One Big Party, sort of...

Our second week was one big party! I am more than sure your kiddos told you all about my birthday. That is because I have teammates that totally spoil me, and every year they spoil me MORE! And this year, the kiddos were pulled into all the fun.

The day started with balloons and doughnuts. Sarah even remembered my favorite and picked up a couple of blueberry cake doughnuts! Whoo hoo! Diet was out the window this day, but I am pretty sure that it is a rule that on your birthday you are NOT allowed to count calories. There were flowers and cards, too. I will overlook the glitter on the card because there was so little of it, Sandy. ;)

Before I knew it, we had more flowers and gifts! What girl doesn't love gifts, right! But not only did I get gifts...a special parent brought birthday goodies for both classes. I would love to share pics but in the madness that ensued...I didn't get any. However, every kiddo received a cupcake, a few laughs, and more fun outside for about 10 extra minutes of recess. 

Now I don't want you to get the idea that we were all play and no work....nope, not this room! We have been trucking right along. I mean just look at my beautiful bookshelves... all covered in anchors. Yes...yes... I know my anchor charts are important to the kiddos, and we refer back to them so often. However... every year I miss looking at that beautiful shelf with all those amazing books ready to be in the hands of my voracious readers!

But what do you have to do with limited wall space for all those anchors we work so diligently to create together each day?...Well you use what you have and for me, that is book shelves. *sad sigh....

You might have noticed a few furniture changes between the two pictures. After our first week, we could definitely see things that needed to be changed and rearranged. A few pieces were taken out, and others put to use in different places to make for a smoother running space. 

Goodness.... I digress....

As I started saying, we have been trucking right along, and I am more than proud of our accomplishments thus far. 

I think we are off to an amazing start in our shared reading.  This is a small thing I do each day with the kiddos...about 15 minutes...and it gives me so much! I have promised my students that if they work really hard during our shared reading and participate by SHARING their THINKING, then they will more than likely never get reading homework from me. Of course other than reading a book! 

I mean no more worksheet-homework, YUCK. I have found that I can get more from this 15 minutes a day than I ever could from all the time it took me to track down the homework that was more than likely slapped on the paper during the bus ride to school the next morning...IF they remembered to do it at all. So for now....they are working their tushes off to give me what I am looking for...because no one WANTS to do a reading worksheet if they don't have to... :) If you know my former students, please do NOT tell them about this because there might be a riot if you do. I haven't always been this nice about homework. I am pretty sure I once heard a kiddo say that they really wanted to be in my class but they hoped not to get me because they heard through the school grapevine that I was the homework queen.YIKES!

Now a little handwriting/ word-study practice is all that they will get from me. Of course other than reading a book! They must always read a book, or two, or three! Not all in one day of course. ;)

With our shared reading, we have created a glossary in the back of our reader's notebooks. Each day as we share and discuss the week's passage, we take note of any new or important vocabulary. We add these words along with their definitions to the correct page of our glossary, and then we create a sentence using that word. When possible, I will allow the kiddos to sketch their ideas or visualization of each word. 

I will then post the vocabulary word on an anchor titled, Our Glossary. This way students can always monitor themselves to make sure they have all needed vocabulary.

 

We have also had tons of fun with our morning meetings! Love, love, love that we have a Responsive Classroom! We have become a family and gotten to know each other so much more quickly with our morning meetings.

I Mustache You is one of my most favorite shares. 

Brain breaks are just as important as our morning meeting shares and activities. :) Sometimes you just need to get up and move and maybe even giggle a little! This is quick idea that I actually stole from one of our back-to-school meetings in the beginning of the year. Yes... I have played this game too, and let me just say my kiddos are far better than I am. Ha!

Below is a picture of our weekly journals. These are journals that we write in each week as a reflection of our learning and accomplishments. I wish I could take credit for this insanely brilliant idea, but if you know me, well then you know I probably haven't had an original idea in years. I get all of my magic from the wonderful teachers around me, and this beauty came from my friend, Dawn from Teach to Each. 

At the time she was teaching first, so I had to tweak it a little for fourth. Let me tell you though ...this has quickly worked its way to becoming one of my most favorite learning tools. We do this from the first week of school to the last week, and watching the growth in writing is so fun! 

