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Click over to this Padlet and leave your own post. Share an idea you have about how to connect your students this year.

Include your name as “title.”

Include your school & position and a way to be contacted.

Explain what you want to try -OR- what you already do and want to share.

Then, read others’ posts and reply!

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This blog features the educator session Linda Urban and I hosted at Bear Pond Books in Vermont about our partnership and collaboration.

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We love picking up a brand new book, with a seemingly perfect story inside waiting to be read. Of course, we also know in the back of our minds that a lot of work - hard work - went into creating that final story. That story likely spent a long time very far from what the author wanted it to be. Young students rarely observe that difficult process behind their books, much less participate in it. Nonetheless, knowing the work that goes into a final book helps students understand writing and improve their own writing. It also helps them realize that if their work begins in a state they don't like, it doesn't mean they're terrible writers - it only means they need to revise, just like professional authors do (and do a lot).

When author Linda Urban began her latest book Milo Speck, Accidental Agent, she knew she was at the start of a difficult process. For one thing, writing books is just hard. For another, this story would be a departure from her previous novels ( Center of Everything; Crooked Kind of Perfect; Hound Dog True). Linda explains that she knew her books had "lots of character and dialogue, without a lot of plot." They were quiet books, with well developed voices in the main characters and, as her son pointed out, an absence of HAM. Humor, Action, Mystery. He wanted a HAM book because that's the type of book he likes to read. Linda promised she'd write something for him.

Creating a different style of book required Linda to find a whole new way to write. Her earlier books she wrote taking her cues from sound (for example, dialogue) and based on feeling, not visuals and action. The common writing advice of "see the story like a movie" didn't apply. Now it did. The early drafts, Linda says, read like a list of set directions. Even the stuff that always worked well for her, the dialogue and the characters' own voices, didn't work well in this new context. Simply getting her main character Milo across the room took heroic effort. (To be fair, Milo spends a lot of the book moving across rooms populated by ogres in the made up world of Ogregon, reached through a malfunctioning clothes dryer, so she wasn't moving him across any old living room. It was nevertheless frustrating).

At the same time that Linda was working on Milo, she was also in communication with Maine-based teacher Melissa Guerrette. Melissa's fourth grade class had won a Skype visit and doughnut party with Linda as part of the promotions for her earlier book The Center of Everything. Linda had been impressed with how engaged Melissa's students were. The students were full of enthusiasm for their own reading lives, and full of advice for books Linda should read to inform her next writing project. An author-classroom learning partnership seemed like a good idea.

Linda sent 5 chapters of Milo to Melissa's class for feedback. These weren't the early super, super messy attempts, but they were also several steps away from what the final product would be. The students loved getting a look at these drafts; they wanted more.

"I know we were just talking to you, but now we just can't stop thinking about Milo, like we want more, we want more. Some books are like that. Some books are that good - people just say please make a book about the same thing, the first one was so good. I feel like those people about this book Milo Speck," one student explained.

The students sent Linda a stack of cards with the general theme "You Can Do It". As one student counseled "I agree it's hard to revise but in my opinion it feels good when you finish."

Linda naturally enjoyed a pep talk. She also honestly valued feedback these students, her future readers, might have. And she knew a close look at a writer's process could change how the students approached their own writing. Melissa, from the teacher's role, didn't correct the letters, but she did read them. . . and learned about many things students hadn't necessarily shared with her directly, their hang ups, concerns, frustrations about writing.

The attitudes students carried towards writing had previously raised concerns for Melissa. Many students arrived in 4th grade with negative feelings, convinced they weren't writers and resisting regular practice in the classroom. She worried about a classroom emphasis on deadlines, and mechanics, and not on creating a writerly practice. Students didn't appreciate writing's potential to let them share the ideas in their heads with the rest of the world.

Melissa's students' attitudes changed over the course of the two years she worked with Linda.

One major point of change in students' approach to writing came with their writing notebooks. Linda keeps multiple notebooks for each project: messy notebooks, more task-oriented project notebooks, and during the Milo project she even began a progress notebook (reflecting on the day's work) based on the recommendation of business writer David Allen.

