sutton007

When it comes to reading, what's better than sinking your teeth into a good book?   For me, and for many others, it would be sharing our thoughts and ideas about that good book. Well, it's no different for 10 year olds! This year I have seen the empowerment of  "shared" reading with my students via a "book club."   Over the years students in my class have participated in " Literature Circles " mostly with success.  Somehow though, the groups seem to be driven by me (with specific roles for each participant) or by the choices of books that are available in bulk.   A few weeks back a student approached me for a book recommendation during our Media time.   I led her to a personal favorite, " Stone Fox "  by John Reynolds Gardiner.  When another student overheard, I suggested they read together.  A third student overheard the conversation and wanted to join in. Fortunately, I have several copies of that wonderful book.  This idea of reading...

Book bins with each child's name and books to start the year. Who knew some plastic bins from the Dollar Store could bring such joy? Okay, they are colorful plastic bins.  But that's not why they brought such joy.  During the summer I read The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller and The Daily5 and the Cafe Book by sisters, Gail Boushey and Joan Moser.  These books became my inspiration and guides to how I will approach reading with my students this year. Following the authors' suggestions students will select their own reading books which will then be used to practice the skills and strategies being taught - true differentiation!  The Two Sisters suggested using Book bins for each student.   I hemmed and hawed about what to use and in the end (due to financial constraints) I chose some colorful, plastic bins from the Dollar Store. (I'm hoping they will hold up!) Since Tropical Storm Irene blew into town and gave the students in my district a delayed school ...

Summer vacation is here and already I'm hearing, "Mom, I'm bored, what can I do?"   In my daughter's defense it has been raining since school let out a few days ago.  Of course I suggested she start her summer reading project but was met with a huge "UGG!!" As a teacher (and mom) I know it is important to keep those skills current and avoid the ' summer slide' .  Many school systems have required reading and even math packets for students to complete during the summer break.  I'm going out on a limb by saying that although we want to keep our students' skills honed I'm not sure REQUIRED reading and math packets will do the trick.  It has always been a struggle to get my own kids to complete their summer reading.  We would be vacationing on Cape Cod that last week in August and I'd be hounding them to read their book.  Now, tell me how that instills the love of reading or promotes the retention of skills? So what is the answer?  H...

It’s a question I hear at ALL parent teacher conferences: What can I do to get my child to love to read?    Or What can I do to get my child to read?  These are also questions that educators wrestle with as well. As a teacher and parent I am still plagued by these questions as there are no definitive answers.  However, there are some steps that we as educators and parents can take to aid in the love of reading.  Be a Role Model: This is a tip from an article, How to Get Your Child to Love Reading .   Children follow their parents’ lead.  If they see their parents reading they in turn, are likely to read.  If watching TV is the preferred activity of parents, then children are likely to fall into that habit.   Likewise, children follow their teacher’s lead.  When the students are reading during DEAR time, why not read a book along with them.  Share something funny or unusual from a story you are reading.  Kid...

photo © 2008 Chris connelly | more info (via: Wylio )   “It ain’t over til it’s over” was the phrase coined by Yogi Berra .  Spoken like a true sportsman or classroom teacher!   We all know that even when the kids have finished reading a story they’re “ not really done ”.  We read. We discuss. We assess.  There are all kinds of other activities that we can initiate to make sure the students have made connections to their reading.  This is Part 3 in the "Activating Prior Knowledge" series.  In the Before reading post, it was suggested to use an Anticipation Guide .  If used, it would be a great (quick) assessment to see if the kids can answer those questions correctly now .  (They love getting them all right too!!).  Also, in the Before post as an alternative to the KWL chart - a Word Cloud was suggested.  How about make a new word cloud to share what was learned.  (The kids love comparing them!) ...