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Listen to Episode 49 – 60
August 3, 2020
Saturday, by Oge Mora, shares the special bond of a mother and daughter as they enjoy their favorite day. But can they bounce back from the setbacks they face? Find out how Ava and her mother learn to be resilient together, and how your students can too.
August 17, 2020
The Proudest Blue, by Ibtihaj Muhammad with S.K. Ali, illustrated by Hatem Aly, is a story of bravery and dignity told through the eyes of a admiring younger sister. Learn how a single sentence using personification can be used as a jumping off point for better descriptions, and a more inclusive classroom community.
August 31, 2020
The Doctor With An Eye for Eyes: The Story of Dr. Patricia Bath, by Julia Finely Mosca, illustrated by Daniel Rieley, is a unique hybrid genre of biography and poetry. In this text readers learn all about Dr. Bath and the obstacles she overcame in order to achieve her goals. We also learn Dr. Bath’s approach to tackling each day with a question.
September 14, 2020
Gaston, by Kelly DiPucchio, illustrated by Christian Robinson, is the most adorable book of the decade! It’s cute, it’s smart, it’s delightful. And it’ll teach students a thing or two about using repetition in smart ways. Oh, and did I mention it’s adorable?
September 28, 2020
Hair Love, by Matthew A. Cherry, illustrated by Vashti Harrison, is a story about a family’s enduring love and devotion, as told through real life challenges. We’ll compare the book to the Oscar-winning short film of the same name to reveal significant differences between the two.
October 12, 2020
Boy Oh Boy, by Cliff Leek, illustrated by Bene Rohlmann, is a collection of 30 inspiring biographies about diverse, fascinating men. In today’s lesson we’ll teach students how to analyze pacing in a piece of writing and how content and importance drive an author’s decision making process.
October 26, 2020
Parker Looks Up: An Extraordinary Moment, by Parker Curry and Jessica Curry, illustrated by Brittany Jackson, is the recount of a family outing that went viral. When preschooler Parker Curry stumbles upon a particular painting at the museum her whole world changes. In today’s lesson we’ll use famous works of art to build vocabulary in order to write better descriptions.
November 9, 2020
The Word Collector, by Peter H. Reynolds, introduces readers to Jerome – a boy who loves words so much that he collects them. We’ll piggyback on this admiration by having some word fun of our own. Today’s lesson is a great one for introducing synonyms for the first time, or for nudging students to use synonyms to spice up their writing.
November 23, 2020
Peter’s Chair, by Ezra Jack Keats, is a classic text that all students should read. Peter is a young boy who has just become a big brother and he’s learning how to handle change in his own way. In today’s lesson we’ll look for opportunities to develop the plot further, just like students need to do in their own writing.
December 7, 2020
Last Stop On Market Street, by Matt de la Peña, illustrated by Christian Robinson, has become a classroom classic, even though it’s only been around for a short time. In it, de la Peña conveys character values in a beautifully balanced way that helps kids approach the embedded layer of meaning that we need to access in order to successfully infer.
December 21, 2020
Counting On Katherine, by Helaine Becker, illustrated by Dow Phumiruk, is the inspiring story of Katherine Johnson, the celebrated NASA mathematician. We’ll use several texts today to support students’ comprehension and learn even more about this American hero.
January 4, 2021
M is for Melanin, by Tiffany Rose, is the first alphabet book we’ve featured on LitCentric Radio. But this isn’t any ordinary ABC text. This book sends a clear message to all children that they are amazing just the way they are, and that it’s the rest of the world that needs to adjust.
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