SoL Reflecting on this School Year 6.10.14

Slice of Life is a weekly event hosted by Two Writing Teachers.

Grow.  Encourage.  Learn.

We did.

Myself:
- I grew as a coach.  I grew as a reader.  I grew as a professional.
- I encouraged kids and teachers to read, to think about reading, and to talk about books.
- I learned that not everyone is going to come around to new thinking.  I learned everybody learns at a different pace.  I learned to appreciate what does happen.

I worked with the 1st and 4th grade teams this year.

The 4th grade team:
- They grew as leaders.  They grew as readers for their students to follow.
- They encouraged conversation and critical thinking.
- They learned how to challenge, encourage and moderate, not always lead.

The 1st grade team:
- They grew as thinkers.  They started to become wild readers.
- They encouraged their students to ask and think and converse.
- They learned how to start tying reading and writing together.

There is always much to do, but for now I will celebrate, relax and think where to go next.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 6.09.14

This weekly post comes from Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers.  It's a great source to find new books to use with your students.

Whoo-hoo!  It's officially summertime for me!  I was able to start #bookaday (wow, and what a start that has been, right??) although not as fast as I wanted.  It seems that there is always something else I need to do before I get to sit and read.  I'm thinking today may be a good sit down and read day - watch out next Monday's post!  Here's what I got to this week:

Picture Books


Pigsticks and Harold and the Incredible Journey by Alex Milway
4/5 stars
Great beginning reader, in a chapter format.  Pigsticks is the strong and brave, yet clueless in the how to be a friend department character.  Harold is the smarter and kinder sidekick.  Not as clever as Elephant and Piggie, but I think fans of E&P will like this book.  Fun illustrations.


Zen Ghosts by Jon J Muth
3/5 stars
Not my favorite in the Zen series.  The story that Stillwater tells is a koan, "a story that Zen students sometimes contemplate in their efforts for enlightenment."  I think the story will go right over the heads of young readers.  Upon reading the Author's Note, I think older students could ponder the story for a longer time and keep it in their heads longer.  It would lead to an interesting conversation!


Rules of Summer by Shaun Tan
2/5 stars
I know, I'm pretty much the only one out there that doesn't like… doesn't get this book.  When I pick up a picture book, I want to understand the point it's trying to make.  I love picture books that make me think and I return to it more than once, but this one I just didn't get.  I read it when it first came out and didn't get it.  I picked it up again after reading numerous reviews explaining it.  I picked it up because everyone was raving over the brilliancy of it.  Apparently my brain is done working for the year because it just didn't work for me.  I'm not afraid to admit it.  I think it's ok to have differing opinions.
But, with that said, I do think this book has a place in the classroom, especially for those in an older grade (that for me is 4th and above).  I think you could use it for inferring.  Because of the simple text, there is a lot missing between the illustrations and the words.  I think students would have a great conversation discussing the picture and the rule and what is not being said.  After reading the book in its entirety, have students discuss - is there a message in this book?  The book could be used as a mentor text for writing - students could make up a set of rules for something and then interpret them in their own way.  And after all of that is done, just go back and look through the illustrations and admire.  Even if I don't admire the book, I do appreciate the beautiful illustrations Tan has created.
Travis Jonker wrote a review of Rules this week, and it was the first time I felt like someone else got it.  While Jonker does praise the book, he too was confused and said what he finally figured out was this book does not read like your normal picture book does - straightforward and to the point.  Which is what I wanted it to do.  I needed there to at least be an explanation to these rules and the weird illustrations, but there wasn't one.  Here's the review


The Troublemaker by Lauren Castillo
5/5 stars
I love this book!  Easy text, lovely illustrations and a great story.  What a winner!  I can't wait to use this book with young kids to show them how your thinking changes as you read.  When you start the book, you think the "troublemaker" is the little boy, especially since he appears to be up to no good as he sneaks away his sister's toy.  Or is he the troublemaker??  My favorite picture book of the week!


Extraordinary Jane by Hannah E. Harrison
5/5 stars
I had heard great things about this book, and it did not disappoint.  Everyone in Jane's family can do something extraordinary except for Jane.  But this sweet little dog ends up having a special talent that surprises even her.  Beautiful illustrations.  Easy text.


