Andrea, Author at Mrs Payan Reads

Slice of Life: Storms and Schema

Every Tuesday, a group of bloggers writes a Slice of Life. If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

The other day, I was standing in my kitchen making lunch when I heard a BOOM. It wasn’t particularly loud and didn’t last for long. I puzzled about it, and asked my dog what she thought the neighbors were doing. Were they moving something big that had been dropped? Or maybe the train had some freight shift or the construction workers were using a noisy tool. After a few minutes, the sound came again. Now I was starting to get annoyed. So, I took my dog out to the sunny backyard and looked up and down the alley. No one was doing anything that could have been that noisy. Then I heard the sound again and turned around. What I saw was a wall of dark clouds that was quickly descending on us. I had to chuckle. As a midwesterner, I should be ready for quick changes in weather. I was a little embarrassed that it took me so long to figure out. In my head, I apologized to the neighbors for the not-so-nice things I had been thinking about them and all their noise. Then, I started to think about schema.
I have lately been doing a lot of professional reading to get myself ready for a grade level switch this year. One of the books I read is Comprehension Connections by Tanny McGregor. In this book, the author offers a wealth of suggestions about using concrete experiences to help students understand comprehension strategies. I had just read the chapter about schema, so it was fresh on my mind. I thought about how important my schema had been in my initial confusion and eventual comprehension of what was going on. At first, the sun was shining and I had not seen the weather report. I had no idea that there were storms predicted for the day. My schema for sunny days made it possible for me to register that thunder as a different sound. It couldn’t be thunder because it was sunny outside. (Although I have to say, as a Wisconsinite my schema should know better) I was not understanding what was happening because my schema told me something different. Later, when I saw the roll of clouds, the a-ha moment hit me and now I did have schema to place that noise as thunder. I added the new information to my situation and had a new understanding of what was taking place, thus synthesizing and gaining much more comprehension of the situation.
It made me think about how important it is for students to be aware of schema and its role in their comprehension efforts. My schema actually led me astray, and it wasn’t until I linked the new information that I gained understanding. How many times do students pick up a book thinking that they know something about the topic only to find out that they were not quite right? Adding to schema by synthesizing new information and making connections to what we know about the world can help you to understand what you read. I think this could be a good story to share with students to talk about how initial understanding is sometimes erroneous. By adding the new information and rethinking, we can then come to a more complete and accurate understanding of what is happening. Now, every time I am unsure of a big noise, I will be looking at the sky before blaming the neighbors.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? July 13

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? –From Picture Books to YA is a weekly meme started by Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee at Unleashing Readers. This is a chance for bloggers to recap their week of reading and share their plans for the next reading adventures they will take. Visit the host blogs for a list of great blogs participating in this meme and a whole bunch of titles to add to your to-read lists.

I was feeling better this week but not 100% so the week was perfect for lounging around the house reading and writing. I had a very good reading week, with many thought-provoking books and much introspection.

Books I Finished This Week:

The Serpent’s Tale by Ariana Franklin is the second book in the Mistress of the Art of Death series. It is set in medieval times, when the protagonist, who is a woman, must hide the fact that she has been medically trained. Seeing her solve crimes or perform autopsies will cause the average person in her world to call her a witch. I quite enjoyed this installment and plan to read the third book soon.

Raging Star is the third book in the Blood Red Road trilogy. I love this trilogy and really enjoyed the stories. I was not happy with the events in this book, but I can understand the need for the story to take that path. I still would recommend the trilogy but I am not loving the end. In fact, I was close to throwing the book across the room which I guess shows how emotionally invested I was in the story.

I LOVED this book. I don’t even have words for it. You just need to read this book.

Because of the elephant on the cover, I thought this book was about an elephant. Silly me! I did enjoy the graphic story about Buster Keaton and a small summer getaway for vaudevillians called Bluffton. I thought the use of muted colors in this graphic novel was very smart and I am really interested in reading more by Matt Phelan.

Professional Books Finished:

I was really happy when I saw this title was on the digital campus. I have been wanting to read it for a couple years now. Overall, this book was another one that affirmed the practice of reading workshop and encouraging kids to read. I like the concept of reading ladders and have been doing something similar for years. The book did make me think a lot about how there are different ways that books can be more complex. Definitely recommended reading for teachers of reading.

