Summer Planning

Hi everyone. It has beeen a long time since I have posted. I took July off from all things children. I also gave up teaching my Sunday School children (grades 3 and 4) for the whole month. I didn't work my second job as an extended day teacher and coordinator for the whole month. Well now I am back and really excited to start thinking about September and the up coming months.

 I am so excited to report that I read a really great book this summer called The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller It is amazing and a must read for every reading teacher. So many of the points were really valid. Often we teach skills, skills, skills and don't get around to letting the students practice nearly enough. I am adopting many of the concepts from this book. I look forward to turning the tide of my non-readers to help them see value in reading.

Book Whisperer  Click the book to check it out. 

I am hoping to kick the year off by setting high expectations and motivating my students to read. I am going to be giving my students a goal of 40 books and plenty of time to read. I will update you from time to time. with how this is going. This summer several of my summer student have read 10 books give a good amount of time to be able to read.

 I  have been writing down reasons that I want students to read. I have been doing this because with middle school students, I need to have my answers to their questions right on the tip of my tongue. If I fumble an answer they have an escape route. An escape from reading. I want to motivate these tweens so quick reasonable answers to their whining is just the answer. Always make it about them!. The Book Whisperer  is the first book that helped me to put into perspective that reasons that I want my students to read. 

I want them to build background knowledge that will help them with life situations. I want them to find information from books that help them become better people. I want them to find out about places and people that they will never see or meet. And much more.... Please check out The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller.



So what have you been reading this summer?