From the Classroom

From the Classroom: If You Like…

By on October 27, 2025   /   For Teachers, From the Classroom   /   Leave a comment
If you like the Lightning Thief then read Hugo Cabret, with images of both book covers
If you like Funjungle books, read Spy School

Middle grade readers often have strong opinions. In earlier From the Classroom articles we shared how to Build Reflective Readers and reasons why we Don’t Pigeon-Hole Middle Grade Readers. This time I’d like to share a sure-fire way to get kids interested in new books: “If you like…” posters and recommendations.

If You Like … Posters

Every Friday is First Chapter Friday in my fifth grade classroom. Most weeks I read aloud the first chapter of an enticing middle grade book, and students have the chance to sign up to be the first readers. It’s a great way to expose kids to new authors, genres, topics, and formats of books than they might usually read.

If you like scary stories, then try ... with a list of 8 books

But some weeks, I share a group of books related by a theme. This Friday, being Halloween, our theme is “If you like… Scary Stories!” Not only will I share several of the titles above with my students (blurbs this time, not every first chapter), but I will also hang the poster up above our classroom library. This year I went the extra step of adding a basket specifically for “scary books,” to help readers find them easily.

If you like survival stories, with a list of 8 books

Some other popular topics for “If you like…” include survival stories, magical school stories, graphic novels, you name it! I’ve also done versions for genres, as a goal of fifth grade is introducing students to books in various genres (realistic fiction, historical fiction, mystery, and fantasy).

Have Students Make Their Own “If You Like…”

Another strategy is to have students make their own book recommendations using the “If you like…” format. It’s a great way for them to think about what kind of reader would like a certain book, and what other books that same reader might enjoy. Some of them come up with pretty straightforward recommendations, like the one at the top of the article: If you like the Funjungle series by Stuart Gibbs, then you might like The Spy School series also by Stuart Gibbs.

If you like the Lightning Thief then read Hugo Cabret, with images of both book covers

But students also come up with combinations that might seem more unexpected. One students suggested The Invention of Hugo Cabret if you liked The Lightning Thief. She said that “These books are adventurous, and exciting! I recommend these books to readers who like mysteries and fantasy.”

So there you go!

How do you use book talks or book recommendations to inspire readers in your life or classroom?

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The Scientific Method is Dead! (Sort Of) – Emphasizing the Science and Engineering Practices With Middle Grade Books

By on September 22, 2025   /   Articles, For Teachers, From the Classroom, Nonfiction  

Raise your hand if you grew up learning the scientific method. Me too. In fact, for thousands of years, all the way back to Aristotle in Ancient Greece (and possibly earlier), the scientific method has been the way science is done. And it still is. Sort of.

When the Next Generation Science Standards were released in 2013, it was immediately apparent that they are very different than previous standards. The NGSS are written in three dimensions that work together to help students make sense of the world: the Disciplinary Core Ideas, the Crosscutting Concepts, and the Science and Engineering Practices.

What are the Science and Engineering Practices?

In this post, I’m going to address the Science and Engineering Practices because they describe the actions we want our students to be engaging in. In other words, what we want our students to be able to do. Take a look at a comparison between the scientific method and the practices. What similarities do you notice? What differences do you see?

A table comparing the science and engineering practices with the scientific method

One of the main reasons for the shift away from the scientific method is its representation of science as a series of sequential steps to be completed in order. But science isn’t sequential. It is messy, as shown in this fantastic video by the California Academy of Sciences. (It really is worth the six-minute time investment.)

According to the NGSS Appendix for the Science and Engineering Practices:

The Framework uses the term “practices,” rather than “science processes” or “inquiry” skills for a specific reason: “We use the term “practices” instead of a term such as “skills” to emphasize that engaging in scientific investigation requires not only skill but also knowledge that is specific to each practice. (NRC Framework, 2012, p. 30)”

Now that you have a bit of background on the practices, let’s take a look at how you can emphasize them using middle grade nonfiction.

DISCLAIMER! We want our students to be doing the science and engineering practices, not just reading about them. The following suggestions are in addition to time spent engaging in the practices through a high-quality curriculum during dedicated science time.

