From classics to new titles, we present an array of wonderfully imaginative children's books to keep them amused for hours
JVKE's 'golden hour' went viral on TikTok and led to record deal offers from major labels. So why does the rising pop talent want to remain an independent artist?
Charles Peterson and Steve Double's images are on display at Proud Camden
Independent reading is a great way to help students build a love of reading! These 5 strategies help hold students accountable!
Being single isn't always a walk in the park, at first... but we've got the key to being so happily single, thanks to these empowering quotes about being single, so much you'll want to keep it that way!
Independent reading is a great way to help students build a love of reading! These 5 strategies help hold students accountable!
When we first moved to the country, we had no TV, and things were really just fine. After that, we opted for Netflix, but just for Madeline, John, and I—not the little ones. Well, that lasted a little while but then the draw of the TV set in. Not for the kids—for ME! It's such
Click through to check out this blog post (and linked podcast episode)to help you find some great new ways to check in with your student readers without distracting them from falling in love with reading.
Find out the very best ways to encourage independent play time for a toddler. Learn why having your child play independently on a regular basis is so good!
Okay teacher friend. It’s finally here. And I’m so excited! I’ve had this resource collecting dust on my computer for years now. I’ve been using this strategy in my classroom for the last few years, but haven’t had the energy or time (teacher life + mom life is exhausting, am I right?) to put it all together so that it’s ready to go for busy teachers like you! Well, it’s finally finished and I finally get to unveil it to you! Did you know I have a FREE downloadable reading response menu board that you can print now and use in your
Are you looking for early finisher activities to keep your students engaged and productive when they complete their work early? Look no further! Here are 20 early finisher activities that your students will love. From creative projects to physical activities, there’s something here for everyone! These early finisher activities will help keep your students motivated and on task while also having a little fun. So grab the supplies, turn up the music, and let's get started with these awesome early finisher activities today! (Some links below are Amazon affiliate links. . .no extra charge for you, but it helps support
hold students accountable while they independently read with these easy to implement reading tips and tricks and strategies
Fluency tends to be a commonly overlooked skill, but you can change that by learning about strategies for teaching fluency with your elementary students!
Jerry Schatzberg felt intimidated when he first met Bob Dylan to photograph him in 1965, but as these pictures testify, he soon broke the ice, as he tells Charlotte Cripps
When we first moved to the country, we had no TV, and things were really just fine. After that, we opted for Netflix, but just for Madeline, John, and I—not the little ones. Well, that lasted a little while but then the draw of the TV set in. Not for the kids—for ME! It's such
Do you play music in the classroom? Here's our classroom playlist of first grade greatest hits!
Norwegian chalet is located in the Wye Valley
Teach your kids to play by themselves so you can get things done or take a break. Learn some of the best independent play activities here.
When we first moved to the country, we had no TV, and things were really just fine. After that, we opted for Netflix, but just for Madeline, John, and I—not the little ones. Well, that lasted a little while but then the draw of the TV set in. Not for the kids—for ME! It's such
Robert Webb on a spiritual strumalong that came to John Lennon in the dead of night
This FREE class about "free-flowing" centers will help you increase learning and save time with independent Pre-K & Kindergarten centers!
This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. After years spent in different sectors of the education system, one thing I know for sure is that concentration in children doesn’t always come easy. Lack of focus and concentration is one of the issues most teachers struggle with; It is also one of the issues many parents
Visual boundaries are a vital part of classroom setup. Let me show you how I utilize these visual boundaries in classroom!
If you have any variation of independent reading in your middle or high school English class, you've undoubtedly faced challenges at some point in the experience. Unlike the enthusiasm for reading in primary grades (think stickers, SSR, take-home bags, cute reading nooks, etc.), it's a huge accomplishment in secondary to get students to read anything, much less doing so with a stocked classroom library, fair assessments, and anything resembling enthusiasm. When many of our kids are over-committed, how do we make reading habits enjoyable, instead of just assigning tasks that just feel like more work? Though I won't pretend to have all the answers for every reader and every type of classroom, I *can* tell you 15+ solutions that helped me teach independent reading programs over the last six years, to four grade levels and two school settings (urban and suburban/private). Why Independent Reading, Though? This book is gold! (Link to Amazon) Before I share these tips, let me clarify that I'm a Kelly Gallagher fan and believe firmly that teens should read as much as possible, without "killing the book" by over-teaching and over-assigning it. On the other hand, if your students are reluctant or growing readers, then even finishing one book per month might be an accomplishment. It's all about getting them to read the same or more than they are now, right? My Story: Starting from Nothing During my master's program, I was studying motivation and reading for my thesis/portfolio, and I was hell-bent on bringing some level of independent reading to my inner-city classes of sophomores and seniors for student teaching. However, despite my amazing mentor teacher, there was no classroom library, the school library was under-funded, and the kids had NO buy-in. The regular-English class of sophomores were outwardly priding themselves on having NEVER FINISHED A WHOLE BOOK BEFORE, and my AP Lang seniors felt that they had too much homework to squeeze in any more reading. So, with the help of book drives, volunteers, and various kinds of coercing on my part... We built a classroom library. My "Book of the Month" system was born. We had guest speakers come talk about reading. We made time in class to read (and/or talk about) books. And, according to the letters that I got from students at the end of my time (which they were NOT required to write), many were "converted" to reading, before it was too late. Nowadays, I teach in a private middle school with a district that requires use of Accelerated Reader (which kids hate) and have a lot of over-committed students (who think they have no time for reading). My challenges have changed, but the solutions I used in both settings really haven't. So trust me, I know how hard it is to start (and enforce) independent reading. But the steps below have helped me a lot, and they can help you, too. Top 15 Tips for Your Program So here are a few solutions to think about before or during your choice reading requirements for your English class. 