Sydney and Simon “Go Green” in Book #2 of Paul and Peter H. Reynolds’ STEAM-Powered Early Reader Chapter Book Series

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Last we saw them in the debut book of the STEAM-powered adventures of Sydney & Simon: Full STEAM Ahead!, the creative problem-solving siblings were using their science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) skills to save their prized flowers wilting during a prolonged heat wave. Along with learning lots about the water cycle and evaporation, they used their creative maker skills to build a watering invention based on Archimedes’ pump. Now the twin mice are back to apply STEAM thinking to promote sustainability and to protect marine animals impacted by trash.

In Go Green! the adventure starts on a class field trip to the aquarium. Sydney is upset when she learns that Greenie, a sick green sea turtle, is recovering from digesting plastic that made its way to the ocean. She must convince Simon that trash can accidentally get swept into sewers, streams, rivers, and possibly end up in the ocean where it harms living creatures – like Greenie.

The twins collect data on the trash habits of their household and school and find they are all part of the problem. They need to figure out a way that their family, their neighborhood, and their school can cut down on garbage production and make better use of their discarded items. Along with learning about the science of trash decomposition, Sydney and Simon create a recycled art sculpture, as well as write and perform a hit song that gets the attention of everyone the city of Wonder Falls to rethink their trash habits.  

“Our planet is facing so many challenges – many of them environmental," FableVision’s CEO Paul Reynolds says. "Peter and I hope that the Sydney & Simon series will inspire the kind of creative STEAM thinking & doing that will foster the next generation of creative problem-solvers who will be the stewards of a cleaner, greener world in the decades to come. “

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Short chapters written by Paul, paired with Peter’s lively illustrations will inspire readers to take a closer look at protecting the environment by implementing small changes that make a big difference. The book also models holistic literacy which helps support all four components of literacy: listening, talking, reading and writing/creative self-expression, which furthers the work FableVision has been doing with Reading Is Fundamental and the National Writing Project.

Visit www.SteamThinking.org for more information about GO GREEN! and to share your stories about how you, your school, your community is adding the “A” to STEM.

Celebrate the book launch with Peter and Paul! Everyone is invited to the Sydney & Simon: Go Green! book signing and launch party on Saturday, Oct 17., from 10:30-12 p.m. at The Blue Bunny Bookstore in historic Dedham Square. For more details visit The Blue Bunny online. 

Peter H. Reynolds visits St. Peter's Catholic School

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Peter H. Reynolds made a special visit to the St. Peter's Catholic School in Lincoln, NE earlier this week. The school’s principal Sister Mary Michael wrote about Peter’s visit on her blog: A Note From Sister Mary Michael. The following is an excerpt from her blog.

“Two scenes from the day come to mind, firstly, repeatedly, Peter said in his own way with his actions, “Let the little children come to me.”  The committee knew Peter had a day’s worth of work ahead of him signing books, so they tried to get him some quiet time.  Peter invited all the kids who were here on Monday in to where he was signing and knocked chat out of them while he signed.  He also spent part of the few moments for lunch the next day, back in with the kids in the cafeteria, enjoying them.”

To read the full post, click here. 

Read more about Peter's visit:

• Lincoln Journal Star: St. Peter Catholic School Festival started with a drawing, ended with a visit from award-winning author

• KLKN-TV: Special visitor rewards diligence

​International Dot Day

Note: This post, by Terry Shay, originally appeared on the Pippin Insider, the blog for Pippin Properties, Inc.

International Dot Day first started in 2009 when I sent a Facebook message to Peter H. Reynolds, author of The Dot, with a vision of one day where kids in schools take a break from normal school work and test-preparation and get creative. I’ve been a teacher for twenty-nine years and I am always astounded how much attention is now focused on testing. Dot Day seemed like a way to counteract that, at least for a day. I always say that you should share your ideas and dreams with someone who will pour gas on them, that’s certainly what happened with this idea when I shared it with Peter.

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The first year, I tweeted about the very first Dot Day. Some friends picked up on it, and started celebrating too. Through retweeting and sharing, more people started to jump in.

Counselor Teresa O’Meara and I did a joint unit with fourth grade vocal music class where we talked about “making your mark,” and the kids decorated dots that we hung around the room. In high school chorus, I laid out butcher paper and bought watercolors for them to make dots. In junior high chorus, we made a human dot! It was great fun.

