Keep Austin Weird

Shamefully staring at bags yet to be unpacked, Lori

We had a blast in the capitol of our great Lone Star State! TCTELA this year did not disappoint. Here are some of the highlights of our trip.

We arrived on Friday and were able to see two of our favorite people, Bob Probst and Kylene Beers. Bob and Kylene were sharing their nonfiction sign-posts with a large group of faithful Texas teachers. My favorite part of the message was Kylene's move to equate literacy to Power and Privilege. Her point is that we have always used literacy as a way to divide social, economic, and racial classes. As educators, it is our job to create empowered learners who ask their own questions and think with conviction. I left that room feeling ready to save the world! 

Lady Bird Lake:
I actually took this while running. Be impressed.

On Saturday morning, I snuck away to the very scenic Lady Bird Lake at a very early hour of the morning to get in a good, long run. Look how pretty! 

Then, we were able to catch some great sessions on writing notebooks. Curly friends know how much we love a good interactive notebook! Unfortunately, we were unable to attend the luncheon with Jacqueline Woodson, which I think is quite possibly the greatest tragedy of the weekend. I did, however, see her while we were on our way down to begin our session, and I'm 100% positive that I got all weird and probably gave her a big ol' Forest Gump style wave like she and I were long-lost besties or something. Way to keep your cool, Lori.

Our session, Revision Meets the Road, could not have gone any better. I love presenting with my actual bestie--Suzanne. The participants who came were so awesome, and it truly felt like a great little community of learners. We wrote, we revised, we laughed, and we definitely learned! Thanks to all of our Curly friends who came out! 

YOU were the best part of TCTELA!

The second best part was when we went to a restaurant called Moonshine and I ate fried chicken and waffles. It was so good I almost cried. Any actual benefit from that aforementioned gorgeous long run was completely negated. It's ok. I own my choices.

Welcome TCTELA Friends!

Thanks so much for spending your Saturday afternoon with us!  

We've listed the links we discussed in our session here:
Revision Meets the Road Sample
Revision Meets the Road complete set
Gretchen Bernabei's Star Points
How to Use Star Points
TEA Grammar Specs

Interested in more revision activities?
Check out more of our posts:
Tough Choices
Let it Go  <-- I really, really like this one! :)

Faced with another writing/reading dilemma?  Don't hesitate to let us know!  We're always here to help!
thecurlyclassroom@gmail.com

Dead Presidents and Whales

explained by Suzanne

We spent a wonderful, productive weekend in Houston for the TCTELA conference!  By productive, I mean we learned a lot, got to present in front of a room full of new friends, and didn't frizz too much in the Houston humidity!  That is a winning weekend, friends!

One of the keynote speakers was Donalyn Miller.  Whenever I read her writing or hear her speak, I am amazed by her vast book knowledge.  She can match a book to any student's interest, lexile, and background knowledge because she's read them all.  Okay, maybe there are a couple she hasn't read, but they're in her reading stack as we speak.

Something to think about:

• Do you, as a reader, have a favorite genre?
• Do you have a least favorite genre?
• What about your students?  What would they say is their favorite? Least favorite?

Would your answers match your students'?  Think about why or why not.  Donalyn warned, "Don't let our personal reading preferences become biases that limit our students' exposure to texts."

She tells the story of one of her widely read students, Ashley.  Although Ashley was a voracious reader, she avoided nonfiction at all costs.  When asked, she quipped, "I hate nonfiction.  It's all about dead presidents and whales."  Let that sink in.

It makes sense that more academic success comes to students who read widely, so what can be done to overcome genre avoidance (non-fiction or any other)?

1.  Seek our nonfiction that connect to personal interests.

2.  Add more nonfiction to book talks.

     Kids read what we bless with our words and actions.  Model reading nonfiction in your own reading selections and...

3.  Read aloud nonfiction texts.

4.  Use nonfiction as mentor texts.  

5.  Introduce students to nonfiction authors and series.

     This is a new way to think about expository reading.  Typically we search for expository by subject/topic.  However, to create wide reading of nonfiction, encourage students to make selections based on author or to continue a series.

6.  Pair fiction with nonfiction.

     Don't neglect the author's note in a picture book.  It makes a natural paired passage for the text.  Who's not always looking for good paired passages?? Holla!!

7.  Value the experience of students' nonfiction reading 

So, what are some nonfiction titles for students to sink their teeth into?  

Show students that nonfiction has a lot more to offer than just dead presidents and whales.

All My Bags Are Packed...

ready to go, Lori

Suz and I are going on the road! Here are things that I enjoy about traveling with my Curly buddy.

• We have matching coats. This is fun for everyone involved. 
• Suz does not really have appreciation for TSA rules. Last time, she stashed a Dr. Pepper in my bag and I got busted. 
• I have no sense of direction and therefore cannot effectively navigate a new city.
• In certain unusual climates, we frizz. Badly.
• We make nervous plane neighbors.

Why all the travel, you ask? We're excited to present on November 21st at the Arkansas Reading Association Conference. We'll be 'Reading in the Deep' and sharing our favorite strategies for digging deeper and building skills with texts of all genres. 

Can't make it to Little Rock, you say? No problem! Drum roll, please.....

