What I'm Reading

This has been a major point for my students to learn this year.

I love when I get a letter from one of my students and she tells me that she loves to read as much as I do!


My class is a split class with 8 second graders and 13 third graders. It has its challenges, but the rewards are also big. I enjoy seeing friendships form and learning from each other.

Of course, a part of our day HAS to be a read aloud time. Jim Trelease style. No pressure, no comprehension questions, but learning to love reading for fun. I choose books that I like, or my sons recommend, or are on a list of great books to read aloud. I have read Frindle, And Now Miguel (because our class project is sheep), The Doll People, The Magic Finger, and many others (I should have kept a list--will do that next year).

Currently I am reading...

and they are LOVING it! Two girls brought a copy from home to read along as I read aloud (first time that has happened this year), and often another student sits by to read along with them. This book is wonderful, because there are enough cliff hangers that when I quit reading they really groan. When I started the book a para was in the room and she helped create character and setting charts on the chalkboard so that we could keep track of everyone in the first several chapters (which is the difficult part of the series for me). The para went home and started reading it to her fifth grade daughter because she is not usually in my room for read aloud and she had to know what happened!

Since we had inside recess yesterday, because of rain and soggy playground, two girls asked if they could read ahead...ummm, no way. Are you kidding? ABSOLUTELY.

I love reading. I love sharing books. I love buying books. I love getting books from the library. So happy that most of my students are catching the reading bug with me.