The young authors in the 4th grade at Annunciation Catholic School in Cave Creek, AZ are approaching the final stretch of creating their classroom alphabet book.  Following the writing process that I used to create my alphabet books, these students began the project with brainstorming or  

The last meeting of the Greater Paradise Valley Reading Council was filled with fun AND food.  Members were encouraged to bring a food item that corresponded to a children's book.  Many had the name of the food in the title or as in Heidi, crusty white rolls played a memorable role in the story.  Not only did we eat tamales, blueberries, popcorn and cookies (and more!), but a game of charades made everyone think about old favorites including 1946 Newbery award winner Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski, Blueberries for Sal by Robert McClosky (Caldecott Honor 1949) and Strega Nona by Tomie de Paola (Caldecott Honor 1976). 

This idea would work well at a meeting of librarians, book clubs, children's book lovers, and in a college kidlit class.  Have fun and enjoy the bibliography compiled by the Greater Paradise Valley Reading Council. 
It's a start...which book would you add?

You're probably wondering what a children's author and a campaign to collect peanut butter have in common.  Last month, the students at Kiva Elementary School in Paradise Valley, AZ voted on the conservation agency that would receive a donation from me as part of my Authors for Earth Day visit (see previous post). 



 They voted for Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center (www.southwestwildlife.org), a wildlife rescue and rehab facility specializing in native mammals - fox, javelina, coyote, mountain lion and BEAR.  While touring the rehab center, educator Kim Carr introduced me to Tahoe, Griz and Igasho, 3-year old youngsters, who stole my heart.  (70% of the animals at the center are rehabilitated and released back into the wild but that can't happen with these black bears.) 

 

In the wild, black bears search out roots, berries, insects, mice and other small mammals, fish, garbage and NUTS.  Although they wouldn't find peanuts in Arizona, they do love their afternoon treat of peanut butter.  Kim smears the peanut butter on the fence post and they lick away!



Not only do the bears enjoy their afternoon snack, the five bears (Cinnamon and Berry are adults) EACH eat a loaf of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner in addition to their other food. 
That's a LOT of peanut butter!



You can help stock the pantry at Southwest Wildlife by collecting jars of peanut butter (they prefer the creamy style) and grape jelly and honey.  It's a great service project for a classroom, club or school.  Contact Kim (education@southwestwildlife.org)  for information on delivery.  You can easily bring the jars to the conservation center when you come for a visit to tour the facility or attend a program. 



The bears may offer you a "high five" as a thank you for your help but don't smack back.  Just look at those claws.  They are capable of shredding tents, destroying coolers and tearing apart logs.  During a recent educational program about the bears held at the center, they did just that!

You can learn more about the black bear, Ursus americanus, at the Arizona Game & Fish Department website - http://www.azgfd.gov/h_f/game_bear.shtml

Check out these books produced in cooperation with the North American Bear Center and are particularly error free.  Both are available in the online store at http://www.bear.org/website/books.html .   

Arizona celebrated its 100th anniversary of statehood on February 14, 2012 and it's an event that needs to be celebrated all year long.  In case you missed the opportunity to attend my professional development seminars on reading AND writing your way through the centennial (sponsored by the Greater Paradise Valley & Phoenix West Reading Councils, Gardner's Book Service and ASU School of Education),
I've added the list of books presented at the end of this post. 



Using my book, G is for Grand Canyon - an Arizona Alphabet, I selected additional books that complemented the topic for the different alphabet letters.  As an example, in my book E is for the Early People so I offer Kokopelli's Flute by Will Hobbs and When Clay Sings by Byrd Baylor as books that fit this topic.  This hands-on workshop showcased books by using folders prepared for each title with the front and back cover of the book pasted on the front and back of the folder.  Inside the folder could be a copy of the first page of the novel, interviews with the author, reviews and lesson plans for the book, etc.  This idea comes from the expert on children's literature, Peggy Sharp.  I just modified it a bit and the teachers loved it.  It also makes it easier for me since I'm not lugging all the bulky chapter books to the workshop.


Paradise Valley Christian Prep teachers Marty Noland and Laura Wilkinson
at the workshop sponsored by the Phoenix West Reading Council

In addition to investigating Arizona-themed books, writing ideas were shown.  How many words have AZ in them?  Like amAZing, dAZzling, trailblAZer.  Over 700 words have AZ in them.  Using the word amAZing, teachers (and students) were encouraged to look through my books, G is for Grand Canyon and Desert Digits - an Arizona Number book for amAZing facts to share.  My new board book, Little Arizona is a great writing model for rhyming riddles (see previous post). 



Finally, alphabet books written by students using the writing process that I used to write my books as taught in the Build a Book Workshop (see previous post) were examined by the teachers.  In fact, teacher Marty Noland commented that her students that participated in the Build a Book Workshop were recognized as the best writers in the school as they progressed through the grades   

And now the booklist...
Note the icons refer to websites for lesson plans.
Enjoy!  Remember that Gardner's Book Service, www.gbsbooks.com, has many of these books in stock and offers a discount to book lovers

This year, my Authors for Earth Day visit (see www.AuthorsforEarthDay.org) was to Kiva Elementary School in Paradise Valley, AZ.  Known as the Kiva Cougars, it wasn't a surprise when the wildlife and rehab center specializing in native mammals, Southwest Wildlilfe Conservation Center (www.southwestwildlife.org), came out tops in the vote.  Students researched and then voted for which conservation agency they wanted me to donate my author visit fee.  The five agencies that I chose were - Phoenix Herpetological Society, Liberty Wildlife & Rehab Center (they received my donation previously), the Desert Awareness Committee, Southwest Wildlife and the Rio Salado Audubon Center.  Every student vote counted and Southwest Wildlife garnered almost half of the school's votes. 



