Simple Starts

My friends and writing “cousins” Kari Yates, Dani Burtsfield, and Erica Pecorale are starting a fabulous new Twitter chat tonight centered around Kari’s book, Simple Starts. The book study/chat #simplestarts will begin at 8:30 EST. Join us! Simple Starts revolves around starting (or continuing) a fabulous reading workshop in your classroom.

“Start small, but start” is the first rule. Kari challenges teachers to have courage when moving towards a more child-centered classroom. She states in her recent blog post, “You want your kids to be happily engaged in authentic reading, writing, and conversation…but shifting to a more child-centered literacy environment can be challenging.”

My favorite part of a readers’ classroom is reading aloud. The best thing I can do as a teacher of reading is to read to my students. Reading is learning. Reading is understanding the world better. Reading is fun! Kari says, “It’s an advertisement for becoming a real reader.” Simply start with reading aloud: a poem, a chapter of your favorite text, or a picture book. It’s Simply Wonderful!

Are you ready to chat? Join Us. See you tonight — 8:30 EST — #simplestarts