Running Records Video

If you are like me and need some guidance on running records, I watched this video in another grad course and found it very helpful. Hope this helps!

Author Link List

I was able to add a new gadget that lists several authors listed from my annotated bibliography. I hope that you have time to check them out and experience these authors. Scroll down to the bottom of my page and you will see the links.

St. Augustine trip

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I had the opportunity to visit the oldest schoolhouse in the United States. This was located in St. Augustine, Florida and such a great experience for me. I was able to take a tour of the schoolhouse and see the antiques that have been preserved and on display in the schoolhouse. I was actually able to ring the old schoolhouse bell that rang for the start of the school day. I felt such emotion when I was inside and tried to imagine what it would have been like to be an educator during that time. It was such a great experience that when I came back to school, I had to share the experience with my teammates. They also shared in on my excitement and wished the could have experience the same opportunity.

Great video for FCAT writing

This video takes the stress off students about the FCAT writing. Very creative!

Book list for middle school teachers

It's always great to have a list of books available for students to become engaged in. I found some great suggestions on here for middle school teachers.

Great website for teachers

This website shows videos of teaching strategies and ideas. It is worth checking out! http://teachertube.com/

Last Class Lecture

I just wanted to post about our last class because it was so great to see everyone's blogs. The blogs show so much for each person's personality and their passion for teaching. I learned so many tips and ideas to add to my own blog and any additional that I could create for the future. Thank you so much for such a great semester.

Author Websites

James Patterson~www.jamespatterson.com Suzanne Collins~www.suzannecollinsbooks.com Lois Lowry~ www.loislowry.com

Maximum Ride Book Trailer

Great quote from James Patterson

"I did know that the book would end with a mind-boggling trial, but I didn't know exactly how it would turn out. I like a little suspense when I am writing, too." ~James Patterson I love this quote!

James Patterson on Maximum Ride

www.jamespatterson.com

? Question of the Day ?

Collier County News: The Referendum Passed! Ok we helped you out, now when are you going to help us out?

Recommended Sites

I came across some helpful sites this week that I wanted to make public for other teachers to benefit from. I recently joined the site, Edhelper.com which offers a wealth of resources from different subject areas. The price was reasonable to join and lasts for one year. I have found myself using this site quite often especially since we just began a unit on Native Americans. If I am ever absent, I always go to superteacherworksheets.com and havefunteaching.com because there are so many filler worksheets that you can use without having to join. Plus, extra practice pages that students can use for homework as well. Of course, Pintrest is amazing in many ways but there are so many examples and ideas for teachers. The pictures are from real teachers and they show their artistic abilities along with great ideas. In some resources, you need to be able to draw, which is a downside for me because I cannot draw but I can always try my best.

? Question of the Day ?

My question for today is how do you run your centers and guided reading groups? I have a routine in effect but I am always open for suggestions to make improvements. I always seem to run out of time for my guided reading groups which are only 15 minutes long. I just get into doing an activity and then time is up. Some days it gets so frustrating. I try to make the best of my time and start a book on Monday with my groups and we work through that book throughout the week. While I am with my groups, I have 4 other centers going. It usually keeps them pretty engaged and busy but other days not so much. I try to keep my centers interesting so they do not get bored or finish to fast. I am always open for suggestions on how other teachers manage centers, so if you would like to post anything, please let me know.

Annotated Bibliography

I wanted to make some recommendations on books that I have read for my annotated bibliography. Some of these may be interesting for your own students because I know at times it can be a struggle for students to be motivated to read. Some of my suggestions would be : The Tale of Despereaux (great read with humor and the fact that an animal is the main character can be intriguing for students. I had a third grade student tell me they absolutely loved the book and was telling all her friends to read it.) Of course The Giver series of books ( with four now in the series, students can read one book and then go on to the next to keep the engagement of the plot line. The most recently published is Son which ends the series in a complete way) Don't let Pigeon Drive the Bus (I teach 2nd grade and I found that this book was helpful in explaining what is persuasive writing) So you want to be President ( this is most appropriate for the time of year it is with the election) The Man who walked between the towers ( this book has amazing illustrations which makes it an opportunity to use their imagination) I Want my Hat Back ( my students absolutely loved this book and were asking for it when they went to the reading center so they could reread it. It has a great ending and text features that can keep the students guessing) Maximum Ride (I recently changed my author study to James Patterson and actually met him in person when he was touring to promote the book. Great book to keep students turning the pages but for grades 5 and up. I hope these are good recommendations for you and that they work well in your classroom.

