tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50414549217012268102024-03-13T05:31:01.467-05:00Mrs.Payan ReadsA blog to share my favorite reads with students, friends, family, and others.Andrea http://www.blogger.com/profile/12851457862977465669noreply@blogger.comBlogger337125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041454921701226810.post-67800448169641063612016-04-10T15:18:00.000-05:002016-04-10T15:18:44.889-05:00Blog Move<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have moved my blog to a self-hosted website. Please update your RSS to follow my blog at mrspayanreads.com<br />
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Have a great day!<br />
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Andrea http://www.blogger.com/profile/12851457862977465669noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041454921701226810.post-31460613908332919912016-02-27T08:39:00.004-06:002016-02-27T08:39:45.542-06:00Celebrate This Week: Routines 2/27<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's Saturday and that means it is time to reflect on the week and celebrate things both big and small. Join our community and celebrate this week by linking up or just stopping by the host <a href="http://www.ruthayreswrites.com/">Ruth Ayres' </a>blog to read others' celebrations.<br /><br /><div>
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This week I am celebrating routines and rituals in my life. </div>
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First, for the last six weeks, I have been doing a challenge. I discovered this challenge on Facebook when one of my friends shared that she had just finished. I quickly investigated and found out that this was exactly the kind of thing I was looking for to challenge myself to change my eating habits and be healthier. The <a href="https://www.wholelifechallenge.com/">Whole Life Challenge</a> is an 8-week challenge in which you strive to do 7 daily habits: eat well, meet your sleep goal, exercise at least 10 minutes, stretch for 10 minutes, drink enough water, do a lifestyle practice, and reflect each night. The challenge lets you choose your level of nutrition so that you can decide how strict you want to be with your eating. The most difficult level is pretty much the Whole30 nutrition. I am doing the Kickstart level, which is basically cutting out bread/pasta and cheese and sugar. What is nice about this challenge is that there is an online game in which you earn points--you can eat that thing that is not compliant, but you lose a point for eating it. I love that this challenge is not expecting perfection, but is making me think twice about whether I really want the treat. It has been really surprising to me how I really don't miss cheese that much. I have discovered some great and flavorful recipes. I feel good about being healthier and forming some good habits to take care of myself. A bonus benefit has been some weight loss that I have experienced. </div>
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In my classroom, I have been working on tweaking our math routines. The other day, I came across an article that mentioned the two sisters and their Daily 3 for math. I had not ever heard of this. I knew all about the Daily 5 for literacy instruction, but did not know about the math procedures. This really resonated with me with the kind of math instruction I want to be doing. So, I jumped in this week with both feet. We had math choices and we had mini-lessons in between. My students loved it. There are a lot of things we will need to fix next week. There are some things that I thought would transfer from the work we have done in literacy that I now know need to be practiced for math time. But, overall, I was happy with what we did this week. I will be working to tighten our routines and find activities that will work well with the idea of having work times and choosing Math by Myself, Math with Someone, and Math Writing. I love the way this makes my math classroom much more of a workshop classroom and frees me up to really work with my struggling mathematicians and provide the best support for each student. I like the way this structure also makes me really streamline the time I have with the whole group. </div>
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The last celebration I have to share this week is the routine of independent reading in my classroom. My students are reading for stretches of 50 minutes to an hour. Yesterday, I stopped them after about 30 minutes of reading, because we had spent some of our reading time reflecting and writing goals. At the time when I stopped the reading, there was an audible protest from some students, even though they knew that board game time was next. I love that we have been able to create this sacred reading space that students look forward to each day. </div>
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What do you have to celebrate this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments!</div>
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Andrea http://www.blogger.com/profile/12851457862977465669noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041454921701226810.post-51418383301088328612016-02-22T05:00:00.000-06:002016-02-22T05:00:15.861-06:00It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 2/22<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? --From Picture Books to YA is a weekly meme started by Jen at <a href="http://www.teachmentortexts.com/">Teach Mentor Texts</a> and Kellee at <a href="http://www.unleashingreaders.com/">Unleashing Readers</a>. This is a chance for bloggers to recap their week of reading and share their plans for the next reading adventures they will take. Visit the host blogs for a list of great blogs participating in this meme and a whole bunch of titles to add to your to-read lists.<br />
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I didn't post last week so I will be writing about the books I finished in the last two weeks. I had a lot of books going at once, so the list seems impressive, but I really have been reading some of these books for a long time. I do have to say that I am really enjoying the variety of books that I have been reading. </div>
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Books I Finished:</div>
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Part of my new morning routine is to read some self-help books to think about what I can do to improve my life. I appreciated Ruth Soukup's advice in <i>Living Well, Spending Less</i> about some things I can do to gain some more control over my finances and my life. I am definitely more interested in her blog now and have been using some of the advice already. </div>
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<i>The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom</i> by Suze Orman is full of great financial advice. I was surprised at first with how much she links our financial picture to our emotional reactions to money. It was interesting for me to think about that connection. I appreciated the practical advice in this book, but had to skim through some parts that got way more technical than I was ready for. Overall, I am glad I read the book and I have confronted some of my financial challenges honestly. </div>
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<i>The Lotus Eaters</i> by Tatjana Soli was a book club pick. I really enjoyed the story and was glad for the book club because I most likely would not have selected this title on my own. It was fascinating and heartbreaking to read about a woman reporter who was living in Vietnam and going into the field to take pictures during the war. So much was so awful for the people who were there. I appreciated learning more about it through this fictional lens. </div>
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I listened to the audiobook of <i>Bone Gap</i> and found myself inventing excuses to put the book on. I loved this story and all of the characters. I thought the narrator did a fabulous job of reading this book as well. I don't really even have words to describe this one except: you should read it. </div>
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<i>Revolution</i> by Deborah Wiles was another amazing read. I loved the primary sources mixed in between chapters. I loved the way there were multiple narrators. I loved that this book helped me to learn more about a controversial time in our history. I loved this book. I highly recommend it. I am definitely going to look for the other books in the sixties trilogy now. </div>
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I finished reading <i>The Tiger Rising</i> aloud to my class this week. I wrote about our emotional moments while sharing the final chapters in my <a href="http://mrspayanreads.blogspot.com/2016/02/celebrate-this-week-220-power-of-good.html">Celebrate This Week</a> post. This is the third or fourth time I have read this book, but the first time I did it as a read aloud. I will definitely continue to use this book as a teaching text. I am so glad the TCRWP chose it to be the anchor text in the first unit for fourth grade. If you haven't already read this one, you need to find a copy and get to it!<br />
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Books I am Currently Reading:<br />
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I am still reading 1Q84. I am still enjoying it and will still be reading it for quite some time. I am also reading <i>The Art of Asking</i> by Amanda Palmer.<br />
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What's Next?<br />
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My book club is reading <i>Cutting for Stone</i> so I will probably pick that up to start it, although I am quite hesitant to do so since it is another long one. I have a stack of middle grade titles from my last Scholastic order that I will probably grab from so that I can get through a few books faster in the next week or so. <br />
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What are you reading this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments!<br />
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Andrea http://www.blogger.com/profile/12851457862977465669noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041454921701226810.post-65738307980330108192016-02-20T10:13:00.002-06:002016-02-20T10:13:29.014-06:00Celebrate This Week 2/20 The Power of a Good Book<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's Saturday and that means it is time to reflect on the week and celebrate things both big and small. Join our community and celebrate this week by linking up or just stopping by the host <a href="http://www.ruthayreswrites.com/">Ruth Ayres' </a>blog to read others' celebrations.<div>
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This week I am celebrating the power of a good book. </div>
