A (School) Year in Review

I am about to wrap up my 8th year in education- a number that frankly seems impossible, because the time has flown by.  Although I have worked at two schools (soon to be three- but I'll get to that later), I have spent all 8 years in Berwyn South School District 100. I consider this district to be my little niche of happiness. I am allowed and encouraged to be myself and to flourish- and yes- teaching is hard- but I get through it with the amazing friends and work family I have created over the years.

I like to consider myself a very reflective teacher- it's something that I consider vital for growth in any field- but especially the land of education. Because of this, I wonder why, until this post, I have yet to sit down at the end of a school year and record my thoughts. Getting ideas down on paper is so powerful, and maybe because this year has been so full of changes (good and bad), I am excited to embark on this journey.

This blog, which I only started last year, has given me so much. It has provided a place to grow, learn, share, be vulnerable, be excited, make connections, and more! It has given me an audience to listen and share with, that in turn, I have read blogs and learned with and from people around the globe. Things I never would have stumbled upon before have entered my life because of blogging- and I am forever grateful for that.

So without further ado- I know you’re dying to actually get down to the nitty gritty and hear about this school year. SO much has happened, some things are changing, and some things will always stay the same.

Let’s start with some really positive and exciting events. This was the inaugural year of #D100bloggerPD, which I co-founded with fellow D100 Reading Specialist Colleen Noffsinger. Safe to say that if you have read my blog before, you know about #D100bloggerPD.  This is where we select books (from all areas) and do a blog book study (kind of like a jigsaw) with other members (both teachers and admin) from around D100. We have done 3 books this year: Reading in the Wild by Donalyn Miller, Move Your Bus by Ron Clark, and Hacking Education by Mark Barnes and Jennifer Gonzalez. Each one has gotten better and better and the impact of #D100bloggerPD has been amazing. We have involved so many teachers, from within D100 to all the way across the country, and we are all learning and growing together. Even though the school year is ending, #D100bloggerPD will keep going- in fact, we just announced our next blog study, and it will be on the book What Teachers Make by Taylor Mali. Even better news: Taylor Mali heard about our blog study via Twitter and had reached out to help and participate in a Twitter Chat. Hello, power of Twitter! And the power of good people getting together to learn and improve themselves. Not for pay, not for recognition- just for the purpose of learning. 

Also exciting this year was I continued doing something I love- presenting at #edtech conferences- and this year I got to bring my husband in on it! We co-wrote a presentation called “Educator Expectations in the 21st Century” and were able to share this with audiences at Illinois State University’s T21CON (Teaching in the 21st Century Conference) in

September, Waukegan Google ’n More in January, and ICE (Illinois Computing Educators) in February. I love this presentation because it’s not about one buzzword in education. It’s about motivating people to be the very best they can be while fusing in some 21st century skills along the way.

There is no “trick” to teaching. There’s just good teachers who never give up and surround themselves with a PLN (professional learning network) of other like minded individuals, and then they all make a vow to never stop improving. And yes, that is as hard as it sounds. But you work at it. Constantly. I also attended EdCamp Chicago- which was held at my husband Peter’s school (Churchville Middle School in Elmhurst, IL) back in April with some D100 friends and some of my extended D205 family. It was a fantastic day of learning and growing (organized by the amazing Ben Hartman and his EdCamp Chicago Team) and days like that make it very obvious why EdCamps are so popular! 

Speaking of conferences, I get to knock something off my bucket list next year thanks to my proposal acceptance to present at the IRC (Illinois Reading Council) Conference. As a reading specialist, this conference is the top of my ladder. All the best voices in reading attend and present at this conference- and I am MORE than excited that this will be me next year. I will be presenting on Using Technology to Improve Reading Instruction- a presentation geared towards Pre-K to 3rd grade teachers that will focus on infusing technology into the core building blocks of reading instruction.

