Books I Love - Show and Tell Tuesday!

I'm linking up with Denise at Sunny Days in Second Grade for Show and Tell Tuesday. 

Today's topic - BOOKS! If you click on each picture, it will take you directly to Amazon where you can purchase each book. That is (of course) if you can't find these books at your local bookstore first! 

Here's a quick look at some of my favorite education books -

The Global Achievement Gap by Tony Wagner focuses on seven survival skills students need to succeed in the 21st Century. The survival skills are - Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, Collaboration Across Networks and Leading by Influence, Agility and Adaptability, Initiative and Entrepreneurialism, Effective Oral and Written Communication, Accessing and Analyzing Information and Curiosity and Imagination. I whole heartedly recommend this book to any educator who is determined to prepare his or her students for success in today's rapidly changing world. The world is changing and education has to change along with it.

You'll have to pick up a copy for yourself to understand the title. I read this book a few years ago, but still reference it and look back at everything I highlighted. Esquith (2007) writes, "...in the end we must measure a child's reading ability by the amount of laughter exhaled and tears shed as the written word is devoured. Laughter and tears may not be listed in the state curriculum of reading objectives, but they are the standard in Room 56. These kids read for life" (44). 

Lighting Their Fires is the follow up to Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire. Esquith (2009) touches on project based learning, "In an era when everything is sped up, teachers and parents might consider slowing things down. Take extra time working on a project at home, producing a play, preparing for a concert, or painting a school mural. Involve children in activities where the end is not even in sight at the beginning of the project" (186). 

Here are some of my favorite children's books to use in the classroom - 

Who doesn't love The Giving Tree? Shel Silverstein is one of my favorite authors. I love to read his poetry books to my students during our poetry unit.

I read this book to my class every year during our snow unit in science. You really can't go wrong with any Caldecott Medal book. I was able to visit the Contemporary Jewish Museum yesterday (no school on Presidents' Day!) and view a lot of Ezra Jack Keats original (!) artwork for his popular children's books. The visit in itself deserves a separate blog post! 

Laura Numeroff's books are excellent for teaching cause and effect. We are currently in the middle of a Laura Numeroff author study in writing workshop. My students are working hard on writing original circle stories in the style of Laura Numeroff. 

Any of the Skippyjon Jones books by Judy Schachner are great read alouds. Be sure to read these books in your very best Spanish accent! 

I could go on for hours with reviews of my favorite children's books, but I think this post is getting long enough. What are some of your favorite books? Tell me about your favorites in the comments section or link up with Sunny Days in Second Grade! Click on the button below to discover even more book reviews.