Jen Robinson's Book Page

Giving Kids #ReadingChoice is the Right Thing. But Sometimes It Hurts.

Last week my daughter and I moved two bookshelves, as part of a project to create a reading nook. This required taking all of the books off  the shelves. Naturally, I took the opportunity to do some weeding and organizing at the same time. Weeding was necessary because the books were stacked two deep, and the ones in the back were basically lost. 

Most of the weeding was pretty easy. I  let my daughter decide, only overriding her on a few titles that I wanted to  keep. Berenstain Bears? Keep. Little Critter? Donate. Hot Rod Hamster readers? Keep. Superhero picturebacks? Donate. Little Golden Books? Donate most of them, but keep the ones by Bob Staake. Owl Diaries? Keep those, because sometimes you need a quick read. Keep all of the graphic novels. And so on. 

Then we came to a stack of Ivy and Bean books. These were books that I had literally been saving for her to read since before she was born. [Thank you Chronicle Books!] I looked at the books. I looked at her. I said: "You're never going to read these, are you?" She said: "Nah." She went on to volunteer that she doesn't think she'll ever read Clementine or Ramona or the Fancy Nancy chapter books. She thinks they are boring. And my heart broke, just a little bit. 

She saw that I was sad and said: "Well it's your fault. You bought me graphic novels." This is true, though technically Scholastic and Random House bear some fault, too. She started reading Princess Pink and Lunch Lady, fell in love, and never looked back. She skipped over easy readers and chapter books almost completely, and went from graphic novels to notebook novels to tween romances, with only a few diversions along the way. [And of course she's still reading graphic novels and notebook novels every day.]

I told her: "All I care about is that you are reading books that you enjoy." It is certainly true that I am grateful that she enjoys books, whatever those books are. But ... she doesn't want to read Clementine? I adore Clementine! Elementary school girls are supposed to read Clementine, aren't they? It's not like I'm asking her to read some ancient story with no relevance to modern life. The first Clementine book is (c) 2006. But of course I do want her to read what she wants to read. And I am grateful every day that she's found books to love. 

I know that giving kids choice in their reading is the right thing to do. But some days are harder than others. 

As I sighed over some other books that we went into the donate stack my daughter reminded me that we were donating them so that other kids could read them. This did help. It turns out that my friend's daughter will be thrilled to take the Ivy and Bean and Nancy Clancy books off our hands. This helped even more. The other books will also go to good homes. I have a friend who works in a library at a less-privileged elementary school.

But I'm keeping Ramona and Clementine. Just in case… If nothing else, I'll re-read them myself. 

© 2019 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage. 

Links I Shared on Twitter this Week: September 27: #ReadingLevels, #PlayBasedLearning + Deferring #Smartphones for Kids

Here are highlights from the links that I shared on Twitter this week @JensBookPage. Topics this week include #BookLists, #BookSelection, #ClassroomLibraries, #eBooks, #GraphicNovels, #GrowthMindset, #LoveOfBooks, #PictureBooks, #play, #ReadingLevels, #ScreenTime, parenting, publishing, reading, and schools. 

Top Tweet of the Week

Here's what I'd like to know. How many kids around the country today are hoping to do poorly on the Star Reading Test, so that (w/ lower #ReadingLevel) they can read books that they actually want to read? #AR #testing #JoyOfReading #Schools  [Not a link, but this tweet generated some nice discussion last weekend.]

Book Lists

The BEST List of Preschool Books About Seasons, new #BookList from @growingbbb http://ow.ly/iljM30pAHII #PictureBooks

If You Like The #HungerGames... Read These Next! #BookList from @momandkiddo | I would add the #Uglies + #Imposters series from @ScottWesterfeld

On Reading, Writing, Blogging, and Publishing

#BookGirl by Sarah Clarkson @thoroughlyalive: How To Choose Books – I chimed in on discussion on #BookSelection @semicolonblog http://ow.ly/zTTB30pAUW6

