Literacy Details

So…I think I am back!!

literacydetails — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:07:04 +0000

Wow It has been a LONG while since I have made an entry. The end of the spring semester was cRaZy for me…taking two grad classes in the spring…and in the first summer session (which is still during the school year) and coaching full time…was way too much to handle for me!

Since the last time I posted an entry there have been a few changes in my life…

I finished up this school year as a literacy coach…but will start next school year as a Reading Recovery Teacher Leader!!! I am soooooo excited about this new adventure! I will still be coaching teachers…just in a different capacity. The one thing that I know that I will miss is writing workshop ( I will still be able to help children with writing…but they will be 1:1 lessons with struggling readers
I worked with four second grade classes during the last month and a half of school…I introduced them to “writer’s notebooks” You would have thought that I was giving them the best candy in the world!!! Everyday they were on the edge of their seat to hear my nightly entry…and to see what our next lesson would be. I have to admit. I truely didn’t think that second graders would be able to be mature enough about using a notebook… the last time I introduced them to second graders they mostly drew pictures and made lists… I waited until the end of the year…and treated it like a unit of study…and told them how surprised their third grade teachers are going to be when they share !! Everytime I saw one of the students in the hall…they would say…I wrote in my notebook already today…or when are you coming to the room …or can I take my notebook to lunch with me…it was awesome to see/feel the joy for writing! (and to see four teachers…new to notebooks…buy into it as much as their students!)
I packed up ALL of my staff development stuff that I have developed over the past 5 years…some I had to leave behind for the coach that will be taking my place…some I took with me. It was kind of a sad day
I sorted through all of my read alouds…books that I have purchased over the last 15 years. I had the help of two first grade teachers and we sorted them by genre…topic…mini lessons…author studies…etc. It took us over 6 hours!!! Now I know where all my money has gone!!! I left my books behind…with these two teachers…knowing that when I want them back I can get them at anytime…I didn’t want them to sit and collect dust in an attic …I wanted them to be loved and used for teaching reading and writing!!
I am taking my last class at ECU right now…second summer session… I am sooooo excited because I will finally be able to graduate and get my master in reading ed. however, school is NOT over for me yet…next year I will travel to Willmington NC to attend class two days a week at UNC-W I will take a total of 20 credit hours…for Reading Recover Teacher Leader Training!!!
lastly…I now officially have a child who will be a high school freshman…keep me in your prayers )

Taking a break…

literacydetails — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 18:17:50 +0000

I am taking a break for a while from making posts…so this week…and probably next week or two…there will not be a resource Monday or Listy Sunday post. I am working on final papers and exams for my two grad classes…so my free…writing time will have to be devoted to that. I am still hoping to post a slice of life entry on Tuesdays and to post a poem on Poetry Fridays…but I am not sure if it will happen this week!

Have a fab-u-lous week!

Day #8…Final Day of the Poetry Challenge

literacydetails — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 01:11:47 +0000

The children that I am working with “have” to learn how to write acrostic poems (so they can have one in their portfolio). So I decided to write a few myself to show them how to do it! Since I have two boys…I wrote a poem about both of them…here goes:

Jumping

On the court

Shooting the ball into the

Hoop

Up goes

Another—3 pointer!

Joshua LOVES to play basketball, watch basketball, read about basketball…he even slept with his new basketball on his birthday! Brandon on the other hand…has too many “loves”. He plays the electric guitar and writes music and poetry. He is an artist and sketches all the time. But…what he really likes is his skateboard and video games!

Born eleven weeks early

Rides a skateboard

Always drawing, sketching or writing in his

Notebook

Drums at his own beat

Often strumming on his guitar and

Never tires of video games

Day # 7…Poetry Challenge

literacydetails — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:16:27 +0000

Here is my “nature” walk poem from yesterday. We all pretty much wrote poems that mentioned the “Earth” because my friends are talking about Earth Day with their classroom teacher. Happy Poetry Friday

The Sun by Marie

Glowing

ball of fire

shining

down on Earth

warming us

with her

outreaching arms

of light.

