It’s Monday! What are you reading?
Each week I share at least one reading photo of the week.
This one is a favourite. Dory Fantasmagory fans being bothered by an even bigger Dory fan, their teacher (me!) being all excited that Dory is getting lots of love! I did leave them in peace after my happy dance.
Our #classroombookaday titles supported our study of insects and arachnids. The book love went to fly vomit and squishy spiders.
Classroom Highlights
My Monday posts now also contain some sharing from my week in the classroom.
Writing has been a beautiful thing in our classroom. My post on Sunday shared how we are Growing Writers. There are some beautiful samples of student writing shared there.
Part of our celebration of writing was having author Bree Galbraith visit to talk with us about writing and to share her book Milo and Georgie. Students didn’t want to stop talking with her!
I think my favourite question she was asked was this one:
“Did you get an opportunity to be a writer or did you just do it?”
And they loved the read aloud! It looked something like this. (Read aloud rendering by Amelia)
We also have some incredible art happening! Thanks to Maggie in the Art and Discovery studio, we had the opportunity to paint our portraits with water colour paints. I love all of the portraits so much! Each one has such personality shining through.
Lots of math happened this week. A favourite activity was playing this game to practice our doubles facts. Thanks to Carole Fullerton for so many fantastic math games!
Join Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers and share all of the reading you have done over the week from picture books to young adult novels. Follow the links to read about all of the amazing books the #IMWAYR community has read. It’s the best way to discover what to read next.
Books I enjoyed:
That Neighbor Kid by Daniel Miyares
Wordless. Caldecott buzz. A huge story in these beautiful pages.
Lost and Found Cat: The True Story of Kunkush’s Incredible Journey written by Doug Kuntz and Amy Shrodes and illustrated by Sue Cornelison
Another fantastic title to share with students to give them a sense of the refugee crisis. In this true story, we meet a family who has fled Iraq with their beloved cat. An incredible story of the cat and family being reunited.
The Treasure Box by Margaret Wilde and illustrated by Freya Blackwood
A favourite author and illustrator pairing. A precious book is protected as a family escapes from war and tries to hang on to important history.
The Thing Lou Couldn’t Do by Ashley Spires
Perseverance and risk taking are a journey. Love the way they are depicted here.
What Makes a Monster?: Discovering the World’s Scariest Creatures written by Jess Keating and illustrated by David DeGrand
The second title in this series by Jess Keating. So. Much. Fun. Keating makes learning an adventure in the wow and wild!
If Sharks Disappeared by Lily Williams
A new favourite nonfiction title exploring ecosystems and the importance of keeping oceans healthy. Students will develop an understanding of food chains and how living creatures are interconnected in specific environments.
Hero Dog!: A Branches Book (Hilde Cracks the Case #1) by Hilde Lysiak with Matthew Lysiak
Can’t wait to share this new Branches series with my students. Written by a young writer with the support of her Dad. This author really does write a newspaper detailing crimes in her community, A great mystery series!
Dory Dory Black Sheep by Abby Hanlon
I read these books and I laugh. Out loud. Often. I think about these books later and I laugh. Again out loud. Just so beautifully amusing. I LOVE the story of the suit Dory sports on the cover.
The Year of the Book (Anna Wang #1) by Andrea Cheng with illustrations by Abigail Halpin
A wonderful series bridging between transitional chapter books and longer middle grade reads. Grades 3 and up.
A Tale of Two Kitties (Dog Man #3) by Dav Pilkey
I couldn’t resist reading this one before it makes its way into my classroom library and is never seen again.
Swing it Sunny by Jennifer L Holm and Matthew Holm
Sequel to Sunny Side Up. I know many of my Grade 4 and 5 readers from last year will be clamouring to read this one. It is well done with incredible details from the 70s.
Reading Progress updates:
2017 Chapter Book Challenge: 52/75 complete
Goodreads Challenge: 244/365 books read
Progress on challenge: 43 books behind schedule. Closing in on 40!
#MustReadin2017: 24/30 complete
Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: 32/50 titles
Diverse Books in 2016: 34/50 books read
Up next? I am reading Refugee by Alan Gratz
I think Dory Dory Black Sheep is my favorite one. I never got a chance to read the 3rd Dog Man book. My copy has already disappeared into somebody’s hand!
I enjoyed the two graphic novels. The rest sound great and will be addd to my list. Happy Reading!
As a child of the 70s, I LOVED Swing It, Sunny! Have a great week!
So fun to get this peek into your classroom. I love The Treasure Box. Requesting Lost and Found Cat and The Thing Lou Couldn’t Do. I just finished Train I Ride. It’s my new favorite middle grade book.
Swing It Sunny is on my to read list. Lots of our customers have been surprised there was a sequel.
So many books…so little time. We have got to read The Think Lou Couldn’t Do. We are huge Ashley Spires fans – We just loved her book, The Most Magnificent Thing. Can’t wait to read her newest book.
Yes, I have not read DogMan 3 and there is still a huge hold list for it! Pretty sure I’m never going to read that one until summer!
But all of the other books on your list I have loved! Did you see there is a 4th Dory coming out this spring? That makes me so happy!
Loved Swing it, Sunny and yes, all those details from the 70s.
Wow – so many fabulous books for the younger set! Looking forward to finding a copy of That Neighbor Kid soon.
I love love love the self portraits! I think this one is the best Dory book yet (and suspect I will say this with every new one that gets published) The Andrea Cheng series passes the kid test with flying colours.
I am so thrilled to discover that we already have the Miyares book in our library. Hopefully I can pick it up soonest! 🙂
I want to read that shark book. It looks great. I love Jess Keating’s book. The animals are fascinating.The portraits are super!