It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday, so I'm joining Jen and Kellee over at Teach Mentor Texts to discuss what we are reading this week!

This week I read the following books:

Seasons by Blexbolex

My school library had this one.
This was a really unique picture book. The illustrations are vivid and clean. Most pages each have one word printed across the top:

Some pages have one word across two pages.

I think the pages can inspire some good discussions. How do the pages go together? Do the pages connect to tell a story? These are some of the questions I will ask when I share the book with my class.
I had fun trying to figure it out. I don't think it's a perfect book, but it's not like any book I've seen before.

Marty McGuire Digs Worms! by Kate Messner

This is a nice chapter book great for 2nd-4th grades. It's the 2nd in the series, and tells about Marty, a third grader who loves to explore and learn. Her class is participating in a contest and Marty's entry project provides her with challenges and lots of opportunities for fun. I loved the project time her class had, and as a teacher, I could appreciate the goings-on in this classroom. I'm purchased this copy and I'm adding it to our classroom library!


I am also reading Opening Minds by Peter H. Johnston.
It's a book about the language we use in classrooms. The dialogue between student and teacher is essential to learning. I haven't finished the book, but it's really made an impact on my teaching already. If I choose my words carefully, my students will think more deeply. I can even craft discussions where I am a participant, but not the leader. This is something I have already seen in my classroom. I would love to learn how to sustain this.



I also read Breaking Stalin's Nose by Euguen Yelchin. It was a Newbery 2012 Honor Book. I've been meaning to read this for a while. I gave it 5 stars on Goodreads and I will be sure to blog about this one in a future post.



I also read BOY + BOT by Ame Dyckman (review coming soon). I loved this book!

At some point, I've got to get back to the Nerdbery Challenge. There just have been so many books I've been wanting to read! Perhaps summer will be the time to get back to it!