Dear WinkWorld Readers,

I am often asked who my favorite teacher was, and even though I am very aware that I have been blessed with the very best, there is still one, who shines brightest: Profe Beto, mi Maestro.  Today I had the glorious gift of being with him and listening to his stories again.  A very, very special day.  Please meet Profesor Adalberto Guerrero, who was my professor at the University of Arizona in the mid-80s.

Previously, I wrote a story about how I used to follow him around campus and listen outside of his classroom door.  I guess we could say that I was “stalking” him.   This story was previously posted on WinkWorld and was also published in Teaching Passionately: What’s Love Got To Do With It?, which Dawn and I wrote and published with Pearson in 2004, pp. 12-14.

Teaching Passionately – Professor Beto

Who was your favorite teacher?  Have you told her or him?  I did. Hope you do, too.

Dear WinkWorld,

Apparently, I had to go to Arizona to learn about Everyday Native, an online program, which offers FREE RESOURCES for teachers/families and students in grades 4-12. 

As I understand, (please remember that I have only just learned about the program), photographer, Sue Reynolds, conceived of the project and continues to lead it forward in multiple states.  Sue uses her own photos, and Victor Charlo contributes his poetry. In addition to photographs and poems, on August 1st, 2019 a new video, “Patricia’s Story,” introduced by Peter Coyote, premiered on the website.  Like other stories of Native youth in Everyday Native, this video brings to life the fears, hardships, courage and resilience of a Native youth.  Everyday Native is about Native Americans, and it also supports non-Native teachers, students, and families.

The idea is to use an image and/or poem to initiate a discussion, and we know that oral language is the path to literacy.  These images and poetry can then lead to stories, which capture the culture and experiences of Native students. 

My friend/colleague, Cass Fey, was previously the Curator of  Education at the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona.  In that work, Cass wrote and created teacher guides and other texts for Everyday Native to use in their work.  Sue and Cass are now planning a trip to Pierre, SD in September for a conference, which is linked below.

South Dakota Indian Education Summit 2019

Everyday Native

Their Mission

Everyday Native Facebook

If you are interested, all you have to do is sign up on their website.  I just did.

Two of Sue’s photos are posted below with permission. Thank you, Sue.

Sioux Pride, Wakpala Public School

Bear Butte Evening Sky

Coming next on WinkWorld:  (a) Transactional literacy with an interview of Louise Rosenblatt, and a tiny peak into transactional and transformational leadership, (b) Pedagogy: What in the world does that mean?

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

Families and teachers: This one is for you!  Jeff McQuillan, thank you for telling the story of literacy so well.  Jeff is a Senior Research Associate with the Center for Educational Development, and he had a great teacher before that–No, not me.  This super story of literacy was published in the LA Times, August 16, 2019.

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2019-08-15/how-to-help-your-child-become-an-avid-reader

Below here is the same article  which I copied from Jeff’s blog, Backseat Linguist.

How Kids Become Readers Posted: 19 Aug 2019 09:27 AM PDT Just published in the Los Angeles Times August 18, 2019: Some parents fear that their child may “fall behind” in learning to read. But there is no evidence that learning to read, or reaching a given reading level, must be done by a certain age to succeed in school. It is true that students who have difficulties in reading at an early age often have problems later in their school years. But this is not because learning to read by 9 (or 19 or 90) is required to become a good reader later on. Children can make rapid progress in reading under the right conditions. It’s never too late to become a good reader. So instead of worrying about at what age your children learn to read, focus on getting them hooked on books. In fact, get them addicted to reading. Once they fall in love with books (or magazines or comic books), they’ll want to read more all on their own. And doing a lot of reading is the key to progress. How do you help your child become an avid reader? Here are a few tips to make that happen. Start by reading to your children when they are young. Reading aloud can be done from the time they’re infants. Even after your kids learn to read, continue reading to them. Older children also like to be read to. It motivates them to read more on their own. Make sure kids have lots of books to choose from. Take them to the public library to pick out their own books and encourage them to use the school library. If they don’t like a book, put it aside and help them find another one. Sometimes it takes a while to find books that really click with children. Once you do, however, your children will be on their way to becoming better readers for life. Reading is its own reward, so there’s no need to bribe your child to read. Kids with the right books will fall in love with reading. Give it time.

Susan Henley Spreitzer, thank you for sharing your Scruffy Bear, who, I see,  is cooling off by the pool with a good book.  Susan, not only created Scruffy, but she also helps me keep my webpage and blog up and running smoothly.  Susan can be found at ExcellentWebs.com

Extra Credit: What book is Scruffy reading?