To keep the trend of getting good news going, I found out early May that I will be awarded the Outstanding Young Alumni Award from the Illinois State University College of Education in the fall during the Homecoming festivities. This is a HUGE honor and one that I am more than humbled to receive. My husband won this award two years ago and wholeheartedly deserved it- so to not only follow in his footsteps but also blaze this trail of my own is amazing. I consider ISU to be my home- a place that molded me into a student/teacher/person who never gives up and keeps growing. The motto, Gladly We Learn and Teach, sums it up perfectly. We must always keep learning in order to be the best teacher we can possibly be. I just really can’t put into words everything this University and the College of Education has done for me.  If you are a regular on my blog, you also know that Illinois State is where I met my husband (an amazing educator who I talk about ALL the time- sorry!), which is just another reason to love my alma mater. Plus, being able to be ‘lovebirds’ (the ISU mascot is the Redbird) is pretty adorable!

Speaking of my husband, being married to a teacher has its perks. And this year- the perks lined up (for only the 2nd time in 8 years) and we had the same spring break.

We were able to take our baby birds (get it…lovebirds have baby birds…) on a spring break road trip-visiting various museums over the span of five different states. I know what you’re thinking- those poor kids get to go to a bunch of museums while other kids get to go to Disney! But seriously- they loved it! Being the kids of two teachers has definitely shaped them into little adventure-loving learners. We are so proud of the kids they are growing up to be. This year, more than ever, I have noticed them growing up way too fast. 

Brayden (our oldest) just finished Pre-K and therefore starts Kindergarten in the fall. This is impossible. My baby just can’t be turning 5 and going off to elementary school. I just don’t get it.

And Olive….our feisty, take charge, run the world 3 year old- she’s keeping right up with her older brother.

It’s hard to believe (but wonderful) that we are over and done with with all things baby. No more bottles, diapers, cribs, making baby food, and sadly, no more sleepy baby snuggles in the middle of the night. Those days might be gone- but I know I can speak for Peter and say that we cannot wait to fill those days with new memories and new adventures. Watching your kids grow up is a pleasure I didn’t fully understand until now.

So many positive things happened this year that it’s hard to remember them all. I almost forgot to mention the amazing #edtech conference that my district hosts- iEngage! This is an amazing event that just wrapped its second year- both of which I was in charge of all things registration.

This includes the registration website, the schedule website, the logistics of how much food to order (eek! can’t mess that up!), and how many seats to lay down. I wrote a reflection post last year which sums up a lot of the emotions and craziness of organizing this conference. This year the conference was, again, a huge success- due in large part to the fantastic iLead team led by Jordan Garrett. We all had a role and worked together to execute the conference beautifully- of which hundreds of educators from in and out of Illinois came to learn. 

This year iEngage was a little rough for me because, unfortunately, my grandma was admitted to the hospital on the Thursday before the two day conference which happened Friday 4/29 and Saturday 4/30. I spent the evening of that Thursday in the hospital with my family, left late and arrived in Berwyn at 5am to get ready for Friday. Friday was a huge success and at the end of the day, I drove back to the hospital. Stayed late again and was back in Berwyn by 6am Saturday for day 2 of iEngage. Once again, a huge success and then my husband and I drove back to the hospital. This time we spent the night with my family in the room, and sadly, in the middle of the night, surrounded by her loved ones, my grandma passed away. I couldn’t even write in this blog post the millions of things this woman has done for me in my lifetime. I couldn’t possibly put into words the feeling you have when you experience the first death of someone close to you. I have learned to look at this in a positive light. I was only born with 2 grandparents living and I made it until I was 30 years old before they both passed. Another positive- my grandma got to know my kids and vice versa.

This lady who had such a hand in raising me got to enjoy my kids growing up. She will forever be in their memories- in fact- they talk about her often. About her love of corn dogs, banana shakes from Culver’s, playing with toys at her house, and getting to hug and kiss her goodbye. Those memories are priceless. 

After her passing, I was so fortunate enough to be able to lean on so many friends and family to get me through this hard time. Being surrounded by people who love you is a blessing- and I am lucky to say I have a lot of people who love me. A husband who is my rock, kids who, while crazy, are my world, a family of strong people, and friends who would drop anything for me. A lot of those friends are people I work with, and have come to consider family, after working at Pershing the last two years. Being able to work in a school and a district that cares about you is not something I take lightly. 

