Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Two Word Sentences-Yeppers (from Grammar Keepers)
My students are studying sentence patterns. We conjugated some verbs and reviewed nouns-common and proper. Then we moved onto to verifying sentences with the noun-subject and verb. We used Jeff Anderson's Everyday Editing lesson on simple sentences called Is or Isn't It? After that, implemented the lesson called Two Word Sentences in the bookGrammar Keepers by Gretchen Bernabei. Students then wrote their own two word sentences and practiced the dialogue that accompanied the lesson. In the dialogue, the students tried to prove that their two words were two word sentences. They had a lot of fun writing and performing these dialogues with their own writing. This was day two of the study. Yepper skipper!
Friday, November 13, 2015
Bullets and Boxes...Remixed
Bullets and Boxes...Again
By Maureen Ucles
Bullets and boxes
seems some kinda
TOXIC
Get ya hazmats ready!
Breathing in the erroneous
woefully wrong
bordering on the absurd
anyway you spell it
smell it
WRONG
Bullets and boxes
where'd you get your
information?
Beginning
of bullets
middle
of boxes
and
end of time?
Seriously
Not gonna claim it
lost the check
Oops!
Nope
no need
to bother
rather
How about
an
introduction
body
conclusion?
Sound familiar?
Bullets and boxes
remixed
Puuuleeeeaaaasssee!
Not even worth
my thoughts
words
syllables
Bye!
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Write What Matters
I just finished chapter one in Write What Matters from Tom Romano. Gretchen Bernabei recommended the book at her two day staff development. She shared a wonderful recommendation for the book. It seems that Write What Maters book will cure what ails me. I bought it this morning. I briefly read the introduction and it spoke to me very loudly. This book gets me and I get to read it everyday.
When I left the Gretchen Bernabei two day staff development, I felt calm and refreshed. There is so much to explore. There is so much to do. I long to do what I know is best for my students. Reading and Writing is a process. As such, it cannot be rushed for the sake of a test. I know that I must stand firm in the courage of my convictions. The students are doing fine, where they are. They have grown so much as readers and writers since August. They will continue to grow as readers, writers, mathematicians, scientists and social scientists. It takes time.
In the first chapter of Write What Matters, Tom Romano ended it with an assignment of 15 minutes or longer. Write about why you write, what you get out of it, what rewards hold for you. I thought about going to bed early, but I couldn't let it rest. The writing in me has to come out because if I don't get it out, I think that what bothers me will eat me alive inside. For me, writing is my way of expression, venting, figuring out what I think, my way of being, and it is a generative and transformative process. I don't think I could go too long without it. Blogging is my way of practicing my writing with much frequency. It is empowering and it allows me to discover who I am and what I believe. This idea of testing has bothered me and has been weighing on my mind for some time. It has a hold of me and writing about it is a cathartic act. I can write about it and then let it go...or not.
Just as writing is life, so is teaching. Teaching and writing goes hand in hand. I love teaching my students. I love to see the writing light shine upon them. I don't want testing to get in the way of their brilliance or stop the flow of the classroom. It inevitably does though. That is what I have always hated about standardized testing. You get into a groove teaching and this uninvited guest knocks on the door, comes in and ransacks the place. It rearranges the furniture, knocks down photos, breaks glass onto the floor, and throws the mail all over the place. I come home, metaphorically, to my place (class), and have to pick up the pieces and try to get back into the groove. When it is all over, it takes me some time to get back on track. Hurricane Testing has subsided, but I must clean up the space again. Is there a better way? I am sure there is, but that is not my reality. I have to accept periodic testing and build a suspension bridge and get over it. Thanks the Good Lord for writing. It is my Golden Gate Bridge of acceptance and processing. Teaching and writing are inextricably linked to one another in my world. That is fine with me. My life would be such a bore without them.
Tom Romano,
This took longer than 15 minutes. Thanks for the chapter one! Now onto chapter two. I am so looking forward to the reading and writing exercises in this book!
Thanks Gretchen for the recommendation!
