Friday, August 11, 2017

Haiku #12





summer warriors
eating to bring about change
chomp munch working crunch 


Last weekend I was feeling filled with angst and stepped outside at a local park for a change of scenery and steps.  I started to stop and look at the milkweed plants and caught this video.  Amazing creatures at work and just what I needed.  Time and space to discover something new.  When I watched the video, I knew there was a haiku to be born.  This is my 12th haiku of the summer.  My plan was to try some poetry writing this summer and I did it!  I didn't know I was going to write 12 or enjoy gathering ideas and images for writing so much.  School starts Monday for me and I'm not sure if this will continue or not.  As I'm typing, I'm wondering if there's a different format to play around with for a bit of time.  I do worry the busy of teaching will put my poetry writing to rest.  Thank you for your support and following along on my journey, I've appreciate all the comments and suggestions.

This week Poetry Friday is being hosted by Margaret at Reflections on the Teche.

Thursday, August 10, 2017

My #pb10for10 list about Relationships

I'm so excited to be part of a new collaborative blog, Classroom Communities!  I hope you've had a chance to read the launch month of post by some fantastic educators!  There are tidbits to help you reflect, try something new and some personal stories that will tug at your heart.

When I was asked to join this project I decided to do a little digging to help my thinking about our focus.  Our byline is - Building Relationships, Empowering Learners.  I am a word nerd sometimes and headed right to dictionary.com.  What do these four words mean?

Building - anything built or constructed

Relationships - an emotional or other connection between people

Empowering - to give power or authority to;to enable or permit

Learners - a person who is learning;the act or process of acquiring knowledge or skill

I have my favorite books for launching reading workshop, writing workshop, math workshop and routines/behaviors.  I began to wonder if I had books to help support building relationships and this is what I discovered...in not particular order.  Instead of telling a summary of each book, I tried to highlight aspects of relationships in each.  It's my intent to use these books in launching conversations that help build relationships for my new learners in an effort to empower them while spending our year together.  

The Sandwich Swap by Kelly DiPucchio begins with two friends who love many things the same except their lunch.  Their lunch differences cause quite a stir and divide between the girls.  They have the courage to try different lunches and realize autonomy is a positive thing.


Ruby in Her Own Time by Jonathan Emmett is a story about a duck family with ducklings on the way.  Four strong and able ducklings are born with one, Ruby taking her time to join the world.  Once Ruby joins the world she takes that same pace to grow and learn and succeeds.

The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson takes a look at physical and emotional barriers  and how a simple question can open doors.  The girls find a way to spend time with each other and respect those barriers.


Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard has a very grumpy character who doesn't really want  to interact with others.  However, his friends think differently and decide to join him on his walk; it's a way to spend time with him.  The walk turns into a little simon says in a way and changes one grump to happy.


The Monster Next Door by David Soman begins with two characters copying each other by doing and saying silly things.  However, those silly things get a bit carried away and feelings are hurt.  You'll want to read this one to see how things get mended between a boy and a monster.


Matthew and Tilly by Rebecca C Jones is another story that starts out with friends doing everything together but then they get tired of each other.  I think it's important we model this as a part of relationships.  Matthew and Tilly play independently but realize it isn't as joyful.  

Rulers of the Playground by Joseph Kuefler creates a story where a king and queen each take over the school playground.  The playground gets divided and there are things to be conquered which leads to an empty playground.  The king and queen step down returning the playground to a happy ever after place to be.


Boy Plus Bot by Ame Dyckman begins with an injured character and the care provided by another based on what he would want done to him.  These things don't necessarily work until some guidance is offered for what is best for someone who is different.  Readers will enjoy how the two characters find common ground.


Boo Hoo Bird by Jeremy Tankard is a story about support and efforts to help.  It's a story that builds upon itself with each new character and idea of support.  The characters are full of cooperation and willingness.


The Girl Who Made Mistakes by Mark Pett is about a girl who is focused and successful until one day she makes her first mistake.  With care and support and acceptance she and her community are able to be healthier.







Picture Book 10 for 10 is Here with How To



It's going to be a great day, friends and incase you forgot how to participate in sharing your current top 10, must have picture books..
  1. Grab a Badge (I like to select the image and save image as...)
  2. Join the #pb10for10 Google Community
  3. Choose Your Favorites:  All you need to do is choose ten picture books you cannot live without for whatever reason.  In the first days of this event, everyone shared their ten very favorite titles.  This still works.  You will notice, however, that many past participants choose some type of theme to determine their selections.  We'll leave this up to you.
  4. Narrow Your List to Ten:  It isn't easy, is it?  We've seen some crafty ways to get around that number, but really ten is plenty. 
  5. Write Your August 10th Post:  Write a post about the ten books you cannot live without.  Share your post on August 10th and link it to the Picture Book 10 for 10 Community.  
  6. No Blog?  No Problem:  If you don't have a blog, this might be the perfect time to start one --- or now with the Google Community it is quite easy to just post your favorites directly into the community without a blog.  We will also be tweeting from the #pb10for10 hashtag.
  7. Comment:  On August 10th (and maybe for a week --- there are a lot of posts) take some time to read posts from other participants.  Please comment on at least three.

