One of the things I’m very proud about here at Salk is that we have a strong community of readers. For the past few weeks, teachers and students have been talking a lot about books—it’s one of the ways we get to know each other and build community in the school. We try to put books and reading material everywhere in our school so that they’re easily accessible to students. Books are in the halls, in the main office, and in all of our classrooms. Teachers have rich classroom libraries with the latest young adult books and magazines. In classes, we talk about finding the right book, and students share what they’ve read with partners and in book clubs. Teachers share what they’re currently reading with students. They write book reviews and they create lists of their all time favorites. As adults, we feel that it is our job to model what it means to fill our lives with reading—to be the kind of people who are changed by what we read. Of course, we want to build community, but we also want students to develop critical habits of mind and to improve their writing skills. It’s simply so wonderful to walk into classes and hear all of the thoughtful conversations about books and to see students bumping into walls because they just can’t put a good book down. Welcome to the Salk School of readers!

resources for all:

http://www.bnkst.edu/cbc/best-books-2011/
www.cricketmag.com

Best magazines for kids:
Sports Illustrated for Kids
National Geographic Kids
Time for Kids
Cricket
American Girl
Girls Life
Boys Life
Muse
Kids Discover
Odyssey
Dig
Cobbblestone
Calliope
Faces