TAKR (pg. 101-129) and Mentor Texts (Chapter 3) and Brown Girl Dreaming (pg. 43-138)

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I was curious why our TAKR reading was shorter than normal, but was super excited to see what was waiting for me on the last page. I love the idea of using an email group to link readers is so fun. I am hoping that the email groups are still active! I also enjoyed signing up, because the website is so fun and no surprise, interactive. The books uniqueness continues to impress me and leave me excited to keep reading. 

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On page 106, Amy defines the word small. If you know me (or have even just seen me), you know I was nodding my head! I can so relate to being put in front of the pictures, having peoples first impression of me be only my height... At 5 ft, it is super hard to not notice I guess. Height is one of those things that you cannot change. Me staying this height is inevitable. But I have to say, other peoples constant comments... It's annoying. This weekend I was with a lot of family and several people told me that "I looked like I was still a teenager." First off, since this is my blog, I can say this here, that its awkward to comment on people looking/not looking their age. Amen. I have often thought, what would I be like if I wasn't so short? Would my personality be different if I was of average height? I can't even tell you how many times I have just wished my legs were 2 inches longer. But, like Amy becoming the tiny film maker, I have had to embrace my height. I appreciate that Amy walked the line of annoyance, humor and acceptance. But really, what is it like to see at concerts?

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The story about Amy's student needing boots is so sweet and relatable for us teachers. We have all seen a need for a student and sought to have that need met. I was thinking of how touching that image might have been to see the barefoot boy walking away. I can't help but wonder, is Amy doing something different with her life to be able to experience these moments, or is simply just noticing all of these poignant moments with care? Maybe a mixture of the two? I loved her reflection on page 121 as well, about all of us just quietly doing our own thing, trying to matter. Sometimes I think about how it is such a miracle that we are all thriving, still alive, getting jobs... Seems like a simple thought but can gain some deepness quickly!

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This week in Chapter 3 of Mentor Texts, I appreciated how the authors gave further ownership to the students. Students discovering their territories is huge when it come to writers, especially young ones. Cynthia Rylant is a wonderful author to start with, as she does focus on themes/circumstances that many student can relate to. Though having diverse stories in the classroom is important, having things that most students can relate to at the center of the lesson can be valuable too. Animals, families, sports...  

 

All my internships were done in classrooms K-2, so I can definitely see the value in trying to interest students in writing from a place of interest and familiarity. The chart that goes from one broad topic to a very specific happening is genius! I love the simplicity of the model and I can see myself using it in the classroom. 

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Heart maps are also great to spark interest. I could see myself laminating a students heart map, so when a student is unsure of what to write about, I could say "Go look at your heart map!" Even as an adult, heart maps are super fun to complete.  I think as teachers, we often think that its visuals vs. words, but actually, the two pair together so well during instructional time! In Kindergarten writing workshop, students would draw instead of write. Eventually, we worked up to writing a sentence. I saw immense value in allowing the students to do developmentally appropriate activities, instead of pushing the to write before they were ready. Drawing/visuals can really benefit students of all ages and abilities. 

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Love how the authors included lesson plans! This book is proving to be an amazing resource.

 

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I enjoyed moving more into the story of Brown Girl Dreaming this week, particularly learning more bout Jack's mother, who is the most interesting character to me I found it very interesting that mother leaves her family to go on a weekend trip, something that I imagine would be a taboo thing to do as a divorced mother of 3 children. I want to know more about her. Why New York? What all did she do while she was there? I imagine Jack's mother to be young and super intelligent, maybe dissatisfied with the life that she is currently leading. This book would be extremely interesting from the perspective of Jack's mother as well!

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One section of the book that really stood out to me was pg. 68, when Jack's mother scolds Hope when he says "ain't." This book really does draw a very distinct line between North and South, and it is really interesting that Jack's mother is so vocal about her hatred of southern culture. I would be interested to hear about Jack's perspective on this story now as a grown woman. Does she think this word carries ignorance? 

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Another part of the reading that was interesting to me was on page 94. I know that mothers do have a lot of problems letting go of their children, but it's kind of shocking how verbal the grandmother is about wanting her grandchildren and daughter to stay. It's clear that she enjoys their presence. I wish that the poems were dated so we could get a clearer picture of how long they have stayed in Greenville when this conversation had happened!

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I am interested in learning more about two aspects of the book... One being how the new  baby will change Jack's relationship with her mother, and the overall family dymanic. Will we ever know who the father is? Another interest of mine is how being a Jehovah's Witness (still not quite sure who vs. who is not) effects the family as well. 

 

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Citations 

 

Dorfman, L. R., Cappelli, R., & Hoyt, L. (2017). Mentor texts: Teaching writing through childrens literature, k-6. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.

 

Rosenthal, A. K. (2016). Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal: Not exactly a memoir. NY, NY: Dutton

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Woodson, J. (2018). Brown girl dreaming. Waterville, ME: Thorndike Press, a part of Gale, a Cengage Company.

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