This book would be a good book to give a new teacher or one who has not really delved into the possibilities of being connected. I felt like I already knew a lot of what this author was saying and that I already do a lot of what she was recommending that we do. I would definitely recommend it for newer teachers though.

Comprehension Connections is a must-read for teachers who are teaching reading workshop. I absolutely love all the ideas for lessons to make the abstract a little more concrete for students. I read this book online and will be ordering a hard copy because there are so many great ideas that I want this one on my shelf and at my fingertips for reading workshop.

Books I am Currently Reading:

I am reading The Literacy Teacher’s Playbook and Crafting Digital Writing for my professional reading this week. I also am reading The Old Man and The Sea and Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore. I am listening to The Clockwork Princess.

What’s Next?
I will probably pick up El Asedio by Arturo Perez-Reverte to continue my Spanish reading. I am not sure what else I will pick up, but I need to get to some more middle grade titles so that will be a priority.

What are you reading this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments!

Teachers Write Warm-Up July 8

The following is a free-write, very rough, of a childhood memory turned into a work of fiction.

The bell sounded and the students all scrambled to clean up so that they would be ready to be dismissed for recess. Ms. Ryan looked around the room and gave the signal that released the class. And then, “Sam and Shelly, stay here for a minute please.”

Sam turned around and felt her insides quaking. This could be many things, but it didn’t seem like it would be good news. She racked her brain to figure out what she might have done wrong that morning. She couldn’t think of anything. What did Shelly have to do with anything either? They never really talked to each other and there wasn’t much that would bring them together. Biting her lip, Sam walked over to Ms. Ryan’s desk, where Shelly was already standing.

“Sam and Shelly, I had a chance to go through the applications for the newspaper positions and I have some good news. You two have all the qualifications necessary for the Editor-in-Chief position. Unfortunately, I am having a very hard time deciding between the two of you.” Ms. Ryan paused while Sam and Shelly warily eyed one another. “I have a choice for you girls to make. Either you can work together and be Co-Editors or we can put the choice to the class for a vote. Keep in mind that I already have decided all the other Editor positions so the person who loses the election would then be in a worker position.”

There was a long pause. Sam and Shelly looked at each other and shrugged, each feeling the unbearable weight of this decision. Each wanted the position badly, and each wanted to be the only one with the prestigious title of Editor-in-Chief. Shelly spoke first. “I think we should have the class vote.” Sam cringed and thought, “Of course you do.” Sam knew that she was not popular. But this vote wouldn’t be a popularity contest, would it? Surely her classmates would vote for the person who would do the best job. Sam knew she was the best girl for the job and she was sure her classmates would see the truth of it. “I guess the vote would be okay. I agree that we should have the class vote.”

“Are you sure? Whoever loses the election will be out of the editor job and in layout. Wouldn’t you rather share the responsibilities?” Ms. Ryan wanted them to be sure.

“We’re sure.” Sam said confidently and Shelly nodded along.

“Okay, then the election will be immediately after recess. Think about what you want to say to the class.” Ms. Ryan went back to her stack of papers to grade. Sam and Shelly headed outside for the remainder of recess.

When the class came back inside, the vote happened fast. Sam lost. She was shocked and devastated. How could her classmates be so dumb? Didn’t they see that she was the right girl for the job? Shelly beamed and soaked up the congratulations offered to her by Ms. Ryan and the rest of the class. Sam felt hot and she felt tears prickling the corner of her eyes. She wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

Slice of Life: New Adventures

Every Tuesday, a group of bloggers writes a Slice of Life. If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

This Spring, I decided that the time had come for me to make a change. I have been thinking about it for a few years now, and the impulse to look for something new just became too strong to ignore. I applied to some new coaching positions within my school district. After being at one school for 14 years, the prospect of learning a whole new set of procedures and rules, and meeting a whole new staff was quite intimidating. However, I took the bull by the horns and kicked my behind into gear and applied.

