Owl Moon and inspired Owl Artists

Posted on November 29, 2011 by carriegelson

One of my favourite books to read aloud in the cold dark days leading up to winter is Owl Moon, the 1988 Caldecott Medal winner written by Jane Yolen and illustrated by John Schoenherr. This book fits in with our theme of Courage that we are exploring through various picture books but also allowed us to have a wonderful springboard for some gorgeous owl art.

A little girl goes owling with her father for the very first time and we, the readers, get to creep along with this pair over hard packed snow illuminated by the moon. We breathe the cold air, feel our own cheeks burn and marvel at the wonderful sound of crying out “Whoo-whoo-who–who-who-whoooo,” and then feeling the silence (heavy and full of wonder) surround us. Yolen’s text is poetic and the illustrations magical. A treat for the senses! When an owl is finally discovered, all of us gasped at the huge wing span and bright yellow eyes depicted in the pictures. A gorgeous book and one I never tire of reading with a class.

We discussed why the little girl in the picture was so courageous even though she was out on a dark night deep in the forest. Some insightful suggestions from the group:

She was too excited to feel fear
Being with her Dad made her feel safe and secure
Watching and listening for the owl distracted her
She pushed her fear away because she was doing something (going owling) that she had been waiting a long time to do

After the story, Ms. Gelson led a mini “how to draw an owl” lesson inspired by this wonderful blog post from Art Lessons for Kids.

And wow, did students get engaged with making beautiful owl scenes to fill up our room!

First we drew owls on plain paper and added details and colour. Hailey did a lovely job of filling up her whole page with an adorable looking owl and baby.

Catriona drew her owl in flight!

Some owls seemed to be waiting to jump into a picture book as the main character of an exciting story. Purity‘s owl is very dramatic.

Students then cut out their owl (s) and glued them to black paper making a scene. Khai made a whole family of owls perched on a branch.

Carefully positioning owls on the page.

Sergio was very clear that his owl was pregnant and put an awaiting nest on the branch. Many debates began whether an owl could be pregnant if it lay eggs. Some people thought an owl should be called “ready to lay eggs” and not pregnant. Sergio made it clear he liked his idea best and made a label on his picture pointing to the owl’s belly “pregnent” 🙂

Truman made lightly grey owls with beautiful ear tufts. Striking against the black background and yellow moon.

Huge words, huge feelings

Posted on November 28, 2011 by carriegelson

Last week I read The Day Leo Said I Hate you! written by Robie H. Harris and illustrated by Molly Bang (famous in my world for When Sophie gets Angry, Really, Really Angry.) We read it because some days there are lots of strong feelings and strong words flying around our classroom and so my belief is we need to embrace what’s going on and explore it.

This book lets us explore how we feel when we get mad. What do we do with those frustrated feelings? What happens when our feelings explode and we say something that is hurtful? Can you take back words once they are spoken? Where do you go from the terrible words to get back to the care and connection that a relationship is made out of?

Leo tells his Mom, “I hate you!” Then the two of them discuss how those words made them each feel.

Did my class react? Oh my yes! One student pointed out, “__________ shouted those words at you last week, Ms. Gelson!” Very true. Now we had another way to look at that situation since we had been able to explore it through a well told story. Those words have big power, but there is also power in calming down, reconnecting and moving on. Talking about it lets it all be normal.

One student burst into tears when our story ended. This story hit close to home and before she could continue with her day, she needed to write a letter to a family member to apologize for some strong words used that very morning. The book was a gift – it allowed her to give words to her sad feelings and move on with her day.

I believe strongly in the healing power of books. When we talk about the stories, connect to the strong feelings, we learn about ourselves and our place in our world. Using powerful literature allows us to reach in and grab a hold of hidden feelings and shake them up. Doing that in a caring, calm classroom builds community along with strong emotional learners. Books have the ability to connect us through stories and our conversations allow us to strengthen those connections even further.

Fold it!

Posted on November 28, 2011 by carriegelson

Science this week? We learned that materials are stronger when folded or twisted!

We were asked to make a bridge using paper balanced on two cups. Only a few blocks and our bridge began to sag.

As scientists, we first listed our materials and checked them off as we collected them.

Then we folded the same paper like a fan and tried balancing cubes again.

What a difference a few folds make!

Some of us were determined to balance 100 cubes? No way?! Well, Raymond had the record at 87!

The careful scientist at work

So what did we conclude? We figured that the folds made little triangles (like you see in corrugated paper) and that triangles are the strongest shape. We learned this last week (see here)!

