Literacy Connections
Literacy Links & Resources
September 11, 2016
In this edition of Literacy Connections I've included several resources for the beginning of the school year, focused on getting to know your students as readers and writers. A reminder that you can find previous Literacy Connections, along with other grade specific resources, on the Literacy Field Notes website. You can access the website on your school's website. The Book Buzz section offers titles that are first in a series perfect for each grade level.
Happy Reading!
Susan
The Kitchen Sink
The EdCollab Gathering
Saturday, September 24, 2016 The Educator Collaborative will be hosting their bi-annual #EdCollabGathering. This FREE all day event happens on line, giving you flexibility about how many sessions you "attend". You can view the schedule here.
Take Time to Notice the "Cans"
As you're launching your first reading and writing units of the school year, here's a good reminder about the importance and purpose of those pre-assessments and/or on-demands from the Two Writing Teachers blog. Good instruction is always based on taking time to notice what students can do first. You can read the post here.
Getting to Know Your Students as Readers
Jennifer Serravallo's most recent post offers important reminders of ideas for getting to know your students quickly. While her post is specific to reading, they can easily be adapted to getting to know your students as writers as well. You can read Jen's post here.
K-2 Connections
Building Stamina in Our Youngest Learners
At the start of the school year, we're quickly reminded how far we have to go in regards to stamina in our young learners. This post from Betsey Hubbard offers some great tips for helping students become self-aware of their increasing stamina for writing. You can read her post here.
3-5 Connections
How Vision Can Inform Instruction~Vicki Vinton
One of my most favorite blogs to read is Vicki Vinton's To Make a Prairie. Her post always deepen my thinking and understanding in regards to reading/writing instruction. Her most recent post is especially timely for 4th grade teachers as you launch your writing unit: The Arc of a Story: Writing Realistic Fiction. However, I think there are enduring understandings in this post for all 3-5 teachers, no matter what unit you are teaching. You can read Vicki's post here.
The Book Buzz
All book summaries are from Goodreads.com
Kindergarten
From Caldecott and Newbery Honoree, Tomie dePaola, and Emmy Award–winning writer for the Muppets Jim Lewis comes the first book in a brand-new easy-to-read picture book series about friendship.
Andy is small. Sandy is tall. Andy is quiet. Sandy is LOUD. But when these two seemingly opposites meet at a playground one day, it might just be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Written in simple words and short, declarative sentences, this book is perfect for little ones just learning to read on their own.
Andy is small. Sandy is tall. Andy is quiet. Sandy is LOUD. But when these two seemingly opposites meet at a playground one day, it might just be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Written in simple words and short, declarative sentences, this book is perfect for little ones just learning to read on their own.
Grade 1
Big Duck likes to boss around her younger brother, Little Duck, and she fancies herself the leader of their trio--when joined by their gentle friend Porcupine. Little Duck doesn't speak yet, but through his expressions and his actions, he shows that he has a better grasp on any situation than his older sister. Told entirely through dialogue and visual storytelling with subtle humor throughout, Little Duck ends up getting the trio out of whatever jam they are in.
Moving into an exciting new paper over board reader format, Salina Yoon's early readers are perfect for fans of bestselling series like Elephant & Piggie and Ballet Cat, giving all her picture book fans a fantastic next step for reading fun.
Moving into an exciting new paper over board reader format, Salina Yoon's early readers are perfect for fans of bestselling series like Elephant & Piggie and Ballet Cat, giving all her picture book fans a fantastic next step for reading fun.
Grade 2
Ling and Ting are twins. They have the same brown eyes. They have the same pink cheeks. They have the same happy smiles.
Ling and Ting are two adorable identical twins, and they stick together, whether they are making dumplings, getting their hair cut, or practicing magic tricks. But looks are deceiving--people can be very different, even if they look exactly the same.
Ling and Ting are two adorable identical twins, and they stick together, whether they are making dumplings, getting their hair cut, or practicing magic tricks. But looks are deceiving--people can be very different, even if they look exactly the same.
Grade 3
Basil—the famous sleuth of mousedom—lives in the cellar of Sherlock Holmes’s house. A devoted admirer of the great detective, he has learned his craft by listening at the feet of Holmes himself. But will it be enough to help Basil solve his most baffling mystery yet?
The Mystery of the Missing Twins is one of the strangest cases in Basil’s career. With only a few crumbs of clues with which to find answers, how is he ever going to figure out where Angela and Agatha are being kept—and, of course, who mouse-napped them! Will Basil’s mouse sleuthing skills be up to the task of finding the twins before it’s too late?
The Mystery of the Missing Twins is one of the strangest cases in Basil’s career. With only a few crumbs of clues with which to find answers, how is he ever going to figure out where Angela and Agatha are being kept—and, of course, who mouse-napped them! Will Basil’s mouse sleuthing skills be up to the task of finding the twins before it’s too late?
Grade 4
Nory Horace is nine years old. She's resourceful, she's brave, she likes peanut butter cookies. Also, she's able to transform into many different animals. Unfortunately, Nory's shape-shifting talent is a bit wonky. And when she flunks out of her own father's magic academy, Nory's forced to enter public school, where she meets a group of kids whose magic is, well, different.
This new, offbeat series from hit authors Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle, and Emily Jenkins chronicles the misadventures of Nory and her oddball friends, who prove that upside-down magic definitely beats right side up.
This new, offbeat series from hit authors Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle, and Emily Jenkins chronicles the misadventures of Nory and her oddball friends, who prove that upside-down magic definitely beats right side up.
Grade 5
Eli Frieden lives in the most boring town in the world: Serenity, New Mexico. Only thirty kids live in the idyllic town, where every lawn is perfectly manicured and everyone has a pool and a basketball hoop. Honesty and kindness are the backbone of the community. There is no crime in this utopia.
Eli has never left town…. Why would he ever want to? But everything changes the day he and his friend Randy bike to the edge of the city limits. Eli is suddenly struck with a paralyzing headache and collapses. Almost instantly, a crew of security—or “Purple People Eaters,” as the kids call them—descend via helicopter. Eli awakens in the hospital, and the next day, Randy and his family are gone.
As Eli convinces his friends Tori and Malik to help him investigate Randy’s disappearance, it becomes clear that nothing is as it seems in Serenity. As the clues mount to reveal a shocking discovery, the kids realize they can trust no one—least of all their own parents. So they hatch a plan for what could be the greatest breakout in history—but will they survive? And if they do, where do they go from there?
This first book in a thrilling new series from the middle grade “mastermind” Gordon Korman is sure to be a hit with his myriad fans.
Eli has never left town…. Why would he ever want to? But everything changes the day he and his friend Randy bike to the edge of the city limits. Eli is suddenly struck with a paralyzing headache and collapses. Almost instantly, a crew of security—or “Purple People Eaters,” as the kids call them—descend via helicopter. Eli awakens in the hospital, and the next day, Randy and his family are gone.
As Eli convinces his friends Tori and Malik to help him investigate Randy’s disappearance, it becomes clear that nothing is as it seems in Serenity. As the clues mount to reveal a shocking discovery, the kids realize they can trust no one—least of all their own parents. So they hatch a plan for what could be the greatest breakout in history—but will they survive? And if they do, where do they go from there?
This first book in a thrilling new series from the middle grade “mastermind” Gordon Korman is sure to be a hit with his myriad fans.
Susan Dee K-5 Literacy Strategist
Email: dees@rsu5.org
Location: Freeport, ME, United States
Phone: 207-865-4561
Twitter: @literacydocent