Animal Atlas

Title: Animal Atlast
Author: Virginie Aladjidi
Illustrator: Emmanuelle Tchoukriel
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Publication Date: October 4th, 2016
Genre/Format: Non-Fiction/Atlas - Informational
GoodReads Summary: Did you know that: 
Sea otters can spend months in the water without returning to land? 
Flying fish can glide for 300 ft over the water? 
A Praying Mantis can rotate its head 180 degrees?

Become an expert on all things that swim, fly, walk, hop, slither, and crawl! In a celebration of the many animals that share our planet, this gorgeously illustrated atlas explores over 250 different animals across the seven continents. Learn where different animals live, what they eat, how they communicate, and many more fascinating facts!What I Think: The setup of Animal Atlas makes it really easy for readers to see where animals live on the Earth. The concept of the Earth being such a big place and understanding where other countries are compared to our is pretty abstract. Animal Atlas is organized so animals are presented with other animals that live near them. Readers can easily see where animals are in the world while also learning about many different animals. This book covers a range of animals, some common and others unique. This book would be a great to use when inviting students to learn about animals in a certain part of the world and could lead into further learning about animals. I work with a 4th grade teacher who did a focused Genius Hour where she let students pick any topic to research as long is it related to the northeast region (which is what their were studying in their SS unit). This book would be great if you want kids to think about researching animals from a certain area of the world and then encourage them to read other texts to learn more about a specific animal they chose.
Snatch of Text: 
"Appaloosa Horse - Equus caballus, Class: mammal
The Appaloosa, with its spotted coat, was brought to American by the Spaniards in the sixteenth century, then raised by the Nez Perce tribe near the Palouse River, from which the horse gets its name. The Appaloosa breed is popular for western riding competitions." (p. 3)
Writing Prompt: Can you find your favorite animal in the Animal Atlas? Incorporate what you learn about an animal in the Animal Atlas and what you read about that animal elsewhere to share what you know about that animals.

For The Love of Mentor Texts - Linda Baie

Welcome to our first post in the For The Love of Mentor Texts series I'll be hosting here at Teach Mentor Texts. I love to talk about the power of mentor texts to impact our writing but I've invited a few friends to share how they use mentor texts for a fresh perspective. Today I'm thrilled to share thoughts from Linda Baie who blogs at Teacher Dance. I hope you are as inspired by her ideas as I am!

Would you like to write a guest post for For The Love of Mentor Texts? Just let me know by filling out this simple form. 

*********************************

         I’m honored that Jen asked me to write about mentor texts, and grateful to share some ideas from my teaching past. First, I want to mention that there are many wonderful PD books that help teachers find good examples, and to share a few that meant much to me through the years in addition to using my own students’ words and mine, too.

         Mentor Author, Mentor Texts - Ralph Fletcher

         Write Like This - Kelly Gallagher

         Poetry Mentor Texts - Lynne R. Dorfman & Rose Cappelli

         All The Poetry Friday Anthologies - Sylvia Vardell & Janet Wong

Older, but so valuable in poetry:

          Knock At A Star - X.J. Kennedy and Dorothy M. Kennedy (K-6)

          Important Words - Bill Brown and Malcolm Glass (middle & high school)

        If I were still teaching, I imagine Stacey Shubitz's book, Craft Moves, would become one I would use often, too. It’s about picture books as mentor texts, which I used through all my teaching days.

       This time, I’ll focus on one idea, and it was borrowed from a colleague long ago. At my school where I taught, each student chose a specific topic to study, called a unit, and with their beginning research input and mine, a curriculum was built around that topic. I taught a mixed grade of 6th, 7th and 8th grade students, but others in the school who taught younger children also used this idea sometimes. I used alphabet picture books that showed different approaches to writing some basic information about a non-fiction topic. Because artistic capturing of details and ideas was also an important component in all classrooms, this beginning assignment for students worked beautifully as a start in both art and writing for each research topic. Students were to research and create an alphabet book that showed the beginning of their learning.