Gaston by Kelly DiPucchio
4/5 stars
Love this story about what makes up a modern family!


My New Friend is So Fun! by Mo Willems
4/5 stars
There has yet to be an E&P book that doesn't make me laugh!  This one was no exception.  And I love how crazy Gerald gets when he's upset!  So silly!


Hooray for Hat! by Brian Won
5/5 stars
Love this story about the grumpy animals.  After receiving a special, and what seems to be customized, hat, the grumpy animal celebrates and joyfully wears the hat before going off to give another grumpy animal a hat.  Great for teaching central message/lesson.

Geisel Challenge
I started this challenge back in March when Mr. Schu and Mr. Sharp announced it.  I've really enjoyed going back and reading these books, since so many of them I had missed.  I know a lot more series for young readers that I can suggest.  How wonderful!
I read these books to finish off the challenge:


Let's Go For a Drive! by Mo Willems
This is up there for my favorite Elephant and Piggie book!


I Broke My Trunk! by Mo Willems


See Me Run by Paul Meisel


Adult Reading


The One and Only by Emily Giffin
4/5 stars
I think a good author can take an uncomfortable situation and write it well to make it understandable to the reader.  That's what Emily Giffin did for me in this book.  The main character, Shea, while likable, has a HUGE crush on her best friend's dad.  I'm thinking kind of strange.  But to make it worse, his wife, Shea's best friend's mom, just died.  To me, that sounds like a stupid plot.  But Giffin makes it work.  I enjoyed this book, I liked returning to it.  


Continuing to Read


Circa Now by Amber McRee Turner
This book is fantastic.  I'm really enjoying it.


Readers Front and Center by Dorothy Barnhouse

Summary:
Don't miss - Pigsticks & Harold, The Troublemaker, Extraordinary Jane, Hooray for Hat, Let's Go For a Drive, and Circa Now

Looking forward to reading today and seeing what you read!

Celebrate This Week 6.07.14

It's always good to end the week on a positive note.  Sometimes we concentrate on the negatives.  We have a choice.  Choose positive.  Choose to celebrate.  I will be joining Ruth Ayres and her weekly link-up, Celebrate This Week.  Check out all the other celebrations HERE

Celebration #1:  SUMMER VACATION IS HERE!!!!  Yup, I'm excited.  Here's why!

Celebration #2:  I've worked so hard with our teachers and students this year to help them become "Wild Readers", a la' Donalyn Miller.  I want them to understand that readers have plans, they are thinking about what they're reading next.  Today I received an email from a parent that let me know that her son really enjoyed talking about books with me and took all of my recommendations to heart.  She said he remembered me saying ways I got my book recommendations and she wanted to know how she could find them!  I love to hear those words!

Celebration #3:  Ricki Ginsberg from UnleashingReaders nominated my blog for a "Liebster Award".  This award is to get different blogs recognized and more known to the blogging community.  I love hearing from different bloggers, so I think this is a great opportunity!  Here is my post if you want to check it out!

Celebration #4:  I just started my masters swimming program.  I've been an active runner for the past six years.  I've run in full and half marathons.  But I don't like running.  I like when it's done.  I like the amount of calories I burn.  I like getting medals at the end of a race.  I like accomplishing goals.  But I don't like the actual practicing.  But I love to swim.  The swim club where my daughter swims has a masters program (swim program for adult swimmers) and I've tossed around the idea of joining it for a year.  I finally gathered the courage.  I went twice this week and really enjoyed myself.  I like feeling like part of a team, no matter how small.  I like pushing myself in this sport.  I'm not ready to compete in swimming, but I like the practicing this time around.

Hope you have a great weekend!  I think I'm going to the pool for the first time this year.  Maybe that should be a celebration too!

It's an honor just to be nominated...

