Looking back I see that last year about this time. I celebrated Book blogging. At that time, I had no idea when I would be returning to the classroom (prolonged teacher strike) and I celebrated the community that encouraged me to share – through various memes and twitter support – my deep love for reading and literacy.
A year later, I am celebrating the same thing differently. I am happily back to work. I know what I will be doing come September. And . . . my blog is still where I can share my love of all things literacy. This summer I have leaped large into the land of book lists and book celebration. What a pleasure it has been to share my thinking about various topics, all literacy related, here on this blog. I love that a little inkling of an idea has materialized into a post and been appreciated by others.
I have made a lot of lists and done some reflecting. A few highlights:
Picture Book Dreaming: July 2015 Ten fiction titles I hope to add to my classroom collection
A Year of Nonfiction Picture Books revisited: highlights of my 2014/2015 year sharing nonfiction titles
In the world of books: 25 boys who stand out
In the world of books: 25 girls who stand out
Now, I also celebrate upcoming plans. Of course, this is all about my own list making and expectations. Nowhere is there an obligation or a responsibility.
But blogging my plans and my thinking allows me to consider more carefully, to think a little deeper, to be slightly more responsible. This benefits me – my teaching, my thinking, my classroom. I also hope, at times, that it will benefit others – – > that my planning and organizing might also fit somehow with something someone else out there might be doing.
Upcoming blog posts on the agenda:
* Next year I am going to be teaching a younger group – likely a Grade 2/3 (mostly 2s) – with this comes the opportunity to delve into new curriculum drafts for this age group. I spent some time looking at the B.C. curriculum draft for science. One piece of content includes: metamorphic and non-metamorphic life cycles of different organisms. I plan to put some book lists together on this theme and share them for Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday. Another list might be all of the titles that explore life cycles and young animals like My First Day by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page. I always am very excited to put together nonfiction lists!
*Next year my class is going to be brand new. After teaching many children for two and three years, this will be a big change. My biggest goal? Creating a new community of readers – winning them over to the land of Book Love one title at a time. How am I going to do this? My answer will likely be explored in a series of posts. I am thinking a lot about this. 🙂 Of course, amazing titles like this one will be employed to work their magic:
* Adjusting my classroom library for a younger group of readers will take some time and thought. It might transfer into some blog posts about the nitty gritty of organization and the broader thinking of what makes it all flow.
Thank you to Ruth Ayres and the #celebratelu community! Being part of a community that regularly shares gratitude and celebrations truly transforms my weeks.
There's a Book for That 
I enjoy your lists, and sometimes I find a book that I’ve missed from them (since I read your reviews all the time). It will be a change for you next year, early readers will need some different books. It’ll be fun searching for new titles, Carrie, and probably some old favorites, too.
I am looking forward to changing up the classroom library! Although many titles will of course remain.
Book Love! I love your book collages. I’m going to have to remember them in September.
Thanks Ashley.
I remember your situation of last year. Gosh, I’m glad how things have turned out. You were celebrating even then and I wish you more celebrations ahead!
Very kind Earl!
One year our multiage students (gr 1 & 2) were tackling metamorphosis, and one of the teachers asked that we do something in library to complement their studies. They, however, were already doing the most obvious examples: butterflies & frogs. So she suggests in her British accent, “Why don’t you do something about human metamorphosis?” My first thought was, “Huh?” But I ended up collecting some books: Allen Say’s Stranger in the Mirror, Lawrence David’s Beetle Boy (Kafka for kids), David Shannon’s A Bad Case of Stripes, and maybe a couple more. It was so interesting to compare & contrast the stories, and then we ended up doing dioramas of Beetle Boy which led to an excellent discussion on what were the essential plot points vs. the extraneous details, which story elements required depiction to create a narrative, and which were unnecessary. Very revealing of their literary development!
I know the book Beetle Boy! Love this comment. Has me thinking. . .
Your lists benefit me! I always look to you for the best, most thought out, thought provoking book list. Thank you so much.
Your next year’s students are in for a treat!
Wow what a huge compliment! Thank you Julieanne. This means a lot to me.
I’m always excited to read your posts, and I’ve loved your summer lists. Isn’t it fun to be looking ahead for new ways to share Book Love? Your new students are in for a special treat – what a community you’ll create!
Thank you Ramona! I sure hope so. Little steps and big gains is what I am hoping – all along the path to reading!
Happy changes!! Have fun with all of this, and we cannot wait to read about it 🙂
Thanks Kellee! Good for my thinking and always, I love to share.
Looking forward to all your new posts! I will also have a 2/3 and feel lucky to see a bit of how you organize your room and approach our new science curriculum using literature.
My classroom is likely to be mostly 2s I think but not sure yet until our final numbers are in. I have started to make some literature lists so keep posted! 🙂