Literacy Learning Zone

Slice of Life Stories hosted by the  Two Writing Teachers This morning I had nothing.  Oh, I had plenty to write about, but nothing that I wanted to write about -- so I waited for the day to bring a story to me that I'd want to share. Lunchtime rolled around and no ideas were saying, "Pick me!  Write me!  I'm here!"  So, I decided to sit and ponder as I nibbled my pb and j sandwich.  I looked around my classroom noticing that it wasn't looking all neat and tidy like that first day of school and started to type: And we're off!  School started last Monday with teachers and students arrived ready to go on Wednesday.  Why is it that once I step foot into school, I'm already feeling behind? Why is

Slice of Life Stories hosted by the  Two Writing Teachers Yesterday was the first day back: told in numbers Rise and shine: 30 minutes earlier Walk/jog on the treadmill: 2  miles in  30  minutes Managed to finish Divergent :  savored the last 50  pages School (aka daycare) drop off:  easy and under 5 minutes First drive to school in weeks:   9 miles in the usual 25 minutes Breakfast treats and chatting:   30 minutes of catching up Nitty gritty, review and new information:  over 2 hours of sitting Finally, a yummy (catered) lunch:   2 tacos, 1 scoop of rice, and a handful of chips Meetings in the afternoon:  over 2 more hours of sitting Ever-so-thankful that I only have to sit and get:   1 day out of the scho

Slice of Life Stories hosted by the  Two Writing Teachers Yesterday was my last Monday of summer break.  And today is my last Tuesday. It is finally hitting me that I have to venture back into the real world.  A real world with a real schedule. My real world of . . . Balancing   life of being a mommy and teacher and always Wondering   how much learning, laughing, talking I'm missing when the girls are at daycare, and Remembering   to slow down and enjoy the small moments together even though I'm Scheduling how I'm going to get all the daily chores completed in a lesser amount of time and Determining   the answer to the question I despise most: "What's for dinner?" all the while

Check out other favorite 10 for 10 Picture Book Lists  @  Reflect and Refine  and  Enjoy and Embrace Learning or Jog the Web 10 for 10 Ten picture books  I can't live  without  in my classroom. I read a lot.  Not as much as some, but more than others.   A good chunk of my reading consists of picture books.  (Check out my Goodreads account!)   For one, I adore picture books.  The illustrations in combination with the words and the message -- whether simple or complex, pulls me in as a reader.  Also, I don't have a lot of free or extra time, so squeezing in a picture book here or there, or sharing one with my two little ones is feasible.  In my classroom, I utilize more picture books to enhance my reading and writing mini-lessons or just to share my pure love of reading.  I notice the more I share a picture book, the more I learn and the more I fall in love.  Maybe every picture book deserves a second and third read.  I wonder if there is a nugget waiting

Slice of Life Stories hosted by the  Two Writing Teachers So, when  do  you go back? I've been asked this question more times than I can count on my two hands. My answer:   I don't know.  Sometime in mid-August. Right now, that is where my brain is -- on hold.  I've enjoyed the slower pace of summer, even though every day I have been busy with my girls. Just to have the time to laugh and play and be with them is a gift, and every summer I will appreciate the time more and more. I've also been busy reading. Reading articles, reading blogs, reading picture books, reading MG and YA books, reading professional books.  I haven't read as much as I hoped.  I still have a book stack of 30+ books waiting patiently.  (However, for man

'"It's OK for things to be hard.  That's when we learn.  We show we believe in ourselves by saying things like  'I don't get it yet.'" Johnston p.115 My first goal is take time to reread  Opening Minds: Using Language to Change Lives  by Peter H. Johnston (Stenhouse, 2012).  I know I got the BIG ideas, but I'm sure there are so many little ideas that I need to decipher and connect to at home and in my classroom.  I was feeling very guilty about my language choices and feeling immense pressure to make big changes.  Learning from the other #cyberPD participants through reflective blog posts, forward thinking comments, and the fast Twitter chat (including Mr. Peter Johnston himself!) relieved my stress. I'm  REALLY  not good at this  yet, but I'm also not alone!  As I was thinking about this post over the last couple days, I was bombarded by quotes shared from colleagues via Twitter (and other da