Test taking blues...

Hello my bloggy friends...how have ya been???? All is well in this neck of the woods ;) sorry for the long absence last week. Did you miss me? I missed you, yet I have to admit; I cannot even say (as usual) that it was because I was so overwhelmingly busy. Unfortunately, last week our class had a severe case of the test taking blues...YUCKY! If I felt so completely bored and frustrated by testing, I just can't imagine how my kiddos felt. Don't get me wrong ~ without a doubt, I am sure my kiddos kicked that test's keister! Just what a zap to the creative and calm flow of our classroom! Oh well, they (they in this case being the people that get paid the big bucks ;p) didn't ask my opinion about testing, and I know it is a necessary evil. So I guess I will make an attempt to stop moaning and suck it up, as difficult as that may be, wink wink.

We did have a small glimmer of inspiration and lightheartedness when we watched Taylor Swift's: Read Every Day Live Webcast. Hmmm...have I mentioned I am a fan. She did an amazing job, and yes, you know just how annoyingly old you are when you feel a moment of motherly pride for a young lady that you are absolutely no relation to and will more than likely never meet in your life. She was just so cute and sweet in how she spoke to those kiddos about what moved her as a reader and writer and the impact all of that reading made in her life! Hello...I could say that EVERYDAY, ALL DAY (hey wait, I DO ~ LOL) and she probably had more impact than I will. I mean she is way cooler than me, right? Good for her, and good for my kiddos! Be sure to check it out if you get a chance.

We were all very sad to say goodbye to Skeleton Man, but we all stood up and cheered for Molly! Don't want to say too much more just in case you want to pick it up and read. Which of course, you really should! Already have a few flocking to the library looking for more Joseph Bruchac. Yay!!! Reluctant reader buster right there ~ I promise you! 

We have moved on to some nonfiction informational reading as we get ready to head into informational writing. Biographies and lots more information coming soon...still trying to become inspired and conquer those darn test taking blues. Whew, you should see me in April. 

Here are a few more glimmers of inspiration though...I love how my kiddos work so hard for me. Reading these readers' notebooks really make me smile sometimes! Spelling and grammar mistakes aside, I could not be more proud of some of my readers and writers this year! They are setting the bar pretty high for next year's group! I know these are only two examples...way more to come soon!

Love how she uses her post-its :)

   

 

Just look at that intense reading! :) I could watch this ALL DAY!

 

My sweet little pink-out girl and the yummy treat she gave me! If that is not enough to make you smile or cure any blues, I don't know what is!

Just a few picture books to share tonight. I feel as if I am getting behind, but I promise to catch up soon. Remember, biting off more that I can chew. 

Look at sweet Elmer by David McKee. He has been one of my favorite little character education reads for a while now, and this week I found a bag full of 8 more Elmer books. You know I just had to pull him down and share his sweet story. Great read for common themes in literature! I will share a pic of our new books as soon as I can. So cute!

Here is another great read for common themes in literature ~ acceptance and kindness. The Bumpy Little Pumpkin by Margery Cuyler is a sweet, little seasonal story. How boring it would be if we were all alike! Each year I am surprised by how much my kiddos enjoy it. I often wonder if they will feel to old for this story, but so far they all have enjoyed it just the same.

Now my next picture book is just for fun.  I love Tell Me a Scary Story by Carl Reiner as much as Halloween by Jerry Seinfeld. The illustrations are SO FUN! Fun as in creepy, silly Halloween fun. Love it! Students can also make some predictions with this one. I always enjoy seeing if the kiddos can pick up on the clues in the end just before Reiner spells them out for us. 

Happy Reading!

Taylor Swift, writing, and tears

Say what you will about Taylor Swift, but I am a huge fan! I have talked about her in my classroom for years. The kids love her, and I love her because she writes so many of her own songs! I always talk about and share her songs when I talk about how and where writers get ideas. 

Here is a commercial clip I share with my kiddos every year. She says "it all began in fourth grade...little did he know, I was writing songs about..."

Well, after shedding plenty of tears this morning, I am an even bigger fan now!  I just saw her performance of "Ronan." Oh my! How moving and sad. My heart simply aches for Ronan's mother. 

I am sharing this because I have always talked about how writers are moved by other writers. We get our ideas from the world around us and other writers can inspire us. Taylor followed Maya Thompson's blog about her son's battle with cancer. Here is a link to the story: A Child's Cancer Story Inspires Taylor Swift. 

Maya's blog is raw and emotional, so I will not share it here for my kiddos to see. I will share how her writing through her grief and writing from their experiences moved Taylor. Many of the very words from Maya's blog were used in Taylor's song, Ronan. Because of this, Maya is credited as a co-writer. 

I also want to share this because this song is written as a narrative, and we have spent a lot of time studying what makes a narrative. We have discussed how even though we usually focus on one moment in time, not all of our moments are happy. Sometimes we even need to share the sad moments. 

I will be excited for us to participate in Scholastic Book Clubs: Read Every Day with Taylor Swift. Click on the picture below to learn more.

Alright, enough tears for now. Here are some of the great books that we are reading or will be reading very soon!

Just look at a few of my great picks from our book fair. Yes, the very book fair that makes me crazy because I love and hate it at the same time. I love it because I mean who doesn't love a book fair? I hate it because it means less book orders and points for us, LOL. As long as it is putting books in kiddos' hands, well I guess I won't complain. (too much ;)

Just look at what two of my sweet girls picked out at book fair.
You don't think I went on and on about it do you? haha

After our 5K Saturday, Katie Byrd and I made a quick trip to the book store. Katie had been reading through some of my kiddos Reader's Notebooks. She is such an avid reader and has read such an extensive number of titles; she was making quite a few book recommendations, and she even found one I did not actually own. Hard to believe, but yes, we had to add it to our library. These are some of our other purchases. I just LOVE books listed for $1 but only cost $.80 after discount!

One of my favorite picture book purchases from the book fair was Have Fun, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell. You already know how much I love Molly Lou! This is a great character education book and wonderful for looking at theme ~ believe in yourself and never lose your imagination!

Substitute Creacher by Chris Gall is another fun story that I cannot wait to share with my kiddos. We ordered this picture book with our first book order, but we have been so engrossed in our study of narratives, we have not had a chance to read it. This is just such a fun little read aloud with a bit of a graphic novel feel to it. My students are really loving graphic novels at the moment, so this will be right up their alley. 

You know I am all about Chris Van Allsburg! One of my seasonal favorites of his is The Widow's Broom! Great story - with even better illustrations. One of my favorite things about this author is how he leaves so many things unsaid. It is up to you to read between the lines, to infer!    

Well, I must say good night my friends. Happy reading!