March Madness is upon us in more ways than one! As a fan of Xavier Men’s Basketball not only am I watching the NCAA finals but I am also watching the NIT Tournament. Not where the Musketeers wanted to be, but they are still playing! In school, we have our annual March Madness book tournament… Continue reading Saving American Beach
Author: Ann Williams
The Whatifs
Building a classroom community and establishing relationships with students is the primary goal of all teachers. Helping students establish relationships with each other that evolve and grow is also a goal for teachers. I tell my students on the first day of school that we will learn to be a family together, that it will… Continue reading The Whatifs
Uma Wimple Charts Her House
Every year for my birthday, my daughter searches the shelves at her favorite indie bookstore, Market Block Books in Troy, NY, to find just the right picture book for me. This past year she chose, Uma Wimple Charts Her House by Reif Larsen and Ben Gibson. My daughter is an engineer; she has always loved… Continue reading Uma Wimple Charts Her House
Sisters of the Neversea
In early November, I read Sisters of the Neversea, by Cynthia Leitich Smith. It is wonderful!! It is a modern version of Peter Pan with two sisters in a blended family as the heroines. Lily, one of the sisters, is Muscogee Creek and Wendy, the other sister, is from England. They share a half brother,… Continue reading Sisters of the Neversea
The First Blade of Sweetgrass
Picture books and novels by Indigenous authors ABOUT Indigenous people are some of my favorite books to share with students all year long. The First Blade of Sweetgrass: A Native American Story by Suzanne Greenlaw, citizen of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians and her husband, Gabriel Frey, citizen of the Passamaquoddy Nation, is one… Continue reading The First Blade of Sweetgrass
BOO! Discovering a New Genre
Who doesn’t like a good scare every now and then, especially in October? I certainly do. I like the laughing that inevitably occurs after a good scare. Fourth grade is a time when many readers are starting to transition from reading books in a series to reading more stand alone novels. It is also a… Continue reading BOO! Discovering a New Genre
I Do Not Like Yolanda
After a week of displaying welcome back to school and other feel good titles on my picture book easel, I put out I Do Not Like Yolanda by Zoey Abbott. I just let it sit there, unread, staring out into the classroom watching students. Each day I would head toward the easel, which also has… Continue reading I Do Not Like Yolanda
How to Apologize
Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word, as Elton John lets us know in his 1976 hit by the same name. If only Sir Elton had the advantage of reading the picture book, How to Apologize, by David LaRochelle and illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka, perhaps he could have found a solution to his relationship struggles.… Continue reading How to Apologize
Summer Stacks and Sunsets
I have already gotten MORE sleep in the past week than I have since March 2020 so now it is time to dive in to my summer stacks! I am so glad that my library is open again for browsing! I have missed this so much this past year and I have found some really… Continue reading Summer Stacks and Sunsets
We Are Still Here! Native American Truths Everyone Should Know
We have been reading and loving books by Traci Sorell all year; in fact, we are HUGE Traci Sorell fans. I was so excited to share her newest book, We Are Still Here; Native American Truths Everyone Should Know, with my students in the month of May. The story takes place on Indigenous Peoples’ Day. … Continue reading We Are Still Here! Native American Truths Everyone Should Know
Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer
Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer, written by Traci Sorell and illustrated by Natasha Donovan, is a treasure! My fourth graders are HUGE Traci Sorell fans and they were so excited when this book arrived in our classroom. The story of Mary Golda Ross is one that will resonate with… Continue reading Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer
Reinventing the Reading Journal: Part II
Finding a teammate to share in this work, someone who has similar philosophies and work ethic, someone who understands children and appreciates how amazing they are, someone who knows you, warts and all, is a rare find indeed. A teammate helps to make an already wonderful life as a teacher even more incredible. I have… Continue reading Reinventing the Reading Journal: Part II
Way Past Worried
You know that feeling. The one that keeps you up at night, the one that has you CONVINCED something awful has happened, the one that occupies every waking moment; it goes BEYOND worried. It is a situation that you are so concerned about that you just can’t get it out of your mind and you… Continue reading Way Past Worried
When We Are Kind
Cultivating a collection of picture books and novels by own voice authors has become a focus of my reading life with students. My collection is growing and the latest addition is When We Are Kind, by one of my favorite authors, Monique Gray Smith, written in both English and Dine´. It is beautifully illustrated by… Continue reading When We Are Kind
At the Mountain’s Base
For some time now, I have been collecting books written by own voice authors, particularly those books written by Indigenous people. My collection is growing and these books play a vital role in all aspects of my curriculum and in the classroom community. The students are beginning to recognize works by specific authors by examining… Continue reading At the Mountain’s Base
Birdsong
Birdsong, by Julie Flett is a beautiful tale of multigenerational friendship and life changes told through the eyes of a child. The illustrations, also by Flett, enable the reader to feel the tenderness between the characters and to experience their journey of friendship and art, together, through the seasons. Julie Flett is a Cree Métis… Continue reading Birdsong
Donut the Destroyer by Sara Graley and Stef Purenins
I love helping students assemble their first book bag in the fall and this year was no different. Well, it was a little different, but I still loved it! Prior to assembling the book bags, I surveyed students, observed students, and read with students to get to know them as readers in September of… Continue reading Donut the Destroyer by Sara Graley and Stef Purenins
Praire Days to launch workshops
WOW, what a start to the new school year! I have been in a remote learning environment for a week and one thing is for certain, CHILDREN LOVE TO BE READ TO, EVEN IN A GOOGLE MEET. I have spent a great deal of time pondering how to launch reader’s and writer’s workshops this year.… Continue reading Praire Days to launch workshops
All Welcome Here
It is strange to thinkThat the first day with my kidsWill be on the screen Not in a circleWith warm greetings all aroundBut in a grid view A stack is preparedBooks which will welcome studentsTo start our journey All with a messageFriends, learning, communitySo many choices The first day of schoolStudents feel, All Welcome HerePoems… Continue reading All Welcome Here
Four stacks and a glorious summer ahead!
