Author: Melissa Quimby

In fourth grade, readers have monthly Shelfies to track their independent reading lives throughout the year. Once they complete a book, they write the title on their Shelfie. This practice helps them track their reading volume and book choices. Last year, I decided to add a little math joy to our reading community. This year,… Continue reading Book Count Warm-Ups

I wrapped up the teaching portion of our mini lesson and began linking our community work to what I wanted readers to try independently. "Okay, you have two important decisions to make as you go off today! First, you'll choose a NEW short story to experience. As I lay out the stacks, I want to… Continue reading Black Boy Joy!

On the first day of school, during our first session of identity mapping, I found myself in many conversations about ice cream with kids. I began thinking, I just found a way to hook readers for our first Meet Someone New Monday celebration. I just knew I'd need to share The Sweetest Scoop: Ben &… Continue reading Get a Scoop Of This!

Happy September! We are back for a fourth year of sharing our love of books with students and YOU, our dedicated readers. We are turning the page as we begin the 2022-2023 school year and plan to bring you new content just twice a week. Stay tuned for some book reviews and literacy learning on… Continue reading A New Chapter: 2022-2023

We are one short school day from summer break in Natick, MA. This weekend, I browsed the children's section at the bookstore, reminded myself of books I saved on Twitter and my camera roll, and began requesting some titles online from the library network. When summer hits, I always have ambitious goals as I try… Continue reading MQ Summer Stack

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jb2mYaGwbyY It's a rainy day in Massachusetts. It is the kind of day that makes me want to snuggle up with a good book so I invited our reading community to do so this afternoon. We cozied up on our green, orange, and blue polka-dotted rug and turned off the lights like a theater. Together,… Continue reading Where Three Oceans Meet by Rajani Larocca

The first bend of our literary essay unit was a challenge. Do these young writers have enough ownership over the essay structure yet? I thought. Naturally, there was quite a range in the levels of independence at the end of our opinion unit, and I found myself feeling nervous for next steps. Yet, I found… Continue reading Writing Joy with Encanto

In Massachusetts, it is the first day of February vacation. I woke up at 8:32, in a panic that I was late for school. My brain quickly reminded me that it is Saturday. Phew! For the next week, I will enjoy sleeping in without alarms, sipping some extra coffee and enjoy reading a book or… Continue reading Thank you, Elly Swartz!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85k-Shaj254 For the last couple of weeks, I've been enjoying this collection bit by bit. Thanks to Libby App, I have been able to enjoy each story as a read aloud -- in the car, when walking or on my couch with my paperback copy. The introduction, crafted by editors S.K. Ali and Aisha Saeed,… Continue reading Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices

Last month, we welcomed you to 4Q's Reading Community. This time, we'd like to share a bit about our community of writers! Here are some reasons why we think our writing community is special: "We have writing tools." -B Our literacy work at Brown School is anchored in the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project… Continue reading Welcome to Our Writing Community

Every June, I am curious to learn each reader's favorite book enjoyed in fourth grade. After watching and listening and recommending all year long, I am left wondering what the #1 title in their stacks of 30-40 independent reading books is. Last week, I invited my crew to take out their stack of monthly "Shelfies"… Continue reading An Unexpected Heart Flutter

My eyes that kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea are a revolution.--Joanna Ho https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFz0wktGr2k Author Joanna Ho reads her new picture book, Eyes That Kiss in the Corners. Lines We Love "I have eyes that kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea.""Her eyes are filled with so many stories; I… Continue reading Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho

Last week, I listened to an episode of the Choice Literacy Podcast: Empowering Readers with Sara Kajder. I was struck by Sara's honesty as she shared, "Over the past few months, there are times when I've been alive as a reader and there are times when I can't give a book ten pages before I… Continue reading Miss Quimby’s Springtime Stack

Truth be told, I have not read many graphic novels, and I am making an effort to expand my reading life in that way. The graphic novel collection in my classroom library has dwindled over time. I have lost many beloved titles to former students. The bin that we do have always seems to be… Continue reading Graphic Novel Detectives

A month ago today, I enjoyed a virtual flower arrangement workshop from the comfort of my kitchen. I chose to use this experience as a topic for an information book--one that mirrored what writers were creating in the classroom. I showed up to our community meeting for Talk About It Tuesday with the headings planned… Continue reading Dear Young Writers, Your Audience Matters.

Halfway through the school year, I conferred with a reader who had reached a hurdle in his reading life. During independent reading time, I noticed that engagement was drifting away. His eyes were wandering, his head was down, or a conversation unrelated to reading had been sparked. After a few days of observations and redirection,… Continue reading Representation Matters

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

2019 - Summer Stack Shelfies Around this time last year, we created a productive mess all over Room 104. Our summer reading anchor charts were pinned to the naked bulletin board, a sea of monthly "Shelfies" stretched across the floor, and readers were buzzing about books. Fourth graders were hard at work crafting Best Books… Continue reading Then & Now: Crafting Summer Reading Plans

The month of May began with lots of book mail. As always, my TBR list seems to be never ending. Though temporary, gone are the days of roaming bookstores to soak in that new book smell. Libraries are closed until further notice. Kindle reading is not my jam, and I struggle to make it through… Continue reading Virtual Indie Bookstore Crawl Leads to Summer Reading Stack!

Our world looks and feels different right now. Teaching and learning structures look and feel different right now. In this time of extreme uncertainty and countless cancellations, I can say the following with confidence: Reading is not cancelled!" Teachers and authors have banded together, all over the internet, to make sure students are reading, writing… Continue reading #ReadingIsNotCancelled