Melissa's students had kept notebooks for class assignments, but they'd viewed them as simply that - a place to complete assignments. Even the way they took care of the books physically reflected disinterest (and sometimes resentment). But, Melissa says, the classroom time dedicated to working in the notebooks soon became a chance to develop their writing practice, with ". . . authentic conditions for writing, not just moving through a check list" and the notebooks themselves were seen as "a place that took care of their ideas."

Linda explains it this way: "A writing notebook is supposed to be a playground. . . a safe place for yourself and others, and within that you can do whatever you want."

And the half ideas, doodles, story boards, random thoughts in notebooks did evolve into polished pieces of writing. Melissa's students were okay with the idea of very messy starts followed by a lot of hard work to get to a final product. As one student described, all the arrows connecting his different ideas were "showing the roads to victory."

Linda and Melissa worked together on ways to help students navigate those roads to victory from what can be rocky beginnings. Below are slides from Melissa showing examples of two exercises:

Melissa and Linda both feel that their project can be replicated in other classrooms. Finding classroom time for the work proved challenging, especially since it had many phases of exploration -- with all the expected dead ends and backtracking inherent in exploration. Melissa notes, though, that curriculum standards emphasize quality of writing and that, ultimately, this process produced high quality writing, so it fit into those priorities. She also adjusted her own attitude towards notebooks and early drafts, letting go of any expectations she had of what students would produce. Another challenge is finding those author-educator partnerships. Linda notes that it's a rewarding form of community service, and the author role could be filled from any genre or style, since the need for thoughtful, deliberate revision holds true at the heart of most writing.

At the end of the Milo-based partnership, Linda traveled to Maine for a surprise visit to Melissa's classroom, where she met with students in person and had writing conferences with students who wanted to share their work with her. Now, Melissa reports, her students feel a great pride of ownership in Milo Speck: Accidental Agent, and she herself has returned to doing more of her own writing.

If you're interested in more thoughts on writers' notebooks check out:

This Collection of Blog Posts by Melissa
This Collection of Blog Posts by Linda
If you're interested in other examples of authors working with students on writing skills, check out these earlier Author-Educator workshop notes:

And, finally, we hope you join us for our final fall Author-Educator Workshop on Saturday, November 14th, at 11:00 am with Kekla Magoon and Will Alexander as they discuss "Creating Heroes." As usual, it is free, open to the public, and comes with refreshments.

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(Re)vision - Linda Urban and Melissa Guerrette

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We love picking up a brand new book, with a seemingly perfect story inside waiting to be read. Of course, we also know in the back of our minds that a lot of work - hard work - went into creating that final story.

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Moon Shadow and the Magic of Teacher-Author-Student Connections

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Moon Shadow and the Magic of Teacher-Author-Student Connections

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Here's a blog that features author Erin Soderberg Downing's most recent novel, Moon Shadow, and sheds light on how Jason Lewis's 5th graders influenced the revision of her book.

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In case you want to revisit Nora's webpage, or her bibliography, or follow-up on something you heard today.

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Another Resource with Tips for Author Skype

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Another Resource with Tips for Author Skype

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Created by Beth Campbell

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Another place to peek at opportunities to connect with Skype.

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Educator Center Overview - Microsoft Learn Educator Center

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Microsoft Learn for Educators takes the best of Microsoft Learn online learning paths and helps you to bring instructor-led training materials from Microsoft into your courses. This program provides members with access to Microsoft ready-to-teach curriculum and teaching materials aligned to industry-recognized Microsoft Certifications.

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Slice of Life is a blogging challenge, and you can take the challenge on a few different levels. Visit Two Writing Teachers for more info.

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If I dismiss the ordinary - waiting for the special, the extreme, the extraordinary to happen - I may just miss my life.

-Dani Shapiro in Still Writing: The Perils and Pleasures of a Creative Life (2013, 123)

In February 2008, Stacey was reading a student's writer's notebook and came across a piece of writing about his sister's lost necklace. Christian wrote an entire entry about his outrage when his mother made the family drop everything to search for his sister's lost necklace in their apartment. Thirty minutes after they lifted couch cushions and checked under all the beds, her necklace turned up on her neck! Something about his entry, this little snippet of Christian's life, seemed like a slice-of-life story. Stacey googled "slice of life" and found that it is frequently used in literature and entertainment. It essentially means to describe everyday experiences with as much realism as possible. Stacey realized that was exactly the kind of entry Christian had written.

