BLOGS > OCTOBER 29, 2018
BY CARLY ACCOMANDO
This 2018-2019 school year marks my fifth year as a teacher. It is hard to believe that I have only been teaching for five years, because teaching has always been my passion in life, even from a very early age. This year, I told myself, was going to be a year of changes for me. I am proud to say that we’re just five weeks into the school year and these changes are already set into motion.
This year I decided that I wasn’t going to teach out of an old curriculum book this year, but I was going to teach hands-on with materials that engaged my students, rather than boring them. I gave up all of my old curriculum and I started fresh.
We’re doing mostly interactive notebooks, and let me just say, wow! I wish I would have made this switch sooner.
In addition to interactive notebooks, I decided that this year, instead of using our 10-year-old reading series, that I was going to teach reading through the use of picture books. This has been the best decision I have made to date.
I couldn’t have had a better time to take place in the #ClassroomBookADay Challenge! Many of the picture books I am reading are also double-dipping as mentor texts. We are currently using our picture books to practice our inferencing skills. It makes me so proud to hear students saying things like “based on the pictures, I can infer….”
I am looking forward to blogging about this journey with all of you throughout this school year. My class is also excited about this journey. This process is helping them read for enjoyment and meaning, rather than because it was assigned to them. It brings joy to my heart when they come in every day and ask which book we will be reading today!
Pictured below are two students re-reading the first picture book we read during this challenge during our partner reading time.
CARLY ACCOMANDO
Fourth Grade Teacher, Duker School, McHenry, IL
Carly Accomando is a fourth grade teacher at Duker School in McHenry, IL. It's her fourth year teaching, and this is her second year at Duker School. Previously, she taught first and second grade at a charter school. Says Carly, "Teaching is my greatest passion in life! I feel very fortunate to say that I truly love what I do. Each day is a new adventure." In her free time, Carly enjoys reading, baking and shopping. She also loves spending time with her family, boyfriend and their three dogs.
See #ClassroomBookADay blogs here to see all of the articles written by our contributing classroom teachers.
Follow Follett Learning's Pinterest board for great resources on the titles featured.
To view the full #ClassroomBookADay book list on Titlewave, click here.
An Author Interview with Don Everts
December 17, 2025
What peculiar thread connects secret superpowers, chicken farming, Victorian architecture, and the impossible awkwardness of being 14? Debut middle grade author Don Everts weaves it together for us in this conversation about his new book, Oscar and the Mystery of...
Read more
An Author Interview with Sara Amini and Illustrator Shadia Amin
December 17, 2025
Author Sara Amini and artist Shadia Amin team up for this charming, semi-autobiographical middle grade graphic memoir that explores evolving friendships, puberty mishaps, and finding a place to belong. Navigating life as a multiracial girl has never been more hilarious...
Read more
An Author Interview with Katherine Applegate
December 17, 2025
Go behind the scenes with Newbery Medal-winning author and literary superstar Katherine Applegate as she discusses her returns with two exciting new titles releasing in spring! First up is The Littlest Elephant, a picture book adaptation of the best-selling middle grade...
Read more
An Author Interview with Amy Timberlake and Illustrator Jon Klassen
December 17, 2025
Award-winning author Amy Timberlake and illustrator Jon Klassen team up to bring you the latest in the Skunk and Badger trilogy. Rock Paper Incisors follows odd-couple roommates Skunk and Badger as they explore the complexity of friendship and the meaning...
Read more
What We're Reading: Best of 2025
November 17, 2025
As the year wraps up, we’re highlighting the top books that sparked curiosity, inspired learning, and kept students turning pages in 2025. These eight standout titles – from award-winning historical fiction to imaginative adventures and engaging picture books – are...
Read more
Get Ahead of the 2026 ALA YMAs with These 5 Must-Read Contender Titles
November 1, 2025
This month, we’re diving into the most buzzworthy books of the year – handpicked by our Curation Team from our ALA Youth Media Award Contenders book list. These standout titles are generating serious award chatter, and we’re reading them now to...
Read more