Each week as we cover new skills, students are expected to use those skills in their letters. This week we discovered how to correctly use a semicolon, so the kiddos had to use a semicolon correctly as they wrote to their families. Such a quick assessment and parent communication all in one!

I try to include pictures throughout the year, a few every couple of weeks. Again, watching my students grow not only academically but emotionally and physically as well is so fun and enlightening. Man the growth spurts in fourth grade... you don't even realize it until you compare those pics. So crazy!

I am not the only one that gets to enjoy this...the parents and family members that invest in this two-way conversation each week have such an amazing keepsake at the end of the year. A complete journal of their fourth grade year, written in their own sweet little voices! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! And I love that I work with such talented teachers that share their inspiring ideas!

I will share more examples and photos here as we continue journaling away!

I came up over the weekend and spent a good amount of time working around my room and on bulletin boards or displays in the hallway. I am so excited about these. These are more magic from Donalyn Miller, the Book Whisperer! Have I mentioned how much I love her ideas? I can't wait to see this grow!

I am still giving it my best to stay on track...giving it my best to become healthier step by step. My most favorite walks always include Josh or Katiebyrd. Katie and her fiance came and walked with me the night before my birthday. Nothing better than spending time with my own kiddos. Now that they are all going off in their own directions, anytime I get with them at all is so special.  I now have a new favorite picture of Katiebyrd and Joshua...look at those cuties!

Speaking of Katibyrd...have I told you? She is engaged! She will be getting married in June, and she could NOT be more excited. Here she is after having just decided on her venue. She will be getting married at St. John's Chapel by the Creek, and I cannot wait to see what an amazingly beautiful bride she will be! I know... I know.... right now you are thinking that I couldn't possibly be old enough to have a daughter getting married...it boggles the mind doesn't it! ;)

So much happening in such a short time! I am so blessed to have such sweet and hard working kiddos and just as blessed to work with such an amazing group of teachers and parents that I call friends.... and that spoil me so!

Happy Reading, friends!

Currently Hoarding

I should start by saying that I had every intention of posting earlier this week ~ more than once, including yesterday, but well, we all  know about good intentions. Having said that....hold on to your seats ladies and gents, this is going to be one heck of a post! I have LOTS and LOTS to share!

Let's begin here with my March Currently! You know how I love blog hopping, and this linky-party is so much fun! Be sure to check out all the amazing blogs out there! Farley at Oh' boy 4th Grade is such an awesome blogger and linky-party host. :)

I know it is rather nerdy of me, but I was very excited to have a few quiet moments to work and clean in my room. Lately, I have been getting as much of my planning done throughout the week and later on Friday afternoons as I can, and having done so, I still have much more left undone. Having no formal plans Saturday morning, I was eager to spend some time in my room, getting things in order. The quiet of my house and the quiet of my classroom are much different for some reason, and while I find the first rather lonely at times, I find the latter oddly comforting. Maybe it is all those wonderful books!

*So I belatedly discovered that I had not followed all of the directions of Farley's Currently this month. :/ Let's see if I can remedy this at all...hmmm...like, love, and hate...all starting with the letter "T"...like: tea ~ haha...lots of sweet tea that I miss because of this diet that I am so miserably failing at this time...love: time, extra time if I ever find it. Doesn't happen often so when it does, I cherish it! Hate: hmmm...that is a harder one because I am not a huge fan of the word...can I still use "this diet" LOL...that starts with a "T." I guess I'll leave it at that. Wow...here's to following directions, wink wink!

This week was a week that most teachers have a love/hate relationship with: Literacy Week. (A spirit week of sorts.)  Now, while all things literacy should make me nothing but happy, this week in particular was enough to wear out anyone! But the kiddos love it so much that it is hard to hold a grudge no matter how worn out I was by Friday.

My class showing off their fun hats!

Here is Mrs. Whitt's sweet group!

So we survived crazy sock day, hat day, wacky Wednesday, and then Thursday rolled around. Thursday was wear your favorite college t-shirt/ sweatshirt day, but that was only the beginning. We also had a district-wide assessment, field trip, tutoring, and parent-night all rolled into one day. Whoo....to say that I was exhausted by the end of the night would be an understatement.