Emphasizing the Science and Engineering Practices With Middle Grade Books

Below are a few examples to spark ideas about how you can bring more scientific thinking into your ELA instruction by focusing on the science and engineering practices.

Who Gives a Poop?: Surprising Science From One End to the Other by Heather Montgomery

This is the #1 book for exploring the #2 process! Heather takes readers along on a feces field trip. From dissecting possums to trains full of sewage, Heather models for students how asking questions and conducting investigations can lead to amazing (and gross!) discoveries.

 

The Doomsday Detectives: How Walter and Luis Alvarez Solved the Mystery of Dinosaur Extinction by Cindy Jenson-Elliott

This book chronicles the father-son team that solved one of the greatest mysteries of all time: How did the dinosaurs die? This book gives readers a front row seat to the science behind the discovery. All of the science and engineering practices are modeled, yet I love to emphasize how they analyzed data, engaged in argument from evidence, used mathematics and computational thinking, and communicated information.

 

Where Are the Aliens? The Search for Life Beyond Earth by Stacy McAnulty

This book explores the scientific thinking behind the search for alien life. Readers have a front row seat to the calculations that help scientists think about the potential existence of extra-terrestrial life. How scientists use mathematics is on full display!

 

One Long Line: Marching Caterpillars and the Scientists Who Followed Them by Loree Griffin Burns

Loree’s opening perfectly describes this book: “This is a story about unusual caterpillars, curious people, and fascinating conversations.” It zooms in on a specific discovery involving pine processionary caterpillars and is perfect for spotlighting the practices of asking questions and conducting investigations.

As your students engage with the texts, you can ask them questions about the practices in three ways:

  1. Ask students to identify how a particular practice is represented.
    • Give an example from the book where Heather is conducting an investigation.
  2. Ask students to identify a practice of their choosing.
    • What practices do you notice in this book? Support your answer with examples from the text.
  3. Ask students a specific question about a particular practice.
    • How do Walter and Luis use data as evidence to explain phenomena?

Bottom line: The more we can model the practices for our students, the better they will understand and internalize them. After all, the practices, require practice!

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From the Classroom – Developing Positive Reader Identities

By on August 25, 2025   /   For Parents, For Teachers, From the Classroom  

It’s back to school time, and the competition for any middle schooler’s attention is notably divided. Not only is there a new grade with new teachers with new classmates, but there are also new sports, new extracurriculars, and a whole host of other things (ahem…technology…) grabbing their attention. Let’s start the school year off right by focusing on developing positive reader identities in our middle schoolers so that they when they have a spare minute, they reach for a book instead of a phone!

Keeping Them Motivated

Part of the issue with middle schoolers seeing themselves as readers is motivation. Many of the texts middle schoolers encounter in school are non-fiction in nature, which provides a prime opportunity to find books that mirror the topics and interests that they will encounter in school as well as those that will follow them into high school. Check out School Library Journal’s 19 standout non-fiction books for middle schoolers for back to school. Middle schoolers can see that they can go to books (and not just the Internet) to learn more about what interests them!

Time Management

What’s that you say? You’re middle schooler is saying they don’t have time to read? Instructional Coach Gretchen Taylor encourages middle schoolers to solve their own problems when it comes to time management. The goal is to help them see that being a reader means you read on a regular basis and it’s built into your regular schedule. Her students came up with the following list of action steps:

  • Write out your daily schedule and make appointments for reading
  • Always be prepared with reading material
  • Consider audiobooks as a reading option, especially if you know you’ll have extra time in the car or waiting around between activities
  • Make some time on the weekend if your weeks are especially busy

Approaching Books

Finally, invite middle schoolers into books from the very first page with this simple teaching routine from Jason DeHart:

  1. What do you notice about this world? Does it sound like the world you know or a different kind of place?
  2. Who are the characters? Who do you think is the protagonist and what do you think makes it so?
  3. What do these characters want and what seems to be in their way?

Readers ask these questions to be more motivated to find out what happens in books, and sometimes middle schoolers need extra help in figuring out how readers approach books.

As you could tell, this is all about helping our middle schoolers think about what it means to be a reader, how to make time for reading, and trying to find books to keep them reading. As you get your schedules in order this fall, talk with the middle schoolers in your life about making sure their burgeoning identities – often connected to all the activities they do – also involves reading!

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