This brings me to my last change. This is, likely, my last post as a Pershing Panther. I will be moving next year to Hiawatha, another elementary school in our district. I’m excited for change and the new opportunity, but it goes without saying that I will miss the people I have gotten to know these last two years. But I’m really only going about ten minutes away- so hopefully they won’t forget about me and we can grab lunch sometime!

If you’re still reading this- wow! That was so much! When I started out, I didn’t think I had much to reflect on this year. Turns out A LOT has happened. I didn’t intend for this post to get this long, but I’m kind of glad it did. Like I said, reflecting is key to growth. Writing everything down has a sort of healing power to it and it allows me to clear my mind for summer and next year. 

I can’t wait. 

What’s next? I’m going to go enjoy the end of the school year and summertime. You’ll see me back here at the end of June when we start to promote our next #D100bloggerPD- and that will begin July 21st! 

#D100 bloggerPD Book Study: Coda

If you look up "Coda" in the dictionary, one of the multiple definitions that you will see is "anything that serves as a concluding part" which is obviously a fitting title for the ultimate section of this book. If you've been following along, you know that I am posting the final installment of the #D100bloggerPD blog book study of Donalyn Miller's book Reading in the Wild. If you are here for the first time today, I'd love for you to check out the previous posts- as they include a multitude of resources, reflections, and thoughts from some very intelligent members of my district and our blogging professional development crew. Here's what has happened so far:

Literacy Loving Gals with Chapter 1: Wild Readers Dedicate Time to Read

Miss G Does 5th with Vignette: Creating a Workshop Schedule that Works for You

Courtney O'Connor Guest Blogging on Literacy Loving Gals with Chapter 2: Wild Readers Self-Select Reading Material 

Social Justice Superheroes with Vignette: Curating a Classroom Library

Responsive Literacy with Chapter 3: Wild Readers Share Books with Other Readers

Pershing Principal Blog with Vignette: Conferring: What's the Point?

That Literacy Lady with Chapter 4: Wild Readers Have Reading Plans

The Bazz Blog with Vignette: Building a Personal Canon

Reading is Thinking with Chapter 5: Wild Readers Show Preferences

*You can also read my post on the making of a blog book study here*

As I read the final section of Donalyn's book, which is a touching story of a reading relationship between her and her students, I couldn't help but think back to all the times I have had similar relationships with my students.  As some of my readers know, I am a reading specialist in an elementary school- and formerly in a middle school. As part of my job, I teach RTI (Response to Intervention) groups- which is basically a reading group for students who are struggling for a variety of different reasons with reading at their current grade level and the group is designed to help them grow to their reading potential.

I always stop people when they say that my job is to "fix" student's reading. I'm not a handyman- I don't fix anything.

I do, however, build a relationship with students to determine their current reading abilities and work with them to set a path to achieve their own potential. Because of this, I encounter students on a daily basis who finding their way to a love for reading. I believe that if I can help a student find that love for reading, while helping them bridge some of their gaps, that they too can become lifelong wild readers and begin to fulfill their full reading potential. This is my passion. This is my lifelong journey. 

Like Donalyn Miller talks about in this Coda section of the book, I, too, share wonderful moments with my readers. A couple weeks ago I reached a milestone with one of my fifth grade students. She has been in the RTI process for a couple years now and until recently did not identify as a reader. This story is proof that when students begin to identify as a reader, that they can transform their ability- just with a positive mindset. I started seeing this student in August at the beginning of the year. She was polite and well behaved in group but never really excited to be reading. This continued on with us- me trying to find a "hook" to ignite her reading passion and her making slow but steady improvement toward grade level. Then one day our Assistant Principal Ms. Bazz, a definite wild reader herself, went into this 5th grade classroom and performed (I say performed because it was, no doubt, an epic show!) some book talks. Later that same afternoon, this student came to my group and was raving about how exciting books can be.