Below are pics of my sweet kiddos at the high school production of "Thoroughly Modern Millie." It was a great field trip, lots of fun, and boy did the kids enjoy it. The kiddos were excited to see one of their very own classmates in the play!

 

 

 

Just look at our own Sam (in red hat)!

Our Parent-Night was a grand success! We had such an amazing turnout, and it is always such fun to see kiddos having so much fun, past and present.

One of my precious kiddos...and me covered in
cotton candy...such a sweetly dangerous booth to work!

That brings us to Friday: dress as your favorite book character day! Friday morning we were graced with the presence of Pinkalicious, Hermoine, Katniss, a couple Cats in Hats, Grandma Dowdel, the witch from the Wizard of Oz, Annabeth Chase, Percy himself, among others! 

 

 

Of course that is not the only fun we had this week. The wonder of book fair pulled and teased at us all week. My crazy-self more than others no doubt. 

I found this lovely on Pinterest this week and found it
perfectly fitting in its description of myself!

Below you will see the results of my first and second trips to the book fair. Perfect new additions to our ever-growing library!

     

Now for most, the spoils of this year's book fairs would be enough, but I guess this is what makes me a couple of books away from a hoarder. Our book order just so happened to come in Friday afternoon, topping off a perfectly hectic week! Have you ever seen a group of kiddos when a book order comes in? Instant insanity! I wonder if I was like that myself as a fourth grader...haha.

Great new titles ~ Whoop Whoop!

Here is why I do what I do with all these books! It is something that I read in The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller. She described a "book frenzy" of recommendations and book choices in the first days of establishing Reading Workshop. I have tried to continue that myself throughout the year. There is nothing that I like more than students coming to me for book recommendations. At each student request I jump up with joy and start flying through baskets looking for the best books for said student, and I do not stop until I have stacks and stacks for him or her to choose from. Each student will spend some time perusing book covers and blurbs before choosing their 8-10 favorites to set back as a sort of "reading plan."

Students add stacks of books they are planning to read
 in their cubbies. There is nothing I like more than to see
 stacks dwindle until I know that in due time kiddos will come
 to me asking for more recommendations!
You can see that some stacks are larger than others,
 a few will be coming to me shortly!  

Whew...what an eventful week! That might explain exactly why I left Friday afternoon with my desk looking like...

Holy cow...look at that mess!
I was so tired I didn't even care! LOL

This is why I was so excited to have time to spend alone
cleaning and organizing a week of hot mess!

Now time for some great picture books to add to my picture book a day efforts. 

The first I want to share is Daisy-Head Mayzie by Dr. Seuss. This I shared with my kiddos not only because it is a fun and classic Dr. Seuss of course, but because this was my choice of costume for our Character Day. I love the rhyme and rhythm of Seuss books, and even more, I love that you can always find a good theme! Dr. Seuss was never afraid to teach a moral lesson.

He's Got the Whole World in His Hands is another Kadir Nelson masterpiece! I cannot say enough just how amazingly talented Mr. Nelson is. He has transformed this well known children's song into such beautiful imagery. My kiddos were in love! I first fell in love with Mr. Nelson's illustrations while reading Will Smith's Just the Two of Us, and this new one does not disappoint. This is a great example of how illustrations can carry a text so much further.

Michael Garland is another favorite illustrator, but Fish Had a Wish was something I hadn't seen from him before. This was a new purchase from the book fair, and although, it is somewhat simplistic for fourth graders, the message is an important one! We can spend our days wishing away or we can appreciate all that we are and all that we have. LOVE the message and the illustrations!

My next book is a purely selfish share. I originally bought Leap Back Home to Me as a graduation card for Katie Byrd. When I saw it again, I knew I had to buy a second copy for me to keep myself. I shared it with my kiddos, and I asked them why I might have bought it for her. They all knew just why I thought this sweet story a much more perfect graduation card than an actual card. Such a smart class I have!

One of Katie Byrd's little gifts for graduation

All sweet picture books, and all full of easy lessons of theme and inferring. 

Happy Reading!