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That year, I was surprised to learn that schools I didn’t have any connection to were celebrating too! I was completely blown away by the response, including Richard Colosi’s work with his kindergarten class. I quickly realized the Dot Day, along with Peter’s book was something that spoke to people. The power of social media was palpable.

In 2010, more schools joined the movement. We didn’t keep track of numbers or participants, but it was fun to see people celebrating and sharing the work on Twitter. In 2011, two stellar and connected librarians, Shannon Miller and John Schumacher connected to Dot Day and with each other to super-charge the mission and the movement. They celebrated all week and used social media to spread the word.

Having super-connected teacher librarians made a huge impact. 2011 was the first year we kept track of participants—the total number was around 18,000. Far beyond my wildest dreams.

That same year, I received an email from Newbery Medal winner, Sharon Creech which contained a dot she created. I was struck by how cool it was to see what kind of dot a literary hero would make. Thus, Celebridots was born.

With the help of the Celebridots and passionate social media advocates, Dot Day 2012 grew to 839,000 participants. After that, the numbers continued to climb, 1.3 million in 2013, 1.8 million in 2014, and this year, 2.3 million. In addition to growth in participants, the number of countries involved in Dot Day has grown as well. This year, we had participants from 116 countries.

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One of the best examples of the power of creativity can be seen in photos from a pediatric cancer hospital in Vietnam. These photos were so inspiring to everyone connected with Dot Day.

Matthew Winner, Shannon Miller, and Andy Plemmons had a huge impact on participation with their idea for an online document for people to seek connections with other classrooms, using Skype Classroom and Google Hangouts. Watching this develop has been a joy. With this tool, classrooms are connecting, reading the book, sharing their creations, and learning about other schools, states, and countries.

DOT DAY CONNECTIONS, 2015

The success of International Dot Day is owed to many people who believed in a more creative and connected world and made it happen. Dot Day has been celebrated in classrooms, whole schools, after-school programs, homes, daycares, district offices, bookstores, hospitals and probably many more places. If you search the Internet for “International Dot Day” or follow #DotDay on Twitter, you will see that all of these celebrations went above and beyond that first year of butcher paper and human dots. It all started with the perfect book, which launched the imaginations of children and adults around the globe.

LuLu Jr. makes an AWESOME mark on Dot Day 2015!

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What happens when two organizations championing creativity and self-expression “connect the dots”? Something AWESOME!  Lulu Jr. and FableVision, after their award-winning My Awesome Book kids’ bookmaking kit collaboration, partnered to create My Awesome Publishing Company, an innovative online writing/design platform that gives teacher the tools they need to turn their classroom into a publishing company. 

Designed and hosted by FableVision’s Founder and New York Times bestselling illustrator Peter H. Reynolds, My Awesome Publishing Company guides K-6 students through writing, illustrating, publishing, and promoting their very own book. Currently being piloted in schools across the country, My Awesome Publishing Company encourages kids to make their mark. 

Which is why we were delighted to see the team at Raleigh, NC-based Lulu make their own AWESOME mark for International Dot Day 2015, which is now celebrated in by over 4 million people in 116 countries. Check out Lulu Jr.’s video!

It’s not too late to celebrate Dot Day. If you, your company or school are planning something awesome, let us know – and we’ll share it with the Dot Day community.  

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International Dot Day Celebration 2015

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Join more than a million educators and students for International Dot Day, a global celebration of creativity in the classroom based on Peter H. Reynolds' award-winning book The Dot. Learn more by visiting the official Dot Day website.

Will you be joining in the fun this September 15th? Please let us know by signing up — you'll also receive the free Educator's Handbook for International Dot Day.

We're all looking forward to Dot Day, but we'll be celebrating creativity all year long — and we encourage you to do the same! Here are some new posters by Peter...

Dot Day 2015

fablevision_dot_day_2015

I'm Celebrating Dot Day All Year Long - Poster 1

¡Estoy Celebrando el Día del Punto Todo el Año! - Poster 1

I'm Celebrating Dot Day All Year Long - Poster 2

¡Estoy Celebrando el Día del Punto Todo el Año! - Poster 2

We're Celebrating Dot Day All Year Long

¡Estamos Celebrando el Día del Punto Todo el Año!

