Friday, February 23, 2024

We're on TikTok!

Two Crazy Reading Ladies on a Friday afternoon, catchin' up on all this new-fangled social media all the kids are talkin' 'bout. Join us!

Book Expressions

Best. Dog. (or dog adjacent) Ever. 

Do-Over

This or That: Books


Wednesday, July 26, 2023

Books to Go!

Every once in a while, we get to focus on a positive that came out of the pandemic and its associated response.

 

One of the babies thrown out with the bath water was summer reading. It left in spring 2020 and would not return for three years.

The CRL felt a visceral reaction to this decision; we knew that this was not the time to let reading go. 

We also knew that, if we wanted kids to read, we needed to make ourselves (and our books) available. We decided to promote reading and put books in kids' hands by offering the school lending library during the summer. We set up a table in the lobby and scheduled specific days and times to invite families in.

The idea that was born out of necessity has since become an established practice. We call it Books to Go. It is one of the most well-received programs in our building, it has numerous benefits, and it is one of the simplest, cheapest things we do. 

This is how we launch Books to Go:

  • Confer with admin for permission, scheduling, and payment.
  • Set up a table or two in the lobby and display books to lend.
  • Print sign-out sheets.
  • Decorate with posters and cute summer props.
  • Promote it (we use signs, Regroup messages, Principal newsletters, and social media.)

Books to Go accomplishes several things: it makes summer reading books accessible to all students, it brings families and students into the building in a comfortable, manageable way, and it promotes summer reading. I love visiting with established families as well as the chance to get to know some of the incoming sixth graders.


The success is in its sustainability - this is an easy set up, and - if scheduled correctly - it takes advantage of a time when the school is already open to the public. We choose the day and time carefully, being mindful of building coverage as well as dismissal times for town summer offerings.


Do you have a similar program? Let us know in the comments!




Saturday, February 4, 2023

For the love of librarians

For over a decade, our school district has suffered the loss of librarians. Sure, our middle school boasts a big, beautiful library space - we even have a decent budget for books - but there is no librarian to cull the collection, to staff library time, or to help students select the books that will make them fall in love with reading. We know the science, and we know what a tragedy this is.

Teacher with Ms. Bree
Students at BLAST 2022

We are The Crazy Reading Ladies, after all. We know adolescents, and we know good books. We read YA and middle-grade literature almost exclusively. We're cool! We follow our favorite authors and publishers on Twitter and Instagram. We know how the use the internet. We can talk books all day long; in fact, we love nothing more than spending time with students and matching them to books. We also know that we are not librarians, nor do we have access to the thousands of books and online resources that await public library patrons.  Our students need more than we can give them.  Libraries are the answer. The public library is a wealth of resources - ours offers everything from books, to apps, to clubs, to social opportunities, and safe gathering spaces.
Ms. Caleigh at BLAST launch 2018

Weekly BLAST set up

Four years ago, we secured the necessary approval to get our library collaborative (we call it BLAST: Bringing Libraries and Schools Together) off the ground. We knew what our students were missing and, quite honestly, the town librarians were thrilled to be introduced to so many families. It was a win-win.

Ms. Bree and Erin teaching student to use a Playaway

We had a library card drive and scheduled BLAST to come in weekly (picture a Bookmobile minus the -mobile.) Our students are invited up to the library for an hour each week to browse, pick up requests, check out, and return. Several have made personal connections with the librarian and make an effort to bring their families to library events. In the years since BLASTs' inception, our program has now spread to four other schools in our district and is now extending to neighboring towns.

The youth services librarians from our local public library have reported faithfully each week for over four years. We want to take a moment to thank these wonderful people for the myriad of things they do for our students each week.

They collect requests.

They match books to student interests.

They respond to teacher emails.

They now coordinate with district administrators to get resources in the hands of students and teachers.

They magically manifest multiple copies of the latest Karen McManus or Ruta Sepetys.

They collaborate with us on author visits.

They invite our students to become advisory board members and ask them what they want for library programming.

They train kids to use the library app.

They talk to our kids about what they're reading (and about their pets, younger siblings, favorite teachers, and dance lessons.)

They bring read-alikes when 7th graders are lamenting the end of The Outsiders.

They bring books for teachers who are members of outside book clubs.

They are talented. They are extraordinary team players. They are flexible. They are irreplaceable.

To Felicia, Caleigh, Bree, Mitzi, and all the wonderful librarians who work tirelessly to put good books in the hands of kids: thank you.