Physical books still outsell #eBooks — and here's why http://ow.ly/eJxB30pzOg2 | @MerylHalls tells @CNBC that people love to display what they've read + signal #LoveOfBooks to the world

Bring Back #Handwriting: It’s Good for Your Brain - @markhamh @elemental via @TheReadingTub http://ow.ly/SZPA30pzO8K | #writing #MentalHealth

New study finds that Our Brains Represent The Meaning Of Words the Same Way Whether We Read Them Or Hear Them – @EmmaELYoung @ResearchDigest http://ow.ly/whrd30pBAh2 #reading #Audiobooks #eBooks

Why New @goraina Graphic Memoir ‘Guts’ Has A One Million Copy Print Run http://ow.ly/t2Ax30pzObK | @Forbes @Scholastic via @tashrow | "Raina is a fantastic advocate" for the message that #GraphicNovels are real #reading

Children + Authors To Collaborate on The #StorySeeds #Podcast, Launching this Fall w/ the #Kidlitosphere's own @fuseeight as host http://ow.ly/YwAg30pBm8B @LitSafariMedia

Parenting, Play + #ScreenTime

We Need to Define #PlayBasedLearning – #Play is not a child going through structured stations in a classroom, says @HonorsGradU. It is truly child led. https://t.co/WZIlsqgFxl?amp=1

Girls vs. Boys: Brain Differences Might Explain Tech Behaviors (girls spending time on #SocialMedia + boys on #gaming) | @juliejargon @WSJ http://ow.ly/JRy530pC1jL | #ScreenTime

I liked this piece in @TheAtlantic about why Sarah P. Weeldreyer Won't Buy Her Teenagers Smartphones http://ow.ly/qpd830pAmY1 #ScreenTime #parenting

Schools and Libraries

The Smaller Class Size Debate- What’s the Deal With The Numbers? – @HonorsGradU http://ow.ly/nXEZ30pC1Wy | Research finds "Class sizes need to be 13-17 students in order to be considered small enough to yield impactful advances." Worth the cost?

Schools will dump it': expert raises doubts over schools' ability to teach #GrowthMindset http://ow.ly/3p6F30pANjx @smh via @greg_ashman

Creating and Maintaining a #ClassroomLibrary that gives kids an authentic #reading life, instead of defining them by #ReadingLevels by Savannah Campbell @nerdybookclub https://t.co/FwRQ0DEKIh?amp=1

How 'Standards' Work In A New Knowledge-Driven #Reading Curriculum - @Doug_Lemov http://ow.ly/cFbf30pBAtL #SpacedPractice #BackgroundKnowledge

I Should Have Thanked My #Teachers. I regret I never told them how profound their effect on me was, says former MLB commissioner Fay Vincent @WSJopinion https://t.co/okZ27fWyvB?amp=1

Good piece on helping students to remember things. The difference between #EpisodicMemory + #SemanticMemory -> working on the latter before planning memorable experiences @ClareSealy @EducationNext

© 2019 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage. 

#BookwormMoments: Seeking a Book that "Calls Out to Me"

This morning I found my daughter in my office, perusing the stacks of books. She said: "I'm looking for a big book that kinda calls out to me. Something like Better You Than Me or Snow and Rose." [Two titles that she had previously pulled from the stack and enjoyed, and that were both more challenging than her usual fare.] I pulled a few things from  the stacks, but they apparently did not call out to her. We had to head out and that desire was not met for today. 

Clearly we are in need of a visit to the library, where the books are much better organized.

But isn't that what we're all after as readers? That book that just calls out to us to be read. It was a tiny moment in our day, but it made me  happy. 

© 2019 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage. 

Links I Shared on Twitter this Week: September 20: Helicopter Parenting, Giftedness, and Read Alouds in the Classroom

Here are highlights from the links that I shared on Twitter this week @JensBookPage. Topics this week include #BookAwards, #BookLists, #CognitiveScience, #Giftedness, #KnowledgeGap, #MentalHealth, #neurodiversity, #ReadAloud, #ScreenTime, #teaching, #VideoGames, friendship, libraries, and parenting.

