Man, I really wanted to publish Volume 100 by the end of this school year. Turns out being a full-time, *first-time* kindergarten teacher and full-time coach was too much even for an overachiever like me.

I don’t feel too bad though. I taught kids how to *read* this year (and even got them all to meet or exceed our district’s end of year benchmark ), a task I would’ve thought impossible fifteen years ago when I started teaching fifth grade. Turns out I’ve learned a lot in those fifteen years from people much smarter and more experienced than me AND I can do hard things. If I never forever endeavor, indeed.

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

• “Identity Webs for to Generate Ideas for Writing” from Two Writing Teachers – love the first image to support students!
• During the pandemic, I wasn’t able to read chapter books, so novels in verse were my reading saviors. I read many of these. Warning: Some of them lean more YA than middle grade. You’ll want to preview.
• Know a Dog Man lover? Try Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man Summer Camp!
• This Small Group Reading Tools Padlet for Grades 3-5 has some gems that are easy to recreate!
• The video in the “What are Reading Minilessons?” blog post from the Fountas and Pinnell Blog shows how reading minilessons relate vertically from grades K to 5.
• This Environmental Conditions Chart from Dr. Sonja Cherry-Paul’s educator’s guide for Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry could be a VERY powerful framework. Model it during a read aloud, and then give it to book clubs!
• Grade 5 Fantasy Unit – I’ll be adding some of these titles to my next book room purchase!
• Mental health break – “The only summer PD teachers need…”