It wasn't NIGHT, but it was NOISY: Mac Barnett and Brian Biggs make a stop on their NOISY NIGHT book tour

Why the passion for creating a cityscape? 

My students were preparing for a visit from Mac Barnett and Brian Biggs, who are on tour for their new book, Noisy Night. 

My library was one very fun and very noisy place! Have a look and listen:

Prior to their visit, my students watched the book trailer for Noisy Night. It was #booklove at first viewing.

Speaking with their elbow partners, the students shared the sounds of things that make their nights noisy and then contributed their voices to the following book connection activities that were available to students:

Table One: create a cityscape 

Table Two: decorate pajamas (from a template I created)

Table Three: create speech bubbles of sounds heard at night

Table Four: draw pictures of sounds heard at night

I taught this lesson with all the kindergarten and first grade students. By the end of two days, I had one NOISY NIGHT bulletin board and one NOISY NIGHT window decoration.

Here are a few more images of the students' work:

Did this preparation help get the children excited for the visit? You bet! 

Did Mac and Brian really need any help getting the children excited during the visit? Not really. 

Thanks for visiting, Mac and Brian!

Mock Caldecott: Leo: a ghost story

The fourth and fifth graders read Leo: a ghost story as part of their Mock Caldecott unit. The book is written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Christian Robinson. 

Leo is published by Chronicle Books.  About Leo: "You would like being friends with Leo. He likes to draw, he makes delicious snacks, and most people can't even see him. Because Leo is also a ghost. When a new family moves into his home and Leo's efforts to welcome them are misunderstood, Leo decides it is time to leave and see the world. That is how he meets Jane, a kid with a tremendous imagination and an open position for a worthy knight. That is how Leo and Jane become friends. And that is when their adventures begin."

Check out the trailer:

The students are being close readers of both narrative and art. I am excited by their conversations and can tell from what I am hearing that they are being thoughtful about our criteria. 

When thinking about the importance of the illustrations, the students recognized that they would not know when Leo lived, what he looked like, or how he was dressed without the illustrations. They used the art to determine when Leo lived -  the peeling wallpaper, ornate table, old fashioned phone, and natty attire - guessing it was at least a hundred years ago.  They also enjoyed comparing Leo's home to Jane's modern house with a simplicity of style. In terms of appropriateness of the style, the students felt that the limited palate was extremely effective and appropriate for a ghost story. The style also echoed Leo's mood. When thinking about excellence of execution, they recognized the complications of maintaining a ghostly presence throughout the story and felt Christian Robinson succeeded. They also appreciated the details of the two houses. Regarding appeal to a child audience, this book received a solid thumbs up across the room. One thing that did continue to arise was the idea that a ghost can carry something while also being walked through. I shared that in my lifetime, this has just been a cool thing that ghosts can do.

Along with verbal conversations, the fourth graders continue to practice good digital citizenship by expressing their opinion on our Padlet wall. 

Sam and Dave Dig a Hole and find...

I have been eager to read Sam & Dave Dig a Hole with my students. I have been a huge fan of Jon Klassen and Mac Barnett ever since I heard them talk about their writing and illustrating process for Extra Yarn. When they team up together, these two talented and successful people create well-wrought and thought-provoking books.  

I have waited for the proper time to read Sam & Dave Dig a Hole with students, one with ample time for discussion, luckily that occasion arose last week.  All I can say is, the experience was all that I hoped. I very much enjoyed watching the students faces and hearing them laugh as they followed Sam and Dave along on their quest for something spectacular. It's fascinating to see the reaction spread as they take in that Sam and Dave have not landed in the same place and then to watch and listen to the creative and critical thinking as the students try to piece together what might have happened. We also talked about how the journey is just as, if not more, important - because of the experiences and memories collected along the way.

After the discussion, the students used Storybird to share what they each thought happened next in the story. The ideas range from serious to silly, existential to theoretical. I should have had them write their idea first to see how much the art options in Storybird influenced their ideas. *next time*