Oh Carpets...

I am reading a ton of educator blogs and hearing how people are going in to dabble in their rooms.  Since I moved this year, I really need to do more than dabble.  I need to get it all in there!  Still, it's been a little exercise in patience since we are waiting on the carpets to get cleaned.  I don't want to put all my stuff on top of the carpet and get in the way of that process, you know?

But...

I'm anxious to get in there and get started!  We moved about half my stuff in last week and put it all in the little tiny bathroom and on the tiled floor (which has been cleaned and waxed).  There's just no room for anything else!  I guess I could go in and get some bulletin boards done.  Still, even that requires me digging in to my stuff!

Sooo...

I keep blog surfing.  Keep "pinning away" on Pinterest.  And I keep looking for the next great thing to make my little "Learning Garden" a fun place to learn and grow!

Here's hoping this week brings me different news and I can start to get in there and whittle away at the pile of stuff!

Another Give Away

Head on over to Kristin's blog at Teeny Tiny Teacher to check out her give away of a $20 gift card to Teacher Heaven, I mean Barnes and Noble!  
Just another great teacher blog sharing great ideas from the classroom.   

Come Meet Some Bloggers!

Hop on over to the FB Linky Party....It's a great way to connect and meet bloggers.  If you haven't connected with us on FB, head on over to the box in the right sidebar and join us!

Another Give Away

Head on over to Sunny Days in Second Grade for an awesome give away opportunity to celebrate 600 followers.  It's easy to enter and there are some great products you could win!  If you register over there, be sure to tell her you were sent by Susan @ Literacy Coaching so that we can BOTH win!

Teams

I went to my first "team meeting" this week with my new team!  How sweet it was of them to have a get together to just visit and get to know each other prior to the frenzy of the school year.  They gave me a great pacing calendar they have created and answered a bunch of my questions.

It's been a while since I've been the "new person" on campus...so I have to say I've been reflecting on this transition and what we can do when OTHER people are in that position.  If you have a new person coming to your team this year, why not hold a meeting just before the actual back to school days?  It could be as simple as inviting them for coffee at Starbucks or lunch out somewhere.  Trust me, this simple action goes a long way toward easing some of the "first day jitters"!

And in other "team news"...I have another team who will NOT be with me physically on my school campus next year.  But I have friends who are in my network that have been sharing their best and brightest ideas with me.  It feels GREAT to know that I am only a phone call or an email away from a whole bunch of support during my transition!

Anna at Crazy for First Grade teaming up with Donna from Kinderglynn and Jodi from Clutter-free Classroom to throw a HUGE jungle themed giveaway!!!  

Head on over to her blog to get the directions and get signed up!  

Love this quote:

“Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”   (Not sure the source...but this is well worth consideration)  


Did you see that Clifford is on sale at Kohl's?  LOVE the Kohl's Cares for Kids campaign.  They have some great literacy materials for kids.  I have acquired some great characters and books at a very low cost through this program.  


We are off to find a "Brown Bear" for a great activity that I found over at Krazy for Kindergarten .  I think I'm going to use this as our "Back to School" activity for week 1.  It's a great way to incorporate so much learning and assessment in a fun way.  


My new addiction is "Pinterest".   I am loving this tool for storing great ideas and projects that I find on the Internet!  If you have a Pinterest account, let's link up!  


Happy Monday!

In with the new...

As I said in my last post, I am switching schools.  This is something I haven't done in 12 years.  In fact, this is the longest I've worked anywhere.  So it's a little strange.  BUT EXCITING!  In the past two Sundays, I have run into two of my new teammates.  I have to say this has been interesting (and has gone a long way towards settling my nerves).  The person I met (or reaquainted with) today had actually sent a team email this morning, so it was quite timely!  It made me consider just what I've done to reach out to new teachers who have stepped into our school in the last 12 years.

