Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary.
―Jim Rohn
Take Time to Read
Part of my morning routine is to read a few pages of a nonfiction book. When I shared this with my nieces, Riley blurted (as a 15- year-old tends to do), “Why? Just nonfiction? Fiction books are good, too.”
I chuckled and said, “Oh, I have a steady stream of fiction in my reading diet, but nonfiction is my favorite, so I always read a little in the morning before the day gets away from me. I like learning things and seeing the world from other perspectives. Mostly, though, I love the craft of nonfiction writing.”
“I like crafts,” Avery the sixth-grader declared. “I think you’re talking about how the writer makes you want to read more, though.”
What are you reading this summer? Take some time to make a plan. Do you love nonfiction books? Choose one to read. Is there a book you just can’t wait to read because a student loved it? Find it and spend a little time reading it each day. Maybe it’s been too long since you’re went to the library just for your own reading pleasure. It’s a worthy goal this summer.
To help, this issue is packed full of booklists and inspiration to discover the books you (and your students) want to read. This week we look at summer reading—plus more, as always.
Shine on,
Ruth Ayres
Editor in Chief
Do you wish you had more time to share new books with your students? We know you don’t need fluff or pretty activities. Instead we get to the heart of what you need to thoughtfully share new books in your classroom.
NEW! Our book guides are created and vetted by in-the-field educators. They hold true to the tenets of giving students choice and voice in their reading lives, while empowering a teacher to expand the representation of books shared with students. Click here to see all of our new book guides.
How To, written and illustrated by Julie Morstad, is a collection of invitations to do a variety of things that, when paired with the illustrations, offer a unique perspective on some otherwise ordinary actions.
New members-only content is added each week to the Choice Literacy website. If you’re not yet a member, click here to explore membership options.
We need more bilingual books! Stella Villalba explains why these books are essential and provides a booklist to help sustain the linguistic lives of multilingual learners.
Leigh Anne Eck shares an important booklist for middle-grade readers on mental health topics and with characters navigating mental health struggles.
Gretchen Schroeder questions whether the protagonist’s gender influences her students’ engagement with a text. Using the dystopian novel Legend, which has two protagonists of different genders, Gretchen gathered feedback from her students. What she discovered was that a reader’s engagement with a text has more to do with empathy than with gender. You’ll love Gretchen’s new way of selecting whole-class texts for her students.
In this video, instructional coach Staci Revere reminds us of the importance of modeling our own reading lives for students, especially the parts where we struggle as readers.
New members-only content is added each week to the Choice Literacy website. If you’re not yet a member, click here to explore membership options.
Tammy Mulligan helps Katie, a sixth grader who lacks confidence in her reading abilities, reflect on her strengths and make plans for summer reading. This demonstration conference includes a prebrief and debrief with Katie’s teacher.
How will we prepare to lead strong literacy initiatives next year? Nawal Qarooni makes a case for recharging and disconnecting to allow ourselves to be naturally thoughtful, literate individuals.
Peter Johnston and Gay Ivey share the research that shows if we want to improve teens’ reading and their well-being, then letting students choose their own books will boost reading engagement and promote social-emotional and intellectual growth.
Quote It:
A book is a gift you can open again and again.
—Garrison Keller
That’s all for this week!