Sunday, April 10, 2022

Overwhelming

The following story is stuff of CRL lore.

Once upon a time, an 8th grade ELA teacher and the school reading specialist had a little idea: let's invite kids to read The Hunger Games with us, and maybe the Principal will allow us to take the kids to see the movie. One thing led to another, 220+ middle schoolers devoured the book, and we quickly found ourselves giddily in over our heads.  At one point, we were having a conversation with our assistant principal.  We were ourselves - excited and excitable and probably not using our best indoor voices.  At the end of the conversation, our Assistant Principal sighed heavily and said, "You two are overwhelming."  

She probably didn't mean it as a compliment, but we took it as such and continue to wear the word OVERWHELMING as a badge of pride.   

This post was drafted after several emotional texts and phone calls. We've recently experienced a flurry of moments, courtesy of our wonderful, all-grown-up students, who have overwhelmed us with their love and sincerity. Teaching is a special profession for a lot of reasons - our iron-clad immune systems, wireless lie-detecting abilities, the skill to end class at exactly 8:37 - but the greatest reward is when we become part of someone's story. 

Earlier this week, Mary got a message from a former student: 

Text from Bekah

She shared it with Erin, and we both fought tears. 

After ten years and thousands of students, All In! has run its course.  There is no reveal assembly or reaping or field trip or cornucopia games for the first time in a decade.  

After you've done something that long, it becomes part of your routine.  It's kinda like muscle memory. "It's March already?  We've gotta plan some crazy activities!  Time to put the kids in sacks!" This year, Erin spent March cleaning out storage closets and donating All In! supplies to various other school clubs.  As ridiculous as it sounds, we mourned the loss of those Hobbit swords and Unbroken shark cutouts.  How can we possibly part with our sack race sacks?  (Erin saved a Divergent rubber ducky for Mary.)    

We tend to go big: our default setting involves large assemblies, mylar balloons and confetti canons. When we decided that All In! had run its course, we let the appropriate folks know, but didn't make a big deal out of it. We didn't make some grand announcement; we had some personal conversations, and we let it trickle down. This put us in the position to be face to face with one of our alum as they hear it from our own lips.

With Grace on Reveal Day
 
Several months ago, high school seniors visited the middle school to talk to our 8th graders about what high school holds. Erin was teaching a class when two faces appeared at her door. "Hi Miss O'Leary! We had to come and see you!" Throwing all proper behavior aside, Erin stopped her lesson and went to wrap those two seniors in hugs. After the initial "How are you?s" the question came, "So what's the book for All In! this year?!?" 

Keeping a smile on her face, Erin told them about the decision to end after ten wonderful years. "It's not a sad kind of loss. It's a good thing! It was wonderful for a long time. Now we'll be ready for something else!" 

For a moment, it was quiet. "Oh," Grace replied. Her voice was soft; she looked at the floor, then back at Erin. "Well, thank you for doing it. All In! really meant a lot to me."

Now it was our turn to be overwhelmed. They weren't ready for the news, and we weren't ready for the response. 

Just this past week, another former student re-entered our lives. Zach is performing senior service hours and was warmly welcomed back to middle school by his former teachers and rapidly has achieved near celebrity-status in the eyes of our students (who think he's just about the coolest kid they've ever met.)

Ten years
When he stepped into Erin's room, he took a big breath. "Wow. So many memories in here! Oh! Unbroken!" He picked it up and started flipping pages. "You know, this book was All In! 2015. That was the year before I came here, but our first book was the one about the brother and the sister. It was World War II, and they were from one of the Baltic countries. I forget the title, but it was written by Ruta Sepetys." 

Ruta Sepetys - ask her and she'll tell you that she has spent a good deal of her life correcting folks on how to pronounce her name - but he knew it. Rolled right off his tongue.

Zach continued to walk the shelves. "You know the best book you recommended to me?" Erin strained her brain; no, she had no idea. Thankfully, he saved her from herself. "It was The Berlin Boxing Club. Seriously, that was the best book I've ever read. I still think about it sometimes. Thank you for giving that to me. That was really an incredible story."

We recommend books to kids all day long; to be honest, Erin's never even read that one. She has no memory of recommending that book to that child. It was likely just an ordinary day, just Zach coming in for another book (he was a book-a-week kind of kid), and Erin suggested a title. 

Reading Between Shades of Gray

These wonderful young adults have given us a gift.  How often do teachers get to see the lasting impact they have students?  We feel so blessed that these encounters have reflected back to us the importance of our involvement.  To think that these folks have such positive memories about their experiences...in Middle School...reading a book...by choice.  Well, I think it's safe to say.  

