Sunday, September 28, 2025

Grade 2 Covers Inspired by "The Z Was Zapped"

During the year, students in grades K-2 create pages for “books” based on mentor texts (aka readalouds that model concepts). 

Our first 2025-2026 publication is The Z Was Zapped … Continued, based on the book by Chris Van Allsburg. It features the letters of the alphabet meeting sad fates. The students had to guess the action happening to them, which started with the same letter; for example, the F was flattened by a foot, and the Q was quartered. 

The very first time I read the original book, I said to myself, “This will make a great lesson!” It teaches alliteration while students stretch their brains to come up with vocabulary words. Below are some sample pages designed by the kids; your family can make their own version at home!















Sunday, September 21, 2025

Mapping the Library

The first activity we did in the older grades this year was mapping the library, recording on a diagram where each section of books lives. Here are some students in action












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Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Book Talked Books 2024-2025

I can recommend books all day long, but sometimes (often?) kids' opinions and tastes differ greatly from mine. So I have students in grades 3-5 recommend books to each other via book talks - short little "ads" for titles they love. 

Here are their recommended books from last year - most popular at the top. Series and graphic novel favorites endure, so I've indicated NEW titles in those categories from last year. 


Already in collection



Series

  • Babysitters Club (#1 again)
  • Dog Man (#2 again)
  • Diary of a Wimpy Kid (up from #4 last year)
  • I Survived (up from #11 last year ... probably because we have graphic novel versions now)
  • Wings of Fire (down from #3 last year)
  • Dork Diaries 
  • Harry Potter 
  • Cat Kid Comic Club 
  • Percy Jackson 
  • Lost in ... 
  • The Last Kids on Earth 
  • NEW: First Cat in Space 
  • Super Potato 
  • Bad Kitty 
  • Captain Underpants 
  • Hooky (I purchased this thanks to a book talk the previous year) 
  • Magic Tree House 
  • Babymouse 
  • Big Nate 
  • NEW: My Weird School 
  • NEW: Hilo 
  • NEW: Junie B. Jones 
  • Ivy & Bean 
  • Elephant & Piggie
  • InvestiGators (I purchased this thanks to a book talk the previous year)
  • NEW: Max and the Midnights
  • NEW: Warriors
  • NEW: My Life as a ... 
  • NEW: Judy Moody
  • NEW: Sparks
  • NEW: Spy School
  • NEW: Meesh the Bad Demon (RICBA nominee)
  • FGeeTV (I purchased this thanks to a book talk the previous year)
  • Bad Guys
  • Total Mayhem (I purchased this thanks to a book talk the previous year)
  • NEW: Max Crumbly
  • NEW: Notebook of Doom
  • NEW: Chunky
  • Whatever After
  • NEW: Nat
  • NEW: Goosebumps
  • Owl Diaries 
  • NEW: Katie the Catsitter
  • NEW: Nnewts
  • Amulet 
  • The Cardboard Kingdom
  • NEW: Diary of a Pug


Picture books

  • Pete the Cat books 
  • Where's Waldo
  • Mel Fell
  • Where is My Butt?
  • It's Only Stanley
  • Spring is Here
  • Puppy Cam
  • David Goes to School
  • Grumpy Cat


Standalone Graphic novels

  • Allergic  (#1 again)
  • Smile 6 (up from #3 last year)
  • Guts (up from #5 last year)
  • Sisters
  • No Such Thing as Perfect 
  • Art Club (RICBA nominee) 
  • Ghosts 
  • Frizzy (I purchased this thanks to a book talk the previous year)
  • Dream Jumper
  • Explorer: Boxes
  • Swim Team
  • Expedition Backyard 
  • Miss Quinces
  • Growing Pains (RICBA nominee)
  • Forget Me Not
  • Roller Girl
  • Click
  • Short & Skinny
  • Awkward
  • Copper
  • Bad Sister


MG Novels

  • The One and Only Ivan 
  • The Wild Robot 
  • Hatchet 
  • Wonder
  • Travel Team
  • Flying Solo
  • Million Dollar Shot
  • Lulu and the Brontosaurus
  • Holes 
  • Ollie's Odyssey 
  • The Lost Library (KRARI read)
  • If This Were a Story 
  • The One and Only Bob
  • Framed
  • I'm Trapped in a Video Game
  • Fever 1793
  • Coraline 
  • The Mysterious Benedict Society 
  • The Tale of Desperaux


Nonfiction

  • Gator Bites
  • Gone Again Ptarmigan
  • Patrick Mahomes
  • Beluga Whales
  • Who Would Win?
  • Taylor Swift
  • My Little Book of Football
  • Sand Tiger Sharks
  • I Spy
  • Lebron James
  • Secrets of the Zodiac
  • All About Lions
 

Books I will add to the collection


Series

  • Campground Kids - added in the fall!
  • Search and Rescue


Graphic novels

  • Inspector Fly Trap


MG Novels

  • Pax