Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

"A person is a person no matter how small" ~Dr. Seuss

Today in fourth grade we celebrated Dr. Seuss's 108th Birthday!  I started the day asking my students what they know about Dr. Seuss.

Immediately hands flew in the air:

"He wrote a lot of books."
"Most of his books have turned into movies."
 "He rhymes throughout his stories."
"The characters in his stories are really weird."

As a beginning teacher I never thought about using Dr. Seuss's books as mentor texts.  I always considered them "childish".   In the hopes of doing something on March 2nd to celebrate I began to explore ideas and books.  I realized that most of his books send out a deeper message for not only children, but adults too.   Maybe it was my lack of exposure to Dr. Seuss or the playful drawings, but I always seemed to label him with primary classrooms.

After my simple realization that probably should have happened years ago Room 121 began exploring all of the books Dr. Seuss had to offer.  We started by reading "Yertle the Turtle" and relating to an Autocracy.  The language and actions could not have explained Autocracy better!  Later in the day we read "Horton Hears a Who".  With this text we discussed character traits, reflected on the message, and even created our own individual Whoville.  My students' imaginations were flying.  Some of their Whovilles were found on a raindrop and others on a simple piece of dust.  Their buildings inside of Whoville were creative, colorful, and detailed.  I wish I had some to share.

Overall, thank you Dr. Seuss for inspiring learning and creativeness in Room 121 today!

Making Time To Write

I am stuck in between a writing unit and as I search for ideas I run into the blog Two Writing Teachers.  This blog expresses the importance of writing as a teacher.  First I think...yeah right.  Then, I quickly get forwarded to her podcast on Choice Literacy.  She continues to discuss how she makes writing an important part in her life as a teacher.  It seems so simple, yet at the same time amazing.  I feel like at times I am searching for more time, but I guess what I really am trying to do is find a balance.  

As our writing journey begins as a class I am presented with all of these ideas...now where to go?  Where to find the balance?  

GRADE CARDS

As I sit here on a Friday afternoon that has been put aside for teachers to work on grade cards I find that I want to do anything but that. I want to make plans on where to go next with my class. I want to read and get inspired by ideas.  Most of all I want to buy new books!  I do not want to collect grades.

Maybe this lack of motivation is due to Halloween or the Cardinals going to game 7.  But most of all I feel like it is because I am not ready to assess my students.  With beginning a new reading curriculum I feel that I do not know my students as well as I should as readers.  I have spent so much of my time grasping the new reading program, that the joy of reading has been limited in my classroom. 

As a result:  More reflecting, planning, and reading.  Grade cards can wait for now.  (until tomorrow)

Oh How I Love Sundays :)

What is your favorite day of the week?  What an interesting thought.  I may ask my students this question tomorrow.  I am predicting that Monday will have the least votes.  Well my favorite day of the week is BY FAR Sunday.  Why you may ask?  Well I get to sleep in (to around 9, it's sad what my life has come to), clean, catch up on laundry, watch A LOT of T.V., prepare our school week, and eat.

I recently moved into a new house in August with new roomies.  Every Sunday we try to make a dinner.  This week was INTENSE mac n' cheese.  After reading many different recipes I headed over to the local grocery store to buy the supplies, some including dry mustard (didn't even know this existed).

On the list:
-Elbow noodles
-Two different types of cheese (sharp cheddar and pepper jack)
-Dry mustard (a small pinch)
-Red peppers
-Bacon
-Tomatoes
-Ground pepper
-Milk (3 cups)
-Butter (1/4 a cup)

Let's say that I started the day excited about this project, but quickly began to hate the process.  Cutting the veggies and baking the bacon was the simple part.  Melting the cheese was the HORRIBLE part.  Let's just say that I was really wishing for a double broiler tonight.

Too bad the mystery of the double broiler never got solved in my family.  Long story short:  My family always passed around the double broiler from house to house and it randomly went missing.  Come to a family event and I guarantee you will hear the story.

Anyways.....melting the cheese was a very LONG process especially when I was extremely hungry.

Place in the oven at 350 for 25 minutes and be ready for cheesy goodness.  mmmmmmm good.


Also this weekend Andy and I headed to a pumpkin festival.  Check out some of our pics!

This is such a funny idea.  Looks a lot like my roomie Jessica.  

Vocabulary Day!

One more day till our big vocabulary parade! 

Every year (well for four years now) the fourth grade at the school I teach at participates in a vocabulary parade.  This idea is inspired from the book Miss Alaaineus written by Debra Faiser.

 

It is an awesome book and a fun idea!  My hat is created, my students have words, and I am crossing my fingers that everyone brings one tomorrow.  The rough stuff is over.  I now am exploring for ideas to learn and have fun with words.  With help from fellow teachers, blogs, and of course pinterest I beginning to think of ideas.   

Things in the making:
-100 point words for math
-Word Posters
-Word Mobiles
-A Class Thesaurus
-Alphabet Cereal
-Being Word Sleuths
-Classic Games

Who knows what I will try, but I will update tomorrow. 

OHHH the excitement of words. 

Back in the game!

As the school year continues I am realizing how much I miss constantly reflecting and researching as a teacher and an individual.  I realize that it is something that needs to be done and I WANT to do this everyday, but I do not have my mentor constantly checking on me, offering me advice, and there are no assignments being required every Thursday.

The researching and reflecting is my responsibility.  I thought what a better way to hold myself accountable  and also get input on what others think through a blog.

So here it goes!!!!!!!!!

Through constant blog reading I have become addicted to trying new recipes, creating things for my house, and trying new ideas in my classroom.

So from a friend and her blog that you can find here I began with a simple project of making coasters.  It is soooo easy and looks wonderful in my new living room.

 

School year approaching...

After a busy summer (I do not know where the time went) I found myself back in the classroom.  As I looked around my bare, yet clean room I cannot believe that my first year is complete.  More importantly am having trouble grasping that I am beginning my second year of teaching.  Last year I began the school year reading Today I Feel Silly by Jamie Lee Curtis.  We talked about our feelings about starting school year in fourth grade, created our own templet, and then mocked Good Morning America's:  Your Week in Three Words video (idea from a fellow teacher-not mine).  As I begin to look at what is to come this year I can confidently say:  "Today I feel scared, nervous, and ready."  

Above is a picture of the templet I shared with my students last year.