Top Tweet of the Week

Want better readers? Spend less time #teaching kids to find the main idea, #KnowledgeGap author @natwexler argues http://ow.ly/sQ8730pyTQc | #CognitiveScience #BackgroundKnowledge #AchievementGap

Book Lists + Awards

The @nationalbook Award Longlist for Young People’s Literature, shared by @tashrow http://ow.ly/70br30pyqyH #kidlit #YA

10 Books for Readers Who Love The Baby-Sitters Club, a #BookList from @momandkiddo http://ow.ly/aGKX30pwWLj #BSC #MiddleGradeFiction

#Neurodiversity in Middle Grade Books | #BookList featuring viewpoint characters w/ dyslexia, ADHD, sensory disorders, anxiety + more @momandkiddo

Growing Bookworms

Why Do Some People Love Reading? Nice piece by @jpinsk in @TheAtlantic| Model reading for your kids as "a private pleasure-delivery system" http://ow.ly/DoXC30pzqFm via @DTWillingham #JoyOfReading

On the joys of implementing a #PictureBook #bookaday #ReadAloud in Middle School – @heisereads @ChoiceLiteracy http://ow.ly/2Qbs30pwSFg #ClassroomBookADay

Parenting, Screen Time + Play

Keeping Tabs on Your Kids: The Latest Parental Controls From Apple, Google and Amazon - @juliejargon @WSJ http://ow.ly/lJfJ30pyTBE #parenting #ScreenTime

Tips on not being a Helicopter Mom from @HonorsGradU http://ow.ly/W7hX30pyqy7 #Parenting #Resilience #Independence

When You Think Your Child’s Teacher Is a Bad Fit, when to act vs. when you should step back + stop helicoptering - @WSJ http://ow.ly/GL0O30pyqiP #parenting

Research and Behavior

The Evolutionary Benefit of #Friendship. Friends made us smarter + gave us more potential, says @farnamstreet http://ow.ly/5qLW30pyqMW #EvolutionaryBiology

How To Cope Under Pressure, According To Psychology – @EmmaELYoung @ResearchDigest http://ow.ly/G1yc30pyqFw #StressMindsets #MentalHealth

When False Claims Are Repeated, We Start To Believe They Are True — Here’s How Behaving Like A Fact-Checker Can Help – @mattbwarren @ResearchDigest http://ow.ly/X29M30pwWJU | Thinking about whether things are true or not when you first hear them helps later

Americans Don’t Fully Trust Many Who Hold Positions of Power and Responsibility | New @pewresearch survey finds K-12 #SchoolPrincipals, cops + military at the top, congress + tech leaders at the bottom re: trust https://t.co/uAvOTnvgtk?amp=1

Schools and Libraries

New teaching tool in history class: ‘Assassin’s Creed’ #VideoGame – @gcacho @EastBayTimes http://ow.ly/vBB730pyTHZ | Color me skeptical. Note results showed students taught "old school" way learned better

10 Things the Movie #ThePublic Got Right About #Libraries – @literacious http://ow.ly/eFwG30pwWNg | Yes, people wait outside for the library to open

A Reminder from @jasonrileywsj, citing Chester Finn, that Not All #GiftedChildren Are From Affluent Families http://ow.ly/MXvZ30pyTDK | #SchoolReform #AP #CollegeBoard

4 Poll Results That'll Shape the 2020 Election #EdPolicy Debates. What struck me: parents, esp. nonwhite parents, + teachers support stricter school discipline, even as CA is legislating the opposite @EducationNext https://t.co/zuRxhzJAE1?amp=1

© 2019 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage.

Growing Bookworms Newsletter: September 18: Back to School Edition

Today, I will be sending out a new issue of the Growing Bookworms email newsletter. (If you would like to subscribe, you can find a sign-up form here.) The Growing Bookworms newsletter contains content from my blog focused on growing joyful learners, mainly bookworms, but also mathematicians and learners of all types. The newsletter is sent out every three to four weeks.  

