Day 22: #SOL16- Asking students to ask questions during read-aloud

The Slice of Life Challenge is hosted by the inspirational writers of Two Writing Teachers. Each March, they invite people to join them in a commitment to write every day. Here's to another year of daily slicing!

Last week, I wrote about nudging students to ask more questions by putting them in charge of asking the questions during a read aloud. Students were grouped and different groups were responsible for questions that had to do with characters, settings, figurative language, repetition, and theme development. I've been doing a lot of work around social studies, so today I tried a similar process, but instead of directing students toward reading lenses, I had them think about the text through social studies lenses. I made a chart before I read The Stranded Whale by Jane Yolen so that this class of fourth-graders were reminded of what we meant by geography, history, government, and economy. 

To be perfectly honest, I wasn't sure how the lesson would go. At one point, I apologized to the students because I was worried they'd just want to hear the story. They all reassured me that they didn't mind at all. I was extra convinced whenever I paused and gave them a chance to share the questions they were jotting down together and individually. The level of thinking was really high! Here are some of the questions these students generated, and this is only a small sampling:

Some of the students wanted to write reflections of the experience for me. I can't wait to see what they have to say. Sometimes students overwhelm and exceed even my highest expectations. 

Happy Slicing,

Day 21: #SOL16- Reading and slicing about a truly outlook-changing post

Today I am truly doubling up my Slice of Life post with my Monday Reading post. The Slice of Life Challenge is hosted by the inspirational writers of Two Writing Teachers. Each March, they invite people to join them in a commitment to write every day. Today, I am doubling up on my slices with my Monday reading. Jen Vincent at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee Moye and Ricki Ginsburg at Unleashing Readers cohost It's Monday! What are You Reading? weekly on their blogs.  To see what others are reading and recommending each Monday, or to participate, be sure to head over to these blogs.

Over the week, the majority of my reading life has been reading blogs within the Slice of Life community. Yes, I have read several picture books--I struggle to walk by the library shelf of featured ones. I also had a wonderful time reading Encounter by Jane Yolen to a group of fifth graders, issuing them a challenge to generate their own questions. (If you've never read Encounter, go get your hands on a copy.) I also did some reading about Alzheimer's Disease and dementia to support my daughter as she tries to complete her Senior Capstone Project. (Wouldn't be my top choice for my reading life!) But, mostly, and happily, my reading life has been about sharing the daily lives and posts of the amazing community within the Slice of Life. 

I have read about learning experiences from the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, I have read booklists, travel experiences, special family moments, and Clare Landrigan has repeatedly touched the core of my soul with her posts that honor her mother and contain important messages about living, grieving, and celebrating. Here is a post that no one should miss. Seriously. Read this post. (Yes, I've linked it twice.)

Happy reading and happy slicing,

Day 20:#SOL16-The Final Clearout

The Slice of Life Challenge is hosted by the inspirational writers of Two Writing Teachers. Each March, they invite people to join them in a commitment to write every day. Here's to another year of daily slicing!

Yesterday morning, my mom and I drove the 70 miles west to Katonah, the small town outside New York City where she grew up. My grandmother lived in the same house for 62 years. Sixty two years. Last week, a builder has made an offer on the house that my mom and her siblings have accepted. We had to finish clearing out the house in order to close in 30 days, and the builder will renovate the house, then sell it again.

"We have to do one final clear out," my mother said. "I don't know when we're going to get there." 

I would dread this trip if we put it off, so even though I had a lot to do yesterday, (including preparing a surprise birthday for my second daughter who turned 18 yesterday!!!) 

"Let's just go this morning," I said to my mom. 

She got dressed. 

We've gone through Nana's things now several times. We went through a layer when she succumbed to full-time live-in help, another layer when she couldn't remember the day of the week, another layer when she passed---People took what they wanted, we made trip after trip to the local Goodwill store, we made piles to be hauled away. In 62 years, anyone accumulates a lot. Yesterday, there wasn't much left. With a roll of masking tape and a wide blue sharpie, I marked items to be taken to the rummage sale or to be brought by movers to our Connecticut home. I scribbled labels while my mom talked on the phone with her sister who lives far away. They couldn't decide on the andirons, and there was a painting Jill remembered that we couldn't find. 

"If they're causing that much debate, we'll just take them," I said, writing "to 139" on a piece of masking tape. I touched the not-yet-dry ink as I attached the tape, and it left a blue blotch on my thumb. 