There's a special award going around the blog world right now called the "Liebster Award".  It's an award that bloggers give out to each other to help promote other blogs, especially new blogs.  I was very fortunate to be nominated by Ricki Ginsberg at UnleashingReaders, which is a blog that I visit daily, for great books, for author posts and because I love how they flag ideas to use for reading instruction.  They cover everything from books for babies (thanks to Henry and Trent!) through young adult.  Thanks, Ricki, for the mention!

Here are The Liebster Award rules:

The rules:

1. List 11 Facts about yourself. 
2. Answer the 11 questions put forward by whoever nominated you. 
3. Ask 11 new questions to 5+ bloggers. They must have less than 200 followers on Bloglovin’ (or their preferred method). You cannot re-nominate the blog that nominated you.  
4. Go to their blogs and inform them that they have been nominated!

11 Facts about me:

1. I'm relatively new to the blogging and tweeting world.  I just started Tweeting in late December and the blog followed shortly after.  It's changed my professional life for the better.  I'm interested in seeing where this will all go!
2. I love reading.  I despise writing.  Words don't come to me easily.  I can ramble ok (that's what 99% of my posts consist of) but I feel like I have a hard time effectively communicating my point.  I admire people who write so eloquently.  Many of the bloggers I nominate for this award have the capability of doing just that.
3. I hate packing lunches.  Since we just started summer vacation, the fact that I don't have to pack a lunch hasn't set in just yet.  I'll get used to it soon :)
4. I am inspired by my daughter.  She is the toughest kid I know.
5. I started masters swimming this week.  I was nervous, but I kept asking myself why was I doing the activity that I hated the most (running) frequently and not doing what I love (swimming) the least amount?  Masters is a challenge for me because I am swimming with all new people at the same pool and at the same time as really fast kids in front of a lot of parents that I know.  But once I get in the water and get going I forget about all that and just swim.  Now I just need to get faster....
6. I think I own more books that I haven't read than books that I've read.  Oops.
7. June is my favorite month.  There is nothing like that feeling knowing you have all of summer ahead of you.
8. While I wish I lived somewhere in Florida or Arizona, I'll always be proud that Chicago is my hometown (well, technically, the suburbs, but when I'm out-of-state I always say I'm from Chicago, said in the correct nasal accent too).  Chicago is one of the coolest cities.  The way the skyline lights up at night, or the way it lays out in front of you when you're driving downtown, or its museums and shopping and nightlife and sports teams and theaters and lakefront.  Very cool place to go.
9. I hate the word "vortex".  As in "polar vortex" or "pollen vortex".
10. I admit that I'm a Starbucks carmel latte fanatic. Pumpkin latte in the fall.  
11. My dream job was to work at Disney and color their animated films.  But then computers happened.  So there went that.

11 Questions from Ricki:

1. I am going to steal one question that was asked of me: If you could invite any three authors or illustrators to dinner, who would they be?

I would say J.K. Rowling, RJ Palacio and Natalie Lloyd.  They are my current 3 favorite authors and I think the conversation between the 3 of them would be really fun to listen in on!!!

2. If you could be any animal, which would you be, and why?

Dog.  Man's best friend.  Loved by all!!!

3. What were you like in high school?

Pretty quiet at school.  Had a very small circle of friends.  I was in a very large graduating class and most people don't remember me.

4. Do you collect anything besides books?

People collect other things?????

Just kidding.  I guess I collect medals from races :)  My favorite is my Tiffany's necklace medal.  Next would be any from the Disney races.

5. Where is your dream vacation?

Disney Mediterranean cruise.  Starts in Spain and goes to Italy, Turkey, Greece...

6. If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it?

Pay off everything, make sure I had plenty of money for my daughter's college fund, buy a small home in West Palm Beach so we have a place to stay for all my daughter's dr visits and future lengthenings, do something special for each family member, buy more Disney Vacation Club points and figure out one super cool thing I can do for literacy.

7. If you could be any book character, which would you be and why?

I don't know if there is one character I would want to be, but I can think of a lot of characters I would like to have characteristics of - I would like Auggie's courage, Harry's belief, Hermione's wisdom, and Piggie's belief in the power of friendship!