That experience gave Stacey an idea: she could use "slice of life" stories to inspire her fourth graders who weren't writing in their writer's notebooks with the same gusto as Christian. After using Christian's piece as a mentor text she challenged her fourth graders to write one slice of life story in their writer's notebook daily for the entire month of March. She would keep track of what each student wrote, and at the end of the month, she would award those who wrote 25 or more daily entries a writing-related prize. It worked! Thus, the Slice of Life Story Challenge was born.

The individual challenge began on Two Writing Teachers in 2008 and has grown yearly. Educators across six continents have participated in the SOLSC. The month-long Classroom Challenge was launched in 2013 as a response to teachers' requests to fuel their students' writing with a Slice of Life Story Challenge experience.

Every Tuesday, there will be a post on the Two Writing Teachers main page where you can link your Slice of Life story post and read other people's Slice of Life stories. All you have to do is leave the link to your SOL story blog post as a comment inside of that Tuesday's post. You can use the hashtag #SOL24 on social media.

Dip-in and Dip-out of the Tuesday Slice of Life Story Challenge!

Start a blog. WordPress is easy to navigate and has great step-by-step directions when getting started.

Write and post a Slice on your blog. A Slice is a little segment of your day.

Copy the unique URL (this is the link that goes directly to your blog post, not just a link to your blog).

Visit the Two Writing Teachers "Call for Slices" post on Tuesday.

Paste the unique URL in a comment with a short snippet about your Slice. Here is an example:

Comment:

My Slice: A little comic relief. https://raisealithuman.wordpress.com/2016/05/10/laughable-legs/.

Read and comment on at least three other Slicers' posts.
In March 2024, Two Writing Teachers will host its 17th month-long writing challenge for individuals and its 12th month-long writing challenge for students. Scroll down for information on both challenges.

"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." - Maya Angelou

Have you considered joining the Slice of Life Story Challenge community but don't feel you have anything to contribute? Well, you are mistaken. Our daily lives are filled with so many worthy moments just waiting to be written about and shared. Take a moment to scroll through past SOLSC Tuesdays to check out the infinite variety of topics our writing community has shared.

Your next step is to start a blog. We know you probably think you can't do it or may not think you can keep up. (You can!) Well, writers take it one day at a time. Give yourself the time and opportunity to see your potential and put yourself in your students' shoes for 31 days (in March). This is a challenge for a reason. Yes, it can be hard, but the biggest payoff often comes from that which is most difficult. Give your readers an opportunity to hear your voice because you will have readers. Having a welcoming audience giving you insightful, positive feedback is one of the best parts of the SOLSC. The community will provide you with the support you need to continue the challenge and will cheer you on as you celebrate your accomplishment at the end of the month.

You will have the opportunity to:

discover new topics.

experiment with new writing techniques.

encourage other writers with your supportive comments and compliments.

learn how to bring SOLSC into your classroom in March.

FAQ'S for the Month-Long Slice of Life Story Challenge
1. What if I get overwhelmed?
If this is your first experience blogging or if you've never linked a post, then the TWT co-authors and other seasoned Slicers will help you get started and guide you through the journey. Everyone has had basic questions when starting a blog, and we know just the people who can step in and answer them!
2. How can it help students?
Imagine developing a routine where students write a short snippet of their life each day. That is a Slice of Life story. Once students are familiar with its format, they will never be without a topic again. Building in this daily writing will require your students to think about and notice stories throughout their day. They will be writing even when they aren't writing. Students will also learn what it means to be a member of a writing community. They will learn how to give and receive feedback within a community of writers.
3. Is there a logo I can use on my blog? 4. Are there prizes?
Yes. Please use the appropriate logo for classroom or individual Slice of Life stories.

There aren't any tangible prizes. The true prizes are being part of a community of writers and working on the craft of writing for an entire month.