If you have new people joining your staff--either seasoned or brand new--why not find ways to reach out and extend a connection to them?  It may be that they are sitting home a little nervous about stepping foot into that new classroom this fall.  Simply knowing that someone else cares that they are coming can make such a big difference.  It can be a simple email or handwritten note (if you have access to their address).  Or you may even make a phone call to invite them to lunch before the hectic activity of preplanning week begins.

What do you do to ease the transition for a new teacher to your school?

My Wheels are TURNING!

This Fall I will be returning full time to the classroom!  Not just any classroom, but the Kindergarten classroom.  I could go into the reasons for it here, but I won't.  Still, I couldn't be more excited to be making this move!  The thing is, my head is SPINNING!

I've set up a classroom website.

I've been visiting blogs like CRAZY and am blown away at all the FABULOUS blogs that I see out there.  In fact, it is a reminder that it's time to step up the game here on Literacy Coaching!

I've been finding treasures galore in stores, thrift shops, goodwill and online.  So, needless to say, we may be BROKE by the time school starts again.  (Just kidding!)

Anyway, I've just discovered "Pinterest" where you can organize all the things you find on the Internet that are of interest to you.  So I'm starting to store some things there.

In the meantime, I thought I'd share a little of my handiwork thus far.  I decided to have a theme for the classroom, so here it is:

And, along with that theme, I created my very own classroom website (thanks to the coaching of one of my colleagues).  The site is "Mrs. Nations' Learning Garden"  and can be found over at http://www.weebly.com
If you're looking for an easy and FREE way to create a website for yourself...head on over there now.  It's a great user-friendly site!

While planning for the garden theme, I discovered this little gem in one of our local children's bookstores:  

So I started collecting flowers for it and am now praying for an arts-inclined parent to be connected to one of the kids in my new class!

My Mother-in-Law has been a Godsend as she has started printing out some of the resources we've discovered on the Internet for K.

Here are a few center activities that are already done and ready for this Kindergarten class:

 Attach the mouse with ribbon so he can run up the clock.

 Use oven mitts to clap and sort picture cards.

Manipulate the word cards and the flies to say this fun poem!

Hopefully when I get into the room, I can do some before and after photos.  And people think teachers take "off" in the summer!

Did You Know?

Highly effective teachers make incremental change throughout their career?  Usually this is includes collaborating with other peer professionals and administration with the intention to see student achievement gains.  Here are the hallmarks of this "Deliberate Practice":

* Continually self-assess and seek feedback on performance, particularly about  proficiency on the research based practices linked to student achievement

* Focus on "thin slices" - work on mastery of a small quantity of skills  each year rather than doing too much at one time..steady growth over time

* Identify areas of weakness and/or interest

* Select focus area for improvement..a research based practice that is of interest (I want to be able to do that) or where improvement is needed (I need to be able to do that)

* Determine current level of performance in focus area

* Set goal and time frame for improving performance

* Seek mentors in area where they are working

 These habits form a life-long learning process that results in continuous improvement,  quality collegial relationships, and higher student achievement.  Effective school leaders support teachers' efforts to engage in deliberate practice.


Excerpted from Florida School Leaders Website:  http://www.floridaschoolleaders.org 

A GREAT Recycling Idea...

Saw this on Facebook today and thought it was worth sharing:

" I have the best new idea for recycling. Have an old, broken umbrella? Remove it carefully from the wire brackets until you just have a circular piece of material. Cut off the closure string. Now you have a FREE small parachute to use with children. Depending on the size of the umbrella, 4-6 children can use it for parachute play with or without balls! Clever?"  

A Great Chuckle

If you've ever had to help kids get boots, hats, mittens, and such on during the school day, then you'll love this little laugh.  I am not sure who to credit with it, as I received it in an email from my 90 year old Grandmother:

The Cowboy Boots 
(Anyone who has ever dressed a child will love this one!) 

Did you hear about the Texas teacher who was helping one of her kindergarten students put on his cowboy boots? 

