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One of the best memories I will hold of 2022 is the Writer's Retreat I took with my cousin, Teaching 3rd with Mr. G (or as I know him Juan). We had wanted to get together for the longest and spend a weekend away so he flew up to PA and we rented a beautiful little cabin in Mount Gretna near Hershey Park.
We laughed, we had deep thoughts, we ate…. and then we ate, and this is where Building the Literacy Block was born. I spent what felt like one evening mapping out the goals and thoughts for this book in a single weekend. Thus, I called it my little Writer's Retreat.
What can we take away form this? Well, some of our best thoughts happen when we collaborate with those around us. Spend time not just complaining but problem solving with those around you. It's these times that we want to remember and that will impact our lives in the BEST of ways.
So I am SO EXCITED to announce that my book Building the Literacy Block is now available for PRE-ORDER!
Building the Literacy Block is everything you wish you had when you first started teaching in upper elementary. This book will give you guidance on structuring your block to engaging and building independence in your students as readers and writers.
As with any book, this has been a labor of love and today, I'm doing a Q & A on how this book came to be! But first...
About me:
I am a fourth grade ELA and social studies teacher in Central Pennsylvania. I've taught for over a decade in kindergarten, fourth, fifth and sixth grade!
I've devoted my time in upper elementary to developing the IDEAL literacy block.
During my time as a multiage teacher for 4th-6th grade, I was able to work on understanding the literacy standards both vertically and horizontally.
I've written curriculum, supported literacy teachers like you and developed my own method for providing authentic and rigorous instruction.
I have a membership community where I serve hundreds of teachers who are looking to make a difference in their classroom, while also improving their craft and understanding of literacy standards.
Above everything else, I am a mom and wife. My two boys have been my inspiration to providing the best possible instruction that will benefit them in the future.
Author Q + A
Q: What was your goal in writing Building the Literacy Block?
A: When I became a 4th grade teacher, after teaching Kindergarten, I felt like I had no idea what I was doing! 😅 I felt like I had great management skills, but felt like I had no resources, curriculum, or how to structure anything! I also felt like I had very little time to teach all the reading and writing that had to be taught. So the goal with the book was basically an answer to what I needed when I first started teaching 4th grade. I wanted a new teacher to have a resource they could pick up and know exactly where to start!
Q: What is something interesting about your teaching journey?
A: I actually never wanted to be a teacher. I was lost in what I wanted to do and searched so many areas. I explored home design, psychology, and business. My cousin went into teaching and encouraged me to give it a try! Then I had my youngest son and decided that is what I wanted to give it a try, and I never looked back.
Q: How did you go from being a teacher to being a writer?
A: Just by chance! A publisher reached out to me about writing a book for parents, which is the first book I wrote, 'Jumpstart Learning In Your Kids'. I then had this idea and pitched it to the publisher! They loved the idea and then it all came together.
Q: Can you give a brief description of the book?
A: It's everything you need to help you get started building a literacy block that is rigorous and practical! It's going to help you with engagement and help you build student independence.
It's broken down into 3 parts:
1) The foundation for which you'll build your literacy Blok and knowing what you are going to teach every day.
2) Strategies: How to engage, practice skills, and extend into other areas of learning
3) The more: This helps to build the love of reading and writing. Includes book talks, author's chair, goal stations, and get kids thinking of themselves as readers!
It also includes components of what a literacy block should include in upper elementary, ideas for what students can do independently, and is a resource to return to over and over!
Q: What was the most challenging part?
A: The hardest part was actually writing it! The main ideas came easy and I knew what I wanted to say. Sitting down and actually writing the book and staying within a word count was my biggest challenge. I couldn't say everything I wanted and that was hard! The good news though is that I might be writing more in the future!
Q: Anything else you want everyone to know?
A: A big part of education right now is a focus on research based content and I am all about that and know the value of it. I also want people to remember that we learn through doing and from others. While this book might not have intense research behind it, it has loads of real life teaching experience. I wanted it to be something people could use right away, enjoy and didn't want it to hurt your brain! There is research from my personal journey of being a teacher and I find that very valuable when it comes to making this work in the real world of the classroom. The bottom line is use what works for you! I do think these strategies can work for anyone!
“There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations. We keep on turning and making new combinations indefinitely; but they are the same old pieces of colored glass that have been in use through all the ages.” -Mark Twain
If you preorder TODAY, you will gain access to the FREE 5 Video mini-course and resources to help give you the jumpstart you need!
Here is what is included:
✅ Access to the video Mini-course on the ‘5 Steps to Simplify Your Lesson Planning’
✅ A FREE guide to structuring your literacy block (with an array of time blocks!)
✅ Workbook templates to help you plan and structure your
mini-lessons
✅ A Book Plate signed by me!
You can head over to www.buildingtheliteracyblock.com to Pre-Order and gain access to your FREEBIES TODAY!
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