Predictable Books

"Predictable books make use of rhyme, repetition of words, phrases, sentences and refrains, and such patterns as cumulative structure, repeated scenes, familiar cultural sequences, interlocking structure and turn-around plots. These stories invite children to make predictions or guesses about words, phrases, sentences, events and characters that could come next in the story."

-- Mary Jett Simpson, in Reading Resource Book

Predictable books and stories utilize some important text features that help children become familiar with language and how it can be used and/or played with!

Types of predictable books

• Chain or Circular Stories-Plot is interlinked so the ending comes back to the beginning such as If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and others by Laura Numeroff
• Cumulative Stories-Each time a new event occurs, all previous events in the story are repeated such as Mr. Gumpy's Outing by John Burningham or The Little Red Hen told/written by various authors
• Familiar Sequence-Organized by a recognizable theme (counting, days of the week) such as Chicken Soup with Rice by Maurice Sendack
• Pattern Stories-Scenes are repeated with some variation such as the Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise
• Question and Answer-The same or similar questions are repeated throughout the text such as Whose Mouse are You by Robert Kraus
• Repetition of Phrase-Word order in a phrase or question is repeated such as Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathman
• Rhyme-Rhyming words, refrains, or patterns are used throughout the story
• Songbooks-Familiar songs with predictable elements, such as repetitive phrases such as The Farmer in the Dell

Click here, here, here or here for great resources that list a number of great predictable books to use in your classroom!

These types of books are perfect for young learners and especially for students who are acquiring English as a second language. The repetition, patterns, and predictable nature offer great support for students who are still becoming familiar and comfortable with the English language. Many predictable books are those that become childhood favorites because they are fun, kid friendly, and must haves for your classroom library!

Teacher Swap

The theme of this week's Teacher Swap hosted by Jen from Following the Footsteps is to show pictures of our classrooms.

I have pictures from both my classroom in Oregon and the classrooms I will be working in here in Germany. It is interesting to see the differences.

I started last school year off with the desks in a U formation. I really liked it, but it was a bit tight for space in my room. I rearranged the furniture in that room so many times because I could never get it just the way I wanted it. Finally, at the middle of last year, I arranged it in a way that I liked best of all.

This was a my carpet time area where I did most of my instruction. The wall showing was my calendar wall and to the right was my large whiteboard. The colored rectangles had sight words written on them. I made a "rainbow trail" of words written on craft foam and velcro-ed to the carpet so that my students would have to hop on the trail and read the words on the way to the carpet each day.

My classroom library

I definitely acquired a lot more books over the course of last year because there were buckets lining that whole shelf by the end of the year. When I get my own room again, I would like to more thoroughly organized my library by levels and themes so the children would be able to easily identify what books they were interested in/were appropriate for their reading levels and they would be able to put them back where they came from.

Room 3S- Germany

Room 3K-Germany

I have seen some major difference between the classrooms at FIS in Germany and other classrooms I know from the US. In Germany, there are no built in cabinets for storage, just free standing bookshelves and the classroom "libraries" pale in comparison to those of my previous school. One of the rooms I am going to help in had only two very small bins for the entire library! In Germany much of the furniture/bins come from Ikea and the classrooms seem bare. At FIS, some walls are painted in very bright colors like lime green and orange, but overall the classrooms look pretty stark. Surely teachers decorate, but the rooms just seem different to me and not as inviting. Additionally, the teachers have an office/workroom where their desks and computers are located so they do not have as much "stuff" in the classroom itself. There are smaller teacher desks and phones in the classrooms, but their work and planning is done elsewhere. The children also store their items in the hallway. The rooms do not contain cubbies rather there are hooks outside the classroom for jackets and backpacks. I guess that is part of the reason why they seem less cluttered, there isn't as much stuff in them!

I always enjoy getting my room ready at the beginning of the year and although I have been helping the third grade teachers prep their rooms, it's just not the same!

Cooking Challenge!

We are currently staying in a hotel in Germany which is our temporary housing until we find an apartment we like and can move in. We will most likely be here for a month or so. We have a little kitchenette space and I just ventured to cook our first meal last night. I found many different varieties of packaged fresh pastas, like ravioli and gnocchi, at the grocery store that only take two minutes to cook once the water has boiled. Combined with some different sauces, I have enough for about 3 meals, but we are getting pretty sick of pasta with sauce!

I need your help!

What kind of meal would you prepare given these conditions/supplies:

(It's like a Top Chef Quick Fire challenge!)

• very limited refrigerator space (it's about the size of a dorm fridge)
• no freezer space
• 2 burners
• 2 small pots
• 1 small frying pan
• 1 spatula type utensil
• 1 small cutting board
• 1 small knife

So far it seems that the grocery store has most products/foods that we have in the US. Not the same brands of course, but pretty similar. Some brands are even the same (I saw Snickers, Red Bull and a few others).

