When you remember your favorite school experience, what comes to mind first? Many of you probably think about Charlotte’s Web or Ramona the Pest or Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing—and the times you gathered at your teacher’s feet right after lunch and listened with rapt attention as she read aloud. The feelings of warmth […]
Louis Sachar, the beloved author of Holes , has made his way into my third-grade classroom courtesy of Sideways Stories from Wayside School and solidified his place among my students’ favorite authors. Sideways Stories from Wayside School had been boxed up, sitting in a corner of my classroom closet for over two years, until I […]
While I’m sure many of us can name several authors who have written a handful of wonderful books that kids love to read—and let’s be honest, we love to read too—this month we decided to round up a list of 10 authors who are perfect for author studies because they have a great presence on […]
In my early years of teaching, I loved the weeks we set aside to do author studies. It was an opportunity to share lots of books by my favorite authors. We charted story elements and compared texts, voted for and graphed our favorite books and read about the author’s life through books and videos. We […]
While the idea of teaching with an integrated curriculum has been long-embraced by literacy educators and is anything but innovative, it has primarily been connected to content areas such as science, social studies and mathematics. Extending this content integration to all areas of fitness (physical, nutritional, social, and emotional) is innovating for reading educators. In […]
This post is an excerpt from literacy expert Kelly Gallagher’s new book In the Best Interest of Students.
Despite the Common Core’s emphasis on argumentative and informational reading and writing, I remain hopeful that teachers find time in their curricula to ensure students do a lot of reading and writing of poetry. Often, I weave poems […]
The first thing I do when I arrive at the office each morning is sit down with my notebook to map out a game plan for the day or reference insights, thoughts and ideas to explore. My current notebook holds a list of publications and artwork that helped inspire the new look and feel of […]
By Holly Mueller, Fifth and Sixth Grade Teacher
Memoir has always been one of my favorite genres to read and write, but it is not always an easy genre for young students to grasp. Its reflective nuances and deeper themes require more thought than the personal narrative. A memoir is not just a recounting of an […]
Using the same read alouds each school year can cause a good book to go stale for both the audience and the reader. Shake up your read-aloud routine with these five new favorites. Each title offers something a bit different while still staying within the boundaries of a familiar plot-line: an unusual format paired with […]
We found so many great titles for reading aloud, we couldn’t help but share some of our favorites.
The Pigeon Needs a Bath! (Grades P-K)
Shh! We Have a Plan (Grades P-1)
Baby Bear (Grades P-3)
Julia’s House for Lost Creatures (Grades P-2)
Chu’s First Day of School (Grades P-1)
Little Green Peas (Grades P-3)
Dream Big: Michael Jordan and the Pursuit […]
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