POETRY FRIDAY- GEORGIA HEARD AND JENNIFER MCDONOUGH

Our hopes for…all young children are …

to maintain a sense of wonder,

to be hungry to explore the world,

and to keep asking questions

about everything they’re learning in school

and in their lives.

We believe that as children grow,

they will keep that curiosity and passion,

and they will flourish into

aware and inquisitive adults.

HEARD AND MCDONOUGH, P. 132

Today is a very special day. Today is the "book birthday" for Georgia Heard and Jennifer McDonough's terrific new professional book, A PLACE FOR WONDER: READING AND WRITING NONFICTION IN THE PRIMARY GRADES. Georgia Heard is a well-known poet (FALLING DOWN THE PAGE, THIS PLACE OF COMFORT, CREATURES OF LAND, SEA, AND SKY) and author of many professional books (THE REVISION TOOLBOX, AWAKENING THE HEART). Jennifer McDonough is a primary grade teacher in Florida.

In A PLACE FOR WONDER, Heard and McDonough examine how teachers can create “landscapes of wonder,” classrooms where curiosity, creativity, and observation are encouraged, and where intelligent, inquiring, lifelong learners are developed. They provide teachers with practical ways – setting up “wonder centers,” gathering data through senses, teaching nonfiction craft – to create classroom environments where students’ questions and observations are part of daily work.

You can preview the entire book online here.

Heard and McDonough will go "on tour," well, ok a blog tour, later in October.

October 19: A Year of Reading
October 21: Miss Rumphius Effect
October 23: Carol’s Corner (can you believe it, right here!).

As an added bonus, Stenhouse will wrap up the blog tour with a LIVE WEBCAST with Georgia and Jennifer on Oct. 26th at 8 p.m. EST. This will be a great opportunity to join a small group discussion with the two authors. Five participants for this live webcast will be chosen from the comments in this post and the blog tour post on October 23 If you would like to have your name thrown in the bowl, post a comment or question about the book here. Include your email address so I can contact you if you win! No special software or equipment are needed to participate in the webcast – just a phone and your computer.

From now until the beginning of the tour you can also receive free shipping when you order A Place for Wonder. Just use code “blog” at the checkout when you order from www.stenhouse.com or by phone at 800-988-9812. The book starts shipping today!