Besides being a great author, he's got a good head on his shoulders when it comes to kids and reading. In a recent blog post, Mr. Riordan tackles the thought of age-appropriate literature for kids. This is something I deal with constantly as a third grade teacher.
At my school, the kids take a computerized test (STAR) to determine their personal "reading range". While I, as many others, understand that this is one test, and many other things go into a "just right" book choice, much weight is put onto this test to determine what books the students can check out from the library.
Now, in theory, this is a good concept. If a student knows what constitutes "just right" for them, as far as reading level goes, it helps to narrow down books in the library (we have a great, full, library, and the books are color coded according to level). There are a few bumps in the road with this technique, but for the most part, it's good.
What I do have a problem with, though, is the thought that book level is the ONLY thing that goes into determining a "just right" book. So many kids come up to 3rd grade, reading books, simply because they are the "right" level. Granted, it's great that they're READING, yes. But to read a book, simply because you have the ability to decode the words doesn't necessarily make it a good pick for you at that time.
I've had quite a few kids come in, and test high on the STAR test-- about 6-7th grade level reading ability. Immediately, they jump into a book of that level, because the test "said" they could. What I try to explain to them (and parents alike) is that just because a student has the technical ability to do something, doesn't necessarily make it enjoyable, or truly understandable. I mean, I have the ability to understand college textbooks, but I don't choose to read them during my "independent reading" time.
There are SO many great books for each level of reading-- we are blessed as a society to have many great writers for children who look at their audience-- get to know their audience-- and write for their audience. Why take a book from their future, to experience and understand maybe half of what they could at an older age? Let the kids enjoy the age appropriate things-- when it's age appropriate. Not when it's too late, and "too baby" for them. Then they've lost an opportunity to experience the books as intended.
So, my younger son (who will be 9 in a month) is working on The Lightening Thief. He's finally ready to go there. Last year, at the end of second grade, he had the ability to read Mr. Riordan's book series, but it just wasn't appropriate for his experience and age. Now, he's older, and his story enjoyment ability has him catching and understanding the significance of more details, and he'll "get it". I had few students last year that got caught up in the Percy Jackson series as well-- at the end of third grade. Now they're Olympian FOOLS (no offense-- just wonderfully caught up in it all). But these kids (mine included) have read a LOT of books-- appropriate books-- to get them ready for a series like Percy Jackson and the Olympians. They've had the ability for a while, but now, they're ready.
And believe me-- their enjoyment proves that it was worth the wait.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Weslandia
Many of you may say, "Weslandia? Where is that?"
Well, Weslandia can be found in any good library or book store.
Written by Paul Fleischman, Weslandia is the tale of a modern-day Robinson Crusoe. The main character, Wesley, decides to embark upon a summer project, and the wind blows in the most superb of ideas. A strange plant begins growing in his back yard.
What to do, what to do?
Build a civilization, of course. And that's exactly what Wesley does-- he builds Weslandia, complete with food, shelter, clothing, writing, number system, recreation, products and much more, based on this little plant of his.
It's a fantastic idea, and perfect for third graders. You see, third graders learn all about communities, and so tying this book in to our curriculum is quite easy.
But it doesn't stop with a simple read-aloud. We take it all a step further. We go on and create worlds of our own. It's a fantastic thing...watching creative minds at work...inspired by a book.
Take a look, check it out. Then, get after it and create a civilization of your own. The possibilities are limited only by the creators.
Well, Weslandia can be found in any good library or book store.
Written by Paul Fleischman, Weslandia is the tale of a modern-day Robinson Crusoe. The main character, Wesley, decides to embark upon a summer project, and the wind blows in the most superb of ideas. A strange plant begins growing in his back yard.
What to do, what to do?
Build a civilization, of course. And that's exactly what Wesley does-- he builds Weslandia, complete with food, shelter, clothing, writing, number system, recreation, products and much more, based on this little plant of his.
It's a fantastic idea, and perfect for third graders. You see, third graders learn all about communities, and so tying this book in to our curriculum is quite easy.
