Yay! Monday!

Ahh!  Spring Break!!! Yeah, not so much!  Here in Western NY, it’s about 35 degrees with pretty strong winds that are even colder.  And the sun shines just enough to make you think it is warmer out! Ugh!

I don’t have much hope of going anywhere warmer.  I have been typing away, working on my research project.  I never realized how much time it took to transcribe and interview – or how many weird noise I make when I am having a conversation!

Good thing I went grocery shopping and stocked up on clearance Easter candy!  Who can resist 75% off???  I was actually dropping off clothes at a consignment shop and ran a few errands.  I have mentioned that I am working really hard to clean out my closet and have made a bit taking my things to a consignment shop.  If you plan to get rid of a bunch of clothes, I would suggest taking a look at your local options.  I donate quite a bit as well, but it is nice to take some things that I know will sell and have a little check every month or so.  I am also on the look out for the pair of black skinny jeans.  I tried Maurices – I was actually chomping at the bit to go all weekend but I resisted!  I was disappointed to see that their version has distressing/fading in the knees.  Really?  Why do so many pairs of pants need to look like they have been buried in a hole, hit with a weed wacker or otherwise look like they are not new?  I guess I am just one of those people who likes my clothes to look like I bought them new and purchase things I can actually wear to work if the mood strikes me!  I found a pair at TJMaxx, but they are more like leggings and I’m not sure if they are keepers. Any suggestions?  Target?

At any rate, I just received a little package from Amazon! Oh, how I love clicking a little button and having boxes of books delivered right to my door (especially since the local bookstores have closed and the closest Barnes and Noble is a 40 minute drive.) Here’s what I had in my little box:

I LOVED Comprehension Connections and kick myself every time I think about the concept because I was thinking about similar ideas – making comprehension concrete - back when I was a reading specialist.  When I switched to k/1, my focused switched and I dropped a lot of my focus on higher level thinking skills. Bummer! I can’t wait to dive into the new Genre Connections!

I have had my eye of The Next Step in Guided Reading for a while now. I am a guided reading person.  I work for guided reading people.  I just can’t help but think about the fact that kids have changed immensely in the last 10 years. While I think guided reading still has great value, I wonder about how it is done.  I sometimes feel like I spend enormous amounts of time reading in small groups.  My students not in the groups get to practice skills independently.  I just have a hard time finding 80+ minutes every day and making it feel like I am making the best use of the time.  I used to teach novels exclusively, but with today’s standards and standardized testing, I have infused much more non-fiction and story fiction in.  Right now I am focusing on fables to teach theme and review a plethora of skills.  I hope to dive into some poetry to.  Anyway, what I guess I am trying to say is that I have been actively searching for ways to update and tweak my process for guided reading to make it as impactful as possible.  That may mean finally purging my much loved guided reading novel sets.

On another note, I made my goal for Teachers Pay Teachers this past month!  I was so excited to go over my goal yesterday! I feel like I have had a great start and hope to put together more materials as I am able and can get my thinking into a creation mode! Click on the images to check out any of my products!  I love creating ready to use items that you can implement readily in your classroom routines!

 

       

     

Well, I have put of finishing my interview transcription and working on category coding in my field notes long enough! I need to get something done before my dear hubby comes home and distracts me with the awful tv shows he watches!