Summer Blog Party: Enemy Pie for 3rd Graders

I am so excited for my first link up with the Reading Crew to share some of our favorite books.  This post was really hard to write because I simply love children's books.  I have so many favorites for so many different reasons!  Since the school year will be approaching in about a month and a half, I thought it would be appropriate to share one of my favorite books for the very first day of school.  

How do you usually start the school year off with your students?  Do you spend the first whole day of school introducing rules and procedures?  Well, try something different this year.  Start your first day of school by building your classroom community with a book called Enemy Pie by Derek Munson.

Most students start their school year already knowing who their friends are and who aren't their friends.  Some students even judge those that are brand new to the district before even meeting them. This is where Enemy Pie can be very helpful.

Over the past two years, I have chosen to read this book the very first day of school because it helps me emphasize the importance of friendship within our classroom community.   I feel it's important to build that community where we all respect each other, regardless of what happened previously in second grade.  Enemy pie is about a little boy looking forward to his perfect summer until Jeremy Ross, his number one enemy, moves into the neighborhood. Lucky for him though, his dad has a secret recipe for enemy pie.  Part of dad's recipe, however, is for the little boy to spend an entire day with Jeremy.  As the day progresses, the main character learns that both he and Jeremy share the same traits and interests.  Can you guess how the story ends?

This book teaches a great lesson about relationships and how to overcome a conflict  I love reading this book at the beginning of the school and highly recommend it!  There are also some fun extension activities to go along with it that I have found online.  Plus, you can even find this book read aloud on several different websites!

I have one more thing to share......

This past year was particularly difficult with "friend drama" in my classroom.  So, my counselor and I collaborated and taught a 3 week lesson on bullying using the Weird series by Erin Frankel and Paula Heaphy.  I was able to create some great writing lessons to go along with these books as well!

If you haven't read these books before, you MUST check them out!

These three books are written from three third graders' perspectives.  Weird! is about a girl named Luisa who is being targeted by bullying.  Dare! is about Jayla who shares experiences as a bystander to bullying.  Tough! is about Sam who speaks from the point of view of someone that is initiating the bullying.   By the end of the books, the character eventually learns how to face the challenges with the help of friends, peers, and adults.  The best part about these books is that the students in your classroom can relate to at least one of the characters from the three books. Below is a video of the two authors speaking about the Weird series.

What book do you read on the first day of school?

Cincy Mystery Meet-Up!

12 days.....I have only been blogging for 12 days.  I don't feel completely comfortable with it, but I am starting to get the hang of it.  So what better way to learn more about this amazing world of blogging than going to my very first blogger meet-up!

Yesterday evening, I attended the Cincy Mystery Meet-up hosted by Em at Curious Firsties and Jenny at Luckeyfrog's Lilypad.  It was located at Book Bums in West Chester, Ohio.  Book Bums is a coffee shop, restaurant, lending library, and learning center.  I have been there several times before to catch with my sisters/friends, study, grade papers, and just to eat their amazing cafe food.  If you have never been, it is definitely worth the trip!  It's super cute!

Book Bums

First of all, I woke up Saturday morning with butterflies in my stomach.  By lunch time, I felt like I was going to throw up....I was an anxious mess!  Remember, I have only had a blog for 12 days.  12 days!?!  Why would I think that I would be ready for a blogger meet-up after 12 days of blogging?!?! I  kept telling myself that I shouldn't be attending this meet-up when I have no idea what I am doing in the blogging world.  I was honestly trying to talk myself out of going.   Luckily, the host was my sister (Em @Curious Firsties), and I knew she would never let me back out.  Plus, I wanted my sister to be proud of me for taking this leap into the blogging world.  Once I arrived at Book Bums, I ordered a coffee, and pretty much stayed close to my sister's side.  I felt like it was my first day of school in a foreign land!!

