Month: August 2020

I Believe I Can by Grace Byers I Believe I Can, written by Grace Byers, is about feeling good about yourself and believing that there are no boundaries to what you can do. Grace Byers also wrote the book I Am Enough, which is about knowing and loving who you are. I have used both… Continue reading

I love to observe.  I came into myself as a writer through observing through line drawings.  Over the years, I’ve really honed in on trees, plants and nature when I need to calm my mind and find ideas for writing. Nature All Around: Trees by Pamela Hickman, illustrated by Carolyn Gavin is a treasure of… Continue reading Nature All Around – Trees

"Miss Masse, that's what we say!" Yes my loves it is, we can do hard things! The end of last year was one like none we've seen before. I did nightly read aloud videos for my kindergarteners but they would also ask me to read some favorites again "live" for them on our zoom meetings. I… Continue reading Hard Things…

A newly published literary treasure! Released just days ago, You Are a Beautiful Beginning is a charming book that shares the message of optimism, self-acceptance and hope. Laden’s predictable pattern of using sentence pairs is accompanied with Garrity-Riley’s highly engaging and busy illustrations. Together, the words and pictures tell the journey of a young child… Continue reading You Are a Beautiful Beginning, written by Nina Laden and illustrated by Kelsey Garrity-Riley

Last night, I served salad and ice cream on my grandmother’s dishes. Now, you might be picturing an elegant china bowl etched with a gold rim. Nope, not these dishes.  These dishes are dark blue and plastic - plain as can be.  There isn’t a full set anymore, either.  I have one serving dish, three… Continue reading My Grandmother’s Dishes

During the summer and in the middle of the pandemic, I needed things to look forward to because there were so many uncertainty in our lives. The publication of children's books was one of those things I looked forward. I marked on my calendar the day the book You Matter by Christian Robinson was being… Continue reading You Matter by Christian Robinson

Have you checked out Jamboard? It's a Google App that can be very helpful as you teach small groups. Each child can be on their own slide working independently and you can toggle back and forth to see how each child is doing. You don't even need to share your screen! In this video, you… Continue reading Jamboard on Zoom with Small Groups!

“After the storm, the sun comes out, and a rainbow fills the sky!”- Share Your Rainbow: 18 Artists Draw Their Hope for the Future by Various (Author), R. J. Palacio (Introduction) As we approach this new school with uncertainty and unrest I can’t help but to find ways to center myself with hope. This will… Continue reading We Should Be Looking for Rainbows by Lynsey Burkins

"So maybe it isn't the fewest mistakes that wins. Maybe it's having the courage to take that next step--even at the risk of making a mistake."

As I eagerly wait for my new second grade students I began collecting books for the first two weeks of school. We are preparing and going to try a hybrid model with our students. Half of my class will come at a time and in two weeks I will see each group five days. Layla's… Continue reading Layla’s Happiness by Maria Hadessa Ekere Tallie

When I learned that Ways to Make Sunshine by Renée Watson would be released on April 28th, I tried convincing myself that I could wait until the summer months to indulge. At the end of April, it arrived on my doorstep unexpectedly - a birthday surprise! In other words, it was readily available for virtual… Continue reading Through The Eyes of a Fourth Grader: Ways to Make Sunshine by Renée Watson

In June, I made a commitment to read more books with main characters from different cultures. My commitment grew as I looked for books with these characters, where their race or their culture was NOT the focus of the book, but rather the book was about these characters who happen to be from a different… Continue reading Stargazing by Jen Wang

Looking for something fun and exciting to do this school year? Whether you’re teaching in person, remotely or in a hybrid model, start a Project LIT Book Club. Project LIT Book Club is a national movement to eradicate book deserts. Book deserts are communities that lack books. So high school teacher, Jarred Amato, and his… Continue reading Project LIT: A Nationwide Movement Started by Jarred Amato

Our Favorite Day of the Year written by A.E. Ali and illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell by Susan Kennedy A great way to make new friends is by sharing things we like.  For me, meeting new students is my favorite thing to do!  That's why the first day of school is my favorite day of… Continue reading Our Favorite Day of the Year

Last spring, teaching online with no preparation was an exercise in trial and error. Video lessons, live lessons, using document cameras, holding papers up to screens - it was basically a hot mess most of the time (at least for me). I loved a sentiment I heard from Natalie Louis at the Phonics Institute a… Continue reading Gather Round the Read Aloud

Last week, Ruth Ayres’ post encouraged writers to celebrate lists as a valuable writing craft.   Then I went to my writing group, and both educators included lists in their draft articles.  The ideas these authors listed in their pieces helped me as an educator and as a writer.  As I read their drafts, I… Continue reading Lessons Learned from Teaching Phonics Online

Jason Chin's Your Place in the Universe starts small, with a picture of four eight-year-old children looking through a telescope. With each page turn, the featured subjects grow larger, from an ostrich to a giraffe to the Mount Everest to the moon. Comparisons help readers make sense of the size of each featured object and start to… Continue reading Your Place in the Universe by Jason Chin

Your Name is a Song, written by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow and illustrated by Luisa Uribe, caught my eye months ago as lucky ARC readers shared their love for this beautiful book. When my pre-ordered copy arrived, right on time, I resisted the urge to jump right in, ripping the package open at the mailbox and getting… Continue reading Your Name is a Song

The title of this book asks a question I think many of us, not just children, have been pondering over the last few months. We have all had our lives uprooted as we deal with the effects of a global health emergency. As adults, we can become overwhelmed with all the information that is available… Continue reading Why Did the Whole World Stop?: Talking with Kids about COVID-19 by Heather Black

This summer, I attended #IREL20 facilitated by Tricia Ebarvia and Dr. Sonja Cherry-Paul. During a breakout session, a fellow educator named Tamika introduced me to Bobbie Harro’s cycle of socialization (I am sorry not to have Tamika’s full name to give her proper credit.) This work, and Tamika’s explanation, helped deepen my understanding of how… Continue reading It’s the 10th Anniversary of #PB10for10

It’s undeniable that the past few months have been difficult for everyone, and as we return to school, students will need a way to express their emotions. This free text through Kindle Unlimited, Not Forever But For Now, approaches the topic of COVID-19 in a very relatable way. It helps children identify their feelings and… Continue reading Not Forever But For Now by Heather Malley

Every summer I scour the book shelves looking for the perfect book to begin my school year.  You know, that one book that sets the tone for building the classroom community. The one that encompasses the theme for the year. The one we refer back to time and time again.    One year I began… Continue reading Choosing the Perfect Book to Begin the School Year

I listened to a third grader as he read a list of CVC words.  (Yes, I realize how much this first sentence reveals about the amount he needs to learn.) As he reads, I repeat, “Come on. You’ve got this,” in my head, somehow hoping to will him to success. YES! He reads the list… Continue reading Lessons Learned from Assessing and Teaching Online

...and don't we all need to breathe a little right now? This beautiful book by Dr. Melissa Munro Boyd is fully named: B Is For Breathe The ABCs of Coping with Fussy and Frustrating Feelings" Dr. Melissa Munro Boyd is a Clinical Psychologist and United States Army officer who works with behavioral health disorders and… Continue reading B Is For Breathe