Last week, I showed my 3rd-grade students Scholastic’s video, Why I Read, a recording of kids sharing their answers. Since my students were eager to share their own responses, we decided to create a version of the video. We titled it I Read Because…. Please let us know why you like to read!
Author Archives: Karin Schreier Hallett
Can You Find…In Our School? An ABC Book
I have yet to meet a student who does not enjoy Mo Willems’ books. Earlier in the school year, my Kindergarten students read several books in the Pigeon series and currently are reading books in the Elephant & Piggie series–all … Continue reading
Skype Visit With Author Monica Carnesi
Today, we had a fantastic Skype visit with librarian and children’s book author Mônica Carnesi. She read aloud Little Dog Lost: The True Story of a Brave Dog Named Baltic (2012), which tells the story of a dog nicknamed Baltic, … Continue reading
How to Read a Story
I recently read Kate Messner’s How to Read a Story (illus. Mark Siegel) with my 1st grade students. It is an excellent story about encouraging a love of reading. It served as a great mentor text for my students to … Continue reading
Digital Country Quilt Patches
In social studies class, my 2nd grade students learned about immigration. With help from their parents, they created family trees, discovering that their ancestors immigrated from different Eastern and Western European countries and even from as far away as Taiwan. … Continue reading
Awesome Alphabet Animal Alliterations
My second-grade students recently learned all about alliterations and then created their own digital versions, which we compiled in a book. We started by reading Maurice Sendak’s Alligators All Around and defining alliteration. We thought about the purpose of alliterations … Continue reading
GeoLiteracy: Conceptualizing Maps
When last month I worked with my 4th grade students on creating maps (an extension of a social studies lesson on map skills), we referred to it as our GeoLiteracy project. While we thought we had come up with the … Continue reading
Native Americans of North America: Digital Presentations
I love my job as a teacher librarian at a private school. I have had the freedom create my own lessons–shaping and reshaping them, while trying new ideas or adapting old ones or just sticking with the tried and true. … Continue reading
Banned Book Posters
Danny’s Banned Book Poster In September, the American Library Association celebrated Banned Books Week. Who knew that this 5th grade lesson would turn into an amazing discussion about belief systems and values! We learned about who challenges books, where, and … Continue reading
Assessment Need Not Be “Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad!”
When I was in elementary school, assessment was all about paper and pencil quizzes and tests. I love the alternative forms of assessment technology affords us today. (Also see my earlier post on Chatterpix: Creative Assessment in the Lower Grades.) … Continue reading
Liquid Literacy 