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

Thank you, Kerry Frei, for the photo of the sign which dear Cuzzin’ Zane King made for us.  In this WinkWorld, I will share some of my summer reading.   The next WinkWorld will focus on transactional literacy (Thank you, Louise Rosenblatt) and transformational literacy and learning.

I finished all 7 Harry Potter books.  There were moments when I did think that I would skip a few pages, but I just couldn’t do it. When I finished, I thought: I must read these again.  I still have not seen the movies.  Glad I read these books: Finally, a little street cred with our grands.

When I finished, I jumped into the opposite, City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert.  I learned that even though some of those theater women of the 40s were not good girls, they were still good people.

After this, I finally read Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. Thank you, Sherilyn, my MHS friend, for saying that it was the best novel you had ever read.  When I saw that, I immediately started reading it.  I so admired the strength of the young heroine.

While I was reading Crawdads, my Yankton friend, Annie, asked me if I had read The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson, and I had not read it. However, I immediately thought of the children’s book, That Book Woman by Heather Henson, with gorgeous water color pages by David Small. As it turns out, both of these books focus on the same subject matter, the Pack Horse Librarians of the Kentucky hills in post-depression era.

When Annie said Troublesome Creek, it also made me think immediately of another of my fav books, Aunt Chip and the Great Triple Creek Dam Affair by Patricia Polacco.

Of course, I cannot think of Triple Creek Dam without immediately thinking of a story, which I wrote about it.  If you click on Continue reading below, you will be taken to that story in The Power of Story.

However, back to Annie: Had I ever read That Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson?  No, but now, I have, and absolutely loved it.  (Diane and Betty, I am sending to you next.)  Whereas the children’s book, That Book Woman is a work-of-art, it does not portray the difficult life of the Kentucky Pack Horse librarians who were funded by Roosevelt’s New Deal Act.  Prepare yourself for the devastating poverty of the hill people of Kentucky right after the depression.  And, I had NEVER read about the blue people of Kentucky.  Fascinating.  Richardson tells a gripping story, and at the end of the book, she gives the history of these brave women librarians and their relationships with the families in the “hollers.”  Reading provided the hope that many people needed.  Richardson also gives the history of the blue people at the end of her novel. If you want a good read, I highly recommend this book.

So, now what will I read? Here are the two, which I have stacked on my table waiting for me. I note that often I am late to reading a good book; for example this Woodson book is 20 years old, and in it Woodson will tell a modern-day Romeo and Juliet love story.  Star-crossed lovers, I suspect.  Also, I was late to Crawdads.  I was very, very late to reading all of Harry Potter.  It was only when I realized that our 20-something grands did not even remember a time before Harry that I thought I better read them.  I also was chagrined that I didn’t know all of the Harry references coming from the little kids at Atall School.

And, finally,

And, unlike Brooks, we all know that this is not my second mountain–nor my first rodeo.

Meet my ever-present rancher reading buddy.

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

I am reviewing this story for another project, and just decided to share with you, too.  I love how Gary’s story of The Wizard of Oz touched the hearts of those who heard him.

To read this short one-page story, click on my name or on the “continue reading.”

What are your personal stories of books from your childhood?

Image by Illustrator Katie Knox.

Hi WinkWorld Readers,

A colleague reminded me about this video recently.  It answers the question: How did I learn to read, and how did my kids learn to read.  Spoiler Alert: They learned in the exact opposite way from me.

Dawn and I made this as a marketing tool for my “The Power of Story,” and then  I promptly forgot to use it.  I have told you previously that marketing a book is not my strength: Case in point.

Incidentally, if you read WinkWorld  on a regular basis, you know that I find Amazon prices very mystifying. Usually, I think they charge way too much, as do many others.  Since I complained the last time, they lowered the price for “The Power of Story” to $15.  It normally sells for $45 – grab it quick if you are interested, as I am sure that it will bounce way up again.

How did you learn to read?

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

ALERT: Self-promotion post coming your way.  One of the most difficult aspects of being an author is that you also have to help market your own books–all I want to do is write the next book, but I am learning that in today’s publishing world, I also need to market.

Hence the following article from The Guardian really caught my eye.

