What Are You Reading? (January Edition)

Professional

Supporting Phonemic Awareness Development in the Classroom (Barb)

Yopp & Yopp, The Reading Teacher, October 2000

Quick article phonemic awareness including definitions of basic terms and a suggested sequence for instruction.

Professional Capitol (Barb)

Andy Hargreaves & Michael Fullan

You may also wish to check out Hargreaves’ TedTalk about uplifting leadership.

Choice Words by Peter Johnston (Andrea)

"Successful Strategies for Teaching Reading to Middle Grade English Language Learners" (Heather)

High Impact Instruction by Jim Knight (Julie)

In his book High-Impact Instruction, Jim Knight provides a simple but powerful framework and set of tools for improving “the Big Four” elements of quality teaching: community building, content planning, instruction, and assessment for learning. High-Impact Instruction is a roadmap for professional learning. The key to improving student achievement isn’t more teacher time - it’s more teacher impact. This handbook, written for teachers and used by principals and instructional coaches, brings out the best in teaching.

The Next Step in Guided Reading by Jan Richardson (Jaimie)

Jan Richardson demonstrates exactly how to plan, teach, check for understanding, and reteach. An easy-to-use View & Do guide helps teachers put what they've seen righ tinto action. These are great supplementary resources that go with Jan's book: The Next Step in Guided Reading: Focused Assessments and Targeted Lessons for Helping Every Student Become a Better Reader. They are brand new in 2013 and aligned to CCSS.

Children’s and Young Adult

Midwinter Blood (Barb)

Young adult historical fiction/fantasy set on a mysterious island where no one ages, this story starts in the year 2073 and moves backward in time. Each section happens at a different period in time, and characters overlap between time periods. By the last section, the reader unravels the entire history of the island. Highly complex text that might make a cool book talk for grade 9 - 10 fantasy readers.

The Fault in Our Stars By: John Green (Heather)

A young adult novel that tells the story about teenager with cancer and the friend she meets that changes her life.

Code Name Verity By: Elizabeth E. Wein (Heather)

A young adult novel that tells the story of two friends during WWII.

A note from Penny. . .

Christmas break allows time for pleasure reading and completion of things started.

I’ve spent time reading:

Love Jason - Excellent story of a family growing through tragic loss.

The Bible - We’ve been challenged to read this in a year beginning today.

Love and War - A book I’m sharing with my husband and we strengthen our marriage.

James and the Giant Peach - My granddaughter’s read aloud.

A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park (Jaimie)

I am actually reading this book in response to the Notice and Note lessons I have been teaching in the 3-5 classrooms in my building.  Excerpts from this text are used in introducing the Tough Questions signpost.  I was intrigued by the excerpts and wanted to read the whole text. Excellent Read!

Carrie is on a historical fiction binge:

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

The 1950’s in the French Quarter of New Orleans comes alive in this YA Historical Fiction novel by the same author as Between Shades of Gray.

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Set during the 1920’s in New York City, life is filled with mystery, intrigue, and little “magic” as Evie, the main character, works to solve the case of a serial killer.