8. Which three books were fundamental in the promotion of your love of reading?

Three books come to mind.  The first is Skippyjon Jones.  I remember reading it to some second graders and I decided on a whim to read it with some sort of a really bad Spanish accent.  At any rate, by the middle of the book, the kids and I were crying we were laughing so hard at how silly I sounded.  They loved the book and I loved their reaction.  It's certainly not my favorite book, but that day stands out in my mind.  Along those lines, I love Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.  I feel like I do a pretty darn good Fudgie voice that can make the most reluctant reader love that book.  Still love "eat it or wear it"!  But the book that stands out the most to me is Wonder.  It had such a profound impact on me.  It was the first time I remember wanting to promote that book everywhere.  I wanted to talk about it.  I wanted everyone to read it.  I had such a connection, I just needed to share it.  It's one of those books that had "it all" - it made me think, it made me feel, it made me want to discuss.

9. If you could talk about only one book for the next year, which would it be? (I stole this one from Kellee’s post.)

Wonder would be the obvious choice based on my last answer, but I think I would instead choose A Snicker of Magic.  I used it for extended text this year in 4th grade and the kids and teachers and I marked down "lines that stuck to us".  There were so many, I always feel compelled to talk about them!  They could last me a year :)

10. Where do you see yourself in 15 years?

Old ;)

11. If you could live in any setting (any year, any location, any world), where would it be?

I think I would go Arizona, probably Scottsdale.  I just love the mountains - especially the multi colored ones - the reds, browns, sandstones....  There seems to always be sun and warmth.

11 New Questions to the Bloggers I Nominated:

1. How many library books do you currently have checked out?  How many books do you have on hold?
2. How do you decide which books to buy?
3. Book judging.  How do you disagree with people who have major book love for something you don't like?
4. Who are some of the new authors on your radar?  
5. What professional books have guided your practice?
6. Kids say the darndest things.  Any stories you have?
7. If you weren't teaching, what would you be doing?
8. Money isn't an object... what do you do???
9. It seems to be movie writers can't come up with anything new so they turn all good books into movies.  What book do you think should be made into a movie next?
10. We just finished out a school year.  Looking back, what was the best thing you did?
11. If you had an extra 3 hours in the day, and reading could only be dedicated to one of them, what would you do with the other two?

My Liebster Nominations:

I am nominated the following  people.  They are people who have inspired me at one time or the other.  Maybe it's the way they write.  Maybe it's because they have made me think about something.  Maybe it's because they are starting out and I know that can be new and scary.  Check out their blogs.  I know they are going to inspire you too!

Leigh Anne Eck at adayinthelifeof19b.blogspot.com

Leigh Anne was one of the first people I "met" on Twitter.  I connected with her early on in my Twitter adventure and she has helped me out more than once.  She is someone I can ask a question to and get an honest answer.  I love that she puts her thinking out there and asks the questions I sometimes don't even know that I have!

Dylan Teut at readingwithmrteut.wordpress.com

Dylan was also one of the first people I "met" on Twitter.  I've had the pleasure of actually meeting him in "real" life :) and he is just as genuine as I thought he would be.  He is a true lover of literature and I love seeing what he is reading next.  He is also an eloquent writer.  Dylan writes the way I wish I could.

Greg Armamentos at dashthebook.wordpress.com/news/

When you read Greg's thoughts and musings, your first thought is, wow, this guy can write.  Then you fiddle around on his blog long enough, you find out, yes, Greg is an author!  I can't wait to read his book Dash this summer.  In the meantime, I enjoy reading his blog posts.  I have trouble coming up with one post, much less a book!  Lots of admiration going his way!

Jennifer Houlette at engageinspirelead.blogspot.com

I've very recently met Jennifer through the Twitter hashtag #10summerblogs.  I think Greg tweeted a few of us about this hashtag and Jennifer ran with her new blog!  She's written a few posts and I love her thinking behind them!  She's also a fellow swim mom!

Michelle Haseltine at 1gratefulteacher.blogspot.com

I've enjoyed reading Michelle's Saturday Celebration blog posts - she celebrates a variety of things and they are always honest and real.  