I headed out to the conservation center located off of Dynamite Rd and 156 Street in north Scottsdale to meet educator Kim Carr...and some of the critters, too. 



This desert tortoise was out for its first spring walk since spending the winter burrowed underground in its den.

Armed with bananas, mouse-sickles (yep, frozen white mice) and a jar of peanut butter, we were off to see if we could entice some of the critters to come out.  These particular animals were formally people's pets (so sad!) and cannot be sent back to the wild.  They are used for education programs.  70% of the animals rehabilitated at Southwest Wildlife are released back into their habitat.



A cousin to the raccoon, check out the coati's long nails and nose!

The javelina munched on bananas while the bobcat and Mexican gray wolf preferred mouse-sickles.

To culminate the Earth Day celebration at Kiva Elementary School in Paradise Valley, AZ, I facilitated a family literacy night focusing on writing nature poetry.  "Do not be afraid to touch the earth and let it touch you" has been my motto since high school and today's children rarely have the opportunity to get in touch with nature.  (Read the national bestseller, Last Child in the Woods - Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv for more on that topic.)  By bringing nature into the classroom, we can change that.  So I brought the desert, ocean and forest to Kiva Elementary!  Well sort of, I brought in desert plants, sea shells, pine cones, feathers, rocks and more, for the families to explore.



Kids of all ages (and the parents too) had fun.

To encourage sensory exploration, I picked herbs from my garden for all to smell.  We had pizza (oregano), salsa (cilantro), lemon (lemon balm) and even chocolate (chocolate mint).  And then we smelled rain...yes, crushing the leaves of the creosote bush makes you think of the desert after a shower.



Now it was time to translate this nature exploration into writing poetry.  A large piece of paper was folded into thirds and then in half resulting in six areas.  A picture of an eye, nose, hands, mouth and ear were drawn at the top of 5 areas.  Families worked together writing sensory words trying to find words for each area.  They were encouraged to use "just like" words.  It feels just like... 



They were busy building their word bank but an area was still blank.  
 



A drawing of an eye behind a hand lens was added to their word bank sheet.

 

Everyone was given a hand lens with directions on how to use it properly - hold the lens close to your eye and bring the nature object into focus.



The room was abuzz with discovery.



More sensory words were added completing their word bank.

And now it was time to write the poem. 
There are many different kinds (and shapes) of poems.  I shared Jane Yolen's book, Shape Me a Rhyme - Nature's Forms in Poetry, as an example.  Ours would be a 5-line poem (a modified cinquain, for you poetry buffs) filled with sensory descriptions.



First line - name the item but don't tell us what it is.  Be tricky, a bit puzzling. 
SQUIRREL FOOD is the example that I used.



Second line - describe it using sensory words from your word bank.
 BROWN, EGG-SHAPED HOLDER OF TINY SEEDS is my example.

Third line - more description.  Paint a picture with your words.
STIFF, STICKY PETALS GO ROUND AND ROUND



4th line - Write a statement using the word "I" showing how you relate to that object or how you feel about it.
I LIKE TO SIT IN THE COOL SHADE OF THE FOREST.

5th line - Name the object.  Tell us what it is!

Here's the poem model that we used.

Squirrel food.
Brown, egg-shaped holder of tiny seeds.
Stiff, sticky petals go round and round.
I like to sit in the cool shade of the forest.
Pine cone.



Sharing time was great fun as families took to the stage and read their poems to the audience.



    



The poems written by the Kiva families along with photos of the nature objects and the event will be published in a book for their school library.  Special thanks to principal Nick Noonan, 3rd grade teacher and literacy night co-ordinator Mary Martine and photographer Lori Noonan.  I developed this activity after attending the Highlights Foundation Writing from Nature workshop in Honesdale, PA where I returned to my "naturalist" roots and finally learned how to use a hand lens properly!

Writing Nature Poetry makes a great family literacy night event and can also be presented in individual classrooms or as an afterschool or library activity.

And now for a few of the poems...

Ocean Jewel
Hard, sharp, smooth, hollow, yellowish, with holes and ridges
It's a thing I like to fill with sandy water.
I hold it to my ear to hear the ocean's blue waves.
It is a seashell!
The Cox family



Arizona's Cloud
Dirty, dusty, fluffy, white
No smell, no sound, not heavy;
Hairy plant we should not taste; grows in bunches I'd like to pick
Our thing we'd like to tell you now - COTTON - that's what we had.
The Bunde family



Looking for Treasure
Heavy, bumpy, and hard too
Green with gold square sparkles glean.
Found in a river where I like to swim.
I'm a sparkly rock!
The Hart Family