I adore seeing Marcie Colleen at NJ SCBWI events, because she is a ball of energy and easy to find in a crowd. But it has been fun seeing Marcie everywhere in writing cyberspace the
last few weeks, too.
 |
Marcie & Lauri hanging out...
if we look exhausted it's because
Ame Dyckman (in the background)
had us wrestling PBs all day. |
As Education Consultant
for Picture Book Month she developed this outstanding teachers' guide
Why Picture Books Belong in the Classroom,
where she makes a case for both non-fiction and fiction as teaching tools.
She served as housecleaner for
PiBoIdMo with her post on preparing your creative idea
collection space.
Did I mention she ran the NYC Marathon last Sunday? Oh
yeah. That too. :)
So it seems totally reasonable she
is hosting an
Ask the Education Consultant Blog Hop on her site this month! She's hopped over here today to teach us about picture books in the classroom.
Lauri: Everyone gives teachers little frowny
face stickers when they "teach to the test." In the same vein, should
writers avoid "writing to the Common Core?"
Marcie: I have been a part of the education world for quite some
time. State and Federal
mandated standards have come and gone and quickly as the politicians that
championed them. As writers
we are often careful not to write to the trends. However, educational learning
standards are essentially a trend, a buzz word. So, in my humble opinion,
writers need to avoid “writing to the Common Core” and instead write what they
want to write. Any good teacher will be able to adapt any book for classroom use. Teachers need to teach. Write need to write. Simple as that.
Lauri: I know teachers aren't supposed to
have favorites, but... what's your favorite kind of picture book to write a
teacher's guide - a PB that does a lot of things pretty well or a PB that does
one thing with excellence?
Marcie: I love a challenge. When
I first moved to NYC I worked for the Broadway theatre world and created
curriculum guides for popular Broadway shows. I remember thinking at first that the
musical CHICAGO had no educational value, until further research turned up
topics such as greed, the American Judicial System, celebrity and media,
etc. The same thing
happened when I worked on AVENUE Q (a musical known for its language and
naughty bits). When I first
take on a pb for a Teacher’s Guide, my favorite moment is sitting down with a
pb to give it a good read with pen and paper in hand. By the end of the
reading the paper is filled with educational ideas and possibilities…and it
only grows from there. Its
like my archeological dig. That’s
what I love.
Lauri: Do humorous books present more
difficulty to include in the classroom?
Marcie: As a person, I find it
best to connect with people through humor and laughter. Why not bring that into the
classroom? The classroom that laughs together….
Of course, a sense of humor is part of child
development.
But laughter
in the classroom can help foster this.
Studies
have shown that
children with a well-developed sense of humor are
happier and more optimistic, have higher self-esteem, and are better at
handling differences between themselves and their friends. Here is a great link for some further
info: how does sense of humor develop
However, where an
issue might be difficult is when a book appears to be totally silly with no
academic value. This is when a Teacher’s Guide tool or other
standard-aligned curriculum plans can help an educator validate their book
choices to school administrators or parents who might question a teacher’s
choice.
Lauri: Can taboo topics, potty humor (y'know
like mice wedgies, fart explosions...) or any other naughtiness impact a book
making it into the classroom?
Marcie: Perhaps we should ask Dav Pilkey this question. His Captain
Underpants series has been
both heavily challenged by parents and educators, but also hailed as a
brilliant series that reaches even the most reluctant boy readers.
Obviously parents have strong opinions as to what they want
their children “exposed” to. Teachers
must know their audience. You
can’t please all of the people all of the time. But is the goal to keep the kids in a
protective bubble? Or to
get them interested in reading and perhaps begin a lifelong love? Aye, there’s the rub! A complicated topic with several
equally complicated answers. But
as a writer, fear not. Write
on. For every nay-sayer,
you will have a cheerleader.
Lauri: Could you share a few resources for PB
writers to be introduced to common core standards?
Marcie: Google “Common Core State Standards” and quickly become
overwhelmed. I know I
did.
School Library Journal hosted a
6-part webcast series about
the Common Core that I found very helpful. Although they are geared toward
professionals in the education world, they will give you a good overview on
what the CCSS entail and how educators are “unpacking" the standards for
themselves.
Also,
Pathways to the Common Core: Accelerating Achievement by Lucy Calkins, Mary Ehrenworth and
Christopher Lehman is a great book that really makes sense of the CCSS for its
readers.
It’s not the
easiest read, but if you truly want to understand the standards, this is
how.
There is really no shortcut. They aren't rocket science. But navigating through it all can be
overwhelming.
My advice to pb writers: get the gist and then move on. You have books to write. No need to get into all of the nitty
gritty ins and outs. Leave
that to the experienced educators. There
are plenty of us who write curriculum or work in School and Library Markets
Departments at publishing houses to assist you with the details when the time
comes.
Lauri: Ahh,
after this interview, I'm feeling much less scared about managing the common
core in my writing process! Thank you, Marcie! Keep an eye on Marcie's blog for more hop spots this month.
Mon Nov 11 @ Jean Reidy Wed Nov 13 @ Darshana Khiani Wed Nov 20 @ Joanne Roberts Mon Nov 25 @ Tina Cho Wed Dec 4 @ Julie Hedlund
In previous chapters Marcie Colleen has been a teacher and a theatre educator, but now she splits her days between chasing the Picture Book Writer dream and chasing toddlers on the playground as a nanny. Both are equally glamorous! Her blog, The Write Routine and her Teacher’s Guides, can be found at www.thisismarciecolleen.com. She lives with her fiancé and their mischievous sock monkey in Brooklyn, NYC.
We have a challenge winner (selected by Random.org):
