Looking for information on #classroombookaday?

The best place to start is www.classroombookaday.com. 

You'll find links to all of the places I've shared information about it online: blog posts, podcasts, slide shows, etc.
And I'm always happy to answer questions in the Facebook group or on twitter. Find me @heisereads.

180 #bookaday Read Alouds

*If you are looking for information on #ClassroomBookADay, please visit the new website with information, links to videos / podcasts / posts, and many recommendations www.classroombookaday.com.*

Updated July 2017 - See yearly updates at the bottom of this post*

Because our bell schedule was changed in such a way that we were going to have 5 more minutes per class period...

Because my students' feedback at the end of last year overwhelmingly mentioned wanting me to do more read alouds...

Because I know the importance of continuing to read aloud to adolescents...

Because data shows our students need more modeling of strong fluency...

Because I know the power of a picture book...

Because my summer reflection on the previous school year made me realize that I usually started strong with read alouds, but then they tapered off as we got busier throughout the year...

Because I was looking for ways to continue to build a strong and caring community in my classroom...

Because sometimes a picture book can get the message across much better than my talking can...

Because sometimes there are things kids need to hear that a picture book can tell them...

Because I wanted shorter common texts to use as reference points when talking about writing and reading...

Because I believe in the power of a shared experience with stories...

Because it's a valuable use of extra minutes...

Because I can find titles that connect to curriculum needs...

Because you are never too old to read or listen to a picture book...

Because read alouds...

Because picture books...

Because humor...

Because community...

Because caring...

Because empathy...

Because #bookaday...

Because there are 180 days in our school year...

Because of all of that and more, I made a #bookaday goal to read aloud a picture book to my 7th & 8th graders each and every one of the 180 days I will meet with them this year. That doesn't mean we won't be doing other reading also, but we will read at least one picture book every day this school year.

I'm excited to see where this takes us.

After two weeks, I'm already seeing the benefit of what we've been doing...
...as the conversations increase in individual participation and level of talk
...as students refer back to picture book titles
...as my students learn authors and illustrators by name
...as they come eagerly to the floor for read aloud time each day
...as I see students' faces engaged in the story and responding with their whole being
...as I read more and more picture books myself to have a plethora to choose from
...as I find ways to make connections through picture books to what we're learning in class
...as I realize the multitude of stories they will have to pull from later in the year when responding to text
...as I see our display every day, knowing other grade levels also see it, and share the literacy experiences we're having in middle school
...as I sit for five minutes each day, four times a day, and share a reading experience with my students that they likely wouldn't get anywhere else

Our First Three Weeks Read Alouds:
Day 1: My Teacher is a Monster! (No, I Am Not.) by Peter Brown (First Day of School)
Day 2: Flight School by Lita Judge
Day 3: It's a Book by Lane Smith
Day 4: The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat
Day 5: Extraordinary Jane by Hannah E. Harrison
Day 6: Pardon Me by Daniel Miyares  (testing day)
Day 7: Ninja! by Arree Chung  (testing day)
Day 8: 7th gr-Fireboat & 14 Cows for America  8th gr-September Roses & The Little Church That Stood (September 11th)
Day 9: This is a Moose by Richard T. Morris
Day 10: The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds (International Dot Day!)
Day 11: Picture Day Perfection by Deborah Diesen (Picture Day)
Day 12: Little Red Writing by Joan Holub (First Quick Write Day)
Day 13: A Book by Mordicai Gerstein (Genre day)
Day 14: Telephone by Mac Barnett

Next week I'm planning to read I Want My Hat Back & This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen and Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett illustrated by Jon Klassen at the start of the week.

Thank you Donalyn Miller for #bookaday leading to the inspiration for this goal in my classroom this year.

*Update September 2015*

The entire year went so well that I'm doing it again!
I also had the opportunity to present a session about my #classroombookaday at nErDcampMI in July. 

The slides from that presentation are below if you want to see more of my thoughts after the whole year of a #bookaday picture book read aloud with my middle schoolers. As with any presentation the first time talking about a topic, there are things I would change for next time, but it's a start.

nErDcampMI 2015 A Year of #bookaday Picture Book Read Alouds in Middle School from Jillian Heise

*Update September 2016*

I was again able to present a session at nErDcampMI in July with my friend, Angie Huesgen, who is an instructional specialist in St. Louis, and adopted classrooms in her school to do #classroombookaday even without her own classroom. 

Though I left the classroom, I still see the power of sharing these picture book stories with students. The 2016 slideshow is below.

nErdDcampMI 2016 Picture Books in Every Grade, Every Day #classroombookaday from Jillian Heise

*Update June 2017*
Another change in career path has led me back to grad school (again!) for an MLIS and I'll be starting as a K-5 Library Media Specialist this fall. I'm thrilled to be getting back into a school to talk books with kids and get back to #classroombookaday with students as a school librarian!

