Love Note

Posted on February 23, 2018 by Jennie

“Dear Jennie, I can’t wait to see you.  But I don’t see you much.  So I am so happy to see you and I will see you the rest of the day.  Jennie I love you so much.”

I love you too, Scarlett. ❤️

Jennie

Posted in Expressing words and feelings, Giving, Love, Student alumni, Teaching young children, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 67 Comments

It Comes Down To Reading

Posted on February 22, 2018 by Jennie

Children who were in my class many years ago are now making decisions on college acceptances.  They stay in touch, and I feel the worry and joy right along with them.  And guess what happens?  They are accepted into the school(s) of their choice.  And, I know why.  I do.

It’s not me.  Really.  It comes down to reading.  Hang onto your hat for these statistics, and one of the best stories about a kid from Russell, Kentucky.

Jim Trelease was spot on when he said “Reading is the heart of education.  The knowledge of almost every subject in school flows from reading.  One must be able to read the word problem in math to understand it.  If you cannot read the science or social studies chapter, how do you answer the questions at the end of the chapter?”

Parents tell me all the time about their child’s struggles in school, and it boils down to reading, whether it’s reading the homework assignment or a chapter in assigned reading.  When the parent has to step in to help with homework, it often is because of struggles with reading.  I think of how much more difficult the work must be in the classroom with the expectations of independent work.  I wish those children had been in my classroom when they were younger; I could have helped them and their parents.

Now, let’s back up from reading to reading aloud.  In order to read, and more importantly to want to read, it all starts with parents and family reading aloud to children, every day.

The statistics on reading aloud and its link to academic success in all areas is profound.  If reading is a pleasurable experience, then school work is by far easier.  Every child begins school wanting to learn to read.  In other words, we’ve got 100 percent of enthusiastic kindergarteners when they start school.  The National Report Card found that among fourth-graders, only 54 percent read for pleasure.  Among eighth graders, only 30 percent read for pleasure.  By twelfth grade, only 19 percent read anything for pleasure daily.  Yikes!  What happened?  The better question might be, what did not happen?

The seeds of not only learning to read but loving to read were not planted early.  Reading aloud to children for 30 minutes every day, starting at birth and continuing after they have learned to read, is the single best thing a parent can do to build a reader.  I know this.  When I read aloud in my classroom, it’s the time that children are totally absorbed.  Totally.  A good story, read aloud, is the best learning and pleasure experience I give to children.  It opens the door to questions and discovery.  Here is a great story from The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease that illustrates the power of reading aloud:

We start with the family of Susan and Tad Williams and their two sons, Christopher and David.  Of the four hundred thousand students taking the ACT exam with Christopher back in 2002, only fifty-seven had perfect scores– he was the fifty-eighth.  When word got out that this kid from Russell, Kentucky (population 3,645) had scored a perfect 36, the family was besieged with questions, the most common being “What prep course did he take?  Kaplan?  Princeton Review?”  It turned out to be a course his parents enrolled him in as an infant, a free program, unlike some of the private plans that now cost up to $250 an hour.

In responding to inquiries about Christopher’s prep courses, the Williamses simply told people–including the New York Times–that he hadn’t taken any, that he did no prep work.  That, of course, wasn’t completely true.  His mother and father had been giving him and his younger brother free prep classes all through their childhood, from infancy into adolescence: They read to them for thirty minutes a night, year after year, even after they learned how to read for themselves.

Theirs was a home brimming with books but no TV Guide, Game Cube, or Hooked on Phonics.  Even though Susan Williams was a fourth generation teacher, she offered no home instruction in reading before the boys reached school age.  She and Tad just read to them—sowed the sounds and syllables and endings and blendings of language into the love of books.  Each boy easily learned to read–and loved reading, gobbling books up voraciously.  Besides being a family bonding agent, reading aloud was used not as test prep as much as an “ensurance” policy–it ensured the boys would be ready for whatever came their way in school.

By 2011, David was a University of Louisville graduate working as an engineer and Christopher was pursuing his Ph.D. in biochemistry at Duke.  Sometimes Christopher’s early reading experiences surface even in the biochemistry department, like when he remarked to his lunch mates the day after a Duke basketball loss, “I guess there’s no joy in Mudville today.”  None of the other grad students grasped the reference to Ernest Thayer’s classic sports poem.

If that story doesn’t inspire parents and teachers to read, I don’t know what will!

