Nature on the Playground

Posted on October 6, 2018 by Jennie

The last flowers of summer, strong and tall.
A playground in itself for butterflies and bees.
A wonder of discovery for children.
Nature is the greatest teacher.

Every day the playground at school is chocked full of something to be discovered.  It waits, quietly and patiently, hoping children will find all its hidden gems.  Will they find Chippy’s new tunnel?  Will they stand under the maple tree to look up and see the changing colors?  Will they find the last of the yellow tomatoes hidden on the vine?  Will they follow the butterfly as it plays in the flowers?  The treasure chest awaits.

Jennie

Posted in Early Education, Imagination, joy, Mother Nature, Nature, preschool, Teaching young children, wonder | Tagged , , , , , , | 68 Comments

Language, Literacy, and Storytelling – Part 2

Posted on October 4, 2018 by Jennie

In Part 1, I talked about growing readers, reading aloud, and chapter reading.  I talked about how language, and the number of words a child hears is critical to academic success in school.  And I took language to the next step, expanding on a picture book and writing what children saw and thought.

Part 2
I begin with that last word, ‘thought’.  How do I help children climb the ladder and take them to the next level?  Let’s start with some facts:

  • Every child wants to read when they begin school.  Enthusiasm is 100%.
  • By fourth grade only 54% read something for pleasure every day.
  • By eighth grade only 30% read for pleasure.
  • By twelfth grade that number has dropped to 19%.

The key word is pleasure.  Reading aloud = academic success + pleasure.

The U.S. Department of Education’s report in 1985 on Becoming a Nation of Readers stated:

“The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children.  It is a practice that should continue throughout the grades.”

I was a new teacher then, yet I just knew this was true.  Teachers can tell.  I jumped into reading aloud with both feet, and I quickly saw the results.  Statistics talk, and I was a witness.  That’s the backstory.

In order for children to climb that ladder and take language to the next step, my first project of the school year is writing picture stories with the children.  In late September I ask each child what they like to do in school. This is not a casual question. It’s the first time their teacher has asked it, one-on-one. First, they have to think. I can almost visualize a fast-forward movie playing in their brains. With no other prompting or questions, I get “the story”.

Each child watches as I write his / her exact works. I have not only put their thought into a written image, I have validated that what they say is important. Because it is. Next, each child draws a picture of their story. I mount the story along with their photo and hang it in the hallway. Of course we have a field trip to the hallway to read aloud everyone’s picture story. Language is critical to learning in all academic areas, so its only natural that creating picture stories is an excellent tool for teachers. Its a fun activity for children, because they want to tell you a story. Yet, children really have to think in order to do this. They must pull words from their heads to tell a story.

When we write stories, or picture stories, it gives children the opportunity to use all those wonderful words they have heard, over and over again, through our picture books and chapter reading. Now, it is their turn. Instead of listening and learning, they are taking their own experiences, using what they have learned through reading, and making stories. That is why their stories are rich in vocabulary and text. Writing stories also increases social skills, language skills… and confidence.

Stay tuned for Part 3.

Jennie

Posted in chapter reading, Early Education, picture stories, preschool, reading, reading aloud, reading aloud, storytelling, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 65 Comments

Quotations on Thinking

Posted on October 2, 2018 by Jennie

Excellent quotations on thinking from Charles French.

charles french words reading and writing

albert-einstein-401484_960_720

(https://pixabay.com)

“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.”

                                                                           Albert Einstein

Plutarch_of_Chaeronea-03

(https://en.wikipedia.org)

“The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.”

                                                                          Plutarch

philosophy-2603284_960_720

(https://pixabay.com)

“The unexamined life is not worth living.”

                                                                         Socrates

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Posted in Uncategorized | 23 Comments

Evening Sky

Posted on September 30, 2018 by Jennie

Thank you, Mother Nature.

Your evening sky is glorious.

Tomorrow I will show the children in my class.

We will count your colors and talk about the sky.

I wonder what the questions and stories will be.

Jennie

Posted in Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, Giving thanks, Imagination, Inspiration, Mother Nature, Nature, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , | 35 Comments

Language, Literacy, and Storytelling – Part 1

Posted on September 29, 2018 by Jennie

As a teacher, I want to grow readers.  I want to help children develop a sense of understanding.  I want children to become curious, and eager to discover.  I learned early on that in order to do this, it all begins with language and hearing words.  Fact:  a child’s success in school in all areas, not just reading, is directly attributed to the number of words s/he hears.  As a parent of young children, that fact alone made me want to run to the public library.  And I did.  As a teacher, I became an advocate for reading to children.  I just knew that pouring all those words into their brains was filling the learning reservoir.  It happens in this order –  listening, speaking, reading, then writing.