Newsletter Update: In this brief issue I have two posts about my daughter's latest literacy milestones (sneaking in Amazon pre-orders and declaring a favorite book) and one about her latest "Bookworm Moment". I have also published several posts with literacy and reading-related links that I shared on Twitter. Since there are so many, I've included only the most recent one in the newsletter. You can find the previous ones here: August 16, August 23, August 30, and September 6. I've been swamped between work and my daughter's back-to-school needs of late, and hope to get back to blogging more one of these days... 

Reading Update:  In the last few weeks I finished one seven adult titles (five fiction and two nonfiction). I read/listened to: 

• Eric Bernt: The Sound of Echoes (Speed of Sound Thrillers, Book 2). Thomas & Mercer. Adult Mystery/Thriller. Completed August 21, 2019, on Kindle. This was a fun read about Eddie, an autistic savant who invents a machine that can play back any conversation that has ever taken place in a room. Powerful forces want to use the machine, but a doctor and a cop unite to protect both machine and Eddie. It's not the most plausible book I've ever read, but I enjoyed the characters, especially a new love interest  for Eddie. 
• David Robson: The Intelligence Trap: Why Smart People Make Dumb Mistakes. W. W. Norton & Co. Adult Nonfiction. Completed August 24, 2019, on Kindle. This one had some interesting content, but still took me a while to get through... 
• Denisa Mina: Conviction. Mulholland Books. Adult Thriller. Completed August 25, 2019, on Kindle. This, on the other hand, I read very quickly. I've not read many (any?) of Mina's books, and will have to remedy that. This one is a twisty standalone about a woman on the run trying to solve a real-life podcast murder mystery while facing demons from her own murky past. 
• David Epstein: Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. Riverhead Books. Adult Nonfiction. Completed August 28, 2019, on MP3. This is book with an interesting thesis, but which I ended up wishing I had read instead of listened to, so that I could have skimmed some of the content. 
• Laura Lippman: Lady in the Lake. William Morrow. Adult Mystery. Completed September 7, 2019, on Kindle. I like Lippman's Tess Monaghan series, but was a bit lukewarm about that standalone mystery. It is set in 1960's Baltimore and explores casual discrimination based on race and gender, as well as two different murder mysteries. There is a fun cameo in which readers see Tess Monaghan's parents meet. 
• Robert Crais: A Dangerous Man (Elvis Cole and Joe Pike). G.P. Putman's Sons. Adult Mystery/Thriller. Completed September 13, 2019, on MP3. I love Joe Pike! That is all. Fans of the series will want to read this one, in which Pike protects a young woman who is the target of forces she doesn't understand. 
• Louise Penny: A Better Man (Chief Inspector Gamache). Minotaur Books. Adult Mystery. Completed September 17, 2019, on Kindle. I love Armand Gamache, too, though he is very, very different from Joe Pike. In this installment of the Three Pines series, Gamache faces political and literal headwinds, while investigating the death of a young woman from a nearby village. This book has one of those plots that you can spend time puzzling over in spare moments, without the solution being obvious. 

I have just started listening to the latest Walt Longmire novel by Craig Johnson, Land of Wolves. I'm otherwise between books. I have a reading weekend coming up, though, and a bunch of prospects lined up. I'm waiting to see what really grabs me. 

My daughter is back in school and we are back to reading while she eats breakfast. Mostly we've been reading picture books. We've also dabbled in reading some of the Big Nate books. Currently we are reading the script for Aladdin Jr., her school play (for which has has a small part, but a high level of enthusiasm). You may picture me with a constant ear-worm of songs from the movie. 

My daughter has been enjoying Booki Vivat's Frazzled series, which I picked up from the library on the correct suspicion that they would be up her alley. She's also excited about books by Suzanne Nelson from the Scholastic Wish series, though they are a bit more challenging than her usual fare, and take her a while to get through. One day, after I had allowed her to choose several for purchase for a coming trip, I found her clutching one (I think it was Shake It Off) to her chest. She said:

"There's just something about the Wish books that makes me happy." 