Jim Trelease opens his book with this wonderful quote:

“We must take care that the children’s early encounters with reading are painless enough so they will cheerfully return to the experience now and forever.  But if it’s repeatedly painful, we will end up creating a school-time reader instead of a lifetime reader.”

Beautifully said, and it hits the nail right on the head.

My classroom is brimming with books.  They aren’t stuffed into a basket, they’re on a front-facing shelf.  I read aloud to children twice a day and chapter read for thirty minutes every day.  Children choose to get books from our bookshelf.  They take great pleasure in looking at the pictures, turning the pages, and pointing to the words.  Looking at a book is also my classroom transitional activity.  Children leave my class with a genuine love of books and reading.  They often return to visit, and when I ask what they remember?  Reading, of course!

Used by permission of the author, Jim Trelease, 2013, The Read-Aloud Handbook (Penguin).

Jennie

Posted in books, Early Education, Jim Trelease, reading, reading aloud, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , , , | 76 Comments

Children’s Literature in Massachusetts

Posted on February 20, 2018 by Jennie
February 19

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A KidLit Visit to Massachusetts: Top 10 Stops Along the Way by Lesley Burnap

Posted by on February 19, 2018 in Top Ten Lists | 6 Comments

I am proud of my home state in the book-nerdiest of ways: We seem to be crawling with folks working in the industry of children’s literature! Growing up in the western part of Massachusetts, I was aware of literary icons Jane Yolen, Norton Juster and Eric Carle living nearby. Fast forward about 40 years and Western Mass.*, heck, the entire state now shares a wealth of kidlit authors and illustrators. (I will not even attempt to list them all here for I fear that I will inadvertently forget someone!) The wonderful thing for kid readers and kidlit fans in Massachusetts is that there are many opportunities throughout the year where you can catch some of your favorite book creators! So, if you’re up for a visit to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, take a peek at my suggestions and start your planning! (For your benefit, I have attached links for more information.)

 

Please take note, my suggestions are by no means an exhaustive list of all the wonderful children’s literature inspired places to visit in Massachusetts. I hope that you will take these suggestions and continue your own research into other kidlit destinations and events, and not just in Massachusetts. It is my great wish that this post will inspire YOU to take a look in your own backyard and see what’s available in your area! I look forward to reading about other kidlit friendly places! Enjoy!

 

  1. BOSTON: “Massachusetts: Where Imagination Comes to Life”, Boston Logan International Airport/Terminal C

http://www.massport.com/logan-airport/

On January 11, 2018, this new kidlit-inspired area opened to the public. I have not yet seen it, but some of the authors/artists included in the exhibit are Jeff Kinney, Jarrett Krosoczka and Grace Lin.

 

  1. BOSTON: Make Way for Ducklings Statues in the Boston Public Garden

https://www.boston-discovery-guide.com/make-way-for-ducklings.html     

Sculptor Nancy Schön has immortalized the beloved Mrs. Mallard and her ducklings,

Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack and Quack, from Robert McCloskey’s book,

Make Way for Ducklings. No visit to Boston is complete without stopping by to say hello.

 

  1. CAMBRIDGE: The Curious George Shop

https://thecuriousgeorgestore.com/

Love Curious George? Then you’d better add this to your itinerary! I must

confess, this is one place that I have yet to visit myself, but it’s on the to-do

list! Located in famed Harvard Square, there will be plenty for you to do and

see here. How do you like them apples?

 

  1. DEDHAM: Blue Bunny Books and Toys/The Dot Central

http://www.bluebunnybooks.com/     

This is the bookstore of author/illustrator Peter H. Reynolds. In addition to a great

selection of children’s literature, you’ll find books and art autographed by Peter himself,

educational toys and stuffed animals. Be sure to soak up the ambiance with a tea or

coffee. Author/illustrator visits are common, so be sure to check their online calendar

ahead of time!

 

  1. PLAINVILLE: An Unlikely Story

http://www.anunlikelystory.com

Opened in 2015, Jeff Kinney and his wife, Julie, are the owners of this

bookstore and café. There are signed copies of Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid

series nestled in with books for all ages on the first floor. The second floor

serves as a meeting place for community events or bookish ones, and the

third floor is a workspace for the author. What I love about Jeff’s place, as well

as Peter’s, is that you never know when you might spot them checking in on

things!

 

  1. SPRINGFIELD: The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum and the Dr. Seuss National

Memorial Sculpture Garden

https://springfieldmuseums.org

A quadrangle of museums surrounds the life-size characters in the Dr. Seuss

National Memorial Sculpture Garden. Created by Seuss’ stepdaughter, Lark

Grey Dimond-Cates, the bronze statues have been here since 2002. Added to

the Springfield Museums in the fall of 2017, The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss

Museum is a space that celebrates Springfield’s native son.