Let this be a lesson- one amazing book talk can change your life- because for this girl, it did. Ever since that day, she has been devouring books. She has been zealous in group and improving daily. It's been a joy to see. This all culminated with last week, the student walked into our group with a book in hand and declared, "You MUST read this book!" As an RTI teacher, my students don't usually come to group with their independent reading books- let alone proclaiming their love for them. As a teacher, these are the moments I live for. These are the moments that are imprinted on my life forever.  I sometimes wonder if kids know, when we look at the with awe, how amazing they are. This student now has a new outlook on life- all because of a book.      

I think the only thing left is to leave you with this quote- which Donalyn used to begin her Coda chapter. I think it fits perfectly the summation of this book study as it is not, in fact, a coda at all, rather a beginning for all of us.

If you've enjoyed being a part of this study or enjoyed reading along with it, please  stay in touch! Keep up with future blog studies by following #D100bloggerPD on Twitter.  

Speaking of twitter, my district, Berwyn South School District 100, is hosting a #D100chat on 12/15/15 at 8:00pm CST.  I am guest moderating along with Colleen over at Literacy Loving Gals and the topic is about #D100bloggerPD! You can join in if you'd like to discuss wild readers and how blogging/social media impacts your teaching. If you can't make it for this chat, be sure to catch a future one- they happen every other Tuesday at 8:00 pm CST. We'd love to hear from you!

  I want to thank each and every blogger who took part in this inaugural book study as part of the Berwyn South District 100 #D100bloggerPD crew.

 Each of you are special and talented and I am lucky to work with all of you. 

P.S. It was especially great to see our #D100bloggerPD hashtag trending on Twitter back on 11/29- I love the fact that we are all getting together to spread the learning in our district and share our thoughts with the whole twitter-verse! Remember: we are all in this together. The more we share and the more we learn from each other- the better!! Thanks for reading this and being a part of my PLN!

#D100BloggerPD: Reading in the Wild: Introduction

Welcome to the blog book study of Donalyn Miller's Reading in the Wild! This study is being put on by some members of Berwyn South School District 100 in Berwyn, Illinois. Our district, located outside of Chicago, Illinois, has 8 schools K-8 and the bloggers in this study, 11 in total, consist of classroom teachers, reading specialists, literacy coaches, and administration members. It's a great group of people who love learning and blogging-and for this reason, we are members of the #D100bloggerPD crew! This hashtag captivates our desire to join up with other teachers in our district to "take to our blogs" to share our knowledge with the world. But this blog study has one more specific focus in mind- and that is reading! Our love of all things reading is what has brought us #D100bloggerPD members together for this inaugural D100 blog book study!

As you can see, the mentor text for this blog book study is Donalyn Miller's Reading in the Wild. Right now, you are either thinking- "Oh yes, I just loved The Book Whisperer!"  or "Who is Donalyn Miller?" Well, if you are thinking the latter, I am so glad you're here! Donalyn Miller is an absolutely inspirational vision of reading leadership and insight- and as a young teacher, her book The Book Whisperer shaped me as a teacher and a person. It is, hands down, one of my most favorite "teacher books" and is a go-to recommendation for any person who teaches reading to add to their list. It's not just something reading teachers or reading specialists should read. It's a book that any person who comes in contact with any type of reading in any form should read. Yep, that's everyone. Seriously. Get it. Read it. Now.

If you have read Donalyn's first book or you just know of how awesome she is, then you are definitely in the right place as we take on her book Reading in the Wild for this blog book study. I have been wanting to read this book for quite some time now (it was released in 2014) and after participating in a fantastic blog book study over the summer of 2015- with Jennifer Serravallo's The Reading Strategies Book (check out the posts in my blog!) I knew I wanted to bring that concept to my district and it was clear that this would be the perfect book for that task.

In the fall, I met Donalyn Miller at the 2015 Illinois Reading Council Conference.
It was a fantastic moment, for sure!

