National Library Week Continued

Hopefully you voted for your local public library budget.  To further illustrate the importance of public libraries in all of our lives, but especially in the lives of the economically disadvantaged, here is a link to a great article that appeared in American Educator.  Enjoy.

Happy reading,
Christine

National Library Week

Celebrate National Library Week by visiting your local public library, and while you are there, don't forget to vote for your library budget.  Thank your librarians for their tireless work to promote literacy and lifelong learning, not to mention all the free community events they offer each week.

Happy reading,
Christine

The Girl on the Train

I just finished reading The Girl on the Train, by Paula Hawkins.  Wow!
If you loved Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn, run out and buy this book or download it to your e-reader now!  The voice is so well-crafted and it is so suspense-filled that you'll be reading into the wee hours.

Happy reading,
Christine

Saturday Songs: Allusions in Literature

A few weeks ago, two colleagues and I were discussing how to help our students recognize and understand allusions in literature.  I was lamenting the fact that students don't truly understand what an allusion is, as evidenced by the fact that many of them continually misuse the term allude.  For example, students will write, "William Shakespeare and Madeleine L'Engle allude to each other."  No.No.No.

One of the ladies said she used the song, "Someday We'll Know," by the New Radicals to teach this concept.  Right away, I thought of how many allusions Taylor Swift incorporates into her songs.  (If you've ever read my blog before, you know that I like to cite Taylor swift as an example of clear, concise writing.  In one line of her song, "Mine," we can make inferences about several different relationships.  "You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter."  We can make inferences about the father/daughter relationship, her relationship with herself, and her new relationship.)

Here are three videos of songs  that contain allusions.  I hope they will help students recognize allusions.  Now, getting students to dig deeper and understand why an author chose to allude to a particular work or event in history to make their point, is a different story. 

Happy reading,

Christine

March Madness Mystery

Someone left the mystery book, Last Shot in my classroom, which is in itself a mystery, as no one is claiming it.  Someone must be missing this timely title, though.  It is the story of an eighth grader who wins an essay contest for aspiring sports writers.  The prize - a press pass to the Final Four in New Orleans.  While at the Superdome, the protagonist uncovers a plot to throw the championship game.
Suspense and  basketball, what a great combination for young sports fans.  I'm thinking of ordering a copy for my own family.

Happy reading,
Christine

Happy Pi Day!

This is a Pi sweatshirt that I bought for my daughter when we visited a science museum.

Every year, teachers celebrate March 14th with their students as Pi (3.14) Day.  This year it is particularly special, because 3/14/15 contains the first five digits of Pi (3.1415)

To incorporate literacy into this math day you could read some of the following titles with your students, or challenge them to write a story about Pi that contains exactly 314 words.

And in honor of one of my favorite math whizzes, who always won the math-go-round in third grade, here is a Pi recipe:

Happy reading and eating,
Christine

My Article Out Now

I was thrilled and honored when Scholastic Parent and Child contacted me about reprinting my piece on Bedtime Stories for Big Kids.  This meant so much to me, because it is a piece that I truly believe in.  I cherish the moments reading aloud to my own "big kids," as well as my "big kid" students.
If you are at a Scholastic book fair, I hope you will pick up a free copy of this special edition, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Happy reading,
Christine