Precious Moment

A room full of grown-ups, most of whom she is meeting for the first time. It doesn't take long for her to realize she is the sole child. She can use that to her advantage. She makes her way to her purse and pulls out her Silly Putty. The blue Silly Putty becomes 'band-aids' for her imagined wa-was (Arabic for owies). Circulating the room to show off her handy work gets fabulous reactions.

After dinner the adults' attention shifts to the two dear people we have gathered to say good-bye to. We congregate in the living room to cover them in prayers. G is in the dining room hamming it up with Daddy and another friend. As soon as she realizes what is happening in the living room she makes a bee line to the group and stands close; still and quiet.

This is a precious moment to me. My child's spirituality continues to touch my heart. She is very tuned in to moments that she can be part of a community drawing closer to God. I am thankful for the reminders and the blessings.

What Are You Reading?

What Are You Reading?

 

“It’s Monday! What are you Reading?” is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. It is a chance for book lovers to share their reading accomplishments as well as what is on the proverbial nightstand. She even does a giveaway. Subsequently Jen and Kellee at Teach Mentor Texts added an opportunity for those reading kidlit to join the fun. Since I read both I will post to both. Check them out, join the conversations, and discover more great books.

This has been a stupendous month for books. Nearly all of these book I want to put in my classroom library. (I have marked them with a *) 

Here is what I have read this month.

 Wife for Hire by Janet Evanovich

Don't judge me! This was a 'bath tub book'. I read books that have been passed to me that I wouldn't care if they fell in the tub and I don't have to really think to read it or pick it back up after days or weeks.

*  One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

*  Goodbye Sarajevo by Atka Reid and Hana Schofield

*  Mr. and Mrs. Bunny--Detectives Extraordinaire! by Polly Horvath 

The dry and understated humor in this book was greatly appreciated by me, but would be hard for most of my students to follow especially as ELLs.

*  Marshfield Dreams by Ralph Fletcher
Great mentor texts for my students. We read several of these vignettes during our memoir unit.

*  Hex Hall Book One by Rachel Hawkins
I wrote about some series that I have thoroughly enjoyed in this post. This series can be added to the list. I especially like the snarky protagonist.

 The Search for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi

*  Spell Bound (Hex Hall Book Two) by Rachel Hawkins
My library had the first one available for Kindle. I instantly wanted to read the rest, but they weren't available. I don't often purchase Kindle books, but I couldn't wait!

*  Demonglass (Hex Hall Book Three) by Rachel Hawkins

*  Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

The first half of this book had me hooked because I couldn't figure out what the big picture was. The second half kept me turning the pages because I wanted to know how the story unfolded. The sequel isn't out until February, so now I wait.

Cyberbullying: Infographic

This is an infographic I will share with my students in advisory. I want to share it as a means to start conversation.

We'll see how it goes. Will the visual presentation of information draw them in more than something read or told to them? I'll let you know.

My Soul Smiles

Ping

Ping, Ping

Ping

Ping, Ping, Ping

My mind becomes conscious, though my eyes stay shut. I can tell from the darkness pushing on my eye lids that it is still night. I can’t tell if that means 11pm or 2am.


Some rights reserved by Arlo Bates

The pinging continues. I only know of two things that make that sound. Our bedroom air conditioner is an old style where the metal box sits outside the house. The pinging sound is either bird claws doing a tap dance or it is rain.

Rain!

I open my eyes and spring out of bed. I cross the room quickly, lift the shade, and peer out the window. Our bedroom is too high up and there isn’t enough light for me to be able to see anything. I head downstairs and open the front door.



It is really raining. Not just a few drops, but steady rain falling from the sky!
I retrieve my camping chair and place it on the front porch, mostly under the overhang. It is 4:45am. I am in my nightgown with my bare legs and feet out in the rain. The temperature is perfect. Ah, I think, I could sit here until the sun comes up.

But I don’t. The mosquitoes find me. When the fourth one lands I decide it is better to head inside than itch for days.

By the time G wakes up the rain has stopped and the clouds are parting. I am sure the overall accumulation is barely anything, but it rained. We haven’t had more than 4 drops, one afternoon, in nearly two years. My Seattle soul smiles.


Some rights reserved by sea turtle

Shaken, Not Stirred

This is the infographic I want to use…

But I haven't come up with a compelling and appropriate way to integrate it into my curriculum.

Stay tuned for an infographic for use in the classroom.

Presented…

I was asked to present a workshop for our staff about the "Flipped Classroom". I decided the initial conversation needed to be about what a "Flipped Classroom" is and why someone would think about doing it. (The conversation is now primed for part two, how to "Flip".)

The presentation below is what I used for my workshops. I tried very hard to use visuals to anchor points, but to have the concepts and discussions NOT be on the slides. I also included a few video clips. I think hearing other voices helps people take in new information.

3s

Most, if not all, of us can ride a bike. Many of us learned to pedal with a tricycle. Many of us moved to a 'big kid bike' by first using training wheels.

Three wheels in the back added stability, which bred confidence. Eventually the grownup who was walking with us gave us a push and then they were no longer needed. We could ride a bike.

Some rights reserved by kate at yr own risk

I chose these images because learning to ride a bike is a big deal and it is an illustration nearly all kids can relate to. I do lots of talking about learning to ride a bike as we launch our memoir unit.

These images could be used to get kids thinking about their memories and experiences. Simply putting the photos before my students would get them talking. Talking is a fabulous pre-writing activity. Before they realize it I have gotten them from gabbing with their neighbor to pushing lead through their notebooks, where the work of the writer continues.

Some rights reserved by Jenn Durfey

Another reason I chose these two images is because they are too centered. As we take our memoirs into digital storytelling we could revisit these images and talk about the rule of thirds.

How could they improve the composition of these photos? What is gained and lost by each change? Could they take a better one themselves? How will this knowledge impact their storyboarding? What else do they wonder about?