Thoughts From The Book Diva....

Video games, television, cell phones, and social media. There are so many things vying for our children's attention. While these can be entertaining in moderation, we've all seen the research showing that excessive screen time can have negative effects. Yet here we are, one month into summer. Kids are starting to get bored, parents are running out of ideas to keep them entertained, and budgets may be getting a little tighter. The temptation to allow more and more screen time is real. Summer Learning Loss Unfortunately, increased screen time combined with little to no reading or math practice can result in a phenomenon educators know well: Summer Learning Loss , often called the Summer Slide . Summer Learning Loss refers to the decline in academic skills that can occur during the summer months when children are out of school. In the study Schools Out: The Role of Summers in Understanding Achievement Disparities , researchers from Brown University analyzed more than 200 million t...

Ask any educator about the pendulum effect in education, and you will likely get the same response. Teachers who have taught for ten or more years have not only heard of, but also experienced the familiar back and forth of researchers aiming to determine the best, most effective ways to educate children. One study will prove phonics instruction is the most reliable way to teach a child to read. A few years later, a new study will show that the whole language approach is the way to go. Back and forth the pendulum swings, and teachers are left on the frontlines trying to sift through the data, make informed decisions, and effectively teach the young minds in front of them. It can all be quite overwhelming. At the end of the day, though, we all share a common goal: to meet the needs of our students and make them as successful as humanly possible. With thirty years in education under my belt, I have lived through more than my fair share of educational trends. A perfect example can be found...

 "It is both a blessing and a curse." I have heard this said in many situations in my life. It was not until March 2020 that I began to live this expression out in my daily life. We all hear that date, March 2020, and a flood of emotions and memories fill our minds. It was at this time that I found myself not only fearing the introduction of Covid to our community, but also fearing the task facing me in my library.  In the two years prior to 2020 I watched daily from the windows in my ancient library at O.M. Roberts Elementary in Lake Jackson, TX as our beautiful new school building was being erected. I saw the land being cleared, the ground being broken, and the contractors moving in to build our new school. I had a prime view of the entire process. What a blessing! It was only a curse occasionally. The noise from construction was a little overwhelming in the beginning. Surprisingly it became something I didn't even notice as time went on. I remember watching the progres...

While attending the Texas Library Association's annual conference a few years ago,  I came across one particular session that really peaked my interest. The ladies presenting the session explained in great detail how they were able to get their PreK and Kinder friends to do research. I was amazed! I was also extremely jealous because this school had access to the coolest database for younger elementary kids, PebbleGo by Capstone. I immediately contacted my Capstone rep and requested a quote for PebbleGo. Unfortunately, our budget had been spent by this late in the year. I decided to save the quote and make PebbleGo one of my first purchases for the next school year. Next, I very sweetly asked my kinder teachers if they would jump on board with me and try this research idea with their kiddos. Luckily, I have kinder teachers who are generally always on board with my ideas, so they agreed to collaborate with me.  Although we did not have the database access, we did have...

It is time for you to be real and to be honest.  I need your unfiltered, honest opinions on what you thought about this Book Study and what we can do to improve it for next time. Please answer the following questions for me: Did you like the format? Is there any way you can think we could improve how this is delivered? What did you think about the chosen book? Would you do this again? Would you do this again voluntarily (you are not REQUIRED to do a PLT)? Do you honestly think this was beneficial to your teaching career? Do you have another book you would like to see done in this format? What suggestions can you give ME to improve my moderating of the Book Study?

Well ladies, we made it! We finished the last section of Guided Reading AND we are about to embark on the last week of the school year. I don't know about you, but I am feeling rather accomplished. Let's discuss the last three chapters of Guided Reading and then move on to planning for next year. Chapters 13-15: In chapter thirteen I appreciate how the authors remind us of the importance of connecting reading and writing from the very beginning of a child's literacy experience. How did you feel about the authors' opinion on the role of phonics in Guided Reading? I will be honest, it goes against how I was taught to read AND how I was taught to teach reading. However, I do believe that if we can "let go" of our preconceived ideas and give this approach a try, we will probably see success. I liked how this book encourages teaching phonics, but in a more authentic and individualistic manner. I am just not able to see where studying short a and completely a r...