5. Are there any commenting guidelines?

Several years ago, the TWT co-author team created comment guidelines. As of February 18th, 2018, we updated some of our commenting guidelines. Please refer to these when writing your slice-of-life stories and commenting as part of the Slice of Life Story Challenge.

Self-Promotion: The links in the comment section of our Slice of Life Story Challenge posts are meant to lead our readers to stories from people's lives.

Blog posts should not be selling something (goods and/or services) under the pretense of being part of the Slice of Life Story Challenge.

Please don't use your comment or link to your blog for self-promotion of any paid goods and/or services.

Linking and Running: Please do not just drop off the link to your Slice without commenting on at least three other Slice of Life stories (shared by others in the comments section of Two Writing Teachers). Comments are the foundation of this community. If you choose to link early in the morning, please return later that day to leave at least three comments for your fellow writers.

Etiquette: In our community of writers, it is generally considered poor blogging etiquette to leave a comment that contains your personal contact information and/or signature, implying that you expect a comment in return for the one you left. Please refrain from including your URL, Twitter handle, email address, or other contact info in your comment. Our daily calls for slices are where all participants can find the writers they are looking for.

Spam: It's not just big advertisers who spam. Spam can include: copying and pasting a comment from one post to another or leaving a message, such as, "Nice post. Visit my blog at..." These are forms of spam.

6. May I blog in another language?

We have had some inquiries about participating in the Slice of Life Story Challenge if one writes in another language. We want to encourage non-English speakers/writers to join while ensuring they feel like they're part of this writing community. If you are not comfortable writing in English (PLEASE KNOW THAT NO ONE WILL JUDGE YOU IF YOUR ENGLISH WRITING ISN'T PERFECT! ), then I would encourage you to set up a multilingual blog on WordPress. Click here for more information on creating a multilingual blog.
7. Do you have any additional tips? We have over 15 tips to help you hit the ground running for your first challenge.
Starting in 2021, we began MULTI-LIT FRIDAY, which is an opportunity for our community of writers to share stories in another language.

"[Writing] is like singing on a boat during a terrible storm at sea. You can't stop the raging storm, but singing can change the hearts and spirits of the people who are together on that ship." -Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life (1995)

What an exciting time in your classroom! You are taking on the Slice of Life Story Challenge and your students get to sit beside you writer to writer. The Classroom Slice of Life Story Challenge (a.k.a. Classroom SOLSC), only happens in March. Here are some things to keep in mind as you take them on this journey:

If your students are slicing from their personal blogs, please have them link to your blog and then you can share the unique URL with the community on the "Classroom Slice of Life Story Challenge" page at Two Writing Teachers.

Encourage your students to leave comments for other classes who are slicing. They can follow a few other classroom Slicers' blogs from other schools throughout the challenge and make a virtual connection with another young writer.

We do not offer prizes for the Classroom SOLSC. It is up to you to provide prizes should you choose to do so. For more thoughts on this topic, click here.

Need some examples from real-life classrooms? Here are links to fantastic classroom challenges, Amanda Cornwell and Beth Scanlon 's guest blog posts.

Several resources for Classroom SOLSC include parent letters and a tracking spreadsheet for students' daily writing. Click here to download those resources.

Remember to keep it safe for your students. This community is made up of good people, however, it is in a public domain. Always have students use a pseudonym and be sure they are not disclosing any personal information.

Logos (in English & Spanish):

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Welcome to the SLICE OF LIFE Information Page. If I dismiss the ordinary - waiting for the special, the extreme, the extraordinary to happen - I may just miss my life. --Dani Shapiro in Still Writing: The Perils and Pleasures of a Creative Life (2013, 123) In February 2008, Stacey was reading a student's writer's...

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Virtual Class Visits Link Book Authors to Students

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Virtual Class Visits Link Book Authors to Students

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This feature was done by EdWeek this spring. (And yep, that's my students and me.)

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Skype visits keep writers close to young readers

Among the current generation of teachers, many spent their childhoods seeing authors as out of reach-otherworldly even. Sending a fan letter was often a symbolic gesture more than anything, since responses were unexpected and rare.

But now, some of those educators, particularly at the elementary and middle school levels, are trying to change that dynamic by connecting students and writers-and they're using technology tools like Twitter, Skype, and even Google Docs to do so.

