Hitting the Books: Back to School Reading!

I hope that your summer was restful, relaxing, rejuvenating... everything that you needed it to be. And that you read a good book or two, or 12! Mine wasn't necessarily restful since I feel like my life is crazier now than ever, but I did manage to go social media silent for most of August which felt great.

Whether you have been back in school for over a month like my own daughter (fingers crossed for a great SENIOR YEAR), or for two weeks like the school I'm working at, or you start after Labor Day, I wish you a great 2019-2020 school year, filled with BOOKS for you and your students!

I have resources to help you now and throughout the year. Here are some tools to gear up for a great year of READING:

1) I have posted my Back to School Booktalk Videos for 2nd-12th grades here and on TPT. These 25 - 35 minute videos are great to get your students excited about reading this school year! If you are not a paid subscriber to MrsYuskoReads, then you can find them on my TPT site. The bundle of all the videos PLUS a FREE 30 minute PD video of best new Picture Books for all grades is ON SALE NOW!

Already a MrsYuskoReads.com subscriber? You have FREE access to all of them now...click here, choose "subscriber webinars" and login.

Want to become a subscriber? Click here for the details!

2) Missed my Summer Reading suggestions for all grades? Never fear! Reading doesn't just happen in the summer and these lists contain great new books for your students. Feel free to copy and distribute as needed! I have posted my Booklists for all grade levels (PreK-12th...and adult!) on my website, including Top 10 picks for Elementary, Middle School, and High School. Or email me and I can send them to you.

3) Everyone has access to my Best New Picture Books for all Grades (K-12) video! This 30 minute video highlights some of the best new picture books of 2019 that you will want to read aloud, have in your classroom library, use to introduce curriculum, or read for #classroombookaday. This video is designed as PD, to show your staff to help them keep current on the best new picture books to be used in the classroom. Picture books are not just for the youngest students. Most of the books mentioned can be read aloud to all grades, while a few are actually better suited for use in middle/high school classes.

Watch a 10 minute sample of this video below, which highlights the best Back to School Picture Books. The FREE full-length video (about 30 minutes) can be found on my website, or on TPT.

Happy reading!

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#backtoschool #bestbooks #newbooks #mrsyuskoreads #booktalks #teachers #librarians #elementary #middleschool #highschool #yalit #kidlit #picturebooks

Are You Summer Reading Ready? Part 1...

It's the madness that is May: you survived testing season only to be rewarded with too many things to do before summer vacation and not enough days left in the school year. I feel your pain! (For those of you that get out of school in June, please just procrastinate reading this post until then).

Are you looking to get your kids excited about READING this summer? Don't have time to read all the books yourself? Looking for a way to promote good books to your students in a limited amount of time? I've got you COVERED!

Every year I create Summer Reading Booktalk videos for some of my teacher friends. This year I thought, why not make these available to anyone that's interested? So, over the weekend I recorded four videos, highlighting good books for various grade levels that your students will want to read this summer! If you already have a subscription to MrsYuskoReads, you can access all of them for FREE immediately. Click here, choose "subscriber webinars," and login with your email. They can be found under "Subscriber Booktalks." ENJOY!

Videos range in length from 16:00-35:00 minutes (depending on grade level) and can be shown in class or uploaded to your Google classroom. They are designed for students "graduating" from the grade levels listed below, but depending on your readers they might find books of interest in the one above or below. You know your audience best. You can choose from:

2nd-4th Grades

5th- 7th Grades

8th - 9th Grades

High School

Not a subscriber? You can join now and get immediate access to all of these videos, plus past webinars on best new books.

OR... I've made the 2nd-4th Grade one available for free to everyone...click here (you'll find it under "Booktalks") or scroll down.

OR...You can purchase individual videos on my TPT site. I've also bundled all four together, but feel free to contact me for a special bundle price if you only want two of them. Stay tuned for "Are You Summer Reading Ready, Part 2" later this week where I'll post my FREE Summer Reading Suggestions Book Lists for all ages, PreK- ADULTS! Can't wait? Click here and see last year's lists. Print, post, share WIDELY!

Happy reading! See you soon with more to help you get Summer Reading READY.

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#summerreading #bestbooks #newbooks #mrsyuskoreads #booktalks #teachers #librarians #elementary #middleschool #highschool #yalit #kidlit

Friday Five

It's Friday, and that means it's time for Friday Five. This week, I thought I would highlight the 5 books in my car. But let's be real, there's more than 5 books in my car. I'm on my way to school, where I'm booktalking to high school students all day...plus my regular middle school classes. Happy Aloha Friday and happy reading!

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Here's a list of the books mentioned in the video: The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds. Candlewick. K-5th grades. Fireboat by Maira Kalman. GP Putnam Books for Young Readers. K-3rd grades. I Walk with Vanessa by Kerascoet. Schwartz & Wades. K-2nd grades. See You on a Starry Night by Lisa Schroeder. Scholastic Press. 4th-7th grades. Hunt for the Bamboo Rat by Graham Salisbury. Wendy Lamb Books. 7th-10th grades. Alexander Hamilton, Revolutionary by Martha Brockenbrough. Feiwel & Friends. 7th-adult. #fridayfive #kidlit #picturebooks #yalit #booktalks #middleschool #highschool