I would love to incorporate more meat and vegetables/salads into our meals because I feel like I have not eaten enough vegetables since we arrived and I can't remember the last time I ate meat!

If you have an idea, post it in my comments! Thanks!

Blogaversary!

Today is my one year blogaversary!

I remember when I started blogging and did not have any followers and never got any comments. I still enjoyed writing and posting about teaching and instruction, but I have to admit it is a LOT more fun now that there are people reading what I write. I remember being so excited to get a few fans and now I am up to 34! It is so fun to connect with other teachers and other bloggers and I feel like the world of blogging has brought a lot of joy into my life in the past year. I did not write as frequently during the school year, but I have a feeling this year will be different.

Thanks to all my readers and fans, especially the ones who leave comments! I love to hear feedback on what I write and I hope to continue gaining followers!

Special Day

Today is my second wedding anniversary. On August 18, 2007 John and I got married in Southbury Connecticut. Athough we were living in Portland at the time, we chose CT as our wedding destination because I grew up there and my parents and brother and his wife live there. Both of our options involved destination weddings (John wanted to get married on the beach in Hawaii) but ultimately I won (doesn't the bride alwyas win?) because at least I had my mom and my sister-in-law to help me with planning in Connecticut. My mom went to see the venue and booked it for us and I chose the same DJ and photographer that Shari used. The time difference between CT and OR made it difficult to get in touch with venders and such because by the time I got out of work, places on the East Coast would already be closed. I actually got the most accomlished on one particular snow day because I was free to make phone call during the day. One drawback to being a teacher is that you cannot have any kind of personal life during working hours! It is impossible to make/take personal calls.

I like to think I was a very simple bride. When I came across something I liked, I went with it rather than agonzing over the details of each and every choice. I bought the first dress I tried on and do not regret that. I tried on three total, but #2 and #3 just confirmed that I loved the first one. I chose bridesmaid dresses from Ann Taylor online because my girls lived in different states and we could not go shopping together because they were all on the East Coast. My husband's grandmother loves yellow roses so that is what I chose for our table arrangments, cake, and boquets. I tried to keep in mind that a wedding day is very special, but it is just a day. All the details are not as important as the relationship and the love that are being celebrated.

John and I met in college at Villanova University in Pennsylvania. We lived in the same dorm freshman year, but we actually both disliked each other at first. We really got to know each other sophomore year and kind of dated, but it was not until fall of junior year that we truly became a couple and fell in love. I remember that John surprised me by taking me to New York City to see 42nd Street and that was when I realized how much I really cared about him. He put in so much effort to take me on a special date and he has not stopped spoiling me since.

We grew up with very different lifestyles and are polar opposites in many ways. John is American, but was born in Hong Kong and before high school he lived in Australia, Mexico, Korea, and Switzerland. His dad worked for Hewlett Packard (I bet you thought he was an Army brat, huh) and has a passion for international business which is why they moved around so much. John is outgoing, loves adventure, and is always willing to try something new.

I, on the other hand, lived in the same small town from when I was two until when I left for college. I am pretty shy in new situations, hesistant to try new things, and hold on to what is comfortable and familiar rather than gravitating towards the new and unknown. I love that I grew up with strong roots in a town that my parents had grown up in, in two different houses that my dad build with his own two hands (and mom helped design).

Needless to say, the saying that opposites attract was true in our case. It is blatantly obvious by the fact that I am writing this on my laptop from a hotel room in Germany, that John's pension for adventure has rubbed off on me. Never in a million years would I ever have imagined that I would live in Europe, yet here I am...and loving it so far. John has influenced my life in so many positive ways that I cannot even imagine where I would be without him. He always pushes me to go out of my comfort zone, to not be the turtle that hides in its shell, and to embrace what life has to offer. He is not only my husband, but my best friend, and my lobster (lobsters mate for life).

Here are a few photos from our wedding day.

Bloggy Awards!

It's always special to receive blog awards because that means people are reading (and liking) what I am writing! I love blogging and would do it even if no one was reading, but I do love that other people take interest in what I write about and want to honor Sneaker Teacher with awards!

Thanks to Ashli from Chasing Today for The Uplifting Blogger Award

I am passing this award onto:

Jen from Following the Footsteps because of her strong faith and positive words

Vivienne from The V Spot because of her humor

Thanks to Heather from Oswald Cuties for The Adorable Blog Award

I am passing this award onto:

Pineapple Princess at The Love Shack

because she is creative, posts beautiful pictures, and has adopted the most preciously beautiful little girl who she refers to on her blog as "Beach Bunny" all of which make her blog adorable.