Declutter: A Poem

By Pat Kelly

Spring is in the air

and along with it comes an urge

to clean up, clean out, sort and purge.

If you’re a Crystal Laker

we hope that you will save

the goods that are stockpiled when you straighten up your cave.

Clothing, kitchen items, whatever’s in the way,

hold on to them please, until the week of Earth Day.

April 20-26, drop your wares at the Savers store

Tell the man “This donation is for A to Z” before you walk out the door.

Savers will weigh our donations up, do some math

and write a check.

We all win- you, Savers and A to Z.

Thanks for making the trek.

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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Read!

By Pat Kelly

Perhaps you will be doing some cleaning of closets, the garage or (gasp!) the kid’s rooms this Spring. Are you weeding out the winter clothes you no longer want? Please consider putting a pile of donations aside for the week of Earth Day, April 20-26. Green is good- let someone else get some use out of your unwanted belongings.

A to Z Literacy is partnering with Savers, a Crystal Lake thrift store to collect used items and turn them into cash for our mission. This thrift store chain will pay us by the pound for the goods we amass. Unfortunately, we cannot take furniture, liquids or tires.

Anytime during April 20-26, bring your items to Savers, 230 W Virginia St. (Rt. 14), Crystal Lake. Please make sure to mention that the items are to be donated for the A to Z Literacy Movement fundraiser. Along with your receipt, you’ll get a coupon to use on your next shopping trip to Saver’s.

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Profound Poetry… by an 8th Grader.

By Koriann Lance

Many teachers out there can attest to the countless emails that are sent sharing ideas and bits of text that went over well in classrooms. As a teacher, it is a blessing to get these kinds of emails, as we can spend hours hunting for the best text to share with kids. At times, I do admit that I throw the email into a folder and save it for the weekend when I can get a chance to read through it and see how I can best utilize it. But today-today was a different story.

When I opened my email, I found an email passed along sharing a very different kind of text. The the title of the email caught me off guard. It was entitled “Pretty Awesome Poem.” Okay, I am a sucker for a good poem, so I entertained the email and opened it up, rather than immediately filing it for my weekend pleasure. This poem, unbeknownst  to me, was written by a 14-year old boy and has gone viral.

I shared it with my students today – the same day I opened the email.  I needed my students to hear the message from this boy who is wise beyond his years, yet so young in age. This poem is a reminder to all kids that they can do…they can be…and they will! But we have to help them get there. We cannot give up on them, even if they have given up on themselves!

I could go on and on…and on about the message of this poem, but I don’t want to take away the pleasure of having your own “AHA” moment. Enjoy! And more importantly, pass it along!

Click here to read the poem for yourself!

Six Word Memoirs

By Koriann Lance

This week, I presented one of my favorite class projects: the six-word memoir! This task is exactly as it sounds. Students must share their life story in 6 words, no more, no less.

For a preteen to create a memoir of only six words in length that can encapsulate their life is quite a feat! I realized how difficult when creating my own, but here it is:

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I love this assignment for so many reasons. First, they have to surmise what is most important to them at this point in their life. They must then choose the most powerful words to get this message across. And then comes their favorite part – finding the picture and creating the visual display that will make their message pop! But my favorite part? Learning more about what my students hold dear.

The finished product of my students’ memoirs becomes a slideshow compilation to music selected by my students. This is on display for parents to see at our school’s Open House. The reactions are always priceless!

Do you shop at Amazon?

By Kristina Weber

EXCITING NEWS at A to Z today… we are now active on Amazon Smile!

This is quite literally the easiest way to support A to Z ever.  For real.

These days, I do probably 95% of my shopping on Amazon.  Now, every time I buy ANYTHING I will be supporting A to Z.  I can’t get over how cool that is.

All you need to do is click on the link above and bookmark it.  Whenever you shop on Amazon, go through that bookmark and you are supporting A to Z.

And stay tuned for an excuse to do some spring cleaning! Pat is putting together a pretty ingenious fund raiser right now that’s going to make me clean my closets and my basement.  Yay! 🙂

 

A TO Z LITERACY MOVEMENT

Step up to the Book Buffet!

By Mal Keenan

book buffet

When helping a reader pick out a book, I often feel like I’m working a buffet line- trying to offer the student a variety of choices.  “Realistic fiction is always a good Go-To.  Nonfiction is what some kids really love.  How about something in the Sci-Fi genre?  Have you read a mystery this year? Ever try Historical Fiction? You know… Graphic Novels are all the rage right now and fantasy is super fun.  What sounds good today?”

As teachers and parents, we need to remember what hooks one reader might not be what another reader wants. And as a teacher and parent, I have to remind myself that my fourteen year old is really enjoying a combination platter of sci-fi, realistic fiction, and fantasy, while my younger son is all about the shorter, nonfiction, high interest reads about rock climbing, surfing, and fighting forest fires. Taking the time to peruse the buffet of books at the local library or bookstore will pay off. It’s worth the time to ask questions and help kids to make the right choice.

Life Lessons from Kid President

By Koriann Lance

I love YouTube! And this love was further reaffirmed this week when a colleague passed along a video that she shared with her students called A Pep Talk From Kid President.” Now, perhaps you are familiar with this outspoken Kid President, but this was a first for me. And I have to tell you that Kid President is one smart cookie!

Kid President reports right away that we all need a pep talk! Okay, who couldn’t use one – and one from a cute kid like this? But the depth of his message goes farther that I had expected.

He questions his audience “What if Michael Jordan quit?……”What if he quit when he didn’t make the team? He never would have made Space Jam……And I love Space Jam. What will be your Space Jam?”

I have to admit it. I have never seen the movie, but I don’t believe it was a blockbuster hit. It really doesn’t matter anyway because to this kid, it meant the world! That’s the point. Kid President gets the big picture – DON’T GIVE UP! DON’T QUIT! You never know what you are capable of if you quit! As a teacher I preach this every day, but as an adult viewer I took a moment of reflection myself….

What is stopping me, or any of us for that matter? Nothing.

The more important question:  What will be your Space Jam?

Sharing Student Success in Springfield

By Mal Keenan

Triple A

This is the first slide in a presentation I’m giving tomorrow with fellow teacher Jason Brogan at the Illinois Reading Conference. The annual conference is a fantastic opportunity to hear authors speak, listen to teachers share their classroom successes,
and learn from experts like Atwell, Wilhelm, and Fisher & Frey. The slide represents
our focus everyday which is reaching apathetic, alliterate adolescents, Triple A, through
literacy instruction. Journaling, book clubs, and inquiry groups are essential tools,
keeping students motivated and engaged. Reading aloud everyday is another powerful
tool that helps foster discussion and gets students involved. Along with student work,
sharing our imperfections, letting them see who we are, and making ourselves more
vulnerable and human builds trust and commitment among the young teens. Some
would say middle school kids are the hardest to teach and reach – I disagree – they want
to do well, but need to know we will show up with scaffolding to support their learning,
and encourage them as these adolescents take more responsibility for their academic
success.

A Box of Books. Who Knew?

By Mal Keenan

There is power in a box of books.

Books can make a difference in a child’s life and within his community.

Books can raise reading levels and graduation rates. Books can help solve old problems and create critical thinkers.

As we continue to grow our organization, books remain at the center. We will always be working to get books onto shelves, into homes and classrooms, and in the hands of impoverished children.

income reading poster

Books.

get book into hands2010 edson reading
“When I think back on all the refugee camps I visited, all over the world, the people always asked for the same thing: books. Sometimes even before medicine or shelter- they wanted books for their children.”
-Mary Anne Schwalbe, Founder Women’s Commission for Refugee Woman and Children