Celebrating: Messy and Rockstars

Each week I am constantly thinking about my celebration. It really makes a huge difference with my attitude several times a week with my students.  It's been a bumpy rocky start to the school year. We have completed our second full week and we've found a little corner to start heading toward a smoother path. I am excited to Celebrate this week and thanks Ruth for encouraging me to find a little celebration everyday.

I'm celebrating messy.  Messy learning as well as messy lesson plans.  With the encouragement of my math coach, I have totally revamped the start of our math class.  We didn't jump right into 5.NBT.1 (which just reading it) you might understand why she nudged me gently to start the year "Thinking as Mathematicians" and discussing the  Mathematical Practices as my guide.  Well it's been a journey, one I wouldn't change, but one I would say hasn't been easy for me or the students.  We're truly learning together. The photo above is from a "Rich" math problem about a trip to the beach.  The students had several calculations and one of them involved long division from the old school of thought; however, most students didn't have any idea how to do it YET.  After 20 students said, "Mrs. Caplin,I need help." I put on the breaks and offered the banks (play money) and all of them tried to use money to solve the problem.  It was even crazier for me because all of them were withdrawing different amounts. However for them it was the absolute best choice.  After two days of working on the same problem. (That was another coachable moment for me) They got it.  Math is 70 minutes, but yesterday it was 110 minutes, and every child succeeded including time for a snack. 

I would rather "know" authors than anyone else who might be famous. I told my students as we were discussing our favorite authors.  After namedropping a few that I "know" I started reading conferences. A. told me he loved Cynthia Lord and his favorite books are Shelter Pet Squad. A. doesn't really like reading because it's hard.  After I posted this on my face book page, Cynthia graciously offered to send an autographed bookmark. She wrote a lovely encouraging note and as we opened the envelope you could have heard a pin drop.  A's smile was huge and he instantly told me I had to laminate both things so they could last forever.  Authors are rockstars especially when they give so graciously and have such a huge impact on our students' lives. I celebrate Cynthia Lord for having such a kind heart. Thank you.

Celebrate: a handful of stars

It's summer and the first full week has come to a close. It's interesting to me how time seems to slow down in the summer.  The minutes move like a snail crawling across our garden wall.  Each summer I appreciate that feeling more and more.  

I am celebrating finishing my first book:  a handful of stars by Cynthia Lord.  It's a beautiful story about friendship, Lily and Salma. Lily lost her mom at a young age and lives with her grandparents who own the general store in a remote corner of Maine near the blueberry barrens.  Selma is the daughter of a migrant family who comes in seasonally to pick blueberries. Their friendship includes Lily's blind dog, Lucky, and Selma's love of art which helps both girls achieve their goal. A few of my favorite lines I lifted include: 

• "different is good it makes you pay attention." 
• "sometimes life is like a long road leading from one "if" to another" 
• "takes all kind of people to make a world"

I am celebrating having the time to digest this book, to lift lines and think about how I will weave this book into my mentor text pile.  There are so many possibilities:

• Beginning of the year with building community
• Math time with a wonderful part about how hard fractions are yet "That's math for you. But the good part is that once you learn it, it doesn't change. You always do it the same way."
• Writing Workshop:  How Cynthia wove so many important facts to help the reader learn about blueberries and mason bees. Both of which I didn't know anything about.
• Reading: character development and how two main characters interact and the importance of secondary characters like her grandparents, Hannah and Dr. Katz (which was a fun play on words) 
• Social Studies: an important message about migration and the idea of inclusion vs. exclusion.
• End of the year letting go and taking a small part with you

I look on my time in the summer as a gift. My perspective (OLW15) each summer shifts more to gratitude. I have time to be writing again in my writer's notebook and reflecting on my blog.  I'm excited to be celebrating this week here is the link up.  Enjoy your Saturday!

Time to read, write and play with Ringo who is resting on the left.

Building A Reading Community

One of my favorite parts of my job is awaiting our first conversations about books with eagerness like waiting to open a favorite birthday present.  It is so much fun to unwrap the gifts they bring each year when we begin to share our lives as readers.  In my opening letter to welcome my new students to fifth grade, I ask each student to bring in a photo of his or her favorite place to read.  They must be in the photo and reading their favorite book.  Our first conversations will be centered on these photos along with my sharing several pictures of me reading around my home.  My students love seeing where the teacher lives as well they learn about my country life especially the picture of my reading in my hammock next to our pond with barn in the background.

Finally they begin their first entry in their Reader’s Notebook (RNB).  The students begin to write about their lives as readers.  I ask them to finish writing at home after I share Ralph Fletcher’s book:  Guy Write, which I read this summer. I will always remember him speaking at Allwrite and reminding all of us that a RNB could be a collection of photos, items, stickers, game tickets etc.  From looking at their RNB, both boys and girls really heard this message this year.

