Fiction Friday! A Viking Tale

Fiction Friday!!!

I have something to admit- this is the first Rick Riordan book I have ever read. Not sure why? Thus, I have nothing to compare it to when it comes to his other series.

With that being said- I really enjoyed reading Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard. It is based on Norse mythology and it is the first book of Rick Riordan's trilogy. Who wouldn't love a good old Viking tale?!

The main character is sixteen year old Magnus who has been living on the streets of Boston since his mother's death. He soon discovers that he is the son of a Norse god and his adventure begins (kinda ends too) You need to read the book :) I don't want to give too much away.

Riordan integrates Thor, Loki, and Odin into his story with some hilarious scenes. I didn't know Riordan was such a funny and witty writer. I think students would be motivated to read since Marvel has made some of these characters so popular. 

This book never has a dull moment with humor, action, and mythology to keep any reader entertained.

You can check out other fab fiction Friday books to read and share with your class at The Teaching Thief.

Upper Grade Mentor Texts

I realized that one thing that I really missed in 6th grade was using picture books to teach writing.

One of the best things I did this summer was to dedicate some time to finding  new picture books to use the first week of school The quality of picture books is amazing!

I found many of the books to be relevant to the age group I teach.  These books have a universal theme that students can relate to and they lend themselves to some great class discussion.

I worked on using these picture books for writing models that help students with a number or writing skills:
Writing for a purpose
Writing for an audience
Responding to a prompt
Staying focused and organized
Responding to the story with a personal response


Here is my catchy title ...Groundbreaking Writing
Why groundbreaking? Well, these activities are meant to help my students break ground to becoming better writers. You can check out my 5-day series of using picture books to get students engaged and excited to write.

1. Dear Teacher by Amy Husband
2. A Perfectly Messed-Up Story by Patrick McDonnell
3. The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes by Mark Pett
4. Nerdy Birdy by Aaron Reynolds
5. My Teacher for President by Kay Winters

Teacher Fun Haves

I know these are not teacher MUST haves, or things every class needs... but... aren't they lovely? They would make any teacher happier to grade papers, staple packets, organize homework, wake up in the morning, etc. I know I would do these things with a happier heart because I would be using these beauties:)

Click on the pics if you want to check them out a little closer.

1. Scotch Tape Dispenser- My happy place is at home gardening. I love caring for my plantsies and having them thrive. Now, every time I grab a piece of tape I'll think of them. Heaven!

2. Ban-do complimentary pencils- Because who doesn't need a compliment when you had a rough day?! Here are some of the uplifting phrases:
"You're Fresher Than Lemonade" (my fave)
"Yes You Totally Can"
"You're a Total Champ"

3. Nate Berkus gold stapler truly does make one smile :) Beautiful color, staples great, and looks expensive, but isn't. Now stapling will be a joy. Bring on the packets.

4. Mr. Sketch... need I say more? When I grade papers I enjoy using colored pens and in my mind that equals students enjoying reading my comments. Now I can grade those papers with colors that pop and a yummy smell. Totally worth the purchase.

5. I'm an obsessed fan of Post its. No, not sticky notes- Post its. I think they stick the best.
Then,  I saw this tropical number I was over the moon. Look a pink flamingo? I'll be sending lots of notes to the teacher next door (it's my hubby- he is in room 17 and I'm in room 18) He won't mind when he sees how great they are.






6. Top Notch Teacher Clips- What I love about these is that they are labeled and seem as sturdy as the plain black ones.
They come is small packs or a pack of 18 of different labels. Now, I can clip away and be organized in style.

7. When I found these Pen Pal Flexible pen holders my heart leaped. No more trying to find a pen when I doing formative assessments, recess duty, attendance, and/or writing a nurse note. I can put a Pen Pal anywhere because of the adhesive on the back. Just peel and stick.

8. Yes water is S'well (Did you know we are suppose to drink about half an ounce of water for each pound you weigh?)  Now there will be no more excuses not to drink that water.















Bonus! Because we should all start our day feeling like, "We got this!"

Do you have any "Fun Haves?' I'd love to hear about them.

Who's Doing the Thinking?

