it's monday!

from Mandy:
Close Encounters of the Third-Grade Kind: Thoughts on Teacherhood by Phillip Done - I loved his first book 32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny.  I was so excited when I saw this at our local used bookstore.  It was a quick read & so true to life in a classroom. 

Do Unto Otters by Laurie Keller - The first day of class I ask students to help me come up with some guidelines for class.  After that discussion I read them this book.  There are so many cute plays on words... & I love it when my new students get them!

The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee by Tom Angleberger - I really liked the message of the book & loved how Angleberger ended it.  I put it out for my students first thing last week & held a drawing for who would get to be the first to read it.  The excited looks on there faces were precious & the winner yelled & jumped out of his seat when I pulled his name out of the basket. 

from Cheryl:
This is the Tree by Miriam Moss - I found out about this book from Aimee Buckner's Non-fiction Mentor Texts session at the Choice Literacy Conference in Michigan this summer. It is a great model for writing. I had the students follow the pattern "This is the tree..." and make their own introduction poem beginning with, "This is the class that..." We posted our poems on big sticky notes.

The Junkyard Wonders by Patricia Polacco - We used this as one of the texts to help us write our class guidelines. We noticed that we are all smart in different ways, and if we work together we can create something bigger than ourselves.

Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes - by Eric Litwin - Text and audio. We like singing along with this predictable book, but love the moral at the end. Seventh graders think that this text teaches us that it's okay to make mistakes as long as we progress and not regress.
Insurgent by Veronica Roth - I'm really into the characters in this series. Tris is a strong female character that is trying to find out who she is. Roth does a great job with plot development and building suspense.

ready... set... go!

One of my favorite parts of the back-to-school season (other than new school supplies, of course) is getting my classroom ready for the new year.  A few years ago I started displaying a "biography of me" displayed through books.  I thought this would be a fun way to, not only start sharing my love of books with students, but also let them learn more about me in a unique format.  Some books stay the same from year to year and some are new.  Here is this year's version:

• ish by Peter Reynolds: Who doesn't love his books and messages?  And, I love adding -ish on the ends of words.
• The Wonder Book by Amy Krouse Rosenthal:  I love her.  Love.  So quirky & fun!  I added this book because it is just a hodgepodge of quirky & fun stuff.  I also like it from a design standpoint... black & white line drawings.
• Our Day with Louise Borden by me:  We've been fortunate to have an author visit our classrooms every year for the past several years.  Louise Borden was one of my favorites!  I took lots of pictures from the day and put together a photo book for the classroom library.  I would really like to go back and do this for all the visits we've had. 
• Bodies From the Ash by James M. Deem: A cool non-fiction book.  Love the use of actual photgraphs.  And, I got to visit there last summer when I went to Europe with an amazing group of friends!
• The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg: Do I even have to explain this choice?  I do like to use this choice to start talking with my students about noticing & thinking outside the box.
• Someday by Eileen Spinelli: This is another title that helps students think about possibilities.  I also adore Rosie Winstead's illustrations.
• Skippyjon Jones Class Action by Judy Schachner:  Skippyjon is one of my favorite book characters.
• All Kinds of Families by Mary Ann Hoberman, illustrated by Marc Boutavant: Another book that gets students thinking about our classroom as a "family".  And objects with cute faces make me happy :)  These illustrations are probably my favorite of any book.
• All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon: Again, another title that gets us thinking about expanding our horizons.
• Penguins by Liz Pichon: I like that this book lets me share with students my love of photography in a fun way.  It also has a cute interactive feature at the end, and I like books with fun surprises at the end.  It was also a gift from one of my dearest friends... which goes to show that people that love books get & give books as gifts.
• The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins by Barbara Kerley, illustrated by Brian Selznick:  Author's notes are my favorite book feature.  I love to read about what made an author want to write about a particular topic or more facts they uncovered during research.  Brian Selznick is one of my favorite illustrators and I love that his illustrator note is also included.  When we visited Europe last year my request for London was to go to Crystal Palace & see the actual dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins.  They were beyond amazing.  When you love books you seek out the places that make special books come alive.
• The Flim-Flam Fairies by Alan Katz:  Basically I put this up to show kids I'm not afraid to read gross books about boogers & bodily functions to them.
• Encounter by Jane Yolen: Another one of my favorites!  I think I put it out to share that there are two sides to every story.
• Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine, illustrated by Kadir Nelson: Kadir Nelson is another one of my favorite illustrators.  This also shares that I love lesser known stories from history.  Cheryl & I visited the Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio on our way home from the Choice Literacy workshops in Michigan this summer & saw a display about Henry "Box" Brown!
• The Incredible Book-Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers: I love how Oliver Jeffers uses mixed media & old books to create his illustrations.  This story is also hysterical!
• Mammoth Cave: one of my hobbies is visiting National Parks & collecting National Park Passport stamp cancellations.
• Olivia Goes to Vencie by Ian Falconer: Olivia is another one of my favorite characters.  She cracks me up!  This book helps me share how I like to share stories about things that happen to me when I travel. 