"It's kind of changing the way we bring literacy to kids," said Stacey Riedmiller, a 4th grade English/language arts teacher in Reading, Ohio. When these students grow up, "I'd not be surprised if we saw a huge influx of authors and illustrators."

Teachers often say they use social media as an entry point for making those connections. They might reach out to a writer who has an active Twitter handle and let him or her know their students enjoyed the book. Many authors respond to those sorts of messages, and at times, a conversation begins online.

These days, more authors are also doing virtual school visits-using Skype, Google Hangout, or Facetime. While in-person visits can cost a school as much as a couple thousand dollars in author fees and travel costs, these short video-chat sessions are generally free if the students have read the author's book.

"My kids don't look at the classroom anymore as having four walls," said Rayna Freedman, a 5th grade teacher and instructional-technology specialist in Mansfield, Mass., "because they can now reach out to anybody."

Such virtual interactions, many say, can be beneficial for students, educators, and writers alike. For students, they offer a behind-the-curtain look at the writing, revising, and publishing processes and convey that authors are real people. For teachers, they give insight into the kinds of questions students have about being a writer.

And for authors, these conversations are both a boon for marketing and a source of authentic feedback from the students they're writing for.

"I find that when I get too caught up stressing about the business aspect of children's books, talking to these young readers helps ground me, reminding me of the joy and why I do this," Debbie Ridpath Ohi, the Toronto-based author and illustrator of Where Are My Books?, wrote in an email.

'Not How It Works'

Author Julie Falatko last month kicked off a Skype call with 5th graders at Oxford Elementary School in Oxford, Maine, by introducing her pet dog to break the ice.

She then gave the class a preview of the second book in her Snappsy the Alligator series, which doesn't come out until this fall. "There's a little bit of a secret in the book, so you need to keep the secret," Falatko, Skyping from her home about an hour away, told the group.

After reading the book-pausing every so often to point out the illustrator Tim Miller's good work ("Look at all that pizza, you guys!")-the writer took student questions.

Students were curious about her inspirations and narrative choices ("Why is Snappsy so grumpy?" one asked). With steering from the teacher, the conversation turned to revision.

"When I was your age, I thought authors sat down and wrote the words and they were done, and illustrators would sit down and draw the pictures and they were done," Falatko said. "That is so totally not how it works."

She waved an early draft of the original Snappsy for the students to see. "Version 18-that's a low version number for me. Generally, it takes me about 30 drafts on average to get the story right," said Falatko.

The book continued to change, she said, up until it was published-more than three years after she had started writing it.

"Do you work on more than one piece of writing at a time?" asked the teacher, Melissa Guerrette.

"I do. ... I find I'm much better at revising if I forget about it for a bit," Falatko said. "I can look at it with fresh eyes almost as if I didn't write it."

Guerrette reiterated that point for her students. "Do any of you sometimes need to take a break from what you're working on?" Yeses were heard all around.

The discussions students have about revision can be illuminating, Guerrette, who has been Skyping with writers for about five years, said. At times, students open up to authors in ways they don't with their teachers.

For instance, they might tell an author that they struggle with revision because they "don't want to feel like they did all that writing for nothing," Guerrette said.

Hearing the questions students ask can also be a method of formative assessment. Through Skype sessions, Guerrette said she's learned "what [students] knew about being a reader, the way they value books, what some of their preferences were, what they thought of themselves as writers, and their interpretation of what writers do."

Authors do these chats for various reasons-to promote books, to help with the creative process, to stay connected to the age range they're writing for, to make a sometimes-isolating profession a bit less so.

"If you're going to write for kids, you have to be around kids," said Barbara O'Connor, an Asheville, N.C.-based author, who does about four or five free Skype sessions per month. "My son is all grown up, and I don't have access unless I make the effort to travel. But I can Skype with kids in Georgia or Hawaii."

Rapid Response

Recently, Freedman, the Massachusetts teacher, reached out to O'Connor on Twitter with a link to a shared document. Freedman's class had read O'Connor's book Wish, and each student had written comments for the author.

"I tweeted out around 12:55, and by 1 p.m., she'd already responded on Twitter," Freedman said. "Mind you, I've never met her."