Of course a statement like that made ME happy. After I shared this remark online, Suzanne was kind enough to send her some signed bookmarks. She treasures them. They make her feel special. She is slowly working her way through some of the books, taking breaks for quicker reads like Big Nate, and endless Dork Diaries and Diary of a Wimpy Kid re-reads. 

She is struggling a bit with a requirement to take an AR test every week for school, where the books have to be above a certain level. But we are managing. I'll share more about that in a separate post. 

Thanks for reading, and for growing bookworms! 

© 2019 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage. 

Bookworm Moments: Begging for Access to a New Book

My daughter asked me to pre-order Guts (the newest graphic novel by Raina Telgemeier) months ago. She checked in frequently on when it was coming, and was thrilled last week when she learned that release day was coming up. 

Today was arrival day. I kind of hoped that she would forget, because I wanted her to stay at her after-school care long enough for me to get my work done. But about an hour after school let out she called me, frantic, declaring: "I WANT MY BOOK!" She had apparently seen someone with it at school and was wildly jealous.

I told her I was in the middle of something, and could get her in about an hour. No dice. She begged me to come right away. She pleaded. She promised not to bother me. Though I don't normally like to give in to begging, what could I do, as a bookworm parent? So I paused my work and headed over to get her.

She raced out to meet me, struggling with a gate. There were shrieks. There was hugging of the book. There was kissing of the book (and yes, there is video, but I'm not going to share that here). And after that? Silence. She didn't even come in from the car until she was almost finished. 

So yes, my work day was interrupted. But it was for a good cause. 

Thanks for reading, and for growing bookworms. 

© 2019 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage. 

Literacy Milestone: Declaring a Favorite Book

My daughter has a stack of her 50 favorite picture books, and various stacks of her favorite graphic novels. She has declared favorite  picture book authors and illustrators a few times (Mo Willems, Bob Staake, Shirley Parenteau + David Walker), and has fan-girled other authors (Raina Telgemeier, Shannon Hale, Suzanne Nelson). But the other day, for the first time that I can recall, she declared a particular book to be her favorite. 

The book was Kristy's Big Day, the sixth book in the Baby-Sitters Club Graphix series, by Ann M. Martin and Gale Galligan. Why this one, I wondered. She explained thus:

"Well, the Baby-Sitters Club is my favorite series. And Kristy's Big Day is my favorite book in the series. So, that makes it my favorite book." 

Impeccable logic, that. I wonder if it will hold up. I have a couple of childhood favorites that certainly remain in my top 10, though my all-time favorite is one that I first read as an adult. But that was before the days of graphic novels. Time will tell! 

Do you have a favorite book?

Thanks for reading, and for growing bookworms!

© 2019 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage. 

Links I Shared on Twitter this Week: September 13: Growing Bookworms, Academic Retention, Reading Logs + More

Here are highlights from the links that I shared on Twitter this week @JensBookPage. Topics this week include #BookLists, #CharterSchools, #CriticalThinking, #Dyslexia, #GraphicNovels, #GrowingBookworms, #GrowthMindset, #HigherEd, #homework, #iGen, #JoyOfReading, #PoliticalCorrectness, #ReadingLogs, #SummerSlide, libraries, publishing, schools, teachers, and writing.

Top Tweet of the Week

The Most Powerful Way To Instill – And Keep – A #LoveOfReading – Good recommendations from @Kateywrites at All The Wonders http://ow.ly/Toof30pvtPe #parenting

Book Lists

#PictureBooks that Spark Joy and Encourage #Play | #BookReviews + #BookList from @kegancunningham http://ow.ly/2m2h30pvtRb

Children's #GraphicNovels with No Violence that are still action-packed | #BookList from @momandkiddo https://t.co/dQCkHoPrlv?amp=1

Magical #MiddleGrade #GraphicNovels that Celebrate the Weirdness of Growing Up | @emsteinkellner @BookishHQ http://ow.ly/c9xd30pupTx via @tashrow

Events + Literacy Programs

Get ready for the UK's National #LibrariesWeek by Dawn Finch @AwfullyBigBlog http://ow.ly/TSCm30puDLQ | #Library facts + links | #DigitalLiteracy

