Some New Reads for Room 127

Each year our PTA gives us $50 to spend on our classrooms. These funds need to be spent on items that students will use, consume. This year I spent my dollars on new books from Scholastic. I basically got about $100 dollars of books! Yea! Today I read a book that I will definitely add to my Interactive Read Aloud list. It is the book, "The Three Questions" by Jon J. Muth.
This story is based on a story by Leo Tolstoy. Here are the three questions that the boy asks, :
1. When is the best time to do things?
2. Who is the most important one?
3. What is the right thing to do?

The boy asks his friends the answers, but he learns the answers through a life lesson of helping others. He becomes proud of himself for the work he has done but disappointed that he still doesn't know the answer to his questions. Finally, in the end the old turtle reveals the answers that were there all the time. I won't give away the ending, but the last line reads, "This is why we are here." Beautiful isn't it!




Also, another books we received today was: "Bear's New Friend" by Karma Wilson. I am a great lover of the Bear books. My youngest daughter reads them quite frequently. She loves the animal friends, the lovely rhyme, and the strong, rich vocabulary. Karma Wilson introduces a new friend, the owl. She also introduces the words shy and bashful. Really, a book that little ones will enjoy because they are so cute and sing-songy. However, I have often thought this series would be great for picking words that are out of the ordinary for describing ordinary things. The author is really great at using rich, strong, fancy words. A must read for all ages.

Do my words matter?

I have a kiddo in my class this year that contemplates this question during each Writer's Workshop.

Are my words worth the effort?

Do my words matter?

Why do we write?

So, I have been generating some different ways to get him to write. Here are some of my ideas:

1. Writing to a pen-pal.

2. Later, having him share his writing with that pen pal.

3. Have him keep a notebook that he can write down lists, writing ideas, keep artifacts, and just become a writer. (My biggest fear is that he is "just" a first grader, can he do it?)

4. Share my own writing with him, and perhaps pair him with an older student so that he can see those mentor notebooks.

My ideas are just in the beginning stages. I am awestruck at how much my summer reading and professional experiences have prepared me for this year and this group of students. It pays off in the end to study best practices (duh!). I am able to help my students as they grow as writers. If you have any ideas that could benefit my kiddo I would appreciate any help you have for me.

Poetry Friday, A Little Late

So today was crazy long! We had our Harvest Festival, I got to paint perhaps fifty faces in an hour. I got skills!!! Anyway, my girls got to walk around with their dear old dad while playing games. It is always so fun because you get to see old, old, old, students that return. You see everyone in such a positive fun setting. I am exhausted, and my daughters were ready to snuggle. We got jammies on, our set of books, and we hunkered in for the night. I hope you enjoy!

Snuggle

by Sarah Amick

A giant comfy family bed

fluffy pillows craddle our head

Quiet giggles, little heads nuzzle

We hunker down our bodies like a puzzle

A long fall day-

So tired from our play;

laughing, snuggling, reading books

settling in, heads nestled in nooks,

A moment of quiet, and sweetly warm

content tender, and away from worldly harm

All crowded with limbs in the family bed

My girls, my sweets, a memory in their head.

Interactive Read Aloud

Picture the spring, when first graders are almost second graders, my facilitator comes in to teach Interactive Read Aloud. I love it, I think it is very closely why I began to teach. I think, "wow, this is something I can do!" Fast forward-
Twenty five early fall first graders huddled in a circle trying desperately to sit still, focus, listen carefully, etc. Imagine, their teacher ready to just chuck it all until spring! This was until...
TODAY!
I read an email from that very same facilitator, I sat with a much shorter book and magic occur ed!
Mem Fox's, she never fails, Harriet, You'll Drive Me Wild was the text that I used to introduce a better Interactive Read Aloud. We sat in a circle, we sat with a friend of our choice. I read, and then after the first transition in the story I turned to my partner and modeled!!! the the conversation they were to have with their partner. (Did you miss that? I MODELED for them.) We discussed what we did correctly, we talked about staying on topic, and then they practiced. It was a magical lesson. I am once again on board.
Here are some things that I really need to introduce:
1. How to talk in the group without raising their hand, just not getting that!
2. How to agree, add, and disagree while supporting their responses.
3. Staying focused on the read aloud.
4. Management, management, management...
Wish me luck!

A Poem for 9-11

We can all remember when we found out what happened that day. We can recount the thoughts that raced through our minds. It was a pivotal moment in American history. We had a choice, to rise up or let the evil ones succeed. Today, as I walked through my neighborhood with flags hung half-mast I thought of this poem:

A Poem For 9-11

by Sarah Amick

A flag half-mast

moments of silence...

long lists of names read in memoriam

flowers laid on places of rest

words spoken reverently;

This is how we remember 9-11

My head held high

Raising my kids in the land of the free

Crossing my heart and singing-

our nation's anthem,

Attending parades and standing in honor,

as our flag passes by;

This is how we honor America and those lost on 9-11

Drive to work each morning,

love others as we would desire to be loved

worship a God of our choice

Be who we want to be

Rebuild and protect

Enjoy freedom, and all its amenities

Hold your head high

This is how we prove our resiliency

to those who caused 9-11...

We Live, so we never forget

I tried not to allow the sad thoughts to creep through today, that would be giving them what they want. Instead, for those that were lost, we need to live, and not let a day pass idly by...

Want Less...

So a while back I posted a poem about wanting less, you can read it here. On Sunday the sermon my minister gave was about what drives you. I got to thinking about what drives me... my children, my husband, obviously, but also my level of professionalism. I love what I do. I am a pretty dedicated professional. I was wondering, do I keep this balanced? Do I give too much to one or the other? Hmmmmm.....

A while back I wrote this poem, and I didn't really know where it came from? Perhaps it will touch you in some way. In the end, answer that question for yourself, "What drives you?"

If I were selfish...

by Sarah Amick

My car would be cleaner

My language would be dirtier

I would always be late;

My bed would always be made

I would never return your calls,

check on you, or listen carefully to your pain;

If I were selfish

My laundry baskets would never be full

I would spend more money on delicate food,

My health would be unimportant but...

my gym membership would be expensive

If I were selfish

I would shop even when things weren't on sale

I would not value holidays, traditions,

or nostalgia

If I were selfish,

I would go on vacation and take pictures,

not of people, but of places.

If I were selfish

I would use the words:

I, my, and me with frequency

A Poem for Working Mothers

I wrote a poem for the summer entitled "Summertime Mommy." You can read it here. Well, a start of a new year has inspired a new kind of mommy. I love being a mommy, but we all know the guilt, responsibility, the heart strings that encompass that role. It is truly not understood until one has children of their own. So, here is "Working Mommy."

Working Mommy

by Sarah Amick

Feels the guilt as she's driving away

Her thoughts are divided:

One listens attentively to the business at hand;

The other wanders to where she left her heart.

She values small qualitative moments

while juggling the motion of her world

Her hands are never idle.

This mommy organizes every minute of her day

never a down time, her world is always

time on task- always motion

Her heart is always drawn between

her dreams, goals, and responsibilities

The world of self, and selfless

She is always the last on her agenda

Always putting herself to the bottom

She is needed

Her list is full

She will make herself matter...

Tomorrow