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday 6.04.14

We know that a big part of the CCSS is to include more informational texts into ourstudents' reading.  I quickly discovered I had a "gap" in my reading diet - the genre of informational texts!  To help me fill the gap this year, I am going to participate in Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesdays!  This is a great link-up hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy.  Please visit this website to see other educator's link-ups.  My goal is to read at least one informational text each week and post information on the blog.  The more books and subjects I read, the more I can encourage (my #OLW for 2014) other teachers to use in their classroom! 

This week I am going to feature two books that discuss immigration.  Our 3rd grade does an extensive unit on Ellis Island.  This year, my colleague and friend, Laura, did a fantastic job integrating this existing unit with common core standards.  The 3rd graders learned even more than past years by using the book ... If Your Name Was Changed at Ellis Island by Ellen Levine.
I was familiar with Ellis Island, but a few months ago, I learned that there was "an Ellis Island of the west", Angel Island.  I wanted to learn more so I checked out the book.  
I asked Laura to collaborate with me on this blog post, hoping that many of you can potentially use these books to teach students about these coast-to-coast immigration centers.

Angel Island:  Gateway to Gold Mountain by Russell Freedman

I was first introduced to the book Angel Island after reading this wonderful review by Margie Myers-Culver.  I was very intrigued by the book since our 3rd graders do an extensive study of immigration, concentrating on Ellis Island.  I was thinking of the possibilities of using this book with our 4th graders, who go on a "road trip" and learn about the different regions of the United States.  
Angel Island, located in San Francisco Bay, was the place where immigrants coming from the west stopped, before gaining entrance to the United States.  Many of these immigrants came from China, Japan, Korea and Russia.  Most of these immigrants were of Chinese heritage.
Some men and families were granted entry to our country quickly.  Many were detained.  Hours, days, months.  
Most immigrants came to "Gold Mountain", or California, to seek riches that could not be found at home.  A few were successful, mining gold and returning home with their riches.  Most were not, having to find low paying jobs.  But even these men were lucky - working meant they were allowed into the country.  The unlucky spent time "detained" on Angel Island.
Being detained meant interrogations, medical examinations and rough living situations.  Detainees were segregated, often by race, and slept in tight barracks.  They lived in fear of being questioned, since often the interrogations were intense, long, and said that one small mistake, one small wrong answer could be all that was needed for an immigrant to be deported.
Many of the immigrants wrote their fears and frustrations on the walls of the buildings, leaving a trail behind of their time on the island.  In 1970, a California state park ranger found these poems and brought them to the attention of the Asian American community.  The building and others on the island had been scheduled for demolition.  However, they quickly moved to stop the demolition of this important piece of our history.
I think this book could be used in its entirety, or in small chunks if looking for specific information. The author did a fantastic job detailing what happened to the immigrants and families.  The book could be used to gain information as well as lead into discussions of our nation's history, have our policies changed, what do you notice again and again?
The author leaves detailed source notes, acknowledgments and a list of selected biographies.  There are many photographs, including those of the writing on the wall left from the immigrants.  Great primary sources.

Going to the East Coast now, to read about Ellis Island, from my colleague, Laura:

...If Your Name was Changed at Ellis Island by Ellen Levine

...If Your Name was Changed at Ellis Island by Ellen Levine is one of a series of informational books from Scholastic.  I have to admit, I have seen this book many times over the years but never took the time to pick it up and read it.  Until this year!  In the midst of common core changes, I was on a quest to find an informational extended text that would be relevant and meaningful to our 3rd graders.  Our 3rd graders do a big immigration unit that culminates in an engaging simulation of Ellis Island, and we just so happened to have multiple copies of this book on hand.  So it was meant to be (for this year:).

I have to admit, I slightly judged this book by its cover at first.  To me, the illustrations leave something to be desired.  And I was worried the students would do the same and be less than excited to read it.  My one wish for this book would be to include authentic, engaging photographs to go along with the content.  So instead, I used other texts and resources to bring Ellis Island to life with actual pictures of the immigrants.

