Sunday Salon: A Round-up of Weekly Links

Cat lovers may want to read this review of John Bradshaw’s new book, Cat Sense. I’ve been looking at my cats in a whole new way today.

I really enjoyed Elizabeth’s post about how her OCD kicks in when she feeds the birds.

Peter Damien shares some ideas for repairing his reading habits.

I wish I could have shared this post from George Couros with my pre-service Methods students, who wanted to know how to change the culture and practices in the schools where they will work.

One of my favorite bloggers, Carrie Gelson, recommends her 10 favorite Canadian picture book illustrators. I could tell that I’ve been reading Carrie’s blog for awhile, because all but one of these illustrators was familiar to me!

Mile High Reading describes what happens when he brings new books into his classroom: book brawls!

I’m going to print these pre-assessment questions from Clare and Tammy to help me be a little more intentional in the classroom.

Franki at A Year of Reading has a thoughtful reflection on her #nerdlution challenge. I especially enjoyed reading about how she was inspired by other people’s #nerdlutions.

Katherine Sokolowski and Donalyn Miller share the titles that wander off most frequently from their classroom libraries. Elementary and middle-school teachers might want to make sure they have these titles in their rooms

Bloggers may want to check out the research on what time of day is best for publishing your blog. Estella’s Revenge also has some excellent advice for sustainable blogging.

I loved this post from Vicki Vinton about teaching students how we make meaning from reading. It’s a messy process, and that’s exactly as it should be.

Ruth Ayres reminds us that every child needs to feel he or she has A Very Special Place in a teacher’s heart.

In Adolescent Literature next week, we’ll be looking at Jillian Heise’s post about what she does in her classroom to help her students begin to love reading.

Sacha Chua reminds us that we don’t have to be experts to share our learning. Her sketch notes suggest ways for different levels of learners to share what they’re learning.

“You expect us not to act like idiots, so we don’t.” More brilliant teaching and learning from Pernille Ripp and her fifth-graders.

Teaching 365 shares three stories that might change the minds of those who doubt the power of choice in reading and writing.

Have a wonderful week–and may your classroom be filled with many book brawls!