It turns out that this position was highly sought after and the competition was stiff. This did not bode well for me. You see, I am an introvert. I know in my heart of hearts that I would do an excellent job with this position, yet it is almost cripplingly difficult for me to tell that to a group of strangers. If you stuck me in a workshop or a classroom, you might not know that I am introverted. I am comfortable in those situations. I am the person in the front row, asking questions and participating enthusiastically. I am eager to share my knowledge and to learn from each and every person in the room. But that is a give-and-take situation. Interviews are not. The ability to sell my skills and my knowledge in a relatively short amount of time to strangers is not in my set of expertise.

Going through this process made me think back to my reading of the book Quiet by Susan Cain and her assertion that the world is more comfortable for extroverts and that we actually value characteristics of extroverted behavior more. Certainly this interview process that we have favors the people who can walk into the room and immediately be comfortable among strangers. But does that ability really tell you anything about how well that person will do on a day to day basis? Is my apparently less appealing personality really less appealing? Give me some time to get to know people and you would see that anxiety disappear. Ask anyone who has known me for years and worked with me side by side. My ability to really think through a problem and to sit back and listen makes me more suited for coaching in a lot of ways.

As I thought more about this issue, I felt it necessary to do some research. While visiting Susan Cain’s website, I came across this article that really resonated with me and I found her Ted Talk from this year. It was a great talk to watch to remember back to all the ideas that had intrigued me so much when I read her book.

Our culture values extroverted behavior and is biased toward extroverts. My interviewing experience highlighted that for me.

I am generally a very confident person. The experience of entering interviews and trying to sell myself to the committees really knocked me down a few notches. I did not have any success with the process and felt disappointed and disillusioned. I have since stood up and dusted off my ego and accepted the fact that this was not in the cards for me this year. What I know for sure now is that I want to revisit Quiet and think about the ways that Cain proposes to harness the quiet strength of being an introvert. I need to find the power within me to promote positive change and to find the inner extrovert when it is necessary.

P.S. Everything actually worked out for me for the better. One of my colleagues handed in her retirement papers shortly after the interview cycles were complete. I was able to move out of the middle school position back to a 4th grade classroom. I am so excited about this move! My years teaching 4th and 5th grade were the best ones in my career so far and I can’t wait to work at this level again!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Books I Finished This Week:

I was sick last week and did not get very much reading done. At this point, I am starting to feel much better so I hope to read more this week.

If you haven’t read any books by Arturo Perez-Reverte, I highly recommend his fiction books (start with The Seville Communion). He is a Spanish author. El Francotirador Paciente (The Patient Sniper) is about a woman who is sent out by a publisher to track down a famous graffiti artist, who goes by the tag Sniper. The publisher wants to find this artist to offer to do a biography and exhibit of his work. The artist has a price on his head and is in hiding. The book is a mystery as well as a fascinating glimpse into the world of graffiti. I enjoyed the story and would recommend it to adults (unfortunately, there isn’t an English translation yet).

I liked Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets because it was realistic. There aren’t any big heroics happening, just a kid trying to get through some rough times. I think it would definitely be a book that will resonate with teens. I highly recommend this one.

Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birute Galdikas is a graphic novel that shows the story of how each woman got started with her research. It is a fascinating look at the way science unfolded and would be a good introduction to a unit about primates. It was also interesting to learn more about these three women. It definitely piqued my curiosity about each woman.

Books I Am Currently Reading:

I have a bunch of professional reads going right now. I will talk more about each one as I finish the book. I also started reading The Serpent’s Tale by Ariana Franklin, which is the second book in the Mistress in the Art of Death series. It is an historical mystery.

What’s Next?

My library pile includes Raging Star, The Storied Life of AJ Fikry, Mr Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, and Bluffton. I don’t know if I will get to all of them because I also will pick up another book in Spanish and another middle grade read this week.

Blog Posts from this week:

I posted on Saturday to participate in the Celebrate Link Up HERE
I also shared my goals for Teachers Write HERE

What are you reading? Any big plans for this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments!

Teachers Write Goals

This will be the third summer that I am participating in Teachers Write. I am so excited to participate! I thought it would be good for me to reflect on my past participation and to make goals for this summer so that I can get the most out of my experience.