I was thrilled the next day as the students shared their notebook, and I overhead several conversations:

“I didn’t know you liked Percy Jackson, we’ve been in the same class for 3 years.”

“I read that book over the summer.  Did you know the next book is coming out in October?”

“Can I borrow that book when you are finished, I have been waiting for it at the library.”

This was fun to read because she wrote about authors.

A reminder about the importance of author visits. Thank you
Cynthia Lord-this student ranked you #1.

OLW: March Gratitude

Compliments to Google images however I can't wait to take my own photos.

The month of March flew by I blinked at it's over almost over. I am going to be taking a week break from blogging, tweeting and disconnect from technology.  Our Spring break is this upcoming week, and I am super excited and thankful (OLW) for the opportunity to be going to the Grand Canyon. It's been on my bucket list forever, and our children didn't seem to be very interested in seeing it.  My husband and I enjoy Las Vegas (I personally LOVE Las Vegas) so we're tag teaming the two together for a fun week of vacation. 

Probably one of the highlights of March for me was Cynthia Lord visiting our school.  I am so impressed with the authors that I have the chance to meet. Always I learn something new about my writing. My students always walk away with this "awe" look in their eyes especially when my student, Ashley, had a chance to talk to Cynthia.  I am totally plagiarizing this next OLW from Bill's blog at Literate Lives.  He caught the moment with a flash of the camera.  Thanks Bill!!  By the way, I got very teary eyed.

Finally my OLW has to do with the small conversations in life. Those with friends and family that totally understand me. You know when you're just shaking your head and wondering why and then someone asks if you're ok? And better yet takes time to listen as you talk to them.  Truly listen.  Or when you're questioning the system and you read a Slice of Life that totally makes sense and you could have written it.  There have been a few big bumps in March, but I paused when I totally wanted to panic/cry and realized how blessed I am to be at this particular point in my life especially as I have a week off to relax, read and explore the Grand Canyon.  See you in April.

 

 

Cynthia Lord RULES Bailey

I could not get to computer fast enough to type my post about Cynthia Lord's visit the past two days at Bailey. I was so excited when Bill at Literate Lives announced to the author committee that she was going to be visiting our school.  Let me go back two years to start my story.

Two years ago our Newbery Club read Touched Blue and our whole group of 5th graders along with their parents fell in love with this story.  One of my students in my class that year touched my heart in so many ways similar to Aaron in the book, Touch Blue.  As my student and her parent read the book at home together, my student's parent also was extremely touched by the book and emailed Cynthia Lord. She expressed how so many of the parts of the story overlapped with their own life....fast forward two years and Cynthia Lord visited our school. 

She shared about the history of her reading life. I am proud to say I could raise my hand on 8/9 books.

Fifth graders were able to spend yesterday morning listening to Cynthia discuss her life as an author.  I LOVE how she started discussing how everyone can  be an author as long as they incorporate 4 things into their life.

     1.  Read - when you do read ask yourself: What did the author do to make me love this book? She rereads the last line of every chapter of a favorite book to answer this question.

     2.  Write - The only way to be a better writer is to practice. She gave a great analogy to the students about riding a bike or practicing for a sports team

    3.  Learn - knowledge in school, learn about the tools that writer's use. I liked when she said you don't have to perfect with the tools because there is an editor to help.

    4.  Dream - wonder, imagine, and write down your "seeds" of a good story

What a great message for elementary students to hear from a Newbery author.  She then continued to share how she researches her books.  She shared how she rode the ferry to her job as a teacher on a small island and wrote about all the different sensory descriptions in her writer's notebook. Those snippets helped her as she wrote Touch Blue.  My favorite line was, "I look for surprises that couldn't be imagined and then I know that is the gold in the story."  

She shared how important revision is even after 8 drafts.

She also shared with the students about how she has to "just get through" her first draft and typically the middle part is difficult for her.  Finally she shared a marvelous writing technique that she uses called WOW.  It was the buzz of 5th grade as we walked up the stairs back to our classrooms.

W =  Want - What does the character want in the story?

O = Obstacles - What obstacles are in the character's way in the story?

W = Win - Did the character win?  Sometimes yes and sometimes no. 

Finally a full circle moment for me, last night we had dinner at my student's home as her mom prepared a delicious dinner for Cynthia and the author committee.  It was one of the HIGHLIGHTS of my teaching career as I sat on the coach talking to my student who is now in 7th grade discussing her life and how much she has grown academically, socially and her maturity shined through like the sun. Then I walked into the kitchen and had time to talk Cynthia one on one about life.  Finally as night ended, I hugged both parents and thanked them for "one of those nights." That night will go down in my memory box forever!!

Finally check out Cynthia Lord's blog post about today's special events in our classroom.

Time to meet Xander-