I believe Catherine, Called Birdy (Grades 5-9, Level X, Lexile 1170) by Karen Cushman first exposed me to a certain brand of literary wit that I have come to love—the feminist kind. I distinctly remember feeling more sophisticated after reading this book. I chuckled at the wry humor and enjoyed figuring out the medieval vernacular. […]
Louis Sachar, the beloved author of Holes , has made his way into my third-grade classroom courtesy of Sideways Stories from Wayside School and solidified his place among my students’ favorite authors. Sideways Stories from Wayside School had been boxed up, sitting in a corner of my classroom closet for over two years, until I […]
While I’m sure many of us can name several authors who have written a handful of wonderful books that kids love to read—and let’s be honest, we love to read too—this month we decided to round up a list of 10 authors who are perfect for author studies because they have a great presence on […]
In my early years of teaching, I loved the weeks we set aside to do author studies. It was an opportunity to share lots of books by my favorite authors. We charted story elements and compared texts, voted for and graphed our favorite books and read about the author’s life through books and videos. We […]
This post is an excerpt from literacy expert Kelly Gallagher’s new book In the Best Interest of Students.
Despite the Common Core’s emphasis on argumentative and informational reading and writing, I remain hopeful that teachers find time in their curricula to ensure students do a lot of reading and writing of poetry. Often, I weave poems […]
Gallery
Gallery
Gallery
Gallery
Gallery