Some Professional Books I Am Looking Forward to Reading This Summer

My stack of professional books continues to grow as there are so many things to learn and so many smart people writing!  There are a few books that I am especially excited to dig into this summer. They are:

DIY Literacy by Kate Roberts and Maggie Beattie Roberts. Well, I've already read this book once. I wrote the foreword and it was such an honor to do so. One big perk of writing a foreword is that you get to be an early reader of the book! So I was able to read this book when it was in production and I fell in love with it.  The authors are brilliant and they give us so much to think about.  I want to revisit it this summer now that I have the actual book. Summer is a good time for me to revisit books that make a big impact on me so I can think about how best to implement my new learning.   If you have not seen Kate and Maggie's videos that go along with the release of the book, they are fabulous.

Who's Doing the Work by Jan Burkins and Kim Yaris is a book I can't wait to read!  I love the work of these authors and can't wait to read this new one over the summer when I really have time to really stop and think about all they have to say. They have a way of regrounding me and reminding me what is right for our classrooms.  I love the focus on student identity and agency in all of their work.  I love these words on the Stenhouse website that describe the book: " Who's Doing the Work? suggests ways to make small but powerful adjustments to instruction that hold student accountable for their own learning.  It offers a vision for adjusting reading instruction to better align with the goal of creating independent, proficient, and joyful readers." 

The Big Book of Details by Rozlyn Linder is a book I have spent a bit of time with but one I want to spend more time with this summer. I did a lot of work rethinking Writing Workshop this year and want to continue to rethink over the summer.  This book is packed with lessons but in a way that helps you think through intention and how the lesson fits into the bigger picture. You can see a video of Rozlyn talking about the book on the Heinemann site.

Another book that will help me as a writing teacher is a new one I just saw on Stenhouse's site. Craft Moves:  Lesson Sets for Teaching Writing with Mentor Texts by Stacey Shubitz.  You probably know Stacey from Two Writing Teachers blog. After reading the book's description, I knew it was a book I would need to buy!

Purposeful Play: A Teacher's Guide to Igniting Deep and Joyful Learning Across the Day by Kristine Mraz, Alison Porcelli and Cheryl Tyler is a book I am most excited to read. I am a huge Kristine Mraz fan and have been learning so much from her over the past few years.  I have been thinking a great deal about joy and play and how to get back to what we know is right for young children in the classroom. I hope to dig into this one with friends who will also be reading it.

And I am excited about the K-2 version of Well-Played: Building Mathematical Thinking Through Number Games and Puzzles by Linda Dacey, Karen Gartland and Jayne Bamford Lynch. I so loved the 3-5 book and learned so much about games from these authors.   Being a 3rd grade teacher I know the K-2 book will  help me better support some students who need support with various concepts. Looking forward to it!