Catch our presentation at TCTELA in January of 2015. This year's conference is in sunny Houston, Texas. Staying in the Lone Star State bodes well for us. No flying. No TSA. No nervous plane neighbors. But, y'all. It's Houston. There will definitely be frizz. 

Come join us in all our frizzy glory as we read deeper, make new friends, and learn together. 

We sincerely hope to see you there!

I'm leaving on a jet plane. It's pretty definite when we'll be back again because we have jobs.

Getting the Last Word

brought to you by Lori

Get caught up on days 1, 2, and 3.

Suzanne likes to be slightly dramatic sometimes. She has this whole bit where she pretends to be a kid who has just been asked to read. Seated in front of her kids, she looks everywhere but at her book, she whispers to a friend, she falls asleep [last year I watched her demonstrate this and she hit her head on the desk just a little too hard.] Funny thing is...you and I both know she's not too far from the truth. But what do we do about it? One of the reasons our kids miss test questions on their state assessment is simply because...well...they don't read. If they do read, then they are certainly not thinking about what they're reading. 

This comprehension strategy is used to encourage reflection during and after reading and helps with finding appropriate text evidence. To begin, distribute copies of the text you want to work with. Place students in small groups, asking them to read with the expectation that they mark several places that are interesting or simply that cause them to think. I would set a timer for this. Yes...your kids all read at different paces, but if you wait for everyone to finish, you'll never get done. Consider what you're reading and set a reasonable amount of time. 

When each student finishes reading, have them choose their favorite quote or piece of text evidence and copy it on the front side of the index card. Without talking, have them take a moment and write some thoughts on the back of the card. Offer some guidance by suggesting they think of a connection, a question, or even an extension of the original idea. I would time this as well. 4-5 minutes worked well for me.

Students re-enter the text to find moments they connected with. The pressure is on because now they have to have something to say!

Once their cards are completed, front and back, set expectations for the group conversation. If you use dice, each student rolls. The student with the highest number goes first. He will read his card but NOT his comment on the back. Moving clockwise, everyone else in the group gets to comment and then he gets the last word. He can read what's on his card, disagree or agree with what others have said, ask questions about the comment others have made, or simply read what's on his card. Repeat the process until everyone has read his comment. Again, I would put a time frame on this entire conversation. About 10 minutes was great for my kids. 

After they've discussed the article, kids can do any number of tasks with the text to demonstrate their understanding. The point is, you've empowered them by allowing them to talk about their own observations and listen to the observations of others.

Kids love getting the last word. This time, they're just doing it your way!

Two Curly Girls in Corpus Christi

brought to you by Lori...from a land of sun and palm trees...

This past weekend we found ourselves at the highly anticipated TCTELA conference in Corpus Christi (Texas Convention of Teachers of English Language Arts). We flew in late Thursday evening. Suzanne has got to learn how to travel. How this woman got through TSA with two [TWO] larger than quart size--and definitely not plastic bags--is entirely beyond me. I forgot a Dr. Pepper in my purse on the way back home and had to toss it and have my purse re-scanned. Whatever, Suz. Whatever. 

Our weekend brought incredibly full days, but we enjoyed every bit of it. We started off the greatness by listening to some interesting testing updates from Victoria Young, who we were happy see and hear for the first time. We got some affirmation that the type of Curly instruction that we offer is exactly what our kids need!

Don't be fooled. It looks sunny and beautiful, but true to Texas, by the time we left, it was rainy and cold.

The highlights of our weekend included a nice chat with our respected mentor and friend, Gretchen Bernabei. Again, this weekend did much to affirm what we've got going on in our classrooms and our goals as teacher leaders. Lunch on Friday with keynote speakers Christopher Meyers, and father Walter Dean Myers inspired us to connect students to books so that they can find their own stories within those pages. 

Saturday brought some pretty cool reading strategies that you know I'll totally share with you, but that's a whole other post. Our favorite presenter from Saturday was Dr. Lori Assaf from Texas State University. She has sparked an amazing writing initiative with equally amazing teachers at Chapa middle school in Hays CISD. Their session inspired the research project that I will conduct with my students in the spring. Again...don't worry...I'll share everything. 

We finished the conference at a fun, yet purposeful session with Jeff Anderson and Terry Thompson entitled Focus Pocus: How Instructional Phrases Work Magic. Essentially, it's a spin on administrative demands to post learning objectives. Instructional phrases are statements that the student owns and internalizes because you refer to them often. It is common language during instruction, conferring, revising...essentially every stage of the writing process that both you and your students use. We didn't get much time with it in training, but we're definitely excited to learn more and we'll certainly keep our eyes and ears out for instructional phrases.

Well...Dallas awaits. We're currently at our gate waiting to board, feverishly blogging in our matching coats. It's been a great trip, but I am ready to hug my girl and give her her new blank books from the convention that she will undoubtedly fill with literary magic. I'm ready to see my son who will scream and run toward me and not want me to let him go. [Sorry...I miss them, and I had to go there.]

Wherever you are, we encourage you to join your local professional organization. Coming together with a group of like-minded teachers is empowering, encouraging, and re-energizing. Corpus has been great, and now it's time to go home and continue to grow.