        As the students worked, they also began to form questions to further knowledge. This will be something that can be applied to a whole-class study of a topic, with each student taking one or more letters according to the needs of twenty-six pages! Basic pages can be written and illustrated, but later support deeper research.

       Here are a few books I’ve used, and why:

R Is For Rhyme - Judy Young and illustrated by Victor Juhasz

       This book not only entertains with beautiful pictures, but introduces poem forms and example poems. It helps writers choose what could be a good approach to including their research in poem form.

The Butterfly Alphabet Book - Brian Cassie and Jerry Pallotta, illustrated by Mark Astrella

        Each page shows straightforward informational paragraphs, good practice in keeping on topic.

A Is For Muskox - Erin Cabatingan and illustrated by Matthew Myers

        What a clever book, that actually tells all about one topic, the muskox, but using a funny approach, allowing dialogue between the “writer” and an interrupting muskox. The pages show real things that are traditional alphabet words, like “A Is For Apple”, but adds that interruption with information about the topic (the muskox). For those students who want to know that writers take risks when delivering informatin, this is the book to show.

Antler, Bear, Canoe - A Northwoods Alphabet Year - Betsy Bowen

          This book adds another layer that might fit certain topics, it takes the alphabet through a year.  Each page ensures that real information is included, like the fact that the Hare changes back to brown from white when spring arrives. It also shows how so much information can be included by only highlighting certain words.

The OCEAN Alphabet Book - Jerry Pallotta and illustrated by Frank Mazzola, Jr.

         Jerry Pallotta has written other alphabet books, too, but I find this one shows that he has tackled a large topic, but narrowed it down to only creatures that live in an ocean, except for the first page. If a topic is quite broad, first a student, or class, needs to narrow to a sub-topic in choosing something for each letter. In this book, the sentences are brief, a way to craft a book for younger readers. It would be good to compare this one to the butterfly book in studying the way  information is given.

8 An Animal Alphabet - Elisha Cooper

           This has been published since I was in the classroom, and it is wonderful. With many pictures of animals who start with each letter, Elisha Cooper challenges the reader to find the animal that’s presented “eight” times. It’s an opportunity for alphabet pages that have only vocabulary, perhaps for early readers?  Elisha places a bit more information about each animal at the back.

           I’d like to take this opportunity to share another very recent book that makes me wish I was back in the classroom, in a writers’ workshop. Here is the post about Ideas Are All Around by Phillip C. Stead  This book can be used in a variety of ways across ages, especially when searching for ideas to write about. Please find it, read and enjoy.

             I hope that you will take some of these ideas, use these books or find your own favorite alphabet books to use in the classroom. Thanks again for inviting me, Jen.

Thanks for being here, Linda! xoxo

Do you have any thoughts to share with Linda?

Please add them in the comments!

Little Elliot, Big City Blog Tour and Giveaway!

I'm thrilled to be part of the Little Elliot, Big City blog tour today! We love this sweet book at my house but I learned so much from Mike Curato's guest post (below) about the importance of research even in fiction writing. It made me think differently about how this book might be used as a mentor text. I hope you enjoy Mike's guest post as much as I did and that you'll visit the other stops on the blog tour and enter my giveaway!

