Maupin House's Blog

TED-Ed and Khan Academy: Revolutionizing and Democratizing Education

2012-05-29T16:43:00.000-04:00

You're probably familiar with TED Talks, but did you know the non-profit recently launched an educational YouTube channel and website especially for teachers to share and customize videos?

TED-Ed is a platform utilizing the "flipped learning" model to allow users to edit accompanying supplementary materials, such as follow-up questions (in multiple-choice or open-ended-answer format) and assignments, thus creating new lessons, which then become shareable. Teachers can track students' progress on the assignments or questions (who has opened the lesson, what questions were completed and, with multiple-choice questions, which ones were correct), and students can watch videos and complete questions at their own pace, both in class or at home. Each new, flipped lesson is stored on its own page, which can be shared via email, Facebook, and Twitter. And users aren't limited to just flipping TED-Ed videos; they can use any video from YouTube to create lessons, as long as that video allows third-party embedding.

Learn more about this innovative tool, its advisors, and "Flip Teaching" here. For more education videos, browse the equally impressive and free Khan Academy website, which includes first-rate videos, lessons, and tools for assessing student performance. The idea behind that site is that anyone--students, home-schoolers, teachers, parents, administrators--should be able to get a world-class education for free.

Fab Friday Giveaway: 20-in-10 and Student Engagement is FUNdamental!

2012-05-25T13:01:00.002-04:00

Now that the tests are done, i'ts time for a little fun!

Add hands-on activities to your lesson plan that teach academic skills and build rapport . . . because Student Engagement is FUNdamental:Building a Learning Community with Hands-on Activities to learning!

Jane F eber's classroom-proven activities for Grades 4-8 are fun, flexible, and aligned to the Common Core. From a personal website poster to prefix-themed cootie catcher, these simple projects are ready to go with materials lists and directions, they fit seamlessly into any teaching day and curriculum.

Click here for a Sample Activity from the book, the complete Introduction, and a peek at the Table of Contents.

And those in the younger grades shouldn't feel left out! With writing educator Luana K. Mitten and Grammy® Award-winning children’s songwriters Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer, 20-in-10: Linking Music and Literacy with Twenty, Ten-Minute Mini-Lessons and Activities for Primary Learners shows you how to integrate music and literacy in your K-2 classroom!

Ten original songs on the included CD are the subject of twenty standards-based mini-lessons that allow you to teach listening, visualization, letter and sound identification, movement, and specific writing-craft skills. Use the short, music-linked literacy lessons during transitions to calm or energize students and as an instructional tool to bolster reading fluency across the content areas.

This collection of musically inspired “mini-teaching moments” will delight and motivate students and fill your class with song!

Click here for a Sample Activity and free Song Lyrics from the 20-in-10.

Want your own copy of one of these titles? Win a free e-book of either title by "liking" Maupin House on Facebook and being one of the first 5 fans to comment on our most recent post about this giveaway.

Happy Friday!

Julia Graddy, Publisher
Maupin House Publishing

Thanks and Savings for Teacher Appreciation Week

2012-05-11T00:00:00.000-04:00

In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, we would like to thank all of the incredible educators who work so hard to make a difference in the lives of students by offering 20% off and free shipping sitewide. The sale runs now through Sunday night, but we extend our sincere thanks year-round. Enter coupon code THANKS12 at checkout to claim your savings.

Attend these Maupin House author sessions at IRA!

2012-04-27T16:48:00.002-04:00

Are you attending the International Reading Association's 57th Annual Convention in Chicago this year? If so, we want to help you plan your busy schedule! All the choices can be a little overwhelming, so we've compiled a complete list of the Maupin House speakers and topics for you to peruse:

Sun., April 29th

Deirdre Godin

Session: Unit Projects that Work: Create Amazing Comprehensive Keepsake Books Based on Common Core State Standards. A Project/Product-based Assessment.

Time of Session: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Location: McCormick Place-West, Room W176C
"Meet the Author" Booth Time:
April 30, 2012 from 1 p.m.-2 p.m.
About the Author: Deirdre Godin is the author of Amazing Hand-On Literature Projects for Secondary Students.

Mon., April 30th

Jane Feber

Session:Motivating the Unmotivated Through Student Engagement

Time of session: 3 p.m.-4 p.m.
Location: McCormick Place-West, Room W183C
"Meet the Author" Booth Time:
April 30, 2012 from 12 p.m.-1 p.m. & 4:15 p.m.-5 p.m.
About the Author: Jane Feber is the author of Active Word Play, Creative Book Reports, and Student Engagement is FUNdamental.

Michelle Kelley and Nicki Clausen-Grace

Session: Meeting the Challenges of the Common Core: Teaching Text Features in the Elementary School Classroom
Time of session: 3 p.m.-5:45 p.m.
Location: McCormick Place-West, Room W192A
"Meet the Author" Booth Time:
May 2, 2012 from 10 a.m.-11 a.m.
About the Authors: Michelle Kelley and Nicki Clausen-Grace are co-authors of Reading the Whole Page: Teaching and Assessing Text Features to Meet K-5 Common Core Standards.