But it doesn't stop with a simple read-aloud. We take it all a step further. We go on and create worlds of our own. It's a fantastic thing...watching creative minds at work...inspired by a book.
Take a look, check it out. Then, get after it and create a civilization of your own. The possibilities are limited only by the creators.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Readers and Writers Roundtable
Yesterday, I attended Salado's Central Texas Area Museum Readers and Writers Roundtable. What fun day it was, meeting the other authors, and getting a chance to talk about FREE TEXAS.
Now don't get me wrong-- I've talked about FREE TEXAS plenty of times, but most of the talking I've done is about the layout of the book-- shared with interested buyers in a short amount of time. Yesterday, I had 30 minutes-- all by myself-- to say whatever I wanted. So, needless to say, I took advantage of the time. Rather than talking about the layout and ease of use of my travel guide, I took more of the "history book" approach.
Recognizing the vastness of our great state, I took listeners along a trail in the book of places that showed Texas "from Canada to Mexico" (now THAT's BIG!). My speech was a bit more detailed than what's here, but you can take a look at whatever information piques your interest.
We started off with Tim deJong, a Canadian-born-relocated-Texan-by-way-of-New-York artist who runs Wimberley Glass Works. Tim's art is displayed in the Sam Houston Memorial Museum Complex in Huntsville. Elizabet Ney sculpted a life-sized portrait statue of Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin for the 1893 World Fair in Chicago-- her house/studio, affectionatly named "Formosa" (meaning "beautiful") is in Austin, and both the SH and SFA statues are displayed in the Capitol Building in Austin as well.
As a young state in 1875, Texas didn't have the money to build the capitol building that the former Republic of Texas deserved, so rather than raising taxes, three million acres of public land was traded to the Chicago company("Capitol Syndicate") who agreed to the exchange as payment for building the structure. That land later proved more profitable to ranch than to sell off as originally intended, and the Syndicate fenced off the entire three million acres and formed the XIT ranch (see below).
Government officials wanted the capitol building to be made from native Texas resources; the original plan was limestone, but it proved a mite "unsightly" due to the inconsistancies in the stone. Marble Falls agreed to donate all the Texas Pink Granite the Syndicate could use-- they just had to come and get it. Thus, the railroad from Marble Falls to Austin was born.
Still short on money, the state agreed to "hire" state prisoners as labor, much to the stonecutter's union members' dismay. When the union workers refused to train the prisoners to work, the Syndicate brought in Scots to do the job. Now, our capitol building still stands, with prisoner workers and some creative thinking. (Talk about prisoner reformation!)
So the Chicago Syndicate has the XIT Ranch, documented well at the Dahlhart Museum bearing the same name. The XIT was later sold in small chunks to panhandle ranchers when the ranching business got to be a bit more profitable. One bit of ex-XIT land helped form Deaf Smith County, and in the Deaf Smith County Museum, visitors get a real feel for early pioneer living; complete with a dugout home and an early Santa Fe Caboose. If you've got a real feel for early pioneer living, head on over to the Carson County Square House Museum-- again, another dugout, another Santa Fe Caboose, and the most extensive collection of early Native American Art in Texas. In fact, the folks in Carson County were pretty fond of art. The N-Bar-N Ranch, in Carson County, is where Charles M. Russell got his start. He used to sketch scenes of ranch life in his spare time, until the ranch boss suggested that perhaps he needed to take up art full time.
Amon Carter recognized Charles Russell as a great western artist as well, as a large collection is in the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth, that also houses quite a few Frederic Remington pieces. Also in Fort Worth, is the Sid Richardson Museum, home to quite a collection of Remingtons and Russells, brought to the public by philanthropist Sid Richardson (who provided the Sid Richardson Boy Scout Camp, too!).
Going with the art thread, when we passed through Uvalde on our travels, everyone said, "Have you been to the bank?" Not quite sure how to take it, we didn't see "the bank" as being the highlight of a town's attractions, and didn't go the first time through-- we waited until our "way back," and boy, oh, boy, are we glad we did. The Uvalde State Bank isn't just a bank, it's a museum. Janey Briscoe sure knew what she was doing when she decided to bring the art into her decorating of the bank. Also on the board of directors at the bank (besides Janey's husband, Dolph) was John Nance Garner. Garner served as vice president of the United States 1933-1941, and his personal museum, the John Nance Garner Museum is also in Uvalde. Better known as "Cactus Jack," the vice president definitely had an affinity for poker.
