Press Here

As a former elementary librarian, one book was the HIT last year because it captivated all ages--squirmy kinders, apathetic sixth graders, and grown-up teachers alike. It doesn't matter the age, Press Here (ISBN 8857002527) is magical for everyone!

So I was curious to see how ninth graders would react to it. I told our reading teacher about this book and the inference lesson that I did with elementary students last year (Click here to read my elementary blog about it). Because her students are struggling with the process of making an inference in this class that is designed for freshmen who were not successful on the 8th grade reading STAAR, I thought a different approach might help them "get it." Rather than me go into her classroom to share the book, she wanted to try it on her own. Although I LOVE to go into classrooms and share books with students, I would never tell a teacher "NO, I have to be the one to do it." The fact that this teacher is already buying into the concept of using picture books with high school kids proves that half the battle is already won. So I checked the book out to her, and we collaborated about the lesson. A few days later, she sent me this email:

My A-Day reading classes LOVED the Press Here book. It took them a couple pages to get into it, but afterward, they wanted me to read it again. By the end, they were all saying the definition for inference. Thank you for the great idea!

VICTORY!!