When I left the Gretchen Bernabei two day staff development, I felt calm and refreshed. There is so much to explore. There is so much to do. I long to do what I know is best for my students. Reading and Writing is a process. As such, it cannot be rushed for the sake of a test. I know that I must stand firm in the courage of my convictions. The students are doing fine, where they are. They have grown so much as readers and writers since August. They will continue to grow as readers, writers, mathematicians, scientists and social scientists. It takes time.
In the first chapter of Write What Matters, Tom Romano ended it with an assignment of 15 minutes or longer. Write about why you write, what you get out of it, what rewards hold for you. I thought about going to bed early, but I couldn't let it rest. The writing in me has to come out because if I don't get it out, I think that what bothers me will eat me alive inside. For me, writing is my way of expression, venting, figuring out what I think, my way of being, and it is a generative and transformative process. I don't think I could go too long without it. Blogging is my way of practicing my writing with much frequency. It is empowering and it allows me to discover who I am and what I believe. This idea of testing has bothered me and has been weighing on my mind for some time. It has a hold of me and writing about it is a cathartic act. I can write about it and then let it go...or not.
Just as writing is life, so is teaching. Teaching and writing goes hand in hand. I love teaching my students. I love to see the writing light shine upon them. I don't want testing to get in the way of their brilliance or stop the flow of the classroom. It inevitably does though. That is what I have always hated about standardized testing. You get into a groove teaching and this uninvited guest knocks on the door, comes in and ransacks the place. It rearranges the furniture, knocks down photos, breaks glass onto the floor, and throws the mail all over the place. I come home, metaphorically, to my place (class), and have to pick up the pieces and try to get back into the groove. When it is all over, it takes me some time to get back on track. Hurricane Testing has subsided, but I must clean up the space again. Is there a better way? I am sure there is, but that is not my reality. I have to accept periodic testing and build a suspension bridge and get over it. Thanks the Good Lord for writing. It is my Golden Gate Bridge of acceptance and processing. Teaching and writing are inextricably linked to one another in my world. That is fine with me. My life would be such a bore without them.
Tom Romano,
This took longer than 15 minutes. Thanks for the chapter one! Now onto chapter two. I am so looking forward to the reading and writing exercises in this book!
Thanks Gretchen for the recommendation!
Sunday, November 8, 2015
In November
I love Cynthia Rylant's book In November. I love it because it is well written and November happens to be one of my favorite months of the year. It reminds me of why I love November Every year, especially in July-September, I yearn for November. I adore November.
Finally this weekend felt like November and Autumn. After months and months of horrible, suffocating humidity, I awoke to sweater and turtle neck weather and yearned for cups of warm tea and coffee. I drank in the cool, crisp weather. The morning took me by the hand and invited me to slow down and savor life. The cool sunny mornings are the best. The best.
November. It is my "just right" month. The weather changes and leaves descend to the cold unforgiving ground. Trees brace for the blusterous winter weather, feeling rather naked and exposed. In November, the temperatures are nice and cozy. The mornings are quite chilly and the afternoons require a light sweater or long sleeved shirts. The evenings are enveloped by darkness and the air temperature decreases by the hour. Hot tea, coffee and hot chocolate are my preferred drinks. Soup is perfect in November. Chicken soup. Tomato soup. Potato soup. Vegetable beef soup. Any soup will do.
November is the perfect weather for taking long walks. I love to walk near my house and breathe in November. In the Summer months, you won't catch me outside. The heat gets to me and my poor, poor lungs. November's weather, however, is great for my asthma and getting in some more steps. It is not too cold or too hot, but rather perfect.
November is the month of great football. Every year, I love to watch my beloved Ohio State Buckeyes play football. The football season heats up in November. I lounge on my couch, flip the channel to see my Buckeyes play against that team from up North. I am forbidden to write their name, but to help those of you who may be oblivious to this rivalry, I will mention their name this one time. The greatest rivalry in all of college football (sorry UT and Texas A&M) is between Ohio State and Michigan (that team from up North). This game always takes place the latter part of November. I remember waiting the whole year to watch the game as a youngster. My family and I marked the date on the calendar and settled in for a real barn burner. We lived and died by the results. It is serious stuff, as bragging rights are on the line for one whole year. When I think of November, I think of The Ohio State Buckeyes and the rivalry game. Go Bucks!
