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With Valentine's Day approaching, our group of reading specialists, coaches, and teacher bloggers decided it was the perfect time to share our love of literacy with you. Each of us is passionate about helping children develop a love of reading, and what better way to love reading than through our favorite books. Each blogger participating in this weekend's hop is sharing materials for his/her favorite book, book about friendship, or for Valentine's day. We hope you'll enjoy using them and sharing your love of literacy with your students.
When I was young, I learned to read with little difficulty, and it was something that I enjoyed very much. As a child some of my best friends were book characters. I would get so lost in a book that when I sat it down to eat dinner, brush my teeth, etc. I would run back thinking that I had missed something. When I read I see the story playing in my mind like a television show. I've never been one to watch much TV and I think it's because I love reading so much that I never needed the TV to play movies for me when I could just create them on my own!
As much as I love reading I never dreamed of becoming a reading teacher. Why, you ask? Reading was something that I learned without really being taught and when I sat down and realized how hard it is to teach kids to read I just knew that I would never be good enough to make them love reading as much as I did. When I accepted my Title I position I was told that I would be teaching primarily math and a few classes of reading; boy how the tides change. Within a month I was teaching only reading and loving it. I still wish I could teach math (one of my favorite subjects) but I have developed a new love of reading. I love watching my students blooming into beautiful readers. They may still struggle but they are coming so far. This is my 2nd year as a Title I Reading teacher and I know that as the years go forward I will become a much stronger teacher. I'm planning on pursuing my masters degree and hope to complete it in Elementary Reading and Language Development. Who would have ever thought that Little Ol' Me would love being a reading teacher? I just can't get enough of it and my passion for reading is beginning to rub off on my students (a teacher's dream come true)!
One of my favorite books to teach this time of year is Martin's Big Words. This book is wonderful for February since we celebrate Black History Month this month. I just love teaching about Martin Luther King Jr. He was such a wonderful man and did so many wonderful things for our country. My students really enjoy learning about him and the Civil Rights Movement. They are always shocked to find out that Mr. King used peaceful protests instead of violence to reach his goals and this is the perfect opportunity to talk about bullying, friendship, and respecting one another no matter our differences.
Just what I needed! Thanks!
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