Celebrating Choice in the New Year

I'm celebrating NOT spending days setting up my classroom.  I'm looking forward to school starting next Wednesday and meeting my new group of learners.

I am excited to share my reading life with my new readers. It's fun to xerox some of the covers of the books I read this summer. The minute my new students arrive they will know their teacher is a reader. I also include a few personal photos of my reading life and favorite places I like to read. 

For years, I spent hours getting my library ready. Not anymore last year's class organized this library. Mixing all of the books up leaving serval hints about how this new class could organize it.  One of my favorite conversations:

•  "Do you have this book?"  
• I reply, "I sure do in the library"
• "Where in the library?"
• I reply, "I don't know."

Conversations above lead us into a class discussion about how do you want to organize the library?  Thanks to Ruth for encouraging us to celebrate. 

When I Don't Know the Answers

I purchased this print about six months ago to hang on my wall in my library in our home. It took me three months to find a frame that I loved as much as the print.  It sat framed on the floor probably since Christmas. Today was the day it was placed with honor.  This photo says it all if you truly know me. "I love my library." The young girl choosing a perfect book on her library ladder. Truth be told I really wanted a ladder when we built our home, but we just couldn't figure it out.  

In the past two weeks, I have become quiet. Choosing not to be involved in conversations about what's happening in the world specifically in Ostrander, Worthington and Florida. I don't have any answers.  My time is spent on prayers and reflection.  I am a wife, mom, teacher and a citizen.  For me there aren't any clear answers.  I choose to focus on how I can help my family and my students.  The best way I know to help my students is continue to increase their knowledge, compassion, and empathy for people who are different than us.  I believe one of the best ways is to share stories.  Stories that allow students to see another point of view. Stories that open up their eyes to how fortunate they are.  Stories that have them asking questions and yes hard conversations.  When I don't know the answers, I turn to books that I can share with my impressionable readers.

I always participate in #NF10for10 either with a post or following all the blogs.I opened several tabs and started requesting picture books from my favorite little library in Ostrander. This is my pile that I picked up yesterday at the library.  Today I had time to read all of them.  Several touched my heart and will be shared in our classroom. I found one that I ordered for a friend because I believe paying it forward is one positive way to move forward. When I don't know the answers,I know my answers can be found in books and that is why I love my library and more importantly that is why I believe we need to continuing sharing books with our students allowing stories to be told and conversations to be opened.

Pieces of the Puzzle

I don't count the days of summer, but I am beginning to think I need to start putting some of the pieces of my puzzle together. I always feel like the first piece of the puzzle starts with my classroom especially after being in the same room for 15 years. I need a change something that stands out for the students.  This year I was struggling but through blogs (Franki @ A Year of Reading) and some pictures once again I have a new set up. My first priority is community space and next some nooks for students.  I created a large open area with the smart board and teaching chart along with 2 table (round and rectangle) and a reading corner.  Moving to puzzle piece 2: math. I will be teaching 80 mins of math daily.  I have been searching for a morning math warm up and have found some links to help me.  Here is one I found through #5thchat Mrs. White's Teaching Resources. When the students come in, I want them to be actively involved thinking about math so I am considering some math games, websites and focus # work This is one piece I need to continue to focus on and build some more strategies. Puzzle #3: increasing the wonder! For the past 2 years I have used Wonderopolis in every subject typically as a hook for a new subject, a follow up article for HW, and end the year with students choosing their own wonder research project. But this year, I want to build wonder- have students think about the why?  One idea I am floating around is changing the focus of the summer pictures my students bring into share. I am going to ask them about what they wondered over their vacation?  I think this might be challenging but if they have a picture of Niagara Falls from vacation, perhaps they wondered about how much water flows or how the falls developed? If they visited a beach, perhaps they wondered about sharks, jellyfish or sand castles? I will model this with my pictures from our summer vacation.  I just get excited by starting the year off with wonder/inquiry/questions.  Finally the last piece of the puzzle #4: stretching NF writing. I have been reading Jeff Anderson book 10 Things Every Writer Needs to Know and Kelly Gallagher's book Write Like This. I want to go beyond our weekly Scholastic New articles although very good for conversations, but I need to have my students think deeper.  I am working on using my #cyber PD to help me with forming higher level questions.  I have learned the value of the word "yet." I also am working on the idea of choosing relevant articles from local newspaper and having students write from those (point of view, main idea/details, 5 Ws, opinions of article etc.) 

As you can see my puzzle is all over the floor right now or I should say floating in my brain, I am working on having all the pieces fit together nicely. Any suggestions I would love to have some comments to help my thinking. 

Watch out TORNADO approaching!

Every year our class has a tornado come through!  Every year in the middle of the tornado I think I will never do it again.  Every year at the end of the tornado I think “WOW” the students learn so much about our class library. So I do it again…………

The tornado begins during specials and I spread all the books over the floor.  The students come in and are shocked to see the floor.  Each student has a sheet on a clipboard to record any books that they might want to read.  I give each student an empty container and they start to walk around the room looking for books that may be similar.  (Hint: the day before we brainstorm all the ways that libraries are organized and we create a list)  The talk in the classroom is amazing-everyone helps everyone. They discuss favorite books, books they want to read, and better yet books they have never seen before so now they are curious.  Better yet they know where to find all those books because they set up the library!

The next step is to decorate a white index card for their tub which is fun and the students tend to take their tub personally because typically they are designing a tub that has one of their favorite books in it.

Original name cards for tubs

Finally the students organize our class library and decide how to group the tubs.  This year we have six sections:  author, series, genres, poetry, picture books, and topics.

Our author bookshelf.

This is one of those activities when the day is done I am exhausted but thrilled that the students were able to see all the books and be excited about reading. PRICELESS!