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For the last several weeks, I have been making my way through the first Unit of Study in the 4th grade Units of Study for Teaching Reading. I went to see Lucy Calkins speak this fall, and I jumped in with both feet to the first unit. I have been busy working through the unit but also trying to bring it into the workshop routines I had already established. Like any time a teacher tries something for the first time, it has been slightly rocky for me, but I love the language and the ideas in the minilessons and I will continue to work with the Units of Study this year with the goal of starting with them from the beginning of the school year next year and getting a better start. The best thing about this unit is that The Tiger Rising is the read aloud and the book that all the lessons are centered around. We have spent a lot of time analyzing Rob and Sistine and the way the author describes them and the decisions that they make. </div>
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Yesterday, we were four chapters away from the end of the book. My students begged me to finish the book. So, I scrapped the minilesson for the day and we read. We read intensely. The atmosphere in the classroom was focused and silent. Anyone who has read The Tiger Rising will know that some intense things happen in those last few chapters...I won't spoil it here. Suffice it to say, I started crying while reading the chapters. My students were crying too. We had an intense moment of shared vulnerability while reading a particularly emotional scene. And then, a few students who were uncomfortable with this, started trying to make fun of those students who were crying. I was able to take this moment and make it into a lesson about the power of literature to make us feel. I talked about the way that Rob's feelings about missing his mother made me think about how I felt when my father died when I was young. I talked about how it was amazing that books have the power to help you bring out some things that you might have locked away in a suitcase the way Rob did. As we finished reading the book, the class got quiet again and soaked up the mood of the story. If someone had come into my classroom at that moment, they would have seen a handful of students with red-rimmed eyes and all students silently listening with rapt attention. </div>
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We are not finished with the unit yet. We will be analyzing some of what happens in the book to see if we can find some themes and the evidence to back them up. But these students will remember the afternoon that Ms. Payan and some of their classmates were choked up and touched by a powerful story. I cherish these moments and celebrate sharing the power of literature in our lives. </div>
Andrea http://www.blogger.com/profile/12851457862977465669noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041454921701226810.post-25478303927784284342016-02-13T07:45:00.001-06:002016-02-13T07:45:41.157-06:00Celebrating Imagination 2/13<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's Saturday and that means it is time to reflect on the week and celebrate things both big and small. Join our community and celebrate this week by linking up or just stopping by the host <a href="http://www.ruthayreswrites.com/">Ruth Ayres' </a>blog to read others' celebrations.<div>
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Field trips are always fun, but they are also the most stressful days for teachers. We worry about whether students will behave and be respectful to the educator at the destination. We worry about possibly losing someone or a kid having some sort of emergency while we are on the trip. We try to contain the unbridled excitement of the students all day. We also worry about what the parent chaperones might be thinking about the job we are doing keeping the students in check (at least I do). This week, on my field trip to the zoo, I had the chance to focus on fun rather than stressing out.<br /><div>
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As I sat eating lunch with my students on our field trip to the zoo, I realized much more was going on than just a chance to learn about animals. </div>
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"Mrs. Payan, we found clues!" Nicholas was glowing with excitement and ready to tell me all about it. </div>
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"Yeah, first it was the way the peahen was following us, then the elephant gave us a signal," Moises chimed in.</div>
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"Clues for what?" I innocently asked</div>
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"We're not sure yet...look there is a birthday balloon. I wonder whether it is his birthday or if he is going to give it to someone. Oh! That's another clue!" Nicholas stopped to take a bite of his sandwich and I turned around and looked where he had pointed. One of the zookeepers had a birthday balloon on his chair. </div>
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"That's It! The animals are planning something. See, there is the peacock and he's acting suspicious. They're planning to get out," Moises was letting the gears turn quickly in his brain. His face lit up and he became quite animated. </div>
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Now, Michael started to join in the conversation. "Yes. I knew it was suspicious when Christopher said, 'Have a nice day' at the end of our program. He was trying to keep us from finding out." </div>
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At this point, I just sat back and continued listening. We had already had a zoo class about endangered animals and had a chance to see the big cats. We were eating lunch and then were going to head out to see as many other animals as possible before our bus came to get us. We had the cafeteria to ourselves, because it was a school day in the middle of February and super cold outside. My fourth grade students were incredibly hyper and excited about the opportunity to see all these cool animals. And this lunch time was a chance to take a small break. </div>
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I looked around the cafeteria and was full of pride about how well my students were behaving. It never stops making my heart sing to see the way these kiddos get along with one another. And now, I was listening to the most imaginative thinking in a place that I didn't really expect to see imaginative play. As I listened to the mystery and the clues unravel at the lunch table, I took a minute to drink it all in. </div>
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Throughout the rest of the day, I heard one of the boys say, "another clue!" every once in awhile. Then, when we were back at school, the boys had the whole conspiracy figured out and told me the whole story (which unfortunately I do not remember to write it here). </div>
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I love how this regular field trip day turned into an opportunity for these students' imaginations to run wild. I love a great mystery and I know these boys had an awesome day full of mystery solving. Now, I need to go find my copy of <i>Chasing Vermeer</i> to give them! </div>
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What do you have to celebrate this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments!</div>
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Andrea http://www.blogger.com/profile/12851457862977465669noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041454921701226810.post-14812175477805343912016-02-09T05:44:00.003-06:002016-02-09T05:44:38.725-06:00Slice of Life: How Writing is like Going to the Gym<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The number one excuse to not do something is that you don't have time for it. All of us are busy and our lives are full of things to do. How we choose to spend our time should be a matter of priorities, but many of us don't always prioritize. Many of us end up spending time on small things or time sucking, time wasting things such as addictive games or social media obsessions. Some of us are readers and can lose ourselves for hours on end in a good book. While this isn't exactly a waste of our time, in many instances we are taking those hours without really thinking about the things that we might be choosing not to do.<br />
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Making the time to do something good for you is sometimes really hard. A good example is taking the time to go to the gym. If you have ever established a schedule for this, you will know that it is indeed possible and everyone can find the time if they try. But it is so hard to do this at first. It feels like you are robbing yourself of time for other things. Once you have the habit of going to the gym, your life adjusts around it and it doesn't seem like such a big deal anymore. But then, if you get sick or for some other reason stop going as regularly for a little while, it can feel like a huge hurdle to get back to the routine. Everyone understands that working out is good for you. You even probably feel awesome when you are finished working out, but it still takes a lot of willpower to establish the routine and really make the time for it.<br />
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Writing is the same way for me. I know it is good for me. I even feel really good after spending time writing. But I still have a hard time adding it to my routine. I am still in those early stages of having to convince myself that it is worth giving up that time each day. Many times, I need to drag my butt to the chair to write. I have established a daily routine before, but then other things happened and I stopped. Now, I am confronting that hurdle of time and how I choose to spend it. Luckily, I know that prioritizing my time is important. I choose to make the time to write because it is important to me. Just as I choose to make the time to get to the gym. Both of these things will make me healthier. Now, I just have to stick to it.<br />
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<br />Andrea http://www.blogger.com/profile/12851457862977465669noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041454921701226810.post-80610193684981996482016-02-08T06:34:00.002-06:002016-02-08T06:34:31.291-06:00It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 2/8<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? --From Picture Books to YA is a weekly meme started by Jen at <a href="http://www.teachmentortexts.com/">Teach Mentor Texts</a> and Kellee at <a href="http://www.unleashingreaders.com/">Unleashing Readers</a>. This is a chance for bloggers to recap their week of reading and share their plans for the next reading adventures they will take. Visit the host blogs for a list of great blogs participating in this meme and a whole bunch of titles to add to your to-read lists.<br />
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Books I Finished This Week: </div>
