Grandpa Green by Lane Smith -- Book Trailer

Granpa Green 
by Lane Smith

ISBN 1596436077
Caldecott Honor (2012) New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books (2011)

Theme: Family, love, aging, memories

Grandpa Green wasn't always a gardener. He was a baby who became a boy and experienced life on a farm with chickens, pigs and eggs. He got the chicken pox in fourth grade, although his grandson will tell you it wasn't from the chickens and he loved to read. The story is sweet and the pictures make it come alive. I could imagine myself walking through Grandpa's garden and looking at the shrubs and seeing his memories come to life in the garden. The garden is Grandpa Green's journal he uses it as a comfort to help him remember the important parts of his life and share them with his grandson. We see the grandson progressing through the garden and watchful of his grandfather's ailing health and memory and in the last page we see him carrying on the tradition in the garden.

This book could be used as a springboard for creating memory books with students. Why do we write important memories down? Are there various ways to share our memories? 
Create a reflection about people in your life who are aging? What is it like to see them? How do things change? Have students tell a story about their grandparent(s) that they have shared? Research what your grandparents did when they were younger.

Writing Prompts: Write down five questions you would like to ask your grandparent or elderly friend about his/ her life growing up. Write a narrative about your favorite memory of you and a grandparent from your childhood

Similar books: The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

Great sharing book for Grandparents day. Invite Grandparents in to share a morning with the students. Create activities to play and have the students share their written work.

Point of view in nonfiction picture books | Page by Page by Maria Salvadore | Blogs about Reading | Reading Rockets

Point of view in nonfiction picture books | Page by Page by Maria Salvadore | Blogs about Reading | Reading Rockets


This is a glimpse into a very interesting debate. Salvadore suggests that the battle between fiction and non-fiction should not exist because there will always be an authors perspective imbedded into even the most well-researched book. In the article she presents an example of a picture book called When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson written by Pam Munoz Ryan which she believed would help to support the Common Core Standards. The teachers she presented the material groaned that it was more like a picture book and it looked more like fiction than non-fiction. 

I believe the point that Salvadore is making is valid because all writers have their own perspective and style of writing. The words which they choose reveal their points of view even illustrators can portray people and situations in ways which touch our collective souls. It is important to teach students to listen and decipher the various voices that reside in our non-fiction resources. Finding the balance between fiction and non-fiction will serve to propel students understanding of the writing process in greater ways. There are enough battles waging in our society why pit two important genres of literature against each other. Finding ways to intertwine knowledge will only make our students stronger.

Olive's Ocean by Kevin Henkes (2003)
Grade Level: Middle School
Pages: 224

Awards: Newbery Honor (2004)

Summary: A touching tale about a young girl named Martha experiencing the ups and downs of young love while wrestling with the loss of a classmate. Through her careful analysis Martha comes to the conclusion that she needs to engage with the world around her differently than she currently does. A classmate dies suddenly and Martha comes to find out that Olive really wanted to be her friend and thought she would be nice. Martha visits her grandmother on Cape Cod an in that time searches to make sense of why she is feeling such loss over a girl she hardly knew. She works through her thoughts by writing and hopes to become a writer one day. In the course of her vacation she falls under the spell of a neighbor boy who is obsessed with his video camera and wins a bet by getting Martha to kiss him on tape. Jimmy Manning the magnetic oldest brother steals Martha's heart but she learns the hard lesson again of how easily it is to miss what is right in front of your eyes. Tate, Jimmy's younger brother, is sweet on Martha but she can't get past the excitement surrounding Jimmy. 

Personal Response: Henkes is an incredible writer and I love the way his words wrap around me like a comfortable blanket. I know he has given tremendous thought to his characters and they come alive in the book. I personally thought Martha was a little young to have such strong feelings about Jimmy. I wanted him to develop Godbee, the grandmother, more. I was distracted by Martha's relationship with Jimmy. I could recommend this book to my students but I can't see using it as part of a study because of the strong love themes in it. 

Balancing Act

I am feeling as though the balls I have been successfully juggling for the past few weeks are beginning to fall. Dr. Slick very kindly suggested that we were sliding through her class and we needed to dig deeper, do more and be specific. I totally agree, I am loving this class and although I am an avid reader I have been forced to read at a rate that is not particularly comfortable for me. I want to put more into my blog, project, annotated bibliography as well as the other balls in the air. I certainly don't want to sound as though I am feeling sorry for myself because I know that I am the only one to blame for my current situation of over commitment etc. but I will say out loud "Prioritize, organize and get it together!!" I will post at least three time this week, update my bibliography and finish another book. With that being said why is it that I feel guilty when I spend too much time studying or guilty when I am with my family that I should be studying. Is this a woman thing? I don't want to waste the time I have with my kids and husband worrying about work and school and I certainly want to be as productive as possible when studying and I don't want to feel guilty for taking time to do something that I love. Balance, hmmmm, so many talk about find the right balance in life. Diet and exercise, work and family, saving money and enjoying the moment. In time's of high stress and low tolerance I need to vent and here it is. I will post an invigorating review of more books and ideas of how to use them in the class but right now I am finding the balance by curling up with my pups and reading a book. Good night.

Dyslexia...

I have discovered recently that my five year old daughter has dyslexia. I began this journey about a year ago when I noticed that Lucy was having difficulty coloring, writing etc. She did not have a dominant hand and I thought she might be ambidextrous. I started with an occupational therapist evaluation that found she had difficulty crossing the mid-line when writing. Then I progressed to a battery of tests by a psychologist who determined that Lucy had dysgraphia. I began working with her to strengthen her hands and practice writing using a variety of multi-sensory activities. 

I am constantly amazed at her strength and determination. She is a happy, creative, caring little girl who makes me so proud. She is decidedly remarkable and I have found, through an evaluation at the Learning Solution, that she has dyslexia. I guess I knew this all along but I needed to go down my own path in order to accept it. She is being coached with the Lips program and the results have been nothing short of amazing. Her articulation and ability to decipher between different sounds that used to blend together is becoming clearer by the day. 

As for my path I am still struggling with my emotions. I know that the tutoring is the best thing for her right now and that we are building a foundation that will withstand many years of education ahead but I also fear for her. I know that our society is one that judges and labels based on differences and I want her to be viewed for what she has and offers not what she lacks. 

I would love to have the power to give all teachers the freedom to teach to students individual learning styles; bringing creativity and individualization back to the world of education. Students should not be labeled in order to make the "system" more efficient. When did we lose sight of the importance of the individual? 

This particular entry is not about the literature I have read lately but I felt an overwhelming need to share my thoughts on this subject as every time I pick up a book to read I now think of Lucy's journey.