In the past, I’ve written a #SibertSmackdown Wrap-up post with tidbits from some of the
classes and schools who participated. But this year, I decided to invite teachers
to share a reflection of their class’s experience. It was a great decision.
It’s
exciting to find out exactly how educators integrated the activity into their
curriculum and how they modified my suggestions to meet the specific needs of
their students. Today’s post
comes from fourth grade teacher Kate Narita. Thanks so much for sharing, Kate!
When my fourth-grade class returned to school in January, we
jumped into the Sibert Smackdown. We swapped out two of Melissa’s picks for
different titles. I wanted to be sure to include one of Melissa’s fabulous
books from 2021.
Since I already had a few books about beaks in my classroom, I
swapped out The Beak Book by Robin Page for
Melissa’s Fourteen Monkeys. As it
turns out, I should have picked Melissa’s Summertime Sleepers instead
because it won a Sibert Honor. But one of the attractive aspects about Fourteen
Monkeys, is the simple, accessible couplets on each page. I wanted to have
at least one book in the classroom with main text that everyone could read
without scaffolding.
In addition, I swapped out Unbound: The Life and Art
of Judith Scott by Joyce Scott for a book
I knew would appeal to my students’ sense of humor, Battle of the Butts by Jocelyn Rish. We
already had The People’s Painter, which is
about an artist, so since Unbound is also about an artist, I
figured it would be a good one to swap out. But I should have done my research
because I didn’t take the time to find out that Judith Scott had Down Syndrome.
Since I have a student who has a sibling with Down Syndrome, this would have
been a very impactful book for my class. Luckily, there’s still plenty of time
for me to bring Unbound into the classroom before the school year ends.
Our Sibert Smackdown took place over four weeks. Students had a checklist with all
twelve titles to mark off as they read each book and six copies of Melissa’s simplified checklist of the
criteria for the Sibert Award. In the back of the room, I had a basket full of
two-to-three copies of each book. In pairs, students read two titles to one
another and compared them using a simplified checklist. By the end of
one-to-two weeks, they had read all twelve titles and completed the simplified
checklists.
Then it came time for students to write a persuasive essay about
which title should win the Sibert Medal. Each student wrote their top three
choices on a piece of paper and compared their choices with their partner’s
picks. Together, they agreed upon a title.
After drafting a thesis statement and a hook, students wrote their
body paragraphs and conclusion over the next one-to-two weeks. By the end of
our Sibert Smackdown, we had nine compelling essays about
which titles should win and why they deserved the award. In addition to
developing writing skills, the activity provided students with an opportunity
to compromise, communicate, and collaborate with one another—essential skills
for success in and out of the classroom.
After everyone completed their essays, students presented their
work to their classmates and took home a sunflower to celebrate their success.
At the end of the school day, we share a rose and a thorn from our
day. One student identified his Sibert presentation as his rose and stated he
felt proud and accomplished. But I wanted feedback from more than one student.
Ever since reading Pernille Ripp’s Passionate Readers this fall,
I’ve been collecting my students’ feedback on Google forms. I asked them
whether or not they enjoyed reading the Sibert Smackdown books. Students listed
many reasons why they enjoyed reading the books such as reading books they
wouldn’t choose on their own, enjoying humorous texts, and learning facts about
people and animals. One student reflected, “I never knew humans evolved from
fish!”
Students also appreciated writing their essays with their
partners. One student wrote, “My partner was hopeful, filled to the rim with
joy, and made me feel good when I made mistakes.”
Another student wrote, “Whenever we finished a sentence or two, we
felt grateful, and when we finished a paragraph, we felt really proud.”
One student enjoyed the process so much, she reviewed Out of the Blue on her own
time in one of our greenbelt writing class
notebooks that goes home with a different student each week.
Overall, the Sibert Smackdown was a smashing success among my
students. And my fourth-grade teammates, who joined me for the first time this
year, had similar feelings. One colleague stated that she would do the Sibert
Smackdown again because the kids worked well together, were invested in their
writing, learned a lot, and loved it. We can’t wait for the 2023 Sibert
Smackdown.
Kate Narita
teaches fourth grade at The Center School in Stow, Massachusetts. She’s also
the author of 100 Bugs! A Counting Book and
hosts the podcast Chalk + Ink: The Podcast for Teachers Who Write and Writers
Who Teach. When she’s not teaching, writing, or podcasting, you can
catch her and her handsome hound, Buck, running or hiking on Mount Wachusett.
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2 Responses
Kate,
What an informative post. I want to be a 4th grader in your classroom. Thanks for showing us how you successfully engaged your students.
Great to hear about the students' involvement, and their pride in meeting and mastering the challenges–all while have fun! Bravo to each child–and a bravo for their teacher, too!