As the head of the ELA department, I suggest to my middle school ELA teachers to post what they are reading. Because literacy includes reading, writing, listening and speaking, I started posting it like this (after seeing a similar chart on twitter by @tenilleshade):
All last year, I kept this chart going. Somewhere between the beginning of this school year and now, I’ve lapsed. This March, I will get back into this documentation of my Literacy Life. Mostly, because I want to reord that I wrote 31 times to my blog this month!! Also, my niece just started working for NPRs On Point, and I’ve started to listen to this smart reporting. I can add the movie I viewed as I flew to Amsterdam – The Woman King (WOW!) and I can post about the meetings I faciliate for speaking.
And thanks to Nic Stone, I will add Fast Pitch and Chaos Theory to the books I read this month. During my Friday’s 7th grade reading class, I read-aloud the final 3 chapters and we all enjoyed the ending! Then Saturday afternoon, I sat and read from cover to cover Chaos Theory, her newest. Nic mentioned during our assembly that the publisher like the diaolog when she pitched this book years ago, her first book to write. Yet, they didn’t think the content was right at that time. So she quickly pitched Dear Martin. They liked it and it became her first published book. Yesterday, I was hooked by the dialogue and the frequent back and worth text messages between to two main characters, both dealing with different mental illnesses. This is book I needed to read as I continue to understand the chemicals that flow through our brains and cause all to feel and act and react in certain ways.
How do you document your literacy life?
What have you read, written, viewed, listened to or spoken about recently?
NOTE: HERE is a template you could use
Writing Stories by Sally 
I am a “lapsed” or periodic literacy recorder. Often I just forget. Maybe I need to do the recording between chapters 1 and 10 because it does not happen when I finish a book unless it’s a part of #g2great. Love this post. Literacy is more than reading and writing. Bless Tenille for the format idea.
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I love your way of recording! I keep a log behind my desk, but it changes as I move from book to book, tv show to tv show. I like that you are able to see how your literacy habits develop/change over time. For example, my Goodreads shows me that I enjoy reading mysteries in the winter time…I will have to think of this for next year!
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I like this idea. I might try it first for awhile, before sharing with the teachers at my school. Thank you for also sharing about Nic Stone. I have added it to my library queue.
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I do like the chart you’ve created. If I were to create one it would have a lot of HGTV in it! But I might go back and create one for February because I listened to a lot that month. I haven’t read Chaos Theory, but I’m intrigued!
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Sally, I love the concept of documenting our literacy lives. Your chart is so impressive! I envy that people get to read for pleasure – – I so love reading for pleasure, but a lot of my job is reading for book approval on committees. This gives a fascinating glimpse into your passions and interests. I need a book chart like this. One for committee, one for pleasure.
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Sally, thanks for the challenge to record what we have read, viewed, listened to, written, and spoken. Hmmm. I’m thinking about it. I might be surprised to have to admit, my listening is not as productive as it could be–lots of MSNBC talking heads on YouTube. I like the intentionality of keeping track, and yes, you have to do one for March! I wonder if you could share more about the process you use to create the graphic. Is it a Google slide-type set up? Do you have to find the images to screenshot? Thanks!
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Denise,
It is a google slide and I search in google images for the book cover or movie ad or make a text box and add words. Here is a link and MARCH is filled in by me…I left it if you want to copy for of the images like GMAIL or TWITTER. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Nf8hou-PYvRu9TJDl9pI8NM1jnbYx9dFVmYt3Wnc4iw/edit?usp=sharing
Happy recording!
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Oh, Sally, this is so helpful. I am going to give it a try. Thank you for your generous and quick response. I did make a copy of the presentation. You are sweet!
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I remember this and am glad you are getting back into this wonderful habit. It is powerful how you include your tweets, podcasts, speaking at meetings- ALL of your literacy endeavors. And something random I really love- how it looks as if all these things are on those slim display shelves on a wall!
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