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Back-to-School Read Alouds and JCL Ning!

Recently, I've had two conversations with two primary teachers in very different stages of their careers: the first is a former student who is getting ready to be a first year teacher and the second is a veteran teacher of 20+ years. The first year teacher has worked diligently over the summer to collect a small classroom library of books; the veteran teacher has 87 boxes of books. No matter the difference in the number of books in their classrooms, both teachers are dedicated to having a quality classroom library.

The question I wish I had asked both of these teachers is: "What is going to be your first day read aloud"? I wonder if there are differences in the selection of the first day read aloud between new teachers and veteran teachers. How do you decide on the very first book you read aloud to your students...the one that sets the stage for all the other read alouds...the one that says "I love to read, won't you join me?"

I would love to hear your thoughts about first day read alouds. However, the blog is not the best medium for ongoing discussions. So, I've started the Joy of Children's Literature Ning! What's a Ning you ask? A Ning is a social networking site like Facebook that is appealing to people who want to create their own social networks around specific interests with their own visual design, choice of features and member data. On the JCL Ning, I've started a forum on first day read alouds. Just click on the link below to go to the JCL Ning.


Visit The Joy of Children's Literature

Please join and share your thoughts. If you would like to start a group or forum on other topics around children's/YA literature, feel free to start your own discussion. I think the JCL Ning can be a great place for us to share our thoughts and ideas! Let me know what you think.

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