Slice of Life Story Challenge

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Please link the Slice of Life Story you write today to this post by leaving a comment. Be sure to check out other bloggers' writing by clicking through the links in the comment section of this post. Remember to leave a comment on their blogs too.

giveaway · professional books · Reflective Practice · responsive classroom

An Inspirational Professional Text + A Giveaway

When I was a classroom teacher I had my fair share of challenging students.  Through the years I taught had quite a few students with social-emotional issues, learning disabilities, and discipline problems.  I've had students hide underneath desks, crawl on the floor of the classroom, and who've screamed at classmates when things haven't gone their… Continue reading An Inspirational Professional Text + A Giveaway

giveaway

Say Hello Giveaway Recipient

Congratulations to Kevin Hodgson, who was chosen as the recipient for the Say Hello Book Giveaway sponsored by Candlewick Press. If you missed the original post about this book, which was the fourth book recommendation in the Bullying Series I ran in November, then click here to read it now.

holiday · mentor texts · poetry · reading

Chanukah Poems + A Book Giveaway

As a practicing Jew, I'm a little perplexed about the popularity of Chanukah.  Chanukah is a minor holiday.  It doesn't have the same religious significance as Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Passover, and Shavuot.  Yet, Chanukah gets more attention than the other ones since it falls around Christmastime each year. I've been searching for holiday-related… Continue reading Chanukah Poems + A Book Giveaway

interview · mentor texts · Q & A · Read Aloud · repetition

A Story About Adoption + A Book Giveaway

Sweet Moon Baby: An Adoption Tale, which is written by Karen Henry Clark and illustrated by Patrice Barton, was released last month.  When I received my review copy, from Knopf Delacorte Dell Young Readers Group, I began reading it and felt tears well-up in my eyes.  The lump in my throat stayed throughout the entire… Continue reading A Story About Adoption + A Book Giveaway

Slice of Life Story Challenge

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giveaway

Ugly Fish Book Giveaway Announcement

There were lots of people who entered the Ugly Fish book giveaway.  Unfortunately, there's only one winner for the drawing.  The lucky winner of a copy of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's Ugly Fish is Lauren Wascher. If you missed the post about Ugly Fish, then click here to read it now.

independent writing · writers · writing

Nurturing & Nudging Independence

Last weekend at NCTE, I had the pleasure of attending a session co-led by Patrick Allen, author of Conferring: The Keystone of Reader's Workshop.  Patrick shared  some questions that he and one of his co-presenters, Troy Rushmore, asked their third and fourth grade students about independent reading in order to get a sense of how… Continue reading Nurturing & Nudging Independence

Read Aloud

Say Hello + Giveaway: Bullying Series

The message in Say Hello, which is written by Jack and Michael Foreman, is so simple.  The message to young readers is that you should reach out to a person, who looks lonely or excluded, and extend a welcome by saying hello.  Everyone needs and is deserving of friends and this book reminds us of… Continue reading Say Hello + Giveaway: Bullying Series

giveaway

Goal Giveaway Recipient

I'm pleased to announce that recipient of Goal, which is written by written by Mina Javaherbin and illustrated by A.G. Ford.  The giveaway goes to Heather Brougham-Cook.  Special thanks, again, to Candlewick Press for agreeing to giveaway a copy of Goal! If you missed the original post about Goal, and the ways you can use… Continue reading Goal Giveaway Recipient

Slice of Life Story Challenge

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holiday · responsive classroom · writer's notebook

Don’t Fall Apart Now!

This-coming weeks marks the time of the year that I recall a few of my former students falling apart.  Why?  Thanksgiving, which marks the beginning of the holiday season, falls out in the last week of November.  When I was in the classroom I quickly came to learn that any child who had a home… Continue reading Don’t Fall Apart Now!