updates – Heise Reads & Recommends

#ClassroomBookADay Updates & Things You Might Want Access To

Jillian Heise — Sun, 16 Aug 2020 03:49:00 +0000

I have gotten several questions and requests about a few items related to #ClassroomBookADay this summer, so I’m putting them all in one post for ease of sharing on multiple platforms.

Summer Learning On Demand Access

I presented two live workshops this summer and recorded the Zoom sessions. Since I am back at school already, I am not able to offer another live session, but I can offer on demand access to the recordings at a discounted rate from the live sessions.

Registration Cost is $15 for one session, $25 for both.

#ClassroomBookADay 101
Going Deeper with #ClassroomBookADay: The Power of Critical Selection

Please indicate which workshop you are registering for when sending payment.
You will receive an email with the link to the unlisted YouTube recording within 24 hours after submitting payment.

Digital Display Grids

Due to popular demand with many schools starting the school year with remote learning, I created a digital display grid to track your #ClassroomBookADay read alouds. The Google Slides file includes grid options for a year, a quarter, bi-weekly, & weekly. Once you have your copy, you can edit colors, fonts, and wording as desired to fit your preferences.

You will receive an email with the link to the file that will force a copy for yourself within 24 hours after submitting payment.

Payment Info

I am using PayPal & Venmo for easy access to make things easier & quicker right now.
Send personal payment of & 2.00 (NOT goods & services) through paypal.me/heisereads.
If checking goods & services box, you must add $1 to payment amount.

Or send payment through Venmo @heisereads.

Out of the Classroom and Into…a New Job!

Jillian Heise — Thu, 10 Mar 2016 03:17:00 +0000

Things have changed a bit since the last time I posted (which was far too long ago)!

I am no longer teaching middle school language arts, as I left the classroom at the end of the semester, and this week started my new role as the National Literacy Consultant for Custom Education Solutions.

It was a difficult decision to leave my students behind, yet I am thrilled to be able to share my experience and passion for getting good books into kids’ hands with other teachers.

So what does this mean for this book blog?

I’m not totally sure yet.

I don’t think I’ll be posting here as often, but am working on ideas to share through Custom Ed.

And you can still find me talking books on twitter @heisereads & my

new literacy consultant account @CustomeduLit, and on goodreads.

If you are in the Midwest, I hope to see you in one of the Custom Ed showrooms to help you customize your curriculum and choose books for your students sometime soon!

Busy Reading, New Role (Chair)

Jillian Heise — Sun, 09 Nov 2014 16:42:00 +0000

I’ve been busy reading, very busy reading, but there hasn’t been as much time to blog about the books individually because of an exciting new role I’ve taken on and the reading I’ve been doing related to it. It became official this weekend!

The Wisconsin State Reading Association (WSRA) Children’s Literature Committee is a group of WI education professionals who read widely in an effort to create a master recommendation list of the best books published each year [Sept of the previous year through Dec of the current year] for students based on quality, kid appeal, and value for teacher use. We create two lists: Picture This! (picture books) & Just One More Page! (chapter books up to 8th grade).

I joined this committee last fall, and I’m thrilled to be taking on a new role as the Chair! This weekend, we had our last meeting of the year to discuss and decide on our final lists. Our lists are not revealed publicly until the WSRA Convention in February, but I am excited that every convention attendee (approximately 3000) will receive a copy of the lists this year, and afterwards, it will be posted publicly to share (watch for that post in early Feb!).

With the changeover and new direction we are heading in for these lists as we work to grow the presence and increase the usefulness, this is a transitional year for us, but I’m proud of the work this group of ten people has done in trying to help teachers, librarians, and parents sort through the wealth of children’s books released this past year in order to make recommendations. We selected 120 titles for our Picture This! list and 92 books for Just One More Page!

So that’s where I’ve been, what I’ve been working on, and what I’m been focused on lately (outside of my teaching work). I’ve read over 416 books so far this year (106 of which were novels) – I’ve upped my picture book reading game considerably. Now I’m anxious to get to those 2015 advanced copies that I had to hide away to avoid temptation until we finished our work on this year’s lists!

What would make your list of some of the best books released in 2014?

How Life Got in the Way This Summer

Jillian Heise — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 19:35:00 +0000

I have been woefully neglectful on blogging this summer (really this year so far). I thought for sure with ending the school year, I would get back to blogging, but that hasn’t happened…because life got in the way.