We're overwhelmed.  


Before he left, Zach noticed the poster-sized photograph Erin has stuck to her wall. "Oh man! That's Ms. Cotillo!" We laughed. Yep. There we are: us in our CRL shirts, kinda sweaty, standing in a gym full of kids during a Salt to the Sea activity.

"That's so cool - you guys are still friends!"

Thursday, November 4, 2021

A CRL guide to using PONY in your classroom

Thanks for stopping in! 

 We hope you enjoyed the Booklist chat with R.J. Palaccio as much as we did.  We have so many ideas for how you can teach Pony in your classroom. Let's dive right in! 

  Pre-Reading 

1. Anticipation Guide 
The Crazy Reading Ladies love a good anticipation guide. There's nothing better than engaging early adolescents in discussion about prompts that have no easy answers. It's super satisfying to watch the gears turn. You can almost hear those synapses firing! Here are a few anticipation guide prompts we brainstormed: 
  •  I believe in ghosts. 
  •  A person is either all good or all bad; there is no in-between. 
  •  I could survive on my own in the woods for a week. 
  •  Everyone deserves a second chance.
  • Kids are smarter now than they were 200 years ago. 
  • Some secrets should never be told. 
  • Sometimes you have to be scared or in pain in order to grow. 
  • My family name is important to me. 
  • Children lie more than adults do. 
  • In order to be considered intelligent, one must complete formal schooling.  
  • Speaking with correct grammar indicates higher intelligence.
 2. Pre-teaching literary references
Silas grew up reading the books that were available to him, reading stories like Arthurian legends and Greek mythology. When trying to find an appropriate name for Pony, Silas considers several characters. Students can do some quick online research about these characters and discuss the appropriateness of each name. 
  • Bucephalus 
  • Gringolet 
  • Perceval 
  • Aetheon 
  • Telemachus
 3. Quick write
Provide students with copies of the black and white photos that begin each chapter and have them write short vignettes about the people they see. For a super quick write, go for 6 word stories. 

 4. Play the book trailer 
Ask students to predict the conflict of the novel based on what they see.  


During Reading

1.  Discussion and writing prompts
  • Is Martin Bird right to leave Silas alone?  Why or why not?
  • In what ways is your relationship to your parents similar to Silas' relationship with his father?  How is it different?
  • When Silas leaves, he takes his mother's violin.  If you had to leave your home, what would you take?
  • What happened in the Woods?  What does Silas see?  
  • Have you ever had a special relationship with an animal?  Or have you read about other special human/animal relationships (Augie/Daisy in Wonder, Mark and Beau in The Honest Truth)
  • Silas had a teacher whose words wounded him.  Has a teacher ever said anything to you -positive or negative - that you still think about?

2.  Textual Evidence practice

Consider the following.  Provide textual evidence from Pony to support the ideas presented.  

Watch your thoughts, they become your words.
Watch your words, they become your actions.
Watch your actions, they become your habits. 
Watch your habits, they become your character.
Character is everything.  






After Reading

1.  Writing activity
The book begins and ends with an article from The Boneville Courier.  Please write a Boneville Courier article for the beginning of each/select chapter(s).  

2.  Writing/discussion activity
Revisit your anticipation guide and choose a statement for which you have changed your mind.  Write a paragraph explaining how Pony changed your thinking.  

3. Textual evidence practice
After all of the secrets of the book are revealed (Mittenwool's identity, Marshal Farmer's history,  Sheriff Chalfont's connection to Silas, the location of the gold, etc.) please go back to the text to identify moments of foreshadowing.  (Hint! Start with page 3 and the description of Martin Bird's boots.)

We'd love to hear from you if use any of these!  

Happy reading! 

Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Connecting through COVID - Admin Edition

I’ve grown into being an administrator.  When I first started the job, I found myself overwhelmed and perhaps regretting the decision to leave the classroom.  (See my last admin-centered post)  Over time, I’ve settled in and gotten more comfortable and confident in the AP role.  So, while I no longer feel like a dog stuck in a tree, there are a few things I still really, really miss about being in the classroom.  And by far the biggest is building relationships with kids.  


The past ten months have been ridiculously challenging in the world of education, and I found myself depressed.  I hated the idea of interacting with kids through screens.  I needed to do something, but my hands were tied in so many ways.  So, I borrowed from Erin and from Penguin Random House’s Instagram page, and I started First Chapter Friday.   