Title: Little Elliot, Big City
Author: Mike Curato
Illustrator: Mike Curato
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: August 26, 2014
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book
GoodReads Summary: Amid the hustle and bustle of the big city, the big crowds and bigger buildings, Little Elliot leads a quiet life. In spite of the challenges he faces, Elliot finds many wonderful things to enjoy—like cupcakes! And when his problems seem insurmountable, Elliot discovers something even sweeter—a friend.
What I Think: It's hard not to love a sweet little elephant with polka-dots, especially when he loves cupcakes. Right? I love imagining an elephant feeling small on the streets of New York...let alone in his apartment. Despite challenges that Elliot faces, he also recognizes great things in his life. This sentiment is such a great message for kids. Life isn't perfect. Some things make life hard and some things make life amazing. Friends make the hard things more tolerable and the amazing things even better.
     After reading Mike's guest post about the research he did for the book, it made me really think about how much research goes into a fiction book. Just because his characters are fiction, he still spent a lot of time getting the setting right. It seems like his initial Google Image search led to more research, different resources, places to visit. This is such a great example of passion driven research that should be shared with students. I wish more teachers would ignite students' passion for research by showing them what true passion driven research looks like in real life and  encouraging them to learn more about what seems exciting to them. 
     I would venture to say that anyone can draw a building and anyone can draw a car but being true to the time period and making sure to get subtle details right shows an attention to the essence of the book. What a wonderful message to share the care that goes into bringing a book to life. As a mentor text, I believe reading Mike's guest post would be a nice way to start a discussion about what research and/or resources students might do or access in preparation for or as they write. This would be great to share with students who have trouble getting started with their writing. Maybe building their background knowledge and immersing themselves into reading about their topic, setting, time period would help them feel more confident in their writing.
Read Together: Grades K - 2
Read Alone: Grades K - 3
Read With: The Story of Fish and Snail by Deborah Freedman, The Adventures of Beekle by Dan Santat, Love Monster by Rachel Bright, Boy + Bot by Ame Dyckman, You Will Be My Friend! by Peter Brown, The Lion and The Mouse by Jerry Pinkney, Cupcake by Charise Mericle Harper, Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick
Snatch of Text: 

"Little Elliot loved living in a big city,

but sometimes it was hard being so

small in such a huge place."

Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when having a friend with you helped you to believe in yourself.
Topics Covered: Friendship, Courage, Adversity, Determination

I *heart* It:

 

Little Elliot, Big City Blog Tour

Tuesday, August 26 Librarian in Cute Shoes @utalaniz

Wednesday, August 27 Teach Mentor Texts @mentortexts

Thursday, August 28 Read. Write. Reflect. @katsok 

Friday, August 29 Kit Lit Frenzy @alybee930

Saturday, August 30 Daddy Mojo @daddymojo

Sunday, August 31 Sharp Reads @colbysharp 

Watch. Connect. Read. @mrschureads

Nerdy Book Club @nerdybookclub

Monday, September 1 Miss Print @miss_print

A warm welcome to Mike Curato, author and illustrator of Little Elliot, Big City, who shares insight into the research he did for Little Elliot, Big City!

In my new book, Little Elliot, Big City, a small polka-dotted elephant navigates a bustling New York City set in the late 1930s/early 1940s. I chose this period because I love the aesthetic of the day, and because I have a nostalgia for a time before cell phones and apps and internet. There’s a romance around the idea that people wrote each other hand-written letters and had milk delivered to their home.

In order to create an accurate depiction of the period, thorough research was essential, especially since I was not alive back then to witness everything first hand. There were many questions to answer. What did New York City look like then? What would Elliot’s apartment likely contain? What kind of refrigerator would he store his treats in? Throughout the book, I try to tuck in some visual clues to take us back in time.

I used several different resources in my research. Google Images was my first stop. There are some obvious limitations to this. Sometimes one isn’t even sure what keywords to search for. Other times, there just isn’t anything available specific to the period. There are some websites that specialize in history and ephemera that I used as well. One of my favorite sites is Forgotten New York, which specializes in cataloguing different areas and aspects of New York that are gone or are quickly changing, as well as sharing a bit of history. The New York Public Library also boasts a huge digital collection of photographs from various time periods throughout the city’s lifetime.

Though the internet can seem endless, sometimes you just can’t find what you’re looking for. That’s usually when I move on to books. I made a trip to the New York City Library, which naturally houses many books about New York. For the second book, Little Elliot, Big Family, I actually spent several hours in there just trying to find out what the fence along the water’s edge of Battery Park used to look like.

