I always set goals for myself to read more actual research, but I rarely follow through. In this post, I’ll share some research from 2020 and later on independent reading that I actually read. Yay! What comes first–print exposure or reading skills? van Bergen, E., Vasalampi, K., & Torppa, M. (2021). How Are Practice and…
Read These June 2023 YA Book Releases
Recommend these new summer reads to your students, or gather them for yourself! Going Bicoastal by Dahlia Adler In this queer rom-com, teen girl has to choose between spending the summer with her dad (and the girl she’s crushing on) in NYC or with her estranged mom in LA (and the guy she never saw…
May 2023 YA Book Releases to Read Now
May 2023 YA Book Releases Finish the school year strong with these May 2023 YA book releases! Hurt You by Marie Myung-Ok Lee For teachers looking for a replacement or paired text for Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. This Korean American contemporary retelling of Of Mice and Men tells the story of a teenage girl…
The Best April 2023 YA Book Releases
April 2023 YA Book Releases Get your students reading with these amazing new titles! Star Splitter by Matthew J. Kirby For students who like action and science fiction. This would be a great book to entice students to read more science fiction. Reminds me of 172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad, a fave…
What Students Think about Reading Independently
Reading Independently There are lots of positive thoughts students have about reading independently, but this post is about the negative ones, why they’re valid, and how we as teachers can respond. You can see an Instagram live version of this post here. What Students Think About Reading Independently Here are some of the most common…
Instagram Vs. Reality: How To Teach Independent Reading Edition
Have you seen those Instagram vs. reality videos and memes? Photos by Geraldine West This is like that for how educelebs say independent reading should look versus how it actually looks. I am having a little fun with this post, but I really do appreciate an aspirational lens and am inspired by people who capture…
8 Rights for Teachers of Reading to Reclaim
Not sure if you’ve seen the readers’ bill of rights from Daniel Pennac which is often used in schools, but I am riffing on that idea as rights for teachers, because you too, Gentle Reading Teacher, have rights. Here they are. You can add, revise, and delete, as you see fit. You know best. There…
4 Unusual Ways to Motivate Students to Read
Ways to Motivate Students to Read We all studied motivation for at least a nanosecond in our teacher training programs. I remember them focusing on extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. When finding ways to motivate students to read, we tend to focus on extrinsic. Positive reinforcement, like sticker charts, raffles, and prizes. Negative reinforcement, like losing…
Easy Lesson Planning with ChatGPT for Teachers
ChatGPT for Teachers Have you played around with ChatGPT yet? I finally got around to it amidst all the things, and I am very excited about some of the possibilities of ChatGPT for teachers using the four moves every literacy lesson plan needs for soaring reading growth. If you haven’t had a chance to check…
Joyful Reflections with a Reading and Writing Portfolio
Reading and Writing Portfolio As I get sucked into the day-to-day of teaching, I can lose sight of the big picture–and so can my students. That’s why taking time to breathe, reflect, and dream are so important for me to do with my students. Finding activities that help us pause makes sure we focus on…
