Category: Reading

being me, books, Literacy, Reading

My Favorite Reads of This Summer – 2015 – Part 1

Pernille Ripp

While summer still has a few weeks left in it, I have been surrounded by so many amazing reads that I felt I needed to share some of the incredible books I have been reading.  We are so lucky to have such incredible books to share with our students (and ourselves!)

I just finished MiNRS by Kevin Sylvester last night and couldn’t believe how good it was.  I love a great science fiction book and this one does not disappoint.  Best part is that I can see handing this book to so many students to read, with it’s accessible language and action scenes, this is sure to be a crowd favorite for 4th graders and up.

It is completely appropriate that The Blackthorn Key is released the very same day that I go back to school.  Why?  Because this is the book to give to students to read.  This is a book for anyone who loves a good mystery, fantasy, action, and hopefully something that will turn into a series.  This book, which again was an ARC given to me by Scholastic, will be a great book to hand to those students that loved Harry Potter or The False Prince.  And it will be one that I cannot wait to read aloud.

Bottom-line: 5th grade (or mature 4th graders due to the murders in it) and up.

I have loved Jennifer’s books for many years.  The False Prince and it’s sequels have been must-reads in my classroom for a long time.  To me she is such a fantasy writer, one that weaves tales that sucks us in and leaves us wanting more.  Imagine my surprise when I saw her new book A Night Divided.  Long gone are the tales of battles, kings and queens, instead replaced with a stark narrative of what happened when the Berlin Wall was erected over night.  It seemed so unlike her, but it is not.  Her masterful story telling shines as we enter the would of Gerta and Fritz and their quest to have their dream survive.  I was sucked into the story, needing to read just one more page until I sadly found myself at the end.  Well done Jennifer.

So this book is a must add to 4th grade and up.  There is shooting and death in it, after all it is historical fiction, but it is not graphic.

This is the post where I admit I have never read Wonderstruck. I have never read the The Invention of Hugo Cabret.  I had watched the movie and marveled at the beautiful story.  I have handed the books to students and told them to fall in love with them.  But I had never read them myself.  And I am not sure why.

So when I was handed The Marvels after standing in line at ILA for more than an hour, sharing the delightful company of Alison Hogan, I knew I had to read it.  And it was worth every minute of standing in line.  The book is beautiful, the story captures your imagination and leaves you pondering.  I cannot wait to order this for my classroom and this time when I hand it to students really mean it when I say, “This is a must read.”

For 4th grade or perhaps even 3rd grade and up.

 

A favorite student of mine handed me a Barnes & Noble giftcard at the end of the year.  I was surprised because I was pretty sure middle school teachers do not get gifts and yet she handed me one of the best things in the world; a chance to get more books.  I therefore knew the books had to be special and I was not disappointed; Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan is a masterpiece.  All 500+ pages of it.  Once again she weaves a tale so masterful that you have to just read one more page, even if it is past midnight and you know tomorrow will be a long day.    What I also loved about this book is it ageless and timeless quality, I immediately could think of 4th grader and 7th graders that needed to read this book.  I am so thankful this book was recommended to me and now I am recommending it to you.

This is the book that took my breath away.  This is the book that I read in less than 2 hours and then passed it on the very next day.  This is the very first book that is a Global Read Aloud contender for 2016 for middle grades and up.  Gut-wrenching, beautiful, and still resonating weeks later for me.  Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt is a book that will resonate across our continents.

I had the honor of meeting Erin Soderberg at Nerdcamp and get a copy of her book.  I loved The Quirks, funny, lighthearted, yet with an universal theme that many kids will connect with, Erin has written a great book for 3rd grade and up but also appropriate for middle schoolers.

being a teacher, books, Literacy, Reading, student voice

Books Are A Chance To See the World They Do Not Live In

Pernille Ripp

recite-j7nids

My classroom library is a large mix of reads.  Several thousands of books greet my 7th graders when they enter and are free to leave the room in their hands.  Over the last year I have tried to expand it as much as I can afford to make sure that it represents the world we live in, that it represents their experiences, that they can find themselves within our library and use that knowledge to boost their own lives.  My students need to see themselves in our books.

Yet, after a conversation with a great friend, I realized that it is not so much the need to find themselves within our library that I should be focused on because let’s face it, most of the world surrounding them is filled with images that look just like them, sound just like them, and share many of their same experiences.  They are used to turning on the TV and seeing kids that are like them.  They are used to picking up books and seeing like them in the pages.  To  many of my students seeing something other than white is uncommon.  For my mostly white, rural population of readers it is important that they find the rest of the world in the pages.  That through our library they can experience the world that they do not live in.  That their emotions can be stretched to encompass events that they will most likely never have to encounter.  That the library provides them with a window to things that they most likely will never have to live through such as racism, extreme poverty, no access to education, civil war, religious intolerance and a myriad of other issues that exists in only small ways in most of their lives.

