Monday October 31st, 2016

Posted on October 30, 2016 by carriegelson

It’s Monday! What are you reading?

Each week I share a reading photo of the week. This week I snapped a photo of brothers visiting my room in the morning before school and reading together. It doesn’t get much cuter than this.

We have continued to explore themes for our #classroombookaday titles. What theme do you see in these titles?

And these? Just in time for Halloween! (Sorry for the blurry image)

I actually blogged this week! Sharing celebrations of my growing learning community here.

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:

Dreams of Freedom in Words and Pictures by Amnesty International

I love the possibilities this book offers us in our potential conversations about human rights and freedom. Beautiful, beautiful illustrations.

Because of an Acorn by Lola M. Schaefer and Adam Schaefer with illustrations by Frann Preston-Ganon

An acorn is the beginning. A story of the Earth, environment, nature and the possibility of a tree. Such beautiful art.

The Water Princess by Susan Verde and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

This might be my favourite title by this author/illustrator pairing. I wish it had existed when I was studying water and access to water with my class last year as it would have been a wonderful complement to the titles I shared with the students. The illustrations here are incredible.

The Storyteller by Evan Turk

Speaking of incredible illustrations – I don’t even have words. This will be part of my #MockCaldecott2017 list for sure. I am in absolute awe. Storytelling is the theme – told through stunning art, a visual journey and a tale that weaves into another tale into another . . .

The Great Pet Escape by Victoria Jamieson

A fun early graphic series. These little school pets have some big personalities.

Ghost by Jason Reynolds

Impossible to put down. Impossible to not bemoan that the next title is not yet published. Impossible to not visit a myriad of emotions on every page. Absolutely one of my favourite middle grade titles of the year. Everything from Jason Reynolds is 5 glowing stars.

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey

This was gifted to me by my mother in law and I was waiting for the right mood to hit so I could sit and savour this little book. For those that love nature, who believe in the power of deep thought and introspection, who realize that life and health is some kind of miracle, this book is a must read. A rare adult read for me. So very special.

Reading Progress updates:

2016 Chapter Book Challenge: 48/75 complete

Goodreads Challenge: 283/400 books read

#MustReadin2016: 22/30 complete

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: 37/100 titles

Diverse Books in 2016: 33/50 books read

I am currently almost finished Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk

Monday September 14th, 2015

Posted on September 13, 2015 by carriegelson

It’s Monday! What are you reading?

I have been sharing a reading photo of the week each week. I now have a class again and as media consent forms get signed, I can begin sharing photos of the reading happening in my room. Here is a photo of my new class voting on our favourite #classroombookaday of the week. They were so excited! Some thought that because they voted for the book that received the most votes that they had won! Very cute.

On the blog:

A review of the book Sloth Slept On with student reactions

My weekly celebration: 5 words which reflect my first week

Books I loved:

Where’s Walrus? And Penguin? by Steven Savage

As I was reading this book, I forgot it was wordless. The story is so engaging and clever.

Ellie by Mike Wu

Ellie wants to save the zoo but also to find what makes her special. A sweet little story of perseverance and caring.

Sloth Slept On by Frann Preston-Gannon

A sloth is discovered by three children sleeping in a tree. Just who is this creature? And . . . what should they do with him? Lots of fun.

Young Frank, Architect by Frank Viva

Wow, this book impressed me. Such a tale about approaching the world with a unique perspective and creativity.

The Dandelion’s Tale written by Kevin Sheehan and illustrated by Rob Dunlavey

The desire to be remembered, the cycle of life – some heavy themes in a delightful picture book.

What in the World?: Numbers in Nature written by Nancy Raines Day and illustrated by Kurt Cyrus

Perfect to inspire looking closely at the world and finding numbers everywhere we look.

Read Between the Lines by Jo Knowles

Lots of sadness and despair here. Such an interesting concept. Despite all of the different narrators, this title really held my attention. A well written, powerful book.

Updates on my 2015 Reading Goals:

2015 Chapter Book Challenge: 52/80 complete

Goodreads Challenge: 322/415 books read

#MustReadin2015: 16/24 complete

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: 59/100 titles

Diverse Books in 2015: 36/50 books read

Up next? I am reading a number of titles including The Mountain Story by Lori Lansens

Sloth Slept On

Posted on September 9, 2015 by carriegelson

The students that I have taught for the past 2 -3 years LOVE sloths. We have read books about sloths – both fiction and nonfiction and know quite a few things about these slow moving creatures. So it was an absolute delight to share Sloth Slept On by Frann Preston-Gannon with this class on our first day of school before they moved on to their new classrooms.

This title is all about the discovery of a strange creature fast asleep in a back yard tree and the search to find out just who it is that has been found and where exactly he belongs. Our well meaning little sleuths eventually do discover that they are dealing with a sloth but their endeavours to return him home are not exactly perfect, despite best intentions.

Student reactions were so interesting – full of many questions.

At the beginning there was lots of wondering about the age of the three children who discovered the sloth. Were they old enough to read? How exactly did they pick up a sloth? (Are sloths light or heavy?) Did their parents know they were picking up unknown creatures and carrying them around?

Soon into the story, the wondering turned to a possible message or theme that the author was playing with. Students observed that so much of the book was about paying attention, or more accurately not paying attention. Many of the characters seemed to miss important clues in their environment. They were distracted and didn’t notice the obvious. The were distracted with their wondering and imagining. Was this a book about noticing and being mindful of place?

This led us to the very interesting question: Are sloths observant animals? Can you be an observant animal if you spent 20 hours a day or more sleeping? Some argued, absolutely not. Others thought that if in the four “awake” hours, you really paid attention, it would count.

When the children in the story made the decision to send the sloth (spoiler alert!) to the rainforest, reactions were again mixed and the discussion became quickly interesting – drawing on some of the things we learned the year before about rehabilitating rescued animals:

“It would be great for an animal to be returned to nature.”
“Only if he could be rehabilitated.”
“What if he’s too used to humans, that would make him vulnerable.”
“Do poachers go after sloths?”
“What if he can’t figure out how to find his own food?”
“Isn’t the natural habitat always better?”
“Do you think he was born in the rainforest?”

Students enjoyed the illustrations and all of the conversations this book prompted. Recommended for preschool to late primary classrooms. Perfect as part of a study on sloths. Ideal for practicing comprehension skills like questioning and inferring.

Thank you to Lauren at Sterling Publishing Company for providing the copy of Sloth Slept On for review!