It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday. Although I was attending my first NCTE conference this week, I did get some reading done on my flights. That's what I love about traveling.

Most weeks, I join Jen and Kellee over at Teach Mentor Texts in their Monday meme. Teachers, librarians and book friends share the books that they have been reading, and it's a great way to get book titles.

Here's what I read this past week:

JANGLES by David Shannon (picture book)

• I loved this picture book, and listening to David Shannon talk about it was one of the best parts of NCTE. Thanks to Scholastic and the Children's Literature Assembly!

JULIE OF THE WOLVES by Jean Craighead George (Newbery Challenge)

• In trying to restart my Newbery Challenge, I read this book on the flight to NCTE. (It won the Newbery in 1973.) I appreciated the main character's determination and courage. The story made me think about how I would survive in such circumstances. (I would consider this a young adult novel.)

DAY-TO-DAY ASSESSMENT IN THE READING WORKSHOP by Franki Sibberson and Karen Szymusiak (professional development)

• I finished this one on the flight home. This is an excellent resource for someone using Reader's Workshop. The authors give us insight into their thinking and planning. One of the best parts is the section on read-alouds and the use of reader's responses. I highly recommend it!

This week I am off for the Thanksgiving break. I will need the time to process all that I learned at NCTE! Also, I am especially happy about the time I will have to read! (Okay, I am ECSTATIC about that.) 

What I'm reading now:
I'm currently reading PINNED (YA) by Sharon G. Flake.
Also, I'm reading Book Love by Penny Kittle (professional development).
I'm really excited to finally have this title in my hands! I bought it at NCTE.

So many great things happened at NCTE that I will have to post about them tomorrow!

What are you reading right now?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday, and it's time to join Jen and Kellee over at their blog Teach Mentor Texts in a weekly meme called "It's Monday! What Are You Reading?" It helps me stay on track with my reading during some very busy school days.

What I read this week:

MOUSETRONAUT by Mark Kelly--a cute story about a mouse in a space shuttle. Loved it!

BLUE SKY by Audrey Wood--a poetic book with variations of the title

UNGIFTED by Gordon Korman

This book is about a boy who gets admitted into a school for gifted students by mistake (as he tries to hide from a certain mishap he caused at his own school). Donovan tends to get in trouble a lot. So, it's a surprise to him when he gets admitted into the program. He meets with a group of very gifted and interesting students, and as he helps them with a robotics competition, he turns their world upside down and learns a lot about himself. Things are just as interesting at home! I laughed out loud in many places in this book. I enjoyed reading this book. (I won't be putting this in my 4th grade library as I think it's more appropriate for older students--perhaps older than 5th grade.)


What I'm reading now:

I'm reading DAY TO DAY ASSESSMENT IN THE READING WORKSHOP by Franki Sibberson and Karen Szymuziak. This book has already helped with my Reader's Workshop and I am so glad I bought it. I'm reading it cover to cover. I highly recommend it.

My reading this week was light, but I'm glad I managed to read a chapter book. Now I'm ONLY 103 books away from my year's goal of 600. 

This week involves some traveling, so I know I will have reading time on the plane!

What did YOU read this week?

The Power of a Read Aloud

As a teacher, read-aloud time is so important. I don't use it like I did when I first started teaching years (YEARS) ago. Now it is an essential part of my Reader's Workshop, and it's wonderful for teaching so many things.

Today we started HOW TO STEAL A DOG by Barbara O' Connor.

I reread this book this past summer with intentions of searching for a good read-aloud for the year. This summer I thought a lot about this. After all, a read-aloud has to do so many things:

1.) It should be an example of great writing.

2.) It should be engaging and exciting.

3.) It should have characters the students will believe in!

4.) It should have the potential to provoke rich discussions!

I find that I don't use the same read-alouds every year. So many new and good books are being published! And if a book is new or one I've not read-aloud several times, then maybe I won't influence my students with my own thinking of the book. No matter how old the book is, if it meets the above requirements, I will choose it.
(I've also read this in my professional development books.)

We are only in the first 12 pages of the book, but my students are noticing the wonderful phrases, commenting on Luanne and Georgina's friendship, and wondering about everything else, too. I know that this shared experience with a common text will serve us well for future connections & conversations. After reading aloud from THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN, my students still connect & compare events & elements to current topics. It is evident that that each student has held on to a part of the book for future learning. Read-alouds have such potential to teach story elements & model thinking. What are your favorite chapter book read-alouds?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday and that means it's time for me to join Jen and Kellee over at Teach Mentor Texts in their weekly meme. We blog about books we read over the week, and there are always some wonderful titles shared.

Here's what I read this week:

 

Endangered by Eliot Schrefer

Tribes by Seth Godin

Pete the Cat Saves Christmas by Eric Litwin

Moving Day by Robert Kalan

The Chicken Problem by Jennifer Oxley and Billy Aronson

 

Endangered is an intense and thrilling YA novel about a teen in the Congo who does whatever she can to save herself and the bonobo she is caring for. The country is war-torn and she must survive against every obstacle. Exciting! (Not for my classroom library, though!)

 

Tribes is a good book about innovation and leadership and how they work together. Seth Godin's book is a quick read and very insightful.

 

The rest of the books are picture books. Pete the Cat's latest book is fun as always! But my favorite is The Chicken Problem (which involves chickens, pie, and math). I highly recommend it! My students loved it.

