Category: Book Recommendations
-
Challenging the Dominant Narrative
This year in Ms. Green’s class, we’ve started a conversation that will last the whole year. We’re talking about what it means to challenge the dominant narrative. The dominant narrative is the story that’s usually told, and that most people are comfortable hearing. In a US history context, this dominant narrative says that rich white…
-
Why Kwame Alexander Belongs in Every Classroom
This past week, UT Elementary 5th grade had the privilege of hearing Kwame Alexander, Newberry and Coretta Scott-King Award winning author of The Crossover, speak at O Henry Middle School. On Monday afternoon, a parent informed me that Kwame would be speaking at O Henry, and by 2pm Tuesday, I had sent enough emails and made…
-
Why we’re all Obsessed with When You Reach Me
We finished our first round of book clubs last semester, and we fell in love with Rebecca Stead’s When You Reach Me. This book is everything you could ask for in upper elementary literature. It’s full of relatable, deep characters, intricate plot twists, and social justice. The kids loved it because it wasn’t too hard to read,…
-
The Civil Rights Movement, a Journey through Time & Literature
This week we started our unit on the Civil Rights Movement! Here in fifth grade at UT Elementary we work backwards through history, starting with present day and then rewinding back to the causes for the way things are today. This is great for me, because we get to start out the year with incredibly…
-
Books that are BAE
Here they are, the books we have gone crazy for this month! When You Reach Me, Rebecca Stead This is one of our book club books, and we are loving it! Today these four ran up to me after our book club time, yelling “Ms. Green this book is so good!!” They were so excited, and I am so excited…
-
Preparing for Year One
My first year of teaching starts in two weeks. I am equal parts ecstatic and terrified. I have no idea what I should be doing to prepare, so I went to the two places I could think of: books and Teachers Pay Teachers. Here are some of the resources I’ve been using: The…
-
Starting a Classroom: Book Recommendations
Soon enough, I will have a classroom of my own. I only have a month left of student teaching, and will hopefully have a job secured soon after that. Looking ahead to my own classroom and teaching career, there is a lot to do to prepare. This week, I began a “book recommendation binder,” in which…
Ms. Green's Class 