I had an AHA Moment when I heard a speaker say,

"The kids need to head home exhausted because of all the thinking they have been doing- not you (teacher)!"

OMGoodness!...there are days when I have done so much thinking throughout the day that I just want to get home and veg in front of the T.V.

Since my epiphany moment, I have been focused on finding strategies, tools, anything that will help my students feel empowered about their learning and be more responsible and aware of their learning.

Obviously, let's assume that I have taught the lessons, scaffold, used concrete to make abstract learning more accessible, differentiated, provided small group review and enrichment, created a visual chart with the students for reference, and who knows what else!

Aren't teachers A...MAZ...ING?!!

Now, it's time to remove some of the tools and see what the kids can do on their own... crickets... they're stuck. 

D.I.Y. Literacy by Kate and Maggie Roberts is a beneficial read because it offers practical, easy to use visual tools that create D.I.Y. Learners. So no need to buy anything- remember it's D.I.Y.

Today- let's talk Bookmarks. K. and M. Roberts share, "Bookmarks allow students to personalize and keep close tabs on the work they are practicing in reading and writing." 
But people,  I believe this half sheet of paper is a tool you can use in all subjects. 

K. and M. Roberts offer a great suggestion of using bookmarks as a way to create a personalized list of what to remember. Now students need to decide what helps them understand the skill.

Steps to Bookmarking:

1. All resources are gathered (charts, notebooks, handouts) and made accessible to students. 
2. Together look over resources and decide what is most helpful to them. Model making the bookmark if it is the first time.
3. Students are now ready to create their own bookmark. Students use half-sheet of paper, pens, colored pencils, icons, and drawings to serve as a reference. 

Simple, yet powerful! Here is my go at it with what I want to remember for chapter 3 &4.

 
 Next up: D.I.Y. Micro-Progression of Skills

Fiction Friday - Dog Edition

Thank you Amanda from The Teaching Thief for inspiring this doggy edition post!

Meet my personal reading support team. They have approved the following review.

Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin

This was a beautiful story told from the main character's point of view. She is an eleven- year -old girl named Rose. Rose is a high-functioning autistic girl that comes from a single parent home. She is being raised by her father who does very little to understand her.

Rose loves homonyms. She can tell a story and every time (thyme) she hears (here's) a new (knew, gnu) homonym she must write (right, rite, wright) it down. Rose is also obsessed with rules. Rose isn't very liked at school because she tends to point out when other kids and adults break rules. Ann M. Martin does an excellent job integrating Rose's love of homonyms and rules with the story line.  It adds to who Rose is.

Rose has a dog named Rain (Reign) who is one of her few sources of unconditional love. Rain is Rose's companion and the one who ultimately helps her connect to her emotions. Rain gets lost when Rose's dad lets her out during a storm. When Rain is finally found the plot takes an unexpected turn. Rose knows she has to do the right thing (it's a rule).

Overall thoughts: This book didn't seem to be about autism or trying to say this is what an autistic child thinks or feels. It is a book about family, fears, hopes, loneliness, and all those emotions that make kids and adults want to read more.

The Importance of Fiction

Teaching reading using fiction is truly my favorite part of the school day. There are days when reading class feels magical and the level of thinking and participation are what teachers dream of.

Kelly Gallagher, author of In the Best Interest of Students shares that the thinking involved in reading literary works is different than when reading other disciplines. Students learn to become creative thinkers, explore the possibilities, connect, find solutions, and desire vision. How fantastic is that?

Goals 5-7 in The Reading Strategies Book are dedicated to reading comprehension using fiction. Can I say these are my favorite chapters?!

Serravallo includes tons of "oldies but goodies"  and new strategies that any teacher should have in their repertoire.  AND Serravallo has put them all together in this recipe book style. There are 28 strategies on plot alone. Gasp!

One that I will definitely use is Plotting Flashback on a Timeline. My students have a tendency to overlook flashbacks in their reading and recognize the importance it has to a story and characters development.

Come back to school (EEK) you can try it out too :)
 Strategy: Flashback

1.  Students plot events on a timeline 
2.  They notice when time changes to a memory 
3. Ask them: What does the flashback tell us about the character? 
4. Ask them:Where will we place that on your timeline?