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I really enjoyed the audiobook of <i>Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear</i>. The author, Elizabeth Gilbert, read the book and I loved the conversational style of the writing. She has many good points that she makes about being creative and honoring that part of who you are. I enjoyed many of the stories she tells in this book. I think I would like to get a hard copy of this book in order to refer back to some of the ideas. I highly recommend this book.<br />
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Books I am Currently Reading:<br />
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This is such a long list that I feel like none of the books will ever be finished. I think I need to focus on one of them in order to finish it this week. I am still reading <i>1Q84</i>, <i>The Lotus Eaters, </i>and <i>9 Steps to Financial Freedom. </i>I also started listening to <i>Bone Gap</i> and reading <i>Living Well, Spending Less.</i><br />
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What's Next?<br />
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I will focus on finishing <i>The Lotus Eaters</i> this week. I need to start reading <i>Cutting for Stone</i> since that is my book club's March selection. Otherwise, I will just focus on trying to finish some of the books I have started.<br />
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What are you reading this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments!<br />
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Andrea http://www.blogger.com/profile/12851457862977465669noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041454921701226810.post-51702706204276774902016-02-02T06:34:00.002-06:002016-02-02T06:34:26.707-06:00Slice of Life: My Miracle Mornings<br />
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While scrolling the internet to get ideas for setting up my bullet journal, I came across this post from Kara at <a href="http://www.bohoberry.com/bullet-journal-update/">Boho Berry</a> and was very intrigued by her description of a morning routine that seemed to be the kind of routine I had been thinking about. Being the reader that I am, I immediately bought a copy of <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0979019710/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=77022799356&hvpos=1t2&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14792079469172908266&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_6bmsval8u_b">The Miracle Morning</a></i> by Hal Elrod and read it in one weekend. I had already started getting up earlier to give myself more time to read and think in the morning. I had already been thinking that I wanted to try to do some exercise in the morning--nothing too strenuous, just enough to know that I had gotten in some activity before starting my day. This book was exactly the book I needed at exactly the time I needed it.<br />
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In the book, Elrod came up with an acronym for the parts of the routine. He calls the elements the Life S.A.V.E.R.S. (silence, affirmations, visualization, exercise, reading, scribing). I have now been working on developing my routine for a month. Each morning I do some combination of all of these things, rising at 5am to do so. This is the way my morning works:<br />
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First, I get up and let the dog out. While she is out, I make coffee and stretch a little bit. Then, I let her in and feed her. Once the dog is taken care of, I can start my morning rituals (if I don't take care of her first, she will let me know that this is not right).<br />
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Silence--This has been my favorite part of the morning routine and something I had not anticipated loving so much. Every morning, I start my day with meditation. Since this practice was really new to me, I sought a resource that would help me with guided meditations. I downloaded the app <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/meditation-studio/id1066018502?mt=8">Meditation Studio </a>by Gaiam, Inc. This has been an excellent way to introduce myself to the practice of meditation. I have been surprised by how much this practice has really helped me center myself. I also have had some realizations about some resentments that I thought I had let go of, but it turns out they are still hiding in there. That has been eye-opening and has informed some of my goal setting lately.<br />
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Affirmations--This is hard for me. It feels sort of silly. Every time I do it, I picture Stuart Smiley looking into his mirror on Saturday Night Live. I know it is supposed to be a powerful practice, but it is hard to do without feeling silly. I don't spend as much time doing this as suggested in the book, but I do make sure to say some positive affirmations to myself each morning.<br />
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Visualization--This is also a shorter segment of my morning. I do spend a couple minutes taking the time to visualize the things I want to see happen in my life. I am aware of the ideas of vision boards and the idea that things come to you if you see them happening. I agree that positive energy helps bring you positivity, but I am a little skeptical of the law of attraction claims. Therefore, this part of my morning right now is also relatively short.<br />
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Exercise--I had been wanting to add some exercise to my morning routine. Some mornings, this means getting on the spin bike and working out for 20-30 minutes. Some mornings, I put on a yoga video and do 10-20 minutes of Yoga, some mornings this is just a few squats, some push-ups, and a plank. The good thing is that it is always some movement.<br />
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Reading--What was enlightening and refreshing for me about this part of the morning was the focus on reading self-help and motivational books. I already had been reading most mornings. Now, I read books that will help me in some way. It was a great way to add books I already wanted to read and to give them a place and a time. I love waking up my brain every morning to the possibilities that are out there for me.<br />
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Scribing (aka writing)--This part of the morning routine is awesome for me because I struggled to place a priority on making time for writing every day. Now that it is part of my morning routine, I at least do some journaling each day. I want to get to the point where I have a daily word count in mind and work to complete that each morning. Right now, I am content to establish the routine of writing each morning in some form or another.<br />
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This routine has really changed the way I feel in the mornings. I arrive at school with my brain fully awake and engaged. I have already had my coffee and done some movement. I have been awake for a couple hours. I am ready to face my day. <br />
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What is your morning routine? Have you found something that works for you in a way that this one works for me? I would love to hear from you in the comments!<br />
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<br />Andrea http://www.blogger.com/profile/12851457862977465669noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041454921701226810.post-65415074049691070232016-02-01T07:09:00.001-06:002016-02-01T07:09:18.367-06:00It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 2/1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? --From Picture Books to YA is a weekly meme started by Jen at <a href="http://www.teachmentortexts.com/">Teach Mentor Texts</a> and Kellee at <a href="http://www.unleashingreaders.com/">Unleashing Readers</a>. This is a chance for bloggers to recap their week of reading and share their plans for the next reading adventures they will take. Visit the host blogs for a list of great blogs participating in this meme and a whole bunch of titles to add to your to-read lists.<div>
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I am reading so many books right now and almost all of them are long ones. Therefore, I only finished one this week even though I am reading a lot. </div>
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Books I Finished this week:</div>
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<i>Blog, Inc: Blogging for Passion, Profit, and to Create Community </i>was a quick read. I am thinking a lot about how to bring out more of my voice and write more. I will be changing a few things with my blog and working to make it more than it is right now. This book had some good advice, but was more about how to monetize your blog which is not really where I think I will go from here. It also had advice for people who are just starting out with blogging. </div>
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Books I am Currently Reading: </div>
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<i> </i>I am reading <i>1Q84</i> and will be for quite some time more. I am also reading <i>Revolution</i> by Deborah Wiles<i> </i>and <i>The Lotus Eaters</i> by Tatjana Soli. For personal improvement, I am listening to <i>Big Magic </i>by Elizabeth Gilbert and reading <i>The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom</i> by Suze Orman. </div>
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What's Next? </div>
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I don't know what will be next. Right now, I will just hope to finish at least one of the books I have going. </div>
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What are you reading this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments! </div>
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Andrea http://www.blogger.com/profile/12851457862977465669noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041454921701226810.post-9815554023895459912016-01-25T05:00:00.000-06:002016-01-25T05:00:06.607-06:00It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 1/25<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? --From Picture Books to YA is a weekly meme started by Jen at <a href="http://www.teachmentortexts.com/">Teach Mentor Texts</a> and Kellee at <a href="http://www.unleashingreaders.com/">Unleashing Readers</a>. This is a chance for bloggers to recap their week of reading and share their plans for the next reading adventures they will take. Visit the host blogs for a list of great blogs participating in this meme and a whole bunch of titles to add to your to-read lists.<div>
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Books I Finished This Week:</div>