The Nature Walk

literacydetails — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:10:07 +0000

YEAH! …we got to go on the nature walk…or should I say nature writing walk? My friends were so excited. Our mini-lesson was about poets observing the world around them…they take notes, or sketch what they see and then they write poems about the “seeds” they found. I have done this a lot with my personal children and with a fourth grade class but I wasn’t sure how it would go with first graders. They had a blast. My friends took it so seriously…they were poets…and proved it! They had boundries of where they could go and the rule was find a writing spot…sit/lay on your towel and begin observing and writing. We were outside for thirty minutes. I didn’t confer with anyone because I wrote too…but they didn’t seem to mind. They were so actively engaged. When we returned to the classroom we got in our share circle and everyone turned knee to knee with a partner and shared. (I knew if I only let a few share today that I would break some little hearts!) Once we turned back into the circle we talked about what we did as poets today and added to our “What Poets Do” anchor chart. Here is a poem by one of my first grade friends:

The Grass by A

A green prickly blanket covers

the Earth

keeping all the bugs and snakes warm

I promised them that writing workshop would be outside again today…I will share some more “nature” poems this weekend

Poetry Friday # 3

literacydetails — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:30:45 +0000

So I have been trying to write a poem all week about my puppy named Einstein. So far the poem hasn’t come to my brain…however as I was planning for poetry workshop (which we do every Friday in place of Reading and Writing workshop) I came across an anthology by Kristine O’ Connell George called Little Dog and Duncan …all of the poems are about dogs so I thought…like Katie says…read 100 before you write one…well I won’t go to that extreme…however, I will read a few to my first graders tomorrow and I am posting my favorite one below. Hope you enjoy…and if you don’t know Kristine …visit her website by clicking here! She is a wonderful poet to study with primary students

Hello!

By Kristine O’Connell George

Little Dog and Duncan

touch noses,

wiggle,

wag.

Friend?

Friend!

I chose this poem because my puppy would be the little dog…he will go up to the fence that holds in my neighbors dog…who is plenty big…and touch noses and wag his tail! They love each other and it is sooooo cute! The funny thing is that our neighbors also have a puppy that is smaller then Einstein (my puppy) and Einstein totally ignores him and goes straight to his friend!!!

Round up this week is at The Well-Read Child.

Day #6…Poetry Challenge

literacydetails — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 09:55:20 +0000

Today our focus in writing will be that poets observe the world around them. They write poems about things in nature. I wrote this poem yesterday morning in my notebook. I am going to use it as part of my mini-lesson today. Hopefully it will be warm up enough for my first grade poets to take a nature walk…with notebooks…and write! (I brought beach towels for sitting so this should be interesting!!!)

Early Spring Morning by Marie

Sunlight

glistens through

the windows

saying

good morning

and

spreading

cheer

throughout the house.

Day #5…Poetry Challenge

literacydetails — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:45:05 +0000

We have continued to observe objects in our classroom…today I focused on the books in our library corner…

Books by Marie

Open up a book

and feel the

energy

surround you.

All the wonder and

adventure

will fill your

head with enjoyment

and empower you

with knowledge.

Open up a book

and feel the

energy

surround you

Einstein

literacydetails — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 02:11:05 +0000

We have a yorkie-poo that is almost 8 months old. He has been a great joy to have around. He is a very happy puppy and well disciplined…for a puppy anyway. And…I must mention that he is very spoiled because he is the ”baby” of the family! This evening, as I sat at the computer working on a case study paper for a grad class… he kept coming over and bumping his head (on purpose) on the door of the amour that the computer is in. I didn’t know what he was doing but honestly it was beginning to get on my nerves. After about the fifth time that he did it I took him to the door and asked if he wanted to go outside…no that isn’t what he wanted. After the sixth time…I got up to get him some water and a little treat…no that isn’t what he wanted. After the seventh time…I asked him to talk to me and tell me what he wanted. My 12 year old said, “Don’t you know he just wants you to play with him!?” So, I asked Einstein, “Do you want to play? Go get purple…(which is what we call one of his toys). He dashed off to his toy box and got purple…and brought him to me. Josh was right…Einstein wanted me to pay attention to him and not the computer! Josh said, “See I told you…his name is Einstein you know…that means he is smart enough to get you to stop working!” I just had to smile…and get off the computer for a while!!

Day #4…Poetry Challenge

literacydetails — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:30:07 +0000

Today my mini-lesson was “Poets are like scientists…they observe the world around them. I shared my Old Oak Tree poem from my nature walk on Saturday with the first graders that I am doing a poetry unit with. It was raining outside so we couldn’t go on a nature walk…so we went on a “classroom” walk. They all found ordinary objects in the classroom that we could observe and write about…and we decided that we would make a class anthology of the poems that were about “school stuff”. I observed a pencil and wrote about it as a model writing. ~ Happy Reading!

The Pencil by Marie

The golden

wand

freshly sharpened

waits

to spill

it’s magic of words

out upon

a piece of

paper.