The idea of First Chapter Friday is simple: each Friday you read aloud the first chapter of a different book.  The goal is to introduce your students to new titles and authors, pique their curiosity, get them excited and wanting to read.  


(Authors and publishers have continued to clear our paths, removing legal barriers that once existed when sharing books. Chalk one up in the pandemic PRO column! Click here for guidelines provided by publishing houses - current as of Nov. 2020.)


“Welcome to my office!  No, you’re not in trouble.  I just want to read with you!”  (Note the 6-foot distance measuring stick in the background.)


Since I don’t have a classroom like Erin or a social media following like PRH, I recorded myself reading and shared the videos with  Literacy teachers in my school.  I told them I had no expectation that they would use the videos, but that I was doing it to keep myself sane.  I said I hoped they would find it helpful - 20 minutes of class each week that they didn't have to plan.  I held my breath and crossed my fingers and clicked “share.” 


Best. Decision. Ever. 


At first, it was a trickle.  A student doing a double take when they saw me in the cafeteria, smiling under my mask.  Another one complimenting me on my reading skills.  A student throwing over their shoulder, “I really liked that book you read” while scurrying past in the halls.  Then the emails started coming asking to borrow books.  Then it was kids arguing with each other over who should get to borrow the book first, which book they liked better. 


Teachers shared with me how much their students enjoyed the chapters and asked me to come read to their classes in person.  They politely asked me,  “Please don’t stop,”  the panic of teaching in 2020 creeping into their tone. 


On picture day for our remote students, I staffed the check-in table.  These are students who learn full time at home and don’t see me daily in the halls and cafeteria.  But they *had* seen me on the first chapter Friday videos, and one after another thanked me for reading and asked about borrowing books.  I even had a parent come back into the building after leaving to say, “I had to make sure it was really you.  I thought your cockney accent was EXCELLENT.”  


So, I achieved my selfish goal...I made myself feel better.  And honestly, in terms of making recommendations to administrators, I feel like I could just stop right here.  “Do this and you’ll feel good about yourself” is a damn fine recommendation, I think.  So, please feel free to steal this idea and stop reading here.  


“Hmmmm...five little body icons.  I wonder what that could be?  Maybe the map key will tell us!” Teaching text features and active reading under the guise of First Chapter Friday.


For those of you still with me, let me explain a few other take-aways.  


  1.  It gives students an opportunity to see me in a different light.  The majority of my chapters are recorded in my office.  That means, should a student be sent to my office, they won’t be walking into unfamiliar territory speaking to a scary assistant principal.  They’ll be in Ms. Cotillo’s office talking to the lady who reads in a bad English accent.  It makes me so much more human. 


      1a. Speaking of human - they get to see me with my mask off.  


  1. It gives us something to talk about.  Pre-First-Chapter-Friday I would desperately try to engage in conversation by asking kids what Wordly Wise lesson they’re on. (I’m not kidding...I’m running out of ideas here, folks).  Now, students start talking with me about the chapters they’ve just heard.  I gush over how much I loved it too, and the conversation about books is underway.   


  1. Students are borrowing my books...which means they return my books and we get to talk about whether or not they liked them.  More relationship building!


  1. The teachers are appreciative.  They've sent me emails and thank me in the hallways and tell me how much the kids look forward to the readings and talk about the books.  I’ve had teachers assign listening to a chapter as part of their sub plans.  I mean, any time I can help make sub plans easier, I feel pretty dang supportive.  


To sum up: Administrators, if you’re looking for a relationship building tool, First Chapter Friday is going to pay HUGE dividends with both students and staff.  


A few super quick logistics notes:


Prior to beginning my reading, I shared a list of books with my school librarian, and she ordered copies of anything she didn’t already have.  That way we’re able to meet student demand for books. I’m also comfortable sharing my personal books. 


I recorded four chapters before realizing the audio-only content might not be accessible to all students.  Since then, I’ve recorded 13 more, and I project the book while I read.  I use Kindle books on the Kindle Cloud Reader in one tab and Screencastify in a second tab.  I split my screen and record the desktop.  It works perfectly. 



“Call me Clauuuuudia!”  It’s hard for kids to be scared of me when I make a fool out of myself reading once a week.  


Erin and I have made our thoughts on this super clear -the best way to build relationships with kids is through books - so, you really gotta wonder what took me so long to apply it to administrative life.  SMH.  But, hey, better late than never.


Friday, April 3, 2020

Well, this is unexpected.

