Month: September 2020

I clearly remember sitting in front of a first grade class reading Over and Under the Snow, by Kate Messner. Their little eyes, glued to each page, their minds studying each and every page, studying and learning. Over and Under the Rainforest, Kate Messner's newest release, is another beautifully told and magically illustrated book that… Continue reading Over and Under the Rainforest

As I prepared to start the year in kindergarten in these unprecedented times, I carefully evaluated which of my favorite read alouds I would choose to share with my new students in the first days of school. I always look for new favorites to mix in with my old favorites but this year, I had… Continue reading I Got the School Spirit- even in these times

Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away invites readers to experience a range of relatable, bittersweet emotions. Evelyn’s best friend, Daniela, narrates the happenings on the day before her best friend moves away. Sweetness is illustrated as the girls play together one last time, doing all their favorite and familiar activities. Bitterness and grief is shown… Continue reading Evelyn Del Rey is Moving Away, written by Meg Medina and illustrated by Sonia Sanchez

This book!!!! Oh my heart! What an amazing story of resilience, commitment and perseverance. Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks by Suzanne Slade and illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera is an amazing biography picture book about the first Black person to win the Pulitzer Prize. Gwnedolyn's story is the perfect book to share… Continue reading Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks

Are you looking for a fun, meaningful off-line activity for your kindergarten students? Do you want to build your kindergarteners phonemic awareness? Use these one minute videos, or make your own, to send your students on a search for items in their home that begin with a particular sound. Children will be invited to: Find… Continue reading Sound Scavenger Hunt!

I am on a hill looking down on Park City, Utah, and what am I thinking about - getting better at mountain biking. You see, I'm a relatively new mountain biker, so when I get on my bike, I think, don't forget to shift as you go uphill. Remember to lower your seat when the… Continue reading Lessons from my Husband

bOOKS AS mIRRORS AND wINDOWS Dr. Rudine Simms Bishop, in her 1990 article, wrote about the importance of literature as “mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors.” Our students come to us during this unique year, in the midst of two pandemics; a global health crisis and the urgent battle to dismantle systemic racism. As we… Continue reading Launching Readers Workshop with Books as Mirrors and Windows

If you walk through an elementary school during the first week of school, at almost any time of day, you will hear teachers reading aloud to their students.  Teachers use books to teach lessons about friendship and about being an individual.  We use old favorites, such as Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester to teach… Continue reading Reading to Students in a Remote Environment

Right now my husband and I are living in small quarters.  I have one cubby for all my clothes. A space to store our bedding is under one cushion. One cubby for all dishes and pots and pans, and a college-size refrigerator to store groceries. Now, I am not complaining. I love traveling in our… Continue reading Learning from Living in Small Quarters

It's my first day of school today, and I definitely have the first day jitters. You know what I'm talking about... sleepless nights, the nightmares about students coming to school and being completely unprepared and of course the hope that I'm going to form a fabulous connection with each of my students. One of the… Continue reading A Perfect Day by Sarah Brannen

It’s early in the morning and it is twenty degrees in Yellowstone National Park.  So what is the problem?  I am living in a tiny trailer, and I am freezing.  All I want is a cup of hot tea and a yummy muffin.  We exit the park, and just a few miles away is this… Continue reading Finding Books in Unusual Places

Last year, We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins was one of my students’ favorite beginning of the year read alouds. Kindergarten, first, and second grade kids giggled with delight and fell in love with Penelope the dinosaur and her struggle to not eat the delicious children in her class. This year, Ryan… Continue reading We Will Rock Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins

This Tuesday marks the book birthday of I Am One: A Book of Action, the latest collaboration between writer Susan Verde and illustrator Peter H. Reynolds. Their partnership of these two creators is legendary in my third-grade classroom. From The Water Princess and The Museum to the pair's I Am... collaborative series, each of their titles draws in readers. Elementary readers… Continue reading I Am One by Susan Verde

Growing up, my best friend was a big fan of Halloween. Every year, she and her family hosted a big Halloween party, complete with costumes, games, and a trip to a nearby haunted house. I vividly remember standing outside of the haunted house entrance with my friend’s mom, crying as she tried to convince me… Continue reading The Stitchers by Lorien Lawrence

"She had a great idea." I love the simplicity of the opening line of this book. How many of our students think every idea they have is great? They run to us wide-eyed, ready to share, and the words burst out of them excitedly. Too often, I think our answer is no. Maybe there isn't… Continue reading A Thousand No’s by DJ Corchin

This is the first time in twenty-four years that I haven’t been with teachers and kids in September. So what have I been doing as I travel? I spy on kids in the campgrounds. I sit at my picnic table and notice what they do with so much free time on their hands. It is… Continue reading Kid-Watching in Campgrounds

Ask great questions Laugh a lot Use your voice Work hard These are Penny Purple's surefire steps to becoming a PURPLE person! Purple People come in every color, every shape and every size. Purple People are kind and curious change makers. YOU are a purple person! The World Needs More Purple People, written by Kristen… Continue reading The World Needs More Purple People

“My hope is that this book will help teachers strengthen the bond they have with their students, and that their students have with each other.” Shannon Olsen and Sandie Sonke, you nailed it! I’m confident in making the statement that Educators around the globe are engaged in a very personal, heart-wrenching battle against self. As… Continue reading Our Class is a Family by Shannon Olsen and Sandie Sonke

I am embarrassed to say that, until last year, I had never read a wordless book with my students. And in all honesty, I first read one completely by chance. A colleague was reading aloud stacks of picture books that had made Caldecott 2020 prediction lists. After they finished reading all the books, her students… Continue reading Fly! by Mark Teague