He asked for help and she could see why.. 

Even with her pulling and him pushing, the little boots still didn't want to go on. By the time they got the second boot on, she had worked up a sweat. 

She almost cried when the little boy said, 'Teacher, they're on the wrong feet.' She looked, and sure enough, they were. It wasn't any easier pulling the boots off than it was putting them on. She managed to keep her cool as together they worked to get the boots back on, this time on the right feet. 

He then announced, 'These aren't my boots.' 

She bit her tongue rather than get right in his face and scream, 'Why didn't you say so?' like she wanted to. Once again, she struggled to help him pull the ill-fitting boots off his little feet. No sooner had they gotten the boots off when he said, 'They're my brother's boots. My mom made me wear 'em.' 

Now she didn't know if she should laugh or cry. But, she mustered up what grace and courage she had left to wrestle the boots on his feet again. 

Helping him into his coat, she asked, 'Now, where are your mittens?' 

He said, 'I stuffed 'em in the toes of my boots.' 

Did You KNOW???

"According to a recent international survey of 2,200 mothers, 81% of children under the age of two currently have some form of online presence — ranging from photos uploaded and shared by their parents, to a full-fledged profile on a social networking site. A full 92% of children in the U.S. have an online presence by the time they are two, compared to 73% in western Europe."  


And...


"AVG CEO J.R. Smith said he found it “shocking” that most 30-year-olds have an “online footprint stretching back 10 to 15 years at most, while the vast majority of children today will have online presence by the time they are two years old — a presence that will continue to build throughout their whole lives.”"


Here's a link to the info on CNN.  

Music + Arts + Literacy = ENGAGEMENT

We just returned from presenting at the Florida Alliance for Arts Education's West Coast Symposium.  It was a great day filled with many ideas for integrating arts into core subject areas.  Our presentation is called "Music + Arts + Literacy = ENGAGEMENT" and describes how we use all forms of visual and performing arts along with books to help students with their comprehension strategies. This approach to our reading intervention came began from our work with Tanny McGregor, author of  one of our favorite books: Comprehension Connections.

Using Tanny's book as a springboard has led us to discover some fabulous picture books based on music and, in turn, artwork that supports our teaching.  Here is a partial bibliography of books, art prints/paintings, music, and poems to teach each of the seven key areas of comprehension:

SCHEMA-

BOOKS/TEXT:

Piggie Pie (T-T connections) Margie Palatini

The Ghost Eye Tree (T-S connections)

SONGS: “Whistle a Happy Tune” (The King and I)

                “Monster Mash”

                “Popular” (Wicked)

                “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” (Toy Story)

 ART:  The Scream (Edvard Munch)

POETRY:

Poems:  Monster Motel  Doug Flourian

Poems:  A Little Bit Scary by Gill Davies and Illus. by Gill Guile  (Ghost Train)

INFERENCE-

BOOKS/TEXT:

Day is Done  by Peter Yarrow

An internet synopsis of the Broadway musical “Annie”

Song lyrics from Tomorrow

Zoom books by Istvan Banyai

SONGS:

“Tomorrow” (from Annie)

“Day is Done”  (Peter, Paul, and Mary)

“Cat’s in the Cradle” (Harry Chapin)

ART:

Artwork of Horace Pippin-

Examples- Christmas Morning, Breakfast; After Supper; West Chester; Fishing  Through Ice; The Wash; Domino Players

QUESTIONING-

BOOKS/TEXT:

The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles

Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges

            *Use with Norman Rockwell’s print, The Problem We All Live With

Frederick by Leo Lionni

Grandfather Twilight by Barbara Berger

SONGS:

“Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” (Pete Seeger)

“Blowin’ in the Wind”

“Part of Your World” (Disney’s The Little Mermaid)

“Why Not”  (Hilary Duff)

 ART:

Where Have All the Flowers Gone? etching by Laura Chassy

Where Have All the Flowers Gone? by Ladija Ivanek   (SILA) This work is abstract  expressionism.