Coming Up: A strategy (new to me) that will help my students self-monitor their own learning. Plus Friday Fiction...YAY!

Nonfiction Phrasing

I have actually woken up in the middle of the night pondering the use of nonfiction cues to build reading fluency. Why? Because some of my students struggle to grasp understanding of nonfiction text due to fluency.

Phrasing is a strategy that is easy to begin incorporating in my reading program. Serravallo shares that one can use high frequency phrasing as a warm-up. Students should practice reading the phrases in one breadth and reminding them that when they know a word or two they will know the next words that go together.

I plan on choosing 5 to 10 phrases a week and reading them together as a daily routine. Thus far, I  have compiled a list of 25 words/phrases used frequently in nonfiction text. Feel free and download and use in your class.

Do you have other nonfiction words/phrases you think I need to add?

Fiction Friday!

Okay people! I am a week late, but I love the idea of Fiction Friday. Fiction is amazing!!! It allows one to be more creative, improve vocabulary, reduce stress, slow down memory decline, sleep better, have more empathy, and tons more reasons. So... you see I had to post. :)

Last week, The Teaching Thief hosted great fiction reads for upper and middle grades. And since I teach 6th grade I thought YIPEE!!

I have been searching for read alouds to get my students more excited about reading and introduce them to new authors. This book was recommended by another teacher blogger that had found that her middle schoolers really enjoyed it.

The Last Adventure of P B & J by Janet Sumner:

The two main characters are best friends- Annie and Jason and they have a wacky ritual that involves peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

This is a great story of friendship, loyalty, and growing up. In the story, Jason has to move away when his father loses his job. This send Annie into problem solving mode. She will do whatever it takes for Jason to be able to stay. Which are some pretty creative adventures.

Janet Sumner is so talented in using humor to deal with Annie and Jason's changing circumstances. This is truly a sweet and genuine story about friendship. A must read.

Do you have any must reads?

Teaching Fluency

AHA! Moment -Goal 4 of The Reading Strategies Book Wow :)  I realized that I do not give my sixth graders enough time to focus on their reading fluency. To me, comprehension has always been the most important component of reading and I thought focusing on the fluency might take away from that. Keep in mind, in my school district fluency is synonymous with timed passages- yuck!

Serravallo shares what reading fluency involves:

• phrasing
• intonation
• emphasis
• automaticity
• pace

Yikes! That's a lot to consider and thus deserves  a strong focus in our reading curriculum. One of my big takeaways are the strategies related to Phrasing.

So- phrasing! These are the phrases that appear often in reading and should be read without pausing
Phrasing can be done as a warm-up activity before reading a text.
Here are a few examples:
at the
two of us
it's about time
but not for me

I think one can take this concept and chart phrasings found in nonfiction text too. Here are some thoughts...
in like manner
the difference between
one may conclude
the best estimate
This will definitely support my ELL's and struggling readers to improve fluency and ultimately comprehension

How have you used phrasing?

Running Records, MSV OhMy...

Running Records! I feel like it's been so long since they were mentioned. I am actually pretty jazzed with myself for still using them to analyze my students needs... and I simply used a blank sheet of paper too.
In this chapter Serravallo discusses the three cuing systems that skilled readers use in order to make meaning of what they are reading - M=Meaning, S=Structure, and V=Visual. At first, I thought I remember using these strategies when I taught first and second grade. Then Serravallo tweeted this eye-opening article: Click on the birdy :)

The article discusses the need to rethink how we teach sight words in the U.S. The author, Nell K. Duke,  has good tips and sound reasoning on why there is a need for change. This article hit home, because I had a handful of students that struggled to read in 6th grade and I often felt unsure of what to do to help them. One point that made total sense is that teachers have often taught these amazing strategies too early in a child's development for them to really understand how to use these strategies on their own. Duke shares that strategies should be taught later at a later age when students have had a more solid foundation.

What are your thoughts... any strategies you use that you have found useful in teaching sight words?

Wowza! I'm Back with PD!