Kathleen Kopp

Session: Using Leveled Text to Differentiate Instruction for Students in the Content Areas
Date/Time: 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
Location: McCormick Place-West, Room W475B
"Meet the Author" Booth Time: May 1, 2012 from 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
About the Author: Kathleen Kopp is the author of Everyday Content-Area Writing, the Learning Through Writing Series, Strategies for Writing in the Science Classroom, and Strategies for Writing in the Social Studies Classroom.

Brod Bagert

Session: Using Poetry for Word Study, Fluency, and Comprehension Instruction
Time of Session: April 30, 2012 from 11 a.m.-1 :45 p.m.
Location: McCormick Place-West, Room W196A
"Meet the Author" Booth Time:
May 1, 2012 from 2 p.m.-3 p.m.
About the Author: Brod Bagert is the author of A Bullfrog at Cafe Du Monde, Hormone Jungle, Steel Cables, and Rainbows, Head Lice & Pea-Green Tile.

Tues., May 1st

Nancy Boyles

Session: Getting to the Heart of the Common Core State Standards: Designing and Implementing Powerful Comprehension Instruction
Time of Session: 2 p.m.-4:45 p.m.
Location: McCormick Place-West, Room W175A
"Meet the Author" Booth Time:
May 1, 2012 from 9:30 a.m.-10 a.m.
About the Author: Nancy Boyles is the author of Constructing Meaning Through Kid-Friendly Comprehension Strategy Instruction, Hands-On Literacy Coaching, Launching RTI Comprehension Instruction with Shared Readings, Rethinking Small-group Instruction in the Intermediate Grades, Teaching Written Response to Text, and That's a GREAT Answer!

Wed., May 2nd

Barbara Nelson, Cynthia Schofield, and Elaine Weber

Session: Guided Highlighted Reading: A Reading Strategy to Scaffold Students to Independent Reading of Difficult and Complex Texts from Common Core Appendix B
Time of Session: 9 a.m.-11:45 a.m.
Location: McCormick Place-West, Room W181C
"Meet the Author" Booth Time:
May 2, 2012 from 12 p.m.-1 p.m.
About the Authors: Barbara Nelson, Cynthia Schofield, and Elaine Weber are co-authors of Guided Highlighted Reading.

Nile Stanley: Celebrating Poetry Year-Round

2012-04-25T10:20:00.000-04:00

Click below to hear Nile recite one of his self-written poems!

Nile Stanley does it all—concerning poetry, that is. From light-hearted elementary school performances, readings at peace rallies, and poetry events for senior citizens, Nile shares his love of poetry with anyone and everyone. Nile, author of Creating Readers with Poetry, describes himself as, "a P.E. person—a poetry educator." While many teachers make poetry a single unit in their curriculum, Nile, a performance poet and professor at the University of North Florida, incorporates poetry into his lessons at every chance; he believes poetry to be the key to helping young students learn to read.

It all began in 1994 when Nile first saw a Poetry Alive performance, and admitted that he had never seen anything like it. Amazed by the group’s ability to perform all different genres of poetry, Nile decided to study with them. By the following year, he stopped lecturing and began performing.

Annually, Nile performs about 50 shows, most of which take place in Jacksonville, FL. He most recently performed at the University of North Florida Development Center and West Jacksonville Elementary, and Nile made Dr. Seuss the star of the show. Donning a classic striped Dr. Seuss hat, Nile performed works like The Lorax for an audience of students who also each received their own Dr. Seuss hat and book.

Some students were unable to attend the performance because the FCAT was scheduled for the same day. Nile’s comment on the subject: “We want more Cat in the Hat and less FCAT.”

Nile performs for students in Pre-K through 5^th grade because he loves their enthusiasm, and it affords him the opportunity to open students’ eyes to an art form that many of them have never before seen. With such a young audience, Nile says it’s a good place get creative and take chances.

Nile’s performances are a hit with anyone, especially children, because he doesn’t take poetry too seriously. Sometimes, he even adds music to his performances, playing instruments like the guitar or the ukulele.

“Young children like very silly poems. The type of poetry I do is more children’s poetry, it’s action-packed, it’s silly.”

As if weekly performances weren’t enough, Nile also leads two after-school poetry clubs, at Guardian Catholic Schools of Jacksonville, that have been around for six years. Funded by an annual gift of $15,000 from the Cummer Family Foundation, these clubs make it possible for students to learn about poetry outside the traditional classroom. Students have the chance to explore their creativity, write their own poems, and even perform for each other.

In regard to celebrating National Poetry Month, Nile feels it’s a great idea, and that the holiday’s placement right after the stress of high-stakes testing is especially fortuitous, because teachers are able to relax and explore poetry with their students.

Nile’s love of poetry crosses the globe as he will be travelling to China on May 10 for three weeks to be a Visiting Scholar at Shaanxi Normal University in Xian. There, Nile will teach a graduate seminar on learning theory. Nile will also be doing teacher professional development for pre-schools in China, and, yes, he will be performing.

Nile Stanley is a lover of poetry, and a firm believer in its power to teach, heal, and uplift.

“Poetry is life. Life is poetry. Some people don’t realize that ‘till it’s too late.”

Click below to hear Nile recite "Words" from Creating Readers with Poetry!
Words
Words text

A big thank you to school librarians everywhere!

