Category: Read Aloud

  • Start of Year Blog Series: 8 Tips for Building a Reading Community

    Start of Year Blog Series: 8 Tips for Building a Reading Community

    Like many of you, I will be heading back to my classroom soon. While still relishing in the final days of summer relaxation (and let’s be honest, recovery from the past two and a half tumultuous school years), I’m beginning to think about the steps I’ll take starting on the first day of school to…

  • Summer Reading & Learning Recs for Elementary Teachers

    *This post was originally published on 5/30/22. It was updated on 6/4/22 as I added even more resources to my summer learning stack! Enjoy!* Summer break is just weeks away or already here for many! It’s the perfect time to unwind, recharge, and do a little self-paced reading or learning in a book club! If…

  • Sneak Peek at Chapter #3: What are the Key Instructional Principles to Know and Use?

    The third chapter in Answers to Your Biggest Questions About Teaching Elementary Reading introduces and explains all of the instructional principles that comprise elementary reading– and there are many! Over the past few years, I’ve read many articles and social media posts (mostly from those outside of actual elementary teaching) declaring that students need more of this…

  • Bring Back the Joy! Free Webinar on Monday, March 7th

    On Monday, March 7th, 3:30pacific/6:30 eastern, Melanie Meehan, Georgina Rivera, and I will be discussing practical ways to increase the joy in your elementary reading, writing, and math instruction. There will be giveaways, goodies, and lots of fun. I hope you’ll join us! Register here. _______________________________________________________________Looking for literacy PD? I’m available for on-site, in-school, and virtual…

  • New Book Announcement & Early Reviews!

    I’m thrilled to announce that my new book for teachers, Answers to Your Biggest Questions About Teaching Elementary Reading in Corwin’s Five to Thrive series was just sent to the printer! It will be in teachers’ hands in March 2022! Even though I wrote this book with new teachers in mind, anyone who is looking…

  • Read Across America: If not Seuss, then who?

    Read Across America is coming up this Monday, March 2nd. Originally, the National Education Association (NEA) started this nation-wide event on the birthday of political cartoonist turned children’s book author Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, to celebrate and promote reading. In 2018, the NEA dropped the celebration of Dr. Seuss in favor of…

  • Beyond the Textbook: Using Picture Books in Our History Learning, Part 1

    Some picture books make us laugh. Others tug at our heart strings and make us cry. Many support our work in studying the craft of writing. Then, there are some that just truly stop us in our tracks. Today’s picture book read aloud, The People Shall Continue written by Simon J. Ortiz and illustrated by…

  • So, I took a risk…

    This school year, I took a risk (which is so unlike me) by taking a slightly reduced teaching contract so I could open up more days to bring my deep love of literacy education to teachers in other schools and districts across the Bay Area and other parts of the West. I love teaching kids,…

  • 180 Days of Literacy Learning: Three Things That Mattered Most

    Written off and on a week or so after the last day of school while enjoying a weekend away in the woods at Northern California’s Russian River and also in my backyard after summer school. All posts in this blog series can be found here. If you’re a classroom teacher, you can probably understand why it…