This year I was thrilled to be back in person for our yearly 11th-grade Speed Dating with Books event. Though last year’s digital version was successful, it could not compare to the energy of a live activity. Amid the chaos… Read More ›
book talks
Fiction Book Talks for Sophomores
As this destructive Coronavirus wreaks havoc on our world, books remain vessels through which we can escape the mayhem. Many of our schools will remain closed in the coming weeks, and some of us will be called on to provide… Read More ›
Gallery Walk, A Novel Idea!
During the last six weeks of school, the ELA department has a novel of choice unit. Each English teacher does novel of choice differently; while some allow their students to simply choose whatever book they want, others want to create… Read More ›
Book Talks for Black History Month and Beyond
As with many of the library book displays I create throughout the school year, the one for Black History Month generates comments mainly from teachers and administrators. Students come to my high school library with a purpose. Whether they are… Read More ›
Personalized Book Talks with YouTube
In an educational climate where English teachers are feeling overwhelmed by the mounting expectations from state and district administration, reading for enjoyment can be one of the first things to get the curriculum ax. Research time and again has shown… Read More ›
5 Ways to Spread Book Love
This year one of my professional goals was to reflect on how I was promoting a positive reading culture at my school and develop ways to improve it. Improvement implies there is something wrong with what is currently being done…. Read More ›
Speed Dating with Nonfiction Books
It’s a never-ending dilemma: how to get overworked high school students to read for pleasure. Too often, teens associate reading with mandatory curriculum books. The Scarlet Letter, A Tale of Two Cities, Things Fall Apart. . . though some teens… Read More ›
Gimme a C (for Collaboration!): Brunch and Books
By April Witteveen Thanks in part to the Library Linx partnership program featured in the Public Library and School Library Collaboration toolkit, Deschutes Public Libraries (OR) have seen a significant increase in collaborative programming with area schools. One great success… Read More ›