Here's another poster — this one features the official International Dot Day logo:

And here's the new Spanish version — we LOVE seeing the International Dot Day logo en español!

Enjoy this other wonderful poster in French — it's such fun to see the logo en français!

Download this certificate of participation that Peter designed for educators, students, and all other creative individuals who are making their mark:

Make Your Mark .... Make It Matter

If you want to help spread the word about Dot Day, please feel free to also download this poster by Peter H. Reynolds:

Say it loud and proud with yet another poster:

Are you connecting with another school via Skype in the Classroom this year? Click here to get this as a printable poster!

Make your mark by printing out this Dot Day poster.

Here's a Dot Day poster in Italian! (Clicca qui per leggere tutto Dimensioni Poster Day Dot stampa.)

Here's an alternate version in Italian. (Clicca qui per un supplente piena di poster formato Giorno Dot stampa!)

In closing, here is a Spanish version too! (Haga click aquí para una versión imprimible de este cartel.)

How will you or your school be celebrating on Dot Day? Let us know! Download this certificate. 

FableVision Creative Educator Spotlight – Rayna Freedman

For this week's teacher spotlight, we salute Rayna Freedman! Rayna is a 5th grade teacher and Information Technology Specialist at the Jordan/Jackson Elementary School in Mansfield, MA.  She is on the board of MassCUE and started a STEM literacy team in her district with several colleagues and administrators.  Truly an amazing educator and colleague!

Rayna “connected the dots” between Peter & Paul Reynolds’ book - Full STEAM Ahead! – the first title in the twin brothers’ early reader chapter book series called The STEAM-Powered Adventures of Sydney & Simon.  The series features twin mice who are truly creative problem-solvers. The book series helps underscore the notion that the “A” in STEAM education – is more than just mixing art into STEM studies – it is about the creative thinking that leads to invention and innovation.  Bringing that concept to life, Full STEAM Ahead! features two curious, creative learners taking on water-themed challenges and learning – including the water cycle and Archimedes’ invention of the water pump.

As so many of our creative educators do, Rayna was able to activate the Full STEAM Ahead! story in the classroom – using it to teach the engineering design process. Freedman’s class chose six water-themed challenges - one teacher-driven, the other five “student-tested and student-approved.”  Here’s a sampling of the projects they tackled:

• One group created their own irrigation system using a network of paper funnels and straws.  They tested their system by repeatedly attempting to successfully move water from the sink to the other end of the classroom, and adjusting the system continually in order to avoid leaks.

• Another group placed white flowers in a glass of water and then added food coloring.  In order to track the dye’s movement up the roots and into the flower, they attached construction paper to the flowers with an elastic band in order to chart how it travels up.  The group also made lab sheets for other classes to use when attempting to replicate this phenomenon.

• A third group similarly planted flowers. Instead of food coloring, they simply tracked the growth of the plants using data sheets.

In addition to creating lesson plans for their own purposes, Freedman’s class also helped teach others.  Her students helped implement the Emerging Engineers Program, through which they taught some of the basics of STEAM thinking to kindergarten classes.

Thanks to Rayna and her students’ creative “arts & smarts”, we now have lesson plans available for ALL teachers to teach the engineering design process using the Full STEAM Ahead book. Click below for a downloadable PDF featuring details about the student-centered STEAM projects, including materials required for each experiment.  Also, Freedman’s students wrote reflections on their experiences, which may be helpful for teachers to keep in mind when introducing this project to their own classes. 

Follow Rayna on Twitter at @rlfreedm!

FableVision Creative Educator Spotlight - Suzy Brooks

For this week's teacher spotlight, we salute Suzy Brooks who has twelve years of experience teaching 4th grade at Muleen-Hall School in Falmouth, MA.  She is a big supporter of FableVision Learning and uses three of our learning tools in her classroom: Stationery Studio, Big Screen Books, and Mapping the World by Heart.  When asked how these tools impact her classroom, Suzy replied:

"I use Stationery Studio every day as a tool for me as well as a tool for students. I share it with teachers in all of my professional development presentations, and I even have teachers ask about it when we are at the copy machine. The themes match what we are teaching in the classroom and breathe life into our finished products. The students love the artwork and have learned how to enhance their letters and reports through the use of student-created art and borders. I also love sharing the products we create as images on our classroom blog. 

