Thursday, August 23, 2018

Back to School: GREAT MORNING! (Giveaway!)


Can you find six year old me? At the end of this post I'll let you know if you're right.



How I adored my first grade teacher, Miss Liles—Dori, as she invited us to call her. She was progressive, creative, nurturing, fun, and she instilled a love of learning that I never outgrew.

You may have guessed, I was one of those children—the kind who treated each school year as an exciting new adventure, the kind who liked to hold my teacher's hand, the kind who lived for storytime and painting at the easel (but not so much for climbing the rope in gym class), the kind who enjoyed playing school and completing worksheets at home just for fun

"Playing School" Boston Public Library

Those were the days before too much homework and standardized testing, mind you. But my kids, before the jaded teen phase set in, felt the same. The eagerness may have worn off some, but the anticipation of a new school year is pretty darn compelling, even for them. As adults, I think many of us still crave that feeling of a fresh start, whether it comes in the form of a New Year's resolution, a new job, a new creative project... a new ditty challenge perhaps (wink).

Kenn Nesbitt's delightful poem to welcome the new year can be found in Sylvia Vardell's and Janet Wong's most recent gift to educators, GREAT MORNING! Poems for School Leaders to Read Aloud (Pomelo Books, 2018). 


GREAT MORNING! Poems for School Leaders to Read Aloud
Pomelo Books, 2018
ISBN: 978-1937057282
Available for purchase at Amazon.com


As is the case with all of the Pomelo Books offerings, the concept of this anthology is brilliant in its simplicity and effectiveness.

Sylvia and Janet have made it easy for principals, parent volunteers, student news crews, or a rotation of teachers and staff, to bring poetry into the lives of young people on Poetry Fridays or any other day of the week. To start with, they've chosen nearly 40 short poems relevant to the school year that can be read to students as part of morning announcements. I'm so pleased and honored to have my own "Look for the Helpers" included among them!

To make it even easier, they've also provided an attention grabbing introductory ("Did you know?") paragraph for each poem and a "Follow up" paragraph to help students personalize and carry the poem's positive message into their day. Watch the video of principal Steven Wilfing on Poetry for Children to see just how simple it is!


from GREAT Morning! Poems for School Leaders to Read Aloud
by Sylvia Vardell & Janet Wong ©2018 Pomelo Books


You'll also notice a third section titled CONNECT. Here, you'll find a poem recommendation to partner with the original poem as a reinforcing set. The recommended poem might be read and discussed in the classroom by a teacher or librarian, for example, to expand upon the theme, or to discuss the hidden language skills that are regularly used in writing poetry.

"New Year is Here" connects with "What We're Learning" by Janet Wong.




This poem makes me think of my son, who we recently delivered to his new temporary home on the campus of the Florida Institute of Technology.  He's not only building new skill sets having to do with aerospace engineering, but also time management, money management, roommate management, laundry management, and other such college survival skills. I, too, am learning new skills as I struggle to adapt to the empty chair at the dining table. But I digress.

What makes GREAT MORNING! so incredibly user-friendly is that Janet and Sylvia have done all the preparation—they supply the instructions, poem topics, connections to more poems and poetry resources, teaching tips, follow up activities, mini lessons, and even a sample letter to send home to parents to get them involved. It's all there. The only thing you need to supply is your enthusiasm and an understanding of the value poetry brings to students' lives.

I recently ran across a 250 year old quote that applies well when it comes to Janet and Sylvia, and the role Pomelo Books plays in the teaching lives of educators:



"Instruction does much, but encouragement everything."
– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (Letter to A.F. Oeser, Nov. 9, 1768)


I cannot overstate the impact Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong have made, and continue to make, when it comes to poetry advocacy in the schools. I was lucky enough to see them in action at ILA last year in Orlando. As excellent as the instruction was, what won the audience of teachers over was Janet and Sylvia's enthusiastic and encouraging approach to delivering that instruction. They make poetry seem simple and doable—which it is.

An interactive poetry session with Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong at ILA, July 2017.





















I honestly think that many (most?) teachers see the importance of incorporating poetry into their classroom routines, but they're just not sure how to go about it. They need tools, resources, and, maybe most of all, confidence. Pomelo Books supplies all three. But don't just take my word for it! Paul Hankins knows what an asset Sylvia and Janet are to the educational community. Don't miss his comprehensive (and glowing) review of GREAT MORNING! from a teacher's perspective on Goodreads. 

Click HERE to learn more about Sylvia and Janet in my spotlight interview from 2014.



If you'd like to win a copy of GREAT MORNING!, leave a comment below or send an email with the subject "Great Morning Giveaway" to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com by Tuesday, August 28th. Three winners will be chosen at random and announced next Friday. Many thanks to Pomelo Books for providing these copies!

