I love sharing book recommendations with students. I get so excited when I find a new book and I think about which particular would connect best with it. Sometimes they’re not excited as I am, but I do think they appreciate the idea that I thought of them specifically for it. I’ve started putting togetherContinue reading “If you like….”
Tag Archives: novels
Martin Luther King Jr.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.“ -Martin Luther King Jr. In the past, I always took this day for granted; I never resonated with the importance and sanctity of it. As a kid, I ignorantly appreciated it because it was aContinue reading “Martin Luther King Jr.”
If you liked Wonder…
Wonder is an incredible book for any grade level; the conversations that start happening while reading the book are so rich and engaging. Plus, the movie also happens to have an all-star cast and would be a great way to celebrate the end of the read aloud! Oftentimes teacher use Wonder as a read aloudContinue reading “If you liked Wonder…”
5 Books I’m Thankful For…
Every once in a while I read a book that stays with me long after I finish it. The characters’ journeys stay with me and I feel thankful to that author for writing such an incredibly powerful story. As we’re all giving thanks this season, I’m especially thankful for these 5 books. They’ve all stayedContinue reading “5 Books I’m Thankful For…”
Spooky Middle Grade Novels
Middle grade novels are my favorite! I’ve blogged about this before so it’s not a surprise. The length is perfect and they’re always so well written. One of my favorite things though, is just how many different genres there are for our intermediate readers! My favorite is historical fiction, but every once in a while,Continue reading “Spooky Middle Grade Novels”
Back to Basics: 6 Reading Strategies
Our new way of teaching has us going back to basics in a lot of ways. Lessons we used to teach in the classroom are now taking twice as long through a screen. In addition to building relationships with students through Zoom, answering constant emails, and keeping a pulse on our mental health, teachers areContinue reading “Back to Basics: 6 Reading Strategies”
Remembering 9/11
I was in the high school commons laughing about something stupid at a table with my friends. We didn’t have a care in the world and we were just waiting until the last possible second before we had to get to our next class. All of a sudden, we heard our principal over the intercomContinue reading “Remembering 9/11”
Cover Annotations
So often I think we as teachers are quick to skip past the cover art of a new book. We’re usually so excited to get into the story with our students that we just dive right in. Unfortunately, by doing that we’re missing an amazing opportunity to allow students to interact with the text beforeContinue reading “Cover Annotations”
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”
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”
Windy City Literacy 