Five for Friday just in time for Sunday

Happy Friday!

Well, I guess I should say happy Sunday now...I started this post Friday night but fell asleep pretty early into the post...LOL...a sign of being an exhausted teacher, no doubt.

While I have picked up right where I left off, it is pretty late on Saturday night, so it's not looking good for this to get published by Saturday either. Goodness....

Since I had every intention of joining Doodle Bugs for Five for Friday, on Friday haha, I am going to go ahead and forge on.

Here we go...

Monday morning decided to rear its ugly head in a true Monday fashion... the hubby called me on the way to school to let me know he had been in an accident. 

This is what is what is left of his patrol car after being rear-ended at a very high speed. He spent most of his day in the hospital being x-rayed and poked and prodded. I am amazed and pleased beyond measure to report that all is well. I have no idea how he made it out of this accident with only a few scrapes and bruises, but thankful does not begin to express how I feel. I am just as happy to say that person that hit him is a little bruised and battered but for the most part just as well. 

Worries aside...teaching must go on...

We have jumped in to complex sentence structures with both feet! The grammarian in me just LOVES teaching this! Well, I should say the grammarian-wanna-be! Lord knows, there was a time that teaching complex sentence structures made my head hurt and my eyes cross. That was until I spent one summer afternoon at the workshop of Mr. Jeff Anderson, aka "the write guy." Yes, I know I repeat myself at times, but I promise you that his wonderful book Mechanically Inclined changed my teaching life; can you hear the sigh?

   

   

Look at these sweet treats that made an appearance in the lounge this week. I still don't know who donated this wonderful Popcorn Bar, but it sure brought a smile to our faces. How fun! And yummy!    

We finally made it to the orthopedic doctor...tons of waiting but worth it for the good news. Justin has not torn his ACL or MCL, and at this point it does not look like we have a surgery in our near future. Cross your fingers! The doctor is worried about damage to the meniscus, but we have a few more results to wait for just yet. All in all though...so far...we've had pretty good news! 

Listening to instructions before x-rays...

Haha....Had to stop by Walmart on the way home from
our appt....this is Justin taking advantage of the wheel chairs
provided...you should have seen the gentleman's face as
Justin passed him...he got such a kick out of "racing" Justin 

This was the desk I left for the sub...it is so much more
work to get a sub LOL...I would much rather be with the kiddos!

We have wrapped up our figurative language unit and started working on our personal narratives.

I found the cutest little read aloud that touched on quite a bit of figurative language, but really it was mostly for fun. It was a lucky find at one of my Books-a-Million stops. It wasn't until I got it home and noticed that Bob the Dog is written and illustrated by the same wonderful team behind Ribbit! I mean I should have known that's why I fell in love with it and just had to have it! I LOVE LOVE LOVE Ribbit! by Rodrigo Folgueira! 

Our first mentor text for our personal narratives is the beautifully written and illustrated book, The Orange Shoes, by Trinka Hakes Noble. Even after reading this with my kiddos last year, my breath still caught, and I had to fight back the tears at the end. So well written! I have fallen hopelessly in love with this moving narrative and my kiddos seemed to enjoy it just as much. 

Our wall of work so far! 

Some of my sweet kiddos, reading away!

I had a sneaky suspicion that I would be hitting publish on Sunday.

hmmm....night, friends!

Happy Reading!

Happiness is the first day of fall :)

Happy fall, friends! Ahhh...cool days, comfy hoodies, eventful football games, and everything pumpkin!

What a crazy, busy week we have had! I sat down to this computer more than once to touch base with you and share our classroom happenings, but family life and sometimes sheer exhaustion set in before I could complete a post.

So I am here with you now for what will most likely be too long of a post...I hope you can stick it out. :)

We have jumped head first into our figurative language unit! As I have said before, this is by far one of my most favorite sets of lessons all year. 

We had so much fun looking at simile...

  

Of course you cannot go wrong with Crazy like a Fox A Simile Story by Lorren Leedy and I'm as Quick as a Cricket by Audrey Wood. Both are amusing little mentor texts packed full of simile, and they both make the concept very easy to grasp.

There are also so many great songs full of figurative language...here are a few of the songs we sang along with as we looked at simile. 

We touched on alliteration, onomatopoeia, methaphor, and idiom as well.

  

Misery is a Spider in the Bathtub by Jennifer Rapp and When I Woke Up I Was a Hippopatamus by Tom MacRae are books that I use as metaphor mentor texts. Each are great little stories, but I have to share a few pages from When I Woke Up...I LOVE this one! (I would also use this for complex sentence structures and the AAAWWUBBIS. Just look at those metaphors and subordinating conjunctions all rolled into one! Tom MacRae did an amazing job with this little story!

We used Misery is a Smell in your Backpack to help us with a little writing project...but instead of describing misery...we decided to go with Happiness is...

We were not even done there...

 

More Parts by Tedd Arnold is an amusing look into idioms! Even though this is always one of my favorite lessons, I had to be out for the day....my substitute did an amazing job. Just look at some of these great idioms....

We are not only looking to learn craft, but we have been working on some of the mechanics of writing. 

As much as I love writing, of course we had to get in a ton of reading...

Our book recommendation board is growing! The kiddos have been making great recommendations to each other!  

 

With all of our learning, we still manage to squeeze in some recess fun :)

Mrs. Whitt celebrated a birthday this week! She has turned 29 again just like me! hehehehe

check out that bag, haha

Throughout the week, I have continued adding to my own Reading Record. The kiddos and I have really started enjoying our Monday morning book talks as I wrap up all that I have read for the week. Usually the kiddos cannot wait to grab up my book recommendations. It drives them crazy if I talk about an adult book that I have read...especially if it sounds totally interesting, but then I tell them they have to wait until they are an adult to read it. haha...sometimes I am soooooo mean. ;)

This week's wrap up includes...Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann, If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch, and  School of Fear by Gitty Daneshvari.  I loved all three but, of the three, only School of Fear can be recommended to my kiddos. Cryer's Cross had me turning the page to find out the what was going on, definitely a horror fiction/ mystery...If You Find Me was so beautifully written and sad all rolled into one. My heart ached for Carey and her little sister, and I cried over and over again. School of Fear had me laughing out loud! I cannot wait to share this one with the kiddos. I have a couple of truly witty boys that will fall all over this one! Some great one liners in that one. 

 

Whoo...told you we have been busy!

Friday rolled around, and it was time for my usual fall Friday night. Even Mrs. Hitchcock from Hungry While Teaching joined in on the fun! 

 

I always love watching both of my boys play, but this week's game ended in an injury for Justin. Our fun night turned very scary, very quickly.

We thought we may have had a broken leg on our hands, but turns we more than likely have some serious ligament damage. I am not sure which is worse. :( 

Goodness, this boy is making his last year in our home one for the record books. Between his recent car accident and now football injury, I think the hospital knows us by name. 

As worried as we are, I feel that with a little prayer and some good old TLC, he will be on the mend just fine. Before I know it, he will be on that bus headed to basic training with the Marines. 

With that friends, I will say goodnight. I am off to check on my very well medicated and sleepy boy!

Happy reading, friends!