Lake Michigan

Summers are wonderful in South Haven!

Talk Much?

http://writingeverydayworks.wordpress.com/2008/06/02/writing-and-reading-dialogue-week-1/ 
http://writingeverydayworks.wordpress.com/2008/06/02/writing-and-reading-dialogue-week-2/ 
http://writingeverydayworks.wordpress.com/2008/06/02/writing-and-reading-dialogue-week-3/
http://writingeverydayworks.wordpress.com/2008/08/20/fireflies-dialogue-examples/ 
http://writingeverydayworks.wordpress.com/2008/06/02/dialogue-writing-lessons/

Duck Tape Contest – Vote Today

Duck Tape Contest – Vote Today
http://www.stuckatprom.com/contests/prom/entries_finalist.asp

Units of Study: Retelling

This website is developing ideas for units of study for reading. 
This unit encourages students to check for understanding or confusion:  http://bestbookihavenotread.wordpress.com/2009/06/15/strategies-for-checking-comprehension/ 
This unit encourages students to check for retelling:  http://bestbookihavenotread.wordpress.com/2009/06/12/readers-think-and-talk-to-grow-ideas/
This unit encourages students to realize that they have thoughts as they read.  http://bestbookihavenotread.wordpress.com/2009/06/12/readers-think-and-talk-to-grow-ideas/

Games for the Classroom

Kelly has several games for her classroom that are easy to make.  As teachers are looking for RTI ideas, I thought many of these games will fit right in. 
http://www.kellyskindergarten.com/Games/GamestoMake/games_to_make.htm
Many teachers are asked to justify why we are doing what we are teaching.  Teaching how to play board games is important because there is plenty of [...]

Do we use our 180 days wisely?

This is an awesome blog that triggers wonderful thinking and conversation!  Do you think that too many other factors get in your way of teaching?  Factors beyond your control? 
http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2007/04/180-days.html
The original 180 days on You Tube with music:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIdwmes9w5Q

What do you believe in when it comes to the teaching of reading?

http://leading-learning.blogspot.com/2009/05/quotes-from-frank-smith-and-john-taylor.html 
Where do stand?  What do you believe?  Dare you stand up for what you believe?  Is anyone listening or hearing?  Where are the conversations taking place?

Leading and Learning blog

This guy really gets you thinking!  If you haven’t visited, go there.  I don’t always share his exact viewpoint, but I do always appreciate his well written thought out point of view!  He is an educator he cares about kids and educating kids and we absolutely have the same point of view there!  He challenges all [...]

Shared Reading through Interactive Charts

Once again Jessica Meacham has wonderful ideas for teaching!  She shares her interactive charts at this link.
http://www.jmeacham.com/shared.reading2.htm
Hubbard’s Cupboard is another wonderful site with awesome resources. 
http://www.hubbardscupboard.org/read_write_sing_lesson_ideas.html
The purpose of interactive charts is students engagement.  Students reread the chart many times on day one with the teacher.  On day two the teacher and students interact with the chart [...]

Shared Reading Using Pocket Chart Stories

Early Literacy Instruction in Kindergarten by Lori Jamison Rog
Chapter 7 Shared Reading:  Learning to Read by Reading
Shared Reading Using Pocket Chart Stories
When students are in kindergarten, they do not yet know the difference between a word, a sentence, a letter.  Pocket Chart Stories are a perfect place for understanding that a word has space [...]