July 16, 2010

Ahhh, summertime; catching up with friends, doing a bit of gardening and of course time to devour the pile of books by our bedside and review the list of 'want to reads' jotted on the sticky notes in our journals. We also look at this time of year as an opportunity to revisit some of our favorite professional books, reviewing highlighted portions, the notes scribbled in the margins, and tabbed pages of the most poignant thoughts and ideas shared by the authors.

We get asked all the time, "What professional books should I read?" These books that we revisit would probably be at the top of our list.

1. What Really Matters in Response to Intervention: Research-Based Designs—Richard Allington (or really ANY books by Richard Allington)
2. Choice Words—Peter Johnston
3. Best Practices in Literacy Instruction—Michael Pressley, Linda Gambrell, et a
4. RTI from All Sides: What Every Teacher Needs to Know—Mary Howard
5. Readicide: How Schools Are Killing Reading and What You Can Do About It—Kelly Gallagher
6. Beyond Leveled Books, Second Edition—Franki Sibberson
7. Still Learning to Read: Teaching Students in Grades 3-6—Franki Sibberson
8. Outliers: The Story of Success—Malcom Gladwell
9. Envoy: Your Personal Guide to Classroom Management—Michael Grinder
10. Reading Essentials: The Specifics You Need to Teach Reading Well—Regie Routman
11. In the Middle: New Understandings About Writing, Reading, and Learning (an oldy but a goody)—Nancy Atwell
12. The Reading Zone: How to Help Kids Become Skilled, Passionate, Habitual, Critical Readers—Nancy Atwell
13. Notebook Connections: Strategies for the Reader's Notebook—Aimee Buckner
14. Notebook Know-How: Strategies for the Writer's Notebook—Aimee Buckner

For Literacy Coaches and Leaders:

1. Becoming a Literacy Leader—Jennifer Allen
2. A Sense of Belonging: Sustaining and Retaining New Teachers—Jennifer Allen