I always look forward to creating my summer book stack and this year felt even more special. Perhaps it is due to the fact that it was a very strange ending to the school year without any of the usual traditions. Or perhaps it is because although it must have seemed like there was plenty… Continue reading Four stacks and a glorious summer ahead!
Celebrating Literature in a Virtual Environment-Part 2
It IS possible to celebrate books virtually and to spread book love without physically being present with a student. We could not believe the excitement that students exhibited when presented with the Charlotte’s Web checklist for our virtual book celebration. The students eagerly and enthusiastically chose their topics for exploration and begin the process of… Continue reading Celebrating Literature in a Virtual Environment-Part 2
Shakespeare for students: Engage!
Each year, in September, I introduce the works of William Shakespeare to my fourth graders with William Shakespeare and the Globe by Aliki and Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare for Children, edited by Edith Nesbit. Selections from these books enable me to build background for students about Shakespeare. Students are fascinated by the… Continue reading Shakespeare for students: Engage!
The Ladybug Race
Enjoy a read aloud of, The Ladybug Race, written and illustrated by Amy Nielander and published by Pomegrante Kids, a division of Pomegranate Communications, Inc. This amazing wordless picture book tells the story of ladybugs racing to cross a finish line first, but wait, there is a bigger lesson here than who is the fastest...what… Continue reading The Ladybug Race
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy is a must read for 2020. It is a story of friendship, relationships and life lessons for people of all ages. These unlikely characters discuss life, forgiveness, and the journey we all take on this earth. The characters have hopes and dreams, fears… Continue reading The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy
We Are Grateful–Otsaliheliga
“Otsaliheliga,” We are grateful! I am grateful for this wonderful book about a journey through the seasons with a Cherokee family by Traci Sorell and illustrated by Frané Lessac. Sorell, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, describes in detail how a Cherokee family moves through the year and the seasons, calling attention to everything they… Continue reading We Are Grateful–Otsaliheliga
Sweeping Up The Heart
It is a rare opportunity when you get to share a novel with just one student, and that is just the opportunity I had with my niece while reading Sweeping Up The Heart by Kevin Henkes last summer. Maria and I had been on the hunt for a book to share together when we walked… Continue reading Sweeping Up The Heart
Fee, fi fo fum! I smell the blood of an Englishman! These words are well known by children and adults familiar with the traditional story of Jack and the Beanstalk. Fearsome Giant, Fearless Child, written by Paul Fleischman and illustrated by Julie Paschkis, is the tale of Jack told from a multicultural perspective. Fleischman collects… Continue reading
You Hold Me Up
At the beginning of the school year, every teacher focuses on establishing a classroom community and developing relationships among the members of the classroom. Cultivating and maintaining a positive classroom community takes dedication, time and care. You Hold Me Up , by Monique Gray Smith and illustrated by Danielle Daniel is a book that will… Continue reading You Hold Me Up
The Book Hog by Greg Pizzoli
I am a book hog, are you a book hog? This was the question posed to students as we began Greg Pizzoli’s new book, The Book Hog. Students quickly recognized the colors on the cover and the illustrations as being very similar to The Watermelon Seed, also by Pizzoli, and they were excited to dive… Continue reading The Book Hog by Greg Pizzoli
Endling, The Last
As the summer winds down and a new year begins, I think back to how the summer of 2019 began with a virtual book club! After meeting author, Katherine Applegate,at An Unlikely Story bookstore and hearing her speak about all of her books, including her new fantasy series Endling, students were excited to get their… Continue reading Endling, The Last