Monday, February 22, 2021

Losses, Returns, and Physical Experiences

 Last week was the first week back to in-person learning after six weeks of online remote learning instruction and two months of time apart. 

Returning back to our classroom and seeing each other face-to-face was a bit surreal. Many students did not enjoy learning through their screens, but after six weeks, they had become accustomed to the new routine. Our first day was a more subdued affair. It felt a bit like September over again, yet it was still a continuation. 

Part of the quiet might be attributed to the reduction in numbers. Educators have been advocating for smaller class sizes even prior to this pandemic. We are achieving this shrinking size, but not due to any action by the provincial government or the school boards; it is because several of our students' families have elected to transfer them from the "bricks and mortar" school to "virtual school". We officially lost three in my class on the first day back to physical school, and we might be losing three more. Another student is moving to another district, which means that my original class of 25 might now consist of 17 students. I should be jubilant - less students means more physical space, less marking, and more attention for those who need help. I can't be that joyful, because I will miss those students who have moved to a different mode of learning and I know that many of those virtual classrooms have ridiculously large numbers; the already-overworked virtual teachers will now have to find a way to welcome new students into their online communities in addition to their other responsibilities. 

We had to make the most of our returning time together. There's a bit of uncertainty around how long this latest round of gathered learning will last. My goal for this past week was to ensure we had as many memorable, physical experiences that could not be replicated in the digital world. I think we may have accomplished it.

In science class, the Grade 6 students built electric circuits, and the Grade 5s constructed popsicle molds.



In math class, we played a kinesthetic game called Fraction Action to demonstrate how to collaboratively construct fractions with our bodies. (Below is a photo of the page in the book I seized the idea from.) I will try and credit the source once I examine the book in my classroom.


For gym, we went sledding. It was glorious. My student teacher and I had to prevent passers-by from taking photos of our students, because even strangers could see how much fun they were having. 




For dance class, we launched our dance unit by considering what "counts" as dance or not. Some of the brainstorming led to some great ideas for future lessons. One such lesson was on "illegal" dances (such as the Plains Sun Dance) as well as "suppressed" dances (such as the Can Can). Some students had the chance to try on Can Can skirts and attempt some of the moves. (The photo below is of me, wearing my old jazz shoes from my dance-school-teaching days, and my Can Can skirt.) I was able to remember many of the steps I was taught, although I'm not in shape quite the way I was thirty years ago.



 In language, we congregated safely in guided reading groups to examine comics, and read our anticipated new graphic novel read-aloud, Class Act. 

In visual arts, we were able to access both oil and real chalk pastels - during virtual learning, we had to make do with a few pieces of blackboard chalk - to create new designs and effects with brighter colours and bigger pieces of paper. 


I hope that we will continue to make more positive memories of this most-unusual-year, minimize our losses, and welcome our returns with new appreciation. 



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Monday, February 15, 2021

"We call it VAC"

 I have a new student-teacher. My students are very excited to include her in our class community. She had two observation days while we were still operating remotely and when she first arrived, the Grade 5s and 6s were eager to "school" her on the ways we work. I asked them not to overwhelm her on her first day and to select just one or two concepts that they felt were most important for her to know immediately. They decided to tell her about VAC.

Yes, they created their own acronym. VAC stands for "voice and choice", a phrase I say quite often.

It was fascinating to see how they explained VAC to the teacher-candidate. It was helpful because I was able to clear up a few misconceptions they had. Here are some of their initial explanations.

that means the students are basically taking over the classroom because  of VAC (EL)

When I asked if that meant that they could declare that we wouldn't have a subject at all on any given day, they had to admit that it wasn't quite like that.

we are the tinyer bosses (EF)

I had to ask what they meant by "boss". They elaborated and clarified.

Mrs.Mali baciclly gives us choices and we pick which one we want (LC)
we are bosses of our self (RC)
we have tiny authority (EF)
were independent (KD)

mrs mali says:

you can do:

1) unfinished work  

2) comm skills

3) french review - we pick one of these (KD)

or do you want gym for this last period or extra gym next week (TH)

Once they refined their answers (so it didn't appear as if the teacher has absolutely no control), I agreed 100% with their definitions and examples. They are right. They do have agency.

