Third Grade Teacher Looks for Book Help

Dear Next Great Book,

Hello everyone.  I am reading a book called Finnish Lesson.  It is about how Finland worked really hard to improve their schools.  I am always fascinated by books that deal with how schools work.  Can you tell me about other books like this?

PS And you thought I only wanted to read about golf!

Sincerely,

Mr. Kennedy

Dear Mr. K,

We are so happy that you wrote to us.  We hope we can help you.  We did have to do a little research on this one because none of the kids in our class have a similar taste in books.  None of us had ever read a book about how schools work but we do know how to research so here is our list so far to get you started:

• The Flat World and Education (This book looked very good.  None of us have read it but it looks from reviews and descriptions like it talked about the best ways to fix some of the problems with American schools.  It also looks like many people who read the book you are reading now, Finnish Lessons, read this book.)
• Schools the Work -Where All Children Read and Write (This book is written by one of Mrs. Scheele's heros: Richard Allington.  She says that anything he writes is amazing and right on so we think you might like it as well.)
• Holding On to Good Ideas in a Time of Bad Ones (This is also one that Mrs. Scheele liked and she thought you might as well.  It talks about what schools can do to help kids in reading and writing.)
• Readicide- How Schools are Killing Reading and What We Can Do About It (This is a book to help teachers make choices to help kids love reading not give them assignments that make them hate it.  Mrs. Scheele is always giving it to someone so we thought you might like it too!)

We also have a book for you that you might like, your kids might like and that you might want to do as a read aloud.  It is called My Life As a Book.  Many of us have read it and we LOVE it!  We think your class would too.  It is funny and a mystery and it even has really cool drawing on the sides of all the page that are connected to the vocabulary words in the book.

We hope that we have been helpful.

Happy Reading,

Next Great Book