As students begin to anticipate a vacation from learning, I begin to anticipate a vacation for learning. A hiatus from the daily work of teaching offers me the time and brain space to explore strategies for meeting student needs, closing learning gaps, building community, spurring motivation, building skills, and sparking curiosity and joy, so students can further develop all the potential God has given them as they engage in even deeper learning.
There are so many wise and experienced teachers out there who have done the research and fieldwork on whatever pedagogical topic I want to explore and taken the time to write a book about it. With gratitude for the insight God has given them into how students learn and for the time I have to learn from them, my usual practice is to choose a number of books I've been hearing about during the school year that will engage and inspire me to be an even better teacher for my students in the fall.
(1) The Joy of Reading by Donalyn Miller. This book is on the top of my list because for the last 2 years, my biggest teaching experiment (aside from branching into EFL and
elementary, and returning to middle school after more than 25 years in high school…) has been incorporating independent reading into classes to build a culture of reading. Long ago I read Donalyn Miller’s earlier books, The Book Whisperer and Reading in the Wild, as well as Penny Kittle’s Book Love (first blogged on in 2014 here and here). I required independent reading, but I didn’t give class time, model it, and teach and conference to support and celebrate it. I’m actually currently re-reading Book Love and tweaking what I’ve been doing to give students a little more traction on goal-setting and reflection. So when I saw this conversation (see below) involving all my reading workshop heroes—Kittle, Gallagher, and Miller—about this book, which just came out in May, I knew it hit the sweet spot of where I’m really working right now. Just listening to them talking about the book made me feel I was with my people. I can't wait to read it!
(2) Notice and Note: Strategies for Close Reading by Kylene Beers and Robert E. Probst. This book is 10 years old, but I hear it frequently referenced in online conversations in teacher groups. Last summer I read the authors’ more recent companion book, Reading Nonfiction, on strategies for reading nonfiction and found it really helpful. I’ve done close reading with middle and high school students for a long time, picking up tips here and there. I figure I should read the source that I hear most frequently referenced.
(3) A Teacher’s Guide to Mentor Texts, 6-12 by Allison Marchetti.
I use mentor texts for a lot of things—reading, writing, grammar. Another practice cobbled together from things learned and read here and there—Voice Lessons by Nancy Dean and Jeff Anderson’s books, including Patterns of Power. A teacher on Twitter asked for a resource, a compilation, of mentor texts, and this was the most popular by a large margin. I’m looking forward to checking it out!
(4) The Quickwrite Handbook: 100 Mentor Texts to Jumpstart Your Students’ Thinking and Writing by Linda Rief. With all my recent focus on reading, I don’t want to forget about writing. The last 6 months I’ve been using quick writes especially
with EFL students. I’m feeling the need to refresh that practice and maybe expand it into my ELA class.
(5) 4 Essential Studies: Beliefs and Practices to Reclaim Student Agency by Penny Kittle and Kelly Gallagher. I’ve read everything else by Gallagher and Kittle and found it inspiring (see 180 Days), so I really want to read this latest one that came out last October, too. I’m just not sure it’s going to happen this summer.
My vacation doesn’t start until mid-July, but once it does, I’ll be blogging on what I learn from these books. I just love recharging my idea batteries with what other teachers are doing.
How about you? How are you planning to grow your teaching this summer? How will you capture your learning?
Six of the last nine years, since I started this blog in July 2012, I’ve posted a list of summer professional reading goals:
I've been at it again this year, collecting a list of books I hear recommended about ways I want to grow my teaching. Three of the five are by authors of books from previous lists. Here’s my list for this year:
- Professional Reading for Summer 2021
- What I Plan to Learn This Summer
- My Summer 2019 Professional Reading List
- Summer Reading List: Professional Development
- Summer Professional Reading Goals
- Summer Reading: Like Groundhog Day, but Better!
I've been at it again this year, collecting a list of books I hear recommended about ways I want to grow my teaching. Three of the five are by authors of books from previous lists. Here’s my list for this year:
(1) The Joy of Reading by Donalyn Miller. This book is on the top of my list because for the last 2 years, my biggest teaching experiment (aside from branching into EFL and
(2) Notice and Note: Strategies for Close Reading by Kylene Beers and Robert E. Probst. This book is 10 years old, but I hear it frequently referenced in online conversations in teacher groups. Last summer I read the authors’ more recent companion book, Reading Nonfiction, on strategies for reading nonfiction and found it really helpful. I’ve done close reading with middle and high school students for a long time, picking up tips here and there. I figure I should read the source that I hear most frequently referenced.
(3) A Teacher’s Guide to Mentor Texts, 6-12 by Allison Marchetti.
I use mentor texts for a lot of things—reading, writing, grammar. Another practice cobbled together from things learned and read here and there—Voice Lessons by Nancy Dean and Jeff Anderson’s books, including Patterns of Power. A teacher on Twitter asked for a resource, a compilation, of mentor texts, and this was the most popular by a large margin. I’m looking forward to checking it out!
(4) The Quickwrite Handbook: 100 Mentor Texts to Jumpstart Your Students’ Thinking and Writing by Linda Rief. With all my recent focus on reading, I don’t want to forget about writing. The last 6 months I’ve been using quick writes especially
(5) 4 Essential Studies: Beliefs and Practices to Reclaim Student Agency by Penny Kittle and Kelly Gallagher. I’ve read everything else by Gallagher and Kittle and found it inspiring (see 180 Days), so I really want to read this latest one that came out last October, too. I’m just not sure it’s going to happen this summer.
My vacation doesn’t start until mid-July, but once it does, I’ll be blogging on what I learn from these books. I just love recharging my idea batteries with what other teachers are doing.
How about you? How are you planning to grow your teaching this summer? How will you capture your learning?
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