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<i>Dash & Lily's Book of Dares</i> by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan was a really fun read. I was curious about this book because of Jen Vincent. She reads this book every holiday season and I was curious about what would bring her back to it every year. I now completely understand. What a fun book! I love the premise of this book and the scavenger hunt of ideas that occurred in the story. </div>
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I was home sick on Friday and had some time to read. I picked up <i>The Thing About Jellyfish</i> and did not move for the few hours that it took for me to finish it. This is a beautiful and heartbreaking story. The author did an amazing job of making me fascinated and very curious about jellyfish. She also pulled at my heartstrings with the description of Suzy's grief and how she dealt with it. This is a fabulous novel that I highly recommend for middle grades and up. </div>
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Currently Reading:</div>
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I am still reading <i>1Q84. </i>I am about a third of the way through this monster. It is still a great story so far. I also started <i>Revolution </i>by Deborah Wiles<i>. </i>I love the primary sources and the way the story is unfolding. I am also reading <i>The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom </i>and <i>Blog, Inc.</i> one chapter at a time as part of my morning routine. </div>
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What's Next?</div>
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I need to start reading <i>The Lotus Eaters</i> for my book club in two weeks. I have a hold on a digital copy at the library. I hope it comes in soon. Or else I will have to find my way to a bookstore in the next couple days. I am not sure what else I will decide to pick up to read. </div>
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What are you reading this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments! </div>
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Andrea http://www.blogger.com/profile/12851457862977465669noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041454921701226810.post-76908892041956223062016-01-23T09:23:00.000-06:002016-01-23T09:23:35.813-06:00Celebrate This Week: Creativity, Innovation, and Teamwork 1/23<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />It's Saturday and that means it is time to reflect on the week and celebrate things both big and small. Join our community and celebrate this week by linking up or just stopping by the host <a href="http://www.ruthayreswrites.com/">Ruth Ayres' </a>blog to read others' celebrations.<br /><br /><br />This week was a short week because we had Monday off for MLK day and then Friday was a teacher PD day so students had off. Unfortunately, all week I have been nursing a ridiculously awful head cold. So the first celebration for the week is the fact that I could call in sick on Friday and rest without having to make sub plans. I also love having a boss who understands that you are human and sometimes need to take sick days. I haven't always had bosses who didn't make me feel guilty when calling in sick. <div>
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My second celebration has to do with the community that has formed in my classroom. It isn't perfect, we all make mistakes and some days I am ready to pull out all my hair with frustration because some students won't stop talking, but this group of students gets along. I mean, they all get along. They work together no matter who I put in a group together. They help each other, they play together, we have a harmonious existence in our classroom. </div>
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I know that this community has been helped along by the rituals and routines that we have every day at school. We always do a morning meeting and often end up doing something silly together as part of the meeting (this idea is from <a href="https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/">Responsive Classroom</a> there are many free resources on the website). We almost always recap our day and evaluate how we did today at school (this one came from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Learn-Like-PIRATE-Students-Collaborate/dp/098821766X">Learn Like a Pirate</a> which I highly recommend reading). We work together in groups and partnerships frequently. Our norms have been crafted together. We have agreed how we will treat each other and students will hold each other accountable for this respectful behavior. We read books together and laugh and feel sad together as the characters make their journeys through the novel. Our community is strong because of these rituals and routines, but it is also because of these amazing kiddos. They understood the lessons on growth mindset and they have run with them. I don't have to do much damage control when I challenge them. I don't have kiddos who break down in frustration and give up. They get it that this is the time that their brain is growing and that their learning is strongest. This is something amazing that I love celebrating each and every day. </div>
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Last week, we did a STEM challenge day. I have some kits that I got through a project on DonorsChoose (something else to celebrate). These kits are available from <a href="http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/product/productDet.jsp?productItemID=1%2C689%2C949%2C371%2C930%2C019&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=1408474395181113&bmUID=1453562464173">Lakeshore Learning</a>. I gave students a choice between building a roller coaster in which a marble would continue to roll the whole time without stopping, building a structure that would withstand 20 shakes on the shake table, or building a grip that would pick up a ball from 12 inches away. We did very little preparation for it. I just gave them a pep talk about group work and reminded them that rock, paper, scissors is often a good way to resolve a conflict, and off they went. It was awesome! I was able to circulate and answer questions and offer pointers and they were working. No group had a conflict I had to intervene with. Only one group had someone I had to coach not to give up. At the end, one group building the structure failed gloriously and they all laughed about it...the boys in that group were the first ones to laugh. No one was feeling awful that their ideas had not worked. Everyone had an amazing time. And I started thinking about how to incorporate this type of challenge more often. </div>
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<br />Although this is something we tackled last week, I am still celebrating. I know we will have this day to look back upon as the first of many days in which we built collaboration and celebrated our community of growth mindset learners. </div>
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What do you have to celebrate this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments! </div>
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Andrea http://www.blogger.com/profile/12851457862977465669noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041454921701226810.post-50668690340033176762016-01-18T05:00:00.000-06:002016-01-18T05:00:22.756-06:00It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 1/18<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
It's Monday! What Are You Reading? --From Picture Books to YA is a weekly meme started by Jen at <a href="http://www.teachmentortexts.com/">Teach Mentor Texts</a> and Kellee at <a href="http://www.unleashingreaders.com/">Unleashing Readers</a>. This is a chance for bloggers to recap their week of reading and share their plans for the next reading adventures they will take. Visit the host blogs for a list of great blogs participating in this meme and a whole bunch of titles to add to your to-read lists.<div>
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Books I Finished This Week:</div>
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<i>Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle That Set Them Free</i> by Hector Tobar was a fascinating read. There were so many things that surprised me about the lives of these men and the culture that they come from. The story of how the mine collapsed and how the men were rescued is only a part of the story that is told in this book. It was an eye-opening read and I am curious to see which stories they chose to share in the movie. I highly recommend this one for adults. </div>
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A few years ago, I made it a goal to try to read more classics. In fact, I think I even made it a goal to read a classic every month. I am glad that the Sync audiobook program in the summer decided to pair a classic with the more recent YA book each week. I have been able to get to more of the classics with these free audiobooks. I started listening to <i>Around the World in 80 Days</i> by Jules Verne with my husband on our road trip. I finished listening this week. I love to listen to audiobooks or podcasts while I cook dinner each day. I am really curious and interested in reading more Jules Verne books now too. </div>
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I loved reading <i>The Adventures of Beekle</i> with my class. This group is such a great group of kids with excellent insights. They notice everything in the pictures so it is fun to read picture books with them. I highly recommend this picture book. </div>
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Books I Am Currently Reading:</div>
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I am still reading 1Q84 (surprise, surprise), I also am reading <i>Revolution </i>by Deborah Wiles, and <i>The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom: Practical and Spiritual Steps So You Can Stop Worrying</i> by Suze Orman. I also started listening to <i>Buddha Boy </i>by Kathe Koja. </div>
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What's Next?</div>
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As part of my new morning routine, I am planning to read self-help books. If I finish the Suze Orman book this week, I will start <i>The Five Love Languages</i>. I have a pile from the library that includes <i>Dash and Lily's Book of Dares</i> and <i>The Thing About Jellyfish.</i> I also have to start reading my book club's February selection, which I am pretty sure is <i>The Lotus Eaters</i> by Tatjana Soli. </div>
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What are you reading this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments! </div>
Andrea http://www.blogger.com/profile/12851457862977465669noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041454921701226810.post-91746800168826281872016-01-17T18:15:00.003-06:002016-01-17T18:15:53.211-06:00Celebrate This Week 1/16<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's Saturday and that means it is time to reflect on the week and celebrate things both big and small. Join our community and celebrate this week by linking up or just stopping by the host <a href="http://www.ruthayreswrites.com/">Ruth Ayres' </a>blog to read others' celebrations.<br />
