Building a Reading Life
Keeping up with the Children's and Young Adult Literature is a top priority for me. I read widely, follow reviews in journals and popular magazines, and regularly visit bookstores and libraries. I am always excited to recommend titles for read aloud and mentor texts to staff. Follow me on Goodreads to get a full picture of my Reading Life.
- Read aloud in classrooms - tie-in with unit of study
- Book talk in classrooms - theme of your choice: award winners, by genre, or nonfiction topic
- Facilitate literature circles/book clubs in classrooms - you give me the titles, I will read them :)
- Model/promote how to get started with Destiny Quest or Biblionasium
- Model/promote how to access Hamilton East Public Library Downloadable Collection (eBooks & Audiobooks)
- Model/promote how to access TumbleBooks and Scholastic BookFlix via HEPL
- Model/promote how to access MyON, a gift from the Indiana Department of Education
- Model/promote how to access Epic!
- What is a book review/book trailer
- Elements of effective book reviews/book trailers
- Writing a good hook
- Opinion writing
- Planning a multi-media presentation
- Presentation skills
- How to get started with iPad camera app
- Managing sername / password
- Accepting their one Honor Code. Be safe! Be kind! Be honest!
- Rating books 1-5 stars
- Writing book reviews that make sense
Navigating Nonfiction
We have experienced a big shift toward informational texts with the adoption of new academics standards over the last several years. Locating nonfiction materials on topics of student choice can be tricky but is ripe with opportunity for teaching moments.
- How to browse nonfiction books in a school or public library
- How to locate nonfiction books in a school or public library using the online catalog
- Biographies - organization in libraries
- Traditional reference materials - what they are and how they work: encyclopedia, dictionary, thesaurus, atlas, almanac
- Nonfiction text features - everyone has to teach them! I would love to be that second voice.
Conferring with Readers
Learning more about conferring with readers has been a big professional goal for me the past two years. Let's get together to talk about what me conferring with your readers might look like. I like to think that any time I'm talking with students in the library about their reading habits or their reading plans, it is an informal version of conferring.
Author Studies
Having favorite writers is one piece to having a rewarding Reading Life. When introducing a new author to your students, I'd love to come visit your classroom for a short mini-presentation on that person's life.
Reading Rockets Author Study Toolkit
TeachingBooks.net Meet the Author Movies
Reading Rockets Author Study Toolkit
TeachingBooks.net Meet the Author Movies