You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch

For the past couple of weeks I have been planning activities for Literacy Night on December the 16th. After the fourth graders perform, students will listen to the story, "How the Grinch stole Christmas." They will get to create a Grinch, participate in a writing activity and enjoy milk and cookies. Students will be talking about the Grinch in Guidance, Art, Music, and PE creating excitement for great things to come at Literacy Night.

Culture at Christmas

This is the time of year for students to learn about different cultural traditions and customs. This knowledge helps them understand the perspectives of others and broadens their knowledge of the world around them. When I was in the classroom, I loved to teach students where some of our traditions and customs originated. They were always surprised to learn where Christmas carols, Christmas cards, stockings, and the poinsettia originated. Here are some of my favorite books introducing students to other cultures:

These books are fantastic resources helping students understand where some of our own traditions and customs originated. It also broadens their awareness of the unique traditions within other cultures. 

A Time of Thanks

I am grateful for what Abraham Lincoln did in 1863 and look forward to spending time with my family over Thanksgiving. In Lincoln's proclamation he writes, "To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come." It amazes me that even though he said those words over 150 years ago, they could still apply today. We do get so busy that we forget to take time to slow down and appreciate all that we have. 

At Cooley Springs-Fingerville we have many resources to help students understand the history of Thanksgiving. Some books are also written for fun. I have included pictures of some of the books that are available in our literacy room. 

 

"Balloons over Broadway" is a great book about the history of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. It is a picture book filled with nonfiction features of maps, diagrams, and contains the image of the "New York Times" newspaper describing the first parade in 1924. 

It is amazing to read about the individuals that made decisions so long ago, that still impact our lives today. 

Scholastic website provides links so students can take "Virtual Filed Trips to the Mayflower, Pilgrim Village, a Wampanoag Homesite and to Plimoth Plantation." 

I really enjoyed the link to the Mayflower and learned so much about the ship that I hadn't heard before. I hope you are able to view these amazing resources. 

For the Link to Scholastic click here:

Plimoth Plantation Field Trips

I am thankful for my Cooley Springs-Fingerville family and wish all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Symbaloo

What is it? It's like Pinterest since it allows you to place all of your links/bookmarks in one site so you can access them from anywhere with any device. I used Symbaloo in the classroom so my students could easily gain access the books, videos, and articles we had talked about in class. It was also great to create a board for them to use the links when preparing for research. Here are a couple you might be interested in using in your classroom. All you have to do is click on the link!

National Geographic Young Explorer Books

American Revolution

Biographies

If you wanted your students to have access to several links at once, these boards are great to post on your website. All you need to do is create an account!

You Tube

Have you ever found something on You Tube that you want to share with your students, but hate the links on the right hand side? I sure have. I remember finding a great video called "The States of Matter" where glass blowers showed students how they took glass in powdered form, heated it to a gooey stage, then cooled it to form their solid shape. It even asked questions and gave a ten second pause for students to answer. It was perfect for my students to view during our science unit on solids, liquids, and gas. My students loved it, and wanted me to post it on my school website. I didn't want them to see the links on the side and view something that wasn't appropriate. Then I discovered ss.

If you find a video you want to share with your students, you can type the letters "ss" after the www. and hit enter. It takes you to a site called savefrom.net that allows you to download the video to your computer. It offers several formats for the download; I always chose the MP4 360p version.

Once you download your movie, you can save it to Google docs to access it from school. (ss is blocked in our district so do this at home)

Hope this helps you share information with your students in a safe format!

EdTech

The last week in October I attended EdTech in Greenville learning from different educators the variety of ways they use technology to make the learning process more relevant, hands-on, and appealing for students. One of the presenters, Nick LaFave, said something that really spoke to me. He said, “As teachers, we are not their only source of information. If they want to know something, they can just ask Siri.” 

I think back to the days where you went to the bookshelf and got the “S” encyclopedia if you wanted to learn about Salamanders. (I realize I just dated myself) Now, with just a click students can find the answers to their questions.

Click this link to read Nick’s Picks for Educational Technology list complete with how to instructions. Another quote that stuck with me was, “Instruction must come first, create your lessons with your objectives, and THEN decide how technology could support student learning. Technology is the tool and strategies that will help students gain the knowledge.”

One tool I learned about was Tube Chop. Have you ever wanted to show just a part of a youtube video instead of the whole thing? Well Tube Chop lets you do just that. 

Using Tube Chop, I was able to capture just a snippet of a video I wanted to share.

Here is the link:
How to make a Pop-Up book

It's amazing how many neat tools their are to make our lives so much easier! We can find restaurants, answer questions, and learn new things! Hope Nick's Picks helps you discover something new.

What books are best for my child?

I hear this question a lot. Especially during the summer as students prepare for the next grade level or begin reading chapter books for the first time. In our November newsletter for CSF,  I mention Scholastic's list of top 100 books and encourage readers to learn more about some of the most popular books ever. I went through the list of 100 books and wrote down the titles I haven't read, so I can check them out from the library. My plan is to begin reading some of them over the Thanksgiving holidays. I know getting lost in the pages of a book will help my flights seem much faster! They say, "Time flies when you're having fun!"

