Back in the spring, I lead sessions on literacy motivation and engagement for teachers and parents in our building. One of the ways we can motivate and engage students in reading is to share our reading lives with them and to deepen our knowledge of children's literature. In 2009, Donalyn Miller (author of The Book Whisperer) started the summer #bookaday challenge as a way to challenge herself to read more (https://bookwhisperer.com/2016/05/24/the-eighth-annual-bookaday-challenge/). Since then it has been going strong! 

On curriculum day, I mentioned #classroombookaday (http://www.classroombookaday.com/) and how my colleague and I were committing to reading aloud one picture book every day of the school year in 4th grade. Well we did it! It was so awesome for enhancing literacy motivation and engagement with students. I HIGHLY recommend it! I hope you will consider joining us next year! 

At the parent workshop, I challenged families to continue with #classroombookaday and read one picture book every day for 80 days. As part of this "80 Books in 80 Days" book-a-day challenge, I plan to share my selections on Twitter with my students and their families (@MrsWeakland). I understand not everyone can or wants to take on that challenge, but just maybe you will pick up 10 picture books or read one good children's chapter book this summer! Reading children's literature can be full of fun, adventure, and humor and kids LOVE when you talk about books you read with them.  

Happy reading! 

#80booksin80days.....here we go! Stay tuned as I update my log. Books are rated out of 5 stars. 
1. 6/16/18 - Harvey's Choice by Nikki Grimes. A poetry verse novel about an overweight boy struggling to find his identify in a world where criticism of those that are different abounds. The entire theme was summed up in a "words of the wiser" signpost on page 86 from his friend's mom: "Shine your light, no one will care what size candle holds the flame."  4 stars. 
2. - 6/17/18 - Surf's Up by Kwame Alexander. What better way to start summer than with a story about books AND the beach! I can't wait to put my toes in the sand and crack open a good book this summer. Cowabunga!  4 stars. 
3. - 6/18/18 - What If... by Samantha Berger. For the creative soul in all of us. "There will always be stories to seek and find." 4 stars. 
4. - 6/19/18 - Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed. "Even in difficult situations, especially in difficult situations, you can't lose hope. Things change. They might even change for you one day."  I too hope this story "shines a light on brave girls everywhere."  "Making choices even when they scare you because you know it's the right thing to do-that's bravery." 5 stars. 
5. - 6/20/18 - Ocean Meets Sky by Terry Fan. Summertime is for exploring! Getting lost in books and our imaginations! You will find me in the "Library Islands!" 4 stars. 

6. 6/21/18 - Can I Be Your Dog? by Troy Cummings - Arfy teaching us the art of persuasive letter writing and how to help homeless animals! 3 stars. 
7. 6/22/18 - Don't Blink by Amy Krouse Rosenthal - Holy pillow puffs! Whatever you do...don't blink! Cute bedtime story. 4 stars.  
8. 6/23/18 - Willy and the Cloud by Anthony Browne - Sometimes the only way to get rid of a pesky problem cloud following us is to face it head-on. 3 stars. 
9. 6/24/18 - Neither by Airlie Anderson - Learning a great message about acceptance of all in "Neither" by Airlie Anderson. 3 stars. 
10. 6/25/18 - Misunderstood Shark by Ame Dyckman - Sharks ARE misunderstood! They need hugs too! 4 stars. 

11. 6/26/18 - How to Code a Sandcastle by Josh Funk - Learning the steps to code today! Sequences, loops, if-then statements and more! 3 stars. 
12. 6/27/18 - Diary of a Fly by Doreen Cronin - Fly wants to be a superhero. Words from the wiser worm..."The world needs all kinds of heroes." 2 stars. 
13. 6/28/18 - Deep in the Swamp by Donna Bateman - Cute rhyming story about swamp babies & their mothers! Good info in the back. 3 stars. 
14. 6/29/18 - My Mouth is a Volcano by Julia Cook - Learning what to do when our words wiggle and giggle and erupt out of our mouth like a volcano! 3 stars. 
15. 6/30/18 - Bubble Gum Brain by Julia Cook - Adding a "yet" to every "I can't." 3 stars. 