There are so many examples of how my class "does VAC". I thought I'd share a few in today's reflection, as we return to in-person schooling tomorrow. They definitely had agency while learning face to face, but during our six weeks of remote online learning together, they still were able to express voice and choice in what/how/when/where we learned. 

Math Interviews

We completed two units of math during our six weeks of remote learning. One was Transformations and Coding. I already discussed on this blog how the students led this coding exploration, from selecting which assignments to complete to explaining how to solve problems that other students had with their coding tasks. The other unit was Number Patterns and Number Relationships. For the Grade 5s, it involved fractions and for the Grade 6s, it involved divisibility rules, prime and composite numbers, and integers. Quizzes and tests tend to stress my students out (more on that later) and I asked if it would be amenable to attempt a math interview as an assessment tool. The students were a bit nervous about this approach, as many had never had prior experience with it, but they said they were willing to try. I used very few questions with pre-established answers. A sample question from my Grade 5 interview was: Give me an example of a fraction. Now give me an example of a decimal. Which of these two numbers is the biggest / has the greatest value? How do you know? The Grade 6s had a similar question, but with an integer thrown in for a three-way comparison. The students shaped their assessment with the choices they made.

Big thanks to: @AllenCrew, @LookStuffUp, @Erin2010s, @M_Brownlow, @Brandi_Edu, @TeacherCashmore, and @MatthewOldridge for giving me advice on Twitter about the phrasing of the final question. 

Circus Performances


Our drama and physical education classes online were dedicated to the eventual creation of a Stay At Home Circus. I wrote about it on this blog early during the process. The students finished and we "attended" the circus February 9-10, 2021. The final results were INCREDIBLE! Take my word for it, the students amazed me with their skills. Not only did they "have VAC" in terms of what they chose to perform, they also played a part in designing the assessment checklist. It was difficult to design an evaluation tool that could be used on very different performances. How do you compare a magician to a animal trainer to a clown to a mime? The students provided their recommendations and I was able to use their advice, alongside the Ministry of Education's curriculum expectations, and develop a useful checklist. This will be a fun project to mark! (The photo to the left is of me performing some tightrope walking on the edge of my bathtub - don't try this at home, folks!)

Language Block Tasks and Deadlines

It's important to balance the comfort and familiarity of a regular routine with novelty. We began our language block the same way for most of the time we were learning through our screens - with silent reading and then a read aloud. I used to type the outline for the double block of language in the chat box, but then students asked to take that job over. I allowed it. The students were the ones who decided that we would read all five books in The Spiderwick Chronicles series. I had my reasons, but I was prepared to stop at the first book if the class was not interested in continuing. We are looking forward to reading the sequel to Jerry Craft's New Kid, called Class Act, when we return to in-person schooling.  When it came to our grammar exercises, the students were the ones that suggested what pages we would take up together (based on the number of students that had completed the work) and when these assignments were due. 


The students were the ones who, months ago, chose what genres we'd study in language. After their highly successful focus on comics, we are examining reviews. The students wrote product reviews (for whatever product they chose) and are now writing book reviews. Wifi connection issues on my end meant that several of my language lessons were interrupted - it's unfortunate that a certain telecommunications corporation chose to upgrade the fiber optic cables daily from 1:00 - 2:00 pm in my neighbourhood. The original deadline for the book review wasn't feasible, because we had less time for explicit instruction (and individualized feedback) for these reviews, so as a group, we chose to postpone the submission for a week. They could choose to write their book reviews on paper, on a Google document, or wherever they wished. 


