FableVision Learning Spotlight Blog
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Oak Lawn Middle Schoolers Create Digital Picture Books to Share Messages of Peter H. Reynolds
The following blog post was written by Tyler Stott, an intern at FableVision Learning.
Students from Oak Lawn Middle School create a painting activity for the book Sky Color.
At Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School in Oak Lawn, Illinois community service is at the center of everything they do.
Heather McCarthy, a media specialist at the school works with over 1,100 middle school students and shares, “My library centers around empathy, inclusion, and service learning…Throughout the years, they have raised over $50,000 for clean water projects in Africa, have packaged over 250,000 meals for families in need, and host an annual walkathon to raise money for pediatric cancer patients. We even host a ‘Day of Service’ where the entire school spends the whole day completing community service projects. “
This passion for helping others didn’t slow down during the pandemic. McCarthy and her students kicked into high gear. As recipients of a Hershey's Heartwarming Action Grant, McCarthy and her students got to work creating interactive story books using the stories and messages of their favorite author Peter H. Reynolds. These books were then donated for children at Child Life at Hope Children’s Hospital.
“Peter H. Reynolds is one of our favorite authors since his books and illustrations encompass the themes of resilience, bravery, confidence, patience, and individuality,” McCarthy shared. “These are all qualities our middle school students strive for. We use Peter H. Reynolds’s books for our SEL work, STEM projects, and to read for enjoyment. When we wanted to send picture books over to the children’s hospital, we knew Peter’s books would be the perfect fit.”
For this project, students selected books by Peter H. Reynolds, and filmed a reading of the book and a video of a project. By adding QR codes to each book, recipients could follow along from anywhere.
We recently connected with McCarthy and her students to learn more about the project and school. Read on to learn more.
Abby Murphy reads Our Table
Your students created interactive story books for children in the hospital, how did that journey begin?
McCarthy: “The idea for this project came about when we were remote learning. We had a classmate whose little sister was in need of a heart transplant. The class of students really bonded over this experience. They showed great empathy and love for their classmate and her sister. We decided that as soon as we were back at school in person, we would put together a project to support the local children’s hospital. When we saw the Hershey’s Heartwarming Grant, everything fell into place.”
What has the response been from these children and their families when they were given the books, videos, and podcasts?
Angel Swiatek and Sophia Falcon read The Dot
McCarthy: “We delivered the books to the staff of Child Life at Hope Children’s Hospital. Then they chose which patients would receive our books. They reported the patients absolutely loving the books, videos, and projects. Many of the children watched the videos over and over again. The parents and families were grateful that there were children outside of the hospital thinking about their child in the hospital.”
What has been your favorite part about this project?
McCarthy: “I love that this entire project was student led. The students came up with the idea, collaborated together, and did all the creating, filming, and editing. This project really showcases the power of allowing student voice and choice. I believe when you give students the freedom to design their own thinking, they can come up with amazing ideas. I loved how this project highlighted how empathic, kind, and caring our students are.”
Isabel Bello, a 7th grade student at OLHMS: “My favorite part of this process was the filming. Me and my friends were all able to collaborate with each other and filming together. I also loved that it was for a good cause. It was amazing!”
Selena Garza Prieto, a 7th grader at OLHMS: “My favorite part of this process was imagining the smiles on the kids' faces as they listened to our videos of us reading to them.”
ZZ Cabanas and Selena Garcia create a STEM project to go with the book Going Places.
What advice would you give to other students wanting to do a similar project?
Sophia Falcon, a 7th grader at OLHMS: “If you want to do this, I would recommend talking to someone that could help you and pitching the idea to them. For example, maybe you should talk to your principal, librarian, or even someone on the school board. They could help you with getting together the community, and help you get the things you need to do something like this.”
Isabel Bello: “Whoever wants to get involved in this, if you're doing this for the "fame" don't. I was doing this only out of good spirit. All the attention this project has received was never the original intention. It was all done out of the kindness of our hearts.”
Angel Swiatek, a 7th grader at OLHMS: “If someone wanted to do this in their community or school I would tell them to have fun with it and to express themselves in any way they want. They should feel free to be open to enjoying this experience knowing how others will benefit.”
Selena Garza Prieto: “My advice to others working on a project like this would be - Don’t be nervous while you're reading. Instead just think of the smiles you are giving to kids who need an extra smile right now.”
Principal Dr. Sean McNichols, Aidan Zak, Kendall Phipps, and Grady Gilhooly do the Cow Pose for guided meditation and yoga for I Am Love.
What is your favorite Peter H. Reynolds book?
Angel Swiatek: “My favorite book by Peter H. Reynolds was 'The Dot' because to me the book was teaching about no matter what you think you can't do, you can always do it and it's a way to express yourself.”
Selena Garza Prieto: “My Favorite book by Peter H. Reynolds is ‘The North Star’. I enjoyed reading this book with my best friends because it really shows you that you experience difficulties but you should never let it pull you away from following your own path to happiness.”
What’s next?
McCarthy: “Our school motto is, ‘Create a dream; make it a reality.’ The students of OLHMS know that in the library, anything is possible. We strive to make the world a better place through our community service, creativity, and empathy. If they have an idea, we will do everything we can to help them bring their ideas to life. April 29th is our Day of Service and we will host our annual walkathon for Live Like Abby to raise money for pediatric cancer patients in May.”
Happy International Dot Day!
We are wishing you the best this Dot Day! Thank you for celebrating creativity and bravery with your students. Continue inspiring them to make their mark. Click below to watch Peter make his mark for you this Dot Day!
Enjoy the newest resource for Dot Day! Keep your place while reading The Dot and other books with bookmarks. Click below to download your Dot Day bookmarks today!