O'Connor asked for access to edit the Google Doc, so that she could respond to each individual student-which she did within the hour. "The look on their faces when they were like, 'The author actually responded to my comment ... ,' " Freedman recalled. "This was amazing."

Social-media interactions can be effective forms of advertisement, said Tracy van Straaten, the vice president for publicity and education/library marketing at Scholastic, "like word-of-mouth amplified." But it's not something her company pushes on writers. "Some of the authors are super engaged on social media and some aren't, and that's OK," she said.

Tracey Baptiste, the author of The Jumbies, who spent her early career as a teacher, tends to use her personal Facebook page to connect with teachers and librarians. "With Facebook, I can come back three hours later and participate in the conversation, and somebody else can pick it up two weeks from now," she said.

As the technology has improved, more authors have been interested in doing virtual visits, according to van Straaten.

Erin Downing, the author of The Quirks, is a big fan of classroom Skype visits-she does about 30 to 40 a year. "I hear from teachers sometimes that they think they're bothering you to reach out," said the Minneapolis-based writer. "If I was overwhelmed, I'd stop. ... This is an industry that's filled with so much self-doubt and worry. To get that positive affirmation every once in a while is really lovely."

With a day job as a software engineer, Josh Funk, author of Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast, can't actually go to schools often, so he spends his Friday lunch breaks Skyping with classes. For World Read Aloud Day in February, he took the day off and did 21 virtual visits.

While reaching out to authors can be intimidating, a single interaction can snowball quickly, teachers say. The online children's literature sphere is active, engaged, and supportive of one another.

"I think the kid-lit community, it feels large until you're kind of in it," said Riedmiller, the Ohio teacher. "But everyone knows everyone." Authors introduce teachers to other authors. Teachers pass on the names of authors who Skype.

Several online hubs for children's book aficionados have fed those relationships. The Nerdy Book Club, a website devoted to discussing children's and young adult titles, was started by four teachers in 2011 and now has more than 60,000 people on its RSS feed.

Delving into these online communities has another benefit, some teachers and authors say: the formation of close friendships across the professions.

"To get to know these people who like the same kinds of books that I do and care about kids the way I do, you have a ton in common," said Downing. "It's the best part of both of our jobs."

Published in Print: March 22, 2017, as Social Media Connects Students to Authors

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Virtual Class Visits Link Book Authors to Students

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Among the current generation of teachers, many spent their childhoods seeing authors as out of reach-otherworldly even. Sending a fan letter was often a symbolic gesture more than anything, since responses were unexpected and rare.

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This blog post by Patrick Andrus takes a reflective look at the growth that results from authentic connections as readers and writers.

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Tags

As I sit on my porch reflecting on the last 172 days, I seem to be "stuck" in thought about the state of education and where we currently are in the realm of assessment.

In my district, the "focus" seems to be the MCA (Minnesota Comprehension Assessment) and other district testing. We are data and score driven. I often find myself stressed, focused, and consumed by how my readers will perform on the "TEST".

My readers have grown by measures that are not assessable. I don't have a score, data point, or graph to prove this; but I know in my mind, and heart; that my students have become life-long passionate readers.

The read aloud year began with Nine, Ten, A September 11 Story by Nora Raleigh Baskin. We took our time. We read slowly. We talked. We thought. Nora's story was written so that ten-year olds could comprehend. Logan went home and talked about the book with his family. His parents shared with him that a family member had been in the tower that day. The story became all the more real to Logan. He not only made a personal connection to the book, but had the opportunity to speak with Nora and share his story. "Not assessable". Or is it?

For our first "Breakfast with Books" book club, the talented and personable Erin Soderberg joined us to chat about The Quirks: Welcome to Normal. The readers were getting the chance to meet and talk with a "real live" author. At first they seemed a bit nervous. Erin put them at ease. The girls loved her "funky" style. We loved listening to her talk about her life, kids, and of course the book. Erin made a joke about the juice in the cups that the students were placing on the floor. It wasn't more than a few minutes later and we had the first spill. She told Sophia that she earned the award for first "spill" of the year. We laughed. I knew Sophia, along with other members, was validated as a person, a reader, and above all; a human. Each following book club, the "spill" was mentioned. My biggest learning: have readers bring in juice boxes. "Not assessable". Or is it?