If you aren't sure about how a Blog Book Study works, check out my preview post here to get a quick idea of how the book study came together, how it will work, and what to expect. Basically, each member of the #D100bloggerPD crew will post a reflection on her blog from either a chapter or vignette from the book Reading in the Wild. You'll be able to follow along because at the end of each post there will be a link to the next post in the study. If you want a heads up of what's to come, check out this fantastic schedule:

As you can see, I am beginning and ending the book study- which leads me to the task at hand today- reflecting on the Introduction and opening vignette "Life, The Universe, and Everything" from, obviously, Reading in the Wild. I'll begin with the Introduction.

As if I was looking for (yet another) reason as to why I chose this book for the book study- the opening paragraph validated me once again. Donalyn Miller, when lamenting on the reasons her carefully cultivated wild readers from her class did not stay wild readers in middle school, very honestly says, "I blamed upper-level teachers and schools when my former students lost their reading motivation." (Introduction, page xvii). I instantly connected to this because, in my eight years of teaching, I spent the first six as a middle school reading teacher and the most current two as a reading specialist at an elementary school- not having changed districts so I was able to witness this statement from both sides of the coin. It's a sad but true realization that she is absolutely correct. Teachers do blame each other.

This is both heartbreaking and incredibly unjustified all at the same time. First and foremost, teaching is hard. It's flat out difficult and if we, as teachers, do not stick together, then who can we rely on in this world? We must stop the blame game of middle school teachers thinking elementary teachers did not prepare them and high school teachers thinking the same of middle school teachers. There is always another side that we cannot immediately see- and I'd love if the culture of education (both internal and outside perspectives) would take a moment to gather the whole story before jumping to conclusions about the shortcomings of any one piece of a child's education. But secondly, and more to the point Donalyn Miller was trying to make, is that perhaps maybe we need to rethink the things we are most sure of in our classrooms. She goes on to say that, "If my students were truly independent readers, why did they still need a teacher to orchestrate their reading lives?" (Introduction, page xviii). Looking inward like that as a teacher is incredible and vulnerable. It's hard for teachers (read: humans) to step back and evaluate themselves. However, without personal reflection and evaluation, how are we to grow? And that question, of personal growth and ultimately the growth of wild readers, is the spring board for this amazing book.

As you can see in this quote, from Introduction page xviii, it explains perfectly the need for teachers to provide students with the necessary

tools to be successful. We must help our students to become self advocates of their reading (and ultimately their learning) if we expect them to be in control of their reading lives. If our students can only be successful while we hold their hands, what happens when they must let go and walk alone? I (and I can't think of another teacher who would disagree with me) want to prepare them for those moments when they will be faced with reading choices and I am not there next to them. This is a serious responsibility for a teacher- yet anyone who wants to create their own "wild" readers must take on the task and try their very best to accomplish this. 

There is a point that is very clear that Donalyn Miller wants us to understand from reading this introduction- and that is that the only true way to become a better reader is to read. And read. And read. And read some more.

If you've read The Book Whisperer, you got that message- and if you're at the beginning of this Reading in the Wild, you're beginning to understand that Miller's fundamental philosophy is the rooted in the fact that reading is they key to reading. Yes, read that again. Reading is the key to reading. It's not about tricks or arts and crafts. It's not about state tests or gimmicks. It's about reading. As you can see from this quote, from Introduction page xix, lifelong reading habits are not made just by teaching reading skills. We must also instill in our students a reading lifestyle. We have to teach them that reading is more than just the words on the page or the means to an end like a test or assignment. Reading exists for purposes other than answering "right there" questions on homework and we must teach students this value the same as we teach them character motivations. 

Those of us who love reading know that reading, quite simply, makes our lives better. We know this to be true because we know the feeling we get when we finish a book, the emotions we share with a character, and even the void we feel when we haven't picked up a book in far too long to admit.