Even then, more in depth research is needed. I took another trip to the MTA Museum and Archives, where I was able to photograph older models of subway cars in person. In the archives, I was able to search through tons of vintage photographs that showed how each subway stop used to look. There were also photo essays that offered a glimpse into the time period. It was by far my favorite research moment!

One limitation of working from someone else’s photographs is that sometimes it’s not taken at the precise angle or perspective that I need for my composition. So, I also trekked all over Manhattan and Brooklyn, taking reference of various buildings and street details.

Once I have all of my reference gathered, I can start working on the finished drawings. Sometimes, when a spread is particularly complex, I’ll create a mockup of my references, almost like a patchwork quilt, to help me map out the piece. Here’s an example of before and after:

All of that combined to help me create Elliot’s world! Though the story has themes about friendship and perspective, the moral behind my research is: always do your homework!

Thank you for sharing this part of your process, Mike! 

Paul Thurlby's Wildlife

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday is hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy. 
Every Wednesday, I'll review a non-fiction picture book. (It may not always be a picture book.) Be sure to visit Kid Lit Frenzy and see what other non-fiction books are shared this week!

Title: Paul Thurlby's Wildlife 
Author: Paul Thurlby 
Illustrator: Paul Thurlby 
Publisher: Templar - Candlewick
Publication Date: March, 2013 
Genre/Format: Non-Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: Did you know that crocodiles cry while they eat? Or that polar bears turn green if they stay hot for too long? Or that bees do a dance to speak to one another? See wildlife as you’ve never seen it before with Paul Thurlby’s menagerie of curious animals. With unique and humorous artwork that’s so stylish you’ll want to remove it from the book and hang it on your wall, Paul Thurlby brings to life twenty-three animals in a way that will appeal to readers of all ages. 
What I Think: I absolutely adore Paul Thurlby's Alphabet and was so excited to see this new book. His artwork is amazing and I love his style. What I really love about this book is that it's a great way to introduce students to so many different animals and at the same time share some really unique facts about them. I'm fascinated by how reading leads to more reading. In the past several years, as I've read so many books, I often find myself making connections between books. Before, when I had read books but not nearly as I have in the last six or seven years, it was definitely not as easy to make connections between books. I've had so many conversations with students, prompting them to make connections with their reading but it's really difficult to make connections from one text to another when they haven't read many books. As students read more, it's much easier to find connections between books.
     When I think about teachers fostering students' love of reading and encouraging them to read more and read a variety of texts, I think about how reading one book can lead to reading other books or other texts. What if we all encouraged students to branch from one book into another book? What if we articulated just how often we do it as adults and share that as part of a readers' life? Books like The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate and Wonder by RJ Palacio come to mind. I can't imagine someone reading either of those books and not feeling the need to read more about the real Ivan or to wonder what someone with craniofacial abnormalities like Auggie looks like in real life. Reading those fiction novels easily extends into reading non-fiction to support our understanding. The same works from non-fiction to fiction. I love historical fiction and when I learn about a time in history that seems fascinating, I have found myself looking for historical fiction novels to read because I feel like I can truly immerse myself into that world. Non-fiction also leads to more non-fiction, readers might go from a book to an article to a website and back to a book. This interconnectedness between all the different things we read seems so normal and yet I'm not sure we point this out to students and encourage them to follow their wonderings from one text to another.
     With Paul Thurlby's Wildlife, students have the opportunity to learn about animals but they only get one or two tidbits of information. It's a fun book but it's also a chance to get students' brains wondering and then to show them how an idea in one book might lead them into another text. After reading Chris Lehman's book, Energize, and rethinking how students research and how we support them in their research, I think this organic way of piquing their interest and then leading them towards more exploration and reading on a certain topic is ideal. I can definitely see how this book might be used to choose an animal to research as a class, as small groups or individually.
Read Together: Grades Pre-K - 3 
Read Alone: Grades Pre-K - 3 
Read With: What If You Had Animal Teeth? by Sandra Markle, Where In the Wild? by David M. Schwartz and Yael Schy, Can We Save the Tiger? by Martin Jenkins, Yellow Elephant by Julie Larios, What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? and others by Steve Jenkins  
Snatch of Text:  

"Bees talk to one another by dancing in patterns."