Reading aloud became a passion and a constant in my classroom.  The guru of reading aloud, Jim Trelease, visited my classroom to hear me read.  He was curious that I read chapter books to preschoolers, and that they were glued to the story.  He was also writing the latest edition of his million-copy bestselling book, The Read-Aloud Handbook.  I am fortunate to be included in the book.

At chapter reading, children know that they make the pictures in their heads.  This week I said,

“The words go into your ears, and then into your brain and into your heart.  When that happens, you can see the picture in your head.  Can’t you just see Wilbur standing under Charlotte’s web?  Can’t you just see the morning dew making SOME PIG stand out?”

Oh, we had a wonderful, rich conversation!  Language and literacy.  Yes, it starts with language.  But, I felt pulled to do more, to help children cross over, to give them the tools to be a bigger part of it all.  I wanted children to use their own thinking – their own language.  Here is what happened:

I read our first “fact” picture book of the year, Humphrey The Lost Whale, by Wendy Tokuda and Richard Hall.

It is the story of a whale who goes into the San Francisco bay and gets lost.  He turns the wrong way and travels up the Sacramento River.  It took an entire day to look at and talk about the inside cover alone.  Geography at its best!

The small map is the United States.  Note the small red area.  That depicts the location of the large map.  We could see the ocean, the Golden Gate Bridge, the bay, and Humphrey’s path up the river – which got smaller and smaller.  Questions and curiosity and conversations were abundant.  Plus, it was so cool that it was a true story.

The next day I read the book to the children.  We often stopped to talk about what was happening.  When we hit this page, I showed the illustration and just said, “Oh, no.”

Silence.  Big eyes.  Worried eyes.  We talked for a long time.  This was a meeting and a marriage of the mind and the heart.  This was also where children expanded on their language.  And so, they told their own story:

“Education is not filling a pail but the lighting of a fire.”
-William Butler Yeats-

Stay tuned for Part 2.

Jennie

Posted in Book Review, books, chapter reading, children's books, Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, geography, Imagination, Jim Trelease, picture books, reading, reading aloud, reading aloud, storytelling, Teaching young children, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 51 Comments

The Reading Snapshots Keep Growing

Posted on September 25, 2018 by Jennie

Children’s reading is growing!  Last week my preschool children began to read independently.  It was wonderful.  The photo of children on the rug with their books spoke to the power of reading aloud good books, and children modeling what they love.

And look what happened today:

Children decided to line up the chairs like a train, with every child reading a book. Teachers stood back and smiled, watching all that was happening.  All aboard!

Jennie

Posted in books, children's books, Early Education, Imagination, Inspiration, picture books, reading, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , , , , | 46 Comments

A New Year of Reading Charlotte’s Web

Posted on September 23, 2018 by Jennie

Every year I start chapter reading with my preschool class on ‘day one’.  And, the first book I read is Charlotte’s Web.  We have barely had three weeks of school and children are totally hooked.  They adore Wilbur and laugh at the goose repeating words three times.  They trust Charlotte. They have met Templeton the rat, and learned of Wilbur’s fate.  When Charlotte’s demise looked imminent in the hands of Avery’s big stick, there were gasps.

I am reading to three and four-year-olds about the beauty of life and the fear of death, about morals (and lack thereof), and about friendships (and lack thereof).  That sounds pretty sophisticated for preschoolers, but leave it to the beautifully crafted words of E.B. White.

Twilight settled over Zuckerman’s barn, and a feeling of peace.  Fern knew it was almost suppertime but she couldn’t bear to leave.  Swallows passed on silent wings, in and out of the doorways, bringing food to their young ones.  From across the road a bird sang “Whippoorwill, whippoorwill!”  Lurvy sat down under an apple tree and lit his pipe; the animals sniffed the familiar smell of strong tobacco.  Wilbur heard the trill of a tree toad and the occasional slamming of the kitchen door.  All these sounds made him feel comfortable and happy, for he loved life, and loved to be part of the world on a summer evening.

We often underestimate children.  Their brains are absorbing the world around them like a giant sponge.  Let’s give them the world through words, the best words written.  I tell the children – with great fanfare and passion – “The words in the story go into your ears and then into your brain, and you make the pictures in your head.”

That’s just what happens, every day at chapter reading.

The beauty of Charlotte’s Web comes from learning about the world, and about every feeling that is important in order to grow into a good person.  Goodness and knowledge, all on a farm.

I had a pleasant surprise; my hardcopy of Charlotte’s Web is of course at school.  As I typed this post, I needed a copy of the book in order to type E.B. White’s words from page 62.  Surely I had another copy of the book here at home.  I did!  As I opened the book, this is what I saw:

Thank you, Gabriel.  You are now in high school, doing very well.  Whenever you visit (once or twice a year), it means the world to me.  And today I found the book you gave me.  You loved Charlotte’s Web.  That book went straight to your heart, and I know your heart wanted to give me something when you left my class and moved on to kindergarten.  From my heart to yours, thank you!