Each year my students love making their mark on Dot Day. We use Big Screen Books to share The Dot as a class and talk about how we can each make a difference in the world. Students create their own dots to hang in the classroom for the whole year as a reminder of their power to help others."

Thanks Suzy for your creativity, hard work and determination!

A Winter of Resilience: A New Poster by Peter H. Reynolds

Here is a new poster from Peter H. Reynolds, celebrating RESILIENCE— one of the most powerful tools a person can have in their life-journey toolbox. We can only reach mastery if we keep going— and by being okay with some “ish-ful” perfection along the way. We hope this poster serves as a helpful reminder of this, and gives you some gentle encouragement.

We hope you enjoy it, and here’s to a warm, sunny spring.

Creative Educator Constellation

Dear Fablefriends, Thanks to those who replied to our Creative Educator Constellation email.  We appreciate all the support and kind words that our Fablefriends provided in their responses.  As promised, we are featuring the submissions below:

Christine Gillions (Australia):

The Dot by Peter Reynolds has made its mark on me, my students, my colleagues and the whole school community…. and has taken us all on exciting teaching and learning journeys.

In my role as the leader of St Paul’s professional development program in ‘Differentiation’, over the past three years I have used The Dot to inspire, motivate and sustain the teachers in their learning and implementation of the essential yet challenging Differentiation approach in the regular classroom. Applying best practice Differentiation as outlined by Carol Tomlinson, a noted expert on Differentiation, is often daunting for teachers. However The Dot in its different forms (hardcopy and interactive books, song, posters, CD), has contributed considerably to the St Paul’s staff’s enthusiastic embrace and implementation of Differentiation – our teachers, administration staff, teacher assistants AND our principal even wear The Dot tee shirt!

The Dot has also taken the students in my Gifted Education classes (5-12 year olds) beyond their hometown, beyond Australia, and into classrooms across the globe. By participating in The Dot’s International Dot Days, my gifted and talented students have been able to communicate and work directly with students in France, Thailand and the USA. This international collaboration is not only leaving an invaluable mark on my students, but is also taking them on real-world learning adventures. These adventurous opportunities are enabling my students to increase their knowledge, understandings and skills with, and via multimedia technology, PLUS also gain increased appreciation of and respect for cultural differences and develop a sense of global citizenship – essential attributes for our 21st century children’s lives and contributions, now and in the future.

Donna (New Jersey):

Thank you for the opportunity to celebrate my colleagues. We have been celebrating The Dot in February to celebrate our children and their strengths, creativity and love. Every year it has grown, happy tears are shed, and love is blooming…all we did was Plant a Kiss!

Students in first grade participate in a week of fun learning activities, all Common Core Standard based. They use DOTS for math, reading, word work (word building/phonics), art activities and building relationships with classmates.

The last three years we have had a grant for the purchase of learning  materials and a copy of The Dot for each first grade student to keep (194 books last year). My favorite activity  based on The Dot  is a letter that is the “DOT of Love”. The  letter, with an attached large circle and heart is sent home asking the parents/family to write a Dot of Love to their child. Parents have written the most beautiful word of love and  encouragement. Students who did not have a parent respond, the staff wrote one for them. Each student was represented in the hallway display.  Hearts were full and tears were flowing! Prior to our DOT Day assembly where parents/family are invited in to read The Dot with their child. Community members also were invited to be buddy readers with our children including the Mayor, Police Chief, Firefighters, and local representatives.

Parents were invited to school on a Friday night in prior to Dot Week and volunteered time to come in and paint dots on our floor in the first grade hallway and hang dots everywhere. Laugh, laugh and laugh as parents painted each other, formed new friendships, and stayed until 10:00. They didn’t want to go home!

The Dot has impacted our first grade in a most positive manner. The children learn about never giving up, keep a focus on a goal, and build friendships as a learning community.

You know an event is a success with growth, and getting yelled at by first graders (and other students in second and third grade) when the dots were washed off the floor!

Our DOT DAY has bloomed, and will continue to do so. Our new principal is purchasing one book for each of our first grade students this year.

Help me celebrate my colleagues who have helped me create this event! Dot week is February 9-12, 2015.

Anything is possible with a DOT of Love!

