Well friends I am finally back and I am so excited to share that I have my first ever teaching job. I will be teaching 1st grade at the school where I went to elementary school and also the school where I became Ms. Cara. I am so excited to start this adventure. This is truly my dream job!! If you have any first grade tips I will be happy to hear them. I also finally graduated college and I am so happy and proud!
For the past few weeks I have just been working in my room and finishing up my teacher test. I have one more and I will feel very happy when they are finally over. My classroom is a large mess right now and I can not wait to share pictures with you when it is all finished.
For the past few days I have seen so many people posting about getting early copies of The Marvels by Brian Selznick (September 15) and Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate ( September 22) . I am so jealous of the people with these copies and I can not wait to get my hands on these books.
Things have been a little crazy lately and that is why there have been a lack of blog post. WOMP WOMP WOMP! But big changes are coming to my life and I truly can not wait to share these things with you! I am hoping that this weekend will be the perfect time to share all of the changes!
Yesterday while at the college Library that I tutor at I picked up the first graphic novel that I have truly enjoyed! I am not a massive fan of comics and while I love that the students are loving them I love few things more than a real actual novel!
I picked up a book called Hidden: A Child's Story of the Holocaust by Loic Dauvillier.This is the story of a grandma telling her Granddaughter about her experience growing up during the holocaust. This book had so much real emotion and brought me to tears several times. The story was truly brought to life through the pictures and it was kind of magical!
The story is a fast read and a great companion for students who are reading books such as The Book Thief, The Diary of Anna Frank and Number the Stars. I think my favorite part is that the story is not all sad. It is the story of triumph and growing up in a scary time. It is a story of hope and being stronger than one every thought they could be!
This is a book that I feel I will keep in my heart for years to come. It is a story that shows what great strength can from love and hope!
Since it is teacher week at Books A Million and teachers get 25% off their purchase I treated myself to three sweet, fun, and wonderful books. I love to spoil myself with a good book!
I bought The Skunk by Mac Barnett, The Adventures of Beekle by Dan Santat, and Inside This Book by Barney Saltzberg. I am so glad I bought them and each are so unique in their own way. I heard about many of these from John Schu’s twitter @mrschureads and his blog Watch Connect Read.
I hope you enjoyed seeing some fun new books? Have you read them? How do you use them in your classroom?
Saturday I receiver the first Very Busy box from Blair Turner paper! Oh my goodness was it the very thing that I have ever gotten in the mail!! I love a good paper product, but wow it had so many great things.
It came with…
a thermal coffee mug
chocolates
a pencil case
two mechanical pencils
two poppin pens
a shopping bag
two blair turner pads of paper
notebook tabs
a papaya lipgloss
large day of the week clothes pins
The packaging was flawless and I was so so excited to open it. I think my favorite thing was the Blair Turner pad that said “ You can do anything, but not everything. “ I loved this. Sometimes as an educator and a woman I need to hear that. I can make big changes and make an impact but I have to learn to take everything one thing at a time.
To learn more about the Very Busy Box or to learn more about Blair Turner paper visit her website. She has amazing products and I can not wait to purchase more and get more Busy Boxes.
In every classroom there is a student that really changes the dynamic of the classroom. A few months ago, our classroom got that student and so many thing have changed since then. This little boy causes for a lot of distractions and can sometimes startle the students, but we love him none the less. I have pray for this student every night and often stay up at night thinking of ways to help him.
Today will I was on Facebook, I saw this article and it really struck me. I encourage you to read it and just do some self reflection of your own classroom. I think you will find it to be a powerful experience.
Recently I read an adorable book in the Babymouse series. I had never read any of these nor had I ever read any graphic novels. I personally not a fan, but I am starting to like them more and more. I found that I love Babymouse. Many of my third grade students are reading these books and they find them so funny. I found that I love the sassy sarcasm that Babymouse brings to the book world. I plan on buying many more.
I really have never given graphic novels much of a chance. I am now reading the book El Deafo by Cece Bell which is a book about little girl and how she deals with being deaf. I also plan on reading the book Sister soon.
How do you feel about graphic novels? I am hoping that I can grow to like them more. Kids love them!
In the past couple weeks have have read two books that I dare say deserve to be shared. Last week I read the book Stella by Starlight by Sharon M. Draper. I was drawn to this book because the author of the book wrote Out of my Mind. I loved Out of my Mind. That was a book that will always be part of my reading life. I am always looking for a book that will be as meaningful to me as that one!
Stella by Starlight is really nothing like Out of my Mind, but is a story that has so deeply touched my heart. This is the story of Stella and her family. She is an african american girl growing up in the time of the KKK. This is such a great work of historic fiction comparable to Chains. There are scenes from this book that will stick with me forever. There is a scene where Stella goes with her father so he can register to vote. I have never felt so much pride and admiration for a fictional character.