Art Options

For art instruction while away from the bricks and mortar school, Ms. Wadia (the Grade 7-8 teacher) and I sent home supplies (construction paper, various shades of chalk, and other items). The students in my class had to submit three pieces of art that used chalk as a medium. Each art period, I modelled two choices for them. They were allowed to create one of the sample tasks or create their own, as long as it used chalk and demonstrated its artistic properties. After chalk, we went to "laundry art". I took Zoe Branigan-Pipe's earlier tweet into consideration and had students check with their adults in charge to see what clothes were allowed to be used for this art project, where they could place the clothes (bed/floor/table/etc). They could create whatever they wanted out of clothes. One of the students (ES) recommended that we create success criteria for the laundry art project, so we did. (This picture to the right is of the tree I made using my own shirts.)

Science Assessments

The students had a say in how many assessments and the type of assessments we used to gauge our understanding of our recently completed science units. We had to modify our original plans for many hands-on tasks because not all students had the same types of building materials at home. With the help of Ms. Keberer, we dedicated class time to this serious discussion. Students tend not to like quizzes and tests, but they were persuaded, thanks to Ms. Keberer's influence, to include a test as one of the assessment tools. In the end, their unit grade was based on a single build project, a test, a diagram, three sets of questions based on a reading, a Plickers quiz and an in-class experiment we conducted in December. I dropped off materials for the Grade 5 build. In the end, they were satisfied with the variety and difficulty level of the tasks.

Morning Rituals

To keep things as predictable and as close to our previous routine as possible, we still played the anthem, recited the land acknowledgement, and took attendance using the sentence starters that the students generated. (That was the students' choice.) When we found that shared video watching was too laggy, I suggested that maybe we could sing the anthem ourselves. I was so impressed that every day, people volunteered to either sing the anthem, say the acknowledgement themselves, or act as the chat box moderator. the chat box moderator was a highly sought-after job. I had the power to shut off discussion in the back channel, but it would deny students the opportunity to regulate their own behaviour, and shut off a means of communication if they were having technical issues. The students were very good with "cbso" (Chat Box Silence On/Off), which was used strictly during our read alouds, and the students enjoyed having that sort of power and influence over the digital space.

The students in my class feel like they have a lot of say and influence over how the class operates. They are empowered and have many opportunities to practice their decision making skills. Is there a time where there can be too much voice and choice? Well, our class will look different when we return on Tuesday, February 16, 2021. Three of our students have elected to go to Virtual School for Term 2. Three more students have indicated that, if there are any more chances to switch, they will also leave for the virtual environment. Too many chances for switching can lead to a lot of chaos in the schools - up until very recently, I was preparing for another class reorganization and not a very favourable one; numbers suggested that I'd be teaching three grades at once. I hope that I will be able to keep my current students, but I'm not sure how much voice and choice *I* have with this particular decision.




 

 

 


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Monday, February 8, 2021

OLA SC 2021

 Around this time every year, my blog is full of photos and reflections from the Ontario Library Association Super Conference. This year, as with everything in recent memory, has been so very different. This was an entirely virtual conference and the first year where I was not a teacher-librarian. How might this change my experience? Check below.


Ontario Library Association Super Conference 2021

Clever Minds and Human Hearts (February 2-6, 2021)



Wednesday, February 3, 2021

Live Chat - Read Into This Podcast Party BYOB
7:00 p.m. with Alanna King

Summary (taken from website): In this live chat session, Read Into This podcast co-host Alanna King does a lighter retrospective on some of the hot-button topics of the 2020 year in reading and school libraries. Listen in to this live recording, participate in our live Jamboard and call in about your school library experiences! BYOB to this podcast party.
This live chat will be taking place on voicEd Radio, outside of the conference platform. You can listen live at https://voiced.ca/ and click Listen Live, or Listen on the voicEd Radio Canada App.
To call in and contribute dial: 647-812-5894
You can also contribute to our Jamboard at http://bit.ly/3oIbVlB 

So what? Now what? Can I let you in on a little secret? Many of those spontaneous calls were arranged in advance. Otherwise, there would have been no way that I would have been around to participate in this live phone-in show. This week was a doozy, and Wednesday in particular was full of meetings and big feelings. Thankfully I was able to remember my time and join the conversation. I will try to listen to more Read Into This podcasts and participate more when my life becomes more my own.