2012-04-13T15:31:00.004-04:00

As The Huffington Post's Brad Meltzer so eloquently points out, school librarians are everyday--and often unsung--heroes, and we need to support our school (and public) libraries to keep those heroes in our children's lives. National School Library Month is still going strong for the rest of April. Let's make sure our school libraries know we support them by advocating for funding, starting petitions on both local/school and national levels, and remembering to thank our tireless librarians for the work they do. A child's love of books starts at home, but school librarians make sure those books are available for everyone, create avenues for reading, teach media and technology literacy, and integrate programs with classroom curriculum to ensure students know how to find information and connect what they learn to their lives. These are not skills our children can afford to lose.

Poet discusses list of favorites, shares new poem

2012-04-12T15:15:00.006-04:00

Kicking off the third week of National Poetry Month, we spoke with Brod Bagert, poet and author of Hormone Jungle, and Rainbows, Head Lice, & Pea-Green Tile. Bagert reveals his exclusive alliteration-themed poem and shares with us a list of his all-time favorite poems.

Q: Why do you love poetry, and when did you first discover this love? What does poetry mean to you?

A: It began in third grade when my teacher, Mrs. Toups, recited “Trees,” by Joyce Kilmer. The joy with which she read it was infectious. I was hooked; I wanted a poem that I could love the way Mrs. Toups loved “Trees.” That came in fifth grade, when Sr. Paula required each of us to select a poem, memorize it, and recite it for the class. I found “Sea Fever,” by John Masefield. It was the beginning of a life-long love affair.

Q: Why is poetry important in education? What does it bring to the classroom that no other subject or way of learning can bring?

A: Though it can be rendered in writing, language is oral, so mastering reading and writing without mastering oral presentation is a near impossibility. Poems produce powerful sound, laden with emotion and rich with metaphorically meaning.

Because poetry captures the reader’s identity and stimulates the reader’s sensory imagination, thoughts, and feelings, we become one with the language as we recite it. Physically, intellectually, and emotionally we are what the words say. When we recite in voice, we begin to write in voice, and when we write in voice, we hear voice when we read—an effect which I call the vortex of voice:

Not all poems produce the effect. For most of my life, I’ve been trying to understand the mechanisms by which the best poems do what they do and trying to create such poems of my own.

Q: Hormone Jungle is so unusual for a poetry book because it also has a narrative aspect and characters that the reader could confuse for real students. How did your idea for this book come about, and how did you decide that you wanted it to be so unique?

A: I don’t think I’ve ever said this publicly, but it actually came to me in a dream. I had written a bunch of poems in “middle school” voice, and many of them were quite good. However, a flaw revealed itself when I began to perform them for middle school students in Pennsylvania and realized there was no generalized “middle school” voice. The voices of young adults occur in a broad spectrum of fundamental varieties such as gender, personality, ethnicity, etc.

The poems I wrote were a fairly authentic replication of these varied voices, and during a performance, I could give an introduction to identify the voice of each poem. But how could I give readers of my book sufficient information in advance to identify the voice of each poem, without which the poem would make no sense?

This question simmered in my unconscious as I went to sleep, and at some point during the night, I awoke and scribbled down the notes that eight years later evolved into the structure of Hormone Jungle.

The eleven fictional characters of Hormone Jungle are often mistaken for real poets, which in a way is a very cool thing. They’re very real to me, especially Steven Gilley, whose personality is suspiciously similar to mine.

Brod’s List of Favorite Poems

- “To a Mouse” by Robert Burns
- “Cultivo Una Rosa Blanca” by Jose Marti
- “Anyone Lived in a Pretty How Town” by E.E. Cummings
- “I Died for Beauty” by Emily Dickinson
- “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day” by William Shakespeare
- “Madam and her Madam” by Langston Hughes
- “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost

Brod Bagert's Exclusive Poem
No Alliteration

Take Five! Poetry Prompts (and a chance to win a $50 giftcard!)

2012-04-11T10:58:00.000-04:00

To celebrate the second week of National Poetry Month, Kaye Hagler, author of Take 5! for Language Arts: 180 Bell-Ringers that Build Critical Thinking Skills, shares a few of her thoughts—and activities—with us. Scroll down for a chance to win a $50 giftcard to the Maupin House store!

Q: Take 5! for Language Arts (Grades 6-12) is a compilation of 180 quick and thoughtful activities to start the day. Several of these creative prompts will get students thinking about, writing, and sharing poetry. How do you think poetry helps to develop critical thinking skills?

A: Poetry provides an excellent vehicle for developing critical thinking skills due to the ongoing process of analyzing, reflecting, and questioning to seek order, or meaning, in the words, phrases, symbols, and literary devices.

Q: What do you think is the importance of teaching poetry?

A: With so much emphasis today on test preparation, some might feel the teaching of poetry is simply a necessity in light of the objectives provided by state or national tests, but the place for poetry in the classroom goes beyond this idea of requirement. For many children, poetry offers that first bite of reading, a bite so enjoyable they want to pick up another book or hear one read over and over. For beginning writers, poetry offers that first attempt at expressing not only who we are, but also our attitude toward life.