I also read Listen, Slowly. I have been looking forward to this book for months. It is by the author of Inside Out and Back Again. This is a book that I have mentioned several times on the blog and I am kind of in love with. To say I was some what disappointed when I read this would be true. I had wanted it to be so much like Inside Out and Back Again. I was longing for a character to fall in love with and a story that would sweep me away. While I did enjoy the book I did not love it. It is the story of Mia who travels to Viet Nam with her grandmother in order to uncover missing truth about her grandfather who disappeared during the war. There were parts that I really was drawn to, but there were also times when I was just ready to abandon the book which I do not love doing. All and all I think for 6th grade students and Jr. High kids this would be a great book. It does show how much family matters and the importance of always keeping that in mind.
I have read 15 books so far this year and I feel like I have really read some books that will always stick with me! Have you read any good books lately? What have you been reading with your class!
I have a little sister and she is my best friend in the whole world. I truly believe that there is nothing better than having a sister. We have had our ups and downs, but now I don't think I know how to live with out her.
My sister Kate and I a couple weeks ago when we had a huge snow storm in our area. I love this picture!
Last Wednesday I bought two perfect sister books! The story is the story of Maple. Maple is a book by Lori Nichols. Maple is a little girl and her best friend is a maple tree. She loves her tree, but she hopes that she will one day have a friend to share her wonderful tree with. Then one day she finds a small new tree growing next to hers and gets a big surprise that she is going to be a big sister.
In Maple and Willow Together, Maple and Willow are the best of friends and love each other so much! The story talks about their first fight and also how they make up!
This is such a great book for making connections. I recently read that a great way to get kids to love reading is to encourage them to have connections to the text. I have been working hard to find perfect books for these connections. I know that these books were very easy for me to make connections to and the same goes for many of my students.
What books do you use for making connections in your classroom? I would love to hear your connections :)
Today I read this article on Scholastic about what makes kids serial readers. In the article it states that in a survey given to children ranging from kindergarten to fifth grade many students admit to starting books and never finishing them. The author goes on to say that children stop reading because they aren't reading their perfect book and it suddenly hit me that this is totally true. When I was young this was a really issue for me. I think a lot of my problem came from the books being too hard for me, but I also know that I was always trying to read what was popular and that wasn't always something that was interesting to me.
Even now i see this a lot in the two classrooms that I work in. With the first graders I think that it is hard to find something that will keep them super engaged. For many of the chapter books are still little above their heads, but they want to read them so that they can seem big. I love this about them, but I know that this is an easy way to scare them away from reading!
I do notice that in the first grade there are a few books that really keep the interest of my kids. The one love love love anything that Mo Willems writes. They get that from me. They also love books that are about animals. I, personally, think that National Geographic Kids has done a fabulous job with writing books for children. They have book ranging from preschooler to chapter books for older kids. The picture bring the story to life, not to mention there are so many different books to pick from. I am about to share one in my next blog post and I just ordered several new ones yesterday! They are something that I am always looking for to fill my library.
For third grade things get a little more tricky! These kids have already developed a taste for what they really love. The kids in my class are really into the shadow children books right now which I will say I really got sucked into recently and I couldn’t put them down. I loved the story and they always had me wanting more. My students also love the who is books, as well as the I survived series. I think that they love having a taste of history. Many of my girls are loving the books Sister, Braces and Smile. They also have fallen in love with cute little Baby Mouse.
When I am a teach I hope to really help grow a love of reading in my students. I love watching them fall in love with reading. To me reading is life changing and I am so glad that it is something that I love so very much. Check out the article, I think that it is an interesting read for all teachers and parents.
IT’S A SNOW DAY!! This is the first snow day that my area has had since November and I want you to know that this has been much needed. We are expected to get about 8 inches today and then it will probably all freeze over night. It has snowed non stop since 2 am. I am spending my day planning some tutoring lessons, watching the first episode of the outlander series (which I am loving so much), and reading some books in bed! Later, my sister and I are going to go for a snow walk in our neighborhood, which is a bit of a family tradition in our house.
Today I wanted to post about some of the new books that I have gotten.In the past few days I have bought some great books. Many of my books will be arriving though out the week from amazon. I think I am addicted to Amazon. Here are some of the books that I have gotten.
I personally bought this book because I love the writer so much. I have only read one of her books, but she has written a book that I truly believe it is a masterpiece. She wrote the book Out of My Mind. I love this book and it has a very deep place in my heart. This new book is a historic work of fiction that I am sure will become one of my new favorites.
Charlie and Lola by Lauren Child
I went on a bit of a Lauren Child Spree and honestly I do not plan on changing that. I love these little books and how extremely British they are. I bought the following books in this book Haul.
