Poetry Month Begins

This week, we are continuing our study of poetry. I had a really great poetry unit developed years ago, but after a chat about poetry from my book club friends on Twitter, I am rethinking that whole unit. First of all, it certainly didn't incorporate any technology! So it all has to be updated. Or completely changed!

Tomorrow my students will each search for a poem they enjoy. They will practice reading it and share it with the class on Friday.

We will celebrate our poems on Friday with a little treat! 

On Twitter, I got the idea to memorize a poem and share it with my class, too. So that is what I will do!

See, I've already made a rhyme.

I plan on creating a Poet-tree, writing a poem in front of my students, and helping my class gain an appreciation of poetry. (Along, the way, as we read poems aloud, we will no doubt increase our fluency!

One of the books my students love is this one by Bobbi Katz:

I also am planning a special in-school Skype session on Friday! Check my blog on Friday to find out what we did!
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On another book note:

Lunch Lady and the Mutant Mathletes (#7) was released this week. I bought it, read it, and loved it! I'm sharing it with my class this week. Another funny book by Jarrett. J. Krosoczka! 

It's Monday? What Are You Reading?

It's Monday, so that means I'm linking up with Kellee and Jen over at Teach Mentor Texts for "It's Monday What Are You Reading?" In this meme, we share what we have read the past week.

I finished reading 100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson.

Then, because it was a Book Release Day, I headed straight to the bookstore and bought this on Tuesday:

I'd already read Fake Mustache, but I knew I needed to read Big Nate Goes for Broke before I shared it with my students. (I knew I wouldn't see it again for a while!)

My students are loving both books, and they are passing them around right now.
About Fake Mustache by Tom Angleberger, one of my students said this: "This books is SO awesome!" That is what a teacher wants to hear!

I also read Kali's Song by Jeanette Winter and Drawing from Memory by Allen Say.
I thought Kali's Song was a very nice story about the power of music. It has wonderful illustrations, too.

I'm still reading An Accidental Adventure #1: We Are Not Eaten By Yaks  by C. Alexander London (and I am really enjoying it).

But while I am filling my days with great books, I am also thinking a lot about curriculum design and what it truly means to be a connected educator.
I followed a lot of the tweets from the ASCD conference in Philadelphia this weekend, and many of the speakers were sharing about the power of a PLN. It made me reflect upon my own successes in the classroom.  I know this blog is a step towards being connected.

I'm constantly thinking about these things. Hopefully, they'll become something I can share in a blog post soon.

My Saturday PD

There are so many good things about a Saturday.

A leisurely breakfast.

Trips to the stores for necessary supplies (i.e. food and books).

Having the whole day to yourself. (Mostly!)

But one of the things I love the most is all the learning and reading I get to do!
Today, on Twitter alone, I have already added this to my TO-LEARN stack:

• How do I make an infographic? My students can create these to show their learning!
• Using app to create posters in science
• Having students read aloud (solo!) at home to improve comprehension. 

(The first two ideas come from Sean Junkins on Twitter.)

And today, I will pull the following titles from my TBR stacks:

TRUE by Katherine Hannigan
(A student gave me this book! I love when students share titles with me!)

Kali's Song By Jeanette Winter
(This picture book was just released, and many of my Twitter tweeps say it is wonderful!)

 Nerd Camp by Elissa Brent Weissman
(I picked this one up at my Scholastic BookFair. I've been very curious about it.)

Yes, this is my Saturday professional development session--tailored just for me and scheduled by me!

Reading Conferences

One of the very best parts of my day is when I have conferences with my readers during Reader's Workshop. I pull up next to them quietly, iPad in hand, and wait for them to notice I'm there. If they have a particularly good book, it will be a while for them to come out of the "reading zone" (as Nancie Atwell calls it). 
If they have a book that's not a match, they already know I'm there and they really need a conference.
During today's conferences, I had many great moments:
One student said to me she'd love to try writing humorous pieces because she'd been reading this book:

Then I realized something very obvious, but still important. Independent reading helps writers develop their writing style!

During another conference, a student decided to write her own version of  a poem she read in this book:

Realization: Reading inspires writing!