Book Updates

I am reading "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry which is one of the books on my annotated bibliography and one of the books that revolves around my author study. The book has been very engaging and I have a summary posted below to give you an idea of what I am reading. "Gathering Blue is a 2000 children's, social science fiction, dystopian novel by children's author Lois Lowry. The book is a companion novel to The Giver (1993) and Son (2012), and is followed by Messenger (2004) in The Giver Series. It is set in the same future time period, and it treats some of the same themes. The central character, Kira, who has a twisted leg, is orphaned and must learn to survive in a society which normally leaves the weak or disabled exposed to die in the fields. In Gathering Blue, Kira needs a reason for the Council of Edifice to keep her in the village and not take her to the Field (which is certain death at the hands of The Beasts). Kira has a gift for embroidery, and the Council keeps her around to mend and update a beautiful robe that shows the history of their society. In the course of the book, she begins to learn the art of dyeing thread different colors, except for blue, which nobody in her community knows how to make. She also learns more about the truth of her village and the terrible secrets they hold."

Reading/Writing Connections

My school has put a major emphasis on Writing this year so we are reading and writing all day long. Whether we are reading our story from the reading series and writing about it in literacy centers or reading the steps to the scientific method and writing the results in our science notebooks, we are always writing! I find that my students enjoy reading but when I ask them to write about it in their journals or for homework, I always hear complaints from them. They need to write as much as they can especially in second grade because they are off to third grade next year. I try to incorporate engaging ways for them to write. They are usually excited after a science experiment so this is a great opportunity to jump on the fact that they can write in their journals and put it in letter form to their parents or friends about the results of our experiment. I also have a writing literacy center set up that the students can use stickers to create a sticker story about any topic they choose. They also write letters to other teachers or students in second grade and send them the letter only to receive a response back. This is a great way to keep them writing. I hope that I offered some great ideas for you to use in your classroom and I would love to hear any ideas that you have to offer. Please post them under the "Let's Blog About It" tab.

? Question of the Day ?

Do you have time for read alouds in your classroom? I have discussed with my teammates over our lunchtime and said how we do not have time for read alouds. We read the "story of the week" that comes with our reading series but when during the instructional day do we have time to just read a plain old book. Maybe a holiday is coming up, do you have time to read a related book to that holiday. I find that the students at my school are in need of an adult just reading to them because they do not receive this attention at home. On some days during the week, I make time to read to my students because when I do, they are so engaged and quiet, it amazes me. So my question of the day is, Do you make time during the school day to read aloud to your students and if so when during the day do you do that?

I Want to Hear from YOU!

Please post any teaching strategies that were a success in your classroom! I am always open to new ideas and techniques that can only improve my instruction. Post it under the link on the sidebar that says, "Let's Blog About It." I can't wait to hear from you.

Success Story

I have a student in my class this year that is the most determined student I have ever had in class. He moved here from Haiti last year and did not speak any English. He was very determined to overcome this language barrier. He worked so hard throughout the school year and slowly became more fluent in English. He began second grade in my class and is completely fluent and more determined and competitive as ever. He wants to have the highest grade in every subject and always puts forth 110%. His determination and passion is amazing to witness and will always remain with me throughout my career.

? Question of the Day ?

How would I give my students choices for books? I have several times throughout the day that students have choices on books. Of course, they can choose any type of book when they have library time. Also, during 100 book challenge time in the mornings and literacy centers. At the reading center, students can choose any book from my classroom library and practice the skill of the week on that book. The reading skills can range from main idea and details, to summarizing, and compare and contrast. These strategies are probably similar to many other teachers but I hope I could have given some good ideas.

This is a creative trailer that students created for the book, Gathering Blue.

Welcome

Thank you for visiting my blog and I look forward to viewing more often in the future. Reading has been a passion of mine with an array of favorite authors. Some of my favorites would be Ernest Hemingway, William Golding, and more recently James Patterson. What are some of your favorite authors?