Celebrating a little subversion -- okay, maybe a lot of subversion

I recently found a collection of Little Golden Books at my library's used bookstore and I immediately had an idea: I'm going to let my students create their own versions of the infamous Battle Bunny by Jon Scieszka and Mac Barnett.


So today I introduced this extra credit project to my 8th grade classes, and this was one of my favorite conversations of the day:

Me: Today I'm going to talk about your extra credit project for 1st quarter if you choose to accept it, but first I have to show you a book trailer.
Student (rather begrudgingly): Does this mean we're gonna have to read this book?
Me: Well yes but it's a picture book.
Student: Oh, I guess that's OK.
Me: *Shows Battle Bunny Book Trailer*
Student (with entire class in concert): I HAVE TO READ THAT BOOK!



My next favorite conversation went something like this:
Student: Mrs. Shaum are Jon Scieszka and Mac Barnett going to make any other books like Battle Bunny?
Me: Well, I don't know. They're on Twitter. Maybe we could ask them.
Student: Well get tweeting.


And still another favorite conversation (that happened repeatedly throughout the day):
Student(s): So wait. You mean you want us to write all over a book?
Me: Yes. Just don't use Sharpies because they'll bleed through the page.
Student(s)' thoughts and wheels turning are almost palpable: I can't believe a teacher wants us to destroy a book.

So Mac Barnett and Jon Scieszka, if you're reading this, I hope you do create more books like Battle Bunny. Based on my students' attitudes about reading, which have been tepid so far this year, this is the first book that they were CLAMORING to read.

Needless to say, I had a swarm of 8th graders coming to get Little Golden Books after school today so they could create their own Battle Bunny stories for extra credit. I can't wait to see what they come up with.

Celebrate This Week was established by Ruth Ayers

Pairing the old with the new

As I watched Bethany Mota dance to Colbie Caillat's song "Try" on Dancing with the Stars this week, I suddenly had a vision that this song would pair perfectly with Paul Laurence Dunbar's classic poem "We Wear the Mask."

I was not wrong. Today our journal topic in 8th grade English was to close read the poem, watch the video, and compare the two.

My close reading of  "We Wear the Mask"

The discussions that poured forth in all three of my classes after we spent some time writing were so on point, I was so impressed with the things they were saying. And even better that the students led the discussion the entire time. I would interject every so often, but for the most part they got the connection without much prodding. The idea of metaphorical masks certainly seems to resonate with middle school students.

5 Things I loved about last week

It's so easy to get overwhelmed and allow a sense of hopelessness take over when you're a teacher. The work just never seems to be finished. So in the spirit of Colby Sharp and Elisabeth Ellington, I'm going to focus on some of the amazing things that happened this past week.

1. Superheroes

Inspired by Cece Bell, my 8th graders started writing about their own superhero powers. More importantly, I led them in this writing assignment by sharing with them what I wrote about this topic, and I've never seen them more engaged and excited. Powerful things happen in a classroom where the teacher writes with her students.


2. Tori's coming home soon

Who is Tori you ask? If you recall, I recently wrote about watching a childhood dream of one day owning a baby grand piano finally come to fruition. On Friday we finalized everything and plan to have her delivered on October 25th.

(I named her Tori because Tori Amos is one of my musical role models)

She lies in waiting, but she'll be home soon

3. Google Classroom
Our school just signed up for Google Apps for Education so my students and I have been exploring Google Classroom and I have to say that I am in love. What an incredibly efficient and streamlined way to organize student work.


4. Andrew Smith books
Grasshopper Jungle was the first Andrew Smith book I ever read and I was completely wowed. In this sort of way. 

This week I finally decided to do something about only having read one of his books by starting Winger. And after page one, I have decided that Andrew Smith is the poet of expletives. I *bleeping* love his books. How's THAT for a book talk, kids?


5. My students crack me up
 At the end of the day earlier this week, some students in my last hour class drew this on my whiteboard:

How can you not love 8th graders?
(Incidentally, despite the fact that I like the song, I'm a little annoyed that I cannot get it out of my head. It is incessantly pounding on my skull and it won't go away!)


What did you love about last week? 

Changing my writing tune

I have come to realize two things during this new school year from being at a new school and having a fresh start:

1) Writing with your students isn't just a nice idea; it's a necessity if you want to see their writing improve.

2) Commenting on second drafts instead of final drafts has given my students a way to focus on better revision strategies for their final drafts.

At my former school I touted my expertise to my students and colleagues as the writing guru, citing the seminal work of inspiring teachers that came before me like Tom Romano, Nancie Atwell, and Penny Kittle. But the truth of the matter is, I frequently found myself frustrated with the lack of motivation my students possessed in moving from one draft to the next. The problem? I preached to them my gospel of writing, but I wasn't living it.

This year I am making sure to be mindful that my actions are much more powerful than my words when it comes to assigning writing and have already seen its benefits in spades. I am currently grading my 8th graders' "This I Believe" essays and am so impressed with how much they have revised from one draft to the next and the risks they are taking with their writing. That all happened as a result of writing with them and giving them feedback before their final drafts.

Today, we started a short writing assignment after I showed my class this inspiring video from graphic novelist Cece Bell:
 
El Deafo is a beautiful book because it takes something that people would normally consider a disability and turns that idea on its head. Cece took her deafness and made it into a superpower. My

8th graders started this assignment earlier this week with a journal prompt about if they were a superhero, what would their superpower be, and were also asked to give themselves a superhero name. Today we took that seed of a journal topic and expanded on it, watching it grow into something more substantive.

