Finally Here: Day 176: Haiku Hike

Monday, June 6, was Day 176.  To keep my students involved, we spent a portion of the day on a "haiku hike."  We read the story Haiku Hike, which is a student-published book from Scholastic.  I love the book because the students explain what a haiku is, use haikus to lead us through their hike in the woods, and give extra little facts about the things they write about. 

After reading the story and giving a few more examples of haikus, I took the children on a hike on the school grounds.  I told them to write any ideas they could think of while observing their surroundings.  I told them to focus on movement (i.e.,swaying), color, shape, feel, etc.  I was amazed at the number of things they were able to find: lilacs, blackberry bushes, spiders, robins, butterflies, forget-me-nots, poison ivy (on the other side of the playground fence near the fields), ants, cherry trees, daisies, and so many other things.

When the hike was over we came back to the room and I gave the children a few minutes to look over their notes and add to them.  Then I went over the expectations of the haiku, stressing the syllables in each line (some children like to count the words instead).  After that, the students began drafting their poems.  Through several drafts, syllable checks, format checks, and spelling checks, all of the students were able to publish a haiku with an illustration.  Below you will find a few examples:

If you can't read it, it says:
Daisy
Soft as a blanket.
White, yellow, green. Colorful. 
Swaying in the breeze.

This one says:
Hostas
Soft green and white leaves.
The back of the leaf is rough.
They are small and wide.

The children really enjoyed the experience and were very proud of what they had done.  I was proud of their effort and creativity.  Try this one with your kiddos!

Day 174: Summer Reading!

Thursday, June 2 was Day 174.  Our school was visited by a librarian from the local public library to talk about the summer reading program.  The idea for this year is to explore your world and other cultures through books.  The children are supposed to read 10 hours to earn a free book.  Time past 10 hours qualifies them for additional prizes.  Several of my students already signed up for the program; I hope the rest do, too.

I have quite a few books on my summer reading list.  What about you?  What can't you wait to get your hands on this summer?  Leave a note in the comment box!

Day 169: Mirror, Mirror

Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who's the fairest of them all?

No, I am not reading Snow White to my class.  I am, however, reading Mirror, Mirror by Marilyn Singer for another Scholastic review.  This review will not be on the Scholastic Facebook page, however.  This review will actually appear in the Lucky book order forms this fall!  Exciting!

And...

A little daunting.

The book was reviewed once by another Teacher Advisor for the Scholastic page.  I guess they want a new perspective.  Anyhow, I need to write a review that doesn't cover the same things the other teacher wrote. 

We'll see what I come up with.

Anyone have a fairy godmother I can borrow?

Day 163: Talent Show!

Day 163 began the talent show season in my grade level.  In our reading anthology, the final theme is called "Talent Show."  Basically, the theme shows how people can have many different kinds of talents; not everyone who has a talent is a singer, dancer, or musician. 

As a wrap-up to our reading anthology theme, my grade level puts on a talent show.  The students are allowed to do traditional talent-show performances, but we also allow things like art displays, joke telling, dramatic/comedic readings and monologues, sports demonstrations, and acrobatics.  In past years we have had everything from cheer leading, hula hooping, dancing, and singing to musical performances, jokes, photography displays, and magic tricks.

The students perform for our grade level only, and performance is optional.  Parents and grandparents are invited to watch the show, and refreshments are served afterwards.  The children really like the chance to show off talents they may not have been able to show otherwise.

Our show is not until June 8, during the last week of school.  I'll let you know how it turns out!  

Day 145: Thundercake!

Today saw my class finishing up the story Thundercake in our anthology.  I love this story, written by Patricia Polacco.  If you are not familiar, the story is about a little girl (Patricia) who learns not to be afraid of thunder while helping her grandmother gather ingredients for a "thundercake."

My students love this story and are especially excited to learn that the recipe for thundercake (which belonged to Patricia's grandmother) is in the back of the book (and on the website linked above).  Every year I have students who are surprised to learn that you can use tomatoes in a cake, but they get over it.  Mostly because I bake a thundercake (or rather, thunder cupcakes) for my classes every year and share it as a surprise snack.  (Truth be told, you don't even taste the tomatoes through all the chocolate and strawberries!) 

If you've never made a thundercake for yourself (or anyone else), I encourage you to do so.  You will not be disappointed.  (And it doesn't even have to be a thunderstorm for you to enjoy it!)

Day 143: First Scholastic Book Review!

Well, well, well.

It hardly seems real.  I actually have a book review published.  Part of my role as Scholastic Teacher Advisor is to preview new books through Scholastic and write reviews for their Facebook page.  I review the books for student interest and classroom connections.  I showed the review to my son after it was published.  He thought I was famous!

I'm in the middle of my next review (due at the end of the month for May's reviews).  Check back on the Facebook page and see what's coming up!  You just might find something to use...and your students will thank you for it!

Day 131: Calling All Cooks!

Today we began the next story in our anthology.  We are reading Jalapeno Bagels by Natasha Wing. If you aren't familiar with the story, it is about a little boy of diverse cultures who is trying to decide what treats to take into his class for International Days to represent his heritage. His mother is Mexican-American and his father is Jewish.  His parents own a bakery that make tasty treats from both cultures. The recipe for the bagels is a representation of both cultures coming together.