I'm late to the party this week. I have MLK day off on Monday, so that has made me a little bit lazy this weekend. I love having the extra day to relax and reboot. <br />
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I loved this week! I have so many things that I am so blessed to have. I am so grateful for my wonderful life.<br />
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This week, the Student Council at my school, of which I am the supervisor, sponsored a Bully-Free week. The students came up with the awesome ideas and made sure that each day was successful. I was so proud of the group of 6-8 grade students for really stepping up and being leaders. The best part of the week was the fact that the Student Council went to classrooms of younger students to teach them a lesson about bullying. I got glowing reviews from teachers about how the students did. The kids loved it too. I think this is a great start to opening some doors and getting teachers of lower grades to give the middle school students a chance. <br />
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My students got a chance to do some STEM challenges this week. I had requested these STEM kits in a project on Donors Choose last year. I finally got them out and let the students have at it. They did phenomenal with it and really loved it. I am excited to work more of this type of challenge into my plans in the future.<br />
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This week, I continued to work on some of my resolutions for self-improvement. I am loving the morning routine and feel great about the way I am focusing on the things that really matter to me. The bullet journal is a great way to keep myself focused on productivity. I started the Whole Life Challenge on Saturday. I am excited to have this game to focus on some great daily habits.<br />
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What do you have to celebrate this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments!<br />
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<br />Andrea http://www.blogger.com/profile/12851457862977465669noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041454921701226810.post-55796952265691942252016-01-11T06:17:00.002-06:002016-01-11T06:17:21.681-06:00It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 1/11<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? --From Picture Books to YA is a weekly meme started by Jen at <a href="http://www.teachmentortexts.com/">Teach Mentor Texts</a> and Kellee at <a href="http://www.unleashingreaders.com/">Unleashing Readers</a>. This is a chance for bloggers to recap their week of reading and share their plans for the next reading adventures they will take. Visit the host blogs for a list of great blogs participating in this meme and a whole bunch of titles to add to your to-read lists.<div>
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Books I Finished This Week:</div>
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I have to admit, I wasn't sure I would like <i>Dorothy Must Die</i> by Danielle Paige. I am not always a fan of adaptations of stories like this. (I really did not like the book <i>Wicked</i>, for example) However, I really liked this one. It was very imaginative and twisted. I know that teenagers would absolutely love this twist on the classic story. I am very curious to see what happens next in Oz. I recommend this one to teens and adults. </div>
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Books I Am Currently Reading:</div>
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I think <i>1Q84</i> is going to be on this list for months! It is SOOOO long. I am really enjoying it so far though so I will stick through it. I am also still reading <i>Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine and the Miracle that Set Them Free</i>. The book reads like a novel even though it is a true story. I am listening to <i>Around the World in 80 Days</i> also. </div>
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What's Next?</div>
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I am not really sure what to read next. I have the book <i>Revolution </i>on my shelf and want to read that, but I haven't read <i>Countdown</i> and don't have that one. Do I need to read <i>Countdown</i> first? </div>
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What are you reading this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments! Have a great reading week!</div>
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Andrea http://www.blogger.com/profile/12851457862977465669noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041454921701226810.post-78526024698975245822016-01-09T09:26:00.000-06:002016-01-09T09:26:43.897-06:00Celebrate 1/9<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's Saturday and that means it is time to reflect on the week and celebrate things both big and small. Join our community and celebrate this week by linking up or just stopping by the host <a href="http://www.ruthayreswrites.com/">Ruth Ayres' </a>blog to read others' celebrations.<br />
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This week I am celebrating the making of avid, voracious readers. </div>
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Coming back from winter break is always a little rocky. Students need to be reminded of the procedures and routines and it takes a little while for them to re-adjust to being in school. I was not so nervous this year about that new beginning. My group of students this year is just a great group of kids. They are kind and funny and they love to learn. I missed them over the break and was happy to see them again this week. </div>
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On Monday, the assistant who works in my classroom told me that her son has become a reading fiend this year in my classroom. She said he always liked to read, but this year he is devouring books. I LOVE to hear that I influence kiddos in this way. </div>
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Every other routine was a little bit shaky on Monday, but not independent reading. My students were able to sustain their reading for 50 minutes. I was trying to re-establish our Words Their Way groups and routines so it took a little longer than usual, but that didn't matter to this class. I continue to be amazed at how engaged this group is in really losing themselves in their books. </div>
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On Wednesday, I was trying to get my Scholastic catalogs together so that I could hand them out to my students. I had not had enough time before our Art class to give them out, so I was working on sorting and stapling them during their Art time, which goes right up to the end of our school day. The catalogs were in 5 piles, 4 piles of separate catalogs and one pile of stapled together catalogs ready to hand out. When it was time to get ready and line up for dismissal, I turned around and saw a mob at my table. The students were so excited about the Scholastic catalog that they ignored what they knew they should be doing and created this mess trying to look at the catalogs. I couldn't even be that mad at them because I was glowing with the fact that they were so excited about the catalogs. </div>
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Then, on Thursday, when I was going to hand out the catalogs, I decided to show them books that I would recommend. I got about halfway through showing them my recommendations when one of the students spoke up. Lucas raised his hand and very politely said, "Mrs. Payan, can you please stop spoiling it for us?" I didn't get what he meant at first. I thought he meant that I was spoiling the books for them, so I immediately defended myself saying, "I'm not spoiling anything" to which he replied, "Yeah, you kinda are." And then I realized he meant that I was spoiling their experience of looking through the catalog for the first time and finding the treasures that they want to order. So I stopped going through the catalog. </div>
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At the end of the day on Thursday, I stopped early so that I could give students time with the Scholastic catalogs. I knew that they would be looking at them instead of getting ready if I waited until our usual dismissal time. It was amazing when they had those five minutes to look through the catalog. They were clustered in little groups. Most had markers or pens in hand and they were circling and starring the papers. It was magical. </div>
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Thursday was also the day that I introduced reading partners. At the end of our independent reading time, I had students come back to our gathering space and tell their partners about a place that they were really envisioning the story. Every single partner group was completely engaged in discussing their books. I just sat there and soaked it in knowing that we still have half the school year to go and I know we will go far with our reading work. </div>
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My other celebration this week is the introduction of blogs. I had my students set up their blogs on Kidblog this week. We started by doing a paper blog experience and discussing comments. I showed the students my It's Monday! post and the comments posted there. It was a good way to start the discussion about what makes a good comment. The students did the best job of any class I have worked with so far of putting meaningful comments on each others' work. The best is when students want more post-it notes so they can leave more comments. </div>
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On Wednesday, the students were able to start writing on their blogs. Writing time this week has been focused and quiet and amazing. </div>
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What do you have to celebrate this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments!</div>
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Andrea http://www.blogger.com/profile/12851457862977465669noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041454921701226810.post-55974005924589219242016-01-04T05:00:00.000-06:002016-01-04T05:00:23.520-06:00It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 1/4/2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
It's Monday! What Are You Reading? --From Picture Books to YA is a weekly meme started by Jen at <a href="http://www.teachmentortexts.com/">Teach Mentor Texts</a> and Kellee at <a href="http://www.unleashingreaders.com/">Unleashing Readers</a>. This is a chance for bloggers to recap their week of reading and share their plans for the next reading adventures they will take. Visit the host blogs for a list of great blogs participating in this meme and a whole bunch of titles to add to your to-read lists.<div>
