Writing With Kids

Picture books are a different breed of read. I’m not talking about longish storybooks, easy readers, or basic concept books. I mean the concise, every word counts, rhythm aware, yummy sounds and images that enchant-us-to-tears books. A librarian once told me that my books were never the “behind the couch” books at her house. When I asked what she meant, she said that when they got tired of reading something over and over to their kids, they would nonchalantly drop it behind the couch so it wouldn’t reappear for at least a few weeks.  She said they never tired of reading my books. On the other hand, a blogger once said that although her son “loved” my books, she thought the language was beyond young children and that I should tone it down.

Picture book philosophy and interests vary, producing a myriad of possibilities with unlimited potential for creativity. I can’t tell you how often my jaw drops and my heartbeat rises because of a quirky, divine, packed new picture book. “Why didn’t I think of that?” pops into my head, but I don’t lose my grin. I buy the books, hoard them like candy after Halloween at our house, scold my children when they turn the pages too ferociously (my copies, not theirs), decorate my writing room with them, study them, share them with others, wish I was back in my library to have that ever-ready sold-out audience for my performance of this crisp, newly-found treasure. Picture books are meant to be read aloud. The action and dialog is immediate, often playful, often lyrical, packed with images and the ever-present promise of delight.

Because they’re written for the youngest book lovers does not mean picture books are simple in any way. The plot may arc as grand as any blockbuster novel, with word choice as precise and thoughtful as a poem. Scenes are packed with action, scenes change (providing necessary new images), emotions change (the heart of all fiction), and we grow attached to the characters, resonating with their flaws and predicaments, rooting for their successes. These books hold the keys to understanding literature, and the learning occurs in palatable, compact 32-page packages. I’ve used picture books for teaching the elements of writing not only in elementary schools, but in high school classes and courses for teachers of all levels. Practicing the art of writing picture books is to distill a coconut grove into an acorn.

Guess I got carried away again. I meant to say that I’m having a ball working on an online picture-book continuing education course for teachers. Sign up for my email newsletter to hear when it’s available.

Tell me how you use picture books to teach writing!

Last weekend, several teachers received credits or clock hours for attending the annual Western Washington SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators) conference. Each year at this gathering, we learn from national experts in the field of writing and publishing for children. Authors, editors, agents, and other professionals share what they know through keynotes, workshop sessions, and consultations. I love reading the evaluations from teachers who have attended the conference, hearing how they enjoyed the conference, and how they learned more than they imagined.

I attended SCBWI conferences for years when I was in a classroom teacher and elementary librarian. The conferences influenced how I taught writing, how I wrote, and what I was able to share about books and authors with my students. As a teacher, I wished I could get credit for all the time I spent learning from these experts in the field of children’s literature, since I often learned more at these conferences for writers than I did at conferences that were strictly “educational.” That’s why I facilitate these conferences for credit now. Okay, I confess. It’s also to meet teachers and get my education fix through our conversations and discussions. And to keep on learning.

On May 14 and 15, teachers have another opportunity for credits and clock hours, this time, for the first time, in Portland at the Oregon SCBWI conference. Their conference is on a Friday and Saturday. I’ve known the folks who run this event for about a decade now. They’re a fun bunch, extremely supportive and friendly, especially around newbies (which we all are in some respects).

So, about those credits…

If you want 2 credits, you’ll need to attend both days, but if you want clock hours, we can adjust the numbers for one or both days. You must first register for the conference through their SCBWI chapter, then pay me for credits when we meet at the beginning of the conference. Please contact me if you’re interested.

Hope to see you in Oregon!

Or, better yet, if you’re in the Seattle area and want to ride down there with me, we’ll make it a road trip…

It’s incomprehensible to me that we’re again having to defend school libraries and their librarians. School personnel claim their main focus is reading, and yet school administrators will put library programs on their hit lists. Today a librarian contacted me requesting a statement she could share with her superintendent in support of keeping school library programs intact. Find out what’s happening in your district, and be prepared to support children and teachers by speaking out against cuts in school libraries. Here’s what I told the librarian who contacted me…

I’m a children’s author, and even though I don’t live in your district, I feel compelled to write about the need to protect your current library program.

When I was an elementary librarian in the Oak Harbor, WA school district, bonds were routinely rejected. It’s a Navy community, populated heavily by retired people, and most of the voters with families kept their voter registration in their hometowns. Rick Schulte, the superintendent, understood that when times are hard, you put your resources where they will do the most good–in the library. With everyone touting the information access skills available when you have certificated librarians in schools, I believe the discussion needs to be about the difference librarians make in getting kids to read.

Libraries are not just warehouses of books or places to store computer equipment. Research shows that the presence of librarians has a direct impact on reading scores. Take a look at Stephen Krashen’s THE POWER OF READING for specific research results. Librarians know books, they know their clientele, and they successfully match them up, turning kids on to books. They make readers. Dr. Schulte’s wisdom meant that our libraries were fully covered by certificated staff and funded at higher rates than other districts, even with less funding available.

Librarians support classroom needs by teaming with teachers and ordering the best possible materials to support them. Certificated librarians are teaching partners who can find the right materials, order them, and make them available to everyone.

It doesn’t take long for libraries to fall apart when they’re not directed by appropriate staff. I’ve seen this happen in districts, and I’ve also seen how hard it is for them to recover what they lost because of a short-sighted fix. I’m urging you to keep your school librarians intact and to protect their library programs. There isn’t anyone who makes a bigger impact on your students’ success than your school librarians.

