Behind the Books: A Place for Bats in the Classroom
I’m so excited that a new, updated edition of A Place for Bats became available on April 1. As with the original version, there are all kinds of ways you can use it in the classroom. For starters, there’s a Teacher’s Guide that makes connections to a wide variety of Next Generation Science Standards and […]
Book of the Week: A Place for Turtles
Educators often ask me which of my books would work best in their classroom. So this year, I’ve decided to feature a book each week and highlight related teaching materials and strategies. You could share one or two spreads of A Place for Turtles to support NGSS PE K-ESS3-3 or read the whole book as […]
Book of the Week: A Place for Butterflies
Educators often ask me which of my books would work best in their classroom. So this year, I’ve decided to feature a book each week and highlight related teaching materials and strategies. A Place for Butterflies was originally published in 2006, but was revised and updated in 2014 and 2024, so it has the latest […]
Book of the Week: A Place for Bats
Educators often ask me which of my books would work best in their classroom. So this year, I’ve decided to feature a book each week and highlight related teaching materials and strategies. You could share one or two spreads of A Place for Bats to support NGSS PE K-ESS3-3 or read the whole book as […]
Having Fun with Common Core: Nonfiction Narratives and Reading Buddies
If you’ve been reading this blog strand since September, you should now be getting a sense of how pairing Reading Buddies with nonfiction books that feature layered text can strengthen reading skills, introduce and reinforce age-appropriate science concepts, and promote cooperation and camaraderie. And by discussing the text as they go, students get plenty of […]
Having Fun with Common Core: Fun Formats for Reading Buddies
Today, we’ll look at some of the many wonderful books created by Steve Jenkins, often with his wife Robin Page. Many of Jenkins’s books feature a spare main text that is masterfully illustrated with paper collage art and enhanced by an extensive backmatter full of fascinating facts. Because Jenkins writes the text, creates the art, […]
Having Fun with Common Core: More Reading Buddies Follow-up Activities
Today, we’ll look at a group of books that I’ve written: A Place for Butterflies, A Place for Bats, A Place for Birds, A Place for Frogs, and A Place for Fish. In these books, published by Peachtree Publishers, two sections of text appear on each double-page spread. The larger, simpler text that runs across […]
Having Fun with Common Core: After They Read
Today, we’ll look at three very popular books: An Egg is Quiet, A Seed is Sleepy, and A Butterfly is Patient all by Dianna Hutts Aston (illus. by Sylvia Long) and published by Chronicle Books. The repetition in the main text of these books results in a pleasing poetic quality. And while the language is […]
Tips for Reading Buddies
Thinking of starting a Reading Buddies program at your school? Here are some tips from teachers all over the country. Younger students should have some ability to read independently. Their buddies should be at least three years older to provide the feeling of a mentoring experience. The program should span several months. Meeting once a […]
Friday Fun: Science Reading Buddies
Reading Buddies is a popular program in which first or second graders, who are just learning to read, are paired with students who are few years older. By working together, both students improve their reading skills. They also develop cooperative learning behaviors, such as taking turns, listening, sharing knowledge, and praising one another’s efforts. In […]