Virginia is for Book Lovers Blog Hop

I am thrilled to be joining my fellow Virginia bloggers for a blog hop that embraces our love of reading! Each of us is happy to share a book and resource that we LOVE to use in the classroom for this very special hop. Not only that, but you'll find a book giveaway on each page of the hop, with a super huge giveaway at the end, which just happens to be here! 

I've always been a fan of reading. My dad used to read to me every night, and I cherished those moments with him. I remember going to the mall with my family, and dad and I would sneak away to the bookstore for what felt like hours while mom shopped to her heart's desire. I was that kid who would get in trouble for reading way past my bedtime. Books have just always been a huge part of my life, and I love that I get to read with kids all day now that I'm a reading specialist! Even better, now I am also able to pass down that love of reading to my son with some of the same books that I grew up loving and listening to my dad read.

As a classroom teacher, I loved choosing books for read-alouds and literature circles. Now that I see three grades and only have groups for a short period of time, I have transitioned over to more picture books. I've actually fallen in love with this and get so excited when I find a new book to share with my kids. The reason I like using picture books is because we can actually finish a story without worrying about forgetting before we meet again. It's also a quick and easy way to focus on comprehension strategies and still have strong discussions about the book. I have so many favorites that it's a good thing I get to work with multiple groups in a day.

One of my MANY favorites is John, Paul, George, and Ben by Lane Smith. Not only is it funny, but it also works into our Social Studies lessons perfectly in the upper grades. I discovered this book shortly after I began teaching and have used it almost every year since. It takes five of our founding fathers and imagines what they were like as a child. I use the book as a lead-in to discussing the Revolutionary War, but it's also great for talking about reputations and how our actions define us.

I'm sharing a sample freebie to accompany your reading of John, Paul, George, and Ben from my larger Literature Unit. This freebie includes an activity where students create a story about another famous person's past as a child.  In addition, I'm giving away a copy of my book in the Rafflecopter below. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

To celebrate our love of reading, Virginia bloggers have also put together an additional mega-giveaway. One lucky winner will win ALL of the books (that's 19 wonderful books) in our hop! Each blogger will send you the book they've talked about. Imagine receiving 19 wonderful books for free on your doorstep and sharing them with your lovely students! Follow all the way to the end to enter!

Thanks so much for hopping by!