 

 

Thursday, February 4, 2021

Ontario School Library Association Annual General Meeting
6:30 p.m. with OSLA Council

Summary (taken from website): Please mark your Ontario School Library Association annual general meeting in your calendar! This year, all divisional AGM’s are virtual. This is a great opportunity to meet your divisional council who have had made an exemplary commitment to OLA over the last year.
Registration for the OLA Super Conference is not required to attend a divisional annual members meeting. All are welcome to join, but only OSLA divisional members may vote on business.
All meetings take place in Zoom.

So what? Now what? I never thought I'd be interested in attending a meeting I wasn't required to attend. In fact, I wasn't even aware this meeting was at this time, until I saw it on Twitter. I had been teaching all day and the last thing I wanted to do was sit in front of the computer for a longer period of time. Still, I joined in for the half-hour meeting, primarily to see and hear some of those school library professionals that I would usually be learning with at this conference. I miss them terribly. I am glad that OSLA Council has chosen to extend the term of office for all council members for an extra year. Hubby says he finds it odd but I feel like it is another opportunity to *actually* serve, instead of this year-that-wasn't-a-year "pretend-service". My very clear next step is to arrange for a Library Standing Committee within ETT. Johanna Lawler, I'm counting on your advice and guidance here!

Twitter also alerted me to a missed opportunity - a script table read, featuring many authors and library people that I admire. I couldn't make it because I was in a school meeting during that time, but I hope to check it out later on.

Friday, February 5, 2021

Add Another M: Incorporating Media Literacy into STEAM and MakerSpaces
11:15 a.m. with Diana Maliszewski

Summary (taken from website): Never underestimate the power of audience and aesthetics! Discover how, by incorporating concepts of media literacy into STEAM explorations, the Engineer Design process can cover even more curriculum. School libraries can lead the learning, either virtually or in-person (as long as they are adequately staffed). Support your students’ makerspace journeys by integrating and examining principles such as ideological messages, socio-political as well as commercial implications and the relationship between form and content. More than mere making, consuming, or producing, it’s critical “prosuming”.

3 Key Points: 
1. Asking good questions before, during, or after a STEAM / MakerSpace provocation can enrich the experience.
2. It's important to understand foundational ideas such as the 8 Key Concepts of Media Literacy, the Engineer Design Process, and the Media Triangle.
3. You are never too young to be media literate.

So what? Now what? I attended my session so that I could interact with the discussion and answer questions on the Q&A board. It was a surreal experience, listening to my pre-recorded talk while chatting with others as they heard it for the first time. It seemed to be well-received and there were many different sectors represented in the audience. My favourite comment came from a Youth Services Librarian from Edmonton Public Library. My next steps are to continue my work with the Association of Media Literacy.

Friday, February 5, 2021

Sketchnoting 101
2:30 p.m. with Jen Giffen and Laura Wheeler

Summary (taken from website): Sketchnoting is a great way to share information in a visual format that draws attention and is easily shared. Sketchnotes are a bit like hand drawn infographics. If you need to share out information with your library users, sketchnotes are a great tool to do so. Sketchnotes are also great for visual note-taking; a skill that is useful to librarians, library users and students. Curious about sketchnoting but not sure where to start? “Can’t draw”? Don’t worry! Sketchnoting is not about drawing, it is about ideas. It increases retention and focus as well as improves memory. It is a great way to synthesize information and focus on big ideas. It helps with concentration, stimulates neural pathways, and quite literally makes us smarter. Come join a hands-on session for beginner sketchnoters.

3 Key Points:
1. Sketchnoting is not about art; it's about ideas
2. There are multiple ways to approach sketchnoting (e.g. draw while listening, note while listening then draw after, etc.)
3. Use tools to help you like Google Auto Draw or The Noun Project

So what? Now what? I was supposed to be teaching during this time but I listened so I could access the live Q&A from the presenters. This meant that I actually didn't move from my computer from 8:30 a.m. - 6:15 p.m. but it was worth it. I've done sketchnoting before, under the tutelage of sketchnoting master, Sylvia Duckworth, but I gained new insights from Jen and Laura's talk. I even remember admiring Laura's sketches at past OLA conferences! My next steps are to rewatch their presentation/slides at bit.ly/olasketch, introduce these sketch challenges to my Grade 5-6s next week for art, and investigate Google Auto Draw and The Noun Project. Follow Jen at @virtualgiff and Laura at @wheeler_laura on Twitter.