As a class project, I ask my students' parents to submit one or two simple recipes that represent their family heritage or culture.*  I ask for two because I know that some of my students come from diverse backgrounds, just like the boy in the story.  Over the years I have gotten recipes from all over the world:  France, Puerto Rico, Germany, Ireland, China, India, Vietnam, Iran, Lebanon, and Mexico, to name a few.  I can't wait to see what recipes are submitted this year!

Once all of the recipes have been submitted, I type them up and organize them into cookbook sections.  I then submit to book to be copied so that each child has a copy to take home as a keepsake.
 
Do you have any neat heritage/culture projects you do?  Feel free to share in the comment box!

*This project can also be used for a cultural/heritage unit in social studies.

Days 112-116: Read Across America Week

I know, I know.  A group of days all together?  Well, yes.  These days cover Read Across America Week.  At my school we have a theme day for each day of the week.  Here's the rundown of what we did each day:

Monday: School Spirit/Book and a Buddy Day
Monday (Day 112) was the last day in the month of February. In my school this is our designated School Spirit Day.  The students wore our school colors and brought a book to share with a buddy.  During independent reading time (all week), they read with a buddy and got to share some ideas about each book.
Tuesday: Crazy Hair/Socks Day
Tuesday (Day 113) was one of the favorites for the week.  The students came in with all manner of crazy hair and/or socks.  There was colored hair, just-got-out-of-bed hair, many ponytails, braids, colored hair extensions, and an updo held in by pencils (mine).  The socks ranged from mismatched to various prints (tie dye, stars, stripes, sport figures, words, and slipper socks). 
Wednesday: Dr. Seuss Day
On Wednesday (Day 114) we wore our red, black, and white to represent The Cat in the Hat, one of the best-known Dr. Seuss characters.  We also brought in our favorite Dr. Seuss books to share with the class.  The cafeteria served birthday cake in honor of Theodore Giesel's birthday. In the past we had volunteers dress as the Cat in the Hat and visit the students during lunch, but that didn't happen this year.
Thursday: Pajama Day
Thursday (Day 115) was the most favorite day of the week.  The students came to school in their pajamas.  They also brought their slippers, stuffed animals, blankets, and their favorite bedtime book.  We camped out on the floor of the classroom with our books and read to each other.
Friday: Beach and a Book Day
Friday (Day 116) was a day spent at the beach.  The reading specialists in the school turned our cafeteria into a beach for the day, complete with inflatable palm trees, beach balls, and the sounds of the Beach Boys and the ocean waves.  Each grade level was assigned a block of time to come and visit the beach.  The students brought in a book, a beach towel, and sunglasses.  When we got to "the beach," laid out our towels. Once we were situated, we played a few games of beach ball volleyball, where the students tossed around about 12 beach balls to Beach Boys songs.  After that, we settled on our towels and listened to the sounds of the ocean while we read.  It was hard to leave after our session!

Throughout Read Across America Week, the morning announcements include a snippet or two from different Dr. Seuss stories.  The children have to guess which story is being read.  It always amazes me how many stories my students know!  I also push aside our regular read aloud during this week to read different Dr. Seuss stories to the students.  A few years ago I bought Your Favorite Seuss: A Baker's Dozen by the One and Only Dr. Seuss, and I read to my students from that.  I  like to include some of the background information the book has for each story.  For example, the Grinch character is based on Theodore Giesel himself.  And the story Green Eggs and Ham was written on a bet from a publisher that Theodore Giesel couldn't write a story that used less than 50 individual words.  (He won, by the way.) The children always get a kick out of those little extras.

Some other activities we do during this week are:
*We complete a sequencing activity with Green Eggs and Ham.
*We rate the Cat in the Hat in The Cat in the Hat Comes Back as if he were a student (listening skills, problem solving, etc.).
*We explore Seussville on the computer during lab.

The children really enjoy the things we do this week, and it sort of jump starts them again, even though some of their minds my be looking ahead to spring already.

If you are looking ahead to next year and want to look up books to plan your Read Across America Week or Dr. Seuss Day, check out this site.  You will find resources for books, board games, videos, movies, and a comprehensive listing of all Dr. Seuss books.

If you have any ideas or other neat sites, drop me a post!

Day 104: Reading and Rants

Some of you have asked about the reading series I use in my school.  Right now, all grades use Houghton-Mifflin Harcourt Reading (?) series.  I really can't remember the name of the series.  It's a few years old and it comes in two anthologies, complete with a workbook that goes with each anthology.  Second grade has orange books; the first has a fox carrying a sack on the cover while the second has some sort of tree house on it.  There are six units: Silly Stories, Nature Walk, Around Town: Neighborhood and Community, Amazing Animals, Families, and Talent Show.  Come fall, grades 3-5 will have a new series called "Journeys."  Grades 1-2 will be phased in the following year.