What I love about the introduction to this book, though, is that Donalyn Miller proves to us that readers are overall better members of society. She provides us with studies that prove readers are more likely to be academically and economically successful, have access to better job prospects, are better in the workforce,  and are stronger socially.  Obviously, then it seems, that this quote to the left is spot on. Reading is valuable. It's that simple.                               So now that we know how important turning our students into lifelong (wild!) readers is, Miller gives us "five general characteristics" that she and Susan Kelly (a contributor to this book) found to be the key traits that all wild readers possess. This list of traits, which is found in the Introduction pages xxiii and xxiv, is literally a game-changer for how we teach reading. If we use these traits as our starting point and aim to create readers who possess these traits, rather than the ability to identify the setting in isolation, we will finally make forward progress toward the goal of creating lifelong readers. Here's what they found are the five important traits- "Lifelong readers: (1) Dedicate time to read (2) Self-select reading material (3) Share books and reading with other readers (4) Have reading plans and (5) Show preferences for genres, authors, and topics." (Introduction pages xxiii-xxiv). These five traits are further explained in the book as they are the topic for each of the five chapters. You'll learn more about them as you follow along with the blog study.

 Obviously, each of these traits are explained further in the text- which is a fantastic reason to stay tuned for the rest of the book study! But even now, if you consider yourself a reader, doesn't this make perfect sense so far? I know it does for me. I can think about people who I consider to be "wild readers" and each of those traits apply to them. I can also think about myself and how, with two toddlers ages 4 and 2.5, I'd love to be able to say I follow trait 1- dedicate time to read- more faithfully- but I keep making excuses to why I can't. Things like making dinner, cleaning the house, the ever-elusive potty training are barricades to my reading time- but I must be honest with myself here. If I am truly not dedicating time to read even with those obstacles, can I truly consider myself a lifelong wild reader? I'd like to think I am, but again, self reflection needs to be honest, and I can't always say I exemplify all five of those traits at any given time.

So if it's difficult for me- it's going to be difficult for my students. That's where this book comes in to save the day and help us with that task.  I love this quote on the right here. My love exists for two reasons- (1) That the phrase 'ethical responsibility' makes my job feel so powerful and amazing- which it is but I sometimes forget under piles of stress but also (2) That somehow Donalyn Miller believes that this great task is possible- and therefore, so do I.

Moving on the vignette "Life, the Universe, and Everything", I love this personal window that Donalyn Miller opens up for the reader into her life at home. Miller explains how her "path to understanding reading habits began at home" and she walks us through the lives of the readers in her household. She tells of her husband and his reading habits, her daughter and her unique reading habits, as well as the students in her classroom. This is very true to these vignettes in the book- they offer a real world glimpse into a certain topic- in this case examining reading lives and their importance.

Each vignette is very short- 5-8 pages max- and for me, when I read them, I felt refreshed and energized. This vignette solidifies the point that we must teach students to truly become readers. They need to personally identify as a reader if they are to continue reading into their adult lives. I also love that Miller reflects on the "activities" that teachers make students complete after reading- things like crossword puzzles and dioramas- in which she hopes "teachers might realize that instead of encouraging students to read, these mindless assignments make kids hate reading." (Page 3). I absolutely love this- partly because I am guilty of having done these activities in my early career (and yes, am willing to admit it for the sake of growth) but mostly because she is coming full speed at these "cheap" ways of teaching reading and flat out demanding that we teach reading in an authentic way. And if you were worried about how to do that- that's what the rest of the book is for! 

Next up, on Wednesday 11/11, is Colleen with her reflection on Chapter 1: Wild Readers Dedicate Time to Read. Be sure to check out her post at Literacy Loving Gals and don't forget to keep up with the entire blog book study by tracking #D100bloggerPD on Twitter or Instagram or following the schedules posted above.

Also, you can always check back here- as I will be linking each reflection as they are posted on the blogs.

Literacy Loving Gals with Chapter 1: Wild Readers Dedicate Time to Read

Miss G Does 5th with Vignette: Creating a Workshop Schedule that Works for You

Courtney O'Connor Guest Blogging on Literacy Loving Gals with Chapter 2: Wild Readers Self-Select Reading Material 

Social Justice Superheroes with Vignette: Curating a Classroom Library

Responsive Literacy with Chapter 3: Wild Readers Share Books with Other Readers

Pershing Principal Blog with Vignette: Conferring: What's the Point?