Q: What is your favorite type of poetry (or favorite poem) and why?

A: My personal favorites cover a diverse range. I love lyric poems such as Longfellow’s “The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls” where nature continuously renews itself while “effacing” our “footprints in the sand,” also narrative poems such as Coleridge’s “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” (what a great story!).

Q: Which specific prompts from Take Five! are effective in getting students excited about poetry—and why?

A: One of the activities asks students to think of their immediate surroundings as subjects for poetry. Students soon realize that even the smallest community offers subjects that can be captured through poetry, even if it is a rundown farmhouse, a spring-fed lake, or a string of freight cars splashed with graffiti.

Another prompt that pulls sensory details together is “Natural Haiku” which becomes a visual display in itself as we illustrate them and then hang them in the hallways. My goal is to make poetry both accessible and relatable to my students.

Teachers: Exclusively download two of Kaye's poetry prompts ("Natural Haiku" and "Circular Poetry") here!

For a chance to win a $50 Maupin House giftcard, have your class complete one of these Take Five! prompts. Then, email us a sample of five of your students’ poems.

We’ll read them all, and pick our favorite class—the winners’ poems will also be posted on our blog. Good luck, and have fun!

Disclaimer: The deadline for all submissions is April 30th. Class submissions must be sent from the continental U.S.

More Fun — Check out our Facebook page and post your own haiku under the link to this post!

Fab Friday Giveaway: Amazing Hands-on Literature Projects

2012-03-30T13:55:00.010-04:00

Looking for a way to make literature response engaging, fun, and thoughtful in middle school and high school? Amazing Hands-on Literature Projects contains twelve comprehensive project ideas, step-by-step directions, templates, photos, and assessment rubrics.

Veteran English teacher Deirdre Godin helps teachers in Grades 6-12 create learners who read, analyze, and synthesize while using multiple intelligences and different forms of writing to comprehend and respond to text. The accompanying CD provides reproducibles and color photos for all projects.

Click here for a Sample Activity from the book, the complete Introduction, and a peek at the Table of Contents.

Want your own copy of this title? Win a free e-book of this title by "liking" Maupin House on Facebook and being one of the first 5 fans to comment on our most recent post about this giveaway.

Happy Friday!

Julia Graddy, Publisher
Maupin House Publishing

Author discusses ways to celebrate NPM

2012-03-29T11:24:00.007-04:00

With National Poetry Month upon us, everyone needs a way to celebrate. If you’re looking for ideas on how to rhyme during this time, you can get some pointers from Margriet Ruurs, globetrotting author of Virtual Maniac: Silly and Serious Poems for Kids and The Power of Poems: Writing Activities that Teach and Inspire. She chatted with us about some of her favorite things do to during poetry month and explained why poetry is important in the classrooms.

Q: What are some of the ways you have celebrated National Poetry Month in the past few years?

A: At Between the Covers, a bed-and-breakfast I run, I always put poetry books out on the coffee tables in the rooms, and in one of the rooms, the Poetry Room, there is a huge number of poetry books.

I also read poetry books to my 2-year-old grandson to celebrate National Poetry Month. The probably most effective way I celebrate is by talking to students about poetry while doing author visits in schools. Kids love poetry and I enjoy encouraging them to write it, especially in older grades.

My favorite way to celebrate poetry, however, is by making a Poet Tree. Check out my website or The Power of Poems for detailed instructions on how to grow your own poet tree in the classroom!

Q: What will you be doing this year to celebrate National Poetry Month?

A: I will make a point of writing poetry, and I plan on celebrating poetry in schools with students. On my book blog, I will highlight some of my favorite books of poetry and will launch my “Bucket list of Books” featuring the best 52 books—publishing one per week for a year—I have ever read in my life.
Because I am the editor of Kidswwwrite e-zine, a website where I publish stories and poems written by kids all around the world, the publication will highlight some outstanding poems and award one poem in April with a book of poetry.

Q: Why do you think it is important to honor poetry through National Poetry Month, and what do you think this brings to students and schools around the nation?

A: As kids get older they seem to lose their love of the rhythm and flow of poetry, which comes so natural when they are young. Highlighting the joy of reading, writing, speaking, and listening to poetry is fabulous, not just during one month but throughout the year.
It is my hope that teachers and parents surround kids with poetry all the time; it is such fun to write silly rhymes, to recite a favorite poem, to share a poetic picture book—no matter the age of the child.

In honor on National Poetry Month, Maupin House would like to share a free download activity Pick a Word, Any Word! from Margriet Ruurs' The Power of Poems.

Still looking for more ways to celebrate? Visit poets.org for 30 different ways to enjoy National Poetry Month this year.

Fab Friday Giveaway: Strategies for Writing in Science & Social Studies

2012-03-23T11:51:00.023-04:00

Trying to prevent those end-of-year doldrums with your science and social blocks? Try using writing. Award-winning author and teacher Kathleen Kopp helps teachers in Grades 4-8 use writing to teach content-area concepts and assess understanding, too.

Inserting writing into the instructional mix engages kids and helps them crystallize their thinking, too.

Click one the covers above for a free activity download and a peek at the Table of Contents.