1. Start with a quantity within their ZPD. At the beginning of your program, ease into the length and/or quantity of books you require. Let them pick up shorter books at first, and don't be afraid of giving them plenty of time to finish the book (before assigning shorter deadlines later). When I helped teach sophomores and AP Lang, the one thing both classes had in common was my Book of the Month requirement, and it was a hit at both levels! 2. Teach students how to pace reading to meet a deadline. We teachers HAVE to stop passing out books, assigning a deadline, and just saying "go." The sink-or-swim approach does little to actually teach students to pace themselves, and it probably won't help them like the experience, either. I like using these pacing bookmarks to help my eighth graders calculate the number of pages they need to read per day to meet a deadline; it promotes more consistent reading instead of trying to fly through 150 pages the night before it's due. 3. Let some books end with just opinion or reflection. Yes, some texts will end with summative assessments, AR quizzes, or your own check for understanding. But not every book needs to end with work (and you don't need to grade everything, either.) 4. Use reverse psychology. One of the best ways to get a teen interested after all is to tell them they're not allowed to. Even if it's not September, try this banned books mini-unit to get students reading commonly challenged CHOICE books (that they negotiate with you and their parents). 5. Make them watch the movie version. Yes, this activity is fun, BUT more importantly, it's extremely important for weak readers who have a hard time visualizing the text. You don't have to play the movie in-class, either. Make students do the work of picking the book/movie combo (including getting parent permission based on film ratings), and then let them generate heated opinions of which version (book or movie) was better. Start here for more ideas. 6. Eliminate excuses for acquiring books. Don't have books at home? Get them from school. Don't have time for the school library? Get a cart of books from there. Don't have a classroom library? Do what I did and ask your local Half Price Books (or whoever) to work with you on a Book Drive for your classroom! Need more copies? If you qualify, set up a Donors Choose account. 7. Let books become gifts. I always make a big deal out of it when new books arrive in the mail or when I've been shopping. I bring it into the room in its shopping bag/box and "unwrap" it in front of them, turning it into a suspense-filled book talk. You can also literally gift them back and forth: let kids donate books to the classroom, and if you have the funds, buy a book for each kid at some point in the year. 8. Add a teacher book talk once a week. Just make a starting goal to hold up and discuss ONE book for five minutes or less, once per week. You need to model what enthusiastic chatter about books looks like, especially if no other adult does. Plus, it will help them branch out into different books (other than the popular ones already being circulated in teen word-of-mouth). 9. Make STUDENTS give the book talks. I have a Student-Led Book Talks Project that lets students recommend one book, a series, or a themed collection in a short (graded) presentation. Book talks that come directly from students always have WAY more cred than ones from a teacher (even if they trust your book judgment)! 10. Do a buddy read. If ever, they probably haven't been allowed to read a book with just one buddy since elementary school. Maybe one month is a required Partner Read month in your class, in which both have to agree on a book and do a culminating partner assignment together! 11. Allow one "re-read". Let just ONE of the books be a reread of a book from the past 2-5 years (assuming it's a reasonable choice, difficulty-wise). Let them feel the confidence-booster of being older and smarter, noticing more as they read it again. Ask them to reflect on what they got out of the text the second time! 12. Make decorative book reviews that last. I did this Quote Analysis and Artwork project as prep for an author visit last year, and it gave us cool Pinterest-style illustrated quotes to hang on lockers or walls! 13. Bring in (free) guest speakers. I know this may vary, but our local librarians do free school visits to recommend books to students, especially if it's at the end of the year (to promote their summer reading program). See if a library or bookstore is willing to talk to your class! During student teaching, I also had college students visit my sophomores and seniors to talk about their reading habits (both their required reading in college classes and what they read for fun). 14. Get a (free) author visit. Many authors do free (or cheap) Skype visits, or sometimes even in-person ones if they're local. Ask your school or local library for ideas, or check out websites like this one that provide lists. Not going to work out? TWEET AT THE AUTHOR and see if you get a reply! (I did this last year, and you can read about it in my TED posts.) 15. Give them TIME. I saved this for last because I know it's the hardest one - making time to give students in-class reading time. I've done this several ways in the past - doing it as my bell-ringer (while I take attendance), or doing a longer period of time once a week (so I can circulate the room and check reading logs/progress, etc.). Do whatever works for you, but once a week for 20 minutes is better than nothing, and it may give them a chance to RELAX in the middle of the school day! For More Info If you want help getting your program started, you can get my rubrics, logs, and other forms HERE in my Book of the Month programs for middle school and high school! And if you want to see my other lessons and tools for teaching literature, just click here. What advice would you add to this list? Tell me in the comments!