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This was a very interesting winter break for me. I did not really do as much reading as usual. I am not sure exactly why, but I don't really feel bad about it. I think I have just been focusing on other areas in my life lately and not spending so many hours reading. That is not to say that I am not reading...I just am not reading as much as usual. </div>
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Books I finished this week:</div>
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I really enjoyed this audiobook. It was a great book for our road trip. Both my husband and I were very interested in the story. The backstories of Rachel and Megan were both so tragic. I did figure it out before it was revealed, but I was entertained by this mystery. </div>
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<i>The Miracle Morning</i> is one of those titles that I just ran into. I was doing some research into bullet journals before setting mine up. I saw one person had a whole bunch of references to this routine and I bought the book so I could read about the routine. I will definitely be doing this routine. I had already started to transform my morning routine and I love the structure that Hal Elrod shares in this book. </div>
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That's it. See? I usually would have finished at least a few books during a vacation week. Oh, well. </div>
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What I am currently reading:</div>
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I am listening to <i>Around the World in 80 Days, </i>which I got for free this summer through the Sync Audiobook giveaways. I also am more than halfway through <i>Dorothy Must Die</i>. I am plugging away at <i>1Q84</i> but that one will take me a LONG time to finish. I also just started <i>Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine and the Miracle that Set Them Free. </i>I am supposed to have this one finished by Thursday for my book club. I am pretty sure that isn't going to happen, but I will make an effort to do so. </div>
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What's Next? </div>
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I have a pile from the library that I might dig into next. However, with the books I am reading now, I am not sure if I will really get to anything else. </div>
Andrea http://www.blogger.com/profile/12851457862977465669noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041454921701226810.post-21029827050273620282016-01-03T18:45:00.003-06:002016-01-03T18:45:49.135-06:002015 Reflections and 2016 Goals<br />
What I loved about 2015:<br />
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A new principal who has been working to facilitate big changes in our school. She is not always appreciated by everyone, especially those who would like to dig in their heels and stay where they are, but the changes are needed and I am excited about the direction we are headed.<br />
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The opportunities I have had this year for traveling and spending quality time with my family. It is so fun to watch my niece develop and learn.<br />
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My new kitchen! It was so worth the headaches of construction and the cost of the remodel.<br />
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So many opportunities for learning! I attended All Write last summer and loved it! I also went to Summer Spark, which is a new conference started in Milwaukee last year. This fall, I was able to attend a workshop with Lucy Calkins. I love being able to learn new things and solidify the understandings I already had.<br />
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There are so many other things, big and small, that I had to celebrate in 2015. I love the Celebrate This Week blog posts because they helped me to focus on the positive.<br />
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My goals for 2016:<br />
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One of my biggest stressors is the way I am not as organized with my financial picture as I would like to be. I have to be better at this. I plan to have a budget and stick to it. I have a couple of apps that are helping me with keeping better track of things and I know this will be much better from here on out.<br />
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I want to write more. I really got lazy with my blogging this fall and I would also like to do some more writing of stories and possibly a book. Daily writing is my goal. I have some plans for some structures that will help me make the time for this.<br />
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I set my reading goal at 130 books. I like that I was less obsessed this year with finishing a ton of books. I have given myself permission to do other things and have taken some of my reading time back. I still am a voracious reader. I just also have other things I want to do.<br />
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I am excited to be participating in the Whole Life Challenge starting January 16th (if you are interested in joining my team, click <a href="http://www.whole.lc/wlcny16/t/team-carmela/join">here</a>). I need to be healthier and lose weight. I think the fun online game way of doing this will be motivating for me. I am looking forward to eating cleaner and really focusing on some healthy habits each day.<br />
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I am using a Bullet Journal for the first time in earnest this year. I did a variation of this for a couple months in 2015, but I had a planner and felt guilty that I wasn't using it so my bullet journal practice fizzled out. I am excited to use this system because I think it will really help me with productivity and keeping track of some things that I should be keeping better track of. I am looking forward to a small bedtime reflection routine which will include this tool.<br />
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While looking around the internet at some different bullet journals, I stumbled upon a description of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AKKS278/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?ie=UTF8&btkr=1">The Miracle Morning</a>. The small description of this routine intrigued me, so I bought the book and read it. I had already been starting to rethink my morning routine and this book came into my life at just the right time. I am excited about implementing the Life SAVERS routines into my mornings. This is a great way for me to be able to incorporate a daily writing time. I am also happy to think about a structure in which I also will develop a meditation practice and do some exercise every morning.<br />
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I know that this all sounds like a lot. I just really think this is the time for me to take the bull by the horns and focus on some self-improvement. I hope I will be able to stick to the routines that will help me to do so.<br />
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Happy New Year!<br />
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<br />Andrea http://www.blogger.com/profile/12851457862977465669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041454921701226810.post-26074832520348692462016-01-02T16:43:00.001-06:002016-01-02T16:44:54.564-06:00Celebrate 1/2/2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's Saturday and that means it is time to reflect on the week and celebrate things both big and small. Join our community and celebrate this week by linking up or just stopping by the host <a href="http://www.ruthayreswrites.com/">Ruth Ayres' </a>blog to read others' celebrations.<br />
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This week I am celebrating a nice two weeks of relaxing and rejuvenating. I have had a fabulous winter break and am ready to head back to work on Monday. I celebrate fun family times. We drove down to Savannah, where my sister and her family are now living, for Christmas. Then, we came back to Milwaukee just in time to drive through a winter storm and enjoy almost a full week relaxing at home. Here are some pictures that capture our days on the trip. Happy New Year to everyone!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My niece was super excited to ride on the trolley through Savannah.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My husband, Ramon, with the kid's menu hat and our adult beverage at The Pirate's House restaurant. Fun times!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sometimes you end up with hilarious pictures when you try to force a pose. My mother did get a nicer picture with smiles for everyone, but this one is too funny! (And I am celebrating the smile on my mother's face. It is hard being recently widowed during the holidays)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Someone is quite pleased with her Christmas haul, without even really understanding what is going on. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the best picture to sum up how yummy is the ice cream at Leopold's Ice Cream </td></tr>
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I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and is ready for a fabulous 2016! What do you have to celebrate? I would love to hear from you in the comments!<br />
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Andrea http://www.blogger.com/profile/12851457862977465669noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041454921701226810.post-77585512309282253112015-12-28T05:00:00.000-06:002015-12-28T05:00:06.046-06:00It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 12/28<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here are some books I have been reading in the last couple of weeks:<br />
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<i>A Murderous Procession</i> by Ariana Franklin is the fourth in the Mistress of Art and Death series. These are murder mysteries set in the middle ages when a woman doctor was thought to be a witch. The main character of this series was from Sicily and therefore received medical training and has learned to perform autopsies to determine cause of death. However, this must be done in secret in England or she will be shunned for being a witch. I really have enjoyed all of the books in this series. In this one, the main character is in mortal danger herself as she accompanies the princess on a journey across Europe. Fans of mysteries and historical fiction will enjoy this book for adult readers.<br />
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I have had <i>Bluefish </i>by Pat Schmatz on my shelf for years. I finally brought it down and read it. What an amazing story. I love the way the teacher in this book helps the main character to learn to read. It is a beautiful story about perseverance in the face of life's challenges and the struggles that some people have to find family. I highly recommend this one to grades 8 and up.<br />