Want your own copy of one of these titles? Win a free e-book of either title by "liking" Maupin House on Facebook and being one of the first 5 fans to comment on our most recent post about this giveaway.

Happy Friday!

Julia Graddy, Publisher
Maupin House Publishing

IRA Conference Speakers & Session Info

2012-03-22T13:12:00.053-04:00

With April just around the corner, Maupin House is finishing its preparations for the 57th annual International Reading Association Convention in Chicago, which must get you thinking: What Maupin House authors will be there this year?
If you're thinking about going to the convention, which takes place from April 29th through May 2, check out the list below to see the Maupin authors that will be there. Don't forget to stop by our booth 929, and receive your 20% conference discount.

Deirdre Godin

Session: Unit Projects that Work: Create Amazing Comprehensive Keepsake Books Based on Common Core State Standards. A Project/Product-based Assessment.

Date and time of session:April 29, 2012 from 9 a.m.- 5 p.m.
Location: McCormick Place-West, Room W176C

Booth time:April 30, 2012 from 1 p.m.- 2 p.m.

About the author: Deirdre Godin is the author of Amazing Hand-On Literature Projects for Secondary Students.

Kathleen Kopp

Session: Using Leveled Text to Differentiate Instruction for Students in the Content Areas

Date and time of session: April 30, 2012 from 11 a.m.- 12 p.m.
Location: McCormick Place-West, Room W475B

Session: Simple, Effective, and Engaging Writing Strategies that Meet the Common Core Standards and Support Students as They Read-to-Learn Before, During, and After Instruction.

Date and time of session:
May 1, 2012 from 2 p.m.- 4:45 p.m.
Location: McCormick Place-West, Room W176A

Booth time: May 1, 2012 from 11 a.m.- 12 p.m.

About the author: Kathleen Kopp is the author of Everyday Content-Area Writing, the Learning Through Writing Series, Strategies for Writing in the Science Classroom, and Strategies for Writing in the Social Studies Classroom.

Brod Bagert

Session: Using Poetry for Word Study, Fluency, and Comprehension Instruction

Date and time of session: April 30, 2012 from 11 a.m.- 1 :45 p.m.
Location: McCormick Place-West, Room W196A

Booth time:May 1, 2012 from 2 p.m.- 3 p.m.

About the author: Brod Bagert is the author of A Bullfrog at Cafe Du Monde, Hormone Jungle, Steel Cables, and Rainbows, Head Lice & Pea-Green Tile.

Jane Feber

Session:Motivating the Unmotivated Through Student Engagement

Date and time of session: April 30, 2012 from 3 p.m.-4 p.m.

Location: McCormick Place-West, Room W183C

Booth times: April 30, 2012 from 12 p.m.-1 p.m. and 4:15 p.m.-5 p.m.

About the author: Jane Feber is the author of Active Word Play, Creative Book Reports, and Student Engagement is FUNdamental.

Michelle Kelley and Nicki Clausen-Grace

Session: Meeting the Challenges of the Common Core: Teaching Text Features in the Elementary School Classroom

Date and time of session: April 30,2012 from 3 p.m.-5:45 p.m.
Location: McCormick Place-West, Room W192A

Booth time: May 2, 2012 from 10 a.m.- 11 a.m.

About the authors: Michelle Kelley and Nicki Clausen-Grace are co-authors of Reading the Whole Page: Teaching and Assessing Text Features to Meet K-5 Common Core Standards.

Nancy Boyles

Session: Getting to the Heart of the Common Core State Standards: Designing and Implementing Powerful Comprehension Instruction

Date and time of session: May 1, 2012 from 2 p.m.- 4:45 p.m.
Location: McCormick Place-West, Room W175A

Booth time: May 1, 2012 from 9:30 a.m.- 10 a.m.

About the author: Nancy Boyles is the author of Constructing Meaning Through Kid-Friendly Comprehension Strategy Instruction, Hands-On Literacy Coaching, Launching RTI Comprehension Instruction with Shared Readings, Rethinking Small-group Instruction in the Intermediate Grades, Teaching Written Response to Text, and That's a GREAT Answer!

Barbara Nelson, Cynthia Schofield, and Elaine Weber

Session: Guided Highlighted Reading: A Reading Strategy to Scaffold Students to Independent Reading of Difficult and Complex Texts from Common Core Appendix B

Date and time of session:May 2, 2012 from 9 a.m.- 11:45 a.m.
Location: McCormick Place-West, Room W181C

Booth time: May 2, 2012 from 12 p.m.- 1 p.m.

About the authors: Barbara Nelson, Cynthia Schofield, and Elaine Weber are co-authors of Guided Highlighted Reading.

Fab Friday Giveaway & St. Patrick's Day Discount: Take Five! for Language Arts

2012-03-16T14:59:00.008-04:00

Now that it’s after Spring Break, the kids are getting restless, and so are you! These new bell-ringers from Kaye Hagler's Take Five! For Language Arts are guaranteed to spark some excitement as they link to and support your standards-based language arts lessons. By the way, these collaborative, easy-to-do activities for grades six through twelve also build critical-thinking skills.

