If you have been in education any length of time, you know how education trends change in no time at all. Just like doctors need to be current on new procedures and surgeries and accountants have to be current on tax laws, educators must stay on top of what is current in our field as well. We all have to go to district mandated professional development, but a lot of times it does not get the job done. It can all be vague information, and we’re left with no clear way forward. Or even worse, it is not relevant to us at all.
This post contains affiliate links. You can take a peek at my disclosure here.
This is why it is important that we take our learning into our own hands. I love to read current professional development books because I am always learning and evolving as a teacher. This helps me to stay current on educational research and trends. Below are my favorite PD books all about literacy.
1. A Fresh Look at Phonics
Last year our instructional coaches brought this book up, and something about it totally captured my attention. A Fresh Look At Phonics by Wiley Blevins is worth its weight in gold. My college was all about whole language acquisition. This means that I have had to teach myself about phonics along the way. I bought this book over spring break intending to read it over the summer, but I devoured it over that week. It was that good! It was also the second time that I actually read a PD book from cover to cover. All 300+ pages of it.
Seriously, you will not be disappointed, because it includes actionable tips that you can implement immediately!
2. Reading Strategies Book
The next book I have seen all over Instagram. The Reading Strategies Book by Jennifer Serravallo has been making the rounds. I wondered if it was really good, or if everyone was just jumping on the bandwagon. I finally grabbed it a few weeks ago, just to see what the hype was about.
Y’all……..I have to say, this book is totally the truth! It is set up by the goals you are trying to reach with your students. I love this because no matter where they are on the reading spectrum, you can identify a skill that they need to work on, and then you have a few strategies at your fingertips that you can implement!
3. Small-Group Reading Instruction
Small Group Reading Instruction by Beverly Tyner is another go-to for me! I was introduced to this book by my friend Vickie Plant and I instantly fell in love. If you are looking for a book that details differentiated small group instruction, this is it. We’re all given a reading program to implement, but there’s no real information on how to help your students with their reading deficits.
How crazy is that? Or you might get some PD or read a book, and even though it has kindergarten, it really means 2nd grade and up. That doesn’t help me at all! This book begins with what small group should look like, planning for small group, and then continues with the different stages from emergent all the way up to independent reader. You need this book in your collection. You will find yourself referring to it again and again.
5. Reading with Meaning
The next two books are by Debbie Miller. I love her! Reading with Meaning is all about teaching comprehension in the primary grades. Key words here are the primary grades. She takes you through a year in her classroom, where she leads her students into being the very best readers that they can be. She uses the gradual release of responsibility model and I love that she takes us along for the ride.
5. Teaching with Intention
Next up is Teaching with Intention. I re-read this book in its entirety every summer. It is not a literacy book per se, but it is all about your practice as a teacher, which is why it is designated for K-5 teachers. The subtitle sums it up perfectly. It’s all about defining your beliefs, aligning your practice and taking action. Whereas the previous book followed Debbie in her own classroom, this book takes you through her work as a literacy consultant, as she helps other teachers. I definitely recommend this book for any early childhood/elementary schoolteacher.
I absolutely love reading books and I buy them and sometimes they can fall flat and not be what I expected. This is not the case for the books listed above. I love them all and I hope that you will as well! Click on any picture or here to see all of the books in one place on my Amazon shop, and the individual links will take you to the individual books.
