It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

  This is a picture of Kate Messner.  I discovered her through the Teacher's Write Summer Camp.  Not only is she helping hundreds of teachers to write this summer, she is also a wonderful author for children.  I sidetracked from my reading list last week and read The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z.  I loved it.  I think it will make a perfect read aloud for my students this fall.  I really like the quiz you can take at the end to determine "What Kind of Tree Are You?"  I was already planning on having a tree bulletin board so...  Her website is http://www.katemessner.com.

Anyway, back to last weeks list.  I read many of the books on my list last week, but not all.  So, I am not going to add any new ones to my list.  If I finish last weeks list early, I will read from the stacks, yes stacks, of books I have here in my home and the hundreds of books on my Kindle!  There's always the library, too.  I wanted to run to the library on Saturday, when I got the notice that Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe was ready to be picked up.  But, I knew I still had many books to read so, I held my self back, but I will go and get it - yes, today!  Anyway,  I want to recommend The Fluent Reader by Timothy V. Rasinski.  




  He talks about the value of reading aloud to students and practicing oral reading in the classroom.  He shares many great ideas to accomplish this.  He discusses assisted reading and shows a model for effective learning.  There is a CD that shows video clips, podcasts, and ready-to-print pages.  My book is well bookmarked and I am ready to use many of his ideas in my classroom.

I decided to not read Skeleton Letters by Laura Childs.  I've read several of her books and honestly it felt like the same old, same old.

Books still on my list:

• The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White
• Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
• Essential Strategies for Word Study by Timothy Rasinski & Jerry Zutell

Happy Reading Everyone!

Kathy