16. 7/1/18 - Amelia and Eleanor by Pam Munoz Ryan - Two outspoken, courageous, bold and daring women of their time! Two birds of a feather. Lovely story! 5 stars. 
17. 7/2/18 - Love by Matt de la Pena - Love is the melody that follows us through each day and takes countless forms, connecting us all. 4 stars. 
18. 7/3/18 - The Thank You Book by Mo Willems - "I have a lot to be thankful for...I better get to thanking!" 4 stars. 
19. 7/4/18 - Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine, and a Miracle by Major Brian Dennis and Kirby Larson and Mary Nethery - What a great story! "If you do something kind for someone, dog or human, they will likely never forget it." (MajorBrianDennis) 5 stars. 
20. 7/5/18 - Pardon Me! by Daniel Miyares - Pardon Me! Oh my! Life lesson...foxes do not cry wolf! 3 stars. 

21. 7/6/18 Let Me Finish by Minh Le - My favorite place to be is in the middle of a good book....SO LET ME FINISH!! ​4 stars. 
22. 7/7/18 - Friends Stick Together - Friends stick together. Yes they do. 4 stars. 
23. 7/8/18 - Can I Join Your Club? - Beautiful story on including everyone! "And Duck let everyone in" to OUR club! 4 stars. 
24. 7/9/18 - Albie Newton - Thinking outside the box! 3 stars. 
25. 7/10/18 - Potato Pants - Let's do the Po-bot for Laurie Keller's new book!  4 stars. 

26. 7/11/18 - I'm Sad - Good book for teaching kids that sometimes it's okay to be sad. Beautiful illustrations. 5 stars. 
27. 7/12/18 - I'm Bored - Parents...if your kids say they are bored this summer..head on over to the library and check this one out! 4 stars. 
28. 7/13/18 - Thelma the Unicorn - Great message about loving ourselves just the way we are! 5 stars. 
29. 7/14/18 - One Cool Friend - Have you been to the penguin exhibit at the zoo yet this summer? You may just find one cool friend! 4 stars. 
30. 7/15/18 - Where Oliver Fits - "You can't rush or force your fit. All you can do is be yourself! No puzzle is complete without every last piece!" 4 stars. 

It started with students brainstorming award categories. These are the categories they came  up with: 

• Best story under the sea (lake, etc). 
• Best social studies book
• Best science book
• Favorite animal character
• Best #choosekind "Taking Care of Others" book
• Best food character
• Favorite true story
• Strongest girl character
• Strongest male character
• Funniest
• Best illustrations
• Best life lesson
• Most realistic
• Biggest problem to overcome
• Best nonficiton
• Best adventure story
• Creepiest
• Best holiday book
• Book most likely to make you cry
• Best poetry book
• Best of the best (we voted on weekly winners and then they chose from those)
• Rock star book of the year! (chosen from ALL the books) 

To see our winners, click here. To see ALL of the books we read, click here. To say students were excited is to say the least. It's so fun to see kids fired up about books....isn't that what it's all about!?!

I loved Stephanie Harvey & Annie Ward's new book, From Striving to Thriving! This year our school and district has focused a lot of the reading workshop and guided reading which are critical elements of literacy instruction, but this book really opened my eyes to the bigger picture of literacy motivation and engagement. I often tell my kids that you can't become an Olympic swimmer without getting in the pool and you can't become a better reader if you don't read!! Likewise, I think teachers can teach all the great "strokes" of how to become a better reader, but if kids aren't in the "pool" of books and reading, they can't master them. Harvey and Ward offer so many strategies for engaging the striving reader, my toolbox of strategies has grown dramatically. I loved it! I recommend you purchase this one right away. Happy reading! 

Are you interested in helping your students develop psychosocial skills such as perserverence, resiliency, and grit? Have you seen Angela Duckworth's Ted Talk on grit or read Carol Dweck's book, Mindset? Have you read Ron Ritchhart's book, Creating Cultures of Thinking: the 8 Forces We Must Master to Truly Transform Our Schools? Or have you read Mindsets in the Classroom: Building a Culture of Success and Student Achievement in Schools by Mary Cary Ricci? Are you interested in helping your students develop a growth mindset instead of a fixed mindset and need help getting started? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then I highly recommend you pick up this companion resource book for creating growth mindsets in the classroom by Mary Cay Ricci (@MaryCayR)!

