Voracious Reading

Have you ever been absolutely sucked into a good book? Enticed into the storyline so much that you can't separate yourself from the book physically or mentally until you've reached that last page? Dazed for a few minutes or even hours after finishing as you "recover" from being submerged? That is absolutely my favorite thing about reading, but it only happens when you are reading the right book, doesn't it? I've had so little time to read over the past few years that I'd forgotten what that feels like, until last night. I stayed up until 2:00 am in order to read Inheritance (the fourth installment in the Inheritance Cycle). Yes, it was that good. I'm not normally a fantasy reader, but the series is unbelievably well written. I was immediately sucked in about 8 years ago when I picked up Eragon at a garage sale. Books like these make me want to go back and begin reading the series all over again. Just like I did growing up with books like Little House on the Prairie, The Boxcar Children, Nancy Drew, Little Women, American Girl... I know that I read some of those as many as 5 times.

Finishing Inheritance immediately reconnected me to last spring when I decided that I need to make some significant changes in how I approach reading instruction in order to target and nurture my students love of and thirst for reading quality literature. I am so inspired to read Growing Readers and Mosaic of Thought and finally begin to pull all my ideas together into a cohesive plan. I am on a mission! Teaching my students to be voracious readers (thank you Cafe Book) will be a top priority immediately this fall!!!

Summer Projects

New blog design - check!
Moved all my "gear" to my new room - check!
Bought 5 new books for new ideas for next year - check!

To do:
Organize all my "gear"
Read my 5 new books
Tackle the list of all the projects I've been saving up for summer (parent handbook, new sub folder, book studies, redesign readers workshop time, prepare Words Their Way activities for word work...)

How is it already July 20th?! I need at least 2 more months to accomplish everything I'd like to, not counting projects at home!!! Time to prioritize!!! Yikes!