Homerun Sentences

Sometimes I find that writers need a hint of how to write a complete sentence.  Sentences sometimes include the who, what/why, when, and where.  If a writer writes a boring sentence such as, “I went to the store.”  The teacher might ask, “WHO” went to the store?   The writer answers, “ANDREW and ASHLEIGH” went to the store and then the writer changes the sentence.  “Andrew and Ashleigh went to the store.”  The teacher then might ask the writer, “WHERE is the store?”  The writer stops and thinks.  The writer changes the sentence some more.  “Andrew and Ashleigh went to Walmart.”  The teacher continues to ask the writer to think.  This time the writer is thinking about WHEN.  “When did you go to the store?  When did Andrew and Ashleigh go to Walmart?”  The writer changes the sentences some more.  “Andrew and Ashleigh went to Walmart late last night.”  In order to hit the homerun sentence the teacher continues to ask the last question, “What for or why did Andrew/Ashleigh go to Walmart last night?”  The writer finishes writing the the sentence.  “Andrew and Ashleigh went to Walmart late last night to buy school supplies.” 

Set Purpose – As you are writing today remember to include who, what/why, and when in the beginning of your writing.

I Love Books

I Love Books!  Reading is one of my favorite activities that I hope that all children also learn to enjoy as much as I do.  Whenever my family travels, we pack numerous books.  My daughter has adopted my Kindle and now downloads books to read on it too.           http://www.flickr.com/photos/weeping-willow/

Visual Dictionary

http://blachan.com/shahi/  This is an awesome visual dictionary.  I see many potential uses for this when planning lessons with my ELL students and my literacy lessons.

The Mitten

Math Link after Reading, The Mitten, By Jan Brett.   http://www.amazon.com/Mitten-Jan-Brett/dp/039921920X/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234140253&sr=8-1    

How Many Unifix Cubes fit in a homemade mitten?  The kinders in a classroom I visited recently decided to find out.  It was amazing how many more than unifix cubes actually DO fit!  Teachers.net suggests using 10 different math manipulatives.  http://teachers.net/lessons/posts/2471.html 

Jan Brett has the animals from the story, The Mitten, on her website.   http://janbrettsblog.com/    Many teachers read the story aloud.  Each student has one animal glued on an animal stick.  When the student hears the animals name, the student holds that animal up in the air.  After the story is read, the students stand in order to retell the story (sequence).  Some teachers place a sheet over the table and have the students crawl INTO the “mitten” to retell the story.   One teacher sewed a giant mitten for her students to crawl into:   http://teachers.net/lessons/posts/2115.html

Lesson Ideas

One of my favorite sites is Hubbard’s Cupboard.  The teacher writes wonderful 5 day shared reading lessons there:  http://www.hubbardscupboard.org/the_mitten.html  Another wonderful resource is Teaching Heart:  http://www.teachingheart.net/mitten.html

Kindergarteners are Capable

Remember the most important quote of all by Donald Graves, “What can they do?” 

I believe that “they” can do anything! Don was encouraging us to ask this question in reference to kindergarteners back in 1978. I think we need to be reminded that kinders come to school with lots of schema. Our job is to tap into their experiences. What do you think?

Displaying Data

It is easy to see every child visually on the rubric since this literacy coach has placed the child using sticky notes and colors.  As children move along the writing and make progress, the sticky notes are moved.  The meetings are held in the room where the charts are posted.  It is very easy to monitor and easily seen by the whole staff. 

Do You Kindle? I do!

http://money.cnn.com/2009/02/06/technology/ebooks.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2009020612     I would buy another Kindle for my college bound son for the Fall if more textbooks were available for the Kindle.  I am hoping that more and more and more books become available!

Purple Pens Help with Revision

Purple Pens are very special.  They signify the important work of revision.  Many teachers encourage students to write, reread, and revise.  Students who use the purple pen, leave behind evidence of their thinking and writing changes.

What was your favorite ad during the superbowl?

My favorite superbowl ad was the budwieser ad with the third generation horse named Jake. I don’t drink beer and this ad was adorable.
http://www.mahalo.com/Budweiser_Clydesdale_Super_Bowl_Ad

Click on the third video down.

Are children prepared for life?

What is school for?  There are many posts writing about the purpose of school.  I think that school is one of the avenues available to prepare children for life.  Parents also have the responsibility to prepare children for their future.  Since my children are teens and one is senior in high school, this weight is heavy at the moment.  I read Seth Godin’s list at:  http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/01/super-bowl-laziness.html  I didn’t disagree with anything specific on his list, but I did find it intriguing.  I wonder if it was because I am a teacher? 

So, a starter list. The purpose of school is to:

1. Become an informed citizen
2. Be able to read for pleasure
3. Be trained in the rudimentary skills necessary for employment
4. Do well on standardized tests
5. Homogenize society, at least a bit
6. Pasteurize out the dangerous ideas
7. Give kids something to do while parents work
8. Teach future citizens how to conform
9. Teach future consumers how to desire
10. Build a social fabric
11. Create leaders who help us compete on a world stage
12. Generate future scientists who will advance medicine and technology
13. Learn for the sake of learning
14. Help people become interesting and productive
15. Defang the proletariat
16. Establish a floor below which a typical person is unlikely to fall
17. Find and celebrate prodigies, geniuses and the gifted
18. Make sure kids learn to exercise, eat right and avoid common health problems
19. Teach future citizens to obey authority
20. Teach future employees to do the same
21. Increase appreciation for art and culture
22. Teach creativity and problem solving
23. Minimize public spelling mistakes
24. Increase emotional intelligence
25. Decrease crime by teaching civics and ethics
26. Increase understanding of a life well lived
27. Make sure the sports teams have enough players

 

http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/