I can't have November without Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving means family. Thanksgiving means lots of comfort foods and pumpkin pie. It is really the only day that I will get up super early to prepare a feast that will occur around 2 pm. I love to get up and get the bird in the oven, make real lumpy mash potatoes and use my mom's coveted recipes for stuffing, cranberry salad, and brocolli casserole. I enjoy making all of these delicacies for my family. It brings back so many great memories of Thanksgivings past spent with my family in Ohio. My mom would always have me help her grind out the cranberries and oranges with the peel in her iron hand grinder. I loved helping her prep the night before Thanksgiving. I still have memories of seeing the humongous turkey being placed in water in the kitchen sink. My brother Tim would take the decapitated and somewhat frozen bird out of the stink and chase me around the house with it. It was quite funny!
Ahh...November. There's really no other month that I love more. The weather, drinks, food, family traditions, along with football make it very special for me. I wish it could be extended to sixty days!
Finally this weekend felt like November and Autumn. After months and months of horrible, suffocating humidity, I awoke to sweater and turtle neck weather and yearned for cups of warm tea and coffee. I drank in the cool, crisp weather. The morning took me by the hand and invited me to slow down and savor life. The cool sunny mornings are the best. The best.
November. It is my "just right" month. The weather changes and leaves descend to the cold unforgiving ground. Trees brace for the blusterous winter weather, feeling rather naked and exposed. In November, the temperatures are nice and cozy. The mornings are quite chilly and the afternoons require a light sweater or long sleeved shirts. The evenings are enveloped by darkness and the air temperature decreases by the hour. Hot tea, coffee and hot chocolate are my preferred drinks. Soup is perfect in November. Chicken soup. Tomato soup. Potato soup. Vegetable beef soup. Any soup will do.
November is the perfect weather for taking long walks. I love to walk near my house and breathe in November. In the Summer months, you won't catch me outside. The heat gets to me and my poor, poor lungs. November's weather, however, is great for my asthma and getting in some more steps. It is not too cold or too hot, but rather perfect.
November is the month of great football. Every year, I love to watch my beloved Ohio State Buckeyes play football. The football season heats up in November. I lounge on my couch, flip the channel to see my Buckeyes play against that team from up North. I am forbidden to write their name, but to help those of you who may be oblivious to this rivalry, I will mention their name this one time. The greatest rivalry in all of college football (sorry UT and Texas A&M) is between Ohio State and Michigan (that team from up North). This game always takes place the latter part of November. I remember waiting the whole year to watch the game as a youngster. My family and I marked the date on the calendar and settled in for a real barn burner. We lived and died by the results. It is serious stuff, as bragging rights are on the line for one whole year. When I think of November, I think of The Ohio State Buckeyes and the rivalry game. Go Bucks!
I can't have November without Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving means family. Thanksgiving means lots of comfort foods and pumpkin pie. It is really the only day that I will get up super early to prepare a feast that will occur around 2 pm. I love to get up and get the bird in the oven, make real lumpy mash potatoes and use my mom's coveted recipes for stuffing, cranberry salad, and brocolli casserole. I enjoy making all of these delicacies for my family. It brings back so many great memories of Thanksgivings past spent with my family in Ohio. My mom would always have me help her grind out the cranberries and oranges with the peel in her iron hand grinder. I loved helping her prep the night before Thanksgiving. I still have memories of seeing the humongous turkey being placed in water in the kitchen sink. My brother Tim would take the decapitated and somewhat frozen bird out of the stink and chase me around the house with it. It was quite funny!
Ahh...November. There's really no other month that I love more. The weather, drinks, food, family traditions, along with football make it very special for me. I wish it could be extended to sixty days!
