it's monday!

from Mandy:

Woolbur by Leslie Helakoski: Do you know Woolbur?  I do!  Isn't he great?!  I really do adore this book.  I always use it the first few weeks of school during our genre study, and also as an example of characters that "keep on & don't give up".

The Junkyard Wonders by Patricia Polacco:  This is one of those books that makes me emotional!  Not only because of the events that take place, but also the very last page... it makes me think of those childhood connections.  This is another book I use during our beginning of year genre study and those characters that keep on.

A Writer's Notebook by Ralph Fletcher: I read the first chapter from this to my students today as one way of introducing writer's notebooks.  Then,  I shared some of my personal notebooks... one of my favorite parts of the year

Wonder by R.J. Palacio: I chose this book as my first read aloud for my 6th graders.  This is the first group of students I've shard this book with & I couldn't wait to experience this book with them.  So far, so good!  Tomorrow begins the Halloween section.  Here we go, friends...

Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper: I chose this book as my first read aloud for my 5th graders, and again, they are the first group of students I've shared this book with.  It's one of those books that kids beg to hear more of everyday when I close it... just like I knew it would be!

from Cheryl:

Giant Steps that Changed the World by Spike Lee & Tonya Lee Lewis: I love the poetic language that draws the reader in on the first page. This book describes people who have changed the world in some way: Neil Armstrong, Mother Theresa, and Jesse Owens. It provokes the reader to fill the big shoes left by these people from the past.

Enemy Pie by Derek Munson: Love this take on getting rid of enemies! Kids write about a time that their parents have played a trick on them to get them to do something.

All the Places to Love by Patricia McLaughlan: Need I say more? Sixth graders wrote about all their favorite places using the great descriptions provided by the author.

Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein: We used this as one of the texts to develop our classroom guidelines. Seventh graders came up with, "Being an interrupting chicken might cause you to miss out on the best parts."