Is it possible to be prepared but to still be surprised? To be ready but caught off guard. When my mom looked at me and said, "I hope you go through my things with more emotion," I was wordless. She was teary and raw, but I felt attacked and defensive. I wanted to comfort her, but I also wanted to explain that emotion takes time.  It wasn't that I didn't have emotion or sentiment about the work we were doing; it just needed to get done, and I was missing Julia's birthday. I had shopping to do, a party to set up, some schoolwork to finish. Pausing to acknowledge the finality of the work would get in the way of efficiency. 

"We've gone through her things, though, Mom," I said. "Could you just appreciate that I'm here and we're getting this done?" 

Not a good response. 

She crumpled. "I never say the right thing with you." 

I paused. Emotion won out over efficiency. 

"You do, Mom," I said, and I out my arms around her. "And there are some really important reflections to talk about on the ride home."  

We hit rewind, finished the job, and I went out to the garden before we left to say goodbye to the house that had been her home for her entire childhood. In hindsight, I wish we had sat down in the garden and I'd listened to a story or two. 

Isn't hindsight always 20/20?  But maybe this reflection will be close and fresh enough for me to do a better job the next time efficiency challenges emotion whether it's with my mom, my husband, my daughters, my colleagues, a student---anyone, really.

Margaret Simon wrote recently how writing is like praying. It's Sunday morning, and I'm not a churchgoer, but here is my prayer.

Happy Slicing,

Day 19: #SOL16- A new wonder inspired by daily slicing

The Slice of Life Challenge is hosted by the inspirational writers of Two Writing Teachers. Each March, they invite people to join them in a commitment to write every day. Here's to another year of daily slicing!


Given that it is Day 19 of the Slice of Life, and this is my fourth year participating, I have probably read over a thousand slices. Probably more, as I did a LOT of commenting in years past. (This year, I made a deal with myself that if I participated, I would not hold myself to high commenting standards. Three could be enough, although I usually end up doing more.)

I have learned so much about myself as a writer from reading everyone's pieces and from thinking about how it feels as a process, and I had another reflection yesterday as I participated in a classroom mid-unit celebration. As is frequently the case, there were some memorable children in the mix. Stronger writers were much more eager to share than less confident ones, and a couple students were compliantly and respectfully quiet. 

Here's my personal connection: I read amazing post every day. I know they are supposed to inspire me. Sometimes they do. Sometimes they help me think of ideas, and sometimes they spark an interest in a craft technique, and sometimes they teach me something about student learning or the world. But sometimes they don't do any of these good things. Sometimes they sprinkle, drizzle, rain, or even pour on my inferiority complex as a writer. I have read posts where my response heads more in the direction of "Oh man. I'm nowhere close. I hope she doesn't read my post" or even worse--"okay, there's no way I'm even writing today. Close up the screen!"

I share this because I nurture myself and I work my way through and I post every day. But what about the children in our classrooms who hear published mentor texts and peers' solid examples of meeting and exceeding writing? What if their reactions are similar to my initial one? I wonder if sometimes, in our authentic honoring of classroom writers, we confirm the self-fulfilling beliefs of others that they aren't anywhere close and their best bet is to be quiet or even not write at all. Just wondering--my 2016 OLW...

Enjoy the weekend!

Day 18: #SOL16-Some Classes Are Easy to Teach!

The Slice of Life Challenge is hosted by the inspirational writers of Two Writing Teachers. Each March, they invite people to join them in a commitment to write every day. Here's to another year of daily slicing!

I grew up riding horses, and at my barn we all had opportunities to ride each other's horses.There were definitely horses that were harder to rife than others. Mandy was skittish, and she would jump if a door opened. You had to always be ready to hold on because at any moment, she could jump and dump an unsuspecting rider. Champ needed spurs and a crop. You had to work really hard to keep him going, and if there was anything green around, he was going to do his best to stop and eat it. Then there was Elliot. He was awesome. Just a little heel and he was in a perfect gait. We all looked and felt like great riders on him!

I get to work in many classrooms in the district from kindergarten up through sixth grade, and sometimes I compare them to some of the horses at our barn. There are classrooms that jitter. If anyone walks in, if anyone rustles a paper, if anyone sharpens a pencil, everyone looks up, seizing the opportunity to take a break from work. There are also classrooms that remind me more of Champ where the teacher and I work hard to get people going. Those rooms are full of chronic bathroom visitors, reminiscent of Champ grabbing a snack whenever he could. And then there are the classrooms that remind me of Elliot. I was in one today.