 

What I'm reading now:

 

The Red Pyramid: The Graphic Novel (which is EXCELLENT).

Ungifted by Gordon Korman (Just started this one).

Day-to-Day Assessment in the Reading Workshop by Franki Sibberson and Karen Szymusiak (A GREAT book for those of us who use Reader's Workshop. Lots of practical ideas!)

 

I'm proud of how much I read this week. I hope I can keep it up. I'm 187 books away from my yearly goal. Can I do it?

 

Setting the goal of 600 books back on January 1st was a key moment in my reading life. That is the highest goal I've ever had, and the first time I set one for a full year. I realized that because of that goal, I've stayed focused. I've been quick to remember to bring a book with me wherever I go, and on slow reading weeks, I always re-evaluated and caught up. Even with grad school, I'm determined to keep up my reading. It's not easy, but it's possible.

 

Reading goals help my students, too. We set these goals together sometimes, but now they are learning to set their own.

 

What are YOU reading this week? Do you set reading goals?

 

 

 

 

 

Creativity: The Four Cs & My Own Practice

In our classroom yesterday, as part of NaNoWriMoYWP (National Novel Writing Month), we had a great class discussion on the topic of creativity. I asked my students about what it meant to them and here's what they said:

• "It brainstorming."
• "It's about coming up with things no one has thought of."
• "It's about getting ideas."
• "It means solving a problem in a new way."
• "I think it means doing different things."
• "It means thinking of something on my own."
• "It means using your imagination."

Our campus is focusing on the Four Cs: creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. So this topic is timely. And while we were discussing it as it applies to writing a novel (which requries a lot of creativity), it could also apply to teaching and my own practice.

Brainstorming: How often do we (as teachers) brainstorm? We ask our students to do it a lot. When I give myself quiet time to think through topics, I can come up with the best ideas for my own work.

Coming up with things no one has thought of: I'm contemplating this in many areas, but right now, what I am working to do is devise new ways to reach my students and meet their needs.

Doing different things: I'm seeing myself as an instructional designer. That applies to the environment in my classroom, too. I can't always do what has always been done! It's time for innovation.

Using imagination: How can I see past the status quo and instead see the possibility? I want to see through the impossibility of a situation and work towards the "what if". That doesn't always mean using technology. That might just mean asking a question in a different way.

I started the discussion hoping my students would be better equipped to write novels. I'm confident I accomplished that. (They each started writing and planning out their plots, characters, etc.) But in the process, I also showed myself a little something.

Now, I've got to keep on working towards it.

Save Some Space

The days at school go by so quickly. So many things happening! There are so many tasks that fill my day. But I've learned that I need to keep room in my schedule for those unexpected moments that make me pause and smile.

Example #1:
This week, a former student walked up to me in the hallway and said she had to share something with me.

She said she'd finally found her best reading time at home: half an hour before bedtime. She went on to tell me how calming it felt to read and then sleep. This was after school, in the busy hallway, as kids were going home.

I wasn't expecting this great moment to happen.

Example #2:

At recess one day, four students came to tell me that they were starting a book club. They asked me for a book recommendation. I gave them one, and then the next day, they'd formed a plan on how to get enough copies of the book. They would get one copy at the public library, one from the school library (interlibrary loan), and one from me. According to my math, they needed one more.

I happily told them I'd get them another copy. They walked away, happy as could be!

These moments were sweet and unexpected. As I experienced each one, I thought about what a privilege it was for me to be a part of them. They all were made possible by books---and my unwavering resolve to share good books with young readers.

My days are still filled, but there's always space for an unexpected moment.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

On Monday, I join up with Jen and Kellee over at Teach Mentor Texts where we talk about what we've been reading for the past week. Teachers and librarians read a lot!

This week, I hit two milestones in my reading:

• I reach my goal marker of 400 books for the year. I'm more than halfway towards my calendar year goal of 600 books.
• I FINALLY finished Divergent.  (DIVERGENT is an exciting, well-written YA novel. I only had trouble finishing it because I stopped a lot to read middle grades and picture books.) By the way, this is NOT for my --or any-- elementary library!

What I read (besides DIVERGENT):

After reading some picture books this week, I am picking out two of the best. Not surprisingly, they are BOTH by Eve Bunting.

• GHOST's HOUR, SPOOK's HOUR: A really wonderful picture book about a boy who talks his way through a scary night with the help of his dog and finds comfort with his parents.
• DANDELIONS: Another great picture book! This one is told from the point of view of a young girl whose family is off to blaze the pioneer trail and start a new life.

What I'm reading now:

I'm reading JUNIPER BERRY by M.P. Kozlowsky now. It's a good middle grade book, but I'll write more about it when I'm finished!

What I'm rereading:

My students and I are participating in the Global Read Aloud of 2012. Our book is THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN by Katherine Applegate. As I read this aloud to my class, I'm appreciating its goodness all over again. My students are hooked on this book, and they want me to read it all the time! One of the things I've noticed is that I don't need to write/develop any discussion questions for our reading. My students bring up some great observations that send us off on terrific discussions. As is often the case, the students develop much better questions than I could have ever written. It's the very same thing that happened with THIS IS NOT MY HAT (see previous post).

What I WILL read this week:

My plan is to delve into THE RAVEN BOYS (also YA) since I started it this summer. But as is the case with my reading preferences, I never know where the week will take me.

What are you reading this week?