 

  1. SOUTH HADLEY: The Odyssey Bookshop

http://www.odysseybks.com

This two-story bookstore is set in a picturesque college town. The well-

cultivated children’s book section has autographed copies of books by local

and visiting authors/illustrators. During the holidays, the bookshop invites

several local kidlit creators in to hand-sell books they themselves love!

 

  1. AMHERST: The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

https://www.carlemuseum.org

No visit to Massachusetts is complete without a trip here! Two gigantic rooms

connected by a smaller space house permanent, rotating and visiting

exhibitions. Within the museum there is also a top-notch bookstore, a

children’s art studio, an auditorium for plays or visiting creative types, and an

amazing picture book library! MA educators receive free admission with their Massachusetts Teachers Association card, and can attend workshops or other programs offered by the museum. Recent guest speakers for the fall Educator Night have included Lois Lowry, Christian Robinson and David Wiesner.

 

  1. NORTHAMPTON: Broadside Bookshop

http://www.broadsidebooks.com

Broadside is a fun, crowded bookstore that fits in perfectly with the funky,

downtown area of Northampton. There are strong community ties with this

independent bookstore!

 

  1. NORTHAMPTON: Michelson Galleries

http://www.rmichelson.com

If you are looking to start or add to your personal art collection, might I

suggest peeking inside R. Michelson Galleries? There is an annual illustration

show featuring top talent in children’s literature, but if you miss it, there’s a

whole area inside the building devoted to over 60 well-loved illustrators. Just

ask and they’ll be glad to help you!

 

Addition Things to Do/Places to Visit in MA:

Boston Book Festival, October 13, 2018: https://bostonbookfest.org

Boston Public Library http://www.bpl.org

Wellesley Books http://www.wellesleybooks.com/

Porter Square Books http://www.portersquarebooks.com

Enchanted Passage, LLC https://www.enchantedpassage.com

Laughing Brook Wildlife Sanctuary (for fans of author, Thornton W. Burgess) https://www.massaudubon.org/get-outdoors/wildlife-sanctuaries/laughing-brook

 

*For more information about the influx of kidlit talent to Western Mass., please see this recent article from the Boston Globe: “How Western Mass. became kid’s lit. central”: https://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2017/04/05/how-western-mass-became-kids-lit-central/8Mb4D8IGqEEkk6Lpc0bWxN/story.html)

 

Lesley Burnap is a 3rd grade general education teacher in Central Massachusetts. For most of these kidlit places she’s either traveling to the east or west of where she lives and hopes to have more in her own backyard someday. An avid fan of kidlit, you can find her on Twitter @auntierez or @lburnap90 (school account). She is grateful to Nerdy Pals, Melanie Roy and Wendy Garland, for suggestions and support.

  1. Susan @ redcanoereader.com February 19, 2018

    This is such a fun post! I made a special trip to The Eric Carle Museum from Chicago in 2016 to see the Robert McCloskey collection and it was an amazing experience I’ll always remember. I just wish I lived nearby so that I could attend some of their special presentations! I highly recommend it! – Susan

    Reply
  2. Nancy February 19, 2018

    Thanks so much for this post! I can’t wait to visit!

    Reply
  3. Jennie February 19, 2018

    This is a great list! Thank you, Leslie, for highlighting all the terrific places to inspire and recognize children’s literature. Great post!

    Reply
  4. lesleyburson February 19, 2018

    Thank for reading my post! I hope you will be inspired to create your own kidlit travel list or try my suggestions! I appreciate your comments. ~Lesley

Best to all, especially Beth and Lesley, as this important post was difficult to share without the reblog button.

Jennie

Posted in Uncategorized | 28 Comments

An Art Museum For Book Lovers

Posted on February 19, 2018 by Jennie

Thank you, Sally, for sharing this popular post from my archives.  As I await WordPress to fix the reblog button issue, I’m using Press This for the first time.  Happy reading!

via Smorgasbord Posts from Your Archives – An Art Museum For Book Lovers by Jennie Fitzkee

Posted in Uncategorized | 9 Comments

Then and Now

Posted on February 17, 2018 by Jennie

I was invited to a high school hockey game by one of my former preschoolers.  Lucky me, and what a special treat.  She’s on the team.  It turns out that the hockey team has many more of my preschoolers.

