Presenting.... What to Expect in this Session A little about me and why I wrote the book A look at book themes and why use? Higher Level Questions/ Inquiry-based.

Presenting...

What to Expect in this Session

A little about me and why I wrote the book

A look at book themes and why use?

Higher Level Questions/ Inquiry-based learning/Collaboration

Socratic Seminar - ties it all together!

Who is Debbie K. Thomas?

Mother, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, teacher, friend, author

Born in Kansas and raised in Michigan

Two college age children, Dana and Kirk

Taught special education and general education for MANY years!

NEVER planned on being an author

How did it all begin?Keeper of the Compass: Secrets

The “seed” idea began on a vacation to Hawaii

Here are some of the things I saw...

Waterfalls all around

Surfing...

Houses on stilts...

Schools with open hallways...

Hula and Fire Dancers

Then what?

Began to prewrite by writing notes and drafting - Writer’s Notebook

Began drafting the story by writing... and writing...

Sent query letters to publishers

Signed with publisher

Began revising, adding and deleting story parts. Changed the beginning 6 times!

Switched Point of View

Third Person (omniscient) First Person

“Tori! Timmy! It’s time for dinner!” Tori’s mom called. It wasn’t until then that Tori

realized she hadn’t eaten all day. After all, airplane food couldn’t even be considered

food.

The three Chapman’s sat around the wooden dining table that was adjacent to

the small alley like kitchen. There was a plate of thick grilled burgers with a fresh

bakery bun on each, a bowl of pineapple and papaya, and some baked veggie chips.

Timmy was quick to fill his plate and dress his hamburger with ketchup, mustard, and

pickle to begin inhaling his food like it was his last meal. Tori, on the other hand

looked at the burgers and then at her mom with disgust.

“Mom, you don’t care about me! Don’t you know, I’m a vegetarian?” Tori

cried.

“What? When did this start? I can’t keep up with you, Tori,” responded her

mom with an exasperated tone.

“You can’t keep up with me? Your the one who left!” Tori retorted as she ran

out of the house slamming the door behind her.

“Tori! Timmy! It’s time for dinner!” I heard mom call from the kitchen. Suddenly I could feel

my stomach rumble and I could hear the growl for food. I realized it had been all day since I had

eaten. After all, that yellow stuff on the airplane plate that the flight attendant called lunch

couldn’t even be considered food.

The three of us sat around the wooden dining table next to the small alley like kitchen. I

noticed the plate of thick grilled burgers with a fresh bakery bun on each, a bowl of pineapple

and an orange fruit I later learned was papaya, and some baked veggie chips. Timmy, the piglet,

was grabbing like it was going out of style! He filled his plate and piled whatever he could find

on top of his hamburger. He began inhaling his food like it was his last meal. All I could do was

feel my stomach churn again when I looked at the juicy hamburgers, this time a different feeling

came over me. Then I looked at my mom so she would know exactly what I thought.

“Mom, you don’t care about me! Don’t you know, I’m a vegetarian?” I cried.

“What? When did this start? I can’t keep up with you, Tori,” responded my mom with an

exasperated tone.

“You can’t keep up with me? Your the one who left!” I shouted as I ran out of the house

slamming the door behind me.

More...

Sent to editor

Sent to proofer again and again and again!

Worked with illustrator - She read text, we didn’t converse until she completed the illustrations.

Sent FINAL draft to Print - Took a total of 10 months after signing with publisher.

WHY did I write it?

As a teacher... looking for mentor text

Social Issues

Writer’s Tricks

Inquiry Based (text to discuss real issues in a non-threatening way)

Social IssuesChildren Face Today

Divorce...

Bullying...

Diversity (racial profiling)...

Handicapped...

Drugs/Alcohol...peer pressure

Illness/death

Poverty/Homeless/ welfare/unemployment...

Foster Care/Adoption...

Neglect/Abuse...

Trafficking/ Slavery...

Growing up too fast/materialism...

Obesity/ eating disorders...

How Does Reading Books with Social Issues Make a Difference?