Karla (Iowa):

Making Our Mark (DOT) in the World

The Ripple Effect: Individual DOTS with one main Purpose = A MARK that matters. What MARK are you making on the World?

Room 12 celebrated Dot Day by sharing their story with the world.

Using social media and blogging, Room 12 students have reached over 500 individuals in 29 countries since posting about their mark making a difference.

Every Dot matters!

The Testing Camera

Peter H. Reynolds, creativity advocate and best-selling author and illustrator, and co-founder of FableVision Learning, has created a new animated short called The Testing Camera — a whimsical poke at high-stakes, standardized testing and a reminder that real assessment is as easy, and — at the same time — as challenging as getting to really know the gifts and talents of every child.

(If you don't have access to YouTube, you can also view the film on Vimeo.)

“We’ve gone through a very test-centric decade which, in my opinion, has consumed a lot of time, energy, and resources," Reynolds shares. “Many teachers have had to adhere to new mandates and measures that require a ‘teach to the test’ approach. Public schools redirected funding for art, music, theater, libraries, field trips, and more. It's a discouraging picture for those trying to reach all children in creative, engaging ways.”

Reynolds, who is known for his books encouraging creativity, The Dot, Ish, Sky Color and The North Star among many others, penned this whimsical and poignant story about a young girl named Daisy who, dismayed at her art class being canceled, nervously faces her turn with the "Testing Camera." This huge apparatus snaps at her with a few blinding flashes of light. Weeks later, her father’s reaction to the test results surprises Daisy in a most wonderful way.

“This is my gift to educators to remind them to follow their instincts and remember why they got into teaching in the first place: to see the potential in every child, to nurture those emerging gifts and talents, and to change lives,” Reynolds shared.

The film was produced by FableVision, the transmedia studio in Boston founded by Peter and his twin brother, Paul Reynolds, author of Going Places and the Sydney & Simon series. The Testing Camera was directed by John Lechner with music by Tony Lechner, and animated by a team of young animators interning at FableVision for the summer. Broadway actor Chester Gregory lends his voice to the project.

The film is being released on the web free of charge by FableVision Learning. Educators, learning communities, parents and caregivers are urged to share The Testing Camera to begin or enhance constructive conversations on how to better support authentic learning in the classroom and beyond.

A free companion poster by Peter H. Reynolds: “I AM NOT THE TEST SCORE, I AM NOT DATA, I AM NOT THE LABELS STUCK ON BY OTHERS”

Peter adds, “We need to innovate our assessments of how kids are doing, and, at the same time, to reevaluate what our priorities are. Priorities drive policy and policies drive funding. My hope is that our film will be part of the change. The testing industry ballooned to 2.5 billion in 2012, while roughly 1.2 million students a year still never get their high school diploma. And even those who do make it past the testing camera often carry the burden of a distorted image about their own potential for decades to come. From my perspective, making schools wonderful places for kids — and for teachers — will help move things forward.”

A Message from Peter H. Reynolds: He answers questions from Global Read Aloud friends!

Wow. I have been flooded with e-mails, tweets, direct messages and "snail mail" these past few weeks from my Global Read Aloud friends from around the world. I love seeing all this energy around books — and very honored that I was chosen to be the focus of the Author Study this year. I wish I could respond to each and every message and give feedback on every student blog post, but there are only so many hours in a day and I am busy, busy, busy on several new books. I decided to pull a few questions from the pile and answer them here as they mirror many of those that came in.

Kay Hetzer, a first grade teacher from the Miami Valley School in Dayton, Ohio sent me a question from her classroom:

"Were you like the boy in your book "I'm Here?"

Great question. My inspiration for the boy is a boy named Matthew, but I can relate to the I'm Here boy. My twin brother, Paul and I were a bit quiet and shy growing up. Hard to believe now with me speaking on stage to thousands of educators and Paul teaching at Boston College and also speaking to crowds fearlessly. By the way, Matt is now grown up, loves to bake and has started his own biscotti baking company. http://www.autismspeaks.org/blog/2014/03/04/biscotti-brings-smiles-customers-young-baker-autism

Mason, a five year old from Canada asked, "Did you like making books when you five?"

