Reading Workshop- Notebook Connections

Have you read Notebook Connections Strategies for the Reader's Notebook by Aimee Buckner?
It is a MUST READ!!!

I am currently reading it (amongst many other professional resources) and am LOVING it!

I want to share with you some of the great things I have learned just in the first chapter.

Chapter 1- Reading, Writing, and Harvesting Hope

This chapter, at first, talks about the bridge between reading and writing.
This is SO true!

"The reading-writing connection is a bridge of understanding that helps the reader write more reflectively about his or her reading and the writer write more purposefully for his or her reader.  Taking time to focus on this bridge gives students the opportunity to think both as a reader and a writer."

- Aimee Buckner

In a writer's notebook, students can collect their ideas and thoughts about what they are writing.

In a reader's notebook, students can collect their ideas and thoughts about other people's writing.

Aimee was looking for a way to challenge her students to really think while reading.
But more than that, she wants them to think beyond reading...
To become lifelong readers and writers.
She decided notebooks was the perfect way to take this "from hope to reality".

Why Notebooks?

Here's what Aimee has to say:
- It is a tool which can capture student thinking and understanding of the text.
- It allows students to generate and elaborate on responses to text.
- It is a book of strategies students can rely on- from book to book, from genre to genre.
- It pushes their thinking beyond retelling a story.
- It is flexible enough for students to respond in a variety of ways, yet structured enough to provide explicit instruction.


Aimee Buckner has another book which she wrote prior to Notebook Connections.
It is called Notebook Know-How Strategies for the Writer's Notebook.
I haven't read it yet; probably should have read it first.
But I am too into Notebook Connections to stop now. lol

I can't wait to tell you more about this amazing book.
It is an easy read with information that will make you want to change the way you think about, and teach, reading and writing.

Do you use, or are interested in using, reader's notebooks?
Have you read Notebook Connections?
If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts about the book and how you use notebooks in your classroom.

Your long lost friend (since I have been MIA for quite sometime),
Antoinette :)

Hey, it's Emily.  I don't usually hop on to the end of Antoinette's posts, but I couldn't help myself.  I LOVE Aimee Buckner!  More about Notebook Connections to come.  Happy Friday! :)

Been a Week, Surviving Kindergarten, and Reading Notebooks... OH MY!!! :)

Is the beginning of the year always this CRAZY and BUSY?!?!

Emily and I were chatting on Friday about how busy we are and how we needed to post something.  School prep is consuming so much of our time that we haven't posted in about a week.  Then we were like, "What do we post about?"  We're doing so much, but nothing came to our minds. lol

Well I am planning to post about my kindergarten experiences as soon as I survive two more demo lessons. lol  I have always respected kindergarten teachers, but after 4 demo lessons on Friday, I have decided those teachers need to be paid MUCH MORE!!!  Every lesson of every day is like a performance.  I LITERALLY ached Friday evening. lol

So I've posted a few things about reading notebooks.  I am still very much interested in peoples' ideas and examples; especially in K-2.  I have created a document as an informational resource for my teachers.  I am going to include it on here so you all can either use it or give me input.  In the document, you will come across (see attached)  I do not have all of those on my computer as most are hard copies.  I do have links to where a great deal of my information came from, though.

Beth Newingham's Reading Notebook

The Reader's Notebook Grades 3-12
Thinking of Teaching
Lessons With Laughter

Ladybug's Teacher Files

Hope my document is full of useful information for you all.  How do you use reading notebooks in your classroom?

Blogging, Reading Notebooks and FINALLY RAIN!!!

With how busy back to school has been, I feel like I'm at a loss as to what to post about.  I've had so much going on, that you would think there would be a ton (and there probably are) but my mind seems to come up blank.  I didn't want to get outta the habit of posting though and go MIA like last year so thought I'd give a quick what's up in my life.

My new job as a Teaching and Learning Coach is SUPER busy, but I am enjoying it.  I am a people person and love helping others.  So this job is perfect because I get to do both.  Wanna know another reason my job is pretty cool??  What other job can you get paid to search blogs and Pinterest during the work day.  I had some down time Friday and am in the process of collecting resources for reading notebooks (Wanna share any great ideas??  Especially from K-2??).  Since I know many of you post about Reading Workshop and the tools you use to implement it in the classroom, I spent some time checking out blogs.  I am even referring blogs to fellow teachers.  See... I'm helping you all out also. lol :)  That's the thing I love about blogs... They are such an amazing resource to all the teachers of the world.   I also found some pretty cool resources on Pinterest which in turn led me to even more blogs.

Just thought I'd share that cool tidbit about my job. :)

Also want to include some sites where I found some great information.

The Reader's Notebook
A Place Called Kindergarten
Our Class Web

There are so many amazing blogs out there with a wealth of information.  Have you posted about reading notebooks or have a great site to check out?  I would love to read about it on your blog and refer you to the teachers at my school.  The following quote states it perfectly.

"Our best thoughts come from others."

                  -Ralph Waldo Emerson

One last final bit- I know many states have been lacking in the rain department, but here in Missouri, it rained both Friday and Saturday.  YEAH!!!  We needed it so badly.  It hasn't rained like this since possibly May.