Empowering Unsung Women in History
Posts that give advice, instruction, and information about literature.
Since 1982, the last week of September has been designated Banned Books Week by the American Library Association. Books for children (especially young adults) are banned by parents, libraries, and schools for issues such as race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, mental illness, and disability. Nowadays, though, adults are encouraging each other to open difficult… Continue reading Banned Books Week
(First published on Paper Lantern Writers blog, September 2020) Since I began teaching in 1997, autumn meant back to school and September. Even as the school year’s opening day creeped into mid-August, September meant autumn. The school library displayed books like Fall Leaves Fall!, For the Love of Autumn, Awesome Autumn, and Fletcher and the… Continue reading Autumn Reading
Four years ago, my summer reading included The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller. It changed my life. It also changed the lives of over a hundred students, so far, that have passed through my classroom. Simple truths in Miller's book brought me to tears because of how deeply they resonated within me. Students don't learn… Continue reading True Love: Reading
While reading will never go out of style, ebooks are fast replacing tried and true real books. I have mixed feelings about this since I love the weight of a real book, the sound of the pages turning, the smell of the paper. I love seeing the cover on my bedside table, and I love… Continue reading Real Books
I've taught Reader's Workshop for two years. I am no expert, but I know it's the right way for me to teach reading to my students. This year I have a combination class of fifth and sixth grade students. None of them are struggling readers, but not all of them like it. On the first… Continue reading Reader’s Workshop for the First Time