Em @CuriousFirsties

After some small talk and introductions, we ordered our delicious food.  Then, we played a game to get to know everyone.  Before the meet-up, everyone received a google document where we had to fill out information about ourselves (ex: one fact about you as a teacher, one interesting fact about your childhood, one thing you wish you were better at).  Em and Jenny read the answers and the guests had to guess who they were describing.  It was so fun getting to know each person!  Everyone was also given a name ahead of time of another blogger coming to the meet-up.  We were to bring them a gift to open at the meet-up.  It was fun how everyone brought their person something based off of what they saw or noticed on their blog.  I had Jenny from Luckeyfrog's Lilypad.  I knew she was attending a Picture Perfect Science Workshop. So I bought her a few picture books she could use along with the Picture Perfect Science workbooks.  I also bought her some pink Post-It Note Reminder Tags and cute binder clips.  Em from Curious Firsties had my name.  Since she is my sister and knows me better than anyone else, she made me my binder for the upcoming school year. 

My Goodies

Mystery Picture Book Game

We also played a really fun mystery game.  Em and Jenny had placed picture books inside envelopes.  Attached to the envelopes were clues describing the book inside the folder.  Whoever guessed the book got to keep it!  This is MY favorite kind of game.  I like mystery games, but I LOVE games that have books as prizes!  As the evening progressed, we played a few more games, shared personal and school stories, laughed a lot, and exchanged information.  Not to mention, I walked out of Book Bums with soooo many teacher goodies! 

The ladies I met at this meet-up were so friendly, welcoming, and super sweet! I honestly had a great time and am so thankful I didn't chicken out.  I feel so lucky to have met a wonderful and knowledgeable group of ladies. I hope to meet up with them again. 

Cincy Mystery Meet-Up Bloggers

 

 

 

 

 

 

W.O.W.....12 days of being a blogger and I have already attended my first meet-up.  SO COOL! I'd like to thank Jenny and Em for being great hosts!   Most importantly, I need to thank my sister, Em for helping me get started with my blog.  I am honored to have her as my big sister.  I learn from her every single day.  Thank you, Em, for pushing me to start this amazing journey!

3-2-1 Teacher Bio (Weekend Warriors)

Today I am linking up with Primarily Speaking for this month's Weekend Warriors, 3-2-1 Teacher Bio.

This link-up is a way for you to get to know me better and hopefully you let me get to know you as well! I love the 3-2-1 nonfiction graphic organizer that is being used for this post.  Here is how it works:

Now, here is a little bit about me:

1.  I have taught for ten years.  My first year I was an intervention specialist at a school in Dayton, Ohio for first and third grade.  I was also the coordinator for the after-school program (which means I worked until 6:30 every night....it was a LOOONNNG day).  I worked as an intervention specialist for grades 4 & 5 my second year of teaching.  Unfortunately, the district's levy failed at the end of my second year and I was one of the first to be cut.  Thankfully, I was hired as a third grade teacher my third year at a district near Cincinnati, Ohio.  I have been there ever since.  I LOVE 3rd grade and LOVE my district!
2.  Over the years, I have made PowerPoints for all my reading skills that I teach to my third graders.  I find myself tweaking (editing, adding, deleting...) the PowerPoint presentations every year, so they are definitely a work in progress.  These presentations include a lot of visuals, video clips, and commercials.  Every student learns differently, so these PowerPoints help students grasp the skills in a different way.
3.  I have two of my own children.  But during the school year, I have 20+ children.  I make sure all my students feel loved, just like my own children.  They mean the world to me!

1.  I LOVE COFFEE.  My love for coffee started when I worked at Starbucks during my second year of college.  I love the taste and smell of coffee.  I will actually get a headache by 10am if I have not had a cup of coffee.
2. My dorm room was always packed with people every Thursday night during my first and second year of college.  It was will filled with people from 8-8:30 pm once a week for the T.V. show Friends.  Best.Show.Ever.  Even though I have seen all the episodes a hundred times, I still catch myself laughing out loud every time!

My daughter is 6 years old and my son is 3 years old.  Lucy LOVES princesses and TOMMY loves Legos. We just purchased our second (and hopefully last) house, so now it is time to save for this trip!  Hopefully this bucket list will be fulfilled soon!

Now it is your turn!  Grab the pictures below and link up!  Thanks for the taking the time to learn a little bit about me!

An Awesome DIY Bookcase

Have you ever found yourself pinning DIY projects on Pinterest hoping that you will magically find spare time for it?  I am definitely guilty of this!  I pin so many projects....and I actually made one of them!!

