By Laura Cooper
I haven't read as much as I usually do over the last two weeks, but I did manage to sneak in a few great books to share. Last week I was in Denver taking an intensive Orton-Gillingham training. Since I work with many students who have dyslexia/dysgraphia from mild to severe, I found this training invaluable in helping them successfully navigate the world of print--both for reading and writing. Here's my reading from the last couple of weeks. Be sure and check out Jen Vincent's website www.teachmentortexts.com to see what other people in the #IMWAYR community are reading and recommending.
What This Story Needs is A Hush and a Shush by Emma J. Virjan
Grades K-1
Fans of Mo Willems Elephant and Piggie books, and Bob Shea's Ballet Cat books, will love this cute rhyming book--sequel to What This Story Needs is a Pig and a Wig.
Grades K-1
Fans of Mo Willems Elephant and Piggie books, and Bob Shea's Ballet Cat books, will love this cute rhyming book--sequel to What This Story Needs is a Pig and a Wig.
Punk Skunks by Trisha Speed Shaskan
All ages
Join two rocking' punk skunks in a fun story about friendship. BSF (Best Skunks Forever)! And..on the book jacket, there is a link to download the songs the skunks sing in the book. How cool is that!
All ages
Join two rocking' punk skunks in a fun story about friendship. BSF (Best Skunks Forever)! And..on the book jacket, there is a link to download the songs the skunks sing in the book. How cool is that!
Sweet Home Alaska by Carole Estby Dagg
Grades 4-8
Eleven year old Terpsichore Johnson is determined to help her family thrive in their new Alaskan home. This exciting pioneering story, based on actual events, introduces readers to a fascinating chapter in American history, when FDR set up a New Deal colony in Alaska to give loans and land to families struggling during the Great Depression. Terpsichore can't wait to follow Laura Ingalls Wilder's footsteps. Fans of the Little House books will love this story.
Grades 4-8
Eleven year old Terpsichore Johnson is determined to help her family thrive in their new Alaskan home. This exciting pioneering story, based on actual events, introduces readers to a fascinating chapter in American history, when FDR set up a New Deal colony in Alaska to give loans and land to families struggling during the Great Depression. Terpsichore can't wait to follow Laura Ingalls Wilder's footsteps. Fans of the Little House books will love this story.
Full Cicada Moon by Marilyn Hilton
Grades 4 and up
Mimi tells her story in this novel in verse that will resonate with fans of Jacqueline Woodson's Brown Girl Dreaming. It's 1969 and the Apollo 11 mission is getting ready to go to the moon. But for 7th grade, half-black, half-Japanese Mimi, moving to a predominantly white Vermont town is enough to make her feel alien. She struggles to fit in, but learns that positive change can start with just one person speaking up. Told in poems from Mimi's perspective over the course of one year, you will fall in love with this character and her story! A must read!
Grades 4 and up
Mimi tells her story in this novel in verse that will resonate with fans of Jacqueline Woodson's Brown Girl Dreaming. It's 1969 and the Apollo 11 mission is getting ready to go to the moon. But for 7th grade, half-black, half-Japanese Mimi, moving to a predominantly white Vermont town is enough to make her feel alien. She struggles to fit in, but learns that positive change can start with just one person speaking up. Told in poems from Mimi's perspective over the course of one year, you will fall in love with this character and her story! A must read!
Ostrich Boys by Keith Gray
Grades 8 and up
We are currently on a road trip, visiting colleges for my oldest son. This is the book we are listening to in the car.
"It's not really kidnapping, is it? He'd have to be alive for it to be a proper kidnapping."
Ross is dead, and Blake, Sim, and Kenny are furious. To make things right, they steal Ross' ashes and set out from their home on the English coast for the tiny village of Ross in southern Scotland, a place their best friend had always wanted to go. But the boys' plan for a quick two-day trip turns into an unforgettable journey...
Grades 8 and up
We are currently on a road trip, visiting colleges for my oldest son. This is the book we are listening to in the car.
"It's not really kidnapping, is it? He'd have to be alive for it to be a proper kidnapping."
Ross is dead, and Blake, Sim, and Kenny are furious. To make things right, they steal Ross' ashes and set out from their home on the English coast for the tiny village of Ross in southern Scotland, a place their best friend had always wanted to go. But the boys' plan for a quick two-day trip turns into an unforgettable journey...
Speech to Print: Language Essentials for Teachers by Louisa Moats
My professional reading for the next few weeks is this favorite!! The International Dyslexia Association is offering an exam in March that will be part of a certification for teaching structured literacy to all students--not just those with a dyslexia diagnosis. I'll be taking this exam as soon as it's available and finishing up a practicum this summer. There's always so much to learn!
My professional reading for the next few weeks is this favorite!! The International Dyslexia Association is offering an exam in March that will be part of a certification for teaching structured literacy to all students--not just those with a dyslexia diagnosis. I'll be taking this exam as soon as it's available and finishing up a practicum this summer. There's always so much to learn!