I often get asked about title recommendations or books I use for #classroombookaday. Here are several places to start to find picture books I would recommend for sharing with students.

• Pictures of #classroombookaday boards - zoom in to see the book covers
• My goodreads shelves of my #classroombookaday books from the two years I was in the classroom: 2015-2016 & 2014-2015 (you can see my star ratings for my higher recommended titles)
• My goodreads shelves of my personal working shortlists of contenders for the WSRA Children's Literature Committee Picture This list: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014
• My instagram feed where I post most highly rated picture books after I read them
• The #classroombookaday Twitter feed & (brand new) Facebook page

*Update July 2017*

I was the guest poster at Nerdy Book Club on July 3rd with #classroombookaday & the Power of Shared (Picture Book) Stories, which includes testimonies from many other teachers who have participated in #classroombookaday the last two years. 

 I'm grateful to the Nerdy community for the chance to share and for the support. 

I was honored to be able to present again this year for nErDcampMI Day One on Picture Books Every Day & the Power of Shared Stories.

Picture Books Every Day: The Power of Shared Stories - nErDcampMI 2017 from Jillian Heise

Join the #classroombookaday community!

With other teachers participating, you can follow the #classroombookaday hashtag on twitter. And, if you're participating in #classroombookaday, join our facebook group!
If you decide to try it, I'd love to hear from you!
#classroombookaday Tweets

Today I Shared a Story

This morning I thought about stories. I shared a story with my students of events that actually occurred. I read aloud Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey. I've cherished this book since I first read it, and I value the way in which it tells the story, and also the focus it has on bravery and those who helped during this time. I shared this story because it is September 11th. I shared this story with 7th graders who were less than or around a year old at the time of the attacks. I vividly remember where I was and how I felt and what I did when I heard the news, but my kids don't. So how do we share the feelings of events with someone who wasn't there? How do we try to help them understand what it was like? We share stories.

Since the dawn of time, we have shared stories. When tragedy occurs, we share stories of those who were there and those who weren't. When we need to process events, we share stories of the causes and effects. When we want others to understand, we share stories from multiple perspectives. As I told my students, You may hear about the details in social studies class, but what do you think we'll do in here? They all knew. We would read a story.

I am so thankful for the authors who do the hard work of telling stories of real events. I asked my students to reflect on: When we read stories about things that have happened, how does it help us understand them better? Well, here's what I think: Stories of real events give me a way to help my students have a better understanding of the world. They give me a way to show my students other perspectives in a non-threatening way. They give me a way to show students things that have happened. They give me a way to talk to my students when I perhaps can't find the words myself. We share stories because they bring people together, they explain what has happened, they add the human element to events, they touch on emotions, they help us to understand. So today I shared a story, only one of the very, very many that there are from an event that affected and touched so very, very many people. But in all of that, we went back to the story.

Best First Day of School Yet

Today was the first day of school. It was my 9th first day of school as a teacher, and it was the best one yet. This was the first year that I didn't feel nervous the night before (which I did think was weird - I was actually a bit worried about that). I felt as ready as I could be (I had even blogged about it, which come to think of it might be part of the reason I felt calmer...hmmm, maybe there really is something to this writing thing). I was excited to see my students again - I had missed them. I read six picture books last night before going to bed (taking my total for the summer to 92!). I set my alarm nice and early so I wouldn't feel rushed in the morning. I laid out my clothes and shoes. I went to sleep (we won't talk about the three times I woke up throughout the night - this seems to be a common thing with teachers on this big night). I was still excited, and not nervous, when I woke up and got ready this morning. I had a feeling it was going to be a great day...and it was.

What did we do today? We talked books. We looked at the classroom library setup. We saw how Booksource's Classroom Organizer works. We chose our first books of the year to check out. We started reading. We got cool WONDER-themed bookmarks reminding us to "choose to be a little kinder than is necessary." We saw the awesome floor cushions and poufs that are the newest addition to the classroom (with more to come since they were such a hit, we'll need enough for everyone to have a pouf). We shared picture book read alouds (THE STORY OF FISH & SNAIL and BOY + BOT). We responded to those stories individually and then thought about the common themes and why they might have been chosen specifically for today. We started (or in the case of the 8th graders, continued) to become a community of readers in our classroom.

I needed a place to collect the students' jots of their thoughts responding to the read aloud books, so on-the-spot decided to have them stick them on the back cover. They loved it (and it worked so well)!

There is definitely something to this looping thing. Knowing that with my 8th graders we could just pick up where we left off and didn't have to do any of the get-to-know-you stuff was great. Being in a small school where the 6th-8th grades are on the second floor, so I knew all of the incoming 7th graders by face, and most by name, made for a smoother transition into the year with a new group of students. By the end of the day I was just so happy to have my middle schoolers to talk books with again. This community is what it's all about...because if it starts with that, learning will be the inevitable end result. We have lots of books to share, read aloud, and discuss. We have lots to write about.  I can't wait to see what the next 179 days brings.