Our second book club selection was Maxi's Secrets by Lynn Plourde. When I announced the selection, Isabella stated "I'm not reading if the dog dies." She shared she couldn't handle those stories. She stayed with her belief for a week, but as kids started reading and sharing; she came up to me and said; "I think I would like to try it." Isabella shared it was one of her favorite books and was glad that Lynn told the reader on page one that Maxi would die. It helped her prepare. Isabella took a risk as a reader and grew. "Not assessable". Or is it?

Abby Cooper visited after we finished our second read aloud Sticks and Stones. As we chatted with Abby, I could tell students were in awe. Here was a young author that had worked her tail off. She shared the message of hard work and not ever giving up. I could see in the eyes that they "got it".

Abby left us her ARC called Bubbles (released this summer). She read us the first chapter. Bubbles went on to become our favorite read aloud of the year. We were thrilled when Abby made a return visit. Even though it was only two occasions, I could tell fourth graders were making a REAL connection to Abby. "Not assessable". Or is it?

We mixed things up a bit for the third "Breakfast with Books" and invited Phil Bildner, author of A Whole New Ballgame to join us. I knew I had reached female readers, but this time around it was about two boys in particular. They both had started earlier books, but didn't finish. When I introduced this novel, they were all over it. They read the story together. Their trailer included a recreated "Boo Ya" handshake. When Phil appeared on screen; the boys were meeting a "book" star. The novel hooked them for the rest of the book clubs. "Not assessable". Or is it?

Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan joined us when the book club read Save Me A Seat. We enjoyed listening to how they were able to write together. It was the first time my students learned that a story can be written by two. Eliana and Kaitlyn decided they were going to write a story together. "Not assessable". Or is it?

Sally, a thoughtful reader, was able to share with Barbara O'Connor, author of Wish, how she related to Charlie. Sally told Barbara that she also gets angry like Charlie. It was one of the most personal moments I have witnessed between author and reader. Barbara was kind, patient, and engaging. This was the "moment" when I knew the book club was providing my readers more than I could ever imagine. "Not assessable". Or is it?

After sharing Finding Perfect by Elly Swartz, we were able to have a wonderful discussion about personalities, strengths, and weaknesses. One boy struggles with issues similar to OCD, and connected to Molly's story. He shared his story with Elly; while she validated him. Elly had a personality that jumped off the screen. "Not assessable". Or is it?

Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart was our number one "Breakfast with Books" selection. Readers were mesmerized. They ate up the suspense, mystery, and intrigue. Readers read the story faster and couldn't put it down. We discussed about how this is a sign of a "great" book. This time around it wasn't so much about the "plot", but the experience of reading. It was an exciting and palpable month of reading. "Not assessable". Or is it?

We "captured" Lauren Wolk during her work day while she sat outside her office. We finished Wolf Hollow during our historical fiction unit. The readers got a kick out of the fact that Lauren had to move locations because of construction. We were learning that authors are real people with real lives. Lauren was incredible because on several occasions, she turned the question back on the student. I could see in their faces; they were honored to be asked. "Not assessable". Or is it?

Ali Standish, author of The Ethan I Was Before, gave us a heart-felt story about friendship and loss. It was a difficult story for students to read. They were able to ask important questions about "loss". The book changed the readers and brought them to a new level. We matured because of Ethan. "Not assessable". Or is it?

The "author of the year" has to be Nora Raleigh Baskin. Not only did we Skype with her in the fall and chat in person when she made a surprise visit; but we had a second Skype after we finished Anything But Typical. Nora remembered many of the children and treated them with the utmost respect. She shared a personal story while sharing her heart. Nora changed readers for the better. "Not assessable". Or is it?

We spent time with funny, personable, and energetic author; John David Anderson, author of Ms. Bixby's Last Day. The class was enthralled with his advice for life, love of salted caramels, and life experiences. A couple readers had tough questions. I know they were surprised by his honesty and truth. It was a side of authors we normally hadn't seen. Aneira had a great interaction about some of the choices he made as an author and how she responded as a reader. It was rewarding to see her have the courage to ask these questions. I could see the "light bulb" shining bright. "Not assessable". Or is it?