I am so excited for this book I love the illustrations on the cover and I can not wait to see the rest of the book. This is the story of a big brother who is not quite sure about having a new small person ( a baby ) in the house. I love that this book has a family of color in it. I am working on bringing more diversity to my classroom library and I am looking forward to this great new addition.
Honestly I know nothing about this book, but it is by the woman who wrote Inside Out and Back Again and that book is a favorite of mine. I have read it at least five times. This book has some high standards to live up to, but I have great faith that it will. I am so excited to get this tomorrow!
I can not wait to share my review with you as soon as I get my books!
I almost forgot how much I love this book! This books is Plant a Kiss and it brings me so much joy.
I love this because it shows how easy it is to spread love. It also shows how much it takes to nurture love and help it grow. Its has a fun little rhyme and I think it is a perfect read aloud.
When are you having Valentine parties. I can not wait to start seeing them all over instagram!
Yesterday in tutoring I read Bear Hugs: Romantically Ridiculous Animal Rhymes by Karma Wilson. My student is a struggling reader and she has read so much in the short hour that we were together I felt like these short poems would be a great way to end our session.
This book is filled with so many clever poems about animals falling in love. Her favorites were “Bear Hugs” and “Turtle Love”. I would read her the poem and then she would read it to me and then we would read it together. This was a great way to work on her fluency, as well as, help her practicing some monitoring because she knew what the words should be.
I loved seeing her fall in love with poetry. She has so much fun! It was a great giggle filled tutor session.
More poetry is coming your way! I am loving these holiday poetry books by Jack Prelutsky. This one is particularly fun. It deals with first kisses (yuck) and making valentines. It talks about being afraid of not getting any treats. This book is called It's Valentines Day.
I think that these are perfect books to read during transition times. One poem between kids moving and getting to their seat. We have actually been reading these in my first grade class to practice fluency.
Have you ever read these books with your students? How do you use poetry in your classroom?
Well the award for the cutest monster book in the world goes to Love Monster. This is the story about a little monster that lives in a world full of fluffy adorable things. He wants to find someone like him that will love him for who he is. He searches high and low and looks all around. He is finally about to give up when he finds his perfect adorable googly eyed match.
I love this story because it shows that sometimes all you have to do is stop looking and you will find the very thing that you are looking for. I feel like this is a good lesson for adults too. I know that I always keep this story in my heart.
I think that this will be a really fun book to read with kindergarten students. I would love to make a pattern so that the kids could make their own Love monster. I think that this would be particularly cute if it were made out of felt so he had some fun fuzzy texture to him.
Today was an awfully fun mail day. I order a lot of books to build my classroom library and also just because I think there are few things more rewarding that finding a great new children’s book.
In the past few months I have mentioned Mouse and Mole a few times. I love this simple series of books and what they have to offer to readers who are ready to move on to chapter books. I am so glad that a Valentines Day Mouse and Mold book was written. First of all the book is beyond cute. This is the only book in the series that you can only get in hard back right now. It is adorable small and it’s bright red book really stands out!
In the book Mouse and Mole Valentines Surprise by Wong Herbert Lee Mouse has a secret clever Valentine. She has a series of clues to figure out who it is. The illustrations of this book add so much to it. I love how the silly little characters blush and how they interact.
I can not wait to share this book with some of the students that I love. For some of them this will be the first chapter book at that they read by them selves and I love that I can be part of such a magical transition.
I love poetry as a fun thing to add to a children's story. I don't need something that every word rhymes, but I love when there are a few clever poems to make the story really worth while.
Last year my good friend introduced me to a really fun story. This book is called Slugs in Love by Susan Pearson. This is the story of Marylou slug who has fallen in love with Herbie. Her love inspires her to write a poem. Once Herbie sees the message he knows that he must meet her. He writes her a series of poems, but something is always happening and she doesn't see the message. Finally, he has a smart idea and the two are brought together.
I think that this would be a great book to read during a poetry unit. I think that if this were read during small reading group time. You could discuss what type of poems the slugs are writing and also the students could write their own poems as either Marylou or Herbie.
Have you ever read this little gem of a book? What kind of things do you do during your poetry unit?
Lately I have been on a real kick for buying books to help kids understand their emotions. Learning about your emotions and beginning to understand others can make thinks so much things so much simpler. I know I am an adult and I don’t always know what I want or how I feel and that is a very frustrating feeling.
The book In My Heart by Jo Witek each page looks at a different layer of the young girls heart. Each page looks at a different emotion such as happy, brave, mad, and shy. Something so unique to this book is the large heart cut out in the center of the book. Each page is a different color and the size of the heart becomes smaller.
I love this book and I can not wait to share it with students. I would love to see students make their own heart book with different color and sized hearts. Each heart could show the different emotions that the child feels.
In October, I fell in love with Crankenstein. He has to be the cutest grumpy monster around. I love the story and how really he is just a normal funny kid. For Valentines Day, they put out A Crankenstein Valentine.
