What Are You Reading?

This summer I promised myself I'd dive into the pile of books I had waiting for me...personal and professional. With required reading for grad classes, I didn't get as far as I had hoped, but I did get through a couple that are totally worth sharing! Today I want to start with one I am just finishing (and was SUCH an easy read) - Notebook Connections: Strategies for the Reader's Notebook by Aimee Buckner. Fabulous!


As an intermediate teacher, I am constantly struggling with getting my students to write authentic entries in their reader's notebooks. Like most, my ultimate goal...that shining moment...would be for my students to be enjoying their books and- now here's the kicker- want to write about their thinking! Buckner's book focuses on making the notebook a meaningful, useful tool for students, teachers, and even parents!

Aimee Buckner does an incredible job of sharing how she uses notebooks in her classroom to bridge student thinking and understanding with their conversations and to share student thinking with parents. She provides useful, easy to implement strategies for the reader's notebook that I cannot wait to try out when I launch my workshop this year. I especially love how she incorporates mini strategy lessons into her conferences that all involve the use of the notebook.

Here's a sample of one of my favorite strategies...We all struggle with our book abandoners. Buckner suggests a lesson called "What Keeps Me Reading" at the beginning of the year that get students thinking about staying involved with a book, and then revisiting this idea throughout the year in their notebooks.

Here's a link to the book on Amazon...it's worth a visit!
Notebook Connections by Aimee Buckner