...And they rode off into the sunset to begin their own great adventures #IMWAYR August 26, 2013

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme began by Sheila at Book Journeys as a way to share what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and what is in store for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading. I first learned about it at Teach Mentor Texts. 

What I am reading electronically:

I woke up sick in the middle of the night and decided to read until I fell asleep again. I chose The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater via my Net Galley account.

The Dream Thieves picks up a month after The Raven Boys left off and is filled with mystical forces and paranormal happenings. I sort of loved the part when Ronan throws Noah out a window (not really a spoiler, just added characterization).
I enjoy the stories Stiefvater weaves and her use of complex and flawed characters. Her works are always fresh and unique.



*Librarians and educators have free access to Net Galley.
NetGalley is a service to promote and publicize forthcoming titles to readers of influence. If you are a reviewer, blogger, journalist, librarian, bookseller, educator, or in the media, you can use NetGalley for FREE to request and read titles before they are published. (as stated on Net Galley)

What I am reading for ideas:

Scholastic's Book Fairs Ideas Guide Fall 2013 and School Resource Catalog

During our Meet the Teacher event at my school on Friday, a very special package arrived for me. It was the Scholastic Book Fair Planning Kit jammed pack with flyers, posters, and these goodies. I quickly whipped up a couple of posters to hang so families would know we have a book fair coming up soon. I decided to take home the Idea book and new Resource catalog. Hey, this is also reading, you know.






What I am reading for professional development:
Book Love by Penny Kittle

My dear friend, Mapuana, loaned her autographed copy of Book Love by Penny Kittle to me with the promise that I would read it within a week.

If you looked up the definition of a Book lover in the dictionary, it would state: Example: see Mapuana Jones. On her school district web page, she keeps a personal statement.

"When someone shares something of value with you, and you benefit from it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others."

I am not sure who is actually to be credited with this quote-possibly Confucius or it may be a Chinese proverb, but it is precisely the type of thing Mapuana believes in. Otherwise, I would not have been able to pry her beloved Book Love from her perfectly manicured fingers.

What the family is reading together:
From Lukas and Josiah's personal library collection

Lukas is getting ready to start Kindergarten so we needed a marathon read session in case his new teacher asks this question, "Does anyone read at home with their families?" Lukas has been carefully coached to tell her that his BB (me) reads to him all the time and will be happy to give her books for her classroom library. Yeah, he's that kid who always donates books to his teacher. She's set for the year! He has also met his new librarian, Mrs. Lynch, aka "the hat lady" who plans to wear a cute hat to school every day as part of her librarian persona. I love it!

...and filled with wonderful stories of giants, beanstalks, princesses, brave knights, and fire breathing dragons, BB's boys rode off into the sunset to discover their own magical stories and adventures.

This is What Book Love Looks Like

Student created projects based on books nominated for the 2012-2013 Texas Bluebonnet Award

This is what Book Love looks like

It's January and that means time is running out for students to complete reading at least five of the twenty books nominated for the Texas Bluebonnet Award. My students are also encouraged to create original works reflecting their understanding of their favorite books. Bluebonnet Projects can be anything a student can dream up-a poster, song, rap, poem, sculpture, game, quiz, performance or digital work. I will not turn down any project as long as it shows how the student connects to their reading. Encouraging my elementary and middle school students to express themselves creatively based on their book choices has been such a positive experience and has been a great way to replace the Accelerated Reader Program that our school district discontinued funding this year. I am amazed at the level of research that students have contributed towards their projects and have learned quite a bit myself from them. Having students create Bluebonnet Book Projects began as a simple way for me to determine if students were truly reading their books and comprehending the literature. Soon, kids were asking if they could make projects for other books as their need to express themselves grew. I just hope my poster board and supplies hold out. A bonus has been that I have been able to introduce students to many technology and mechanical skills. As you can see in the picture, the die cut machine presses have been very popular for creating letters for signs. My favorite part has been observing students working in small teams conferencing with each other and dividing up tasks. They read aloud to each other and discuss passages from the story. How beautiful is that? Keep in mind, this is all voluntary work. They are discovering the secret to loving books.

Visit our Bluebonnet Book Club wiki to see how we are connecting to the Texas Bluebonnet Books.

Learn more about the Texas Bluebonnet Award