One Horse Farm

Posted on November 27, 2011 by carriegelson

Our BLG reader this week was a new reader for us. Welcome Radica! Radica brought a very special book: One Horse Farm written and illustrated by the amazing Maine artist Dahlov Ipcar.

This book was first published in 1950. It tells the story of a boy and a horse that grow up together on a farm and gives us a lovely sense of daily farm life through the seasons. Simple, soothing and all in repeated colours – turquoise, orange, black, white and brown. The boy Johnny and the horse Betty age in different ways – my students were fascinated that Johnny was an adult but Betty was an old horse. Why? Great discussions on life span and rates of growth and how they differ between humans and various animals.

To learn more about Dahlov Ipcar, go here.

Her artwork is amazing. Wildebeests and Zebras (at left) is just one of many pieces that feature animals. More art work is featured here. Ipcar is 94 years old and still painting! She has paintings in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Cowboy hats and Country dancing!

Posted on November 27, 2011 by carriegelson

We knew a big party was coming! So we started getting ready!

A fun afternoon of decorating hats got us into the mood for talking about cowboys, country music, horseback riding and just what happens at the Grey Cup anyway . . .

Many of us added our names and walked around the room admiring how we all looked in our fancy hats.

But who could have predicted this?

Thanks to the Calgary Grey Cup Committee for bringing us a party we won’t soon forget! The band High Steppin’ Daddy had everyone kicking up their heels and twirling with our guests including Charlie Horse who managed to not step on any toes! Read Janet Steffenhagen‘s story in the Vancouver Sun here. Photos by Ward Perrin.

via Vancouver Sun

Jack and the FlumFlum Tree

Posted on November 27, 2011 by carriegelson

BLG reader Deborah brought us a fabulous book to read together: Jack and the FlumFlum Tree written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by David Roberts.

How much do we love to read rhyming text together? A whole lot! Add in some quirky repetitive phrases like,

“Don’t get your knickers in a twist,” said Jack.

“Let’s have a look in the patchwork sack.”

and well, we know we have an energizing, engaging book to jump into!

Jack’s granny had great big purple spots (lots and lots). The diagnosis: the moozles! Oh no! But . . . there is a cure – the fruit that grows on the flumflum tree on the faraway Isle of Blowyernose! So Jack sets off with Rose and Stu and a patchwork sack full of an odd assortment of items (careful readers should pay attention to what is in the sack!) The journey to the Isle of Blowyernose is not an easy one. Circling sharks, a leaking boat, and Stu overboard are some obstacles that the crew must overcome. Those items in the sack are very handy and the three adventurers complete their mission successfully. Such a fun read aloud! Students were repeating reoccurring lines quickly and loved to guess which item from the sack the children might need to solve each problem. There is nothing like a room full of shrieks of “Ohhh!” and “Ahhh!” and children shouting out answers in unison. Verdict: This book is a winner! Perfect for buddy reading and sharing again and again!

Our student reviewers report:

Truman: I like the part when they sailed to Blowyernose and they blew their noses!

Khai: I really liked the illustrations because they were nice and bright!

This is a fabulous author/illustrator pair and we enjoyed another of their books – Tyrannosaurus Drip last spring with a BLG reader.

Julia Donaldson has a fantastic website to check out with information about all of her books. Exciting news?! Julia is the new Children’s Laureate. Read about her goals and passions here.

David Roberts is one of my very favourite illustrators. His website is wonderful to explore.

Farley and the Lost Bone

Posted on November 27, 2011 by carriegelson

Our BLG reader Bill brought us Farley and the Lost Bone by Lynn Johnston and Beth Cruikshank, well known for the cartoon “For Better of Worse.” I think Bill was quite excited to share the talent of these cartoonists with Division 5!

Poor Farley has lost his bone and can’t remember where he buried it! Well, truth be told, he can’t even remember that he lost it to begin with – he just has a longing and a nagging feeling when he sees Elly digging in her flower bed. When he realizes that he has misplaced his important bone, he digs up many corners of the yard in an attempt to find it. The family is not too happy and he gets yelled at and chased multiple times. But Farley perseveres and finally discovers his bone! The family forgives his incessant digging attempts when they realize he was just after his bone all along. A lovely story for dog lovers and for those that find remembering important things a little challenging at times :).

Our student reviewers report:

Jacky: He should just put signs where the bone was. Then he wouldn’t have so much problems.

Khai: I like it how in every illustration there is a bone! The book is colourful and funny.

Carmen: In this book, all the pages have a bone. Farley even forgot where he put his bone so then Farley went to his people friends but they told him to go away. After Farley ran off, he felt soft soil and he dug and found his bone!