Before the first summer of Teachers Write, I really didn’t write that much. I had the ideas tumbling around my head and definitely wrote during mini-lessons, but I didn’t really write. I made some goals for myself and worked to start daily writing times. I did not succeed in making the time for writing and I did not do much fiction writing, which I had hoped to do. However, the best thing that came out of that summer for me was a blog. I definitely became a more regular blogger and it had a lot to do with my participation that summer with Teachers Write.

Last summer, I had grand plans for what I would do. I was planning to have some extra time to myself because I was out in California with my sister and was planning to be the babysitter when she went back to work. I did not end up having that time because my sister changed her mind and didn’t go back to work. I did not end up being more visible with my participation as I had hoped. I did manage to post on one Feedback Friday post and to post more often to my blog over the summer. I also read some great books about writing and gained information from them.

This summer, I am planning to be a more active participant. In order to do so, I have the following goals for the summer:

1. I will spend less time reading and more time writing. I did not give myself the bookaday challenge this summer because I wanted to make more time for writing.

2. I will make the time EVERY DAY to write. I am going to start with making sure I set aside at least 10 minutes a day.

3. I will continue to research for my novel idea. I have a list of action steps to follow for this research.

4. I will work on writing a series of personal narratives this summer and short stories for the exercises of Teachers Write. This will make it easier for me to participate, because in the past I have tried to get my ideas flowing for a novel, but I am not ready to do that. I need more time to research and plan.

5. I will make sure that I regularly post a Slice of Life on Tuesdays in addition to the It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? and Celebrate posts that I usually post.

I hope to have a much more active participation during this third summer of Teachers Write. See you at camp!

Celebrate July 5th

Join this fabulous group of bloggers as we celebrate our weeks. You can link up on Ruth Ayres blog at www.ruthayreswrites.com

This week I have to dig deep to find celebrations. I spent the week in bed and am still recovering from Diverticulitis (an infection in my colon).

I am celebrating modern medicine and the CT scan that quickly let the ER doctor know what was wrong.

I am celebrating pain killers and nausea medicine.

I am celebrating the antibiotics that I hope will kick the infection to the curb.

I am celebrating my husband who has had to be a nurse and has gone to the store multiple times looking for soups and popsicles that I wanted.

I am celebrating the fact that ABC is showing the World Cup game this morning so I can see it from home.

Last but not least, I am celebrating the e-mail received from a student this week wishing me a happy 4th of July. So nice to know that she is thinking of me during the summer.

What are you celebrating this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 6/30

Books I Finished This Week:

I very much enjoyed the Grisha trilogy. I am not exactly sure what I think of this ending. The author certainly surprised me and kept me guessing about what would happen next. I am both happy and a little skeptical of the way things worked out in the book. I highly recommended this series for grade 8 and up.

The Hero’s Guide to Storming the Castle by Christopher Healy is every bit as hilarious as the first book. So fun to read!

I don’t think I have words to describe how awesome this book is. I cannot wait to read it aloud to a classroom of 4th graders. I love how the author used so many book titles throughout the book. That library would be the most amazing thing ever if it really existed. If you haven’t read this one, you need to fix that asap.

I saw Amelia Rules on the children’s graphic novel shelf at the library and picked it up to check it out. I was not very impressed. I didn’t like Amelia very much and I wasn’t so sure about the style of talking to the reader. I do know that not everyone has my taste though, and will look for these books for my classroom because some kids might really like them.

Chickenhare was just a weird story. Again, there will be some kids who love that about the graphic novel. I was not really impressed with it.

Books I Am Currently Reading:

I am reading El Francotirador Paciente by Arturo Perez-Reverte. I also started Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets and am still reading the professional books I wrote about last week.

What’s Next?

I am not sure what will be next. I know I want to spend time writing this week, which will take away from time spent reading. Therefore, I don’t know if I will have time for more than just what I have already started.

What are you reading this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments!

Celebrate 6/28

Join this fabulous group of bloggers as we celebrate our weeks. You can link up on Ruth Ayres blog at www.ruthayreswrites.com

My celebrations this week:

Comfort:

We had a new air conditioning unit installed this week. Our old one had been on its last legs for two years. It is nice to know that the a/c will kick on when we turn it on this summer.