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Diary of a Whimpy Kid Old School Lottery
My students are bonkers for Dairy of a Whimpy Kid. Yesterday I received my shipment of three books that I preordered from Scholastic. The newly released Dairy of a Whimpy Kid-Old School was a hit. Last week we held a book lottery for the first two ccpies. The selected lottery winners now get first dibs on the reading of these books. They jumped up and down when I showed them the new books. They were fortunate to read them during Ludic reading in the classroom today and also are allowed to take them home to read. I have a long waiting list. Next Friday, the next three get to read the books. Maybe I should buy more? I am considering it.
It was so fun to see their reaction and joy! They didn't want to put the books down.
My students are such wild readers. Anytime I share my new reads, they want to immediately borrow the new books. Then I have to start new lotteries. I got the idea of book lotteries from Donalyn Miller's Reading in the Wild. This is such a great way to solve a big problem: my students want to read everything! It is a great problem to have.
It was so fun to see their reaction and joy! They didn't want to put the books down.
My students are such wild readers. Anytime I share my new reads, they want to immediately borrow the new books. Then I have to start new lotteries. I got the idea of book lotteries from Donalyn Miller's Reading in the Wild. This is such a great way to solve a big problem: my students want to read everything! It is a great problem to have.
IHOP Blues (No More Coffee For Me!)
IHOP Blues
(No More Coffee For Me)
By Maureen Ucles
I’ve got the IHOP blues
Running down to my shoes
Trying to hold back the tears
Rolling down my rosy cheeks
Has it been a millennium?
Or just a few years?
Maybe a few months?
Can’t remember
Since December?
Gone numb
I’ve got the IHOP blues
Running through my veins
Seems insane
Trying to fathom
My life—without
A cup of Jo
Java supreme
Mud water
Has anyone seen?
I’m
Distraught
Disillusioned
Somewhat
Contusioned
Without
My
Cup of joy
Also
Known as coffee
The pancakes don’t fluff
With the right kind of stuff
Eggs lost their yolks
Hash browns?
Yellow—no taste
WHAT A WASTE!
Without…my
Do I really need to say?
My cup of coffee
Six creams
No sugar…
Just right
My insides
revolt
scream
No more coffee!
No more coffee!
Poor, pitiful me…
(Sigh)
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Expository Writing Has Gone To the Dogs! Who Let the Dogs Out?
I saw this really cute video on Face Book. Dogs dine in this funny video. It looks as if they are dining around the holiday season. I always look for silly videos to show my students. They like dogs and cats. One boy today asked me to find a funny dog video. I guess he has seen too many crazy cat videos. To honor him, I found a cute video. There is a cat cameo.
I am going to use this as a trigger to write in an expository way. First I will show the video. Then they will watch it again to try to find what they like about it. Then I will ask them their opinion about it. They will write a belief statements and discuss with a partner why they believe what they do about the partner by citing examples and evidence from the video. They will then take a quickwrite and discuss what they thought. They will read their writing to partners of 2 and 3. Each partner will read and then listen for a belief statement and reasons which could include evidence and examples from the video. They will then sign each other's paper's stating that they listened to each other's work.
We will then debrief and share out. Expository writing is everywhere! It has gone to the dogs!
I am going to use this as a trigger to write in an expository way. First I will show the video. Then they will watch it again to try to find what they like about it. Then I will ask them their opinion about it. They will write a belief statements and discuss with a partner why they believe what they do about the partner by citing examples and evidence from the video. They will then take a quickwrite and discuss what they thought. They will read their writing to partners of 2 and 3. Each partner will read and then listen for a belief statement and reasons which could include evidence and examples from the video. They will then sign each other's paper's stating that they listened to each other's work.
We will then debrief and share out. Expository writing is everywhere! It has gone to the dogs!
Monday, November 2, 2015
Crazy Cat Videos
My Students are Blogging!
My students are beginning to blog! How exciting for me to see this. I read a few posts from Edublog tonight. They are trying out their own poetry, making top ten and top five lists. I love it. Their posts are not perfect, but the fact that they are doing it and putting it out there is far more important to me right now. I will work with them on the final edit. It takes time! One of my girls wrote a poem about the seasons. Now I get to be the one, of many, to comment on her post! This is crazy fun!
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