Literacy Connections
A Bi-weekly Round Up of Literacy Links & Resources
September 13, 2015
I hope that you enjoyed a relaxing summer filled with family and friends! I always look forward to the fresh starts that September brings to our learning environments.
I will be sending out a bi-weekly newsletter again this year. The content in each issue will vary, depending on what comes across cyberspace, but you can expect each edition to include resources and book recommendations that support the work you are doing in your classrooms.
If you find information or links that you think would be good to share here on Literacy Connections, please email them to me and I'll add them on a future edition.
Happy Reading!
Susan
My Schedule
Durham Community School: My work space is on the Kindergarten hallway in Room 121. I am in the building on Tuesday & Thursday all day.
I alternate Fridays between the two buildings. I will be at DCS on 9/18 and at MLS on 9/25.
Global Read Aloud
The Global Read Aloud was created by Pernille Ripp in 2010 with a simple goal in mind; one book to connect the world. Now with five years under our belt and more than 500,000 connections made in 60 different countries, we realize we are on to something larger than us so we look forward to continuing the global connections.
The premise is simple; pick a book to read aloud to your students during a set 6-week period and during that time try to make as many global connections as possible. You decide how much time you would like to dedicate and how involved you would like to be. Some people choose to connect with just one class, while others go for as many as possible. The scope and depth of the project is up to you. In the past teachers have used Twitter, Skype, Edmodo, our wiki, email, regular mail, Kidblog, Tackk, and any other tools they could think of to make these connections. Teachers get a community of other educators to do a global project with, hopefully inspiring them to continue these connections through the year.
If you are interested in participating, you can find all the resources you could possibly need here.
Two Writing Teachers: Creating Classroom Environments to Launch the School Year
Making Space for Partnerships by Anna Gratz Cockerille
Charts to Start the Year by Betsy Hubbard
Introducing Writer's Notebooks by Dana Murphy
Paper Choices by Elizabeth Moore
Starting the Year with Empty Walls by Stacey Shubtiz
Places for Writers to Grow by Kathleen Sokolowski
Are You Ready for Technology by Deb Frazier
Setting Up for Middle School Writing Workshop by Tara Smith
The Reading Strategies Book Webinar
Reading Units of Study~Latest News
If you haven't already, don't forget to access the Online Resources for your Reading Units Of Study. This digital resource is in place of the CD that you have for the Writing Units of Study. By having the resources on line, TC will be able to continually update them without having to re-publish anything.
You need to register your FREE account at http://www.heinemann.com/ . After you have set up your account, enter the grade specific code found on the inside cover of the Guide to Reading Workshop book.
If you need help setting up your account, please let me know and I'll help you.
The 'Latest News' is the first option to expand:
The Book Buzz
All book summaries are from Goodreads.com
Kindergarten
But you may not know how it happened.
So let me tell you.
It all started with the bear . . .
So begins Julia Sarcone-Roach’s delicious tale of a bear, lost in the city, who happens upon an unattended sandwich in the park. The bear’s journey from forest to city and back home again is full of happy accidents, funny encounters, and sensory delights. The story is so engrossing, it’s not until the very end that we begin to suspect this is a TALL tale. The wonderfully told story, spectacular illustrations, and surprise ending make this Julia Sarcone-Roach’s best book to date. You’ll want to share it with your friends (and keep a close eye on your lunch).
Grade 1
First Possum hears it. Then Skunk. Then Wolf comes running.“What could it possibly be?” asks Bat.
“Night Animals!” the animals declare.
“But you are night animals,” Bat informs this not-so-smart crew.
Children will love the oh-so-funny animals in this twist on a cozy bedtime book.
Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
In 1710, a girl and her mother in Lyme, England, prepare a blackberry fool, picking wild blackberries and beating cream from their cow with a bundle of twigs. The same dessert is prepared by a slave girl and her mother in 1810 in Charleston, South Carolina; by a mother and daughter in 1910 in Boston; and finally by a boy and his father in present-day San Diego.
Kids and parents alike will delight in discovering the differences in daily life over the course of four centuries.
Includes a recipe for blackberry fool and notes from the author and illustrator about their research.
Susan Dee K-5 Literacy Strategist
Email: dees@rsu5.org
Location: Freeport, ME, United States
Phone: 207-865-4561
Twitter: @literacydocent