Friday, February 5, 2021

Educational Leadership, Anti-Racism and the Library Learning Commons: A Conversation with Dr. ABC
5:00 p.m. with Dr. Andrew B. Campbell

Summary (taken from website): Please join your 2020-2021 OSLA council as they welcome the wisdom and expertise of Dr. Andrew Campbell in a discussion centred around leadership, equity, anti-racism, addressing anti-Black racism and more. In this pre-recorded session, Dr. ABC responds to questions posed by council members about our practice as school library professionals and how we can embrace the role of school leader and change maker to create a more inclusive learning community for all.

3 Key Points:
1. "Use a Black author - look for the voices" BIPOC-OMG and how 2SLGBTQI++ term has evolved
2. "Are you ready? If not, why not?" / "Who is leading the conversation? Is the person prepared/equipped?" ... "moving beyond ... not hurry up and get over this" (Can't move beyond without foundation) Don't defer dreams!
3. "Black excellence has always been there - how do you feature it?" Can the next poster on your wall NOT be a black runner or basketball player? I like how white people should be "tuned in" (not appropriating "woke")

So what? Now what? I am going to need to listen again to DrABC's talk. For the first time, I just let his words wash over me and just typed my impressions in the discussion channel. (These are the 3-but-not-really-3 points I listed above.) There were so many excellent moments. Others captured the take-aways more articulately. What I really appreciated was that afterwards, some of us still needed to digest his words, so a quick, unofficial Google Meet was created for further discussion. This small group of people was able to help me with my question about how to represent 2SLGBQTIA++ students without resorting to stereotypes, since it isn't always obviously physically if someone is a member of this group. 



Friday, February 5, 2021

Live Chat: Cleaning Out Your Digital Closet
7:00 p.m. with Lisa Noble

Summary (taken from website): Are your Pinterest boards a disaster? Do you have resources floating around that you could curate into a choice board? How are other people keeping things organized, and sharing them in a virtual or face to face context? What tools are working for people? How does copyright play into some of this? Do you just need more hours in the day?
Bring a favourite beverage, and a digital space you'd like to clean up, and join us Friday night. I'll provide the time and some guiding questions. Hopefully, you'll leave with a renewed sense of what you need and what you don't!
Facilitated by Lisa Noble
The Live Chat format is a live virtual meeting space - all attendees have the option to have microphone and cameras enabled. There is also the option to contribute through a text based discussion board. Live Chats have a maximum of 75 attendees.

3 Key Points
1. You can access the resources at bit.ly/OLAcloset2
2. What works for one doesn't necessarily work for others.
3. When curating for those other than yourself (e.g. students, staff), take their views into consideration.

So what? Now what? I attended Lisa's 2019 session on the same topic and tried to adopt Diigo, but it wasn't for me. I spent this time going through one of my many inboxes and deleting messages (and setting "sweep" parameters so it would clean itself). It was so nice to hear Lisa's voice.




Saturday, February 6, 2021

Spotlight: Usha James - You are not alone: Engaging and supporting all students in Independent inquiry online
10:00 a.m. with Usha James

Summary (taken from website): Online and hybrid environments have demanded so much of both teachers and students as they find themselves trying to navigate learning in a way that requires a great deal more independence. As educators look for activities and assignments that students can pursue on their own, many questions have arisen: What do I do when students don’t seem to understand the task or aren’t submitting their work? How do I support the development of their abilities to research independently and their media competency? How can I engage them meaningfully from a distance? In this session, we will explore a powerful approach and practical strategies you can use to support both educators and students in developing the competencies needed to engage in meaningful independent inquiry in this new and ever-changing learning environment.