 Here is the link:
100 Greatest Books for Kids

I also wanted to share with you a fantastic blog created by a K-5 teacher-librarian named Mr Schu. Each week he features book trailers introducing new books to readers. What a great way to learn a little bit more about a book before you decide to buy it for yourself or your child. It is also a fantastic way to discover a book you might not have picked up on your own.

I can't wait to go back through his book trailers to see what new books I can discover! His blog is titled "Watch. Connect. Read"  and he does a terrific job of helping students do just that!

Mr. Schu Reads

Hopefully these resources will give you some suggestions when you hear a child ask, "What book should I read?"

Graphing Favorites

Last week each class created a graph showing their top five books. After students nominated the books, each student voted for their favorite. Mrs. Berry hung these graphs for students to read as they wait in line for breakfast and for lunch.

Each morning I have the pleasure of greeting students as they come for breakfast. The graphs have been the topic of our conversations each morning and I love talking with students about books! Students love showing me what book they voted for and I love hearing their reasons.
I also love hearing the conversations between students, "Have you read that book.....?" "That book is so funny!" and "I used to love that book when I was in Kindergarten."

Tomorrow I will take some pictures of the graphs to share with you. It's great to talk to students about  the books they are reading, why they choose the books they do, and what hooks them as a reader.

When I am asked what type of books I read, I usually say, "Grown up Nancy Drew's". Nancy Drew mysteries hooked me as a young reader and I hope our students will continue a life filled with favorite books.

D. E. A. R.

                                                      D. E. A. R. 

I am really looking forward to this week's literacy focus with daily activities planned to support DEAR. What is it you say? D. E. A. R. stands for "Drop Everything And Read" and originates from author Beverly Cleary. It is also known as "Sustained Silent Reading". The purpose is to encourage students to pick up a book and devote 20 - 30 minutes simply for the pleasure of reading. 

In the book Ramona Quimby age 8, Ramona is pleased to discover she can read a book without having to do a book report, vocabulary words, or discuss the book with others. She is thrilled to know she can sit by herself and get lost in her book. Ramona and I have so much in common!

I have a framed print in my room that says, "I have so much to do but all I want to do is read." As a student, D.E.A.R. would have been my favorite time of the day. I hope students as CSF are just as excited about a chance to stop everything and read a good book. 

On this blog you will see the Author link where I have provided links to some of my favorite authors websites for students to explore. You can also hear author Lester Laminack read his book, Saturdays and Teacakes,  and find out where author Lois Lowry got the idea to write her book, The Giver. Lois Lowry wrote the book in 1993 and was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1994. The award is given each year for the most distinguished contribution to literature. The book was recently made into a movie and was released in August. 

So this week when it becomes time to D.E.A.R. you will find me with my nose buried between the pages of a great book!!

Technology Links

Jason Paddock, the Instructional Technology Integration Specialist for Spartanburg District 2, recently sent an email which included a link to his latest blog entry detailing formative assessments. The list was compiled by Technology Lead Teachers in District 2.  Learn more about it from this link:

http://s2edtechjason.blogspot.com/

Speaking and Listening

Today I had the pleasure of visiting a fourth grade classroom watching them create illustrations to help them solve word problems. After students were given time to solve the problem, they were given a chance to talk about their solutions with partners. I heard several fantastic conversations as I walked around the room during "Math Talk."

Student: I like the way you approached that problem. I didn't think about it like that.

Student: Let me make sure I understand.......Why did you solve it that way?

Student: I wasn't able to get the answer. Can you help me find the answer?

Student 1: Why are you drawing the whole calendar?
Student 2: I have to draw it like this, so I can solve the problem. ( I was so proud of this student for being honest and stating what she needed to solve the problem. The other student was so respectful after hearing her reply)


These conversations are wonderful opportunities for students to learn from each other while developing respect for others opinions, learning to be patient and wait for their turn and truly listen to others. Believe it or not, this isn't something that comes naturally for students. Students learn valuable skills that benefit them later as they work in teams accomplishing a task.

As a Literacy Coach, I was a fish out of water since I walked into their Math lesson. But as I watched the variety of ways to solve the problem, it reminded me that a story or a problem can be viewed from different perspectives. It was a neat story that unfolded before me as twenty students approached one problem in so many different ways, yet respecting each other's ideas.

I might be a Fish out of water, but I hope to swim with them during another Math lesson!

Literacy Coach

I personally think I have been preparing for this job since I was 7 or 8. I can't remember a time when books were not a major part of my life. Books have taken me away to far places, they have made me laugh, and made me cry. I have gotten so hooked into a series that when it ended, I felt like I had lost a friend. 

Books are my passion and I am thrilled I have the opportunity to share my passion with the teachers and students at Cooley Springs Fingerville. During the first two weeks of school I went into classrooms to introduce myself and share a story with them. In a first grade classroom I read the story, "The Invisible Boy". Just last week one of those first graders came up to me at breakfast and said, "Hey I still remember that book you read to us about the Invisible Boy!" That made my day! There is so much to learn as we study the illustrations and the meanings behind them or within the words themselves for the author's message. This year I hope to share my passion on a daily basis and help students and teachers at Cooley Springs Fingerville discover......the more you know, the more you grow!