When I walked in, they were all busy wiping green dots of paint off all the furniture because of the leprechauns who had visited and left a mess. They all had a serious and fun purpose to clean their room. However, when the teacher asked them to sit down and share their writing, they were quiet, respectful, and proud to have me hear their latest writing. A few students read their pieces while others listened and paid specific comments. In between students, their teacher asked me about conventions, and I told her about a lesson I had. "Let's do it," she said. 

I asked the class to join me at the rug and within thirty seconds, they were all right there with their notebooks and pencils, looking at me, ready to hear what I had to say. Just as Elliot made me feel like a great rider, this class made me feel like a great teacher. But, the truth is, someone (not me) worked really hard to train Elliot, and someone (not me) gets the credit for nurturing a class and fostering an environment where students can have a lot of fun but transition to serious learning just like that! High kudos to their teacher!

Happy Slicing!

Day 17: #SOL16- Happy Question Week

The Slice of Life Challenge is hosted by the inspirational writers of Two Writing Teachers. Each March, they invite people to join them in a commitment to write every day. Here's to another year of daily slicing!

I wish I had known earlier in the month that this week is National Questioning Week. As it was, I saw something about it in a tweet on Tuesday. If anyone has interest, head over to The Right Question website. You will find tons of ideas, articles, links, and resources for incorporating more student engagement by inspiring students to ask important questions. There are videos of the Question Formulation Technique used in classrooms, and even though the featured classes are secondary ones, it's a strategy that I've used in elementary classrooms, as well. Check out some of the #questionweek tweets as well, as there are great images of charts, question scaffolds, and samples of student work. 

In honor of Question Week, I read Encounter by Jane Yolen to a group of fifth-graders, and I had them ask questions. I have to say, students listen very differently when they are generating questions. 

Happy Question Week,

Day 16: SOL#16- An Inspired Writing Exercise

The Slice of Life Challenge is hosted by the inspirational writers of Two Writing Teachers. Each March, they invite people to join them in a commitment to write every day. Here's to another year of daily slicing!

In today's post, I am combining a pair of quotes that I've connected in my own head. "I never write exercises, but sometimes I write poems which fail and then I call them exercises" is from Robert Frost and shared by John Gardner in The Art of Fiction. “Its always worth wondering about what you don’t write about" was a statement made by Shana Frazin on a recent staff development day.

I don't usually write poetry, and I'm trying today because if it fails, it's a writing exercise:

I write essays on what I teach and learn
and stories about life's moments
picture books
and
memoirs
and
middle grade fiction
but not poetry.

I write about
shortcoming and shortfalls
sixth and seventh grade
fitting in but not belonging
secrets and truths
but mine
and not about
the secrets my daughters keep
and hold tight to their chest
that only come out when I ask
the perfect
question.

I write about me. 
What's mine, what's mine to share
What's mine to give and take and take and give
What't mine to explore and reflect and grow.
The lies I told to stay home in fifth grade
The fall on my lunch box when I broke my tooth
The brownies that we didn't bake because
Instead we ate the batter,
(All of it.)
The tagged pages of Forever
The whispered secrets
Of best friends.

And the decisions of what diapers to choose,
What house to buy
Whether to take the vacation we really
really want.
What fight to pick
What battle to choose
What secret to share

To stay safe
And happy
To be loved
And to love.

Phew. Okay, there it is. I'm calling it a writing exercise (thanks, Robert!), and I'll keep writing my essays and stories, but I'll also keep wondering about what I don't choose to write or write about. (Thanks, Shana!)

Thanks also to the SOL community as we round the bend toward the end of the month!

Day 15: #SOL16- Robert Frost's Writing Exercises

The Slice of Life Challenge is hosted by the inspirational writers of Two Writing Teachers. Each March, they invite people to join them in a commitment to write every day. Here's to another year of daily slicing!

I spent Sunday doing a lot of work for the creative writing program I am taking, as well as my Sunday night writing group. All day, I was pretty immersed in reading and writing. One of my favorite lines I came across was in John Gardner's book The Art of Fiction where he quoted Robert Frost as saying:

"I never write exercises, but sometimes I write poems which fail and then I call them exercises."

