Yesterday we ventured to Harwood to work on editing our narratives. The students were very excited and a little nervous. I was excited to see the enthusiasm and focus that so many demonstrated. Here is a video of our morning.
Today, the students were asked to write a persuasive piece that asked them to convince me why their choice for the Red Clover Book Award should win. The students were asked to write a letter to me and present their argument. These pieces will be used as an assessment piece and shared at our next district wide Early Release Day.
What is a Red Clover book?
Each year a committee of librarians, teachers, and sponsors reviews all picture books published in the prior year and chooses ten stellar picture books as the Red Clover books for the next school year. The books are considered in their entirety when chosen; both text and illustrations must be considered exemplary. To learn more about the books and the Red Clover program, visit the Vermont Center for the Book.
Each year a committee of librarians, teachers, and sponsors reviews all picture books published in the prior year and chooses ten stellar picture books as the Red Clover books for the next school year. The books are considered in their entirety when chosen; both text and illustrations must be considered exemplary. To learn more about the books and the Red Clover program, visit the Vermont Center for the Book.
A Local Connection to Red Clover
The Red Clover book program was started in Windham County, the brainchild of Eileen Christelow, author of the Five Little Monkeys books, The Great Pig Escape, and many other books. Jessie Haas, another of our beloved children's book authors, best known for her horse books and her picture books of rural farm life, named the program after the state flower of Vermont, the red clover. After one year as a Windham county program, the Red Clover book program went statewide, and today children in grades Kindergarten through 4th grade throughout the state of Vermont read the Red Clover books and vote for their favorite each April.
What is a picture book?
The picture book combines words and pictures to tell a story. Text and images work together to bring a sotry to a new level. Illustrations can extend the meaning of a story or alter a book altogether. So while a picture book is simply word and pictures, when viewed as a whole, it becomes a work of art. (MM Del Rosario, http://hubpages.com/hub/what-is-a-picture-book)
I hope you all have a great weekend!
Peace,
Tommy
