Plant a Kiss by: Peter Reynolds & Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Peter Reynolds does it again, this time by collaborating with Amy Krouse Rosenthal.  This is a story about hope and kindness, just in time for Valentine's Day!!!
 Enjoy!


XXXOOO

Reading Girl

New and Notable - an Alphabet Book with Rocks

Check this out: If Rocks Could Sing by: Leslie McGuirk

A Chance to Hear Stephen King

Just last week my boss walked into my office and asked me if I wanted to go see Stephen King give a book talk on his latest book:  11/22/63.  I almost jumped up and down.  I immediately said YES, and through my arms around her and gave her a big hug.

Without asking for any more details I went on with my week eager to see and hear Stephen King talk about anything.  My mind was whirling with thoughts of horror, silly made for TV movies, and more horror.  I could not wrap my mind around politics + Stephen King = 11/22/63. 

When I arrived at McKinney North HS, the auditorium was packed!  There were literally 1000 people there.  I was ushered to the front where I eagerly waited for his first words.  Stephen King spoke...
I thought to myself, "He is really funny, not gory."  This amazing writer talked about his life as a writer, his family members that are writers too, and all of the rejection letters that he got when he was first starting out.  He was incredible to listen to.  He is such a storyteller!

My favorite part of hearing Stephen King speak was how REAL he is about everything!  I a world marred by fake everything, and people who are too busy to care, we all had a chance to stop and be reminded about what great storytelling is all about.  The REAL STUFF!

I cannot wait to read 11/22/63....

XXXOOO,
Reading Girl

Live in Love...

Live in Love...

If by chance you have the amazing opportunity to teach reading and writing to elementary students, then you probably already LIVE in LOVE.  It is a wonderful, hard, fun, silly, terrifying, eventful, and playful process, and the greatest joy that you can give a student when you unlock their ability to read a story.  This process only gets better when students can actually read a story that they have written by themselves.

This year as you begin to get to know your students do some of the following things to create a love of reading & writing for your students:

1.  Ask students to complete a reading interest survey to find out 

    what they really like to read about.

2.  Once you have their survey, let them read from those genres!

    I mean it!  If they love motorcycle magazines, comic books, or

    drawing books, then let them have those books.

3.  Talk to them about what is happening in their "stories" they

    are reading and tell them all about what YOU are reading.

4.  Model your own writing.  Your ability to put yourself out there

    will create an environment of "trust", and in turn students will

    put themselves out there even more with their own writing!

5.  Love each other through the process...

XXXOOO,

Reading Girl

Focus ONE Point and Breathe

This year is our ELAR - (English Language Arts and Reading) work we must focus on what is most important.  For me, I can bring that down to one main thing:  Teaching kids to love reading and writing and to comprehend both of those disciplines really, really well!

In order for our students to deeply understand what they are reading they have to get beyond shallow, compliant reading, and shift into deeper reading.  Students need NO acronym based reading strategies to be able to do this.  They absolutely need to learn the natural comprehension strategies that ALL strategic readers use and apply them when needed.

Teach students to focus in on one good reading strategy that is good for them for life, then step back and breathe...it will take them far on this reading journey!

Ready.....Aim......Read!!!!

You'll be happy that you did,
XXXOOO,

Reading Girl

Maybelle Goes to Tea by: Katie Speck

Maybelle is a cockroach.  She is a lovely cockroach and she is tired of crumbs.  She wants REAL food.
When this adorable brown friend decides to attend a tea party with the town's most amazing women, she decides to break all three of the main cockroach rules:

1.  When it's light, stay out of sight.
2.  If you're spied, better run and hide.
3.  Never meet with human feet.

Maybelle has two great friends who attempt to help her through the tea party.  Maurice is a fly.  Henry is a flea.  Read this second installment of Maybelle and you will laugh and laugh, and laugh.

Afternoon of the Elves

Afternoon of the Elves