Good to know that even Robert Frost sometimes wrote poems that failed--or were they exercises? I hope this quote makes others smile, as it made me laugh out loud!

Happy Slicing,

Day 14: SOL#16- It's Monday! What are you reading?

The Slice of Life Challenge is hosted by the inspirational writers of Two Writing Teachers. Each March, they invite people to join them in a commitment to write every day. Today, I am doubling up on my slices with my Monday reading. 


Jen Vincent at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee Moye and Ricki Ginsburg at Unleashing Readers cohost It's Monday! What are You Reading? weekly on their blogs.  To see what others are reading and recommending each Monday, or to participate, be sure to head over to these blogs.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie has been on my TBR list for a long time--years actually. My mentor in my creative writing program suggested it as a book to study setting and character development, so I picked it up last week. What an amazing book on so many levels! Let me start by saying that I wouldn't recommend it for students below sixth grade. Amazon targets grades 7-12. There are many violent bullying scenes, upsetting alcohol-related scenes, and extremely sad and tragic events. It is the first person narrative of a 14 year-old Spokane Indian who is bullied on the reservation and leaves to attend a mostly white high school. His decision to leave the reservation school leads to even more bullying as there is so much pressure to stay and not abandon the tribal nation and the cultural ties. What I admire about Sherman Alexie's writing is how he keeps a fast moving plot going, but weaves in important messages about writing, reading, life, and many, many social issues. Honestly, whatever social issue you can imagine, I think it's touched on in this book. Racism, social class, bullying, learning disabilities, alcoholism, sibling relationships, eating disorders, popularity, athlete/non-athlete tensions, college aspirations, death, parental struggles, poverty--all there, but none of them feel overdone. It just feels real. 

Happy reading, and happy slicing,

Day 13: SOL#16- Video Clips Lead to Great Conversations

The Slice of Life Challenge is hosted by the inspirational writers of Two Writing Teachers. Each March, they invite people to join them in a commitment to write every day. Here's to another year of daily slicing!

I'm also linking to Margaret Simon's DigLit Sunday this morning. 

On Friday afternoon, the UConn men's basketball team tied their tournament game in the very last second of the third overtime. The young man who shot the ball was a freshman--talk about making his name known! We watched the play many times in our house, and I got to thinking about what a powerful conversation could happen around never giving up--if you watch this 30 second clip, pay attention to the time on the game clock. 

Last fall, I participated in a series of workshops, and the presenter wove in short video clips in several places. These clips were not only engaging, but they were also powerful conversation starters that launched several learning moments. Even now, as I think back, the memories of the videos help me remember the messages about coaching, teaching, and learning. 

Since then, I watch short clips differently. I watch them for potential learning springboards. Could it be used it a classroom? What lesson could it pair with? Could it start a PD session? Could I use it as an inquiry demonstration lesson? Short videos have so many uses! Here are a few others I love. 

When Derek Redmond, running in the 1994 Barcelona olympics, pulls his hamstring, his father came down and helped him finish the race. It's an incredible clip to begin conversations about growth mindset, never giving up, finishing a job, leaning on others for support. It's also a guaranteed tear-jerker if anyone wants an emotional moment.

Nico Calabria is my new hero, as I have been working on a novel about a girl who plays soccer and loses her leg to cancer. Even though this video is a Powerade commercial, I'd use it because the messages around resilience and overcoming disabilities are so strong.

I have several other favorite video clips, but I'd love to add to my collection. If anyone has other favorite 2-3 minute videos that they use for educational purposes, please share!

Happy Slicing,

Day 12: #SOL16- Windows, Mirrors, and Multiple Stories

The Slice of Life Challenge is hosted by the inspirational writers of Two Writing Teachers. Each March, they invite people to join them in a commitment to write every day. Here's to another year of daily slicing!

I finished reading Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian this morning. This book has been on my reading list for a long time--years, actually. I didn't pay attention to what it was about. I only knew my daughters had liked it when it was on a summer reading list, and it resurfaced when my writing mentors talked about it during a seminar. 

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is about a teenage Spokane Indian who decides to leave the high school of his reservation and attend an almost all white high school outside of the reservoir. The narrator, Arnold "Junior" Spirit, shares experiences and emotions as he lives through bullying, rejection, isolation, abandonment, and failure. He also demonstrates courage, bravery, humor, acceptance, perseverance, and resilience. 