The Problem We All Live With by Norman Rockwell (use with the story of Ruby Bridges)

The work of Jan Vermeer is very appropriate for questioning.

POETRY:

It’s Raining Pigs and Noodles (Jack Prelutsky)

            Examples- What Oinks?

                              Why Do I Have to Clean My Room?

DETERMINING IMPORTANCE-

BOOKS/TEXT:

The Coat of Many Colors  by Dolly Parton

Lyrics to  “Simple Gifts”

SONGS:

The Coat of Many Colors  by Dolly Parton

Simple Gifts by Jewel

ART:

Simple Pair by Norma Wilson

Simple Gifts oil painting by Kimberly Applegate

VISUALIZING-

BOOKS/TEXT:

Grandma’s Feather Bed adapted by Christopher Canyon

Take Me Home Country Roads adapted by Christopher Canyon

SONGS:

“Grandma’s Feather Bed” by John Denver

“Take Me Home Country Roads” by John Denver

“Thank God I’m a Country Boy” by John Denver

ART:

American Gothic by Grant Wood  

POETRY:

The New Kid on the Block by Jack Prelutsky- “Michael Built a Bicycle”

SYNTHESIS-

BOOKS/TEXT:

The Littlest Matroyska by Corinne Demas Bliss

For Baby for Bobbie 

SONGS:

“Sunrise, Sunset” (from Fiddler on the Roof)

ART:

Sunrise and sunset paintings. One source: www.alloriginals.com, impressionistic paitings by Daniel Haney

www.yapespaints.com/.../trees/sunset-sunrise.jpg

METACOGNITION-

BOOKS/TEXT:

Don’t Laugh at Me by Steve Seskin and Allen Shamblin

The Red Book by Barbara Lehman

(*Any wordless book is a great tool to develop metacognitive skills.)

SONGS:

“(Feeling Groovy)

By Alabama

ADDITIONAL CHILDREN’S BOOKS IN SONG (some with audio cd)

Over the Rainbow (cd performed by Judy Collins)

Colorful World (cd performed by CeCe Winans)

What a Wonderful World

Goodnight, My Angel- A Lullaby (with cd of Billy Joel)

New York State of Mind (with cd of Billy Joel)

Let’s Sing Together- The Peter Yarrow Songbook

Love Me Tender (with cd of Elvis Presley)

Say a Little Prayer for You

This Land is Your Land

Puff the Magic Dragon

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Monday Funny...

One teacher on our campus always wishes the students "Happy (insert the name of the day)!" as they arrive at school in the morning.  This morning, the Assistant Principal was standing near when this teacher looked at a young man and said, "Happy Monday, A!"  He turned around to the AP and said, "It's MONDAY???"  She confirmed that it is, in fact, Monday.  He thought a moment and replied, "Even at the Boys and Girls Club???"  And she said, "Even at the Boys and Girls Club!" 

You gotta' love them!  Happy Monday...everywhere!

Glog: Guided Reading

I Realize...

I realize that the world kids are being raised in is so very different than the one I was.  I also realize that their knowledge and capacity to grasp technological gadgets and gizmos is far greater than mine.  I believe their brains are wired differently.  Most have been looking at moving images and digital images from the time they were born.  Yet, so many of our classrooms are the same as the ones that I started teaching in more than 25 years ago.  Sure they are equipped with smart boards vs.chalkboards.  And there is a document camera where the overhead used to be.  Yet I think most of us have only begun to scratch the surface of the potential of the tools that we have.

For me, digging in to Glogster yesterday really helped me see that kids need to be able to present information in a way that makes sense to them.  They should be able to access what they know to share what they've learned in powerful and more meaningful ways.  There must be a huge disconnect between the digital world of their homes and the lack of digital focus at school.

