I'm glad you are here to celebrate! Share a link to your blog post below
and/or use #celebratelu to share celebrations on Twitter. Check out the details here. Celebrate This Week
goes live on Friday night around 10(ish). Consider it as a weekend
celebration. Whenever it fits, add your link. Please leave a little
comment love for the person who links before you.
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This week I'm celebrating ONE LITTLE WORDS.
2015 marks my TENTH (!) One Little Word.
A Decade Collection of One Little Words
I decided to make a little video to curate my words.
As is customary, you can expect to see a "What LEAP Taught Me" post as well as the selection of my 2015 OLW: unhurried.
Until then, I hope you'll enjoy my little two minute documentary.
Cornelius has been on my mind today. In the early days after
Jesus was crucified and God sent the Holy Spirit, the disciples were out and
preaching, trying to make sense of this shift in the way God communicated with
them.
Just like humans today, the disciples were prejudice. It
seems they thought they had it all figure out. They knew the kinds of people
who were acceptable for God’s grace and mercy. They knew the kinds of people
the Holy Spirit would move through and in.
Cornelius did not measure up. He was a soldier and a Gentile.
Yet, God called Peter to share his message with Cornelius.
From his childhood, Peter had been taught what was clean and
unclean to eat. This is why the vision God gave Peter was a
little disconcerting to Peter. Moments after his vision, Peter was invited to
go to Cornelius’ home. Not only was he going to enter the home and share
fellowship with an “unclean” person, he was also called to preach the gospel
and offer the grace of Jesus.
Cornelius wasn’t the only one who was going to have his
world rocked.
Many of the believers in the early church believed God’s
grace was only big enough for them. Unfortunately this is an issue among today’s
believers too. We listen to Amazing Grace
and sing about being saved wretches and, yet, when faced with those who are a
different kind of wretched, we turn our backs (or maybe our noses).
It was time for Peter to get a bigger vision of God’s grace,
as well as an expanded heart. Through Peter’s encounter with Cornelius, it
became clear that no one is beyond God’s grace, regardless of position or race.
Jesus loves everyone and the Holy Spirit can move through anyone who accepts
the Savior who ransomed each of us.
I’ve been listening to Chris Tomlin’s version of Amazing Grace every morning and night. I
thought you might enjoy it too.
The Bible is filled with stories of people who follow God's dream. They put down their dreams and pick up God's. Noah builds an ark. Daniel faces the lions. Mary is an unwed mother. Paul goes to prison.
The Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, never stops dreaming. I'm here for this time and place to fulfill a dream. It's why Jesus said:
If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. (Mark 8:34-35)
Part of living the dream is knowing I have to put down my hopes in order to pick up the dream that is just for me. If I don't pick up the dream God has for me, then I lose my life. In other words, I miss the point of living, and I miss the blessings.
It takes faith to accept a dream from God. (Plus a good
dose of humility.) Finding the dream for your life isn't about figuring
out what makes you happy. It isn't about finding what you're good at
doing. It isn't even about making money.
It's about obedience. Doing what I'm made to do, even when it doesn't make sense. I'm enamored by people who follow their dreams. Often it seems so natural and easy. From the outside it seems like they are living a dream based on happiness and talents and treasures.
In reality, there is risk every step of the way. There are moments upon moments when they choose to do things they are afraid to do. When people dare to follow God's dreams, when they leap, there is always fear.
The feeling of fear is a sign of living with purpose. It is proof of obedience. It is faith in action.
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I've been reading about dreams. Here are two of my favorite books on the topic.
Read the first page and you'll be hooked on this new series by Kate Klimo. You will also be set for an outstanding minilesson on voice and another minilesson on strong leads. Plus you'll have a line of students just waiting to read Barry, the story of the most famous St. Bernard dog in history. Sam (grade 2) read this book as soon as it arrived and then brought it downstairs (well after he was supposed to be asleep) and said, "Mom! You have to read this NOW!" I cracked the cover and was up past my own bedtime too! (The first two Dog Diaries books were released simultaneously in January.)
The icing on the cake is Kate Klimo has a nice website, complete with a contact form in case your students would want to send her a note. Music plays when you open the site.
The Goldilocks Variation by Allan Ahlberg and Jessica Ahleberg. Candlewick Press, 2013.
I'm a big fan of variations of tales. I think they are a great way to help students see how to use a story as a mentor. This book by father-daughter team, Allan Ahlberg and Jessica Ahlberg, is an interactive and creative book. I'm using it to help students see, first-hand, the way a story can be used as a mentor and inspiration for their own creations. Sometimes it's difficult to grasp what it means to use a mentor text. The Goldilocks Variations is helping students understand. I also appreciate this video because Allan Ahlberg and Jessica Ahlberg share their process and thinking behind the story.
Although we nudge Stephanie (grade 4) into thicker novels, she still gravitates toward shorter chapter books. I find this interesting. I think she likes to move through books as quickly as possible (just like she likes to do everything else in life). I'm realizing she needs to be able to go between easy reads and just right reads as she becomes a stronger reader. It's more important for her to feel good about her reading life than to only read thick books. The September and October Calendar Mysteries by Ron Roy were just released and get "These are awesome!" from our nine year old reader.
Happy reading! I hope you have time to read about some of the other book stacks linked up at It's Monday! What Are You Reading? hosted by Jen and Kellee. (Click on either of their names to join the link-up!)
CARNIVORES by Aaron Reynolds and Dan Santat Chronicle Books, 2013
This may have just went to the top of my favorite books. I've read it in a 2nd grade, 5th grade, and 6th grade classroom. Although there were many reactions throughout the book because of the slightly wicked humor, in the end it was unanimously loved by all.