March is Creativity Month!
March is here! We are happy to re-release one of our popular classroom posters: March is Creativity Month. You'll find great tips for celebrating creativity month. Our lead ambassador (and dear educator friend) Terry Shay wrote the tips, while Peter H. Reynolds provided the illustrations. Keep in mind — you can take these tips and apply them to celebrate creativity in ANY month!
March (2014) is creativity month!
New Poster from Peter H. Reynolds — Let's Share This Wonderful Message All Year Long
We encourage you to print this beautiful new poster by Peter H. Reynolds and hang it on your wall to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. and his powerful message all year long. Wishing you all an amazing Martin Luther King Day!
New Peter H. Reynolds Poster! Creativity, Courage, Collaboration
As a special thanks to all the amazing educators who joined us in celebrating International Dot Day this year — and to ALL the creative, courageous, and collaborative educators moving the world to a better place — Peter H. Reynolds, the Reynolds Center for Teaching Learning, and Creativity, and FableVision Learning are happy to offer this new downloadable poster.
Enjoy! Please let us know how you inspire students to develop these essential 21st Century skills in your classroom.
International Dot Day Website, Posters, and Certificate!
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...
¡Estamos Celebrando el Día del Punto Todo el Año!
Here are two more - an English poster and a Spanish poster to celebrate getting ready for Dot Day 2013:
Here's another new 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!
Or maybe you plan to celebrate on September 16th? We've got a English poster and a Spanish poster for that too!
Download this certificate of participation that Peter designed for educators, students, and all other creative individuals who are making their mark:
If you want to help spread the word about Dot Day, please feel free to also download this poster by Peter H. Reynolds:
Many schools are also celebrating on September 14th, during the school week. If your school is celebrating on the 14th, Peter whipped up another poster for you! Enjoy:
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.)
New Peter H. Reynolds Poster! Celebrate Digital Learning Day on February 6, 2013
On February 6th, we invite you to join us in celebrating Digital Learning Day, a national celebration of teachers that shines a spotlight on successful instructional technology practice in the classroom.
In honor of this spectacular day, and to applaud the powerful impact digital learning can have on students' lives, Peter H. Reynolds created this fun downloadable poster:
Spread the word about Digital Learning Day by proudly displaying this printable poster on your classroom wall, and encourage your colleagues and students to join in the fun!
Visit the official Digital Learning Day website to learn more and sign up today.
Writing Tips from Peter H. Reynolds: "Finding the Words That Feel Write"
Do you sometimes feel "stuck" when it comes to writing? Download a PDF of this article by New York Times best-selling illustrator and author Peter H. Reynolds — he offers great advice on "finding the words that feel write" and reclaiming the joy of writing just for oneself.
Peter H. Reynolds' 8 Tips for Inspiring Students to Write, New Poster, & Other Creative Resources
In honor of National Poetry Month, we decided to post some helpful writing resources for you! Be sure to comment below and let us know how you're inspiring your students to write — we love hearing what creative educators are doing in the classroom.
Peter H. Reynolds' 8 Tips for Inspiring Students to Write
Celebrate-writing
In his post "The Brave Heart: Protecting the Passion, Keeping Wings Outstretched for a Daring Journey," NY Times best-selling author/illustrator Peter H. Reynolds discusses how the pressure to write "correctly" can cause many beginning writers to pack up their creative wings. Encourage your students to write with wings outstretched! Here are a few quick tips from Peter to inspire bravery in your students.
Step off the path and write with your wings outstretched. Break a rule or two as you go.
Don't let a jumbled thought stop you — plant it and keep going.
Don't let a misspelled word slow you down. Go back and attend to it later.
Listen to your inner voice and transcribe what you hear without trying to edit it.
Try writing for yourself. Not for your audience. Try to ignore the critics' voices you may hear.
Invent a word.
Skip punctuation or invent your own ...__...> and see what it feels like.
Borrow an idea from your favorite author and twist it a few times. Turn it inside out. Make it your own!
Download this guyku (haiku) poster by Peter H. Reynolds for free, now through May 9, 2012. Enjoy!
peter_poster_wild_room
What do you do to encourage your students to write? Let us know!
New Posters from Peter H. Reynolds
Welcome your students back to the classroom with a new poster decorating the walls. Start your class on a creative thinking journey with these tips from Peter H. Reynolds on living with purpose. Choose from two options or hang up both!
New Poster: Think Outside the Box!
Learning to think independently is an essential skill of all creative learners. Inspire your students to be original by hanging this beautiful poster by Peter H. Reynolds in your classroom!
NEW Animation-ish Tutorial & Challenge!
Peter H. Reynolds’ 7th grade teacher inspired him to animate math concepts. Show your students how to animate what they are learning as well!
The Challenge :
Peter H. Reynolds’ 7th grade teacher inspired him to animate math concepts, and your students can animate what they are learning as well. Motivate your students to combine the art of animation with any concept they have been learning in class. We can't wait to see what they come up with, and we'll publish a selection of outstanding entries in an upcoming blog post!
How to do it :
New to animation? No problem! We’ve collected some quick, simple resources to turn you into a pro in no time.1. First, watch this video tutorial to get an overview of Animation-ish.2. Then visit our website to download your free software trial.3. Lastly, refer to this simple quick start guide as you explore the program.
Submission Information:
When your students have completed their animation, you may email the Animation-ish file to us, or use a program like YouSendIt if the file is too large to email. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions! If you added music or titles, please send us a QuickTime movie. Be sure to follow all student privacy and parental permission guidelines as specified by your school. In your submission for each student, please include:
- Your school name and state (and country, if outside the U.S.)
- The student's first name and grade level