I have been reading for three weeks books about teaching and learning. I have very much enjoyed the idea of reading the methodology, however the actual practice has been slightly boring. I want a good romance for a change. As I look back over my topic and reading selections, I realize I need a broader scope - everything is adult nonfiction. For week five I will find a book to shake things up.
Since I haven't found a romance book that actually works
with my topic YET, I will keep plugging through some standard teacher books for
week four. Below are my choices for next week.
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| Image from Amazon.com |
Show Me a Story: Why Picture Books Matter by Leonard S.
Marcus
Since I have been on
this journey to change my classroom routine, I have volunteered to help evaluate
picture books for an awards committee during the summer of 2016. Now I don't
know much about picture books, other than teenagers simply don't appreciate the
glory of picture books. It is time for them to learn! To prepare for my new
responsibilities, I need to learn more about the value of picture books and the
individual elements that make up this genre.
Reading in the Wild or The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller
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| Image from Amazon.com |
Three years ago a teacher-friend gave my The Book Whisperer
and told me it changed her life. Literally, she said it changed her life. Now
with that kind of recommendation you would think I would have read the book
right then and there. Nope. I put it on a shelf and there it has sat. I do
respect my friend enough that when Reading in the Wild was released in 2014 I
rushed out and bought a copy. Then came right back to school and put it on the
shelf next to The Book Whisperer. They look nice together. They are attractive.
They are in perfect condition. However, at this point, they have no value. It
is time to take them off the shelf, start marking them up, and make them worth
having.
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| Image from Amazon.com |
One reading selection I will go back to next week is the "TeachingStrategies" pages at Facing History and Ourselves. I find this website to
be useful because I like the activities. They offer lots of ideas on changing
activities in the classroom and unlike the book I read this past week
(Worksheets Don't Grow Dendrites), most of the activities are already designed
for high school students.
Three-day weekend starting tomorrow! Lots of family trips,
but my husband will be driving, so I am hoping to tackle some reading in the
car.
Enjoy your Labor Day weekend!
I love the way you’ve worded this. Although, you might want to make sure you don’t misspell anything or use the wrong words. The first book is something I would consider reading myself. I’ve read the book series that Mr. Marcus has written. The next two, I find it amazing you found two different books by the same author. I would definitely consider reading these two so that even I could get into better reading habits myself. Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteIf I was told by my friend that a book changed his/her life, I'd read it as soon as possible. And it's a little disheartening that some people don't appreciate the true value of picture book. Dr. Seuss, for example, is well-remembered because of the morals he wrote into his books. Green Eggs and Ham teaches that you need to keep an open mind and try new things. Picture books can be funny, but they are also a surprisingly strong genre for teaching morals, and that's why we remember these books. Sorry, went off on a bit of a rant there. Anyways, great blog!
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