My love of a library started at Doug Valley Elementary School in Colorado Springs, CO. When the class went to the library, I felt safe. Accepted. Maybe the smile librarians offered made the difference? Maybe their exuberant celebration of every book possible made the difference? While walking to school once, I dropped my books in […]
Tag Archives: Justin Stygles
March
19
Five Compliments for Reading Teachers by Justin Stygles
posted by CBethM
Teaching reading is a long term investment. The results, at the intermediate and middle level, are hard to tell in a short span of time. Oral reading rates, accurate reading, and advancement through levels rarely change over the course of a month and sometimes the entire school year. Reading, grades 4-8, in my opinion is […]
2013 Nerdy Awards for Nonfiction Announced by Justin Stygles
posted by donalynm
Need a New Year’s resolution? An addendum to #nerdlution, perhaps? Try non-fiction (to be a bit vague). This year’s Nonfiction winners are breathtaking, heartbreaking, and mesmerizing. Two books will remind a reader they are reading non-fiction by topic and layout. The other three, however, may trick the reader. Somewhere in the middle of reading, the […]
For the Love of New Books (and CD’s) by Justin Stygles
posted by CBethM
What was the coolest thing about a record store or a book store? Release day. In 1989, age 12, I had to be the first in line to buy the CD at the store, hoping I would be the first in the country to buy Mötley Crüe’s Decade of Decadence. Ever had […]
How I Learned to Teach Reading From Richard Peck by Justin Stygles
posted by CBethM
Richard Peck revealed, to me, the necessity of teaching strategic and close reading. He doesn’t know it. Heavens, I didn’t know it, until I taught A Long Way from Chicago roughly nine years ago. As I read this Newbery Honor book, to develop my instructional plans and author comprehension questions, I laughed and marvel at the […]
Children’s Literature and the Kentucky Derby by Justin Stygles
posted by CBethM
The Kentucky Derby passed over the weekend. A day of pageantry; beautiful dresses, hats, and millions of dollars in luxury. Derby day is the one day of the year everyone is a horse racing fan. While most connect horse racing to gambling, those who follow the sport are intrigued, not by wagering, but by the […]
Music Is Love by Justin Stygles
posted by CBethM
I think about where I learned from reading. Honestly, I started to learn from reading when I was roughly ninth or tenth grade – when I started to read the lyrics to songs in the liner notes that came with the cassette tape. This was the best thing ever! Never was I so engaged. My […]
Nerdy Book Club 