We figured out a way to rig up the computer and use our bluetooth speakers so that we can watch the World Cup games on the television. We don’t have cable so we have been watching the games on Univision. This makes it so much easier to view.

Health:

My dog is all better. She spent about a week in pain after having an abscess on her anal gland. It was uncomfortable for all of us. I celebrate the expertise of veterinarians and antibiotics that rid her of infection.

Extra sleep has been really good for me this week. I have been able to take naps when I am tired and this is helping to clear up the lingering cold I had.

Entertainment:

Because we wanted a change of scenery, my husband and I went back to a bar/restaurant that we haven’t been to for awhile. We discovered that they have gone back to a very good Happy Hour deal and that they updated their menu and improved the food they were serving. Now, an old favorite will probably become a favorite again.

The license was approved for a new beer garden that will be opening in the park that is three blocks away from my house. It will be fun to be able to take our dog and go have a beer or soda in the park. Beer gardens are a Milwaukee tradition that people are trying to start up again. Love it!

More time for reading! More time for writing! More time to watch some mindless television! More time with my husband!

Last week, I attended the Fierce Reads tour. It was so much fun hearing all four of the authors talk about their books and their writing lives. I really like this panel format because the authors play off of each others’ answers and it seems like you get so much more spontaneous talk. Leigh Bardugo, Ava Dellaira, Jennifer Mathieu, and Emmy Laybourne were awesome to listen to.

What do you have to celebrate? I would love to hear from you in the comments!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 6/23

This week was another busy week. Although I finished my school year on Tuesday, I ended up not having as much time to read as I thought. For one thing, I am really interested in soccer so I am taking a lot of time to watch World Cup games.

Also, my dog had a small medical issue this week. We ended up at the after-hours veterinary clinic on Weds. evening because she was red and swollen on her rear end. She had an abscess on her anal gland which was obviously quite painful for her. She spent the night there and since Thursday we have had to be vigilant and caring for her. She is getting better but this took up a lot of my energy this week.

I hope next week will feel more like summer vacation, with more time for reading.

Books I Finished This Week:

Los Vigilantes del Faro by Camilla Lackberg is the seventh book in the Patrik Hedstrom series (The Lost Boy is the title in English). Camilla Lackberg is a Swedish writer and these mysteries are very entertaining. Not all of the books are available in the United States yet. I read them in Spanish because I could get them in Spain, but you now can get the first few books in English here. I would highly recommend them to anyone who likes murder mysteries. The Ice Princess is the first book in the series.

I am not usually a reader who stops to write down quotes or put flags on pages. I think hard about the book and the language, but I don’t like to stop my reading to take notes. The book A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd was so well-written, with so much beautiful language that I found myself stopping to write things down. I absolutely LOVED LOVED LOVED this book. It is such a wonderful story about magic in the world and the love you can find in your family. I will definitely use this as a read aloud next year with my 4th grade class. I highly recommend this book to all middle grade readers and up.

Books I Am Currently Reading:

I started reading The Hero’s Guide to Storming the Castle this week. I also am reading some professional books on Heinemann’s digital campus. I love the chance to subscribe to a great professional library and the opportunity to read some great books. I am reading three books to participate in the summer book club on this website: Comprehension Connections by Tanny McGregor, Thrive by Meenoo Rami, and The Literacy Teacher’s Playbook by Jennifer Serravallo. These are excellent books to be reading as I start to think about next year and the procedures I want to use in my workshops.

What’s Next?

I went to the Fierce Reads event here in Milwaukee on Saturday. I bought Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo while I was there. I am so excited to read this third installment of the Grisha trilogy. I also will be choosing another one of the books in Spanish from our bookshelf to read.

As many of you know, I am moving back down to 4th grade next school year. I still had many of my books for the classroom library at this grade level, but I will be working to build the collection more. I am trying to gather lists from people of which books are essential to have in a 4th grade library. I also would like suggestions of read aloud titles. I know that many of the lists I get will be similar to the list I already have in my head, but I would really like to create a comprehensive collection, so please give me any suggestions you can think of.

What are you reading this week? Any suggestions for my classroom library? I would love to hear from you in the comments!