Ditch The Grammar and Teach Storytelling Instead by Tim Lott, May 19, 2017 in his blog, Tim Lott’s Family Column.  I do not know Tim, but I have read that he is a secondary teacher, and his students knew dependent clauses, fronted adverbs, character arcs, and all-things-grammar, but the students simply could not tell a compelling story.

A-ha, and if Tim (or, you) wanted to use storytelling, how can you learn?  Careful, here come the personal plug.

The Power of Story

What is this book about?  Well, you can go to JoanWink.com and click on the book icon at the top, and it will show you the Table of Contents, with a few live links.

Or, here is a visual table of contents of the chapter headings, which my friend, Missy Urbaniak, drew for me.

Click to view larger image.

Or, here are all of the chapters and headings, which Missy drew for me.

Or, here is a little one-page tri-fold which you can download and print.

The Power of Story TOC 9.29.17

Or, here are some images which Katie Knox drew for me to use in the book.

How to learn to tell stories–here are two ways, which I do.  First, I read stories. Lots of stories. Second, I listen when someone talks to me, and I try to find connections to something in my own life.

The Power of Story has multiple ways of incorporating story into  your own life.  Just saying….okay, the self-promotion is over.  For awhile.

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

In the previous WinkWorld, I wrote about Free-range Reading*, a literacy activity which celebrates the freedom to read on the range. In this previous blog, I mentioned Jennifer and John Churchman’s books, which were new for me within the last few years. The purpose of this blog post is to share their books, which the students at Atall School (a two-room school on the prairies) love. So do I.

The first Churchman book, which I discovered was Sweet Pea & Friends: The SheepOver

The kids and I loved this story and the beautiful artwork.

Eventually, my collection of Churchman books grew.  Each book makes a perfect Read-Aloud.

This spring the teacher, Missy Urbaniak and students presented me with The Easter Surprise by Jennifer and John Churchman.

I had so much fun reading this story to the kids, but I worried that they would crawl right into the book, as I read.  Each page of the book has a hidden bunny, and they loved to find that bunny. Please note the kids find the hidden bunny on this page.

Previously, my friend and colleague, Sherry Bunting, wrote a beautiful blog post about the Churchman’s book, “Sweet Pea & Friends: The SheepOver.”  Sherry gave me permission to share with all of you. Thank you, Sherry. I hope you enjoy reading this, as much as I did.  Also, the Churchmans are now quite active on social media, and they have their own webpages.

December 18, 2015

“Sweet Pea & Friends: The SheepOver,” and a story about this book and Jennifer and John Churchman.

*Ok,ok,  I confess–I made up that term, just to describe choice and access: 2 principles of learning to read.  Kids need access to books, and choice matters.

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

In the previous WinkWorld (re-posted at the bottom of this blog), I mentioned that I was going to Atall School for a literacy activity, which we were calling Free-range Reading–meaning nothing more than we were free on the range to read and remember our favorite books from the past year.  We told the kids that we would talk about the books, and then eventually, they would have to choose their favorite and draw an image, which reflected the book.

Here is some of what happened during those 2 fabulous hours.

Lots of our treasured books, which the K-8 students had read during the year, were placed around the room. We had planned to discuss these books for maybe 30 minutes.  However, this lively discussion took at least an hour, and then the students wanted me to read some specific books again.  I read….

The Wonky Donkey by Craig Smith and illustrations by Katz Cowley

The Book With No Pictures by BJ Novak

If You’re Not From the Prairie. . . by David Bouchard and images by Henry Ripplinger

Many of the students chose Patricia Polacco books as their favorites, and we didn’t even get to all of the chapter books in the classroom.

After talking about the stories and reading together, we asked the students to make a poster which represented their favorite book of the year.  In the photo below, you can see them creating a representation of their favorites.

The community of Atall School is always sad to say good-bye to the eighth grade students, who in the fall will have to commute to Sturgis (50 miles away) to attend high school.  Usually the country kids stay in town with someone during the school week.  This year Atall is losing two very, very special 8th graders, Shaniah and Mariah, twins–we love them dearly.

Shaniah chose A Child of Books by Oliver Jeffers and Iam Winston.

Here is a page from the book, and you can see how the image of the ocean is really created with words from a story.  Many of the pages are similar.

After choosing this book, I vaguely remember Shaniah asking if she had to draw an exact picture from the book, and I assured her that she only needed to represent what the book meant to her.  And, then she sort of disappeared, but Missy found her going through a basket of my books which I had carried over for the day.

When she turned in her image, we could see that her favorite book was really many, many books, which give her happy memories.

