Margin Notes

In All Because you Matter, Tami Charle captures her audience with this heart felt story that serves to remind children that they matter.  While this story was written to tell, “especially those [children] from marginalized backgrounds, that no matter where they come from, they matter”, any child can benefit from this lyrical tribute.     

The pictures of this story by award-winning illustrator Bryan Collier’s do not go unnoticed, with each page carefully illustrated.   

This is a must-have for your classroom library! 

New York Times best-selling author of The Reading Strategies Book, Jennifer Serravallo, has just released a new book called, “Connecting with Students Online” (Grades K-8), based on her own and other educators experiences’ during the COVID-19 pandemic.   Jennifer’s book offers “more than 55 step-by-step teaching strategies and videos showing conferring, small groups, messages for caregivers, student conversation and collaboration.  In addition, her book addresses deeper topics on assessment and progress monitoring, student engagement and accountability, supporting students’ social and emotional needs, getting books into students’ hands and avoiding teacher burnout.” (Heinemann, 2020) 

Jennifer’s book gives educators a “how-to” not only in building relationships with students but also building relationships with caregivers during remote teaching environments.  Additonally, she offers a “how-to” in adapting to the new online setting, focusing on the social and emotional learning needs of students.   

This rescource also guides educators to consider priorities that matter most during online instruction and how to schedule the day to maximize the teaching and learning.  Also included are suggestions for highly engaging short lessons and tips for conferring with small groups of students.  

Whether you are in a home learning situation now or have the potential to move to a home learning situation, any teacher would benefit from the section, Connecting Goals Across Reading and Writing in Chapter #3, where she offers a side-by-side chart to give you a visual of how simple it is to connect goals across subject areas.   

The first day of school is always special: it is the start of a new year, new backpack, and new shoes. But this year is extra special as Faizah’s older sister, Asiya, gets to wear her hijab-made of beautiful blue fabric, just like the ocean. The first day of wearing a hijab is important. It means being strong. It is a thing of beauty.

But not everyone sees hijab as beautiful. Asiya faces hurtful comments at school about her hijab. However, Asiya remembers the words her mother told her, “Don’t carry around the hurtful words that others say. Drop them. They are not yours to keep. They belong only to those who said them.” This is how Asiya keeps strong, is able to keep her head high, ignore the bullies and carry on with her day.

Faizah overhears those comments and cannot understand how someone cannot see the beauty of the ocean-blue hijab and what it stands for. She cannot wait for the day when she, too, will wear a blue hijab, just like her sister.

This book is a story of family, love and faith. It shares the lesson that the parts of ourselves that might make us appear “different” are worth celebrating.

Angela Lardner, after teaching high school English for 13 years, is currently teaching Grade 4 at Stanley Consolidated School. When not teaching, she can be found reading, working on puzzles, or spending time with her two dogs, Apollo and Thor.

This debut YA novel from Carrie S. Allen, Michigan vs. The Boys, is so compelling that it rockets this author to the top of my automatic reads list. There are so many good reasons that you would want this book on the shelf in your classroom. In fact, it won’t stay on the shelf for long. The protagonist, Michigan, shows determination and strength of character as she grows as an athlete and a young woman. She learns what it truly means to be a brave.

I opened the cover of this novel tentatively, thinking it was a book about hockey. I’m not much into hockey. But by the end of chapter two, I was committed. While there is a central focus on the sport that will appeal to athletes in general, the familiar conflict of women needing to fight for equality in every aspect of life permeated the narrative. This, and Michigan’s tenacity, is what drew me in. Michigan just wanted what every talented and aspiring young athlete wants, a chance to play. Her team was scrapped due to budget cuts and after exhausting the other pitiful options, she chose to secretly try out for the boys team. She had the skill, the grit, and the determination; but, everything else seemed to be against her.

This book would appeal to a wide variety of readers, but I can’t wait to recommend it to the hockey players and fans in my classroom, as well as those students with a strong sense of social justice. I’m guessing that once one or two students read it, it will continue to get passed around. You might want two copies.

Debbie Grillo teaches English and Growth, Goals & Grit at Leo Hayes High School. If you are looking for her on evenings and weekends she can be found either walking the trails  of Fredericton while listen to her latest audiobook or reading in the comfiest chair in the house.