The chapter titles are as follows:

1. What are mindsets, and how do they affect the classroom?
2. What are some ways to begin building a growth mindset school culture?
3. Why is a differentiated, responsive classroom important to a growth mindset culture?
4. Why is critical thinking important in a growth mindset class culture?
5. How can students learn from failure?
6. What messages should parents hear about growth mindset?
7. Can gifted education and a growth mindset believe coexist?
8. What are some ways to help students adopt a growth mindset?
9. What are some ways school staff can maintain a growth mindset school culture? 
10. How can we use Mindsets in the Classroom in a book study or discussion group?

I bought this book by itself and not as a companion to the earlier released Mindsets book. I'm not sure if having the Mindsets book would add value or if much of what is in that book is also in the resource book. But what I can tell you is this book is packed full of ideas, lessons, and resources ready to go for teachers, students, administrators, professional development educators, and parents.

Ricci lays down 4 essential components for developing a growth mindset culture (pp 2-4):

• Equitable access to advanced learning opportunities - low threshold/high ceiling opportunities. (OPPORTUNITIES)
• Deliberate cultivation of psychosocial skills such as perseverance, resiliency, and grit.  Ricci states that "educators do not realize that approximately 75% of achievement is contributed to psychosocial skills (noncognitive factors). These skills must be deliberately modeled, taught, and cultivated. (MODELING)
  
• Student understanding of the brain and neural networks. Having an understanding of the brain and how it works "can significantly increase motivation." 
• Growth mindset feedback and praise. (LANGUAGE)

One of my takeaways and goals for this upcoming year is cultivating a differentiated, responsive classroom built on a culture of thinking, innovation, growth mindset, and of course...kindness. A key quote for me was "without pre-assessment, some students are not provided with opportunities to build resiliency, because they are never challenged, or never have to struggle with learning." We have to build in this pre-assessment in order to provide ALL students an opportunity to be challenged and to even have the opportunity to struggle with the learning!

Several years ago I began implementing some of Carol Dweck's ideas on building a growth mindset in the classroom. A key word that I use a lot when I have students tell me they can't do something....I say "yet." I even have the word boldly posted at the front of the room. It's just one small change you can make in the language you use that models a mindset of growth. You should try it! 

If you are looking for a book full of resources to get started developing a growth mindset in your students, I highly recommend this book! 

Pure Genius (2014) by Don Wettrick (@donwettrick) is a great book for beginning to think about building a culture of innovation in the classroom. Don is a high school Innovation Specialist, so some of the book is geared to teaching at the high school level. However, an elementary school teacher can gain some good insight from the book. I highly recommend you also read Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink alongside this book as Pink really explains the nuts and bolts (or "carrots and sticks") of motivation and it makes sense as to why a genius hour or innovation time is so important for student learning. Don also gives tips on how to creatively make a genius hour work within the constraints of the current system. The first half of the book is about building in a genius hour or innovation time and the second half of the book focuses on social media, opportunities, and giving students voice. 

Some of my favorite quotes from the book are as follows: 

• "Innovation starts at the teacher level. Teachers must be innovative in their approach to teaching, learning, and designing new experiences (p. 7)." 
• "There is a certain magic in the air when students get together and work on things they are passionate about (p. 13)." 
• "Innovation in education is education (p. 15)." 
• "Freedom is hard. Being told what to do, although not exciting, is easy (p. 20)." 
• "Nobody gets excited about what they cannot do (p. 22)." The mission from the beginning is to create the culture of freedom. Create a culture of freedom, not a "culture of limitations (p. 22)." 
• "Leaders should create more leaders." "Great leaders do not lead a bunch of followers (p. 25)." 
• "Fostering future leaders is the key to student success because good student leadership is inspiring and infectious (p. 27)." 
• "There is no plan." "Success comes when you learn to adapt and innovate! (p. 29)."

Don gives us a blueprint for an innovation class. He outlines the following 7 concepts as essential components:

1. Must be project-based, passion-based.
2. Research centers around topics of personal interest. 
3. Learning is done individually or in groups of up to 3 people.
4. Collaboration with a mentor is essential.
5. Project proposals are required.
6. Weekly blogs/vlogs are included. 
7. Presentations are made to key stakeholders at the end. 

A key takeaway from me from this book is students NEED to be leaders of their learning. Don ends the book with a call to action...a call for ALL educators to incorporate "more innovation and collaboration into the curriculum NOW (p. 148)." Teachers need to be "innovators first (p. 148)" and model these behaviors to their students. So what are you going to innovate today, this month, this year?