3 Key Points:
1. There are levels of engagement. The lowest is compliance/being on task. Strive for higher ones (interest/entertainment > care/appreciate value > challenged/caught up in learning* > transform/empower).
2. There are 5 quick strategies you can use immediately to engage all students and get them to think critically (see photo).
3. Use different graphic organizers (like fishbones, Freyer charts, and Euler diagrams) to deepen thought.

So what? Now what? I have had the fortune of having The Critical Thinking Consortium training as a TDSB TL and it was excellent. I still have printed out copies of the slide deck on my wall near my computer at home. My next steps are to investigate Euler diagrams, use the affirm/revise/aspire reflection tool, and definitely offer more opportunities for simultaneous responses from students and tweak my questions.




Saturday, February 6, 2021

Provoking Learning in Digital Spaces
11:15 a.m. with Melanie Mulcaster and Tina Zita

Summary (taken from website): The LLC Is the hub of the school - how might it become the heart of your home? In this hands on session participants will explore types of resources, and various structures and tools that can support inquiry, build agency and empower learners in remote learning environments. Can the learning commons be brought home? It most certainly can!

3 Key Points
1. Access the slides at bit.ly/OLAbringthellc
2. Check out The Noun Project and The Kids Should See This
3. "decolonize the notion that text is the only way we can gain information"

So what? Now what? This is the second session that recommended The Noun Project, so I think I need to explore it (and maybe even pay for the year subscription). I admit that I was multitasking while listening to Tina and Melanie's session, so I wasn't as focused and didn't capture as much as I should have.


Saturday, February 6, 2021

Diversity Audits in the Library Learning Commons: Why? How? and What's next?
2:30 p.m. with Toni Duval and Rebeca Rubio

Summary (taken from website): This session will focus on how to audit a Library collection for the diversity of authors, illustrators and main characters using specific criteria including racialized, Indigenous, LGBTQ+ and disabled voices (shared resources will be provided). We will share: 1) why we did diversity audits 2) how the process of a diversity audit is an example of equity in action in both elementary and secondary schools  3) what to do after you collect your data. Participants will be encouraged to consider ways they might bring a diversity lens to their Library Learning Commons.

3 Key Points
1. This is the first time I've heard the term SOGI
2. Great points about ability, and what constitutes dis/ability.
3. "These are the markers I need" - great reason why not to just copy someone else's diversity audit process.

So what? Now what? The sessions I chose for 12:15 pm and 1:30 pm were cancelled/withdrawn and, silly me, I didn't search for replacement workshops. That's okay, because a) I can watch the other sessions later, and b) it gave me the chance to do a few errands (curb-side pick-up) before this session, which was one I was really looking forward to. The process is a lot more complex than what it appears at first glance. Naturally, my next step is to conduct a diversity audit in my school library learning commons, once I return to it.

I also want to thank the panelists I was with who supported the discussion forum for our session that also ran at the same time as the Diversity Audit workshop. Our session was called "Administrators as School Allies". I morphed from being a panelist to being the moderator. Thank you Andreas Ghabriel, Rabia Khokhar, Tim Pedersen and Jennifer Brown for all your work .


Saturday, February 6, 2021

School Libraries Track: Closing Remarks
3:30 p.m. with Beth Lyons, Maureen McGrath

Summary (taken from website): Wrap up your 2021 Super Conference with an open chat about the realities of the K to 12 library sector in 2021.
We know that school library professionals and advocates remain essential to all learning communities now, more than ever. Hosted by OSLA Vice President Beth Lyons and Past President Jennifer Brown this chat is a great chance to connect with one another and additional council members in a supportive and candid conversation about the challenges facing school library learning commons, the amazing work that continues despite these challenges and the inspiring sessions from OLA Superconference 2021.
Jamboard can be viewed here: https://jamboard.google.com/d/1yttMnseM-QMvTfEIRl5_D9P3qJ0M9Kwhh0zzZxaMaZw/viewer?f=2 

So what? Now what? This was a lovely way to end SuperConference 2021 - chatting with new and familiar faces. The Jamboard was a great idea and allowed participants to share their reflections and reinforce some common refrains about certain sessions and take-aways.








