominees. The article includes brief excerpts from the winning entries - these snapshots show courage, humor, and much mutual respect between the winners and the colleagues who nominated them. If you're in need of a pick-me-up, the photos alone of the beaming leaders with their Godiva boxes are sure to provoke a smile or two:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/277.cfm

We've compiled a new quote collection on writer's notebooks, featuring the advice of poets who keep notebooks. How writers perceive their notebooks provides terrific insight into the writing process, and might be useful for a whole-class discussion of the purposes of notebooks:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/268.cfm

Our "Think Spring!" DVD sale continues for another month, including complimentary site memberships and discounts for members. You can access details here:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/270.cfm

***For Members Only***

Should we read aloud books to students that make us cry? This was the topic that emerged spontaneously at a meeting of literacy coaches. Shari Frost took notes, and her essay "Books from the Heart" includes responses from the coaches and a booklist they compiled of the texts most likely to require a hanky:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/275.cfm

How can we help students who are stuck when it comes time to write? Franki Sibberson shares a couple new strategies, including a book basket of texts selected by students themselves as useful for sparking writing topics in this photo essay:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/276.cfm



What does a reading group look like when students all have the same need, but are reading different books at different reading levels? Joan Moser (of "The Sisters") leads a group targeting reading fluency skills. This five-minute video continues our ongoing flexible grouping theme, all part of the CAFE series. We've got catch-up links included if you're new to the series:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/272.cfm

That's all for this week!