My book talk vs. student book talk

There is nothing that gets students reading more than book talks! I used to have students write their book talks out on 5×8 inch index cards, but over the years, I’ve come to realize that I love the natural, off-the-cuff book talks more. They’re more authentic, personal, and casual. If the point is to introduce as many books to kids as possible, I want them to be easy and appealing to implement. So I model sharing the title, the author, my favorite elements, and the types of readers for whom I think it would be “just right”. Then, students take over and start giving their own book talks! Whoever’s giving the book talk, students simply add the titles of books they want to read to their “Books to Read” lists in their Reading Notebooks so that they have ideas about what to read next. The “Books to Read” list is something you can refer to during Reading Conferences, too!

Here is this week’s roundup of literacy links for some quick inspiration, tips, and refreshment:

• Mark your calendars.
• All of my #classroombookaday selections so far. Add your comments about how you used books that you’ve borrowed!
• This guide looks rad.
• Best new picture books (Matt de la Peña! Mem Fox! Nonfiction! Eliza Hamilton! I want them all!)…and middle grade books! Brightly always does a nice job curating diverse books.
• Mental health break