On a different note, there has been a lot of press about the teacher in Pennsylvania who is on suspension for opinions expressed about students on her blog.  What are your opinions on that?  I have tried to read some of the content online, but I can't locate any.  I think there are some snippets on Facebook, but I don't have a Facebook account.  (I know, I am in the Dark Ages, but not too ruffled by that fact.  I'd rather send you an e-mail or call you anyway.) Anyhow, I did read some quotes in some of the daily online papers, and I'm just wondering where the boundaries are.  I mean, on one hand, those are her opinions, and while she didn't name specific students, the frustration is there.  On the other hand, I'm not sure I would have been so (fill in the blank here) while posting, knowing that there is always that possibility of being called on what you've written.  Yet and still, there is some understanding of what she was saying, especially if you are someone who works with children.  Think about it:  How many students have you come across in your years that you had a hard time reaching?  Those students who had potential but seemed to fight you tooth and nail when you tried to get him/her to exhibit said potential? You know what I mean: indifference, attitude, poor effort, not wanting to look "uncool" in front of peers.  And sometimes you see those same students two years later and they are on yearbook committee or tutoring younger ones, or helping in classrooms after school and you wonder what happened.  And then there are situations where the child has more on his/her mind than what you are trying to teach them that day.  Family situations, hunger, abuse, homelessness, language/cultural barriers, neglect, etc. all have an effect.

Not to be all doom and gloom, but the other side of the coin is that you also have students who are excited to be in your room and soak up all of the glorious pearls of information and wisdom you can throw at them.  (Okay, maybe the visual was a bit much, but you understand what I mean.) I think it comes down to the environment you create in your room, and the family situation at home.  I have had students whose families were struggling to make it day by day, and it showed in their academic performance.  They were just preoccupied with "other stuff," and while I tried my best to engage them past a few lessons a week, there were still times I couldn't reach them at all. Others in the same situation came in ready to be sponges.

With that said, there was a comment on one of the news stories that said something along the lines of "Teachers have to give students the inspiration to learn in the classroom." I agree, to a point. Sometimes you can juggle and stand on your head, but the inspiration may not come.  Effort needs to come from the students, too.  Education is not a "you-sit-and-listen-and-work-and-learn" exchange.  Education is a give and take between teacher and student. It's a conversation between (mainly) teacher and student (and parent/guardian--if you are fortunate to have parents/guardians who will communicate with you.  Not that parents don't care, but sometimes it's hard to get involvement because of jobs and other obligations.).  I don't "give" my students inspiration, necessarily.  I present them with ideas and let them form their own conclusions.

I've also been teaching long enough to know that I may not always reach every child; sometimes I'm just laying the foundation for another teacher to build on, and that's okay with me--now.  As my husband used to tell me in my first two years of teaching, "You can't save every student.  You'll have a nervous breakdown in the process."  That doesn't mean I slack off in my daily teaching; far from it.  But I've come to realize that I am not the savior of all things education.  (Although sometimes secretly I wish I could don a cape and be just that.)  I do what I can do--one day, one lesson, one student at a time.

Does that mean that I don't have frustrating days made up of frustrating moments?  That I don't obsess over whether or not Johnny is reading near/on grade level or that Sally's math prowess isn't where it should be?  That I don't worry every time I need to meet with a parent to discuss possible special education services for their child?  That I don't sometimes want to scream because I've gone over the same skill 15 times and no one seems to get it no matter how I present it?  That I don't fret every time report cards come around because I'm not sure how a parent will react to what I've put on the paper?  That I'm not concerned when I have students with special needs in my class and stress about whether I'm meeting their goals and needs? 

Not at all.  That means I'm a teacher.  It's what we do--even if we feel like beating our heads against the wall some days.

Day 54: Scholastic

I just want to say that I love the Scholastic Book Fair.  Every year, my school's PTA puts one on during American Education Week, and another during our annual May Fair in the spring. 

I like going through and seeing all of the shelves full of new books; the possibilities waiting to be explored and put into use.  My husband will tell you, if we are anywhere near a place that sells books (Borders, Barnes and Noble, library book sales, flea markets, etc.), the best thing is just to leave me there and come back later.  And bring something to haul off my finds.

My wallet caved to some books today after I "perused" for a bit while my students were in special.  I bought several for my children (one each to read now, and several more for Christmas--shh, don't tell!).  I also bought one for myself, titled Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire: The Methods and Madness Inside Room 56 by Rafe Esquith.  Looks interesting; I can't wait to read it!

Aside from the book fairs, I rely on Scholastic book orders (as you remember from Day 16).  I use the points accumulated from the student book orders to order books for my class library.  I also like the fact that Scholastic gives teacher coupons and will send free books if your order totals a certain amount each month.  I am guilty of buying a few items to help my class reach that dollar threshold just so I can get the points and the free books.  (Don't seem so shocked; I know some of you do it, too!  Wink, wink!)  Really, it's one of the few ways I can get books without going broke.  Teachers spend enough of their own money as it is.

I am always looking for good deals on books for my class and for myself.  I would love to hear of any sites or stores that have good deals in your area.  Leave a note in the comment box with your favorite link or store and I'll list them in a Reader Resource post.  In the meantime, happy reading!