Monday, February 15, 2016

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?



Thanks to Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers for hosting this meme!

Some of My Favorites Books From the Week
I absolutely love the Ordinary People Change the World series from Brad Meltzer.  I am excited to share I Am Helen Keller in classrooms as part of our work with the Notice and Note signposts after vacation!

I borrowed this book from the public library and fell in love with the possibilities for sharing it with students of all ages.  I must get my own copy!  I think it will be a wonderful read aloud in writer's workshop or for the Words of the Wiser signpost.

Wild About Bears is a wonderful nonfiction mentor text!  I would love to use it in classrooms for mini lessons related to writing an effective introduction and conclusion.  Jeannie's Brett use of text features and her persuasive voice would be great touch points for lessons, too!

I was fortunate to win a copy of Imaginary Fred from Harper Collins!  Students of all ages will enjoy this fun story!  

I recently read aloud Little Tree to a group of second graders. In the story, Little Tree is not able to grow until he is willing to let go of his leaves. We had a great discussion of the important moments in the story and the author's message.  I was so impressed with the students' insight! I highly recommend this title, if you have not checked it out. It is one of my favorites of the year!

My Vacation Reading
I am hoping to work my way through this stack this week!  
I am halfway through Pax and loving it!  I already know that I will highly recommend it as a read aloud for our upper elementary teachers.  The story line is so powerful and I love the alternating perspectives.  I am anxious to finish it!

Our book lover got two new titles for Valentine's Day! I'm sure these books will be part of our read alouds this week!

I am working with a colleague to launch the Nonfiction Notice and Note questions after vacation, so I am working through this stack of nonfiction titles for my #nf10for10 post later this week!  For more information on February's Nonfiction Picture book event, check out Cathy Mere's blog post!  http://reflectandrefine.blogspot.com/2016/01/join-februarys-nonfiction-picture-book.html

Professional Reading
I am continuing to work my way through Reading Nonfiction: Notice and Note Signposts and Questions.  My focus this week is on Part 2: The Importance of Stance.

I am in the process of planning professional development related to small group instruction for the teachers at our primary school in March. I am rereading Debbie Diller's book on intentional planning for differentiated small group instruction.  I moved Catching Readers Before They Fall to the top of my reading stack as I hope to share it with our teachers! 

4 comments:

  1. Enjoy Pax and The War that Saved My Life - both books have been receiving a lot of love recently, and I am looking forward to reading them too soonest.

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  2. Some great bookstacks here! I spotted some of my favourite nonfiction titles: Winter Bees, Neigborhood Sharks, Balloons over Broadway . . . I bought The Whisper before I had even read it - just from reviews I knew I needed to own it! And I was right!

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  3. I also read Little Tree this week and LOVED it! Pax in next and I am definitely requesting The Whisperer from my library! Thanks for sharing!

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  4. I just finished Pax and LOVED it! It is my first Must Read title of 2016!

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