I teach high school English, grades 9-12, on a Disciplinary Alternative Education Placement (DAEP) campus. Talk about a tough audience! Many of my kids arrive at our campus with huge gaps in their education from skipping school, being suspended numerous times, or being placed in In-School Suspension repeatedly. They are in my classroom for approximately […]
Category Archives: Top Ten Lists
August
10
Creating a Reading Culture in the Classroom by Ann Hagedorn
posted by CBethM
When students walk into my classroom, I want them to see that I value reading and books and that my goal is for them to do the same. There is a sign that hangs in the front of my class that states, We read every day. I have a large classroom library that spans the […]
June
29
Top Ten Picture Books According to Fourth Graders by Kim Haines
posted by CBethM
For the past two school years, I have embarked on the #classroombookaday challenge. Each and every day of the school year, my fourth grade class reads a picture book, sometimes two, and we end the year having read 180 titles together as a community. I engage in this daily practice for many reasons. Provide mentor […]
June
08
TEN COZY AND MAGICAL BEDTIME PICTURE BOOKS by Megan Wagner Lloyd
posted by CBethM
I’m about five years old, and my dad has just declared it to be bedtime. But I want to stay up late! After all, a dear family friend, who always spoils us kids with gifts, is visiting. “But I’m not tir—” I begin— And interrupt myself with a massive yawn. My dad and our guest […]
May
25
The Power of a Name: A Top Ten List by Amber McMath
posted by CBethM
On the first day of school while students are reading silently around the room, I scoot around to each one and we introduce ourselves. I left my interaction with Shouacua feeling defeated because, even after listening to her say her name several times, she said I wasn’t pronouncing it correctly. I was one of at […]
April
20
Ten Picture Books to Engage Special Needs Students by Jill De Farno
posted by CBethM
My favorite part of being a school librarian is reading to students. I regularly read to kindergarten and first grade students. Once a month I have storytime with all kindergarten, first, and second grade classes. During this time I read a story and then do an activity or make a craft. However, there is one […]
April
13
10 Ways to Make Home Reading a Path to Lifelong Literacy by Kyla McDonald
posted by CBethM
Home Reading is ideally a time for your reader to unplug and instead connect to the world of stories, information and adventures. Unfortunately, the ideal is not always possible. Busy households can make home reading a chore, or worse a battlefield. As a mama, a teacher and a librarian, I have come face to face […]
March
31
Why We Need Summer Stories by Gillian McDunn
posted by CBethM
Toward the end of first grade, my son started wearing glasses. Once we got past certain logistical issues, such as: where to store them? (not on the floor!) and when to wear them (not while swimming!)–he loved his new, improved vision. Reading had always been his favorite activity, and with the new glasses he […]
March
30
Top Ten Book Basket Labels Created by Kids by Tammy Mulligan and Clare Landrigan
posted by CBethM
When students help us organize the classroom library ownership changes. Students know which books are in the classroom library. They know where to find the books they love and can tell us which books they wish we had in our collection. Organizing the library doesn’t need to wait until a long break. It can happen […]
March
16
Ten Picture Book Biographies You Can’t Experience in a Textbook by Kirsten Leestma
posted by CBethM
I’m a firm believer in learning about our world by learning about the people who have left their mark on it. The problem is that there are too many people that get overlooked. There are countless scientists, activists, writers, inventors, and dreamers that never get mentioned in a textbook. In second grade, we learn about […]
