Nut Crackers

This year I

was bound and determined to get shoulder to shoulder with the grand dame of

the Teachers College Writing and Reading Project, Lucy Calkins. Right before our last session today, I walked past one of the larger classrooms and happened to notice Lucy packing up from the last class. I seized the moment, rushed in, and introduced myself. Right there with her was Dr. Douglas Reeves, author and mastermind behind The Leadership and Learning Center, an educational research think tank. I graciously jostled my way into their larger than life presences and quickly attempted to suck in any of the air they were exhaling.

Carl Anderson Gems:

-"Crack open ___"

-Careless Mistakes -when you know how to do something and forget to do it Vs. Growing Mistakes -when you are attempting a more complex skill, and, either you approximate the behavior without complete success

yet, or, you lose command of another part of the skill that was previously mastered. Think about learning new dance step - get the feet first, then add the arms. Sometimes when you add the arms, you lose what you had with the feet - same idea. We discussed some of the predictable growing mistakes in the developing writer.

-Talked about writing conventions and predictable patterns

in K-2.

Keynote by the amazing Dr. Douglas Reeves. Based on research of 2000 schools closing the implementation gap should not be about the program, but THE DEPTH OF IMPLEMENTATION. Schools should have 6 or fewer specific goals that are monitored.

Afternoon session worked on persuasive writing - writing reviews.

Closing session - Chart Making with Kristi Mraz (charts are one of the

understated keys to the workshop format) Learned about different types/purposes of charts and how to make them like a billboard -selling the message. Also did a mini-lesson on drawing quick stick figures!

Fun!

With my trusty carnivore now at my side, we circled the wagons and made an attempt at conquering the 13 or so rotisserie meats at Churrascaria Plataforma. It was a cavalcade of flank steak, prime rib, sirloin, pork sausage, chicken,turkey, and steak wrapped in bacon, short ribs, long ribs, suckling pig, and more.

After dinner we parted the Red Sea of Tourists in Times Square and Columbus Circle in an attempt to recycle some of the animal energy we had taken on board at dinner.

The Shadow Side

One of the best upgrades to the ivy league, Columbia campus that I have witnessed is the revitalization of SIDEWALK along Broadway at 120th St. For the

past two years this has been a construction zone and we were herded through a makeshift cattle shoot flanking the streetside traffic. We can now freely swing our arms and walk two or three abreast! in udder, (mmmooo), comfort. With the termination of the construction came the birth of a new building at this intersection and within the confines of said modern building lies a now-well oiled espresso machine. Dearest S, (employed by the university) was burdened with the task of taste testing the wares of

notable coffee marts last year and helping to court just the right purveyor of liquid adrenaline to set up shop in the building. Alas, along came Joe. Joe the Art of Coffee, that is. Nice work S! Good temp, consistency, and flavor.

View from inside the new building.

Carl Anderson session:

-Discussed the command, range, and precision in use of details - action, feeling, dialogue, facts.

-Voice - the way we write text that cues the reader; the

sound of the human voice coming through. Facilitated by punctuation, sentence length. And font treatment.

Dahlia session:

- Shared/modeled nonfiction mini-lessons that we wrote yesterday.

-Tangent: Dahlia is looking for a turtle that she can borrow/have. Her, (real - not me), girlfriend is shooting a commercial that will feature a turtle styled in different outfits. If anyone knows of a turtle waiting for its big break, let me know. I have connections.

Closing session - Phonemic Awareness:

-Explored the difference between and the different stages of:

1. Phonological Awareness - being able to hear sounds in spoken language
2. Phonemic Awareness - being able to hear smaller units of sound
3. Phonics - being able to connect sounds of language to print

Nonfiction compare and contrast between the different types of signage gracing the walls of our institution. ... Only in our profession.

Thanks to K's dad's patience and tenacity, (he waited in line while we were at school), we got to see a FREE and fabulous Shakespeare in the Park production of Measure By Measure. Rather racy.

Sweet Treats

Lots of delicious little poptarts....

The last pignoli.

In Carl Anderson's section we worked on writing structure and detail.

- Structure is like the underlying framework in a house. When the house is complete, you can't see the frame, but it holds it all together. Talked about how to nudge students to further develop their structure so readers get to the meaning or point of their piece.

-Details are the STD's of writing: Snapshots (action), Thoughtshots (thinking), and Dialogue (talking). In nonfiction the details are the facts.

