Recommended Books
-
Powerful Read Alouds PreK-5th Grade
From our NCTE Build Your Stack Session, November 2023
-
Picture Books for Early Childhood
There are so many great new picture books available and we want our youngest readers to have access to a variety of quality books with diverse representations.
-
Nonfiction Books for Early Childhood
Young children are innately curious and books can help them explore topics and ideas they are interested in.
Follow my @TextSets account on Instagram
for more recommended books
Thinking About Main Idea Across Genres
This is a list of books that supports conversations around main idea as readers. The concept of main idea is often tricky for readers and they latch on to one idea instead of reading across an entire text. This list is a way to begin conversations around main idea by using texts from a variety of genres.
Middle Grade Graphic Novels
This Text Set is a set of Middle Grade graphic novels. I try to keep up with my middle grade graphic novel reading because so often I am working with a reader who loves graphic novels. And graphic novels are often so important to a reader's growth--these are the books that help many readers fall in love with reading. The books I'll share are perfect for independent reading and they'd also each make for a fabulous middle grade read aloud if projected on the screen. Each graphic novel in this Text Set features strong characters.
Exploring Metaphors
When we think about teaching metaphor, it has to be about more than naming a metaphor and far more than knowing the difference between a metaphor and a simile. Metaphors help us think about bigger meanings in text. They help us understand at a deeper level. This list includes texts that starts this bigger conversation about metaphors.
Studying Intentional Layout in Informational Texts
This list of resources examines the intentional ways authors and designers set up a page in order to support reader's understanding. With more and more visuals in our world, looking at layout as a reader and learning to make intentional decisions about layout as a writer is key.
The Power of Subtitles for Readers and Writers
This booklist focuses on the Power of Subtitles for Readers and Writers! Subtitles can help readers in so many ways. And when writers create thoughtful titles and subtitles, they have to think deeply about their text's message. Let's look at different ways authors use subtitles, how those can help readers understand big ideas and how writers can use subtitles to think more deeply about they big idea.
Informational Writing: Strong Introductions
The books in this list are either nonfiction or based on a true story--so they share information in some way. They are on a variety of topics and use a variety of craft strategies to engage readers right away. Each book brings some unique craft to the conversation but there are also things that several writers in the text set do (set of 3, strong word choice, etc.). This text set is designed to give young writers five or more new things to notice when studying introductions.
10 Picture Books to Start the School Year
This is a list of books that invites starting conversations that will extend through the whole school year. I want my students to know the joy of readings, the power of rereading, the connections that help you understand yourself and those that help you better understand others. I want them to see that in our intellectual community, their contribution matters. The books I choose to share early in the year let me get to know my students and my choices also let my students envision what our community might become.
A Native American Booklist: Dismantling Stereotypes
Most of the images and stories children see of Native Americans are based on racist, stereotypic representations. We can help children develop more nuanced understandings of Native American communities, bands and nations. As a nation we need to learn and recognize the important and ongoing contributions of Native Americans. The picture books in this list give readers stories, both fiction and nonfiction, that challenge these stereotypes and help readers recognize both the history as well as contemporary Native American life.
Some of My Favorite Wordless Picture Books
Wordless picture books are such a joy to share with children. The details in the illustration almost always invite readers to revisit the text. And because there are no words, children are often excited to think about and wonder about each page out loud. The books on this list can be used in classroom to introduce ideas and concepts in literacy. They can also be shared at home to invite shared conversations. These books often become children’s favorites!