This is my stack of summer reading.  A mix of professional teaching books and YA books others have recommended to me.  Regarding the professional books, some I read last school year, but want to take a closer, not-so-rushed approach, and some are new. Reflecting right at the end of the year is the perfect time to tweak and make changes for the upcoming year.  What worked well and what didn’t work so well are still fresh in my mind.  This is the second year I have used writing workshop and so far, I have really enjoyed it.  The book Hacking the Writing Workshop and Writing Workshop in Middle School are new to me this summer.  I am sure I will find lots of new gems that I can try with my 8th graders this next year.  Workshopping the Cannon I bought after attending last year’s NCTE conference (and if you have never gone, I encourage you to do so–amazing!).  It’s the foundation I used for using our core text The Secret Life of Bees to center around social justice.  …