The top of the food chain can be lonely, so these carnivores decide to change in order to fit in. Only it doesn't work out so well for them. In the end, the wisest carnivore of them all, the owl, offers a bit of advice: "We're not bad...eating meat is just what we do."
This picture book is not just for kids. No matter the age group, I'm sure you will find a good use for this book. Betsy Likens, 6th grade teacher, used this text for inspiration for a writer's notebook list called: I'm a... (Throughout the end of the story there is a repeating line "I'm not bad...eating meat is just what I do...I'm a carnivore.")
In order to give you more of a feel of the book, here is a hilarious book trailer.
Chronicle Books would like to generously give away a prize pack including a copy of Carnivore, a poster (below), and bookmarks. Simply enter the drawing by completing the form below.
This poster is part of the prize pack from Chronicle Books.
Recently I watched this video from Todd Rose, talking about the importance of the individual. In this talk, Todd explains how we often lose talent and meet fewer needs when we focus on the average instead of the individual. Todd Rose is a high school dropout who went on to get his Doctorate from Harvard and become a faculty member at the Harvard Graduate School of Education teaching Educational Neuroscience.
To begin, Todd shares how lessons learned by the Air Force over fifty years ago can be instructive for how we can nurture the talents of students in our schools today.
Although a little longer than most videos I share, it is well worth the time. In fact, you may want to watch it more than once! (I know I did.)
This week I'd like to share a couple of videos with you. First is a must see book trailer for the series. It is perfect to show in classrooms to help get readers excited about Ivy + Bean.
The next two are longer, but I find them interesting because they are interviews with Annie Barrows and Sophie Blackall. Any time I can pick up interesting bits about writers or illustrators, I think it is a good use of time.
This week Chronicle Books is giving away Ivy + Bean Take Care of the Babysitter.
And three sets of mini notes.
Just leave a comment on this post before Sunday night. I'll post giveaway recipients on Sunday before I go to bed. If you receive a giveaway, your name will be placed in the grand prize drawing.
Know a reluctant reader? This book may be just the remedy.
Welcome to the first stop of Chronicle BooksWorst-Case Scenario Ultimate Adventure Novels blog tour. I'm glad you're here. The challenge was to give the Worst-Case Scenario: Amazon by Hena Khan and David Borgenicht to a reluctant reader. When I read the challenge, I knew the perfect reader: Wesley, a third grader.
Wesley loves to read...when he can find a book that interests him. A few weeks ago he stopped to chat with me. "What are you reading?" I asked.
Wesley wrinkled his nose and said, "Nothing really. I can't find anything good in this place." He swept his arm around the library.
"What about in your classroom?"
Another nose-wrinkle. "Nah, I've already read everything good. There's really not much left. I think I'm out of books."
Long after he returned to his classroom, the conversation lingered with me. I began to wonder if I was talking to a soon-to-be-reluctant reader.
When I gave him Worst-Case Scenario: Amazon, his eyes lit up and a smile grew on his face. As I explained the concept -- he chooses as he reads how the story will unfold -- he began thumbing through the book. "Look at this," Wesley said reading the back cover, "Twenty-two was to fail and only one way to survive. Awesome."
"Do you think you'll have time to read it? I have to blog about it in a week."
Wesley nodded, "Oh yeah, for this, I have time."
Later, when I talked to Wesley again, he had a list of friends he couldn't wait to share the book with. "The guys are going to love this!"
Wesley's mom reported that he kept reading the book long after "the end." If he came to an ending, he back tracked and tried another path. The reading keeps going long after the story "ends."
Books like this are saviors for readers like Wesley. It's a book that he can read and read again. So the next time he's "out of books," he can return to the Worst-Case Scenario books until he finds his next read. Wesley has me thinking about more books for kids like him. Kids who love to read, but feel like they are "out of books."
Here's to books like the Worst-Case Scenario that keep kids reading, even after the story ends.
Chronicle Books is also sending Wesley the other books in the series. Check out Worst-Case Scenario Everest and Worst-Case Scenario Mars. Finally, this book trailer gets to the heart of the book...the video even ends with a life-threatening choice!
I believe celebration is the core of a writer. It's what keeps us going. It's not just about celebrating big things like products and publication, but about celebrating the ordinary day-in-and-day-out living as a writer.
Today I completed the digital celebration. (Another little thing I wanted to give a whirl.) If you want to join us in celebrating our most recent writing projects, then check out the video below. It takes a little less than five minutes to celebrate with an entire kindergarten class.
Take time to celebrate your writing life. Share with others and enjoy all of the good stuff writing brings us.
I gathered several of notebooks together a few weeks ago to take some photos. A few years ago I did this and then took a stab at creating a video in MovieMaker. It's not all that refined, but it seems to have been a little bit of a hit -- tallying over 10,000 views. For some reason, though, when I published, the last letter in many of my titles was dropped.
I've been thinking about revising the video, so I don't feel like I have to defend myself every time I play it for someone. Gathering notebooks together and taking some photos is step one of the revision process. Now that you've received the disclaimer, here's the video, A PEEK INSIDE MY NOTEBOOKS.
I like seeing lots of my notebooks together. I can see how they have infiltrated my life. I can see how there are different notebooks for different purposes. I know some writers use the same style of notebook all of the time. Not me. I like variety. I like having different styles, different sizes, different bindings so I can make them take up different spaces in my life.
My notebooks are the lifelines to my writing life. When I'm stuck for words or when I'm twitching to write, I know they are waiting for me. They are treasure boxes, holding gems that I forget I've collected. Marking moments that have slipped from my mind. Offering ideas that take hold and grow.
Make no mistake. These are not journals. They are eclectic collections. Things that have happened. Things that are dreamed. Things that I make up. I'm looking forward to completing this project and in the end, having a new video for an updated peek inside my notebooks.