Another Texas personality known for the popularity of poker is Judge Roy Bean. The Texas Travel Center in Langtry highlights this outrageous West-Texas lawman. Lawman he was, but he didn't always agree with the law, and many times found ways around it. In 1896, he arranged a boxing match to take place on an island on the Rio Grande, since boxing was illegal in both Texas and Mexico, and frankly, he enjoyed the sport. Also part of the Rio Grande is Lake Amistad-- binational, serving both the U.S. and Mexico. Amistad National Recreation Area provides lots of outdoor recreation activities for area folks, and visitors can drive onto the bridge and visit the monument that commemorates amicable relations between the United States and Mexico. It stands on the border between the two countries; take a step over if you'd like. Just to say you've been there.
This thread is just one of many that can be found in the places highlighted in FREE TEXAS. I enjoyed writing the book for many reasons-- time with the family, and helping plan family activities for others are up there on the list. However, an added benefit of seeing how grand and interconnected Texas is, was a definite perk.
Attending the Readers and Writers Roundtable in Salado was special for me. I remember visiting Salado with my grandparents when I was young. My gradparents lived in Temple (Grampa preached at Northside Church of Christ), and I'd visit a few times a year. One of the times we'd visit, If we were lucky, was in November, during the Gathering of the Clans and Highland Games celebration in Salado. My uncle often worked the Cameron booth, but I remember hearing the pipes and drums, and wading in the shallow Salado Creek.
When I was trying to convince the editor at Xavier House Publishing to let me write FREE TEXAS, Salado was one of the first articles I wrote. The family went one day, and luckily, I was able to meet with Cile Ambrose, the museum director at the time of the Central Texas Area Museum. I'd like to share what she said when I asked her about offering her museum for free:
"Because Texas IS free. We're a free state, we have a free spirit, we are a free country, we're a free people, and when we have a good thing, we want to share it with everyone. How can you put a price tag on that?"
Now don't get me wrong-- I've talked about FREE TEXAS plenty of times, but most of the talking I've done is about the layout of the book-- shared with interested buyers in a short amount of time. Yesterday, I had 30 minutes-- all by myself-- to say whatever I wanted. So, needless to say, I took advantage of the time. Rather than talking about the layout and ease of use of my travel guide, I took more of the "history book" approach.
Recognizing the vastness of our great state, I took listeners along a trail in the book of places that showed Texas "from Canada to Mexico" (now THAT's BIG!). My speech was a bit more detailed than what's here, but you can take a look at whatever information piques your interest.
We started off with Tim deJong, a Canadian-born-relocated-Texan-by-way-of-New-York artist who runs Wimberley Glass Works. Tim's art is displayed in the Sam Houston Memorial Museum Complex in Huntsville. Elizabet Ney sculpted a life-sized portrait statue of Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin for the 1893 World Fair in Chicago-- her house/studio, affectionatly named "Formosa" (meaning "beautiful") is in Austin, and both the SH and SFA statues are displayed in the Capitol Building in Austin as well.
As a young state in 1875, Texas didn't have the money to build the capitol building that the former Republic of Texas deserved, so rather than raising taxes, three million acres of public land was traded to the Chicago company("Capitol Syndicate") who agreed to the exchange as payment for building the structure. That land later proved more profitable to ranch than to sell off as originally intended, and the Syndicate fenced off the entire three million acres and formed the XIT ranch (see below).
Government officials wanted the capitol building to be made from native Texas resources; the original plan was limestone, but it proved a mite "unsightly" due to the inconsistancies in the stone. Marble Falls agreed to donate all the Texas Pink Granite the Syndicate could use-- they just had to come and get it. Thus, the railroad from Marble Falls to Austin was born.