First there was this…

My 8th grade class, who I will never forget because they were my first ever class I’ve gotten to teach for two years in a row, graduated, and I got some very sweet messages and notes from some of them. It was busy and emotional.

and I still had one more week with this group…

Those are my 7th graders celebrating the end of their school reading year.

then I went to this…

The All Write conference is always a highlight of my summer for learning, decompressing from the school year, prepping for the next, and spending time with my PLN.

during which I was able to get my hands on an ARC of this, which I spent every spare moment reading…

Without a doubt, on my list of best books of all time. You need to get your hands on this autobiographical memoir written in stunningly gorgeous verse by Jacqueline Woodson in August.

and then I was off to ALA in Vegas where I had this view from my room at the Bellagio…

Conferences are always amazing, but ALA has its own uniqueness. I was so grateful for the generosity of the kidlit publishers in talking books, handing out books, offering steep discounts on books, and inviting me to some really cool events where I got to talk with authors and learn more about their books.

and after three busy, fun, exciting days, arranged for shipping of this…

It’s always exciting to get bookmail – even if you know what’s in it! I had more picture books I bought on the last day, but in my hurry to get to the airport, never took a bookstack picture. If you want to know all the books I got, you can see them on my goodreads shelf.

and I attended my first one of these…

The Newbery Caldecott Awards Banquet is inspiring. There is an energy in that room unlike any other.

and then I flew to Newport Beach, CA for some R&R and this…

I met my mom and dad’s new puppy! I got to help train her a bit

in between eating good meals, relaxing, and hanging out with my Mom

while I also spent some time in SoCal on this…

I was lucky to have that view as I worked on revising and writing and trying to find my professional writerly voice.

then more family arrived and this happened…

I love that my nieces and nephews are turning into happy readers!

and then finally this…

Disneyland is so much fun, but exhausting!, especially with four kids aged 1 1/2-10.

and then, when connecting back through Vegas on my way home to Milwaukee, this…

I was so ready to be out of there when I left ALA, and I ended up delayed and was stuck there for six hours – luckily I had plenty with me to read!

…all within the last month and a half.

Life got in the way of blogging. I didn’t mean for it to, but it did. It’s been a busy summer of learning and traveling for me. I’ve had ideas floating in my head about what I want to share, and I’ve been reading loads of books (especially with year three of #summerthrowdown this month), and I’ve been briefly blurbing them on goodreads and tweeting about them often, but haven’t carved out the time to sit down and blog about them.

I’m hoping to remedy that. I’m hoping to rededicate myself to writing a blog post at least once a week. I’m remembering that I feel better when I write and share. I’m remembering that this blog was supposed to be a fun way for me to process what I’ve read, and not a hassle or obligation. I’m getting back to it. I hope. I’ll see you along the way. Happy reading!

Why So Quiet on the Blogging Front?

Jillian Heise — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 21:43:00 +0000

You may have noticed the book recommendation posts have been sparse since 2013 started. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been reading, and it doesn’t mean I haven’t been reading good books, but there’s something else major going on that is taking my time I would normally spend on writing blog posts.

I am currently pursuing National Board Certification in Early Adolescence English/Language Arts. It is something I have thought about for a few years, and due to numerous circumstances, last fall it became apparent that it was time to do it. Luckily, I have some fantastic supporters in my local and virtual community, so I know I can do this; however, it is not a quick and easy process at all. Nor should it be. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards has thoughtful and thorough standards, and the process of pursuing certification is rigorous, arduous, and intense. When I get though it, there is no doubt in my mind that the reflection, analysis, and introspection I have done will have improved my practice, whether I certify on the first try or not.

This all brings me to why the blog has been quiet. My time is devoted to teaching and analyzing my teaching and watching my teaching and reflecting on my teaching and writing about my teaching…all while still actively teaching. None of that leaves much time left for blogging about books. I’m reading books. I’m sharing books. I’m talking books. I’m tweeting about books. I’m recommending books to students and teachers and friends. I will be back blogging books soon…but likely very sporadically until I finish my National Board Certification Portfolio. This process will take me until mid-April, so if you don’t see me here often, find me on twitter or goodreads, and know that I will be back to recommending books here as soon as I can.

Thanks for visiting! See you soon!