I can't wait to start sharing these books (& many more!) with my students this week!  Happy back-to-school!

it's monday!

From Mandy:

This past week (while cruising to Key West & Nassau, which was fabulous!!), I finished:

Matched by Ally Condie - I wasn't sure if I would like this or not, but really enjoyed it once I got going!  I'm thinking my students may be a little young for this book. 

Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner (adult book) - The cover of this book didn't match this story at all for me!  I did enjoy the story and was glad the book ended the way it did.

Currently reading:

Notes I've made all summer on things I want to do in my classroom!  We go back to school on Thursday and our students join us a week from tomorrow!

The Unusual Suspects (The Sisters Grimm #2) by Michael Buckley  - I have already fallen  in LOVE with this series and can't wait to share it with my students.

I think this is my shortest book post all summer!  I still think I have vacation brain.  I've spent the last 2 days working in my classroom.  I've taken lots of pictures of new projects and can't wait to share them in the coming weeks!

From Cheryl:

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand (author of Seabiscuit). This is my second audiobook this summer! Mandy had recommended this book last year, so I got the sample for my Kindle. I traveled last week to visit family ten hours away by myself, so I decided to try it in audio. First, I must say that I have never known anyone to have lived through what the main character had to experience. Next, Hillenbrand is such a suspenseful writer...I literally was sitting at the edge of my seat. At times I had to take a break, the story was so intense.

This has been a wonderful book week! I've been getting my first of the year book stack ready for my first read alouds, while trying desperately trying to finish my summer book stack, and time is running out. August days are more valuable than June days - I am more protective of them.

Manfish A Story of Jacques Cousteau by Jennifer Berne. I received this lovely copy at the Choice Literacy Conference in Ypsilanti last week. What a great mentor text for non-fiction writing!  I was drawn in by the poetic language, as well as the beautiful artwork by Eric Puybaret. I hope kids will see what a difference one person can make.

Now & Ben the Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin by author/illustrator Gene Barretta. I love that a biography doesn't have to start with..."Benjamin Franklin was born in..." I think this text is a great model for narrowing the focus. The story is set up with "Now we have..." & "Ben was the person who made this possible..." It covers his most well-known inventions, as well as some lesser-known ones like the rocking chair with a fan on top and one that churned butter. Who knew?

Three Times Lucky by Shelia Turnage. This might possibly be my first 6th grade read aloud! (Wonder will be my 7th.) If the wonderful language doesn't make you fall for this book, the amazing characters will. The protagonist, Moses LoBeau, is a rising sixth grader and lives with the Colonel and Miss Lana. She was washed up in a basket after a hurricane as a baby (that's how she got her name) and has no idea who her parents are. Her life is about to get exciting when a community member is found dead. Together, with her best friend Dale, they are trying to find the murderer. Thank you Mandy for recommending this!

it's monday!

From Mandy:
I have hit the travel bug portion of my summer break!  Last week I was visiting with family in Alabama, this week I'm with Cheryl in Michigan for Choice Literacy workshops, and next week I'm cruising to the Bahamas!  My mind wanders way too much during audio books, so my reading time was a little limited last week. 
I finished:
The Fairy-Tale Detectives (The Sisters Grimm #1) by Michael Buckley - A new series to love!  I was lucky enough to pick up the next 3 books in the series when I visited one of my favorite book stores last week.  I'm pretty sure these will be a big hit in my classroom.