Whether your students are inventing secret codes, concocting potions, rewriting history, making conjunction paper chains, or thinking like newspaper editors, these 180 diverse and creative prompts will have them looking forward to the part of the day when they’re asked to “Take Five” for critical thinking. And they'll transform those first chaotic five minutes of class into learning opportunities.

Each ready-to-use prompt includes:

• corresponding standards
• supply lists
• language arts links
• teacher tips
• assessment options
• rubrics
• digital connections that add more than 100 extension lessons

Want your own copy? Win a free e-book of this title by "liking" Maupin House on Facebook and being one of the first 5 fans to comment on our most recent Facebook post about this giveaway.

Don't worry -- even if you're not one of the first five fans, a 40% coupon code is waiting for you in that post for the e-book or physical book. The code expires after this weekend, so don't miss out.

Happy Friday and enjoy saving a little green this St. Patrick's Day!

Julia Graddy, Publisher
Maupin House Publishing

A Perfect 'Match': Books for Schools in Need

2012-03-15T14:04:00.009-04:00

While traveling and visiting schools in countries all around the world, author Margriet Ruurs had an idea that would allow her to do more than visit and speak at the international schools. She started a blog project in May, fueled by her belief that literacy can make a difference in people's lives.

“I visited a school in Thailand where there were no books, paper or pencils,” she said. “It made me realize that we can easily spread our wealth by sharing it.”

Ruurs, who has authored more than twenty children’s books, including Maupin House’s Power of Poems: Writing Activities that Teach and Inspire and Virtual Maniac: Silly and Serious Poems for Kids, created a blog, Bookmatchmaker (www.bookmatchmaker.blogspot.com), to connect anyone looking to bring books to children around the world with the children and schools that are in need of educational resources.

“I simply act as a ‘matchmaker’ between schools that need help and schools that want to help,” she said.

Ruurs uses her two books My Librarian is a Camel and My School in the Forest at various conferences during which she speaks to teachers and encourages them to show their students how children around the world go to school or read books. The blog idea came about as she tried to connect these teachers to global projects.

She is extremely selective about the organizations she blogs about. Before posting about an organization that provides books to children in need, Ruurs asks them to explain where, how, and why they bring books to children.

“I want to make sure they are reputable and that all donations reach children, 100 percent if possible."

A personal achievement for Ruurs involves a library project in Mexico, which she first got involved with after a Texan woman told her about a library that she and a group of Americans and Canadians were building in a poor Mayan village.

During her most recent visit to the village, Ruurs brought brand new books in Spanish that she received from several children’s books publishers. She also brought about fifty pounds of children’s clothes and toys that her local thrift store, in Oregon, let her pick out.

“The Mayan mothers were beside themselves with all these gifts, and it was so easy to do,” she said. “I hope anyone going on a holiday to a country where people are not well off will think of taking books, clothes, pencils, toys, etc.”

The latest post on Bookmatchmaker discusses the Global Bookmark Exchange, which Ruurs started several years ago while visiting children in Pakistan who were making bookmarks. She offered to take the students’ bookmarks to the U.S. and, in exchange, send back bookmarks that students from an Oregon school made.

“Since then, more than 2,000 children in over thirty countries have made bookmarks for each other and shared their favorite books,” she said. “It is another project for teachers to use, allowing them to combine language arts with art and social studies.”

Ruurs said the blog makes her more aware of larger issues. “Books are just paper and cardboard. It is the readers who make books come to life, be meaningful, and make a difference,” she said.

“What we do with what we learn from books is up to each of us.”

The most rewarding moment for her is when a school or individual decides to help others.

“We can do so many little things to make a huge difference,” she said.

Fab Friday Giveaway & Discount: "Guided Highlighted Reading"

2012-03-09T09:57:00.006-05:00

If you are puzzled about how to expose all students to complex text in response to new Common Core requirements, you’ll be as excited as I am about Guided Highlighted Reading: A Close-reading Strategy for Navigating Complex Text, our newest book now at the printer.

Authors Elaine Weber, Barbara Nelson, and Cynthia Schofield, show teachers in Grades 4 and up how to prepare prompts that encourage students to return to complex text to find answers for summary, vocabulary, author’s craft decisions, and for practicing high-stakes assessment responses.

Their approach made me say, “Well, duh!” – It’s that brilliant, easy, and effective. For a sneak peek of a sample activity, the Introduction, or the Table of Contents, check out this title on our website.

Want your own copy? Win a free e-book of this title by "liking" Maupin House on Facebook and being one of the first 5 fans to comment on our most recent post about this giveaway.

Don't worry -- even if you're not one of the first five fans, a 40% Coupon Code is waiting for you in that post for the e-book or physical book. The Code expires after this weekend, so don't miss out.

Happy Friday!

Julia Graddy
Publisher, Maupin House Publishing

The 20 Best Novels about Being a Teacher

2012-03-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

Looking for some inspirational reading on the art of teaching? This round-up of novels on the subject should help serve as a reminder of why you went into this profession.

New Content Poems from Brod Bagert

2012-03-02T06:00:00.004-05:00

Hello Friends!

I’m excited to announce that I’m embarking on a new and exciting project and would love to include you in the process.

I’ve been writing content poems about science, history, and other content areas. My goal is to create a fairly large collection of poems for teachers to use in the classroom – poems that are rock solid on common core standards and simultaneously appealing to children. Real learning made real fun!