So when we rally the cry for diverse books, it is not just so that our kids can find themselves within our pages and find books that mirror their experience.  It is so they can see the world they do not live in.  It is so they can see a world that may not make sense to them and start to make sense of it.  It is so they can start to develop empathy, interest, and community with other parts of the world, other societies, other experiences that do not mirror their own.

Most of my students have plenty of books that they can find themselves in.  My job is to provide them with ones they can’t.

I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA but originally from Denmark,  who has taught 4th, 5th, and 7th grade.  Proud techy geek, and mass consumer of incredible books. Creator of the Global Read Aloud Project, Co-founder of EdCamp MadWI, and believer in all children.  The second edition of my first book “Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students” is available for pre-order now.   Second book“Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press.  Join our Passionate Learners community on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

books, Literacy, Reading, students

Why Picture Books – 5 Reasons Why They Belong in Every Classroom

Pernille Ripp

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I don’t remember when I fell out of love with picture books, but I do remember wondering why any teacher would invest any money in them if they were not teaching young kids.  After all, picture books are so expensive and there is not much to them.  No, I would rather invest my money in chapter books, that is where you get the most value.  So picture books?  Perhaps a few selected mentor texts in my 4th grade classroom.

I don’t remember when I fell back in love with picture books.  Perhaps it was the first time students laughed out loud with me at Chick and Pug.  Perhaps it was the first time students held their breath with me when I read out loud Pete & Pickles.  Perhaps when I cried while I read Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla. Perhaps it was when those kids that hated reading so much would ask if they could borrow some picture books so they could read to their little sister, and then tell me all about their night the very next day.  Whatever happened, I now know that picture books belong in every classroom, for every reader.  Here is why.

Picture books give us a common language.

I love how we can read a picture book and then refer back to it again and again as we weave our threads of community throughout the year.  The students remember it, they read it again, and the reminisce about reading it.  In a short amount of time we create a foundation for the students to bond through and a way for us to be a part of their world.  Even within my 45 minutes of instruction time, I know I can at least read a picture book out loud, most days.  And if you don’t teach English, read one once in a while, students need community in all classes, not just the literacy ones.

Picture books can teach us complex matters in a simple way.

When my students became curious about the great Malcolm X, I read them Malcolm Little.  When we spoke of the civil rights movement and the every day segregation that happened, I read them Ruth and the Green Book.  When they feel completely alone, I read them The Invisible Boy.  When we have to talk about what our actions do to others, we read aloud Each Kindness which with its less than perfect ending is a perfect mirror of what life is really like.  These books don’t offer all of the knowledge my students need, but they give us a chance to start the conversation.  There are so many curriculum picture books out there waiting for us to embrace them for the knowledge they give us, not written for the young reader but for mature kids that can take the information and do something with it.  Don’t leave your students out.

Picture books can make us feel successful when we have lost our way.

I often teach students who don’t think they will ever be a strong reader.  Who do not go home and read, who do not gravitate toward books, but instead spend them them flipping pages and waiting for the bell.  I hand these kids stacks of picture books.  I tell them to immerse themselves and come up when they are ready for more.  There is no judgment from other kids, nor jealousy.  Our picture books are waiting for anyone to read them.

Picture books relieve stress.

If a child is having a bad day, I can hand them a stack of Elephant and Piggie books and know that at some point a small smile will form.  I can hand them anything fantastical that is nothing like their real life and for a  moment they have a reprieve.  How often do our students get a chance to escape the stress of their lives and still work?  Picture books offer me that opportunity.

Picture books can make us believe that we can read well.

For the child who gave up a long time ago on reading.  For the child who does not believe that school is for them.  For the child who is angry, who is misplaced, who is lost; picture books can make the biggest difference.  I once taught a student so angry he scared the rest of the class, but if I could get a stack of picture books in his hands before it was too late, send him to a quiet place, he deescalated.  Picture books were not a threat, nor were they work.  They were an escape and something that made him feel successful.  If a child does not think they will ever read as well as the others, get them picture books, have them digest them slowly, see their progress and see them start to believe that they too can be readers, that they too can belong.  There is no shame in picture books, not when we embrace them fully as teachers.  Not when we make them a part of our classroom.  Remove the stigma so that students can find success within their pages, rather than feel there are no books for them out there.

PS:  To see some of new favorite picture books, go to the list part 1 and the list part 2.  You have been warned, they are amazing.

