How Little Cloud Became a Big Cloud

After listening to Little Cloud by Eric Carle, we decided to write our own sequel to his work - How Little Cloud Became a Big Cloud. The kids loved this book so much and loved thinking about what little cloud could turn into. They wrote the middle of the story on their own and then we wrote the beginning and ending together as a whole group. What fun it was to hear everyone's ideas. We decided to voice thread the piece. We love it and I am sure you will love it to.

A great way to share books!

Are you looking for something new to use with your class? Check out this great website that allows you to share on-line books with your class directly through their site or on your blog/website. It is Lookybook. It is a free website that has a wide range of books categorized by genre, author, or illustrator. What a great opportunity for parents to read new books with their child and share books that we also have read as a class. There is a wide range of difficulty which allows readers of all levels. Best of all, it gives you an opportunity to preview a book and decide if you are interested in buying it. The downside of it all is that if there is a lot of print, the size can make it a little difficult to see unless it is enlarge on a nice size screen.

One of my favorite characters is SkippyJon Jones. He is full of excitement, mischief, very creative, and always into trouble. If you haven't met SkippyJon, take a moment to enjoy this book. (If you click on the glasses it enlarges the image)


I can't wait to share all these books with my class. Please post a comment if you have any great ideas to use with this website!

Goodbye to Q Bear

This week we sent off one of our travel buddies - Q Bear.

















The kids loved him but they also loved learning about Q Bears home - Craig, Alaska. The kids loved learning about this small town that has about the same number of people in the town (1,100) that our school does. They also found it amazing that Craig is also a temperate rain forest and gets about 90 inches of rain a year.

This year it has been a great experience for our class to get to know kids from other parts of the world. Not only are they learning about new places but they are also learning to write letters to others about themselves. They have learned that boys and girls all over the world really are just like them although they may have different activities they enjoy depending on where they live. I was so proud of our letters this time and to see how much the children have grown in this area. Here are some of the great notes to Q Bear and his family as he leaves us on another adventure. (Don't forget to click on the student work to enlarge it)
Brandon








Carter

Dylan

Faith

Julia

Mia








Payton








Jasani

Our Book Study Takes Off

Each year we participate in a book study at Chets Creek. Usually the books are non-fiction which help us become better teachers in one form or another. This year our administration decided to try something new. This year we were able to choose from fiction and non-fiction books that are about children and the struggles that some children go through in their lives. The book I chose was one that I just couldn't wait to get my hands on. The book is the real life story about Dave Pelzer who was the victim of the 3rd worst case of child abuse ever recorded in California. This book is an eye opener for not only teachers but anyone who interacts with children or even has children. It reminds us to think about that child sitting in our class that is having behavior problems, who isn't dressed well or bathed, is stealing food or money, who cannot focus during the lesson, or just gives us that feeling that things are not right at home. I was so touched by this story that I had to share it with my family. Now my daughter and son have both read it as well which allowed us to have a great book talk about it and have some reflections about making sure they never pass judgment about people. If you have any opportunity to read this book I highly suggest it. You won't be able to put it down! If you have read this book, I would love to hear your thoughts on a post!

Passion Quilt Meme

Leave it to Melanie to always push me into something new. Today she challenges me to post about what I am most passionate for kids to learn. How do you do that in one picture? Well I have to say I really wanted to find the perfect way to describe that. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I couldn't find it in an individual picture (as you will see) but I did find it in one title.

The world around them!


I think that am most passionate for students to learn the world around them. I want them to know about the beauty of our world, how things grow and change, and the plants and animals that interact with each other. I want them to learn about roads that lead them to new places and the different cultures around us. I want them to know why things happen and how things are made. I guess I am passionate about them asking questions and finding the answers about their world around them.


Now it is your turn -
Here's the rules:

Passion Quilt Meme:
1. Post a picture from a source like FlickrCC or Flickr Creative Commons or make/take your own that captures what YOU are most passionate about for kids to learn about...and give your picture a short title.
2. Title your blog post "Meme: Passion Quilt" and link back to this blog entry.
3. Include links to 5 folks in your professional learning network or whom you follow on Twitter/Pownce.


What are YOU passionate for kids to learn about?
Carrie Mcleod Mcleod Memos
Haley Alvarado Imagination Station
Jen Snead CC Art Happenings
Wanda Lankford Mrs. Lankford's Line of News
Dorry Lopez Lopez Literacy Leaders

The Final Celebration

Our school's birthday has come and gone and what a great week we had. One of the most memorable things we did during this week was to work as a school to create a lasting memory - an alphabet book about Chets Creek. Each class, paraprofessional, and administrator was able to contribute to the book in some way. What a better way to preserve the memories of our students, faculty, and the school itself. If you would like to hear a voice thread of this book log onto our class blog.

It's our last day...

It's Saturday morning and we all wake up exhausted after a long couple days. It's cold and windy, reminiscent of the night we came. It's been a busy week as we have run around session to session, trying to blog whatever we can, and trying to make sure we get the most out of our time here.

Yesterday I presented my vocabulary unit. It was a first for me. Nervous? Yes, I was. They say it gets easier each time. But an experience none the less. I have presented to my colleagues, run meetings, done demo teaches, and videostreamed and I am fine with all that. I guess I probably wasn't the first time I was put in those situations as well. Now I look at them as if it is not a big deal. Did I learn anything about presenting? Oh yes, get a remote control for your laptop so you are not bound to the same place. Technology problems - I knew there would be something that I was not happy about but I guess that comes along with the situation. I hope that I get to experience presenting again since I know that next time will be easier than this time.

We are off to our last couple sessions this morning hoping to learn a little more before we get back on that plane at midnight tonight. I'm coming home!