Searching every illustration for a hidden bone is a lovely interactive feature between readers and listeners if this book is read aloud.

Deborah Hodge visits Division 5!

Posted on November 22, 2011 by carriegelson

On November 15th, 2011, local author Deborah Hodge visited Division 5 to share her books, her process and her knowledge with us.

Author Deborah Hodge

Deborah Hodge has a fantastic blog to check out and even wrote about her visit with us at Seymour! Students were very excited when I let them know that we had an author coming to visit. When Deborah came to the door just before the recess bell, she was greeted by a huge hug from Sergio who looked up at her and said: “Hi Deborah. I really like to read books.” During recess, Deborah set up all of her books around the classroom and when students returned, Shae-Lynn exclaimed, “Did you really write all of those books?” It was a very impressive display!

Deborah explained that when she had been a teacher, many of her students wanted to read non-fiction books but the text and language was just not at their level. She was motivated to create non-fiction titles that were much more accessible – full of fabulous non-fiction features like labelled diagrams, a glossary, fact boxes and interesting facts! Each book contains something life sized in a drawing at the back of each book.

Deborah’s first book was Bears, a popular title in our classroom.

Deborah began sharing the steps in making a non-fiction book like doing the research, writing the text, revising and editing, working with an illustrator, etc. She shared examples of each step as she described it. At one point about mid-way through the series of steps, one student let out a big sigh. “Wow! There really are a lot of steps in making a non-fiction book!

Deborah also shared some cool facts she learned as she researched her various books. A few favourites of ours:

An anaconda is as long as a bus and as heavy as two big men
When a polar bear cub is born, it is as small as the palm of your hand
A mother deer leaves the fawn alone when it is first born so that her scent won’t attract predators.

Deborah also brought in animal fur and animal skulls to show us. Very interesting and fun to interact with!

Deborah left us with more than a great learning experience – about how non-fiction books are made, about animals, and about furs and skulls. She left us with some lovely gifts.

First she signed our classroom copy of Lily and the Mixed up Letters. This wonderful book about a little girl who struggles learning to read is of course written by Deborah and illustrated by France Brassard. It is a favourite of both Ms. Gelson and Ms. Hibbert.

Then Deborah gifted our classroom with two of her latest and greatest books! We plan to delve into these books in the Spring when we can learn more about growing food in different places.

Then, last but not least, Deborah gave each student a copy of one of her non-fiction titles.

I am a big believer of children owning their own books and having their own book collections – the power of “books in hand and in home.” Deborah signed each book for each child and in the last week I have heard students making comments like, “Did you read about . . . . in our book?” Thank you Deborah for such an amazing morning and such generosity!

Strength of triangles!

Posted on November 17, 2011 by carriegelson

Marshmallows, tooth picks and a challenge! Make a cube. How many blocks can you balance on a single card?

Step one: Make the cube

Step two: Start balancing

Step three: Detect a problem? Yes, definite leaning!

Step four: Get four more toothpicks and . . .

Step five: Give credit to the triangle! It is the strongest structure!

This fun activity and more can be found in this book: Build it! Structures, Systems and You written by Adrienne Mason and illustrated by Claudia Davila.

Our week in pictures

Posted on November 9, 2011 by carriegelson

Life has been busy at Seymour School! But lots of great learning and working together has been going on. Some highlights of the past week!

Buddy reading with our little buddies in Division 7 (K/1) is always a highlight of our week. This week we broke out the rhyme and repetition bin and enjoyed the repeating parts of stories we could share together.

Sometimes books call to you, “Come into the story!”

In math we have been working on skip counting. We find that physically moving numbers into sequence helps us practice the patterns really well. With 25s, we chanted “25, 50, 75, double zero!”

Our reading group shared a fantastic book called Clever Beatrice written by Margaret Willey and illustrated by Heather Solomon.

As we read, we charted the character traits we noticed in Beatrice and at the end of the story, took turns sharing examples from the text that illustrated each point. Soon, we will be doing this with a partner and then eventually, on our own, as we read a picture book.

In Science, we have been studying structures. Today we learned some new vocabulary to help us talk about bridges: approaches, foundation, supports and span. The task was then to build a bridge using just blocks and rulers.

This group attempted to make the longest bridge possible and even test drove matchbox cars up the approaches and along the bridge.

Another group wasn’t interested in the longest bridge, they were all about interesting! This bridge had multiple approaches and reinforced supports. (And options for multilane traffic)

All over the classroom, bridge construction and team work could be observed. The adults loved listening to small group presentations about bridge design and how the groups worked together. One self assessment: “Next time, I will work harder at team work.” We really do depend on each other!