An Unplanned Book Talk

Today was my first day of school.  Our periods were shortened, each one only 25 minutes, due to teaching school-wide behavior expectations.  I did not have any book talks planned because I did not think I would have time.

After I taught the lesson, I found myself with a few extra minutes to spare.  As any prepared teacher would do, I pulled something out of my "bag of tricks."  Our first unit is Making Choices, so I had prepared ahead of time a stack of cards with some "would you rather" questions.

I asked a student to pull one out and to read it.

"Would you rather know the future or be able to fly."

As they turned and talked about their choices, I immediately thought about the book, All the Answers by Kate Messner.  The main character in the book finds a pencil, and it gives her a glimpse of what it might be like to know the future.

Perfect tie-in to the book!  Instant book talk.

I immediately went to my bookshelf, pulled the book, and talked it up.  I knew they were hooked when many of them asked, "Oh, can I read that one first?"

I love it when I stumble upon a book talk.