In Search of Mockingbird by Loretta Ellsworth - My favorite thing about this book was that it was set in the 80's!  I have a whole list of 80's fads that were mentioned, like crimped hair, jelly shoes with lacy socks, banana clips.

Currently reading:
Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage - I'm almost done with this and actually hope to finish it right after I'm done posting!  Mo, the main character, is my favorite kind of character... a quirky, spunky girl who learns about herself while taking control.  Coming to love Mo while reading this has me thinking about all those spunky girls and some new thoughts are still swirling about all of them...

From Cheryl:
I read started Divergent by Veronica Roth and couldn't put it down. It is filled with great writing & fabulous characters. I found myself wondering what faction I would have chosen, but I think I agree with Four, I want to be all five. Must find sequel.

Fourth Stall chapter 3. As recommendation from Mandy, I've picked this book up many times and was intrigued by the teaser on the back. I'm curious as to where this story is going when you're office is in a bathroom stall.

I'm just starting What Really Matters for Struggling Readers by Richard Allington. One of my summer goals was to read professional books that I didn't have time to read during the school year. Mandy picked up this copy for me on her visit to Alabama. The title for chapter 2: "What Really Matters: Kids Need to Read a Lot." Allington writes, "the more effective teacher routinely had children reading for forty to forty-five minutes of each hour allocated to reading instruction." It is making me rethink the structure of my reading block.

it's monday!

from Mandy:

Something major happened to my reading plan this past week.  I visited my favorite used bookstore & also discovered a new store (kind of like Big Lots & TJ Maxx had a love child) that had an amazing selection of books!  In my world, new books mean new plan.  Luckily it's ok for plans to change!  So, here's what I'm reading:

American Boy The Adventures of Mark Twain by Don Brown.  I bought this because a) I'm a sucker for picture book bios, b) I'm a sucker for Don Brown, & c) I thought it would pair nicely with The Adventures of Mark Twain by Huckleberry Finn by Robert Burleigh.  The past few years Cheryl & I have had our 6th graders write biographies.  I've found that Don Brown's books are a great tool for me to use as mentors.  His style is evident throughout each book, but I love the varied ways he chooses to begin them.  I rely heavily on his books for my "Biography Beginnings" lessons.  This particular title is organized my date, so will also be good to use for sequencing or timelines.  Great addition to my collection!

Benjamin Pratt & The Keepers of the School We Are the Children by Andrew Clements.  I think the biggest reason I loved this book is because of how different it seems from the stock Clements books.  It is the first in a series & as I was reading I wasn't sure if I would be intrested in the rest... until it pulled me into the adventure & ended in a big fat cliffhanger.  This book begins with the fact that Ben's "harbor-side school is going to be bulldozed to make room for an amusement park.  It sounds like a dream come true... Or is it more like a nighmare?"  Ben realizes the school is holding a few secrets & sets out with his friend Jill to save the day.  And, I can't wait to read book 2!  I think this will be perfect for my 5th graders.  This is my favorite quote from the book, "That was the moment when Ben first glimpsed how every single moment happens only once during a person's lifetime; and how each moment arrives in a particular order, one event after another; and how every separate event shapes all other events that come next.  Forever."

Firegirl by Tony Abbott.  I think I picked up this book because the title & cover reminded me of Stargirl (one of my all time faves), and I read The Postcard by him last year & really liked it.  It was a quick read, I think it will appeal to my 6th graders, but I felt it just hinted at a bigger possibility.  One of the TN reading standards deals with characters having moral dilemmas.  This book is perfect for helping students understand that.  It's full of moral dilemma.

Dragonbreath by Ursula Vernon.  I had seen these books in stores, but hadn't really paid much attention to them, read them or added them to the classroom library.  Franki, at A Year of Reading, had it on her list last Monday, then I saw some on my book shopping last week, & decided to try one.  Danny is so quirky! 