So, did you figure out which one of those adorable and well-behaved children at the top of this post is me? I'm in the second row on the far right wearing an orange turtleneck that my mom ordered from the Sears catalog. You can't see it in the photo, but it had a small Winnie the Pooh embroidered on it. Sigh. I miss that shirt.


Mike Mozart



Who's ready for a ditty challenge?

It's great to be back! And I am SO excited about TLD's featured author for September! While I usually post interviews on the first Friday of the month, I've decided to move this one up by a week to make sure I can share as many daily ditties as possible. I'm keeping the author's name a surprise for now, but do be sure to come back next week to find out who is in the spotlight.


Join teacher and poet Margaret Simon for this week's Poetry Friday roundup at Reflections on the Teche. She introduces a fun poetry project called a zeno zine.





46 comments:

  1. Aren't you such a cutie? I'll bet you do miss that shirt.
    Kenn's poem kicks things off with a great attitude. "Yippee! Yahoo!/We start anew."

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    1. Wouldn't hurt to start each day with that line, huh! Yippee! Yahoo!

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  2. "Back to school," and such a rich inspirational post you've offered us, from top to bottom! I like all the poetry links in "Great Mornings"–along with all the engaging poems. Sending you a hug for the empty seat left by your son. My daughter is off to her dorm on Saturday, and my son's moving out the following week–big sigh. Thanks for all Michelle, xo.

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    1. Will be thinking about you and sending hugs your way too, Michelle!

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  3. What a sweet way for my summer to end....seeing TLD come back to Poetry Friday. I have missed TLD. I've been glad for the photos along the way and to hear good news of your family. As you start this new job, I look forward to how your observations of whatever it is become part of your creativity. I know it will. I have a copy of Great Mornings and am plotting ways of getting it into the hearts and minds of teachers at my school. Thank you for continuing the celebration of this wonderful work!

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    1. I have no doubt you'll be successful in all of your plotting, Linda. Happy new school year to you!

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  4. I LOVE seeing first grade you and knowing that the love Miss Dori gave you is a part of what made you who you are today! I also LOVE the work Sylvia and Janet have put into this newest gift to teachers and administrators everywhere. (I'm proud to have a poem in it and have my own copy, so don't include me in the drawing.) Happy School Beginnings to everyone at every level!

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    1. I'm so glad "Compliment Chain" is in there, Mary Lee. It's such a great poem!

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  5. Not sure which is more adorable - 6-year-old Michelle or grown-up-oh-so-talented-and-generous Michelle. Love them both! Thanks for this wonderful post on such a terrific new resource, which I've already given to Morgan, and a copy for her school. (No need to enter me in the drawing - thanks!) Pomelo Power IS something special!

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    1. Aw, what a sweet comment, Robyn! Thank you. I have no doubt Morgan is TOTALLY a Miss Liles for many lucky young ones.

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  6. So many of you are saying your goodbyes so your own children can start their school years, but away. Hugs for that life-changer, Michelle. I remember the feelings well. I loved seeing first-grade you, and did not guess correctly, so glad you told us and that you loved your Winnie-the-Pooh shirt. Thanks for sharing Great Morning again. Wishing I was back in the classroom for that one. Janet's and Sylvia's books are treasures.

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    1. Yep, life is just one "changer" after another, isn't it? But it is comforting to know all these feelings are normal and that we all go through them. Thanks for the reassurance, Linda. :)

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  7. Aren't you the SWEETEST FIRST GRADER EVER? Thanks for sharing the pic and about Dori and GREAT MORNING. You nailed it when you cited Janet and Sylvia's "enthusiasm" -- you can't NOT love poetry with those two in the room! Congratulations on the inclusion of your poem, and to your son and his new adventure... and welcome back! xo

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    1. Thanks, Irene. xo And I'm thrilled to hear about so many of your own new books and projects in the works!

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  8. You were adorable Michelle! This is a great book. One any teacher would be lucky to have in their classroom. The extras and organization that Janet and Sylvia add are invaluable. Thanks for introducing us to it. And congrats on your poem being included.

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    1. Thanks, Maria. Janet and Sylvia just keep on giving when it comes to invaluable resources for the classroom!

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  9. So cute, Michelle! I would have liked to teach 6 year old you! :)

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    1. And I would have LOVED to have been taught by you, Bekah! No doubt about it. :)

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  10. Yeah for Great Morning! What a great post about Janet and Sylvia's newest book. I'm honored to have a poem the poetry book and have my own copy, so please don't include me in the drawing for the wealth of #poetrylove needs to be shared, Michelle. How wonderful to see you when you were a little one.