Reading Strategies to Practice: Activating Background Knowledge, Making Connections, Asking Questions 
Writing Strategies to Practice: Expository 
Writing Prompts: Choose an animal from Paul Thurlby's Wildlife and research more about that animal or the animal fact shared in the book. Write an expository piece to share what you learn. 
Topics Covered: Integration - Science, Animals 

I *heart* It:

The One Where I Try To Do Research #slice2013

Every Tuesday, Ruth and Stacey, host Slice of Life at their blog, Two Writing Teachers. If you want to participate, you can link up at their Slice of Life Story Post on Tuesdays or you can just head on over there to check out other people's stories. For more information on what a Slice of Life post is about, you can go here. 

*          *          *

I'm not sure exactly when my little seed idea for a non-fiction picture book took root inside my little head, I think it was at the beginning of the summer. Ever since, I have been really excited every time I return to it. I checked out a bunch of books from the library to do some research but briefly skimmed them before it was time to return them. Tomorrow I'll be sharing this little idea with a group of 8th graders and wanted to show the research I have done so far to be able to learn more about the subject before I draft my story. Last night, I zipped over to the library to pick up a stack of books that were waiting for me on hold. (Oh, how I love being able to order books online through my library system!) 

I came home and looked at my pile of books...my so-called "research". And then I realized I don't really know how to research information that isn't articles in journals, I'm actually researching history and it's going to take a lot more work than simply requesting books by keyword search from my library. 

Here are the books in my bookstack:

One collection of "dramatic fictions" 

40 stories about Chicago - bummed that they aren't actually true stories

Two middle grade novels - historical fiction 

one actually is set during the time period I am researching and the other has absolutely nothing to do with my topic...except for the misleading title (Oops!)

One adult non-fiction narrative - historical fiction

this book is where I initially learned about this famous individual and his story

One collection of biographies of famous Illinoisans 

27 total and all but three are people born in Illinois - this has no Library of Congress information or references listed at all...I'm actually not sure how it even qualifies as a book. It looks like it was typed on a typewriter... (?)

Two juvenile informational texts - non-fiction expository

both share information about the topic and its' inventor

I quickly realized that I'm sure I'm only touching the surface of information that's out there to read in order to be best prepared to write my book. I did some online research and there is a historical society near Chicago that looks like it has more information. I feel great about at least having a start but am starting to make plans for next steps in my research. 

Next steps:

• See what information my local librarian can help me pull.
• Spend time locating and printing online resources.
• Call the historical society to see what resources they have.
• Search the Library of Congress to see what information they have.
• Look up and request references listed in the books I have.

I feel like I'm trying to uncover some kind of buried treasure. I know the information is out there but I have to figure out how to find it. There are helpers and clues along the way but I know I'm going to have to get creative and persevere to be able to find the information I need. 

Thinking back through all the writing I have done, there are a few instances that stand out when I had to do research and truly enjoyed it. In 8th grade, we had to do a big research project and I know I researched Susan B. Anthony, took notes and organized all my ideas on notecards. I remember studying Deaf culture my junior year in high school for American History. When I was in college, I did an independent study - my Capstone for the honors program - where I chose to research teambuilding and social development and to make connections with supporting students who are deaf and hard of hearing with their social development. I loved that research the most. I worked at the university library when I was in college so I had lots of information and databases and journals galore right at my fingertips. I have barely had access to a university library since then and this kind of research isn't really the type that would lead me towards scholarly journals...at least I don't think. 

I've research lots of things without the intention of writing a paper or doing a project - namely on what kind of car to buy and countless baby-related topics. Research like this I was extremely motivated to partake in but it is definitely a different kind of research compared to what I feel I need to do in order to be prepared to write a non-fiction narrative picture book. 

