In a previous post I described my students’ favorite read-aloud ritual called “Choose a Book”. Every two weeks we spotlighted a new picture book author. Prior to reading the first book by a new author, I ceremoniously introduced the author by writing their name on a book and hanging it above the chalkboard.
As the year progressed, our display of mentor author names grew across the room. What began as a fun ritual grew into a way of documenting part of our shared literacy journey during the year. When my students went to the school library, they could often be heard asking the librarian if there were any “Eric Carle books” or “Bill Peet books”. I’m sure that was in part because our name display kept the authors’ names fresh in their minds all year.