We know you're inundated with free trials and online learning ideas and Pinterest-worthy posts by colleagues that make you feel like a failure.  (You're not.  We love you.  You got this.)  We know you probably don't need any more suggestions about what you could be doing or how you should be doing it.  So we'll use this blog post to share with you what we're doing.  And if you feel like copying it - feel free.  And we'll keep it messy and honest and real.  Nothing Pinterest-worthy here!

When in doubt, read aloud.

Yes, even 8th graders love being read to
Kids love being read to.  People naturally gravitate towards that in Elementary school, but they tend to forget about it in Middle School.  We middle school educators are ALL ABOUT the read aloud, even when there isn't a pandemic and we have a full classroom of kids in front of us.  When we have to shift (are you as sick of that word as we are?) to online learning, read alouds are even better!  What a great way to connect with kids, share time with them, share yourself with them.

We know we're preaching to the choir, but - considering you may be experiencing the same information-overload we are and are fried and don't know what day it is and maybe just ran your dryer without clothes in it *raises hand* - we figured it couldn't hurt to reiterate what can be accomplished during a read aloud.

When you read aloud, what you provide your students includes but is not limited to:

  • Vital SEL connections  
  • Awareness of decision making skills (masked as discussion of character choices and behavior)
  • Mini-lessons on figurative language, dialogue, narration, etc.
  • Instruction of writing techniques (point out varying sentence structure, or use of flashbacks or internal dialogue)
  • Extension to history or science (research real-life humans, experiences, and events!)
  • Vocabulary (Who knows what this clairvoyant means?) 
  • Comprehension skills (Stop and ask questions. They won't even know they're learning.) 
  • Author's purpose (Why do you think the author included that scene?)
  • Quote analysis 
  • Theme development (What is the author saying about belonging?)
  • Meta-cognition of the act of reading (Say aloud, "Oh, this must be a new character. Haven't heard of him before. Let's see where he fits in."

Look at all that teaching work you're doing! Put your cape on! You're a superhero! You win at life!

Read alouds have been our salvation - personally and professionally-  these last few weeks. Whether live or pre-recorded, a comfy read aloud allows your kids to see you in messy hair and sweatpants, your cats wandering in the background, your dog playing with toys, your kids making a mess.  It allows you to look human!  That's a good thing!

Before: not even close to six feet apart
Mary has been guest reader for a reading club in her school.  She used Screencastify, a Google extension.  She had a PDF of the text she was reading on her screen and her own messy-haired, makeup free face in a corner.

Erin has been hosting live read-aloud sessions every day (Saturdays, too!) at 9am and noon.  She's using Google Meet to connect with kids live from her couch.  She's got her breakfast crew and her lunch bunch.  She's even attracted younger siblings and parents.

Now, we're not talking massive numbers of kids here, either. There are about 40 students in the book club Mary guest-read for - and most don't use the teacher-read option. Erin regularly has 8-12 kids sit in on her read alouds. But THAT'S OKAY. It's like the starfish story. (Don't know it? Google it. It could make for a cool lesson with your kids.) It doesn't matter if you don't reach ALL the kids...you just have to reach one.

These read-alouds may be a life line for a child who needs one. They may be a blessed respite for a parent who is trying to juggle working from home and being an online school coordinator. They may be downtime for a family who is exhausted by anxiety and uncertainty. So if it's only a handful, that's okay.
After: Don't judge.  We warned you it wasn't pretty. 

And here's another thing that shouldn't be overlooked...these read aloud sessions help teachers maintain normalcy. It helps us feel like we're doing something familiar and comforting. That's important, too! We've been tossed into the new world of online teaching with precious little warning and training. So there is absolutely nothing wrong with engaging in something that is simple and familiar.

Erin recently finished her "breakfast book:" a super-popular 295-page middle-grade novel, and it was completed in under two weeks. Hallelujah! FINALLY! We are showing our kids how novels should be read. How many times have we fought to balance our read-alouds amid curriculum requirements and dragged the thing on for six, eight, fourteen weeks?

You've heard us preach before: The books you read may be the only books a child is exposed to all year long. That's why we have to make them good ones.

But here's a new thought: the way you read could be the only model a child sees for how one should experience the gift of reading.

Many authors and publishers have granted their permission for teacher read alouds during this unexpected time. Find a book you want to read (Now is your chance! Pick the good stuff!), Google the publisher (we've linked a list here) and follow the guidelines.

But be prepared for the kids to ask you to read on the weekends or to "Keep going! Pllleeeeeeease!"