Reading Doors

Sunday, May 31, 2015

My Summer Reading List Challenge 2015

This year, I did something a little different with my summer reading list. Typically, I make my own list based on whatever I've had sitting around during the school year but never seemed to get to and on any new books that I got for my classroom towards the end of the year. I also add titles for book clubs and any professional development I have planned over the summer months. However, at the end of this school year, I decided to let my students make the majority of my list for me.

I put the title My Summer Reading List up on my whiteboard two days before the end of the school year and told my students that I wanted them to add titles that they really enjoyed and thought I should read as well. The exception being that I would remove the title only if I had already read it recently. My students loved this opportunity to tell their teacher what to read. Many of the titles were already on my own list, as though the students knew what I wanted to read.

Here is a partial list. Several that were already on my own list had been taken off as I gathered them from my shelves.
In addition to the books listed in the photo, they also added the following titles:

  • NBA Playbook by Fred Kerber
  • Fangbone: Third-Grade Barbarian by Michael Rex
  • I am LeBron James by Grace Norwich
  • Animal Ark: Dog at the Door by Ben B, Baglio
  • Dinkin Dings by Guy Bass
  • Snoop Troop by Kirk Scroggs
  • Superstars of History: The Good, The Bad, and The Brainy by R.J. Grant
  • A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
In addition to the many books my students have requested, and even challenged, me to read, I have added the following:
  • Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr
  • Chocolate Fever by Robert Kimmel Smith
  • Ida B by Katherine Hannigan
  • Little Dog Lost by Marion Dane Bauer
  • The Mouse and the Motorcycle (and sequels) by Beverly Cleary
  • King George: What was His Problem? by Steve Sheinkin
  • Outside the Box: A Book of Poems by Karma Wilson
  • The Counterfeit Constitution Mystery/The Mystery on the Underground Railroad by Carole Marsh
  • Loot by Jude Watson
  • Love That Dog by Sharon Creech
  • Life on Mars by Jennifer Brown
  • A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd
  • City of Lost Dreams by Magnus Flyte
  • On the Road by Jack Kerouac
  • Yes, Please by Amy Poehler
  • Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling 
Many of the books I've added to my own list are books I am re-reading, having read the book years ago. I am very happy with the list my students and I have come up with, and I will be very excited to be able to show my students that they had a direct hand in what I did over my summer, and that I was able to read all the books they asked me too.

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Another Year Comes to an End

It has been one very hectic year, full of ups and downs. At times it dragged on for what seemed like forever, while at other times the days flew by in a blur. Now, with the school year officially wrapped up, I can look back and know that a lot was accomplished and that my students will be moving on to fifth grade with more knowledge than when they came to me, academically and socially. I look back on a successful school year and forward to the possibilities held in the upcoming year. 

In between, though, is an entire summer open and free. A summer filled, undoubtedly, with countless days of reading and innumerable books enjoyed, of CyberPD and Book Clubs, of spontaneous weekend road trips, and of time spend in the gardens. I am greatly looking forward to a summer of rest, relaxation, and working on tasks of my own choosing. I have not used my blog in quite some time, and that is one of the many things I'd like to improve upon over the summer. 

Now to go read wildly! Until next writing...