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    1. It was a joy to discover your poem, Carol! I enjoyed your post too. :)

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  11. Great Morning! looks like a great anthology, and I'd love to win a copy.

    And I love your school pic. I remind me so much of my own class photo from that time. It makes me wonder...did every elementary school take their class photo in the library and have one of those sign? Ah, the memories.

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    1. Haha! Gotta love those signs! My kids had theirs taken on the steps of the stage in the cafeteria, but otherwise they're pretty much the same. Thanks for your comment, Linda. :)

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  12. The first day of school was always the best day for me. So many possibilities, so much excitement. Love the photo. You look just so happy. Thanks for the post. I'm really looking forward to reading this book.

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    1. First grade was a good year for me. Thankfully nothing to be unhappy about. :) Great to see you, Rosi. Hope you've had a nice summer!

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  13. Hooray for the start of the school year and the start of TDL again! What a sweet photo of you, Michelle!

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  14. I would love to have multiple copies of this book because I teach at three different schools, but if I can win only one, I'd give it to my newest school. This one has made my mornings joyful and I know that joy starts with the principal. I have a feeling she would love to start each day with poetry.
    I didn't pick the right kid in the photo. That whole class is precious, but you are especially adorable. My mother was a teacher and her maiden name is Liles, so I thought of her.

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    1. Wow, I don't think I knew you taught at more than one school, Margaret. Maybe this is something new? That's a lot to juggle, but good news for the extra children who benefit of your instruction! It makes me smile to know your mother's maiden name is Liles. :D

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  15. This is a fun anthology and such a great tool to introduce poetry. Love looking at those 70's clothes!

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    1. Oh yes, the 70s! We were such fashionable little ones. LOL

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  16. Love the orange turtleneck and your shining face above it. An adorable post. Glad you are restarting TLD. Such fun.

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    1. What's not to be happy about with Winnie the Pooh on your chest, right? It's great to be back, Brenda!

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  17. What a fun poem from Kenn. Excited to have TDL starting up again!

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  18. Congratulations on being included in the book, Michelle! Sad to say, I did not pick you out...but you definitely seemed happy!

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  19. Another great peek into Great Mornings. So fun! And the earnest love just shines out of that 6-year-old face. I totally see you in that little girl now, but I had originally wondered if you were the one with braids in the front row. First-grade-me was right there with you on the love for story time and painting, with no interest in gym class. :) I know that feeling, too, of missing the beloved first-grade wardrobe. :)

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    1. I'll let you in on a secret, Karen— my husband thought the girl in braids was me too! She was the friend I used to walk home from school with. :)

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  20. Me, too! Me, too! Even though I'm no longer teaching and my daughter is in college, so we're no longer tied quite so tightly to the school schedule, I still get excited for the start of a new school year with all the aisles stocked with school supplies. Fall has always been my "new year" for fresh starts and new goals. Now I'm trying to greet each day as a new year, but it's hard.

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    1. I hear you, Kay! Now that we live in Florida, I've never quite gotten use to the fact that the kids go back to school at the end of summer. I miss the smells of autumn that always paired so well with the new shoes and school supplies!

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  21. Welcome back, Michelle! What a perfect post for new beginnings! I had narrowed it down to either you or the girl next to you. What cuties! Sylvia and Janet are amazing, and I know their "enthusiastic and encouraging approach to" poetry have won over many skeptics. Your "Look for the Helpers" is such a gem. Looking forward to a new year of Ditty challenges! (BTW, I'm honored to have a poem in this collection, too, so don't enter me in the giveaway.)

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    1. I was so happy to discover you were in this book, Catherine! :) I love your uplifting "Walking for a Cause."

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  22. I can't wait to start using this book! Thank you for giving us a sampler. I'm hooked!

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  23. Janet and Sylvia are the BEST! This book sounds just as amazing as their other ones. Being a former teacher, I so appreciate how they've gone above and beyond to bring poetry to the classroom. I know teachers everywhere must be grateful for the forethought that goes into their books.

    So glad your poem was included, Michelle. You're adorable in that orange turtleneck!

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  24. Hooray for a new year and new skills!

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  25. Great Morning Giveaway this makes me think of my nursery school teacher Miss March she was so wonderful and so understanding of me she would have us kids do plays of Gorge Washation and I was Beatty Ross we had costumes and she had a collection of marionettes and a bot so high balance beam that we walked acrost and at certain times of the year me and my mom wet to tea party's at her house little china coups and saucers and the round pink candy mints and pumpkin roll with is how my mom got her raspy from I wish she was still here she would of been so proud of my art and writing

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