All posts tagged: books

More Distance Learning Teaching Ideas

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We are back in school this week. Distance learning style. This is a whole new ball game for so many of us and all I can do is hang on for the ride. Since I don’t know how long this on-line learning will last, I am taking it a week at a time. Right now, this online model is supposed to end April 28th, so that is as long as I can think ahead. If I figure students will spend about 30 minutes on English work daily, then what sort of assignments can I create that gives both my students and myself breathing room? Assignments where they are still learning and I am able to check in on their progress and answer questions? I thought of project-based assignments rather than daily-type assignments. The learning that students are doing is enrichment (optional, not required), so you will notice that there are different standards presented and different ideas. Also, because it is enrichment, there is no scoring rubric, but I will be giving feedback to students who …

Distance Learning

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To be honest, this whole COVID-19 thing has happened so fast that I am still reeling from the almost hourly new information coming in. Last Thursday evening, our district made the decision to close for a week and then keep schools closed through Spring Break. Around 10:30 that night, our governor said all schools were going to be closed through the end of the month. That left me with one day to see students and say a tentative goodbye. I felt all kinds of emotions that day—sadness, anger, frustration, and worry. And I am sure my students felt the same. We went to the school library and loaded up on books; I sent an email to parents for them to stay up on their independent reading, giving links to our school’s audiobooks and ebooks. So now I wait. I wait to see what happens next. I wait to see if things improve. I wait for what may come. With this down time, I am homeschooling my own children, (who are in 1st and 3rd grade), …

Instilling a Love for Reading

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“People don’t realize how a man’s whole life can be changed by one book.”  -Malcolm X At the beginning of each year, I spend close to a week talking about independent reading with my students.  To me, it’s worth investing the time because independent, choice reading is the heart of my class. How I frame choice reading during the first week: how to find a just-right book and how that is different for every reader, different genres and their definitions, setting a weekly reading rate (from Penny Kittle’s book Book Love), speed dating a variety of books to find potential novels to read, going over My Top-15 Reading List (adapted from Kelly Gallagher’s book In the Best Interest of Students), discussing how book conferencing works, and how to keep track of books read. Even though I check in with each student monthly, share my Top 15 List with my classes, and book talk new books bi-monthly, there’s always a small percentage of students who refuse to read, or read very little.  My avid readers love the freedom …

April Book Recommendations

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I have some book recommendations for you! They aren’t grouped by a particular theme or genre; this month’s recommendations are books I’ve read this month and enjoyed.  They are also books I’ve book talked in my classroom and had many students read and like too.  Enjoy! The Pushcart War Author: Jean Merrill Genre: realistic fiction; satire This book was recommended to me by our library specialist and even though it was written decades ago, I thoroughly enjoyed the wit and humor.  If you haven’t read it, you’re in for a real treat. When The Sea Turned to Silver Author: Grace Lin Genre: fantasy Not only is this book beautifully written, but the artwork is amazing as well.  If you love mythology and folklore, you’ll love this book.  The author does a fantastic job weaving old Chinese tales into the larger plot structure.  (And the protagonist is a young girl!)  I could not put this book down. Hey, Kiddo Author: Jarrett Krosoczka Genre: graphic novel; memoir This is the first graphic novel I read and while …

3 Ideas to (re) Energize Your Teaching

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Are you one of those teachers who turns off your teacher-brain once summer hits?  If so, I am envious of you.  Every year I give myself a month to decompress and not think about teaching, but after a week my teacher brain goes in overdrive.  It’s become a delicate balance spending time reflecting about the previous year and changing/adjusting for the upcoming year (which I really love to do) without stressing myself out and spending my summer not present with my family and friends. But if I really think about the numerous summers I have spent as a teacher, not every one was this happy-go-lucky-I-love-teaching mentality.  I have had some rough years where it was anything to want to go back to the classroom in September.  And I know I’m not alone. Sometimes years are tough and taking a break is the best thing to do.  Sometimes as teachers we fall in a rut or a routine that is comfortable, and wanting to change or grow is not on the to-do list. However,  five years …