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<i>Never Fall Down </i>by Patricia McCormick was a tough book to read. In a lot of ways, I was glad I read it while I was sort of distracted and not able to fully immerse myself in the story. It is an important story about the true events that happened to a young boy in Cambodia when the Khmer Rouge took over and there was awful genocide. This is an important story to know about, but really tough to read. I would recommend it for grades 8 and up, but with fair warning that it is quite graphic in parts.<br />
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I also have been reading with my ears this week. We did a road trip from Milwaukee to Savannah to visit my sister and her family for Christmas. On the way down, we listened to the first Harry Potter book because I love Jim Dale as a narrator and it was an entertaining reread for both my husband and me. We also listened to the first season of the Serial podcast. So intriguing!<br />
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What I am Currently Reading:<br />
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I started to read <i>IQ84</i>. That seems like it will take me quite a while to get through, because it is so long. I also started reading <i>Dorothy Must Die</i> because my sister had it on her shelf and I wanted to see if I would like it. I have requested it at my library and will hope to be able to continue reading it soon. I am also listening to <i>Girl on the Train</i> during our road trip back to Milwaukee. It was a great choice for a book that keeps us both intrigued.<br />
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What's Next?<br />
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I will be reading <i>Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle That Set Them Free </i>for my book club. Otherwise, I will have to see what comes up this week.<br />
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What are you reading this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments! Have a great reading week!<br />
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<i><br /></i><br />Andrea http://www.blogger.com/profile/12851457862977465669noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041454921701226810.post-38014858350892767952015-12-14T20:47:00.001-06:002015-12-14T20:47:24.682-06:00It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 12/14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? --From Picture Books to YA is a weekly meme started by Jen at <a href="http://www.teachmentortexts.com/">Teach Mentor Texts</a> and Kellee at <a href="http://www.unleashingreaders.com/">Unleashing Readers</a>. This is a chance for bloggers to recap their week of reading and share their plans for the next reading adventures they will take. Visit the host blogs for a list of great blogs participating in this meme and a whole bunch of titles to add to your to-read lists.<div>
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I didn't get a chance to do much reading this week. It is so busy at this time of year with all the holiday preparations. I would much rather be at home reading than in the crowded stores on the weekends, but alas, I have had to be in the shops. </div>
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Books I Finished This Week:</h4>
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I really enjoyed <i>Crossing the Wire</i> by Will Hobbs. I picked it up because I have some boys who would be interested in this type of story, but I wanted to make sure they would be able to handle the storyline. This is a great adventure book that really highlights the challenges of immigrants and the real struggles of families in Mexico. I am looking forward to sharing this title with the boys in my class. I would recommend it for grades 4 and up. </div>
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Books I Am Currently Reading:</h4>
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I am almost finished with <i>A Murderous Procession</i> by Ariana Franklin. It is one of the books in the <i>Mistress of Art and Death</i> series. I really like these books about a woman who is a doctor in medieval times but has to hide it in England because it is seen as heretical for a woman to be practicing medicine. Her specialty is doing autopsies, which is also unseemly in that time period. </div>
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What's Next?</h4>
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I will choose from my shelves according to my mood. That is about the best plan I can come up with right now. </div>
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What are you reading this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments! </div>
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Andrea http://www.blogger.com/profile/12851457862977465669noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041454921701226810.post-7117803835881559762015-12-12T08:17:00.002-06:002015-12-12T08:17:48.520-06:00Celebrate This Week 12/12 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's Saturday and that means it is time to reflect on the week and celebrate things both big and small. Join our community and celebrate this week by linking up or just stopping by the host <a href="http://www.ruthayreswrites.com/">Ruth Ayres' </a>blog to read others' celebrations.<br />
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My biggest celebration is just a fantastic week at school. Our classroom just seems to be clicking into place. We did the things that matter this week. My students sustained their independent reading and are finishing more books and thinking deeper about them. Our math times went well. Our writing times are fun and productive. We are all enjoying our days at school. Does it sometimes get crazy? Yes, of course. Do the students still manage to drive me nuts some days? Yes. However, the majority of my day is a pleasant and enjoyable experience. This is such a nice situation and it doesn't always work this way. There are two things I did in the last two weeks that I think made a big difference.<br />
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First, I changed our morning schedule a bit to start our day with morning meeting instead of starting with quiet work and then doing the meeting. I think this focus on starting with our community has helped some students to center themselves during the day and to work on our shared goal of learning. This little change in our timing seems to have given us a more productive day each day.<br />
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Second, I have been working my way through the first Unit of Study for Teaching Reading. I am adapting it slightly since I already had my workshop pretty much set up. However, the language of the unit and the lessons about reading intensely are definitely helping my readers to focus. I need to improve in making sure readers in my classroom have goals that they are working on and keep track of. I also need to improve my record-keeping routines. The Units of Study are helping me with this because they give me the coherence in my teaching to help me get there.<br />
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The other fun thing at school is the holiday celebrations. We are doing some fun things as we approach the holidays, including a door decorating contest. It was really fun to brainstorm with my class and to come up with our idea. Yesterday, we spent a lot of the afternoon making the snowflakes and toys and presents and candy canes to put in our North Pole scenes. We also made some elves and Santa and Mrs. Claus. The students are so proud of our efforts and confident that they will win the hot chocolate party. It is a lot of fun!<br />
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What do you have to celebrate this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments!<br />
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Andrea http://www.blogger.com/profile/12851457862977465669noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041454921701226810.post-40860080048296682442015-12-07T06:10:00.002-06:002015-12-07T06:11:37.632-06:00It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 12/7<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? --From Picture Books to YA is a weekly meme started by Jen at <a href="http://www.teachmentortexts.com/">Teach Mentor Texts</a> and Kellee at <a href="http://www.unleashingreaders.com/">Unleashing Readers</a>. This is a chance for bloggers to recap their week of reading and share their plans for the next reading adventures they will take. Visit the host blogs for a list of great blogs participating in this meme and a whole bunch of titles to add to your to-read lists.<br />
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Oh, my goodness! It has been so long since I last linked up! This Fall has been a tough one, but I am hopeful that the rest of the year will be a little more sane and normal.<br />
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I have been doing some great reading during these few months! There are so many fabulous books out there and I happen to have a bunch on my shelves. I am just going to highlight a few of my favorites because it has been so long.<br />
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Books I Finished:</h4>
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<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1335819760s/7896527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1335819760s/7896527.jpg" /></a>I reread <i>Throne of Glass</i> because I had my Kindle with me while staying with my mother and I had it on there and needed a good distraction. I knew I wanted to read the rest of the series and thought this would be a good time to read it. I also was mistaken thinking that it was a trilogy. I devoured these three books and got to the end of <i>Heir of Fire</i> and was really surprised that the story did not get resolved. Now, I need to go seek out the fourth book which, luckily, came out this Fall.<br />
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I highly recommend this series!<br />
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I read <i>The Martian</i> for my book club. It is not a book I would usually pick up to read, but I enjoyed the story. I did study engineering for a few years, so the scientific sections were fascinating to me. My husband, on the other hand, could not handle that stuff and gave up on the book. The people in my book club said they just skimmed the technical parts and ended up enjoying the story. This is a book I recommend. Just know that you might have to give it a little longer to hook you than usual.<br />