Northward to the Moon by Polly Horvath.  This book is a sequel to My One Hundred Adventures.  I really love Polly Horvath.  Lots.  I love how she uses words.  This story starts with Jane & family out West, but Jane is longing for her Massachusetts coast.  Horvath describes Jane as worrying that her little brothers will have the prairie as their "place memory of growing up."  I love the idea of place memory & it makes me want to explore my own place memory of growing up.  I liked MOHA better than the sequel, but there were moments of the same beauty from the first book.  Since I am also all about adventures, like Jane, this is my favorite quote: "It is not a place I would ever have thought to come on my own.  Sometimes it is good to have things happen to you outside of your control.  There are parts of yourself you would never discover otherwise."

I just started the first book in the Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley yesterday.  Again, Cheryl has been telling me to read these.  Again, I don't know what took me so long... I love fairy tale twists!  Loving it so far & already can tell I will need them all!

I'm still working through ChoiceWords & didn't make it to The Wednesday Wars.  I added the second Percy Jackson book (yes, Cheryl, finally!) & Welcome Home or Someplace Like It by Charlotte Agell.

from Cheryl:

My Maggie Steifvater books were never in my classroom library - middle schoolers loved them! So even though I got Forever as soon as it came out, I never got more than halfway through before someone wanted to read it. I finished it this week! Great ending to the triology. One of my favorite quotes from one of the main characters, Grace, as she was looking at the titles of someone's personal collection of books: "I wanted a library...a cave of words that I made myself." I feel at home surrounded by books too, a cave of words.

I'm working on To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, again. After hearing Rachel Thompkins speak at the Niswonger Symposium about it, I felt like I needed to try it again. I'm appreciating it so much more. I am swept away by her real characters.

I read the picture book, Have I Got a Book for You! by author/illustrator Melanie Watt (Scaredy Squirrel). Mandy & I heard Debbie Diller read this at her Institute in Richmond, and I knew I "needed" it. It is fabulous for teaching propaganda techniques, as well as a great addition to the Recommend a Book work station.

I'm reading Teach Like a Champion: 49 Techniques that Put Students on the Path to College by Doug Lemov. This would be a great text to use in a teacher preparation program. It's well written and organized in a user friendly manner, but most of all Lemov describes practical strategies that can easily be implemented in any teaching situation from grades K - 12.

I recently finished What Readers Really Do: Teaching the Process of Meaning Making by Dorothy Barnhouse & Vicki Vinton. Wow! My copy is full of sticky notes and writing in the margin. This book looks at current practices and considers a deeper approach to making meaning of narrative texts. It is grounded in Peter Johnson's work, while weaving in common core expectations. I will definitely visit this text while planning my lessons this year!



it's monday!

This is my first It's Monday post!  Don't know why I haven't joined up before, but am looking forward to keeping it up now!  So, what am I reading?

Today I finished up two books I'd been reading off & on for the past week.  The first was Aliens on Vacation by Clete Barrett Smith.  I thought it would have a little more action in it, but really liked how Scrub ended up solving a huge problem.  I know several of my students will really enjoy this book.  Next, I finished The Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander.  I had read the sample on my kindle app when this first came out, but just now got around to actually reading the entire book.  I loved it!  I think there are some really strong characters, especially Mac & Vince.  I want an entire book of nothing but Vince's grandma's hysterical sayings!

This past weekend I finished two books Cheryl let me borrow, one I requested, one was strongly suggested.  Do you have a friend that strongly suggests books to you?  If you don't, find one!  She knows books I will like, even if I'm questioning the choice!  I had requested The Maze Runner by James Dashner.  I was really pulled into this story almost immediately.  I couldn't quit trying to figure out the Glade while I was reading it!  So many questions just kept coming.  I can't wait to read the sequel.  The suggested book was Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury.  Seriously, I wasn't so sure about it.  But, I should know by now not to doubt what Cheryl tells me to read.  I loved it.  Totally not what I was expecting.  It's probably the book I've read the fastest this summer, because I couldn't wait to see what would be revealed!

The professional book I'm reading is Choice Words by Peter H. Johnson.  Like others have said I thought this would be a quick read full of great thinking.  Well, it's full of great thinking, but I'm really having to make myself slow down & let it all soak in!

I'm rereading Wonder by R. J. Palacio to get ready for the Twitter book club next week.

Next up?  Well, for sure...
The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
Hazel Green by Odo Hirsch
Northward to the Moon by Polly Horvath.  I love Polly Horvath!  Really looking forward to this one.