WEIRD BUT TRUE 3- 300 OUTRAGEOUS FACTS

Many years ago, in a speech at CCIRA, Richard Allington said something that I have never forgotten. Allington suggested that we as teachers should imagine the weakest reader we knew walking into our classrooms. He asked us to think about what reading materials were available in our classrooms for that reader. The room was silent as people mentally scanned their classroom libraries, then Allington went even further. He asked us to think about which of those materials the reader would actually find appealing enough to WANT to read. I've returned to that question many times as I have worked in classrooms or supported kids as they learned to read. What texts are available for this child to read? Which texts will he/she want to read?

This week, I received a new book from National Geographic Kids. Weird But True 3 is absolutely perfect for struggling readers.

Some of the facts have to do with the natural world:

• One of the world's fastest snakes, the black mamba, can slither up t0 7 miles per hour.
• Your stomach would digest itself without mucus.
• It takes 8 minutes and 19 seconds for light to travel from the sun to the Earth.

Some of them have to do with interesting words:

• A group of rhinos is called a crash.
• A five seat bicycle is called a quindem.
• Lachanophobia is the fear of vegetables.

And some of them are just downright silly:

• A company in India made a pair of underpants that are 58 feet wide- that's wider than three large SUV's.
• A British man ate 36 cockroaches in a minute.
• Rats can't burp. Also, birds don't sweat.

And there are also plenty of facts that are just plain gross. Did you know, for instance, that a Scottish dish named haggis is cooked inside a sheep's stomach?

This book would be perfect for any reader, but especially those kids that struggle. First, it's super interesting and engaging. Each fact is no more than one or two sentences. The book is arranged with anywhere from 1-5 facts, some with really nice photos, some with interesting fonts, on a page. I can picture kids reading and rereading, sharing it with friends, asking me questions, until it falls apart.

Definitely one that belongs in every classroom library!

HAVE I GOT A BOOK FOR YOU- Melanie Watt

OK, I gotta admit it- I'm a book pusher. There's nothing I like better than matching the right book with the right kid. And I'm pretty good at it. I think I met my match this weekend, though. Mr. Al Foxword is the consummate salesman- he can sell ANYTHING- even ice to the penguin. Faced with the challenge of selling books to people who don't like to read, though, he has to work extra hard.

This is a really fun new read by Melanie Watt, the author of SCAREDY SQUIRREL. I've been talking to my teachers about engagement and motivation, and helping kids choose "just right books." I can't wait to share HAVE I GOT A BOOK FOR YOU with teachers and kids this week.

GROWING READING HEARTS, continued

Boy, oh boy, can I dink around a lot on the internet. I'm up early this Saturday morning to fill out paperwork so that Kadeem can play in a spring football league (because we do not have enough sports in our life), after which I will go to school and finish packing up the third grade CSAP books, then go buy a shirt and a pair of size 16 shoes so my son does not have to wear tennis shoes to a wedding this afternoon, then be at the wedding downtown at two. Yikes! 

Anyway, just came over from Chicken Spaghetti where I read a wonderful quote by Donalyn Miller, a middle school teacher who blogs as THE BOOK WHISPERER. Miller writes:

There are many days when I don't get it right-- my lesson falls flat, my temper is short, or I am too distracted to focus on the child standing in front of me. My students forgive me on those days because I am one of them- a reader. I rarely fail when talking to children about books and why they should read this one. It pleases me when my students consider me an expert whose opinions about books they value; I convince a lot of kids they are experts because they read too.

This fits right in with what Mary Lee and I have been talking about regarding reading engagement this week. Bottom line, I think, teachers who care hugely about books help students become people who care hugely about books.