I gotta to say that one of the biggest reasons I love summer vacation is because I get to catch up to some much needed professional development reading. I know "nerd!" After 20+ years of teaching it keeps me excited about the profession, the kiddos, and all the other not so fun stuff teachers deal with.
I was hesitant to take on this little (big) number because it seemed soooo very long with 378 pages. I love to read, but I love to lounge around and do nothing during the summer too :)

I'm diggin' how it fits so nicely with Daily 5/Daily 3/CAFE. This book is filled with relevant strategies teachers can use when working with whole group and/or small group! 

The Goal 2 chapter is filled with strategies to keep students engaged and focused during independent reading. I don't know about you but, this is an area I need to work on. I have my handy dandy notes/jots of AHA moments! I am so freakin' excited!

What is your PD reading for the summer?

Summer Reading

After tons of searching and indecision, I finally narrowed down my summer professional reading. I am so excited to take my math instruction to another level and integrate all my learning. Plus, I will be attending a summer math training and want to go into it with a solid foundation.

Also, I am teaching 6th grade next school year and want to make sure my math expectations are at their developmental levels.

Did I mention that I am teaching 6th grade with my husband? He will be my 6th grade teacher buddy and my room neighbor. Yup! Should be a learning experience for us and a test of patience. Believe it or not, after the shock, I am pretty excited about the individual strengths we both will bring to sixth grade.

My math selection...

Based on the reviews, it seems to be an objective view on current practices and Common Core. With all the amazing strategies and practices in teaching English Language Arts, I am looking for essentials that I should be using.

I was excited to find this little number.

What's your summer reading?

Currently in June

Ahh! Time to catch up with Currently and bloggy friends. I have to say, summer vacation is SO relaxing. My morning has consisted of coffee, reading, online shopping, running around the backyard with my furbabies and a nap (the furbabies are still napping). Sweet!

One of my personal enjoyments catching up with Currently is visiting all the creatively designed blogs. Wow! Teachers are a very creative bunch- aren't we?

Thank you Farley for bringing awareness to the many pets in need in Wimberley, Texas. I am so thankful to be able to help out.

 

Visit Oh Boy Fourth Grade  if you would like to help out too.

Now that I am on Summer vacation I don't have any excuses not to get an exercise routine and get in shape. This is my pep talk ... but no joke-  I have been pondering and contemplating being physically healthy for awhile now and just have not committed to it. I suppose me talking about it , writing about it, and investing in new shoes :) is me committing. If you have any words of inspiration, suggestions, I am open to them.

Here are the shoes that are going to help me keep my commitment to exercising consistently. Fun colors!

Obviously, it is going to take more than shoes (an outfit possibly?) But, I know I will feel better if I start and stay consistent. Here's to Summer 2015!

So Cal Link Up!

Summer time in Southern California is amazing! And if you're a teacher it is even more amazing!!! Don' get me wrong, teaching is a very fulfilling profession and there are many days that I can't believe I get paid for working with such great students, families, and colleagues. But then comes the end of the school year and everything  goes a bit crazy.

I know! I have worked through 21 end of school years and I am still surprised how stressful this time can be. So let's all take this time to look past all the craziness.

So as I sit here and ponder my summer vacation- there are at least 3 things I am looking forward to doing because they bring joy to my heart.

My hubby is also a teacher. As a matter of fact, we work at the same school AND will both be teaching 6th grade next school year. I am sure this will be a post at some point on my blog :) Any whoo, we both love spending time with our three furbabies and are looking forward to car rides, walks, and just lounging around with them.

Peluchina is our newest addition- she is a smart, happy Pomeranian mix.

 Little Guy is a momma's boy and I love that.

LuLu is our 11 year old Golden and she truly is the sweetest girl.

I love gardening! I'm still a newbie and from time to time a plant does not make it :( but I'm learning and getting better at caring for my plants. It is no fun being in a drought, but it opened up this whole new world of succulents. Boy, they can be lovely!

Morning walks in Southern California are beautiful! I have a few places in mind. Recently, my buddy Wendie and I went on a lovely walk in the Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia. It was so serene!

Know that you are not alone during this stressful time. Here's to an amazing summer!
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