The antsy-ness I felt when I came home from the library lingers. I'm excited to dive into these books and to embrace the adventure of finding out what else is out there. I didn't realize how much more time I would need to invest but I feel like if I want to do it right (and I do!), then I'll need to put more time and energy into my research. The realization that this is a different kind of research was eye-opening and exciting. I can't wait to share this with students and to hopefully spread my excitement to them as they work towards finding their own topics to research and delve into their own adventures.

What I have learned from Teachers Write just continues to amaze me. I don't know if I would have really, truly thought about and realized how different this kind of research is if I hadn't come up with this idea for a book and actually pursued it. This research is leading towards a different kind of writing compared to my girly fiction novel. I never thought I would want to write a non-fiction narrative picture book but here I am. I'm really looking forward to experiencing this process and sharing it!

Teachers Write Sunday Check-In Week 2

I would never have come to writing if not for all the wonderfully, splendid books I read and loved in my life. Or the dreadfully, horrible books, for that matter. Having read so many books, I know my perspective on writing has changed. When you've only read one book, you don't have anything else to compare that book to. You might love the book or hate the book but it's all you've got. Once you read another book, then you have two books. And when you look at two books, there's probably one book that you like just a little bit better than the other. Or maybe you enjoy the description more in one book but you enjoy the characters more in the other book. Either way, when you have two books, then you can analyze and compare. Well, after you've read hundreds and hundreds of book, you've really got something to compare. It seems natural that after reading so much, it's time to write. 

Reading before writing is what mentor texts are all about. Ralph Fletcher says that "mentor texts are any texts that you can learn from". As writers, we can learn from texts all around us. I have often found inspiration on the cups at Starbucks. Where I truly find my inspiration is in the books I read everyday. Last weekend at ALA, I talked to my friend, Gary Anderson, about how it is so important for writers to be readers. He asked me if I thought writers needed to read within the genre they are writing or if I would suggest reading varied genres. Great question, right? I think the answer is both. By reading so many different types of books and books by different authors, we get a grasp of unique styles of writing. By reading several books within one genre, we get to know what authors are doing within the genre we want to write. I see value in both. I also see value in recognizing what is commonly done in order to see how we can play with words or structure to create something new. Here are some of my favorite quotes about reading before writing:

For my young adult novels, I've read many books 

that are in some way an inspiration to me.

Here are a some of them:

After reading Life in the Ocean, a non-fiction picture book about the oceanographer, Sylvia Earle, I got inspired to write a book about the life of a local famous person...I'm not sure if I'll write it or not, but I started by checking out any book that my library system has about this man. In a sense, reading about what you are going to write about is doing research. Whether you are writing fiction or non-fiction, it's important to know what's out there, what has been written before, and what you can add to that particular topic or genre. 

My Teachers Write Weekly Recap:

I finally finished one of the courses I'm taking this summer and it feels amazing. This week, I got started on my writing late, but I did make some headway on rewriting the beginning of my WIP. My favorite part of the week is sharing on Friday Feedback and that always motivates me to write. Then yesterday, I sat down and did a writing sprint and got a little over 1,000 words in. I keep reminding myself that even a little bit counts. I also have a nice bookstack from the library to read as research for this non-fiction picture book idea I have...it's totally random but kind of exciting at the same time. 

A reminder of my rules for Teachers Write Sunday Check-Ins:

1. We respect each other and the type of writing we do.

2. We only offer constructive criticism.

3. We are positive and encourage each other at all times.

4. We recognize and maintain this as a safe environment.

**I reserve every right to put the smackdown
on anyone who messes with our positive energy.**

Today, in the comments section:
What are your mentor texts?
What do you look for in a mentor text for yourself?

How did you do this week? Did you meet your weekly goal(s)?
What was the pit of your week? (The hardest part, the non-fun part?)
What was the peak of your week? (The best part, the most-fun part?)
What are you looking forward to and planning for the week ahead?