Because I am living and breathing an important racial issue in my own daughter's high school which I blogged about in a post on Wednesday, I read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian with a different lens than I would have read it with last week. Basketball plays an important role in Arnold's life, as it did in the events between Capital Prep and Farmington High School. Through Arnold's experience, readers have windows into his emotions, but I also read Arnold's account looking for mirrors to hold up. Windows and mirrors are a powerful way of thinking for me as I contemplate literature. Rudine Sims Bishop is credited for naming these ideas in her essay, and Katie Cunningham wrote a beautiful post about the concept here. I highly recommend taking the time to read this post if you haven't already. She writes:

 "When we open a book and start to read a story, we use our imaginations to walk through whatever world the author has created. Children’s literature is full of stories about boys and girls that look like my children. Rudine Sims Bishop uses the terms mirror books and window books to describe how we both see ourselves and see others when we read literature."

I wonder about not only finding mirrors and windows in our reading lives, but also in our daily lives. The boys who began the SAT chant were not the ones who scored well on those tests. One of the boys lives in a lovely home, wears nice clothes, has a car, and has a dad who shows up at events with alcohol on his breath. They fight a lot. Another one of the boys has several siblings, a dad who rarely sees him, and a mom who works really hard. School isn't easy for either one of them. Maybe a window would be important for these boys so they can begin to understand how lives are different for urban children, but maybe mirrors are important too. They may find similarities as well as differences.

I have so many complex thoughts about the racial SAT chant and the subsequent fall-out, that I'm sure my writing isn't clear right now. It's a classic example of using writing to process and try to figure out reactions, reasons, rhymes, and responses. The story was on the front cover of the Hartford Courant again this morning, but this time with a more healing slant. An FHS student apologized to a CP student when the were attending a production of Romeo and Juliet together. (I can't make this up.) Just a a few students started a hateful chant, a few students initiated apologies and forgiveness.

 "That's not a proper representation of Farmington High School," a student is quoted as saying. "I like to think we're a very accepting school of tolerant people. I don't think that's us."

Chimamanda Adichie's brilliant TedTalk, The Danger of a Single Story, comes to mind. Christina Tschida, Caitlin Ryan, and Anne Swenson Ticknor wrote an incredible article connecting windows and mirrors to single stories within literature, challenging educators to think about the curriculum they teach and create and how it promotes (or doesn't advance) social equity.

Windows, mirrors, single stories. Somehow, we have to influence and inspire people around us to look for windows, mirrors, and multiple--not single-- stories not only in literature, but also in life.

So much to think about, and more to come.

Day 11-#SOL16: Writing What I Don't Write About

The Slice of Life Challenge is hosted by the inspirational writers of Two Writing Teachers. Each March, they invite people to join them in a commitment to write every day. Here's to another year of daily slicing!

Yesterday, I wrote ten lines I wanted to remember from the work we did with a TC Staff Developer. "It's always worth wondering about what you don't write about," Shana Frazin said to a group of teachers. Those words resonated with me, and I have been contemplating what I don't write about all day. Mostly, I play the emotional end of writing pretty safe. Tonight, my daughter provided an incredibly emotional moment in my day, so I will write about it.

Relay for Life has always been a big deal in our house. My daughters are captains, coordinators, organizers, and leaders in this even that raises money for the American Cancer Society. We have many personal connections to cancer, and my four girls watched my dad go through prostate cancer treatments for fourteen years. Since my oldest girl is almost 20, that means they really have no memory of my father without cancer.

Clare wrote her fundraising post tonight, and she called me into her room to read it and make sure it was okay.

"Do you think this is okay to post?" she asked. She turned her laptop toward me as I entered her bedroom.

I had no idea what she was putting in front of me. I guess I was expecting a tweet to a friend, an announcement of a school event. Maybe I just wasn't expecting--

I've been emotional over the last couple of days. A conversation with someone I don't know well about losing a parent had me teary on my ride home. Sometimes we are more fragile than others.

So when Clare showed me her post, it slayed me.

My dad finished his fight. On June 3rd, it will be a year, so this is the first Relay we will be without him.

I always admire how Clare Landrigan wends her way from her personal stories to the connections that exist between those stories and the work she does with students. I wonder what struggles, what emotional raw spots exist for the people I work with. It's been a good day for remembering to pay attention to the fragility around is. Above all else, kindness matters. 

All good things,