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Posts from the ‘Literacy’ Category

Apr 29

1 Comment

A Trio of Poetry

As National Poetry Month draws to its close, we thought we’d share a small trio of poems, written by two of our own here at PAWLP, Lynne Dorfman and Kathy Barham. As you can see, Lynne’s “Country Inn: Imagining a Different Life” draws on rich sensory detail—the “fireplaces crickles and crackles” and “pageantry of brilliant color.” Meanwhile, Kathy’s “Spring” brings the reader up close and personal to Nature in an encounter with a cardinal in springtime, while “Hard to be a Cod” takes playful inspiration from, of all things, a typo.  Read more

Apr 8

29 Comments

Celebrating Poetry with Fig Trees and Cake | Guest Post by Janet Wong

By Janet Wong 

UPDATE 4/15/15: And we have a winner! Jo Anne Johns – you are the lucky recipient of a copy of The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations! Please email us at triciambe@gmail.com so that we can put you in touch with Janet. Thanks so much to everyone who participated and left wonderful comments and ideas below. 

UPDATE 4/11/15: We’re so happy to announce a GIVEAWAY! Janet Wong has graciously offered to give away a copy of the Teacher / Librarian Edition of The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations. To enter, simply post a brief comment below and share one of your favorite poetry activities to do with students or how you plan to celebrate poetry this month! Please post your comment by Tuesday, 4/14, at 11:59 pm EST. A winner will be randomly selected and announced on Wednesday morning.

I agree with Janice Ewing: I too “have mixed feelings about special months designated for things that should be embedded into our teaching and celebrated all through the year.” Poetry is so easy to incorporate into your teaching day; most poems take less than a minute to read. Poetry is so useful, too, especially in teaching other content areas (science, math, social studies, the arts, and P.E. or sports). Saving it just for April would be like saving cake just for birthdays.

But there are some designated months that are still very necessary. Read more

Apr 6

5 Comments

Monday in the Middle: The Crossover, El Deafo, and Stella by Starlight

We are so excited to have Gabija Fischer blogging with us. Gabija, a librarian and media specialist, will share “must read” titles for middle school students here every first Monday with her series, “Mondays in the Middle.” 

By Gabija Fischer

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

crossoverHaving received the 2015 Newbery Award and Coretta Scott King Honor, The Crossover by Kwame Alexander is sure to please. Although basketball plays a leading role in pre-teen Josh Bell’s life, this basketball season, Josh’s life is consumed more by the challenges of having a lovestruck twin brother and a stubborn father. Growing up with an ex-professional basketball player as their father, Josh and Jordan are expected to be excellent athletes, and they are. Josh’s greatest opponent, however, is not on the court. He faces the reality of growing up, of coping with changing family dynamics, of dealing with his confusion and anger. Despite his initial unwillingness to meet these opponents, Josh begins to understand his position in this game of life. And because Josh faces these opponents, he grows from them.

Read more

Apr 1

7 Comments

Teacher to Teacher: Poetry Month

By Janice Ewing

I tend to have mixed feelings about special months designated for things that should be embedded into our teaching and celebrated all through the year. Take poetry, for instance. On the one hand, how bleak would the year be if we waited until April to incorporate it into our reading, writing, and teaching lives, and then dropped it like the much-maligned hot potato? Read more

Mar 4

World Read Aloud Day

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How are you celebrating world read aloud day today?

In case you missed it, don’t forget to read Lynne Dorfman’s post on the benefits of reading aloud.

Mar 2

Teacher to Teacher:  Does Reading Aloud Really Matter?

By Lynne R. Dorfman

As our already crowded day continues to be even more crowded, how do we fit in time to read aloud to our students?  Does reading aloud really matter? There are many reasons to read aloud, even when you are tempted to snatch that time for more independent reading and writing, or to fit in science or social studies.

A rationale for reading aloud is multi-faceted. It stimulates language development and helps students move more naturally into reading. When we read aloud to our students, we not only model what a fluent reader looks and sounds like; we also model just how enjoyable the act of reading can be. Read more

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