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Poindexter Park Comes to Purple Word
Last Saturday, the Poindexter Park After School Club came to the Purple Word to make their own fractal pop-up books, as well as to learn more about the book- and print-making processes.
The group first learned about fractals after reading Mysterious Patterns.
The students finally unfold their fractals.
Even group leaders Mr. Brad and Ms. Keyana had fun making the fractals!
After learning what a fractal is and how to make their own, the group moved to the back room of Purple Word to make their own monotype prints. Suzanne, a staff member at Millsaps College, taught the kids about reductionist prints — that is, prints in which the design is made by taking away ink rather than adding ink.
Suzanne helps the students spread their ink — a task that is certainly much harder than it looks.
Here I am helping a student roll out her ink — a very big task for small arms!
Like I mentioned earlier, this form of print-making is a form of reductionism. The students used Q-tips to remove ink from their plates to be printed on paper.
The group eagerly watches as Suzanne runs a test print under the roller.
Keyana, Sarah, Suzanne, and I with the kids after a fun morning.
Children’s Book Festival
I presented recently at the Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival at the University of Southern Mississippi.
Here I am signing a book for my friend and science writer Heather Montgomery.
My friend Julie Owen and I presented a session called Finding Fractals, Making Fractals to a full room.
Two attendees checking out the Educator’s Guide that Boyds Mills Press developed to go with Mysterious Patterns: Finding Fractals in Nature.
A librarian telling me a story about a fractal song.
Julie and I are holding Fractal Pop-Up Books made by fifth grade students at St. Luke’s Episcopal School in Baton Rouge. Read about that work here.
I posted the instruction sheet for making Fractal Pop-up Books in your library or classroom on my website here.
I appreciate the help we had from Mary Schmidt, my intern. She took photographs, helped participants, and edited photographs.
Girls Prep Public Charter Visit
Last month, I visited Girls Prep Public Charter School in the Bronx, New York, to work with second grade students for a unit on writing nonfiction books. While I was there, I also spent an hour with the fourth grade writing club. With second grade, I worked with the students for three days. I was testing some ideas for a presentation I am slated to give at the International Reading Association annual conference in New Orleans in May.
The first day, I presented my “Love a Critter? Make a Book” session to all three classes in one big group. It was Read Across America Day so some of the girls and teachers were dressed as characters in books.
The reason I chose Girls Prep is that my sister, Jessica Crosby-Pitchamootoo (pictured in the center dressed as the tree in Chicka Chicka Boom Boom), works there as a reading specialist. Jessica will join me and Dr. Amy Broemmel, a professor of education at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, to present “Reading and Writing Science Books? Paths to Creating Authentic Informational Texts.”
In the second and third days at Girls Prep, I led each class in a mini-lesson and then the girls did some guided practice. On the first day, my topic was “Taking information from research and writing in my own words to suit my purpose,” and the second day, it was “Making a plan for my writing, keeping my purpose in mind.”
During the mini-lesson on planning, I showed the students how I make a book dummy when I am deciding the order of things in my books. I led them in making an instant book.
The feedback from the second grade writing unit has been good. One teacher said she believes the girls really understand author’s purpose in a much deeper way. One student told her teacher: “This is the most fun I’ve had while learning!” That’s exactly what writing should be. Fun, while learning!
I’ll post photographs of my session with the fourth grade writing club next.
Mysterious Patterns Big Splash at NSTA
Richard and I had a great time at the annual convention of the National Science Teachers Association in Boston. We signed at least 80 books for teachers, professors, and science specialists. Mysterious Patterns: Finding Fractals in Nature got lots of love!
On Saturday, I was part of a session called “A Real-Life Page Turner: Award-winning Trade Book Authors Share Their Research Strategies.” As always I began by talking about Wolfsnail. We had about 40 participants who rotated through three tables for 15-minute mini sessions. A group of professors of literacy and science education put the session together.
Dr. Wendy Saul opened the session with a discussion of why books remain important, especially in nonfiction.
Here I am talking about the page in Mysterious Patterns where the first explanation of fractals comes.
A look at the other groups’ tables.
Here I am conferring with Dr. Amy Broemmel, an early literacy expert at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. She was my table partner for this session, and will be a co-presenter with me and Jessica Crosby-Pitchamootoo at the International Reading Association annual conference in New Orleans in May.
In addition to presenting and signing books, I attended a number of great sessions, including:
Asking, Imagining, Arguing: Using Books to Provide Examples of Science Practices in Action (Broemmel, Rearden)
NSTA Press® Session: The Authors’ Picks! Teaching Science Through Trade Books (Royce, Morgan, Ansberry)
Sense-of-Place Writing Templates: Connect Your Students’ Past Experiences with Science AND Literacy! (Clary)
Using Writing to Motivate Students to Learn Science (Caukin)
Connecting Science, Engineering, and Literacy in an Elementary Classroom (Laurier, Denisova)
While I was attending sessions, Richard was hanging out with Graeme at MIT. We shared three suppers in a row. It was nice!
Guest Posting at Elizabeth Dulemba’s Blog
Today, I offer tips on finding and working with experts when you are writing nonfiction for children. My post appears on the blog of children’s author/illustrator Elizabeth Dulemba, a friend from SCBWI’s Southern Breeze region. I hope you’ll click here to read the post. You could win a free copy of Mysterious Patterns: Finding Fractals in Nature.
Elizabeth has a new novel out next month called A Bird on Water Street. I read an advance copy and I think she did a masterful job of exploring the environmental impacts of resource mining through the eyes of boy growing up in Appalachia.