Reader’s attention is on the character and their interactions with social issue.

These are the urgent social issues that shape the lives of our students.

Students learn from books how others deal with it.

They feel less alone

Gives them a reason to read

Teach students to be passionate readers and be passionate about the world around them

As Writer James Baldwin reasons...

“Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed unless it is

faced.”

Educators who teach critical literacy want their students to recognize when systematic oppression is happening in order to name it and speak back to it

Brain ResearchDr. David Sousa, educational neuroscience consultant says...

Students learn differently today

Media bombarding ...over-exposure to adult programming

social/moral responsibility for restraint is eroded

lack of personal communication - text/email/social media instead of interacting with a real conversation

Why Inquiry-based?History

Socrates, the Greek Philosopher (469-399 B.C.) believed...

Inquiry and debate between individuals based on answering and asking question leads to critical thinking to illuminate ideas

Vygotsky (1920’s-30’s)- Psychologist developed theories at the same time at Piaget. He believed...

Social interaction involving co-operative or collaborative dialogue promotes cognitive development.

Reciprocal teaching...In this method, teacher and students collaborate in learning and practicing four key skills: summarizing, questioning, clarifying, and predicting. 

Tony Wagner (present); author Global Achievement Gap wrote - The importance of 7 survival skills in 21st century education.

#1 survival skill is critical thinking.

#2 is collaboration. “American schools need to be teaching students to think critically and collaborate before sending them out into the world.”

The essential component of critical thinking and problem solving is asking good questions

Inquiry-Based LearningHow is it different?

Inquiry-based learning projects are driven by students.

Teachers are coaches/facilitators

When students develop questions, they are motivated and have a true sense of ownership.

Inquiry-based activities are not unstructured ~ they are differently structured.

Educators role is different - more planning, preparation, and responsiveness from teachers.

Many student who have trouble with traditional lecture and memorization will blossom in an inquiry-based learning setting (confidence, interest, self-esteem)

Inquiry-based learning is well-suited to collaborative learning environments

Inquiry-based validates the experience and knowledge that ALL kids bring to the learning process (especially minority and disadvantaged communities)

Cultures of Thinkingin the Classroom

Ron Ritchart, through his work with Harvard and Project Zero, describes the forces that comprise “Cultures of Thinking” in the classroom.

Classrooms need to have...

•EXPECTATIONS...for thinking and learning

•OPPORTUNITIES...for engaging in thinking

•ROUTINES/STRUCTURES...that scaffold thinking and learning

•LANGUAGE & CONVERSATIONS...that name, notice, and highlight

thinking

•MODELING...of thinking

•INTERACTIONS & RELATIONSHIPS...that respect students’ thinking

•PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT...in which the process is made visible

•TIME...for thinking

Levels of Questions

Blooms Taxonomy

divides into 6 levels from concrete (knowledge)to abstract (evaluation)

Costa’s Level of Questioning

divides into 3 levels

recall, infer, apply

Level 3

Level 1

Level 2

Cinderella

✴ Level I: RecallThe answer is in the text; explicit, fact (fully and clearly expressed; leaving nothing implied)

What were Cinderella's slippers made out of?How did Cinderella get to the ball?

✴ Level II: Analysis/Inference Implicit or what is implied; analysis, ask how and why, require analysis of the text, reading between the

lines, hidden meaning. (understood though not directly expressed)

Why does Cinderella's stepmother care whether or not she goes to the ball?Why did everything turn back the way it was except the glass slipper?

Why don't the step sisters like Cinderella?

✴ Level III: SynthesisGo beyond the text and inquire into the value, importance and application of the information presented.

Does a woman's salvation always lie with a man?What does it mean to live happily ever after?

Does good always overcome evil?

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Video ClipFifth Graders engaging in Socratic Seminar after reading “Out of My Mind” by Sharon Draper

Notice the level 2 & 3 questions!

“My teacher thought I was smarter than I

was...so I was.”anonymous 6-year-old

Questions??

Resources available at: www.debbiekthomasbooks.com