Wild About Literacy

“Wild About Books” by Judy Sierra is the perfect book to share with students at the beginning of the year. The rhyming text is loads of fun and students at the Grade 4/5 level can appreciate Sierra’s clever writing style. One of her lines reads, “She even found waterproof books for the otter, who never went swimming without Harry Potter.” I love the overall message of the book – everyone can be readers and writers. It also shows students that reading and writing go hand in hand. In the book, as soon as the animals start reading, they also begin writing their own stories.

Students use two special books in my classroom that revolve around reading and writing. One is a BLB – a “Book Lover’s Book”. This holds onto all of the thinking students have about all sorts of books. Below is a guided entry we created as a class following a discussion of real reading. There is so much thinking that occurs when we read. This visual is the perfect reminder for students.

Students also keep a Writer’s Notebook to collect and document all of their writing. One of the first entries that I get students to complete independently is a collection of thoughts around the theme – “What’s True for Me About Writing”. I found it particularly interesting that one of my Grade Five students (who I had in Grade 4 last year) mentioned Regie Routman as a source for his ideas for writing!