Author Archives: Liz Janusz

Post-It Chart Paper Comparison

I know, I know….most of you are rolling your eyes as you read that title, and probably at the whole idea of this post. But, for the rest of you crazies like me, this is probably something you’re excited about! I know who you are…. Also, let’s be honest, we can all use a littleContinue reading “Post-It Chart Paper Comparison”

Hashtag Reading Responses

Reading response journals, notebooks, and prompts have been around for as long as I can remember. For those of you that may not know what I mean….students read a piece of text and then are either assigned, or get to choose, a prompt to respond to about their reading. For the most part, I’m aContinue reading “Hashtag Reading Responses”

Classroom Library Diversity

Imagine for a minute…..you’re a 6 year old black student, so excited to finally get back into school since being out since March! You’re eager to get your hands on books again since you didn’t have access to any of your own at home. You finally walk up to the classroom library in your newContinue reading “Classroom Library Diversity”

First Chapter Fridays

Over the past school year I’ve been trying to come up with new and fun ways to engage our students in different types of books. I’ve learned that third through fifth graders can either fall into two different stages as a reader: excited to read as many books as they can OR won’t even pickContinue reading “First Chapter Fridays”

Getting Ready for Kindergarten

My oldest is starting full day kindergarten this year and I’ve been waiting for this moment since he was born; I know that sounds crazy. Most parents usually look forward to other milestones, and dread when their kids start “real” school, but as a public school employee and advocate, I am so excited for hisContinue reading “Getting Ready for Kindergarten”

Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco

Thank You, Mr. Falker, Chicken Sunday, Pink and Say, and my very favorite, Thunder Cake. Patricia Polacco remains one of my very favorite children’s authors. Her books are written with so much emotion and feeling, and are based off of her own experiences growing up. Thunder Cake is my favorite book to read aloud toContinue reading “Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco”

Tips for Setting Up Your Classroom Library

Just like the kitchen is the heart of your home, the library should be the heart of your classroom. When I sat down to write this post, I really had to rein myself in. Classroom libraries are one of those topics that I could talk for hours about: how to acquire books, how to organizeContinue reading “Tips for Setting Up Your Classroom Library”

Informational Text Raffles!

As I’m writing this, I’m realizing this is my third post about something I did in my LRC. I promise I actually do things in my building that require me to actually leave the LRC!! Over the past couple years, I’ve been wanting to build more engagement for our students while they visit the LRCContinue reading “Informational Text Raffles!”

2 Quick Reading Strategies

I just wanted to bop on here and share two of my very favorite reading strategies to use with our students. You could easily use these either of these strategies for different standards, and can be utilized with a wide variety of genres. Because of how versatile these two strategies are, students can use theseContinue reading “2 Quick Reading Strategies”