This is an invitation to be part of a small group, mostly classroom teachers. You will receive advance copies of poems-in-progress to share with your colleagues and use with your students. You’ll also be encouraged to use me as your personal classroom poet where I would create poems to order for your classroom and its specific needs. You’ll find below a poem that I wrote at the request of a third grade teacher who wanted something to use in her lesson on the digestive system. The teacher’s request is the inspiration.

If you’d like to be part of this group, please send an email to museproject@brodbagert.com with “yes” in the subject line. Group mailings will never be more frequent than once a month.

I hope you choose to join me, and please feel free to pass this on to friends or colleagues whom you think might enjoy joining the process as well. Also check out my website at www.brodbagert.com, and contact me if you’re interested in bringing an author to your school or doing a Skype session.

Sincerely,
Brod Bagert
museproject@brodbagert.com

The Cookie Journey
by Brod Bagert

I’m just a cookie on a plate
awaiting every cookie’s fate.
Someone bit me! Oh the fear!
Holy smoke! It’s dark in here!

Tooth enamel, sharp and white,
tearing, grinding, left and right.
Saliva swishing all around,
Oh no! I think I’m going down!

This esophagus thing is a very tight space.
It starts in a neck right under a face.
A breathing-squeezing kind of hose
that deep into a stomach goes.

Feel the acid! Feel the burn!
This stomach just began to churn.
I’m turning to liquid! I’m turning to gas!
Digestion progression is terribly fast!

I’m flowing in a gooey soup
through small intestine loop-d-loop!
Now large intestine, ah—at last—
I’m back into a solid mass.

But something has begun to smash,
and now I’m falling—falling—SPLASH!
I’m floating in a big white well.
Oh disgusting! What’s that smell?

It’s what our bodies love to do—
Turning cookies into poo.

Engage Students in New Content

2012-03-01T13:01:00.001-05:00

Are you a content-area teacher? Check out Maupin House author Kathleen Kopp's new article for AMLE: "Students get lost in a sea of information, unable to anchor their learning to something they know and understand."

Leap into savings with a special coupon code!

2012-02-29T17:18:00.004-05:00

In honor of Leap Year, Leap Day, and apparently, Leap Second, we are offering 29% off your purchase of all print and e-books online when you enter coupon code LEAP29. This offer is valid today, February 29, through tomorrow, March 1, 2012. Happy Leap Year and happy savings! Oh, and click here for a few things you may not have known about Leap Year.

Join in the fight for pronouns...and good writing!

2012-02-28T22:09:00.004-05:00

In this recent New York Times column, author and educator Tim Clifford discusses a recent trend in schools to remove pronouns from students' writing--and the larger trend of teaching only to the test. Will you join in the fight to keep pronouns and great writing from getting the ax?

Katie Monnin helps teachers explain the U.S. Constitution

2012-02-28T15:43:00.007-05:00

Dr. Katie Monnin, respected authority on how to use the graphic novel format alongside traditional literature to teach to the standards, wrote the teacher's guide to a new graphic novel on the U.S. Constitution coming out soon from Round Table Companies. Read more about it on The Huffington Post!

Rationales for Teaching Graphic Novels Reviewed in Multi-Lingual Journal

2012-01-21T21:00:00.003-05:00

Tiffany A. Flowers calls Maupin House's Rationales for Teaching Graphic Novels a "great resource" in a recent volume of Education Review/Resenas Educativas. Read the full review here.

Young Adult Graphic Novel Faces Another Censorship Challenge

2012-01-11T13:26:00.004-05:00

Stuck in the Middle: Seventeen Comics from an Unpleasant Age, a collection of comics shorts edited by Ariel Schrag and featuring selections from top comics artists, has come under fire from folks wanting to remove it from public school libraries twice since 2009.

The first case resulted in the book's removal from shelves in districts in South Dakota, and, last month, a committee in Maine's RSU 10 serving schools in Dixfield, Mexico, and Buckfield responded to a parent request to remove the book from its secondary schools' library shelves by moving the book to its professional section and requiring parental permission for access.

Read more about these instances here.

In both these instances, students' rights to read have been compromised. While any text can become a victim of censorship at any time, comics and graphic novels may be especially prone to attacks because of their perceived novelty, concepts of literary merit, and other general misunderstandings regarding them.

Maupin House knows this and wants to help teachers teach from an informed professional stance and certainly wants to preserve students' rights to read. This is one reason why Maupin House published Rationales for Teaching Graphic Novels, a collection of summaries, reviews, lesson ideas, thematic pairing ideas, and overt discussion of " hot button" issues in 108 different graphic novels.

Each rationale is written by a practicing k-12 teacher who has used comics in his or her classroom or by teacher educators who focus on comics and education.

Rationales for Teaching Graphic Novels is available as a CD-ROM, as an E-book, and, in by-grade-level chunks via the new a la carte feature.

While Stuck in the Middle was not one of the 108 included in the project, and while this case regarded library use rather than classroom use, I can't help but imagine how useful a rationale might have been in either keeping the censors at bay or aiding in the fight to keep the text available for interested students.