Look at those big smiles! What a reunion, and what a fuss we made.  I may have behaved like a crazy lady at the hockey rink greeting these wonderful kids.  When I stopped to look at the audience – the parents of these children, and plenty of other parents and kids – I saw the faces looking at me.  There were nods and smiles, words of understanding, and almost wishfulness.  Connecting a preschool teacher with a group of her children years later (children to me, not students) is something you don’t see every day.

Bianca invited me.  Thank you!  She is on the far right.  She is as lovely and outgoing today as she was years ago.

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Left to right in the hockey photo is Will (who I always affectionately called Will-Will), Neil (quiet, kind, smart), Bryson (Mr. Outgoing), and Bianca. Below is Liam (ever-busy and funny).  A class photo from 2005 includes most of these children:

Bianca is sitting on my lap.  Bryson is on the bottom row, third from the right.  Liam is beside Bryson in the green shirt.  Neil’s sister is top row in white.  Will’s brother is wearing #95 on the top row.

I love these children.  I teach from the heart, and look what happens: my preschoolers become young adults with a positive sense of self, and goodness for others.  And, they invite me to a hockey game!  They remember.

Jennie

Posted in Expressing words and feelings, Giving thanks, history, Kindness, Love, self esteem, Student alumni, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , , | 48 Comments

A Play Performance

Posted on February 13, 2018 by Jennie

A play performance with preschoolers?  Where children pick parts, make props, and decide on what to say?  You bet.  Instead of telling children what to do, I ask them what they want to do.

That’s empowering.

We learned about the Southwest, and a favorite book was The Three Little Javelinas by Susan Lowell.  It’s a Southwest take on The Three Little Pigs.  Perfect story for a play performance!

In this story, the pigs are javelinas, and the wolf is a coyote.  The first house built was with tumbleweed (not straw.)

We made the tumbleweed house by gluing shredded paper onto styrofoam balls.  That was fun, and it looked just like tumbleweed.

The second house built was with with the sticks that are part of the tall saguaro cactus (not sticks from trees.)

Our sagauro stick house was made with craft sticks glued in long rows.  This was fun, and children wanted to make sure that it looked like long saguaro sticks.  It did!

The third house was built with adobe bricks (not regular bricks.)

We painted cardboard blocks with gold and brown paint.  They became perfect adobe bricks.

Let the play begin!

Children lined up in front of the audience.  Cowboy hats, bandanas, and coyote ears were perfect costumes for javelinas and coyotes.  Our sellers needed a hard hat and a tool apron, a western vest, and a big sombrero.

They did a wonderful job.  When a javelina came to get tumbleweed and saguaro sticks, the sellers said, “Not a good idea.”  When a javelina came along to get adobe bricks, the seller said, “Great idea!”

The javelinas persisted, and the sellers gave them their wares.  The javelinas built their houses, and of course the coyote came along.  The big debate was what to chant, “Little pig”, or “Little javelina.”  Yes, children voted on “little javelinia.”  They also voted on everyone in the play saying the chant:

Little javelina, little javelina, let me come in.
Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin.

 That was so much fun!

Coyotes decided to put their hands on their hips and stomp around, sniffing for javelinas.  Children who were javelinas scrambled under tables into their houses, and the chant rang out loud and clear, from house to house.

The play continued; coyotes climbed onto the roof of the adobe brick house, jumped down the stovepipe of the wood stove, and ran away with plenty of howling.

Here’s the thing; I handed over the reins to the children, and they rose to the occasion.  Because they were empowered, they grew in confidence.  They felt good about themselves.  They worked together.  They had fun.

Here is a video of part of the play:

Play performances rock, as long as the children are in charge.

Jennie

Posted in Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, Imagination, play performances, self esteem, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , , | 46 Comments

Quotations on Reading

Posted on February 11, 2018 by Jennie

frenchc1955's avatarcharles french words reading and writing

carl-sagan-647717_960_720 (1)

(https://pixabay.com)

“And reading itself is an amazing activity: You glance at a thin, flat object made from a tree…and the voice of the author begins to speak inside your head. (Hello!)”

                                                              Carl Sagan

Robert_Louis_Stevenson_1885

(https://commons.wikimedia.org)

“I kept always two books in my pocket, one to read, one to write in.”

                                                              Robert Louis Stevenson

Joyce_carol_oates_2014

(https://en.wikipedia.org)

“Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another’s skin, another’s voice, another’s soul.”

                               …

View original post 18 more words

Posted in Uncategorized | 19 Comments

1-800-Help!

