Sunday, November 9, 2008

NEW BOOKS

This week the UPS man made a couple stops at my house. That means that when I get home I see those boxes on my front porch. I always jump out of the car faster, greet Murphy with a flurry and get to that front door in a hurry. I am absolutely in love with the new books. I have been reading them all...one chapter at a time! I just have to tell you about them.
The first one is: R5 In Your Classroom by Michelle J. Kelley and Nicki Clausen-Grace. It is for the upper elementary kiddos. I love their ideas on independent reading. The five R's are: Read, Relax, Reflect, Respond and Rap. The idea is to get kids not to "fake" read... really get into the "Reading Zone" as Nancy Atwell calls it. I can't wait to show it to teachers who have been looking for this tip to get kids to really READ!

The other book was for the primary grades. In fact that is sort of what it was called: Of Primary Importance by Ann Marie Corgill. I had briefly reviewed the book one day at the office, briefly, but enough that I knew I HAD to have it. When I got it, I immediately dived into it. When I was only a few pages in, I realized that I knew this author. Well, not really well, but I had been in her classroom at Manhattan New School. She is a good friend of my friend, JoAnn Portalupi. In fact, JoAnn wrote her forward...and she did a great job! As I read this book, I feel like I am right there with her in her classroom. I write in the margins...YES!! It would be a MUST for any primary teacher!

The last one I didn't get by mail. I was browsing the shelves of the local Barnes & Noble and there it was. I almost yelled out loud when I saw it. I knew Janet was writing a grammar book, but didn't know it was out. The book: Grammar Study by Janet Angelillo. I had been waiting for this! I grabbed the book and checked out. You would have thought I just bought an expensive outfit. If you have read any of Janet's other books, you won't be disappointed with this one. What makes it even better is she acknowledges our All Write group in the front of the book! Awww, shucks!

If you want to see some great children's literature, check out my friend, Mary Helen's new blog: Book Savors!



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