With Haiti in our hearts, minds, and media these days, we’ve all had opportunities to support relief efforts and send out thoughts and prayers. When we work with kids, there’s so much more we can do. School service projects to raise money and awareness of disaster relief are appreciated and benefit both the giver and receiver, but when those efforts are coupled with education about Haiti, your classroom projects can become powerful tools in shaping world citizens. Check out the resources at the National Writing Project. And if you’re wondering where to send Haiti relief, I have a list for you at Deb Lund ad lib, along with the short-short version of our trip to pick up our kids. Thanks for making a difference, not only for Haiti, but for our future world caretakers.

I’m over at Deb Lund ad lib supporting NaNoWriMo’s this month. It’s National Novel Writing Month. If you (or your students) are NaNo-ing, bop on over and play with my daily NaNoNuj. The best part is that you can use these November blog entries any time of the year.

I also wanted to share a little gem from my Facebook wall this morning from an old student of mine…

“I always wanted to tell you this since you were my 5th grade Teacher!
Because of you..I have written over 150 poems I want to thank you!”

Why do I want to share this with you? Because, if you teach, you’re touching kids. Teachers don’t get feedback like this very often, and I’m easier to find than most of you. This is for you, too.

National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, as the frenetic writers who commit to this month of insanity lovingly call it (they don’t have time to say the whole thing), is quickly approaching. Get your students motivated to write. There’s even a NaNo site just for them, and while they’re at it, join them!

Follow me on Twitter or Facebook for little nudges, or longer versions at my Deb Lund ad lib blog.

You teach. You know your kids respond more when you model what it is you want them to do. But you don’t have time to write. Write anyway. Park yourself at your desk, at the magic white board that displays your awful words on the wall, at that old overhead projector, or whatever you got in your classroom these days to display your own free-flowing meandering, your sloppy copy, your own scratchy scribbles, the line-outs, the arrowed-in additions, the stops by the roadside to play with words. Do it.

I found ways to not write for many years. I didn’t have time. I was on umpteen educational committees (some on teaching writing!), always taking classes (If I were more focused I could have a couple doctorates with the number of credits I’ve collected), teaching teachers about writing, and oh my, the best excuse ever — reading whatever I could about writing and how to teach it. It was partly pure selfishness that got me modeling the process. The need to write grew stronger than my no-time excuse, and I figured out where to find the time. I could write with my students! They loved seeing me squirm, reading my disjointed thoughts, snickering over misspellings, and giggling at the junk I gave myself permission to write. Think you can’t do it? Too hard to reveal all those awful flaws? What do you think it’s like for them to show you their work?

When I really didn’t have time to write was when I was 40 and pregnant. That’s when I realized I’d never have time, so that’s when I took my writing seriously.

List all your excuses. Find the fallacy in them. Cross them out. Read my writing blog along with this teaching blog. Write with your kids!

Dear Deb Lund, I was wondering if you would help me. I am writing a story that has to do with a talking dog but I don’t know how to end it. All the things I try my critic says that is so lame! Will you help me?

That’s the email I got from a sixth grade girl who met me during a school visit. Getting students to recognize their “inner critic” and move past their fears is a big part of what I do when I work with students, or adults for that matter. I miss working with kids and teachers on a daily basis, and I’m happy to be a silent partner in their writing and teaching. I didn’t have anything earth-shattering to tell her, But my reply went something like this…

Endings can be very hard. The events should lead toward the end, but not totally predict it. Play with some endings, and if nothing works, just write a few possible endings. I’ve done that with a couple stories, and I’ve been surprised at what happened each time.

I try out a few possible endings, writing them all one after another at the end of the story, and then I leave them alone for at least a few weeks. Sometimes a new thought comes along, or I see how to make the old ideas work. Just getting yourself to write anything down at the end can often be enough to let a new ending pop through. Good luck!

I’m glad this girl knew she could email me. Teachers are often apologetic when they have a question for me — as if they’re interrupting me, or I’m somehow too important to be bothered. It’s actually teachers who are the important ones, and I’m honored to be asked for support. I see my “partnership” with educators as part of my job, along with writing books. Teaching is a world you never leave, and for me, it’s a chosen world.

Got a question? Ask away…

Attention all Teachers!
On Monday I’m leaving for Japan with my 12 year old son Kaj for three weeks. We’ll both be blogging, but Kaj’s will focus not only on Japan (until we get home), but on reading. Books have been his escape, his food for his imagination, and talking about books has been a way for him to connect with others. He’s hoping his blog will inspire kids to read, and to share what they’re reading. Please invite your students to take a peek, to send in comments, reading suggestions, book reviews, or just share anything they want with him. Please spread the word, and let’s get and keep our kids excited about reading.

Check out Portal Reads!

Follow us here.

I love using the writing of others to trigger new writing by students, whether it’s prose or poetry. “Ode to my Socks” by Pablo Neruda is one of my favorites to use. It’s also my favorite when we talk about similes. Start a collection by looking through poetry for children that has a pattern or theme your students can identify and rework to make their own. Examples by past students are always fun to use, too.

When I teach my “Poetry Potluck” class to groups of teachers, we play with words and images. They write poems for the assignments they can later give their students. They learn to be comfortable with the process, and to enjoy the vulnerability of writing with peers, which gives them the confidence to model the process to their students. Wouldn’t those kids be amazed to learn how many of their teachers are too frightened to share their writing? I actually taught a class called “Painless Poetry” to get teachers over that hump.

I’ll tell you much more about that later, as well as post examples of poetry that work well for piggybacking, but here’s one for teachers of younger kids, and it comes from a poet near and dear to me — my son Kaj when he was in second grade…

Beds are for jumping

Pillows are for fighting

Stairs are for dancing

Walls are for writing

What ways can you and your students piggyback on Kaj’s idea, or other poetry? Share the outcome with us…