In the afternoon session we worked in groups to create a nonfiction mini-lesson that align with the new units of study and the common core standards.

Schmoozin' it up close and personal with Dahlia, after another lap in the pool of writing inspiration. Think of it like eating a cupcake.

I got to have dinner with my little ray of East coast sunshine, S.

We slithered into the window table at this hopping

joint right before the Tuesday evening rush and enjoyed a platter of arepas.

Then S proceeding to twist my arm, (thanks to the availability of a coveted parking place), to top off the evening with some pignoli cookies from Venieros Pasticceria. Two new tasty treats tonight! Ahhh.... I so enjoy nutritional fortification in this burb.

Moving in with the Heavy Hitters

K and I rolled up our sleeves and prepared to bolster our grey matter at Day 1 of Writers Workshop at Teachers College!

Lucy Calkins, legendary founder of the Teachers College Writers and Readers Project did the inspirational kickoff keynote speech. 1,200 participants this week from 30 countries and 42 states.

Lucy's Gifts and Gems (paraphrased):

-Teach in a way to watch learners progress, (or lack there of), as an indicator of feedback about our teaching.

-Talking with colleagues to grow ideas is a part of the cycle of change -- students need to do that as well.

-Read students writing [aloud] like it is GOLD.

K and I were on cloud 9 to be in sections with Carl Anderson, guru of writers workshops conferencing with students. It's a little mind blowing to be sitting 6 feet from him. AND he is just as good in person as he is in his books!

Today's focus:

-Using strategic conferencing with students to focus on long term goals, (based on assessment of student work)

-Recognizing patterns in student writing

-Narrowing and refining focus in writing pieces

In the afternoon I'm back with my secret-crush-instructor from two years ago, Dahlia Dallal. I was excited to see her work her magic again!

Today's focus:

-Writing strong nonfiction teaching points that include a skill, strategy, and purpose

-Writing an information book

-Nonfiction unit goals

In the evening we continued our search for actual coffee at Cafe Con Leche.

Apparently it is still AWOL

While in our academic mode we decided to brush up on our Italian at Grom Gelato.

Repeat Offenders

K and I started our Sunday with the now ritualistic cappuccino and cannoli in Greenwich Village. Ahhh.... An excellent jump start for a day of bouncing back to some favorite hotspots.

We then proceeded on down to the Gay Pride parade to see the amazing array of humanity strutting its stuff. Unlike two years ago when we happened upon this event completely unexpectedly, this time we knew our travel timing was right and we had been looking forward to the feast for our eyes. ... A picture speaks a thousand words...

In addition to the expected bohemian rhapsoday, there was additional celebration due to the fact that gay marriage was just legalized in the state of NY.

Amongst many highlights we got to hear New York's Gay Men's C

horus sing "Born this Way."

Note the "visible humidity" - You would think I just left the gym!!

We blazed back uptown to meet up with K's parents, then headed back downtown, towards the Staten Island ferry for another cruise and gander at Lady Liberty. However, on our wa

y past a couple of the Pride parade subway stops we felt it downright unfair for K's parents to be

out of the loop of one of the most festive shows in town

, and... we headed back to the parade for a second scoop. (yes, this was two hours later and it was still going strong).

Miraculously, this time we saw D and C doing the rumba down the

main boulevard.

Eventually we made it back to the less beaten path - the Staten Island ferry past the S

tatue of Liberty...

...desolate Sunday afternoon Wall Street (shared a sip of water with George Washington - we also went by a tavern where he and his soldiers reportedly took a shot of courage),

a quick peek at the progress at Ground Zero, (the vibe there was more promising than last year), and on to a round of libations at the Rockefeller Plaza.

It's a Small World

Immediately upon my red-eyed arrival to my home-away-home building, I bumped into a group of Cotsen Foundation Fellows from our beloved Santa Cruz county. They were already in high gear to get out the door and hit the town. Meanwhile, I steeled myself to apply my crackerjack napping skills to catch up on the lost zzzzz's in preparation for afternoon's affairs.

Once back into the vertical mode, I partook of a picnic with a welcoming committee of local squirrels and pigeons. We dined amongst piles of peanut shells,

(not from me!) and the occasional short and sweet rain shower.

In the evening I strolled the promenades skirting Times Square with two West Coast youngster-hipsters friends, D and C, that just happened to be in this town too! We ate to our heart's content at an exceptional "cozy" Thai restaurant that didn't leave much to swing a cat in. Good food and company though!