Maupin House and Katie Monnin work with Round Table Companies to develop curriculum for comic book adaptation of The Constitution

2012-01-06T16:53:00.008-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Emily Gibbs
Allison+Partners
EmilyG@allisonpr.com

The U.S. Constitution brought to life in graphic novel adaptation from Round Table Companies

New comic book features 100 percent of the document’s original text along with additional narrative and detailed illustrations that further clarifies the founding fathers’ work

CHICAGO (Jan. 9, 2012) – Round Table Companies, a publishing and storytelling company that works with thought leaders to inform, educate and inspire, announces the release of The United States Constitution: A Round Table Comic, a graphic novel adaptation of the supreme law of the United States. The Constitution comic launches in bookstores nationwide, on Amazon.com, and all digital formats in March 2012 for $12.95 (print) and $6.99 (digital).

Scripted by adapter Nadja Baer and illustrated by Nathan Lueth, Round Table Companies created an original storyline to showcase the making of history and communicate concepts from one of the United States’ most important documents. Narratives and illustrations of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Thomas Paine and James Madison, among other historical figures, allow readers to understand and engage with the process and development of each article in The Constitution.

“Whether you are a student or just need a refresher, the illustrated format allows readers to better understand and retain the concepts in the Constitution,” said Baer. “The powerful illustrations coupled with effective narrative and the complete text from the original document helps capture and relive an important part of our country’s history.”

Dr. Katie Monnin, an assistant professor of literacy at the University of North Florida, and Maupin House, a publisher specializing in K-12 teacher resources, developed a tailored curriculum to supplement the comic book in classrooms. The curriculum will be readily available to teachers at no cost in March, when the book launches.

“While the comic book adaptation of The Constitution can be enjoyed at any age, we developed the free curriculum to work together with the comic book to help teachers get students more interested in the framework of our government,” said Dr. Monnin. “The comic itself is fun and easy to read, but students will be able to further comprehend the concepts with the supplemental material.”

Round Table Companies believes in the power of story to impact lives and brings others’ visions to life. For more information about the company, visit www.roundtablecompanies.com/.

###

About Round Table Companies

Round Table Companies (RTC) uses a filmmaker’s approach to storytelling to inform, educate, and inspire readers. Founded in 2006 as a writing company, RTC quickly evolved into a storytelling company that uses the talents of artists all over the country to deliver entertaining content that demands attention. RTC’s approach to creating high quality content eliminates the traditional publishing gatekeepers and allows thought leaders to engage in a fully collaborative team approach to distilling their ideas into either word based or illustrated formats. Author partnerships include WIRED magazine founder Chris Anderson, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, executive coach Marshall Goldsmith, childhood cancer survivor Alesia Shute, and Latino author and humanitarian Robert Renteria.

Incorporating the Web Into Your Bell-Ringer Activities

2011-12-02T16:34:00.003-05:00

In Take 5! for Language Arts, Kaye Hagler provides web resources as bell-ringer lesson extensions to help teachers engage their students in today's connected world.

Check out some of the web sites she provides with these sample lessons:

"Keep It Green 1"- Show this "My Life as a Plastic Bottle" video before assigning students to come up with ideas for re-using and recycling plastic water bottles
"Tale of the Tweebles"- Follow up an alliterative writing assignment with a educational game of Figure of Speech hangman
"Movie Critic"- Show students the American Film Institute's list of 100 greatest movies ever made before they write a persuasive argument for their "most popular movie of all time"
"Tone it Up"- Assign magazine audiences to groups and ask each group to make an interactive poster that describes the audience using the web tool, Glogster

Maupin House's Blog

TED-Ed and Khan Academy: Revolutionizing and Democratizing Education

Fab Friday Giveaway: 20-in-10 and Student Engagement is FUNdamental!

Thanks and Savings for Teacher Appreciation Week

Attend these Maupin House author sessions at IRA!

Nile Stanley: Celebrating Poetry Year-Round

A big thank you to school librarians everywhere!

Poet discusses list of favorites, shares new poem

Take Five! Poetry Prompts (and a chance to win a $50 giftcard!)

Fab Friday Giveaway: Amazing Hands-on Literature Projects

Author discusses ways to celebrate NPM

Fab Friday Giveaway: Strategies for Writing in Science & Social Studies

IRA Conference Speakers & Session Info

Fab Friday Giveaway & St. Patrick's Day Discount: Take Five! for Language Arts

A Perfect 'Match': Books for Schools in Need

Fab Friday Giveaway & Discount: "Guided Highlighted Reading"

The 20 Best Novels about Being a Teacher

New Content Poems from Brod Bagert

Engage Students in New Content

Leap into savings with a special coupon code!

Join in the fight for pronouns...and good writing!

Katie Monnin helps teachers explain the U.S. Constitution

*Rationales for Teaching Graphic Novels* Reviewed in Multi-Lingual Journal

Young Adult Graphic Novel Faces Another Censorship Challenge

Maupin House and Katie Monnin work with Round Table Companies to develop curriculum for comic book adaptation of The Constitution

Incorporating the Web Into Your Bell-Ringer Activities

Rationales for Teaching Graphic Novels Reviewed in Multi-Lingual Journal