The Professional Book Corner

Submitted by WSRA Elementary Reading Committee T he WSRA Elementary Reading Committee would like to recommend some good reads for K-grade 5 educators working with accelerateing striving readers and all educators 4K-grade 5 regarding classroom management.

Topic: Accelerating Striving Readers Title: From Striving to Thriving: How to Grow Confident, Capable

Readers by Stephanie Harvey and Annie Ward Grade Level and Target Audience: K-Grade 5 Educators Focus: This text helps teachers support the needs of the wide variety of learners in their classrooms. Although it focuses on students reading below benchmark, the practices outlined will help create a rich, literate environment and provide intentional teaching for all students.

Questions this book can answer:

• How can I support my striving readers? • What does the research say students reading below benchmark need in order to succeed?

• How can I assess my students effectively and how do I Ward lean on an asset-based framework and believe that include a few lessons that

use that data to inform my teaching decisions? • How can I make the most of my conferences with my readers?

• How can I match students to books that are right for

Synopsis: Harvey and Ward believe that, “The best intervention is a good book.” In this text, Harvey and

Ward work to shift the labels used to discuss our striving readers, while also working to shift the mindset and beliefs educators have about these learners. Harvey and

the most effective strategies we can use to support students reading below benchmark are to cultivate their curiosity, ensure access and choice in books by working relentlessly to match readers to books to increase their reading volume, teach deeper comprehension in response to thoughtful assessment, and advocate for our students tirelessly. They also discuss practices to utilize to support our learners and them?

we can enact to begin this work and get our students into the reading zone.

Topic: Classroom Management- Joy and Purpose Title: Start With Joy: Designing Literacy Learning for Student

Happiness by Katie Egan Cunningham Grade Level and Target Audience: Educators that work with students in 4K-Grade 5 Focus: This book focuses on organizing your philosophy and daily structures around planning for student happiness through building intentional connections and teaching towards agency, independence and joy.

Questions this book can answer:

• How can I make learning feel more joyful and authentic for students?

• How can I incorporate more play, storytelling, movement, and discovery into the learning we do? • How can I support students’ social emotional growth and address the stress my students bring to school? • How do I build more choice and agency into my context? Synopsis: Start With Joy outlines seven core pillars that educators can rely upon in order to inspire more joyful, purposeful, and engaged learning in their classrooms as they offer students invitations into the intentional learning work that they have planned using the tools and resources described in the book. Author Katie Egan

Cunningham opens the book with an argument (backed with a solid foundation of research) that happiness should be our core concern in the classroom and then goes on in subsequent chapters to guide us into designing classrooms and learning experiences that keep that happiness firmly rooted in the center of all we do.

She delves into building empathy through literature, choice and agency, storytelling, movement, perspective taking, partnerships and deepening conversations, daily gratitude and affirmation, and designing for connection. This text also includes a cache of learning invitations/lesson plans to launch this work with your students.  WSRA Update