...If Your Name was Changed at Ellis Island is organized into a series of questions that allow the readers to discover who came to Ellis Island, what it was like for them, how they got there, and why they left their homelands to make the harrowing journey.  I worked closely with the 3rd grade teachers to determine which parts of the text they felt would be meaningful for the students to read and discuss.  Many of the students thought we were “breaking the rules” by only reading parts of the book, instead of cover to cover.  It was a great lesson to them to understand how informational text can help them, and when they know what they are looking for it is not always necessary to read the entire book.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much the students connected with the book right from the introduction.  The Introduction lent itself to building background knowledge related to world geography.  We pulled up a world map and spent time identifying various countries and students got excited to share some of their family history.  They really loved studying the Bering Strait and  seeing how some believe that the Indians immigrated across from Asia on a strip of land thousands of years ago.  I could tell this was new and thought-provoking information to many of the students.  There is a great deal of vocabulary that students are expected to know, but the author also finds ways to connect to the reader. When the author wrote  “This book is about their (immigrants) journey, their hopes and difficulties, and their adventures,” the students were excited to read on.  It helped them know it wasn’t going to be a dry list of facts, but a glimpse into the challenges and celebrations that these people went through.

The best part of this book was that it naturally led students to ask more questions.  It told them just enough but seemed to leave them wanting more.  One example is the section that discusses the Staircase of Separation.  This was the point where immigrants were either allowed to leave Ellis Island to start their new lives or go to the “much-feared detention rooms.”  Although students were happy to read about the immigrants who began their lives in America, they desperately wanted to know more about those dreaded detention rooms.  What happened there?  How long would they have to stay?  Would they ever be allowed into America?  Students always wrote down their questions and used them in conversations with their peers.  But the best part was seeing the students seek out more books about Ellis Island.  The students were learning, their interest was peaked, and they were wanting more.  Mission Accomplished!

...If Your Name was Changed at Ellis Island will definitely be a part of the 3rd graders immigration study in the future.   I do not think it is enough to be the only book in this unit to stand on its own.  But we all know one book is never enough:)

SoL Top 10 Reasons This Teacher Is Glad It's Summer! 6.03.14

Slice of Life is a weekly event hosted by Two Writing Teachers.

I can't believe what a fun year it has been at school.  It didn't start out that way, but we ended on a high note. 

But, it's summer vacation!  And as much as I enjoy my job, I am excited it's summer.  

Top 10 Reasons This Teacher Is Glad It's Summer!

10.  Reading outside.  I never get to do this during the school year, even on nice days.  There's just no time.  I'll read at the pool, on the patio, in comfy lounge chairs...

9.  #nErDcampMI - really excited for this!  I somehow wondered upon a post detailing last years camp and it intrigued me.  In late December I started this thing called Twitter.  In January I started a blog.  I can't believe the people I have "met" through both.  It's very exciting and has invigorated my teaching.  I'm extremely excited about meeting so many of these professionals face to face.  I can't wait to hear the conversations!

8.  Longer workouts.  I much prefer working out over eating right.  Unfortunately I have to do both.  But I like getting the opportunity to work out longer so when I have those 3 dark chocolate Hershey Kisses/day I really won't feel bad :) And any of the other bad stuff that comes my way throughout the day!

7.  Different workouts.  I am joining a masters swim club this week.  I'm hoping this will challenge my swimming and help me grow in this sport.  But I can only do this in the summer.  It's in the evenings and during the school year, it's just too hard to juggle this and getting ready for school the next day.

6.  Shorts.  I love shorts.  I really wish I lived in a warm climate where I could wear shorts year round (that's called retirement...).  I don't usually wear shorts to school and I'm so busy after school that I rarely have time to switch into them.  Now it's everyday!

5.  Family vacation.  We don't usually go away for the summer, but this year we're going on a trip to Colorado Springs.  My daughter has the opportunity to swim at the U.S. Olympic Training Plaza so we are going on a road trip!

4.  4th of July.  It's one of my favorite holidays.  We have so many traditions.  5k run.  Parade.  Get togethers with friends and family.  Cooking out.  And fireworks.  

3.  No more school soap.  The soap in our bathrooms at school leave this awful red, irritated dry mark under my wedding rings.  By the time Friday rolls around, I can't wear my rings over the weekend so I can allow my finger to heal.  It must get caught under my rings and it does not agree with my skin.  Every weekend I have a lovely red tattoo mark where my rings go!  My finger will glad to have these couple of months of healing time!