Jennie

Posted in Book Review, books, chapter reading, children's books, E.B. White, Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, Imagination, Inspiration, Learning About the World, preschool, reading aloud, reading aloud, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 56 Comments

A Snapshot in My Classroom This Week

Posted on September 21, 2018 by Jennie

Teachers read aloud to children – all the time.

Children model what they see.

Reading is pleasure.

Jennie

Posted in behavior, books, children's books, Early Education, Inspiration, picture books, preschool, reading, reading aloud, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , , , | 46 Comments

repost for new readers: Vincent & Ludwig

Posted on September 20, 2018 by Jennie
Posted in Uncategorized | 10 Comments

The Man Himself, Eric Carle

Posted on September 18, 2018 by Jennie

I was tenth on the waiting list to hear Eric Carle – the man himself – speak to a packed audience.  It is the 50th anniversary of The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  Can you imagine this childhood favorite book has been in print and a perennial favorite for children, parents, and teachers for fifty years?  I crossed my fingers, took a chance, and made the long drive to western Massachusetts.  The worst thing that could happen would be I’d tour the exhibits, the art studio, and the bookstore.  And that was fine with me.

I arrived early and was warmly greeted, but I simply had to wait till just before the event to see if I ‘made it’.  So, I decided to tour the new exhibit celebrating the book and its artwork over the past fifty years.  And it did not disappoint!  Everything was there.

I have said it before, there’s nothing like seeing the real deal.  When it comes to art, being inches away and seeing brushstrokes is something you have to experience.  And I was experiencing just that, along with a man and a mother and her young boy.  Nobody else was at the exhibit. I guess they were all in the auditorium waiting to hear Eric Carle speak.  I had the floor to explore.  Lucky me!

I walked to the big glass doors to leave the almost empty room, and then, in walked the man himself.  Eric Carle.  We were face-to-face.  Behind him was a group of the museum directors and more, all carrying big cameras for a photo shoot.  For a few moments it was just the two of us.  I had no words.  I smiled and crossed my arms over my chest, embracing myself in complete surprise. He smiled, walked straight over to me, and gave me a big hug.  Big.

Are you getting this?!  

It was a suspended moment.  No words were needed.  Eric Carle finally said, “Thank you.  Good to see you.”  And then the group entered and started taking pictures.  The first photo taken was just after our hug.  My face says it all:

I sneaked behind the photo shoot and took a few of my own.  I felt like the paparazzi as I was snapping photos.

I returned to the front of the museum, waiting to hear if I ‘got in’ to the  big event to hear Eric Carle speaking about fifty years of The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  “Fitzkee, number ten.  You’re in.”  Yes!!

Eric Carle’s presentation was fascinating.  At 89 years old he is witty and humorous, and captivates his audience.  The Very Hungry Caterpillar is sold every thirty seconds and is written in over forty languages. While those facts are amazing, it is the stories behind creating the book that I will remember.

“It all started with a hole punch.  I was bored”, said Carle.  He picked up a hole punch and started using it on paper.  “I thought of a bookworm, and created a story about Willi the Worm.  My editor suggested a caterpillar, I said butterfly, and that’s how the story began.”

Eric Carle and the original Willi the Worm.  Note the banana.

Of course there were many questions, and his answers were funny.  The audience loved it:

“Were those short pages of the fruit and punched holes a nightmare for your publisher?”

“Oh, yes!”

“Why didn’t you use the banana in The Very Hungry Caterpillar?”

“I don’t know.”

“Really?”

“Well, it was longer than the other fruit.”

And that was the spark, the trigger that drives Eric Carle – how he creates his art.  Of course the fruits needed to be uniform to work in the book.  No banana.  He became impassioned, wanting his audience to understand his work.

“Do you know there are only four colors?  Red, blue, yellow, and black.  They make up all the colors.  Every color in the world.  Red and blue are complementary colors.  So are yellow and green.”

Then Eric Carle pulled out his box of tissue papers.  Remember the tissue paper that came with shirts in boxes?  That’s what he likes.  Colored tissue paper?  No thank you!  He paints the paper with anything you can imagine, even carpeting.  His box was filled with wonder.

I was struck with the fact that Eric Carle only works on a white background, white paper.  He was firm about this, talking about other books using too much background color.  He is absolutely right, and I do the same thing in my classroom; my color is only in the activity at hand.  The rest of the classroom is neutral and filled with plants and nature.  He understands, and so do I.

For those of us who were ticket holders and ‘got in’, we were given a golden ticket, good for purchasing the 50th anniversary edition of the book, signed by the author.  I was #5 with my golden ticket, in line to get the book, just like Charlie in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” 

This anniversary book will be released next month.

A day to remember.

Jennie

Posted in art, books, children's books, Early Education, Eric Carle, Imagination, Inspiration, museums, picture books, preschool, reading, reading aloud, Teaching young children, young children | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 96 Comments