Growing Bookworms

NYT editor @PamelaPaulNYT shares tips from her latest book on ‘How to Raise a Reader’ | @WTOP via @MrsPstorytime http://ow.ly/CzwG30pw801 | #GrowingBookworms #IntrinsicRewards

Reading Their Way! Upside Down is Totally Okay. @TheReadingTub makes the case for letting toddlers hold the book however they like, to cultivate #JoyOfReading http://ow.ly/RU5r30pw845

A reminder from @ClareLandrigan that A #Reading Life Is Not Linear. Teachers need to accept detours along students' paths to #JoyOfReading http://ow.ly/5vTm30pvtXq @nerdybookclub

Higher Ed

‘Nope, You’re Not Special.’ How the College Scam Mastermind Rick Singer Recruited Families - @jenniferlevitz + @melissakorn @WSJ http://ow.ly/2TjY30purPu | #HighedEd #parenting

On Reading, Writing, Blogging, and Publishing

Inventing a new verb, 'to snowflakize' | publishing's good-intentions-gone-mad outcome of banning too many things from children's books by Anne Rooney @AwfullyBigBlog http://ow.ly/GsMA30pvtTU

MIT Technology Review young writers essay contest (must be under 18) - “What do adults not know about my generation and technology?” http://ow.ly/vsts30puDuW @techreview via @drdouggreen #writing #iGen

Parenting + Play

The Secret of a #CharterSchool ’s Success? Parents. "School culture and parent buy-in matter" for educational outcomes, says @rpondiscio @WSJ in essay adapted from coming book https://t.co/iTLpNkMROr?amp=1

Great piece from @everead on why You Should Definitely Read Mindset by #CarolDweck http://ow.ly/IOla30puso7 | #GrowthMindset #parenting | I also recommend #MathematicalMindsets by @joboaler

Schools and Libraries

The Email that @pernilleripp Sends Every Year Requesting For Her Children To Not Have to Do #ReadingLogs http://ow.ly/sHop30pw3pS | I'm happy not to have any requirement for that again this year

Thoughts on the Power of Questions for #Learning + tips for improving yours from @farnamstreet https://t.co/r0U1Phe4PN?amp=1

A #reading ‘crisis’: Why some New York City parents created a #CharterSchool for dyslexic students http://ow.ly/IhhH30puWTO @Chalkbeat via @MindShiftKQED | #LearningDisabilities #Phonic #ReadingInstruction

The Crucial Steps in #Education Are the Ones We May Have Skipped, like focusing #IntrinsicMotivation vs. extrinsic + asking how to stop #grading or why to assign #homework at all @alfiekohn http://ow.ly/7fnr30puDVG

Educator: There's A Mass Teacher Exodus, Not Shortage | Negative incentives + #testing drive people out #teaching http://ow.ly/m0V230puDPK | Testing $ should be spent on books (+ other needs) instead | @slekar @WPR

Boosting School Quality Remains a Slog for States, Nation - @EvieBlad @educationweek http://ow.ly/9mhs30puq4q #ESSA #EdReform

Michigan teachers: Flunking won’t help kids read. We have better ideas. http://ow.ly/K2HV30puWVw | @BridgeMichigan via @MindShiftKQED | #ReadingInstruction #AcademicRetention

Miscellaneous Research Studies

An idea from @Doug_Lemov to replace #LearningStyles w/ #AttentionTypes after reading chapter on attention + sensory channels in the brain by @stevenbjohnson https://t.co/8gpZkRxBTR?amp=1

Research on how to teach #CriticalThinking contradicts education trends | @DTWillingham reports scientists are united in their belief that #ContentKnowledge is crucial, but #Schools are teaching skills in isolation http://ow.ly/OKLR30pw3DM @hechingerreport

True or False: The #SummerSlide Is Real. Researchers are looking at this again, after trouble replicating original 30 year old study on #learning loss + #AchievementGap http://ow.ly/p2eb30puDeT @mcjomcg @WSJ