Project on Buzzfeed

This past winter was very cold and snowy in Ohio.  So, I decided to do something to keep myself from going crazy while being stuck in the house.  I searched through my Pinterest boards and came across a really awesome DIY bookcase.  Isn't this bookcase super cool looking?!?  I immediately had to find a way to create this project for my daughter's bedroom.

First, I read through all the directions from a blog called Small Town Craft Fair.  Next, I texted my dad to make sure this was a project that he was willing to do with me (honestly, I would never have been able to do this without my dad's help).  Once I got the two thumbs up from my dad, I needed to find a wooden cable spool.  I had NO idea it was going to be so difficult! Apparently wooden cable spools are not easy to get your hands on.  Plus-they are super expensive.  I called around to several stores such as Home Depot and Lowes asking if they had any wooden cable spools lying around that I could have. No luck.  I researched places online where I could purchase one.  TOO expensive.  I even called around to different electric companies.  I was on the verge of calling it quits and finding a different project.  After a few days of giving up, I ended up stopping at Lowes to pick up a few extra pvc pipes (pipe phones) for reading groups and I walked out hitting the jackpot! While inside, I walked past the cable aisle.  There just so happened to be a man wearing a Lowes name badge working in the aisle.  Needless to say, after a bit of small talk, I was jamming a large (and free!) wooden cable spool into the trunk of my car! YAY!

After going over the directions with my dad, we decided to tweak them a little based on the tools he had in his garage.  After a lot of sanding, we cut down our dowels to fit in the spool as the bookcase dividers.  We marked where we wanted each dowel to be placed in the spool, we secured the dowels, placed wood putty over the screws, sanded more...and more....and more, and lastly we screwed on the wheels for the bottom of the bookcase.

This whole process took my dad and I about 2 hours max.  It was great bonding time with my dad!  Overall, my dad and I had a blast together and the bookcase looked great!  Next came the hard part though.....deciding on how to paint it!!! Decisions, decisions, decisions!-------2 Weeks Pass By-----

So, after staring at many color choices, I decided to paint the bookcase white and the top of the spool with black chalkboard paint.  WOW---it really shouldn't have taken 2 whole weeks to decide on white!  After a few coats, here's what it looked like...

I was unsure how it was actually going to look with books on it.  After allowing the coats to try, I was eager to put it in my daughter's room.  Not all of her books fit, which was fine.  Plus it didn't work well for her chapter books.  Overall though, I was pretty happy with it.  My daughter loves it. The other day, Lucy drew a countdown for our summer vacation. We get a lot of compliments on the bookcase when friends come over.

If I was to ever make this bookcase again, I would probably do things a little differently with the dowels.  I would somehow create a two-layer shelf.  No idea how I would make that happen, but we'll see....maybe someday I will attempt it (and my dad!).

So, what do you think of this bookcase?  What DIY projects have you made lately?

Simplified Classroom Library....Part 1

OK....I just finished my 10th year of teaching! WOW--a whole decade!  Sometimes I forget that I am actually an adult in my early thirties....You'd think I would feel pretty confident with my teaching after ten whole years....and I do....I really do.....most of the time.  I love to read professional books, attend PDs, and collaborate with others to grow as an educator.  I am always learning something new...and I love that!

But right now, I don't feel like a thirty-something educator that has taught for a decade!  I am stuck.  I am lost.  I am unhappy.  OK....I don't need to be that dramatic.  But after reflecting and reading some professional books/blogs this summer, I don't like the way I have my library organized.  I have a ton of books.  TON.  I love my classroom library.  Every year, I tweak it and add more books.  But...there's something I don't like about it...and I need some help.

Just a few of the books I purchased today

Today I took my two kids to Half Price Books for some quiet reading time.  Unfortunately, nothing with my 3 year old boy is quiet, but we did have some fun reading and looking at the books.  I ended up walking out of there $45 poorer than when I entered that morning.  However, my classroom library will be gaining some new additions (or duplicates because I tend to do that a lot).  Once I got home, I was taking the price tags off the books (I hate dislike stickers on the cover of my books) and I decided my classroom library needs a remodel.  I need to organize my books in a different way.  But I need some help.  Should I organize my books by authors?  Genre? Theme?  Currently my classroom library is organized by popular authors and partly genres.  

