3 Ways to Introduce Students to Books for Independent Reading

In the first week of school, one of the most important things I do is introduce my students to our classroom library and make sure that they have a book that they love for our daily independent reading. If students are enthusiastic about reading at the start of the year, it so much easier to maintain that enthusiasm rather than trying to create it as the year goes on. 

Some of the activities I use to introduce students to the organization of my classroom library during the first week of school are activities like genre circles, a book sort, and book speed dating as well as a variety of book spine activities.

A few other possibilities for getting books into students' hands are using a book scavenger hunt, hosting a book tasting, and holding a first line face off. What I love about these three activities, all described below, is that they can be used at the start of the school year to get students excited about choice reading, but can also be repeated or used later in the school year when your choice reading routine needs to be reinvigorated.

My Approach to Teaching Grammar in Middle School: Reviewing The Basics

My view of teaching grammar has changed dramatically over the years and I am on a mission to make it fun and enjoyable (as opposed to serious and tedious as it too often is). To teach grammar in a way that is both engaging and meaningful, I balance examining mentor texts,  going over “rules” of usage, and having students experiment with concepts in shorter and longer writing exercises. You can read more about the key elements of my grammar instruction here.

At the start of the year, we jump right into grammar by reviewing the basics: nouns, verbs, and adjectives with a choice writing piece called “Where I’m From,” inspired by a lesson from Linda Christensen’s book, Reading, Writing, and Rising Up. I usually introduce this lesson the very first week of school.

My Approach to Teaching Grammar in Middle School

Grammar has always been an area of weakness for me. I was never formally taught it in school, which has made me uncomfortable teaching it to others. As an avid reader, I have always had a “natural” understanding of writing structures and techniques so it was easy to tell myself it would come naturally to others. There’s always so much to do in an ELA class period; grammar was one less thing to squeeze in.

After reading two of Jeff Anderson’s books (Mechanically Inclined and Everyday Editing), I began to think of teaching grammar differently. Practicing grammar through different writing exercises and choice writing assignments could be fun and enjoyable. In Anderson’s books, he uses the most basic terms for grammar and outlines lessons in which his students have opportunities to imitate and play with writing. 

9 No Prep, No Stress Ideas For Your First Day Of School

The pressure to do just the right activity on the first day of school is overrated. You’ll likely have some first day jitters whether it is your first year of teaching or your twenty first. There will be some hiccup with the schedule or new students being processed. It’s not the day to do something complicated or introduce anything that will matter.

Instead I plan a series of no prep getting to know you activities. It doesn’t matter if one period is shorter or longer than another and I don’t get through all of the activities (my school often does an extended homeroom on the first day which means that first class has less time with me than classes later in the day). I also don’t end up prepping any materials or make copies of anything I might not get to use. I want day one to be all about getting to know students and helping them feel comfortable in the classroom without me feeling rushed or stressed out.