I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA but originally from Denmark,  who has taught 4th, 5th, and 7th grade.  Proud techy geek, and mass consumer of incredible books. Creator of the Global Read Aloud Project, Co-founder of EdCamp MadWI, and believer in all children.  The second edition of my first book “Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students” is available for pre-order now.   Second book“Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press.  Join our Passionate Learners community on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

books, Literacy, Passion, Reading, students

My New Favorite Picture Books Part 2

Pernille Ripp

As promised, I have more great new (to me) picture books to share.  This collection of funny, moving, and stunningly beautiful books are a must add to any classroom, not just the middle school one.  And yes, I purchased almost all of these myself, and yes, it cost a lot of money, but the experience it will provide my students with is worth it in the end.  I only feel bad because I am not sharing them as much with my own kids.

The Day I Lost My Super Powers by Michael Escoffier is a book that tells a familiar tale of childhood imagination.  I hope to use this to bring my students back to when they thought anything was possible and to reignite their passion for thinking they have the ability to make a difference in the world.

I love how A Perfectly Messed Up Story by Patrick McDonnell reminds me of Battle Bunny in all the best ways.  I love the message of working through adversity and the book is just downright funny.  My 3 year olds laughed at it, so I cannot wait to see what my 7th graders will do.

Orion and the Dark by Emma Yarlett is stunning. The story about a boy who is afrid of the dark is sure to elicit conversations about our fears and what we can do to conquer them.  I cannot wait for my students to discover all the details of this book.

To the Sea by Cale Atkinson is a book about unlikely friendships and loneliness, a theme that is so important to discuss with students.  I love the illustrations as well as they tell the story even more.

In the last 24 hours, we have read Shh!  We Have a Plan by Chris Haughton 5 times.  I think I loved it more each time.  Again the amazing illustrations tell half of the story and the simple language means that my youngest can read it by herself as well while giggling out loud.  You know a book is good when the minute you close it, the kids yell “Again!”

Language surrounds us all but by middle school certain words seem to lose their off limit-ness.  That’s why I love Little Bird’s Bad Word by Jacob Grant.  This book will give us a way to discuss what our language says about us as people and how our casual conversations can harm others.

I remember seeing a preview for The Cat, The Dog, Little Red, The Exploding Eggs, The Wolf and Grandma by Diane and Christyan Fox a year ago and then promptly forgot all about it.  Rediscovering it on my wish list I took a chance and ordered it, and I am so thankful I did.  This book is laugh out loud funny, even after you have read it once.  It speaks aloud so many of the questions my students have when it comes to the original fairy tales and will be a perfect match with our gruesome fairy tale unit (even though this book is not gruesome at all).

An amazing wordless picture book by Jon Arne Lawson and Sydney Smith that tells the tale of Sidewalk Flowers and what happens when we are too busy to notice the world around us.  As we discuss purposes for our devices, this will be a book to facilitate that conversation.

I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA but originally from Denmark,  who has taught 4th, 5th, and 7th grade.  Proud techy geek, and mass consumer of incredible books. Creator of the Global Read Aloud Project, Co-founder of EdCamp MadWI, and believer in all children.  The second edition of my first book “Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students” is available for pre-order now.   Second book“Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press.  Join our Passionate Learners community on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

being a teacher, books, Literacy, new year, Reading

My New Favorite Picture Books Part 1

Pernille Ripp

I Yam A Donkey by the incredible CeCe Bell.  Why this book?  Because it is laugh out loud funny while teaching grammar.

Wall by Tom Clohosy Cole.  There seems to be a surge in Berlin Wall books right now (I am currently reading Jennifer A. Nielsen’s A Night Divided which is excellent as well).  I love this picture book because it provides us with a way to broach a difficult topic with students.   WIth a simple story and beautiful illustrations, I am excited to share this one.

Ben Clanton’s Something Extraordinary is just that – extraordinary.  Once again a simple story unfolds leading us to rich conversations about imagination and how it can color our world.

The beautiful story of Last Stop On Market Street by Matt De La Pena is one meant to spur conversation about our lives, our assumptions, and how we view the world.  But the illustrations?  They tell an even richer story, one that I cannot wait to discuss with my students, many of whom have never ridden a bus or even been in an urban neighborhood.

How to Read A Story by Kate Messner will be one of the first picture books I share this year because it will open us up to a great discussion.  I cannot wait to see how my students read their stories.

I am always in favor of a picture book that allows us to discuss how we treat others, aprticualrly when teaching middle schoolers.  I love the story in Henry Hyena, Why Won’t You Laugh by Doug Jantzen and think it will resonate with many of my students.

You and Me by Susan Verde and illustrated by the incredible Peter H. Reynolds is a story that students will want to emulate.  We will use this as a way to do our sociogram exercise which will offer me insight into who is connected in our class, and who is not.  We cannot change loneliness for students if we do not know who identifies as such.

