Spreading the word...

I love me a good teacher sale.  Seriously.  I love going to Lakeshore and finding a discounted treasure.  Or looking through the Target or Michaels dollar bins for things that are now less than a dollar.  Score.  Anyway, some fabulous teachers are having a sale on one spectacular resource at Teachers Pay Teachers from Thursday until Saturday.  Check out the list of sale items at Teacher 2 Teacher.  And come back every Thursday to check out the latest deals!

So now a word from our sponsors...

Setting:  Back table, strategy group, giving directions, getting the natives students to settle down.
Me:  Sometimes we have to do things we don't like.
Boy:  Yeah, like take a bath...last night.
Me:  Yeah....(turned a little bit so he wouldn't see me chuckle)

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Setting:  Classroom, teacher giving directions for a project

Teacher:  So, if you lose any of these pieces, c'est la vie (say la vee)

Students, in a chorus:  La vee

Me, laughing hysterically, and the students confused as to what the joke was...

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Setting:  Classroom, wanting to get started on small group lesson

Boy:  Can I get a drink?

Me:  Very quickly.

Boy:  Yeah, my throat is feeling a little rusty.

We now return for your regularly scheduled programming....

MLK Jr. Quote and Black History Month Journal

As we enjoy the day off, we're also probably lesson planning about some additional activities that we could do this week that relate to the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  (you know how teachers get all this "vacation" time...)  I enjoy reading to the children the plethora of award-winning picture book biographies as well as the never-to-be-forgotten "I have a dream" speech; I also wanted my students to appreciate some of his other quotes.  So the one that I found is a simple yet very tangible saying, applicable for young kids and for adults:  “The time is always right to do what is right.”

January Readers Workshop: Back to Basics

First of all, wishing you much health and happiness to you and your family in the coming year!  I hope your break was restful and fun.  As we're trying to figure out what we're actually going to teach this week, I was reflecting on past Januaries, and how I have to throw in a few September mini lessons on classroom procedures because we seemed to have forgotten them in the midst of parties, opening gifts, sleeping late, and eating some extra cookies.  I have this chart that we created earlier in the year that stays up all year long (in case I need to a September mini lesson in April...again).  I like this chart because at the end of private reading and/or partner reading, I can ask them to quickly rate themselves using a thumbs up, thumbs in the middle, and thumbs down.  I can also give out the Reader of the Day, Partnership of the Day, or take away stuffed animals based on this chart.

Building their reading stamina is process, building their reading stamina is process, building their reading stamina is process, I keep telling myself...