Physically, I am in Boston for the annual convention of the National Science Teachers Association. I will present in a session titled, “A Real-Life Page Turner: Award-winning Trade Book Authors Share Their Research Strategies” and then Richard and I will sign copies of Mysterious Patterns. I’ll post pictures when I get back home.
Mysterious Patterns Launch at Lemuria
I thoroughly enjoyed reading and signing Mysterious Patterns at Lemuria yesterday. My mother took a ton of pictures and I’m happy to share some here.
This is actually one of my favorite pages, with fractal patterns in leaf veins and human lungs.
Here’s Jackie Hayes, a retired teacher, talking about how teachers use books to extend the curriculum.
A group of students from Davis Magnet IB World School came to the signing, including four who have been part of this book’s journey for a few years. Read about my Davis Magnet critique group here.
Here’s Emily Grossenbacher, the manager of Lemuria’s Children’s section, helping sell my books!
Signing books for Barbara McLaughlin and her granddaughters, Tinsely and Tatum.
My faithful critique group.
Nice Booklist Review, Signing at Lemuria Today!
It’s publication week!!
Finally, finally, my third book, Mysterious Patterns: Finding Fractals in Nature, is ready to make its way into the world.
Publication week brings one more nice review, this time from Booklist. In its April 1 print edition, Booklist calls Mysterious Patterns a “beautifully designed volume,” with “many clear color photos (to) illustrate the examples.” (The full Booklist review is not available online without a Booklist subscription.)
See other reviews here.
You are invited to Lemuria bookstore this afternoon at 4 p.m. for the official launch of Mysterious Patterns. I can’t wait to celebrate with my good friends at Lemuria, especially the manager of the children’s store, Emily Grossenbacher, who has been cheering me on through the many drafts.
I’ll bring along some of my 3-D geometric fractals and my fractal quilt.
This design is based on the Sierpinski Carpet. I pieced the eight nine-patch blocks on my sewing machine (each one made of nine 2-inch squares). The 1/2 inch blue squares in the middle of the 64 yellow squares are sewn on (again by machine) using a blanket stitch. I used my Serger machine to finish the edging, as you can see in the detail photo below.
Mysterious Patterns Book Launch at Lemuria
I know I’ve been talking about Mysterious Patterns: Finding Fractals in Nature for months, but the date of publication is finally upon us. Next week, in fact. So, please join me at Lemuria bookstore on Monday, March 31, at 4 p.m. to officially launch Mysterious Patterns.
I’ll read from the book and answer any questions you have about fractals.
In the meantime, you can read reviews here.
Later next week, Richard and I will travel to the National Science Teachers Association‘s Annual Convention in Boston. I will join other authors for a session titled “A real-life page turner: Award-winning trade book authors share their research strategies,” and we will sign books at the booth of Stenhouse Publishers, a sister company to my publisher, Boyds Mills Press.
We will also visit our son, Graeme, who is in his first year at MIT. We can’t wait!
Mysterious Patterns Earns Second Star — School Library Journal
I’m thrilled to report that Mysterious Patterns: Finding Fractals in Nature got a starred review in School Library Journal.
Here’s an excerpt: “Using clear text and outstanding color photographs, Campbell explores the concept of these unusual shapes. Beginning with circles, cones, and cylinders, she leads readers carefully and concisely through examples of fractals such as trees, rivers, mountains, broccoli, lightning, and lungs. The photographs, sometimes highlighting the ever-smaller pieces of a vegetable fractal against a black background, sometimes drawing back to give a aerial view of a geological feature, are crisp and precise and underscore the clear text.”
Read the whole review here. I am excited about the reception that Mysterious Patterns is getting in the review press, but I am even more excited about the reception it is getting from kids.
“I never knew about these before!” “Oh, now I see. Cool.” Music to my ears.
Finding Fractals in the Classroom
Hello! My name is Mary Schmidt, and I’m Sarah’s intern for the Spring. I’m a senior at Millsaps College, and while I don’t know much about children’s literature I’ve enjoyed my first month learning about it!
On February 5 Sarah and I left for Baton Rouge, LA to make a visit to St. Luke’s Episcopal School. While there Sarah presented her newest book, Mysterious Patterns: Finding Fractals in Nature, to Mrs. McIlwain’s fifth grade classes. The classes were both very welcoming and enjoyed learning about fractals (as well as some side facts about the wolfsnail!).
We arrived in Baton Rouge late Wednesday afternoon, just in time for a great dinner prepared by Julie Owen. After dinner Sarah showed me the ins and outs of the cameras that I would be using to film and take pictures with the next day. I’ve always appreciated photography, but I honestly did not know how much work went into the process (not to mention just setting the cameras up!). Thanks to Sarah’s husband Richard’s notes, though, I was able to set the camera up and even get a few good shots.
Sarah read the book from the F&Gs (folded and gathered, meaning the pages of the book without binding or a spine) to explain fractals to the classes. Each class had great questions about fractals — they were certainly a smart group of students. After reading the book Sarah led them through a fractal activity, one that she and Julie Owen will be presenting at the Fay B Kaigler Children’s Book Festival in Hattiesburg, MS on April 10. The classes had great fun with the project, and we found that it was a great way for them to express their creativity and use their imaginations while engaging in math and science.
Sarah also showed the classes some of the different drafts of the book, starting with the very first draft (see photo above). The classes were perhaps most interested in the process of writing a book, as they just finished a unit in which they wrote their own books. Based on their fractal projects I would not be surprised if there were a few potential authors in the class!
The visit was a huge hit (according to Julie’s son, Hobson), and Sarah, Julie, and I are all grateful to Mrs. McIlwain’s class for allowing us to visit! And a huge thanks to Julie and her family for hosting Sarah and me (an even bigger thanks for the delicious meals). We certainly appreciated it!