Summer Reading Camp

I decided to go out on a limb and host a summer reading camp for students that were being promoted to grades K-5.  I am so glad that I took a leap of faith.  The summer camp has been a great joy to me and I sincerely believe the students are having lots of fun as well.  I have 50 students attending the camp with my largest group being the K-2 morning group.  There are 29 students in that group and 21 students enrolled in the afternoon 3-5 group.  I have had many parents to comment that they are so glad that we held the camp.  I know it is summer but I am excited that I made great use of this time to read with the WGS kids one day a week.  There is no way I could have had this camp without the help of Ms. Erica who has been a great source of help and support.  The kids love her!  This camp has afforded us the opportunity to read many books, interact with story maps, literature circles, learn Spanish, practice alphabets, sounds, practicing sight words and sight word phrases.  Great job campers!  You Rock! :O)

I also launched a books by mail reading program this summer.  There are students that could not attend the summer camp that I really wanted to continue reading during the summer.  I mailed books to these students along with postcard with a question about the book on it.  The students had to read the book, answer the question, and mail the postcard back to me.  Upon recieving the students postcard I mail them their next book and question.  I'm excited to see each students reading grow and blossom.  I also look forward to gettting their postcards back with their answers in their cute little handwriting.  :)  Kids are amazing and I am so glad I get the privelige and pleasure to work with them.

DIBELS Assessment

Check out our DIBELS scores on the data wall. The scores look good. Our hard work paid off. Every student that didn't benchmark showed improvement. I will be emailing your reports soon. Please check your reports to make sure each of your students are listed and that I didn't overlook anyone.

Don't forget Data Meetings will be held in 1/2 day sessions on May 22nd and May 23rd. I have already gotten your subs and I will be emailing your sub schedules and your staff development number soon. I will also be sending you a list of materials that you will need to bring to meeting.

I will be out of the building on May 16 - 18 for training and Coach meetings.

Thank You!

Teachers,
I just want to take the time to thank you for participating in the READ to SUCCEED campaign.  It is your dedicated service that makes the difference for our students.  It is my desire that each day we are planting seeds that will make lifelong readers.  Mrs. Underwood shared with me that we had 64 students that recieved Six Flags passes through this program.  I call that a success!  Thank you so much Mrs. Underwood for taking on this project in my absence.  I greatly appreciate your hard work. 

I know that many of you didn't have the opportunity to Read the Most From Coast to Coast due to the tornados that ripped through our area. I am so glad that each of you and our student are safe and alive.  I had you all on my mind as I watched the weather.  Although I understand we had one family that had a total loss, I am grateful that they are all alive. 

Please don't forget that we must have our PROGRESS MONITORING for all students completed before break. The window for progress monitoring is March 19th -March 23rd.  If I have not returned to work I need all of you to send me those scores electronically.  Please do not place them in my mailbox.  Email me your scores so that I may get them to central office and the DIBELS database on times. 

I found a new website that I really liked and wanted to share.  It is called WE ARE TEACHERS.  The website address http://www.weareteachers.com/. It is filled with exciting tools that teachers can use.  I found the best education apps, topics & discussions, grants & contest, monthly ideas, free products & trials, and lesson plans.  Check it out!  I think you just might like it. 

Keep up the great work, know that I love and miss each of you, and I look forward to seeing you soon.  I am doing well.  I'm just trying to be a good patient so that I don't have to repeat this process.  I still have an open incision in my belly that Tim has to stuff daily.  I never imagined feeling like a Teddy Bear but what is life without all of its little suprises.  He's been an excellent nurse and I sure do thank God for him.  Until later don't forget to smell the roses along the way, hug & kiss your family, and to tell somebody that you love them and mean it. 

5 Ways You Can Take Read-Aloud Literature to the Next Level

by WATstaff Wednesday

“I would not eat them on a boat! I would not eat them with a goat!”

“One Sunday morning the warm sun came up and POP!—out of the egg came a tiny and very hungry caterpillar.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of Number Four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.”

Read-alouds have the power to captivate kids at any age—you probably still remember phrases from the treasured titles that your parents and teachers once read to you. Have you ever glanced up at your students while you were in the midst of a magical tale from a foreign land or a swashbuckling adventure? What did you see? Eyebrows furled in thought? Eyes wide, transfixed by the story? Minds churning as they process what's happening and what might happen next? Read-aloud stories are so much more than a literacy-building tool; if used correctly, they can create a framework that will not only boost academic achievement but also promote a love of learning that will go beyond your students' school years. Here are 5 ways you can use read-aloud books to infuse students with a zest for literature that is so vital to academic success.

1. Build Critical Thinking Skills. Use read-aloud literature to help your students learn to solve problems. Pause mid-story to ask your students how they would proceed if they were the main character. Or, use plot maps or conflict charts (print out free materials here) to help assess the best solution to the problem presented in the book. 
2. Go Beyond Reading. Encourage active participation in the story by including listening, speaking, thinking, and response writing activities, such as enacting a scene from the book, brainstorming ways to solve the main character’s conflict, having partners share a personal story that relates to the main character’s choices, or asking students to respond in writing to a prompt/question that relates to the story.
3. Introduce Your Students to New Authors.  Read literary works from diverse authors so that your students can be exposed to various voices, cultures, places and themes—and through that exposure, can start to build a framework around their own viewpoints.
4. Get Digital. Explore all facets of your classroom literature by utilizing technology in your lessons. Go online and find related videos, writing prompts, images and more. Some literacy-building programs, like Voices Literature & Writing, package graphic organizers, digital content, MP3s, interactive whiteboard lessons, and more with classroom literature.
5. Provide Next Steps. Don't just stop with one story. Instead, provide your students with access to additional books and materials that explore similar or related topics and encourage them to read, to explore, and to learn.

Question for you: What read-aloud book makes your students’ eyes go wide and their mouths hang open?

You may view this articles at  http://community.weareteachers.com/t5/WeAreTeachers-Blog/5-Ways-That-You-Can-Take-Read-Aloud-Literature-to-the-Next-Level/ba-p/11305 

Pulling Together

Pulling Together

Wiki Is the Place to Be

I have a few things to share on my Wiki.  You can visit me at http://readingpathway.wikispaces.com/.

Have You Ever Thought About a Reading Lounge?

Teachers,
I'm reading a book entitled "Igniting a Passion For Reading by Steven Layne.  Chapter 7 talks about opening a reading lounge.  I'm thinking the art room would be a great room for this at least in the afternoons.  We could redecorate the room with plants and carpet.  We could even leave the tables since we'll need them next year for art just make it a nice relaxing environment.  It could also be a place where teachers could go and read.  What are your thoughts on this?  Would you allow your responsible students to go there to read?  I want to know your feelings before presenting it to our administration.  I'm thinking this would be nices especially since we don't have a really nice area for a teacher lounge.