Stay Warm and Read!!!

I hope everyone is enjoying the unplanned break! Hopefully you had a chance to sled safely and maybe even make a snowman. Now, it's time to sit back, relax, and READ!!! Grab a great book and get started. Here are my latest recommendations...


Ready Freddy! Homework Hassles (Quick read...less than an hour)


Where the Red Fern Grows (Great read-aloud for mature 3rd graders and up)


Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (another great read-aloud and perfect for 3rd graders to read to themselves)


Little House in the Big Woods


Island of the Blue Dolphins (my son's 2nd favorite book)

If you read any of these books, let me know! I would love to hear your reactions. What are you reading? Do you have any recommendations to share with our class? Happy reading!!!

Read Aloud Every Day!

I was just reading an interesting post from Jen Robinson's Book Page about the Read Aloud 15 Minutes campaign. If you aren't already signed up to receive emails from her you should go to her site right now and sign up. She writes great book reviews and is an advocate for voracious reading. Check out the press release for some compelling information on the importance of reading aloud to kids every day.

We have new books!

Our grant for new books from DonorsChoose.org was funded several weeks ago! Our new books have arrived! It did not take long for every student in our class to dive right in to a new book. The kids helped me unpack the box and explore the contents. We have already read a few books as a whole group, and most students have had a chance to read one independently. 

We know that reading books on our level (books we like, can read with 96% percent accuracy, and that we can understand) helps us grow as readers. Many of the books are "Just Right" reads for the kids, and some of them are easy. Easy books are great for building fluency and for working on reading with expression. A short book talk about the Dr. Seuss books was all it took to get students engaged in independent and partner reading focused on fluency, comprehension, and expression.

They are off to a great start this year. I can see a lot of growth happening already. Thank you for your support at home and through DonorsChoose.org. We are so glad to have new books in the classroom!!! 

Good Fit Books Needed!

My project request, "Good Fit Books Needed!" is eligible for match at DonorsChoose.org. That means we can get more books for our money. If you are interested in finding out about helping our classroom grow a diverse library, please click HERE! Thank you!

Blog About Books

One of the best ways to find out about great books is from your friend's recommendations. For homework in April, your child will be asked to use the Blogging About Books tab to write about a book they have read. The blog post should include the title and author, a little bit about the book, and whether they liked the book or not. Your child may also choose to recommend it to someone. Please see Mrs. Haydon's Blog to see how her class is blogging about books.