I have written before about Float by Daniel Miyares because it is an incredible wordless picture book about seeing the beauty in the world around us.  This is a must add among must adds.

Beastly Babies by Ellen Jackson is a simple picture book and it is not for the words but for the illustrations that I love it so much.  I love how wild they are and I think it will show students that you can be an artist in many different ways.

I debated whether or not to add The Newbies by Peter Catalanotta because I find it a bit creepy, and yet it is within the creepiness that the power of it lies.  I think my students will immediately gravitate toward this book and what happens when your wishful thinking comes true.

I have more picture books coming, I will share them in part 2 in a few days.

I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA but originally from Denmark,  who has taught 4th, 5th, and 7th grade.  Proud techy geek, and mass consumer of incredible books. Creator of the Global Read Aloud Project, Co-founder of EdCamp MadWI, and believer in all children.  The second edition of my first book “Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students” is available for pre-order now.   Second book“Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press.  Join our Passionate Learners community on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

aha moment, being me, books, Literacy, MIEExpert15, Passion, Reading

6 Simple Ideas to Get Kids to Read

Pernille Ripp

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Loving reading, loving books, being a reader, and finding your own books to share are central goals in our 7th grade English classroom.  And I spend every waking moment at times it seems trying to find ways for students to find that special book that will make them feel like they are a reader.  I spend hours planning, prepping, buying books, and yes, reading them to make sure that I am the best teacher possible for all of my many students.  Yet, sometimes we do not need a lot of time, nor a lot of work to inspire a love of reading.  So behold, these are my 6 simplest ideas for getting students to fall (a little bit more) in love with reading.

Public Display of Book Affection

I believe in public displays of book affection every single day and on every surface allowable.  When students enter into our team area (Go sharks!), they are greeted this year with our giant poster wondering how many picture books we can read in a year (Thanks Jillian Heise for the idea).  They can also see what I am reading, as well as what my team is reading.  In our room, there are books everywhere.  Many are faced out and the displays change depending on our mood.  Books are everywhere.  Book love is everywhere.  I take great pride and care in showing that books are central to our world.  There is no willy-nilly displays allowed.

The 1 Minute Book Talk

I will start most classes with a 1 minute book talk highlighting the book I just finished, a book I cannot wait to read, or a book that I purchased for the classroom.  As the year progresses I hope to hand this over to students.  But think about it?  180 days equals 180 books talks.  That’s a lot of exposure.  since I have 5 English classes, there will be 5 different book talks every day.  Once done, they go on the whiteboard ledge for anyone to grab.

The Repeated Question

I always ask students, current and former, what they are reading.  Even when we are not in class.  That constant focus on literacy coupled with the innate expectation that they are reading means that students start to think of their answer before they see me.  And those that don’t read?  Well, this question opens up to a discussion of why not and I can usually sneak them a book recommendation or two as we talk.

The Pushy Book Handler

I am always handing books to students (and colleagues too).  Books do not get read by sitting on your shelf.  Books do not get discovered by being in a bin.  They get discovered and read by someone picking them up, flipping through them, and perhaps reading a few words.  So we have to physically hand books to students if we want them to get excited.  We do monthly (or sometimes weekly) book shopping in our classroom where piles of great books await the students.  With their “To Be Read” list in hand, they take five minutes to browse the piles and find new books to read.

The Getting Out of the Way Trick

Easy access and check out to books is a must.  Donalyn Miller and Teri Lesesne told us at ILA that if books are across the hallway they are too far away.  We need classroom libraries  in every room, not just the English classroom.  We needs books at the fingertips of our students so that at any moment they can be inspired to reach out and find a new text.  Books are not a distraction, they are a necessity in our classrooms and should be treated as such.  This is also why I don’t have a check out system really.  To see more about how I organize my classroom library, see this post.

The Guest Book Shopper

If you have that one child that will not read.  If you have that one child that keeps reading that one book and not because they love it so much.  If you have that one kid that never likes anything you have to offer, this is a great way to spark an interest in them.  Simply hand them a book catalog.  Get them on Amazon.  Take them to a book store if you can and ask them to select a few books.  Before the books arrive get them excited about their impending arrival.  And then when they get make it a priority to get them to the student that day.  It is a matter of urgency now that the books are here, so they should find their home right away.

Those are my top 6 ideas.  Very simple indeed and take very little time.  What are yours?

I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA but originally from Denmark,  who has taught 4th, 5th, and 7th grade.  Proud techy geek, and mass consumer of incredible books. Creator of the Global Read Aloud Project, Co-founder of EdCamp MadWI, and believer in all children.  The second edition of my first book “Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students” is available for pre-order now.   Second book“Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press.  Join our Passionate Learners community on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.