chapter 12

Chapter 12 talks about independent reading. Independent reading is when students spend time reading and responding to books at their own pace to self-selected books. Classrooms need to have a library with a wide range of books of different topics, genres, and different levels of difficulty so that students can have enough choices to select from. Storing and displaying books is critical to helping children access books that are engaging. Teachers need to ensure that students have regular and sufficient time for independent reading. Teachers also need to have one-on-one time with each student so that they can monitor student progress and provide guidance if necessary.

chapter 11

Chapter 11 talks about shared Reading. Shared reading is a collaborative activity in which students and teachers read carefully selected texts. When doing shared reading the teacher and a group of students should sit close together to read and reread in unison. Shared reading has two important purposes: It gives children an enjoyable literacy experience so that they grow to love stories and become fascinated with the sounds of book language. Second, shared reading lessons systematically show how print works so children can become independent readers and writers. Teachers should be sitting low enough to maintain eye contact with students.

Genre Presentations

I really enjoyed the presentations on Monday. They were all well done and I got some good ideas out of their activities that they did. I can see how important it is to get the students involved in literature and make the activities interesting and interactive. Great job everybody!

Mondays presentation

I thought the presentation on La Llorona was excellent. They did a great job of telling the story. I also learned something. I had heard the story about the llorona but I really didn't know why she did what she did until now. The lesson plan that they did afterwards was also good. I would give them an A+.

Children's Authors

Nini Here and There by Anita Lobel is a cute story about a cat named Nini. Nini things her family is going on vacation without her. It’s a cute book probably for pre-k to 1st grade. It has beautiful illustrations that kids will enjoy.

Anita Lobel is a children’s author and illustrator. She has written many and illustrated many children’s books. Some of the books that she has written are: Allison’s Zinnia, Away from Home, Hello Day, Potatoes , Potatoes and So Happy. Nine Here and There is a story about her cat named Nini. Her book On Market Street won her a Caldecott Honor.


Chester by Melanie Watt is a cute and funny book. Kids will definitely enjoy this book because it’s about a silly cat who wants all the attention to himself. Melanie Watt’s website says that parents will probably enjoy the books more than the kids and that might just be true because I really enjoyed reading this book. It was so funny.
Melanie Watts has written and illustrated many other children’s books including Scaredy Squirrel, and another one about a penguin called Agustine. Melanie Watt has also written concept books about colors and shapes. I would definitely use her books in my classroom.


Squeaky Clean by Simon Puttock and illustrated by Mary McQuillan is a book about three little dirty pigs that do not want to take a bath at first but once they get in the tub they enjoy bath time. This book would make a good read aloud because of the way it is written. Simon Puttock has also written many children’s book and he currently lives in Scotland where he has won several awards for his books.

Read aloud books

Max’s Words by Kate Banks is a good read aloud book. This is a story about a little boy who has two older brothers that like to collect things so Max decide to start his own collection. Only Max decides to start a collection of words. As his collection of words grow, he starts using them to make sentences and then with the help of his brother he creates a story adventure of his own. This book is filled with bold, bright pictures. This book has also won several awards.
Kate Banks has written several books for children besides Max’s Words. Two other books that she has written are If the Moon Could Talk and the Night Worker. Both of these books also won her awards. Kate says her parents were avid readers and read a lot of bed time stories to her and they took her to the library and book store often. This is where she became an avid reader herself. She says she especially enjoyed picture books. She likes to write about her life experiences. Kate has a Bachelors Degree in history.



Poor Puppy by Nick Bruel is another good read aloud book. This is a good book to help children counting and the ABC’s. This is a story about a puppy who wants to play with a kitty but the kitty does not want to play with the puppy. So the puppy finds other things around the house to play with. The story tells you things that he wants to play with alphabetically and in numerical order like 1 airplane, 2 balls, etc. Kids will enjoy the illustrations because they are done in watercolor and in cartoon style and the print is large. Nick Bruel is an author and illustrator of children’s books. His books have also won several awards. Both of these books are good for pre-k through 3rd grade. I found these books along with other suggested read aloud books at: http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/children/readaloud.html. This is the Allen County Public Library website.

Alphabet Animals – A Slide and Peek Adventure is a book written and illustrated by Suse MacDonald. This is a fun book about animals. All the letters of the alphabet take the shape of animals from alligator to zebra. Children can pull out the pages to find the letter and animals name. This is a good book to teach children their ABC’s and expand their vocabulary at the same time. Suse MacDonald is a Caldecott Honor Book recipient. Suse started her career as a textbook illustrator followed by ten years doing architectural drafting and design. But she wasn’t happy doing that so she decided to illustrate and write children’s books instead.