“Politically Incorrect” Speakers Are Seen As More Authentic — Especially If The Audience Already Shares Their Views – but come across as less warm http://ow.ly/OxFh30pw3wZ #PoliticalCorrectness @ResearchDigest @EmmaELYoung

Harvard study shows that students learn more when classrooms employ #ActiveLearning strategies, but think they don't. Further evidence that student evaluations aren't correlated w/ #learning https://t.co/DdfzuHA9NM?amp=1

Wouldn't this be nice? People’s Responses To News Clips Suggest There Is A Greater Market For Happy Stories Than Journalists Realise – @mattbwarren @ResearchDigest https://t.co/cwSs7O6GcZ?amp=1

© 2019 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage. 

Links I Shared on Twitter this Week: September 6: All About #ScreenTime, #Play + #MentalHealth

Here are highlights from the links that I shared on Twitter this week @JensBookPage. Topics this relatively light week include #CharterSchools, #EdTech, #HigherEd, #homework, #literacy, #MentalHealth, #NoSummerSlide, #parenting, #play, #ReadAloud, #ScreenTime and #SocialMedia.

Growing Bookworms

#NoSummerSlide Week 14 – Wow! What a Summer | Using a recap of summer highlights to practice + model #literacy skills from @TheReadingTub http://ow.ly/pJid30ptgAJ

Higher Ed

‘Father Is Surgeon,’ ‘1 Mil Pledge’: The Role of Money in USC Admissions - Defense in #HigherEd admission scandal is that USC took money into account anyway @jenniferlevitz @melissakorn @WSJ https://t.co/CGURhbRDUs?amp=1

Parenting + Play

Three Things Overscheduled Kids Need More of in Their Lives: playtime, downtime, family time by @dfkris @MindShiftKQED, citing Denise Pope @StanfordEd http://ow.ly/IzAI30ptfRr | Also choice over extracurriculars

Schools and Libraries

Robert Pondiscio Just Wrote a Book About Success Academy #CharterSchools. It Does Not Support Either Preferred Narrative, but captures a central conflict of the debate | @The74 https://t.co/lLvuurFTBq?amp=1

#BackToSchool Planning + #Homework Tips for a Great Year from @TheReadingTub http://ow.ly/YrLr30ptgox | #checklists, study habits + #play

Join #SchoolLibrarian @100scopenotes in his Quest for the Best #ReadAloud Chair http://ow.ly/CucV30ptgnR

#Literacy: The Forgotten Social Justice Issue - @MsJasmineMN @ProjForeverFree http://ow.ly/UgX830pu2US | "we can not fully proclaim that Black Lives Matter until Black literacy does" + we need to raise the bar in teaching #Reading

Screen Time + Mental Health

Schools Pushed for #EdTech in Every Classroom. Now Parents Are Pushing Back, asking for return of print books + pencils | @BetsyMorris2 + @Tawnell @WSJ discuss in-depth http://ow.ly/K0PU30ptxIe #ScreenTime

Kids' Phones Buzz in Class—With Texts From Mom and Dad - @juliejargon @WSJ http://ow.ly/fyb330ptHWW | #ScreenTime #Parenting

The Scientific Debate Over Teens, #ScreenTime And #MentalHealth | @anya1anya @MindShiftKQED talks w/ @jean_twenge @OrbenAmy + @epi_kerrykeyes for range of views https://t.co/Dvza1hN5fX?amp=1

A response to the above piece from @Jean_Twenge: My response to the inaccuracies in this article, with graphs:  https://t.co/evnAgF6Sty?amp=1

That response led to a revision and correction of the original article, shared by @epi_kerrykeyes: https://t.co/rFgcZOPhio?amp=1

Meanwhile, a new study says kids' lack of sleep is ‘more harmful to #MentalHealth than #SocialMedia use’ | @NicolaKSDavis @guardian http://ow.ly/fpsK30ptfYp via @MindShiftKQED https://t.co/aIpCmZaaFM?amp=1

© 2019 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage.