Goals and Takeaways for the Series I lived day-to-day during first year of teaching ELA in 7th and 8th grades. You know that feeling too. Some days I was unsure if

  Title: Echo Mountain Author: Lauren Wolk Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers Release Date: April 21, 2020 RATING: 4.5 Stars As the Great Depression devastates the country, Ellie and her family have had to

  Title: Fighting Words Author: Kimberly Brubaker Bradley Publisher: Dial Books Release Date: August 11, 2020 RATING: 5 Stars Della and Suki are sisters bound by love, the desire to protect one another, and – unfortunately

August 2020 LIT Lessons Newsletter

  Title: The Peacemaker Author: Joseph Bruchac Publisher: Dial Books Release Date: October 27, 2020 RATING: 4 Stars The five tribes of the Iroquois have been embroiled in an endless cycle of raiding, war, and death.

   Title: Before the Ever After Author: Jacqueline Woodson Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books Release Date: September 1, 2020 RATING: 5 Stars ZJ’s father, a professional football player, is loved by all – fans, friends, and especially

   Title: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (A Hunger Games Novel) Author: Suzanne Collins Publisher: Scholastic Press Release Date: May 19, 2020 RATING: 3 Stars Suzanne Collins treats fans of the Hunger Games series with

   Title: The One and Only Bob Author: Katherine Applegate Publisher: HarperCollins Release Date: May 5, 2020 Rating: 4 STARS Bob is back. After living for several years at the Big Top Mall, George and Julia

   Title: Paola Santiago and the River of Tears Author: Tehlor Kay Mejia Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents Release Date: August 4, 2020 RATING: 3 Stars School is out, and Paola Santiago, an analytic and science-loving mind,

   The distance learning background project engages students in a creative and fun project to help them create a specific place at home to focus on their work and a backdrop

   Title: Quintessence Author: Jess Redman Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) Release Date: July 28, 2020 Thank you to Netgalley and publisher, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), for an eARC of this book! RATING: 3.5 STARS Alma suffers

   Title: War Stories Author: Gordon Korman Publisher: Scholastic, Inc. Release Date: July 21, 2020 RATING: 4.5 Stars Trevor’s passion for World War II borders obsession, especially since his beloved great-grandfather, G.G., is a war hero.

   Title: The Dream WeaverAuthor: Reina Luz AlegrePublisher: Simon & Schuster Children'sRelease Date: June 23, 2020 RATING: 3.5 Stars After moving from place to place, year after year, Zoey finally has a

   Title: Everything Sad Is Untrue: (a true story)Author: Daniel NayeriPublisher: Levine QueridoRelease Date: August 25, 2020 RATING: 5 STARS! Everything Sad Is Untrue is author Daniel Nayeri’s (true) story. In recounting his

   Title: My Life as a PotatoAuthor: Arianne CostnerPublisher: Random House Books for Young ReadersRelease Date: March 24, 2020 Rating: 3 Stars Ben Hardy is the new kid. His recent move from California

   Title: On the HorizonAuthor: Lois LowryPublisher: HMH Books for Young ReadersRelease Date: April 7, 2020 Rating: 4 Stars On the Horizon takes readers from the shores of Pearl Harbor to the city

   Title: Prairie LotusAuthor: Linda Sue ParkPublisher: Clarion BooksRelease Date: March 3, 2020 RATING: 5 STARS The history books describe the intense hostility Chinese immigrants faced in the 1880s. In addition to overt

   Title: MañanalandAuthor: Pam Muñoz RyanPublisher: Scholastic PressRelease Date: March 3, 2020 RATING: 4 STARS Maximiliano Córdoba and his family live in the small village of Santa Maria somewhere in the Américas. Twelve-year-old

   Title: Kent StateAuthor: Deborah WilesPublisher: Scholastic Inc.Release Date: April 21, 2020 RATING: 4 STARS Kent State retells the story of the events surrounding the infamous clash between student demonstrators protesting the Vietnam War and

   Title: When You Trap a TigerAuthor: Tae KellerPublisher: Random House Books for Young ReadersRelease Date: January 28, 2020 RATING: 3.5 STARS Lily’s grandmother, her halmoni, is gravely ill. When Lily’s mother moves

   Title: Black Brother, Black BrotherAuthor: Jewell Parker RhodesPublisher: Little, Brown Books for Young ReadersRelease Date: March 3, 2020 RATING: 5 STARS Donte Ellison and his brother Trey attend Middlefield Prep, a private

   Title: NotoriousAuthor: Gordon KormanPublisher: Balzer + BrayRelease Date: January 7, 2020 RATING: 3.5 STARS Keenan is used to a fast-paced, independent life as he travels the world with his mom, an international schoolteacher.

   Title: Children of Virtue and Vengeance (Legacy of Orïsha #2)Author: Tomi AdeyemiPublisher: Henry Holt and Co.Release Date: December 3, 2019 RATING: 3.5 STARS Zélie, Amari, and Inan are back in the

   Title: JackpotAuthor: Nic StonePublisher: Crown Books for Young ReadersRelease Date: October 15, 2019 RATING: 3.5 STARS Rico, her mom, and her little brother struggle to stay afloat. Despite the difficulties, Rico’s mom

   Title: Words on FireAuthor: Jennifer NielsenPublisher: Scholastic PressRelease Date: October 1, 2019 RATING: 3 STARS It is 1893 in Lithuania, a time when the Russian Empire controls the country. It is

   Title: Efrén DividedAuthor: Ernesto CisnerosPublisher: HarperCollinsRelease Date: March 2020 RATING: 5 STARS Efrén, a young Mexican-American, loves his family, especially his Amá. He appreciates all the small miracles she performs each and every

   Title: Count Me InAuthor: Varsha BajajPublisher: Penguin/Nancy Paulsen BooksRelease Date: August 27, 2019 RATING: 4 STARS Karina and Chris may be next door neighbors but they also might as well live on

   Title: Ghost BoysAuthor: Jewell Parker RhodesPublisher: Little, Brown Books for Young ReadersRelease Date: April 17, 2018 RATING: 4 STARS Jerome Rogers is a good kid. He loves his family, enjoys school, and

   Title: Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten BlocksAuthor: Jason ReynoldsPublisher: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy BooksRelease Date: October 8, 2019 RATING: 4 STARS Look Both Ways recounts the myriad stories of a cast

   Title: Pixie Pushes OnAuthor: Tamara BundyPublisher: Penguin Random House/Nancy Paulsen BooksRelease Date: January 14, 2020Many thanks to Penguin Random House/Nancy Paulsen Books and Edelweiss+ for providing me an opportunity to

   Title: Shouting at the RainAuthor: Linda Mullaly HuntPublisher: Nancy Paulsen BooksRelease Date: May 7, 2019 RATING: 3 STARS Summer has come to Cape Cod and Delsie is looking forward to another sun-soaked,

   Title: Song for a WhaleAuthor: Lynne KellyPublisher: Delacorte PressRelease Date: February 5, 2019 RATING: 4 STARS Iris is tech-savvy and curious, deaf and lonely. While she loves to fix radios, she struggles to

   Title: Front DeskAuthor: Kelly YangPublisher: Arthur A. Levine BooksRelease Date: May 29, 2018 RATING: 4 STARS After immigrating to the United States from China in the 1990’s, Mia Tang and her parents are

   Title: The Story That Cannot Be ToldAuthor: J. Kasper KramerPublisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing - Atheneum Books for Young ReadersRelease Date: October 8, 2019Many thanks to Atheneum Books for

What if your lesson plans were a complete blank slate? What if you did not worry about your administrator asking to see standards alignment or when you could cover this,

Nature is an incredible teacher. It has impeccable wait time, provides an endless array of challenges, and above all, offers an engaging classroom. Yet, too often, we look past nature’s

Teaching students to write is hard. It’s abstract, it’s personal, and good writing can look like a million different things. Still, it’s critical we teach writing, especially in a world

In nine years, I spent over 1,600 days with students in the classroom. On those days and many others (because we know what “vacation” means), I spent countless evening, weekend,

As another school year closes, I thought I’d share a few reflections. I find it’s important to write them when the year is still fresh on my mind then return

I’ve spent some time championing for pop-up projects in the classroom, referencing our “Odyssey Pop-Up Project” several times. Here are a few images of the final project. After students finished

When we assigned the pop-up project for The Odyssey, it was an experience of trial and error. Here are the 10 things I learned from that experience – both what

It’s the day before Thanksgiving break, and I’m racing from a kindergarten classroom to a first-grade classroom while calling a second-grade teacher along the way. As I’m about to visit

  Any Google search about classroom discussion strategies will yield a wealth of resources. However, the core principles of facilitating a discussion are often overlooked: asking a really good question and

Life: When I was a kid, I had dreams of becoming the first female, MLB baseball player, an astronaut, or even a novelist. As I grew older, with the future