This makes me realize that rather than leading them on a journey of discovery, many of us may be stifling their learning.  For me, I plan to get out of their way and start listening to what they know.  I plan to stop assuming that my students, who come from lower SES homes, don't know how (or shouldn't have the opportunity) to access the wealth of resources that are available via the Internet.

It makes me realize it's time to step up the game and help them access, process, and communicate knowledge and learning in new and relevant ways.  It's time for a change.

Glogs...

I have spent a good portion of the day creating this Glog: to share with colleagues at our first Guided Reading session this Thursday.  You're going to have to click the link below to preview it because I cannot make it paste here without it being HUGE and when I resize it's distorted.  It may not look like this when it's complete, but it's not bad for a first attempt--at least that's MY opinion!  Today reminded me just how painful new learning can sometimes be--yet how rewarding in the end.


Guided Reading Glog Link

Have you tried "Dip and Tip" in your classroom?

If we want our students to make wise selections of books, then we have to be constantly aware of their choices. I haven't read every single book in my classroom library (although it's my goal to do so).  Instead I think we need to use a strategy I am calling "Dip and Tip".  Occasionally, while your kids are reading their self-selected books, take a few minutes to conference with them.  These should be SHORT conferences (1 - 3 minutes max).  

When you "dip" into their reading, sit down next to them and ask them to read aloud to you right where they are. It doesn't take long to figure out if the book is a good choice for them...are they reading at a pretty fluent rate?  Or are they stumbling over their words?  Do they seem interested?  Or obligated to it?  Give a quick "tip" to the reader and then move on.  A tip could be a question you ask to nudge them further in their thinking.  It could be a suggestion to abandon the book.  Or it could be a strategy for figuring out an unknown word or part of text.  

Although you could probably give a lot of tips, resist the urge to do so.  Give a quick one and move on.  This allows you to get to the next reader.  It also allows your readers to continue their work without a lot of interruption.  

You could carry a small notebook or note-taking page with you to jot down the tips you are offering each reader.  This provides a good anecdotal record over time of the student's independent reading behavior.  

How do you conference with your students during independent reading?    

How Well Do You Know Them?

While reading Donalyn Miller's book, The Book Whisperer, I am once again reminded of the importance of really knowing the kids we teach!  Oh sure I know them IN the classroom.  We laugh there.  We share stories there.  We share text there.  I learn a lot about them.

But what do I really know?

She interviews her kids so she can make "book whispers" to them.  She doesn't just ask them "what do you like to read?"  She asks what kind of TV they watch, what hobbies they have, and what websites they visit.  She knows that this is the way to really uncover their interests.  And she knows books (titles and authors) well enough to suggest them to the appropriate students.  I mixed her questions with some of my own and plan to ask these:

• What kind of books do you like to read?
• Where do you like to read?
• How did you learn how to read?
• What are your favorite magazines or websites?
• What type of TV shows do you watch? Why?
• What is your first choice about what to do when you have free time at home?
• What kinds of things have you collected? What do you do with the things you collect?
• What is your favorite activity or subject at school? Do you have a least favorite?
• If you could talk to any person currently living, who would it be? Why? Think of 3 questions you would ask them.
• If you could talk to anyone from history, who would it be? Why? Think of 3 questions you would ask the person.
• What are your hobbies?  How much time do you spend on your hobbies?
• Tell about your favorite games.
• What was your last favorite book? Why?
• What career do you think might be suitable for you when you are an adult?

One time at a reading conference Dr. Samuel Betances, diversity trainer, made a profound statement.  He suggested that every teacher should read and know 100 books at their grade level.  Then he added that we should also know 100 books below the grade level (one to two years).  And finally he said we should know 100 books above the grade level.  And when he talked about "knowing"---he nudged us further and suggested that we had actually READ that number of books.

After all, how can I make meaningful recommendations to a reader if I haven't read widely?

This week I made myself read some books I've never read before.  And next week I will interview my students to really dig in and start to know who they are as people.  Then...I plan to whisper away!