The day I assigned this as a journal topic, all three of my classes didn't seem to be all that into it. They wrote a couple sentences in their notebooks and that was that. But today was a completely different story. The one thing that was missing from the equation was me. I hadn't written anything yet. So once again, I had to shed my armor of professional distance to expose the soft, vulnerable underbelly and share with them my rough draft of my superhero power.

Not only did I see I change in motivation from one day to the next, but I also got some really helpful suggestions for revisions of my own writing. I had students coming up to me excitedly sharing their ideas, and also asking me for suggestions. At one point during my first class period, I stopped to listen to the chatter around me and not one conversation strayed from talk of superheros. At one point a student raised his hand and said, "Mrs. Shaum, I think once we're done, we should all share our superhero names and powers and then write a story where they clash with each other."

Oh the sweet, melodious music of writers. I'm so happy I've finally joined the band.

Celebrate This Week was established by Ruth Ayers

It's a marathon, not a sprint

Last Friday was a really rough day at school. The kids were out of sorts and nothing seemed to be going according to plan. I felt like writing a big fat F for Failure on more forehead. The end of last week left me questioning my ability to do this job well. I think all teachers have days and weeks like that.

Today, however, one of my students who has admitted to me that he pretty much despises reading, looked at our bulletin board where we put our favorite book quotes, noticed a quote from Christopher Healy's The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, and said to me, "Do you have this book in your library?" When I showed him the book, he immediately checked it out. What I loved about this encounter is despite this student's frequent admission to disliking books, he has not closed his mind to them completely. I see him entertaining the thought that he could love them again and I just pray that I don't mess this up for him.


Suddenly my memories of last week's ineptitude seem just a little bit more distant. I am reminded again why I'm here. Helping a student rediscover a love of reading. There's no better feeling.

A quote from a Christopher Healy book on our bulletin board intrigues a reluctant reader

Slice of Life is brought to you by Two Writing Teachers

Celebrate dreams fulfilled

From the time I was born we had a piano in our house. It was a relic from when my sister took lessons for about a year, but as tends to happen with kids, she lost interest and the Baldwin spinet sat in our living room taking up space.

From the time I was old enough to talk, however, I showed a great desire to learn how to play this fascinating instrument with its white and black "teeth." Which is why, despite the fact that when my family moved from Michigan to Kentucky the year before I started first grade, we moved the piano with us. Otherwise, I'm sure it would have been sold.

First photo evidence of my desire to play the piano

My parents never actively sought out a piano teacher for me. Probably because they were waiting for the right time when they felt I was old and mature enough to begin learning. But as fortune would have it, a new family moved on our street and it just so happened that the mom was a piano teacher. So at nine years old, I finally began learning how to play the piano.

As much as I love the instrument, I have always been especially smitten with shiny black baby grand pianos in particular. The gloss and the curves hypnotize me. They always have. When my husband and I lived in Germany back in 2003, we even visited the Bösendorfer headquarters in Vienna, which are known for being the best pianos in the world. Just as it is the dream of every violinist to play a Stradivarius, so too is it the dream of a pianist to play a Bösendorfer. It was one of the most magical moments in my life when I had the opportunity play a few of those glorious instruments. But the minimum $90,000 price tag means that I will never get to own that particular brand of piano. Still, it was wonderful just to have the opportunity to try out a few.




There was a time, however, in my storied history with the piano that I didn't want to play anymore. In fact, we're still on the back end of that time. I initially went to college thinking I would be a music teacher. I wish that thought had never crossed my mind. During most of my time learning to play the piano I had a wonderful, nurturing teacher who celebrated the individuality of all of her students rather than acted as a taskmaster who made all her students live up to some classical music ideal. Passion for music was more important to her than perfection. But when I arrived at college, my teachers -- one in particular -- represented the latter and squashed all the love and passion for music right out of my heart. I tried to hold onto it, but sitting at the piano was now painful for me rather than joyful.

When my husband and I were first married and living in Germany, he bought me a digital piano in an attempt to get me to try to find my way back again. But at that point, the wounds were still too new and too raw and I rarely played.

As the years have gone by, time has begun to heal my wounds and I recently entertained the thought that I want to fulfill that dream I had when I was little of one day owning a baby grand piano.

Yesterday I put down a deposit on this beauty:


I think I'm going to name her Tori. She's not a Bösendorfer, but she plays just like I want her to and has a lovely sound. I think think this is the start (and also the continuation) of a beautiful friendship.

Celebrate This Week was established by Ruth Ayers

Celebrating authors as mentors and changes of heart

I have a student who has declared in writing on several occasions that he hates reading. Like books make him want to cry, that's how much he hates it. On Friday in English we were talking about fragments and run-ons and how they're always vilified in grammar textbooks and made out to be this Bad Thing yet professional writers use them all the time. So we examined the first two chapters of Linda Urban's A Crooked Kind of Perfect and had a wonderful discussion about how Urban uses both fragments and run-ons effectively. Students really got what Urban was trying to do, creating rhythmic and musical language, whilst the main character, Zoe Elias, talked about her love of the piano. At the end of the discussion, the aforementioned student who hates books said in front of the whole class, "Do you have this book in your library?"

 *Cue heavenly angel choir*

It's amazing what can happen to students' opinions of reading and writing when we give them authentic texts to read, emulate, and discuss. 

Celebrate This Week was established by Ruth Ayers