Monday, August 7, 2017

Developing Natural Curiosity Through Project Based Learning

A few years ago I took a week long course on project based learning and had the opportunity to hear Dana Laur speak.  When I saw she had a new book out; Developing Natural Curiosity Through Project Based Learning focusing on K - 2, I knew I wanted to hear more from her.  If you are trying to find something to anchor your work with students to their interests, their passions, and their wonderings then this book is for you.  I'm afraid we've gotten away from listening to student's voices first and jump right to content units of study using standards.  Some other great features in this text are the five stages for finding solutions; authentic challenge and purpose, information and prototyping, perspective and point of view, actions and consequences, and considerations and conclusions.  There's a great deal of information guiding the reader through these stages to always include the child and foster their growth. Bloom's taxonomy is heavily discussed and modeled through the book.  There's a whole chapter devoted to authentic reading and writing opportunities to support project learning.  Yes, skills are taught but not in isolation and with a purpose.  

This book did take me a bit of time to get through.  It's small in size and font with lots of text.  There are some examples to help you visualize what the content could look like in a classroom.  



These are nudges I found to try within my own work.
- spend time asking students what they want to learn, I use to do this

- look for local connections to share our learning with

- allow moments of play to listen for the students natural curiosities

- weave projects throughout the day

- take each stage of the planning one step at a time



Here are some quotes that are sticking with me and might interest you in looking at this book more.

"This approach moves us from a standards-based curriculum for passive learners to a standards-based curriculum for problem-solvers, question-askers, and active participants in their real world."

"Authentic challenges tap into what is relevant to our children in their present world and what intrinsically motivates them."

"Authentic projects end with final products that are designed for use somewhere other than the classroom."

"The classroom community supports the creativity and innovation promoted in an authentic project approach."

"If you view your entire teaching day as one full opportunity to extend a learning experience, rather than as a segmented one, it increases the depth in which your learners delve into an authentic learning experience."

"Our young learners flourish in environments that foster their natural curiosity and build their skills while giving them autonomy, safety, and flexibility."

Friday, August 4, 2017

Haiku #11 {Poetry Friday}





liquid sunshine
burst from the sky in July
drip drop raining


I missed last week because I was on vacation but the first line has been sticking with me every since.  The rain doesn't really show up in this picture very well but I was eating breakfast on the deck pondering some words shared with me on my walk that morning.  I passed two older gentlemen on my morning walk.  We were walking in a morning drizzle, a bit of a drip drop format.  He smiled at me and said, "it's just liquid sunshine."  It totally changed my mindset and I began thinking about all the good that comes from a good rainfall.  Earlier this summer I was sticking tightly to a 5-7-5 syllable format.  Thanks to you, poetry friends I've branched out a bit to 4-7-4 pattern.  I do like the first and third line to have the same syllables.  It may not matter but it feels right to me.

Thank you Donna at Mainly Write for hosting Poetry Friday this week.

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Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Happy Dreamer

Happy Dreamer
Author and Illustrator Peter H Reynolds
review copy from public library

I know this book has been talked about a lot but I thought just in case someone didn't know about it, I would share it today.  When we want to embrace being ourselves, accepting differences, and trying out best then readers can count on Peter H Reynolds.  Happy Dreamer brings all those concepts together in one text.  As, I read the text I found myself thinking of different people I know.  I have a creative child and the text on these two pages should be framed in our house for me to remember to understand.

"I have so many dreams it can get messy.  CREATIVE CHAOS.

Cleaning up hides my treasurers.

If you make me, I will put my things way.  But then there is less ME to show."


The book begins with acknowledging we all have lots of things going on inside our head.  He describes different kinds of dreamers and when people can dream in the beginning.  Then my heart sank when this dreamer of a character feels boxed in and alone.  I don't want to box others in.  There's a two page spread that opens up to four pages with 48 different kinds of dreamers.  I love all the possibilities shared!  Are you a sunny dreamer, nature happy, or move happy dreamer?

I think this will be a great opening to discuss learning styles and preferences.  I also think, I might read it midway through my Parent Information Night as I talk about different learners and how parents will see different levels of work within our classroom.