Mariah, the other 8th grader chose The Word Collector by Peter Reynolds.

And, now you understand why we love Mariah and Shaniah so much.

Meet Missy Urbaniak, the teacher, and the two 8th graders, Mariah and Shaniah.  The twins remind me of how much I used to love my classes of 8th graders in Benson, AZ, circa late 70s.

The students also asked me to read one of the John and Jennifer Churchman books–but, more about that in the next WinkWorld.  Here is a sneak-peek of how the kids seemed to dive right into the book as I was reading.

Thanks for reading my blog.

Critical Pedagogy 4th Ed – The Benson Kids

Dear WinkWorld Readers, 

If you are a reader of this blog, you are aware of my interest in prairie pedagogy, which is nothing more than teaching and learning in a rural setting–very rural.  These isolated schools on the prairies with 10 to 15 kids and one or two teachers are fascinating for me.  Presently, I am absolutely smitten with a particular group of kids, who are sort of like the din-in-my-head, because I think about them so much.  Sometimes, I think of this as “kid-din.”

Below I am posting two previous blogs, which I have written about “Kid-din.”

Research Rapture and The Din In The Head

Research Rapture and The Din In The Head: Part Two

These are the kids, who have captured my heart*, as they enjoyed a field trip to Wind Cave in the Black Hills.

In addition, if you are a reader of this blog, you know that I am a big believer in real reading, not fake reading. Real reading is independent reading–just like we, adults, do in real life.  When we have access, choice, and time, we grab a book and see what is going to happen.  If a child or adult say they don’t like to read, it is only because they have not yet grabbed the right book.  Keep grabbing.

When we, adults, do real reading,  we don’t take tests on our reading, and we don’t fill out work-sheets on our reading. We might ask a family member what an unfamiliar word means, or if we bump into that new word two or three times, we might figure it out from context.  If not, we might then actually Google it to find the meaning…but, only when all else fails. 

We read for a purpose: to relax, to learn, to escape, etc. Does real reading really help reading? Yes.

Does real reading really help real reading? The Book Whisperer answers.

Sometimes in my passion to turn all of you into avid readers, I have to make-up new words–words like kid-din, real reading, fake reading, or even road warrior reading. What in the world is that?

Road Warrior Literacy

Or, junk literacy: Huh?

Do I make up silly words about serious stuff? Yes, I’m guilty. 

Today I want to add to my tongue-in-cheek-terminology, with a new term: Free-range reading, which is designed specifically for one way to end the school year on the prairies, but I am pretty sure that this can be adapted to fit urban areas, too.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

•An impassioned teacher who has been leading kids to literacy all year.

•Wild and crazy readers and/or reluctant readers, who still have not yet found the right book.

•Stacks of books, which have been loved and read throughout the school year.

•One sheet of blank paper on each child’s desk…just in case they have something they need to write or draw during the forthcoming discussion.  Teacher quickly grabs these, when the activity is finished  One never knows what kids will need to write.

•One long sheet of poster paper. (If your class has more than 15 students, you will probably need several long sheets of poster paper as you may want to adapt the activity to be a small group activity.  In our small K-8 rural school, I can guarantee that we will do this as a whole class activity–I love the interaction among the assortment of K-8 students.)

AGE GROUPS:

Any age. In our particular case it will be for readers from 5 to 75.

PURPOSE:

To capture our memories of lovin’ that literacy in 2018-2019 Academic Year.

HOW TO BEGIN:

Teacher begins by holding up one book and asks questions about it.  I promise that the teacher will soon be interrupted by ideas and memories from the kids.  Eventually, this first book will end up being passed around and will finally land on the desk of the student, who really loved it the most.  

Teacher grabs second book, and repeats this process.

Teacher grabs third book, etc.

After about 30 minutes of remembering books throughout the year, we will move to one table with our one long piece of butcher paper.  Larger classes may want to use small groups.  Each child is asked to draw one picture, which captures the story of one of the books. In addition to the title of the book, authors’ and illustrators’ names must be included on the poster paper.  Below each drawing, each student is asked to write this one sentence:

The thing I remember most about this book is…

The following photos were all taken on a magical day in 2017, when the teacher, Missy Urbaniak, created this activity….I am just the storyteller.

Meet our treasured teacher, Missy Urbaniak.

Thanks for reading my blog, WinkWorld.

*Just as the Benson Kids did; just as the Turlock teachers did.

Critical Pedagogy 4th Ed – The Benson Kids