Waldorf Summer Reading

I don’t know about you, but I can’t get my mind out of the SUMMER! Which for me means

Waldorf Summer Reading!

Of course, one of the things I look forward to most about the summer is having all kinds of time to read. I’m working on my summer reading list, in addition to finding ways to inspire my students to read.

If you’re looking for summer reading suggestions for your students, the best website I can suggest is the San Francisco Waldorf School Library website. There are lists of books for each grade, as well as books per subject. I gave my students a reading list from this site last summer, and then asked them to send me a postcard about a book they had read (of course, I replied to them.)

When it comes to teacher reading, I’m looking to create a nice balance of trashy novels, inspiring biographies and teacherly reading.

• For the trashy stuff, I tend to hit the Young Adult section at the library. I look for the covers I’ve seen in my classroom — post-apocalyptic teen hero, vampire romance and high school drama novels have made my reading list lately.
• Our family is planning a big summer roadtrip to California this year, and those Sierra mountains always remind me of John Muir. There is something about this man I just love. I always spend a couple of days talking about him in the 5th grade Botany block. I’ve used John Muir: My Life With Nature as a reader, but I’ve never spent much time with his writing for adults. There are so many selections to choose from, that it’s hard to decide what to read myself, but I think I’m going with his . And though I usually make good use of my local library, I think I’ll be purchasing this little gem.
• For the teacherly reading (which I probably won’t start until July) I’m thinking a classroom management brush-up is in order. I just love all of the books in the Responsive Classroom series and if you haven’t read The First Six Weeks of School, you should definitely pick it up before school starts. Heading into 8th grade, though, I think I’ll take a look at their Middle School Motivators: 22 Interactive Learning Structures.

However you decide to structure your summer reading, I hope you make the most of it and enjoy some of it out in the summer sun!

What are you planning on reading this summer? Give us your ideas in the comments!