The book club wrapped up with Holly M. McGhee, author of Matylda, Bright & Tender. We were the first class she Skyped with. After the Q & A, Holly shared her gecko. The enthralled kids crowded around the screen. Combine an author, gecko and group of fourth graders and you have a unique experience. "Not assessable". Or is it?

I'm not sure where the state of education will go, but one thing I do know for sure is that these authors have had a profound impact on young readers. These experiences may be measured on a state and/or district assessment, but will have a far lasting reach that will carry students through the rest of their lives as life-long, passionate readers.
Patrick Andrus is a fourth grade teacher in Eden Prairie, MN. His number one goal for his students is to create an internal passion for reading and books. He makes it a daily habit of visiting the Nerdy Book Club Site. Patrick is beyond thrilled to have this be his ninth post on the site. He will be attending #NerdCampMI for the second time this summer. You can find his blog by visiting http://readwonder.blogspot.com. He is also an active member on Twitter as @patrickontwit.

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Not Assessable (Or Is it?) by Patrick Andrus

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As I sit on my porch reflecting on the last 172 days, I seem to be "stuck" in thought about the state of education and where we currently are in the realm of assessment. In my district, the "focus" seems to be the MCA (Minnesota Comprehension Assessment) and other district testing.

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Give your students voice in creating lists, and then share those lists with other students (or the world)!

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Melanie Roy, an incredible librarian in Rhode Island, compiled this calendar of literacy events that take place throughout the year. Some are specific to RI, but most are national events and good reasons to make a connection.

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Teachers Write! Author Kate Messner and friends launched Teachers Write!, a relaxed online professional development community for...

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Author Kate Messner is a champion for connecting with readers and maintains a post on her blog with a list of authors interested in Skyping. This is a great place to start if you're hoping to connect with a writer or illustrator.

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Authors Who Skype with Classes & Book Clubs

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Welcome to the Authors Who Skype with Classes & Book Clubs List! I'm Kate Messner, the children's author and educator who maintains this site. I started it because I've found that virtual author visits are a great way to connect authors and readers, and I realize that many schools facing budget troubles don't have the option of paid author visits.

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WRAD is an annual event sponsored by LitWorld. You can register to participate, but you don't have to. Participation ranges from classroom events to schoolwide/community events to virtual connections.

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The Global Read Aloud was created by FlipGrid participant Pernille Ripp. Each year, GRA connects classrooms of students all over the globe. Find out more:

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The project was created in 2010 with a simple goal in mind; one book to connect the world. From its humble beginnings, the GRA has grown to make a truly global connection with milllions of students having participated.

What is it?

The premise is simple; we pick a book to read aloud to our students during a set 6-week period and during that time we try to make as many global connections as possible. Each teacher decides how much time they would like to dedicate and how involved they would like to be. Some people choose to connect with just one class, while others go for as many as possible. The scope and depth of the project is up to you. While there are commonly used such as Skype, Twitter, Padlet, or Flipgrid, you choose the tools that will make the most sense for you. Teachers get a community of other educators to do a global project with, hopefully inspiring them to continue these connections through the year.

When is it?

Once a year, starting in early October and running through mid-November. Due to the time commitment, this is only a once a year project, however, two fantastic spin-off projects run at other times; the New Zealand Read Aloud and the French version of GRA, Ecouter Lire le Monde.

I have questions as a Participant

Please see " For Participants" to have all of your questions answered.

I have questions as an Author

Please see "For Authors" to have all of your questions answered.

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To see the blog with the latest news and ideas, go here. To join our Facebook Community, go here - this is how you sign up The project was created in 2010 with a simple goal in mind; one book to connect the world. From its humble beginnings, the GRA has grown to make a...

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Members of my PLN chimed in when I asked them to reflect on the ways they connect readers and writers to a broader literacy community. This FlipGrid is a collection of their experiences.

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Flipgrid is where social and emotional learning happens! The leading video discussion platform for millions of PreK to PhD educators, students, and families.