Margin Notes

Craft Studio: When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk

Sep
29

What I Was Reading

When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk is YA realistic fiction that tells the story of the end of Cleo’s friendship with her best friend, Layla. It is organized into alternating narratives of then and now—before the incident that ultimately ended their friendship and after as Cleo develops a plan to create new memories to replace the ones that include Layla. This novel is about self-acceptance and forgiveness and recognizing that we can be more than the sum of our mistakes.

Woodfolk’s writing is detailed, specific, and colorful. For example, this passage when Cleo meets Dolly:

“Well ain’t you a cutie,” she says. “Where’d you get all them freckles?” She moves a few of the braids that are hanging over my eyes and tucks them behind my ear, and while the gesture feels like a “correction” when my mother does it, with Dolly it feels a little like love.

What Moves I Notice the Author Making:

  • I was drawn to this short passage because it communicates so much in only a few lines. It combines “small moment,” “show don’t tell,” and “compare-contrast” in just three sentences.
  • This brief paragraph combines dialogue and descriptive detail to introduce the character Dolly. The compliment followed by the intimate gesture of fixing Cleo’s hair gives the reader the opportunity to infer how comfortable and safe Cleo feels with Dolly. She has put Cleo immediately at ease.
  • The explicit contrast between how this small gesture feels with Dolly, “like love” as opposed to a “correction” from her mother, reveals important information about both women.
  • The dialogue embedded within a paragraph invites readers to examine punctuation choices.

Possibilities for Writers:

  • Create a small moment that combines dialogue and touch (or another sensory detail) to communicate something important about a character.
  • Use contrast to reveal details about two characters by showing us who they are by showing us how they are unlike each other.
  • Revise a draft in your notebook by replacing a description of a character with a demonstration.
  • Experiment with incorporating dialogue.

How Do I Build it?

Sep
24

“Children and adolescents need meaningful and consistent access to books at school and home.  When they have access to books, they read more and they read better. Period. It’s not groundbreaking, but it’s true.”

Donalyn Miller and Colby Sharp, Game Changer 2018

 

As a classroom teacher you know the importance of having a well-stocked inclusive library.  You also know that building or curating that library is easier said than done. During my conversations with teachers and when having the opportunity to share my enthusiasm for every classroom to have that accessible and inclusive library I am often presented with the question, “What do I buy?” What do you recommend”?  Like you and these teachers, I do not have unlimited access to books, nor do I know all the soon to be released titles or student favorites.  When all of us are living the same reality of limited funds, we want to make wise choices when we select books.

One quick and extremely easy way to find out about new books and books children love, is to follow grade 5 teacher @ColbySharp on Twitter or to check out his videos on YouTube. His posts include favorites of his own and or his students. His videos offer genuine feedback and share why the book should be put into the hands of students.  Beyond providing insight on what titles to gather for your classroom, he also provides an excellent model of how to “book talk” books for your students to generate excitement, buzz and that, “next to be read” list.

To further learn about the power of books and book access for students consider reading Game Changer by Donalyn Miller & Colby Sharp.  Much of what Colby Sharp models in his videos is explained in much greater detail in this book.

Happy reading and viewing.

10 Minutes on Twitter

Sep
22

Since starting @ShelfieTalk in 2015 with my colleague Kim, I have not ceased to be amazed by the power of Twitter for personal professional learning. The new perspectives, ideas, tools, and resources I have access to as part of this virtual community are invaluable.

Here is a short list of gems I found by scrolling my timeline for 10 minutes:

The 2020 National Book Award Long List: Young People’s Literature via The New Yorker

The 2020 Shortlists for the Canadian Children’s Book Centre Book Awards

Poetry Is a Way to Connect Us During These Uncertain Times by Georgia Heard (CCIRA)

The Fall 2020 Issue of Teaching Tolerance Magazine

Tips for Engaging Students in Virtual Instruction with the Camera Off from Edutopia

A Moving Writers post called The Life-saving Power of Routines

What are your favorite Twitter accounts for professional learning? We’d love to see your recommendations in the comments below!

Summer Reads 2020

Sep
17

To further introduce the ASD-W literacy team, we asked everyone to share their top 3 summer reads. Looking at the titles the team sent in, I appreciate the variety in form, genre, and mode. Over the past couple of years we have been working towards broadening the definition of text and balancing print and digital texts in classrooms, and this is certainly reflected in the individual choices you will see below!

Jill Davidson:

Sonja Wright:

Tracy Davis:

Colleen Dyer-Wiley:

Signe Williams:

Melissa Walker

Welcome to Margin Notes 2020-21!

Sep
14

Welcome to another year of Margin Notes! We are very excited to introduce our newest members of the team Tracy Davis, Colleen Dyer-Wiley, Signe Williams, and Sonja Wright.  

When we created Margin Notes in 2018, our target audience was teachers of Grades 6 to 12. This year, thanks to the expertise of the new members of our blogging team, we’re going to expand our content with a K-12 focus. 

We look forward to connecting, learning, and growing with you this year!