Our name is the first word we might hear, the first word we might say, and often the first word we write. Names allow us to build empathy, self-esteem, and a sense of belonging. Learning students’ names – whether the educator or the student is essential in making our classroom communities. Kohli (2018) expressed that […]
Category Archives: Pay It Forward
October
09
What’s in a Name? 5 Children’s Books Inspired by Authors’ Own Experiences by Ashley Marron
posted by CBethM
July
24
“Feeling like a dandelion”: A COVID-19 online book club adventure by Deborah Van Duinen
posted by CBethM
Author Katherine Paterson tells the story about how, a few days after 9/11, when she did not know what had become of her son John’s brother-in-law and close friend who worked in the South Tower, she realized she was scheduled to speak at a middle school in a neighboring town. “What in the world does […]
June
27
Rewrite the Rules of Reading by Jen Kleinknecht
posted by CBethM
Do as I say, not as I do. Sometimes I fear that is our attitude towards reading. As adults, we allow ourselves to experiment with audiobooks and new genres, read books that are just great fun, read without pausing to jot notes, and abandon books we dislike. Do we allow children the same privileges, or […]
June
12
Summer Reading and Learning for Teachers by Clare Landrigan & Penny Kittle
posted by CBethM
Jamie shows up early for class and wraps himself around a Matt de la Pena novel. You have heard a story like his before: he’s never been a reader, is not interested in novels (or grades), but is now putting in extra time to read. It’s not the book club he’ll be meeting with […]
May
22
Why Book Clubs Prevail In Any Type Of Learning Environment by Lorraine Radice
posted by CBethM
One the literacy courses I teach at my university is for pre-service and current teachers in a secondary content-area program. The course invites education majors in various disciplines like social studies, business, TESOL, chemistry, English, and beyond to think about themselves as contributors to the literacy lives of students through a content-area lens. I love […]
May
08
Helping Kids Cope During Scary Times by Kris Barr Paquette
posted by CBethM
As we slowly watched the Covid 19 virus spread across the world until it affected our state, our county, our town we held out hope that by some miracle our little community would go on as normal. Our state governor called a state of emergency as the virus began to spread through Michigan communities. She […]
April
26
It’s Time for a #VirtualFieldTrip to the Everywhere Book Fest! by Anna E. Jordan
posted by CBethM
There were plenty of things about field trips in the “before times” that were difficult. Budgets for busses were minimal, permissions slips never came back, charging for events magnified inequities between students, and chaperones were often hard to find. Even so, we know that authentic experiences with experts inspire children and give classroom learning context. Our […]
March
13
What Makes a Successful Writer? One Author’s Approach to Instilling a Love of Writing by Carmen Oliver
posted by CBethM
When I was in the 2nd grade, my teacher Mrs. Graham wanted us to write a story. She told us we could write about anything we wanted. Anything that interested us. Anything we liked. Anything we wanted to make up. I found bears fascinating. Growing up in Canada, my family and I camped and hiked […]
March
06
Intentionality: What’s in Your Bookshelf? by Laura Wagenman
posted by CBethM
73.3% in 2015. 50% in 2018. While I love numbers, these numbers are cause for concern, reflection, most importantly, action. According to the School Library Journal, 50% of books published in 2018 contained characters who are white. When this was released this past June, it made me even more determined to be intentional about the […]
March
02
A Climb Inside the Window: Why We Need Diverse Books by Kelly Stephan
posted by CBethM
It was just another Monday night. I picked up my son from basketball practice…my freckle face boy. He stands out on the court, not only for his sweet basketball moves but for his short stature and red hair. These boys on the court are his people, his team, the friends that have his back. […]