Well, I think at five I was drawing a lot and probably learning to write. It was in first grade when my brother, Paul and I created a newspaper. This really sparked the idea of publishing, sharing our ideas and creativity with the world. I wish someone had given me a blank book and challenged me to use my art and words to tell a story at age five. I think the earlier you start the better. It's like learning a language.

I'll sign off for now and get back to the pile of books I am creating, but I wanted to say a BIG thank you to Pernille Ripp and the Global Read Aloud team for helping "Connect the dots" with so many creative teachers and students. I treasure all the tweets, posts, letters, art, and photos. Inspiration for my own creative journey.

Peter

Peter H. Reynolds selected for Global Read Aloud Author Study

Peter H. Reynolds

FableVision Learning founder, Peter H. Reynolds has been chosen to be this year’s author study for Global Read Aloud (#GRA14) which is spans from Oct 6- Nov 14. This project, founded by Pernille Ripp, was created in 2010 with the goal to use one book to connect children around the world, similar to International Dot Day inspired by Peter’s book The Dot. In just four years, Global Read Aloud has made over 500,000 connections in 60 different countries.

In addition to choosing a single book to dig into, Global Read Aloud also selects one author each year for participants to study. Peter received news earlier this year that he had been chosen for the GRA Author Study. "I was thrilled to have been chosen. It is quite an honor, but for me it was exciting to think that this was a way for the messages in my books to reach more children, teachers and families. Having teachers help students really do a "deep dive" into my work and explore the big ideas, reflect, think, share and create is... well, a wow. My hope is that the experience inspires students to never give up on their own creative journeys. I wish that for their teachers too."

Peter's books being studied include The North Star, The Dot, Ish, Sky Color, and I'm Here. It also includes a collaboration with his twin brother, Paul called Going Places.

"Educators understand the power of learning through storytelling." shared Peter. "They also get that reading a story aloud is MUCH more than reading it verbatim. It is the questions peppered along the way, the pause to check for understanding, the invitation to chant a chorus, or to look more closely at the art for deeper appreciation of the story. It is also not just what happens DURING the read aloud, but what happens after. Great teachers know how to riff on a story with hands-on, minds-on creative extension activities."

One of the thousands of GRA14 inspired projects is this delightful film, "Ish Drawings" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1zCC7IGfSA) created by classroom teacher, Rachel Hyland from Coppell, Texas.

Many of Peter’s own teachers helped him extend the learning "beyond the book." His 7th grade math teacher, noticing Peter's penchant for drawing and storytelling, suggested Peter try using his talents to teach math. Peter made a comic book which Mr. Matson pointed out was also called a storyboard- adding that a storyboard is a tool that filmmakers use to plan out their films. Peter took his cue and made his very first animated film at age twelve!

"That experience  inspired me to keep going – to see how I could use my energy and skills to teach, to inspire, to make the world a better place. I can trace it all back to a teacher who took the time to "connect the dots" with me in a creative way. He changed my life. Today, my company, FableVision uses media, story, and technology to inspire, inform and teach. I guess it's not surprising that I developed animation software for "kids like me." Amazing to think my teacher could see a glimpse into my future way back in 1973."

He enjoys sharing that story and message to remind all educators to appreciate the impact that they are having on their own students.

“I am optimistic about a future where all children are encouraged to navigate their true potential. We have to be creative in the ways we reach all learners — to help them find their voice, be brave about expressing it, and be inspired to use their gifts to ‘make their mark.’”

peter_books

GRA has made a recommended schedule for when to read Peter’s books so that schools, classrooms, libraries, and homes around the globe can be "on the same page" during the study: 10/7 Week 1: The North Star 10/14 Week 2: I’m Here 10/21 Week 3: Ish 10/28 Week 4: Sky Color 11/4 Week 5: Going Places 11/11 Week 6: Your Choice!

You can find Peter’s full collection, including books he has illustrated, at his very own bookstore, The Blue Bunny Books and Toy Store in Dedham, Massachusetts. Peter is busy working on several new books and some new software to allow young kids to become engineers, but he still is managing to follow Twitter and social media to keep up the exciting news, questions and photos from GRA participants worldwide.

Click here to share and be connected for GRA. We would love to hear how you are using Peter’s books in your creative classroom — connect with us on Twitter! Also, explore the FableVision Learning site to see Peter's posters and our software designed to support your creativity and literacy mission in your school.