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I loved <i>The Water Castle</i>. It is a great middle grades story that I know a lot of kids will connect to. I thought a lot about how this story would be great to read along with <i>Tuck Everlasting</i> because of the idea of the fountain of youth and water that might make you immortal. I think kids could really sink their teeth into the deep ideas presented here. I highly recommend this book.<br />
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I love, love, LOVED <i>The Mark of the Dragonfly. </i>It is a beautiful and intriguing story. I was hooked from the beginning and could not put the book down. I highly recommend this one as well.<br />
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<i>Learning to Swim</i> was a fast-paced mystery that I read in one day. I was caught up in the story and trying to figure out what had happened. I did figure out some of the mystery, but it took so many twists and turns that I was not fully sure until the very end of the story. I recommend this one to adults who like a suspenseful story.<br />
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Books I am Currently Reading:</h4>
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I am reading <i>Crossing the Wire</i> by Will Hobbs.<br />
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What's Next?</h4>
I have <i>The Heir</i> sitting on my desk. I will probably get to that one soon. I am not sure what else I might read. I have been very spontaneous about book choices lately and will probably go with whatever strikes my fancy.<br />
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What are you reading? I would love to hear from you in the comments! Have a great reading week!<br />
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Andrea http://www.blogger.com/profile/12851457862977465669noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041454921701226810.post-53560048505696439652015-12-05T11:43:00.001-06:002015-12-05T11:45:55.019-06:00Celebrate This Week 12/5
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Come celebrate with us on Saturdays! </div>
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I have had such a difficult time making the time to blog this year. I could give it all sorts of excuses, but it really comes down to not deciding to put my butt in the chair and write. I hope to correct that and continue to write with more frequency in the coming weeks. </div>
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This week's celebration includes a few things from other weeks in which I had the ideas but did not write them up. Better late than never, right?</div>
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First, I celebrate the creativity of my students. I had just finished reading aloud <i>Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin</i> and I wanted to put up a display of artwork. So I thought about it and decided to have my students depict scenes from the book in our watercolor project. They turned out so well! I was amazed also at the details that they decided to include in their art. I love that we have this shared book experience! Then, also there is the one piece of art that gave my colleagues and I a few chuckles after school (look at the pictures and you will see what I mean).</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a tower with a thorny bush at the bottom, of course.</td></tr>
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We have been reading <i>The One and Only Ivan</i> now. I love that one of my students made the connection between Mack and King Barf. We were talking about how Mack seems to only think about money and this student brought up this connection. It was followed with a chorus of "Yeah, I was thinking that too." So fun to hear their thinking!</div>
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This is a carnation that one of my students brought me the day before Thanksgiving break. When I asked her what it was for she said, "because I love you." So sweet.<br />
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In the middle of November, I had the opportunity to attend a day-long workshop with Lucy Calkins presenting about the Units of Study in Teaching Reading. Mind Blown! Of course, I immediately purchased the units and then read and reflected about my own classroom and the workshop environment I had created so far this year. The workshop and the things Lucy had to say really helped me to rethink some of the extras that I had been trying to do. I have started using the first unit for 4th grade, with some modifications since I already had some procedures and routines in place. I stopped trying to figure out how to work in other reading work to look more like other reading classrooms in my building. I lost a huge weight off my shoulders and we have started to sink into the work of reading intensely and deeply. I love it.<br />
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My district started something new this year with our calendar. We had teacher work days Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before Thanksgiving. It was awesome! I had a ton of time to rearrange my classroom and work on the never-ending work of sorting and labeling my class library. I am very pleased with the amount of work I was able to accomplish in those three days and I really like the new arrangement as well.<br />
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This week was full of amazing reading time. My students were able to sustain their independent reading time for 40-45 minutes each day. Even on Monday, which was the day after a week-long break for them. I am loving seeing most of the students really becoming avid readers.<br />
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In my personal life, I celebrate time with family and friends, a new fancy Kitchen-Aid mixer, fitting in regular workouts again, HGTV, and spring-like weather in December in Wisconsin.<br />
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What do you have to celebrate this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments!<br />
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<br />Andrea http://www.blogger.com/profile/12851457862977465669noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041454921701226810.post-79851810710781429612015-11-07T08:06:00.002-06:002015-11-07T08:06:55.881-06:00Celebrate this week: Celebrating Everyday Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's Saturday and that means it is time to reflect on the week and celebrate things both big and small. Join our community and celebrate this week by linking up or just stopping by the host <a href="http://www.ruthayreswrites.com/">Ruth Ayres' </a>blog to read others' celebrations.<br />
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This week I am celebrating a return to my normal, everyday life. October was a doozy of a month: my kitchen remodel project was in full swing, my stepfather passed away suddenly, I spent every weekend with my mom and sister to help take care of my nieces while my sister stayed in town with my mother, and through it all I spent most of the month sick with a cold and then a sinus infection.</div>
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This weekend I am looking forward to thoroughly cleaning my new kitchen, grocery shopping, cooking, doing all of the laundry in my new washing machine, sleeping in my own bed all weekend, going to TJ Maxx to shop for decor items, and having some time to myself. (And finally getting somewhat caught up with planning and grading maybe)</div>
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The biggest celebration I want to share is my new <span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">KITCHEN. </span>Here are the before and after pictures. Please excuse the mess in the before pictures...I was working on packing things up at that point. </div>
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AFTER</div>
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I am absolutely loving our new space and I know we will enjoy cooking and eating in there for a long time to come. </div>
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What do you have to celebrate this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments! </div>
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Andrea http://www.blogger.com/profile/12851457862977465669noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041454921701226810.post-47470825138586230022015-10-24T09:47:00.001-05:002015-10-24T09:52:27.711-05:00Celebrate This Week 10/24<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Things to celebrate this week:<br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: x-large;">Curiosity</span> I got to go to the Madison Central Library with my 2-year-old niece. The building was completely renovated and the library Children's room is awesome! It was so fun to follow my niece around as she explored the space. Since the library is a block from my Mom's condo, she had already been there a few times and knew just what toys she wanted to play with. We also used the iPad that is set up for kids. She did an awesome job using the app Endless Alphabet and did these loud (sort of embarrassing) child cackles as she saw the app celebrating her correct answers. It was so fun!<br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;">Learning</span><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"> </span>My classroom continues to be a place that makes me smile every day. I love the fact that this group of kids is so respectful of each other. We have fun with GoNoodle every day and the students are loving many of our learning activities. This week I showed them the fact that our desks are dry-erase surfaces. They LOVED being able to draw on their desks. I also introduced my logic games from ThinkFun and they enjoyed being able to problem solve with these puzzle games.<br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-large;">Doctors </span>I was able to get to urgent care and not have to wait for very long on Thursday night. I am glad to have the antibiotics that will kick my sinus infection to the curb.<br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: x-large;">Family </span>Out of our awful experience of losing my Stepfather, comes the opportunity to see and spend time with my sister and my nieces each weekend. I am heading to Madison again today to be there with my family and help out with babysitting for my sister to get some of her work done. We get to see them one more weekend before they head off to Savannah to start their life there. I am also looking forward to hosting the family for Halloween trick-or-treat in my neighborhood (and I will have the kitchen finished and ready by then if everything stays on schedule this week).<br />
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What are you celebrating this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments!<br />
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Andrea http://www.blogger.com/profile/12851457862977465669noreply@blogger.com2