So.....send me some thoughts, ideas, feedback, suggestions?  How do you organize your library?  What do you think is the most simplified and best way to organize your classroom books?

Reflect and Refresh: Part 1 {Link Up!}

Welcome to Reflect and Refresh, a two part linky party where teacher bloggers share their reflections on the 2014-2015 school year and ways they are planning to refresh their teaching in 2015-2016.  Thank you, Mrs. D's Corner, for this linky party~~~what a GREAT idea!

It's really hard to believe that I have been out of school for 20 days!  It feels like yesterday I was hugging my third graders and saying our goodbyes.  I LOVE summer.  It's funny how I look forward to summer every year, so I can relax and have fun with my family-BUT I always find myself thinking about how I am going to make next year even better. What I will do differently?  What actually worked? What new ideas can I bring to my team?  I don't think our teacher-brains actually turn off....what do you think?  So, I am here to share with you things that went well and also what I aim to work on for next school year.

KG Fonts

Communication:

This year at open house (which is the day before the first day of school), I placed a communication log on every child's desk for the parents to complete.   Even though I can access all this information from the office or from their emergency medical forms, this sheet immediately goes into a binder that is next to my desk computer and phone.  This gives me easy access to student's contact information and I can quickly regard what the email or phone conversation was about.

On Fridays, I would send home weekly newsletters which gave information about the upcoming week.  It would give the parents some insight about what we will be working on in all subject areas, upcoming school events, and random reminders.  Unfortunately, I would find that some students weren't emptying their "mailboxes" Friday afternoon and wouldn't take the newsletter home.  So, I am starting to think more about creating a classroom website where I can post the information.  Does anyone have a classroom website?

Organization:

My classroom library is HUGE!  I LOVE my books and take a lot of pride in my collection. In years past, though, I would catch myself getting mad because I'd forget certain books that I wanted to share with my students.  So, I decided something needed to be done.  I needed to organize my books in a better way. I spent a lot of time last August organizing the books by author, some by skills, some by genre...etc.   I am not a fan of the way I decided to organize them.   I need to go back in this summer and tweak it a little.  How do you organize your classroom library?

Content:

Teaching writing has never really been my favorite.....UNTIL this year!  Throughout the school year, I purchased a lot of different picture books (mentor texts) to use when teaching writing. I have found that the books are a great way to show examples of different types of writing.  We can teach students how to write, give them a checklist & rubric, but we can't expect them to know exactly how to write it unless they read examples.  I think it's important to talk about the mentor texts and then let the students discuss the writing.  For example, the books below are a few of the picture books that I used when teaching students how to write an opinion piece.  

My Big Summer Project:

One of the things I want to do this summer is read The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller.  I really want to make sure that I am creating life-long readers and not just students that need to read in order to pass a test.  I want my students to leave third grade knowing and understanding that reading is full of rewards.  I want it to be enjoyable and not just homework.  I WANT my students to have a love for reading that lasts much longer than just 9 months of the year.  Has anyone read this book and implemented her instructional approach?

Now it is your turn.  Share how you're looking back and reflecting on this past school.  Grab the picture below and link up with Mrs. D's Corner.  Make sure you return on August 3rd to show how you're going to Look Forward and Refresh Your Teaching!  

The Ultimate Summer Reading List

Summer is here-- which means I have a list of places I want to take my kids, DIY crafts that I have pinned on pinterest, and a list of books that I would like to read. So....I thought I would try my first link-up!  Molly from Lucky to Be in First is sharing her summer reading list.

One of my favorite things to do during the summer is read right before I go to sleep.  During the school year, I am usually so tired from the day that I'm asleep before my head hits the pillow.  So, the summer is the perfect time to catch up on my reading.  My husband keeps telling me to buy a Kindle. But for some reason, I love reading from the actual book.  Especially a teacher book because I am usually taking notes in the margins, underlining, highlighting, and putting post-it notes on pages that I don't want to forget about.  And let's not forget-I am super clumsy and would probably break it within a week!  :)  

First, here is the list that I WANT to read this summer.

I am actually starting Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty tonight.  I am looking forward to it!  I read the The Husband's Secret within a few days.  I highly recommend it.  Which brings me to my list of books that you SHOULD read this summer....

What are you going to read this summer?  Do you have any suggestions for me?