This story is so fun. Crankenstein hates everything about Valentines day. He hates making cards and he hates all the treats. He hates having to go to school on this day. One thing that he doesn't hate is having one friend that is as cranky as he is. She is a little friend that makes a not great day worth dealing with.
I would love to see this made in to a craft of Crankenstein. I think that that is going to an upcoming project for me. The prompt could be something like “ On Valentines Day Crankenstein does not like to do….” If i get something started I will post it. I am really working on building some products so that I can start selling on teachers pay teachers.
Have you read these funny little stories? How do your children like them?
I love Valentines Day because it brings life to all sorts of cute little love stories. A great example of this is a book that I recently bought called There’s This Thing by Connah Brecon. This is a sweet little story of a girl that has a crush on a boy but she is to shy to tell him. She things of all of these big ways to tell him but still she does not. Finally the little boy tells her that he has a crush.
For me this story was just too cute. I have always been shy around boys that I like and I feel this little girls pain. I was so glad that this ended in such an adorable way. This is a great read aloud. It would be fun to see a class act this out.
Happy Monday! Aww Mondays a day that is so misunderstood! I personally love them.
Today we are going to be talking about the book Valentine Surprise by Corinne Demas. I bought this book last month and featured it in a book Haul post. This book literally could not be cuter, from the sweet little pictures to the fun story, this book is a winner.
This is the story of Lily and she wants to make a special Valentine for her mom. She works and works to make the perfect thing, but can never make it just the way that she wants it to be. For so many kids that is a big problem. This is also a problem for a lot of adults as well. Sometimes things aren't perfect, but every moment in life is a growing experiences and when things do not go right we learn from our mistakes.
If I were reading this book to my class I would use this as a prompt in to writing about a time when we were trying to do something perfect and it just wasn't going our way. What did we learn from this experience? How did you feel about it when that was happening? How do you feel about it now? I think It would be fun to see what first and second graders would think of a question like this.
How do you think your students would respond? Do you have any perfectionist in your class.
Literally nothing makes me happier that children during Valentines. I love how crafty they get making their Valentines and giving them to their little friends. I love all the home made cards I get during this time of year. I love reading heart felt books to my kiddos and seeing them fall in love with reading.
For the next 14 days I will be sharing some of my favorite Valentine Day books. I will be sharing a summary, a class idea, and of course why i absolutely love the book. Buckle up it is going to be a mushy love filled ride.
I am going to start with a simple book. The book is Llama Llama I love you by Anna Dewdney. First I must say that I am so beyond glad that they are making these sweet little Llama books for each holiday. I am a big big fan of Llama Llama and I love seeing everything that he is up to. In this story Llama is doing all of the best activities of the season. He is making valentines, spreading love, and of course, cuddling with Mama. He even makes a sweet gift for his Mama.
I think that this book is best for preschool to kindergarten students. It is a simple book that rhymes and it would even be good for reading with the class and then reading several more times in choral reading to work on fluency. This would also be a great book to read one day when the kids are going to making Valentines for their parent or special family member. It is important to talk about how much love they give to us and that Valentines day is a day that we can show a little extra love to our most important people.
I love that they are putting these out for so many Holidays. Next month there will be a new Llama Llama book about Easter and I can not wait!
Have you read any of the new Llama books? What books would you like to see on here in the next few days?
Woohoo in just one short days I will be sharing a book a day for Valentines Day. I will be posting 14 of my very favorite little books to share with the world. I love valentines books and while most of them have a similar story it is a story that needs to be told. Love is such a gift. In the world that we live it children need to know that love is the greatest super of all. With love come happiness. I hope that my book suggestions can be of help and that I can give some great advice on how to teach with them. Enjoy and please share any books that you may love for the fun heart filled holiday.
I have one type of book that I alway connect very deeply too. I love a novel that is written in free verse poetry. I always read these books and become over whelmed with love and emotions for the subject the book is about, as well as, the perfection on the words. I love words and a free verse poems make the words fly off the page and warm my heart.
In the past few years I have read beautiful stories such as Inside Out and Back Again, The One and Only Ivan, and The Dreamer. The books have become some of my favorite stories and are three books that I always recommend. These books are written in a simple, but beautiful way that makes every moment in the story more perfect than the last.
Today I finished the book Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. This is the story of her growing up and becoming a writer. It is such a beautifully written story and I love how every word just jumps of the page. She had such an intersting life and makes the most simple moments in life the most electrifying. She talks about her struggle with reading and how words were her everything growing up. She talks about growing up african american during the civil rights movement. She spoke of her family and their happiness and hardships. She brought me to tears.
I loved every page of this book and I truly believe that this book should win the Newbery award. I have been wrong the past few words but I think this is the year that I will be right!. I can’t wait to hear other peoples thoughts on this.
“I believe in on day and someday and this perfect moment called Now.”