That Literacy Lady with Chapter 4: Wild Readers Have Reading Plans

The Bazz Blog with Vignette: Building a Personal Canon

Reading is Thinking with Chapter 5: Wild Readers Show Preferences

Reading and Owl of the Above with Vignette: CODA

Please don't hesitate to leave your comments or questions below- I'd love to hear from you. 

Thanks for reading. 

Want to follow along with us in this study? Grab your own copy of Reading in the Wild!

Blog Book Study Coming Soon!

If you have visited my blog before, you have probably seen the many posts that I made when I participated in a blog book study over the summer with The Reading Strategies Book by Jennifer Serravallo. I was even linked by Jennifer Serravallo on her website, where people who go to her website can now link/hop over to my blog and read my reflections of her book. I loved every moment of being a part of that study- so much that I wanted to begin my own within my fantastic school district. That brings us to right now.

On Monday, November 9, I will post the kickoff reflection of the Reading in the Wild by Donalyn Miller blog book study. All the members of this book study are fellow colleagues in Berwyn South School District 100- a town right outside of Chicago, Il. There are 10 total participants and we will all be reading and reflecting on one chapter or vignette from Donalyn Miller's book Reading in the Wild.      

If you've never been part of a blog book study before (whether a participant or audience member), it's really quite simple. Here's what I did to prepare: 

1. I decided on what book to focus the study on- in this case, Reading in the Wild by Donalyn Miller. I had been wanting to read this book ever since it came out- mostly because of my absolute adoration of her first book, The Book Whisperer. 
2. I looked through the book and determined how many "blog posts" there would need to be. In this case, I found 11 individual sections- some short vignettes, some long chapters- that I would need to assign to participants.
3. Next, I needed to find participants. Since I work in a school district of 8 schools- sending an email out to the whole entire district seemed a bit much for only 11  reflections, so I sent out an email to the identified group of reading teachers.  From this, including myself, I got 10 participants. Because I was ultimately one participant short, I decided that I would do the first and last reflections, just to begin and wrap up the study nicely.
4. I then set up a google doc (which was shared in that invitation email) and anyone who wanted to participate signed up for a section of the book and gave their info about their blog, twitter, etc.
5. **This might be a great time to point out that along the way, I was lucky enough to get help from the amazing Colleen Noffsinger- who hosted, with her #readingstrategiescrew, that Serravallo study I was part of over the summer. I am so grateful that she is in my district and was willing to answer my (sometimes needy and silly) questions along the way.
6. And speaking of Colleen, she is the one who put together the amazing schedule- (see below) which is the next step that needed completing. Once everyone had signed up, given their blog info, and selected a section- it was time to set a start date and make a schedule. 
7. It was decided that, just like the summer study, a new blog post would come out every Monday and Wednesday. With 11 posts, I just wanted to make sure that we could start in enough time to be done before everyone leaves on winter break- a time that is crazy and hectic for everyone!! And no one wants to be worried about remember to get their post done while on vacation!
8. Then you need an awesome friend like Colleen to finalize the schedule and then you begin to promote!! Here's the beautiful schedule: 
   
9. Once the study begins, everyone just posts their blog reflection on their assigned day. At the end of each post, the current blogger "links" to the next blogger (and so on, and so on) until the end of the study. It's also helpful to have a "linky" where people can link up to your blog, as well.
10. Lastly, it's always helpful to have a fun hashtag when promoting on twitter- so thanks to Marilyn McManus, my fabulous principal, she came up with our hashtag: D100bloggerPD
1. This is perfect because now we can use it to tag our posts with this study and also for any future blog studies within my amazing district.

That's all for now! Be sure to check back here on Monday, 11/9 for the first post as part of this amazing book study! And in the meantime, check out the other fabulous bloggers (who you can see in the schedule above) and see their amazing blogs!

*If you want to be sure you don't miss a post from me in the future- check on the upper right side of my blog and you'll see a "bloglovin" button- just click that, subscribe to my blog, and you'll be updated in the future anytime I create a new post! It's the best way to guarantee you won't miss a thing!