So, in the end, there were many good things about a virtual conference - the ability to pause and rewatch sessions, and take in many more than you'd be able to do in a regular conference, the reduced cost (meals, travel, conference fee, accommodation in Toronto, etc.) ; the convenience of accessing from home; the opportunity to talk more with the presenters than you would at a regular conference, etc.. There were still things that I missed about an in-person conference (the informal conversations between sessions, meeting people, the physical aspects of holding new books or meeting authors face to face, the community, the chance to get away from the usual demands of daily work life to attend and be immersed; etc.). As I said in the closing session, I hope there's a way to marry the benefits of the in-person conference with the benefits of the virtual conference. I'll end with Michael's tweet and my reply.


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Monday, February 1, 2021

Reflecting on Read-Alouds

 This Monday will be the beginning of the fifth week that my students and I have been together learning online. This week looks like it will be a stressful one, for many different reasons. To keep things grounded and centered, I'm going to think about something I like - books (and reading out loud).

Time is precious and therefore, selecting a book to read aloud to a class takes serious consideration. Right now, I am just about to read the fourth book in The Spiderwick Chronicles series by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi. (We just finished the third book.) This was a deliberate choice for many reasons.

  1. I wanted to choose a short novel because of our attention spans online.
  2. I wanted to choose a book that had sequels so that if the students enjoyed it, we could continue enjoying the characters, themes and writing style.
  3. My students requested that one of the text types we study (read/write/explore) was horror. It can be tricky to find age-appropriate horror material. I felt like this book (and the prequels/sequels) had enough elements of suspense and supernatural events to make it horror-like. During the first book, children were squealing that this was too scary to hear, but they overcame their fears to request more.
  4. Some of the students are experiencing things in their lives that are similar to the characters in the book. Jared Grace has difficulty controlling his anger. The Grace children feel powerless. Watching how fictional characters deal with common issues can be helpful and semi-instructive.
  5. My own children loved reading these books.
  6. Students who love movies have heard that there is a movie adaptation, and they are keen to do a compare and contrast.
There are many other reasons for choosing particular titles as choices to read aloud. Bryan A. Brown (@Doc_B_Brown on Twitter) recommended a task that his colleague, Felicia Moore Mensah (@docmensah on Twitter) uses. I adapted it for the Additional Qualification course I'm writing. Consult this tweet for the original inspiration. She suggests you post a collage of photos of all the authors you cite in a course you teach. Creating an author picture collage is a striking example of how diverse (or not) your sources may be. I went back into my lesson plans and listed every author and illustrator I included as part of a read-aloud from September 2020 - January 2021. This is the list:

  • Jacqueline Woodson (author)
  • Rafael Lopez (illustrator)
  • Derrick Barnes (author)
  • Gordon C James (illustrator)
  • Tiffany Jewell (author)
  • Aurelia Durand (illustrator)
  • Jerry Craft (author / illustrator)
  • Saumiya Balasubramaniam (author)
  • Eva Campbell (illustrator)
  • Holly Black (author)
  • Tony DiTerlizzi (author/illustrator)
This is the author / illustrator collage.


This blog goes live on Monday, February 1, which is the beginning of Black History Month. I really like this tweet I read. (In case you cannot read it, it says "If Black lives didn't matter to your school in January, your students won't be fooled in February".)

Don't just read books with Black characters or by Black authors in February. Read them all year 'round. Don't just focus on slavery and segregation - read books that celebrate various current Black experiences. This is not meant to be a pat-on-the-back for me, but I am pleased that 2/3 of my read-aloud choices are by BIPOC authors and illustrators. I need to read more Canadian authors and I need to read more from Asian Canadian authors. This will coincide with I Read Canadian Day. Part of my plan to improve my Canadian content is to read aloud the 2021 Blue Spruce nominees. I'll have to buy the books with my own money (since I am not the teacher-librarian right now) but I think they will be a worthwhile investment.



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