My conferences are very simple. I sit with a fellow reader, and we have a great conversation. (I try not to make it like a quiz!) During our conversation, we connect as readers, and I know immediately what my students will need next. It's on-the-go assessment!

These conversations have an impact on my class. But as you can see, they also have an impact on me.

Book Release Tuesday

Sometimes Tuesday means I have lunch duty. Sometimes Tuesday means a new book is released.

Today, it means both!

Yes, I had lunch duty today.

And there were new books to be bought! I drove straight to my local bookstore after school and bought a copy of both. Tomorrow I will book-talk them and many hands will go up! I will have to draw sticks or choose a number for the first reader, then the kids will come up with a sign-up sheet. (That's what we do in my class when everyone wants to read a cerain book!)

The two books that will be highly sought will be:

Big Nate Goes For Broke by Lincoln Peirce--(released today by Harper Collins)

Fake Mustache by Tom Angleberger--(I thought this book wasn't going to be released until April 1st, but it was already on sale!)

I've already read Fake Mustache, so now I'm off to read Big Nate!

I can't wait to see the look on my students' faces when I bring these out at the beginning of Reader's Workshop.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I love participating in "It's Monday! What Are You Reading?" This meme is sponsored by Jen and Kellee over at Teach Mentor Texts. They share great titles every week!


This Spring Break, I participated in the #bookaday challenge courtesy of Donalyn Miller, The Book Whisperer.

Here are the books I read during my Spring Break vacation:

Friendship Doll by Kirby Larson (MG)
The Unfinished Angel by Sharon Creech (MG)
Same Sun Here by Silas House and Neela Vaswani (YA)
Sidekicks by Dan Santat (Graphic novel)
Calvin Coconut: Hero of Hawaii by Graham Salisbury (MG)
The Humming Room by Ellen Potter (MG)
Like Pickle Juice On A Cookie by Julie Sternberg

I made a bit of a dent in my TBR pile, but I added to it right afterward with trips to the library and bookstore.

I am still reading this book:

It's very suspenseful, but I slowed down some because I had to prepare for the week. I'm on page 241 (out of 289). My goal is to finish it tomorrow. It surprises me on every page! It's a middle grade fantasy and Part 1 of a trilogy!


It's back to school on Monday for me. I can hardly wait to see my students!  I am anxious to share books with them again! I hope they have some to share with me, too.

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My shoe choice today:

My personalized TOMS that are super comfortable and super cute!
(A sweet room mom from a few years back gave them to me for my birthday!)

So Many Books & Never Enough Time

I love books.

I love shoes.

I have more books than shoes.

In fact, if my books were pairs of shoes, I wouldn't have to worry about wearing the same pair twice for about a year. Or more.

With all the books I have, it may not make sense to some that I would acquire more.

Why am I going to the library for the second time this week when my TBR pile(s) are doing quite well on their own?

Why am I going to the bookstore when I already ordered some hard-to-find titles on Amazon?

It makes perfect sense to me.

If I read as many books as possible, then maybe I will find the one perfect book for that one student in my class that needs it.

If I read as many books as possible, then I can have an answer ready when a parent asks for a book recommendation at the library/bookstore/school.

If I read as many books as possible, I can then share them with our librarian and she can order them for our library and the whole school can enjoy it, too!

If I read as many books as possible, then I can recognize a good book when I see it and it will be easier to choose quality titles.

I just want to be ready for that next moment when a young reader at my school asks:

"Do you have any book recommendations for me?"

So these are the two books I'm reading now. One of them had been in my pile since our last book fair, and one came home with me today from the library.

100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson

Donalyn Miller wrote about this one, and if she writes about a book, I want to read it. Also, I've had The Dragon's Tooth in my stacks for a while (also written by N.D. Wilson), so when I saw the name, I knew I had to try it out. It's a fantasy/mystery that reminds me a lot of The Humming Room by Ellen Potter. When I finish this one, I'll write about it. (I was ECSTATIC to find out my library had it on the shelf waiting for me!)

An Accidental Adventure #1: We Are Not Eaten By Yaks by C. Alexander London

I picked this one up at the book fair. I am loving it so far. It's very entertaining and I love the writer's style.