Still short on money, the state agreed to "hire" state prisoners as labor, much to the stonecutter's union members' dismay. When the union workers refused to train the prisoners to work, the Syndicate brought in Scots to do the job. Now, our capitol building still stands, with prisoner workers and some creative thinking. (Talk about prisoner reformation!)
So the Chicago Syndicate has the XIT Ranch, documented well at the Dahlhart Museum bearing the same name. The XIT was later sold in small chunks to panhandle ranchers when the ranching business got to be a bit more profitable. One bit of ex-XIT land helped form Deaf Smith County, and in the Deaf Smith County Museum, visitors get a real feel for early pioneer living; complete with a dugout home and an early Santa Fe Caboose. If you've got a real feel for early pioneer living, head on over to the Carson County Square House Museum-- again, another dugout, another Santa Fe Caboose, and the most extensive collection of early Native American Art in Texas. In fact, the folks in Carson County were pretty fond of art. The N-Bar-N Ranch, in Carson County, is where Charles M. Russell got his start. He used to sketch scenes of ranch life in his spare time, until the ranch boss suggested that perhaps he needed to take up art full time.
Amon Carter recognized Charles Russell as a great western artist as well, as a large collection is in the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth, that also houses quite a few Frederic Remington pieces. Also in Fort Worth, is the Sid Richardson Museum, home to quite a collection of Remingtons and Russells, brought to the public by philanthropist Sid Richardson (who provided the Sid Richardson Boy Scout Camp, too!).
Going with the art thread, when we passed through Uvalde on our travels, everyone said, "Have you been to the bank?" Not quite sure how to take it, we didn't see "the bank" as being the highlight of a town's attractions, and didn't go the first time through-- we waited until our "way back," and boy, oh, boy, are we glad we did. The Uvalde State Bank isn't just a bank, it's a museum. Janey Briscoe sure knew what she was doing when she decided to bring the art into her decorating of the bank. Also on the board of directors at the bank (besides Janey's husband, Dolph) was John Nance Garner. Garner served as vice president of the United States 1933-1941, and his personal museum, the John Nance Garner Museum is also in Uvalde. Better known as "Cactus Jack," the vice president definitely had an affinity for poker.
Another Texas personality known for the popularity of poker is Judge Roy Bean. The Texas Travel Center in Langtry highlights this outrageous West-Texas lawman. Lawman he was, but he didn't always agree with the law, and many times found ways around it. In 1896, he arranged a boxing match to take place on an island on the Rio Grande, since boxing was illegal in both Texas and Mexico, and frankly, he enjoyed the sport. Also part of the Rio Grande is Lake Amistad-- binational, serving both the U.S. and Mexico. Amistad National Recreation Area provides lots of outdoor recreation activities for area folks, and visitors can drive onto the bridge and visit the monument that commemorates amicable relations between the United States and Mexico. It stands on the border between the two countries; take a step over if you'd like. Just to say you've been there.
This thread is just one of many that can be found in the places highlighted in FREE TEXAS. I enjoyed writing the book for many reasons-- time with the family, and helping plan family activities for others are up there on the list. However, an added benefit of seeing how grand and interconnected Texas is, was a definite perk.
Attending the Readers and Writers Roundtable in Salado was special for me. I remember visiting Salado with my grandparents when I was young. My gradparents lived in Temple (Grampa preached at Northside Church of Christ), and I'd visit a few times a year. One of the times we'd visit, If we were lucky, was in November, during the Gathering of the Clans and Highland Games celebration in Salado. My uncle often worked the Cameron booth, but I remember hearing the pipes and drums, and wading in the shallow Salado Creek.
When I was trying to convince the editor at Xavier House Publishing to let me write FREE TEXAS, Salado was one of the first articles I wrote. The family went one day, and luckily, I was able to meet with Cile Ambrose, the museum director at the time of the Central Texas Area Museum. I'd like to share what she said when I asked her about offering her museum for free:
"Because Texas IS free. We're a free state, we have a free spirit, we are a free country, we're a free people, and when we have a good thing, we want to share it with everyone. How can you put a price tag on that?"
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