2.  More reading time!  I know, you thought that would be number one, right?  Well, since I do read during the school year too, I figured it couldn't be number one.  But I am super excited to read so much more than I get to during the school year!  Bring on #bookaday!

and....

1.  NO MORE PACKING LUNCHES!!!!!!  I hate hate hate packing lunches!  Hate it.  It is my arch enemy!!!  Everyday I have to have ready:  my tea cup, tea (well, every other day I bring it), coffee cup, huge water bottle full of water, breakfast smoothie, 2 snacks, and my entire lunch.  I also pack 2 snacks for my daughter.  Over summer I will still make all of those same things but it's sooooooo much better making it when you need to make it instead of at night.  The happiest moment of school being done is when I put my lunch box away for weeks!

What makes you excited for summer?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 6.02.14

This weekly post comes from Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers.  It's a great source to find new books to use with your students.

Wow, you can tell it's the end of the year!  There is so much to do to wrap it up!  I spend most of my time recommending books to students to try and make sure they have lots ready to go for their summer reading lists, that I end up not having a lot of time to read on my own.  I'm sure that will change soon.  After all, this Friday starts... #bookaday!  So excited to challenge myself this summer.  I am ready to go!  I have a stack from the library and a stack of picture books that have been sitting here for awhile and I added to that pile this weekend!  I went to an indie bookstore, The Bookstall, that is new to me.  It's a bit of a drive, but they made it worth it when they had 6 fabulous middle grade authors there!  I got to hear and meet:  Michele Weber Hurwitz, Liesl Shurtliff (this was the 2nd time I've met her!), Wendy McClure, Emily Fairlie, Kate Hannigan, and Amy Timberlake (yes, the Newbery Honor author!).  I walked away with all of their books, plus many more.  The Bookstall has a fantastic children's literature section and I'm sure I'll make the drive again!  In fact, I left with a box of books instead of a bag :)
So, what this means is few books read, but lots coming up!
Here is what I did get to:

Picture Books


Naked by Michael Ian Black
5/5 stars
My Goodreads review:  I found the next book I need to own! Parents will understand and kids will laugh! I didn't know what to expect with a book called "Naked" but the author/illustrator team did a great job. The text was hilarious and the illustrations added to the hilarity of the subject. I laughed at the other characters' faces as they were looking at the naked boy. I chuckled even more when he was naked.... but with a cape! Simple text but a GREAT story!


Some Smug Slug by Pamela Duncan Edwards
3/5 stars

Informational Texts


Angel Island:  Gateway to Gold Mountain by Russell Freedman
5/5 stars
Fantastic account of the "Ellis Island of the west".  Detailed review coming in my Wednesday post.

Abandoned


The Ninja Librarians
I tried really hard to enjoy this book.  I really wanted to enjoy this book.  I got to page 100 and looked longingly over to the pile of books I really wanted to get to and decided I was done.  I'm not sure if it was because I was reading the book every night late at night and was too tired to get into it.  I looked at many reviews on Goodreads and it had received glowing reviews.  I kept it on my to-read shelf.  I just couldn't continue it at this point.  Maybe I'll pick it up again.  Maybe I won't.  

Currently Reading


The One and Only by Emily Giffin
(every time I say or type the title I want to add "Ivan" to the end of it!)
It's good.  Not my favorite.  Solid chick-lit.  Should finish it sometime this week.


Circa Now by Amber McRee Turner
After hearing all the buzz about this book I knew I wanted to start it sooner than later.  So far, it's that good.


Readers Front and Center by Dorothy Barnhouse
I'm really enjoying this professional read so far.  I don't think I'll read much of it until school is out, but I'm looking forward to getting back to it.  I love how she described one of her earlier conferences with students.  Sounds like something I'm doing now!  I'm anxious to hear more, and my burning question that I want answered is what do you do when a student is waaaay off on their answer.  You're not supposed to "teach" the answer, but how do I guide their thinking?