Currently Celebrating...

Oh my goodness...already time for another Currently with Farley! I cannot believe how quickly this year has flown! Don't forget to check out Farley and all of the other amazing bloggers out there.

Wow...not even sure where to begin...lots happening in both classrooms this past week. We are working on research projects for both classes...

We are definitely gearing up for Friday's Second Annual Author's Fair! Researching is can be tough with a group of twenty six kiddos and one teacher...whew! Think I added a few more grays to the growing collection on my head. haha

 

I have to brag about one of the authors that one of my kiddos is researching. If we can find an email address, we try to sit down and email that author together. 

Kate McMullan responded to one of the sweetest students ever, and her response was so thoughtful! It made his day, and he beamed the rest of the afternoon! Here is her response....

Hi Cade! 

Thank you for choosing me for your research project! I'm honored. 

What inspired me to write the Dragon Slayers' Academy series? I thought it would be fun to write a story about a lad who very much wanted to be a dragon-slaying hero, but really wasn't cut out to become one. (When you write, it's a good idea to give your main character many problems, and Wiglaf being small and not wanting to hurt animals are problems when it comes to dragon slaying.) It was fun creating the world of DSA, all the crazy teachers and funny kids. 

After I finished the 20th DSA book, I did leave the door open for Wiglaf and his crew to have new adventures on the island of Palmlandia. I hope to write more stories about these characters! 

When I was a 4th grade teacher, I saw that many of my students used to look for very skinny books to read for their book reports. I realized that reading wasn't always easy for them, either, so when I decided to write for kids I thought it would be fun to write skinny, funny books, filled with adventure, and I figured if kids liked reading them, they'd read on and on, and pretty soon reading would become easier. It sounds as if my plot worked in your case! 

If you need more information, you can look on my Web site, katemcmullan.com. 

Best of luck with your project, Cade.

I just love that she is a fellow educator! Below are some examples of the books she is referring to...

 

The kiddos are also working hard to create projects and presentations for Mrs. Whitt! Below are a couple examples of their projects! I am so proud of this group of hard working kiddos. Mrs. Whitt has gone on and on about how amazing some of these presentations are!

 

Tuesday rolled around, and I had to face a hard truth! My oldest son turned 21...oh my goodness....talk about "where has the time gone?!" 

My sweet brown eyed boy....
seems like just yesterday.

Such a wonderful young man he has grown up to be...
just way too soon! Can NOT believe I have a 21 year old!

Thursday...we took a little field trip to Middle School South for Step Up Day! It was so fun to see some of last year's kiddos. I've missed them so much, and I love walking through the halls of the middle school to hear my name called over and over again! So much fun!

We sure miss Mrs. Hanshaw in our room!

Mrs. Whitt misses these sweeties, too!

My sweet crew from last year...
such sweet smiles!

Precious girls!

Some kiddos steal your heart...
sure do miss them!

So grown up 

Having fun at the middle school....

Was going through some old photos earlier this week and found this one of our hallway last year...boy I have really slacked off this year...we have read just as many amazing books, but I have not been as consistent at getting them displayed as usual! Will definitely have to work on this!

Saturday our team spent time celebrating with our dear friend and teammate, Sarah, as she married the love of her life, Rustin! Such a beautiful wedding and a perfect couple! :)

Beautiful couple!

She looks so happy!!!!

Now for a couple of great picture books...

Both of the books I want to share tonight I  used as a study of common themes, but both are so different. 

Plant a Kiss  by Amy Krouse Rosenthal is such a sweet look at kindness. I love the illustrations by Peter Reynolds...so stinking cute!!!  

Little Miss plants a kiss and just wait until you see what happens.... 

Randy Riley's Really Big Hit by Chris Van Dusen is an awesome look at believing in yourself and never giving up! I love and relate to little Randy Riley...I never fit in when it came to anything atheletic...but Randy finds a way to save the day anyway! 

With that....I will say goodnight and happy reading!