Several years ago the book "Fish in a Tree" became one of the most popular books for addressing social issues with upper elementary students. Since then, millions of students have been exposed to this fantastic text. I am so grateful to have been able to guide teachers through the novel and give them help to get the most out of it. (Check out this blog post about why I love it so much in case you ... Read the Post
Getting Students to Engage with Read Alouds
Selecting amazing read alouds can be a fun yet daunting task. There are so many top-notch books...and it’s sometimes hard to choose. We often rely on our “oldies but goodies”, and that’s a great approach when you have something that is tested and effective. Sometimes, however, it’s fun to try something new I can’t lie--I ALWAYS start my year by reading Fish in a Tree (and here’s a blog post ... Read the Post
8 Reasons to Use Fish in a Tree as a Mentor Text
If you aren't familiar with the book Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt, I am here to encourage you to CHECK IT OUT! I've tried to highlight some of the reasons I use this book every year as a read aloud, mentor text. I hope you find this information helpful! 1. A Foundation Text What I love about Fish in a Tree is that by using it early in the year, I find myself referring to it ALL ... Read the Post
Back to school ideas and more!
Starting to think about hunting for back to school ideas? I know there are tons of blog posts out there about organization, bulletin boards, and more--but today I just wanted to share a few of my favorite back to school resources that might help you as you start to plan those first weeks. Along with them, I have included some new video previews that I have created, and I would LOVE to know your ... Read the Post
FIsh in a Tree: Using Your Read Aloud as a Mentor Text
I don't know about you, but one of my favorite times every day is my read aloud time. I read aloud picture books. Articles. Poems. But my favorite of all is the novels I choose to share with my class. "Fish in a Tree" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt is one of the best. I choose different texts for a variety of reasons...but I always like to keep in mind that read alouds are a powerful teaching tool ... Read the Post
Picture Book “Picks”!
If your house is anything like my house on the weekend, the discussion centers around everyone's football picks for the week! I thought I would steal the idea for today's blog post and ask people to share out some of their favorite read aloud picture books they have used so far this year. Many of the books I have shared with my class so far have focused on behaviors and other "big ... Read the Post