Columbia, MD- Graphic novels are a phenomenon that is taking the interests of children by storm, and has found its way into classrooms across our county. It is not uncommon to see several students during independent reading time picking up one of these titles for enjoyment. Therefore, the Howard County Reading Council's Teachers as Readers of Children's Books took up the challenge of diving deeper into this new and engaging genre. On Wednesday, February 15th, teachers gathered to share graphic novel titles and to dialogue about them. The following titles were discussed. Click on the title names to find out more information about them. :
Interested in reading children's books to broaden your toolbox of read alouds for instruction? Join HCRC's Teachers as Readers of Childrens Books at their next meeting, April 19th at 4 pm at the Greene Turtle in Columbia. They will be discussing children's books. Ellicott City, MD- On January 19th at Bare Bones Grill, the Howard County Reading Council hosted a party. It was not your typical Happy Hour. Teachers from across the county gathered for the Teachers as Readers bi-monthly book club event! They were discussing The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah . Teachers enjoyed great food and conversation. One educator had this to say about the event, "I like getting to know other people outside of my building, and being exposed to different types of books that I may not have chosen on my own." said Tracy Graham, the Special Education Team Leader at Bryant Woods Elementary School. The next meeting of the Teachers as Readers Adult Book Club will be held in March. The book will be Breaking the Silence by Diane Chamberlain. Grab yourself a copy, and get ready for the next book club at Bare Bones. Columbia, MD- Student writers from across the county submitted entries for the Howard County Reading Council's Annual Young Author's Contest. The entries could be a short story or poem and had to be an original piece of work. The response was overwhelming!
On January 6th, members of the Howard County Reading Council, reading specialists, and reading support teachers met to score and deliberate over the several dozen entries submitted. The Executive Board of the Howard County Reading Council and the chair of the Howard County Young Author's Contest, would like to congratulate all the winners, and wish them best of luck as they go on to the state competition. Please contact us if you would like more information: By HCRC Press Columbia, MD- Jimi Cannon, Scholastic's Director of Professional Learning Programs, presented to group of 30 educators on Wednesday, November 9th about the developmental stages of reading and how to use themes in each to help plan for instruction. Jimi reminded us that not all leveled texts are the same. "Too often we spend a lot of time looking at reading behaviors, but we do not spend enough time looking at the characteristics of the levels of text." said Jimi Cannon, after reflecting from one of his guided reading sessions with students in the county. He went on to share that educators during their PLC trainings should go through the book closet and order the books in each level from easiest to hardest. Educators were given the opportunity to collaborate and share strategies for connecting students to text, and for helping fluent readers who are still showing transitional behaviors. Mr. Cannon made sure to leave us with this nugget of wisdom about instruction, "Keep guided reading simple." How has guided reading been going in your classroom? Please share below! |
AuthorThe Howard County Literacy Association has been changing literacy in Howard County since 1961. Archives
March 2017
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