Posted on February 9, 2018 by Jennie

Perhaps it was the ice storm that left the playground like a skating rink nestled among trees.  Or perhaps it was the freezing temperatures day after day, because we have not been outside at school.  Whatever the reason, today was a day not to be remembered.  By mid morning I felt cranky.  So did the children.  I did the best thing I could do, picked up a book that was tuned into the moment- No, David, by David Shannon.

I was feeling just like David’s mother.  The children must have been feeling like David.  We read the book together six times.  Six!  Then we laughed.  Then we belly laughed.

The children have been moving and jumping and singing for days.  Today they were tired of their favorite songs.  They began fighting over their favorite toys. Even the best Beanie Babies were left on the floor.  Yelling?  Pushing?  Yup! Children who don’t cry cried.  When a child pushed another child at our Morning Meeting, I stopped to say that pushing is not okay.  She stuck her tongue out at me.

Whoa!

I must have looked sad or shocked.  I had no words.  I was stunned.  Before I could do anything, children stood up and came to give a big hug.  Unprompted.  They just did it.

Perhaps reading No, David had struck a nerve.  Even a classroom full of good hearts can have a bad day.

Jennie

Posted in behavior, children's books, Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, Kindness, picture books, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , | 73 Comments

Smorgasbord Posts from Your Archives – “Starry Night” II by Jennie Fitzkee

Posted on February 8, 2018 by Jennie

A story of the arts, the creativity of a child, and one of my best moments in teaching. Thank you for sharing this, Sally.

Posted in Uncategorized | 16 Comments

Mr. Popper’s Penguins and Calling 911

Posted on February 4, 2018 by Jennie

Every day of chapter reading is an adventure; a roller coaster of wonder, laughter, and even sadness.  Reading the words aloud to children without any pictures means that we stop to talk and ask questions.

As children hear the words, their brains are in “flux capacitor” mode.  With only words to hear, the brain has to work overtime to make a mental picture, and more importantly process the story.  That means thinking, reasoning, and asking questions.  All in a moment.

That’s what happens every day at chapter reading.

Mr. Popper’s Penguins is our current chapter reading book, and a favorite. We’re close to the end.  Mr. Popper and his penguins have been sent to jail. They caused chaos in the wrong theater with Swen Swenson and his trained seals.  The penguins were disturbers of the peace.  The police and firemen (firefighters was not a word back in 1938) were called.  When they arrived at the scene, it was humorous with the police taking sides with the seals and the firemen taking sides with the penguins.  Chaos escalated, and ended with Mr. Popper and his penguins going to jail.

That prompted quite a discussion with children.  It went something like this:

Child: “Who called the fire department?”

Me: “Janie did.  Remember?  She’s Mr. Popper’s daughter.”

Child: “Did she call 911?”

Me:  “No.  There was no 911 back then.  She picked up the telephone and dialed the number for the fire department.”

Child:  “Was there a fire?”

Me:  “No, just confusion.”

Child:  “But, if you call the fire department and there’s no fire, you get in big trouble.”

Child:  “When do you go to jail?”

Child:  “If you told the police the wrong thing.”

Child:  “If somebody gets hurt and tells the policeman the wrong truth.”

Child:  “If you don’t tell the police the truth and you lie to them.”

Child:  “If you would do something bad to someone, like shoot them.”

I listened as children sorted through right and wrong, good and bad, and that fine line over punishment- jail.  This was tricky.  I was adding gray to their black and white world.  Wrong doesn’t always mean you go to jail, yet wrong is still a terrible thing.

Silence.  Mental wheels were turning.  Sponges were soaking up words and sorting them out.

The child who initiated the discussion, asking about calling the fire department, spoke up.  She was not only listening and learning, she was remembering the day she accidently pushed the 911 button on the telephone in her house.  She told us the story.  And, she told us she did not go to jail.

This prompted another question.

Child:  “How does fire get into your house?”

We talked about the kitchen stove, and electricity, and lightening.  We remembered when firefighters came to visit and dressed in all their gear so we wouldn’t be afraid of them.  We talked about what to do, and being safe.

Then, we went back to reading Mr. Popper’s Penguins.  How will Mr. Popper and the birds get out of jail?  Tomorrow we’ll find out when we read aloud, and I will be ready for what questions may come our way.  The roller coaster of reading aloud is a thrilling ride.


Discovering the South Pole and penguins.

Jennie

Posted in books, chapter reading, children's books, Early Education, Imagination, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , , | 88 Comments